Episodes

  • The Female Athlete: The Next Great Untapped Market In Sports Nutrition

    The Female Athlete: The Next Great Untapped Market In Sports Nutrition
    Jun 15 2021

    My guest today is a dear friend and one of my favorite people, Dr. Linda Alvarez. Linda is the Co-Founder
    and CEO of LEVELLE, a sports nutrition products start-up tailored to female endurance athletes based on
    scientific research.
    LEVELLE envisions a world where female athletes no longer need to compromise on nutrition for the
    sake of performance. LEVELLE was the winner of the 2020 Cornell University Metro NY Shark Tank
    competition, where Dr. Alvarez is now earning her MBA.
    Shout out to Linda Alvarez and @levellenutrition.com
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    55 mins
  • Kindness & Appreciation: The Forgotten Virtues of Work

    Kindness & Appreciation: The Forgotten Virtues of Work
    Jun 8 2021

    Hey NextFem Nation! Did you know...According to Glassdoor, most employees value
    appreciation as the number 1 employee benefit and salary as #8?
    Today I sit down and chat with Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros about the power of appreciation
    for fostering positive change in business and leadership.
    Cheri Torres, Ph.D is a catalyst for change. Her approach is grounded in neuroscience, positive
    psychology.
    Jackie Stavros is a professor at Lawrence Technological University - LTU and has worked in
    over 25 countries using Appreciative Inquiry.
    Their latest bestselling book Conversations Worth Having has been featured in Fast Company,
    Forbes, HR Magazine, SmartBrief, and Training Magazine among so many others.
    I love these people. Grab the full show notes at nextfem.com/ episode200. OK so with that,
    let’s welcome Cheri and Jackie to the show! Cheri and Jackie, are you ready to become the
    nextfem?
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    59 mins
  • The Beauty Benefits of Bone Broth - with Actress turned Entrepreneur Melissa Bolona

    The Beauty Benefits of Bone Broth - with Actress turned Entrepreneur Melissa Bolona
    May 25 2021

    Join me and my very special guest - actress turned entrepreneur Melissa Bolona - and creator
    of Beauty & the Broth.
    Beauty and the Broth is a bone broth startup on a mission to disrupt your beauty/wellness
    regimen/
    Providing a direct to door model of bone broth. You can enjoy bone broth anytime and
    anywhere. In fact I was able to order Beauty and the Broth to Kauai.
    In this episode, CEO and Founder - Melissa shares how her journey to wellness, had her create
    Beauty & The Broth. Why, one cup of broth a day can improve skin elasticity, decrease brain fog
    and curb cravings and the moment her business punched her in the gut and what she learned.
    Shout out to @MelissaBolona
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    48 mins
  • Meryl Streep and Jennifer Trainer Explore What It Means to Be a “Museum Town”

    Meryl Streep and Jennifer Trainer Explore What It Means to Be a “Museum Town”
    Mar 2 2021

    Jennifer Trainer is an award-winning journalist and author of 19 books that have been translated into ten languages. She wrote the first story about Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art for The New York Times and was one of a handful of co-founders of the museum. She is currently Director of Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock, Massachusetts.

     

    Jennifer’s, captivating new documentary MUSEUM TOWN traces the remarkable story of how a small rural Massachusetts town went from economic collapse to art mecca. 

     

    In 2017, MASS MoCA became the largest museum for contemporary art in the world—but just three decades before, its vast brick buildings were the abandoned relics of a massive shuttered factory. 

     

    MUSEUM TOWN captures the meeting of small-town USA and the global art world.

     

    In this episode, Jennifer takes us into her remarkable adventure as champion, steward and guardian of Museum Town. Her story like any great artwork is soulful, thought-provoking and unforgettable.
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    56 mins
  • What the Woman Who Created Lululemon’s Most Iconic Leggings Has to Say About Body Confidence – with Alma Adrovic

    What the Woman Who Created Lululemon’s Most Iconic Leggings Has to Say About Body Confidence – with Alma Adrovic
    Dec 28 2020

    Hello everybody, welcome back to the NextFem podcast.
    My guest today is Alma Adrovic. Alma has touched the lives of hundreds of millions of women,
    and while you may not know her name, you won’t have escaped her work or influence. Alma is
    widely credited for dragging workout wear into the fashion arena, when as employee #6 at
    Lululemon, she designed the Wunder Under®, the legging that started it all. After Lulu, Alma
    joined Nike, whereas head of design she created the court attire for Serena Williams.
    Today Alma launches her ultimate passion project - LOLA, a fit obsessed, size-inclusive
    activewear company. In this episode, Alma and I sit down and chat about her journey and hopes
    for LOLA, a very different kind of company.
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    55 mins
  • Boost Your Visibility By Writing a Book - with Dr. Cori Wamsley

    Boost Your Visibility By Writing a Book - with Dr. Cori Wamsley
    Oct 19 2020
    You’ve probably heard that we all have a book within us just waiting to be written. While that may or may not be true, that book will never get written without intentional thought regarding your purpose, audience, structure, and title. That’s where today’s guest comes in. If you’ve ever given any thought to writing your book, you can’t miss this episode. Join us!   Dr. Cori Wamsley helps leaders write books and boost their visibility as authors so they can get booked, get more clients, and make more money. Her bestselling book, The SPARK Method: How to Write a Book for Your Business Fast, helps make writing a book simple and fast so business owners can get their ideas out there to their ideal audience and make an immediate impact. Dr. Cori is a coach, editor, speaker, and author who empowers business owners to get their message heard. She has also self-published seven fiction books, including Confessions of the Editor Brigand, and a self - illustrated children’s epic poem, The Knight and the Ninjas. She co - authored the children’s book, Monkey Mermaid Magic, with her daughter, London, and also illustrated it. Dr. Cori has 15 years’ experience as a professional writer and editor, including ten years with the Departments of Energy and Justice and four years as the executive editor of Inspiring Lives magazine.    Key questions to ask yourself   If you plan to write a book, there are two key questions to ask yourself before writing: “Who is my audience? and, What do I want them to get out of my book?” This process ensures that you, as a writer, have a point to your writing and it doesn’t become an information dump. Your writing should have a flow and purpose as you partner with your audience in providing what they need. As a writing coach who primarily works with business owners, Cori helps them go through these important steps before the writing begins. With each book she writes, she sees her writing as a gift she gives to her audience.    Who should write?   The most important prerequisite for writing a book is that you are actively interested in the subject. You are creating something that will be a lasting part of your brand. A writer should have an internal drive to help people. The interest and drive you have to help and partner with your audience are the telltale signs that you need to write a book.    “Progress - tinating”   Cori explains the origin of this word that she created in the attitude of one of her book characters. The word symbolizes a combination of being lazy in putting something off until later, but it also has an element of efficiency in thinking ahead to accomplish a task. In other words, “progress - tinating” means you are procrastinating for a good reason, one that makes it all worthwhile in the end. As Cori applies this term to those who might be thinking about writing a book, it means there could be a good reason that you are putting it off until later. If you find yourself in this situation, ask yourself if writing a book is what you really want to do and if you’re ready to step into the position of a leader. Are you ready to write?   Writing means stepping into your role as a thought leader. You have to ask if you’re ready to stand behind your words and share this story. If the answer is NO, then Cori says you might not be ready to write that book yet. One challenge is picking the idea for your book. She suggests identifying who you want to serve and what the market is like for your book. One hack is to look for other books in your niche and see if there is a spot for yours. Cori shares an example of how she helped a client through this process.   How Cori helps business owners write   Cori realized that business owners aren’t trained in the writing process, even though many of them feel that they have a book to share. Since this is her forte, Cori learned that she could help them write their book so they can get back to their business. Writing a book can be an evergreen marketing tool to raise your visibility in your field.    The balance between personal and useful   Some business books are purely anecdotal, which means they are heavy on the personal stories and too light on the information and action steps. On the other hand, some books focus on information and analytics, and their lack of personal connection to the author leave the reader feeling cold. Even though there are different ways to structure a book, there has to be a balance between the personal and the useful. Some of Cori’s clients tell their personal story up front and then teach concepts for the remainder of the book. Others incorporate a personal story and application in each chapter. As a writing coach, Cori gives suggestions to her clients but leaves the structure decision up to them, because the book has to feel authentic to the writer. A writer has to trust themselves in what to share, and it’s important to share some personal stories because it ...
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    45 mins
  • The Changing Environment for Women's Leadership - with Eleanor Beaton

    The Changing Environment for Women's Leadership - with Eleanor Beaton
    Oct 12 2020
    If you’re interested in women’s leadership, you don’t want to miss today’s show. My guest has years of experience as a journalist and an entrepreneur, and she has her finger on the pulse of women’s leadership as it grows and develops. Join us!   Eleanor Beaton is an internationally - recognized expert in women’s leadership and an advisor to growth - oriented women entrepreneurs. She has served as chair of the Visiting Women’s Executive Exchange Program at Yale School of Management and sits on the board of directors of two Canadian venture capital organizations. Eleanor is also the host and executive producer of a top - ranked podcast for women entrepreneurs, Fierce Feminine Leadership. A former journalist reporting for the CBC, Globe and Mail, and Canadian Business, Eleanor was a finalist for a National Business Book of the Year, Canada’s top business book honor. She has won national prizes for her journalistic work, covering key issues related to women in leadership.    Those internal conversations   A big player in the internal conversations we hold about our value stem from the ongoing socialization about what’s appropriate for women leaders to express and how they are allowed to express themselves. For a woman, expressing her expectations, dissent, and ambition is affected by what society allows. There are unique challenges for women in leadership so they are seen with authority and confidence. When we make ourselves wrong so that we fit into an established system, the less sustainable our success becomes. As Eleanor has studied this problem, she concluded that every woman must create her own criteria and boundaries that outline how she will show up with intention.    The new frontier   The business world has become a battleground of transformation for women. We see it in the exodus of women from the business world as more and more women follow the path to entrepreneurship. Traditional business systems aren’t working for many women. The way we determine and measure business success has been largely shaped by men, as the majority of business books are written by men. Women are starting to assert themselves and take their power back in different ways. The business world is a playing field where women can have autonomy and make a difference in shaping and developing something new.    The struggle for women   Most women who start businesses will start service - based businesses because they have a deep, personal connection to their skill set, and many of them go into coaching or consulting. The aspects of developing a business feel deeply personal, and they are challenging; they include establishing boundaries with clients, negotiating price points, and closing a sale. The ways in which women will advocate for their business can vary greatly with the ways they are comfortable advocating for themselves.      The biggest surprise of 2020   Women have discovered and refined their purpose in 2020 because we’ve had to. We’ve had to change our normal coping mechanisms, and we have been forced to look inward and ask questions about why we are here, how we want to relate to people, and what we want to accomplish. Eleanor explains that the two biggest issues for women are access to networks and access to capital. She identifies another issue as access to a success narrative that reflects what we really want. Reshaping the narrative is a look at what we are learning and who we are becoming and not just a look at the external metrics. Women are looking to show up with resilience, grit, and determination to ensure that there is a richness to the process that we can enjoy.    The power of niche   When Eleanor started her business, she realized that she was doing a lot of things to try unsuccessfully to manage her time. She realized that time management wasn’t the issue, but it was a deeper, structural issue in an effort to create more stillness. Niching isn’t just a marketing tactic, but it’s a structural tool that women entrepreneurs can use to reduce the things we have to do and find more time to be. Eleanor shares a personal example of niching down from her business journey that enabled her to do less and focus more. Whether in business or personal life, too much stuff can suffocate us and erode our spirit.    Speak to your people   Fear is often what holds us back from what we need to focus on. We fear that our focus isn’t enough and that we will somehow be insufficient. There is a cultural expectation that tells women not to focus on a niche like it’s something not important enough and deserving of our focus. Eleanor explains that part of the problem with having focus is that it means you have boundaries, and our society isn’t accustomed to women who have boundaries. There is an internally - generated worry that clear boundaries will impact us negatively. We should never feel guilty when we need to say NO.   The importance of peer support   It’s ...
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    48 mins
  • Adapting to Change as a 3rd Generation American Manufacturer - with Janet Wischnia

    Adapting to Change as a 3rd Generation American Manufacturer - with Janet Wischnia
    Sep 28 2020
    Perhaps nothing else signifies the spirit of the true American entrepreneur than the story of a family business that has survived for almost 90 years. Those 90 years have brought incredible advances in machinery, technology, and the way America does business and manufacturing. Join us to hear my guest’s amazing story!   Janet Wischnia is the former CEO and founder of American Blossom Linens and owner of Thomaston Mills, the manufacturing arm of American Blossom. Since Janet was four, she’s been involved in the family business, which was started by her grandfather in 1931. Her father started out with one retail linen store in downtown Philadelphia, and Janet learned at his side about the textile industry from the ground up, including manufacturing, marketing, and even sweeping the floor. In this episode, Janet shares how American Blossom has continued to evolve and thrive over eight decades, providing linens for hospitals and the hospitality industry. Janet began recently selling linens directly to online buyers because she recognized the demand for sustainable products. Janet shares why buying organic and caring about people, products, and the planet make a huge difference in the way you do business.    Made in the USA   You’ve heard the #1 argument against buying American products: they are more expensive. Janet agrees. Her company is committed to using organic, American - grown cotton. Even though that makes her products more expensive than cheaper linens, people are becoming more environmentally aware as they look for quality and sustainability in the products they buy. There is a return to the solid philosophy of spending a little more money to buy something that will last longer than a cheaper product. The minimalistic movement also contributes to the popularity of American - made products in that if people have fewer things, they want them to be of the highest quality so they will last longer.    Challenges and opportunities   Janet says that the biggest challenge for her has been her lack of knowledge about retail marketing because it’s very different than business - to - business marketing. She had to learn about digital advertising for the retail arm of American Blossom. The company has raised its visibility by learning and utilizing SEO, Facebook and Google advertising, and influencers. Janet has witnessed these new strategies slowly starting to work to increase sales. The year 2020 and the global pandemic have brought a renewed interest in buying American and people being more committed than ever to making their homes into places of comfort. Spending more time at home makes us want to have quality items at our disposal.   2020 growth   Many factors have contributed to 400% growth in Janet’s retail business this year. Although their sales to hotels and hospitality venues have been down, they have seen an explosion in retail business, partly because they have diversified their products into different markets. Regarding the pandemic, American Blossom has developed a new fabric with which to make isolation gowns for healthcare providers. Unlike other businesses that have seen declining sales this year, American Blossom continues to grow and keep itsr employees’ jobs safe.   Tending to the business   Taking care of a family business is like tending a garden. Janet learned early from her father and uncles that you can’t ever rest on your laurels as a business owner. Things are always changing in the world of business, and you have to change to keep up. The biggest change over the years has been advancements in technology. From doing everything by hand and on paper to doing almost nothing on paper, there have been big changes in the textile industry. Early on, there were no emails, but telegrams. Carbon paper was used to make duplicate copies of important papers and receipts. We do everything via the internet today where there was much more face - to - face interaction back then when the world moved at a slower pace. Janet has changed and grown with the times, but she says the danger of advanced technology is losing the human element.    Managing a business during COVID-19   American Blossom has factories in Georgia and South Carolina, and their home base is still in Philadelphia. The company has followed CDC recommendations for wearing masks and allowing many employees to work from home. They have had to change procedures in factories to keep workers socially distanced from each other. Their commitment to doing what it takes to keep their factories open and keep their products available have kept their workers on the job during a time when many have been laid off. Janet is committed to doing the right thing for her employees because it’s what her father and grandfather taught her to do.    Janet’s product   American Blossom makes bedding out of 100% organic, USA - grown cotton from Texas. They make sheet sets in all sizes and duvet covers, and they will have ...
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    46 mins