Kate Torgersen – From a 4-Day Business Trip Disaster to Becoming The Founder & Creator of Milk Stork

May 8, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

When she was detained by TSA after a business trip and asked to drain the ice around her carry-on breast milk bag before she could enter the plane, Kate Torgersen knew she had to do something. Kate knew she wasn’t the only working mom dealing with this. She’d heard horror stories about moms in broom closets at the office pumping milk and she saw the need.

The day after that disastrous event, Kate Torgersen decided to create Milk Stork, the FIRST and ONLY breast milk travel solution for working moms. She called her dad with the business idea to provide a service to help mothers easily ship their breast milk home, and with that, the idea was born.

Kate’s mom-led innovation and entrepreneurship have been chronicled in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, New York Magazine, Lifehacker, Fortune and Travel + Leisure.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

My north star for the whole thing was that it had to be a two minute experience for moms in the hotel room and it had to be a two-minute experience placing an order.” – Kate Torgersen

Show Notes:

Kate knew she needed a “2-minute experience” for her idea to work
How she took her “DISRUPTIVE” idea and broke it down into manageable pieces in the beginning
The moment she knew she was on to something….it was right after she “flipped the switch”
Milk Stork was a side hustle for three years….she kept her day job at Cliff Bar for a long time (true inspiration for women who have a business idea but they aren’t quite ready to leave their day job)
The surprise phone call Kate received while in her mini-van that changed EVERYTHING
How Milk Stork tapped into an ENTERPRISE market
The KEY to gaining TRACTION
What it means to be a “painkiller not a vitamin” – BRILLIANT
Her Cash Flow Metaphor – GENIUS
What Kate does to recover from entrepreneurial fatigue
WHY she went about hiring differently than most other companies
The BIG Difference in having a career and owning a business
The advice she wished someone would have shared with her early on

If you don’t have good operations in place, traction can become a problem.” – Kate Torgersen

Connect with Kate Torgersen:

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Milk Stork

Once we launched and got that first order, I knew that was never going to be quitting. There was no quitting because once you get traction you can’t quit. It is kind of like being a parent. Once you give birth, there is not really an ‘out’.” – Kate Torgersen

Gail Becker – On Track to $100 Million in Just Two Years….Selling Cauliflower

May 1, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

She had no food or nutrition experience. What she did have was two sons with Celiac disease. This is another Epic Encore interview with Gail Becker, the genius, Founder and CEO of Caulipower, a company that offers tasty, affordable and nutritious alternatives to highly-processed foods.

CAULIPOWER is on track to reach $100 million this year and her pizzas are in 22,000 retail stores… on their 2nd BIRTHDAY!!! They’ve had explosive growth in the last 575 days (since she was FIRST on the show) and Gail gets real, raw and transparent about her journey so far. She’s both funny and serious about her path and her attitude is infectious.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

When you become an entrepreneur, you are betting on yourself – hook, line and sinker.” – Gail Becker

Show Notes:

The people she listens to most when deciding on new product lines
Her BEST Advice on how to handle fast & furious business growth
Her perspective on how to build an A+ Team
The Challenges that go along with being a Disrupter in your industry
Gail admits she has DAILY Struggles as an entrepreneur and how she copes
What really drives her (it’s not about Money for her)
Why a personal mission is important in business
How she went from a high-paying successful career one day to making nothing the next

You have to have people that are as passionate about the business as you are.” – Gail Becker

Connect with Gail Becker:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | CAULIPOWER

Always know what you don’t know and hire against that.” – Gail Becker

Joanna McFarland – How HopSkipDrive Literally “Hopped and Skipped” Into a New Market That Has Resulted Into Explosive Growth Over the Last 500 Days

April 24, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

I’m excited to have Joanna McFarland back with us for an Encore interview! I interviewed Joanna back in October of 2017 and since that time, HopSkipDrive has literally “hopped and skipped” over their sales goals and catapulted themselves into a brand new market opportunity!

Joanna is the CEO and co-founder of HopSkipDrive, which is a safe and dependable ride share company for kids. After brainstorming with some frustrated parents at a child’s birthday party, they came up with a better way to provide transportation for their kids and HopSkipDrive was born.

On today’s show, Joanna talks about how HopSkipDrive KEPT their core message while uncovering a brand-new market that was craving what they had to offer.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Embrace it. Buy the ticket and take the ride and know that there are going to be moments when it is really hard. And know that you’re going to need to over-communicate and make sure that expectations are understood and that expectations are being met.” – Joanna McFarland

Show Notes:

The NEW MARKET that HopSkipDrive uncovered which led them to explosive growth (this is PURE Gold)
The person who has had a massive influence on her life and kept her going after 100 NO’s when she first started out
Why SAFETY is their #1 Core Value and the 15 point system they use to ensure safety on every ride
The mantra that keeps Joanna going (wise words from her hubby)
The secret to effective communication with your team during the scale-up phase
And much, much more…

Everything that we had put into solving this problem for consumers made the platform very easily extensible to schools as well.” – Joanna McFarland

Connect with Joanna McFarland:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | HopSkipDrive

It is really important to focus. There are so many opportunities that you can pursue and so it is really important to think about what are your best opportunities and make sure that you’re really focusing on those.” – Joanna McFarland

Amy Nelson – CEO/Founder, The Riveter, Coworking Spaces Built By Women for Everyone

March 13, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Amy Nelson up and left her corporate job (while pregnant with her THIRD daughter) for the entrepreneurial life and came up with the idea for The Riveter, a rapidly growing co-working space company with design and membership focused on women, but open to everyone.

Amy launched The Riveter in 2017 and the brand is experiencing rapid fire growth with locations popping up almost every day in metropolitan cities across the US. The Riveter’s growth has outpaced even WeWork’s first years and The Riveter recently closed a $15 million Series A Funding Round led by Alpha Edison.

You’ll absolutely love Amy’s energy and enthusiasm as she dives into how she transitioned from a successful career in law (including work with President Obama’s National Finance Committee and President Carter’s, The Carter Center) to launching The Riveter, how being a mom has made her a BETTER entrepreneur, her best productivity tips and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

What I tend to do is really lean into the fact that I am a mother, rather than lean out of it.” – Amy Nelson

Show Notes:

Why she left a cozy corporate job while pregnant with her third daughter to launch The Riveter
How becoming a Mom changed her viewpoint on women & career opportunities
The FIRST Step she took to get started after she came up with the idea for The Riveter
The Event that PUSHED her to take the FINAL Leap
Why coworking spaces are becoming wildly popular
The SMARTEST MOVE Amy made when starting The Riveter (it’s not what you think I promise you)
WHY Collaboration is the ‘secret sauce’ to her early success
Her BIGGEST Challenge ( this is pure Gold)
What she did when someone advised her to HIDE HER PREGNANCY while fundraising
Why ASKING For Help is a muscle more women need to flex
How she manages her day while being CEO of a fast-paced growth company and raising soon-to-be four daughters
Her Go-To Apps to stay sane
What she did instead of giving up when it all seemed like too much
The advice she hears about being in startup mode that she DOES NOT agree with
And much much more

I think the more we have women building companies to make women’s lives better, the better our lives will be. And that is super exciting!” – Amy Nelson

Connect with Amy Nelson:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | The Riveter | LinkedIn

The hardest thing is to just keep going at every turn when it gets hard, when it feels impossible, when people tell you that you can’t. And so much of it is just continuing to walk forward.” – Amy Nelson

Stephanie Scapa – WEYV CEO & Co-Founder. The All-in-One App for Music, Magazines & eBooks.

March 6, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

My guest today is Stephanie Scapa, CEO and co-founder of WEYV, a unique multimedia platform that offers music, magazines and eBooks all on one app.

After taking a family vacation to Florida and learning about a unique business model from her dad, Stephanie Scapa got excited. She saw how the streaming industry was “broken” and how she could fix it with her idea for WEYV.

On today’s episode, Stephanie dives into how WEYV works (how it solves a major digital streaming problem most people have), how she and her co-founder got this idea off the ground without experience creating apps, the questions she asks herself when making decisions, the work-life BLEND (no balance here!) and much more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I firmly believe that work-life isn’t a balance. I think it has to be a blend. Especially as a woman, I can’t really divide my work and my life and make it balanced.” – Stephanie Scapa

Show Notes:

How WEYV easily allows you to listen, read and share content
What Stephanie learned after hiring someone to create the APP for her – it was time-consuming and costly – and how she re-framed and rebounded from this experience
WHY being able to PIVOT in business is essential
Why it’s important to “Know everything possible about your customer” when creating an App
The simple productivity app and system that Stephanie uses EVERY DAY personally and with her Team
How to get through the day when you feel like giving up
Interesting AHA about women in the workplace (this was surprising and also wonderful to hear!)
What questions Stephanie asks herself when MAKING DECISIONS
Why it’s a work-life BLEND rather than a work-life balance for Stephanie
And much, much more

There have been many points along our path where we’ve had to ask ourselves tough questions and make tough decisions.” – Stephanie Scapa

Connect with Stephanie Scapa:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | WEYV

If you’re signing up to be an entrepreneur, just be sure that the passion for what you’re trying to bring to life is really there and aligns with how you define success.” – Stephanie Scapa

Ellie Kanner and Lisa Solomon – Creating Their Own Game Plan

February 27, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Rainy afternoons can be challenging for moms with small children. Ellie Kanner was dealing with a rainy afternoon trying to keep her boys occupied when she got a BIG Idea. That’s when she immediately called her friend Lisa Solomon.

Ellie Kanner and Lisa Solomon met through their pre-school-aged boys, and later they came up with the idea to create The Game Plan Game, a game that helps children ponder the bigger questions in life.

Ellie is a renowned leader in the entertainment industry working as a talent agent, casting director, producer and director. She was responsible for casting the television pilots for “Friends,” “Sex and the City,” “Drew Carey,” along with a long list of other films that are household names. Recently, Ellie directed all 10 episodes of the short film series “Dropping the Soap” (for which Jane Lynch won an EMMY).

Meanwhile, Lisa is currently the Regional Manager for Los Angeles at Common Sense Media, the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. Prior to working with Common Sense, Lisa was a television producer with both CNN and CNBC Asia, based in Hong Kong. She started her career working for Nightline at ABC News.

They join me on today’s show to give some amazing tips about working together as co-founders, how they pulled off this project on top of their busy lives, and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

We’ve had our moments when one of us may be down and another one may be up, and that’s the joy of our partnership.” – Lisa Solomon

Show Notes:

ONE essential you need on board to prevent you from giving up when you feel like throwing in the towel
Tips on how to make time to work on your passion project when you have super busy careers and a family
The SECRET to having a successful business partner
How to use “time cracks” to maximize your productivity
The ironic business advice that helped immensely
Important information to know before taking on a business partner
and MORE!

We knew what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know how to do it. And then at some point, you have to sort of take of breath and say ‘ok, what is the goal? What is the mission? What is the game plan?’, and that really helped us when we figured that out.” – Ellie Kanner

Connect with Ellie & Lisa:

Ellie Kanner | Lisa Solomon | The Game Plan Game

You may have 10 minutes in the car or 30 minutes between dinner and whatever you’re doing, and just really take advantage of those and think about what you can do in those time cracks to be more productive.” – Lisa Solomon

Rosie O’Neill – How Sugarfina Has Achieved Explosive Growth Over The Past 450 Days

February 20, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

**Rosie O’Neill is the FIRST in a series of ENCORE podcast interviews we will be conducting over the next few months. We’ve been closely watching the growth of some of the women we’ve had on the show before and we’re inviting back guests who are having explosive growth and are willing to share the journey with you.

Rosie O’Neill, is an entrepreneur with a major sweet tooth for business. I had Rosie on ‘She’s Got Moxie’ back on November 15, 2017, and that episode is still today one of our most popular. Since my last interview with Rosie, (about 450 days ago), Sugarfina has grown tremendously. Today, she shares with us what business has been like and how the company has exploded with growth so quickly.

In July 2012, along with her co-founder and fiancé (now hubby) Josh Resnick, Rosie launched Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique for grown-ups featuring the finest confections from artisan candy makers around the world. Best known for Champagne and Rosé-infused gummy bears, Sugarfina has been named one of the “World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” and “World’s 10 Most Innovative Retailers” by Fast Company as it disrupts the $200B confections industry. Sugarfina has also made the list of the “World’s Most Beautiful Candy Shops” by Architectural Digest.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I certainly have those days where I start to go into the negative self-talk, but I’m trying to be much better about catching it and turning it around. And basically, the same advice that I would give to a female entrepreneur friend, I try to give that to myself. Sometimes we’re harder on ourselves than we would be to a friend.” – Rosie O’Neill

Show Notes:

What’s happened in the last 450 days (it’s quite Remarkable)
The strategy they’ve used to grow beyond physical locations to get into the hands of their target consumer
The difference between hiring for the “RIGHT NOW” versus Hiring for Future Growth (Brilliant!)
Her Biggest Challenge (“it’s always the same”)
DAILY rituals have contributed to her success as a CEO and Co-Founder
How she handles the really tough “I’m not sure if I can go on” days
Her quick decision-making process
The things she’s outsourced in her life (this was a humorous moment for sure!)
Her BEST Advice for women entrepreneurs who are in the sweet spot of scaling

Do your most dreaded task first thing in the morning. It is basically like wake-up and do that disgusted ‘ugh, I can’t wait to get it over with’ thing.” – Rosie O’Neill

Connect with Rosie O’Neill:

I am a big believer that you’ve got to focus on two or three things and do those things really well before you start to focus on the next thing.” – Rosie O’Neill

Barbara Huson – From a Simple Freelance Journalist Assignment to Becoming a Bestselling Author, Teacher & Wealth Coach for Women

February 13, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

After learning her husband had a gambling problem and left her with a few children and a million dollars in debt, Barbara Huson knew she needed to get smart about one thing: MONEY.

Shortly after this, Barbara was given a free-lance journalist assignment to interview women who were smart with their money. This assignment changed her life and became a catalyst for her career as a women’s wealth and power expert.

Barbara is the bestselling author of Secrets for Six-Figure Women, Prince Charming Isn’t Coming as well as four other amazing books about women and wealth. She has been featured on Good Morning America, The View, Extra, The O’Reilly Report, and many times on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, PBS and NPR, as well as the New York Times, and USA Today.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Spend less, save more, and invest wisely. And THIS is where I think we as women get tripped up.” – Barbara Huson

Show Notes:

The SECRET to wealth for women
The 3 Types of Wealth “Work” Women Must do (GREAT!)
3 Everyday Steps you can take to change your relationship with money (this is PURE GOLD – my favorite part of the interview)
How to break through fear about money
Advice that Barbara hears being given and strongly disagrees with
How to be STRATEGIC about your decisions
The importance of investing
Barbara’s SUPERPOWER

I have a sign that I made with crayons in front of my desk. It says, ‘do what you fear, that’s how you grow’.” – Barbara Huson

Connect with Barbara Huson:

Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Barbara Huson

I’ll tell you something. I’ve been doing this for 25 years. Problems with money are NEVER about money.” – Barbara Huson

Miry Whitehill – How a Toddler Playdate Turned Into a Movement After Meeting a Family of Newly Arrived Refugees From Syria

January 30, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

It all started during an ‘accidental’ toddler playdate followed by a friendly Facebook video. This one seemingly simple act of kindness turned into Miry’s List.

Miry Whitehill recognized an immediate need and went to work to help solve the challenges refugee’s deal with when arriving here in California. Today, Miry has over 130 “list-makers” (listen to the interview to find out what this is!). By creating the “lists,” ordinary people would know simple things they could get on Amazon to support the refugee resettlement process.

To date, Miry Whitehill and her dedicated team have helped over 300 families and is growing rapidly.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

People have been waiting for a long time for something they can do to help. I think providing this as a mechanism for a way that regular people can help, has been the thing that fueled this movement.” – Miry Whitehill

Show Notes:

Miry’s “AHA” moment and how this propelled her into action
The 3 PILLARS that refugee families experience when they arrive in California
How to create a sustainable socially responsible model
The LIGHTBULB moment that became the KEY to SCALING and growth (today she has over 130 “list-makers”)
How A Co-Parenting schedule has led to her highly productive days
Miry’s Biggest Challenge (which is also a heart-warming story)
How she handled the time she wanted to throw in the towel – how she kept going
Her Superpower – deep reflection and learning moment
Her BEST Advice for Women Entrepreneurs – GOLDEN!

The side effect of running this organization for me, is being the recipient of an incredible amount of gratitude.” – Miry Whitehill

Connect with Miry Whitehill:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Miry’s List

If I could go back to myself (2 years ago, 5 years ago, 7 years ago, 10 years ago), I would advise myself to focus on things that are solvable.” – Miry Whitehall

Sadie Lincoln – How Growing Up In a Circle Surrounded by Women Helped Shape the Wildly Successful Franchise barre3

January 16, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

What struck me most during this interview was her grounded nature and assured sense of purpose. A quiet power.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Sadie’s mom and her four best friends joined together to create a village to support their children around their common core values. They intentionally broke the nuclear family mold.

My guest today, Sadie Lincoln, had an early vision to franchise barre3, a fitness company focused on teaching people to be balanced in body and empowered from within when she was writing the business plan (along with her husband who’s also her business partner).

Their flagship studio opened in Portland, Oregon in 2008. Today, barre3 has grown to include more than 140 franchise studios powered by female entrepreneurs (and a few good men!), plus they now have an online-workout streaming-subscriber base in 98+ countries.

What was once a workout has turned into a movement followed by millions of people around the globe.

On today’s show, Sadie talks about what it’s really like to work with her husband (in business and at home), the philosophy she was raised with and how that has influenced her, her brilliant tips on managing cash flow and so much more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I say a lot of times people come into barre3 wanting a hard body, and they leave with a wise body.” – Sadie Lincoln

Show Notes:

How she went from 1 studio to over 140 Today
Why her franchising ‘agreements’ are different from most and why the difference makes them so effective
Her brilliant method for attracting the RIGHT franchisees (it’s sort of foolproof!)
What happened on August 12, 2008, at 5:45 pm that changed Sadie’s life (this blew me away)
How she dealt with the most DIFFICULT Times. She did feel like giving up some days, “I want to throw in the towel and get the hell out of here!”
How she ‘struggles with the juggle’ all women face. She’s CEO of a fast-growing franchise and a mother of two
How her ‘unconventional’ upbringing has affected her life and entrepreneurial journey
Her SIMPLE FORMULA for managing cash flow – Brilliant!
Why Sadie doesn’t’ give ADVICE
The KEY to working effectively with her husband as a co-founder
Her biggest Challenge growing from 1 studio to over 140

We are really interested (and continue to be interested) in the pursuit of balance.” – Sadie Lincoln

Connect with Sadie Lincoln:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | barre3

The juggle is not going to go away, the struggle is not going to go away and frankly, I don’t have control all the time over all of that. But what I do have control over is being calm and honest and purpose-driven.” – Sadie Lincoln

Kate Torgersen – From a 4-Day Business Trip Disaster to Becoming The Founder & Creator of Milk Stork

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Kate Torgersen:

Gail Becker – On Track to $100 Million in Just Two Years….Selling Cauliflower

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Gail Becker:

Amy Nelson – CEO/Founder, The Riveter, Coworking Spaces Built By Women for Everyone

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Amy Nelson:

Stephanie Scapa – WEYV CEO & Co-Founder. The All-in-One App for Music, Magazines & eBooks.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Stephanie Scapa:

Ellie Kanner and Lisa Solomon – Creating Their Own Game Plan

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Ellie & Lisa:

Rosie O’Neill – How Sugarfina Has Achieved Explosive Growth Over The Past 450 Days

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Rosie O’Neill:

Barbara Huson – From a Simple Freelance Journalist Assignment to Becoming a Bestselling Author, Teacher & Wealth Coach for Women

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Barbara Huson:

Miry Whitehill – How a Toddler Playdate Turned Into a Movement After Meeting a Family of Newly Arrived Refugees From Syria

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Miry Whitehill:

Sadie Lincoln – How Growing Up In a Circle Surrounded by Women Helped Shape the Wildly Successful Franchise barre3

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Show Notes:

Connect with Sadie Lincoln:

Strategy & Consulting

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We’d Love to Connect!