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Smart Women Smart Solutions

With Joy Chudacoff, Leading Expert on Business Success and Lifestyle Design For Women

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

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Amy Nelson on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

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.

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Stephanie Scapa on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

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

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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

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Rosie O'Neill on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

**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:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Sugarfina  |  Instagram |  Facebook

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

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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

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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

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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

Darya Allen-Attar – CEO & Founder of The Women Founders Network – How The 2008 Financial Crisis (and a sense of failure) Led to Her Zone of Genius Work Today

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Darya Allen-Atar on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Ten years ago, I met my guest today, Darya Allen-Attar, in a Starbucks to brainstorm a Big Idea she had.

Within 60 days of that cup of coffee, she launched that idea into The Broad’s Circle (Over 9,000 people have attended these events since 2009.) and that became the catalyst for Women Founders Network (WFN), a virtual accelerator with a goal to connect women founders not only with capital, but also with the resources, connections, mentorship, and sponsorship they need to grow scalable, successful businesses.

Darya has been recognized as one of the “Most Powerful Women in California” by California Women Lead (November 2016) for her community work and the advancement of women. She has traveled extensively and speaks four languages. Most recently, she was invited by the State Department to speak on Women’s Entrepreneurship at their international forums, hosted by US consulates.

Darya serves on the Investment Advisory Committee for the California Community Foundation. She also serves on the Boards of the Los Angeles Westside YMCA and the Los Angeles Chapter of Advisors in Philanthropy (LA-AiP). Darya earned her BA from Kalamazoo College, Certificate in Accounting from Northwestern University, and her MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

Dara Allen-Attar is a dear friend doing PHENOMENAL work with women business owners. You’ll love today’s show as she shares some incredible wisdom from her journey.

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

I have been able to either pay for great help or else get people who are passionate about what I’m passionate about to come in and help me build things.” – Darya Allen-Attar

Show Notes:

  • How a meeting at Starbucks a decade ago turned into her Genius work
  • How the 2008 Financial crisis was met as a failure but instead turned out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to her
  • The importance of course-correcting and improving
  • Her single BEST tip for GROWTH as an entrepreneur
  • Darya’s BIGGEST frustration – this is PURE Gold Ladies!
  • How she raises a family of 3 children and a hubby while running several ventures
  • Why you should RECALIBRATE regularly to do your best work
  • The truth about Failure
  • The Advice she hears being given to women entrepreneurs that she doesn’t agree with
  • Her thoughts on finding “The Joy” and releasing “The Grind”
  • What she wished someone would have shared with her early on in her career – POWERFUL!

Failure is the greatest defining event of anyone’s life.” – Darya Allen-Attar

Connect with Darya Allen-Attar:

Facebook | Twitter | Broads Circle | Women Founders Network

It is the concept of feeling our freedom and the ability to be in a place of discomfort to take the risk of telling other people what you think and finding that they can be inspired by some of your ideas.” – Darya Allen-Attar

‘She’s Got Moxie’ Podcast – Here’s The BEST of 2018…

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I hope your holidays have been filled with magical moments. At this time of year, I find myself gravitating to content with the headline “the BEST of.” Whether it’s recipes, restaurants, wine or business, I enjoy consuming the BEST of everything.

That’s why I wanted to share The BEST of my ‘She’s Got Moxie’ podcast for 2018. Below you’ll find The TOP 10 Most Listened to Podcasts this year. Go here and listen now.

The holidays are the perfect time to catch up on all the wisdom and brilliance my guests share on the show. This will give you a chance to make some notes and add their genius tips to your business planning for 2019. I’m a bit of a podcast junkie so I find time to listen when I’m cooking, baking, wrapping gifts or walking my dog.

Read More

Elizabeth Winkler – Psychology Expert on Mindfulness, Coping With Divorce, And The Creator of The Heart Surgery Kit

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Elizabeth Winkler on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Have you ever taken a ‘noticing’ break? Maybe you should. Today, my guest, Elizabeth Winkler shares how mindfulness can lead to greater productivity and better relationships.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Elizabeth provides counseling to individuals, couples and families throughout Los Angeles. She has provided therapy on Bravo and OWN, and she is a featured blogger on Laura Wasser’s divorce platform, It’s Over Easy.

In addition to all of her media work, Elizabeth is the founder and creator of the mindfulness process, Heart Surgery, which empowers children to mindfully process emotions from their heart.

Actually, she is traveling to Sierra Leone to deliver the kits to children there and she talks about that on today’s show.

 

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

Everything that I’ve created has been born out of my own challenges, which is kind of how it works.” – Elizabeth Winkler

Show Notes:

  • WHY Mindfulness is the “bullet train to freedom”
  • Elizabeth’s process of “mindful untethering” from divorce
  • The key to moving out of fear and into your own personal POWER
  • Why the word “ALIGNED” has been a huge key to her success
  • The best ACTION STEPS to get media attention for business
  • Her Biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur
  • Details on how her heart surgery kit is helping empower children
  • The BEST Tip to starting your day
  • Why it’s ok not to know something
  • The importance of a morning routine

The way in which you start your day is so important.” – Elizabeth Winkler

Connect with Elizabeth Winkler:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Elizabeth Winkler

My advice is to make friends with the unknown.” – Elizabeth Winkler

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