SheVentures

Imagine your significant other dies unexpectedly from a heart attack. In the midst of grief, you must find the resilience to go on while raising children and deciding how to move ahead professionally.   This week's guest — Sejal Lakhani-Bhatt — shares her story of the unexpected and how she managed to balance her family, her health, and her profession. Lakhani-Bhatt speaks candidly about her globa...

Named one of Inc. magazine's top 100 female founders to watch, Maggie Adhami-Boynton is well-versed in the pivots required for an early-stage company to morph into a viable, scalable business.  A 15-year startup veteran, she understood earlier than most the rapid evolution of digital apps and e-commerce and hit the ground more than a decade ago. Adhami-Boynton helped grow Canada's Plastic Mobile,...

Kimberley Nixon tells it like it is. Yes, she is a Los Angeles–based venture capitalist and the founder and managing partner of Open Venture Capital . Yes, she is passionate about increasing access to investment for women of color, who we know raise less than 1 percent of all venture capital. Nixon is also keen to share the human side of her life. Health is a topic she knows intimately as she over...

If you're feeling stuck in your pursuit of success in the music industry despite all the hard work and effort you're putting in — you're not alone! Karla Ortiz, founder of Monark Entertainment , delves into her struggles and victories as a woman of color in the entertainment industry.  Early in her career, Ortiz shaped digital marketing campaigns for megastars like Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, and Nell...

Ever wondered how one woman can impact racial wealth and investment equity as well as advancements in women's health? In two decades, Erika Seth Davies transitioned from a career in development and fundraising to becoming the CEO of Rhia Ventures , a groundbreaking fund that secured an impressive $44 million (in 2022) to revolutionize the U.S. women's health market through impact investing.  But w...

From Nigeria to London to Paris to the United States, Pauline Idogho's journey has taken her on a whirlwind tour of different cultures and experiences. But it's her ability to adapt to change that has made her a successful entrepreneur. As the founder of Mocktail Club, an innovative line of elevated non-alcoholic beverages, not only does Idogho take pride in offering delicious, natural drinks, but...

Becoming a parent is a seismic pivot in itself. Add the societal pressure to breastfeed — with virtually no support and sleepless nights — and you have a rocky six months. But it doesn't need to be this way.   Andrea Ippolito, CEO of SimpliFed , created a community to help women navigate everything from finding an insurance-covered lactation consultant to exploring different formulas to scoring th...

Divorce is a life pivot that touches many, and it can be civil or act as a wrecking ball. You may know Kenya Duke from her BET+ show The Gary Owen Show, with her now ex-husband and their three children. Duke, an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and host of the podcast Truly Kenya, shares her experience of divorce, as well as its emotional and financial impacts. The pain of financial instability...

Have you ever considered opening a spa, but the number of unknowns stopped you? Not Crystal Bethea, founder and CEO of C3 Wellness Spa , who pivoted from Army veteran to  licensed massage therapist, cosmetologist, and entrepreneur. Bethea is passionate about massage, acupuncture, and other wellness modalities. Coming from a family of veterans, she's passionate about helping vets maintain their hea...

Imagine rising through the ranks of the Federal government for three decades until one day a sudden heart attack forced you to reevaluate your life priorities. Debra Owens, Ph. D. , is an Army veteran, former U.S. Postal Service employee, and a U.S. Department of the Treasury human resources manager. By all accounts, she built a stable career while raising two children, going through a divorce, an...

The pivot from finishing high school, college, or graduate school to landing one's first job is often filled with anxiety. If you are like most recent grads, you have zero idea of how to approach your job search — unless you are one of the smart or lucky students who proactively sought help or had an amazing career development department. The truth is many grads lack foundational knowledge in how...

In the cutthroat world of Hollywood, Tanika Ray — a renowned TV personality who appeared on networks such as NBC, HGTV, VH1, Lifetime, and is perhaps best known for covering red carpet events such as the the Oscars, MTV Music Awards, and the Golden Globes, to name a few — is refreshingly candid about her public and acrimonious divorce with her co-star and now former husband and the soul-searching...

Maya Ford cares deeply about truth in marketing. As the founder of Ford Momentum! , she challenges stereotypes, ignites innovation, and is conquering the business world with a diverse mentorship style and a strategic mindset.  Nearly all marketing consultants champion their data prowess, so what makes Ford stand out (in addition to her two decades of experience in marketing, communications, and op...

What on Earth is the JOBS Act? How can I get my foot in the door of the investing world? Should I take my entire maternity leave? If you've ever asked yourself these questions, then this SheVentures episode is for you.  Shari Noonan, co-founder and CEO of Rialto Markets , has always had an eye for market shifts. Not only did she witness the days when Wall Street traders used actual paper to trade...

Major personal events can be agents of change. Jan Patterson, M.D., candidly reflects on how her own cancer diagnosis —  shortly after her son's suicide —  implored her to find inner strength and alternatives to augment her traditional Western medicine background.  As a result, Dr. Patterson (an infectious disease and integrative medicine specialist) began to explore and embrace holistic remedies...

The devil's in the details, and it's easy to get lost in them where money is concerned. Post–high school education is no exception, and it's rarely made easy. From saving to taking out loans — and paying off said loans — the cycle seems downright Sisyphean.  Patricia Roberts, founder and COO of Gift of College and author of Route 529: A Parent's Guide for Saving for College , gets it. And, with he...

Imagine being the youngest female member of the Mongolian government and the country's first female state secretary of digital development.  For Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, these are not mere titles. She crafted, implemented, and executed a plan to transform Mongolia into a "digital nation" by leading the E-Mongolia Project, ensuring internet access across the country. Before her plan, the nation fac...

Many of us are told that confidence is innate. Not so fast, says Selena Rezvani, an award-winning journalist specializing in training people leadership skills and author of Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets on Yourself . Sure, many women face imposter syndrome, but they beat it one tiny step at a time. Action is the key. Rezvani started in social work, but after...

Do you want to create a harmonious and productive work environment where employees feel engaged and innovative? Are you searching for ways to lead with mindfulness and unlock the full potential of your team? In this SheVentures episode, our guest, corporate mindfulness guru Keren Tsuk, Ph. D., reveals the key to achieving these goals as the founder of Wisdom To Lead , a company with clients includ...

Have you heard these myths about work-life balance in venture capital? Myth #1: You have to sacrifice your personal life to succeed. Myth #2: Only men can handle the demands of the industry. Myth #3: Taking time for self-care is a sign of weakness. But let's be real, these are all…myths. And Ashley Aydin, principal at VamosVentures, is here to share the truth about balancing work and life in ventu...

Most people move once or twice in their life, but the move is seldom across continents. Following her now husband, Carice Anderson undertook a journey that led to much more than just a new location. Her book, Intelligence Isn't Enough: A Black Professional's Guide to Thriving in the Workplace , outlines how to overcome such big changes, remain authentic, and much more. As a Black woman and the fir...

Swank A Posh CEO Ebony Swank pivoted from being a high school dropout and teen mom to building a $40M+ year fashion empire that sells body-positive clothes for women in a little over a decade. Swank bootstrapped her company with $12,000, and the first iteration of her online business failed. She attributes her success to grit, determination, hard work, being data-driven, and trial and error.  The...

Do you struggle to monetize your business, need guidance on setting boundaries, and find sales to feel, well, sleazy? In this episode of SheVentures, Annie Ruggles, founder of the newly rebranded Quirk Works Consulting , speaks about coaching 200+ solopreneurs and small business owners who struggle with sales, much like Ruggles did in early entrepreneurship. You'll listen to her tips on relational...

A successful podcast entrepreneur, as well as the founder and CEO of Ginni Media — a podcast strategy and creation company that serves both big-ticket clients and fledgling entrepreneurs with quality audio strategy, monetization, community building, and production tips — Ginni Saraswati, is the audio authority. After all, Saraswati, who has hosted a few morning radio shows, has embraced audio sinc...

Marjorie Radlo-Zandi is an accomplished entrepreneur, board member, and angel investor who started her career in sales and marketing and continued as a business development executive for decades. One major professional accomplishment: She grew a life science diagnostic company with angel funds, expanded it to more than 100 countries, and sold it to a multi-billion-dollar publicly held firm. Do you...