SheVentures

If you've ever suffered from anxiety and depression so debilitating that you knew you had to slow down to focus on your mental, physical, and spiritual health —  and uncover your career and life purpose —  this SheVentures episode is for you. 🙏🏽   Jen Shultz' career journey started in the music and entertainment industries before she pivoted to education. She returned to school herself, earned h...

Franny Tacy, the owner of Franny's Farmacy , a cannabis franchise, shares her journey from pharmaceutical sales to cannabis farming. She discusses her struggles with student loans, disillusionment with the pharmaceutical industry, and love for farming. Tacy's story is one of perseverance and reinvention, and she encourages other women to follow their passions and take advantage of opportunities li...

Have you ever wished your passion project or side hustle could become your full-time gig ⁉️   Jamila Trimuel did, and though it took years of planning, she eventually transformed her personal and professional life. Today Trimuel is the founder and CEO of Chicago-based Ladies of Virtue , a nonprofit that's worked with thousands of girls of color on confidence-building, leadership, job-readiness ski...

Imagine experiencing a range of tropical fruit year-round right in your own home. From pink pineapples grown on farms in Costa Rica to fresh yellow dragon fruit native to Mexico and Central America, Desiree Morales provides exotic, tropical fruit in a box delivered to your doorstep. Morales recognized this niche during the pandemic — and went all in. Morales, CEO and founder of Tropical Fruit Box...

Imagine sourcing hand-sewn original lingerie from the labor of women who work in Ukraine and Russia, and navigating supply chain issues during the ongoing war. This is but one of many hurdles Angelina Mahany, founder, and CEO of Angie's Showroom , has overcome in her personal and professional lives.  This ex-Russian ballerina studied and worked on three continents before deciding to settle in the...

Have you ever struggled with personal finance or worried that you may never attain financial wellness? You're not alone. Certified financial planner Deanna LaRue is here to help you change your mindset.  LaRue recognizes the need for financial education, something often not taught in childhood or even high school. She started TimeWise Financial in 2009 — and with 18 years of experience — knows the...

Many of us are taught that it will take at least three to five years to crack a six-figure income as a small business. Dr. Karwanna D says it's possible to earn that amount in three to six months. How? From the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world always has cash on hand: the government.  Dr. Karwanna started in telecommunication sales and earned a high five-figure salary. She soon...

How does a South Korean orphan who had difficulty walking grow up to become a seven-figure entrepreneur? One thing's for certain: It did not happen overnight for Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini.   Suffering from physical and psychological abuse for more than a decade as a child, Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini was adopted by an American family at the age of 14. The United States opened doors to a new life of creati...

Drinking in public can be awkward when you choose not to consume alcoholic beverages — for whatever reason. Becca Gardner, however, is paving the way to diminish this stigma.    Gardner is the founder and CEO of NKD LDY , an innovative company specializing in non-alcoholic spirits and beverages. The mission of NKD LDY is to ensure that delicious non-alcoholic mocktails are available along with win...

If anyone knows how to create, run, take public, and exit a company successfully, it is Sheila Lirio Marcelo. The Filipino technology entrepreneur is famously known for founding Care.com, an online marketplace for childcare, special needs caregivers, tutors, and more.    After selling Care.com in 2020 for $500M, Marcelo embarked on a new business venture: the creation of Proof of Learn , a Web3 ed...

Menstruation is often a taboo topic. From the potential confusion surrounding your first period to embarrassment while purchasing feminine hygiene products, there's a negative stigma many people associate with menstruation. And that's assuming you are not one of the   63 percent of women who have difficulty affording these necessary products.   However, CEO Vilmante Markeviciene, is bringing power...

Octavia Goredema , the founder of career coaching agency Twenty Ten , offers a variety of work strategy sessions and workshops for underrepresented employees. With areas of expertise in career mentorship, stress management, and navigation, Goredema works to amplify and redirect the needs of women of color in entrepreneurship and corporate America.    Goredema is the author of Prep, Push, Pivot: Es...

When you realize you are role models for millions of women, it's both exhilarating and scary. Sister co-founders Angela Muhwezi-Hall and Deborah Gladney had their reckoning this year as women of color founders. Both realized they are role models for all Black women — the 99.5 percent that haven't yet succeeded in raising capital like they have — and they feel added pressure and responsibility to s...

Representation of women in the fintech industry is scarce. So scarce that women make up less than 10 percent of fintech founders or executive board members, according to a recent paper from the International Monetary Fund. But Sofiat Abdulrazaaq is changing the game for women of color in fintech. Abdulrazaaq is the co-founder of Goodfynd , a platform that began as a way to help consumers find near...

With nearly two decades of experience in brand strategy, Talia Boone is no stranger to marketing and brand collaboration. From pioneering a creative marketing agency to starting a fresh-cut flower business, Boone is a prime example of what it takes to creatively execute an idea.  Boone discusses how branding, creativity, and social change were a catalyst to start Inter:Sect, an agency focused on b...

If anyone knows how to pivot from a traditional job to entrepreneurship, it's Kim Gros, founder of SteelCraft , a company that creates outdoor urban eateries from repurposed shipping containers. Starting in 2107 in Long Beach, California, Gros later expanded to outposts in Bellflower and Garden Grove. Gros — with a leap of faith and a loan — built eateries where tourists and locals can eat artisan...

How does a single mother battling substance abuse end up pivoting to a career in the White House? How does she then become founder and CEO of her own seven-figure business? The answer is within Rebecca Contreras herself. The CEO of Avant Garde , a human resources consulting firm, and author of a memoir, Lost Girl (in which she describes her childhood, her decisions as a young adult, and how she tu...

With 20-plus years of experience as a news anchor, Kerry Barrett is the last person you'd imagine to have a paralyzing fear of public speaking. How did this Emmy-award winner overcome her crippling fear?  She faced it, and turned it into one of her core strengths. Barrett once suffered from anxiety that left her crouched in the proverbial fetal position — yes, it was that bad. Now, she shares her...

How does one balance work and intimacy to achieve success and stay sane? If anyone knows this answer, it's Cheryl Grace .  After decades as a corporate executive, Grace pivoted to entrepreneurship, to help other women achieve their dream work and personal lives.  Now she shares her tips through her business, Powerful Penny , a consulting firm for women who want to be intentional about identifying...

Can you imagine being paid $1,000 per minute for a speaking engagement? Tonya Rapley , internationally recognized speaker, millennial money expert, financial educator, bestselling author, CEO and founder of My Fab Finance , and owner of Club Loofah , doesn't need to imagine it because it happened to her. Learn about what attracted Rapley to entrepreneurship, why it matters to her to create generat...

Has love ever inspired you to risk it all and start a new business? Isabelle Andrieu left her home in France to follow her heart and her future husband to Italy. How could they create a company that melded their passions — hers in linguistics and her husband's in artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science — with an investment of $100? This was the catalyst for Translated , an AI-based trans...

This mom's frustration with finding quality outdoor gear ⛷🧢 for her children drove her to start an Amazon business a decade ago. Annalisa DeMarta says her initial interest in Amazon was an experiment spurred by an unsuccessful shopping trip with her son. DeMarta learned how to find manufacturers, run quality checks, set up infrastructure to measure and maintain her supply chain — and learned the...

Imagine locking eyes with a venture capitalist and saying, "I'm building a big, badass company. You would be so lucky to invest in me." 🥊 Though this example may seem hyperbolic, it comes from this week's guest, Madeline Reeves , who is on a mission to help underrepresented founders fund their businesses. Reeves outlines three core reasons why entrepreneurs who are women and people of color often...

How many Black women billionaires can you name besides Oprah and Rihanna? 👩🏾 💵 🤔 This week's guest is dedicated to making businesses owned by women of color more visible, fundable, and scalable. Regina Gwynn , angel and limited partnership investor and co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech , believes that businesses can be innovated, launched, led, and built by women of color. Gwynn is looking f...

When you think of a truck driver does that memorable scene from Thelma and Louise come to mind? Ellen Voie wants to change that stereotype and amplify gender diversity in the trucking industry; so she started Women in Trucking , a nonprofit, whose mission is to mentor women with the information, education, opportunity, community, and support they need to succeed in a male-dominated business. Estab...