EmpowerHER Business Podcast

Identity is your greatest business asset. In this inspiring conversation, host Linette Cottrell sits down with Princess Booker to explore what it truly means to build a business that reflects who you are—and leaves a lasting legacy. As the niece of Bob Marley and granddaughter of Cedella Marley Booker, Princess shares how her brand, Nine Mile Babies , grew from cherished childhood memories in Jama...

What if the biggest barrier to financial confidence isn't knowledge—it's a cycle? Fear leads to avoidance. Avoidance creates intimidation. Intimidation reinforces fear. And the cycle continues. In this Soul Spa reflection, Linette explores the pattern that keeps many brilliant women financially stuck. For generations, women have been taught to see money as complicated, intimidating, or b...

Success isn't just about what you're building—it's about whether you get to experience peace while building it. After the stress of tax season, it's time for an honest conversation about mental health, support, wealth, and the pivots that shape our entrepreneurial journeys. In this EmpowerHER Financial Table discussion, Linette Cottrell welcomes back Rhonda, Monique, and Nikki...

Your business can only grow as far as you're willing to lead it. And that includes leading the financial side—not just the creative or operational side. In this Soul Spa reflection, we continue the conversation around women, money, and financial leadership. Building on our previous discussion about emotional avoidance and business growth, we go deeper into what it means to step into financial...

Your money mindset can either grow your business — or quietly hold it back. In this powerful roundtable conversation, host Linette Cottrell sits down with three accomplished Black women entrepreneurs to unpack how beliefs about money impact confidence, pricing, growth, and long-term business success. Featuring Kiah Akosua Asabea of Sirius Web Solutions, branding strategist Bernice Jackson of Rise...

Your business may be growing—but are you growing with it? You can't sustainably scale what you continue to emotionally avoid. In this Soul Spa reflection, Linette explores what happens when a business begins expanding while the founder remains disconnected from the financial leadership required to support that growth. Many women entrepreneurs work hard to attract more clients, increase revenu...

Have a business idea you can’t stop thinking about—but keep talking yourself out of it? What if the idea sitting in your spirit is the very thing you're meant to build? In this episode of the EmpowerHER Business Podcast, host Linette Cottrell sits down with Lisa Ascolese, widely known as "The Inventress," to discuss what it really takes to turn an idea into a successful business. Li...

Money can feel heavy before we even look at the numbers. If finances make you anxious, avoidant, or overwhelming—you’re not alone. In this Soul Spa reflection, we begin a gentle conversation around women and money: the fear, hesitation, and disconnect many women entrepreneurs feel when it comes to finances. For generations, women were rarely included in conversations around ownership, investing, w...

Black women entrepreneurs deserve more than inspiration — we deserve access, visibility, wealth, and real opportunities to thrive. In this powerful conversation, Shaheewa shares what it truly takes to build sustainable impact, advocate for Black businesses, and lead without losing yourself in the process. From federal litigation to founding the Broward County Black Chamber of Commerce, Shaheewa op...

Everyone shares the highlight reel of entrepreneurship — but not the breakdowns behind it. Amber Epperson opens up about the real journey, the mistakes, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. Host Linette Cottrell talks with Amber Epperson, Founder and Scent Strategist of The Scented Vine, about building a business at the intersection of storytelling, science, and scent — while navigating...

What if the thing blocking your results isn’t effort—but completion? Progress doesn’t come from perfect ideas. It comes from finished ones. In this reflective Soul Spa moment on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette closes the series by shifting the focus from perfectionism to execution. Many Black women entrepreneurs in their first five years stay in cycles of refining, adjusting, and prepari...

You’re doing the work—but waiting until everything is perfect to move forward. Perfectionism may be the quiet reason your results feel delayed. In this reflective Soul Spa moment on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette explores how perfectionism can disguise itself as productivity. For many Black women entrepreneurs in their first five years, the desire to get it “just right” can slow momentu...

What happens when you give yourself permission to reimagine your life? In this inspiring conversation, three brilliant women share how travel, art, and courageous transitions unlocked their purpose and power. Host Linette Cottrell sits down with Tania P. Brown, Bianca Nelson, and Christine D. Johnson to explore how bold decisions, creative expression, and global experiences can transform the way w...

You’re putting in the effort—but the results still aren’t showing up. In Part 2, we go deeper into why hard work alone doesn’t always lead to growth. In this reflective Soul Spa moment on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette continues the conversation around feeling “lazy” when results don’t match your effort. For many Black women entrepreneurs in their first five years, the instinct is to pu...

You’re putting in the work—so why aren’t the results showing up? This Soul Spa pause explores the difference between being lazy and being misdirected. In this reflective Soul Spa moment on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette gently reframes a common experience for Black women entrepreneurs in their first five years: working hard but not seeing the growth you expected. When outcomes don’t mat...

What happens when a culture-shaping creative pivots into purpose-driven impact? Dara Cook shares how she went from leading at MTV to building a company transforming maternal health. If you’re building a business for impact, this conversation will challenge, inspire, and equip you to create with intention and longevity. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to pivot your career into purpose without lo...

Many women start businesses with passion—but the wrong business structure and messy finances can cost you thousands. In this powerful finance roundtable, we break down the money moves every woman entrepreneur needs to make in 2026. Host Linette Cottrell sits down with three powerhouse women in finance—Monique Vassall, Rhonda Brown, and Nikki Moteng—to talk about choosing the right business structu...

What if the discomfort you’ve been feeling is actually guiding you somewhere new? Sometimes the pinch isn’t a problem to fix—it’s an invitation to shift. In PINCH Part 5 of The Soul Spa on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette closes this reflective mini-series by exploring what happens after we notice the pinch. For many Black women entrepreneurs in their first five years of business, the ten...

What if your exhaustion isn’t a discipline problem—but a systems problem? Relief begins when your business works with you, not against you. In PINCH Part 4 of The Soul Spa on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast, Linette explores how the quiet tension many Black women entrepreneurs feel is often rooted in misaligned systems. If your workflows, expectations, and structures weren’t designed with your ful...

What do you do when you lose 98% of your income overnight? Melva LaJoy chose to dress for the job she was praying for — and rebuilt bigger than ever. In this powerful episode of the EmpowerHER Business Podcast, host Linette Cottrell sits down with Melva LaJoy, founder of LaJoy Creative — a comprehensive events management agency based in Washington, D.C. and New York, servicing clients globally. Wi...

Have you tied your worth to how much you produce, achieve, or prove? This Soul Spa moment gently untangles worthiness from overworking. In PINCH Part 3 of The Soul Spa on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette explores the quiet “pinch” around worthiness many Black women entrepreneurs carry—especially in the first five years of business. The pressure to outperform, overdeliver, and constantly v...

Are you always “on,” always preparing for the next problem? That constant bracing might feel productive—but it slowly turns into exhaustion. In PINCH Part 2 of The Soul Spa on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast , Linette explores the subtle but powerful habit of bracing—the ongoing state of alertness many women in business live in without realizing it. Especially for Black women entrepreneurs navigat...

Taxes don’t have to feel confusing, intimidating, or overwhelming. This powerful roundtable breaks down top tax deductions and builds real financial confidence for Black women entrepreneurs. Host Linette Cottrell is joined by trusted financial experts Monique Vassall, Rhonda Brown, and Nikki Moteng for a transparent conversation about taxes, access, and leadership-level money clarity. Together, th...

Have you ever felt a quiet discomfort you couldn’t quite name—but couldn’t ignore? This Soul Spa moment introduces The Pinch: a signal of growth, not failure. In this first installment of the PINCH series within The Soul Spa on the EmpowerHER Business Podcast, Linette explores the subtle internal “pinch” many Black women entrepreneurs experience as they evolve. That tension, stress, or discomfort...

Radical self-love isn’t soft—it’s revolutionary. In this powerful roundtable, we unpack what it really means to honor your worth as a Black woman entrepreneur without external validation. Host Linette Cottrell is joined by Dr. Kristian Edwards, founder of Black & Green, and visionary jewelry creator Lia Valencia Key for a soulful, honest conversation about unlearning harmful narratives, reclai...