It's All Happening : Women In CPG

Nicole Swartz is a trademark attorney in Austin, TX. In 2015, she started a CPG brand that was sold in hundreds of retailers around the world. But there was one BIG problem: She didn’t trademark her brand. One day, she woke up to a cease + desist letter in her inbox. Someone trademarked her brand name and now they owned it. She had to rebrand everything in 30 days. A total nightmare! Nicole became...

Sarah Delevan is a Financial Consultant with over 15 years of experience in building and supporting sustainable and regional food systems. As the founder of The Good Food CFO, she works with purpose-driven food businesses—from farmers, ranchers, fishers, and producers— to help them achieve profitability by design. Sarah's career has spanned nearly every corner of the good food movement. From teach...

Jessie Kimsey is a results-driven merchandising leader with more than a decade of experience across e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail. At Misfits Market, she leads vendor strategy and category innovation, curating mission-driven brands and championing emerging products that are transforming the food system. A passionate advocate for quality, sustainability, and impact in grocery, Jessie helps...

Alli Ball is the founder & CEO of Food Biz Wiz and the creator of Retail Ready ®, an online program that has provided strategic support, curated curriculum, and values-aligned community for over 3,000 producers of packaged products in the food industry. As a former grocery buyer-turned-wholesale consultant, Alli has helped thousands of emerging brands understand what it takes to get on the she...

Breezy Griffith is the CEO & Founder of SkinnyDipped, a brand she launched with her mom, Val Griffith, from their kitchen table with a shared passion for creating better-for-you snacks with no compromise on flavor. With an adventurous spirit and sharp business acumen, Breezy has led the company to remarkable growth, expanding to three innovative product lines and nationwide distribution in ove...

Season 3 of It’s All Happening: Women in CPG is here! Host Danielle Calabrese kicks things off with a life and business update—fresh from a summer of travel, reflection, and recharging—and a deep dive into what’s ahead. From the evolution of her Launch Lab accelerator to the powerhouse lineup of founders, operators, and experts joining the show this season, Danielle sets the tone for what’s shapin...

When I first met Susanna Rizzo at an event, I was immediately drawn to her bold, beautiful packaging. Then I tried her focaccia—and I was instantly obsessed. As someone who seriously appreciates high-quality bread (and is a total foodie), I knew she was onto something special. In this episode, Susanna shares how she launched Jennies House and what it’s been like growing her artisan bread brand—fro...

Michelle Wilton, founder of Date Better Snacks, is the definition of a scrappy, resourceful entrepreneur. In this episode, she shares how she launched the brand out of her restaurant kitchen and grew it by personally pitching to small accounts across the country. We dive into how she’s leveraged her husband’s engineering skills to build custom packaging equipment, why she’s just now considering fu...

From farmers markets to national shelves—this is how Humm scaled with soul. In this episode, I sit down with Humm Kombucha’s founder, Michelle Mitchelle to unpack her early-stage regional playbook, the leap into self-manufacturing, and what it really takes to not only land major retail but what she had to do to eventually get Humm aquired. She shares how building a people-first company helped fuel...

Today I’m talking with the fearless co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, Leah and Yasamin—you might know them for their viral hit, Hot Girl Pickles. These two dove headfirst into CPG with no prior industry experience and are somehow pulling it off like pros. We get into how they started, what they’ve learned, their recent fundraise, and how they’re rolling out new retailers and innovations at full spe...

How do you scale a wellness brand without burning out—or burning cash? In this episode, we talk with Cure Hydration’s founder, Lauren Picasso about the real work behind funding a fast-growing brand, getting on shelves nationwide, and going to market with intention. She gives us the tea on how she raised capital as a solo founder and launched in CVS at the height of COVID—in a hydration category th...

Today I sit down with Caroline Brain, founder of @kifandco — and let’s just say, this one’s packed with gut instinct and growth energy.  We dive into how she’s building a brand rooted in gut health from the ground up — literally — including her regional play, why she chose to self-manufacture, and the vision behind the Gut Hut (yes, it’s as cool as it sounds 😎). PLUS: she just launched a crowdfun...

Just dropped a fresh episode with mother daughter duo Brittany & Kim Cook, half of the team behind @somethingsweetdough. We dive into how they’ve grown their cookie dough brand with intention — keeping things simple, regional, and family-run. This isn’t a story about rushing to scale — it’s about building a solid foundation, leveraging their local community, and using the strengths of their ow...

Today, I chat with Jane Wong, the visionary founder of NOON, a brand that’s redefining how we think about wellness, one beautifully designed mushroom gummy at a time. Jane shares how she’s merging aesthetic minimalism with cognitive health, creating products that not only support your brain but look good on your shelf, too. We dive into her design-led approach, the science behind the formulas, and...

Today I sat down with the powerhouse behind TRUBAR, Founder & CEO Erica Groussman—and let me tell you, she brought it. We talked about how she’s taken TRUBAR nationwide (and she’s just getting started), what it really looks like to juggle work, life, a growing team, and constant innovation. Oh—and did I mention she pulled the company out of $7 million in debt? Her journey is raw, real, and pac...

I sat down with French Squirrel founder Sydney Wainer to talk about what it really takes to grow a values-driven CPG brand. We got into the nitty gritty—unit economics, scaling smart, and building strong retail relationships . Plus, she shared the personal health journey that inspired it all. It’s honest, inspiring, and full of takeaways for any founder on the rise. If you've been sitting on idea...

Question: Do you know what a total badass Jordan Rondel is? If not, let me introduce you. Her creativity isn’t just inspiring—it’s effortlessly cool. If you’re a female founder (or dreaming of becoming one), this convo is a must-listen. Jordan keeps it real, sharing the highs, the lows, and everything in between with honesty and heart. I walked away from this chat so inspired, and I think you’re g...

To kick off Season 2 of my Founder Series, I sit down with Melanie Masarin, the visionary founder of Ghia, to talk about how she’s shaking up the drinking culture—no booze required. 🍸✨ Melanie takes us behind the scenes of building her wildly popular non-alcoholic aperitif, from the spark of inspiration to the gritty realities of product development, manufacturing and breaking into retail and th...

Lydia is a digital marketing maven, with over 15 years experience in the Social Media and Influencer Marketing Field across many industries. She has experience building brands from conception to acquisition. Lydia is a data driven marketing professional who has built up brands to be on the Inc 5000's fastest growing private companies list. She has experience in developing efficient, high-impact ma...

Bridget Aileen Sicsko is the co-founder of Visibility on Purpose, a media training school established in 2023 alongside publicist Lydia Bagarozza. As a former publisher turned speaker, Bridget has delivered impactful presentations to over 5,000 individuals across the U.S. and Europe, covering topics such as human optimization, the athlete mentality, wellness, and lifestyle. Her dynamic speaking st...

Francine Voit is the co-founder of Pistakio, a company dedicated to reimagining pistachios for a new generation of enthusiasts. Pistakio introduced the OG Pistachio Spread, a versatile, sweet, and drizzable spread made with real pistachios and natural ingredients. Francine’s innovative approach aims to make pistachios more accessible and enjoyable beyond their traditional in-shell form. Her commit...

Kelly Meyer has a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Marketing, and has spent her career working in digital marketing, specializing in social media strategy. After experiencing both the in-house and agency side of things, she combined her expertise and decided launch Muse Digital Strategies, a micro social media agency. Find Kelly at https://www.musedigitalstrategies.com/ It's All Happening Websi...

Rachel Krupa is the founder of The Goods Mart, a mission-driven convenience store offering better-for-you snacks and essentials. With a background in public relations, she has been instrumental in promoting health-conscious brands and fostering community engagement. Rachel’s innovative approach to retail has garnered attention for its focus on sustainability and social responsibility. Through her...

Kelly Bennett is a CPG food & beverage brand strategist in New York City. She works with brands to differentiate in the marketplace, discover unique selling points, and create buzz with strategic partners, consumers, retailers & industry. Clients featured in LA Times, Forbes, and CNN. And recently collaborated with top Trademark attorney Nicole Swartz to launch Bread & Butter; a Tradem...

Danielle, founder of It's All Happening, a community and agency for CPG founders and brand experts, has been helping CPG businesses scale for over 16 years. Her passion is to help founders turn their ideas into a lucrative reality, navigate difficult problems, nail their strategy, and accelerate. From founding her own small business to working for an agency that takes brands to market, to serving...