Owning Your Legacy

What does it take to build a thriving business, lead with integrity, and create spaces that truly reflect the people who live in them? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette Rondenet sits down with Lakesha Rose, Owner/Designer of L Rose Interior Design , a Chicago-based full-service design-build and interior design firm celebrating 10 years in business. Lakesha shares her unconventional...

What does it really take to build a food company from the ground up, raise capital, scale a team, and make difficult decisions when the market changes? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Brittany Chibe shares the honest story behind her journey from corporate food sales to entrepreneurship, including the launch and sale of Paleo Scavenger and her work as co-founder of Aquacultured Foods. Britt...

What if AI is not here to replace creativity, but to expand it? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Laurette is joined by Justin Shimek, CEO of Mattson, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping food and beverage innovation. Justin shares his journey from food science to leadership, the role of curiosity in building a career, and how Mattson helps companies imagine what is coming next...

Season 12 of Owning Your Legacy brings together leaders, founders, creators, innovators, and storytellers who are building something meaningful through courage, curiosity, and intention. This season explores what it takes to step into your next chapter, trust your instincts, build the right team, embrace change, and keep moving forward even when the path is uncertain. From food, design, entreprene...

What does it really mean to leave a legacy? In the final episode of Season 11 of Owning Your Legacy , guests reflect on one of the most meaningful questions of the series: What is the legacy you would like to leave behind? Their answers reveal that legacy is not only about achievement, status, or recognition. It is about the people we inspire, the love we put into the world, the courage to be ours...

What if the future of food depends on better science, better communication, and a little more nuance? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Donna Berry shares how a lifelong curiosity about food and nutrition led her from an early internship at Edlong to becoming one of the dairy industry’s most trusted voices. As a food scientist, writer, and founder of Berry on Dairy and The Daily Dose of Dair...

In this special episode of Owning Your Legacy , Gertrude Lyons , author of Rewrite the Mother Code , joins Gail Scott , Director of Administration at Edlong and one of the producers of the podcast, for a powerful conversation on motherhood, identity, vulnerability, and the cultural expectations women inherit. Gertrude shares the personal journey behind writing Rewrite the Mother Code and how the p...

What if the signs you keep ignoring are actually pointing you toward your purpose? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Holly Garrard, founder of Fundae, shares how she walked away from a 25-year career in media to build a brand rooted in purpose, sustainability, and personal transformation. After years in corporate leadership roles at companies like iHeart and ESPN, Holly felt a deeper pull to...

What if leadership is not something you chase, but something that finds you? In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Christie Tarantino-Dean shares how she stepped into a CEO role unexpectedly and what it really takes to grow into leadership over time. As CEO of the Institute of Food Technologists, Christie leads a global community of scientists, innovators, and industry leaders working to advance...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, we sit down with Mara Smith, founder of Inspiro Tequila, to talk about what it really looks like to start over and build something meaningful on your own terms. After stepping away from her career for 16 years to raise her family, Mara re-entered the workforce with no traditional roadmap, no network, and plenty of self-doubt. What followed was not a return to...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, host Laurette Rondenet sits down with Katrina Markoff, founder of Violet Flame Chocolate and the original creator of the globally renowned chocolate brand Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Katrina shares the remarkable journey that took her from studying chemistry and psychology at Vanderbilt to culinary training in Paris and eventually building one of the most innovativ...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, host Laurette Rondenet sits down with Dr. Gertrude Lyons, author of Rewrite the Mother Code, for a transformative conversation on motherhood, identity, intuition, and the hidden cultural narratives that shape women’s lives. Dr. Lyons shares her personal awakening, from navigating fertility through a holistic lens to questioning deeply ingrained expectations a...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, host Laurette Rondenet sits down with Brittani Mack, host of Tech Me As I Am, for a powerful conversation on authentic leadership, personal branding, emotional intelligence, and staying grounded in the age of AI. Brittani shares the transformational moment that shifted her life after watching The Call to Courage by Brené Brown. What began as a wake-up call ab...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , host Laurette Rondenet sits down with Bela Gandhi , founder of Smart Dating Academy , for a powerful conversation on modern dating, emotional intelligence, and how to build healthy relationships at any stage of life. Bela shares her personal journey from heartbreak to global corporate leadership, and the pivotal decision to leave a successful career in finan...

Teresa Ging , founder and CEO of Sugar Bliss , returns to Owning Your Legacy for a timely and values-driven conversation about growth, courage, and leading with integrity in uncertain times. From national retail expansion to sports concessions and airport locations, Teresa shares how Sugar Bliss has evolved while staying rooted in purpose. In this episode, Teresa reflects on the realities of scali...

Ayra Mudessir, TEDx speaker, three-time author, youth advocate, and neuroscience student, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy for an insightful conversation about confidence, representation, and the power of intentional leadership at any age. At just 21 years old, Ayra reflects on the moments and influences that shaped her commitment to youth empowerment, education, and meaningful social...

Ahmed Darwish, founder of The Living Organism Project, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy for a powerful exploration of healing, authenticity, and human transformation. From leaving law school to embracing a long career in clinical psychology, Ahmed describes the turning points that shaped his desire to help people understand themselves and move toward a more aligned and meaningful life...

How do grace, resilience, and purpose shape the kind of leader you become?    In this powerful and heartfelt conversation, Laurette Rondenet sits down once again with Michael Byron—author of The Grace Effect: From Brooklyn to Boise—to explore how faith, humility, and heart can transform both business and life.    From his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to his trailblazing corporate leadership roles...

How do you turn a college side hustle into two thriving businesses that bring joy to thousands?  In this inspiring episode, Jasmine Gonzalez, founder of Hype Productions and Loft 21 Events, joins Laurette Rondenet to share her fearless journey from D1 athlete to award-winning entrepreneur and mentor. From stepping in as one of the first female MCs in the industry to building one of Chicagoland’s m...

Sandy Marsico, Founder and CEO of Sandstorm Design, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy to explore how purpose, creativity, and human-centered innovation can transform business culture and leadership.  From her early days as a painter to leading one of Chicago’s top creative technology agencies, Sandy shares how blending art, psychology, and entrepreneurship led her to build a purpose-dr...

What does it mean to lead with purpose, authenticity, and courage in today’s world? Season 10 of Owning Your Legacy invites you to find out. Hosted by Laurette Rondenet, this season brings together visionary founders, creative leaders, and change-makers who are shaping industries and redefining what legacy means in business and in life.  Listen to guests like Sandy Marsico, Founder and CEO of Sand...

What drives a woman to leap from Fortune 500 exec to art gallery owner… to launching a plant-based ETF on the NYSE? In this after-the-show conversation, Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest, goes off-script with Laurette Rondenet to reveal the emotional journey behind her fearless pivots. From growing up in France to building a career at IBM, Kellogg, and beyond, Elysabeth shares how curiosity,...

In this raw, after-the-show moment, Meryl Kennedy opens up like never before. Over champagne and cookies, she joins Laurette Rondenet to talk about love, leadership, and the real-life chaos behind building a legacy. From meeting her husband on a bridge in Monroe to running multiple businesses while raising three kids, Meryl shares the deeply personal side of her story. She reflects on the vulnerab...

In this After the Show conversation, Dan Gibbons, CEO of the City Club of Chicago, pulls back the curtain on the mentors, moments, and memories that shaped his leadership journey. From his time with legendary chairman Andy McKenna to building a table that welcomes activists, students, and prime ministers alike, Dan shares why mentorship matters more than ever. This intimate chat with Laurette Rond...

What happens when you align your values with your actions? Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest and host of the Plantbased Business Hour, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy to share how her journey from Kellogg and PBS to launching a climate-focused ETF on the New York Stock Exchange is transforming the food industry, climate action, and impact investing. Elysabeth explains why food...