Powerful Ladies® Podcast

What happens when you stop waiting for permission and start creating a life that feels good to you every single day? Rainey Lancaster Hoag, an Apple+ marketer, content creator, and lifestyle entrepreneur, is doing just that. She joins Kara to talk about building a brand that celebrates beauty, intentionality, and joy in the everyday. They talk about how grief shifted her priorities, the inspiratio...

What does it really mean to be both the producer and the talent? Event producer, musician, and Soho Works events manager Monique Siaw shares how she’s built a career out of bringing other people’s visions to life, while honoring her own. In this episode, she and Kara talk about music, identity, ambition, and what it takes to build spaces where real community and collaboration can thrive. Monique r...

Can you love fashion and still fight for the planet? Beth Esponnette says yes, and she’s proving it. As the co-founder of Unspun, Beth is building a future where clothes are made on-demand, with zero waste and local manufacturing. In this episode, she shares how her team is using 3D weaving to change the way we think about fit, sustainability, and circular design. We talk about purpose-driven care...

What happens when you stop shrinking yourself to make others comfortable? Krystl Fabella is the founder of Filipina on the Rise, and she’s on a mission to help women of color reclaim their power, purpose, and visibility. In this conversation, Krystl opens up about the burnout that forced her to reimagine success, the identity shifts that came with it, and how she’s rebuilding with more clarity and...

What does it really take to market a small business today? Marissa Stahl, CEO and founder of Cherry Creative, shares why “more content” isn’t the answer and what actually drives sales and connection. In this episode, we unpack how to build a 360-degree strategy that feels aligned and effective, not overwhelming. Marissa also shares what she’s learned as a founder, how her background in theater sha...

What happens when you follow the spark, even if you don’t know where it will lead? In this episode, Kara talks with Christina Minutillo, an Italian-American host, author, and podcaster whose self-published cookbook launched a whole new chapter in her life. They talk about how Christina went from corporate fashion to building her own brand rooted in joy, creativity, and community. You’ll hear how h...

What happens when artists, athletes, journalists, and activists come together in a mountain town to change the world? You get Mountainfilm. In this episode, Kara sits down with Festival Director Suzan Beraza and Marketing Manager Shae LaPlace to explore how this Telluride-based documentary film festival sparks global conversations and lasting impact. Suzan and Shae share how they curate more than...

What happens when you stop chasing the career you're "supposed" to want and start building a life around food, joy, and connection? Julie Hartigan made that leap. After a decade in tech and engineering, she became a chef, wellness coach, TV personality, and now a food-focused travel entrepreneur. In this episode, Julie shares how she pivoted careers in her 40s, what it means to make food an act of...

What does it look like to build a business where your values actually lead the way? Gemma Totten is the founder of Chapter Six Jewelry, a jewelry brand rooted in sustainability, community, and impact. In this episode, she shares how she transitioned from environmental activism into entrepreneurship without compromising her beliefs. We talk about creative entrepreneurship, mindset coaching for wome...

What if the secret to confident leadership and a thriving workplace was simply… being clear? In this powerful conversation, Lindsay White, founder of High Voltage Leadership, shares how clarity, kindness, and self-trust can transform your leadership and your life. After walking away from a toxic corporate job, Lindsay built a leadership coaching business designed to help female entrepreneurs build...

What happens when two stylish best friends join forces to build a jewelry and fashion brand that’s equally bold, beautiful, and sustainable? Carolina Cordon-Bouzan and Gayle Yelon, co-founders of Montserrat New York, are proving that self-made women can do it all, with lab-grown diamonds, jetset-inspired fashion, and a whole lot of entrepreneurial grit. In this episode, we talk about building a bu...

What if the key to emotional resilience wasn’t talking more but physically releasing what’s been stuck inside for years? Janet Barrett is a mental health speaker and the author of Stop the Break, a book about proactive mental health and how we can stop carrying invisible emotional burdens that keep us from thriving. In this conversation, Janet shares the moment she broke and how that moment became...

What does it really take to get featured in Vogue or Forbes? Publicist Sydney Schiff is the founder of Sydney on the Scene, a boutique PR agency that supports small brands doing big things. From fashion to food to wellness, her agency works with female founders and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs to tell their stories through earned media, events, and creative strategy. In this episode, Sydney shares how s...

What if the dream you had as a kid – the one you buried under jobs, bills, and adulting – was still waiting for you? That’s exactly what happened to Bet Heykoop. She was working in tech, on paper successful, but inside feeling lost. Then one day she quit, got behind the wheel, and everything changed. In this episode, Bet shares the wild road from self-taught parking lot spins to working on real Ho...

Kelly Roberts never imagined she’d be the face of a running movement. In fact, she used to hate running. But after losing her brother and turning to running as a way to cope, Kelly discovered not only a new outlet for grief, but a new path for herself. Today, she’s the founder of Badass Lady Gang, a community-focused running group rewriting the rules of who gets to be an athlete. In this episode,...

In this special International Women’s Day episode, Kara Duffy gathers three powerhouse coaches, Angie Wisdom, Marie Garvey, and Lindsay White, for an honest conversation about why so many women are still burned out, stuck, and holding themselves back. They discuss why work-life balance is a myth, how perfectionism and people-pleasing get in the way of leadership, and what coaching actually looks l...

Every entrepreneur deserves a lawyer who sees the whole picture, not just the paperwork. For Kara, that person is Kelly Galligan. As a corporate lawyer and M&A partner, Kelly helps founders and business owners navigate everything from equity to exits. But more importantly, she makes her clients feel safe, empowered, and heard. In this episode, Kara and Kelly talk about what true legal partnership...

What if the fear you have around spreadsheets, taxes, and bookkeeping is actually holding your entire business back? In this episode, Candace Galiffa, founder of NewWay Accounting, shares how to stop running your business like a hobby and start making powerful, strategic financial decisions. We talk about what real financial strategy looks like, why knowing your net profit is more important than y...

What happens when you stop waiting for change and start leading it yourself? Fashion designer Mindy Scheier thought her path was in high fashion, until her son’s experience with Muscular Dystrophy pushed her to create clothing that works for every body. Now, she’s revolutionizing the fashion industry through two game-changing organizations: Runway of Dreams and Gamut Talent Management. In this epi...

Stephanie Kauffman’s career has taken her from entertainment and corporate marketing to the front lines of cancer research funding. As President and COO of the Melanoma Research Alliance, she’s now helping lead the largest nonprofit funder of melanoma research worldwide. But her personal connection to the cause, and her passion for purpose-driven leadership, goes far deeper. In this episode, Kara...

What if the real you has been hidden under expectations, labels, and trauma? Parisa Frost is an identity-affirming, trauma-informed associate marital and family therapist, art therapist, yoga teacher in training, and creator of Hiking Healers. In this episode, she joins Kara to talk about what it takes to unlearn the conditioning that’s shaped our lives, and how to reconnect with your core self to...

Can you have it all: thriving careers, a strong relationship, a family, and a sense of sanity? Josh and Liza Shirazi are proof that it’s possible. In this episode, Kara sits down with her longtime friends and favorite power couple to talk about how they juggle marriage, parenting, and multiple successful businesses while staying grounded in their values. They open up about navigating entrepreneurs...

What if your rock bottom turned out to be your turning point? That’s exactly what happened for Jenn Harper, the Anishinaabe founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty. After getting sober in her 30s, Jenn had a vivid dream that set her on a new path: to build a purpose-driven, Indigenous-owned beauty brand that could change the industry and support future generations. In this episode, Kara and Jenn talk...

What if the American Dream wasn’t broken - just never built for everyone? Karen Losi is a social worker, foster parent, and fierce community advocate who’s spent years on the front lines of public service. In this episode, she joins Kara to talk about what really shapes opportunity, how systems fail families, and why small changes can lead to huge impact. They discuss trauma-informed care, foster...

Leadership is more than managing people. It's managing yourself first. Christie Garcia, founder of Mindful Choice Leadership Academy, breaks down the hidden patterns that block us from being the leaders we want to be. She introduces her three ego types framework, shares how to shift from reactive to intentional leadership, and explains why even your calendar reflects your values. This episode is a...