Soaring Stories

Sophie is the illustrator and designer behind Simply Sophie Designs, a marketing + design agency that serves clients across the country and overseas. From selling custom portraits in her college dorm room in 2019, her business has since grown and allowed her to quit corporate and pursue her dreams full time at the age of 24. Today, Sophie shares what it's like to be a freelancer and work with...

Jamie Varon is an author, designer, digital course creator, executive producer, and creative consultant. Her debut novel, Main Character Energy, talks about the themes of self-love, doubt, and following your dreams. Jamie is incredibly wise and shares all about her creative process today. We talk about: Jamie’s routine to writing books How long it takes to write a book (or do anything you want to...

Camden is an 18-year-old artist and business owner making one-of-a-kind items made out of recycled materials. Handmade products can make it hard to handle inventory and pricing, so Camden talks about how she’s made this business work while being a college student as well! We talk about: How Camden’s childhood art projects inspired this business Is it hard to sell one-of-a-kind products on Etsy? Pr...

From moving across the world to learning from a mentor at the top of the industry to starting her business supporting students as they write their college essays, Kate is a super smart entrepreneur and so thoughtful when it comes to the college application process. I was curious about how she decided to get into this business, what it looks like on the back end, and advice she’d give to current hi...

Lia is a jewelry maker who shares so many tips she's picked up through the years of owning this business... from taking breaks to time management to planning product launches, we talk about it all: how to grow your business when it seems like you have no time planning social media content the seasonality of handmade shops incorporating faith into business ✨ Connect: Shop + socials: msha.ke/ha...

Today's guest is Erin – a Connecticut-based entrepreneur and content creator, who also works a full-time job! She's one of the most encouraging people I've talked with, and I know you'll leave this episode feeling inspired to work on whatever project you're pursuing. We talk about: Why Erin is rebranding her podcast Designing a workbook journal specifically for creative people...

Alyssa is BACK on the podcast, and we’re reacting to your stories + hot takes! If you have a small business story for season 3, send me a message on Instagram @soaring.together or submit a voice note here: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soaringstories/message We talk about: Updates from Alyssa Her next business idea Feeling judgement from others as a teen writer Hot take #1: Threads (5 minute mar...

From writing a 30-page business plan in college with her partner Chloe, to now being the co-founder and CEO of Apricotton, a teen bra brand… Jessica is an absolutely inspiring business owner and mentor to girls. We go into all things growing a business, especially through getting press and grants. We talk about: The benefits of starting a business in college How do Jessica and Chloe split up the r...

Lucy is a copywriter for women-run businesses. We first connected when she shared how to write product descriptions at the Soaring 2022 event, and now she’s on the podcast to talk about her digital nomad lifestyle! Lucy started My Write Hand Woman straight out of college at age 21 and made 6-figures in her first full year in business (so inspiring) We talk about: Lucy’s high school jobs before sta...

The oldest of 6 siblings, Olivia is an 18-year-old real estate agent from Nashville, Tennessee. She's always had an entrepreneurial spirit, from blogging to joining the family business, Ten Oaks Real Estate, at 14. After graduating high school, she jumped straight into Real Estate School. She has a passion for helping people find their dream home, as well as serving others in any way she can....

Shira Rodriguez is a novelist, podcaster, and lover of all things boho and books – she’s even designed her own creative writing curriculum! Shira has been in the Soaring community since 2021, and it’s been so exciting to meet her and to watch her grow throughout the past two years. Today, Shira shares her story of adaptability in her businesses, what she’s learning about funnels right now, and how...

Carolyn is a 23-year-old who's passionate about helping young aspiring copywriters connect, learn, and develop. When I read one of her blog posts, I knew I wanted to ask Carolyn about how she uses idea synthesis to talk about her business from the most creative angles. And if you've ever needed to write a cold email, you're going to want to remember her 3 pointers that make people want...

Ssanyu Lukoma is so enthusiastic about everything she’s doing – whether that’s public speaking, helping people write books, writing her own books, or encouraging kids to love reading through her nonprofit Brown Kids Read. Today, she’s talking about how she started the public speaking side of her business, and how she plans to continue this work in college! We talk about: Ssanyu's all-time favo...

I’ve known Julia for ~2 years, and today she’s on the podcast! From rebranding her previous business One Tidy Day to how she’s managing time as a high school student, athlete, AND business owner, to looking deeper into the amount of time we spend on social media… this episode is a must-listen for any business owner who’s in a growth phase of shifting their brand. We talk about... Why she decided t...

Annissa Khanna and Annie Long are some of the most well-spoken, thoughtful people I’ve met – and they’re here to tell the story of starting a coaching program for students as teens! From the roles of us filled on team HPS to the power of book clubs to the traits of a successful team member, this episode is an inside look at what it’s like working for an entrepreneur and how we each grew as a perso...

Renelle Briggs started her business at the end of her teen years, and now she has 3 of them + a part-time job! She loves all things mindset and self-development, and I was so excited to talk with her about business + postgrad life. We get into: Renelle’s 4 streams of income How she started virtual assistant-ing for clients Renelle’s college experience morning routine + a typical day in the life 75...

Hannah started her business in 2020 when she was 14, taking pictures of people on their porches. Now, she shoots mainly couples and weddings/elopements, but also offers graduation, family, and branding sessions in Pittsburgh and beyond. We talk about: how Hannah plans photoshoots for her clients is age a barrier to photographing clients who are older than you? traveling to Alaska to shoot a weddin...

We’re doing something a little different today… Madison is helping me figure out my Instagram strategy for AnnaMade Design Co. (my greeting card shop). Since she runs a social media marketing agency, I thought she was the perfect person to give me advice, ideas, and help brainstorm – hopefully hearing this concrete example can help you with your product-based social media channels as well! We talk...

Today’s guest is Ally Phan, the 17-year-old host of Our Playground podcast and the social media director for #HalfTheStory. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and community, and hopes to build her own brand in the future. Ally shares: going to DECA nationals!! how she landed a job as the social media coordinator of #halfthestory using LinkedIn in high school (a beginner’s guide!) ho...

Today on the podcast we have Jenifer Storey, a corporate attorney turned founder of the clothing company Unknown Union. She and her brother have created a fashion brand that infuses art, history, and culture into each piece of clothing. A must-listen for any small business owner! We chat about – what is the hero’s journey? how Jenifer brings storytelling and history into all the clothing she desig...

Have you ever wanted to try creating content for brands? Gabbie from @gracefullygabbie has so many passions, from creating content to traveling to speaking, and we talk about it all. Hit play to hear: what is UGC? Gabbie's strategy for pitching brands to work with them our thoughts on writing + AI why Gabbie decided to peruse her creative passions in this season of life dealing with feelings of fe...

Today on the podcast we have Mia Burkholder, a teen artist who creates stickers and notepads. I've been so inspired by her Instagram and everything she shares about being a small business owner, so I was super excited to have Mia on to talk about how her product line has evolved as her business has grown. We chat about – debate team top tips for optimizing your Etsy listings bringing the fun back...

Alyssa is an entrepreneurial teen who’s explored many passion projects and types of businesses since we met in 5th grade.  We chat about – the inspiration behind her blog why she decided not to publish her first book (yet)  what’s next for Alyssa in this season of high school how to break out of your comfort zone comfortably ⭐️ If you related to anything we chatted about, I'd appreciate...

I first met Laura through the Soaring Together online event last year – she’s always been so supportive of teen entrepreneurs and I wanted her to speak about how she works with teens as an adult business owner! I’m inspired by how she puts faith at the front of her company and is always coming up with new ways to serve middle and high school girls. We chat about – the in-between of finishing colle...

Calling all teen business owners: let's go behind the scenes with inspiring young entrepreneurs + hear the stories no one's talking about. How do you actually pitch a shop to sell wholesale? What does it really look like to work for yourself full-time? How do you create real friendships that aren't transactional? And what do we need to know about working with ~adults~? In this intro episode – alll...