Startups in Stilettos

"Community is everything, especially when you're balancing life as a single mom and an entrepreneur." In this heartfelt minisode, Carlyn Bushman reflects on the life lessons her children have taught her throughout the years and how those lessons have shaped her entrepreneurial journey. Carlyn also shares about the importance of building and leaning into a supportive community, sharing how her own...

“In the beginning, if you don't have a team or a system or community around you, it's very easy to feel lost. There are these amazing communities out there for amazing female founders that will really help guide and support you. So, the greatest lesson I learned pretty quickly was that you're never alone. Or, if you feel alone, there are ways to get out of that.” When trademark attorney Lauren Ber...

“This is the month to revisit your benchmarks. Measure where you are and plan where you need to go." In this episode, Carlyn Bushman shares actionable strategies to help entrepreneurs set meaningful benchmarks and track their progress effectively. From building dashboards to leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT for growth, Carlyn breaks down how to measure success and prepare for the year ahead. Wheth...

“Just getting started, just stepping into it is so critical. And don't worry about what everybody else thinks all the time. That is the one thing I wish I would have really thought about when I started my business is, don't worry. Comparison is the thief of joy. So just get out there and just do it." Today’s Startups in Stilettos is a minisode all about US! Tune in to hear Carlyn Bushman and Riche...

“We can all get URLs, we can get tax IDs set up, we can open up a business bank account—those things we can do. We can create a website. We can all put our footprint out there. But entrepreneurship is no joke. It's a journey.” Entrepreneurship can feel overwhelming—but it doesn't need to be! Today’s Startups in Stilettos is a minisode all about the first steps you need to take when building your b...

“We didn't learn anything that has to do with the emotional and mindset side of money. You might know the instruments, you may know the old literacy that you want. But if you're lacking this other part, it's never going to work.” Alejandra Rojas is an Entreprenista League member and a finance professional who specialized in financial trauma. Alejandra’s interest in finance started at a young age w...

“Surround yourself with things that are going to uplift you to help you get through those difficult times. And don't be afraid to ask for help." Today’s Startups in Stilettos is a minisode all about mental health and the importance of taking time to pause and prioritize. Tune in to hear Carlyn Bushman and Richelle Pena talk all about the growing pains that come with entrepreneurship, the importanc...

“Relationships are key and if they're genuine, and if you continue to plant those seeds and really nurture those networking relationships, they will just automatically turn into revenue and clients and business and collaborations.” After decades of climbing the corporate fashion ladder, Amanda Rango decided to make the leap from big business to working directly with fashion founders. Today, Amanda...

“Understand your mission. What are you trying to solve? That is the biggest thing. It's not about your idea, it's really about the problem.” Nomiki is the founder and CEO of PDS Lab, a tech accelerator for women at the idea stage. She's also the founder of Theanna, a social network focused on action opportunity and collaboration for all women tech founders, from idea to scale. Tune in and hear wha...

“You have to have a brand today. It's more than just companies who are brands— people are brands today, too. That's the only way you're going to cut through the noise." After 28 years in TV news, Liz Brunner knew there was something else she was meant to do, but she could never pinpoint exactly what that was—until she realized her power was in her own value. Today, Liz is the founder of Brunner Co...

“It's just not enough to post. It's not enough to simply be there. It does require strategy and thought, and it can absolutely transform your business." When Jenay Rose left her corporate gig a week before her 27th birthday, everyone told her she was crazy. A year later, she started a life coaching business that she grew to six figures—completely organically. Today, Jenay is the founder and CEO of...

“My biggest regret is [that] I kept this so close to the chest for a while, because a lot of people think, ‘Someone will steal my idea. People think it’s a bad idea.’ You almost want to wait to announce what you're doing until it's totally complete. And I always say, ‘If you're not embarrassed by your first product or service, you are not moving fast enough.’ It needs to be roughly right and you n...

“Find somebody to work with as a small business owner. I'm not taking out loans. I don't have big funding. You really have to pick and choose where you want to invest in your business, but you do have to invest somewhere.” Struggling with feelings of neglect and loneliness in an unhappy marriage, Amy Rees first took to pottery as a refuge. It was in a friend’s class that she not only found her art...

"The power of networking, you never know. There could be just that one person that you connect with who then has somebody else that they know and it's a snowball effect."- Richelle Pena  Today’s Startups in Stilettos has a very special minisode dedicated to the power of networking. Tune in to hear Carlyn Bushman and Richelle Pena talk all about how important it is to step outside of your comfort z...

“One in five women with menopause have considered dropping out of work, have foregone promotion. And we are just at the top of our game and to take us out at 50 is not okay. It's about empowering women to be the best that we can possibly be.” When Dr. Sophia Yen co-founded Pandia Health, the idea was to provide free birth control delivery to anyone with insurance, from private options to Medicaid....

"The number one reason women invest in real estate is for generational wealth. It’s about legacy.” By 2013 Liz Faircloth had been investing in real estate for many years while also building a business with her husband and working full time as a consultant. Though on paper she seemed to have it all—a successful passive income, a healthy baby, and a growing business, she still felt empty at the end...

“You really have to learn to think about who's listening. Ask yourself, 'what is the takeaway for the person listening?' Why does that matter?' And if you can't think of that, then you don't need to talk about it.” When Patrice Poltzer first started joining podcasts as a guest, she was very excited and very nervous… but she quickly realized how that honest energy could benefit her by showing her h...

"We need mental health professionals who understand the unique context of entrepreneurship." As Shulamit Ber Levtov grew her own business and began to understand the unique mental and emotional stressors that come with entrepreneurship, she realized that there was something sorely missing from the entrepreneur’s toolbox: mental health professionals who understand business ownership and its impact...

“Everything started because somebody started it. Somebody felt that need...Of course we can't conquer the world—we're not capable. But we can all do our part and contribute." Growing up in India, Pallavi Pande spent her childhood eating her meals off of banana leaves—a memory she cherished so much that she wanted to share it with her children…and the rest of the world. Today, Pallavi is the BIPOC...

"Every time we get on stage, we have the opportunity to tell our story and to really be seen for what we're doing and what we know." As PR director for several enterprise software companies, part of Bobbie Carlton’s job is getting executives on stage at conferences and events. But after 20 years in the business, she was tired of supporting solely male executives and knew it was time for her to tak...

“Show up dressed as your next level self. So, whoever that ‘her’ is that you're projecting—whether that's five years or 10 years—show up as her. Embodying her, not just dressed as her… Proving to yourself like, ‘Hey, I just did it 10 years before I thought that I could do it.’” When Dr. Noor Ali moved back to the US after completing her medical training and starting her career as a surgeon in Bang...

“We don't have to do a million things, we just have to do the right things. We often feel like ‘I don't have a big budget to spend on ads and that's why I'm not successful.’ We're chasing all of these different marketing tactics… In truth, we don't actually need to be doing that much.” Lindsey Breitwieser spent nearly a decade of her career in marketing working in-house for international agencies,...

“I never once thought about these other markets because it wasn't my experience yet. So you just never know where your business may lead you, even four months into it—it's all from listening.” When Jackie Hutson gave birth to her son a little over a decade ago, she thought she had prepared for everything. But when she found herself waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, she realiz...

“I see that a lot of these young women are struggling to feel like their impact matters and I really want to create something that incorporates my own stories, my own journey, to show them that our choices matter. But more importantly, that they matter, and that everything they bring to the table is significant and meaningful.” When Brianna Ruelas and her husband were thrust into entrepreneurship...

“We really have to get into this mindset of, ‘Maybe I'm not the best at sales, but I'm doing my best.’ I'm going to get better every conversation I have. I'm going to learn with every conversation that I have. We're going to get better with every single call.” Candice D’Angelo spent the first year of her corporate career having doors slammed in her face and getting fired—six times! Though she even...