The Mentor Files

If you're a mom or dad, you probably have one of today's guest's products in your home (and if you don't, you might wish you did)! Chelsea Hirschhorn is the president and CEO of Fridababy, a solutions based brand committed to making parents' lives easier by offering revolutionary products to safely and easily tackle common baby issues at home. Fridababy products are sold i...

Jacq Tatelman and her husband Scott are the Brooklyn-based duo behind State Bags, a one for one company that is making a difference in America. For every bag sold, they donate a backpack to a child in need. Their mission was inspired by an organization Jacq and her husband started in 2009 that sent underprivileged New York City kids to summer camp. They saw time and time again kids showing up with...

Since launching her line in 2011, Rebecca Minkoff has become a globally recognized brand with stores around the world and a cult-like following. She’s a pioneer in the fashion industry, merging tech with fashion and constantly evolving her product line. She offers products like “connected” smart bags that provide consumers access to exclusive content and was the first brand to feature interactive...

As a professional soccer player, Tim Brown was used to receiving and trying out lots of free shoes. Somewhere along the line, he started to notice that all sports shoes were beginning to look the same. So, with that in mind, he set out to make his own. Tim grew up in New Zealand and was familiar with the great qualities of wool - it's not only good for minimizing odor but also for regulating...

We’re getting personal on the podcast today! Monica sits down with the CEO and Founder of Interior Define, Rob Royer, who just happens to also be her husband. After struggling to find high quality and well designed furniture at an affordable price, Rob decided to make it himself. Interior Define was launched in 2014 and offers a new concept in custom furniture: edited,  thoughtfully designed and w...

Maggie Winters and her co-founders set out to create a line of clothing that they thought was missing in the marketplace: high quality, affordable, seasonless fashion basics. The brand, called All Year Round (AYR), it has a cult-like following, and it's clear why. The digitally native brand has found success with pop-up shops in New York, and is constantly pushing the envelope when it comes t...

In just three years, Alyce Tran has turned The Daily Edited, an affordable luxury accessories line, into a global company with stores in the U.S., Singapore and Australia. On today's show, Alyce talks about the expansion of the company — including the recent sale of a 30% stake in her company for $4.5 million - and the growing pains that come with that kind of growth. Monica and Alyce also di...

Today's guest is one of the most sought after e-commerce investors in the country: Kirsten Green. Kirsten is the founder of Forerunner Ventures, and made early investments in companies like Birchbox, Glossier, Outdoor Voices and Bonobos. Plus, she was the only one to invest in two of the biggest e-commerce sites of the past few years: Jet.com and Dollar Shave Club. This year Kirsten was named...

Christine Hunsicker, CEO and Founder of Gwynnie Bee — an online subscription rental clothing service for women sizes 10-32 — launched her business from her Manhattan apartment in 2013. Fast forward to today, the company has more than 400 employees across the world, offers over 3,000 styles from 120 brands and to date have shipped over 4 million boxes. In today’s episode, Monica and Christine discu...

As an advisor, investor, and entrepreneur, Sari Azout wears many hats. Early on in her career she worked as an investment banker in the consumer and retail division of Lehman Brothers. From there, she took the leap to start her own company Bib + Tuck — a peer-to-peer apparel marketplace — which was acquired by Crossroad Trading in 2015. Now, as a Partner at Level Ventures and Entrepreneur-in-Resid...

If there is a female millennial entrepreneur that is shaking up their industry, chances are Vivienne Decker has covered them for Forbes.com. She has interviewed some of the country’s most successful female entrepreneurs and has some fascinating insight into the similarities between these powerhouse women. On today’s episode, Vivienne gives valuable and candid insider advice on how to get press cov...

When Heidi Zak couldn’t find a quality bra that fit her right and looked great, she realized there was a hole in the market and ThirdLove was born. The data-driven bra company now offers 15 styles in 59 different sizes (they’re the only company to offer half cup sizes!) and provides a “try before you buy” model that encourages women to try the product on in the comfort of their own homes. On this...

In 2011, bloggers Danielle Moss and Alaina Kaczmarski teamed up to launch a website with a budget of less than $8k. Since then, The Everygirl has become a household name and the ultimate online resource for creative, career-driven women with more than 1 million unique visitors each month and 660k+ Instagram followers. Just a few months after launching, The Everygirl was named by Forbes as one of t...

Jessica Herrin was on a mission when she set out to create the direct sales accessory company, Stella & Dot. For her, it wasn’t as much about the product she wanted to create, but rather a movement. At the time, Herrin had already launched a wedding gift registry site which sold to The Knot for $78 million. She balanced being a mom of two daughters as she worked tirelessly to build her second...

Daphne Oz is a healthy lifestyle expert, entrepreneur, New York Times Bestselling cookbook author, chef, Emmy award-winning TV host and mother of two (with another one on the way!). If anyone has effectively mastered the art of multi-tasking with style, it’s Daphne Oz. In this episode, Daphne discusses the importance of investing in yourself and reveals one thing everyone can do each day to feel m...

When Payal Kadakia went online one day in 2011 to book a ballet workout class, she was “miserably frustrated” with how difficult it was to find and attend the right type of class. After realizing her friends had similar frustrations, she created ClassPass — a monthly membership fitness-class booking company — as a way for people to reconnect with their passions and fitness. Listen in to learn more...

Sam Yagan holds quite the entrepreneurial resume. During his college years, he co-founded SparkNotes, which sold for $30 million to Barnes & Noble just one year later. He then co-founded a little dating site called OKCupid and from there went on to run Match.com. He’s currently the CEO of ShopRunner, a members only online shopping site with more than 4 million members, and runs the venture cap...

Famed designer Cynthia Rowley is perhaps most well known for her namesake clothing brand. However, since she launched her label in 1983, she has expanded from clothing into everything from home furnishings and tech accessories to surfing apparel. A true artist at heart, Cynthia is constantly innovating, networking, and paving the way in the fashion world. Did you know she was one of the first desi...

In 2010, Katia Beauchamp started Birchbox and revolutionized the way we shop for beauty products. The subscription-based company now has over 1 million global subscribers and has managed to stay relevant in the ever-growing market for subscription services and in the digital retail world. Listen in as Katia explains why she thinks one of the biggest opportunities in the consumer space is to tap in...

For the first episode, I’m interviewing one of my favorite humans on earth: My brother Andy Dunn. The offspring of an immigrant mother who bucked tradition to marry our dad (he is not Indian, like our mother), we grew up feeling different from the other kids. This difference was our common bond and it made us that much closer. Andy founded Bonobos in 2007 with the goal of providing men with better...