Trailblazers by Erica Wenger

This week we chat with Kara Goldin . Kara is the Founder & CEO of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint® water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. Navigating the world of large companies and startups in many industries including media, tech and consumer products, Kara found success in the world of entrepreneurship. Listed as The Huffington Post’s one of six disruptors in busin...

This week we chat with Moj Mahdara. You might know her best as the Co-Founder and Former-CEO of Beautycon , the globally-recognized community for content creators, celebrities, fans, and brands. Moj Mahdara’s expertise in the beauty, wellness, and CPG market formed the brains behind the driving brand vision for Beautycon and its growth initiatives, launching the brand globally; where her strategic...

This week we chat with Alli Webb. You probably know Alli best as the co-founder of Drybar, the whimsical salon that made blowouts as accessible and budget-friendly as your favorite skinny vanilla latte. The pair shuffles through memories of Alli’s twenties as she supplemented college for a life in New York City and navigated her way through different job opportunities. Conversations on failed inte...

This week we chat with  Melissa Rivers.  New York Times bestselling author and award-winning producer, Melissa Rivers is an entertainment journalist and correspondent, an equestrian, an Ivy League graduate, an accomplished public speaker and an animal advocate. While her professional achievements are plentiful, it is her role as a single parent to her son Cooper that Melissa calls her greatest acc...

This week we chat with  Karen Cahn.  Karen is the Founder & CEO of IFundWomen, the world’s largest funding marketplace for women-owned businesses and the people who want to support them with access to capital, coaching, and connections all designed to launch and grow profitable, sustainable businesses. Since founding IFundWomen, thousands of women-owned companies, who started their businesses...

This week we chat with  Stacey Stewart.  Stacey is the President and CEO of March of Dimes and is currently serving as its fifth President. She heads the organization leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies and is responsible for all aspects of the organization's strategy, vision and operations. Stacey came to March of Dimes from United Way Worldwide, where she held several pos...

This week we chat with  Kelly Rutherford.  Kelly Rutherford is a mother, actress, and entrepreneur. You may know her as Megan Lewis from soap opera Melrose Place or from Gossip Girl where she played the iconic role of Lily van der Woodsen. After decades in the entertainment industry, Kelly has more recently entered the world of entrepreneurship. Kelly is currently the co-founder of two business: S...

This week we chat with  Taylor Frankel.  Taylor Frankel is one of the savvy, female founders of NUDESTIX and NUDESKIN. Embodying the easy-going ideals of the millennial generation, Taylor was the natural inspiration to her mother, Jenny Frankel, who developed the brand. Growing up surrounded by beauty, Taylor believes beauty is a lifestyle. She was always drawn to the industry and created NUDESTIX...

This week we chat with  Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton.  Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton is a second generation Colombian-American who grew up watching her mother treat patients in her cosmetology spas in Queens and Manhattan not knowing one day she would reflect on that experience to launch a new self care movement. After recognizing the lack of affordable, aspirational spa services in NYC, Cyndi, along with her husb...

This week we chat with  Erin Levine.  Erin Levine is a California-based attorney specializing in Family Law since 2005. Erin was an undergraduate student at the University of California in Santa Barbara and attended law school at the University of San Francisco. After owning and managing the Levine Family Law Group in Oakland, CA for over a decade, Erin became disillusioned with the broken, ineffi...

This week we chat with  Ali Kriegsman.  Ali is the Co-founder and COO of Bulletin, a B2B wholesale marketplace backed by Y Combinator, Kleiner Perkins and other top venture funds. Her mission is to help founders and small business owners, and especially women, redefine the word "success." As a first-time founder, Ali felt like she couldn’t relate to the glamorous entrepreneurs on her Insta...

This week we chat with  Sabeena Ladha.  Sabeena is the founder and CEO of the good-for-you cookie dough company, DEUX. DEUX is a food brand that is completely revolutionizing how we view traditionally sweet desserts because they’re making them HEALTHY for you with immune boosting and stress relieving ingredients like zinc, elderberry, maca, ashwagandha, and more. Made to be baked or eaten straight...

This week we chat with GloZell Green. GloZell Green, 'the Queen of YouTube', is a classically trained performer and hugely popular Internet personality. She has performed at the World Famous Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and other venues; appeared on Showtime at the Apollo, The Steve Harvey Talent Show, The Dr. Oz Show, 20/20, MTV, and Vstrong; has been featured in Ebony Magazine, Cosmo...

This week, we chat with Meg Jay, PhD. Dr. Meg Jay is a clinical psychologist and author who specializes in adult development. She has over 15 years of experience listening to, teaching, researching, writing and speaking about our twenties — the critical period of adult development. Meg argues that our twenties are the critical period of adult development — and that this group is a critical part of...

This week, we chat with  Darleen Santore, known to many as Coach Dar. As a Board Certified Occupational Therapist, business executive, author and speaker, she is passionate about helping people break through barriers to achieve their goals. Recently named Senior Fellow of PathNorth – an organization of world leaders and CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, her powerful message continues to reach a globa...

This week, we chat with Poppy Jamie. Poppy Jamie is one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, podcast hosts and speakers in the mental wellbeing and mindfulness space, on a mission to democratize conversation and tools for emotional and mental health. Poppy is the founder of the award-winning Happy Not Perfect mindset app, host of the chart topping Not Perfect podcast and author of Happy Not Perfe...

This week, we chat with Shaniqua McClendon. Shaniqua has worked in politics for a decade and currently serves as Political Director for Crooked Media, home to the popular podcast, Pod Save America. In this role, Shaniqua led the creation of their voter engagement program, Vote Save America and volunteer engagement program, Adopt a State, which has educated millions of voters, recruited hundreds of...

This week, we chat with Vanessa Dew who is the Co-Founder of Health-Ade Kombucha. Vanessa founded Health-Ade Kombucha in 2012 alongside her best friends and husband-and-wife team, Justin and Daina Trout. As Chief Sales Officer, Vanessa brings an invaluable knowledge of sales and marketing amassed from years spent at a major pharmaceutical company before leaving to help start Health-Ade Kombucha. T...

This week, we chat with Tracy Tutor who is a luxury real estate agent and star of Million Dollar Listing LA. Continuously being ranked in the top 10 at Douglas Elliman, Tracy Tutor is an integral part of their Sports & Entertainment division. She has an undeniably strong presence and a confidence that has propelled her into the rooms of some of the most powerful people in LA, representing some...

This week, we chat with Lavinia Errico who is the visionary founder behind Equinox Fitness Clubs. She is a nationally acclaimed workplace and wellness entrepreneur and a speaker of essential truths on the subjects of Values-Driven Entrepreneurship, Developing Next Generation Leadership, The Women-Led Workplace, Spiritual Entrepreneurship, Keeping the Soul in Success, The Habits of Success, Buildin...

This week, we chat with Beatrice Dixon who is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company. An empowering black female entrepreneur, Beatrice has been a recipient of the Sundial and Unilever’s multimillion-dollar New Voices fund; was 1 of the first 40 women of color to raise over one million in venture capital; and has been featured in T-Pain's School of Business, the BuzzFeed Ladylike seri...

This week, we chat with Lara Stein who is the Co-Founder and CEO of Boma Global. Prior to founding Boma, Lara was the Executive Director of Women’s March Global, where she built the Women's March Global platform and oversaw all Women's March initiatives outside of the US. Previously Ms. Stein was Managing Director of Global Development at Singularity University, responsible for Singularity...

This week, we chat with Jaime Schmidt who is the entrepreneur and the founder of Schmidt's Naturals, a brand of natural personal care products that she started in her kitchen in Portland, Oregon in 2010. Jaime is known for modernizing natural personal care products, including the customer-favorite deodorant, and bringing them to the mainstream market. Under her leadership, Schmidt’s grew into...

This week, we chat with Shira Lazar who is the Founder and CEO of the Emmy Nominated digital media brand, What's Trending. In 2018, she became the host of the afternoon drive show "Lets Go There" weekdays on the first national LGBTQ+ station Channel Q syndicated and on Radio.com. While in quarantine in April 2020, Shira launched PeaceInside. Live, a wellness community and platform offe...