Women Who Make It - A Females in Food Podcast with Angela Dodd

Can your career be bigger than your job title? In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Tamanna Ramesh to explore what it means to build a career with intention. From immigrating to the United States with no professional network to building a successful corporate career at global food companies while creating a thriving coaching business, Tamanna shares how curiosity, consisten...

What does it take to grow from a manager to an executive leader while navigating industry disruption, organizational change, and the realities of being a working parent? In this episode, Angela Dodd sits down with Lauren McNamara, Senior VP of Business Management at SunOpta, to discuss her journey from brand management and marketing roles to executive leadership. Lauren shares the pivotal career d...

What does “wellness” actually mean in today’s food and beverage industry — and how do brands build trust in a space full of trends, noise, and overhyped claims? In this episode of Women Who Make It, Angela Dodd sits down with Lisa Govro, founder and CEO of Big Heart Tea Co., for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, herbal healing, sustainability, and the evolving wellness movement. Lisa...

Leadership today feels different — and harder. Expectations are higher, organizations are moving faster, and employees are looking for more than just direction and performance metrics. They want connection, growth, visibility, and a sense of belonging. In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Roxanne Davis, SVP of Manufacturing at Post Consumer Brands, to discuss what it really...

Jennifer Jorgensen, CEO of Back to Nature Foods, shares how she went from leading billion-dollar brands at General Mills to becoming the sole employee tasked with turning around a legacy snack company. In this episode, Jennifer breaks down what it really takes to rebuild a brand—from creating a high-performance culture and redefining strategy to taking bold creative risks that reignited growth. Sh...

What does it take to disrupt an entire food category—and build a $100M+ brand while raising a family? In this episode, Angela sits down with Loren Castle, Founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, to talk about turning a personal health crisis into a thriving business that’s reshaping the refrigerated baked goods aisle. From surviving cancer at 22 to teaching herself food science and launching in Whole Fo...

What does innovation really look like inside legacy food brands? In this live episode of Women Who Make It, host Angela Dodd sits down with Cherie Floyd, Vice President of R&D for Sweet Baked Snacks at JM Smucker, to explore innovation, leadership, and career growth in today’s fast-changing food industry. Recorded at Baking Tech in Chicago, this candid conversation covers everything from defin...

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Women Who Make It, host Angela Dodd sits down with executive leader, advisor, and mentor Michele Fite for a conversation that challenges one of the most persistent myths women face: the idea of balance. With more than 30 years of leadership experience across global enterprises and startups—including managing multi-billion-dollar businesses at DuPont—Mi...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela Dodd sits down with Katie Holman, Vice President of Manufacturing & Engineering at General Mills, for a thoughtful conversation on leadership, complexity, and the future of the food system. Katie shares how her career evolved from manufacturing into global supply chain leadership, including lessons learned from leading large, cross-functional teams...

Fractional leadership is often misunderstood — and it’s quickly becoming one of the most powerful models shaping the future of work in food, beverage, and CPG. In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Lynn Ducharme, a seasoned recruiter and industry insider, to unpack why senior women aren’t opting out of the workforce — they’re opting out of broken systems. Together, they expl...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Taylor Clarke, co-founder of Amborella Organics. Taylor shares how a simple idea inspired by gardening memories evolved into a seed-bearing lollipop brand rooted in sustainability, intention, and connection. In this episode, Taylor opens up about building a mission-driven food brand without a traditional business background, navigating t...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela shares the pivotal moment that revealed she had removed herself from her own story—and the mindset shift that changed everything about how she leads, communicates, and builds Females in Food. She breaks down the three-part blueprint that helped her step into her voice: changing your language, building rooms that can hold your ambition, and taking actio...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway, who became the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company at just 27. Julie shares how she navigated grief while leading Lifeway Foods, transforming it into a global wellness brand rooted in authenticity and community. She discusses embracing imperfection, trusting her instincts, and redefining lea...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela sits down with Danyel O’Connor, CEO of Umami, to explore what it truly means to lead with clarity, courage, and curiosity in today’s fast-changing food and beverage industry. With over two decades of experience across CPG, investment, and innovation, Danyel shares how she’s built a career that bridges the gap between data-driven strategy and human-cent...

In this episode of Women Who Make It , Angela discusses the inaugural State of Women in the Food and Beverage Industry Report, highlighting key insights from a survey of about 250 women. The conversation uncovers the most pressing challenges women face across the industry—from leadership development gaps and work-life imbalance to company culture issues, gender bias, and harassment. Angela is join...

Angela sits down with Jenna Sullivan, VP of Sales at So Good So You, a fast-growing functional beverage company. Jenna shares her journey from corporate sales to the startup world, offering candid insights into accountability, decision-making, and leading with authenticity. She opens up about the challenges and rewards of balancing motherhood with a high-growth career, the pivotal choices that fue...

Welcome to Women Who Make It , the podcast where real conversations happen with the women and allies shaping the food and beverage industry. Hosted by Angela Dodd, founder and CEO of Females in Food, this series dives into unfiltered stories, lessons learned, and the messy middle of leadership and career growth. In this first episode, Angela shares the inspiration behind starting Females in Food,...

Angela sits down with Amy Abouelenein, retired global innovation executive from General Mills, to reflect on her 36-year career shaping brands like Betty Crocker and Cheerios. Amy opens up about balancing motherhood with leadership, navigating company politics, and overcoming imposter syndrome while building high-performing teams. She also shares advice for women in the “messy middle” of their car...

Women Who Make It is the podcast where the real conversations in food and beverage happen. Hosted by Angela Dodd, founder & CEO of Females in Food, the show shares unfiltered stories, hard-won lessons, and leadership insights from the women shaping the future of the food industry. After years of building a global community and connecting with thousands of women across every sector, Angela noti...