Conversations with Jessica Wolf
Jessica Wolf is keenly aware of the power community holds. She has harnessed her ability to catalyze connection through senior leadership roles at companies such as NeueHouse, Summit and Forbes, where community building is an integral part of their ethos. In 2021, Jessica co-founded Skye, a platform for coaching where leaders are matched with an executive coach. We sat down with Jessica to talk about career defining moments, what inspired her to pursue co-founding Skye, and how she views Skye’s impact so far.
Conversations with Samantha Jameson
In 2010, London-based entrepreneur Samantha Jameson founded Soapsmith, a range of soaps, hand creams and bath products, inspired by the uniqueness of London, the experiences it has to offer and the sensorial moments and memories it ignites. In this episode, Samantha shares how she transformed her passion for soap making and fragrances into a viable business, her journey in partnering with luxury and emblematic brands such as Harrod’s, Fortnum & Mason and others, the power of nostalgia and the importance of never taking ‘No’ for an answer.
Conversations with Alisa Pospekhova
Alisa Pospekhova is the Founder and CEO of Kindroot, a line of plant-based lozenges infused with vitamins, adaptogens, herbs and aromatherapy flavors. In this episode, Alisa talks about what inspired her to create Kindroot (hint: TSA played a role. No, really.), the company’s expansion into retailers including Target and Anthropologie, her biggest lesson learned in the past year and the importance of not comparing yourself to others.
Brittney McDonald
Multidisciplinary company, BLANK, aims to bridge the gap between sustainable solutions and creative expression, specifically within art, food and fashion. Its founder, Brittney McDonald, explains how and what she’s learned along the way.
Georgia Messinger & Ari Sokolov
In 2017 we met Trill Co-Founders, Georgia Messinger and Ari Sokolov. At the time, they were at the cusp of entering a new phase in their lives, becoming full fledged university students, all while they began to emerge as agents of change, building and securing funding for Trill, one of the first teen apps focused on self care. In 2021, Trill was acquired by Blue Fever, a Gen Z wellness app backed by Amazon’s Alexa Fund, Bumble Fund and Serena Williams. We caught up with Georgia and Ari to learn about their journey and what they have learned as young entprenenurs along the way.
Natasha Case
Natasha Case founded Coolhaus in 2009 with Freya Estreller after she was working in architecture at Walt Disney Imagineering. They launched their architecturally-inspired, unique ice cream sandwich company from their barely drive-able postal van at the Coachella Music Festival to an audience of 100,000. They built a loyal following over the festival weekend and returned to LA to an abundance of viral press, a rapidly building social media following, and an eager foodie audience. Since then, Natasha has been named a Forbes 30 under 30 Food & Beverage, Zagat 30 Under 30, Linked in 10 under 35 for Food & Leisure, as well as being featured in many national publications and radio like Cosmo, Dwell, and NPR, and TV shows including Food Network’s Chopped, Barefoot Contessa, Unique Sweets, Good Morning America, King of Cones, Andy Cohen Live and many more. The company has become one of the leading innovative small dessert businesses, growing significantly to include 4 trucks and 2 storefronts in LA, 2 trucks and one cart in NYC, and 4 trucks in Dallas, Texas. Moreover, consumers can now find Coolhaus’ pre-packaged ice cream sandwiches, hand-dipped bars, and hand-packed pints in 5,000+ gourmet grocery stores nationally ranging from Whole Foods to Safeway Albertson’s, and internationally in Asia and the Middle East. Today Natasha works as the CEO of Coolhaus, creating new product opportunities from development to design, building new relationships and innovating ideas that keep Coolhaus on top of it's game as zealous expansion continues. This is her story.
Mabel Frias
Traveling in time through Latin culture with references to reggaeton and cultural icons like Celia Cruz or Walter Mercado’s signature line “Salud, Dinero y Amor” (a favorite Latino astrologer and TV staple), are just some glimpses into Latino upbringing that Mabel Frias and Shaira Frias have creatively captured in their beauty brand, Luna Magic. The Latino vibes are palpable. “Our mission is to celebrate our multicultural heritage and bring a splash of color and excitement to the beauty industry,” shared Mabel Frias, co-founder of Luna Magic. We recently interviewed Mabel, who shared with us everything from what’s surprised her about her entrepreneurial journey so far to how she views the COVID-19 pandemic transforming indie brands and the beauty industry. In our rapid round of questions, we learn what her favorite place in the world is (hint: think art, architecture, renaissance), the important topic her book would be dedicated to if she wrote one, and more!
Alisa Pospekhova
How do you make the leap from CPG branding executive to founder of your own health and wellness supplement brand? Just ask Alisa Pospekhova, who recently launched Kindroot, a new innovative brand of supplements that aim to disrupt the category. Encouraging all to be sweet to themselves so they can inspire others to do the same, is a cornerstone value of the company. In this interview, you’ll learn about how Alisa has learned to blend art and science in the several marketing roles she has held throughout her career, culminating in senior positions at global companies, and how she has leveraged fifteen years of marketing experience to venture out and create her own company. Alisa shares insights about her entrepreneurial journey, why she has come to embrace challenges and how she’s put into practice the notion of being sweet to herself by encouraging herself to stay motivated, “stick with it, and see the vision through.” In turn, she’s inspiring us to do the same.
Andrea Breanna
The road to C-suite company leadership and entrepreneurship in and of itself can be tricky. The added layer of uncertainty about one’s own gender identity can add a dimension of complexity, as one pursues professional - and personal - success and happiness. Enter Andrea Breanna, the positive and upbeat Founder and CEO of RebelMouse, a creative agency and all-in-one platform for supercharging content, growing audiences and building lasting communities. In this interview, we get a unique perspective about leadership and how Andrea, who is proud to be openly transgender, has navigated the world of business and entreprenurship. Prior to RebelMouse, Andrea served as the Chief Technology Officer of The Huffington Post where she joined in the first year of the company's life and ran the product, design, and engineering teams. After The Huffington Post was sold to AOL, Andrea ran the same groups for all of AOL's media properties.
Megan Phillips
“Lady With Influence”, “I Met Me in New York City” and “Eternal Optimist” are just some of the phrases emblazoned on the collection pieces of Megan Phillips Collection. These bold statements will capture your attention and remind you to stay inspired and be empowered to live your best life. “I dreamed of making clothing that did more than create an element of desire,” shared Megan Phillips. After a series of setbacks in corporate fashion, she took it as a sign that perhaps she was indeed meant to launch her own collection and in 2017 she did just that. In this interview, Megan shares how some of the issues she struggled with on a personal level coupled with the realities she experienced during her time in corporate fashion, ultimately propelled her forward towards pursuing her own venture. She also shares how her grit and determination helped her learn every new detail of business and how “the only way I’d survive was if I threw myself into it.” Surviving and thriving she most definitely is.