Cristina Lynch is the founder of Mi Golondrina, a Dallas-based clothing line that consists of hand-embroidered dresses and shirts skillfully made by artisan partners from all over Mexico. Mi Golondrina partners with over 600 artisans in Mexico. The clothing line launched in 2013, which is inspired by Cristina’s mother’s Mexican heritage and love of Mexican art. The intricate detail on each hand-stitched garment is so beautifully made and beautifully balanced with pops of complementary colors. Cristina didn’t always plan to do clothing in which Cristina explains the importance of evolving and pivoting when launching a company. She has great insight on being a leader, building a solid in-house infrastructure, and how to manage a full time job and two young children. I love Cristina's enthusiasm and overall passion for the creative process and brand of Mi Golondrina. Tune in to learn how Cristina turned this vision into a successful and unique women’s clothing line supporting so many communities in Mexico. 

Whitney Rowell is the founder of Miracle Milkookies, a lactation cookie company based in Dallas, TX. These kookies support nursing moms to produce more milk. Whitney walks through her entrepreneurial journey of jobs and an unexpected life change, which led her to discover the supportive market for nursing moms and all moms. When she was nursing  a friend dropped off freshly baked lactation cookies on her doorstep with a note and Whitney began baking her own lactation cookies and her recipe went viral. Whitney will explain how the “fourth” trimester” is one of the most precious, but difficult times for a mom, especially a new mom. These kookies not only support nursing mothers, but Miracle Milkookies’ mission is to to be a resourceful and supportive place for mothers. She is also the host of the podcast, Message from Mom, which is a great platform for relatable content when it comes to being a new mom and navigating motherhood all together. Whitney will tell the many lessons learned, such as dealing with investor sharks and tuning into her inner voice, but Whitney knew in her gut that she was building a product that would help so many moms out there who go through this beautiful yet difficult phase with newborns.This episode is not only good for moms, but also students and young professionals because she breaks down her entire school and career journey. It sometimes takes a few opportunities to finally understand your ultimate career path. You aren’t supposed to have all of the answers in the beginning. 

Barrett Ervin is an Atlanta-based artist known for her contemporary abstract paintings and prints that also stunningly compliment many of the interior designers’ work that she has admired over the years. She minored in studio art at Ole Miss and in the episode she walks through her decision making process around battling the decision of pursuing a corporate career or becoming a full time artist.   This episode will also feature her partner, Lucy Wellborn, who has been managing Barrett’s branding and social, whom is also an artist herself! They discuss how they found each other as partners and explain how running your art as a successful biz is not an easy one man show. They walk through how Barrett’s collections have evolved over the last two years which has led her to really hone in on her color-fun abstract style. In the episode, they also point out how networking through social has been a game changer in marketing and growing Barrett Ervin Art. Barrett’s work has exploded in just two years and I love Lucy and Barrett’s enthusiasm for the future of this brand! 

Jackie Hart is the founder of Private Holdings, a men's boxer brief line and a women’s Sleep Tight Night Gown, which are quality products when it comes to the balance of coverage, comfort, support and style. Jackie with the help of her daughter as CFO, launched Private Holdings in 2015. Jackie will tell the story of how she initially solved the problem she and her husband encountered with men's underwear and how she saw a void in the men’s furnishings market and how she continued to explore new sleepwear and furnishings products, such as the Sleep Tight Nightgown. Jackie talks through the importance of going slowly, asking questions and researching the customer target in the  beginning. She has great stories of her time at market and shares some fun ways she advertised her brand, such as being featured on the Hoda and Kathie Lee Show! She admits her biggest lesson learned was the fact that she could do it and could build a business later in life. This is a great reminder that it is never too late to start something! 

Laura and Amanda Ernst are twin sisters from Texas and are the co-founders of Sunshine Tienda, a vacation-inspired accessories and beachwear brand designed around a simple state of mind—to “be vacation happy.” Founded in 2014 the collections are influenced by a love of warm-weather destinations and their love for international travel. The line features statement-making jewelry, sunhats, and most recently, beachwear styles including printed sarongs and breezy dresses. Each collection is developed by Laura and Amanda and crafted by female artisan partners around the world. We discuss how Sunshine Tienda is dedicated to providing lasting support to the villages of its artisan partners through creative collaboration. They love working for a mission and have developed wonderful relationships with their international partners. They are now located in over 800 stores such as Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Tuckernuck and other high-end boutiques nationwide.I learned a lot about what it takes to run a family business, which Laura and Amanda explain respect and boundaries are extremely important. The are both so down to earth and love what they do at Sunshine Tienda and let it show. They break down all of the realities of running a small business of 2 employees and they explain the importance of writing down goals and the importance of remembering the why behind running this company. They have stayed true to themselves and their brand and are continuing to build and innovate every day. Enjoy! 

Erica Thomas started her Atlanta food blog, Eating with Erica, in 2013. It started as a food directory based on her love of dining. She continued on this path working at a food magazine which helped her discover more of the Atlanta food scene where she began to grow her blog. In between jobs, she took the chance to grow the blog full time and has never looked back. She has grown her influencer brand in food & hospitality & entertaining beyond her blog, such as launching networking dinner parties and creating a home decor business and growing her brand partnerships. Her latest project is her new own podcast called Owning Her Seat interviewing empowering women in the culinary, hospitality and entertainment industries. Erica breaks down her timeline of how she continued to grow her business and is full of so much wisdom on how to stay motivated and self-care, how to utilize one’s network, and how to never stop evolving. Erica continues to build her brand by trying new things consistently regardless if they don't work out. Pull out your notebook because Erica is full of bumper sticker advice that we all need to remember. 

Claire O’Bryan is a nurse practitioner and co-founder of The Skin Clique, a concierge aesthetics company that offers medical-grade skincare offering services such as Botox and fillers. A couple of years ago, she also started an Instagram called DabbleCo., which quickly turned podcast to navigate the overwhelming content when it comes to understanding trends in health and wellness and beauty. With the rise of in-home services in medicine, Claire discusses how Skin Clique's concierge service grew pre and post pandemic and also discusses ways they adapted during uncertain times.  Claire also addresses the stigma around fillers and the overall benefits of botox and building a basic skincare routine. Claire is doing so many different things in medicine while raising two girls with her husband, so we will learn how she balances it all as well! 

Serena Wolf is a well-known chef based in New York and author of the best selling books, The Dude Diet and The Dude Diet Dinnertime. She has a loyal following which started on her food blog (domesticate-me.com) and it has continued to grow on her Instagram (@serenagwolf), which features her recipes, food hacks, beauty and wellness, and mental health topics. She is so real and fun-loving with her followers!  Overall, she has had a rollercoaster ride of finding her passion in the culinary world. From the time she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, to starting her very own food blog and even navigated the reality of trying to make it in traditional food media/television, Serena has learned through various jobs (jobs that she didn’t love) to figure out her own space in the culinary industry. She talks through many moments of taking initiative even when people doubted her and this persistence made things happen! She “stuck to her guns,” which has ultimately allowed her to reach her goals and she is now in a more strategic position to grow her revenue streams, such as her newly popular virtual cooking classes. As an added bonus, she is so witty and fun to listen to! Tune in to learn from Serena!

Emilie is the founder of healthy grab-n-go food store called Tasty As Fit, which is located in 2 store locations in South Carolina - the flagship is in Columbia and another in Greenville. Her menu is plant-based and gluten free and features delicious smoothies, bowls, salads and many more creative dishes. Before Tasty As Fit, Emilie lived in New York for five years where she learned how much she loved to make healthy food that actually tasted good. When Emilie moved to Columbia,  she began posting her recipes on social, which led to making meals for many families and then she took a leap of faith to buy a commercial kitchen which has now evolved into grab-n-go. Emilie has great words of wisdom when it comes to getting the courage to start a business and she embraces failure as a tool for learning. She is nimble and knows when to pivot and has such gratitude for every single day. Tune in to learn more about Emilie’s steps to building her vision of Tasty As Fit. 

Mollie is the co-founder, creative director and CEO of Crosby by Mollie Burch, in which she founded with her business partner, Taylor Montes de Oca, in 2015 in Atlanta, GA. This female empowering brand is full of bold color and vibrant prints and they are now located in over 200 retailers in addition to direct to consumer. Mollie designs all of these vibrant prints in house. One other amazing fact about her business is that this brand was founded with the focus on supporting organizations that aid victims of sex trafficking. I loved getting to know Mollie's background of how she got to where she is today. One thing she points out is that "she is not good at going slow," which aligns well with this fast-paced industry. During the interview Mollie breaks down the technical side of launching and growing a clothing line and discusses the full cycle of designing, producing and selling 1 full season. This is episode is wonderful for any aspiring fashion designers and/or anyone who is pursuing a career in this industry. She has so many pieces of advice as a growing leader in her company as well. Tune in!