Meet the powerhouse cover girl behind the She Dares Collective - “a safe, inclusive space for women to show up authentically, confidently and get support to do big things.” Her entire life, Yanira (sounds like ya-need-a cup of coffee) Borges, has been surrounded by tribes of women, starting when she was a little girl growing up in the Bronx with a single mom and over a dozen aunties. As our local Wonder Woman, Yanira offers a holistic approach to supporting women. We talk neurodiversity diagnoses, catholic school gazebos, self-confidence, and how basketball is the best sport. 

Meet the innovative minds that are repurposing surplus materials to "fill a classroom, not a landfill." Vanessa and Taylor are life-long best friends that started a non-profit called The Welman Project. Through creativity, they find ways to take the waste output from corporations and adapt it for use in the classroom. The Welman Project were also past winners of the United Way's KERNEL competition for programs fostering ideas to solve community issues. 

Laura Pommer may have started her career out as a Geologist, but now she’s the CEO of EnergyFunders - a cool company in Houston with unique oil and gas investment vehicles, including Bitcoin Mining. As a female leader in a male-dominated industry, she’s passionate about recruiting and mentoring more women into the industry. Laura shares her COVID experience, deciding to get divorced on Valentine’s day, buying a fixer-upper (previously owned by a serial killer), running two separate companies, and ultimately changing jobs. She filled a lifetime dream of founding an oil and gas company, and walked away from her dream to take on a CEO role.Tune in for a fun conversation about being career-driven, traveling abroad, how self care looks different for everyone, and last but not least - my favorite Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. IYKYK

Jin-Ya Huang is no stranger to paying it forward; however she takes this concept well beyond a free cup of coffee at Starbucks. She’s won countless awards, including the 2021 Maura Women Helping Women Award from the Texas Women’s Foundation. Additionally, Jin-Ya is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. An immigrant from Taiwan, and the daughter of immigrants, Jin-Ya founded Break Bread Break Borders, to break down the walls that often separate newly arrived immigrants from the communities in which they settle. And she did just that in Dallas, her adopted hometown and a city at the epicenter of immigration today.As one of six daughters, Jin-Ya watched her parents struggle to overcome poverty in a farming village in Taiwan. Her mother, Mei-Ying, scraped together money by cooking and sewing, and saved up enough money for Jin-Ya to attend art lessons when she was just three years old. These classes changed her life, and she discovered an outlet she would use to express herself for the rest of her life.Moving to the United States at 13 years old, Jin-Ya started volunteering with her mother and working in their family restaurant, in which her mother hired refugees to cook and share their stories. In honor of her mother, Jin-Ya launched Break Bread, Break Borders, a community-based catering business that created financial and social opportunities for local refugees. Mei Ying Huang’s superpowers were in cooking and storytelling - which inspired Jin-Ya to continue her mother’s work, impact, and legacy to share kindness and compassion.A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen!Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods ProductionsFounding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAKStudio: BLANC Cowork + Studio   Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms

Tune in to hear how hard-working parents, a passion for art, and moving to America as a child led Jin-Ya Huang to create a non-profit focused on creating social and financial opportunities for immigrant refugees.

Tune in to hear how playing golf set the course for Sarah Castillo's incredible empire across North Texas. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Tune in to hear the wild story of a self-taught artist, CHoKe, who left high school early to pursue a life full of art, travel, and culture.

Tune in to hear talented muralist Katie Murray open up about how “career fear” nearly held her back from accepting the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tune in to hear how Elyse Stoltz-Dickerson created a successful biotech company where they create amazing products that empower consumers, and put people before their products.

After raising over $60,000 with her Kickstarter campaign, Meghan Forest Farmer, shares the story behind her vision for The Bright Factory, a new garment factory giving previously incarcerated women a second chance and a bright future.