Season 6 | Episode 8 In this episode, we sit down with Jenny Boyts , President of Forty5 and the creative force behind some of Indy’s most electric music experiences (The Vogue, Rock the Ruins, Turntable, Made Rock & Roll). From growing up knowing she was gay at six in a deeply evangelical family, to leading massive events and making space for voices that don’t always get heard, Jenny shares how she’s learned to lead loudly — and unapologetically. We talked about: -Why making people feel see...
Jun 30, 2025•43 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Season 6 | Episode 7 In this episode of Badassery Life , host Kelly Young sits down with Rosetta Clay—an equity advocate, social impact strategist, and fierce champion for women and girls. Rosetta shares how her personal journey shaped her professional calling, why true inclusion is about more than just workplace initiatives, and what it really means to lead with purpose, passion, and unapologetic truth. Tune in for a conversation that’s honest, inspiring, and full of badass energy —from convers...
Jun 02, 2025•37 min•Season 6Ep. 7
In this episode of Badassery Life , I’m joined by the one and only Martha Hoover —a true powerhouse in hospitality, a champion for women, and now the founder of MSH Collective , a bold new initiative focused on empowering women through mentorship, community, and connection. We talk about what it means to step into new chapters—especially in your 50s, 60s, and beyond—when society so often tries to make women feel invisible. Martha isn’t just pushing back—she’s building something entirely new (and...
May 12, 2025•35 min
Claire is hilarious, talented, and unforgettable . She's an actor, improviser, and member of Indianapolis' badass arts community. At the time of taping this interview, she is starring in Indiana Repertory Theatre's production of "The Play That Goes Wrong," where she brings her signature wit and bold presence to the stage. She describes herself as a happy combination of artist, teacher, and activist. She has acted on professional stages for over 20 years and is an improviser at heart, always read...
Mar 31, 2025•32 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Season 6 | Episode 4 In this episode of Badassery Life , we sit down with the brilliantly creative and delightfully spooky author, Paige Lavoie , who writes stories about misfits, monsters, and falling in love. Paige shares her journey from growing up in a haunted house to becoming a writer of quirky, heartfelt novels like I'm in Love with Mothman . We dive into her love for blending the spooky with the sweet, her transition from webcomics to novels, and how she balances storytelling with mother...
Feb 24, 2025•33 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Season 6 | Episode 3 In this episode of Badassery Life , meet Heather Pirowski—a powerhouse advocate, breast cancer survivor and all-around badass. She turned her diagnosis into action and making waves in policy as the founder of Hoosier Breast Cancer Advocates and is pushing for Indiana’s first breast cancer research fund. Heather is proving that one determined woman can change the world. She launched the Midwest’s first fashion truck, produced IndyStyle’s “Fashion Fix” segment, and founded Men...
Feb 10, 2025•35 min
Season 6 Episode 2 Andrea is an advocate, writer, and fearless leader who turned her passion into purpose. She’s the Communications and Policy Manager at Health by Design, a consultant, and co-founder of Nonprofit Girl Gang. But she’s also a brave badass who made headlines with her courageous op-ed in the Indianapolis Star, calling out systemic harassment and abuse of power in politics. Andrea has seen firsthand how toxic dynamics can poison workplaces, silence voices, and block progress. In thi...
Jan 27, 2025•30 min•Season 8Ep. 2
Jeronna Bolden is a powerhouse leader who’s transforming lives through her work at Dress for Success Indianapolis. She’s resilient, empowering, and authentic—a true badass in every sense of the word. She has turned obstacles into stepping stones - whether it’s battling imposter syndrome, juggling family and career, or facing challenges head-on, Jeronna has learned to embrace the chaos and grow stronger through it all. And yes, she's learned how to walk in heels on both figurative and literal tig...
Jan 19, 2025•32 min•Season 6Ep. 1
From chaos to connection, distrust to action, pain to purpose. In this episode, we had a raw and real conversation with Denise Herd and Angie Carr Klitzsch about building trust, creating community, and protecting our joy in the face of political chaos. We tackled tough questions around the divides between Black and white women, the power of local action, and how to stay focused on making a difference without losing ourselves. It’s honest, necessary, and filled with insights for anyone ready to m...
Nov 20, 2024•51 min
Frank is a modern-day pop artist and songwriter from Indianapolis. Known for her powerful, evocative voice and striking live presence, Sydney spent three years fronting and touring with acclaimed 5-piece band Forstory. Sydney conceived FRANK in 2022 from a desire to create music of her own design. Her sound is shaped by soul and rock artists like Billie Holiday, The Eurythmics and Blondie. She's more than her art! In this episode we also talked about how she struggled with dyslexia and other lea...
Sep 30, 2024•29 min
Sarah is a self-proclaimed Vulnerability Queen who encourages women to own their story and their skin through B.O.W (Beauty of Women) Sessions. She's a photographer of 18 years turned woman empowerment advocate, writer, women's event/retreat host, professional speaker, and most recently the new Co-Owner of a co-working holistic wellness center @epicenter_indy. Her spirit is beautiful and her energy is badass! More about Sarah: Creator at B.O.W Beauty of Women , Executive Director at Regeneration...
Sep 16, 2024•35 min
Gwendolyn Rogers is the president and owner of The Cake Bake Shop, a whimsical table service restaurant and bakery. With two locations in Indianapolis and one set to open in Disney World, Gwendolyn is leaving her badassery life. Before the interview she told us she's been working since she was 12 and was very independent from a young age. She learned to take care of herself despite a number of struggles along the way. She's living a life she never thought she would have - and she talked about it...
Aug 12, 2024•32 min
Angie is a Notre Dame graduate, lived in Cairo, Egypt, started her career in Republic of Moldova in the Peace Corps, she's an adventurer and a servant leader and is now leading an organization called Women4Change. Personally, she’s managing a household filled with cats, dogs, a husband and two boys. She describes herself as passionate, articulate and a fast-learner. Friends describe her as enthusiastic, fun/funny and individualistic. We call her a badass! In this episode we talk with Angie about...
May 20, 2024•30 min
This badass woman is a mom, wife, entrepreneur, and a baker. A few fun facts about her: she was adopted from South America when she was a baby and grew up in Minnesota. She moved to Indiana to go to college and study journalism but after a few years she transferred to culinary school in Chicago. She owns a bakery in Baltimore – one of the most popular ones in Maryland. She's not only baking for her family and customers, but for Baltimore Ravens players and their head coach. Meet Kelly Sokolis, O...
May 06, 2024•36 min•Ep. 73
Brittany was 13-years-old when her friend's home went up in flames. She grew up wanting to be a firefighter. After failing an EMT test and a husband who didn't allow her to pursue her dream, she found clarity for a new mission. Brittany formed the nonprofit Fire Angels and focuses on helping families who have lost their homes due to house fires, and provides them with essential needs for the first 24 to 72 hours after a fire. The nonprofit also offers resources and comfort to help a family proce...
Apr 08, 2024•34 min•Ep. 92
Episode 92 Mary's work on fair trade has taken her to the Dominican Republic, Uganda, Kenya, China, and Ecuador. She leads study abroad trips to Italy and Guatemala and with “fast fashion” production at an all-time high, Mary tells us how to be more conscious consumers, among many other things. Mary is a senior lecturer of merchandising in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, focusing on sustainability, fair trade and product development. She won a Trustees Teaching Award in 2016...
Mar 25, 2024•31 min•Ep. 92
Jody is artistic, adventurous, animated and no doubt the most stylish guest we’ve had on the podcast. She's a healthcare lawyer by day, but she's made a name for herself in the fashion world with her eccentric style. She’s turned a passion for fashion and personal style into a meaningful way to help others feel like badasses. There’s nothing more that she’d rather do than to help others overcome personal insecurities, develop their own personal style and interact in the world with confidence. Sh...
Mar 04, 2024•32 min•Ep. 90
Michelle has overcome so much in her life, including a tough childhood, being placed in the child welfare system, raped in high school, became a pregnant teen, experienced homelessness, and was mentally and emotionally unstable. But that's not the half of it! She served more than two decades in an Indiana prison for the murder of her 4-year-old son. Today, she's a scholar, artist, author, and a sixth-year doctoral student in the American studies program at New York University. She is also a foun...
Feb 19, 2024•30 min•Ep. 97
Dianna Boyce admits to never being good at sports growing up, but she was really good on the sidelines. Today, she's leading an All-Star Team as the vice president of NBA All-Star 2024 - the biggest weekend in basketball - which will be held in Indianapolis in February 2024. She's an incredible team player working with 24 separate committees with more than 450 people across the state to pull it off - and she's their biggest cheerleader (similar to her days growing up). In this episode, Dianna ta...
Jan 22, 2024•30 min•Ep. 89
Episode 88 Brett is the Director of Kicking the Stigma at the Indianapolis Colts. She’s determined, passionate and weird (that’s how she describes herself) – others describe her as personable, loud (in voice, personality and bright colors) and ambitious. And after this interview I think you all will agree that Brett Kramer is a badass. Brett told us that she's always struggled with high-functioning anxiety. While on the outside she may look like she has her shit together, she has an intense fear...
Jan 08, 2024•32 min•Ep. 88
Charlynda is a serial entrepreneur: She serves as founder and CEO of Mutt's Sauce LLC and OH Taste LLC; Executive Director of the OH Taste Foundation. She's the author of Rock Bottom Has a Trampoline, a sought-after speaker and coach for women's empowerment and small businesses, a TEDx speaker, a Veteran (11 years in the Air Force). We loved hearing her story about growing up on a special, multi-use sauce that her grandfather Mutt made from his own secret recipe - and how he left the recipe to h...
Dec 18, 2023•31 min
We interviewed this badass woman back in 2020 - and 3 years later we had so much to talk about. She’s an author, she’s an advocate for women and girls, she’s a wife, a caregiver for her husband, and a friend to so many. She's also known for uplifting the experiences of real Black women and showing how they are pushing back and getting free. Tamara has had incredible success with her books: The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America and Dear Black Girl: Lette...
Dec 12, 2023•32 min
Since interviewing Tina in 2020, she was named one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year, and she published a book (the book she dreamed about and talked about in our first interview) -- oh, and she got drunk and bought a duck at Tractor Supply. You never know what you're going to get when you get real with one of the badasses on this show. Tina’s first published book is titled "embrace the imbalance: things you need to know from people I wish you knew". The book is made up of lessons learned through...
Nov 12, 2023•41 min
We sat down and had a conversation about the need for self-care and how most women don't make time for it. We shared stories, tips, ideas, and resources. We laughed, nearly cried, and realized that all badasses need self-care. Part of being a badass is recognizing when you need help, when you need support, or when you need other badass people in your corner!
Oct 30, 2023•34 min
Felicia Grady is an Executive Chef, Business Owner, and Restaurant Consultant. After graduating from The Chef Academy in 2012, she started her own catering company, Plate it Up! Catering. In 2022, she was awarded chef of the year by the American Culinary Federation. She has a TV show on the network Pure Essense called "Cooking Something Up! With Chef Felicia" and is a guest chef on Life Style Live on Channel 8 CBS. In this episode, we talked about her passions, her volunteer work, challenges she...
Oct 14, 2023•32 min
After her son's friend was knocked off his bike by a driver on their way to school, Karissa became a fierce advocate for safe streets in Indy’s school zones, where kids are walking and riding bikes on streets that are not safely built or managed for pedestrians. Karissa is an advocate on things we take for granted, she has unbridled passion for Indianapolis and for the urban experience, and she’s loyal to those she shares a passion. She someone who reminds us we need to care! We talked about her...
Sep 24, 2023•30 min
We caught up with Cassie Stockamp a few months ago and loved our conversation. We didn't know where in the world she was then (turns out she was in Florida) and we don't know where in the world she is now (we think Canada) and that's what makes this badass woman so badass. The more she learns to say yes and let go, the more magic shows up. Every conversation with Cassie is incredible! She's a gem. She's empowering. She's living more open-hearted with no regrets. She's badass! Guarantee you'll lo...
Sep 11, 2023•32 min
This badass woman is compassionate, courageous, and thoughtful. Julie is dedicated to the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest in youth and is a fierce advocate and champion for raising money and awareness around the importance of AEDs. She founded the Play for Jake’s Foundation after her son collapsed and died on a football field in 2013. Her hope is to save lives and help prevent this tragedy from happening to other families. The Play For Jake Foundation partners with schools to provide heart s...
Aug 14, 2023•32 min
Cristina was a kid when she tried to donate her kidney to her parents to save their lives (her dad was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, her mom became ill several years later and was on dialysis for months). She was told no because of her young age. She remained committed to saving a life through organ donation, knowing that the opportunity would present itself…someday. That day came a few years ago when she was matched with a stranger. This badass woman is proving that donating an organ doe...
Jun 25, 2023•32 min
Carol knows how to throw a badass party! And her parties raise millions for Indianapolis nonprofit organizations. In this episode, we talked about her career - including working at Motorola executing their sponsorships of Vans Warped Tour, X Games and their motorsports sponsorship of Michael Andretti. In 2018, she directed the Universal Studios UK Movie Premiere “Born Racer” held at Indianapolis State Museum. She directed the Premiere and coordinated the pre-event cocktail reception, red carpet,...
May 01, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 15
