Here's what I've learned from successful entrepreneurs who navigate multiple marginalized identities: They're not succeeding despite their complex realities. They're succeeding because of them. When you can't follow the standard playbook, you're forced to innovate. Your intersectional identity isn't a business challenge to overcome. It's market intelligence that traditional entrepreneurs simply don't have. Meet Today's Speakers: Erin Perkins is deafblind, but you might not notice at first glance...
Jul 08, 2025•58 min•Season 3Ep. 127
Y'all know I'm not into too much 'woo' and spiritual stuff, but one thing I have been dipping my toes into is the anthropology of how we became who we are today - both as individuals as well as a collective society. My friend Regyna is back on the podcast today to chat about the historical roots of our natural instinct for resistance to change and innovation. Connect with Regyna: Regyna Curtis is a soul rhythm activator and business mentor, dedicated to helping heart-centered, multi-passionate e...
Jul 01, 2025•49 min•Season 3Ep. 126
My entire career, I've heard entrepreneurs and leaders in business talk about the importance of building business in a policy vacuum. Whether it's because they think it's irrelevant, they don't want to alienate consumers, or they're afraid of getting canceled, the excuses are endless... realistically though, apolitical business is a myth. Especially in times like these. Policy impacts every element of running a small business. But, it can also be intimidating and overwhelming. So today's episode...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 125
The online business world is having a collective breakdown. Everywhere I look, entrepreneurs are questioning everything: their offers, their messaging, their entire business models. The narrative is consistent: "Nothing's working anymore." "People aren't buying." "Maybe I should just give up." But what if the problem isn't your business? What if the problem is that capitalism taught you to extract value from overwhelmed customers, and people are finally saying no? About Kaili: Kaili Meyer is a s...
Jun 19, 2025•49 min
Here we go with a really big and brave conversation. I brought together some incredible entrepreneurs and accessibility advocates to dig into what true accessibility in business actually looks like. Honestly, when you hear about the diversity of accessibility needs, it can feel overwhelming and expensive—it's tempting to just keep doing what you've always done. But this roundtable pushes us to think about accessibility completely differently, and these guests share practical ways that all busine...
Jun 17, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 124
One thing the internet loves to talk about: the problems with the upcoming generation. I always took so much of the millennial commentary personally, until I realized every single generation gets the same judgment. In a world that is rapidly changing with evolving technology, ways of work, politics, and more... I thought it would be super interesting to bring a group of thought leaders together to explore how the way of work and leadership is changing for Gen Z and Generation Alpha. Meet Today's...
Jun 10, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 123
Calling all workaholics, this one is for you. If you a little bit love working around the clock and think your work is one of the most fun parts of your life, let me just say, you've found your people. But we all know hustle culture and burnout are real - and that at some point, productivity becomes toxic. Meet Today's Speakers: Jacki Hayes is the founder of Jacki Hayes & Co., a boutique agency that empowers coaches and consultants with tailored strategic and operational support. Known for h...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 122
If you know me, you know I'm in my AI exploration era. But this hasn't come naturally to me, because the ethical complications around AI, especially generative AI, have literally kept me up at night. That's why I knew one of the first conversations we needed to have on season 3 is all abut the ethics of AI usage. My guests this week are Erika Stanley and AnnMarie Rose, two of my favorite friends and peers who lead with ethics and core values... and also use a lot of AI in creative ways in their ...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 121
What does it mean to create a brand that stands for something, and why does it matter? This week we are opening season 3, which looks a little bit different! Each week, we'll be opening the podcast with a Big Question, and some of the bravest thought leaders in online business will come together to mastermind our way through the question. Today's episode is all about mission driven branding, and why that is so important. Meet Today's Speakers: Mayra Gomez-Sanchez is a proud Latina - the founder ...
May 20, 2025•49 min•Season 3Ep. 120
My guest this week shares about how she's rebranding health setbacks due to developing chronic illness to her redemption era. There is so much to unpack there - about work and accesibility, enterpreneurship as a literal life-saving measure, and resilience after trauma. But furthermore, this has become part of the way Jessica Naves runs her design business, helping event hosts put together events for all people in a variety of bodies. Meet Jessica Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jessica Nav...
May 13, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 119
Sara Hollander joins me on the podcast this week to talk about getting outside of your comfort zone and learning from people outside of your industry. It can be easy to get stuck in learning only from other people who do the same kind of business you do, and who have come before you or achieved what you are dreaming of. But the real magic, and the real innovation, comes from getting out of the echo chamber and building relationships with people in completely different industries and learning fro...
May 06, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 118
When was the last time you paused to ask, "Why am I doing this?" This week on the Big Brave Business podcast, I spoke with Deb Podlogar (The Mocktail Mom) about something we all struggle with as entrepreneurs: questioning our current direction while fighting the pull of shiny object syndrome. Deb's journey represents a powerful business transformation. What began as simply "taking a break from alcohol" in 2021 evolved into what she calls a "mocktail empire" – complete with a book, membership, su...
Apr 29, 2025•41 min•Season 2Ep. 117
This week, I welcome back my friend Hady Mendez to discuss how we navigate uncertain times while staying true to our missions. As DEI programs face backlash and many organizations retreat from their commitments, Hady shares how she's responding with renewed purpose and determination through writing a book focused on helping underestimated employees reclaim their power. Our conversation explores how resilience isn't just a skillset but a gift passed down through generations. Hady opens up about h...
Apr 22, 2025•44 min•Season 2Ep. 116
In 2020, corporations couldn't post their black squares fast enough. DEI statements flowed like wine. Budgets materialized overnight. Promises were made with the conviction of zealots. And now? Those same companies are scrubbing DEI language from their websites faster than you can say "political backlash." In this week's episode with DEI and Learning & Development leader Noelle Johnson, we confronted this disturbing reality head-on: the rapid dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion e...
Apr 15, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 115
One thing I've always been adamant about (and will *literally never stop talking about*) is that when you first start a business, your priority should be making money—not building an audience. Building an audience is a long game. It takes time to see significant returns. Meanwhile, rent is due. Big influencer business coaches always give advice about what they would do if they were starting over today, but it's so out of touch to anyone who hasn't been making $100,000+/month! But... eventually.....
Apr 08, 2025•57 min•Season 2Ep. 114
In this week's Big Brave Business episode, Alison Smith completely flips the script on what resilience actually means—and it's not about constantly bouncing back from hardship. Resilience isn't about recovery from challenges. It's about "springing back into the shape of ourselves." Alison shares the etymology of "thrive," which actually means "to grasp to oneself." Most of us have been sold this narrative that thriving means achievement, hustling, and end-goal success. But what if thriving simpl...
Apr 01, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 113
My guest this week, Alex, has this gift of getting to the root—of seeing where the story behind the strategy is still running the show. She doesn’t offer formulas. She offers questions: → Who are you outside of what you produce? → What systems trained you to hustle for validation? → How often are you overriding your body in service of your business? She reminded me (and maybe you need to hear it too): you can’t out-think your way out of emotional conditioning. You can’t logic your way into safet...
Mar 25, 2025•46 min•Season 2Ep. 112
If you've listened to this podcast since season 1 with my co-host and biz bestie Amanda, you probably already know that both Amanda and I are a more than a little skeptical when it comes to all things "woo." But in this week's episode, I got to meet a mutual friend Regyna Curtis, who leans all the way in on "woo." And, you might be as shocked as I was to find out that Regyna and I clicked immediately and had a really meaningful conversation about intuition and alignment. No matter where you fall...
Mar 18, 2025•43 min•Season 2Ep. 111
My friend from NAWBO, Joanna Horton McPherson, is back on the podcast this week. Joanna and I love being friends because every conversation we have seems to turn into something big and brave. I hope you love this behind the scenes peek at what it's like in our friendship, and by the way... if these are the kinds of friends you want in your life, you can sit with us :) Come hang out with us on social media and in real life! Anyway, this week, Joanna and I are digging into this concept (and conten...
Mar 11, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 110
This week, I'm joined by new friend Diem Koole to talk all about her layoff story, the social and cultural (and internal!) pressure about achievement related to being laid off and pursuing entrepreneurship, and so much more. If you've ever felt you're not good enough, especially in the midst of a layoff season, you are going to relate to this episode. Meet Diem Diem Koole is a dynamic mompreneur passionate about balancing motherhood, creativity, and entrepreneurship. As the voice behind The Kool...
Mar 04, 2025•45 min•Season 2Ep. 109
Sometimes I see a small business owner on Threads post something so evocative and aligned with my core values that I can't help it and I just reach out and invite them on the podcast. That's because with one really high impact post, I can tell that we could have an interesting and big, brave conversation about business. And really, that's the power of leveraging your core values to create human connection online and what my guest today, Fopsy, calls "creating superfans." We are talking all about...
Feb 25, 2025•50 min•Season 2Ep. 108
If you've been listening to this podcast for awhile, you know I'm skeptical of business coaching, even though it's part of what I do. I've been one of the lucky ones on the receiving end of a massive investment into business coaching that didn't match my expectations or financial obligation, and I generally feel burned by the industry, like so many other online business owners. But coaching is a real field and business coaching is something a lot of people really could massively benefit from, if...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 107
One of the things I've been thinking about for my own business is staring a non-profit/charitable arm in the Podfox umbrella. But meeting Paulaska Ramirez, my guest today, led to my realization that I never considered a non-profit as a business structure when I first became an entrepreneur. I definitely had the mindset that I was "staring a business" with the intention to make money... but I mean, CEOs of non-profits should get salaries, too. The point isn't that the team can't get paid (althoug...
Feb 11, 2025•53 min•Season 2Ep. 106
At the crux of what I've been doing here with Big Brave Business is the question, "How do you become an entrepreneur, and grow and scale a business, with anti-capitalist values?" One of the reasons why my guest today, Joanna Horton McPherson, and I became instant friends is because people with shared values like that are really naturally drawn together. In part 1 with Joanna (she came back to record another episode, which will also come out in a couple of weeks), we are talking about how we buil...
Feb 04, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 105
Sammy Bohannon, my guest this week, and I bonded over the complexities of blending personal and professional relationships, and the importance of understanding each team member's unique needs and working styles. Sammy's teaching background has clearly shaped her ability to connect deeply with clients, and I was really interested to learn more about her strategies for rejecting hustle culture in favor of realistic goal-setting and avoiding the trap of busy work. This episode was a refreshing remi...
Jan 28, 2025•35 min•Season 2Ep. 104
We all remember the rise of emphasis on DEIB following George Floyd's murder and the increased attention on the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. But shortly after, in 2023, those DEIB programs and priorities started declining. Now, there is almost a point of pride among companies retiring their DEIB programs and ERGs. My guest today, Michelle Beauchamp, came to me wanting to talk about why this is happening and what are the repercussions. And, in full transparency, we recorded this just 7 da...
Jan 21, 2025•55 min•Season 2Ep. 103
I'm thrilled to welcome Gabby Borrero, the queen of community, to the podcast this week. Gabby is an entrepreneur, strategist, and numbers geek who helps mission-driven business owners build their network and their business. In this episode, Gabby and I dive deep into the power of networking, finding the right communities, and building authentic connections that bring joy and inspiration, even in challenging times. You won't want to miss Gabby's insights on leveling up your networking game. Conn...
Jan 14, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 102
This week, I'm joined by a new friend, Bri Norberg. In this episode, Bri and I get really vulnerable and share some of our deeply rooted stories from childhood and how they've shown up in our entrepreneurship journeys. Entrepreneurship shines a spotlight on literally all of your crap and you don't have a choice but to deal with it one way or another. I hope this episode resonates in both that you can see yourself in our stories, and we can help you heal your inner child as we work to heal our ow...
Jan 07, 2025•46 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Everyone is making predictions about online business in 2025 - what's in, and what's OUT. I know a lot of people are including digital courses and group programs in their predictions, but my episode title is actually just a joke - I think online learning is pivotal for the future, but the thing is, it's got to be done WELL. So I've brought my friend and returning guest Dr. Catrina Mitchum back to the podcast. Not just because you told me how much you love her previous episode, but also because s...
Dec 31, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 100
You've heard me mention Be You Brand Live, an event I spoke at a few months ago hosted by my friend Ati Grinspun in Las Vegas. One thing I LOVE about my friendship with Ati is that she really pushes me not just out of my comfort zone, but to really explore and challenge how my core values show up in different contexts. A great example of this is the resistance I felt when she brought up this concept of taking Radical Responsibility in your life and business during her opening remarks at her even...
Dec 24, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 99
