Dr. Ann Kaplan is a powerhouse entrepreneur who started financial giant iFinance in the 90s to star in the Real Housewives of Toronto, speaking at prestigious events and penning multiple books, including If You Don’t Laugh You’ll Cry. She joins us on the Badass CEO podcast to talk about her journey from starting iFinance to leading it as one of Canada’s most successful financial companies. She talks about her experience in reality TV and why she believes distribution channels are essential to bu...
Dec 09, 2021•36 min
Stephanie Capuano saw a gap in the skincare market - what was out there for teenage boys? She searched on and offline and couldn’t find options let alone ones that weren’t filled with unnecessary and harsh chemicals. So as any entrepreneur does she set out to create a solution - 31st State. The skincare line is tailored for Gen Z teenage boys and all their glory because skincare is for everyone and anyone. Tune in to hear how Stephanie started her skincare lines, the ins and outs of the natural ...
Dec 02, 2021•35 min
A growing need to fill the lack of equality of women in corporate board positions has inspired Bonnie Hageman to create WomenExecs on Boards Organization! Women Execs on Boards helps females find the right company to join the board once they have been through Harvard’s training program. She is also the CEO of EDA Inc., a premium capital firm focused on C-suite officers. She sat down with us to talk about her work as a visionary leadership expert, how and why women should aim for Senior Exec. boa...
Nov 18, 2021•27 min
Breaking into an established industry can be an intimidating endeavor, however, Ali Marler is on a mission to change that. Ali Marler co-founded Robin Golf to be the next industry standard with golf clubs built for everyone using the same materials as other top-of-the-line brands. Their clubs are tested by pros and beginners alike. They hope to strip back the intimidating process of finding clubs so everyone can enjoy the game and play their best! Tune in to hear Ali’s career path that led to Ro...
Nov 11, 2021•30 min
Erica Maurer is the founder of EMRG, the leading event marketing company in New York and a trendsetter in virtual events and expos. Virtual events have become the new normal for businesses in 2021 and Erica has successfully hosted over 60 virtual events. Her career achievements have included Shark Tank investor interviews and over 100 million dollars generated through events. She joined us on the Badass CEO to talk about EMRG, her tips and tricks to succeeding in the fast-paced and ever-changing...
Nov 04, 2021•26 min
Lisa Odenweller has always been an expert in filling a void in the market. She started out with Beaming, one of the most respected wellness companies in SoCal, and in 2018 exited to start Kroma Wellness, an effortless and curated nutritional program. Kroma Wellness is a functional health and superfood company that Lisa started with the goal of helping people form healthier habits. Tune in to hear Lisa talk about founding one successful company and exiting to start another, filling a market gap, ...
Oct 28, 2021•37 min
Rae Wellness is one of the hottest wellness brands on the market right now, with everyone from IG to Tik Tok wellness influencers using their products. Angie Tebbe, the co-founder, and CEO built the brand on values of affordability and socially conscious production. Rae focuses on building health from the inside out, and Angie’s current role focuses on community building and product innovation. She sat down with us to talk about her journey from starting Rae Wellness to their existing brand grow...
Oct 21, 2021•28 min
So many women quit before fully committing to their entrepreneurial dreams because they are focused on perfection. The perfect logo, social media, branding, funding, etc. but there is never going to be a “perfect” way to run a business. Jen Hochstadt, the co-founder of Baby Barn, joins us to talk about how she beat her nerves and desires for perfection in order to start the popular, minimal-inspired, baby brand! Tune in to hear Jen’s story, her thoughts on building customer trust, pivoting from ...
Oct 15, 2021•28 min
Krista Berlincourt, used her career in strategic advertisement and start-ups to create Kensho, a company focused on bettering the lives of people by making wellness experts accessible. She is the CEO and co-founder of the innovative and groundbreaking online health platform that works to guide and educate people through the bast world of natural medicine. Tune in to hear her talk everything about creating a close-knit company culture, what it takes to be a successful female CEO, and the importan...
Oct 07, 2021•35 min
Laura Fedock built her luxury wardrobe consulting business, Life + STYLE, by reputation and word of mouth. She shares with us her insight on inspiring self-confidence through personal style and how she earned her reputation as an image expert. Laura is one of 2021’s top 10 Instagram accounts according to the NYT and Yahoo ranking. She speaks about the importance of confidence, social media, client satisfaction and word of mouth, which all have greatly impacted her reach and business growth. Whil...
Sep 30, 2021•28 min
Carbon neutrality and creating a better product for a better future were the leading motivators for why Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks’s father started ECOS. She is now the CEO and president of the family business and continues its mission to prioritize the wellbeing of people and the planet through safer cleaning products. Kelly is widely considered one of the top effective leaders and influential voices for corporate social responsibility and under her leadership, ECOS has received numerous awards for i...
Sep 23, 2021•35 min
Going from finance to non-profits, Robyn O’Brien is the epitome of a badass CEO. She is a nationally recognized leader in the food industry and is the co-founder of rePlant Capital. While managing rePlant, she also runs her non-profit, Allergy Kids Foundation, focused on bringing awareness to the need for transparency in our food supply, and that’s not where it ends; she is also the author of The Unhealthy Truth. Robyn is a true entrepreneur who is always hustling and fighting for what she belie...
Sep 09, 2021•22 min
A true romantic at heart with a deep passion for people, Amber Kelleher-Andrews lives her dream job as CEO of the global matchmaking firm Kelleher international. Under Amber's stewardship, Kelleher International is the leader in a booming singles industry and is responsible for thousands of marriages with 87% of their clients ending up in a long-term relationship or marriage. Amber's knowledge of human relationships combined with a healthy dose of intuition lends to her straightforward approach ...
Sep 02, 2021•35 min
Six-time founder and CEO in the B2B software space, Christine Marie Mason, turned her attention to her passion - female wellness and self-care. She founded Rosebud Woman, female body care and intimate wellness line, to meet women’s neglected needs and open up sexual and personal care dialogue. Her entrepreneurial success has led her to lead a multitude of TED Talks and events worldwide to share her advice and insight on how to grow a successful business in any industry. Tune in to hear about Chr...
Aug 26, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Lauren Jenai started CrossFit with her husband to make an impact in the Fitness Industry. Lauren discusses how they created a successful business and community over the last two decades. Lauren and Greg founded CrossFit in the late 90s as a revolutionary training style that allowed people to get fit and healthy in a competitive and welcoming environment. After years in the business, Lauren felt the pull to leave CrossFit and create a more personal business that was individualized and impactful o...
Aug 19, 2021•31 min
Sam Ettus is the true Badass entrepreneur. She is a five-time best-selling author, a public speaker, and podcast host of the What's Her Story podcast, but one public speaking event inspired Samto to start Park Place Payments. Park Place Payments is a female-founded credit card processing company that is disrupting the status quo of the credit card industry. The male-dominated industry has never focused on customer service or women, and she is here to do that with PPP. Sam explains why nothing wi...
Aug 12, 2021•31 min
Customer satisfaction comes from knowing your target audience like they are your BFFs. Prioritizing customer knowledge through research and technology has been how Ellis McCue of Territory Foods has grown her business and excelled. Ellis is a former retail and consulting specialist who created Territory Foods to solve busy people who love delicious and nutritious food. Territory Food is a healthy meal planning and delivery service that works with local chefs to deliver high-quality meals. Ellis ...
Aug 05, 2021•37 min•Ep. 56
This week, we discuss why a doctor becomes a CEO to start a company to fill a void. Dr. Yinka Davies talks about her experience as a gastroenterologist and her "lightbulb moment," realizing the importance of gut health balance and probiotics. Nearly 20 years ago, as a newly trained gastroenterologist, Dr. Davies treated her first patient with dire clinical symptoms due to an unbalanced gut. After using multiple probiotics, it wasn't until using the European De Simone Formulation that her patient...
Jul 29, 2021•22 min•Ep. 55
Angela Scott founded her oxford shoe company to prove women did not have to wear six-inch heels to feel empowered in the workforce, and ten years since its founding, she has changed the landscape for women’s footwear. The Office of Angela Scott has established itself as the bespoke, fashion-forward, go-to brand for women and A-listers alike who want all the style of an oxford married with comfort. Tune in to hear Angela talk about the journey of being an entrepreneur in a crowded space like foot...
Jul 22, 2021•26 min
Jody Levy is a partner, advisor, and investor in many category-disrupting brands and companies connected to the clean living, wellness lifestyle space that empowers people to take care of themselves and optimize their happiness and purpose. She’s an artist, designer, serial entrepreneur, executive, and investor who is the shining example of why you don’t have to do ONE thing if you love the process. She talks us through her multiple businesses including WTRMLN WTR and the Milk Cleanse, and how s...
Jul 15, 2021•33 min
From Blueprint Cleanse to Medicinal Mushroom Beverage company, Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Hass know how to look at the white space industry and go for it. They started the juice cleanse craze and ultimately sold The Blueprint Cleanse. Both Zoe and Erica are continuously learning and consider themselves wellness gurus, and they once again saw white space in the medicinal mushroom industry. They jumped at the opportunity and started a company, Earth and Star, that uses the immune-supporting adaptogeni...
Jul 08, 2021•37 min
Heather Thomson, adored reality star from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York is in real life a serial entrepreneur. One of her ventures, Beyond Fresh offers an organic supplement line focused on science, whole foods, and superfoods. Heather is a mother of two, podcast host, entrepreneur, and integrative health coach! With over 25 years of experience stemming from Calvin Klein to design director of Sean Diddy Combs’ Sean John label, creative directing alongside Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer L...
Jun 29, 2021•30 min
An entrepreneur’s breakthrough idea usually comes from seeing the “missing piece” in people’s day to day and finding a solution for it. Rebecca Allen was working in the financial industry when she realized how little diversity there was in high-quality nude heels (an essential for her corporate job) - she felt there needed to be more inclusivity and empowerment for women of all skin colors. She set out to do this by ethical sourcing, swatching, and talking to friends & family all leading her...
Jun 24, 2021•25 min
Have you wondered what it is like to pivot in your career and follow your passion? Well this week, Sarah Gavigan explains how she moved from the entertainment industry to be a three-time entrepreneur and bring ramen to Nashville. Her shop Otaku Ramen is a cult favorite with multiple pop-up shops spread out throughout the Nashville area. She talks about what it takes to be a serial entrepreneur, succeed in the male-dominated food industry, and what it is like exposing the South to new cuisine and...
Jun 15, 2021•37 min
The packaged food industry is one of the hardest industries to breakthrough in as a new entrepreneur but Michelle Rtik found her niche and has built up B.A.D. Food to be the star of grain and GMO-free goods. She was able to get into 800 retail locations including Erewhon and beat the odds all while being an active mother of four children during a pandemic! How did she do it? She tells us everything on this episode of Badass CEO. Tune in to hear how she raised funds for her business and grew B.A....
Jun 08, 2021•28 min•Ep. 49
Struggling to be a better leader and growing your brand can sometimes come down to how effectively you’re using your voice. Melanie Espeland is an executive voice coach, entrepreneur, and author who trains Clients in senior roles in top companies to optimize their voice and be better leaders. She talks about her entrepreneurial journey as a woman, what many executives are doing wrong and how to keep a consistent company culture. Tune in to hear how she keeps growing her business, the things she ...
Jun 01, 2021•35 min
Kara Goldin is the founder of Hint Water, a game-changing healthy alternative to soda and flavored water. She joins us this week to talk about how she built her business and the lessons she learned along the way. She talks us through her new tell-all book _Undaunted_ and the risks she took to launch Hint and turn it into the successful company it currently is. Tune in to hear about how she balances being an entrepreneur and mom, her podcast The Kara Goldin Show, and the need to value the people ...
May 25, 2021•40 min•Ep. 47
If you have wondered what it takes to be a C-suite level executive and how to run a startup during COVID, this week’s episode is for you. Mary McGovern is the CEO of New Wave Foods, a sustainable plant-based alternative to shrimp. New Wave is revolutionizing the food industry and Mary’s 25 years of packaged goods and consumer experience has helped her run the company and prepare them to launch in stores, restaurants, and the wider foodservice industry. Tune in to hear her thoughts on how women c...
May 18, 2021•21 min•Ep. 46
Leslie Hsu started her business SUNFLOW in the summer of 2020 when the world was still deep into the pandemic and she proves that with perseverance design expertise, and a strong business plan you can build a successful company during a pandemic. Tune in to hear how she started her business in secret, raised money prelaunch, and seamlessly works with her husband to run SUNFLOW. This episode was sponsored by Corpnet, the leader in helping entrepreneurs incorporate and grow their businesses. Corpn...
May 11, 2021•34 min•Ep. 45
Pallavi Pande is an entrepreneur, mother, and founder of the sustainable plates company Dtocs. If you have been wanting to start a business that benefits the world and the environment this is the episode for you. Pallavi talks about how she started Dtocs, ethical leadership, and having a clear message you advocate for. Tune in to hear how she set up her ethical and environmentally friendly business, the ways she balances motherhood and being a CEO, and how you can create a cause-fueled business....
May 04, 2021•29 min•Ep. 44
