Claim Your Confidence with Lydia Fenet

If you’ve ever seen a bright and fabulous print that’s also a little bit unexpected, it’s probably something that Katie Kime has created. Founder, CEO, and creative director of Katie Kime, a women’s lifestyle brand and print-based design studio launched in 2013, Katie’s designs put a colorful and whimsical spin on the traditional. Ranging from clothing to wallpaper to home decor, every print and product is designed to inspire curiosity and meaningful connection. In this episode of Claim Your Confidence, we talk about Katie's creative beginnings, how she launched and scaled her brand, and her iconic City Toile prints that are currently taking the fashion and lifestyle world by storm. 

Don’t miss this interview where we discuss:

• Katie’s first-ever trunk shows in college and how the positive reaction to her designs inspired her to dive in and create her brand
• Being open to change and how holding onto things that no longer serve you can end up slowing you down
• How Katie’s creative focus has shifted as the brand has evolved and what motivated her to lean into wallpaper and printmaking
• The entrepreneurial lessons she’s learned along the way from how to fundraise to the ins-and-outs of creating your business team
• How Katie balances her roles as a parent, leader, and creative, and what comes next for her brand

Find Katie Kime:

www.katiekime.com
IG: @katie_kime
LinkedIn: Katie Kime

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Mia Funt is all-in when it comes to her customers. Co-founder and president of ByHeart, an infant nutrition company that launched their first formula in 2022 and became the first U.S. infant formula manufacturer to be registered with the FDA in over 15 years, she is dedicated to giving parents the freedom to choose how they feed their babies without having to compromise nutrition. And under Mia’s leadership, ByHeart is propelling the industry forward with one mission at the core of everything they do: make the best formula in the world. In this interview, we talk about how Mia’s experiences as a parent sparked the idea for ByHeart, what makes ByHeart’s formula unique, and what being all-in can do for your business. 

Don’t miss this episode of Claim Your Confidence where we discuss:

How Mia was inspired by her parents to be a problem solver and chart her own path as an entrepreneur
The steps Mia and her brother Ron took to found ByHeart, and how building the company from the ground up allowed them to truly innovate
How transparency is crucial when it comes to building a relationship with your customers
The importance of trusting your instincts and judgment as a founder, and how acting with integrity while making tough decisions builds confidence
How ByHeart is supporting parents beyond just their product through their online community Cluster and the Open-Hearted Initiative 

Find Mia Funt:

www.byheart.com
IG: @byheart
LinkedIn: Mia Funt

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

If you’ve ever found yourself scouring the internet to find the newest craze that claims to help you achieve inner balance, you aren’t alone. In her best-selling book Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included), Dr. Pooja Lakshmin highlights the pervasiveness of faux self-care practices in our day-to-day lives and provides real ways for readers to improve their wellbeing. A psychiatrist specializing in women’s mental health, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine, a New York Times contributor, and the founder and CEO of Gemma, a physician-led women's mental health education platform, Pooja is dedicated to helping others achieve true personal wellness and empowerment. In this episode, we discuss Pooja’s own journey of self-reflection, what real self-care looks like, and how to align with your internal goals.

 Don’t miss this interview where we talk about:

The misconception that happiness and confidence automatically come with checking all of the boxes of success
Pooja’s experiences during her medical residency, the hypocrisies she discovered within the field that made her question her path, and how she returned to medicine on her own terms
How you cannot rely on external solutions to fix internal problems, and that healing and growth arises from self-reflection 
What inspired Pooja to write her book and how she’s found her audience
How true self-care comes from knowing yourself and your values, and involves making decisions that honor those values even if it’s difficult to do so

Find Pooja Lakshmin:

www.poojalakshmin.com
IG: @poojalakshmin
LinkedIn: Pooja Lakshmin, MD

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

If you are ready to dream big and take your next leap in life, look no further than Liz Elting for guidance. Inspired by her love of learning languages and connecting with global communities, Liz dove headfirst into the entrepreneurial world and co-founded TransPerfect, the world’s largest provider of language and business solutions, out of her NYU dorm room. And in 2018, she founded the The Elizabeth Elting Foundation which is dedicated to bridging gaps and advancing the economic, social, and political equality of women and marginalized communities. Most recently, she’s written the best-selling book Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion Into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business full of her personal tips for transforming your ideas into action. In this interview, we discuss the story behind how Liz started TransPerfect, her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, and how to make your dream a reality. 

Don’t miss this episode of Claim Your Confidence where we talk about:

• Liz’s love of language, and how it led her to work in translation services
• The white space she saw within the translation industry, where the idea for TransPerfect came from, and how she knew she could scale it into a global business
• How she was able to grow TransPerfect from her dorm room without external funding by focusing solely on sales and revenue 
• The importance of continually expanding your network and making as many connections as possible, and how that can benefit you later on
• The Elizabeth Elting Foundation, what inspired Liz to found it after stepping away from TransPerfect, and how the foundation is making an impact

Find Liz Elting:

www.lizelting.com
IG: @lizelting
LinkedIn: Liz Elting

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson has been guided by her mantra, “carpe diem”, throughout her life. A brand building expert and digital media pioneer, Kendra served as Vice President of Digital at Fleishman Hillard and the first Director of Digital Media at Ralph Lauren. In 2010, she co-founded Digital Brand Architects which forever changed the landscape of digital marketing. Now, she is the founder and CEO of BrainTrust, a conglomerate including an award-winning, global marketing agency, BrainTrust Founders Studio, the largest platform dedicated to Black founders of beauty and wellness companies and the adjacent BrainTrust Fund I. In this episode of Claim Your Confidence, we talk about how Kendra got her start in the world of PR and brand marketing, what inspired her to found BrainTrust, and the importance of seizing the day. 

Don’t miss this interview where we discuss:

• Kendra’s first job at Fleishman Hillard, the PR and marketing projects she worked on, and what those experiences taught her early on in her career
• What it means to be an entrepreneur or an “intrapreneur” 
• How she recognized the potential of marketing through bloggers in the early days of social media and how she co-founded the first American blogger management company Digital Brand Architects 
• The story behind BrainTrust and how Kendra is supporting black founders through BrainTrust Founders Studio and BrainTrust Fund I
• Kendra’s life mantra “carpe diem”, the times in her life where she stepped out on faith and followed her instincts, and how seizing the day can allow you to take advantage of life’s greatest opportunities

Find Kendra Bracken-Ferguson:

www.kendrabracken-ferguson.com
IG: @kendrabrackenferguson
LinkedIn: Kendra Bracken-Ferguson

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

In this day and age, social media is an invaluable tool for brands, companies, and individuals to find and connect with an audience. And that is exactly what New York based internet creator, podcast host, and author Eli Rallo has done. After her first TikTok video went viral in 2020, Eli has grown her audience to almost a million followers between TikTok and Instagram by making content that promotes authenticity and self-confidence. Now a Forbes contributor and host of the podcast Miss Congeniality, Eli’s debut book I Didn’t Know I Needed This: The New Rules for Flirting, Feeling, and Finding Yourself is filled with life lessons, tips, and advice to help you elevate your lived experience and personal relationships. In this interview, we talk about Eli’s passion for theatre and writing, how social media started as a side hobby and became her full-time job, and all of the details surrounding her first book and upcoming book tour. 

Don’t miss this episode where we discuss:

• How Eli found her voice at a young age through her love of theatre
• Her first experiences on social media, and how she overcame the pressures to curate a “highlight reel” of her life and instead chose to be her authentic self
• The backstory to her first viral video on TikTok, and how she’s found and grown her audience since then
• The importance of finding your people, and how curating an audience can help you reach and inspire others
• Eli’s day-in-the-life as a content creator, and the importance of keeping yourself grounded through gratitude 

Find Eli Rallo:

www.theelirallo.com
IG: @eli.rallo
TikTok: @elirallo
Twitter: @EliRallo

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Gretchen Witt is the founder of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer treatment research and development. When Gretchen’s son Liam was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 she felt compelled to make a difference, and in 2008 Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was launched. Utilizing over twenty-five years of PR and communications experience, Gretchen has flipped the script on how nonprofits operate, and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer’s grassroots fundraising events have contributed over 20 million dollars towards pediatric cancer research and have helped save countless lives. In this episode, we discuss Gretchen’s motivation for founding Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, the impact the organization has had so far, and how sometimes the best start for any new endeavor is to just go for it. 

Don’t miss this interview where we talk about:

• Gretchen’s career working in PR, and what it taught her about the importance of communications and what successful communications management looks like
• Her son Liam’s cancer diagnosis when he was two and a half years old, and how it changed Gretchen’s life forever 
• Where the idea for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer came from, and the story behind its first bake-a-thon where Gretchen and a team of volunteers baked 96,000 cookies and raised over 420,000 dollars to help fund cancer treatments
• The organization’s intentional design, and how Gretchen has found success in raising awareness for difficult topics like pediatric cancer by inviting people into the conversation in a cheerful and positive way 
• Finding the confidence to start something new, and that if there’s a dream you want to pursue or an idea you want to bring to life, why not give it a try?

Find Gretchen Witt:

www.cookiesforkidscancer.org
IG: @cookies4kids
Twitter: @GoodCookiesMom
LinkedIn: Gretchen Holt Witt

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Farnoosh Torabi is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities and has all the tips and tricks regarding how to surpass your financial goals and live your happiest life. A former CNBC host, creator of the Webby-nominated podcast So Money, and the multi-bestselling financial author of When She Makes More: The Truth About Love and Life for a New Generation of Women, Farnoosh’s latest book A Healthy State of Panic: Follow Your Fears to Build Wealth, Crush Your Career and Win at Life encourages others to not only recognize their fears, but to harness them to achieve success. In this interview, we talk about Farnoosh’s financial philosophies, the message of her newest book, and how once you work through your fears you’ll be able to find confidence on the other side. 

Don’t miss this episode of Claim Your Confidence where we discuss:

• The importance of financial literacy, and how understanding your finances is key to your independence and success
• How overcoming her own financial struggles and increasing her understanding of personal finance inspired Farnoosh to publish her first book
• Busting the myth that your self worth is defined by your net worth
• The importance of establishing a financial partnership in marriage, and how couples can prevent money from becoming a point of contention in their relationship
• How addressing your fears instead of avoiding them can help guide you during life’s important decisions, and can help increase your confidence

Find Farnoosh Torabi:

www.farnoosh.tv
IG: @farnooshtorabi
Twitter: @Farnoosh
Facebook & LinkedIn: Farnoosh Torabi

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Anastasia Soare is known as the Queen of Brows, and for good reason. Founder and CEO of Anastasia Beverly Hills – one of the most acclaimed brands in the beauty industry – Anastasia immigrated to the United States from Romania in 1989 and began working as an esthetician in Beverly Hills. One year later, she developed and introduced her groundbreaking Golden Ratio® eyebrow shaping method and rapidly amassed a dedicated clientele, which led to the opening of her first salon in 1997 and the birth of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brand. With Anastasia at the helm, Anastasia Beverly Hills is now a globally recognized beauty brand valued at three billion dollars. In this episode we talk about the story behind her first salon, how she developed the Golden Ratio® technique, and how the most important thing you can do is believe in yourself. 

Don’t miss this interview where we discuss:

• Anastasia’s childhood in Romania, her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit, and what her mother taught her about business
• Her experience immigrating to America, the difficulties she faced not knowing English, and the story behind how she got her start as an esthetician 
• Anastasia's “Oscar moment” when she was first featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and how she harnessed the skyrocketing success of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brand
• How Anastasia grew ABH before social media, why she adopted social media as a marketing tool in its early days, and what she’s learned about building brand presence online
• Where she plans to take the company next, and how she hopes to inspire others by sharing her story

Find Anastasia Soare:

www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com
IG: @anastasiasoare
Facebook: Anastasia Soare
LinkedIn: Anastasia Soare

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.

Lele Sadoughi, known as the accessories queen, is an industry leader in designing collectible headbands, maximal costume jewelry, jeweled sunglasses, specialty handbags and more. With more than twenty years of experience designing for major fashion companies such as Rebecca Taylor, Banana Republic, J.Crew, Neiman Marcus, and Tory Burch, Lele launched her own brand, Lele Sadoughi, in 2012. Beginning with one jewelry line, the brand has now expanded into over fifteen categories – including her iconic headbands – all designed with Lele’s signature touch of sparkle and color. In this interview we discuss how she found her passion for designing accessories, the course of her career from her first job to the launch of her own company, and what it means to find your brand’s identity. 

Don’t miss this episode where we talk about:

• Lele’s love for art, and how her creativity has guided her throughout her life
• How Lele first gained fashion experience by working at a small design company, and the benefits of working at such a small company in her early career
• Her experience launching J.Crew’s first ever jewelry collection, and how she utilized her own tastes in curating the collection’s design 
• The importance of giving yourself grace, and that some days it’s okay if you don’t get everything done
• The story behind Lele’s brand, it’s early years after launch, and how she’s translated the brand’s design identity into each new category as they expand

Find Lele Sadoughi:

www.lelesadoughi.com
IG: @lele_sadoughi; @lisa_sadoughi
Facebook: Lele Sadoughi
LinkedIn: Lele Sadoughi

Follow Lydia:

www.lydiafenet.com
IG: @lydiafenet
LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet

Questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!

To stay up to date with Claim Your Confidence and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram and on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.

Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.

Thank you for listening.