Courageous Conversations with Fran Pastore

WBDC's podcast, Courageous Conversations with Fran Pastore, features candid discussions between WBDC CEO Fran Pastore and influential leaders in and around our community.

Alisa Bowens-Mercado grew up with two grandmothers who would tell her to be sure to find her rhythm in life – to do what she loves – as they sipped from bottles of beer in the kitchen. Many years later, she has found her rhythm as the first black woman to own a brewery in Connecticut, aptly named Rhythm Brewing Company to honor the women who inspired her.

In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Fran talks about the importance of small businesses with Alisa and David Salinas, the founder of Digital Surgeons, a digital design consultancy, and District, a co-working space and comprehensive ecosystem for entrepreneurs in New Haven, CT. David is also a mentor to countless entrepreneurs and a steadfast advocate for small businesses. Listen to hear about the impact networks and mentors can have on the path of an entrepreneur and find out why Alisa insists, "It's about more than just me and a can of beer."

To find out where you can buy Rhythm beer, visit rhythmbrewingco.com

To learn more about District in New Haven, go to districtnhv.com

To find out more about The Women's Business Development Council and the support we provide to women owned businesses, please visit us at www.ctwbdc.org

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How do you feel when you make a wrong turn and your car's GPS tells you it's recalculating to find a new route to your destination? New York Times best-selling author, Lindsey Pollak, feels optimistic. "What I think is, 'oh, it's okay, because there's another way to go. So, there are always multiple ways to get to whatever your goals are, even if you change your goals.'"

In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Fran and Lindsey discuss the "recalculating" so many of us have had to do lately due to the changes brought about by the pandemic. Listen to hear about Lindsey's recently released book, Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work, and how the ideas described in the book can be applied to entrepreneurship in our current landscape.

To learn more about Lindsey Pollak or to order your own copy of Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work, visit www.lindseypollak.com.

To find out more about The Women's Business Development Council and the support we provide to women owned businesses, please visit us at www.ctwbdc.org Instagram and Facebook

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ypical teenagers and recent college graduates are usually focused on landing their first job or summer internship, but Tory and Roscoe Brown are far from typical. Soon after Tory graduated from college and before Roscoe had even begun his undergraduate experience, this sibling duo founded The 203. What began as a passion project selling t-shirts that celebrated their beloved home state has quickly grown into a renowned lifestyle brand. In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Fran sits down with Tory and Roscoe to discuss their young entrepreneurship, lessons they've learned along the way, the importance of building relationships with other small business owners and, of course, the great state of Connecticut.

To learn more about The 203 or to purchase 203 products visit www.thetwoohthree.com.

To find out more about The Women's Business Development Council and the support we provide to women owned businesses, please visit us at www.ctwbdc.org Instagram and Facebook

12 months after the beginning of an unimaginable year for small business owners, Fran looks back with entrepreneurs Corey Tolkin and Yvonne Oxley, who pivoted their businesses to survive the pandemic and are thriving as we look forward to better days ahead. Listen to hear why Corey, owner of Unbakeables Cookie Dough Treats, believes it's sometimes important to take a fresh look as what's right in front of you and why Yvonne, owner of luxury soap maker Komfort Zone, thinks it's critical for entrepreneurs to step out of their own comfort zones.

Visit the Unbakeables website and the Komfort Zone Website for more information

Make sure to visit our website to find out more about the work we do for women and small businesses in Connecticut and across the country.

"Never say no to yourself. Feel the fear and do it anyway." -Andrea Barton Reeves

What if the women who came before us felt the fear and let it get the best of them?

As we begin Women's History Month, Fran sits down with Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority, to learn about her journey from her upbringing in New Jersey to law school and a position at a White Shoe firm to a career dedicated to serving others. Andrea discusses what motivates her, how being a woman of color has influenced her journey and why she thinks it is critically important for women to take a chance on themselves.

Please visit CT Paid Leave Authority at www.ctpaidleave.org on Facbook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube

To find out more about The Women's Business Development Council and the support we provide to women owned businesses, please visit us at www.ctwbdc.org Instagram and Facebook

Become a member of WBDC Connect

In honor of Black History month, Courageous Conversations decided to revisit a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Women's Business Development Council last June, soon after the death of George Floyd.

WBDC CEO Fran Pastore gathered a group of accomplished women in leadership positions to discuss the historic times we are living through.

These women share their own experiences with racism and navigating stereotypes in their personal and professional lives.

They also describe what they are doing personally and what we all can do to address sis temic racism in our society

Joining Fran in this conversation are: -Shante Hanks, Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Housing

-Carrie Spell-Hansson, CEO, The Folke Institute for Transformative Learning

-Glendowlyn Thames, Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)

-Diane Winston, Founder and CEO, Winston Strategic Partners

-Vanessa Abrahams-John, Director, Global Diversity, Inclusion, Talent Acquisition at Linde, moderates the discussion.

Please Visit the Minority-Owned Enterprises Resource Page on our Website

Fran discusses the unsung heroes of our economic engine – the women, especially women of color, who own and operate the small businesses that populate our Main Streets. These entrepreneurs have received a disproportionately small amount of the pandemic relief state and federal funding. Fran details how WBDC is helping to address the needs of these businesses with grants and other support. She also shares feedback from two inspiring women who are benefitting from these opportunities. Listen to find out how some of our smallest businesses can not only survive the pandemic but thrive in its aftermath.

Please visit our website for more information on the Opportunity Fund, Equity Match Grants & Childcare Grants.

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Patricia Russo, Executive Director of The Campaign School at Yale University, and Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean, accomplished author, podcast host, public speaker, and tenured Associate Professor of Political Science at Quinnipiac University, join Fran to discuss the significance of the glass ceiling that is breaking in Washington, D.C. with the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the country's first female vice president and the first woman of color to hold the office. While the current tense climate threatens to command much our political conversations in the coming days, Fran, Patti, and Khalilah take a few moments to recognize and celebrate this important moment in history for women, women of color, and our nation.

For more information on Dr. Khalilah Brown Dean and her book, Identity Politics in the United States, visit her website www.kbdphd.com. To listen to Dr. Brown Dean's weekly podcast and radio show, Disrupted, please visit https://ctpublic.org/shows/disrupted/.

To find out more about Patricia Russo and The Campaign School at Yale University, please visit https://tcsyale.org/about-us/board/patty-russo/ or to register for the one day free training offered by TCS on February 6, please visit https://tcsyale.org/wcs-yale-the-basics/

To learn more about the Women's Business Development Council and the investments we're making in women Visit us at www.ctwbdc.org

Katrina Adams shares her inspirational journey from the tennis court to the boardroom in this previously recorded WBDC Town Hall, hosted by Fran Pastore

Katrina is the first African-American, the first former professional tennis player and the youngest person ever to serve as USTA president.

Katrina is also an author. Her new book Own the Arena provides a behind the scenes look at the leadership skills involved in hosting the U S open; the largest and most lucrative sports event in the world.

Own the Arena will be published February, 2021 and is available for pre-order now from all major book retailers and through her publisher, Harper Collins

To Learn more about Katrina, please visit her website

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Make sure to visit our website to find out more about the work we do for women and small businesses in Connecticut and across the country.

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In this first episode of Courageous Conversations with Fran Pastore, Fran is joined by her friend of 30 years, Dr. Karen Alter-Reid, a global expert on EMDR and the treatment of trauma-related symptoms. They discuss what EMDR is and why it is an effective treatment for trauma, not only for veterans and sexual assault victims, but for first responders and everyday people.

Dr. Alter-Reid gives several actionable tips for coping with the high stress that we're living under these days, including a two minute mindfulness exercise.

To find out more about Dr. Alter-Reid and her work, please visit

http://www.alter-reid.com

Make sure to visit our website, https://ctwbdc.org to find out more about the work we do for women and small businesses in Connecticut and across the country.