On this episode of FemmeRadio, Melissa gets to interview someone who has made a major impact on her own career - her first ever Manager, Jenn Paonessa. Jenn Paonessa is the Director of Venue Solutions at a Software and Tech company specializing in news, entertainment and sports broadcast but most importantly, she is a mentor and ally for women in the workplace and women in sports.  On this episode Melissa and Jenn discuss the sales industry, why it is so intimidating to some and who makes a great salesperson. They also discuss the impact of being a female in the workforce and the pressures we face to reach what some believe is the mecca of life; having a family.  

*This episode was recorded remotely and may have some varying sound glitches. 

To hear more from Jenn, follow her on her social channels below:

LinkedIn

Instagram: @jennpao // @the_venue_doyenne

Twitter:  @jenn_pao

Bianca Reyes started a blog when she was in college and never thought much of it. Until a few years ago when she decided to bring back the blog and focus on writing and featuring things she loved. In this episode you will hear about how to start your own blog, how to identify your niche and why focusing on being genuine is so important - now more than ever!

For more information on Bianca and Oh So Fashionably Late, visit: https://www.ohsofashionablylate.com/

Melissa invites Bianca Reyes, Founder and Creator of the blog Oh, So Fashionably Late (OSFL) to Talk Femme to Me to catch up about work life balance, setting unrealistic expectations, friendships, relationships and dealing with hate on social media. They also discuss practicing what you preach and shout out some women who have helped them build their brand! 

Check out OSFL: https://www.ohsofashionablylate.com/

Bianca: 

Beth Mand for Logos (@bethalicious_def)

and many more!

Melissa: 

Ellie Augsburger for Logo (@theanimatorlife)

Christie Freer for design and merch launch (@creationswithchris_ & @christie_freer)

Paris for pictures (@pixelsbyp)

and many more!

*this episode was previously recorded in January 2020 and most information has not taken into account recent issues going on today.

Dr. Cassandra LeClair is an author, professor, communication consultant, and motivational speaker. She is an expert on communicating feelings and improving connections.

Cassandra’s mission is to educate individuals on how to have effective and healthy communication to enhance their relationships. She works to help others gain an understanding of their communication practices to improve their relationships with friends and family members, in the workplace, and beyond.

Cassandra completed her Ph.D. in Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she focused on Interpersonal and Family Communication, with a specialization in Women’s and Gender studies. Dr. LeClair teaches a variety of classes at the collegiate level, where she encourages her students to explore their own patterns and improve their communication. Her teaching and research interests fuel her campus and community involvement. She is active in many local organizations that seek to empower and educate individuals on relationships and identity.

Cassandra lives in New Braunfels, Texas with her two children.

Melissa sits in the hot seat to chat about the last two weeks. She recaps how it felt moving out of her childhood home where she spent 24 years - in just three days! She recaps her weekend filled with a close social distance birthday stop, and her SILs bridal shower!

Then she dives into gender roles. After reading an article in Buzzfeed titled, How the Pandemic Has Exacerbated the Gender Divide in Household Labor Melissa asked her followers on Instagram to discuss their experiences navigating gender roles. She took some of those responses and discusses them here and also shares her own experiences. 

To share your own, DM @femme_trepreneur on instagram.

Timeline:

1. Intro

2. Recap on Moving: @ 2:40

3. Weekend Recap: @ 9:30

4. Gender Roles Discussion: @ 12:20

Brianna Peters is the co-Founder and Owner of Gotham Podcast Studio, located in NYC. Running her own business was not the career path she had originally set for herself, but it turned out to be the role she was made to have.

Gotham Podcast Studio opened in the Fall of 2017 by Brianna and Matt Peters, a husband and wife team now turned Business Partners with a one studio room in a shared office space. Since then, they have grown the business each year and currently have 5 podcast recording studios in their own Midtown, Manhattan location. Their most recent endeavor, Tandem is the newest Podcast Hosting Company set to make its BETA debut in October 2020. Created by the Gotham Owners, Tandem is combining the functionality of Podcast Hosting with the craved Community experience Podcasters are looking for.

Within Tandem, Podcasters can create Membership Profiles that are able to be found by other members. You can pitch yourself to be a guest on a show or find guests for your show through the Membership feature. In addition, Tandem features a Live User Chat, instantly connecting you with other Members and building that Community connection.

Follow along the Tandem journey on Facebook and Instagram @podcastwithtandem and for more information visit podcastwithtandem.com.

On this short episode Melissa shares how the last 2 weeks have flown by since her first Talk Femme to Me release. She recaps how her group of friends were able to make a last minute location change from Miami to Lake George and still give her future sister-in-law a great bachlorette party. She recaps the trip, the fun and the realization that her core group of friends are amazing and despite having not seen each other in 6 months - nothing changes in great friendships. She shares a little bit about the things she has learned over the past few years in regards to friendships and she talks about her Mental Health Monday - spent lying in bed,  drinking a mimosa and watching Netflix. She also finished the longest book she's ever read (I know - she's not  reader giver her a break). Overall, it was a short but good week!

TimeLog:

:00: intro into this episode

2:00: recap of last week's episode with Selina Fletcher, Founder of PaperGreast (papergreats.com)

4:30: Recapping my sister-in-laws bachelorette party and how we shifted from Miami to Lake George

9:00: The importance of friendships and doing an inventory check of your own.

14:40: Recapping my Mental Health Day

17: Introduction of next weeks episode with Brianna Peters, Co-Founder of Gotham Podcast Studio (https://gothampodcaststudio.com/)

Visit getfemmed.com for more information

For Merch & to support FemmeRadio click: https://teespring.com/stores/femmetrepreneur

Follow us on IG: @femme_trepreneur // @themelissagoncalves

Selina Fletcher is the Creator of Paper Greats, a CPG company producing functional, beautiful paper products designed to be kind to the environment and the consumer. Prior to Paper Greats, Selina spent a decade in the financial industry using her attention to detail and highly organized personality to support C-Suite Executives. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree from SOAS. Selina loves finding ways to create less stress, less mess, and more smiles. She enjoys binging on true crime podcasts, entertaining, and saying no to dishes. Selina’s happy place is near the the ocean, on a yoga mat or in her basement packing orders. When not working, Selina can be found organizing closets, color-coding, discussing reality TV, and snapping an embarrassing number of photographs of her niece and nephew.

ABOUT PAPER GREATS:

Paper Greats was born out of the need for beautiful sustainable products. The company was created in 2018 by Selina Fletcher in Darien, CT. Initially wanting to create a beautiful product for families that would make their lives easier, Selina quickly realized that they could also help those same families do better for the planet. All Paper Greats products are now 100% nationally recyclable (some are also compostable). The aim of the company is to educate consumers to make better choices, recycle in their homes for maximum impact and ultimately bring consumers and products to zero waste.

Visit https://papergreats.com/ for more information.

Check us out at @femme_trepreneur on Instagram

To Support FemmeRadio, purchase merch here: https://teespring.com/stores/femmetrepreneur

Talk Femme to Me = TF2M.

On the first of many solo episodes being released bi-weekly, Melissa discusses some (not all) of the personal things that she has experienced over the last 6 months. She reads an excerpt from a solo episode she was supposed to record at the beginning of 2019 and speaks to what she has and hasn't actually achieved. She talks COVID and quarantining with your significant other and how it was the opposite of what people told her it would be like. Melissa also gets personal about her weight-loss journey and how quarantining with a supportive partner has helped her reach some of her goals, when she thought she would just hit a downward spiral. 

Timelog:

0-4:00: Catching up on solo episodes that never happened, getting laid off & failing to meet my goals 

12:00: COVID & How we made it work while both working from home

16:30: Fun things we purchased and did during quarantine

21:40: battling anxiety & weight issues

27:00: Overview of my weight struggles

29:00 Arbonne kick-starting my weight loss 

33:00: Workout plans that I am currently doing

Follow @Themelissagoncalves on IG

Follow @Femme_trepreneur on IG

Visit https://teespring.com/stores/femmetrepreneur to support our podcast by purchasing merch!

This is the second time Melissa has sat down with Broadway Roulette Co-Founder & CEO, Liz Durand Streisand (take a peek at episodes 13 & 14). However, this time, instead of speaking about how she launched a successful company, Melissa and Liz discuss how Liz pivoted her business to survive COVID-19 challenges. On this episode you will hear from a business owner and mother of two as she voices her tips on managing remote teams, hiring great people and rolling with the punches during an unprecedented time in world history.

For more information on Broadway Roulette Mixers visit: https://www.broadwayroulette.com/

For Merch visit: https://teespring.com/stores/femmetrepreneur

For more information go to our website:  https://getfemmed.com/

Follow @Femmetrepreneur on Instagram