Freeman Means Business' Wonder Women in Business Podcast

Thank you for stopping by! I started my business in 2015 as a side hustle while working full time at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) and took it full time in 2017. Throughout my career at different universities, I noticed that students would be optimistic when talking with their friends about their professional future, last exam, or how they felt overall. But when I met with them one-on-one, everything wasn’t OK and they were open and honest about how they were really feeling.  These conversations led to my business name… Everything’s Not OK and That’s OK.

Erin Hottenstein founded Colorado 50-50, a community group dedicated to gender parity in elected office and on boards and commissions. In just over two years, Colorado 50-50 has held trainings and events around Colorado with more than 450 people participating. The group is very active on social media and played a key role in advocating for a better work environment at the Colorado Capitol.

Hottenstein is also an Associate Trainer and Vice President at Public Speaking for the Professional. She has 20 years of experience as a trainer in corporate, collegiate and community settings. She has taught courses in presentation and communication skills, personality styles, goal achievement, self-esteem, personal finance and stewardship. Hottenstein holds certificates in coaching and training. During her early career in journalism, she worked in radio, television and print for which she earned numerous awards at the state and national level. This background, along with her subsequent work in public relations, has been a valuable asset to clients who are facing challenges with external communications.

Professional contact info:

[email protected]

Website: www.PublicSpeakingForTheProfessional.com

LinkedIn: Erin Hottenstein

Facebook: PublicSpeakingForTheProfessional

Twitter: ColoradoPSP

Volunteer contact info:

[email protected]

www.colorado5050.org

Twitter: @colorado50_50

Facebook: Colorado5050

Instagram: Colorado50_50

Lisbeth McKinley, M.A., CPO® - BIO

Lisbeth “Lis” McKinley, is a certified professional organizer, move manager and owner of LET’S MAKE ROOM, LLC based in Oakland, California.

Lis along with her team at LET’S MAKE ROOM, serves busy homeowners to achieve their compelling vision of organization, with care and compassion, before or after moving, remodeling or simply to refresh their living, work and storage areas. LET’S MAKE ROOM is in its 10th year of operation.

As a move manager and productivity expert and speaker, Lis also advises international audiences on moving, downsizing, as well as how to manage their time, tasks, and paper so they can enjoy life and get more done.

Karen is the CEO/co-founder of Montanya Distillers and Zoetica. When Karen started Montanya in 2008, she was the only female in a male-dominated industry in the US. This impacted her ability to gain respect, buy materials, sell her products, be safe from sexual harassment, and be taken seriously in her work. It also impacted the willingness of banks to lend her money, the willingness of investors to get involved, and venture capital firms to say yes (in 2018, female founders received 2% of venture capital in America and 4% of bank financing).

Karen watched male colleagues with smaller and less successful companies access resources regularly denied to her. Yet she persisted, stayed focused, and refused to let circumstances deny her success. Now, after more than a decade in business, her companies produce double-digit growth annually, and she is one of the larger private-sector employers in her community. She is known for training and mentoring women nationally, and she is the founder of The Women’s Distillery Guild, which is now part of Women of the Vine and Spirits (WOTVS). Karen leads the Women in Distilling group at WOTVS.

Lisa is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers Business School. She teaches undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA students the fundamentals of corporate finance, with a focus on applying these concepts to decisions typically encountered in corporations and investment banking. She earned the Dean’s Meritorious Teaching Award in 2018. In addition, she provides career coaching and serves as faculty advisor for Women in Business and the Finance Alumni Network. In April 2019, Lisa launched the Rutgers Business School Women’s Initiative to create a thought leadership loop between industry and academia, with the mission of removing barriers and empowering women with confidence and expertise to succeed in a continuously evolving workforce.

Lisa began her career as an investment banker at Alex. Brown & Sons in the mid-1990s, covering financial institutions, and later moved to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she focused on retail and consumer products companies. She then transitioned to the company side, where she served as the Treasurer of Bed Bath & Beyond for 8 years, and subsequently, as CFO of various private equity-backed start-ups.

Lisa later created Kaplowitz Advisory Group, LLC to support executives, at all stages of growth, with using finance to help direct corporate strategy and decision making. Specifically, she helps companies with the tactics of strategic planning, including execution, implementation, alignment, prioritization of initiatives and measurement of effectiveness. In addition, Lisa provides executive management assistance in all functional areas, including operations, finance, legal and supply chain management.

Lisa also serves on the Board and is Treasurer of PowerPlay NYC, a non-profit that uses sports to advance the lives of underserved girls, helping them growth emotionally, socially and academically stronger.

Lisa earned a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. While at Brown, she was captain of the Women’s Gymnastics team, 4-year MVP, 4-year All-Ivy, 3-year Academic All-Ivy, 2-year all-ECAC and was inducted in the Brown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Lisa is a tireless advocate of women’s athletics and, in 2018, founded Brown Athletics W.O.M.E.N. (Women’s Opportunity, Mentorship & Empowerment Network).

Lisa resides in New Jersey with her husband and 2 sons, and enjoys traveling, skiing and anything active.

Leeatt is the Founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose, a specialty gifting company with a social mission. Founded in

2016, Packed with Purpose was born out of Leeatt’s desire to create a social impact and her appreciation for the

importance of gifting in fostering meaningful relationships. She is thrilled to be building a business that creates deep

societal impact through the everyday act of gift giving.

Prior to founding Packed with Purpose, Leeatt served as the VP of Advisory Services for Mission Measurement where

she developed innovative social strategies for Fortune 500 companies to generate social impact and business results.

Prior, she was a Director of Marketing Strategy and Insights at Rosetta, a digital agency within Publicis Groupe.

Leeatt served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay from 2002-2004, witnessing first hand the profound positive

impact that economic development can have on the lives of individuals living in underdeveloped communities. Following

her experiences in the Peace Corps, she went on to earn her MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and a Masters

in International Studies from The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, in 2010.

Leeatt is a board member of the Anti-Defamation League in Chicago, an advisory board member of Bright Endeavors, a

mentor for Wesleyan University’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and is an alumni of the Schusterman

Foundation Fellowship.

Education:

Wesleyan University: B.A, Psychology

The Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania: M.B.A., Marketing, Strategic Management

The Lauder School at The University of Pennsylvania: M.A., International Studies

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeatt-rothschild-b470a01/

JoAnn Holmes ("Jo") serves as Outside General Counsel, providing comprehensive legal

solutions and executive level guidance to innovative midsize companies. She helps intimate

management teams protect and monetize intellectual property, leverage legal positioning

for enhanced profitability, and navigate risks to accomplish business objectives.

With over 20 years of experience serving global organizations, Jo is a pragmatic and trusted

advisor. As an external member of clients’ leadership, she focuses on business and legal

strategy, commercial contracts, and building licensing programs for recurring revenue.

Over her career, Jo has successfully negotiated with multiple Fortune 100 companies, and

managed IP portfolios spanning 150+ countries that generate over $2 billion in annual

revenue.

Stephanie Corey, Co-founder & , General Partner, UpLevel Ops, LLC and Co-founder, CLOC

A veteran in the Legal Operations field, Stephanie Corey began her career at Hewlett Packard Company as Chief of Staff and head of Legal Operations. Stephanie has held similar positions at VMWare and Flex International. She is the co-founder of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), a leading Legal Operations association, and co-founder and General Partner of UpLevel Ops, LLC, a legal strategy and operations consulting firm.  Stephanie holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from Lehigh University, and is a serial entrepreneur in her spare time.

Khalilah Lyons is a results-driven career strategist devoted to moving the work of underrepresented and untapped talent forward and making substantial contributions to the global community.

Her HR experience ranges from Fortune 500 corporations and manufacturers to digital start-ups. She has successfully developed and executed initiatives around diversity & inclusion, strategic planning and workforce management, affording workable solutions that resonate throughout the organization. Her expertise is rooted in pinpointing and unveiling a person’s creative potential. Khalilah creates cultures of belonging, encouraging colleagues to be their best selves. Her approachable and practical workstyle facilitates meaningful connection with colleagues across levels and industries.

As the head of Diversity & Inclusion at Conagra Brands, Khalilah Lyons is building a culture that values, inspires and connects all employees. She believes the foundation of a great corporation begins with a culture of authentic, bold, connected individuals. She empowers and inspires people to do their best work. Khalilah understands the importance of leveraging all the experience individuals bring to the table; experience based on race, disability, gender identity, ways of working, communication style, parental status and other factors impacting an individual’s unique journey.

Combining 20 years in education, counseling and non-profit management, Renee Branson's passion and purpose is helping individuals, teams, and organizations cultivate resilience. After years of working with survivors of trauma and the caregivers who help heal them, she became enthralled with what it is that allowed people to not only survive, but thrive through their greatest crisis. The answer is resilience. The more valuable lesson is that resilience can be taught, strengthened, and cultivated.

As a Certified Resilience Coach (CReC), Renee provides clients with immediately usable tools to increase resilience, well-being, and optimism in the workplace. She works with lawyers, legal marketers, business professionals, non-profit leaders, and others to help them understand and incorporate resilience in their own professional lives and in the teams they lead."