Girls Who Do Stuff

I am a marketing-led business coach. I work with creative entrepreneurs all over the place who are past that initial launch phase and that want to grow their business to new heights and marketing is my lens. I also have a podcast that is Through the Marketing Lens. Where she talks all about all things marketing. 

Basically, the reason she does what she does is that she had small businesses herself. She grew them, She was scrappy about it, and I really fell in love with marketing because it was a way to actually move her businesses forward. And that is that's where it all comes from.

We talk about Katrina's scrappiness and how she started multiple businesses. Her journey was messy but really fun. It was in this phase of growth that she fell in love with marketing.

"I think that marketing feels really hard. To a lot of people. There are so many different facets to marketing, so we tend to find someone else that's doing what we want to do, and then just copy them. And that's not always going to feel in alignment with who you are as a person." -Katrina Aronson

We talk about the importance of authenticity and vulnerability and how that should apply to your marketing. Instead of copying someone else or looking for the "best" ways to market from others in your industry or other's who are doing well, it would be wise to start with what is in alignment for you.

This led to a conversation about how companies are showing up in today's cultural climate with issues like black lives matter, backing the blue, me too, etc. 

"I think every brand. Should and can stand up for the things that they believe in. Where I think a big mistake happens is that we identify as our brands, and sometimes we're not." - Katrina

We talk about the role of politics in the marketing of businesses. 

Anna was diagnosed with breast cancer at 27 years old. No family history, it came out of the blue. She was a newlywed and wanting to start a family. She was in the best shape of her life, eating vegan, etc. She had always been interested in fashion and beauty and went to Pinterest and social media to find out what to do with her cancer diagnosis. And she discovered that cancer was her niche. Cancer is part of her journey and wants women like her to be confident and beautiful as they go through adversity in life.

"Cancer may have taken my breasts and my hair but I kept my lipstick and heels. Facing breast cancer in my 20s led me to confront my insecurities and find new ways to thrive with self-confidence and style. I started My Cancer Chic to share my own journey and provide support & inspiration to all women hoping to thrive through and beyond the adversity they face."

We talk about the "everything happens for a reason" philosophy. 

Anna describes how cancer gave her brazen confidence that she never had in her entire life. She was bald, not looking like herself, and she thought she would have the lowest amount of confidence she had ever had, but it was like she was given permission to say, "I'm a bad-a$$, I'm going to put on my wig and some lipstick and heels and walk into that chemo facility and show those doctor's who's boss.

Part of her experience was like stripping her identity of cultural norms for women especially to feel pretty and sometimes fake. Cancer takes that away and puts you in a vulnerable position and doesn't give you a choice. For her writing about her story was her way to control what that message was.

Anna shares her appreciation for a lesson learned from Brene Brown about vulnerability. It's not just about being vulnerable because you should, it actually positively impacts your life because it deepens your relationships.

She shares her and her husbands' love story about how they met, fell in love and built a foundation for a happy marriage. Anna also opened up about her experience with sex during and after cancer and the help and support she found along the way to rediscover her body. 

Phyllis and David are back! We learn about Phyllis's difficult homecoming after her first baby. At the time, breastfeeding was discouraged. David and her Mother were fighting, and she was dealing with postpartum depression. We compare and contrast our birth stories.

Healthcare was different in 1964. Phyllis went to the hospital complaining of pain. The doctor said she was being a complainer and sent her home to take Aspirin until the pain went away. Even though the doctors found a mass during her pelvic exam. After the Aspirin didn't work, they went back and found a cyst the size of a grapefruit.  Then they had to do emergency surgery. 

The doctors brought the cyst to her after the surgery, and it had hair and teeth and bones. Either she had a twin, or she herself had a twin! 

They loved being parents in their 20s. It was like the Cleavers. The husbands went out to work in the morning, and the women put the babies in the strollers and walked around complaining about their husbands, and it was a wonderful season.

David was working for his dad and helping him run his business. Phyllis had an aversion to changing diapers and would leave the soiled diapers in a bucket for David to clean after work every day.

Davis shares a story about getting a bad case of jiggers (ticks) that seemed to focus on his scrotum. Phyllis used Absorbine Jr (think Ben-Gay) to try to help. He had passed out from the pain, and when the BenGay kicked in, he woke up and jumped up and shouted, "What the h*#@ are you doing?"

When asked how they navigated the tough times in their marriage, David simply answered, "I grew up."

David's professional relationship with his brother was challenging. They eventually parted ways in the family business.

They share the story of Jenny being adopted. 

As a young child, Jenny's father, David and his family fled their home near Paris to escape the Nazi invasion. They almost didn't make it and share a harrowing story of the escape.

His father left a successful business and his wife was pregnant with twins when the decision was made. They walked to the border and waited a few weeks at Spain's border. They booked passage on the freighter after bribing the ship captain after crossing the Pyrenees mountains. 

They were the only ones in their family's lineage to make it out.

He discusses growing up as a Jewish child in the 40s and 50s and the antisemitism that existed in our country at that time. His father had no funds when they arrived but he did have some jewelry that he had sewn into the lining of his jacket. He went to night school to learn English and get his citizenship. He then would buy distressed businesses and bring them back to health. He was an innovator.

We hear their love story that started as high school sweethearts and the story of their humorous and interesting wedding.

They worked hard to provide a different kind of life for their children, they were foster parents and took in unwed teenage mothers through Catholic Charities. There has been a massive ripple effect as a result of their history.

We get the answer to the question about whether or not Jenny's dad knew their daughter was drunk and he chose to ignore it or he knew and let it go.

Born and raised in Apex, Jacque has seen the evolution from 3,000 to now over 67,000. Jacque served as Police Captain and spend 29 years and felt like this time in public service was not done. He wants to see communication between the citizens and the town government and take steps to reform and become a model for the rest of the nation.

Apex is a small town but has a great skate park that Jacque played a pivotal role. There was a growing rift between skateboarders and the police department and Mayor Gilbert shares his story of meeting and discussing with local teens and helping them to reach their needs.

It started with a noise complaint to a young man doing kickflips in his driveway and he had to tell the young man that he could not skate in his own driveway. After that interaction, it didn't sit well with him, after driving two blocks away he went back to ask if he could "work with him" on a solution. 

They agreed to meet at Chick-fil-a. It started as a conversation. Mayor Gilbert learned that he was abusing his power as a police officer instead of working with our neighbors to get them to treat us the way we want to be treated. 

We have a timely conversation about the importance of "answering the call" and doing the right thing in the situations we find ourselves with the ability to act.  

We talk about Mayor Gilbert's decision to allow a Black Lives Matter peaceful protest in their town. He knew it would be controversial. He met with the group and said they represent many people in their community who want their voices heard. They decided to add a march (unity walk) to the event and it set the tone for a powerful display of unity.

In 1991, Jacques's first protest in Apex was with the police department provided protection for a Klan event. It was a powerful distinction between the two protests for Mayor Gilbert.