Girls Who Run the World

Renee is the founder and CEO of Amazi - a socially driven, tropical fruit snack company, on a mission to help you Snack on Purpose with our 100% made-in-Uganda products.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Her early career journey + the inspiration for founding Amazi
• The importance of seeing women-owned businesses thrive
• What being a social enterprise means to Renee, and how Amazi does social enterprise differently
• Why transparency is on the minds of consumers more than ever, and how Amazi ensures they are providing this to their customers

For more info: amazifoods.com

Follow Amazi on IG!

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Jenny Kassan is an attorney, investor, and capital-raising coach who teaches mission-driven entrepreneurs how to fundraise without selling their soul. Jenny believes entrepreneurs are heroes, and wants to help as many as possible turn their world-changing visions into reality. With over 25 years of experience in securities law, and a passion to shift investment dollars from Wall Street to Main Street, she has helped her clients raise millions of dollars from values-aligned investors. She is the author of Raise Capital on Your Own Terms: How to Fund Your Business without Selling Your Soul (Berrett-Koehler, October 2017).

In this episode you’ll learn:

• what led Jenny into her current roles as a Securities Lawyer & Capital Raising Coach
• why venture capital model isn’t a fit for everyone
• how to fund your business without selling your soul
• how anyone can use their investment dollars to build a more equitable, just, and sustainable economy

For more info: https://www.jennykassan.com/ 

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Connect with us on IG: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

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For episode 30 we are joined by Mikaela Kiner - an experienced HR / People Operations professional, executive coach, and founder/CEO of Reverb. In 2015, Mikaela started Reverb by creating a healthy, inclusive culture in startups and growing companies in the Pacific Northwest. A People Operations professional for nearly twenty years, Mikaela enjoys coaching leaders at all levels and promoting gender equality at work. She's been quoted in Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal and The Muse, and is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council and Puget Sound Business Journal Leadership Trust. A native Seattleite who grew up on Capitol Hill, Mikaela is married to Henry, a musician, artist, and teacher. Their two children, Simon and Sidonie, are good at challenging the status quo and are a constant source of learning and laughter.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Mikaela’s early career journey at top companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks led her to ultimately founding Reverb People
• The ever-changing workplace climate, and how Covid & working from home has shifted priorities for people
• How companies can ensure they are retaining top talent, and why she hasn’t shied away from hiring part-time employees 
• The ways in which companies can support parents, and why that’s important
• Why being able to identify the injustices women still face in the workplace is imperative to being able to make any significant changes

For more info: https://reverbpeople.com/ 

Connect with Mikaela on IG: @mikaela_firebrand

Connect with Reverb on IG:  @reverb_people

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For more info on Our Gorongosa: ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on IG: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

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Olayinka Credle (she/her/they) is an award-winning, Social Impact Entrepreneur & Wealth Equity Strategist who works with Economic Justice Organizations and Social Impact Businesses to advance Wealth Equity. Olayinka started her decade-long career working in the United States Congress before she co-founded her first social impact company, Melanin Essentials. She went on to create national social good movements for Dismantle Collective, WeTheChange BCorp Women CEOs, and Common Future, where wealth, capital, housing, are shifted to BIPOC Communities. Today, Olayinka develops strategies all across the U.S. & Canada grounded in shifting capital and agency that is rooted— Empathy & Action.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How seeing her father hustle as an entrepreneur instilled that entrepreneurial spirit in Olayinka
• What social entrepreneurship means, and why it’s so important to support these business models
• How closing the racial wealth gap impacts us all, and how we all have a role to play in working towards closing that gap
• The biggest challenges and rewards that come along with building a B Corp business

Connect with Olayinka: olayinkacredle.com  

Follow on IG: @olayinkacredle 

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

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For episode 28 I'm joined by Jennifer Norman, founder of Humanist Beauty skincare and The Human Beauty Movement.

Humanist Beauty skincare is a company that champions inclusive beauty and wellness for all. Before that, Jennifer spent over 20 years as a marketing executive in the beauty industry. Jennifer is the single mom of a boy who has a severe chronic illness. As such, she is passionate about encouraging people of all ages to be their most exceptional, regardless of ability, race, religion, or gender. Jennifer is the author and publisher of the award-winning children's picture book series, The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, which promotes early-age friendship, kindness, and understanding of individuals presenting physical or neurological differences.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The ways in which her son has been her biggest teacher in life
• Her experience in early life as an adoptee, and how experimenting with beauty was always something she explored
• How she parlayed her love of beauty into an illustrious career, and why she eventually founded Humanist Beauty
• How Humanist Beauty is creating a community surrounding beauty positivity, inclusivity, and self-love, and what those 3 words really signify to her
• Why she decided to start a children’s book series

Connect with Jennifer: : www.the-hbm.com | www.humanistbeauty.com

Follow on IG:  @thehumanbeautymovement |  @humanistbeauty | @iamjennnorman

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

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For episode 27 I'm joined by Urvashi Agarwal, founder of JP’s Originals.

JP's Originals was born in 2020, with a mission to revolutionise the tea industry. Named after the founder's grandfather, Mr. JP who was a tea grower in Assam, Urvashi struggled to find the same quality of teas in an accessible form in the UK. All of our teas are plastic free and after an unexpected health condition, CBD wellbeing teas were born.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What life was like growing up with first generation immigrants as parents, and how much she learned from her father’s determination and grit
• Her early career journey + what drew her into the world of tea
• What sleep hygiene and why it's so important to your overall health
• The ways in which sustainability is at the forefront of JP’s Originals

Connect with JP’s Originals: www.jpsoriginals.com

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

Use code PODCAST for 15% off your first order

For episode 26, I’m joined by Christy Rogers - a seasoned sales professional who’s helping us continue to support Our Gorongosa’s mission to significantly elevate the standard of living of communities around Gorongosa National Park by dedicating 100% of profits to support sustainable development and conservation initiatives.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Her early life in a typical, quant city in the U.S
• How her love of wine and her competitive nature led her to her first role in sales
• Why working for an impact based company aligns with her values
• Her selling style and core values when  it comes to selling

Use code GIRLS for 20% off your first purchase!

Connect with us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourgorongosa/  

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

Use code PODCAST for 15% off your first order

For episode 25 we are joined by Rachel Kois,  CEO & Founder of SimpleSwitch.org - an online marketplace for ethical and impactful shopping. (Think “like Amazon” except every one of the 3,000+ products has a positive social or environmental impact.) They aim to shift some of the HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS spent online this year to everyday products and gifts that support orphan care, plant trees, combat climate change, and more. Simple Switch exists to bring ease and convenience to ethical and impactful online shopping, and change the world through positive impact purchasing. Rachel believes deeply in the power of entrepreneurship to solve some of our most serious global problems.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• what her early career journey looked like + first entrepreneurial venture selling Harry Potter scarves
• where she came up with the concept for Simple Switch, and how she got started
• why it's important to normalize + destigmatize ethical shopping
• the power of harnessing capitalism for positive impact

Use code GIRLS for 20% off your first purchase!

• Connect with Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/rachelfromsimpleswitch 
• Connect with Simple Switch: https://www.simpleswitch.org/ 

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

Use code PODCAST for 15% off your first order

For episode 24, we’re joined by Lisa Cooper, CEO & Founder of Figure 8 Investments. Lisa Cooper has worked in sustainable and impact investing before people even started using those terms. For over three decades, Lisa has been a trailblazer in the ESG investing space, managing portfolios for high net worth and institutional investors at Smith Barney Asset Management (now Clearbridge Investments) in New York and Trillium Asset Management, based in Boston, before founding Figure 8 in 2016. Figure 8 is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm founded in 2016, with a diverse staff hailing from three continents, speaking six languages, and having earned decades of investment experience. From their headquarters in Boise, Idaho, Figure 8 manages hundreds of millions of dollars for clients across 20+ states. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• what led her into the investment world, and to founding Figure 8 Investments
• the wonderful name origin story behind Figure 8 
• the most common misconceptions people have around investments
• why it’s important for Figure 8 to be woman-led
• her top tips for anyone looking to get started in investing

Connect with Figure 8: https://figure8investing.com/ 

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

Use code PODCAST for 15% off your first order

For episode 23, we are excited to be sharing this inspiring interview featuring Sarah Jordan.

Sarah Jordan is a multi award-winning entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Y.O.U underwear, a sustainable underwear business that was recently certified as the top-scoring B Corp in the UK and highest-scoring fashion brand globally. Sarah’s previous experience includes more than 25 years and senior leadership roles across the not-for-profit, commercial and publishing sectors, as well as successfully running her own strategic digital consultancy business for many years. Sarah was volunteering in Uganda in 2016 when she discovered the challenges faced by women and girls who didn’t have access to underwear. She changed direction completely and set up Y.O.U underwear as a social enterprise trying to change lives one pair of pants at a time.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How her 20+ year career gave her the experience and knowledge to start her entrepreneur journey
• The incredible ways Y.O.U Underwear is giving back to communities with their 2-1 give back ratio
• Why sustainability is the focal point of everything Y.O.U. Underwear stands for, and what they attribute their top-scoring B Corp certification to
• How underwear and period poverty are linked to girls’ education, and what Y.O.U Underwear is doing to combat this issue

Connect with Y.O.U. Underwear: https://www.instagram.com/youunderwearuk/?hl=en 

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For more information on Our Gorongosa, please visit ourgorongosa.com

Connect with us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ourgorongosa

Use code PODCAST for 15% off your first order