In this episode, Stacey Fleece and Samantha Tradelius welcome Laura Shanley, founder and tea sommelier of Modestine Tea House, for a conversation about wellness, mindfulness, and the transformative power of tea rituals.

Laura shares her approach to using tea as a daily practice for slowing down, reconnecting with yourself, and supporting overall well-being. The discussion explores herbal blends designed for relaxation, stress relief, and women's health, including support for perimenopause and hormonal transitions.

Listeners will gain practical insights on selecting quality loose-leaf teas, creating personalized tea ceremonies, and incorporating simple wellness rituals into everyday life.

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This episode is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the smallest rituals can create the greatest sense of balance, calm, and connection.

Organic Wellness Teas for Women | Award-Winning bymodestine

In this episode, Stacey Fleece and Samantha Tradelius welcome Carolyn Flannery, Founder and CEO of Make It Home Bay Area, for a powerful conversation about housing, dignity, and community impact.

Carolyn shares how Make It Home Bay Area helps individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness, aging out of foster care, recovering from disasters, and rebuilding after life's most difficult moments by providing essential home furnishings and support.

The discussion explores the organization's innovative approach, including its warehouse operations, resale shop, workforce development initiatives through the Renew Program, and partnerships that help create lasting change across the Bay Area.

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This inspiring conversation demonstrates how something as simple as a furnished home can create dignity, stability, and hope for individuals and families working toward a brighter future.

In this inspiring episode, Stacey Fleece and Samantha Tradelius sit down with Sandra Riley Grimshaw, host of Marinterviews, to explore the remarkable impact of Marin County’s nonprofit community and the stories that often go untold.

With more than 1,800 nonprofits serving Marin County, Sandra shares how her nonprofit podcast platform shines a spotlight on local organizations, community leaders, volunteers, and changemakers who are making a difference every day.

The conversation dives into Sandra’s journey from local radio broadcaster to founder of Marinterviews and Truce, while discussing key topics including nonprofit fundraising, community collaboration, youth engagement, arts advocacy, volunteerism, philanthropy, and the future of nonprofit storytelling.

Whether you're a nonprofit leader, donor, volunteer, business owner, or someone passionate about community impact, this episode offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing local nonprofits today.

In This Episode:

Learn more about the organizations and stories featured through Marinterviews and discover ways to get involved, volunteer, donate, and support the causes strengthening Marin County.

Marinterviews - Marin Link

In this episode Stacey and Samantha welcome writer and creative strategist Kashara Johnson, founder of Reverb and Root, to discuss the power of storytelling, visibility, and building supportive communities for women especially Black, Indigenous, and femmes of color. Kashara shares how caretaking her grandparents and recording everyday stories inspired an archive that preserves overlooked lives and cultures.

They also cover practical tools Kashara offers, including a free calibration worksheet and the Dream Lab workshop and cohort to help people name their dreams, dismantle barriers, and take action within a networked, compassionate community.

Reverb & Root

This week we speak with Sarah Jakle founder and executive director of DemocrSHE about the persistent representation gap in government and how early civic training can change the trajectory for young women. They explore evidence-based brain science techniques—grounding, savoring, and building an "inner best friend"—that help high school girls overcome barriers and thrive in leadership.

The conversation covers DemocraShe's 10-week online program, paid stipends, alumni support, and real-world successes of students who ran for office and launched civic initiatives, emphasizing how these skills translate to careers and lifelong leadership.

DemocraShe - training future women leaders

This week meet Emily Perez, owner of Al di La Salon in Novato, about her hair‑career journey from growing up in her grandfather’s North Beach beauty shop to working as a rental stylist and ultimately opening her own salon after COVID.

They discuss the long hours and hustle that built her clientele, the permit and red‑tape challenges of opening a small business, and her mission to create an inclusive community space for all hair types.

Emily shares practical advice and encouragement for women ready to take the leap into business ownership.

Thinking about it... JUST do it is the theme of this episode. 

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Home - Al Di La Salon Novato

Meet our new bestie Elizabeth Shiels and trace her path from award-winning event planner to co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, a software platform built to simplify contracts, invoicing, and payments for the wedding and events industry.

Elizabeth explains how the product was born from real client pain—slow invoices, missing signatures, and clunky tools—and shares results like 84% of invoices paid before due, 64% of contracts signed within 24 hours, and faster contract completion times. She also discusses learning engineering, fundraising, and the bias female founders face in tech.

The episode covers scaling challenges and regulatory work as the company expands (including a launch in Canada), the team’s plan to broaden into the creative “experience” economy and how keeping a planning arm helps them test real-world features.

Rock Paper Coin - Power Your Event Business

This week meet Ashley Hurd, Executive Director of Marin Foster Care, about the challenges and wins in foster care. Ashley shares her personal journey into foster care, Marin Foster Care’s growth and innovative housing solutions that keep youth in-county, and the organization’s resource centers and community impact. They also discuss the emotional realities for foster families and how listeners can get involved.

Marin Foster Care | Marin Foster Care Association | San Rafael

This week we sit down with Patsy James, founder of Patsy James Gentle Transformation, to explore her personal journey from extreme weight to lasting health and self-love.

Patsy discusses her experience with surgery, mindset shifts, national board certification in health and wellness coaching, and conscious ketamine coaching, as well as escaping a strict cult upbringing and reclaiming her voice.

The conversation highlights practical tools for sustainable change, releasing shame, and finding hope and resilience after leaving a CULT!

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 S+ S interview Angeline Constantinou, founder of Let’s Break the Silence, about her journey from domestic abuse to empowerment. Angeline shares how she reclaimed her life, launched a podcast that reached millions, and built a signature program helping survivors heal.

The episode covers practical tools—therapy, journaling, mentorship, financial planning—and global statistics on intimate partner violence, highlighting the need for awareness, support, and community action.

Listeners will hear inspiring stories of recovery, learn resources for survivors, and be encouraged to speak out and support those affected.

Let's Break the Silence Home