By Lofti
The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.
Founder of Deskpass, Chief Operating Officer at Miami Refresh, and serial entrepreneur Nicole Vasquez (@nicolereneev) builds communities and then connects them to resources that help them reach their goals. Her drive has empowered emerging communities to thrive around the world.
Fusing a decade of entrepreneurial success with an innate ability to synthesize information and create systems, Nicole co-founded Deskpass, a hybrid work technology company connecting remote workers to a global community of on-demand workspaces where she is now an advisor. In addition to utilizing a human-first approach to scaling business operations, Nicole is an expert community builder and author, having sold two coworking spaces with online communities and published an eBook titled How to Plan and Launch an Online Community. A go-to voice with the media, you will find her insights in Barron's Penta, Cheddar News, and Thrillist.
In our conversation, she shares a thoughtful perspective on finding efficiency, sustainability, and optimization within workstyle and the workplace, no matter the size. To her, self-care is just as much about setting the necessary boundaries to take the space needed as it is to participate in the activity.
Learn about Nicole's work at https://www.deskpass.com and https://refreshmiami.com
International speaker, bestselling author, and elite performance coach Alaina Schwartz (@Alaina.Schwartz) empowers high-achieving, heart-centered entrepreneurs and leaders to grow their businesses while working less than 40 hours a week. Alaina's method utilizes the science of the brain combined with practical guidance on the mind-body connection. Listen to learn how to create inward stability, move past limiting beliefs, and transform.
After nearly two decades as a lawyer in the music industry, Alaina made a transformative change in her personal and professional life. The 80-hour work weeks devastated her health and marriage. Her incredible successes included joining an AM100 law firm, founding a multiple six-figure law practice, and serving as the executive vice president of the largest independent music company—generating millions of dollars in revenue for her clients—no longer served her.
A witness to how other female high-achievers also hustled to succeed, only to develop burnout, stress, and exhaustion led her to mentoring and coaching. Using her studies in peak performance, quantum physics, neuroscience, psychology, communication, and metaphysics Alaina's clients transform their energy and move to new states of being.
Check out Alaina's website: https://www.alainaschwartz.com/
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Malaika Martin (@malaikacreates) is an intuitive creative, soul care cultivator, and founder of two Chicago-based enterprises. An artist and maker at heart, her career in design and event industries combined with her intuitive gifts have enabled countless creatives to excel in what they do best.
For nearly two decades she has assisted creative leaders and entrepreneurs in finding a balance while capitalizing on the logistics and structure needed to be successful. To Malaika, self-care means showing up every day fully productive, authentically, and with a sense of connection to spirit. She believes in the power of recognizing and releasing negative behaviors while finding empowerment through systems that enable her colleagues and clients to step into the dynamic business owners they've always been.
Connect with Malaika on IG: @MalaikaCreates
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Top-rated Owner/Agent Jenny Tola was propelled by a passion to increase education about life insurance and financial planning in the Latino community. In 2003, she became one of the first Spanish-speaking female insurance agents in Chicago.
For over 20 years, Jenny has led a thriving business as part of State Farm, where she and her team have supported hundreds of families to secure what is most important to them. When it comes to striking a balance between hard work and family, Jenny's practice of daily gratitude and intentional time management are the secrets that have enabled her and her daughter to thrive. A single mom, Jenny, and her daughter have traveled together to major cities all over the world. Listen to learn how her routine setting practices have provided a source of stability, space, and balance.
Check out Jenny's Website: https://www.jennytola.com
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Michelle Thames (@michellelthames) is a top-rated social media expert and influencer, strategist, speaker, podcast host, and serial entrepreneur who makes every move intentionally.
From working with one of the fastest-growing beauty brands to creating and implementing social media strategies that garnered sales in the millions, she is also the founder of Thames Media Solutions LLC, a full-service social media agency, and the content creator behind @Naturalista86 and happilyevernatural.com, a platform that inspires women to be confident, courageous, and unique in every way.
In our conversation we get clear on the power of setting boundaries, how to use meditation to achieve goals, and what it means to return to what is most important. Learn how she navigates motherhood and her multiple entrepreneurial hats with a sense of purpose and focus.
Check out Michelle's website and Instagram for Tips and Tricks: https://thamesmediasolutions.com/; https://www.instagram.com/michellelthames/
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Top-selling Author, podcast host, app creator, and well-being consultant Taylor Elyse Morrison knows self-care from the inside out. Founder of @innerworkout she is an innovator in making well-being easier for everyone.
After a battle with corporate burn-out, this certified yoga and group fitness instructor took her side hustle to a full-time calling and has built a thriving business along the way. Inner Workout is more than a method; it is a beloved book and has inspired a podcast and self-care app. An international speaker, Taylor has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global for her expertise in self-care. Recently named one of Fortune's 10 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health, she builds experiences that make well-being and personal development more accessible.
Learn more at https://www.innerworkout.co
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
TEDx speaker and serial entrepreneur, Debra Giunta, is a fierce advocate for the power of emotional intelligence in youth education. Founder of @prismatic_movement and The Brainchild Collective, she is creating the next generation of conscious leaders through her programming.
She has spent her career as an advocate for the arts and leader of education companies that specialize in social-emotional development. Her programs reach 6,000+ students per year through partnerships with schools and community spaces throughout Chicago and beyond with pop-up programs in Austin, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. In 2019, she partnered with the US Embassy in Sarajevo to bring entrepreneurship education to young people throughout the Balkan region. Debra is a winner of the GoodCity Chicago Women’s Innovation Award, a founding board member of the Illinois Dance Education Organization, an active participant in the Chicago female entrepreneurship community, and was named Crain’s Chicago 2020 Notable Entrepreneur.
Learn about Debra's mission, and how she builds healthy workplaces and spaces for development and stays grounded to avoid burnout. Find information on her programming: brainchildcollective.co/
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Dr. Houda Abadi is a public scholar and peace-building practitioner who is creating waves of profound impact. As the Founder and Executive Director of Transformative Peace, she has found her calling in providing communities with the tools to affect change. Cultivating the space for her own inner peace is an essential part of her success.
After a 15-year career in non-profit management, peace-building programming, academia, and policy, Houda wanted to push the boundaries of her work in new ways. Her commitment to conflict resolution, preventing violent extremism of all forms, and building inclusive peace processes has taken her all over the world. Transformative Peace is a mission-based consultancy that specializes in inclusive peace processes, women, peace and security, and human rights-based approaches to preventing all forms of violence.
Learn More about Dr. Houda's work: https://www.transformativepeace.com
Lead with Peace!
Check out Houda's website: https://www.transformativepeace.com
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Four-time Emmy Award-winning producer Emerald-Jane Hunter, or EJ, understands what it means to live your why. As Ringleader of myWHY Agency, a black-owned, women-led integrated marketing communications company, she helps purpose-driven brands, businesses, and game-changing leaders tell impactful stories with a specialized focus on the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Listen to her thoughts on creating boundaries, using sound frequency for self-care, and what it means to find deep joy.
Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, EJ emigrated to the US in 1999. After developing a fearless business mentality, she now lives out her passions every day through her vision at myWHY. A certified WBENC and SBA company, myWHY amplifies brand voices in a way that’s aware, authentic, and accountable to generate long-term value that makes a difference. EJ was named 2022 PRNEWS Top Women in PR (Innovator Category), she is also a graduate and cohort ambassador of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Learn more at https://www.mywhyagency.com.
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
Dr. Christine Izuakor, is the youngest African-American female to receive a Ph.D. in Security Engineering, and a master in the art of start-up acceleration. Inspired to combat the shortage of diverse perspectives in the technology industry, her company Cyber Pop-up, funded by Google, is creating the next generation of experts. Throughout her many successes, Christine continues to prioritize practicing self-awareness in order to stay grounded.
She has more than a decade of experience leading cybersecurity functions with Fortune 100s and has managed everything from global security strategy and awareness impacting 90,000 employees in over 300 locations, to owning vulnerability management of thousands of enterprise assets. Her rapid growth within the tech industry landed her spots on Chicago Business Crain’s Tech 50 List as well as the Crain’s 20 in Their 20s list. Christine has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar News, and more. Cyber-pop is Google-funded and has received multiple $100k funding awards including first place in TechRise Chicago where Christine is now a judge.
Check out Christine's website: https://www.christineizuakor.com/
Inspired to take your self-care to the next level? Check out our host's meditations, sound baths, and more at patreon.com/kariannemichelle.
The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.