Opportunity Knocks by EmpowHer Purpose

It's Thursday and wow, are you in for a treat! This week I am chatting with Lauren Parrish Walker, the Founder of ParrishLA & Chief Product Officer of Rachel Zoe, Inc. My conversation with my Libra sister was so raw and I think you're all going to love learning from someone who has worked in some of the most sought-after fashion jobs in the country, including founding her very own brand (more than once)!

With names like James Perse, Ella Moss, Yaya, Brochu Walker, ParrishLA, and Rachel Zoe, Inc. under her belt, Lauren is quickly becoming an icon in the fashion industry and it's easy to see why. She possesses many special gifts including the vision of the greats combined with the toughness of a New Yorker and a loving, vulnerable leadership style you don't see very often. 

During our conversation Lauren opened up about:

🤍 living from a place of love
🤍 working part-time vs full-time all while being a great parent
🤍 how family shapes everything she does
🤍 vulnerable leadership and the lack of good leadership training out there
🤍 taming her ego
🤍 the impact of her mom and breast cancer awareness
🤍 coping with and bonding over loss
🤍 and how laser-focus has enabled her to create successful brand after successful brand after successful brand!!!

A big thank you again to Lauren for showing up as her true, vulnerable self and always spreading the love. The essence of you is truly gorgeous. Don't miss this episode. It will change the way you look at the world, your life, and entrepreneurship.

Enjoy and happy Thursday (and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any of my amazing guests)!

You know what day it is! 🌈☀️⭐🌙 It's time for our newest episode of Opportunity Knocks and my guest has me feeling blissful and inspired. Aarona Leá is a former yoga teacher and wellness guide of 16 years turned full-time business owner and CEO, writer, facilitator, speaker, and forever seeker. She is the author + co-creator of @the_moondeck, an intuitive oracle deck that has reached tens of thousands globally, as they continue to expand with more products + online trainings. Aarona also facilitates empowering workshops and trainings, leads retreats worldwide, occasionally offers private and group mentorship or coaching, and runs The Moon Deck business full time.

Aarona + The Moon Deck has been profiled in Goop, MindBodyGreen, Hello Giggles, Gaia, Elite Daily, Medium, Thrive Global, Well+Good, Traveler UK, 24Life, The Wellnest, Mantra Magazine, Voyage LA, Free People/BLDG 25, Yoga Journal, Times of India, and others over the years, including several notable podcasts (which now includes the Opportunity Knocks podcast 🙂).

As I said, our conversation left me feeling blissful and inspired as we dug into:

🌙 her career path and how she co-founded The Moon Deck
🌙 the difference between oracle cards and tarot cards
🌙 how to use The Moon Deck
🌙 what entrepreneurial ventures are ahead for her and her company
🌙 her creative process
🌙 crowdfunding and raising capital
🌙 structure and rituals

I can say this episode was really a treat and I hope you love listening. I feel so blessed to have been in this space with Aarona for this episode of Opportunity Knocks and I look forward to continually nurturing this new friendship.

Go check out The Moon Deck & her other products, Aarona's recorded ritual classes, her monthly moon circles, and her world-renowned trainings!

✨And exclusively for listeners of the Opportunity Knocks podcast, use code empowhermoon for a special discount at themoondeck.com 🌟

Get your tissues out. Episode 62 of the Opportunity Knocks podcast will definitely touch your heart in a powerful way. 💝 This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Erica Fisher & Melanie Neumann, the Co-founders of PRESENT NOW.

PRESENT NOW was founded by Melanie and Erica in 2013 and is solely focused on addressing the needs of children who are affected by parental abuse. Their Presents Program was created to respond to the growing demand from shelters to provide their resilient children with additional resources that can aid in their emotional recovery and wellbeing. From storing gifts in their garages and having their own children volunteer, Melanie and Erica grew the organization into what it is today - a powerhouse charity organization that has delivered 11,093 presents, impacting 7,030 children and families in 62 shelter locations across the United States.

During our conversation we talked about:

🔹 how Melanie and Erica literally used Google to start PRESENT NOW
🔹 how they decided that children experiencing domestic violence would be their cause
🔹 how not being afraid to ask questions has enabled them to succeed
🔹 how they've raised money and developed corporate partnerships
🔹 how staying true to their mission led to the growth they've experienced

This episode is for you if you want to learn more about what goes into starting a philanthropic venture, but more importantly, if you'd like to learn about ways you can get involved in PRESENT NOW's mission of helping children affected by parental abuse. 92% of the kids involved are showing measurable increases in confidence in school and prior to their involvement, many had never received a gift before in their life. 💔 But PRESENT NOW is changing that and changing lives in such a positive way.

Want to get involved and support PRESENT NOW? On April 22nd they will be holding their 2nd annual Give Love & Be Loved Benefit. All proceeds will go directly towards PRESENT NOW’s mission of providing children in domestic violence shelters with experiences and gifts that bring them joy, comfort, and relief during a time of crisis.

Get your tickets at presentnow.com

And don't forget that they are always looking for adult and child volunteers to help out. So check out presentnow.com to learn more about how you and your kids can give the gift of time and get involved as a volunteer!

Happy Thursday! I'm back with an amazing and uplifting episode of Opportunity Knocks that will have you smiling from ear to ear, just like my guest, Susy Markoe Schieffelin. Susy is the founder of The Copper Vessel and The Sound Healers Academy, and our chat was both eye and mind-opening!

Susy is a Los Angeles-based sound healer, reiki master, and spiritual teacher who has led sound baths viewed or attended by millions of people all over the world. She's brought healing to employees at companies such as Google, Pandora, and Nordstrom and has been featured in publications such as WSJ, VOGUE, and Los Angeles Times. And she's known for her light-filled presence and ability to guide people towards radiant and empowered lives characterized by self-love, serenity, abundance, and joy.

The Copper Vessel focuses on deeply restorative crystal alchemy sound bath meditations, monthly moon ceremonies, and transformational group healing programs, in addition to other practices that aim to heal and create positive change.

The Sound Healer's Academy is an innovative Crystal Alchemy Sound Healing and Spiritual Business Mentorship training.

And on top of all this, Susy also leads a 7-week program for radical transformation called The Vessel, she's a self-love advocate for brands, and she's even created custom product lines.

During this episode, we'll definitely dive deep into the power of sound healing because it's so much more than most people realize. And we'll also touch on topics like:
🧘‍♀️ following the path of least resistance
🧘‍♀️ the good and bad of social media
🧘‍♀️ overcoming addiction and anxiety
🧘‍♀️ finding the unique alchemy for yourself
🧘‍♀️ "enoughness"
🧘‍♀️ and even living with alopecia

This is an episode you can't afford to miss. It will get you thinking and re-evaluating life in such a positive way.

Susy, you were a delight, you're such a beautiful soul, and I can't thank you enough for the time we spent together. 

Don't forget to subscribe everyone!

From essentially homeless at 16 to unbelievably successful entrepreneur, Wendy Diamond's story will leave you with your jaw on the floor but ready to take on the world!

My next guest on the Opportunity Knocks podcast founded:

🐈 Animal Fair Media, the premiere pet lifestyle media platform bridging celebrity and pop culture to support animal rescue/welfare,
👩‍💼 LDP Ventures which invests in social impact disruptive technologies and funds making a positive imprint on this world,
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏽 Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO), a non-governmental volunteer organization and global initiative celebrated in 144 countries, and universities/ colleges worldwide with the mission to economically empower WOMEN in business to alleviate poverty,

and has her hands in a variety of other world-changing projects. 

She's been honored by
🔹 Global Connections for Women as a Global Champion For Women at the Library of Congress in Washington DC
🔹 The United Nations presented her with the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award in recognition of her lifetime achievements
🔹 Oh, and she's also represented the United States as an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI)...

And she's nowhere near stopping! 💪

Known as a champion of women and animal rescue/welfare, Wendy has a heart of gold and uses all of her talents to actually make the world a better place.

During our chat, we dig into her amazing story...
🔹 her rise from sending out 300 resumes and getting no responses to world-renowned entrepreneur
🔹 her introduction to and work with cryptocurrency
🔹 why teaching is often better than giving (the nuance is important!)
🔹 how she lost a ton when she started investing but used the experience to turn it into her expertise
🔹 why she preaches positivity and finding your purpose

Wendy has her hand in so many ventures that are changing the world for the better and it feels like she's just beginning despite everything she's already accomplished. This is an episode of Opportunity Knocks you don't want to miss.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss one of our inspiring guests.

The Opportunity Knocks podcast is going international again! This time we're headed to Europe to speak with Kate Shapland, the Founder and Creative Director of Legology.

Kate’s been well known in the beauty industry since the 90s when she started her beauty writing career at Harpers Bazaar (then Harpers & Queen), where she worked for fashion and beauty luminaries Hamish Bowles and Leslie Kenton. She subsequently worked for Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, and national newspapers including the Daily Mail, the Sunday Telegraph, and the Daily Express as a columnist. She has been awarded Best UK Beauty Journalist and National Newspaper Beauty Journalist four times, and received an Achiever’s Award from Cosmetic Executive Women in 2010 for her contribution to the beauty industry as a journalist and entrepreneur. Needless to say, she's known as an expert in the most prestigious beauty circles of Europe. And that enabled her to spot a whole in the industry - 🦵LEGS🦵 So Kate developed Legology, the world’s only dedicated leg care brand. 

Legology delivers leg care that makes a real difference to common leg issues and provides a true feel-good experience for the wearer. With an emphasis on lifestyle and the lymph, Legology enhances the body’s own cleansing process to improve leg contours and care.

Listening to her tell the story of transitioning from acclaimed writer to product developer and entrepreneur will have you ready to take on your own major life or career transition. She dives into:
🔸 Building a good team
🔸 Funding her dream
🔸 How intuition is so important for entrepreneurs
🔸 Work/life balance
🔸 And of course, her top 5 core values!

Kate was so open during this podcast and you're guaranteed to learn something today from our chat. And trust me, you must try Legology's products. They are the definition of a game-changer.

✔️ Don't forget to subscribe!

Why do only 1.7% of female founders reach $1 million in annual revenue? 😲 On this week's episode of Opportunity Knocks, we'll dig into this with the founder of The Badass CEO.

Mimi is a mom of 5, an entrepreneur, a Business School Grad, a CPA, and an angel investor. She started her career in Investment Banking at Kidder, Peabody, and went on to obtain a CPA while working at Price Waterhouse in NYC. Retail was a passion of hers, so she then became a buyer at Bloomingdales. She studied Entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School and started several companies along the way, including one of her newest ventures, Baby Barn Organics.

On top of all that, Mimi is an angel investor and has invested in many companies that she believes in, including Beautycounter. She loves working with other entrepreneurial women who have started businesses by mentoring and investing in their companies. She's also a Beautycounter Managing Director and built a successful team of 800 consultants.

What isn't she doing? Not much!! Which is why this conversation is going to be so helpful to a lot of you. If any of you feel like you're juggling a million things, allow Mimi to give you some insights into how she does it, and successfully at that.

Plus ➕ she goes into great detail about:

💸 Why your business should be able to run without you

💸 Raising capital for your business

💸 The power & importance of systems

💸 Angel investing

💸 Outsourcing work based on your hourly rate

💸 The importance of empowering your children

💸 What traits are common amongst successful women

💸 and so much more!

Mimi is a great friend of mine and it was a pleasure to chat with her. I know her very well and I'm still amazed by her story and learning more about how she does it all...and still finds time to lift up, mentor, and invest in so many women around her. This is such a great episode of Opportunity Knocks. You're probably going to want to save it and return to it again and again.

Happy Thursday! 🌞 And make sure to subscribe!

Is there an age at which it makes sense to build a startup or become an entrepreneur? 🤔 Allow my next Opportunity Knocks guest to SMASH 👊 whatever preconceptions you have about starting a business.💸

Talk about a special human being! 🥰 It was so much fun and such a special time for me to sit down with my good friend, Yunnie Kim-Morena, the Founder of Kim-Chi Avocado and someone who is quickly becoming a very prominent digital creator in the food space.

Yunnie's story is fascinating. She originally decided to follow a path in fashion and opened her first boutique at Fred Segal before launching Fred Segal Couture with the iconic Fred Segal Santa Monica. But when Fred Segal sold half of its Santa Monica retail compound in 2012, Yunnie began exploring opportunities outside of fashion.

In 2013, her mother announced that she was ready to hand over the reins of Santa Monica Pier Seafood and Yunnie and her husband (Greg Morena) decided to take the helm of the Pier mainstay. The moment marked a shift for Yunnie who renamed the restaurant The Albright and together with David Alvarez of Studio Alvarez, oversaw a complete revamp of the building and interiors.

Yunnie and her husband now own and operate The Albright under their EST. 1977 Group, a boutique restaurant group specializing in the revitalization of legacy businesses and curated food concepts. Under Yunnie's direction, the group has rapidly expanded.

All of which led to Kim Chi Avocado which launched in late 2019. It's a passion project that combines the California lifestyle with her Korean roots that celebrates food and the ways in which nourishing meals connect people. Do yourself a favor 🛑 stop what you're doing, and go check them out right now. Order one of her grazing boards for your next gathering and you'll understand why this new venture has taken off. 😋

Yunnie is more than an inspiration in the business world, she's an incredible and loving person and her passion will rub off on you as you listen to her insights. You're going to learn a lot and probably want to chase your passion project once this chat is over.

This week's episode of Opportunity Knocks is beyond inspiring and packed will first-hand knowledge and experience from a founder with a VERY successful exit to her name. Shannon Nuques's rise from paralegal to co-founder of GLAMGLOW, one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in the world, will blow your mind. 🤯

It all started with a fast-acting skincare treatment and sample jars filled by hand. Nicknamed Hollywood's "Magic Mud" mask, the product snowballed in popularity, landing first in Neiman Marcus and then in Sephora stores around the world.

Ultimately GLAMGLOW was acquired by Estee Lauder, a dream-come-true achievement Shannon attributes to passion, determination, and hard work. A former paralegal, she researched and learned every step of the way, discovering a wealth of creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit she never knew she had.

She could have stopped there, but after welcoming a second daughter, Shannon and her husband Luciano spotted a whitespace opportunity in the baby business. What if they could give children's clothing a fun, artistic twist?

Together, they started exploring what it would take to make eco-friendly apparel and accessories with bold, playful prints - manufactured locally in LA instead of overseas. Gracyn Sky debuted in 2021 with an adorable, artistic aesthetic not seen anywhere else in the baby world. 

Yes, I'm thinking what you are...Shannon is simply amazing. 

And during our chat, she also gave some insight into:
💡 Bootstrapping/funding a startup
💡 Evaluating risks and rewards
💡 What it's like to have a co-founder
💡 What's most important when starting a business
💡 And the characteristics she believes help drive success.

If you're an entrepreneur or want to be one don't miss my talk with Shannon‼️ CLASS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN and I guarantee you won't want to miss it.

Curious to get inside the mind of a Transformational Coach ranked in the top 1% in the United States (as ranked by Yahoo Finance)? Now is your chance! 🤩  What we've learned from our incredible downloads is that people want to keep learning more about me! 

The world-renowned broadcaster now major influencer for women (and my incredibly kind friend) 💫  Lisa Breckenridge   💫  sat down with me to dig deep into my mind and help my listeners learn so much about me! Make sure to tune in if any of these apply to you.👇👇

♦️ You want to explore successful transitions in general and moreover from corporate life to academia to entrepreneurship.

♦️ You're interested in coaching and want to understand what a transformational coach does and how it might help you become the best version of yourself.

♦️ You want to learn more about me on a personal & professional level. 😊

♦️ You curious about the latest at EmpowHer Purpose including our upcoming goal-setting, grounding, and self-confidence events in February!

You're going to learn a lot during this chat (and probably want to work with me and join my workshops 😘). And if you have any questions about the topics we cover, send me a message and let's chat! It may have been a tough start to the year but that doesn't mean I can't help you gain clarity, set goals, discover your purpose, design "YOUR" roadmap, and hold you accountable to create your version of success for 2022!

Lastly, a huge thank you to Lisa for sitting down with me and doing an incredible job of pulling out all these fantastic and interesting nuggets. Clearly her gift! There's definitely a reason she crushed it as a broadcaster and continues to do so via her latest venture, www.happilylisa.com, and as a contributor to "California Live" on NBC! You're an inspiration and I can't wait for our rendezvous at Chez Jay! 😋

Happy Thursday everyone. I hope you enjoy learning more about me and my chat with Lisa! 🤗