Nyakio Grieco wants you to feel seen. The beauty entrepreneur began her journey organically — by learning about the power of natural ingredients visiting her grandmother, a coffee farmer, and her grandfather, a medicine man, in Africa. Ancestral wisdom and world travel led to the birth of Nyakio Beauty, Grieco’s first beauty brand, in 2002. Nyakio Beauty has been followed by Thirteen Lune, an inclusive retail platform for beauty brands and founders who, for far too long, have been neglected in terms of capital and retail partnerships; as well as Relevant: Your Skin Seen, a beauty brand developed in 2022 to serve all skin tones and types. Nyakio and Tracy came together for the latest episode of the Potential to Powerhouse Podcast for an enlightening conversation about embracing “bossiness” on our entrepreneurial paths, Identifying pivotal moments as the gift from the universe they are, and surrounding ourselves with people whose knowledge and skill sets complement our own. It’s a brilliant conversation with many key takeaways, so have your Notes app open.

Key Points

• Tracy introduces Nyakio and references her as the hybrid between two mega-baller entrepreneurs [00:21]
• Using your maiden name and hyphenating your last name as a female powerhouse. [02:04]
• Nyakio tells the story of her family’s upbringing and what her experience was like being a first generation American with Kenyan descent. [04:41]
• The first five to seven years of Nyakio’s career in LA. [09:50]
• The two pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of Nyakio’s career as an entrepreneur. [13:15]
• The launch of Nyakio’s first beauty product. [21:29]
• The reality of trying to survive as a small brand running on little capital. [27:14]
• After her product was featured on Oprah and Ellen, Nyakio learned some valuable lessons about growing a business. [30:25]
• Nyakio launched a successful brand self titled Nyakio, which was affected by the global pandemic. [35:25]
• Thirteen Lune - a new, progressive vision for beauty retail in JCPenney. [37:00]
• People buy into people before they buy into the product. [41:31]
• Building generational wealth. [42:00]
• Smart Money vs. Dumb Money. [45:17]
• Nyakio’s three “go to’s” for success. [49:07]
• TRUST YOUR GUT. [51:10]

Links

Nyakio’s Instagram: @nyakio

Follow Thirteen Lune: @thirteenlune

Follow Relevant: @relevant.skin

https://linktr.ee/nyakio

Dr. Joe Hirsch is an expert at helping individuals, leaders, and organizations design and deliver feedback without fear. He is now a renowned TEDx and global keynote speaker, but just seven years ago, Joe was living a very different reality in which he did everything he could to avoid receiving any feedback from anyone. Joe and Tracy’s conversation centers on what happens when we infuse our conversations and relationships with courageousness and how giving fearless feedback can really transform our future for ourselves and others. Feedforward and mirror holding are two juicy terms that you are going to want to remember and implement in all of your relationships. You are going to be on the edge of your seat when you hear about Dr. Hirsch’s groundbreaking methods and how we can all become better leaders, partners, parents, and all around better people! 

Key Points:

• Growth hurts and it is hard. [03:24]
• Feedback starts before you even open your mouth. [06:58]
• “Feedforward” is a new way of thinking that was first introduced by Marshall Goldsmith, and Joe Hirsch uses the science and strategy to turn people into problem solvers. 
• Joe Hirsch has used his practices of giving feedback with many major companies and corporations. [09:16]
• Just five to seven years ago, Joe was not someone who practiced what he is now preaching. [11:46]
• A very basic human truth we should all acknowledge to fix the future for ourselves and others
• Mirror holding is the essential act of “feedforward” and can open up new perspectives one may not have had access to before. [17:37]
• The goal of mirror holding is not to force change, but to provoke an insight. [23:09]
• How leaders can use mirror holding as an act of empowerment 
• How the “forgetting curve” impacts our approach to giving feedback [28:37]
• Feedback Wrap: A four-part plan to beautifully wrap up these conversations, to change the dynamics from fear to joy, from power to partnership, and ultimately, from accountability to agency [33:44]
• Feedback is about relationships. [47:24]

Memorable Quotes: 

“Growth hurts, growth is challenging, growth is painful. And growth pushes us past our boundaries.”

“It’s no longer about power, it’s about partnership. It’s no longer about ratings only. It’s about relationships. And it’s about activating people’s deepest desires for agency and for affirmation, and not pinning them to a past that they can’t change or control.”

“You can’t go back and change the past. But you can start right where you are and fix the future.”

Links:

Website: www.joehirsch.me

TEDx: https://www.ted.com/talks/joe_hirsch_the_joy_of_getting_feedback

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Fix-Embrace-Future-Change/dp/1475826591

Podcast:  https://open.spotify.com/show/0Hk8FyFkgiGrlocemkBLCd?si=7f3be9c5c618425f

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemhirsch/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joemhirsch

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a global spiritual and humanitarian leader, changing lives around the world from all walks of life. Rooted in the innate desire to help people, he founded The Art of Living Foundation, which has transformed not just individual people, but companies, prisons, and schools. In this special episode of Potential to Powerhouse, Tracy speaks with the beloved Indian guru about the secrets to living a stress-free and joyful life through the practice of meditation and changing one’s perspective. Gurudev shares his expertise on the formulas to decrease stress and depression and how to manage our outlook through breathing techniques, meditation, solitude, and silence. This episode is full of deep insights that you can apply to your life no matter your circumstances, so tune in if you are ready to unlock a fresh perspective that will make you want to celebrate all life has to offer!

Key Points:

• Tracy introduces Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and provides some jaw-dropping, phenomenal statistics about Gurudev’s impact.
• How does Gurudev feel about his impact and how he has touched so many lives around the world?
• Gurudev started meditating at 4 years old. How did his life journey get him to where he is now?
• The Art of Living Foundation
• Gurudev’s experience of going into 10 days of silence
• Why chasing success is a big mistake and how you can achieve lifelong joy and mental clarity
• How to best find your life purpose
• How gratitude is the key to happiness and feeling our best
• Solitude: Silence is the “mother of creativity” and why everyone should try a 3-day silent retreat.
• The formula to stress and how to get rid of it
• How to navigate relationships by practicing patience
• The formula to getting depressed.
• Gurudev’s advice to anyone who may feel like they are not where they “should be” and may be living a life of comparison
• The World Culture Festival and how to get involved

Memorable Quotes:

“Don’t postpone being happy for some other future day.”

“The more we are grateful, we look better, we feel better, and we do better.”

“There is a saying: ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’ and I would say that ‘Silence is the mother of creativity’.”

“The formula to stress is too much to do, too little time, and no energy.”

Links:

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Instagram

Art of Living-

Art of Living website

Art of Living phone number: (855) 202-4400

Art of Living Instagram

World Culture Festival-

World Culture Festival

[email protected]

Andréa Bendewald discovered the power of circling early on in her acting career. Upon moving from New York to Los Angeles, she attended her first circle, which was comprised of actors, singers, writers, and producers, and found out that these successful and self-empowered women had the same complex inner emotional landscape as she did. She instantly felt less alone and more supported. She is now a circle facilitator and brings that same life-changing magic into her business, The Art of Circling. In today’s episode, Andréa and Tracy come together to explore how the authentic sharing of ourselves strengthens our intuition, increases our self-esteem, and enhances our overall expansiveness.

Key Points:

• How Tracy and Andrea met.
• Andrea grew up in the Lower West Side of Manhattan during the 80’s and this provided an incredible basis for an inspiring childhood and young adulthood.
• Andrea began acting at a young age and even attended a high school for performing arts.
• Andrea dives into what both of her parents were like and how their work ethics shaped her into who she is today.
• Stop forcing things and start fitting into the flow so you can begin to enjoy life and trust the process.
• The mindset of enjoying the process helps Andrea tremendously through her acting career, as the audition process is tedious; if you don’t love and enjoy auditioning, you are in the wrong job market.
• LOVE WHAT YOU DO.
• Andrea revisits the beginning of her friendship with Jennifer Anniston.
• Andrea tells the story of her first acting gig on a sitcom alongside Harland Williams and Jason Bateman.
• Andrea explains that she wasn’t in her “Zone of genius” and decided to cave into her obsession of circling.
• Andrea tells her story about her first circling experience in Laurel Canyon right after she moved to LA from NYC.
• Tracy and Andrea bond over their shared experience with talking sticks.
• Burning Man led Andrea to fall in love with art for art’s sake again, and upon returning home from the festival, she decided to buy a teepee and create a sacred space for circles in her backyard in Beverly Hills.
• Today, Andrea rides on the joy of having the best of both worlds through knowing what to say yes to, and what to say no to with respect of keeping the energy flow moving.

Memorable Quotes:

“In a circle, we get to remember who we truly are and reconnect with who we truly are before everyone told us who we were supposed to be.” 

“When women gather, shift happens!”

“Self-made people many times have children who are self-made people… they understand that there are a lot of moving parts”

“I spent so much extra energy trying to force things… sometimes you force and you get it, it does move the needle, but I wish I could back and do it again, and just try and enjoy.”

https://www.instagram.com/andreabendewald/

https://theartofcircling.com/

The Potential to Powerhouse podcast features conversations with experts, thought leaders, and trailblazing entrepreneurs who share their success secrets to help lift others up. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! And don’t forget to rate and review!

Jessica Huie MBE is an entrepreneur and the author of the bestseller PURPOSE: Find Your Truth and Embrace Your Calling published by Hay House. Jessica enjoyed a glittering career as a journalist and publicist and has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars and business people, including Samuel L. Jackson, Simon Cowell, Kelly Rowland, and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. In 2006 Jessica launched Color Blind Cards, a multi-award winning multicultural greeting card company that drove an early conversation around the importance of ethnic representation in retail and became the first independent brand to secure a high-street presence for black cards in the UK. Her first book, Purpose, as well as her transformation evolved from the profound space between life and death in which she found herself as a caretaker for her beloved father.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:03:07]: Jessica Huie believes that you do not have to fit into one label at a time and answers Tracy’s question on if she would consider herself an entrepreneur or an author.

[00:04:22]: What was Jessica like as a child and what was her perspective like on her future career possibilities?

[00:08:19]: Jessica tells the story about getting expelled at 15 years old.

[00:14:43]: How did Jessica deal with growing up mixed race in London?

[00:16:31]: Jessica became a single mother at 17 years old and had a rocky beginning to her career that was made even harder by the shame her father felt for a daughter that did not reach what he believed was her true potential.

[00:23:23]: Jessica’s post-grad experience after deciding to go back to school with her abundance of determination and breaking into the field of PR and journalism

[00:28:13]: Tracy and Jessica conversate about how they believe having a degree affected their path to success.

[00:30:18]: Jessica tells the story behind Color Blind Cards, a greeting card company she founded after a pivotal experience she had with her young daughter.

[00:35:30]: After Jessica’s success with Color Blind Cards, she decided to start her own PR agency, bringing her back to her career roots.

[00:38:12]: In 2016, Buckingham Palace presented an award to Jessica Huie, given to her by the Queen.

[00:39:42]: How Jessica’s father’s journey with terminal cancer led her to write her book, Purpose, and what the writing experience was like in such a challenging time for her and her family

QUOTES:

“I always had the strong ability to dream… I kind of found safety in my imagination.”

“I have this gift of being able to see people in ways that they cannot yet see themselves, and then supporting them and bringing that out.”

“I was driven by this desire to have my daughter see herself and know that she is enough; she doesn’t need to aspire to be anyone other than who she is.”

RESOURCE LINKS

Jessica Huie Instagram

Jessica Huie LinkedIn

Taking a family business into the future can be a daunting venture. How do you best balance history with vision? And when that business is winegrowing in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, home to more than 600 wineries, how do you stand out and continue to innovate?

For Alison Sokol Blosser, Co-President, CEO, and second-generation winegrower of Sokol Blosser Winery, the answer lies in staying true to yourself no matter the conditions. Wine wasn’t necessarily in Alison’s blood, so she studied other fields including marketing, but all paths led back to pastoral Willamette Valley, where her parents ventured decades earlier and, without prior experience, built a world-class winery.

In today’s episode of the Potential to Powerhouse Podcast, Alison walks Tracy and the audience through her journey, which now includes running her parents’ namesake winery with her family. It’s a fascinating conversation that showcases how the next generation can take businesses in exciting new directions when given the proper amounts of care, support, and attention.

Key Points:

• What inspired Alison’s parents to start the vineyard and winery, and how did they go about purchasing the land and equipment as recent college graduates?
• The family struggled working in an industry that was not established in Oregon like it is today. How did the stress of growing a family business affect Alison’s childhood?
• Alison talks about the risk that went into the development of the winery and how the collaborative culture of Oregon helped the state rise in the wine industry.
• Alison discusses her journey during college and post-grad when she thought she did not want to be involved in the family business, and then what finally led her to change her mind.
• How an executive coach helped Alison and her brother, Alex, maintain a healthy and successful dynamic in the family business in the process of making decisions and growing the future of the business.
• Alison discusses the experience of divorce in a family business.
• Alison walks the audience through the thought process that led to the idea of having her and her brother run as co-presidents.
• Tracy and Alison talk about their shared experience of being a mother while running a business, and the resources they turned to when they were struggling.
• Is Alison excited about the future growth of the business?
• How did Covid change the way the business was ran and the direction that the business is going?
• In a family-run business, how do you prepare the upcoming generation to take over? How do you get these kids to learn about and have a healthy love and respect for the business?
• Alison speaks on her family’s move to Boston, while the vineyard and winery are across the country in Oregon.

Parenting is difficult. It is even more challenging when you are trying to be the best, most well-rounded parent you can be but you are still carrying the generational trauma that has been passed onto you by your own family. The good news is that it’s never too late to reset your approach to parenting, and today’s guest is a sage expert who can help guide you along this journey. 

Katherine Sellery is the founder of Conscious Parenting Revolution, an organization that helps parents become more conscious and thoughtful about how they communicate with and raise their children. In today’s episode, Katherine speaks about the challenging relationship she had with her own mother and the journey she went through to free herself from it. Our conversation also covers the power of celebrating mistakes, why we need to become aware of our trigger points, and the difference between punitive and restorative justice in the context of parenting. Addressing your past can be a complex process, but with a strong support system and experts like Katherine, it is a rewarding endeavor like no other. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• How our upbringing impacts the way that we parent our own children
• The percentage of children who are able to overcome the psychological differential between an adult and a child 
• Why it is problematic to raise children to be obedient and compliant
• A real-world example that epitomizes the concept of “the tragic expression of an unmet need”
• The way we should react when to a trigger that someone activates in us
• Katherine explains the difference between punitive and restorative justice and how these approaches relate to parenting.
• How we can gain control of our thoughts and feelings so that we can subsequently gain control of our actions
• The book that helped Katherine understand her own upbringing
• Tragedies that Katherine has experienced in her life and how she responded to them 
• Generational trauma that Tracy has become aware of in her family
• Work that Katherine had to do to separate herself from her generational trauma
• Why Tracy and Katherine both have baby pictures of themselves on their desks
• The value of having difficult conversations with our children, and celebrating their (and our own) mistakes

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Conscious Parenting Revolution

Katherine Sellery

Katherine Sellery on LinkedIn

Katherine Sellery on Instagram

The Drama of The Gifted Child by Alice Miller

A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman

Potential to Powerhouse

Tracy Holland on Instagram

Victoria Thain Gioia, affectionately known as Tori, is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Perelel, the first OB/GYN-founded wellness company that offers women dynamic prenatal vitamins, supplements, resources, and community tailored to the varying stages of motherhood. As you’ll discover in today's episode, Tori was inspired to launch Perelel with her co-founders, Alex Taylor and Dr. Banafsheh Bayati, in 2019 when she learned that her second daughter, who she was pregnant with at the time, would be born with a cleft lip. Left with a deep desire to know exactly what might have caused this birth defect that affects roughly one in every 2,800 babies born in the US, Tori embarked on a journey to understand nutrition and health in all stages of a woman’s life and developed an offering that extends far beyond just a pill subscription in the form of an intimately supportive community and personalized resources at every step of the pre- and post-natal journey. Tuning in, you’ll gain insight into Tori’s background, the Perelel founder story, and what Tori has come to realize about the emotional aspects of owning her own business. She also shares her advice for founders, which includes setting clear work-life boundaries and creating a network of trusted advisors as you build your business and beyond. Make sure not to miss today’s episode for a practical, candid, and intimate conversation with Tori Thain Gioia!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Learn more about Tori Thain Gioia, her company, Perelel, and her co-founders.
• The journey that Tori is on to repair her daughter’s cleft lip
• How Perelel is empowering women with knowledge, resources, and community
• Details on Tori’s education, entrepreneurial journey, and how she and Alex Taylor work together
• The Perelel founder story: Find out what it was like launching a business during a global pandemic as a mother of three!
• Insight into Perelel’s organic launch strategy, from press to gifting and word of mouth 
• The scrappiness that was required of Tori when fundraising during COVID
• Why it’s easier to raise capital today than it was with a “Powerpoint and an idea” in 2020
• What Tori has realized about the emotional aspects of being a business owner
• Understanding the importance of setting boundaries when it comes to work-life balance
• Looking into the future, Tori shares how she sees Perelel evolving and what to watch out for.
• How Perelel is building out its board and where Tori and Alex find the support they need

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Victoria Thain Gioia on LinkedIn

Victoria Thain Gioia on Instagram

Perelel

Potential to Powerhouse

Tracy Holland on Instagram

Marcia Kilgore, a Canadian-born entrepreneur and founder of several global companies in the beauty and footwear industries, joins Tracy Holland today on this episode of the Potential to Powerhouse Podcast.

Marcia discusses her life growing up with a single mom after losing her father at a young age and how that defining experience led to her path to entrepreneurship. From bodybuilding, skincare, and makeup, to revolutionizing Bliss Spa and the women's footwear industry, Marcia's most recent business venture, Beauty Pie, disrupts the typical business model. Tune in to learn more about Marcia’s journey to worldwide success on this don’t-miss episode. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [03:41] Marcia talks about her life growing up with two older sisters and losing her father at age 11.
• [08:41] Getting interested in skincare and makeup and discovering bodybuilding as a teen
• [18:00] Marcia discusses the opening of her first location of Bliss Spa.
• [24:31] Being approached by investors looking to partner with her and her companies
• [37:06] The idea and concept of Beauty Pie
• [47:08] What's on Marcia's bucket list

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Be open to new ideas as they can help you connect new experiences and ideas that work out to be a great opportunity.
• Use your intuition and don’t be afraid to follow the breadcrumbs for new opportunities that could lead to your next business idea. 

RESOURCE LINKS

Twitter @marciakilgore

Instagram @marcia.kilgore

Blog Post: FIVE MINUTES WITH: MARCIA KILGORE

Potential to Powerhouse

Tracy Holland on Instagram

BIO:  

Marcia Kilgore is a Canadian-born entrepreneur who has founded several global companies in the beauty and footwear industries. Her ventures include revolutionizing Bliss Spa, which was sold to LVMH only three years after its launch; bath, body, and cosmetics brand Soap & Glory, sold to British Drugstore giant Walgreens Boots Alliance; biomechanics-meets-fashion footwear brand FitFlop; and naturally derived bath and body product brand Soaper Duper.

QUOTES: 

“I think one of the things if I was going to give advice to somebody coming up is, in the heat of a moment, you'll often forget that not everything needs to be responded to, and you don't have to react to everything.” -Marcia Kilgore

“Keep all of your antennas open because all of those dots that you can put down are just all opportunities and your unique set of blocks. Yours will be different than anybody else's in the world. That is actually your entrepreneurial opportunity because it's your unique blueprint.” -Marcia Kilgore

Gender disparity in the C-suite remains a pervasive issue, even as strides in closing the gender gap are made elsewhere in the corporate world. Our guest on the Potential to Powerhouse Podcast has defied odds and overcome obstacles with her hard work, determination, and vision. Linda Duncombe is the executive vice president and chief marketing, product, and digital officer of City National Bank, and today, she walks us through her journey from being the first in her family to graduate from college to being nominated as class president at Harvard Business School to finally landing her dream position, which brought her to the U.S. from Australia. Linda shares some of the profound lessons she learned along the way, including wisdom imparted by her late brother and father, her time spent at National Australia Bank, and during her years studying at Harvard. Tune in to hear more about this inspiring woman’s trajectory, as well as why she places so much value on advocacy and mentorship, as well as adopting the mindset of assuming what she calls innocent intent. “What if” was never a question for Linda, nor should it be for you! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Linda Duncombe’s personal and professional background that took her through the ranks of the banking industry
• The community spirit of City National Bank
• The invaluable life lesson Linda learned in college
• Linda’s greatest “a-ha” moment in her academic and professional career
• Linda’s career trajectory; how her career informed her degree
• The opportunities she was provided with at National Australia Bank
• What Linda learned as CEO of a private bank through the 2008 financial crisis
• Her personal experience of navigating the crisis
• The responsibility of banks to protect your data and your money
• The mantra Linda lives by
• What catalyzed Linda’s move to America
• The value of advocates, sponsors, and mentors
• What convinced Linda to move from Citibank to City National Bank
• The commendable diversity of City National Bank’s leadership team
• A profound piece of advice Linda got from her father about conflict
• The power of assuming innocent intent
• Linda’s ultimate secret to success

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Linda Duncombe on LinkedIn

City National Bank

City National Bank on LinkedIn

City National Bank on Twitter

City National Bank on Instagram

Roy Gori on LinkedIn

Kelly Coffey on LinkedIn

Potential to Powerhouse

Tracy Holland on Instagram