Purse Strings

Today on Purse Strings Maria Reitan is joined by Sonal Gerten, Founder of Tumblewalla and PlayActivist.

Sonal explains "It’s been a personal journey to be more present and playful in my own life. I’m a busyness addict – my default setting is to do more, achieve more, stress more and worry more (when I’m not busy of course).

It wasn’t until the birth of my kids that I truly realized I needed to change my ways for the benefit of my family. Stress, constant worry, and a roadrunner lifestyle were NOT values I wanted to pass on to my sons.                                     As a new mom, I also saw a void in the market – a need for more spirited, pure and comfortable fabrics for babies and toddlers that represented the vibrancy and yoga traditions of my Indian heritage – and this “a-ha” is how Tumblewalla came to be...because a Tumblewalla (loosely translated from Hindi as “one who tumbles”) really knows how to PLAY."

Today on Purse Strings Maria Reitan is joined by Rodney Mason GVP, Strategy and Marketing, Blackhawk Engagement Solutions. With women usually doing the lion’s share of day-to- day shopping — as well as influencing big-ticket purchases —
female shoppers aren’t only a key demographic for retailers; they’re often the primary demographic. In today’s world of connected shopping, what is their typical path to purchase? In two recent national studies, we asked women how they discover, filter and shop today. The following results paint a picture of connected, well-informed shoppers, ready to make a purchase at any time, and likely at the lowest price they can find.

Today on Purse Strings Maria Reitan is joined by Marcus Noland, executive vice president and director of studies at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a nonresident senior fellow at the East-West Center. He co-wrote the working paper from PIIE called “Is Gender Diversitiy Profitable? Evidence from a Global Study.” His co-authors are Tyler Moran is a research analyst at the Peterson Institute. Barbara Kotschwar is adjunct professor of Latin American studies and economics at Georgetown University. She was research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Gender Diversity in PR discussed as Maria Reitan speaks with Steve Barrett, the Editor in Chief for PR Week. PRWeek epitomizes the modern business publishing brand, spanning online, print, events, and social media, incorporating a paid-for content strategy and gated website.

He discusses a call to action on gender diversity as the March 8th global celebration of women as the publication noted and call for gender equality is a stark reminder that affirmative action is required to make genuine changes to the marketing and communications industries.

A new episode

Kathryn Foster, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice in Ft Worth, Texas. With a masters degree in marriage and family counseling and a Ph.D. in psychology, she has practiced psycho-therapy for 27 years. She is also the author of two novels of psychological interest: Sessions: Memoirs of a Psychotherapist and Finding My Way. She has written two nonfiction companion books to The Naked Truth About Men (And Romance.) They are What Women Want….Really! (written for men but meant to be read by couples,) and When Your Relationship Changes (how to find strength.) Contact her through her website at www.kathrynfosterphd.com

Discussing Women and Health Care as Maria Reitan speaks with Mary Christensen, the President and CEO of Experienced Resources. Experienced Resources provides health care organizations immediate leadership support to accomplish mission critical work. We achieve this by carefully matching the clients needs to our team of experienced leaders and supporting the engagement from start to finish.

Mary has more than 17 years of experience in health care operations and human resources. She received her formal education in human resource management at Cardinal Stritch University and health care management at the University of Central Florida. Mary is a member of the Women's Health Leadership Trust (TRUST), Minnesota Medical Group Management Association (MMGMA), Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA), and Healthcare Human Resources Association of Minnesota (HHRAM).

What Women Really Want as Maria Reitan discusses this widely discussed debate with the Author of The Naked Truth About Men (And Romance),Dr. Kathryn Foster, Ph.D.

Kathryn Foster, Ph.D., is a psychologistin private practice in Ft Worth, Texas.With a masters degree in marriage andfamily counseling and a Ph.D. inpsychology, she has practiced psycho-therapy for 27 years. She is also theauthor of two novels of psychologicalinterest: Sessions: Memoirs of aPsychotherapist and Finding My Way.

She has written two nonfiction companionbooks to The Naked Truth About Men (And Romance.)They are What Women Want....Really! (written formen but meant to be read by couples,) and WhenYour Relationship Changes (how to find strength.)

Diversifying Entrenched Brands to New Audiences as Maria Reitan speaks with Alan Krantzler, the President of Baggallini. Baggallini is ahandbag company with a functional heritage and highly differentiated style point of view.

Alan M. Krantzler has been the President of Baggallini Handbag Business at R.G. Barry Corporation since July 1, 2015. Mr. Krantzler served as the Head of Creative for Baggallini Handbag Business and General Manager for Baggallini Handbag Business at R.G. Barry Corporation from November 3, 2014 to July 1, 2015. Mr. Krantzler served as the Chief Merchandising Officer of Brand Management at Tumi Holdings, Inc until October 17, 2014.

He was responsible for Tumi's product management, creative services, visual and retail store merchandising, marketing, new business development and market research. He served as the Chief Merchandising Officer at Coach and Perry Ellis. Mr. Krantzler served as Senior Vice President of Brand Management at Tumi Holdings, Inc. since 2003.

Millennial Mom Workplace Challenges Solved as Maria Reitan speaks with Katherine Wintsch, Founder and CEO, from The Mom Complex. Wintsch, she launched The MomComplex in order to develop better products and services to make the lives of mothers easier.

Bound and determined to make an impact on the world,Katherine is seen as a trusted advisor by companies such as Walmart,Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, The Discovery Network, and Playskool. Hersought-after research and expertise has been featured by The Today Show,The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company and she regularly writes about the topic of modern motherhood on her popular blog In All Honesty, as well as for The Huffington Post and Working MotherMagazine.