Real Quick

Tune into our first-ever extended audio feature with Karen Young, founder and CEO of the barrier-breaking beauty brand Oui the People!

In this unedited and candid interview, Help Scout’s VP of Brand Kristen Bryant Smith gets real with Karen about big topics like:

In this episode of Real Quick, Jolene DeLisle chats with Kristen about:

In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Kayla Castañeda and Erin PonTell, co-founders of Agua Bonita, about the founding story of their rapidly growing agua fresca brand. The founders chat with Kristen about:

When Sirena Rolfe, founder of Tempus Hood, was repeatedly caught out in unpredictable weather, she saw the opportunity to solve a problem. But she didn’t realize that her idea — to create a packable, detachable hood — would turn her into an entrepreneur and an inventor.

In this episode, Sirena shares her journey to receive a patent and build her business, along with her purpose to help break common barriers to outdoor recreation.

Of the 5,452 outdoor equipment stores in the U.S., only three are Black-owned. Mark Boles, founder and owner of Intrinsic Provisions, is one of those three pioneers. In this episode, Mark describes why he feels passionate about helping people of color participate in outdoor recreation and the challenges he faces as a Black business owner in the outdoor industry.

Kay Rodriguez, CEO and founder of Urban Outdoors, wants to shift the narrative around who participates in outdoor activities — and help city dwellers, specifically, get out there.

Kay’s commitment to creating an online hub to connect people who live in urban areas with outdoor recreation within easy reach of their homes grew from her own experience with the therapeutic benefit — to mind and body — of getting outside. In this episode, Kay shares the Urban Outdoors origin story and her belief in the healing power nature offers in the face of today’s mental health crisis.

Yo! In this issue, I talked with two founders about what generational wealth means to them.  Both Tanya and Dennis are building in the fintech space, where wealth has historically been talked about from a narrow point of view. But they’re bringing what they know from their own communities and life experiences to the discussion.

I’m honestly dumbfounded by how little has been done to date when it comes to improving generational wealth for more families — and how much opportunity there is to build in this space. Through their businesses, Tanya and Dennis are proving just how powerful it can be to educate and share knowledge and resources to empower a more equitable next generation.

Thanks for listening!

—Izzy ✌🏾

What do you do with over $1 million in company shares? Without the right financial education, Tanya Van Court learned the hard way and saw the value of her shares shrink to just $20K overnight. What she did next would define her future: She committed to educating herself and developing a path to help kids and families empower themselves through prioritizing financial literacy.

In this episode of Real Quick, Tanya joins Izzy to talk about the founding story of Goalsetter, the opportunity of generational wealth, and her experience as a Black woman building in fintech.

You wouldn’t think a founder whose regular coffee order is a quad cappuccino would be a man of few words, but Dennis Cail is the exception. He chooses his words with intention, and in this conversation with Izzy, the result is an inspiring glimpse into his background and his company, Zirtue.

With a professional path that included prior roles in the U.S. Navy and IBM, Dennis is building a business that formalizes the process of lending between friends and family and eliminates the negative impact of the predatory lending industry. In this episode, Dennis offers up the personal experiences that have shaped the company, his thoughts on generational wealth, and the impact he hopes to have through Zirtue’s double bottom line.

Growing up in Oakland, California, Skyler Mapes never imagined she’d be building an olive oil business in south Italy. But after achieving what she thought was her goal to become an architect, she felt less than satisfied. In this episode, Izzy talks with Skyler about the new dream she’s living as founder of world-renowned EXAU Olive Oil, and the challenges and joys of trailblazing in a traditionally slow-growth industry.