Real Talk with Ladies Who Launch

When a spark in Maxine Clark's ignited the idea for Build-A-Bear, there was no stopping her. In this episode, Clark describes her transition from President of Payless, to developing the seed that eventually grew into Build-A-Bear. Aimed at creating the ultimate field trip experience, Clark breaks down how she turned some of her wildest dreams into a global experience still beloved today. Maxine can be found on twitter, @chiefexecbear, and you can keep up with future Real Talk episodes at https://www.ladieswholaunch.org/realtalk.

To Grace Chang, founder and CEO of Kintsugi, access to mental healthcare is a top priority. In this episode, Grace dives into the history of her app, Kintsugi, and how her innovative technology uses the tone of one's voice to score clinical depression and anxiety. Grace can be found on twitter, @grehce, and you can keep up with future Real Talk episodes at https://www.ladieswholaunch.org/realtalk.

We are kicking off 2021 with Season Two of Real Talk with Rosie Rios, CEO of Red River Associates, 43rd Treasurer of the United States, and also a proud member of the LWL board! Rosie shares the many transitions she took throughout her career, her tireless efforts to get a woman's head on US federal currency, and her perspective on the recent transfer of power in the United States government. Rosie can be found on Twitter, @RosieRios, and you can keep up with future Real Talk episodes at https://www.ladieswholaunch.org/realtalk

To close out Season One of Real Talk, Rani is joined by Sarah Friar, Co-founder of LWL and CEO of Nextdoor. In this episode, Sarah acknowledges the many pivots required this year and dives into what this meant for her personally, Nextdoor, and Ladies Who Launch. Listen in to hear her vision for LWL, her advice for all business owners today, and why she always carries lip gloss with her!

Jasmine Jones is the CEO and co-founder of Cherry Blossom Intimates, designing diverse intimates as well as prosthetic breasts for breast cancer patients - or, what she calls "the Warby Parker of Boobs." In this episode, Jones lies out how she builds community for her customers even when she can't always meet them personally for fittings. After hearing her pivot to perseverance, learn from her pageant experience that will make you stand out for any pitch competition and her honest take on canned soup!

Shan-Lyn Ma is the CEO and Founder of Zola, a wedding company reinventing everything from the planning to the registry. In this episode, Ma discusses how her team pivoted to meet the challenges of 2020, as more couples canceled their special day. After hearing her pivot to perseverance, listen in to learn about Ma's favorite song right now, her ambition since childhood, and what keeps her motivated day after day.

Cadran moved to the West Coast and called herself a "Y Combinator fan kid." As a former women engineer, she was keen to build a virtual community for more female engineers like herself.. enter: Elpha!

While Elpha started as a side project, the online community for women in tech has hosted over 35,000 women worldwide. Listen now to hear Cadran's journey from building and rapidly the Elpha community, how they have pivoted during the pandemic, and her message for Michelle Obama!

Tune in to more Real Talk episodes for community, inspiration and education at www.ladieswholaunch.org

Think you know what it takes to hack your career growth? Think again. In this episode, Vivian details her mindset on how she went from a junior role in the Beauty industry to pivoting to Technology to working directly with C-level executives.

Additionally, get the inside scoop on Vivian's business, Rise, and why flexible, work-from-anywhere projects and opportunities are the future of work & career advancement.

Theresa began her career in the US Army, serving during the 2008 Iraq war and led the Only Ground-Combat Brigade during the Iraq Surge to bring every soldier home safely. As an Army Veteran, she discusses how she defines leadership and reflects on the recent passing of Vanessa Guillen who also served at Fort Hood.

In this segment, we learn about Theresa's pivot from the US Army to founding her own business, Puppy Mama. Get an inside look on how Theresa has built her stealth community and the inner work we must do to be truly resilient.

Mimi is the CEO and Founder of Perfect Strangers, a team on a mission to band together to serve the most vulnerable members of our communities through meal delivery. Mimi is not new to the entrepreneurial space and was formerly working on her startup Willo that focused on fixing the complex problems of financial aid.

In this episode, Mimi shares her pivot from Willo to Perfect Strangers, experiences as the daughter of refugees, and how we can all think about uplifting communities during these challenging times.