Real Women's Work Podcast

Shark Tank may have been your introduction to Mrs. Goldfarb, too!

As an avid watcher of Shark Tank I specifically remember when Jenny appeared. I was so excited to see a vegan deli meat on the show!

Jenny's energy, passion, commitment and joy burst throught the screen. I found myself not only cheering her on but thrilled that she got a deal with one of my favorite Shark's; Mark Cuban.

A couple of months ago Jenny's name popped up in a bunch of my vegan Facebook groups- turns out, Unreal Deli was launching in the service deli of Hannaford Supermarket! Do you know what the service deli is? It's the counter where you take a nubmer and order your deli meat and cheese. And a vegan deli meat was launching!

From rolling a suitcase of samples into a local deli to the ailsles of Whole Foods, in this episode Jenny walks us through what it was like to get started in this space and bring her product mainstream. It's a remarkable story that goes back to Romania over a hundred years ago.

In addition to sharing what her days are like, how she knows how much product to send to Whole Foods, and what it's like to work with a co-packer, Jenny also shares with us inspiraiton, wisdom, and belief in every one of us. This is an episode you do not want to miss!

Click here to find your nearest Hannaford Supermarket

Click here to order your Unreal Deli directly!

Which catalogs have arrived in your mailbox lately? For me this week it was LL Bean and J. Jill. I love looking through catalogs but never thought much about how they are created.

What surprised me after talking with Jess is how personal this process is. Jess really gets to know her clientele and puts so much thought into what they want. Jess and her team choose every item that makes it into their catalog. This is done through a process of getting to know her clientele and then finding the items they would like to buy.

From attending fashion trade shows to find product all the way through working with the creative team to get the right photos and copy, Jess and her team are responsible for every item that makes it into their catalog. Then Jess is responsible for understanding which items did well, which might deserve another shot, and which are just not what her buyer is looking for.

There's a whole business behind a catalog- well, duh! But I never connected it until talking with Jess. The whole process is fascinating and I will never look at catalog the same way again!

In addition to all of this, Jess has created a beautiful and intentional life- one that values family, friends, team, and relationships more than anything it seems. Listen in to hear not how these beautiful catalogs are created but to see life imitating art yet again.

Do you live with "The Curse"? When voicing your opinion have you beed asked if you are "on the rag"? How society speaks about menstruation hurts women. It has caused us to believe we are "crazy", unreliable, and impossible to deal with during "that time of the month". It affects our lives- the choices we make, the way we talk to and think of ourselves, and the narratives we live by and pass on to our children. What if it were different? What if we were able to tap into the power that comes from hormones? Not in a hippy-dippy way, but in a science backed biological way? What if hearing from Menstraul Health Coach Tara McCann changed the way you planned your weeks and months to be more productive, efficicient, and respectful to yourself? I did this interview about six weeks before I am writing this and it has changed the way I move through life. I feel empowered and like I have a better understanding of how to work with my hormones instead of fighting or suffering through them. I also learned some powerful language shifts that will make the world a better and more empowered place for everyone. Tara is a wealth of knowledge and her goals are inspiring, hopeful, and powerful! Listen in as I chat with Tara McCann, Menstrual Health Coach.

You know those people who have no idea how inspring their life is? Whose stories and choices are so powerful they shift the way we understand life? That's not what I was looking for when I considered who might be an awesome guest for October.

Yes, talking with Steph Strensrud hits all the horror marks; man eating plants. Zombies. Edgar Allen Poe. Horror cons. They are all in here.

What hadn't occurred to me though is what it took for Steph to create a life that centered her passion for horror. That like all creative pursuits, Steph had to learn to listen to herself. Trust her gut. Get still. Let her creative self lead her where she needed to go.

This episode is chock full of not only poignant words of wisdom, but stories and choices from Steph's own life that illustrate what it looks like to truly follow your passion. To trust that it will get you exactly where you are supposed to be.

Funnily enough, this episode about horror is spectacularly beautiful. Until I started following Steph I wasn't able to see the beauty in horror. I missed the art. Let the "scariness" of it all stop me from looking.

I am so thankful to Steph for opening my eyes to a part of the creative world I was missing. And also for taking time to share her extraordinary journey with us- a journey that led her to living a life full of beautiful horror. Listen in to see what I mean.

Do you know what a forensic psychologist does? Are you sure?

Most of us think we know what a foresnsic psychologist does from watching LA Law, SVU, and other crime shows. In this episode, Kate Wallinga not only gives us an idea of what the work of a foresnic psychologist is, she adds in the humanity.

From court room to prison, Kate's vast background is hard to imagine choosing. Listening to her talk about her work is both eye opening and humbling. Her words inspired me to dig deeper to see the humanity in everyone and gave me a new (and more accurate) understanding of the work of a forensic psychologist. Listen in as I talk to Kate Wallinga, foresnsic psychologist.

Whew. I thought we were going to spend this hour talking about how the world of virtual assistants works and what it's like founding and running an agency. We did, of course. What I hadn't accounted for is the experience of not only starting a business like this and making it successful but the mindset, fortitude, and perseverance it takes to make the decision -and do the work- to get to the starting point.

The wisdom and vulnerablity Emilie shares in this epidose is empowering, inspiring, and practical. Emilie is not somebody who is trying to build a business through here message, building her business is what gives her the wisdom and inspiration to share her message.

This interview stuck with me long after we were finished talking and editing it was a gift. Give yourself the gift of listening to Emiie Given, Founder and CEO of She's a GIven Executive Virtual Assistant Services. Here are some links that were mentioned in the show. You can click on the links to get to them: She's a Given Executive Virtual Assitant Services

She's a Given Academy

Emilie's Birth Story

You can google Emilie's birth story. When she said it went viral she meant it! There are pages and pages (and pages!) of her story covered by news outlets all over the world! I cannot imagine the terror that made up her experience. If you get a chance to read her story before you listen to this episode, do. It will make it all the more powerful and empowering.

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There has been so much talk about genealogy in the last few years with new accessibilty to it through websites and apps. Do you know what a genealogist does though? Do you know how she gets her information? How she connects with clients? For what purposes people want their genealogy investigated? Listen in as Beth Tykodi shares both her passion and professionalism for Genealogy. Beth talks about how she got started, what training was like and how she works with clients. It's fascinating and heartwarming. LIisten in!

What's something you have always wanted to do but felt too afraid? My list is too long to share! Not Dottie's though. In this episode Dottie talks with me about what it was like to start figure skating competatively in her 30's. From competeing against teens to finding a club with other adults, Dottie stayed the course and her efforts have have rewarded her over and over again.

One of the things I most love about this episode is the ripple effect it will have on each of us. The next time we really want to try something but are tempted to say "no" for a reason that doesn't need to stop us, I believe we will think of Dottie. We will remember her words and the experiences she shared and we just might say "yes"! Enjoy this episode with Dottie Janson, Amateur Competitive Figure Skater and if it resonates you please share Dottie's episode with someone else who would like to hear it!

Works Rerferenced and Recommended in this Episode:

Books and Workbooks: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

"Two years after Obama's election, Alexander put the entire criminal justice system on trial, exposing racial discrimination from lawmaking to policing to the denial of voting rights to ex-prisoners. This bestseller struck the spark that would eventually light the fire of Black Lives Matter." —Ibram X. Kendi, The New York Time

Dismantling Racism by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun

"Dismantling Racism Works (dRworks) is ​pleased to offer our workbook and other resources. We hope you find the material here useful to you, your organization, and your community. "

Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad

"Me and White Supremacy: A 28-Day Challenge to Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too. The book goes beyond the original workbook by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and includes expanded definitions, examples, and further resources."

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Social Media:

Rachel Cargle, Public Academic, Writer, and Lecturer

Ericka Hart, Sex Educator, Racial/Social/ Gender Justice Disruptor, Podcaster, Breast Cancer Survivor, Model

Sonya Renee Taylor, Award Winning Poet, Activist, Author, and Leader

Showing Up for Racial Justice, SURJ-Denver

Showing Up for Racial Justice, National

Whoa. Don't you feel like you are going to wake up tomorrow and all of this will have been a dream- or rather a nightmare? We went from living one way to living another way in the span of about 24 hours. There is so much legitimate fear right now. We have no answers. We cannot wrap our heads around this because we don't even have a strong sense of what "it" is.

We want our kids to feel safe. How do we help them when we ourselves don't even feel safe? Should we be strict and regimented? Let them do whatever they want to keep them distracted?

There are also the practical challenges like working and schooling from home by necessity. Living together literally 24/7 is new for a lot of people.

Roya Dedeaux is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist with a focus on parenting and play. In this episode Roya offers us a shift in the way we think that could turn this time from chaos and disconnection to a time that might offer beauty, connection, and new understandings of each other. Here are the links referenced in today's show:

Find Roya and schedule a 1/2 price texting session by clicking here.

Find Jane McGonigal's Super Better by clicking here.

Find Darcel White of The Mahogany Way by clicking here.