Reimagined

This week we sat down with Marissa Meizz, creator & founder of @nomorelonelyfriends. Luckily for us, this was our second time chatting with Marissa ( Zoom decided to lose our first recording session.) Disregarding our own technical difficulties, technology actually played a significant role in launching the movement of @nomorelonelyfriends. 

Early May, a Tik Tok that now has over 14 million views, went viral for exposing two friends that were purposely excluding Marissa from their birthday party. Once the video reached Marissa, she received an outpour of comments & messages of people extending their friendship. So what started off as viral video, ultimately catapulted into creating large-scale picnic meetups for people to meet new friends & simply ~vibe.~

As we enter new stages of our lives, whether we're moving to a new city, starting a new job, or going back to school, we constantly lean on those around us for support. And let's be honest, finding good friends/a support system can be brutal, especially in this virtual/hybrid environment we are in.

Everything from learning how to choose friends that also choose you, to navigating being there for your friends, while also taking care of yourself, are the realities of making friends in this transitional period of our lives.

Fortunately, @nomorelonelyfriends is coming to a city near you to help ease the stress of finding meaningful friendships. Check out Marissa's upcoming dates and attend a picnic near you! (p.s if you live in the Bay Area, Marissa & her team will he hosting a picnic October 23, 2021. Follow @nomorelonelyfriends & @marissameizz for more detail.

With graduation comes many questions: "How do I adjust to this new season? Is this what it's supposed to look like? What's next for me?" Before we realize it, we're getting into the humdrum beat of working life, setting our alarm clocks for weekday mornings, and stepping into our blossoming professional self for five days a week. In the rhythm of it all, we forget to check in with ourselves. We ask "Am I meeting everyone's expectations?" before we say "Am I doing OK?", and quickly lose sight of the things that used to bring us joy. In this episode, co-hosts Epsa and Sydney get real with Stephanie Beheshti, an Experience Business Partner at Adobe and certified coach. Stephanie shares the importance of following your gut, rediscovering your identity outside of what you do, and meeting yourself where you're at. Tune in to today's honest conversation that's all about reminding yourself that you are enough.

Raise your hand if within this past year, you’ve contemplated quitting your 9-5 to pursue something that fills you with a greater sense of purpose and impact. If you raised your hand, you’re in luck, because our guest today Connie Liu, founder of Project Invent and Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, shares the “why” behind her career pivots.

Her career originally started at MIT, pursuing multiple corporate internships during her undergrad. Luckily for her, those experiences reinstated why she pursued engineering, which was to create things that could impact people’s lives. Upon graduation, she took the non-traditional path & pursued teaching, instead of a corporate 9-5. Teaching eventually led her to pursue entrepreneurship and create @project_invent, a non-profit geared towards transforming classrooms from “test taking to change making”.

If you’re looking for a sign to spark change and create impact, this is a must listen. Tune in to this week's episode as Connie focuses on the power of impact and how that has inspired her to embark on a few pivots in her career.

Our 20s are not going the way we expected (somewhat understandable, in light of the pandemic). If you think we have our shit together, we don't. Join us this season as we navigate leaving and losing jobs, making new friends in new cities, changing career paths, and much more. You don't need to have everything figured out in your 20s — listen along and refresh your timeline.

It’s a sweet start to Season 2! Join your hosts Anjana and Sydney as they sit down with attorney-turned-entrepreneur Leslie Polizzotto, who shares her journey as the co-founder of The Doughnut Project. What began as a chance encounter and a shared love for donuts blossomed into the popular, self-described “funky” donut shop located in the West Village in New York City. After their unique “everything doughnut” put The Doughnut Project on every foodie map, Leslie’s shop took off— and she never looked back.

“It’s never too late,” Leslie says as she reflects on her career. After working for over a decade at the same company right out of high school, Leslie decided to pursue a college education at 29. From there, she began law school and started a 4-year career as an attorney before the opportunity to start The Doughnut Project arrived. In this episode, Leslie shares what it was like to leave her comfortable, but stressful profession in law, how social media catapulted The Doughnut Project to fame, and why it’s never too late to start a path you’ve always wanted to take.

It’s a sweet start to Season 2! We sit down with attorney-turned-entrepreneur Leslie Polizzotto, who shares her journey as the co-founder of The Doughnut Project. What began as a chance encounter and a shared love for doughnuts blossomed into the popular, self-described “funky” doughnut shop located in the West Village in New York City. After their unique “Everything Doughnut” put The Doughnut Project on every foodie map, Leslie’s shop took off— and she never looked back.“It’s never too late,” Leslie says as she reflects on her career. After working for over a decade at the same company right out of high school, she decided to pursue a college education at 29. From there, she began law school and started a 4-year career as an attorney before the opportunity to start The Doughnut Project arrived. In this episode, Leslie shares what it was like to leave her comfortable, but stressful, profession in law, how social media catapulted The Doughnut Project to fame, and why it’s never too late to start a path you’ve always wanted to take.

When the pandemic hit, our lives immediately went virtual. We quickly transitioned to working from home, engaging in online school, participating in virtual workouts, etc. However, hosting & attending social events on our traditional video conferencing tools has created a new wave of awkward interactions.

In this episode we chat with Antonia Hellman, current senior at Stanford University & CEO of Toucan, a new video tool specifically designed for social events and gatherings. With social psychology integrated into the product functionality, Toucan is aiming to create a space that feels natural & inclusive for all users. Toucan was founded at the start of the pandemic by Antonia and her brother brother Ethan & has since raised a pre-seed round of $1 Million & reached over 35,000 unique users!

Tune in to this week's episode to hear the origin story of Toucan, Antonia & Ethan's approach to pitching to potential investors, & how Toucan's platform will adapt and grow to our increasingly digital landscape.

Growing up in a foodie household, Olivia Harries always appreciated how food became the centerpiece that brought people from all walks of life together. Years later, in her current role as the Director of Product Development and Private Brand at Imperfect Foods, Olivia is working to fight America's massive food waste problem with equal parts grit, smarts, and humility. 

She has since launched over 200 private label products at Imperfect Foods, including fan favorites like Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Pieces (sourced from leftover pretzel bits that would otherwise be thrown out) and Movie-Theater Style Popcorn Kernels (purchased from popcorn providers who could no longer sell to movie theaters during COVID-19). Grab a snack and tune in to this week's episode to learn how Olivia carved a career in food innovation, what her mission-driven work looks like, and her vision for a more equitable food system.

After studying political science at UC Berkeley and earning her J.D. at Stanford Law, Jennifer McGlone was poised to take the traditional path to success for many, if not most, young lawyers. For years, she practiced at a large international litigation firm, until she decided her heart wasn’t in it anymore and co-founded Law Champs — the Match.com for people who need lawyers. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn more about her journey, what made her switch from private practice to founding a startup, and how she hopes LawChamps will reimagine "access to equitable legal representation as a fundamental human right."

Throughout her professional dancing career, CEO and Founder of Nude Barre Erin Carpenter struggled to find nude hosiery that matched her skin tone. Erin — and many other performers whose "nude" shade was a color other than the market-standard beige — would regularly dye their tights and dance shoes to prepare for performances. After realizing that the fashion industry would never address this lack of skin tone inclusivity when it came to intimate apparel, Erin Carpenter founded Nude Barre, a company on a mission to empower women of all shades with its eco-friendly undergarments designed for every skin tone. Wendy Williams and Tyra Banks became early fans of Nude Barre tights and the company has since attracted angel investors Whitney Wolfe Herd and Serena Willliams. In this episode, Erin discusses the difficulties she overcame as a Black, female founder and why inclusion matters in fashion.