When Liz Picarazzi started snapping photos of ugly trash enclosures around Brooklyn, she didn’t know she was laying the groundwork for CITIBIN, a premium outdoor storage brand now serving homes, cities, and even bear country. In this episode, Liz shares her journey from a corporate career to building a million-dollar, woman-owned company, securing municipal contracts in New York City, and ultimately achieving the coveted bear-resistance certification after multiple failed attempts. It’s a story of vision, grit, and turning “trash” into treasure.

Show Notes

 In this episode of She’s So Bossy, Jaci Russo and Melissa Bowen sit down with Liz Reich-Picarazzi, founder and CEO of CITIBIN. What began as a side project to beautify New York sidewalks has grown into a thriving business tackling rat infestations, municipal waste challenges, and even grizzly bears. Liz’s journey offers rare insight into scaling a product company, breaking into government contracts, and navigating the personal dynamics of working with family.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The “aha” moment: How stroller walks through Brooklyn sparked a new product category in waste management.
• From handyman service to premium product line: Prototyping CITIBIN with paying clients.
• Breaking into B2G: Winning over New York City and adapting residential products for municipal needs.
• Manufacturing lessons: Moving production from U.S. factories to China, then diversifying into Vietnam to navigate tariff risks.
• Family business dynamics: Hiring her husband as COO and bringing her daughter into the company for a summer.
• Overcoming imposter syndrome: Competing in a space dominated by architects, policymakers, and city planners.
• Bear country breakthrough: Three tries, two failures, and finally earning Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee certification.
• Leadership truth: Why knowing your strengths—and not managing everything yourself—can accelerate growth.

Resources & Links

• CITIBIN: https://citibin.com/
• Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizarazzi/?hl=en
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-reisch-picarazzi/
• Pinterest Hall of Shame (Ugly Trash Enclosures):  https://www.pinterest.com/elizarazzi/trash-enclosures/

What does it take to go from selling magazines at age five to leading a company from losing $1 million to generating nearly $500 million in revenue? Dianna Kokoszka will tell you—and she’s not holding back. Her story is part masterclass in mindset, part unfiltered look at the realities women face in male-dominated industries, and 100% proof that courage, strategy, and heart can change everything.

In this episode of She’s So Bossy, Jaci and Melissa sit down with Dianna Kokoszka—real estate legend, author of Becoming More, and creator of the game-changing BOLD program. Dianna shares:

• How she went from being turned down by 12 real estate offices to selling 104 homes her first year.
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• The pivotal mindset shift that took her from personal financial crisis to building a $485M division at Keller Williams.
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• The four “storytellers” in your head—and how to fire the ones holding you back.
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• Why women must lean in, support each other, and refuse to stay small.
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• How her new Mindset Assessment is transforming teams, leaders, and lives.
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This conversation is equal parts inspiration and practical wisdom. Whether you’re growing your business, leading a team, or just trying to get out of your own way, Dianna’s insights will challenge you to think bigger, act bolder, and become more.

Resources & Links:

• Becoming More by Dianna Kokoszka – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C72P6WM7?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_966B18M7JT9FARCX27Q9
• Dianna’s Mindset Assessment – https://take.quiz-maker.com/QEGH4FJ3B
• Connect with Dianna: https://diannakokoszka.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannakokoszka/

Laurel Hess didn’t set out to disrupt an industry—she just wanted clean clothes and a little breathing room. What started as a working mom’s pain point turned into Hampr, a fast-growing, venture-backed laundry solution now operating in 20 states. In this episode, Laurel shares how she built one of the rare women-led startups to cross $1 million in annual revenue, without a roadmap, without pretending to know it all, and without letting fear stop her.

We dig into what it really takes to scale a business while raising a family, answering to investors, and still centering your team with empathy. From learning what a cap table is to shifting her company from B2C to B2B (and increasing revenue 15x in the process), Laurel’s journey is an unfiltered, deeply human look at what it means to “do it scared.”

If you’ve ever wondered how to grow with integrity, lead with heart, and juggle it all without pretending balance is the goal, this one’s for you.

When cousins Lauren Bercier and Laken Swan came up with the idea to rent silk wedding flowers, it sounded a little crazy—even to them. But nearly 10 years and 50,000 weddings later, Something Borrowed Blooms has revolutionized the bridal industry and built a multimillion-dollar brand out of Lafayette, Louisiana.

In this episode, Jaci and Melissa sit down with the founders to talk about what it takes to scale a business from an idea no one believed in to a national brand that's now competing with traditional florists and fresh flower delivery services. They share how they built a disruptive model, overcame moments that nearly broke them, and why their “path to 10%” is the north star for every decision they make.

From FedEx runs in U-Hauls to power poses in bathroom mirrors, this is the real story behind how two women turned scrappy startup energy into category-defining success, without a roadmap, but with relentless drive and trust in each other.

If you're building something big, this one’s for you.

What happens when a broadcast journalist turns PR pro, launches her own firm, gets acquired—and then buys it back? You get Sarah Segal. In this episode, Jaci and Melissa talk with the founder of Segal Communications about building a lifestyle PR agency in the competitive Bay Area, navigating the unexpected twists of entrepreneurship, and what it really takes to break past the $1 million revenue ceiling.

Sarah opens up about leading through uncertainty, the realities of hiring and delegation, and why transparency and trust are the cornerstones of her company culture. She shares how she’s preparing her agency for the next level of growth, what she’s learning from her newest hire, and the personal milestones that define her version of success (hint: they involve coffee, cake, and maybe a neck lift).

If you’ve ever wondered how to stay bossy without burning out, this one’s for you.

In this powerful episode of She’s So Bossy, we sit down with Linda Schlesinger, founder of Skinny Tees, who turned a single late-night idea into a multi-million-dollar brand—at the age of 62. As one of the 1.9% of women who’ve scaled their business past $1 million in annual revenue, Linda shares her unfiltered journey through entrepreneurship, reinvention, resilience, and the power of community. From building brands to navigating personal hardship, her story is both a masterclass in leadership and a heartfelt call to action for women ready to scale on their own terms.

Welcome to the premiere episode of She’s So Bossy, the podcast created for women who are growing their businesses. Hosted by Jaci Russo, PCM, and Melissa Bowen, LPC-S, CDWF, this series goes beyond the basics—spotlighting the 1.9% of women who have built companies exceeding $1M in revenue. In each episode, you'll gain the insight, strategy, and inspiration you need to join them.