STACKED: Money, Investing & Business for Women | The Brickell Babes

STACKED: Money, Investing & Business for Women | The Brickell Babes

By Emily DempseyBusiness
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STACKED: Money, Investing & Business for Women | The Brickell Babes episodes

  • 014. The Sharing Economy: Airbnb For Pets Founder On Raising $50 Million to Overnight Widow: Dog Vacay, Rover│Karine Nissim on Grief, Being A Single Mom & The Unsexy Side of Consumer Brands

    Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.


    Today I sat down with Karine Nissim, serial entrepreneur, who studied filmmaking in Los Angeles, and built her first real company there alongside her late husband. That company was Dog Vacay, the Airbnb for pets, which raised $50 million and went on to merge with Rover.


    During the pandemic, she launched Shmask on her own, a shirt with a built-in mask for kids, and sold over $100,000 in a single day on the Today Show. Then Aaron passed away unexpectedly, and everything changed.


    In this conversation we got into everything: the unsexy logistics behind consumer brands, what she learned about herself as an operator, why your network is always the real shortcut, the grief that led her to build DayNew, and why she believes done is always better than perfect. Karine is one of the most generous and clear-eyed people I know, and this conversation will stay with me.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership


    Key Topics Covered

    — How Dog Vacay was born from a personal problem and scaled to raise $50 million

    — Building with a spouse: balancing egos, defining roles, and why most co-founder relationships fail

    — Why "done is better than perfect" and how to overcome analysis paralysis

    — Shmask: turning a midnight idea into a Today Show feature and $100K+ in sales in a single day

    — The unexpected loss of her husband and the year of survival that followed

    — How writing through grief became the foundation for DayNew

    — The two things every person needs during difficult times: connection and consistency

    — Why in-person networking remains one of the highest-leverage growth strategies

    — How negative self-talk prevents the alignment and growth you're seeking

    — Finding your North Star and allowing your purpose to evolve over time

    — Lightning Round: Peer Support vs. Expert-Led, CAC vs. LTV, Miami vs. LA

    Timestamps:

    00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Karine Nissim

    01:54 – From Israel to LA: Karine's Origin Story

    03:00 – Growing Up in an Entrepreneurial Immigrant Family

    03:54 – The Personal Problem That Sparked Dog Vacay

    04:28 – Raising $50M to Build the Airbnb for Pets

    06:11 – Building a Company with Your Spouse: Roles, Ego & Trust

    12:02 – Escaping Analysis Paralysis & Making Better Decisions

    13:50 – Why Done Is Better Than Perfect

    20:51 – Shmask: From a Midnight Idea to $100K+ in One Day

    26:05 – Losing Aaron & Navigating a Year of Survival

    29:38 – How Writing Through Grief Built an Audience

    32:31 – What Is DayNew? AI, Community & Practical Support for Healing

    34:44 – The Two Things Every Human Needs During Hard Times

    35:51 – Why Acceptance Is the Most Important Step in Healing

    44:25 – Knowing Yourself as an Operator: Launching vs Running

    48:34 – Negative Self-Talk & the Language of Becoming

    50:26 – Finding Your North Star & Letting It Evolve

    58:46 – Lightning Round

    01:01:41 – Where to Find Karine Nissim


    Tags:


    Karine Nissim, DayNew app, grief and entrepreneurship, serial entrepreneur, Dog Vacay, Shmask, consumer brands, female founder, how to build a startup, women in business, turning pain into purpose, entrepreneur mindset, healing tech, grief support, personal brand, community building, STACKED podcast, Brickell Babes, done is better than perfect, startup founder story


    Disclaimer:The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    1 hr 2 min
  • 013. He Built a Top 10 Podcast From Scratch | Scott D. Clary on The Mindset Behind 30 Million Downloads, Content Strategy, & The Creator-Operator Model

    Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.

    Today I sat down with Scott D. Clary, host of Success Story Podcast, one of the Top 10 business shows on earth with over 30 million downloads and 321,000 newsletter subscribers. Scott grew up in Ottawa in a family of government workers, nearly went to law school, then spent a decade moving through enterprise sales, startup CRO roles, and two acquisitions. 

    When his last company was about to be sold, he had 12 months to figure out what came next. He chose to start a podcast with no audience, no product, and no plan, just a belief that attention compounds.

    Moving forward in this conversation we got into everything: content strategy, distribution, the locus of control mindset he says every successful person he has ever interviewed shares, why he says riches are always in the niches, and the framework behind giving equity that I wish I had heard earlier.

    This is the content business playbook in real life: the good calls, the frameworks, and the one thing Scott says you should never give away cheaply.

    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership


    Key Topics Covered:


    — Ottawa to Miami: growing up in a government household and choosing tech over law school

    — Why he started the podcast before he had a product or a plan

    — Teaching a younger version of yourself as the content strategy that works

    — Locus of control: internal vs external and why every successful entrepreneur has it

    — Everything is you pushed out: how your internal belief system creates external results

    — Why entrepreneurship is not logical and what kind of person survives it anyway

    — Niche first, go broad later: how Gary Vee, Grant Cardone and Hormozi all started

    — Collaboration strategy: always match medium to medium for maximum conversion

    — Equity as a marriage: when to give it, when to refuse, and how to evaluate the deal

    — Staying in the game long enough: why 10 to 15 years compounded beats one big swing


    Timestamps:


    00:53 – Ottawa Origin Story: Growing Up in a Government Family, Pre-Law Plans & Choosing Tech

    05:21 – Why Scott Started a Podcast With No Product, Audience, or Plan

    06:52 – Advice to His Younger Self: Finding Your Content Avatar

    08:10 – Parasocial Relationships and the Creators Who Master Them

    33:08 – Locus of Control: Internal vs. External Mindsets Explained

    36:48 – "Everything Is You Pushed Out": Belief, Action & Compounding Results

    39:17 – Staying in the Game Long Enough: The Million-Dollar Creator Math

    42:00 – Why Entrepreneurship Requires a Certain Level of Delusion

    49:26 – Distribution Strategy: Publishing 30–40 Pieces of Content Per Day

    54:13 – Collaboration: Why Medium-to-Medium Partnerships Drive Growth

    55:58 – Equity & When to Say No: The Podcast Equity Offer Story

    57:28 – Lightning Round: Niches, Anchors, Big Deals, Newsletters vs. Social

    1:02:26 – Where to Find Scott D. Clary


    Tags:


    Scott D. Clary, Success Story Podcast, content strategy, podcast growth, locus of control, creator economy, entrepreneur mindset, how to build a podcast, personal brand, media business, organic growth, niche down, how to grow on social media, entrepreneurship, STACKED podcast, Brickell Babes, female founders, women in business, creator operator, podcast monetization


    Disclaimer.


    The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    1 hr 6 min
  • 012. My AI Stack: The Exact Systems, Agents, Automations & Workflows Running My Business on a Lean Team with Claude Code and Cowork | Emily Dempsey

    Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.


    This week I am pulling back the curtain on Part 2 of how I use AI in my business — and this one gets specific. I walk you through the exact Claude systems, automations, and workflows my team uses across partnerships, content production, podcast operations, and customer service. We are talking brand voice documents as sources of truth, N8N automations connected to Claude agents, Otter AI meeting notes that turn into Gmail drafts before I wake up, and a content pipeline that saves this team 40+ hours per week.


    Before I built this stack, executing the volume we are doing today would have required 25 people. We do it with a lean team. I also tell you the three things I will never hand off to AI — and why that line matters more the deeper you go.


    If you run a business, a brand, a community, or a content operation of any size, this episode is the blueprint.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership


    Key Topics Covered:

    — Why I moved from ChatGPT to Claude and what changed

    — How to set up Claude as a desktop app and connect your integrations

    — Creating a brand voice document — the single most important thing you can do before using AI

    — The "sources of truth" system: media kit, partnership stack, SOPs, and how to train your Claude

    — How Claude audits pricing and flags proposal errors before they go out

    — The podcast production pipeline: from raw transcript to copy template to Canva — fully automated

    — Customer service automation: N8N + Claude agent + Slack approval loop

    — What I will never let AI touch: external emails, negotiation decisions, emotionally sensitive comms, brand taste

    — The 25-people stat: what a lean AI-powered team can actually do

    — Why future jobs are shifting from execution to system architecture

    — What is coming next: moving Claude agents off desktop and into the cloud for the whole team


    00:42  Why I left ChatGPT after almost2 years and moved to Claude

    03:08  Setting up Claude desktop:integrations, connectors, and your folder of sources of truth

    05:58  Brand voice documents: the mostimportant thing you build before touching AI

    08:22  Use case 1: Partnerships — OtterAI + Claude + N8N meeting-to-email automation

    11:35  Pricing strategy + proposalaudit: how Claude flags errors before they go out

    16:31  Use case 2: Content production —the full podcast-to-Canva pipeline

    19:54  How the copy template systemworks and the 40-hours-per-week save

    24:10  Use case 3: Operations — Zapiervs N8N and why we switched

    26:03  Customer service automation: N8N+ Claude + Slack approval loop

    28:08  What I will NEVER let AI touch

    30:00  Unexpected wins: sleepingbetter, thinking more clearly, better data

    31:47  The 25-people stat and the realROI of this stack

    33:44  Why future jobs are aboutarchitecting, not executing

    34:27  What's coming next: team-wideClaude agents in the cloud

    35:03  Outro


    Tags:


    Emily Dempsey, STACKED podcast, AI for business, Claude AI, how to use Claude, AI automation, N8N workflow, Otter AI, AI tools for entrepreneurs, small team operations, AI content production, brand voice AI, podcast production automation, Brickell Babes, women entrepreneurs, AI systems, business automation 2026, Claude vs ChatGPT, AI workflow for founders


    Disclaimer:


    Disclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.


    38 min
  • 011. She Manifested A Martha Stewart Collab — And Just Renewed It. How a Second Date Idea Became a Multi-City Empire in New York City | Elisa Marshall, Maman Founder and Hospitality Expert

    Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.

    Today I sat down with Elisa Marshall, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Maman, the French-inspired café and lifestyle brand she built with her husband Benjamin Sormonte from a 1,600 sq ft SoHo grab-and-go in 2014 into 54 locations across the US and Canada, a Martha Stewart collaboration, and one of the most imitated brand aesthetics in hospitality.

    Elisa came up through luxury fashion buying, retail leasing, wedding planning, catering, and baking — five jobs, none of them enough. Maman was the room she built to do all of it under one roof.

    In this episode she breaks down how she built a hero product before social media existed, what makes a celebrity partnership actually work, the commissary model behind scaling 54 locations economically, and the line she will never cross on in-person hospitality.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership


    Key Topics Covered

    • The first Maman in SoHo: 18 seats, grab-and-go that became sit-and-stay

    • The cookie that put Maman on the map and the man who drove an hour to buy one

    • Pre-Instagram virality: how a Grub Street article triggered a 24-hour bake shift

    • From 50 cookies a day to 100 dozen at peak demand

    • The vintage china obsession and why customers steal it

    • The Martha Stewart partnership: how it came together and how it just got renewed

    • What makes a celebrity collab work — and what kills most of them

    • Events as 20% of revenue and why dinner service did not pencil

    • Site selection: second-generation spaces with charm built in

    • Why Maman will never put a self-order screen in any location

    • What Elisa would do with $50K in 30 days starting over today

    • Building a legacy brand for the next generation

    Timestamps:

     00:00 Welcome to STACKED 

    00:30 Introducing Elisa Marshall and Maman 

    02:00 Growing up between Toronto and Montreal 

    02:30 The five jobs era: fashion, events, weddings, catering, baking 

    04:00 Two entrepreneurial parents and the lesson that stuck 07:00 The first Maman: 1,600 sq ft in SoHo, 2014 

    10:00 Why reservations did not work in New York 

    12:00 The first signal: the man who drove an hour for cookies 

    13:30 The Grub Street article they did not know about 

    15:00 Fifty cookies a day to 100 dozen at peak 

    26:00 Maman today: 54 locations across the US and Canada 

    29:00 Events as a 20% revenue stream 34:00 Aesthetics as the moat: the feeling, not just the food 

    37:00 The four signature prints and the stories behind them 

    40:00 Why customers steal the china and what Elisa is building because of it 

    46:30 Manifesting Martha Stewart since age nine 48:00 How the Martha Stewart partnership came together 

    51:00 What makes a celebrity collaboration actually work 

    1:00:30 The hardest part of scaling hospitality 

    1:05:00 Why Maman will never install a self-order screen 

    1:07:30 Starting over with $50K in 30 days 

    1:10:00 Building a legacy business for her kids 


    Tags:

    Elisa Marshall, Maman NYC, French café, lifestyle brand, hospitality scaling, brand building, Martha Stewart collab, café business, restaurant unit economics, commissary model, hero product, women founders, female entrepreneur podcast, café aesthetics, brand strategy, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, scaling a small business, second generation real estate


    Disclaimer :

    The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    55 min
  • 010. Bitcoin 101: He Built The First Laptop. Now He's Securing Bitcoin. | Bob Burnett former CTO of Gateway Computers On Bitcoin Mining, Heat Reuse, and Why Crypto Pulled Him Out of Retirement

    Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.

    Today, I sat down with Bob Burnett. Bob spent over 35 years at the intersection of technology and infrastructure — on the engineering team behind the world’s first laptop, and as CTO of Gateway Computers, one of the most iconic Fortune 200 companies of the era. In 2017 a single phone call brought him into crypto mining and one year of deep research led out of retirement and all-in on Bitcoin. Today,  Bob is the founder and CEO of Barefoot Mining and board member at Ocean – a Bitcoin mining pool backed by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, among other ventures. Barefoot Mining is one of the most innovative off-grid Bitcoin mining operations in the world.

    This episode is your introductory course on Bitcoin mining: why do people mine Bitcoin in the first place, how does it work, and why energy costs matter more than money in today’s world. 


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...


    Key Topics Covered

    • From Wisconsin to the world’s first laptop

    • How the personal computer, the internet, Bitcoin, and AI are not four separate things

    • Metcalfe’s Law, network effects, and what happens when networks start multiplying each other

    • The Bitcoin adoption S-curve

    • Why Ethereum lost its soul when it abandoned proof of work

    • Why Bitcoin consumes only 0.6% of the world’s electricity and why most of it is wasted energy

    • Cow manure, hydroelectric, solar, and stranded gas

    • On-grid vs. off-grid mining

    • The future of block space — why nation states and big banks will eventually mine

    • Ocean and why template creation is the only mining that is true to Bitcoin’s principles

    Timestamps

    00:00 — Welcome to STACKED

    00:30 — Introducing Bob Burnett and Barefoot Mining

    01:30 — The Stacked play on words: stacking sats

    02:00 — Why Emily made an exception for a virtual inter in view

    03:20 — Growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Apollo missions

    05:00 — The birth of the personal computer

    06:55 — The world’s first laptop and being there when something big was happening

    09:00 — Metcalfe’s Law: the power of a network is the square of its users

    10:50 — The four steps: personal computer, internet, Bitcoin, AI

    11:30 — AI, agentic workflows, and the decentralization of intelligence

    13:50 — Metcalfe’s Law of Metcalfe’s Law

    22:00 — How the rate of change is becoming astronomical

    24:00 — The technology adoption S-curve

    38:00 — Where Bitcoin sits on the adoption curve today

    44:30 — What was Bob’s first signal on Bitcoin?

    48:00 — The 2017 phone call that changed everything

    54:50 — The switch from Ethereum to Bitcoin

    58:00 — What Bitcoin actually has that Ethereum never did

    01:11:10 — Is Bitcoin mining bad for the environment? No.

    01:13:30 — Cow manure to Bitcoin: the Indiana dairy farm

    01:16:40 — Bitcoin mining explained in 60 seconds

    01:29:50 — The orchard produces oranges. Bob produces blocks.

    01:33:10 — Final settlement in 10 minutes and what that means for global commerce

    01:41:20 — On-grid vs. off-grid

    01:49:50 — Lightning round

    01:57:00 — Wrap up and where to find Bob

    Tags

    Bob Burnett, Barefoot Mining, Ocean mining pool, Bitcoin mining, Bitcoin energy, off-grid mining, on-grid mining, Ethereum vs Bitcoin, Gateway CTO, Bitcoin decentralization, Metcalfe’s Law, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, Bitcoin mining explained

    Disclaimer

    The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    1 hr 59 min
  • 009. She Left Wall Street to Help Others Thrive | Sophia Mullins: Wellness for Ambitious Women

    Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.


    Today Emily sits down with Sophia Mullins, founder and CEO of Wall Street Wellness. Sophia spent nearly a decade on Wall Street across investment banking at Barclays, private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds when  a Hashimoto's diagnosis in the middle of her career stopped her in her tracks. Two traditional doctors called her a medical mystery. A functional health doctor gave her answers in 90 minutes, a lifestyle medicine protocol that sent her antibodies into full remission, and a passion for wellness that she has now turned into a consultancy working with high-achievers, as well as investment banks, law firms, top corporations and leading universities.

    This episode is your complete high-performance-without-burning-out playbook, the real one, not the aesthetic version.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. ⁠http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...⁠


    Key Topics Covered :


    • From investment banking to autoimmune diagnosis — what Hashimoto's actually feels like inside a high-intensity career

    • Why two traditional doctors said 'medical mystery' and what a functional health doctor found in 90 minutes

    • The non-negotiable framework, identifying the 1 to 3 habits that actually move the needle for you

    • Wellness on the road, travel strategy for client dinners, conferences, and back-to-back meetings

    • Caffeine timing, anti-inflammatory eating, and the truth about why wellness is not one-size-fits-all

    • GLP-1s — a non-judgmental, practical take on what to watch for

    • Transcendental Meditation, Insight Timer, Wim Hof, and To Be Magnetic — what actually works

    Timestamps :

    01:33 — Starting a wellness community while still in finance

    03:00 — The Hashimoto's diagnosis: symptoms, two years of wrong answers, the functional doctor

    07:36 — Lifestyle medicine and sending antibodies into remission

    09:10 — Autoimmune disease, stress, and the genetic predisposition trigger

    11:00 — The sprint mentality that is not sustainable

    12:00 — Life as a marathon

    15:00 — Transcendental Meditation

    16:00 — Insight Timer, Law of Attraction and Abundance, Blondish

    17:00 — Wim Hof breathwork

    18:30 — To Be Magnetic — neuroscience-backed manifesting app

    19:00 — On a crazy week: the non-negotiables framework

    22:30 — Why too long a wellness routine creates paralysis

    24:00 — Wellness is a mindset, not a tool

    25:00 — Travel strategy: flexibility, eating framework, pre-planning menus

    28:00 — The alcohol question — navigating work drinking culture

    32:00 — Wellness-based client entertainment: padel, workouts, spa

    34:00 — Anti-inflammatory eating and caffeine timing

    38:00 — Sophia's food sensitivities: gluten, dairy, soy

    42:00 — GLP-1s — the non-judgmental practical breakdown

    44:00 — Wearable tech: Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch, EMFs, when not to get one

    49:00 — Lightning round

    50:30 — Where to find Sophia


    Tags:

    Sophia Mullins, Wall Street Wellness, high performance burnout, Hashimoto's wellness, autoimmune disease career, corporate wellness, functional medicine, wellness for women, investment banking burnout, biohacking women, Oura Ring, GLP-1, anti-inflammatory diet, Transcendental Meditation, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, women in finance, nervous system regulation, female founders


    Disclaimer :

    Disclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    49 min
  • 008. She Quit Her Investment Banking Job on Wall Street, Built 5 Companies & Exited 3 | Divya Gugnani on First Customers, Pricing & the Exit in a Crowded Beauty CPG Space

    Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.

    In this week’s live filming at our STACKED IRL event Emily goes from banking to beauty empire with Divya Gugnani, serial founder, investor, and mentor behind five companies, three exits, and one of the most honest founder stories you will hear this year. She started at Goldman Sachs from Cornell without being on their recruit list, moved into private equity and venture, backing Shopify and Pinterest before most people knew what either of them were and eventually became the accidental entrepreneur who built Wander Beauty with a supermodel she met at a party, grew it to 40+ awards and global distribution, and sold it. Her latest venture is 5 SENS, a fragrance brand built entirely around mood.

    This is the founder playbook in real life! The good decisions, the ones she'd take back, and the frameworks she actually uses.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. ⁠http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...⁠


    Key Topics Covered

    • Why she took the lowest-paying offer of the five she had

    • The lesson from Goldman she built every company around

    • Why the best founders never planned to be founders

    • The 100-woman survey that built Wander Beauty

    • The gold under-eye patches — born in Korea, rejected by Sephora, tens of millions in sales

    • Early investor in Shopify and Pinterest — why it's always the people

    • How to pick a co-founder and what makes the partnership last

    • The New York to Tokyo hiring test

    • The double standard that calls confident women aggressive

    • Imposter syndrome and putting the customer before the personal brand


    Timestamps


    00:00 — Welcome + introducing Divya Gugnani

    01:33 — Childhood: Springfield to New York, shy Indian girl, parents between Delhi and New York

    02:18 — Cornell, government & economics, nearly became a lawyer

    03:02 — Landing Goldman: 4 offers, 24 Saturday interviews, lowest-paying, and why she took it

    04:32 — There's no 'I' in Goldman — the lesson behind every company name

    05:00 — Investcorp → FirstMark → accidental entrepreneur

    06:14 — The best businesses come from personal problems

    07:36 — Wander Beauty: the 100-woman survey aged 18 to 72

    10:12 — The gold under-eye patches — coffee for your face

    13:36 — Sephora said no. She said yes. Tens of millions followed.

    15:51 — Building vs. backing: the operator-to-investor mindset shift

    17:06 — Company three unlock: hire the best, get out of their way

    18:08 — Early Shopify and Pinterest investor

    19:17 — Training AI on 5 SENS brand voice

    20:21 — Co-founder framework: complementary skills, clear lanes, trust

    21:00 — Meeting Lindsay Ellingson at a party, 10 years together

    22:51 — Two ears, one mouth — the leadership rule from her mom

    24:06 — Hire slowly, fire quickly

    28:07 — The assumptions people still make about women founders

    31:13 — Imposter syndrome, community over personal brand, lightning round


    NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY AT 7AM EST. Subscribe so you never miss one.


    Tags

    Divya Gugnani, Wander Beauty, 5 SENS, Concept2Co, serial founder, beauty entrepreneur, Goldman Sachs, Cornell, women founders, startup advice, co-founder advice, D2C beauty, first 100 customers, pricing strategy, STACKED podcast, Brickell Babes, female founders, imposter syndrome, women in business, how to build a brand


    Disclaimer

    Disclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

    36 min
  • 007. Inside Crypto with a Top Lawyer | Greer Griffith on Bitcoin, Blockchain, & Custody From A Legal Lens

    Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.

    What do you actually do if the government comes for your crypto? What happens to your Bitcoin if your custodian goes bankrupt? And why does everyone keep saying "not your keys, not your coins?"

    This week we're going inside the crypto courtroom. 

    Greer Griffith is a partner at McDermott Will & Schulte and leader of their fintech and blockchain practice. Her team has handled more significant crypto litigations than any other law firm in the world and is one of the only groups ranked by Chambers for crypto asset disputes. She got into Bitcoin as a personal investor in 2017 before it was ever part of her job.

    Today she's giving us the full legal playbook. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Just everything you need to know to protect yourself in this space.

    This is the legal first aid kit every woman in crypto needs.

    WHAT WE COVER:

    • From Big Law to crypto: how Greer went from white-collar defense to building one of the most recognized fintech and blockchain practices in the world

    • Bitcoin, blockchain and stablecoins explained: the plain-English breakdown of the three terms you need to understand before anything else

    • Custody 101: the two ways to hold your crypto, the real risks on both sides, and what actually happens in a crypto bankruptcy

    • The 2025 regulatory wave: the Genius Act, the Clarity Act, and why clarity is good news for everyone in the space

    • Subpoenas and government inquiries: what to do, what not to do, and why the first few days matter more than anything

    • Crypto scams: the fake "your account is frozen" texts, why they're everywhere, and the one rule that protects everything

    • Greer's predictions for 2026 and 2027: enforcement trends, IPOs, consolidation, and where the space is heading


      This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. ⁠http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...⁠


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 — Welcome to STACKED

    02:00 — Introducing Greer Griffith

    05:30 — From white-collar defense to crypto law

    10:00 — Bitcoin 101: what it is and why it has value

    15:00 — Blockchain explained: the public ledger no one can alter

    19:00 — Stablecoins: the digital dollar for everyday transactions

    23:00 — The 2025 regulatory moment: Genius Act and Clarity Act

    29:00 — Custody 101: custodian vs. self-hosted wallet

    35:00 — What really happens in a crypto bankruptcy

    40:00 — Subpoenas: what to do when the government comes knocking

    44:00 — Bitcoin vs. digital asset treasuries vs. ETFs

    48:00 — Crypto scams and the one rule that protects everything

    52:00 — Greer's predictions for 2026 and 2027

    55:00 — One thing to do in the next 24 hours

    NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY AT 7AM EST. Subscribe so you never miss one. 🎙️


    DISCLAIMER:

    This podcast is for educational purposes only. Nothing here is legal or financial advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified professional before making any investment or legal decisions.



    TAGS: Greer Griffith, McDermott Will & Schulte, crypto law, Bitcoin, blockchain, stablecoins, crypto custody, self custody, digital wallet, seed phrase, crypto regulation, Genius Act, Clarity Act, crypto bankruptcy, crypto scams, STACKED podcast, Stacked, women in crypto, women and Bitcoin, fintech law, Bitcoin education, crypto for beginners, crypto for women, financial education, Brickell Babes, Miami women, Bitcoin 101, blockchain explained, crypto attorney

    44 min
  • 006. I Fired ChatGPT And My Business Exploded | How I Use Agentic AI & Claude Cowork and Code Automations to Run My Business

    Welcome back to STACKED — the show about money, Bitcoin, entrepreneurship and wellness built specifically for women who are done being talked down to.

    I am going to be honest with you. For a long time I was using AI the way most people use it. Type a question, read the answer, close the tab. And I thought I was ahead of the curve. 

    I was not.

    6 weeks ago everything changed. I ran the same prompt in ChatGPT and Claude on the same day. ChatGPT had months of context on me. Claude had almost nothing. Claude still won. It was not close. I moved my entire operation over that same week and I have not looked back once.

    I am Emily Dempsey, host of STACKED and founder of Brickell Babes, Miami's largest women's network with over 70,000 members. I run 2 businesses with a small team. 

    Less than 1% of 1% of people using AI right now are using agentic AI or scheduling tasks. You are still so early. And after this episode you will know exactly where to start.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. ⁠http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...⁠


    WHAT WE COVER

    • Why I ditched ChatGPT. I walk you through the exact moment I knew it was over.
    • My full tech stack integration: Google Drive, Gmail, Slack, Calendar, Chrome, and desktop files. 
    • The automations running my businesses right now all without me touching a thing.
    • Claude Code vs Claude Cowork: What they are, how they differ, and when to move from one to the other. No coding required for either.
    • What agentic AI actually means and what it looks like when they work together to run your business at lightning speed.
    • Why I ditched Zapier for N8N 
    • The only filter you need which is the whole framework.
    • What AI will never do and why I think AI makes the room more important, not less.


    TIMESTAMPS


    00:00 — Welcome and what this solo episode covers 

    00:56 — How I got started and turned AI into a strategic partner 

    03:46 — The prompt test that made me fire ChatGPT

     04:47 — Connecting Claude to my entire tech stack 

    07:32 — My first Claude tasks: Downloads folder and calendar audit 

    09:00 — The twice a week rule for deciding what to automate 

    09:23 — The meeting transcript automation: Otter AI to email draft 

    10:44 — The Slack audit automation 

    11:44 — Rolling Claude out to my whole team 

    13:01 — Claude Code vs Claude Cowork explained 

    15:44 — Why I switched from Zapier to N8N 

    18:08 — What agentic AI actually means 

    20:13 — How to start: one task, one automation

    21:25 — Why you are still so early 

    23:03 — What AI cannot do: gut, relationships, the room 

    25:33 — Closing thoughts and Claude coworking meetups in Miami


    New episodes every Tuesday at 7AM EST. If this episode helped you, share it with one woman in your life who needs to hear it.


    Disclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.


    TAGS Emily Dempsey, STACKED podcast, Brickell Babes, Claude AI, agentic AI, AI automation for small business, N8N, Zapier alternative, Claude vs ChatGPT, no code automation, women entrepreneurs, AI tools for founders, Miami entrepreneur, women in business

    29 min
  • 005. Are You Dating the Wrong Person? | Maria Sosa on Love Bombing, Non-Negotiables & Red Flags

    Welcome to Episode 005 of STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.

    Emily sits down with Maria Sosa, AKA Holistically Grace — couples therapist, divorce counselor, and author helping thousands of women navigate love and heartbreak.

    Maria left a father-chosen marketing career to become a couples therapist — then got divorced while her following was growing. She hid it, shared it, and the response changed everything.

    This episode is a real, unfiltered conversation about modern relationships, emotional honesty, and the work it actually takes to build a life you love — with a partner, and with yourself.


    This episode is brought to you by The Brickell Babes, Miami’s largest network of ambitious women. Join for lifetime connections, real recommendations, curated events, exclusive perks, and a community of women who actually show up for one another. Learn more about membership. ⁠http://www.thebrickellbabes.com/membe...⁠


    Connect with Maria Sosa:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HolisticallyGrace/

    X: https://x.com/holistically_g

    TikTok: TikTok - Make Your Day

    Website: https://www.holisticallygrace.com/


    Follow Us: 

    YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@stacked-assets

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stackedassets

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stacked.assets

    Follow Emily Dempsey: 

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilydempsey

    X: https://x.com/EmilyDempsey

    LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-j-dempsey/


    Follow The Brickell Babes: 

    Become A Member:www.thebrickellbabes.com/membership

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrickellbabes/

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebrickellbabes


    Follow Maria Sosa / Holistically Grace: 

    Instagram: / holisticallygrace 

    Website: holisticallygrace.com


    WHAT WE COVER:

    — How Maria's father chose her career, why she walked away, and what drew her to studying human irrationality.

    — Divorcing publicly as a couples therapist, the shame she carried, and why sharing it brought her closer to her community.

    — Why not every ended friendship was toxic

    — and the distinction that changed how they both see it.

    — Why showing up as yourself early in dating is the most strategic move, and what it costs when you don't.

    — How to find your true non-negotiables, why they're deeply personal, and the difference between compromising and self-abandonment.

    — Being childfree, dating with that truth upfront, and what Emily discovered when her partner changed his mind about kids.

    — Why Maria has a standing "energy audit" every Sunday at 3 PM, and what intentional relationship maintenance looks like.

    — Sparklers vs. fireworks, name the feeling vs. fix the problem, somatic tools vs. scripts, slow burn vs. instant chemistry.


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00:00 — Welcome to STACKED 

    00:00:30 — Introducing Maria Sosa / Holistically Grace 

    00:02:30 — Draining vs. depleting relationships 

    00:08:30 — Going through a divorce as a couples therapist 

    00:10:45 — Building a social media following: private vs. vulnerable 

    00:15:50 — Being the oldest child and the people-pleasing trap 

    00:18:20 — How to raise your tolerance for discomfort 

    00:21:45 — Early dating: show up as yourself, not your representative 

    00:24:17 — Compromise vs. compromising yourself 

    00:33:17 — The childfree decision 

    00:37:21 — Emily's egg-freezing story 

    00:44:40 — Maria's Bumble profile

    00:47:07 — Life as a science experiment 

    00:49:35 — Love bombing vs. genuine enthusiasm 

    00:55:34 — What to do when you can't unsee the red flags 

    00:59:42 — The honeymoon period — no big decisions 

    01:01:21 — 50/50 relationships 

    01:08:26 — Financial literacy as self-protection for women 

    01:10:01 — Lightning round

    Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday at 7AM EST.


    DISCLAIMER

    This is educational content, not financial or therapeutic advice. Consult a qualified professional before making personal or financial decisions.

    1 hr 23 min

About STACKED: Money, Investing & Business for Women | The Brickell Babes

From the publisher's feed

Become your own best asset. STACKED is the money show for ambitious women who earn well and want to own more: their companies, their investments, and a smart position in the future of…