Creativity isn’t just for designers. It’s a core business skill.

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I sat down with Natalie Nixon, PhD, renowned creativity strategist, President of Figure 8 Thinking, and author of The Creativity Leap. We discuss why creativity is at the heart of successful business strategies and how it can transform the way companies lead, adapt, and innovate.

Natalie shares her unique journey from academia to entrepreneurship and breaks down her Wonder-Rigor method for turning creative thinking into a strategic advantage. Prepare to rethink everything you thought you knew about innovation and leadership.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet creativity strategist Natalie Nixon, PhD

(05:39) How creativity drives innovation in business

(07:42) The "What If, So What, Now What" framework

(11:29) Why working with limited resources enhances creativity

(14:46) How to revive creativity in larger organizations

(27:54) The importance of hiring people with different skill sets

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It took Ilana Golan losing her life’s work to realize the one thing that was missing from her career: herself. 

This week on SUPERWOMEN, Leap Academy’s Ilana Golan shares how building a robust personal brand helped her overcome bad business partners and fluctuating trends, ultimately leading her to build one of the fastest-growing startups in the country. 

Ilana also shares how experience trumps education, why multi-faceted portfolios can shield you from so many problems, and the one trait successful people have in common.

Episode Guide: 

(00:00) Meet Ilana Golan, Founder & CEO of Leap Academy

(04:07) The problem with higher education

(07:17) Losing everything and starting from scratch

(12:26) How to build a multi-faceted career

(18:25) The art of “leaping” and building a brand as insurance

(24:04) Why coaching works

(28:24) Putting passion to work

(30:11) The one thing successful people have in common

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Picture this: you are 7,000 miles away from home, in a new country with no familiar faces. How do you build a sense of community? You start with food.

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I’m joined by Shiza Shahid, Co-Founder of the Malala Fund and Our Place. She shares how her activism shaped her journey as an entrepreneur, and how food became a powerful tool for connection and belonging. This belief laid the groundwork for Our Place—a brand built around the idea that cookware can be more than just functional; it can bring people together.

We discuss how Shiza challenged the cookware industry, the balance between profit and purpose, and the impact of community-driven growth on her brand’s success.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Meeting Shiza Shahid, Co-Founder of Malala Fund and Our Place

(02:29) Shiza’s bold career pivots

(03:21) Rebuilding connection as an immigrant

(10:39) Scaling without losing community

(14:58) What it’s like building a company with your spouse

(17:48) Letting go of fear and imagined risk

(25:08) Choosing sustainable growth over hype

(31:16) Why non-toxic materials are non-negotiable

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It’s easy to think your ambitions are gone forever once you’re a parent, or worse, after a divorce. Suddenly, “having it all” feels unrealistic, if not impossible.

But Sarah Armstrong is proof that ambition doesn’t just disappear. It evolves.

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I sat down with Sarah, VP of Global Marketing Operations at Google, and author of The Art of the Juggling Act and  The Mom’s Guide to a Good Divorce. She shares what it looked like to keep her career moving through motherhood, divorce, and single parenting, without losing herself in the process.

We talk about choosing what matters, setting boundaries that actually hold up, and letting go of pressure that does more harm than good. If you’ve ever wondered whether your goals still fit the life you’re living now, this one’s for you.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Sarah Armstrong, Author And Global Executive

(01:46) The shock of early motherhood and realizing there is no blueprint(05:51) The power of saying no without guilt

(07:48) Finding her new normal as a single mom 

(09:51) Why pulling back does not end your trajectory

(13:24) Setting firm boundaries that actually work

(20:48) Redefining what having it all really means

(25:58) What Sarah would tell her younger self about motherhood & ambition

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Most people think better skin comes from more products and pricier treatments. But Jordan Harper knew better. With no safety net, she built Barefaced to simplify skincare down to what actually works. 

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I’m joined by Jordan Harper, Nurse Practitioner and Founder of Barefaced, to talk about what she learned after years of treating patients in cosmetic dermatology and why she decided to build a brand rooted in trust, not trends.

Jordan shares what the skincare industry gets wrong, how relationships drove early growth, and the lessons that came from expensive mistakes.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Jordan Harper, Founder & CEO of Barefaced

(01:35) What years of patient care taught her about skincare

(07:47) Serving people before selling anything

(08:55) The unsexy growth strategy that paid off

(18:01) The tradeoffs behind success

(19:16) When hiring “experts” goes wrong

(25:30) Why Barefaced has a 90% customer retention rate

(30:30) The four essential products for any skincare routine

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Too much of a good thing adds up fast. What starts as a little treat or “just one more thing” can quickly turn into clutter (and somehow… a very full apartment).

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I sat down with Isan Elba, Founder & CEO of Beauty Access and Beauty Forward, two initiatives rethinking how the beauty industry approaches waste, access, and community. We talk about how a simple gifting event sparked her passion for giving back, how curiosity builds real confidence, and why creators don’t have to choose between making money and making an impact.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Isan Elba, Founder & CEO of Beauty Access & Beauty Forward 

(01:46) The problem with donating beauty products

(09:52) Making money without losing your values

(12:07) When self-care becomes too much

(14:57) Choosing better brands in a wasteful industry

(18:24) Moving past performative good

(22:39) Turning passion into long-term work

(28:26) How to get involved with Beauty Forward

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“Nepo baby” is an easy label to apply to anyone who joins a family business. What we rarely talk about is the pressure to prove yourself and the effort it takes to be taken seriously.

This week on SUPERWOMEN, we sat down with Avery Hale Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads, to talk about the experience of working inside a family business. Avery opens up about the challenge of stepping into a company with such a rich legacy.

Avery reveals how she navigated Backroads through the chaos of COVID, when everything was falling apart, and how she rebuilt the company from the ground up. From handling massive layoffs to keeping the business alive with no roadmap, she learned that surviving crises takes a whole lot of grit. 

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Avery Hale Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads

(01:44) What is Backroads?

(03:33) Growing up around the business

(07:10) How Backroads survived COVID

(11:32) When chaos becomes the best teacher

(13:53) The reality of being a working mom

(19:05) Going back to work after postpartum

(22:19) Lessons learned from dealing with crises

(25:53) The one rule for working with family

(27:41) Women's adventures at Backroads 

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What happens when the thing you worked so hard to build no longer feels like the life you want to be living?

In this episode of SUPERWOMEN, Rebecca sits down with Ara Katz, co-founder of Seed, to talk about ambition, loss, and the moments that quietly redirect your life. Ara shares how stepping away from a high-growth tech company and reconnecting with her passion for science led her to build Seed, a microbiome company grounded in clinical rigor rather than wellness hype.

We also explore leadership and identity, including Ara’s unconventional management style and her decision to transition from CEO to Chairperson as an intentional evolution, not a failure.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Ara Katz, co-founder of Seed

(03:40) How Ara found the confidence to start Seed

(08:56) Gut health hype vs real science

(11:41) Why most probiotics don’t actually work

(19:00) Building a culture around great work, not validation

(25:28) Why stepping back as a founder isn’t a failure

(33:15) Nurturing Seed’s next phase and building what’s coming

(36:26) Leading with love, even when it’s hard

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Sometimes boredom is the push that leads to your next big thing. For Sammi Cohen, it was the spark that took her from a stable job at Amazon to building a career as a full-time content creator. One viral TikTok video eventually turned into hundreds. And before long, she built Social Currency, a media brand and podcast that reaches millions.

In this replay episode of SUPERWOMEN, Sammi shares the story behind that transition. We talk about the patience, grit, and yes, a little bit of delusion it takes to keep going between your first post and your first paycheck. She opens up about building trust with her audience, learning from failure without shame, and developing the instincts to know what content will stick.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Sammi Cohen, CEO and host of Social Currency

(03:20) Finding your voice online

(09:44) When monetization finally happens

(14:17) Sammi’s failed matcha company and starting over

(17:05) Dissecting the brands everyone’s talking about

(21:43) Turning mistakes into momentum instead of shame

(28:51) Redefining balance, priorities, and self-care

(32:39) Sammi’s creator instinct

(36:54) Navigating criticism and staying fair

(41:56) Finding your X factor

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Most people are settled by 40. Carrie Gross was just getting started.

With four kids at home and a solid career, her decision to start a new business seemed like a risky choice. But her vision was stronger than the fear.

In this replay episode of SUPERWOMEN, Carrie Gross, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, discusses her pivot from fashion to beauty. She shares how she and her dermatologist husband launched the brand with one product—their now-iconic peel pads.

We talk about what it’s like to pursue your passion later in life, how to stay married while running a business together, and what it means to grow without burning out. Carrie opens up about early failures, trusting her gut, and staying focused on what really matters.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Carrie Gross, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare

(03:01) The elevator encounter that changed her life

(06:23) How Dr. Dennis Gross’ Peel Pads took off

(11:48) Building a marriage and a business that lasts

(16:14) The Sex and the City controversy

(17:48) The 2008 crash that led to a brand rebirth

(19:03) Selling the company and learning to let go

(24:24) Innovating without chasing trends

(26:24) Lessons from failure and being too early

(27:59) Balancing ambition, motherhood, and slowing down

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