The Curious Middle

Christina Ramirez was on an assignment at UC Santa Barbara 13 years ago when she came up with the idea for eco-conscious toothbrushes. Today her Plus Ultra Bamboo Toothbrushes are sold in more than 320 retail stores in 22 states, including Whole Foods and Amazon. She also has her sights set on expanding into other eco-conscious products.

In our conversation Christina shares how wise advice from her stepmom encouraged her to leave a job that had left her feeling miserable for an out-of-the-mold job that would bring her long-term happiness. The wise push, Christina says, gave her the confidence to walk toward her ultimate business dream. But her dream didn't come without a lot of hard work and tough lessons. We talk about the ups and downs she faced when starting a new business – from flying to China to find manufacturers, to a tough lesson in quality control when her first lot of 5,000 toothbrushes were damaged.

We also talk about all the steps Christina took even before facing the production hurdles to bring her idea for a bamboo toothbrush to life. She had a goal: She wanted to create a product sold at Whole Foods. So, she applied for, and was hired for, a job as a cashier. Then, for 6 years she did everything she could to move up in the company. And although she says she didn't make enough money to even buy a car, she was happy to be working among like-minded peers while learning about the business. Christina shares how she pitched her idea for bamboo toothbrushes to Whole Foods, and how she got the green light from the company's buyers on a category call. And then, since she didn't even have a product yet, she shares the day-and-night hours it took to research, develop and manufacture the product shed dreamed about.

If you've ever wanted to build a business, we think you will love Christina's inspiring story. And we've got a good feeling it will give you that boost you need to pursue your very own business dreams.

Other Topics Discussed:

• Finding a job that serves your soul
• Manufacturing in foreign countries
• The reality of the time commitment in starting a company
• Outsourcing
• The problem with old school toothbrushes. (In 2018, more than 50 million pounds of toothbrushes ended up in landfills.)

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f you’re like us, you love wearing fashion that makes you feel confident and stylish. Today’s Leading Lady creates fashion just like that, and she also takes it a step further by infusing a female empowerment theme into her brand as well.

 

Who are we talking about? If you guessed Rebecca Minkoff you are right on. Rebecca has the ultimate girl-moves-to-big-city, girl-works-hard and girl-makes-it story. At only 18 years old she moved to NYC to chase her dream of making it as a fashion designer. Many hit pieces, like the Morning After Bag, helped catapulted her accessories line to bold-faced name status. And in 2009, she introduced her first ready-to-wear collection.

 

Now the Rebecca Minkoff brand has domestic and international retail locations and is distributed in more than 900 stores worldwide. Additionally, as the woman behind the brand, Rebecca was named as a member of the New York State Council on Women and Girls, and in fall of last year she established the Female Founder Collective, which features a network of businesses led by women that invests in female-owned businesses. She’s also the founder and host of Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff.

 

Listen in as we talk to Rebecca about her design inspirations, her business and her new podcast. Then, visit us at IWantHerJob.com for show notes and a link to our previous interview with Rebecca from 2016.

Frida Polli is the founder of Pymetrics, a startup that uses algorithms to reduce hiring bias through software. The software uses neuroscience-based games and cutting-edge AI to reinvent the way companies attract, select and retain talent. It also helps job seekers match to jobs best suited for their strengths, personalities and capabilities.

Companies utilizing Pymetrics during the hiring process include Unilever, LinkedIn, Tesla and Accenture. The organization has received press from The New York Times to The Economist and Wall Street Journal. And it works. Data from Pymetrics is showing that job offers and retention rates have increased for the organizations using its services.

From a job seeker standpoint, many of us have started jobs that, in hindsight, weren’t the best fit for our personality types. With Pymetrics, applicants are tested through a series of online games for a certain set of cognitive and emotional traits. The games are put together to help a candidate find a job that’s a great fit! And, this is all done through a common application, removing hiring bias from the hiring equation.

Frida talks about how AI and new approaches to hiring can transform how candidates apply to – and are accepted to – jobs. AI also improves the job application and matching process in a massive way. She also shares how observing the candidate hiring process while earning her MBA at Harvard gave her the idea for Pymetrics. We also have an honest conversation about her early influences, strengths and weaknesses. Listen in to hear how Frida is boldly leading a massively exciting hiring shift in our society.

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In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we check back in with Anna Lambert, director of talent acquisition at Shopify. An e-commerce platform that handles marketing, payments and shipping, Shopify empowers entrepreneurs all over the world. With more than $82 billion of transactions made on the platform, it powers more than 600,000 businesses.    Our original interview with Anna was one of our top 10 most-downloaded shows, and so we decided to get an update on her job and company for this week's Career Quickie. We ask her about how Shopify hires differently, how the company's open-mined approach attracts a wide variety of candidates and advice for how you can reach out and pitch yourself for a job.   Listen to our conversation to hear more about what recruiters want to see when you reach out to them. Also learn more about why your story, your interest in a job and your path can make you a strong candidate, with or without a traditional background. Shopify, Anna says, believes in the potential of passion, skills and transferable experience.

When it comes to leadership, Debbie Madden has the experience. Currently the fearless co-founder and CEO of Stride Consulting, an agile software development consultancy for companies and startups, Stride is her fifth company and the role marks her third time as CEO. The organization's clients include The Daily Beast, casper and Equinox, and has been named to the 2018 Inc. 500 list, as well as designations for Crain's Best Places to Work In NYC — twice! In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we talk to Debbie about her culture-first philosophy, discuss what has fueled Stride's growth and delve into her top leadership strategies. We also talk about performance review techniques applied at the company, job opportunities that exist in agile software development and why the company is such a magnet for former teachers and those who love to teach in various ways. Debbie also opens up to us about the brave decisions she made after her breast cancer diagnosis. While the phrase "great leader" can be thrown around so often it can feel like a cliche, Debbie truly embodies the definition of leadership. We feel confident that once you hear Debbie's story of pursuing a dream — despite extreme difficulty — it will inspire you to push yourself further.

Jessica Honegger is the founder of Noonday Collection, a soaring business that designs and sells fair trade jewelry and accessories made by artisans around the world. She's also the author of Imperfect Courage. In the book, released in August, Jessica she shares her story about how she launched Noonday Collection as an inspired side hustle and provides guidance on soul searching, collaborating and broadening your circle of passion. In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we talk to Jessica about how she pushed through fear to create a global organization that is changing the world. We also talk about the book's theme: You will be scared when doing new things and stretching outside of your comfort zone. But, you need to go forward anyway. You need to run scared toward a life of purpose and adventure. "We avoid real issues, fear of the world, and it leads to a life of boredom, a lack of impact, spiritual death," as she describes it in her book. There is a certain power in being scared, and going forward anyway. There is a beautiful world waiting for you on the other side. Jessica's personal story is a case study for the extraordinary joy and fulfillment that comes from using your unique talents to help others, while also stretching and growing yourself into higher levels of living. She encourages to view your life path with vulnerability, adding empathy for yourself and others. Listen in and hear how she turned her fear into fortune for herself and others, and you might just get an idea for how you can make a major impact, too!

How often have you wondered: Why am I doing this? Why do I want this? Why am I experiencing this?

What if you had the chance to discover your "why" during a yearlong opportunity — before you kicked off your career? That's exactly what Abby Falik has created for individuals during a gap year between high school graduation and college entrance with Global Citizen Year. She is the founder of the organization, which also helps students stretch themselves, learn about new cultures and languages, and also gain priceless experiences and memories. Students of Global Citizen Year stay with host families in Brazil, Ecuador, India and Senegal, and work as apprentices in local organizations.

Abby was once the type of student she hopes to inspire. She was attending college at Stanford when she realized that she was longing for more than the life that a traditional model of education provides. She wanted more out of her education that simply listening to professors in lecture halls. Taking action, Abby left traditional education behind and spent a year in Brazil working and traveling. After coming back to Stanford after this life-changing journey, she noticed she gained confidence and maturity, which she credits as an advantage that altered the course of her life. On this trip Abby had discovered her own "why" and her vision for her lifelong work was born.

But before Abby realized her vision, she worked in a nonprofit — managing, building and creating ideas — and then attended Harvard to obtain an MBA that would help her create Global Citizen Year.

In today's episode, we discuss the exciting trends in education and how our perceptions and expectations of higher education can (and should) change to create better accommodations for how we live. We also learn what inspires Abby's work and why she hopes the model of taking a "bridge year" will soon become the norm for most students in the United States. Then again, maybe we should all consider a bridge year — whether we're entering college or beginning year 15 of our careers.

In our latest episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast, I Want Her Job Founder Brianne Perleberg, and I Want Her Job The Podcast Co-founder Polina Selyutin turn the mics on each other. Listen in as they describe how the podcast came to life, how it was launched, the steps they took to create it and how they bring in the amazing guests you hear each week. Additionally, Brianne and Polina talk about their respective careers. Brianne talks about how she launched I Want Her Job in 2010, how she came up with the idea for the site and the jobs she's had during the day along the way. (I Want Her Job is a side hustle for the duo at this point.) Polina shares what inspired her to reach out to Brianne with the idea to collaborate on the podcast, how she learned to edit podcasts, her early influences and why it's sometimes okay not to listen to your parents -- even if you love them dearly! We hope you enjoy the special twist in today's episode as you get two know the two women behind this podcast.

Ashley Eckstein is a force, which isn’t surprising considering she’s a strong believer in The Force Star Wars brought to life. As the voice of Star Wars’ Ashsoka Tano, Ashley brings to life a strong character who always wants to do the right thing. And in real life, she isn’t much different from that character.

She strives to empower young girls and women everywhere through Her Universe, an online community where female fangirls can be themselves and also find merchandise featuring their favorite Lucas Film, Disney characters and more. And like the Disney characters she loves, Ashely had to persist to make her dream come true. Why? The industry simply wasn’t welcoming to creating sci-fi and fantasy focused clothing exclusively for a female fan base.

But like any heroine, Ashley found a way to turn a negative into a positive. Because other major companies didn’t want licenses for merchandise this space or didn’t use the ones they had, she was able to prove a fan base and a market without any competition. Of course, a few years later when Her Universe began proving sales, other companies began to pay attention. It has grown so much in size that it’s now a subsidiary of Hot Topic.

Now, in addition to her role with Her Universe and as the voice of Ahsoka Tano, she can add author to her list of accomplishments. This summer she released It’s Your Universe, an interactive book that guides its reader on making their dreams happen. Listen in for a sneak peek of our interview with Ashley in today's Career Quickie, and then read the interview in its entirety on IWantHerJob.com.

Beth Comstock is the former vice chair of GE and a corporate director of Nike. Her accomplishments include building GE's Business Innovations and GE Ventures, as well as overseeing the reinvention of GE Lighting. Prior to her role as vice chair she served as chief marketing officer of the company. And before that she had another dream job as the president of integrated media at NBC Universal, overseeing the company's digital efforts, including the early formation of Hulu.

While Beth has built an incredible career, she's also made some tough decisions in the process of doing so. We're all lucky enough live vicariously through her, with the opportunity to learn more about her journey and the decisions that led her to career success in her new book out today called Imagine It Forward.

In it, Beth shares her story, documenting the ups and downs of working at GE and NBC during a time of tremendous growth. But, Beth will tell you she also wrote this book to help those out in the middle of their career. It's for those who want to make change happen, but feel they need permission to do so, whether through others or from themselves.

In today's episode I am joined by I Want Her Job founder Brianne. Together, we talk to Beth about inspiring change, the importance of embracing tension and conflict, how to navigate gatekeepers and more.

We hope you enjoy today's conversation. You can also visit I Want Her Job dot com for an online version of today's interview.We rely on word-of-mouth to help our community grow and would love if left a review of our podcast on iTunes and subscribe to future episodes. You can read more interviews on I Want Her Job dot com, where you can also sign up for our newsletter. And if you have ideas for future guests, we're just an email away.