The Empowerment Formula

This week's guest is the first person I've met who, like me, had to simultaneously deal with death, a break up and a fast-paced career. So, of course, I asked her to sit down and talk about our shared experience. I think you'll find the discussion both honest and personal.

I also ask Lauren about 2Social, her full service digital creative agency. We discuss what it's like to be a female founder, a brand nurturer and so much more.

If you are a mother, a working woman, a woman with dreams and aspirations…today’s podcast is for you. I look at our guest and I think, “wow. This is the American Dream - sacrifice, dedication and hard won through tremendous adversity by any measure. And it all eventually paying off.” From starting her family business on a laptop, to making the financial decision buy a trailer and move it into their warehouse to live while pregnant with her first child, to moving past a serious accident with a greyhound bus, this female-entrepreneur-success story will truly inspire you. And that is my ultimate goal with GGM.

Brittany Sanchez is the President and Co-Founder at Patriot Exhibit Services. Brittany and her Co-Founder (and husband), Steve Sanchez, built the business from the ground up over the past decade. Today marks the first time Brittany has shared her story publicly.

Today's podcast is the first time we've ever had a guest from the world of Artificial Intelligence.

Vicki Kolovou is the head of marketing at Behavioral Signals, an AI company. We’ll be talking about artificial intelligence. She is also a life-long entrepreneur. She is the co-Founder & Producer at Tech Talks Central, a web radio platform that interviews technologists, scientists, and researchers, broadcasting live from within tech events. She has been active with startups, some of which she founded herself -like ermoumag - a fashion magazine, ermou.gr - street guide, Teez.me - a mobile retail platform, Taggzy and iHeartShops, marketing IT tools for retail- and is a strong supporter of the startup ecosystem in Greece. As you can see, she is an accomplished and versatile woman, one who I thought was perfect for Good Girl Mafia.


Vicki is a connector and firm believer in serendipity. She believes strongly that you learn at every step of the developing process, even from failures. She will share her experience with failure, being a woman in the digital and artificial intelligence space, her best advice for facing fear and her take on women educating themselves.

As a young designer in Paris during the swinging sixties, our guest met Elizabeth Taylor and married her makeup man. Vicky & Elizabeth became fast friends and confidants. Along with her Parson’s school of Design classmate, Miss Fonssagrives, they opened a trendy boutique in Rue Bonaparte that catered to the hip and happening: fashion models, movie stars and Paris Society. Vicky and Mia invented the mini, jumpsuit, the caftan and Vicky is now the longest running female designer in Paris.

Vicky offers us all that she has learned throughout her life, which reads like a novel. She shares her best advice after dressing women for over 50 years. She will also share the two most enduring lessons Elizabeth Taylor taught her.

She is the author of The Absolute Woman: It’s All About Feminine Power and our very special guest, Vicky Teil.

Cynthia Johnson, Founder of Bell+Ivy and Personal Branding Thought Leader, returns to the podcast with her first book, "Platform". You will learn why you have a personal brand now, whether you've cultivated it or not and why you need to nurture it. Regardless of your vocation, you can take Cynthia's Four Elements of a Personal Brand and apply it to your current role. You will hear Cynthia's thoughts on "Imposter Theory", why "Perception is Reality" and so much more. Cynthia is also very candid about when it's time to leave your current job. All that and more from this powerhouse who has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Success and other publications. This book is your go-to-guide for creating a personal brand and ultimately, success.

Listen to one of Good Girl Mafia's all time favorite interviews! Heather Hansen's energy, warmth & wisdom is a breath of fresh air to the Female Empowerment Community. She takes her 20 years of experience as a lawyer passionately advocating for her clients and shows you how to passionately advocate for yourself: becoming an Elegant Warrior. In this brilliantly structured book, you'll find it’s so easy to get the nugget out of each chapter; case study, PROVE IT, and then Heather offers her summary of each case. It is practical advice you can take into your daily lives. Listen to the podcast and get prepared to be blown away by Heather and her ability to lead the way.

What's better than a fabulous summer read and a beautiful bottle of wine? Knowing that the wine you're sipping supports victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Today you'll hear from Faythe Stone-Brocka, the trailblazing Founder of Cru 9 Wine. You'll hear about her wines, the non-profits that Cru9 benefits, her She Army and her why.

What happens when you realize you've built the career of your dreams but not the life of your dreams? You dare to dream again. After a 20 year career at The Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Studios and OWN Network, Sheri Salata set off on a new path, of which she was the Executive Producer.

Part 5 of our 5 part series on Motivation. In this final part, I am providing you with my all time favorite book on motivation. If you're interested in harnessing real motivation for transformational change, listen to this podcast and find your motivation-must-read.

Mastering the fine art of forgiveness will take your motivation to another level. This week's podcast is part 3 of our five part series on finding lasting motivation and often times, that requires forgiving yourself.