The Female Founder Show

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Liz Cormier-May, CEO and co-founder of Mammogen, joins The Female Founder to discuss her mission to improve breast cancer screening through a blood test designed to help women with dense breast tissue get clearer answers. With dense breasts making cancer harder to detect through traditional mammograms, Cormier-May is working to develop an additional screening option that could help identify women who need further evaluation. Her work is both professional and personal, shaped by her own experience navigating months of uncertainty after imaging revealed areas of concern.

Cormier-May explains how Mammogen’s RNA-based test is designed to identify signals associated with breast cancer and potentially help women move more directly to an MRI when further evaluation is needed. She also reflects on building a company in an underfunded area of women’s health, raising capital from mission-aligned investors, and navigating the challenges of developing a new medical technology. From listening closely to the people a product is meant to serve to building a strong team and planning for the financial realities of entrepreneurship, Cormier-May shares practical lessons for founders pursuing meaningful change in complex industries.

Join us as we discuss:

• Why dense breast tissue can make cancer harder to detect on mammograms
• How Mammogen’s RNA-based blood test is designed to support screening
• Turning a personal experience into a women’s health innovation
• Navigating the challenges of raising capital in women’s health
• Finding investors who share your mission and long-term vision
• Building a team with expertise beyond your own
• Why founders need financial runway and direct customer insight
• Advancing innovation in an underfunded area of healthcare

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais, co-founders of Female Mavericks and co-authors of Entrepreneur Like a Mother, join The Female Founder to share how they built and sold two consulting businesses while raising nine children between them. What began nearly two decades ago as a boss-and-employee relationship evolved into a trusted friendship and business partnership built on complementary strengths, mutual respect, and a shared willingness to pursue ambitious ideas. Together, they challenge the idea that women must choose between building a high-growth company and creating the family life they want.

Mazza and Sivrais discuss the habits that have sustained their partnership, including staying in distinct lanes, operating from a position of “yes,” and trusting each other’s expertise without micromanagement. They also share practical lessons from Entrepreneur Like a Mother, including choosing a business model that fits your life, embracing the minimum viable product, building a trusted support network, and giving yourself grace when everything doesn’t get done. From pivoting their client acquisition strategy to overcoming founder isolation, their story offers a realistic framework for building a business that supports both professional ambition and personal priorities.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Building two multimillion-dollar businesses while raising nine children 
•  Turning an employee relationship into a decades-long business partnership 
•  Dividing responsibilities based on complementary strengths 
•  Choosing a business model that aligns with your desired lifestyle 
•  Using MVP thinking to overcome perfectionism and start faster 
•  Building a trusted “kitchen cabinet” of advisors and supporters 
•  Knowing when to pivot and focusing on one bottleneck at a time 
•  Redefining what it means to be a successful mom and entrepreneur

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Tsvetta Kaleynska, founder of Rila Global Consulting and Glorion Media, joins The Female Founder to share how growing up in post-communist Bulgaria shaped her entrepreneurial mindset and ultimately led her to build two successful companies in the United States. After teaching herself English and earning an academic scholarship to study in Brooklyn, Kaleynska developed a career centered on understanding people, markets, and the problems businesses often overlook. Today, her social intelligence agency helps major brands turn unstructured consumer conversations into actionable insights.

Kaleynska reflects on the early challenges of entrepreneurship, including receiving a cease-and-desist letter during her first week in business, and how setbacks became opportunities to learn and adapt. She also explores how consumer expectations have evolved, why Fortune 500 companies need to look beyond discounts and traditional marketing, and how smaller brands are using specialized creators and social commerce to build trust. From leveraging AI and social listening to protecting personal privacy and automating finances, Kaleynska offers practical strategies for founders looking to build smarter, more resilient businesses.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Turning overlooked consumer data into business intelligence 
•  Building Rila Global Consulting in the pharmaceutical market 
•  Responding to early setbacks and navigating business challenges 
•  What modern consumers expect from brands and corporate leaders 
•  Using social listening to uncover customer needs and market trends 
•  Leveraging AI to streamline research and B2B sales 
•  Practical tools for protecting and scaling an early-stage business 
•  Building financial literacy and mentoring future entrepreneurs

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Liz Hilliard, creator of the Hilliard Studio Method and author of Be Powerful: Find Your Strength at Any Age, joins The Female Founder to share how she launched a fitness and wellness business at 53 and turned decades of experience into an entrepreneurial advantage. Now 72, Hilliard has expanded her brand into a digital platform reaching all 50 states and 60 countries, published a bestselling book, and launched another new venture. She reflects on building a business later in life, recognizing an underserved need in midlife wellness, and creating a brand rooted in authenticity and personal experience.

Hilliard discusses how perimenopause and menopause prompted her to rethink traditional approaches to fitness and ultimately develop a method combining resistance training with Pilates principles. She also explores the connection between physical movement and mental clarity, the role of vulnerability in building confidence, and why mature founders can draw on a lifetime of experience rather than trying to reinvent themselves. Her perspective challenges conventional ideas about age, power, and success while offering practical lessons on resilience, purpose, and staying adaptable.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Launching a wellness business at 53 and embracing age as an advantage 
•  Identifying a gap in midlife fitness and developing the Hilliard Studio Method 
•  Using movement to support physical health, mental clarity, and resilience 
•  Building confidence through vulnerability, gratitude, and self-awareness 
•  Turning personal experience into an authentic brand 
•  Expanding a local studio into a global digital platform 
•  Redefining power, success, and entrepreneurship at any age 

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Trisha Addicks, CEO and founder of It’s All Greek to Me and author of The Rush BiblΣ, joins The Female Founder to share how years of informal mentoring evolved into a nationally recognized coaching business. What began as helping friends prepare their daughters for sorority recruitment became a mission to empower young women through confidence, communication, and personal growth. By identifying a gap in a niche market, Addicks built a business that has guided thousands of families while redefining what recruitment coaching can look like.

Addicks discusses the importance of validating a business idea through market research, staying focused on a clear niche, and educating customers on a service that previously didn’t exist. She also reflects on scaling beyond a solo operation by building a nationwide team of mentors, establishing trust through storytelling and social media, and expanding her brand through a bestselling book. Her entrepreneurial journey highlights how purpose-driven leadership, strategic focus, and a commitment to long-term impact can transform a simple idea into an industry-defining company.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Turning informal mentoring into a national coaching business 
•  Using market research to validate a niche opportunity 
•  Building confidence and communication skills beyond recruitment 
•  Scaling from a solo founder to a nationwide mentor network 
•  Growing a brand through storytelling and word-of-mouth referrals 
•  Landing a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster and expanding into entertainment 
•  Measuring success through personal growth rather than traditional outcomes 

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

Send us Fan Mail

Jaime Diglio, founder and CEO of The WIN Room™, joins The Female Founder Show to discuss how leaders can redefine success, overcome burnout, and build confidence through authenticity rather than constant pressure. After a 15-year career as a top performer at Gartner and Microsoft, Diglio experienced a stress-related health scare that forced her to reevaluate the way she approached achievement. That turning point inspired the creation of her coaching framework designed to help leaders move from self-doubt and comparison toward clarity, confidence, and sustainable performance.

Diglio explores the difference between the “War Room” mindset—where fear, self-sabotage, and external expectations take over—and the “Win Room,” where leaders operate from their values and personal definition of success. She shares how role play, preparation, and intentional communication help professionals perform under pressure, while her Interaction Economy framework highlights trust and connection as critical leadership advantages. Through her Moneyball Leadership philosophy, Diglio challenges leaders to recognize their unique strengths and create impact by embracing what makes them different.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Moving from burnout and self-doubt to sustainable success 
•  The War Room vs. Win Room mindset shift 
•  Building confidence through preparation and role play 
•  The New ROI: Revenue, Retention, and Reputation on Interactions 
•  Why trust and connection are becoming key leadership differentiators 
•  Finding hidden strengths through Moneyball Leadership 
•  Creating authentic leadership without chasing perfection

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Megan Thomas, sexual harassment attorney and founder of Megan Thomas Law, PLLC, joins The Female Founder to discuss why workplace sexual harassment remains one of the most underreported issues in business—and what both employees and employers need to know. Drawing from her own experiences with harassment early in her legal career, Thomas built her New York-based law firm to advocate for workers navigating hostile work environments and to help organizations create safer, more accountable workplace cultures.

Thomas shares the challenges of leaving a stable legal career to launch a specialized practice despite skepticism from peers, and why demand for her services quickly proved those doubts wrong. She explains how sexual harassment laws have evolved, why many cases still go unreported, and the importance of understanding state-specific protections before taking action. Thomas also offers practical guidance for documenting workplace misconduct, navigating conversations with HR, improving employer training, and fostering environments where employees feel safe speaking up before issues escalate.

Join us as we discuss:

•  Building a law firm inspired by personal experience with workplace harassment 
•  Leaving a secure legal career to launch a mission-driven practice 
•  Why sexual harassment remains underreported in the workplace 
•  How state laws have changed since the Me Too movement 
•  What employees should do before reporting concerns to HR 
•  Creating proactive sexual harassment training that goes beyond annual compliance 
•  The First Amendment lawsuit behind her airport billboard campaign 
•  Building workplace cultures rooted in accountability and psychological safety 

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Forbes Riley, entrepreneur, business coach, and widely recognized “Queen of Pitch,” joins The Female Founder Show to discuss how storytelling, confidence, and communication shape success in entrepreneurship and sales. Drawing from a career spanning television hosting, infomercials, product marketing, and coaching, Riley shares how early personal challenges helped her develop the emotional connection and adaptability that later became the foundation of her pitching philosophy.

Riley reflects on her rise during the infomercial era, where she built a repeatable framework centered on customer pain points, relatable storytelling, and clear messaging. She explains why entrepreneurs often overcomplicate communication and how authenticity, consistency, and visibility drive long-term growth in today’s digital landscape. From lessons learned alongside fitness icon Jack LaLanne to insights on social media, mindset, and overcoming fear, Riley argues that pitching is far more than a sales tactic—it’s a core life skill that influences leadership, relationships, and business success.

Join us as we discuss:

•  How childhood adversity shaped Forbes Riley’s communication style 
•  Building a career in television, comedy, and infomercials 
•  The storytelling framework behind successful product pitches 
•  Why emotional connection matters more than product features 
•  Lessons learned working alongside Jack LaLanne 
•  Using TikTok, Instagram, and live video to grow visibility 
•  Overcoming fear, perfectionism, and hesitation in business 
•  Why pitching is a foundational leadership and life skill

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

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Aiko Bethea, leadership coach, attorney, and founder of Rare Coaching & Consulting, joins The Female Founder to discuss her framework for building stronger leadership cultures through alignment, accountability, and intentional communication. Drawing from her new book, Anchored, Aligned, Accountable, Bethea shares how leaders can navigate difficult conversations while staying grounded in their core values. Her work focuses on helping organizations scale sustainably by developing leadership systems that support both performance and people.

Bethea explores the impact of “default behaviors”—such as people-pleasing and inherited expectations—that often operate unconsciously and create misalignment between values and actions. She outlines how leaders can use values as a consistent anchor for decision-making, while also recognizing “stealth intentions” that influence behavior in subtle ways. From modeling accountability at the leadership level to understanding power dynamics within organizations, Bethea offers a practical approach to fostering trust, clarity, and connection. She also emphasizes the importance of rest and reflection as essential components of effective leadership.

In this episode, we explore:

•  Identifying and breaking unconscious “default behaviors” 
•  Using core values as a decision-making anchor 
•  Navigating difficult conversations with clarity and intention 
•  Understanding and addressing “stealth intentions” 
•  Modeling accountability without blame or defensiveness 
•  Adapting communication based on context and audience 
•  Recognizing formal and informal power dynamics 
•  Prioritizing rest, reflection, and sustainable leadership practices 

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com

Send us Fan Mail

Amy Summers, entrepreneur and author of Lift: 10 Mentorship Touchpoints to Empower Your Team and Accelerate Your Career, joins The Female Founder to discuss how leaders can integrate mentorship into everyday interactions without adding to their workload. As companies grow, founders—particularly women leaders—often become the default mentors for their teams. Summers explains how shifting mentorship from a formal program to a natural, consistent leadership practice can strengthen culture, improve performance, and prevent burnout.

Summers outlines how intentional mentorship can be embedded into daily moments, especially in hybrid and remote environments where connection may be limited. She shares practical strategies for distributing mentorship across teams, fostering peer-to-peer support, and using curiosity-driven conversations to better understand employee needs. By focusing on small, deliberate actions, leaders can build stronger relationships, increase engagement, and create sustainable growth—without overextending themselves.

Join us as we discuss:

• Redefining mentorship as a daily leadership habit
• The 10 mentorship touchpoints framework from Lift
• Avoiding burnout while supporting team development
• Strengthening culture in hybrid and remote environments
• Encouraging peer-to-peer mentorship across teams
• Using curiosity and small actions to build engagement
• Driving retention, accountability, and performance through mentorship

Thank you for tuning in to The Female Founder Show with host and entrepreneur Bridget Fitzpatrick.  If you like what you heard, please give us a review and let us know what you think!

Want to hear and see more great content to help you run your business more profitably?  Go to ASBN.com.  

If you want to watch the full video version of The Female Founder show, go to TheFemaleFounder.com