The Femme Forward Podcast: Hosted by Amanda Glen Smith

What does it take to build a company that can transform an industry while creating a more sustainable future? In this episode of The Femme Forward, host Amanda Glen Smith sits down with Shara Ticku, co-founder and CEO of C16 Biosciences, to explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, and leadership.

Shara shares the story behind C16 Biosciences and its mission to develop alternatives to palm oil, one of the world’s most widely used ingredients and a major driver of deforestation. The conversation explores how biotechnology can help create more sustainable ingredients, what it takes to turn a scientific breakthrough into a scalable business, and the challenges and opportunities that come with building a company around climate-focused innovation.

Amanda and Shara also discuss leadership, entrepreneurship, taking risks, and what it means to build a career while tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What inspired Shara Ticku to co-found C16 Biosciences
• How biotechnology can create sustainable alternatives to palm oil
• Why replacing traditional ingredients can have a broader environmental impact
• What it takes to turn scientific innovation into a viable business
• The challenges of building and scaling a sustainability-focused company
• Lessons in leadership, entrepreneurship, and navigating uncertainty
• How women leaders are helping shape the future of innovation and business

What does career growth really look like, and does moving up the corporate ladder always mean moving into the next title?

On this episode of The Femme Forward, Nicole Muscatello, SVP of Client Partnerships at Zeta Global, joins Amanda Glen Smith to talk about navigating career transitions, taking risks, building high-performing teams, and becoming a more effective leader.

Nicole shares how she approached a major career decision after maternity leave, why she believes there are different kinds of fear, and why some fear is worth running toward. She also explains why career growth doesn’t have to be linear and why professionals shouldn’t feel pressured to pursue management if it isn’t the right path for them.

The conversation also explores Nicole’s approach to leadership and team building, including the player-coach model, delegation, hiring for culture and potential, and creating an environment where people feel supported while being held to high standards. She discusses how leaders can approach difficult performance conversations with clarity, kindness and transparency, and why strong leadership means giving people the tools and confidence to succeed.

Whether you’re an emerging professional looking to advance your career, a woman navigating leadership in advertising and ad tech, or an experienced manager building a high-performing team, this episode of The Femme Forward offers practical perspectives on career development, leadership and finding your own definition of success.

What if your career isn't supposed to be a ladder?

On this episode of The Femme Forward, Amanda sits down with Lynn Utter, a veteran business leader and corporate board member, for a candid conversation about leadership, career growth and navigating the unwritten rules of the workplace.

Lynn shares lessons from decades of experience across operations, manufacturing, strategy and executive leadership, including why she thinks of her career as a “web” rather than a ladder. She also opens up about the double bind women face in leadership, how to develop executive presence, why feedback is a gift, and how understanding power dynamics can help women become more effective leaders.

The conversation also dives into talent development, succession planning, AI and the future of human leadership, career transitions, corporate board work and finding purpose in the next chapter.

What does it take to turn a hobby into a thriving business — without losing yourself along the way?

On this episode of Femme Forward, Amanda sits down with Alex Snodgrass, creator of The Defined Dish, to talk about her journey from sharing recipes as a hobby to building a successful food and media business. Alex opens up about being scrappy in the early days, teaching herself everything from food photography to content creation, and learning when it was time to delegate and invest in her strengths.

She also gets candid about the less visible side of being a creator: dealing with criticism, overcoming people-pleasing, setting boundaries on social media and protecting her family's privacy and peace. Plus, Alex shares how motherhood has shaped the way she thinks about success, business growth and what she's willing to sacrifice — or not sacrifice — along the way.

What happens when a viral recipe becomes the foundation for a much bigger mission?

On this episode of The Femme Forward, Amanda sits down with serial entrepreneur, communication strategist, and Miracle Mama founder Whitney Rowell to talk about building a business from the kitchen table—and knowing when it’s time to let that business evolve.

Whitney shares the unexpected story behind Miracle Milk Cookies, from a simple blog recipe that generated 300,000 views to scaling a homegrown idea into a retail brand and ultimately expanding into Miracle Mama, a broader platform supporting women through motherhood and beyond.

They also dive into the realities of female entrepreneurship: trusting your gut, overcoming imposter syndrome, finding the right people to help you scale, knowing when to step back, and embracing the different “seasons” of life and business. Whitney also opens up about motherhood, self-care, community, fundraising, and the importance of building a career and life around what truly makes your heart sing.

It’s an honest conversation about ambition, intuition, resilience, and what it really means to build something on your own terms.

This week, Amanda speaks with Jen Dass, Global Chief Transformation, Operations & Delivery at WPP, about building a career through curiosity, confidence, and continuous transformation.

Jen shares lessons from leading at nearly every major holding company, overcoming imposter syndrome, creating psychologically safe teams, balancing executive leadership with motherhood, and why personal branding and authentic leadership matter more than ever—especially in the age of AI.

From Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft to becoming the first-ever CMO of Index Exchange, Lori Goode has built a career by embracing authenticity and creating opportunities for others.

In this episode, she joins Amanda Glen Smith to discuss advocating for yourself, the power of sponsorship over mentorship, leading with purpose, and why your greatest competitive advantage is being unapologetically yourself.

Whether you're an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, this conversation is packed with practical insights on career growth, leadership, and building an inclusive workplace.

In this episode, Amanda Glen Smith sits down with Brooks Miller, Global Head of Creator Strategy at Edelman, to unpack how the creator economy has transformed marketing—and what brands can learn from it. Brooks shares her journey from advertising agencies to Twitter and Edelman, reflecting on career pivots, navigating public layoffs, and building resilience through change.

In this episode, Amanda sits down with the founder of T3, the agency Gay grew from a $16,000 investment into the largest independent female-owned advertising agency in the United States.

Along the way, she became a respected entrepreneur, author, artist, and champion for women's leadership.

Gay shares the lessons she learned from taking risks, building teams around complementary strengths, cultivating confidence through competence, and creating a personal brand that remains authentic through every stage of life.

What does it take to become the first female Global CMO in the history of one of the world's largest automakers? In this episode, Deborah Wahl shares the leadership lessons, career-defining risks, and personal philosophy that guided her journey from transforming iconic brands like McDonald's and General Motors to serving on corporate boards and mentoring the next generation of leaders.