This week we chat with Steve Schlafman!

Steve is a Professional Transition Coach based in New York. He helps high performers navigate transitions with clarity and intention. He is the founder of Downshift, the world’s first decelerator for high performers in transition.

He is also the creator of Where the Road Bends, a newsletter exploring personal evolutions and life transitions. In addition to being a girl dad, this is my life’s work.

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Steve Schlafman: @schlaf

Downshift: downshift.me

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Rachael Horwitz!

Prior to joining Haun Ventures as the Chief Marketing Officer, Rachael served as an Operating Partner at a16z crypto, where she led marketing and communications.

Previously, Rachael served as Vice President of Communications at Coinbase. Rachael has served as Communications Director at Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and as a Marketing & Communications Partner at Spark Capital.

Rachael began her career at Greer, Margolis, Mitchell, Burns & Associates, a communications firm that provides political consulting and issues management services.

Rachael holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington.

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Rachael Horwitz: @RachelRad

Haun: @HaunVentures

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, our host, Erica Wenger, welcomes us to the 4th season of Dear Twentysomething!

In this season opener, Erica sets the stage for what's to come—real conversations, inspiring stories, and the honest reflections that every twentysomething needs.

Get ready to dive into another season filled with wisdom, growth, and the occasional laugh as we navigate the ups and downs of this transformative decade together.

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Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

Welcome to Season 4 of Dear Twentysomething! The Dear Twentysomething podcast started because we wanted to create a space for ambitious and curious twentysomethings to connect with the successful changemakers they most look up to.

A bit about me (your host!)... I'm Erica Wenger, a twentysomething entrepreneur and investor, and I'm so grateful for this badass community of twentysomethings who are here to get knowledge and be inspired!

While the twenties can be a time full of questions and doubts, we’re here to humanize the whole thing. You’ll hear from successful trailblazers who come on to share the highs and lows of their 20s and on occasion, it’ll just be me on the mic hosting an episode where I share a recent reflection or story from my own life as I too am navigating this wild decade. Thank you for being here!

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Erica: @erica_wenger

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[email protected]

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This week our host, Erica Wenger, recaps Dear Twentysomething Season 3!

On this 100th episode of Dear Twentysomething, we look back on the 3 most popular solo and guest episodes of this season!

Stay tuned for Dear Twentysomething Season 4!

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Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Annie Reardon! 

Annie Reardon is co-founder and co-CEO of Ludo and leads marketing and sales for the company. Annie is a front-end engineer and has been building in the infrastructure and big data space for three years. Fascinated by technological infrastructure and future applications of blockchain, Annie is also passionate about making emerging technology more accessible, particularly for women and underrepresented communities.

Before founding Ludo, Annie worked as a front-end software engineer with JP Morgan Chase, and previously worked at Influenster. To date, Ludo has raised millions to further the development and expansion of its software. Annie has also been recognized on Crain's 20 in Their Twenties list and Forbes 30 Under 30.

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Annie Reardon: @annielouuuu

Ludo: @ludo

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, chats about her most recent essay: Elephant DNA!

On this episode Erica dives into the formula to know if your company has "elephant DNA". She goes through the concept of Elephant startups characterized by their transformation of customers into members and the cultivation of communities, examining the primary drivers of these companies, particularly their community-driven nature.

Read the essay here: ELEPHANT DNA

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Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

Tara Bosch made Canadian history by scaling her company to be the fastest growing CPG brand founded by a solo female founder...ever. 

When a love affair with candy devolved into an unhealthy relationship with food, Tara became inspired by a conversation with her grandmother about the detrimental effects of sugar. She soon dropped out of college to fulfill her dream: to create the future of candy. 

SmartSweets can now be found in 160,000 stores across the USA & Canada, with partners including Target, Kroger, and Costco. Scaling SmartSweets to be the fastest growing CPG brand founded by a solo female founder in Canadian history, she landed a $360M majority acquisition by TPG capital 4 years after launching the company from her basement.

As a leader, Tara is wildly passionate about empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and believes their big impact-driven visions are needed more than ever before in the world, leading her to create a first-of-its-kind initiative- Bold Beginnings. In addition to fostering connection and tailored support to entrepreneurs with big visions, Tara is working to normalize the feelings of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and insecurities that all entrepreneurs face, while putting funds back into the ecosystem supporting women entrepreneurs to bring their visions and companies to scale.

Publicly, Tara has been recognized for how she beat the statistics of women in entrepreneurship not only by being a solo founder, but maintaining ownership of her brand, keeping gender parity on her board and scaling a team that has always been 80% female-identifying.

She is the recipient of several entrepreneurial awards, including being named Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award, Forbes 30 under 30, Peter Thiel Fellow, and EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year.

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Tara Bosch: @tarabosch

Smart Sweets: @SmartSweets

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Niven McCall-Mazza! 

Niven McCall-Mazza is Editor-in-Chief of theSkimm, overseeing its news, money, wellness, audio, and video teams. Under her leadership, theSkimm has helped its 12 million+ audience stay up-to-date on current events, focusing on how they specifically affect women's lives, health, and financial security. She has scaled the company's editorial team and products, expanded its DEI efforts, and spearheaded its 2018 midterm election campaign – which activated 200,000 people to vote. 

Prior to joining theSkimm, McCall-Mazza was a Senior Editor at NBC News, managing the company's breaking news coverage across all platforms. At NBC, she earned an Emmy nomination for her work covering the San Bernardino shooting and an Emmy win for coverage of the 2014 MH17 plane crash. 

In addition to her role at theSkimm, McCall-Mazza is on the Board of Advisors for Grace Farms Foods, which uses food to foster good in the world. She was also featured on GV's 2021 Impact List as one of 25 women making a difference in their company's culture and success.

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Niven McCall-Mazza: @nivenmccallmazza

theSkimm: @theSkimm

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Kimmy Scotti! 

Kimmy Scotti is co-founder and CEO of skincare company Fig.1, and founding partner at venture capital fund, 8VC. As an investor, serial entrepreneur and mother of twin boys, Kimmy’s endeavors are multifaceted. As a founding partner at 8VC, a technology and life sciences investment firm, Kimmy invests in category-disrupting brands at the intersection of healthcare and consumer. She has invested in category defining companies including Blink Health, Maven, Oula, Hill House Home and Seed.

Guided by her deep obsession with the beauty market, Kimmy co-founded Fig.1 in 2021 with a board-certified Harvard dermatologist to create a science-backed, sustainably-driven skincare line. Under Kimmy's leadership, Fig.1 grew its footprint beyond direct-to-consumer to over 3,000 retail, spa and dermatologist locations, along with category expansion into performance body care in 2023.

Kimmy's start as an entrepreneur came at the age of 15 when she landed her personal jewelry line at Bloomingdale's and a feature on Project Runway. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she served as the Executive Director of Business Development & Operations at a New York Family Office, where she incubated and invested in many businesses including a multi-billion dollar healthcare platform that helped over 10 million individuals access affordable prescriptions.

In addition to her current work with 8VC and Fig.1, Kimmy currently serves on the Board of Directors for JewBelong, the Board of Directors for Breakout Foundation, and on the Senior Advisory Committee to Cornell Tech at Cornell University. She is an active supporter of various charitable initiatives including women’s reproductive rights, maternal health and antisemitism

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Kimmy Scotti: @kimmyscotti

8VC: @8VC

Fig.1 Beauty: @fig1co

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Dear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething