WIN/WIN: Women in Innovation

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Meghan, Founder and CEO of Duckbill, to explore what it looks like to bet on a problem you've been thinking about for twenty years — and finally have the technology to solve it. Meghan shares how her path from Uber to Oscar Health to founding her own AI-native startup was driven less by a plan and more by a set of principles: do hard things, work with people who challenge you, and build something that makes the world a little better than you found it.

Listen for advice on:

• Why you should give yourself the promotion before anyone else does
• How to de-risk a leap of faith without waiting for the perfect moment
• Why humans in the loop isn't a compromise — it's the whole strategy
• What it really means to build a product that levels the playing field for women

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Meghan (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanvjoyce/details/experience/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womeninnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Niamh Martin, Managing Director UK at Convene Hospitality Group, to explore what it looks like to lead at the intersection of hospitality, innovation, and scale. Niamh oversees 12 venues, nearly 600 people, and the entire UK operation of a company that has grown from a single premium meeting venue into a global hospitality group with 40 locations across nine cities. She shares how falling into restaurants by accident over 20 years ago turned out to be the best leadership education she never planned for — and how a question she kept asking ("why aren't we doing this?") led to one of the most in-demand large-scale event experiences in the UK.

Listen for advice on:

• Why you can't build something meaningful alone — and what that actually looks like in practice
• How to make a career move when you weren't even looking for one
• What happens when you borrow an idea from one industry and ask why it doesn't exist in yours
• The difference between being the best person in the room and being responsible for the room

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Niamh Martin (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamh-martin-26252a30/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womeninnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Zerlina "Zee" Jackson, VP of Experience & Design Strategy at New York Life Insurance, to explore what it looks like to build something genuinely new inside one of the oldest institutions in America. Zee shares how a childhood spent counting back change in her grandmother's garage store in Bessemer, Alabama, shaped her belief that innovation isn't just about building products — it's about building possibility. From launching New York Life's first Design Center of Excellence to navigating a promotion, a newborn, a cross-country move, and a pandemic all at once, this conversation is about what it really takes to lead with both ambition and humanity.

Listen for advice on:

• The four foundational skills that will serve you in any seat, any industry
• Why the best innovation happens when you don't wait for a blueprint
• How to drive real change inside a 180-year-old company without losing what makes it great
• What it means to build a team that shows up for each other — and why that's the whole point

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Zerlina Jackson (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/zjackson/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womeninnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Chris Konya, Chief Strategy Officer at Sylvain, to explore what twenty years in strategy and innovation actually teaches you — about business, about creativity, and about yourself. Chris shares how the field has evolved from generating a plethora of ideas to finding the one right idea, why the best insights can come from the most unexpected places, and how she thinks about navigating change, loss, and reinvention both professionally and personally.

Listen for advice on:

• Why the right idea always beats a room full of ideas
• How to find the insight that unlocks an entirely new category
• Reframing gender from disadvantage to different advantage
• What it means to choose your people — and bet on them — when it's hard

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Chris Konya (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskonya/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Anisha Kamat, COO of ShopMy, to explore what it means to build and operate a fast-scaling company at the intersection of creator culture, commerce, and taste. Anisha shares how she made the leap from Goldman Sachs and BCG to the startup world, what it's really like to grow into a C-suite role in real time, and why ShopMy is betting on human recommendation as the future of how we discover and buy.

Listen for advice on:

• Why the best career moves often don't make sense on paper
• How to build operating systems that create space for creativity — not just efficiency
• Navigating ambiguity without letting perfectionism block progress
• Human taste as a competitive advantage in the age of AI

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Anisha Kamat (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/anisha-kamat-27960591/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Win/Win: Women in Innovation, Zoia Kozakov sits down with Henley Vazquez, co-founder of Fora, to unpack how she’s reimagining the travel advisor industry through technology, training, and community. Henley shares how Fora is lowering barriers to entry, empowering a new generation of travel entrepreneurs—most of them women—and using thoughtful innovation to modernize an industry long overdue for change.

Listen for advice on:

• Why innovation doesn’t always mean reinventing the wheel
• Lowering barriers to create stronger ecosystems
• Community beats competition - collaboration, shared learning, and trust are core to scaling a platform
• Human expertise matters more in the age of AI

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Henley Vazquez (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedunne/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dee Dunne shares her extensive experience in lifecycle marketing, discussing her journey from PayPal to Mailchimp, where she is currently Sr. Director, Global Lifecycle Marketing & Operations. She emphasizes the importance of understanding customer behavior, the challenges of event marketing, and the complexities of measuring ROI. Dee also delves into the role of innovation in marketing, particularly in the context of AI, and reflects on the dynamics of gender in her career. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of marketing and the future possibilities driven by technology and strategic thinking.

Listen for advice on:

• Integrating innovation into daily operations vs. having it exist as a silo
• Taking a multifaceted approach to measuring ROI for events
• Why marketing is the middle point between people and data
• The impact of rapid technological advancements on marketing

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Dee Dunne (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedunne/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by Joanna Strober, CEO and co-founder of Midi Health. Joanna’s career spans venture capital, entrepreneurship, and now category-defining innovation in women’s midlife care. We explore how her own experience navigating perimenopause sparked the idea for Midi, and how she transformed a small pilot into one of the fastest-growing women’s health platforms. Joanna opens up about the realities of fundraising in an underestimated category, the emotional resilience required to lead through “no’s,” and why starting a company in your fifties can be a strategic advantage. 

Listen for insights on:

• The advantage of pursuing innovation through addressing personal pain points
• How to accept a fundraising ‘no’ as a data point, not an identity
• The superpower of starting a company later in life/career

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Joanna Strober (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannastrober/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Zoia Kozakov sits down with Marissa Steinmetz, Head of Digital Product, eCommerce at Coterie. With over a decade of experience spanning industries from luxury fashion to liquor and now baby care, Marissa shares how she’s built a career on adaptability, empathy, and innovation. She reflects on leading through ambiguity while designing digital experiences that truly make parents’ lives easier.

Listen for insights on:

• Pivoting product skills across luxury, liquor, beauty, and now baby care
• What “wartime innovation” really looks like in a fast-scaling startup
• Building empathy for customers—even when you’re not (yet) the end user
• Leading through uncertainty and crisis with resilience and clarity

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Marissa Steinmetz Israel (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-steinmetz-israel-1b101511/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co
• Audio Editor: Samantha Gattsek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Catherine Ann McCourt, Global Technology Consulting Leader at EY, reflects on her 25+ years in consulting and her journey from Partner to global leadership. She shares how mindset, self-belief, and continuous learning are essential for thriving in fast-changing technology environments, while also addressing innovation blockers like fear of change, siloed cultures, and legacy systems. Catherine discusses overcoming imposter syndrome at the senior level, the role of mentorship and “finding your tribe,” and why diverse, inclusive teams are key to driving transformation and long-term business success.

Listen for advice on:

• How to set new milestones after hitting big career goals
• Why mindset and confidence matter more than hard skills
• Strategies for breaking through common innovation blockers
• The power of inclusion  and “finding your tribe”

Learn more:

• Zoia Kozakov (Host): http://www.linkedin.com/in/zoia
• Catherine McCourt (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemccourt/
• Women in Innovation: http://www.womenininnovation.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.