I Want Her Job

This is the story of two friends with a vision for a  business and an ability to get things done. Inspired by entrepreneurship and motivated to empower women and girls, Edwina Govindsamy and Ariel Gough started Bailly, an eco and health conscious fragrance line. With backgrounds in marketing and healthy ambition, Edwina and Ariel dove in and started figuring things out. In our conversation, Ariel generously shares the roadmap of how Baily progressed from idea to reality. We discuss what Ariel learned about sourcing ingredients, packaging, sales growth, managing finances and other strategies for growing and managing Bailly.  Follow us or reach out on Instagram @meantforit Learn more about Bailly  

In her new book, Edge of the Map, Johanna Garton tells the story of Christine Boskoff, the first American woman to summit six of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter-plus peaks, and one of the only woman expedition leaders on Mt. Everest. In our conversation, Johanna shares the personal story that led her to writing about Christine's extraordinary life and the ways Christine’s story transformed Johanna. Follow us or reach out @meantforit If you enjoyed this episode, please  subscribe and share it with a friend. On your iPhone select episode, click “details,” click on the 3 dots to the right of play, and text or email it to a friend. To write a review on your iphone, after selecting the podcast, scroll down till you see "Write a Review" and tap.

Erica Liu Williams is the founder of Gr8nola, a “delicious, low sugar superfood granola.” A two-time Olympic time-trial swimmer who’s married to a former-NFL football player named “Tank” Williams, Erica first created gr8nola as a crunchy snack during their annual food cleanse. Erica shares how she started her business as a “cottage food operator,” baking trays and trays of gr8nola in her kitchen and selling at a local farmer’s market. As sales grew, there was a lot that she needed to learn in order to grow her business. “Once I started doing my second farmer’s market and selling online, I needed other certifications and of course, an official nutrition label. It took me tons and tons of phone calls and networking with other food entrepreneurs to figure it all out. There’s no step-by-step guide.” In our conversation, Erica shares the story of growing gr8nola, pivoting during Covid, and expanding her sales channels. Erica offers advice on how to start your own business, from the earliest stages of kitchen produ

Jenn Donahue is a Navy veteran,  civil engineer, teacher and business founder. Jenn has been in charge of 1400 Navy personnel and 3 battalions, managed high profile projects as an operations engineer. Jenn has taken her education to the highest levels including a bachelors in ocean engineering, a masters and PHD in civil engineering from UC Berkeley. In our conversation, we discuss the early origins of Jenn’s passion for building and the decisions  she made that led her to becoming an engineer and joining the navy. We talk about some of Jenn’s projects, places where Jenn has worked while serving in the navy and Jenn’s advice for others who have a deep love for building and engineering. You will be blown away by Jenn’s accomplishments and her desire to offer mentoring to those who dream of similar career paths. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. On your iPhone select episode, click 'details', click on the 3 dots to the right of play and text or email it to a friend. Episode co-hosts: A

Elizabeth Rusch is the award-winning author of more than 20 books and more than a hundred articles in publications such as The New York Times, Smithsonian, and Harper's. Elizabeth also speaks at schools and organizations across the country about writing, teen activism, science heroes, and the state of our democracy. In our conversation, we discuss Elizabeth’s new book, You Call This Democracy, a dive into the shortcomings in our political system and possible solutions for each problem. We also talk about the unique ways Elizabeth is creating interactive digital content to share her research with a wider audience, including the 50 State Report Card and Flash Course on Democracy. Elizabeth shares how her passion for public policy began when she was just a kid and how she has built a career that lets her explore her endless curiosity, share knowledge, and inspire countless young people.   Elizabeth has a bachelors in economics from Duke University, a masters in public policy from the University of California, Be

We often hear that volunteering can lead you to places that will change your life. For Jessica Goudeau, volunteering led to starting a nonprofit that provided supplemental income for Burmese refugee artisans for seven years and then to writing After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice book.  Jessica has a PHD n literature from the University of Texas and has spent over 10 years working with refugees in Austin. In our conversation, we discuss how Jessica’s friendships with “Mu Naw” and “Hasna” , inspired her to devote two years to writing her first book, and the ways her experiences helping refugees has transformed her life. We also discuss how the sentiment towards towards refugee resettlement in the USA has changed, and a few ways the refugee resettlement program is evolving. Jessica’s book recommendations: Kao Kalia Yang, Somewhere in the Unknown World Dina Nayeri, The Ungrateful Refugee Ahmed Badr, While the Earth Sleeps We Tra

We’ve all been through heartache and heartbreak, but Amy Chan has made a career of it. Amy is the founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp, a  retreat that takes a scientific and spiritual approach to healing the heart. If you or someone you know is reeling from the pain of a breakup, attending one of these workshops can be transformative. During Covid, the bootcamps are going strong with online sessions. Amy was a guest on the podcast in episode 100 to discuss her career path and how she started Renew Breakup Bootcamp.  In our latest conversation, Amy joins us to discuss her new book, Breakup Bootcamp. Amy shares highlights from her book and we discuss some of the book’s themes such as recognizing love addiction, tools for getting over breakups and understanding our love compass. Amy shares how the many breaks ups she endured gave her an understanding of common dating patterns and the different ways we can sabotage ourselves in love or get stuck in suffering during breakups. Amy has poured all the research and lear

Gianna Stanley made a huge career pivot when she realized her post college dream job for a boutique marketing and consulting agency was not the the path she wanted for the rest of her career. Instead of staying stuck and unhappy, Gianna made a bold move to leave her job, and then another bold move by deciding to go to the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.  The decision to go to culinary school actually came out of Gianna’s volunteering at the St Francis House Day shelter. After leaving her job, Gianna increased her volunteer hours at the shelter and soon realized the work of cooking and feeding people gave her the joy and purpose she was craving. At the Institute of Culinary Education, Gianna fully embraced the intensity of the cooking program and took advantage of various internships and opportunities to learn. After finishing the program, Gianna got an externship at Blue Hill and then accepted a position as a private chef along with a side job as a chef with a pop-up event company called The Undergrou

Jung Lee’s vision, creativity and work ethic has made her one of the top event architects in the world. Jung understands how to create breathtakingly unique events that are personalized to the smallest detail. In our conversation, Jung shares what drive her creativity, the roots of her work ethic, and walks us through the evolution of her portfolio career. In addition to managing Fête, Jung’s full service event planning business, Jung also opened Jung Lee NY, a home decor store in NYC, and recently launched Slowdance, a bridal registry. Jung credits much of her success and work ethic to her upbringing and family.  Jung was born in South Korea, raised in New York City and lived a lifestyle centered around hard work and business. Jung worked in her family food stores while growing up, allowing her to gain invaluable experience in running a business, alongside exposure to designing stores. Today,  Jung is managing her thriving businesses and planning future projects such as a boutique hotel and hosting events on

Have you ever thought about what it’s like to work as a financial advisor? Kristin O’Keeffe Merrick, a money expert with 19 years of professional experience in the financial industry, is a financial advisor at her family-run firm, O'Keeffe Financial Partners. Kristin shares her career path story and why more women should consider financial advising as a career option. We discuss the challenges Kristin faced when transitioning to a financial advisor role and advice on how to get started in this field. We also discuss the project Kristin started with her close friend, Lindsay Shookus, Women Work F#cking Hard, a networking group that is bringing together women with the goal of helping women business owners. Kristin also writes about money for leading publications such as Forbes, NY Magazine and she is a frequent guest on Today Show, the NBC Nightly News and Yahoo Finance Kristin was recently named as 2020 Badass 50 by InStyle Magazine.

Quilt is a new type of social media platform for real time audio connections. Quilt users can choose to join a variety of audio discussions topics such as “How do I raise capital” or “What to cook for dinner tonight”. Quilt was designed to be a safe and supportive community for women to build connections and create meaningful conversations. In this conversation, Ashley Sumner shares the career and life path that led her to the idea for Quilt. Before starting Quilt, Ashley spent 12 year in community building including roles at Wanderlust and NeueHouse. If you are curious how someone without a technical background can start an app, Ashley shares how she found her technical co-founder and grew the app, including making some major pivots during Covid.  Try using Quilt Follow us @meantforit

Grief Warrior was born out of Leslie Barber’s tragic personal experience—the sudden death of her husband, Steve, at 46 years old. This life-changing event, and the grief Leslie has since endured, led her to found Grief Warrior. The company is dedicated to changing how individuals, companies, and our society at large thinks about and handles grief.  Grief Warrior is both a mission and a movement. What began as a thoughtful gift box for grievers has evolved into a comprehensive selection of offerings including a training series for managers and HR, a Grief Squad crisis response team, 1:1 coaching and counseling, digital courses, and keynote presentations. In this conversation, Leslie shares why it’s so important for leaders to learn how to be compassionate, empathetic, and supportive during an employee’s most difficult time. Such efforts include learning what we shouldn’t say to someone who’s grieving. (For example, never start a sentence with “At least …” or suggest that, “God needed another angel.”) Leslie po

Jenny Rustemeyer, a writer and producer with Peg Leg Films, shares her career path story and how she ended up as a documentary film producer. Jenny has produced This Mountain Life, The Clean Bin Project, and Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story which won multiple festival awards and took home the Leo for Best Feature Length Documentary. If you want to learn and be entertained at the same time without being overwhelmed, Jenny’s films are infused with humor and information about a variety of environmental issues. When you want to watch a documentary but are not ready for a heavy dose of reality, Jenny’s films are a perfect blend of documentary style information combined with reality based storytelling. In our conversation, Jenny shares how her film partnership with her husband, Grant Baldwin, evolved, and how they have turned their love for each other and the environment into entertaining, thought provoking films. Add these films to your must watch queue today! Topics Discussed: Clean Bin Project Just Eat It Chris

Esther Wojcicki joins I want Her Job for a third time to discuss her latest project, Tract.app, a new student directed online resource for peer to peer learning where teenagers create content for children 8+.  The Tract leaning pathways contain courses that your kids will actually want to learn. Courses such as The Science and Ethics of Junk Food Engineering, How Cheetahs Run as Fast as a Car, What does it take to become a comic book artist, What Makes a Great Soccer Player, Pokémon Plant & Animal Biology are created by teenagers and have a project based approach. This learning community supports Esther’s core belief in giving kids 20% of their time to independently pursue their interests. Esther Wojcicki has experienced tremendous success as a mother and a teacher. Each of her daughters have impressive career achievements. Daughter Susan Wojcicki, is the CEO of YouTube, Janet Wojcicki, is a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco; and Anne Wokcicki is the founder and CEO of

When Brooke Shannon realized the smartphone decision was coming for her three daughters, she felt she needed to wait, and she also suspected she was not aloe in dealing with the mounting pressures and questions surrounding kids and smartphones. Brooke created a website dedicated to waiting on smartphones and support from other families was instant. Today, the Wait until 8th organization, is a place where families can sign a pledge to wait until 8th grade until giving their kids a smartphone. By signing the pledge as a group of 10 families, both kids and families gain community support in their decision. Considering the peer pressure kids feel to get a smartphone, and the instantly addictive nature of a phone, this is likely one of the top decisions families are facing. In our conversation, Brooke shares her personal story and we discuss some of the reasons for deciding to wait on smartphones until 8th grade. if you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend and follow us @iwhjpodcast 

When Alexandra Kenin realized her job was not allowing her to fully thrive, she found a way to combine her love of outdoor exploration with writing and crafted herself a dream career. Alexandra is the founder of Urban Hiker SF, Studio Chief and Senior Editor at Wordsmithie, and author of Urban Trails: San Francisco and Urban Trails: East Bay. In our conversation, Alexandra shares how she made her career transition and the strategies she used to get her tour business started. Alexandra also shares the steps she took to quickly and successfully publish her first book. If you have considered trying an entrepreneurial idea, or if you are in the middle of a career transition, this conversation may give you the boost and tips you need for taking the next steps towards your dream career path.  Topics Discussed: Career transitions Hiking and exploring San Francisco The power of business school networks Marketing strategies for an outdoor tour business Tips for publishing a non-fiction book: Unconventional Guide to

Prior to joining Lyft, Sara El-Amine had an extraordinary career in community organizing; ranging from an entry level role, to an executive director role, for the Obama campaign. After reading Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, Sara quit her job, drove to the Iowa headquarters in 2008, and offered to help. It was a bold decision that paid off. With time, Sara rose to the National Director role of Obama’s reelection campaign and served as executive director of Organizing for Action (OFA), leading Obama’s citizen-led movement for change across the U.S. Today, as Head of Community Engagement at Lyft, Sara has jumped into the business world with the same enthusiasm she had for her organizing work. Sara really, really believes in the power of the gig economy. In this conversation, Sara shares why she made the switch to the business world and why she believes gig work has so much potential to help communities across the US  and the people working in the industry. We discuss the emerging field of community engageme

Jennifer Dulski has had a dream career in senior technology roles including executive leadership roles at Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, and as a founder, CEO and president for early stage startups. Jennifer’s latest project is Rising Team, where she is CEO and founder. Rising Team provides tools, data and community to turn managers into successful coaches, a role Jennifer has mastered throughout her impressive career.  A few highlights from Jennifer’s career path include: leading Facebook Groups, where her team was responsible building and growing the Groups product. While Jennifer was president & COO of change.org, the organization grew 10x, from 18 million users to 180 million and developed a profitable business model. Jennifer left a senior level role at Yahoo! to become co-founder and CEO of The Dealmap, a location-based deals app that Google acquired in 2011. In this conversation, Jennifer walks us through several milestones on her career path, the decision making framework she has used throughout her ro

If you have ever wondered why motherhood in the US is so difficult, you don’t want to miss this conversation with Caitlyn Collins, Assistant Professor of Sociology a Washington University and author of Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving. In her book, Caitlyn dives into the ways public policy shapes the lives of mothers in the USA, Germany, Italy and Sweden. By examining the different policies in each country, and through detailed interviews with 135 women, the book shows how public policy decisions deeply influence culture and drastically shapes the lives of parents. This conversation is likely to leave you shocked, and, hopefully inspired by the possibility to reimagine options for supporting mothers and children with benefits such as paid parental leave and universal affordable, high quality childcare. As Caitlyn says, instead of blaming themselves, mothers in the US should consider that the current system isn’t working. Follow us @iwhjpodcast and please share this episode with

When the Covid lockdown started, Stella Delp was a sophomore at Stanford and determined to find a way to help. News stations were showing lines for food that were miles long, while some farms were in situations where they needed to destroy enormous amounts of food. Stella joined two friends, co-founders James Kanoff and Aidan Reilly as the third employee at newly formed Farmlink Project with the goal of reducing food waste and helping to get fresh produce to food banks. Five months later, Farmlink Project has delivered 12 millions pounds of fresh produce to food banks across the country and is currently delivering up to 1M pounds per week! Stella’s current role is Chief of Staff for a fully volunteer staff that has reached 50 full time volunteers and 140 part time volunteers. In this conversation, Stella shares her Farmlink Project journey and insights into the food industry. Famlink Project’s latest goal is to keep growing and to create a platform that farms, food banks, and other organizations looking to fe