Becoming Fearless Style Collective Podcast

This week on Becoming Fearless, meet Cara Alwill Leyba, author of the bestselling book Girl Code, and a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to empowering women and encouraging them to chase their dreams. Cara has always been passionate about writing, but took a detour and found herself working as a digital ad trafficker and wondering when she’d lost track of her dreams. When she realized it wasn’t too late to turn her life around (the change she needed came through a glass of champagne) she started a blog, became a life coach – and the rest is history. Join Annie and Cara as they talk detaching from the outcome, listening to your intuition, forging your own path, staying committed, and finding new friends everywhere.

Today on a special episode of the Becoming Fearless podcast, Annie welcomes back her very first podcast guest, Patricia, the world’s first style blogger. (Check out Ep. 2 to learn more about Patricia!) This time around, the tables are turned, as Patricia interviews Annie about her story – from teaching to unemployment to corporate work to grad school and finally, to Style Collective. Tune in as these #bossbabes talk having a growth mindset, creating collaborative spaces, valuing education, putting influencers first, overcoming fear, and making your dream happen.

On this episode of Becoming Fearless, meet Sandra Manton Mills, the photographer behind Her Creative Studio. Sandra creates styled images for woman entrepreneurs to use for websites, social media, and online marketing. Sandra left college after only one year, then started working in graphic design at a company which she eventually purchased and ran for seven years. Still, she knew it wasn’t what she really wanted to do with her life – and when one of her design clients was dissatisfied with the generic stock images available, Sandra decided to start taking the stock images herself. Join Annie and Sandra as they talk loving to learn, mastering new skills, letting go of balance, learning to say no, and having a need to create.

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, Annie is back for her second mini leadership lesson. In episode 56, Annie explored the basics of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. For her second lesson, Annie talks overcoming critics and haters by showing compassion, and managing your reputation as an influencer. Join Annie as she talks being self-aware, leveraging values, and learning not to criticize, condemn, or complain.

This week on Becoming Fearless, meet Demi Marchese, the LA-based Founder of 12th Tribe, an online women’s boutique selling globally inspired fashion. Fashion had always been Demi’s outlet and a way to express herself, but like many, she wasn’t sure what direction she wanted to take after graduation. After exploring her interests by shopping vintage and styling her friends, Demi decided to become an entrepreneur. Join Annie and Demi as they talk having a strong support system, bootstrapping a business, building a legacy, taking care of yourself, and pushing through a storm to see the rainbow.

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, Annie kicks off her new series of mini leadership lessons by discussing the importance of balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivations – starting with what intrinsic and extrinsic actually mean. Join Annie as she explores the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, why it’s not good to focus too much on one or the other, and how to find a comfortable balance between the two.

This week on Becoming Fearless, meet Kaye Putnam, a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs looking to scale their brands. Kaye got her degree in Marketing with a minor in Psychology and worked for a large company right out of college. But, with her husband’s job moving them every two years, she soon grew frustrated with having to bounce from job to job. She decided it was time to start her own online business, and after lots and lots of research, developed her business and defined her brand. Join Annie and Kaye as they talk becoming self-aware, defining your beliefs, honoring your genius, and taking criticism with grace.

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, meet Victoria Van Ness, a travel and lifestyle blogger and the owner of Cheat Sheet Co. Victoria realized college wasn’t the right fit for her before the end of her first semester, and soon after dropping out, she started her first blog while traveling with her boyfriend. After moving to New York, Victoria got a job at Bloglovin’, where she learned about social media and influencer marketing. Her experience at Bloglovin’ helped catapult her onto her current career path. Join Annie and Victoria as they talk having a unique viewpoint, sharing value, beating imposter syndrome, staying creative, and not being afraid to say no.

On this episode of Becoming Fearless, meet Elle Drouin, a New York-based product stylist, photographer, and content creator. Elle runs three different businesses: she creates custom branded imagery for beauty and lifestyle brands, runs the Styled Stock Society, and is the voice behind Mochi and the City. Elle started a career in corporate finance after school, but soon realized finance wasn’t for her. After working freelance as a consultant for a while, she realized she also didn’t want to consult full-time – but she recognized a need for stylish images for influencers and entrepreneurs and launched Styled Stock Society. Join Annie and Elle as they talk learning your industry, setting goals, being intentional, and realizing you’re irreplaceable.

This week on Becoming Fearless, Annie celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Style Collective podcast. Over the past year, we’ve heard from so many amazing, inspiring boss babes about their journeys. Today on the podcast, Annie shares the top ten lessons she’s learned from her guests about what it takes to become fearless. Join Annie as she talks building community, having a positive impact, taking risks, and never giving up. What have you learned from our guests about becoming fearless? (And check out our giveaway to celebrate one year of the Becoming Fearless podcast! Details on Instagram @stylecollective_)

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, meet Kali, the Founder of Blush Online Life Coaching, a platform that connects professional millennial women with online life coaches. With monthly subscription memberships ranging from $79 to $249, Blush allows women to get affordable, consistent life coaching. Kali and her team are all professional life coaches with Masters degrees in Counseling. Join Annie and Kali as they talk understanding your personality, building your skill-set, adding to your story, and figuring out what’s next.

This week, on a special episode of Becoming Fearless, Annie delivers her keynote speech at the first ever Style Collective Conference. On Saturday, April 14th, more than 45 SC Sisters gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a two-day program of workshops, panels, networking, and more at this milestone SC event. Tune in while Annie kicks off the conference by exploring the true meaning of empowerment: the power, the right, or the authority to do something – something like starting a business, helping people, or changing lives.

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, meet Catherine Smith, the Founder and CEO of Plan de Ville, the online destination for luxury fashion by emerging designers. Catherine noticed the rise of emerging designers on Instagram and saw an opportunity to start an e-commerce store to meet the demand for these up-and-coming luxury designs. She launched the site in 2014 with a handful of emerging designers and has been growing it ever since. Join Annie and Catherine as they talk leveraging the media, celebrating what you’ve accomplished, asking for help, and having a strong support team.

On this episode of Becoming Fearless, meet Lauren Cecchi, a NYC-based handbag designer who started her namesake collection, Lauren Cecchi New York, five years ago. Lauren attended Lynn University for Business Administration with a specialization in Fashion. While in school, she got an internship as a Visual Stylist at Bloomingdale's, and after she graduated, she became a buyer for fifteen department stores. Still, in her gut she knew she wanted to be her own boss, so she started sketching and designing her own collection. Join Annie and Lauren as they talk learning as you go, standing out from the crowd, building authentic relationships, and being your own cheerleader.

This week on Becoming Fearless, Annie speaks to 100 NC State University Students about her journey to entrepreneurship. Join Annie as she shares her story and talks transformational leadership, the evolution of Style Collective, her tools of the trade, the upcoming SC Conference, the Instagram ecosystem, and more.

Today on Becoming Fearless, meet Kloudya Molina, the Founder of She Became Fearless, a website dedicated to empowering and inspiring women all over the world to become fearless. Kloudya pursued fashion blogging for a few years and leveraged the voice of her blog and the community she built to create a platform of resources and inspiration for women who want to chase their dreams. Join Annie and Kloudya as they talk finding your why, creating opportunities, having self-awareness, and being grateful.

This week on Becoming Fearless, meet Alexandria Agresta, one of the Purpose Pioneers, helping companies become purpose-driven and align their purpose with every aspect of their business. Alex started uncovering her personal purpose in college and realized she wanted to create communities where people can feel a sense of belonging and form real human connections. From there, she pursued entrepreneurship, forming Purpose Pioneers to help corporations create purpose-driven structures. Join Annie and Alex as they talk creating communities, communicating authentically, and finding meaning in everything you do.

Today on the Becoming Fearless podcast, meet Anna Wood, the Founder of Brains Over Blonde, a feminist lifestyle platform for women who refuse to choose between femininity and success. Anna has been an entrepreneurial type her whole life, and she recently realized she could impact more women through social media and content creation than she could through her corporate career. Now, for the past six months, Brains Over Blonde has provided free content, tools, and resources to empower women from all walks of life who don’t want to choose between having a high-power career and being themselves. Join Annie and Anna as they talk developing a support system, making the most of where you are, sharing your personal story, and hacking your way to success.

This week on Becoming Fearless, Annie sits down with Annah Todd and Jessie Undorfer, two #TeamSC members, to talk about their latest bossbabe book club pick, Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur, by Cara Alwill Leyba. Girl Code explores a variety of topics on every female entrepreneur’s mind, from realizing there’s enough success to go around, to how to deal with haters, and much more. Join Annie, Annah, and Jessie as they talk putting in the hard work, lifting others up, trusting your brilliance, having the freedom to be fearless, and focusing on compassion instead of competition.

Today on Becoming Fearless, meet Katie Willcox, Founder of Healthy is the New Skinny and Natural Model Management. In 2011, Katie met a man in LA who wanted to start his own modeling agency – and when she realized he had no idea what he was doing, she decided she could start her own agency, too. Her philosophy around the industry was unique; as a plus-size model who most consumers wouldn’t actually consider plus-sized, she knew the industry’s standards were skewed. Now, Katie works every day to inspire women to choose health over the damaging beauty ideal. Join Annie and Katie as they talk giving change time, honoring your natural self, being a role model, creating the life you want to live, and living your purpose and passion.