In this special summer-break episode of Feminist Founders, Becky Mollenkamp sits down with Sophia Apostol, host of the Fat Joy podcast and Fat Joy on Substack, to explore the intersections of visibility, body image, and safety in a world that often marginalizes certain bodies. 

This deep and insightful conversation touches on the challenges of being visible in a society that prizes thinness, the journey from body neutrality to fat joy, and the critical importance of psychological safety for business owners and leaders. Sophia shares her own journey towards body liberation and the creation of her impactful work, offering listeners a hopeful and empowering perspective on how to navigate these complex issues.

Resources Mentioned:

• "What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat" by Aubrey Gordon
• "Happy Fat" by Sofie Hagan
• Truity's Enneagram Test
• CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder)
• We Can Do Hard Things podcast

Connect with Sophia Apostol:

• Fat Joy podcast
• Fat Joy on Substack
• Instagram
• Sophia Apostol Coaching 

Support Feminist Founders:

Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable Becky to continue bringing you these important conversations without corporate advertising. To support the mission, visit feministfounderspodcast.com and sign up for a paid subscription. 

Feminist coach Becky Mollenkamp moderates a panel discussion on how to create win-win collaborations for your business with experts Michele Price and Babs Cheung.

Learn more about the Feminist Founders Forums

Rest coach Jordan Maney recently joined Becky Mollenkamp for a discussion about burnout. Maney’s work specifically addresses the connection between burnout and apathy, particularly for empathetic individuals who care about making a difference.

This powerful conversation emphasizes the need to recognize and value invisible labor, critiques the current solutions offered for burnout, and calls for a more comprehensive approach to recovery.

Becky and Jordan also highlight the societal conditioning that discourages individuals, especially women, from seeking support and setting boundaries., and the need for collective approaches to address burnout.

Key Points:

• Burnout is not solely an individual problem but is influenced by systemic factors.
• Apathy can be a result of burnout, leading individuals to feel overwhelmed and believe that someone else will fix the problems.
• The concept of burnout should extend beyond professional labor and include the recognition of invisible labor.
• Current solutions for burnout, such as self-care and quick fixes, are not comprehensive and fail to address the underlying issues.
• Recovering from burnout takes time and requires a shift in mindset, including letting go of overcommitment.
• Building a collective and seeking support are essential in preventing and recovering from burnout. The societal conditioning discourages individuals, especially women, from seeking support and setting boundaries.
• Shifting from an individualistic to a collective approach is crucial in addressing burnout and creating systemic change.
• Self-care involves self-management and self-advocacy, including setting boundaries and prioritizing one's needs.
• Creating lasting change requires engaging with community and recognizing that individual efforts alone cannot transform systems.
• Healing from burnout is a slow and ongoing process that may require seeking support from professionals who understand the complexities of burnout.

Highlights:

0:00 - Introduction and the Individualistic View of Burnout

2:50 - Invisible Labor and the Need to Value It

5:43 - The Ineffectiveness of Traditional Self-Care Approaches

8:51 - The Time and Effort Required for Burnout Recovery

10:56 - The Challenge of Letting Go and Setting Boundaries

16:25 - The Importance of Collective Support and Community

22:03 - Confronting Identity and Shifting Perspectives

26:35 - Redefining Self-Care as Self-Management and Self-Advocacy

28:32 - The Need for Comprehensive Change and Systemic Solutions

32:31 - The Slow Roast of Burnout Recovery

35:21 - The Role of a Lighthouse in Guiding Burnout Recovery

36:39 - Conclusion and Call to Action

The journey toward liberation is messy AF, and Taina Brown and Becky Mollenkamp are here for it! 💥

Join them for the Messy Liberation, a podcast about current events, politics, pop culture, and business through an intersectional feminist lens. 

Taina and Becky aren’t perfect activists or allies, so don’t expect polished and perfectly formulated conversations with 3-step solutions (that’s toxic capitalist BS anyway). 

📣 Instead, listen in on their real-time, messy thoughts as they make sense of the world around them. If you’re sick of superficial approaches to business and personal challenges, then you’ll love the nuance they bring to every discussion.

Messy Liberation will get you thinking, help you feel less alone in the mess of personal development and systems liberation, and educate and inspire you, no matter where you are on the journey.

If you also want to create a more equitable world, check out Messy Liberation, available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. 🎧

LEARN MORE:

• Taina Brown WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | THREADS
• Becky Mollenkamp WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | THREADS | FEMINIST FOUNDERS

In this conversation, Mahlena-Rae Johnson joins Becky Mollenkamp to discuss public speaking for introverted CEOs. Mahlena-Rae emphasizes the importance of understanding introversion, and dispels the misconception that introverts are shy. She outlines a three-step process for introverted CEOs to excel in public speaking (relax, relate, and release). She also highlights the need for introverted CEOs to prioritize self-care and recovery after speaking engagements.

Connect with Mahlena on LinkedIn

Key takeaways:

• Introverted CEOs can excel in public speaking by focusing on storytelling and their purpose for speaking.
• Self-care and recovery time are essential for introverted CEOs after speaking engagements.
• Introverted CEOs may face imposter syndrome due to societal expectations of extroverted leadership.
• Event organizers can support introverted speakers by providing accommodations such as private green rooms and assistance with logistics.
• Creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for introverted speakers benefits all participants.

Highlights:

0:00 - Introduction and Background

2:51 - Public Speaking for Introverted CEOs

5:30 - Overcoming Shyness and Managing Vulnerability

8:45 - Dealing with Perfectionism

11:40 - The Importance of Recovery for Introverts

14:47 - Imposter Syndrome and Introverted CEOs

20:50 - Creating Accessible Speaking Environments

23:38 - Providing Support and Guidance for Speaker

SUMMER BREAK: Season 3 of Feminist Founders is coming in September featuring new interviews with more inspiring leaders. During the summer I'm bringing you some special content, starting with this conversation with my friend, feminist life coach Taina Brown. She asked a few months ago if I’d be game for “Ask a Feminist Coach” as a series for Feminist Founders. Of course I said, “hell yes!” So we asked for some questions, and jumped right in to tackle three of the questions. Then we decided we liked it so much that we are going to turn it into something even bigger and better — a brand new podcast called Messy Liberation (coming out in July 2024). Until then, I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation (or the transcript below).

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

In this special episode of Feminist Founders, host Becky Mollenkamp switches roles and is interviewed by her friend and communication strategist, Arden Evenson. Arden dives deep into Becky’s transformative approach to business coaching, including breaking down capitalist, patriarchal structures and building businesses that support your values and the people who work with you.

Becky Mollenkamp (she/they) is a feminist business coach who helps entrepreneurs make the leap from "small business owner" to CEO without acting out of alignment with their values.

Website | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | YouTube | Newsletter

Discussed in this episode:

• How Becky’s business philosophy is outside capitalist norms
• The problem with Corporate America
• Navigating anti-capitalist financials
• Becky’s approach to humane hiring and management
• How Becky talks to clients about marketing and sales
• The importance of hustle-free operations
• The differences between managers and leaders
• A detailed description of Becky's coaching approach
• The importance of aligning business practices with personal values

Resource mentioned:

• Sustainable Business Blueprint

Special Thanks: A big thank you to Arden Evenson for hosting this episode and facilitating an insightful conversation.

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Bianca Jordan, founder of Rebel Immigration, shares her journey from disillusionment with feminism to entrepreneurship. She discusses the impact of the pink pussy hat movement, her unconventional path from an MBA and JD to homelessness, and John Adams' influence on her legal career. Bianca delves into the necessity and tenacity driving her ventures, challenges in the legal industry, and misconceptions about immigration. She highlights racism in the immigration process and offers insights on how business owners can support immigrants. Additionally, she introduces her resources and approach to leadership.

----- 

Bianca Jordan (she/her) is the founder and CEO of Rebel Immigration, a legal education and consulting company that provides marketing and growth strategy to solo attorneys.

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Threads

Discussed in this episode:

• How the pink pussy hat movement turned Bianca off to feminism
• Why an MBA and JD ended up unhoused
• John Adams’ role in making Bianca want to be an attorney
• Necessity and tenacity (plus a sprinkle of spite) as drivers for entrepreneurship
• How lawyers responded to Bianca’s virtual law firm pre- and post-COVID
• The role Bianca’s mom played in creating her second business, Rebel Immigration
• The many ways Bianca is challenging legal industry norms
• What made Bianca want to be like Elle Woods
• The many ways that Americans misunderstand immigration
• Racism in the US immigration process
• How business owners can help immigrants
• The low-cost resources available through Brazen Legal University
• Bianca’s newest offer, New Solo Blueprint
• How Bianca approaches leadership of her small team

Resources mentioned:

• “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho
• “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight
• Girl Scouts of the USA

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/

SUMMARY: Navruz Avloni, a formidable attorney defending civil rights across California, discusses her path from a childhood in communist Uzbekistan to litigating high-profile cases like Diaz v. Tesla, advocating passionately for victims of workplace discrimination. She shares insights on leaving a partnership to start her own firm, navigating a male-dominated industry with feminist values, and the complex impacts of the #MeToo movement on legal practices. Navruz's story is not only inspiring but also a powerful call to challenge systemic injustices and transform the legal landscape.

----- 

Navruz Avloni (she/her) is a committed attorney and advocate who fights vigorously for important civil rights in courts throughout California. She is recognized for her ability to see the big picture in every case she litigates and for being a tenacious and passionate litigator for victims of sexual assault and wronged employees. She has a proven track record of obtaining favorable results for her clients in race discrimination, disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower cases. In her over a decade of litigation experience, Navruz has represented clients in high-profile cases such as Kepnach, et al v. Four Barrel Coffee, Diaz v. Tesla, and Vaughn v. Tesla. 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Discussed in this episode:

• Why Navruz is a proud and passionate feminist
• How a childhood spent in communist Uzbekistan played a role in Navruz’s career choice
• Choosing to be a plaintiff’s lawyer vs. a higher-paid corporate defense attorney
• Working up to partner at a firm and then leaving to start her own firm
• How Navruz is bringing her feminist values into a male-dominated industry
• Why the legal industry, often deservedly, gets a bad reputation — and how Navruz is challenging those norms
• How the legal industry often creates burnout (and the tools Navruz employs to avoid it)
• Why the legal system is the center of a feminist future
• Why so few victims of workplace misconduct take their cases to court. 
• How the #MeToo movement did—and didn’t—change workplace lawsuits
• Bad apples vs. bad policies in workplace lawsuits
• How to avoid bad apples (and legal damages from them) in your own business
• Tips for avoiding common mistakes among even well-meaning employers
• The importance of doing your best to fix an employer mistake
• Why Navruz typically won’t represent plaintiffs against small businesses

Resources:

• Patrick Lencioni on healthy workplace cultures
• “Dream Big and Win: Translating passion into purpose and creating a billion-dollar business” by Liz Elting
• Empower Work

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

SUMMARY: Nichole Beiner Powell-Newman, an unwavering advocate for intersectional wellness and CEO of Nichole Gabrielle and Co., LLC. shares her transformative journey from law to leadership consulting, and back to blogging. We delve into the challenges of disability in traditional workspaces, visionary steps towards truly inclusive workplaces, and creating liberatory communities. Nichole challenges us to consider how ableism might infiltrate our business practices and invites us to turn our professed values into actionable, everyday guides. Join us for a conversation that redefines community and courage in leadership.

Nichole Alcántara Beiner Powell-Newman (she/her) is an intersectional wellness advocate, speaker and consultant. She seeks equity, belonging and liberation at the crossroads of race, gender, and (dis)ability, through courageous conversations about lived truths, collective healing/care, and through community-centered action. She enjoys creating spaces that allow vulnerable explorations of unbridled joy for those who hold multiple marginalized identities and cultivating communities committed to intersectional belonging.

Nichole serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of Nichole Gabrielle and Co., LLC, a Leadership and Culture Consultancy focused on creating cultures of belonging for people with marginalized identities. Using the skills she's gained from years of facilitation work, legal practice, and her own experiences as a disabled and chronically ill Afro-Latina, Nichole is able to help companies tackle systemic inequities, have hard conversations, and create spaces where people feel safe and confident that they can be their full selves.

When she’s not spending time in community, Nichole enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, Vince, and learning about new foods and places. Lately, you can find her reconnecting with her roots in food anthropology, studying yoga philosophy, or planning out the big, beautiful life she believes we’re all deserving of.

Website | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn

Discussed in this episode:

• Nichole’s exploration of feminism and womanism 
• Why working as a lawyer and have a disability became incompatible for Nichole
• The journey from lawyer to blogger to DEI consultant and back to blogging
• Finding a truly liberatory yoga practice and how it helped Nichole shift her thinking
• Nichole’s vision for inclusive workplaces
• Why return-to-work orders are ableist (and may not be financially wise)
• How ableism may be showing up in your business
• Why it’s liberatory to be in aligned community
• The problem with turning community into an industry
• How to reimagine community through a womanist lens
• Having difficult (and political) conversations as a business thought leader
• Turning values from words on a website into a guide for every choice
• Science fiction as a pathway to reimagining a more liberated world

Resources mentioned:

• “All the Black Girls Are Activists” by Ebony Janice
• Melanin and Moxie
• Spoon Theory
• Susana Barkataki
• “The Power of Sitting in the Mess,” Nichole’s Fearless Fire talk
• Sins Invalid
• “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté
• “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler
• Feminist Book Club

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

SUMMARY:  In this episode of the Feminist Founders podcast, we chat with Mai Moore, founder of Boss Me In, exploring her shift from corporate leadership to championing values-aligned networking for Gen Z women. We discuss creating safer spaces and the unique challenges anti-capitalist startups face. Mai offers impactful leadership tips for building inclusive communities and navigating the non-traditional paths of mentorship and funding. Her insights inspire entrepreneurs to lead with authenticity and purpose, aiming to transform societal norms and foster real change in the business world.

----- 

Mai Moore (she/her) is an Award-Winning Social Impact Leader, Co-Founder of EYEJ: Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice; Founder of Setting Off Social Impact, and Boss Me In. Mai helped two tech start-ups go public; Travelzoo Inc. and United Online. She believes in diverse women, BIPOC persons, and our young people to help create a more equitable and inclusive world. Mai is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Website | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Mai’s relationship with feminism
• Why Mai moved from the C-suite to helping Gen Z women kick off their careers
• What founders need to understand about Gen Z
• The challenging (and different) future that Gen Z professionals face
• What is missing in many mentoring and networking programs and what makes Boss Me In different
• How Mai chose the name Boss Me In
• The “no-mask” policy that appeals to Gen Z’s value of authenticity
• Creating truly inclusive communities
• Steps Boss Me In takes to create safer spaces
• The importance of harm repair inside of communities
• Personal growth and the ebbs and flows of finding values-aligned communities
• How Mai deals with imperfect communities
• Tips for finding truly inclusive communities
• Finding a mentor at any age
• Mai’s best tip for moving beyond the fears of getting visible
• Why founders need community
• The ways Boss Me In is challenging capitalist norms
• VC funding, KPIs, and burnout
• What’s different about Boss Me In’s approach to funding

Resources mentioned:

• Boss Me In
• Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice
• “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Elisa Camahort Page (she/her) is a fractional executive and strategic consultant who launches and scales businesses, products, and authentic user communities. Elisa was co-founder and COO of BlogHer, Inc. In that role, Elisa had oversight of the practices, policies, and procedures that modeled how organizations can build community, grow a business, and support inclusion in words and action. 

Since leaving the company that acquired BlogHer, Elisa has consulted with organizations to define and deliver on content, product, community, and communications strategies and resource plans that are in alignment with their brand values. A frequent public speaker, LinkedIn Learning course instructor, and freelance writer, Elisa is also the host of The Op-Ed Page podcast and the This Week-ish and Optionality newsletters on Substack, as well as the co-author of “Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All.”

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | Facebook

Discussed in this episode:

• Elisa’s relationship with feminism and how it evolved to be more intersectional
• How BlogHer was created to address the early days of blogging
• How values were more than something “laminated on the wall”
• Bootstrapping the rollout, and the growth pains of adding payroll
• Pursuing Series A funding, and who shouldn’t go for VC funding
• Challenges for women pursuing VC funding
• Why Elisa will not go for VC funding again (despite a decent first experience)
• How public and private funding negatively impacts decision making
• Choosing to sell vs. securing another round of funding for growth
• Managing the transition period of a buyout
• Navigating personal values while running a company that has grown beyond you
• The benefit of having an odd number of owners
• Male-dominated leadership of women-dominated products
• Why Elisa’s book wasn’t the one she originally thought she’d write
• The 20 years that destroyed worker trust, and how the pandemic shifted things
• Rethinking employee mentorship models
• New models for making money as content creators (ie, Substack)

Resources mentioned:

• “Roadmap for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism and Advocacy for All,” by Elisa Camahort Page, Carolyn Gerin, and Jamia Wilson
• “The Man Who Broke Capitalism” by David Gelles
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• National Network of Abortion Funds
• Our Hen House

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

Feminist coach Becky Mollenkamp moderates a panel discussion on wealth and equity with financial experts Natalie Bullen and Meg Wheeler.

Learn more about the Feminist Founder Forums

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable us to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission and receive bonus content, sign up for a subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

SUMMARY: In this episode of Feminist Founders, Catharine Montgomery, founder and CEO of Better Together, shares her journey of building sustainable change. She discusses her unexpected start in entrepreneurship with VC funding and the social impact her agency aims to achieve. Catharine navigates the challenges of transitioning from employee to business owner, overcoming imposter syndrome, and modeling equity and social justice in her business practices. She emphasizes the importance of mentoring, networking, and finding clients who align with Better Together's values. Through her experiences, Catharine provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating similar paths, highlighting the intersection of feminism, entrepreneurship, and social change.

Catharine Montgomery (she/her)  is the founder and CEO of Better Together, a communications agency that galvanizes positive change for purpose-driven organizations through creative strategies, messaging and branding. Catharine’s vision for Better Together is to build a more just, environmentally sustainable world centered around human and labor rights, access to education, and healthcare for all through collaborative and creative communication campaigns. After spending nearly 15 years working in public relations, Catharine knows what truly drives results and leaves a lasting impact.

Website | Catharine’s LinkedIn | Better Together LinkedIn | Threads

Discussed in this episode:

• Catharine’s burgeoning and complicated relationship with feminism
• Exiting a toxic work environment (and fighting back)
• How a chance encounter (and a lifetime of preparation) helped Catharine unexpectedly start her agency with VC funding
• Why Catharine decided to accept VC funding, despite being in an industry that isn’t known for relying on it
• How mentoring and networking have helped Catharine as a newer entrepreneur
• Better Together’s values and finding clients that share them
• Making money and doing good
• How entrepreneurship helped Catharine overcome “imposter syndrome”
• The learning curve of going from employee to business owner
• Modeling equity and social justice in how she runs Better Together
• The legacy Catharine hopes to create with Better Together

Resources mentioned:

• Touch4Life
• National Museum of African-American History and Culture
• “Unmasking AI” by Joy Buolamwini

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable us to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission and receive bonus content, sign up for a subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

SUMMARY: Today we are joined by Rachel Formaro, a seasoned entrepreneur who navigated the tumultuous journey from overwhelmed solopreneur to thriving CEO. Rachel shares her profound insights on transitioning from the solopreneur mindset to embracing empowering business leadership. We delve into the fear of delegating and the essential mindset shift necessary for sustainable business success. Rachel illuminates the distinction between leadership and management, advocating for values-driven decision-making and building a supportive work culture. She emphasizes the importance of investing in a team for sustainable business expansion and shares strategies for navigating short-term challenges while prioritizing long-term gains. Moreover, Rachel candidly discusses prioritizing self-care, overcoming imposter syndrome, and setting boundaries to maintain work-life balance during periods of growth. Join us as we explore Rachel's empowering journey of resilience, growth, and redefining success as a values-driven CEO.

----- 

Rachel Formaro (she/her) is the founder, CEO and a senior consultant at Blu Pagoda. With more than 25 years of broad career experience, Rachel is a top-performing communications and business management professional. She is known for her creativity, compassion, and commitment to achieving results.

While Rachel’s specialty is financial services, she also has experience with technology and consumer goods. She has assisted Fortune 500 with their business and communications challenges—particularly in the area of complex programs. Rachel has experience in both the United States and Canada and has assisted companies with initiatives in both countries, including mergers and acquisitions. 

Outside of her work at Blu Pagoda, Rachel loves being a mom, wife, cook and avid reader. She stays engaged with her local community through volunteering and is a board member with the Chrysalis Foundation for Girls and Women. 

Website | LinkedIn

Discussed in this episode:

• Rachel’s relationship with feminism and how it became more intersectional
• Her journey from Corporate America to self-employment, back to Corporate America, and finally starting Blu Pagoda
• How Rachel balances her anti-capitalist beliefs with serving clients in Corporate America
• The ways Rachel is trying to buck capitalist norms inside her business
• Getting comfortable with the CEO title by redefining what it means
• The importance of enlisting experts to help you grow as a CEO
• Modeling the self-care behaviors she wants her employees to feel empowered to do
• Setting boundaries around time and not making assumptions about others’ needs
• The weight of responsibility for other people’s livelihoods
• Navigating an economic downturn without losing sight of people-first values
• Creating a legacy and owning the word “philanthropist”
• Navigating aging and ageism as a woman business owner

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall
• Sister.is
• Clifton Strengths
• Drive to Survive on Netflix
• “Rest is a Resistance’ by Tricia Hersey
• Moms Demand Action
• Chrysalis Foundation for Women and Girls
• “This Chair Rocks” by Ashton Applewhite

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable us to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission and receive bonus content, sign up for a subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Meg Wheeler (she/her) is the Founder of The Equitable Money Project, which offers financial education through its free Biz Money Library, CFO support through The Equitable Money Club, and done-for-you tax preparation, bookkeeping and CFO services to primarily marginalized business owners. She is a licensed CPA and financial literacy educator with a focus on helping online educators, service providers and small business owners set up, manage and master the financial aspects of their businesses. 

The Equitable Money Project prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and is committed to supporting marginalized and underrepresented business owners through accessible financial education. Meg ties her social justice activism and political work into The Equitable Money Project as part of her commitment to achieving economic equity for all. She is the host of The Disrupt Your Money Podcast and a former Democratic Candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate. 

Website | Instagram | TikTok

Discussed in this episode:

• Meg’s relationship with feminism
• Why money is political
• Privilege and generational wealth (vs. being rich)
• The role of ‘money mindset’ in financial conversations
• Why acknowledging privilege is so important for those working in the financial space
• Systemic barriers that contribute to financial inequity
• Why Dave Ramsey and financial “gurus” like him are so problematic
• How they do things differently at Equitable Money Project
• The reason Meg’s gives away the bulk of educational materials for free
• Conditioning that tells women and others with marginalized identities that “they aren’t good with numbers”
• The power of money meetings
• Separating money from self-worth
• The pros and cons of Profit First accounting
• Why “be a radical giver” is part of Meg’s core values
• What Meg’s run for State Senate taught her
• The power of talking to people in your community
• How Meg kissed Zac Efron

Resources mentioned:

• Disrupt Your Money podcast
• Rich White Guys Make Crappy Financial Advisors (episode)
• Biz Money Library
• Gallup study: Bill paying vs. financial decision making
• “Profit First” by Michael Michalowicz
• Pay Yourself First (episode)
• Equitable Money Club
• Elevated Access
• Girls Who Code

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable us to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission and receive bonus content, sign up for a subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Natalie Bullen (she/her) is a Sales Coach, Messaging Strategist and owner of Unapologetic Wealth. As a powerhouse coach and consultant, she positions her clients for wealth by accelerating their revenue with high ticket sales.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Discussed in this episode:

• Natalie’s relationship with feminism (and why she prefers “high achieving breadwinner”)
• How the “American Dream” failed Natalie, and how that fuels her work today
• Natalie’s experience with bankruptcy and the stigma society attaches to it
• Why wealth isn’t rigged, and the real reasons so many never achieve it
• Gatekeeping and wealth
• Overcoming negative money stories
• The reasons Natalie will die on the “sell high-ticket offers” hill
• Why a service-based business needs to be making money from Year 1
• A hobby vs. an abusive business
• Sales vs. abuse
• How Natalie teaches sales differently than others
• The difference between being a producer and a visionary
• Working for free does everyone a disservice
• The money mindset blocks that keep people from making big sales
• Why selling without first testing the marketing is dangerous
• What goes wrong in how most business owners attack growth and hiring
• Doing it all is a quick path to burnout
• Why Natalie is closing down her most profitable program (and what’s next)

Resources mentioned:

• “To Sell Is Human” by Daniel Pink
• Downtown Rescue Mission

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/
---------

Vivienne Miles (she/her) doesn’t believe a traditional bio is authentic to who she came here to be. Instead, she shares experiences that don't define her, but that have given her a lens to see herself through and a foundation to define who she came here to be.

• Childhood abuse.
• An unplanned pregnancy at 20.
• Sexual assault and physical abuse in her 20s.
• An abortion at 30.
• Another birth at 34.
• A divorce at 22.
• A bankruptcy, foreclosure, and car repossession.
• $50,000+ in healthcare debt from depression and 12 suicide attempts before age 27.
• A model who posed in Playboy ad used her sexuality as a currency for a decade.

Vivienne has grit and resiliency like no fucking other, but none of those things define who she is or how she interacts and engages in her life. With her Saturn Return, a giant beacon of light began to illuminate a path forward; one where she was no longer willing to tolerate abuse from boyfriends and addictions that kept her in low frequencies and shitty situations.

Her vocation might seem shallow, but it’s full of her heart and a love language of healing, connection and unapologetic love, which transcends the four walls of her Co-Op Movement and Social Club.

Website |  Instagram

Discussed in this episode:

• Vivienne’s relationship with feminism
• The meaning of her company’s name, Co-Op Movement and Social Club
• How Vivienne bought into diet culture early in life and eventually rejected it
• The ways Co-Op is challenging diet culture norms in the fitness space
• Why community is as important at Vivienne’s gym as movement
• How Vivienne finds employees who share her values
• The challenges of marketing a gym without shame-based approaches
• The ways privilege plays into gym membership and participation
• How ground-breaking it is to have a gym that isn’t focused on weight loss
• The sustainability of her business model beyond her initial 5-year investment
• Why her business isn’t a passion project or charitable endeavor, and the importance of making money
• What helped Vivienne confront her privilege and set out to begin using it to create meaningful change
• Vivienne’s abortion story
• The journey from struggle to privilege and how the former inspired how Vivienne uses the latter
• Her partner’s journey to feminism and supporting her vision

Resources mentioned:

• Podcast Abundance with Virginia Elder
• Jessamyn Stanley on Instagram
• “Loving What Is” by Byron Katie
• “Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle
• AimWell Kids in Kansas City
• Debonie Lewis at Co-Op KC
• The Loveland Foundation from Rachel Cargle

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

-----

Dacy Gillespie (she/her) is a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist who helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy’s clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what’s flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. 

After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn’t suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Real Simple and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy is married and has two boys, ages 5 and 9. 

Making Space program | Website | Instagram | TikTok

Discussed in this episode:

• Dacy’s relationship with feminism, and its evolution into intersectionality
• Why fashion is a feminist issue
• How mindful closet evolved from a singular focus on minimalism into an anti-capitalist and anti-diet culture approach to style.
• Dealing with changing body size and positionality on the body hierarchy as a feminist
• Navigating the balance of unlearning patriarchal beauty standards with still caring about your appearance
• Why “professionalism” is rooted in white supremacy
• The reason Dacy called her newsletter “Unflattering”
• Trying to give yourself a title when you are challenging industry norms
• Body neutrality vs. clothing as creative expression
• Dacy’s public journey of sharing her body in 3D
• The ethics of ethical fashion and sustainability

Resources mentioned:

•  “The Negotiation of Beauty” from Unpublishable by Jessica DeFino
• “The Body is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor
• Becca Murray on Instagram
• Minimalist Machinist on Instagram
• Aja Barber on Instagram
• Dacy’s anti-racist small business plan
• “Fearing the Black Body” by Sabrina Strings
• Jamaa Birth Village
• Dacy’s Making Space program

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

-----

Anna DeShawn (pronouns: anything respectful), is an Ambie award-winning podcast producer and host. She is a Chicago-born social entrepreneur who builds streaming platforms which center & celebrate BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Media has always been her passion and in 2009 she turned that passion into a reality when she founded E3 Radio, an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. Most recently, she co-founded The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform to discover the best music & podcasts by BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Anna is an award-winning podcaster determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing digital media streams to tell the stories and play the music that deserves to be heard.  

Website | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Discussed in this episode:

• Anna’s relationship with feminism
• The journey of building E3 Radio from side hustle to full-time gig
• How Anna continues to honor Black women of history in her work
• Why Anna avoided calling out queerness in the beginning of E3
• How all of Anna’s intersecting identities affect how she shows up in the world and in her work
• Navigating the early days of licensing music and being ahead of the technological curve
• Breaking barriers as a Black woman in the podcasting space
• What kept Anna going in the early days of speaking into the void
• Treating every episode or project like it’s “the” episode or project that gets a “yes”
• The virality of sitting-on-the-toilet videos
• The importance of relationships in funding, and generally in growing a business — and why every high school should teach networking
• Never giving up and continually putting yourself out there as the key to growth and success
• Learning to pitch for funding
• Making financial preparations for leaving corporate and starting her business
• Why Anna’s mantra is “have the confidence of a mediocre white man”
• Adjusting revenue models based on market demands to create sustainability
• Learning to be fluid with what a business can be, and thinking before acting on new ideas
• The problem of podcast search engines and how those marketing failures are excluding so many diverse voices from the space
• Anna’s mission to change podcast discoverability for marginalized audiences

Resources mentioned:

• Rustin on Netflix
• TechRise and YouTube channel
• Fifth Star Funds
• Chicago Independent Media Alliance
• Black HIV in the South podcast
• Second Sunday podcast
• “Profit First” by Michael Michalowicz
• “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks
•  Urban One study on flagging of Black culture podcasts
• Affinity Community Services

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

 A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Geraldine DeRuiter (she/her) is the James Beard Award–winning blogger behind The Everywhereist.com and the author of “All Over The Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft” (Public Affairs, 2017) and the upcoming “If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism and Fury” (Crown, 2024). Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, Marie Claire, and Refinery 29. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Rand. They are currently working on a cooking-themed video game and ordering too much takeout. Website | Threads

Discussed in this episode:

• Geraldine’s relationship with feminism and how it evolved to become intersectional

• How Geraldine deals with feelings of Imposter syndrome re: her feminism

• Dealing with the vulnerability hangover of sharing deeply personal stories

• What Geraldine learned from sharing about a funeral crasher on social media

• Managing the hate and pushback that comes with a large social media following

• How changes in publishing have shifted expectations on writers

• Marketing a book as a non-marketer, and why getting a “no” isn’t so bad

• The importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone

• Defining success outside of societal expectations

• What makes Geraldine happy (ie, her deeper why)

• What it’s like to be married to a truly feminist man

Resources mentioned:

• Everywhereist

• “All Over The Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft” by Geraldine DeRuiter 

• “If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism and Fury” by Geraldine DeRuiter

• Geraldine’s James Beard winning post about Mario Batali

• “All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft” by Geraldine DeRuiter

• “We Ride Upon Sticks” by Quan Barry

• World Central Kitchen

• Give Directly

• Bakers Against Racism

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

 ----- 

Avi Loren Fox (she/her) is a versatile entrepreneur whose journey began in 2011 with the launch of Avi Fox Photography, renowned for its candid and vibrant editorial style, serving clients in the Greater Philadelphia Area. In 2014, Avi's commitment to sustainability led her to establish Wild Mantle, a socially responsible fashion label specializing in bespoke hooded scarves and ponchos. Wild Mantle's global recognition through features in INC.com, LA Times, MSNBC, and CNN highlighted its dedication to sustainability, empowerment, and adventure, garnering a devoted international customer base.  

Transitioning to a business consultant in 2018, Avi drew on her entrepreneurial experience to assist other business owners and non-profit leaders in their ventures. With a keen mind equally creative and strategic, she has excelled in addressing both communication and operational challenges for her clients. After transitioning to full-time consulting and closing Wild Mantle, Avi is now actively pursuing her interests in energy healing, Avi completed her Reiki II training and is currently working towards her Reiki Master certification, recognizing the significance of energetic alignment in entrepreneurship. Avi is also a TEDx speaker, Udall Scholar, and Starting Bloc Social Innovations Fellow. 

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed in this episode:

• Avi’s relationship with feminism

• Being multi-passionate and how it contributed to Avi’s quarter-life crisis

• The importance of quiet in Avi’s healing and creativity

• How a handmade hooded scarf turned into a business

• The effect of social media changes on Avi’s business

• Avi’s “Me Too” experiences in the fashion industry

• How the rocky end of Avi’s business affected her creativity

• The dangerous dopamine hit of social media

• Releasing shoulds and walking away from a successful business

• Not letting Imposter Syndrome hold you back

• Building a business inch by inch vs. striving for rapid, meteoric growth

• Celebrating a “big enough” business and life

• Redefining success as someone who is “multi-passionate”

Resources mentioned:

• Josie Maran

• Self-Employed Hourly Rate Calculator

• Get Included

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable us to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission and receive bonus content, sign up for a subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Rebekah “Bex” Borucki (she/they) is a mixed-race neuro-riotous mother-to-five, grandmother-to-one, self-help and children’s author, and the Founder and President of Row House, Wheat Penny Press, and the WPP Little Readers Big Change Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering literacy programming to K-12 students in underestimated school districts and grants to Black and Brown creatives and booksellers.

Borucki is driven by a commitment to make wellness, self-learning, and literacy tools available to all and to help others recover the freedoms stolen from them by white supremacy through activism centering Black liberation and trans rights. She lives with her family in her native state, New Jersey.

Website | Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

• Rebekah’s relationship with feminism

• Being a high-school “opt out” not a drop out

• Why storytelling is disruptive to systems and part of liberation

• What goes missing when publishing gatekeepers are mostly white

• What gave Rebekah the audacity to start a publishing company

• The role Google played in getting Row House off the ground

• Community is essential in doing something new and risky

• The financial playbook for getting Row House off the ground

• How being part of a marginalized community fosters creativity

• Disrupting an industry by getting a seat at the table instead of rioting outside the building

• How Row House makes its industry-busting 40-40 business model work

• Why the future of publishing needs to be diverse

• How Row House’s area of focus has changed over time

• Row House’s selection process (and why Rebekah stays out of it)

• Why Row House is no longer publishing anti-racism books for white people

• Shared values are the glue that hold a diverse team together

• How having autism affects the way Rebekah works

Resources mentioned:

• “The Anti-Racist Business Book” by Trudi LeBron

• “Managing the Mother Load” by Rebekah Borucki

• “The Scrolls of Deborah” by Esther Goldenberg

• “Heal Your Way Forward” by Myisha T. Hill

• “All the Black Girls are Activists” by EbonyJanice Moore

• “Soul on Ice” by Eldridge Cleaver

• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

• “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass

• Ancient Song Doula Services

• The Trevor Project

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

Becky Mollenkamp is joined by Erica Courdae and Mai-kee Tsang to discuss hustle culture for Feminist Founders Forum.

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. To support the mission (and to receive bonus content from this episode), subscribe at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Jenn Harper (she/her) is the Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics, Inc.. Cheekbone Beauty is a digital direct-to-consumer brand helping Indigenous youth see themselves in a beauty brand while using the concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) in the brand’s ethos and in developing products. Cheekbone Beauty’s mission is to help every Indigenous youth see and feel their enormous value in the world while creating sustainable cosmetics. Cheekbone Beauty is a B Corp Certified company committed to meeting and exceeding high standards of transparency, employee benefits, and charitable giving not only to staff but to supply chain practices. 

During Cheekbone Beauty’s infancy, Jenn endured a heavy personal loss with the suicide of her brother B.J. This loss, though difficult, has remained a driving force behind the desire to see Cheekbone Beauty succeed with its mission, to empower Indigenous youth. In addition to Cheekbone’s mission, she strives to educate as many people as possible about the Residential School System, and the effects it has had on her family and friends through decades of generational trauma. She speaks regularly to university, college and high school students about social entrepreneurship, empathy and the history of her First Nations family. 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok

Discussed in this episode:

• How Jenn’s Indigenous roots inform her understanding and practice of feminism

• Jenn’s journey away from and back to her Indigenous family

• The power of representation for empowering others like you

• The role residential schools played in her family’s history and in inspiring her

• Why Jenn doesn’t believe in luck, and how sobriety helped her take a big chance on her business

• How being naive about the industry was a benefit, and helped Cheekbone Beauty end up in JC Penney and Sephora

• The moment that Jenn knew her work around representation was making a difference

• How Jenn is integrating her Indigenous roots and commitment to visibility for her people into Cheekbone Beauty

• The benefits of B Corp certification

• Starting the business with $500, 3 products, and a Shopify website

• Securing financing with a values-aligned funder to grow the company

• Starting where you are, and growing with an eye toward the values you want to exemplify

• What she’d change if she started her business over today

• How Cheekbone Beauty is part of her brother’s legacy

• The ways she honors her heritage in the names and ingredients of her products

• The story behind the name of Cheekbone Beauty

Resources mentioned:

• B Corp Certification

• Raven Indigenous Impact Fund

• How I Built This with Sarah Blakely

• “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer

• “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

• 1% For the Planet

• Cheekbone Beauty Scholarship Fund

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. To support the mission (and to receive bonus content from this episode), sign up for a Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Organizational health and teamwork specialist Faith Clarke (she/her), is committed to helping business leaders cultivate a values-infused, inclusive culture where people feel like they belong, so that they can deliver on their business and social impact promises. Faith is particularly passionate about inclusion for BIPOC and neurodistinct individuals, grounded in her experience as a Caribbean immigrant and as a mother of neurodistinct humans. 

Faith’s background in computer engineering, doctoral research and numerous experiences with organizations that care about their social impact curate a high-touch, systematic approach to building strong teams, which has helped her clients improve operations, maximize productivity and double their revenue. Faith is a published researcher, author of the Amazon bestseller, “Parenting like a Ninja,” and host of the Peak Performing Team podcast. She has contributed widely to publications and online shows in the US and UK, and delivers workshops and lectures in a variety of academic and professional settings.

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook 

Discussed in this episode:

• Faith’s relationship with feminism

• The differences in racial dynamics in Jamaica vs. the US

• Why we must widen the “Circle of Concern” vs. falling into the “us vs. them” trap

• Why changing individual behaviors is only 20% of the solution

• Watching for triggers and tending to your needs as an activist

• Shame and burnout don’t do anything to change systemic problems

• What decolonization means, and how it looks in the workplace

• How workplace cultures form and how they can change through micro actions

• Why top-up revolution works, but top-down leadership is more compassionate and effective

• The role that compassion plays in Faith’s decolonization work

• How to maintain compassion in challenging conversations

• The role of self-care and community support for folks engaged in social change

• Faith’s self-care practices

• How Faith is challenging capitalist norms in her business

 Resources mentioned:

• “Parenting like a Ninja” by Faith Clarke

• Peak Performing Team podcast

• “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson

• The Circle of Human Concern by John Powell from the Othering & Belonging Institute

• Faith’s ‘Decolonize Work’ interview series

• Jade Connolly Duggan

• Kaiser’s Room in NYC

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

 A full transcript of this interview is available at FeministFoundersPodcast.com

No more business as usual.

It’s time to do things differently, and make business a catalyst for creating a more equitable world. Feminist Founders podcast is returning for Season 2 on Feb. 14th, and you’re going to *love* what’s in store.

I’m your host, Becky Mollenkamp, and I’m bringing you interviews with business owners and thought leaders who are challenging white supremacist, capitalist patriarchal norms in business.

This season includes incredible leaders like Rebekah Borucki, the founder of Row House Publishing; Jenn Harper, the founder of Cheekbone Beauty; Elisa Camahort Page, founder of BlogHer; bestselling author Geraldine DeRuiter; Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet; Anna DeShawn of Queer News; immigration lawyer Bianca Jordan; and many more.

Feminist Founders will challenge your beliefs about how business “should” run, and inspire you to begin making changes—big and small—so your business can be an agent for good.

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Jordan Maney (she/her) is the Radical Joy Coach™. She helps bleeding heart entrepreneurs and leaders learn to be advocates for themselves and their communities through the practice of rest. Jordan has coached business owners from a variety of industries like: public relations, life coaching, floral design, event planning, copywriting, and local government learn how to rest, dream, and (imp)act. Having spent four years lovingly disrupting the wedding industry as a planner and advocate of marginalized couples, she pivoted exclusively towards rest and joy coaching with an equity lens in 2020. She’s been featured in New York Magazine, Yahoo, Attn, Oprah Magazine, San Antonio Magazine, and Martha Stewart Living. She currently serves on the Liftfund's Women’s Business Center Advisory Board in San Antonio.  

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Jordan’s evolving relationship with feminism

• How Jordan went from wedding planning to DEI consulting to her current work as a Radical Joy Coach

• The short-lived interest in DEI work after George Floyd’s murder

• Historic and systemic reasons why most people do not have a “rest ethic”

• How purity culture and being a preacher’s child affected Jordan’s relationship with rest

• Rest is more than sleep and bubble baths

• Jordan’s E-A-T (energy, attention, time) approach to rest

• Rest as liberation and breaking generational trauma

• How to view rest as a collective movement

• The responsibility of creating self care for your team, clients, and community

• Creating a rest ethic isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it

Resources mentioned:

• Mare of Easttown

• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison

• Empower House San Antonio

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Renee M. Powers (she/her) is the founder of Feminist Book Club, an online media company and book subscription service that uses literature as a launchpad to educate, activate, and organize. Renee is lifelong Midwesterner, an Aries, an ISFJ, a 3 on the enneagram, a Ph.D. dropout, and a former theater kid. She’s been obsessed with feminist theory and feminist literature since her first Women’s Studies class in 2005. When not reading, you can find her sipping iced coffee in her Minneapolis backyard with her partner and their retired racing greyhound.

Website | Instagram | TikTok

Discussed this episode:

• How a Women’s Studies course changed the trajectory of Renee’s life

• The journey from reading thrillers for fun to starting a feminist book subscription service

• Monopolies and other problems with the publishing industry

• The democratic process behind Feminist Book Club selections

• Why it’s important to dig deeper than the “airport display of white male authors”

• Words of warning about self-publishing

• The challenges and opportunities of competing against celebrity book clubs

• Positive trends in the publishing industry

• Ideas for making communities more feminist

• Owning your mistakes, and using them as fuel for change

• Why safe spaces aren’t guaranteed, and cancel culture isn’t all bad

• Renee’s leadership philosophy

• Running an anti-capitalist, feminist business in a capitalist world

• Restructuring Feminist Book Club to make sure it remains sustainable

• Self-care and rest as essential parts of company culture

• The case for self-funding vs. VC funding

• The benefits of participating in a startup accelerator

Resources mentioned:

• Feminist Participatory Action Research Academy

• “The Case for Cancel Culture, How This Democratic Tool Works to Liberate Us All”

• Lunar Startups

• Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship Program

• “Rest is Resistance” by Tricia Hersey

• The Nap Ministry on Instagram

• The Real Minneapolis

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Sesh Coworking provides women and genderqueer people with a workspace that nurtures personal and professional growth, supports their natural lifestyle and working habits, and fosters community through collaboration, learning, and advocacy. It was founded in 2020 by Meredith Wheeler and Maggie Segrich.

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• How the founders of Sesh Coworking define feminism

• Why inclusivity is a critical component of Sesh’s ethos

• The barriers people with marginalized identities face in community spaces

• Bring your children to your coworking space?

• Actions, not words, matter most in creating safety

• Practical tips for protecting community safety

• Managing threats to community safety

• The responsibility of allyship as white women

• Creating opportunities for collective learning

• The benefits of running a business with a partner

• The challenges of business partnership

• Tricky funding issues of a coworking space

• Having your business concept stolen by a man

• Surviving COVID and trusting intuition

• Self-care as founders and community leaders

• Navigating anti-trans laws that may directly affect Sesh

Resources mentioned:

• Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce

• Midtown Houston Board

• “The Art of Gathering” by Priya Parker

• “Pleasure Activism” by Adrienne Marie Brown

• “Sober Lush” by Amanda Eyer Ward and Jardine Libaire

• Magpies and Peacocks

• League of Women Voters of Houston

• Birthday Bash Box

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Shameka Allen-Lane (she/her) is the Principal Event Scientist of Catalyst Event Coaching, which offers coaching, training, and event management services to nonprofits and small businesses. Shameka modeled her business after her love of two things—chemistry and event management. She has cleverly infused a scientific theme throughout her offerings, including a framework for event management training inspired by the periodic table. She’s also an Adjunct Professor teaching hospitality and event management courses at Albany Technical College and Washington State University. Shameka holds two professional certifications; Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Digital Event Strategist (DES), a Masters in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida, and dual bachelor’s degrees in Business Management and Chemistry with a Mathematics Minor from Albany State University

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Shameka’s relationship with feminism

• How events have historically fallen short of being inclusive

• Evolving interest in DEI in the event-planning space

• Political decisions and their effects on events

• The benefits of hosting inclusive events

• Examples of accommodations to consider

• Managing disappointment when you can’t accommodate everyone

• Common barriers to planning inclusive events

• How to gather information about your attendees and their needs

• Shemka’s five-part framework for planning an inclusive event

• The importance of communication during the planning process

• Getting everyone involved in the event on the same page about values

• How events can miss the mark when it comes to inclusion

• Special accessibility and inclusion considerations for online events

• How to fight for inclusion as an event attendee

• Shemka’s vision for the events industry

Resources mentioned:

• Men paying for dinner is feminist by Kiera Breaugh on TikTok dinner

• “The Birth Order Book” by Dr. Kevin Leman

• Women on the Rise International

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Alyssa Hall (she/her) is an African-American/Cuban woman and an inclusive business coach. She helps executives and entrepreneurs create businesses that are divested from white supremacy culture and patriarchal norms. She focuses on helping her clients unravel from the thinking patterns that aren’t serving them, while teaching them the tools to create an inclusive business. She's a single mom to an amazing 7-year-old, is newly obsessed with HGTV and currently resides in Houston, TX.

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Alyssa’s relationship with feminism

• What DEI really means vs. what people often think it is

• The alarming about-face on corporate DEI efforts since 2022

• Don’t ask your melanated friend advice about DEI

• Changing job titles to address changing consumer demand

• Learning to put “cheese on the broccoli” (ie, meet customers where they are)

• All businesses, no matter how small, benefit from inclusive coaching

• The problem with believing in “high-value” clients

• Challenging assumptions around pricing

• Getting honest about who you can and cannot help with your work

• What it means to do business better and more inclusively

• Casting a vision for what’s possible in business

• Colonized vs. inclusive leadership

• The leaves vs. the roots of true change toward inclusive business

• Walking your values even when it’s really, really challenging

Resources mentioned:

• DEI After 5 with Sacha

• Do Business Better

• “White Feminism” by Koa Beck

• “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi

• “Well That Escalated Quickly by Francesca Ramsey

• “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle

• Feminist Founders on Bookshop.org

• Libro.fm

• The Black Fairy Godmother on Instagram

• Black Fairy Godmother Foundation

FULL TRANSCRIPT 

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Mai-kee Tsang (she/her) is The Sustainable Visibility® Mentor, ICF Certified Trauma-Conscious Leadership Coach, Podcast Guesting Strategy Trainer & Founder of The Coworking Cove™.

 Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Mai-kee’s relationship with feminism

• How visibility is a privilege

• Why acknowledging identity and privilege is so important

• What visibility is as it relates to business owners

• The role safety plays in managing visibility efforts

• Where most people go wrong in defining their visibility goals

• A safety-first, strategy-second approach to getting visible

• The lessons Mai-kee learned from pitching herself to 100 podcasts in 1 month

• Advice for introverts (hint: depth over breadth is key)

• Leading from the back can be as powerful as leading from the front

• How having her trauma triggered helped Mai-kee unlearn her beliefs about how visibility should look

• Using intuition in guiding your choices about visibility

• Managing the scary feelings of speaking up and doing business differently

• How being a trauma-conscious coach changes Mai-kee’s approach to her work—and the difference that makes for her clients

• Mai-kee’s business boundaries and how they help her run a values-aligned business

• Mai-kee’s growth edge and her big exciting vision for the future of her business

• The little ways Mai-kee is doing business differently that you can probably implement in your own business

Resources mentioned:

• The Quiet Rebels podcast

• Going Ultraviolet (Instagram 9 Grid)

• Coworking Cove

• “Read This to Get Smarter” by Blair Imani

• Feminist website and Feminist Instagram

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com

----- 

Danielle Tucker (she/her) is an entrepreneur, podcast co-host, as well as the Founder of Expansive Thought Leadership Coaching and ProfessionalSpeakerWebsites.com. With over 8 years of experience in the personal branding space, Danielle is the trusted authority for branding thought leaders of color so they can be seen, heard, lavishly celebrated, and highly paid to speak and share their message with the world. As the strategist of choice for experts featured in ABC, NBC, Essence, and Black Enterprise, to name a few, Danielle's simple and refreshing approach to growing your thought leadership, will empower you to intentionally broadcast your brilliance and get booked and paid to speak!

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Danielle’s relationship with feminism

• Going from containing her true voice to owning her gifts

• Being a digital nomad and how that helped Danielle find her voice

• What’s missing when marginalized voices are kept off the stage

• Changes in the speaking industry since 202

• Barriers people with marginalized identities face in getting booked for speaking gigs

• Networking as a path to creating your own stage

• Confidence vs. safety re: networking

• Conditioning that holds people back from getting visible

• Tips for managing feelings of inadequacy

• Advice for allies on how to diversify speaking lineups

• A warning about asking “diverse” speakers to only speak to “diverse” issues

• The most important first step in getting more speaking gigs

• The power of an “evidence list”

• Ideas for creating your own stage

• Differences amongst the three most common types of speaking coaches and experts

• Choosing the right coach or expert for you

Resources mentioned:

• Expansive Thought Leadership Coaching

• ProfessionalSpeakerWebsites.com

• “Professional Troublemaker” by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

• Black Speakers Network from Brian J. Olds

• "Do Less" by Kate Northrup

• "Speak Up, The Ultimate Guide to Dominate in the Speaking Industry"

• First Stop in Huntsville, AL

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

Feminist coach Becky Mollenkamp moderates a panel discussion on love in its various forms and how it affects business owners with experts Faith Clarke and Jay Asooli.

Learn about the next Feminist Founders Forum

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Marvelous empowers wellness creators to build and sell online courses, memberships, communities, and coaching programs. “We are changemakers, female founders, feminists, and future thinkers focused on helping creators make more money and transform more lives through online education.” Co-founder Jeni Barcelos (she/her) is an attorney, a parent, and an artist. Prior to entrepreneurship, she graduated from UC Berkeley and Yale, worked on multiple presidential campaigns, and served as a Gates Public Service Law Scholar. Co-founder Sandy Connery (she/her) had a 20-year-career in footwear and gait analysis before selling her million-dollar brick-and-mortar retail business and clinic.

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Podcast

Discussed this episode:

• The relationships Sandy and Jeni have with feminism

• What made a pedorthist and a lawyer start a tech company

• The origins of Sandy and Jeni’s partnership

• Blatant sexism and traumatic behaviors in the tech space

• Funding struggles and the audacity to say no to a half-million dollars to preserve values

• How partnership helps this pair make stronger decisions

• Dealing with explosive growth during the pandemic

• The politics of the creator economy

• Opting out of the chase for more and determining what’s enough

• Why walking feminist values around money is well worth the price

• The origins of And She Spoke podcast

• Embracing the “and” of your multidimensional personality

• Why “modern capitalism is cancer”

• Entrepreneurship as a tool for self-actualization and liberation

Resources mentioned:

• And She Spoke podcast

• Hello Bargello (Brett Bara) on Instagram

• The Ex-Good Girl Podcast with Sarah Fisk

• “The Icarus Deception” by Seth Godin

• Yoga Behind Bars

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/  

-----  

Cassandra Le (she/they) is a first-generation Vietnamese-American, immigrant living in Spain. She’s also a brand strategist and copywriter. She believes business and marketing can be fun and can be used to help historically marginalized communities build generational wealth and rock the system (read: BURN IT DOWNNN!). For 10+ years, she’s been creating content across all mediums (written, graphics, audio, video, photo, etc.), and through her business, The Quirky Pineapple Studio, she’s worked with small businesses around the world in English and Spanish—helping them share their story, connect with their community, and drive sales with content marketing that is enjoyable and with less manipulation. When she’s not working, you can find her exploring her new home country, looking for bubble tea, or watching movie trailers on YouTube to movies that she’ll never watch in real life. 

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Podcast

Discussed this episode:

• Cassandra’s relationship with feminism

• How Cassandra’s personal background influenced her to create a culturally competent studio.

• What looks different when you bring cultural competence into marketing.

• Liberatory marketing vs. lifestyle marketing

• Real-life examples of predatory marketing (why they work and why they’re bad)

• Thinking outside the gender binary in copywriting

• A non-gendered, culturally competent approach to creating an Ideal Client Avatar

• Non-manipulative approaches to copywriting

• Website design for accessibility

• The conditioning that has those with marginalized identities “playing small”

• On letting go of external validation and owning thought leadership

• The ickiness of a “bro” approach to thought leadership

• Navigating discussion social justice as a business owner

• What it means to run an anti-capitalist marketing business

• Ethically hiring and paying a global team

• A sustainable approach to business growth and working with clients

• Thoughtfully considering neurodivergence and disabilities of clients

Resources mentioned:

• “How to incorporate feminist copywriting into your marketing”

• “Femvertising: How marketing can uphold the gender binary”

• “How to degender your site and implement inclusive copywriting”

• “Is all copywriting manipulative?”

• “3 tips for website copy accessibility”

• Sara Obando of Stargazed Studio

• “3 thought leadership examples to avoid being a bro”

• “Stop telling women they have Imposter Syndrome” (Harvard Business Review)

• “Getting political: 4 tips for bringing activism to your social media”

• “Care Work” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

• Vietnamese Boat People

FULL TRANSCRIPT 

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

Kelly Diels (she/her) is a feminist educator, writer, and coach. She specializes in feminist marketing for culture-makers.She’s here to raise awareness about how the business-as-usual formulas we learn everywhere actually reproduce oppression. She develops and teaches alternate, feminist marketing tools to help us do it differently (and better).

Website | Instagram

Discussed this episode:

• Kelly’s lifelong and profound relationship with feminism

• The problem with traditional marketing approaches that agitate pain points

• There are better ways to sell than by profiting off of pain and shame

• What it means to be a culture maker, and how it applies to marketing

• How to stay in the fight for change when it feels lonely

• Kelly’s vision for a feminist future

• Why emotional support needs to be a non-negotiable for entrepreneurs

• Pricing and payment plans are feminist issues

• Making sure your programs are accessible

• Kelly’s journey from toxic online business practices to completely rewriting the game

• Staying true to your principles isn’t a death knell; it can actually grow your business

• The math equation of making money using marketing without manipulation

• Going against conditioning and learning to trust your intuition

• The importance of consent in marketing

• Business as a process for liberation

Resources mentioned:

• Ms. Magazine

• Kelly’s Copywriting for Culture Makers program

• “Feminism: A Key Idea for Business and Society” by CV Harquail

• Meghna Majmudar of Power Fluency

• Kelly’s Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand blog post

• Kelly’s Sunday Love Letter

• “Conflict is Not Abuse” by Sarah Schulman

• “Emergent Strategy” by adrienne maree brown

• “Traction” by Gino Wickman

• “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries

• “Think like a SheEO” by Vickie Saunders

• “The Body is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor

• Sexual Violence Support Center (formerly Women Against Violence Against Women)

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

Andrea Breanna (she/her) is the founder and CEO of RebelMouse. RebelMouse is a creative agency and AI-enabled CMS platform for enterprise brands and media companies. The platform reaches 160 million people monthly. Before launching RebelMouse, Andrea was CTO of The Huffington Post. Andrea is also on the Consumer Advisory Board for American Express, and is an advisor to Lerer Hippeau Ventures. Andrea is proudly and openly transgender. She lives with her wife and 4 kids in Brooklyn NY. 

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Threads

Discussed this episode:

• Andrea’s relationship with feminism (and how it’s affected by being transfeminine)

• How coming out as trans affected Andrea’s professional life

• The toxic nature of the tech startup world

• Andrea’s “height of stupidity” with VC funding and exorbitant spending

• Making happiness the #1 KPI (instead of growth) and how to changed everything

• The purposeful reason Andrea lives in NYC and not Silicon Valley

• How Andrea does (and doesn’t) set metrics for her new #1 KPI

• Holding on to the $1 billion dream without letting it affect current happiness

• Ditching office space for a remote team

• Building an international team as a way to break toxic hiring and promotion norms

• Conscious hiring and unlearning unconscious bias

• Letting the wrong people go is as important as hiring the right people

• Learning from hiring effective but problematic sales people

• Developing an abundant mindset, especially around time

• Rethinking online advertising to better serve marginalized communities

Resources mentioned:

• CEO coach Katia Verresen

• “What the well-meaning critics of online advertising are missing and how they could hurt the communities they're trying to protect”

• TransTech Social

• Human Rights Campaign

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1 

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

Brittany Tam (she/her) is a Certified Money Coach (CMC)®, on a mission to help business owners find peace with their finances. She works with clients to get curious about the subconscious drivers of their behavior, so they can create sustainable and sustained change. She helps clients take concrete action toward their goals, in a way that feels compassionate and gentle. Brittany loves working with clients who have tried implementing systems or mindset work, but nothing has stuck. She hopes that people feel empowered and joyful as they engage with money.

Website

Discussed this episode:

• Brittany’s relationship with the word feminist

• Changing your relationship with money requires both practical action steps and mindset shifts

• Common money archetypes and money stories, and how understanding those encourage positive behavior shifts with finances

• Self-compassion is critical in healing money wounds

• You can’t “out mindset” money trauma or “control” thoughts about money

• What we miss when we only approach money from a logical perspective

• The meaning we attach to money

• Money is a construct; it isn’t real, and yet it is often life and death

• Brittany’s vision for a world where everyone feels resourced

• Why financial “safety” may not be the best (or, at least, not the only) goal

• Bringing both masculine and feminine energy to finances

• A somatic approach to healing money wounds

• The values that Brittany uses to make her choices through

• How trust informs Brittany’s approach to doing business differently

Resources mentioned:

• “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi

• Brittany’s Money Type Quiz

• “Money Magic” by Deborah Price

• “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté

• Brittany’s values statement

• CliftonStrengths

• “Happy Money” by Ken Honda

• Kiva microlending

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

-----

Luisa Alberto (she/her) is the CEO of People First Finance, a complete financial service solution for women agency owners and service providers. She has almost 20 years of finance and operations experience working alongside visionary leaders of successful startups, and has founded multiple businesses from brick and mortar to consulting and coaching over the past decade. Her mission is to ease the financial burden and overwhelm that holds too many ambitious, enterprising women back from achieving financial autonomy. 

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Discussed this episode:

• Luisa’s relationship with the word feminist

• The reason for her company’s name, People-First Finance

• How capitalism can lead to people ceding their financial power to others

• Why women having money is a really, really good thing

• The two biggest money fears her clients wrestle

• How productivity guilt causes people to make money decisions they may regret

• Why it’s important to have a baseline understanding of your financial picture, even if you have a professional helping you

• Luisa’s vision for incorporating mental health support into money management services

• A compassionate approach to money management

• How to find the right financial professional for you

• The role intuition can play in your experience with money

• What it means to have visibility into your finances and why it’s important

• No one is born with an understanding of money management!

• How understanding cash flow can help anyone with any amount of money (and be a tool for liberation)

• The ways Luisa is walking her talk in her business when it comes to feminist values

Resources mentioned:

• Ellevest

• "We Should All Be Millionaires" by Rachel Rodgers

• Foodwise

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1 

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/  

----- 

Motherful is a BIPOC-led, multiracial grassroots collective by single mothers and for single mothers whose mission is to nurture, support, and empower single mother families through education, resources, community, arts, and wellness. We have over 400 member families. Some of our programs include direct giving of cash assistance to single moms over $100k in the past 4 years, a food pantry and community garden feeding 50 families weekly,  powerful performing arts, activism, leadership development of matriarchs and community conversations as well as community dinners and more. Our big vision is to build an eco-village co-housing development where single mother families can live close to each other and support each other. We are a Reproductive Justice organization standing for Racial Justice, Gender Justice, Climate Justice, Economic Justice and the intersection of all of these things in Maternal Justice. 

Heidi Howes (she/her) is a single mother of two children for nearly a decade, Heidi is a Healing Artist, Musician, Writer, and Community Organizer whose passion is to create support and healing for mothers, communities, and the world.

Lisa Woodward (she/her) was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and studied Modern Dance. She is a single mother of three ladies and is a true Jack-Of-All-Trades. After relocating to New York in 1999, she studied fashion design, and started work as a Personal Assistant in the music industry. Lisa is a vegetarian and loves a garage sale. 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• Heidi’s and Lisa’s relationship with the word feminist

• How capitalism and patriarchy affect working moms

• A matriarchal vision for how business could better support parents

• Why the “supermom” narrative is so harmful

• The benefits of prioritizing and centering mothering in the workplace (and why it’s bigger than the budget)

• How the mothers served by Motherful feel after receiving support from the organization

• Why collective parenting is so important and at the core of matriarchy

• How feminism has overlooked and failed to support motherhood

• The challenges of building a collective, mutual aid organization for single mothers

• The heavy lift of culture making inside an organization

• How a lack of resources prompted these single moms to start Motherful

• What gave these founders the audacity to build something big, and hold a big vision for the organization

• The non-traditional, non-hierarchical collective structure they are using for their nonprofit

• What Heidi and Lisa have learned about funding bias in the nonprofit space

• How local media and other visibility efforts are working for Motherful

• The unexpected challenges of running a nonprofit

• How Motherful encourages engagement and ownership from its members

• Flipping traditional board structure on its head with a Matriarch’s Council

• The four pillars of the matriarchal model for business and society (and it’s not just the opposite of patriarchy)

• How these single mothers and founders approach their own self-care 

• The personal healing and growth that’s happening alongside founding and running their business

•  Why mothering is revolutionary

• The future vision for a Motherful eco-village with worker-owned cooperative businesses run by mothers

• Advice for for-profit businesses can reimagine work to create a more equitable world

• Send consulting inquiries to info at motherful dot org

Resources mentioned:

• Loving Black Single Mothers

• Toi Smith’s Business for the People

• Global Fund for Women’s 1.9 Rising

• The George Gunn Foundation

• Developer Letha Pugh

• “Societies of Peace” edited by Heidi Goettner-Abendroth

• “The Three Mothers” by Anna Malaika Tubbs

• Mahogany Mommies on Instagram

• Silvia Federici on the Mothering Wage

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1 

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

-----  

Toi Smith (she/her) is a Growth + Impact Strategist whose work centers on doing life, business, and motherhood differently. She works with people whose work is countercultural, liberatory, and revolutionary in nature...or people who desire and are committed to moving their work or lives in that direction.

Website | Instagram

Discussed this episode:

• Toi’s relationship with the word feminist (and why she prefers womanist)

• “There must be a heartbeat beyond money in business”

• What drives Toi beyond money to do her work

• Business and capitalism aren’t synonyms

• Capitalism informs business, even for entrepreneurs

• You can be anti-capitalist while also wanting to make money as a business owner

• Toi’s own journey of unlearning capitalist conditioning

• Capitalism isn’t only an economic system, it’s a societal and cultural way of existing

• The grief and trauma of capitalism over generations

• Exploitation and expropriation are the harmful hallmarks of capitalism

• Why corporate profits are theft (and solopreneur profits are not)

• Liberation is not just re-creating the corporate wheel for yourself

• You can’t be a feminist founder if you’re not paying people a living wage

• Capitalism connects your worth to your class status

• Considering pricing through a feminist lens

• Growth should be rooted in something greater than insatiable capitalism

• Amassing wealth probably won’t make you altruistic

• Why white women being angry isn’t enough to create change (they must be willing to give something and to give something up)

• True liberation means you must give up something … what are you giving up?

• Anti-capitalist doesn’t mean anti-money

• How Toi does business differently

• Everything you do in business is political

• The benefits of sliding scale pricing

Resources mentioned:

• Business Beyond Profit

• Dawn Serra

• Jen Lemen

• What is Capitalism (and why it should matter to you as an entrepreneur)

• The Responsibility of White Wealth

• Loving Black Single Mothers

• We Cannot Separate Business from Politics

• “Caliban and the Witch” by Silvia Federici

• Suggested readings from Toi Smith

• Motherful

 FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: Feminist Founders is a listener-funded podcast. Your contributions enable me to continue bringing you these important conversations. To support the mission, sign up for a paid Substack subscription at https://feministfounders.substack.com/ 

----- 

CV Harquail (she/elle) researches, teaches and consults about applying feminist principles to business. She’s the author of “Feminism: A Key Idea for Business and Society” and the creator of the Feminist Business Model Canvas, which brings together Lean Startup tools and feminist values. 

Website | LinkedIn

Discussed this episode:

• CV’s relationship with the word feminist 

• Why feminism must be “collective, inclusive, and transformational”

• Balancing giving people space for exploration with offering wisdom

• How business and feminism intersected on CV’s professional journey

• The fundamental differences between feminism and capitalism

• Why “beating them at their own game” won’t work

• What’s different when a business is feminist (what they do and don’t do)

• Why “feminist approaches to business are profoundly creative”

• Big and small ways to put feminist values into action as a business owner

• Entrepreneurship can change “business as usual”

• Extractive profit vs. generative profit (ie, why not all profit is bad)

• It’s never too late to make your business more feminist

• The system is designed to make it hard to connect with other feminists

• CV’s theory of change (or how CV puts feminism into practice in her own business)

Resources mentioned:

• Feminist Business Model Canvas

• “Feminism: A Key Idea for Business and Society” by CV Harquail

• Feminist Enterprise Commons

• Kelly Diels

• Dr. Kimberly George’s Feminism School

• BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100) in Chicago

• Assata's Daughters in Chicago

FULL GUEST READING LIST FOR SEASON 1

Learn more about accountability coaching with host Becky Mollenkamp at https://beckymollenkamp.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Feminist Founders podcast features in-depth conversations with folks who are saying no to “business as usual” and yes to a human-first approach business.

Hosted by Becky Mollenkamp, a business coach and journalist, this show will help other intersectional feminist, womanist, and values-led founders feel less alone. Because trying to do business differently—in a way that promotes more equity in the world—can definitely feel lonely.

Most business podcasts focus on how to make more money, more quickly. Making money is great, but what about taking care of your personal wellbeing, treating your clients and team like humans, pouring back into your community, standing up for what you believe in?

Find out on Feminist Founders podcast, launching Sept. 13th. It’s free to listen to on your favorite podcast player or watch on YouTube.

Learn more at http://FeministFoundersPodcast.com

It’s time to change business for good!

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Just launched! Check out Joy in the Breakthrough, a new podcast by Chicago leaders Connie Lindsey & Anna Valencia (and part of the Feminist Podcasters Collective). This show explores the peaks and valleys of life through cross-generational conversations with diverse leaders who have learned the power of being broken open in order to break through.

A panel discussion about breaking capitalist norms as business owners with Becky Mollenkamp, Andrea Jones, Jordan Maney, and Rachel Formaro.

Learn about the next Feminist Founders Forum

Feminist Founders is on summer break between seasons. But we're not leaving dead air. Please enjoy this episode of Reaching Abundance with Virginia Elder in which Becky Mollenkamp shares how she approaches aligning a podcast marketing strategy with your values.

Mentioned in the intro: "Don't Be Like Sticker Mule" post on Substack

Feminist Founders is on summer break between seasons. But we're not leaving dead air. Please enjoy this episode of Listeners to Leads with Alesia Galati in which Becky Mollenkamp shares how she approaches aligning a podcast marketing strategy with your values.

Please take a listen to this episode of The Mindful Marketing Podcast with Andréa Jones in which Becky Mollenkamp, Kathleen Oh, and Tara McMullin discuss how they are using Substack in their businesses.