Resilience, Leadership, and Redefining Success with Farnaz Azmoodeh, CTO of Linktree.

In this episode of She Leads, Carly sits down with Farnaz Azmoodeh, the Chief Technology Officer of Linktree. Farnaz shares her remarkable journey, from growing up in Iran to becoming a leader in the tech industry. Her story highlights resilience, adaptability, and the transformative power of diverse leadership.

Join us as Farnaz reflects on her childhood, her passion for engineering, and her transition from technical roles to executive leadership. She also shares valuable insights into building a supportive work culture, fostering effective collaboration, and navigating challenges with a positive, gamified mindset.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader, a tech enthusiast, or simply looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with wisdom, vulnerability, and practical advice.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:52 – Introduction
• 02:03 – Farnaz's Early Life and Childhood in Iran
• 05:44 – Academic Journey and Introduction to Coding
• 08:53 – University Experience and Gender Dynamics in Engineering
• 12:18 – Transition to the United States and Cultural Adaptation
• 15:29 – Entering the Tech Industry and Joining Google
• 17:24 – Career Growth and Leadership at Google and Snap
• 23:09 – Reflecting on Tough Times and Resilience
• 25:50 – The Concept of Wartime Leadership
• 26:35 – "Bull in a China Shop": A Unique Leadership Style
• 28:12 – Building Relationships with Kindness
• 29:18 – Transitioning from Engineer to CTO
• 31:09 – Joining Linktree: A New Adventure
• 37:18 – Navigating Challenges with a Gamified Mindset
• 39:03 – Addressing Gender Disparities in Tech
• 42:09 – Redefining Success and Embracing Struggle
• 45:50 – The Art of Loving and Caring

Key Takeaways:

• How resilience shaped Farnaz’s journey from Iran to the U.S.
• The importance of adaptability in career transitions.
• Building strong work cultures and effective executive relationships.
• Addressing gender disparities and fostering diverse leadership styles.
• The evolving definition of success and finding joy in challenges.

Tune in to hear Farnaz’s inspiring story and her advice for aspiring leaders navigating their own unique journeys.

🎙️ Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | She Leads website

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, and many more.

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Ossa is the President of Aurora – a public company that provides self-driving technology for safe, accessible, and efficient transportation - with a market cap of ~ $9 billion dollars.

Prior to Aurora, Ossa spent over twenty years at innovative technology companies in high-growth industries, serving in both strategic and operational functions. Most recently, she served as president & COO of Istation, a leading education technology provider serving millions of students across the United States. Prior to Istation, Ossa served as senior vice president of strategy and analytics at the dominant dating company Match Group, known for such brands as match.com and Tinder. In addition, she spent almost a decade at global consulting firm Bain & Co, ultimately serving as a partner in the technology, media, and telecom practice. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs. 

Ossa also serves on the board of directors for Instructure, a public edtech company serving over 30 million users, and Hometown Ticketing, a digital ticketing company.

Ossa is a member of the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors and has a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University, an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a master’s in education from Stanford Graduate School of Education.  She holds both Swedish and American citizenship and is fluent in both Swedish and English. She is also married with two teenage daughters.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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In Today's Episode with Ossa Fisher We Discuss:
1. Ossa's Upbringing and Passion for School
2. Early Professional Years at Goldman Sachs 
3. Choosing To Go To Stanford Business Schools + Masters In Education
4. Joining Consulting at Bain for 10+ years 
5. Decision-Making Formula: Will I Regret It in the Future?
6. Self-Advocacy at Bain
7. The Biological Clock Women Face
8. Lessons in Transitions from IC to Manager
9. Choosing to join Match Group 
10. Goal-Setting 
11. Transitions into C-Suite Executive + Navigating Restlessness
12. Joining Aurora and Leading A $10Bn Company 
13. Honing the Craft of Influence

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Audrey is the Founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, an edtech company committed to empowering K-12 students to discover and pursue their passions with the guidance of college mentors.

Audrey started Curious Cardinals as a freshman at Stanford University, where she was pursuing a Bachelors degree in History. Just one year later, the COVID pandemic hit and Audrey ultimately decided to take a leave of absence from Stanford to pursue Curious Cardinals full time. Today, Curious Cardinals is a global community of over 500 top college students mentoring kids across the globe.

Audrey has spoken on CNN, the Today Show and in Forbes to share her vision to create a community of lifelong learners and doers. She was also recognized in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Education and Youngest category.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Audrey's Upbringing in NY
3. Audrey as a Child - being her own CEO
4. Going to Stanford with a 10-year Plan
5. The Impact of COVID
6. Founding Story of Curious Cardinals 
7. Power of Project-Based Learning and Mentorship in Education
8. Fundraising for Curious Cardinals and Lessons Along the Way
9. The Role of AI in Education Today
10. The Power of Resilience and Continuous Learning

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#SheLeads in Law Enforcement! After years as an Award-Winning veteran SWAT officer, undercover detective and decorated US Air Force Desert Storm veteran, Lisa turned her focus to writing and became a reinvention coach. Lisa is used to being the only female in the room, especially during her time as a police officer and in the Air Force. Her early childhood and early relationships have taught her a multitude of lessons that she has carried with her throughout her career, whether it is in the police force, as a TV Crime Analyst, or as a reinvention coach. Key: Embrace a “Next, And” mentality, Use your Past to Motivate you, Not Diminish You. 

Leslie unpacks her book, “Pretty Good Advice” as she shares the lessons she’s learned throughout her career - from making Big Macs at McDonalds, to dropping out of university (or leaving and never returning as she likes to think of it), to then creating the most amazing, powerful beauty brand built on community, humor and creativity -- eventually taking bareMinerals public in one of the largest cosmetic IPOs when it was acquired for $1.8 billion dollars.  

Out of the 97 pieces of advice in Leslie’s book, here are a few that I love that Leslie unpacks more: desperation breeds creativity if you allow it to, use your fears and anxieties as fuel to pursue your passions, and one of my favorites: luck is just another form of optimism. Start believing you’re lucky and you’ll be surprised how this new outlook changes your outcome.

Please please do yourself a favor and read Pretty Good Advice if you haven’t already! It’s one of the most refreshing and genuine books out there and not only do you get to know Leslie as a person and leader, but you learn actionable tips to use in your personal and professional life. 

If you're enjoying SheLeads, please drop us a review! 

As the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Platform, Trailhead & Developers at Salesforce, Sarah specializes in bringing emerging technologies and trends into the market, and she shares her passion for helping people develop the skills needed to obtain their dream jobs. Sarah chats about the importance of female role models, embracing our natural empathetic instincts as a woman, and removing fear from decision-making in order to lean into our passion and purpose.

Becc Holland shares her passion for helping others, and most of all her excitement for the recent launch of Flip the Script, which provides an in-depth analysis of successful strategies for sales. From the lessons she’s learned transitioning from college to the workforce, to dealing with failure as a saleswoman, to always holding a high standard for yourself, Becc has so many valuable lessons for everyone. 

Enjoy!  

For years, Maggie Ntim has worked passionately with soccer players and athletes on and off the field. She shares her motivation to fight for what she believes in, and the key values she shares with the players she works with. She continues to break the glass ceiling by being the first African American female soccer agent who continues to fight for female athletes. As a successful female agent in the sports world, Maggie has overcome numerous obstacles and has so many lessons for everyone. Key Lesson: a “No” is just a maybe. 

 When people express doubts: In Maggie’s mind, “It’s possible … so, when they tell me that, I just laugh.” 

Enjoy the newest #SheLeads! 

Please like, share, and leave a review! 

After being a nurse practitioner for 28 years, Angie and her husband Dan decided to start popping popcorn at local spots around the community --- Angie’s BoomChickaPop began as a local hit, and soon became a national sensation. Angie shares her experiences as an entrepreneur, and offers valuable insight on the importance of teamwork and grit when starting your own successful business. She also provides some tangible advice and common traps for new entrepreneurs to avoid. Enjoy!

Before becoming the Senior VP of Engineering at Under Armour, Ann Funai shares her passion for being “glue that brought things together,” at IBM, People Admin and now Under Armour. Ann provides insightful tips on taking risks, and shares the difficult transition she made leaving IBM after 20+ years, but concludes: “It’s the best thing I could have done for myself.” From being a female in the technological workforce, to being yourself and overcoming self doubt, Ann shares so many lessons for everyone. 

As an early Silicon Valley pioneer founding and leading her own software company, Heidi Roizen shares insight to the importance of building a great team and forming honest relationships amongst peers. From the lessons she learned entering the job market with only an undergraduate degree, to the founding story of T/Maker, to entering (and dominating) the world of venture capital, it is clear that Heidi epitomizes what it means to be a #SheLeader!

She also shares the well-known 20-40-60 rule and how to approach mistakes: “Learn from the mistake and then learn to put it away. The more you can train your brain to do that, the better off you’ll be” 

This - and so much more - from Heidi! Enjoy, share, and subscribe!

For 20+ years, she continues to help businesses develop visual strategies and plans for the future through ArloSoul Visualize Innovation. From lessons she’s learned while finding her path, to challenges faced working with different customers, to writing her very own book, Chris shares so many lessons for everyone. For the unprecedented times, Chris shares how “If you can visualize yourself living into that future, it becomes much easier to say no to some things and yes to other things that help you move into that future.” -- Chris calls this the “Future Pull,” and shares many helpful pointers for our journeys to the future! Enjoy this new episode! 

For 30+ years, Shonda utilizes her passion for agriculture and finance to help create more investments in the agricultural community. Shonda hopes to inspire the younger generation to choose something that fascinates them; she encourages young people to dig into agriculture, because the importance of food will never dissipate. She discusses the impact that COVID-19 has had on agriculture and food sourcing -- “We need to have good strong localized systems, regional systems … really encourage people to be founders, to start businesses that might be perhaps considered slightly old fashioned, but are not old fashioned.”

Jenna is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Harper Wilde, the DTC brand disrupting the $16 billion dollar intimate apparel industry with its mission to take the B.S. out of Bra Shopping. Jenna and the brand have been recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. Top 100 Female Founders as well as has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, The Today Show, Good Morning America and many more. 

Jenna received her B.A. in Biological Sciences and Economics from Cornell University and her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her co-founder, Jane Fisher, and together began working on bringing Harper Wilde to life.

Prior to Harper Wilde, as you will soon learn, Jenna worked as a consultant at Deloitte for 4 years as well as at digital health startups in a product management role. Her passion for healthcare and biology stemmed largely from her upbringing, coming from a family of physicians. 

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Jenna's upbringing in a family of physicians
3. Choosing a career path 
4. Transitioning from consulting to startups 
5. Discovering the idea for Harper Wilde
6. The Power of self-belief and taking risks 
7. Navigating pushback from investors with Harper Wilde
8. Building a strong company culture
9. Lessons learned as an entrepreneur
10. Defining success and personal growth

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As the founder and CEO of Van Robotics, Laura is aiming to explore the potential of robots to improve the lives of individuals with learning, social and communicative challenges. Similarly to many #SheLeaders, Laura had no idea she would be an entrepreneur. After discovering her new passion for education and technology, she never turned back, even though people told her she’s crazy. 

From starting Van Robotics to the challenges of receiving funding - we go through Laura’s journey and discuss the key traits in every leader. Laura gives advice for all female founders - always stay true to yourself, be transparent with your team, and know that an investor can’t define your success or failures!

For 20+ years, Shuly continues to bridge the gap between the Israeli and US business market by helping young entrepreneurs break into the US market. From the lessons she learned serving in the Israeli Defense Force to the founding story of UpWest, Shuly shares so many lessons for everyone -- New grads: treat your 20s as a “Decade of Discovery” - spend that time to find your passions and  curiosities - it’s worth it down the road.  Women: Shuly says “the tendency to doubt ourselves as women needs to just go away.” Everyone: Shuly reflects on the early stages of her career during the financial crisis to know that “we come out stronger from times like this.” 

In this #SheLeads, Monica Arés discusses how she went from an actuary to becoming a teacher. Her passion for #education continued to soar. Combining her “yes and..” mentality and her natural curiosity, she began to see the incredible amounts of innovation that are needed in the education sector. Now, as the Head of Innovative Technologies for Education at Facebook,  Monica focuses on using #VR/#AR technology to transform education. She also gives incredible advice about dealing with failure, or “happy accidents”, and the importance of recognizing that we are all a “work in progress” - we’re constantly evolving, growing and learning new things. So many takeaways that everyone can apply in their lives! Enjoy!

As the founder of PopSugar, Lisa Sugar reflects on her early career in advertising that eventually led her to reassess her future. POPSUGAR then became a side project that found her writing content at every moment she could: before work, lunch breaks, after work and more.

Beyond the insane growth (and some challenges) of the POPSUGAR journey, Lisa shares more about her book, "Power Your Happy" and gives incredible advice about work-life-blend, reaching out to people, and finding the right team - oftentimes, with people who are smarter than you! So many incredible lessons in this latest #SheLeads!

Lisa mentions: “I had been working really hard at great jobs that I didn’t love for a long enough time to be able to say ‘it’s time for a change.’”

#SheLeads in #Cybersecurity! As the founder and Chief Product Officer of Odo Security, Noa Shafir reflects on the fears she had starting her own company, the challenges that come with leading a team in Israel and the U.S, and how she took on the CPO role at Odo! We also chat about what it’s like to be a top leader in cybersecurity, a space that is often male-dominated regardless of the country.  

Noa mentions: “My biggest struggle is to be seen as an entrepreneur (who is also female) and not a female entrepreneur..”

#SheLeads in Broadway! Katrina Yaukey takes us into the world of Broadway, especially as a female leader in this industry. We discuss the mental and physical demand of doing 8 shows/week, how to embrace rejection in an industry where it is all too common, and the skills that she has learned in the entertainment industry that she used in starting her accordion repair business! 

Fun Fact: Katrina owns about 35 accordions…

“You won’t because you’re a female.” 

Eileen heard her fair share of this in the beginning of her career, especially as the only female in a male-dominated environment. Now, she uses this fuel to teach women all around the world to reach their full potential professionally. As an avid traveler, Eileen reflects on her decision to postpone a college degree and the challenges she faced juggling a full time job, night school, and a family. She discusses the importance of education, intentionally creating a space for failure, and how different cultures around the world perceive female leaders! 

Taylor’s passion for horses taught her that horse-showing and therapy are not mutually exclusive. With EQ Wellness, she teaches young boys and girls the power of therapeutic riding. Taylor discusses the importance of finding your community, celebrating the small wins in starting a business, and embracing challenges and hardships as learning opportunities. Enjoy the latest SheLeads episode with a leader in the equine industry! 

From career advice to building your resilience muscle, Parul shares it all in the latest #SheLeads episode! Throughout Parul’s life, she has fought professional and personal curveballs - whether it’s getting laid off unexpectedly from her dream job or getting diagnosed with breast cancer. If anyone knows how to be resilient, it’s Parul. She shares the lessons she has learned throughout her life - applying to jobs, finding your Ikigai, or dealing with hardships. Enjoy and be sure to share with others who could benefit from Parul’s incredible lessons!

“I signed up before my mind had a chance to tell me it wasn’t possible.” 

Although Leslie said this before signing up to run a 50K ultramarathon, Leslie learned this lesson much earlier on when she was a Captain in the US Army. The Lieutenant Colonel telling her she’s a liability rather than an asset set the foundation for Leslie’s future in teaching others that it is up to us to change our inner recording. While we can’t control the outside, there is one thing we can control: our thoughts. This episode is truly special from a U.S Army Veteran who is now using the lessons she learned throughout her career to help other leaders. A #SheLeader in every sense of the word. Enjoy!

**TW: disordered eating, depression, and anxiety**

Gracie is an American figure skater. She is a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, a six-time Grand Prix medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion - both in 2014 and 2016. 

In 2017, Gracie stepped away from the ice to seek help for her mental health around depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and an eating disorder. She recently returned to the ice and has become a passionate mental health advocate - leading her to be featured in Sports Illustrated, the Players Tribune, the NY Times, the HBO documentary, Weight of Gold, and countless other news sources. 

Given her experience, she’s led countless mental health initiatives and was recognized with the 2022 Bell of Hope Award. She recently released her memoir "Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out…" - a book in which she provides the most authentic and deep look into her journey from growing up to where she is today - navigating the world of being in the public eye as an elite figure skater. 

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Gracie's Childhood and Upbringing
3. Gracie's Spirited Personality 
4. Her introduction to Figure Skating 
5. The Pressure and Subjectivity of Figure Skating 
6. Finding Out She's an Olympian
7. The Pressure of Body Image in Figure Skating 
8. Promoting a Healthier Body Image in Sports 
9. Creating a Safe Space for Athletes - Mental Health
10. Quieting the Inner Critic 

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 Shanna discusses her path to starting Modsy, an online interior design platform to help you decorate your new living space. Before Modsy, Shanna started a company in the gaming industry that later got acquired by Autodesk. To be the best entrepreneur, she added #VentureCapital into her toolkit as a Partner @GoogleVentures to understand what it’s like sitting on the other side of the table. Beyond her incredible journey, learn about Shanna’s goal-setting technique that she makes all of her employees do at Modsy! 

SheLeads in #Education! Tanya Sheckley is no ordinary mother. Having a daughter born with cerebral palsy, Tanya heard countless times from schools that it’s not educationally necessary for her daughter to reach her potential. Struggling to accept this, she took it into her own hands by founding UP Academy, a school for all students to reach their full potential. Tanya’s journey is so inspiring! She shares the roller coaster of a ride it has been starting her own school, the importance of mentality as a leader, and so much more. Enjoy! 

As the author of the best-selling career advice book, Leave Your Mark, Aliza Licht shares the secrets to planning out your career, getting a job during COVID-19, approaching failure, and so much more! Also, hear about Aliza’s “goal folder” - a trick she’s used throughout her career to keep track of her wins and losses. Enjoy this great episode with Aliza! 

As the Head of Enterprise Sales at Slack, Dannie Herzberg discusses her career path that led her to a role where she thrives working closely with other people.Beyond sales, Dannie shares tangible tips for everyone to practice, whether it’s setting goals, establishing relationships with your team, or becoming more resilient and comfortable with rejection - a key trait for anyone to succeed - especially in Sales. So much packed into this episode. Enjoy!

As the Founder and Executive Director of Spread The Vote, Kat is helping people attain the state IDs necessary to vote - which is more important than ever right now. Beyond her story of founding Spread the Vote, Kat shares lessons in learning from those who come before you, the challenges of social entrepreneurship, and the fundamental rule in leadership: treat your employees the way you would want to be treated. Enjoy this fun episode!

Lexi discusses the importance of embracing the journey in navigating your career, the top skills that every COO needs to have, and a tool she uses to practice work-life integration as a top tech leader, mother, and wife (and more). Bring a pen and pad to this one! Enjoy.

Learn from Ann’s incredible career to know what it takes to truly make an impact in the world. She shares her career path, her passion to make a level playing field for founders and funders everywhere, and her "sphere of control" when dealing with uncertainty - especially now during COVID-19. 

Melinda Thomas is the Co-Founder and COO of Octave Bioscience, a company aiming to improve outcomes in neurodegenerative diseases. Melinda discusses key aspects in leadership. Key themes include practicing the 80/20 Rule, having a bias towards action, and never lowering the bar when hiring - even when push comes to shove.

This week’s episode brings you Natalie Pierce - from being a first-generation college student to a Partner at a top Law firm at Littler Mendelson, Natalie talks about the importance of seeking mentors, being a female in law, and the future of work with the adoption of new transformation technologies, including AI and automation.

Vanessa Larco, Partner at NEA - New Enterprise Associates. Prior to venture, Vanessa has extensive experience in the social gaming industry as a ProductManager and as the founder of her own company. She shares her insight on career-planning, the parallels amongst PM and VC, investment decisions, and so much more. Enjoy!

Raegan is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Aden + Anais – the baby lifestyle brand globally recognized for its high-quality design-driven muslin swaddles and baby products.

Her success with Aden + Anais earned her reputable awards, including being named as one of EY’s Entrepreneurs of the Year, considered one of the most prestigious business awards in the world. 

Aside from founding,  Raegan sits on the board of directors for Hopeland, a nonprofit created to help children who are separated from their family. 

Raegan is the author of "WHAT IT TAKES: How I Built a $100 Million Business Against the Odds", where she shares the story of her entrepreneurial journey from the kitchen table to a 100 million dollar global business. 

Perhaps even more impressive than all of this, Raegan is the mother to four beautiful daughters! 

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Raegan's Childhood and Upbringing
3. Moving to New York
4. Founding Story of Aden + Anais 
5. Challenges in Co-Founder Relationships
7. Choosing the Right Co-Founder
8. Scaling a Global Business
9. Hiring and building a team based on core traits 
10. Navigating the Challenges of Raising Capital
11. The Power of Resilience and Hard Work
12. Finding Happiness and Living in the Moment

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Sylvia Acevedo, the CEO of Girl Scouts, shares incredible stories throughout her career - beginning at Stanford University to now Girl Scouts (while being a Rocket Scientist at NASA in between). Sylvia shares lessons in negotiation, confidence, and goal-setting, and wow - so much more.

Kara is the founder and CEO of Hint, Inc. - the healthy lifestyle brand best known for its hint water! Kara shares the founding story of Hint and the many lessons learned along the way about failure, fundraising, hiring, and more. Please enjoy, take notes, and share with others. (and apologies for the odd lighting -- just one of the tricky parts of Zoom interviews!)

Sheri is an Executive Hollywood Film Producer who has produced many well-known TV films, including Halloweentown, Perfect High, and many more for brands including Lifetime TV and Walt Disney Studios. Tune in to hear Sheri discuss the entertainment industry and COVID-19’s impact on it, the importance of self-confidence, and ensuring that there’s always diversity on her teams when creating a film.

Terri is a Certified Financial Planner who worked as a Financial Services Executive at Charles Schwab for 5 years. Learn from Terri about the importance of financial planning, goal-setting, and her experience as a female in finance.

Kaye Foster is a senior advisor and executive coach at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)! Kaye has so many lessons that every leader needs to know, including key insights that are especially valuable during this interesting period with COVID-19. A key lesson: Reflect, learn, and recognize the “Gift of the Pause.”

Tina is a Professor of the Practice at Stanford University in the Department of Management Science and Engineering. Hear about Tina's insights on how to view failure, seizing opportunities, and her personal journey to becoming one of the top professors in entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.

Before broadcasting for ESPN and ABC News, Julie led the US Women’s National Soccer team to 2 World Cup Championships and 2 Olympic Gold Medals. Join us as we talk about the fight in women’s sports, the importance of taking risks, and so much more!

With over twenty years’ of experience, Charlene is one of the most renowned celebrity and editorial stylists of her generation. Her work has graced the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Cannes Film Festival, earning her recognition in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Forbes and many more.

She has become a recognized stylist and designer  for today’s icons including Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria, and Vince Vaughn.

Charlene’s styling endeavors span from high profile magazines to television, for clients such as Coca-Cola, Tissot, L’Oreal, Remy Martin, Nike, Guess and T-Mobile.

Now, Charlene is also the founder of Stone Windsor. Largely inspired by her daughter, Stone – Charlene has created a childrenswear collection that offers premium, eco-conscious clothing for kids (even the picky ones) that is designed for an easy and seamless mix and match styling process.

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You can find Charlene's styling website here: https://charleneroxborough.com/

You can follow Charlene's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/charroxstylist/?hl=en

Shop and explore Stone Windsor here: https://stonewindsor.com/

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn, Miriam Haart and many more.

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This episode was first recorded and released in September, 2020.

Angie Bastian, the visionary co-founder of Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, ignited a global popcorn revolution from the confines of her Minnesota garage in 2001. She crafted a beloved brand of gluten-free, non-GMO popcorn that has taken the world by storm. In 2017, Conagra Brands recognized the exceptional appeal of Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP and acquired the company, propelling it to new heights of success.

Angie's outstanding achievements have garnered her well-deserved recognition. She has been honored as a Pioneer in Food and proudly inducted into the esteemed MN Women's Business Hall of Fame. Beyond her role at Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Angie actively contributes to various ventures, serving on the boards of Prospera Foods and Opportunity International Nicaragua. A former Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, she made the bold decision to retire from her nursing career in 2011, fully dedicating herself to the world of entrepreneurship.

With an enduring partnership spanning 28 years, Angie and her husband have built a legacy that extends beyond business success. Together, they have raised two remarkable children and remain an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. Angie Bastian's extraordinary journey exemplifies the power of determination, innovation, and unwavering commitment to creating something truly extraordinary.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn, Miriam Haart and many more.

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Aisha is the founder of Bossy Cosmetics, a hyper-growth independent beauty company that inspires, empowers, and champions ambitious working women. Under her leadership, the company has grown from a purely digitally native footprint to retailing in over 600 retail doors across the country, including JCPenney and Nordstrom, as well as on Amazon.com. The brand was selected (numerous times) as one of the coveted “Oprah’s Favorite Things”, and has won honorable mentions and awards from Fast Company in Innovation by Design and various product awards from Self and Ebony Magazines. In the 5 years since its founding, Aisha has redefined the way beauty companies “see” professional women and has been featured in NPR’s How I Built Resilience,, Forbes, W Magazine, InStyle, Refinery29, amongst others.

Prior to founding Bossy Cosmetics, Aisha led a different life - as a 20-year global finance executive having worked over the course of her career at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Standard Chartered Bank, World Bank, and Rand Merchant Bank. Aishe has worked on over $130 billion in M&A, private equity financings, IPOs, and public capital market transactions. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and was a Fellow in the Distinguished Careers Institute at Stanford University. 

Perhaps even more impressive than all of this, Aisha is a wife and the mother of three sons! 

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Aisha's Childhood and Values
3. Emphasis and Importance of Education 
4. Grappling with her Dual Identity as a Nigerian Growing Up in America
5. The Value and Optimizing for Money and Finding Financial Security Growing Up
6. Navigating Career Paths – Tackling Job Security Vs. Passion
7. Optimizing for Wealth as a Woman
8. Rising Up in Investment Banking and Finance Career Path Ladder 
9. Choosing to go to Harvard Business School 
10. Aisha's Mental Health During  the Pinnacle of Her Banking Career
11. Quitting her Banking Job (and the Health Scare that Led to this)
12. Work + Family 
13. Moving to Palo Alto and the Distinguished Careers Institute Fellowship at Stanford 
14. Founding Bossy Cosmetics + Early Days 
15. Venture Capital Responses + Rejections of Bossy Cosmetics
16. Aisha Defining Success - Then and Now 

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My guest today is Wendy Weston.

Wendy Weston started Perfect Picnic with a dream, a small blanket and endless drive and passion. She decided to hang up her figure skates, moving on from her career as a successful competitive skating coach. She has worked her way from the bottom literally - from the basements of Chinatown to her Perfect Picnic storefront across from Central Park. Wendy now delivers her vision of delicious food, and a luxury experience to New York City, The Hamptons and Cape Cod. 

Over the past 13 years Weston has transformed her vision into a successful business selling millions of dollars worth of picnics. 

She additionally has paved the way for others in the fast growing "Picnic Industry". The idea "if you can make it here you can make it anywhere" has kept her going as she balanced being a single mother determined to show her daughter what a strong woman could accomplish on her own. She has turned a quiet corner of the Upper West side to a destination for New Yorkers and travelers from around the world. She was recently awarded the Women in Business award from Chase Bank.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn, Miriam Haart and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Wendy's Childhood + Figure Skating 
3. The Impact and Challenges of Leaving Figure Skating on Her Identity
4. The Importance of Freedom and Independence
5. Lessons Learned Along the Way with Finding Independence
6. Evaluating Opportunities and Navigating Life
7. Dealing with Disappointment and Expectations 
8. Inspiration for Perfect Picnic 
9. Rewards and Challenges of Founding a Company
10. Work-Life Balance and Putting Yourself First 
11. Separating Success from Self-Worth 
12. Learning Curve of Founding Perfect Picnic
13. Passion for Women's Sexual Health 
14. Contrary Opinion of Birth and Death 
15. The Practice of Acceptanance 

Wendy's Passion? Women's Sexual Health and the Difference of Discourse 
Wendy's life-time craft she is honing? Acceptance

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Holly is the Co-Founder of Kabam – a mobile gaming company that sold for approximately $1B to NetMarble in 2017. They grew Kabam to over 1500 employees with 6 offices worldwide. 

Prior to Kabam, Holly graduated from UCLA with a degree in Communications and East Asian studies and received her Masters from Berkeley in Information Management and Systems. She started her professional career in consulting and working as a User Interface Designer at AOL. 

Throughout her 10-year tenure as the Co-Founder of Kabam, Holly led efforts in a variety of roles: including User Experience, HR, Development and People. Her work has contributed to record revenue growth for Kabam year over year from $0 to $400MM annually, that led Kabam into the unicorn club in 2014. She led the design for Kabam’s award-winning "Kingdoms of Camelot" franchise, which has grossed over $250 million in less than four years and the extension game, which was the top grossing app on iOS in 2012. 

After Kabam, Holly transitioned to the other side of the table as an investor. She spent 2 years as a Visiting Partner at Y Combinator - the leading startup accelerator for entrepreneurs. 

She is a consummate entrepreneur, executive, and startup mentor. Naturally, Holly has been a leading woman in gaming and entrepreneurship, named by Fortune as the “10 Most Powerful Women in Gaming”. 

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn, Miriam Haart and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Holly's Early Life and Influences 
3. Navigating and Finding Peace with her Asian Identity 
4. Meeting Co-Founders and Initial Brainstorming Ideas 
5. Founding a Company Idea 1: Social Corporate Network
6. Challenges in Building a B2B Business
7. Pivoting to Community Apps on Facebook 
8. Entering the Gaming Industry 
9. Navigating the 2008 Recession 
10. Scaling Culture 
11. Balancing Diversity & Scaling in Hiring 
12. Experience as a Woman in Gaming 
13. Selling Kabam for Over $1 Billion Dollars 
14. Book Recs & Lifetime Craft 
 
Holly's book recommendation? The bible 
Holly's life-time craft she is honing? Being Open

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Fran is a serial entrepreneur and Super Founder with over 25 years of experience pioneering category-disrupting B2C and B2B internet businesses. Fran is widely recognized for her leadership as Co-Founder and first General Manager of the online dating service Match.com, Founder of the privacy compliance tech company TRUSTe (now known as TrustArc), and Founder and CEO of her current venture, BabyQuip, the #1 global baby gear rental brand.  BabyQuip currently serves over 2k markets and maintains a network of independent gig economy entrepreneurs in the thousands. 

 As an award-winning business icon, trailblazer for women in tech, and advocate for female entrepreneurship, Fran has been named to the “150 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the SF Business Times, “Top 25 Women in Tech to Watch in Silicon Valley” by AlwaysOn and she is the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Jerry I. Porras Latino Leadership Award from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she earned her Bachelors and MBA. Fran was also a featured expert on entrepreneurship in the acclaimed documentary film “She Started It” and appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn, Miriam Haart and many more.

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Show Notes:

1. Welcome to She Leads
2. Tanya's Early Life + Entrepreneurial Spirit
3. Her First Yogurt Shop at Stanford
4. Transition Post-Stanford into Consulting and Clorox Co.
5. The Rise of the Internet
6. Founding Story of Match.com
7. Reflections + the Impact of Match.com
8. Lessons Learned + Advice for Female Founders
9. Living in the Future and Identifying Opportunities
10. Career Trajectory: Transition to Women.com and Founding TrustArc
11. Gaining Confidence in each Career Pivot
12. Founding BabyQuip
13. Navigating Challenges and Adapting to the Gig Economy
14. Recognizing true PMF
15. The Importance of Timing in Entrepreneurship
16. Working with Family in Business
17. Ever-Changing Perspectives on Success
18. Addressing Gender Biases and Stereotypes
19. Challenging Misrepresentation and Advocating for Women
20. Changing Perspectives on Marriage
21. Honing Patience and Being Present

 
Fran's changed perspective in the last decade? Marriage
Fran's life-time craft she is honing? Patience + Being Present

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Maureen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Baobab Studios, a 10-time Emmy winning interactive animation company that blends cutting edge technology (AI, metaverse, mixed reality) with storytelling. 

Baobab Studios was named Fast Company’s 2018 Most innovative company and the industry leader in merging gaming and Hollywood after winning 4 interactive Emmys. 

With Baobab, Maureen has created projects that have attracted incredible talent - including Oprah. John Legend, Kate Winslet and Ali Wong. 

Before founding Baobab, Maureen earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in a self-designed major that combined arts, computer science, and psychology. After Stanford, she held senior product and UI roles at ebay and also helped birth the social casual games revolution as Zynga’s VP of Games, overseeing the original Farmville franchise.

She also interned at Pixar while completing her master’s degree at Harvard Business School.

Maureen’s work has earned her recognition as one of Ad Age’s Most Creative People of the Year, Gold House’s Top 100 Influential Asians, and Variety’s Executive to Watch and Top Digital Creative lists.

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Past guests include Margaret Wishingrad, Kara Goldin, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Ann Miura Ko, Linda Avey, Sarah Leary, Becky Sauerbrunn and many more.

Follow us on Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube

Check out the She Leads website

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In Today's Episode with Maureen Fan We Discuss:
1. Maureen's Upbringing and Values Instilled 
2. Early Adversity in Assimilation with Asian Identity
3. Conflict between Passion and Job Security 
4. Attending Stanford University: Creating Her Own Major 
5. The Power of Champions and Mentorship
6. How To Ask for a Mentor
7. The Value of Business School: Is It Worth It?
8. Doing the Dirty Work in Hollywood
9. Transition into Tech at Ebay and Zynga 
10. Founding Baobab Studies 
11. Building Self-Esteem + Confidence as a Founder 

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