It’s Okay To Be Fabulous!
Lead Like a Woman
Emily Blumenthal, known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” is the author of Handbag Designer 101, a comprehensive guide for aspiring designers. She also founded the Independent Handbag Designer Awards to spotlight emerging talent and hosts the Handbag Designer 101 podcast, which showcases the stories behind iconic handbag brands. Emily is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In this episode… Many women entrepreneurs struggle with scaling their businesses, often finding themselves stuck between growth and control. They are conditioned to take on too much,...
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Run, Don’t Walk With Bad News!
Lead Like a Woman
Dena Enos is the Founder and CEO of StrongHouse, a strategic marketing consulting firm that transforms organizational growth and talent development. With over 15 years of senior leadership experience, she has led global teams in customer acquisition, brand marketing, and analytics, having served as Vice President of Traffic Acquisition and Revenue Management at TripAdvisor and CMO at Hopper. Dena was also part of the original startup teams for OneTime and VirtualTourist, both acquired by Expedia in 2008. In this episode… Many professionals struggle to balance their career ambitions...
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Focus Is a Superpower
Lead Like a Woman
Sena Wheeler is the Co-founder of Sena Sea, which brings wild Alaskan fish to consumers' doors. Specializing in quantifying omega-3s in fish and determining preferred handling practices for premium quality, she is passionate about sustainability and educating people about the brain-boosting benefits of wild fish. Sena has preserved a five-generation-long family fishing legacy. In this episode… Entrepreneurs often face the challenge of standing out in a competitive market, building customer trust, and maintaining a work-life balance. For those in traditional industries, adapting to...
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Be Inspired
Lead Like a Woman
Mara Smith is the Founder of Inspiro Tequila, a women-owned- and led clean, additive-free tequila brand. A former attorney and corporate strategist, she began her legal career at a large law firm in Chicago before joining the corporate strategy team at McDonald's. Mara launched Inspiro Tequila to bring more female perspectives into the spirits industry. In this episode… Women entrepreneurs face unique challenges in breaking into male-dominated industries, but by amplifying their voices and championing each other, they can redefine entire markets. How can you foster systemic change to...
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Be Comfortable With Ambiguity
Lead Like a Woman
Kathy Andrews is the Founder and Managing Director of Cinga Leadership & Learning Inc., a boutique leadership consultancy. With over 20 years of experience as a people and culture strategist, executive coach, and master facilitator across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, she specializes in aligning business strategy and culture through high-impact leadership programs. Before Cinga Leadership, Kathy held various senior HR and leadership development positions at several global organizations. She also hosts For Leaders By Leaders, a podcast featuring global thought leaders and...
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Community Over Competition
Lead Like a Woman
Emilia D’Anzica is the Founder and Managing Partner of Growth Molecules™, a management consulting firm that helps companies protect and grow their revenue. With two decades of experience as a chief customer officer in Silicon Valley, she has been named the Top Customer Growth Advisor of 2024 by IAOTP. Emilia is also the co-author of Pressing ON as a Tech Mom. Sabina Pons is the Managing Director of Growth Molecules™ and the Co-founder of SoCalCX, a community fostering collaboration among go-to-market leaders to deliver exceptional customer experiences. As a fractional chief...
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Panic Panties
Lead Like a Woman
Maria Marino, Alex Berstein, and Katherine Anne Koury are the Co-founders of Panic Panties, a premium, ready-to-wear underwear brand sold in airports, boutiques, hospitals, Walgreens, and over 5,000 CVS stores nationwide. With over 16 million brand hashtag views on TikTok, Panic Panties has won the Women Business Enterprise National Council’s (WBENC) national pitch competition for innovation and has been named Hot Undergarments by Star magazine. Maria, Alex, and Katherine Anne founded the company at Syracuse University after noticing a lack of attractive, on-the-go underwear options. ...
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Win Exponentially
Lead Like a Woman
Irma Parone is the President and CEO of the Parone Group, which helps employers improve organizational effectiveness through customer and employee retention. As a consultant, best-selling author, and speaker, she earned a certification in organizational development from the Institute of Organizational Development. Before founding the Parone Group, Irma was the Senior Regional Vice President of Weiser Security Services, Inc., where she reduced employee turnover in her region by 27%. In this episode… Addressing organizational challenges involves balancing customer satisfaction, employee...
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Every Human Being Is Magnificent
Lead Like a Woman
Wendy Beth Cozzens is a traveler, speaker, author, and soul guide who created the Living Blueprint, a tool that guides individuals away from stress and confusion to living their potential and gaining traction. Having overcome loss, anxiety, addiction, and suicidal ideation, she wrote Living Blueprint - A True Story: Five Principles to Creating an Authentic, Joy-Filled Life. In this episode… Overcoming profound personal challenges can shape your perspective, leading to unexpected opportunities for growth. After surviving adversity and embarking on a transformative journey of self-discovery,...
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You Have To Be Your Own Biggest Fan
Lead Like a Woman
Janna Willoughby-Lohr is the Founder of Papercraft Miracles, a handmade paper art company specializing in sustainable weddings and events, corporate swag, and custom orders. Having studied under renowned book artist and author Gwen Diehn, Janna has been writing poetry for over 35 years and has been performing live as a musician for over 30 years. In this episode… Personal tragedies can taint your whole world, making it seem like you’ll never get past your grief. However, you can leverage these experiences to influence your professional endeavors. How can you transform calamities into...
info_outlineDonna Griffit is a corporate storyteller and Communication Coach at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she works with students to improve their communication, executive presence, writing, storytelling, and pitching. For 30 years, Donna has worked with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and investors in 30 countries, helping them create, edit, and deliver powerful presentations. She is also the author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy of Storytelling for Startups.
In this episode…
While women entrepreneurs have received significantly more funding in recent years, less than 2% of all VC funding goes toward female founders. How can you amplify women’s voices to ensure they receive fair funding?
According to pitch and storytelling alchemist Donna Griffit, the key to capturing investors’ attention is a compelling pitch. Her four-acts formula is based on universal archetypes startups can leverage to simplify their pitches. It involves identifying the villain as the problem, the solution as the hero, the business plan as the hero’s course of action, and the vision for the future as the happy ending. This creates a well-structured pitch that positions you as an authority figure. Founders should also prepare lists of answers to potential investor questions.
In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Donna Griffit about crafting winning startup pitches. Donna shares why she embraces serendipitous moments, how to generate more sales, and the essential elements of corporate storytelling.