If you pay attention to any of the financial or economic news today, you’ll hear about recessions, instability of the economy, and how there’s no money to spend or to invest. But our guest in this episode challenges many mainstream ideas.  Joining us again is Heather K. Terry, the CEO and Co-Founder of GoodSam Foods, a sugar-free and equitable food company doing work directly with farmers all over the world, with the goal of making access to delicious, healthy, regenerative food products easier for everyone, and doing good along the way.  Having had to raise capital back in 2008 and 2009, and again in the middle of the pandemic for GoodSam, Heather knows that it’s possible to raise funds and find investors no matter what the state of the economy may be.  “I would argue that anything in symbiosis with nature is going to have a more positive outcome.” - Heather K. Terry  Along the way, Heather has learned a thing or two about the world of founders, investors, and starting businesses. Here are three topics she talks more about in this episode:  The regenerative way of conducting your business  What the world of sustainable investing looks like today  How new investors can get started  “Don’t be worried that you don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t be scared because otherwise, you might miss some really great opportunities.” - Heather K. Terry  You’ll also hear Heather challenge the idea of sustainability leading to lesser profit, and she encourages new investors to still invest despite the state of politics or economy, to go talk to people, and learn what you need to know.  Connect with Heather K. Terry:  Website  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter  Connect with Nancy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter 

Today, we’re having a holistic career conversation with Phyllis Weihs-Yavner. We’re talking about our mental health, diverting and improving our professional careers, and how these are interconnected.   Phyllis is a licensed psychotherapist (MS, LPC), certified career counselor, speaker, and fierce believer in what’s possible. She helps her clients with different areas, and identifies where their issues overlap, and creates strategies based on what her clients want and need.   Here are some life experiences Phyllis shared today:  Her journey to becoming a counselor  The importance of counseling and guidance in today’s culture  How HAYVN has impacted and improved her career  “My approach is to look at what can be changed and what can’t be changed, and to work with that.” - Phyllis Weihs-Yavner  As an active member of the HAYVN community, she is also a part of the wellness mastermind and a regular expert and speaker. To hear more about her work, listen to the full episode.  Connect with Phyllis Weihs-Yavner:  Website  Instagram  LinkedIn  Connect with Nancy:  Website  LinkedIn  Instagram  Twitter 

As women in powerful leadership positions, we need to find a leadership style that is true to us but is still effective and brings people together. This can be a tricky balance, figuring out how to be kind and empathetic without being a push-over, and exuding strength and authority without being domineering. So how do we find that balance? Answering this question and sharing her story is our guest, Fran Hauser.  Fran is passionate about leveling the playing field for women. With more than 20 years in the corporate media world, Fran now does her mission driven work through investing, writing, and speaking. As an investor, Fran has invested in over 30 female-founded companies across different industries. She is also the best-selling author of The Myth of the Nice Girl and Embrace the Work, Love Your Career.  “I love the multi-hyphenate part of how I would describe myself because I am in all these different things, but at the end of the day I just feel like I’m helping people.” -Fran Hauser  With a career that started in public accounting for The Big Five, becoming an all-star media executive, and then an author and investor, Fran changed industries and pivoted her trajectory multiple times, but here are the common threads she kept on seeing throughout her experience:  Amazing things happen when women come together and help each other.  There is nothing that could replace in-person interactions and real-life communities.  It’s possible for women to lead with strength, but still come from a place of kindness.  “You don’t have to choose between a quality like strength and a quality like kindness. You can be both kind and strong.” -Fran Hauser  While in her corporate leadership positions, Fran has learned how to balance leading with strength and kindness. She first shared this in her blog article Nice Girls Finish First which instantly went viral, and the outpouring of responses convinced her to write her first book.  To hear the full story of Fran’s journey, listen to this episode. You can also check out her recently launched Book Bound Co., which she created to help aspiring authors transform their ideas into books.  Connect with Fran Hauser:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter  Connect with Nancy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter 

Women make up half of the population and the workforce yet not all girls and young women have equal access to education, training and opportunities. They need help getting the right tools, support and skill sets for them to create the most impact in the world.  Sheri West has made it her mission to address this inequality and shares in this episode what we can do to help. Sheri is the Founder, CEO, and Chairwoman of LiveGirl, a nonprofit organization that builds confident, inclusive leaders. LiveGirl works to prepare the next generation of diverse, brave female leaders with the skills, community, and connections so that all girls may thrive and make a positive impact on the world.  “Talent is equally had, but the opportunity is not equally distributed.” - Sheri West  All of the programs and projects of LiveGirl are designed in response to existing societal needs and problems of girls. Here are some of their impactful programs:  She Cares, which provides free mental wellness mentoring for girls in grades 5-12  Live Girl Lead, where they provide coaching for girls in high school to launch a community impact project  She Works, a program catered towards college girls, it provides career readiness trainings, equipping them with the skills they need, and matches them with paid internships  “If we truly want to build an equal, inclusive workforce, it starts with giving these college students who have been historically underrepresented access to internships.” - Sheri West  Sheri’s enthusiasm and passion is infectious, and HAYVN is glad to be able to help LiveGirl fulfill its mission. In honor of Women’s History Month, Sheri and LiveGirl are hosting the Embrace Equity Fireside Chat in early March.  And if you want to support LiveGirl, you can become a mentor for the She Cares program, or become a partner.  Connect with LiveGirl:  Website  Instagram  LinkedIn  YouTube  Twitter  Connect with Nancy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter 

Christine Oleynick is a realtor with Keller Williams. She loves connecting with people and helping them build relationships in the community. She has been in real estate for the past nine years and loves the work and the relationships she has created. She now has a fun and authentic presence on social media and other platforms. Christine has found her true passion in community building and marketing through real estate.  Formerly, she’s the founder of the “What Women Want” organization in Fairfield County, with a love and skill for events and event marketing. Before that she was in corporate advertising and marketing which had been her major in college.   Here's what I cover with Christine in this episode:  How she found her way from the corporate advertising world to real estate and the joys of helping people find their dream homes.  The power of storytelling in real estate marketing: learn how Christine’s personal story of selling her doctor’s home had the biggest impact of any IG post she shared on Instagram.  The challenges and rewards of being a realtor for life: explore the realities of being a real estate agent, from setting healthy boundaries to the importance of having a strong network.  "It's all about those natural connections and trying to be that resource, and that help for people who are trying to buy and sell. But it's much more than that. It's helping people in the community make the connections." - Christine Oleynick  Connect with Christine Finch Oleynick and join HAYVN to experience the power of natural networking and build meaningful relationships.  Email: christineo@kw.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christine_finch_oleynick/  TikTok: @christineoleynickrealtor  LinkedIn —https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinefincholeynick/  Website:  https://www.christinefincholeynick.com/ 

We’re all guilty of having disordered eating practices, whether it’s stress eating, bored eating, calorie counting, obsession with weight, or guilt after eating. And many have struggled with this for decades. Our guest today talks more about how to better understand our thinking about food, its impact on our behavior and how to develop healthy eating habits.  Today’s guest is Suzy Bessett, a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Eating Psychology Coach, and award-winning producer and filmmaker. She founded The Metabolic Connection which offers a completely unique approach to disordered eating and metabolic issues. She has helped chronic dieters get off the roller coaster of dieting, disordered relationships with food, and get on with living.  “It is not a quick fix. And the problem is, the diet industry sold us on that modality… and so people want that quick fix.” - Suzy Bessett  Key points about health and eating that Suzy shares today:  The false and unhealthy idea of “Lose weight fast” and “quick fixes”   What disordered eating is and its difference from eating disorders  The balance of what you eat, how much you eat, and your relationship with what you eat  “It’s hard because… this is my life’s work. I want to help as many people as I possibly can, but I have to make sure that expectations are set properly, which is a big part of my initial work with people.” - Suzy Bessett  A part of the reason why Suzy pursues eating psychology as her life’s work is that having had unhealthy eating practices and metabolic issues herself, she knows the importance of healthy eating and wants to share what she learned with others. And she wants to work in a space that allows and encourages her to pursue that. Suzy is a social member of HAYVN and joins the wellness group. More than anything, she enjoys the community of HAYVN and appreciates how it promotes success for all members, not competition.  Connect with Suzy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Connect with Nancy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter 

Few would consider communications, public relations, and finance as related fields, but entrepreneurs who wear multiple hats and play numerous roles, need to navigate and master these varying skills to succeed.  Today we are joined by Deborah Pratt Burns, a Personal Finance Educator and Mentor, and Brand and Business Strategist. She is the Founder and Chief Prosperity Officer of Literacy to Legacy MentorsTM. She is also the founder of Burns Communications, LLC., a brand, and communications strategy agency.  “Be very careful who you partner with because they are your brand ambassadors.” - Deborah Burns  Key points discussed in this episode:  Important relationships and partnerships to help you succeed as an entrepreneur What is your “Why?” in doing your business and working with your clients How to take a non-traditional and heart-centered approach to finance  “If people really want change, they have to be accountable for it.” - Deborah Burns  Describing herself as a “raving HAYVN Fan,” Deborah first joined HAYVN to meet and collaborate with other entrepreneurs and help them with their business and brand strategy and finance needs. She also supports and partners with HAYVN in its offerings, with HAYVN Half Time, and other events.  Connect with Deborah Burns:   Website - Literacy to Legacy MentorsTM  Website - Burns Communications, LLC.,  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter  YouTube  Connect with Nancy:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter 

After realizing the lack of diversity in the books used to teach preschoolers engineering, Dr. Melissa-Sue John, a social psychologist, approached her daughters with this problem. Together they founded Laur​en Simone Publishing House writing and publishing their own books.  “My 8-year-old at the time looked at me and she said, “Mommy don’t complain about the problem. Be the solution.” - Dr. Melissa-Sue John  Working with her two daughters, Olivia Lauren John and Alyssa Simone John, Dr. Melissa-Sue has created a publishing company that brings to life the work of diverse children’s authors and illustrators creating literature for all to enjoy.  Key Points Dr. Melissa-Sue Shares in this discussion:  How she learned by herself how to publish a book and run a business  The lack of diversity in literacy and how Laur​en Simone Publishing House is working to address this challenge The differences in publishing models and how their hybrid publishing model is set apart  “Everybody has a story. The research says 80% of Americans believe that they have a story. But some of us are just not as confident in telling that story, so with some professional expertise, you can bring that story alive.” - Dr. Melissa-Sue John  Dr. Melissa-Sue also shares her experience in participating in the HAYVN Hatch in the hopes of being able to expand to help her authors market their own books and gives tips for business owners who will make their own pitches.  Connect with Dr. Melissa-Sue John:  Website: https://www.laurensimonepubs.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurensimonepubs/  Connect with Nancy: NancySheed.com

If you’re a product-based business or food business, getting into major retailers is literally the dream. Taking your small family operated business from the kitchen table to the shelves of Walmart and Sam’s Club, and QVC channels can feel impossible.  This is the challenging journey of today’s guest Lauren Rosato who co-founded Rose Sisters Chips with her partner Jonathan and has been on a four year journey growing their gourmet chip business through several stages.  “If you're starting a business, you really have to look at what your needs are, what the business needs are, [...] and how you could meet them.” -Lauren Rosato  Key points covered:  Navigating pandemic-imposed challenges in a growing food business  Strategies to grow your business looks very different at different stages Raising capital and pitching investors is necessary at the later stage  “You really have to be resilient, able to manage change, because every day [...] it's gonna bring 10 to 50 to 100 new things that we're gonna have to deal with, and then you have to just roll with it.” -Lauren Rosato  Lauren’s business pitch for Rose Sisters Chips won the most recent HAYVN Hatch pitching contest of women founders, and she’s been on a roll since! She put in a lot of work learning what makes a good pitch, a good pitch deck, and how to deliver a great pitch. The consulting and help she’s been getting is clearly working, as she’s even closer to getting her chips into big stores.  Connect with Lauren Rosato: Website Connect with Nancy: NancySheed.com

Are sustainability and corporate responsibility only concerns for big companies?  Heather Burns, Founder of ESG Consulting Biz, is joining us to share why and how environmental sustainability is equally important for all businesses. Heather began her journey in the world of sustainability after becoming a master diver, seeing the effect of climate change up close. Since then she’s been pushing forward to help businesses of all sizes make a better impact ever since.  “You really cannot have a healthy economy without a healthy environment.” -Heather Burns  Key Takeaways in this Discussion:  Sustainable business is good business for the economy and the environment  Investors coined ESG (Environmental Social Governance) as a way to measure a business’ social responsibility factor There are easy ways even the smallest entrepreneur can grow a sustainable business  “Business is changing because the planet is changing. And as people who are operating businesses or even helping businesses, [...] we have a responsibility to help our customers adapt to the changes that are happening.” -Heather Burns  Heather recently began the “Women in Sustainability” roundtable conversations at HAYVN. She’s been able to raise awareness, leverage the professional generosity and create meaningful relationships she found in the co-working community.   Connect with Heather Burns:  Linkedin  Connect with Nancy:  NancySheed.com