Lead Like a Woman

Katty Douraghy is an entrepreneur, facilitator, podcast host, and author. She is the President of Artisan Creative, a staffing and recruitment agency focusing on digital, creative, and marketing talent, and the Founder of Inspiring Hiring, an online resume and job posting portal. Katty is also a team and retreat facilitator, working closely with entrepreneurs to become better versions of themselves. Raised in San Francisco, London, and Tehran, Katty brings a multicultural perspective to her interactions. She recently published her first book, The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope, to share the lessons learned during a long period of grief and mourning that has led to a path towards help. She is currently working on her second project, bringing together her experience with grief and her background in facilitation to create a daily journal tentatively called Hope in Grief, to be released in 2021. She believes we all have a story to share, and that our greatest journey towards hope and healing is through self-reflection and self-discovery. In this episode… At some point in life, everyone goes through a phase of grief due to the loss of a loved one, be it a family member, a friend, or a work colleague. Every person's pain or experience of loss tends to be different from others, even if they all knew the deceased. When Katty Douraghy lost very close members of her family, she went through a tough time and often judged herself harshly on whether or not she was grieving enough. In addition to this, she often compared herself to others. However, she soon came to realize that grieving does not have to be the same for everyone: it is okay to do it your own way. Katty Douraghy, the President of Artisan Creative, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show to talk about her experience and advice on dealing with grief. Katty also talks about writing her book, The Butterfly Years, and how being a member of Entrepreneurs' Organization has impacted her life.

Audrey Darrow is the Founder and CEO of Earth Source Organics, which produces Righteously Raw Chocolate bars. A survivor of breast cancer, Audrey experienced firsthand the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, radical surgeries, and long-term radiation. On her journey to recovery, she was overwhelmed by the expense of the nutritious foods she needed to help her heal. To afford those foods, Audrey took a job at a local health food store. While her body was still dealing with all the negative effects of the treatment, she worked long hours at a painful — and often emotionally draining — job just to be able to eat healthy. This led her to create her first chocolate product in 2007, and Righteously Raw Chocolate and Earth Source Organics began to come to light. Audrey began the journey of creating and building a manufacturing facility for her organic, raw chocolate line and a co-packing business to help other small businesses get their dreams off the ground. Three months after launching Righteously Raw Chocolate, the most horrific event in Audrey's life happened when her beautiful daughter, Jaymie Rose Darrow, passed away suddenly from a drowning accident. Audrey knew that Jaymie was still very much a part of her vision, and so together in spirit, Jaymie helped her mom follow her dream. In this episode… Every entrepreneur gets excited about starting a new business, despite all the possible challenges they are likely to face in their entrepreneurial journey. There are times when you will hit walls and need to go back to the drawing board. However, in order to grow and scale as an entrepreneur, you must believe in yourself and your businesses. Growing a successful business involves making the right decisions. Entrepreneurs must be confident, courageous, and believe in themselves, even if other people don't acknowledge their ideas. Audrey Darrow advises entrepreneurs to never allow anyone to define their identity. They should instead believe in their intelligence, their capabilities, and their ideas. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Audrey Darrow, the Founder and CEO of Earth Source Organics, joins Andrea Heuston to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and what she has learned about believing in herself. Audrey also explains how her daughter helped market her young business, what she learned about hiring the right people for her business, and how her hardships have driven her to pursue fulfilling opportunities.

Dr. Pamela Ellis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Education Strategies and Compass College Advisory Center. Known as “The Education Doctor,” she is an award-winning educator and best-selling author of What to Know Before They Go. She has visited over 450 college campuses to help teens find a college that feels like home and partner with parents to avoid overpaying. After earning her BA at Stanford, Dr. Ellis earned an MBA at Dartmouth then received a Ph.D. from the Stanford School of Education. Over the past five years, 95% of her students have been admitted to their top choice colleges and received an average of $75,000 in scholarships. In this episode… Mindset is a very powerful tool that every human can utilize. It has the ability to influence people's lives either positively or negatively based on what it’s fed by the owner. For this reason, women in business and leadership positions should never overlook the power of their mindset. Instead, examine it and change your thoughts for a better life. In addition, it is important that women understand the value of taking care of themselves. Oftentimes the guilt around balancing life roles comes from the failure to take care of oneself. Women often concentrate on their spouses, kids, and other family members, and in the process overlook their own wellbeing. This often leads to resentment, guilt — and in severe cases — bitterness. So, what are some actionable tips to help you take care of yourself, your family, and cultivate a positive mindset? Dr. Pamela Ellis, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Education Strategies and Compass College Advisory Center, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about the need for examining one's mindset and practicing self-care. She also talks about the importance of showing gratitude and following the path towards your passion. Stay tuned to hear all of Dr. Ellis’s strategies!

Lara Nikola is the Founder and President of Smart Sips Coffee, an exciting brand of unique flavored coffees, decaf, lattes, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate. She is an award-winning entrepreneur who has been featured on Good Morning America, where she swam with the sharks from Shark Tank. She has been interviewed on Fox and Friends, Money Magazine, and iHeartRadio. Lara was featured on the cover of NJBIZ and in ROI-NJ. Her products have been featured in US Weekly and Reader's Digest. Lara left her corporate advertising career eight years ago to start Smart Sips Coffee and has grown the company into a successful national brand. Her diverse marketing expertise helped her level the digital playing field and compete in the highly competitive coffee space. She created a niche building a brand based on creativity, innovation, and products that insert excitement into the daily coffee drinking routine. She is a member of the WPO, Women Presidents' Organization, and a Women's Business Enterprise National Council certified company. Through her exemplary leadership, exceptional community advocacy work, and sustainable competitive edge, Lara has received numerous outstanding accolades and recognition. She is a New Jersey native, wife, and mother of two. In this episode… Building a new business can be very challenging for first-time women entrepreneurs, especially if they don't have a supportive community of fellow business owners. Some people may not understand what the entrepreneur is trying to build and may even try to discourage them from pursuing their dreams. Having gone through this same challenge and learning from experience, Lara Nikola empowers other women and helps provide the resources they need to build successful businesses. She advises and encourages them to keep moving forward despite all the obstacles they face in their entrepreneurial journey. She also encourages them to embrace failure, pivot when things hit a wall, and pay attention to what their customers say. Lara Nikola, the Founder and President of Smart Sips Coffee, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, where she talks about building a flavored coffee brand and empowering women leaders. Lara also explains why she became an entrepreneur and talks about some of the challenges she has faced scaling her business. Stay tuned for more!

Suzie Yorke is the Founder and CEO of Love Good Fats and is on a mission to bring healthy fats back. A mom, 11-time Ironman competitor, and yoga enthusiast, Suzie spent years adhering to a low-fat diet only to hit a wall in her mid-40s. After reading Nina Teicholz's best-seller, The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet, she immediately shifted to a high-fat, low-carb diet and felt better right away. While she loved the benefits of her new lifestyle, she found it challenging to find convenient good-fat snacks. Seeing a gap in the marketplace and a huge opportunity to help others through food, she developed Love Good Fats, a company that produces high-fat, low-carb, and low-sugar products. Today, she leads the brand's expansion as it quickly becomes one of the fastest-growing bar brands in North America. As a 30 year veteran of the CPG industry, Suzie has worked at high-profile companies such as Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo, Kraft, Heinz, and Weight Watchers. Utilizing her accomplished marketing background, personal journey, and deep devotion and passion for health, Suzie is on a mission to spread the word that fat is back — and sugar is out. She has been recognized several times since launching Love Good Fats including the 2019 Mumpreneur Startup Award, 2019 WXN Top 100 BMO Entrepreneur Award, and 2020 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Ones to Watch Award. In this episode… Starting and building a successful business is similar to athletics; you have to start by taking small, directed steps every day and improve as you go along. The most important thing? Just start! A good entrepreneur does not hang on to her idea for a long time, hoping to start a business someday in the future. Instead, you should start by taking small but well-directed steps towards building the kind of business you dream of. According to Suzie Yorke, you can start by creating samples of the products you envision, and then start production in small batches. This will help you launch your business on a path toward success. Suzie Yorke, the Founder and CEO of Love Good Fats, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about entrepreneurship and building a health-conscious food brand. Suzie also talks about her passion for athletics, her company's most popular products, and how her marketing background helped grow and scale the brand to over $100 million in three years. Stay tuned.

Shauna Swerland is the Founder and CEO of Fuel Talent, a Seattle-based boutique recruiting firm. She started the company in 2013 after having been in the search industry for nearly 26 years. Prior to that, she spent two decades living in San Francisco and New York, opening eight offices, hiring, training, and managing over 100 recruiters all while building lasting relationships. When she returned home to Seattle, she realized there was a market need for a high-touch one-stop-shop that could service multiple recruiting needs within one firm. Fuel Talent has since been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies, largest woman-owned companies, and best workplaces in Washington State. In addition to her business, Shauna puts her energy into organizations and people that are helping serve the greater good. She is also an advisor for the University of Washington Women in Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Outside of work, she loves to travel, spend time with her husband, David, their three beautiful children, and her dog, Marley. In this episode… When running a business, some women tend to avoid taking on big projects because they don't believe that they can get it done in the best way. However, they fail to realize that when executing a project, they don't have to do everything themselves. This is where the power of delegation comes into play; they just need to ensure that they have the best team on board to take care of the different aspects of a given project. Being a great leader, therefore, means that one does not have to do it all. Sometimes taking the first step is all that is needed. You don't have to know how everything will work out, but you have to be bold enough to begin. If you have a strong conviction about your idea, then you must go for it. Once you take that first step towards your goal, you can delegate, support your team, and lead them to success. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Shauna Swerland, the Founder and CEO of Fuel Talent, to talk about fierce female leadership and thinking big. Shauna discusses her podcast, building her company's culture, and how she helps other entrepreneurs in their hiring process. Stay tuned.

Lou Cysewski is an activist, innovative strategist, and the Co-founder and CEO of the world's first and only climate-neutral marketing and merchandise agency, Coolperx. The company was born out of her conviction to transform the corporate gifting industry from a toxic environmental polluter to a conscious connector of people and values. Lou served as a nurse in the US Army and speaks regularly about her experiences building her business as a woman and a veteran. She has been featured in Fortune 500, Business Magazine, The Economist, Forbes, and MoneyGeek. She has also been listed as one of the top 100 trailblazing entrepreneurs of 2021. She lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter and currently serves on the board of the Kirkland Art Center. In her spare time, she loves swimming, playing tennis, and has recently begun learning to speak French. In this episode… For Lou Cysewski, building a value-based business is not only important but also meaningful. Her interest in entrepreneurship pulled her from nursing and took her to the merchandising industry, where she started working with her husband. However, she soon was concerned with the types of products people bought for gifting — and the toxicity found in many of those products. Lou set out to provide a solution to these issues and curate better products for people (and for the environment). Lou founded Coolperx in a bid to promote sustainability both in her business and in the industry at large. She also created a flexible and fulfilling workplace for her employees that provided inclusivity and matched her values. Want to learn more about how Coolperx is changing the corporate gifting industry? In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Lou Cysewski, the Co-founder and CEO of Coolperx, is interviewed by Andrea Heuston about promoting sustainability and building a value-based marketing and merchandise agency. Lou explains how her agency employs carbon offset programs, how she built a fully remote company, and her support of minority-owned businesses. Plus, Lou shares how Coolperx is positively impacting communities across the globe.

Donna Childs is the Founder and CEO of Prisere LLC, which she founded to develop capacity for climate and disaster risk resilience. Building on her previous experience as a senior executive in the reinsurance industry, Prisere was named one of the 50 most innovative startups by the Kauffman Foundation. Donna and Prisere have led projects for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Asian Development Bank. She serves as the Risk Partnership Advisor to the Climate Change Group of the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Donna began her career as a Research Associate at Harvard Business School, where she contributed to research and case development on insurance and risk management topics. She then worked on capital strategies and capital raising for global insurance companies as an investment banker on Wall Street. She subsequently served as a Senior Columnist for Dow Jones, where her commentary on insurance and risk were featured in The Wall Street Journal. Donna is also the author of an acclaimed book on small business disaster preparation and recovery, a past winner at the International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge, and recipient of the Woman Business Owner of the Year award by the National Association of Women Business Owners. She holds a BS from Yale University, an MBA from Columbia Business School, and is a graduate of the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. In this episode… Regardless of how much people prepare for possible future disasters, sometimes the unexpected happens and tragedy strikes. This always leads to major shifts in people's lives, and in most cases, people experience long-term effects of the disaster. After the 9/11 tragedy, Donna Childs' life changed. She was left homeless and had to close her business. Her emotional and physical being were affected, and she often had nightmares months after the disaster. She, however, was able to get back on track and help other people and businesses with disaster management through her company, Prisere LLC. Donna Childs, the Founder and CEO of Prisere LLC, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, where she talks about her experience overcoming tragedy and helping others prepare for disaster management. Donna also explains how Prisere LLC was founded, her process of writing a book, and her advice for those working through a life change or disaster. Stay tuned.

Adrienne Smith is a Team USA football star leading the charge for the new AFL women's division. She is among the best performing wide receivers in women's tackle football history. Adrienne is a Boston Renegades wide receiver, football advocate and spokesperson, Orange is the New Black actress, and entrepreneur. She is also the creator of Blitz Champz, a fun and competitive game that teaches and tests football knowledge, strategy, and critical math skills. Adrienne’s professional career began in Japan where she worked as a translator and coordinator of international relations for the Japanese Board of Education. During her two years in this position, she produced and co-hosted a local television show geared towards educating Japanese people about American culture. Adrienne started her football career in 2006 as a member of the New York Sharks and went on to compete internationally, bringing home silver medals in Sweden and Canada as a member of the US Women's National Flag Football team. In 2010 and 2013, Adrienne helped the US National Women's Football team bring home the gold medal in the International Federation of American Football's Women's World Championship. Since 2011, she has played for the Boston Renegades, a tackle football team in the Women's Football Alliance and winner of national championships in 2011, 2014, and 2019. In this episode… Working in male-dominated fields is often a challenge many women face, even when they are highly skilled and qualified. They frequently face backlash and pressure from society — which can kill their dreams. When Adrienne Smith decided to go into football, she knew she would face such challenges. However, she did not quit, and her determination helped her excel in not only football but also in her career as an actress, entrepreneur, and leader. Adrienne Smith, an entrepreneur and football star, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show. Adrienne talks about her professional career in football and her journey to become an entrepreneur. She also talks about her football card game for kids, her work as an actress, organizing hip hop tours, and how she leads like a woman. Stay tuned.

Andrea Heuston is the CEO and Creative Principal of Artitudes Design, an award-winning creative agency. She has over 20 years of experience in the design industry and has won several awards such as the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 under 40, the Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards for Enterprising Women Magazine, Cambridge Who’s Who, and the Key4Women Achieve Award. Andrea holds a degree in Communications and Design from the University of Washington. She is a speaker, author, and a volunteer who helps plan, purchase, prepare, and serve meals for the members of The Matt Talbot Center. Andrea is also the host of the Lead Like a Woman Show where she features top women leaders in order to share their inspirational stories on life and leadership. In this episode… Andrea Heuston recently launched her new book, Stronger on the Other Side: The Power to Choose. For Andrea, the process of writing the book was both a challenging and very fulfilling undertaking. She had to relive some of the most painful events from her past like dealing with the loss of a loved one, losing her house to fire, the challenges of infertility, and rebuilding her life after being in a coma. However, Andrea was also able to relive the positive lessons she took from those experiences and turn them into something she could share. With the book, Andrea hopes to teach other women about the power to choose. No one can control everything that happens to them, but we all have the power to decide how to react to our circumstances. Andrea’s book helps people learn how to harness the power of their past experiences to come out stronger on the other side. For Andrea, it’s about learning how to create beauty out of life’s scars. In this week's episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, host Andrea Heuston is interviewed by Dr. Kristin Kahle, the CEO and Founder of NavigateHCR, about her new book, Stronger on the Other Side: The Power to Choose. Andrea shares her reasons for writing the book, her favorite quotes and stories from the book, and why women should read it. Stay tuned!