Trailblazers

This week we chat with the ambitious, Siff Haider!Siff is an entrepreneur, host of Dear Media's The Dream Bigger Podcast and Co-Founder + CEO of Arrae, a holistic wellness brand that features 100% Naturopathic Doctor-formulated Bloat + Calm Alchemy Capsules, designed to supercharge your digestion and relax your mind. Prior to launching Arrae in March 2020, Siff spent her time in the publishing industry working for ELLE Canada, and then moved on to launch a successful blog titled Icing & Glitter, which she launched in 2016.Siff founded Arrae after struggling with many different health issues for years and found that natural remedies were able to cure many of her day-to-day issues. With that intention of bridging the gap between finding natural, organic, high-quality supplements that solved targeted problems, Siff created and expertly-formulated Arrae Bloat + Calm capsules. Arrae is the only bloat pill that has undergone 3rd party clinical trials and is beloved by celebs and influencers, such as Hailey Bieber, Melissa Wood Health, Hannah Bronfman, and more!Originally from Bangladesh, but grew up in Toronto and Dhaka, Siff graduated from the University of Toronto in 2013 and Conde Nast College in 2014. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and Arrae co-founder Nish Samantray, where they spend their free time cooking, reading, and traveling the globe together. Twentysomethings, get ready for our first interview of season three with the inspiring Siff Haider!Follow Us!Siff Haider: @siffhaiderArrae: @arrae.coErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

Twentysomethings, we are so excited to have you back for a third season and what better way to get started than with a solo episode with our host, Erica Wenger!In this episode, Erica reflects back throughout the seasons and touches on bits of progress and the personal growth that has been achieved since then. There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes, and the countdown for Erica's big announcement regarding her next business venture has begun...Dear Twentysomething is an experience-sharing platform at its core, we want to thank our listeners who have been with us on this journey from the start and also offer a warm welcome to all of our new listeners as well! We are so happy to have you guys here, listen in now for a sneak peek into Season 3 and stay tuned for new episodes every Tuesday!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we’re wrapping up season 2 of your favorite podcast; bringing you a finale of reflection and excitement with our host, Erica Wenger! Highlighting some of the best moments of season 2, Erica reflects on explained episodes, special guest interviews, and her own personal growth looking back on this season! Listen in for a sneak peek on what's to come as she ventures into season 3... Twentysomethings, it's been quite the season! Be sure to follow us on Instagram for updates as we count down to Season 3 where we'll be bringing you more episodes that we hope continue to inspire and educate you as they have for us! We can't wait to have you back soon, and a special thanks to our host, Erica Wenger!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with the remarkable Ashley Sumner.Ashley is the CEO & Founder of Quilt, a social platform for meaningful friendships. Ashley’s startup career started 12 years ago in NYC at a matchmaking company. With an intuitive ability to bring people together, she turned her passion into a career as a community developer for brands such as Wanderlust and Breakout, which ultimately led to the creation of Quilt.Quilt is not your typical wellness company... but rather a social network for supportive conversations and spontaneity. On this episode, the two start at the beginning of Ashley's journey to entrepreneurship in the theatrical scene. Between studying, dancing, acting, and interviews, Ashley learned the value of hard work and persistence early on but upon moving to LA she realized the struggle of burnout is real. Seeking to heal and treat her mind and body, Ashley now lives in Los Angeles, like every other New Yorker. And then was the start of Quilt. Conversations on mindfulness, dinner series, and bi-coastal living are just the beginning. Twentysomethings, get ready for an hour with the mindful and inspirational Ashley Summer!Follow Us!Ashley Summer: @ashleyjsummerQuilt: @wearequiltErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we're stating the new year off right with an episode from our host, Erica Wenger!Let's take an hour to reflect back on this last year together... Erica recalls her personal and professional accomplishments along with the lessons learned along the way.How can we use last years' experiences as a foundation for the goals we want to set and achieve this year? Erica is here to break this down and covers it all in this weeks episode.Twentysomethings, we're so happy to have you here for the first episode of 2023, get ready for an episode with our favorite host, Erica Wenger! Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Shivana Siroya!Shivani Siroya is the founder and CEO of Tala, the leading financial technology company in emerging markets. Prior to founding Tala, Shivani held a variety of positions in global health and micro-finance and investment banking. Millions of people have borrowed through Tala's smartphone app, which provides instant personalized credit to under-served customers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Tala is backed by leading venture and impact investors, including PayPal, Revolution, IVP, and more... Earlier this year, Forbes named Tala as one of the top-50 tech companies in the world Tala's work has been highlighted by the New York Times, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal among many others. In this episode, the pair start from the beginning of Shivani's journey where she discovered a key eye for problem solving. Applying solution to a problem seems to be the underlying thread in Shivani's experiences guiding her through college where she received an MBA from Columbia, and later then into the workforce. Conversations on the difference between comprehension and experience, the advantages of alumni networking, and the passion to serve underpopulated regions is just the start!Twentysomethings, get ready for an hour with the problem-solver of our generation, Shivani Siroya!Follow Us!Shivani Siroya: @shivsiroyaTala: @talamobile (and website here)Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with the expert on all things Personal Finance, Maia Monell. Founder, Maia Monell, is shaking up the financial technology space (industry defined as fintech) through Nav.it. Founded in 2018, Nav.it provides personalized financial coaching to create lasting behavioral change around financial habits. Through daily check-ins, insights, and community conversations empower users to live financially well. Maia is devoted to closing wealth gaps perpetuated by a system not built for the majority of America and believes that financial wellbeing is an integral part of creating a healthier and more equitable society. Through her work as a founding team member at BridgeAthletic, a performance technology using prescriptive AI for fitness coaching, training, and reporting, Maia saw firsthand the detrimental effects poor financial and mental health could have on one’s physical performance. Maia took her overall health and wellness obsession and aimed to tackle financial fitness. Maia reveals her passion for changing the narrative around money to be inclusive, positive, and practical in its experience. Pioneering a new way to serve customers in the fintech space, Maia’s strength is in building competitive brands in the start-up space through brand strategy and community management. Under her expertise, Nav.it has grown over 150% in the last year and launched two new distribution channels.In this explained episode, the pair bridge Maia’s journey from an English degree, to a fitness company, to her venture into the Fintech space as she now stands as the Chief Growth Officer of her company, Nav.it. Breaking down the basics of personal finance and comparing large-scale company tactics to everyday-language, Maia offers an inside scoop into better money habits for us all. Conversations on changing your mind, anti-procrastination, and a fascination with money are just the beginning...Twentysomethings, get ready for an hour that will change the trajectory of your financial journey with the expert herself, Maia Monell!Follow Us!Maia Monell: @maiamonell (and LinkedIn here)Nav.it: @letsnavit (and website here)Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with finance mogul, Alexa Von Tobel.Alexa von Tobel, CFP® is the founder and managing partner of Inspired Capital and the New York Times-Bestselling Author of Financially Fearless and Financially Forward. Founded in 2019, Inspired Capital is a $500M early-stage venture capital firm that invests across categories of innovation. Prior to Inspired Capital, Alexa founded LearnVest in 2008 with the goal of helping people make progress on their money. After raising nearly $75 million in venture capital, LearnVest was acquired by Northwestern Mutual in May 2015 in one of the biggest fintech acquisitions of the decade. She later assumed the role of Chief Innovation Officer through which she oversaw Northwestern Mutual’s venture arm.In this episode the pair trace back to the start of Alexa’s “work hard” approach to success, recalling her high school years as a student athlete and her psychology studies at Harvard University. Alexa breaks down how a positive attitude is the key to success and offers insight to achieving and maintaining a positive space. Conversations on building success with her husband, the road to finance in NYC, and mixing talent with passion to achieve dreams are just the beginning… Twentysomethings, get ready for an episode with the woman of the hour, Alexa Von Tobel!Follow Us!Alexa Von Tobel: @alexavontobelInspired Capital: @inspiredcapital (and website here)Learn Vest: @learnvest (and website here)Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

Discover the art of cold outreach and its pivotal role in networking success. Learn effective cold emailing techniques that prioritize clarity and brevity. Explore how active listening can transform connections and drive results. Understand how jealousy can be channeled into motivation for achieving your goals. Gain insights into the importance of confidence and competence in communication. Uncover actionable tips that empower you to create endless opportunities for personal and professional growth!

This week we chat with renowned celebrity divorce attorney, Laura Wasser.Laura is a family law expert, author, entrepreneur, and Chief of Divorce Evolution at Divorce.com. Laura has made it her driving purpose to help people divorce through less combative, more affordable modern solutions—in large part by founding online divorce service It’s Over Easy, which was folded into Divorce.com’s expansive platform in 2022. Finding common cause with Divorce.com, Laura also joined as Chief of Divorce Evolution, empowering her to share her passion for easing the devastating toll divorce can take on families and children.For over a decade, Laura has been changing the face of divorce. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way: How to Divorce Without Destroying Your Family and Bankrupting Yourself.” She also hosts the Divorce Sucks! and All’s Fair podcasts, where she shares her expertise and guides divorcing couples in reclaiming control of their destinies.In this episode the pair trace back to the start of Laura’s journey as a rhetoric major at Cal Berkeley, transforming the art of argumentation through literary analysis into her lifelong career in law. The trials and tribulations of Laura’s twenties are seen as the defining moments of her future career and this week we’ve got the inside scoop. Conversations on the challenges of law school, nightclub employment, and high-profile clients are just the beginning… Twentysomethings, listen now for an hour of stories and wisdom from the successful Laura Wasser!Follow Us!Laura Wasser: @laurawasserofficialDivorce Evolution: website hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething