Women Who Lead
Jordyn Palos launched Persona PR in 2010 from her Los Angeles apartment at 25 - no investors, no financial safety net, and significant consumer debt. What she had was four years of agency experience, a handful of clients who believed in her, and a clear priority: make the transition completely
Women Who Lead
Michelle Blue is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and trained psychoanalytical coach with over 12years of experience transforming how individuals approach work and life. As the Founder of Next YE Development, an education consultancy focused on future-ready entrepreneurial andcareer development programs, she equips early talent and educators with the mindset, skills,
Women Who Lead
Ashley White spent 15 years at Atlantic Records - 11 in New York City and four working remotely from Austin, Texas, where she had moved to give her kids a different way of life. That remote chapter, which predated COVID by years, taught her something important: she could do this
Women Who Lead
Mara Cracaleanu founded her first company while still at university - in her room, in a country where she knew no one. By 24, she had built two companies from the ground up and was developing internationally oriented film and television projects with collaborators across London, Milan, New York, and
Women Who Lead
Yetunde Shorters was born in Chicago, raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and graduated college at 20. She built her career as an international publicist working with Grammy, Tony, and MTV Award-winning artists - securing over 1,500 media features reaching 40 million people in outlets including Good Morning America, Essence, Forbes,
Women Who Lead
Jen Rogers and Lori Jung co-founded Hudson West in 2012 - not in a boardroom, but at their daughters' swim lessons. Both had just relocated from New York City to Scottsdale, Arizona, and once they realized they were in the same industry, the idea came quickly. What followed was
Women Who Lead
Ashley Rudd co-founded MODA PR in 2020 over what she calls "the ultimate girl dinner" - Caesar salad, fries, and a Diet Coke. The catalyst? Reading Kelly Cutrone's "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside," which gave her the push to leave her corporate
Women Who Lead
Lacy Talton is Partner and Co-Founder of Evergreen & Oak, a global PR and marketing agency headquartered in North Carolina's Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). The agency specializes in B2B tech, including adtech, healthtech, and martech, and has secured coverage for clients in major publications like
Women Who Lead
Margaret Watts Romney's first students of the day walked into her studio at 6:15am for cello lessons - teenagers in pajama pants, barely able to function. Despite their shared battle with circadian rhythms, they had a job to do. The parents were paying her to somehow get
Women Who Lead
Jane Hales has spent over 30 years building and exiting businesses, serving as a board director, business accelerator coach and mentoring founders. She co-founded Sapio Research, an award winning market research agency inspired by social enterprise principles, and stepped back from day-to-day operations to become an active shareholder and board
Women Who Lead
Mary Axelsen knows what it means to choose courage over comfort, and she's done it more than once. In her twenties, as a single mother and sole provider, she left corporate America to attend college full-time. She worked three part-time jobs, raised her daughter, volunteered, and graduated debt-free.
Women Who Lead
Before her health collapsed, Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell wore productivity like a badge of honor. She was chronically exhausted but called it "being driven." She ignored pain, inflammation, brain fog, and a nervous system that never powered down. She normalized operating at 120% and spiritualized overworking by calling it purpose.