Women Who Lead

Women Who Lead

"I Built Everything From Scratch, With Zero Connections": Mara Cracaleanu on Founding Melancholia Pictures at 24, Breaking Into International Film, and Why You Don't Need Permission to Build Globally

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 Los

Women Who Lead

"Publicity Amplifies Clarity - It Doesn't Create It": Yetunde Shorters on Identity Latency, When Founders Are Ready for Visibility, and Building Authentic Authority vs. Performing Expertise

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

"Referrals Are the Byproduct of Doing Excellent Work": Jen Rogers and Lori Jung on Co-Founding Hudson West, Getting Clients on The Today Show and The New York Times, and Building a Bicoastal Agency on Reputation Alone

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

"Creators Are Becoming Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs Must Become Creators": Ashley Rudd on Co-Founding MODA PR Over Caesar Salad and Fries, Getting Media-Ready, and Why PR Is Really About Managing Human Beings

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

"Reporters Are Working in Service of Their Audience, Not You": Lacy Talton on Co-Founding Evergreen & Oak, When Founders Actually Need PR, and Pricing Your Services Without Undervaluing Your Work

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

Women Who Lead

"At 6:15 am Music Lessons with Teenagers In Pajama Pants, I Learned What Leadership Really Is": Margaret Watts Romney on 20+ Years From Professional Cellist to TEDx Coach, and Why Speakership Is Leadership

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 this

Women Who Lead

"65% of Startups Fail from Cofounder Conflict, Not Market Fit": Jane Hales on the The Stormline Map™, Why Founders Stay in Toxic Partnerships, and Designing Founding Relationships Before Resentment Takes Root

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

Women Who Lead

From Single Mom Working Three Jobs to Fortune 500 HR Executive to Founding WeMaax Consulting: Mary Axelsen on Walking Away from Corporate Status, Her CARE™ Framework for Disruption Management, and Why 'Your Energy is Your Most Valuable Currency

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

Women Who Lead

"Your Body Always Keeps Receipts": From Stage 4 Endometriosis Wake-Up Call to Intuitive Business Coach - Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell on Achievement Addiction, the 12 Spiritual Principles of Money Magic, and Living Life "on FIRE"

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

Women Who Lead

From Dual Bladder Cancer Diagnosis to Patient Advocate and Author: Margo Wickersham on Why Self-Advocacy Saved Her Life, Balancing Revenue Growth Consulting with Cancer Advocacy, and What "Self-Care Isn't Selfish" Really Means

In November 2019, Margo Wickersham noticed blood in her urine. She thought she had a urinary tract infection. Three months later, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Her first doctor diagnosed her with Stage 1 High Grade Urethral Carcinoma and prescribed BCG therapy. But something didn't feel right,

Women Who Lead

From P&G and Big Pharma to Founding iWisdom: Ishil K. Ozturk on Building a Biopharma Consultancy That Advocates Instead of Advises, Navigating Male-Dominated Markets, and Why Business Development Takes Longer Than You Think

Ishil K. Ozturk knows what most consultancies get wrong: they deliver brilliant strategy, present polished slides, and disappear just as assets hit their most vulnerable phase (commercialization, governance battles, and investor scrutiny). After building her career at the intersection of management consultancy and operating roles at Procter & Gamble and

Women Who Lead

From Entertainment Consultant to Dog Therapy Pioneer: Aneka Johnson on Founding The Cuddle Club After Illness, Scaling to 40+ Therapy Dogs, and Why "Let Your Purpose Be Louder Than Fear"

Aneka Johnson didn't plan to become a dog therapy entrepreneur. The idea came to her in the shower. Literally. She had been informally bringing Chubbs, her French Bulldog, into friends' corporate workplaces and suddenly realized she'd "created this cuddle club." That moment of