Wings of Inspired Business

Melinda Wittstock
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Jan 20, 2026 • 54min

Personalized Ayurvedic Wellness: Serial Entrepreneur Arjita Sehti on Revenue, Resilience and AI Ethics

Arjita Sethi is a serial entrepreneur, physical therapist, certified yoga teacher, Ayurveda practitioner, and meditation expert, recognized as a leading voice at the intersection of AI and wellbeing. She is the founder of Shaanti, an AI-powered wellness platform creating personalized rituals rooted in Ayurveda, and New Founder School, which equips entrepreneurs with practical strategies to launch and grow sustainably. Arjita sits on the advisory board of the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, teaches entrepreneurship at San Francisco State University, and has impacted hundreds of thousands of people across 40 countries through her businesses, teaching, and advisory work. A TEDx speaker, angel investor, and advocate for women in technology, she brings her philosophy of life-synced success into her work as a partner and mother. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 📝 🤖 Ancient Meets AI: How AI enables highly personalized and holistic Ayurvedic wellness rituals, routines and practices to your unique body type and your current season of life. While Ayurveda teaches that every person is unique and needs personalized wellness routines, AI and data makes those customized health recommendations available 24/7. 🛠️🔥 Redefine Success by Your Own Metrics: After scaling then shutting down a venture-backed AI startup, Arjita made a conscious decision to bootstrap her businesses for more autonomy, sustainability, and alignment with her personal values. There is no "one size fits all" in entrepreneurship. Learn how she bootstrapped her virtual business school, grew it to $1 million in annual sales, and stayed true to her values (and wellbeing!). ❤️ 🤝 Transparency & Vulnerability Build Community: Learn how Arjita created a thriving support network for other entrepreneurs by openly sharing her struggles and learning from failure. She says: "99% of businesses might fail, but 99% of entrepreneurs don't." 🌱 ✨Entrepreneurship as a Spiritual Journey: Forget overnight success stories—real entrepreneurship involves failure, resilience, vulnerability, and growth. Learn the importance of self-awareness and sharing our journeys to support other women. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings965 More about Arjita at New Founder School https://newfounderschool.com/ Special January Launch Offer: Start the year with intention! Visit findshanti.com to access Shanti at the launch price of $200/year. PLUS get access to Arjita Sethi's masterclass on the foundations of Ayurveda and how to build holistic habits.
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Jan 13, 2026 • 45min

Fear to Freedom: Transformation Coach Martine Cohen on Mastering Aligned and Authentic Entrepreneurship

Martine Cohen is a transformative coach and former corporate attorney dedicated to empowering individuals to lead themselves authentically, separate their identity from their emotions and thoughts, and make choices from a place of deep inner awareness and alignment. Author of No More Layers: Discover Your Inner Power and Reclaim True Freedom From the Inside Out, Martine believes that true success comes from within, and she is passionate about guiding others to find ease, joy, and fulfillment by removing the layers that obscure their inner light. As both a lawyer and corporate leadership consultant, Martine is known for her ability to help high-achieving professionals navigate personal and professional transitions. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 📝✨How to be a Master Communicator: Why everything starts within you, and how to reframe your inner dialogue, show up to the person not conversation topic, and engage through active listening, negotiation, and compassion. 💬💪The Antidote to Fear is Curiosity: Why fear only exists in future; not in the present. "When the brain gets curious, it forgets to be afraid. And when the brain gets curious, it leans into something rather than away from it…. fear does not exist in the present." ❤️ 🚀 Awareness, Adventure and Alignment Drive Growth: Learn Martine's 3-pillar process, starting each day with a check-in: get curious about your thoughts, notice what's driving your actions, and make decisions that feel truly aligned with who you are. 🧠 💡 Success Blocks Are Layered and Unique: How women entrepreneurs often grapple with both the fear of failure and the fear of success, usually rooted in early conditioning or societal expectations. Rather than adopting a "masculine" approach to leadership and business, Martine urges women to lean into their authentic strengths—intuition, communication, multitasking, and a creative vision—for sustainable success. 🛑🔥From Crisis to Calling: Martine's own journey was catalyzed by a traumatic brain injury. Losing her identity as a high-achieving strategist, she faced fear and darkness head-on. This led her to discover that "we're not our brains," and propelled her to help others transform from the inside out. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings964 More about Martine at Martine Cohen
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Jan 6, 2026 • 57min

Plateaus to Profits: Entrepreneur Celi Arias on Scaling With the "Grown Ass Business" Method

Celi Arias is the CEO and Founder of The Grown Ass Business, where she guides entrepreneurs through her proprietary methodology, Key Growth Systems, to build strong business foundations. Recognized as a top coach by The Upside in 2024, Celi helps clients break free from revenue plateaus and burnout by focusing on core business principles over quick fixes. Her approach emphasizes clarity and control, optimizing essential business departments to ensure solid foundations for scaling up to seven figures and beyond. She's busy building software to scale her own business, now in beta at Get Scale. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🚀 🤝 Moving from the "Messy Middle": How to get past the "invisible ceiling" in your business and scale past the plateau. Often ambitious founders plateau because we're told to "lean into your strengths" and stay in our zone of genius. That works—until it doesn't. So many founders reach an invisible ceiling, and the tempting response is to just double down on what you're already good at. But doing more of what worked before isn't enough to create multi-seven-figure growth. Hint: the answer is never working harder, hiring more people like you, or doing more of what you're already doing. 🌱 🔄 GAB Method: Learn the Grown Ass Business method to overcome your blind spots. It's all about SHOWING (not just telling) you where you're missing the mark. By visualizing the six core "growth engines" of your business, she helps founders pinpoint the weak spots—be it sales projections, marketing effectiveness, or operational systems. This approach helps solopreneurs and early-stage teams work smarter, not just harder, as they scale. 📈 💰More is not a Number: Whether you're at six figures or scaling beyond, having clear sales projections, knowing your cycles and analyzing your financial data and other KPIs is foundational. "More" isn't a number you can measure! 🎯 🔥Focus on Profitable, Simple Offers: Service businesses often overwhelm themselves and their prospects with too many options. Get laser-focused—2-3 clear offers with intentional, strategic pricing can make all the difference. 💪⚡Build the Right Team (and Systems): Scaling isn't about hiring more people who are just like you. Fill the gaps in your business by mapping your blind spots and bringing in complementary skills, so all growth engines are aligned and working together. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings963
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Dec 30, 2025 • 34min

Red Carpets to Rest Wear: Celebrity Stylist and Entrepreneur Engie Hassan on Building Community for Women

Engie Hassan is a celebrated red-carpet fashion stylist turned CEO and Founder of The Revelist, a membership community to help women in midlife feel better about themselves. An alum of Vogue, French Vogue, Teen Vogue and Numero, Engie is a sought-after arbiter of taste and a go-to connector, helping clients broker meaningful alliances with the who's who of the fashion industry in the U.S., Europe and across the Arab world. Tastemakers such as Anna Wintour have lauded Engie for her vision for clients and the late Karl Lagerfeld singled out her eye for accessories. From The Oscars to the SAG Awards, Hassan dresses some of the most glamorous women and men in the world, and as a Style Commentator she has hosted red carpet style interviews and offered insights for ET Arabia, InStyle, NBC, Vogue Arabia, Grazia Middle East, Conde Nast Travel, The Express, The NJ Morning Show and many others. Engie has also styled music videos for Zach Matari (Fl!p it), Lauryn Hill, Tony Nominee Joshua Henry (Grow!), Jackie Nese, Frances Rose, Lily Massie, Mikel James, Deanna Demola and Young GVD. She's also worked as a personal stylist for Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Andre Holland, Amir Arison and more. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 ✨🔥 Celebrity Stylist to Community Builder: From a personal shopper to red carpet celebrity stylist, Engie shares her entrepreneurial path and purpose helping women navigate major transitions—career changes, perimenopause, and even postpartum—through her new venture, the Revelist. ❤️💬 What You Wear Matters More Than You Think: How years of seeing women transform emotionally through styling led Engie to a powerful insight: feeling good in our clothes can spark real internal change, build confidence, and help us reach new heights. 👩‍🔬 🚀 The Power of Women's Communities: Women facing major life changes crave a safe, relatable space to talk openly. That's why the Revelist is all about connection—both online (with a newsletter reaching 250,000 women!) and now increasingly in-person, with retreats and wellness events. 💡 🎯 Actionable Styling Tips (No Big Budgets Needed!): Styling doesn't have to be expensive or overwhelming. The golden rule on rebuilding your closet and confidence, at any price point? Start by getting clear on your goals, shop your closet first, and always use a good tailor. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings962 More about Engie at The Revelist https://therevelist.com
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Dec 23, 2025 • 35min

Scaling Pediatric Therapy: Entrepreneur Luba Patlakh on Resilience and Navigating Uncertain Times

Luba Patlakh, a passionate and dedicated speech language pathologist, is the founder and director of Kidology, Inc., a pediatric practice specializing in speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and ABA services. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Luba's expertise and compassion have shaped her approach to child development. She has built a thriving private practice over the past decade, where her innovative and client-centered approach has empowered families to help their children achieve significant milestones in speech and development. Her deep commitment to fostering inclusive and community-rooted services has earned her recognition as a winner of the Entreprenista 100 Award, and in 2024, she was named to the Inc. 5000 list for growing her business at an impressive rate. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🚀 🛠️Scaling Secrets: Why resilience, constant learning, and adaptability drive growth, and how Luba scaled her pediatric therapy business from a solo practice to nearly $4 million in annual revenue in 10 years. "Once you have a stable process, it's repeatable—that's where scalability comes from." ❤️✨Mission Always Comes First: Despite healthcare and education funding cuts and insurance reimbursement hurdles, Luba's commitment to her team and to underserved families has never wavered. "Everyone here has to have the heart for it—you're not just here for the money, but it is still a business." 📉 💪Navigating Turbulence: Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are vital for more than 7.5 million American children, yet Kidology must grapple with insurance cuts and delayed reimbursements to keep doors open for the families who need its services most. Luba's top tip? Get smart with finances, diversify service offerings, and always, always put people first. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings961 More about Luba at Kidology Inc https://kidologyinc.com/ Listen to Luba's podcast, The Growth Lab https://linktr.ee/growthlabpodcast
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Dec 16, 2025 • 44min

Living Longer, Better: Longevity Entrepreneur Leslie Kenny on Innovating the Anti-Aging Vitamin Primeadine

Leslie Kenny is the CEO and founder of Oxford Healthspan, an innovative longevity company with a game-changing supplement called Primeadine. An Oxford-based longevity expert and Harvard alum, Leslie founded Oxford Healthspan after reversing her own Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and infertility and giving birth naturally at 43. Now 60, with a biological age of 21, she's committed to helping others optimize their health span. Leslie is also co-founder of the Oxford Longevity Project, a nonprofit dedicated to public education on aging smarter with science-backed strategies. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🌱 ✨Spermidine, the Miracle Anti-Aging Ingredient: Learn about Leslie's discovery of spermidine (now branded as Primeadine) and how food-derived compounds can help slow—and even reverse—the biological aging process. 💡🌐 Ethical Supplement Development: How Leslie's commitment to transparency and quality in the supplement industry is changing the game. Learn how she refused to cut corners with fillers or manufacturing shortcuts, ensuring her products are safe, well-researched, and truly beneficial—even if that means lower margins and a slower process. Plus, how Japanese longevity principles influenced her philosophy and product development. 📚 🤟 Consumer Education Matters: Bringing a new category of product to market isn't just about sales—it's about teaching people what's possible. From changing perceptions around aging to demystifying scientific terminology, Leslie's educational approach sets her apart as both a scientist and a leader. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings960 More about Leslie at Oxford Healthspan Get 15% off Primeadine
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Dec 9, 2025 • 57min

Real Estate Empire: "Selling the Hamptons" Bianca D'Alessio on Resilience, Confidence and Mastering Sales

Bianca D'Alessio, star of HBO Max's acclaimed series Selling The Hamptons, is recognized as the top real estate broker in both New York City and New York state. Bianca founded one of the top real estate brokerage teams in the United States, where she manages a $10 billion international real estate portfolio. Having rebuilt her career through adversity, Bianca attributes her success to the art of mastering intention. Author of Mastering Intentions: 10 Practices to Amplify Power and Lead with Lasting Impact, she emphasizes the vital synergy between personal branding and business culture, advocating for the transformative power of manifestation, mindset control, and resilience in achieving exceptional success across all facets of life. Bianca is regularly featured on Fox Business News, CNN, Bloomberg, Mansion Global, and Forbes, and she has a weekly real estate column in Money Magazine. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 ✨💡 Confidence and Authenticity Matter: Bianca's success didn't happen overnight. She emphasizes that confidence—especially in sales—comes from doing the self-work and learning to value your unique strengths. Sales isn't about being "smarmy"; it's about authentic connection, empathy, and understanding your client's true desires. ✨❤️ The Power of Intentional Living: After pushing herself to the brink, Bianca realized a balanced life fuels even greater business success. When she made time for relationships, fun, and self-care, not only did she "glow up" personally, but her business thrived too. Perfectionism can limit innovation, while vulnerability and intention create lasting impact. ✨🦄 Redefining Success & Embracing Failure: Learn how to move away from comparison and "aspirational" metrics because true growth comes from competing with yourself, learning quickly from failures (rather than fearing them), and giving your team permission to innovate—even if that means making mistakes. ✨💰 $11k to $10 Billion: What it takes to overcome self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and redefining what it means to "sell"—understanding people at a deep level and having the confidence to lead them through their biggest life decisions. ✨📈 Real Estate Outlook: Rising costs, low inventory, and creative ways to build wealth even when the "dream home" feels out of reach. Whether you're a buyer, seller, or real estate fan, Bianca's shares to help you see new possibilities. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings959 More about Bianca at BiancaDalessio.com https://www.biancadalessio.com
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Dec 2, 2025 • 53min

Authenticity in an AI World: PR Maven Nicole Rodrigues on Building a Trustworthy Brand in a Polarized, Uncertain Times

Nicole Rodrigues is the CEO and Founder of NRPR Group, the Beverly Bills public relations and marketing machine serving game changing companies from entertainment to tech around the world. NRPR focuses on building relationships that build long-lasting ties between clients, the media and their audiences. From startups to Fortune 500 companies within consumer tech, FinTech, HealthTech, enterprise, mobile, digital entertainment, lifestyle, sports, and consumer products, NRPR prides itself on a high-touch, results-focused approach to boost their clients' bottom line. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🔥 📝 PR as an Insurance Policy: In an age of AI deepfakes and viral scandals, its vital to be proactive and start creating and curating a steady flow of positive, authentic leadership content across your platforms, so you have a strong track record to counteract any attacks or fakes that threaten to damage your brand. ✨🤖AI is Productivity Hack Not a Job Replacer: Learn how AI can boost team productivity and eliminate "busywork"—think streamlined brainstorming and better workflow—for marketing and other tasks, while leaving room for the irreplaceable human touch in building authentic relationships and strategy. Hint: Use AI as your "intern," not your strategy. 🎭 👩‍🔬 The Authenticity Dilemma: Authenticity does not require "radically transparency". Be yourself, but avoid venting political or divisive opinions as a CEO. Protect your brand—choose when, where, and how you show your values. 🚀 🤝 The Power of Thoughtful Human Connection: From handwritten thank-you notes to in-person meetups—what's old is new (and so effective) again. Taking the time to engage personally and meaningfully has never mattered more in a digital world that can feel disconnected. 🛠️💪Quick Takeaways & Action Steps: Start building positive, authentic content about you and your business now—think of it as your online "armor" Leverage AI as your creative assistant, not your boss Thoughtful, selective in-person connections are more powerful than ever CEOs and founders: keep your personal and business brands strategic, aligned, and intentionally public 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings958 More about Nicole at NRPR Group https://www.nrprgroup.com/
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Nov 25, 2025 • 45min

Gratitude & Giving Back: Winery Entrepreneur Maria Castellucci Moore on Navigating Change and Uncertainty

Maria Castellucci Moore is the founder of the boutique winery and real estate business, Castellucci Napa Valley. She's also a multi-award-winning author of the children's book series Traveling Mindfulness, including Vivian in Paris and Sophia in Rome, and winner of the Gold Mom's Choice Award. First-generation American and mother to four children, Maria is also a board member of the San Francisco Opera Guild and Napa Valley's Ambassador to Charitable nonprofit organization, Roots of Peace— an organization that demines war torn lands and plants fruit orchards and vineyards worldwide. Maria also received the 2023 Most Intriguing Award for Napa Valley. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🍷🌱 Navigating Challenges: Pressures facing the wine industry, from shifting consumer tastes and competition from seltzers and European wines to reduced Napa tourism and a changing luxury market, how both hospitality and agriculture are feeling the economic squeeze, and creative strategies for weathering economic storms. ✨💡 Purpose Beyond Profit: Why diversifying your interests beyond building your business to also focus on positive social impact builds your resilience, joy and happiness. Maria shares her involvement with organizations like Roots of Peace and the San Francisco Opera Guild. 🤎 🤝 Immigration & Community: the critical role of hardworking migrant workers in agriculture, and the impact of the Trump Administration's anti-immigrant roundups on the California wine business. ✈️ 📚 Traveling Mindfulness – A Creative Journey for Kids: Maria's shares her inspiration for the children's book series, which blends the joy of travel with mindfulness, inviting kids to use their senses to find their unique happiness in Paris, Rome, London, and beyond. 🔥🛠️Advice for Entrepreneurs: Stay hungry, stay curious, stay creative. In uncertain times, its vital to grow, pivot, and diversify. Maria reminds us: "If you're not growing, you're going backwards." 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings957 More about Maria at Maria Castellucci Moore Author
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Nov 18, 2025 • 58min

Raising Debt-Free College Grads: Entrepreneur Shellee Howard on College Prep and Empowering Kids for Self-Discovery

Shellee Howard is the Founder and CEO of College Ready and CR Future Now, a Certified Independent College Strategist, and a best-selling author. A member of HECA and SOFA, she helps students gain admission to their best-fit colleges—often debt-free. As a mother of four, Shellee has firsthand experience with college success. Her son graduated debt-free from Harvard, earned his MD from UCSD, and is now an Orthopedic Surgery Resident at UCLA. Her daughter earned her BSN debt-free and became an RN in 2021. A sought-after speaker and consultant, Shellee has guided hundreds of students worldwide to top universities, ensuring they graduate debt-free and land jobs they love. Shellee also hosts the podcast, Parents: Is Your Teen College Ready? 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🌱🤔 Start Early, Self-Discovery Comes First: Why college prep should start in middle school, with parents guiding their kids to reflect on their interests, strengths, and values. Learn how to help your kids figure out who they are before choosing what to study with a mix of community service, internships, and real-world conversations with professionals. 💸 🎯 A Strategic (Not Emotional) Path to College: Why it's not about chasing school prestige or following the crowd. The best path involves empowering students to build standout resumes, match with colleges that value their unique qualities, and—most importantly—graduate without crushing student loans. 🎓💡 Scholarships (and How to Win Them): One of Shellee's most compelling stats: her seniors earned over $10 million in scholarships last year alone. Her secret? Treat the process like building a business—from early planning, crafting applications, and strategically picking colleges that want to reward your child's excellence. 👩‍💼 🛠️ For Young Entrepreneurs and Non-Traditional Paths: Not every student is destined for the Ivy League—or even a traditional four-year college. Learn how to explore all options, including trade schools and entrepreneurial ventures. There is no "one size fits all" path to success. ✨🤖 How AI Is Impacting College Decisions: How to best prepare your teen for an AI world, why teaching nimbleness, flexibility and resilience is key. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings956 More about Shellee at College Ready Plan https://collegereadyplan.com/

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