Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

 The fashion world was the last place Rachel Blumenthal envisioned her career. Growing up on Cape Cod surrounded by adults with “practical” careers, it never occurred to her that a job in fashion might be a viable option. However, when a series of internships and a stroke of luck landed her a job at Yves Saint Laurent, Rachel found herself in the midst of it all.  Despite the fact that she was immersed in a creative environment, the job itself was lacking in that aspect, and on a whim Rachel made herself a ring for fun. That ring was noticed by friends who worked at a magazine, and with just one product she was asked to be featured as a designer in the publication. Overnight she was forced to create a legitimate company, find a buyer and create a website or risk losing the feature. This type of resourcefulness laid the groundwork for what became an incredibly successful jewelry line, Rachel Leigh, and what led to multiple ventures beyond that, most recently, Rockets of Awesome, a subscription-based clothing line for children.  Here Rachel discusses her creativity, her work ethic, and how passionate drive is the key to a successful business. Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here, or visit https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas If a good opportunity presents itself, find every way you can to make it work for you. [04:21] Mitigating risk when starting a business. [09:31] Giving yourself grace when making mistakes. [18:37] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda de Cadenet is a force to be reckoned with. She’s had more  noteworthy careers than most people achieve in a lifetime. Amanda began  her career in television at the age of 15. Not for the stardom or the  glamour, but out of pure necessity to support herself. The show, in  which she and other presenters interviewed bands such as Nirvana and  Oasis, proved to be a hit. While Amanda had found success, by the age of  22 she was ready for a change, and moved to L.A. to work as a  photographer. After experiencing firsthand the frustration of  being passed over time and again for photography jobs which she was  qualified for, Amanda began to produce and interview women on her own  show, “The Conversation.” “I’m always interested in peoples’ really low  moments, because I want to know how they came back from it. Because  we’re all going to have them, no one’s exempt. My question has always  been, ‘well how did you get up off the ground one more time? How did you  make it through that?’ Because that’s ultimately what we have to share  on the other side of it.” Continuing on her quest to promote  intersectional gender equality Amanda has also spearheaded the #girlgaze  movement, encouraging female-identifying individuals to share their  unique point of view under that hashtag in the hopes of illuminating the  multifaceted jewel that is the female point of view. This episode is in partnership with SAP SuccessFactors. Thanks for listening!  We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here, or visit https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas The gift of vulnerability and the strength that lies within that. [2:46] Learning how to navigate the most challenging parts of life and move forward. [15:12] Decisions based on choice vs. need. [32:29] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may not seem like the most obvious progression, but after spending the early parts of their careers in the demanding world of fashion, Noria Morales and Sarah Robinson decided to go out on a limb and pursue a venture near and dear to them as new mothers – creating a parent-friendly play place. Through their (and many parents’) desire to find a place where children could have fun and adults could relax came the inspiration for The Wonder, a Tribeca-based space that includes multiple play areas, adults-only zones and a café, in addition to classes and programming to keep kiddos engaged.  Drawing on the skills they learned while working at MAC, Target and Lucky Magazine, Sarah and Noria discuss the hurdles they overcame to launch a business while working full time, all while managing motherhood and family duties. It wasn’t easy, but things worth doing rarely are! Big Ideas The value of staying the course through the toughest parts of launching a company. [11:38] The importance of taking time to visualize the best possible outcome, and leaning on friends for advice when you need it. [30:11] Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here, or visit https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and all-around amazing human being, Noor Tagouri joins us this week for a  wide-ranging conversation. She talks about how she found  success in her career while remaining true to herself, the importance of giving a voice to marginalized communities in the media, and much more. This episode is in partnership with SAP SuccessFactors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 This week, Rebecca sits down with Elizabeth Shaffer & Lizzy Brockhoff, co-founders of MASSE,  a shopping app with a  zero tolerance policy for any paid-for or sponsored recommendations.  They talk about the challenges of creating a new product, how life is  just one big juggling act, and the idea of a praise sandwich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Rebecca sits down with Jennifer Bett Meyer and Melissa  Duren Conner of Jennifer Bett Communications, where they talk about the  importance of developing a company culture and how to hire people that  fit your vision. They also talk about some of their biggest regrets with  their PR firm and how leaving yourself open to opportunity is one of  the best things you can do for your career.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Rebecca sits down with Raegan Moya Jones, the Founder of aden  + anais and author of What It Takes. After being fired from the company  she founded and had to grown over $100 million, to say she felt knocked down is an understatement. But Raegan's story is one of perseverance.  Soon after she started a new business knowing that trying again and failing was better than not trying because she was scared. Raegan hopes that her story serves as a cautionary tale as well as an inspiration to those looking to start their own business.   Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here , or visit  https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages  on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicole Gibbons is a disruptor of the paint industry.  In a field dominated by absurdly masculine branding, Nicole is the first person to create a direct-to-consumer paint company that is not only convenient but also disarmingly beautiful. After starting her career in PR, Nicole realized the parts of her job she was most excited about involved design. After planning and saving up for a number of years, she made the leap to start her own interior design firm. While her firm was wildly successful, after a while Nicole was hungry for something different. Taking note of other brands disrupting the supply chain and working with direct-to-consumer models, Nicole wondered how she could apply that to design. “I felt like I really wanted to do something innovative; I really wanted to solve a big problem that hadn’t been tackled before. So I kept thinking about what I could do in the home space that made sense, and paint was the perfect light bulb moment that I had.”  Inspired by her parents, both entrepreneurs, Nicole always knew she wanted to be in business for herself. With a mix of talent, inspiration, hard work, and patience, Nicole proves that if you can dream it, you can build it.  Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here , or visit  https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages  on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not often that the word, “vulnerability”, is listed as a desired trait in a potential employee, but Jennifer DaSilva, president of WPP creative agency Berlin Cameron, thinks it makes for a much better workplace. “One of my firm beliefs is that you need to be shamelessly you, and whether you’re at work or at home or with dinner with your girlfriends, you should bring your full self to the table and allow yourself to be you.” That includes having room to make mistakes. Jennifer firmly believes that greater strides will be made when there is not a pressure for perfection, but an allowance to try, stumble, and grow.  Jennifer and Rebecca go way back. Theirs is a relationship based on mutual support and collaboration, another value upon which Jennifer places great importance. “We’re better together,” is a phrase they are both fond of.  In the business world these are radical notions – prioritizing collaboration over the limelight, vulnerability over stoicism. Jennifer is at the forefront of this movement, ushering in a new type of work environment, and even greater than that, a new definition of success. Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here, or visit https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! You can also follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Confidence is not something that Amy Levin is lacking. “No,” Amy says with a laugh, in response to whether or not her age or gender was ever an issue in the success of her business.  Starting her company, College Fashionista, while actually still in college, Amy faced a unique set of challenges. Things such as managing work/school/life balance, and meetings with investors and business owners much older than she, would have been enough to intimidate any fresh-faced, young entrepreneur. But it never threw Amy off her game. Owing much of her unshakeable disposition to her parents, Amy never doubted that she has what it takes to take College Fashionista wherever she wanted it to go.  While she always had faith in the success of her company, Amy, like any entrepreneur, did face challenges along the way. While she had a strong business and financial background, tech was not her strong suit, and she saw to it early on that she had a diverse board of advisors in place for when, inevitably, questions would arise that required a different perspective.  Big Ideas - The value of self confidence, and how cultivating that mitigates feelings of inadequacy when faced with potentially difficult situations. [02:20] - The importance of flexibility. If you have a plan and it isn’t going the way you’d hoped, be open to adapting that plan. [22:21] - Surrounding yourself with a diverse group of background, age, experience, etc., will help you to overcome a greater range of challenges, because you will have a greater range of perspective. [19:23] Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here, or visit https://anchor.fm/superwomen/messages on your desktop or phone to leave us a voice memo! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices