Takin’ Care of Lady Business®

Lisa Sun is Founder & CEO of GRAVITAS, a company whose origin story dates back to Lisa’s first professional review: that she “lacked gravitas” and “should go buy a new dress, big jewelry, and great shoes.” Realizing the transformative power that clothing can have, Lisa secured the patent on building shapewear into dresses and launched Gravitas as a Confidence Company that offers innovative apparel and styling solutions designed to makeover women from the inside-out. Prior to founding Gravitas, Lisa spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company where she advised leading luxury, fashion, and beauty brands globally on strategic and operational issues. Lisa graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with distinction in Biology and Political Science. Represented exclusively by Leading Authorities: https://www.leadingauthorities.com/speakers/lisa-sun

About GRAVITAS

Our mission is to Catalyze Confidence. GRAVITAS is intelligent function meets versatile fashion. Our patented innovations and styling solutions empower every woman to have a confident sense of self, inspired by our founder Lisa Sun’s own life story. The figure-flattering collections are designed for every woman, shape, and size, offered in Sizes 0-24W. Since its Q4 2013 launch, GRAVITAS has garnered a loyal customer following and received over 80 press features, including stories in Oprah Magazine, W Magazine, ELLE, New York Magazine, InStyle, Marie Claire (US, China), People, Cosmopolitan, WWD, Fast Company, Forbes, to name a few, and features on TODAY Show, CNN, and ABC News. 

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business Jennifer Justice speaks with Lisa Sun, CEO and founder of Gravitas. Lisa shares her inspiring story of being the daughter of immigrants who came to America with little money and how she became an entrepreneur. She also explains how she founded Gravitas to catalyze confidence and started out by making clothing with shapewear built in.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

– Why believing in yourself is the foundation for achieving success.

– How self-worth is an internal process, not an external one.

– The importance of using experiences to inform your company.

– Why it is important to recognize our own strengths, be kind to ourselves, and find a support group to help us through difficult times.

Quotes:

“Dumbo did not need a feather to fly, but it reminded him that he could.” – Lisa Sun

“Not every journey is just like a linear thing… it’s not all roses. Everybody hears about the things that come out and make you an instant billionaire, but that’s very rare, and it usually happens to men… you should know what you’re getting into.” – Jennifer Justice

“You don’t get written about until you’ve succeeded, okay? And we never read about the 90% plus of women entrepreneurs who every single day feel alone, especially if you don’t have a co-founder, and the burden is solely on you.” – Lisa Sun

“I tied so much of myself worth to certain metrics…That the sales target, the number, all of these things, I really tied up my self-worth with these external benchmarks… I realized that I could tie my self-worth to the quality of my character… I had to take stock of these other metrics that are not public facing. There’s no award documenting your success for yourself.” – Lisa Sun

Lisa’s Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/731156/gravitas-by-lisa-sun/

Gravitas: https://gravitasnewyork.com

Jamie Greenberg is a renowned celebrity makeup artist with extensive knowledge in the beauty industry. She has mastered her craft for over 15 years through her amazing work on celebrities such as Kaley Cuoco, Rashida Jones, Kristen Stewart, Chelsea Handler, Christina Applegate, Jessica Alba and many more. Founder of the beauty brand and digital platform, Jamie Makeup, Jamie is “Everyone’s Personal Makeup Artist”, supporting the beauty needs & personal growth of women everywhere. Jamie believes makeup should be fun, highlight your personality, and celebrate your uniqueness, and she is bringing her red-carpet knowledge to your bathroom one Blighlighter, Bloss, or beauty tip at a time!

On this episode of Takin’ Care of Lady Business, Jamie tells her story of how she moved to New York City to pursue entertainment-related jobs but ended up finding interest in makeup. She started by working at Ulta in retail and honed her makeup skills by doing makeup on 10,000 people. Now she has been in the industry for 20 years.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

– How the Blighlighter line is perfect for busy people because it is easy to use, and it looks great.

– Why you should do your research and make sure you are getting the right kind of money and that it is coming from the right source.

– An important reminder for starting a business – nothing is built overnight. 

– The importance of supporting female-owned businesses so we can succeed together. 

– Why you should trust your instincts over the opinions of others.

Quotes:

“I think no matter what I did in my life, there’d always be a point where I kind of hit a ceiling and I was like, all right, what’s next? How do I, they call it pivot. I call it evolve. How do I?” – Jamie Greenberg

“There’s such an amazing transaction when a woman comes in and she’s frazzled and she’s like, I want this, I need a new look, I need the, you know, and you give them a look and they feel amazing and then they buy everything.” – Jamie Greenberg

“We all go to college, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go sit in an office. Like you can do something that is more creative from a creative endeavor… and what you’re doing, but you’re also a businesswoman.” – Jennifer Justice

“I think it says so much in such a testament to when somebody who’s an expert in it goes, there’s something missing in this area.” – Jennifer Justice

@JamieMakeup

https://jamiemakeup.com/

Alice Kim is the Founder and CEO of PerfectDD, a brand created from her own need to find clothes that fit and flatter women with DD+ cups, small to mid-frame. As a size 32DD, Alice struggled her entire life to feel confident in clothes that are not too tight at her chest or oversized on the rest of her body. Learning that the average bra size in the U.S. is a 34DD and millions of women struggle with the same problem, Alice was inspired to create style solutions and to be the voice for these underserved women.

Alice believes that getting dressed should be easy so you can focus on being a boss. Born and raised in NYC, Alice is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in economics and began her career in investment banking at Bear Stearns. After three years in finance, she decided to follow her true calling and transitioned into fashion. Alice spent two decades working at renown fashion houses including Shopbop, Diane von Furstenberg, Prada, and Victoria’s Secret which taught her to be an expert in product, fit, and design. Alice is a Tory Burch Fellow 2022 and a member of the Female Founder Collective and Dreamers & Doers.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode where Alice talks about how hard it is to find clothes that fit people of larger chest sizes, especially when they’re teenagers. Alice, who has 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, wanted to change this and started her own company. 

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

– How Alice created products that fill a need for women with larger chests getting lost in the mix

– PerfectDD’s mission to make clothes tailored for all body types, not just bigger boobs

– The importance of getting properly measured and fitted for a bra to avoid a range of problems, from back pain to sagging breasts

– Why it is important to focus on the core customer base with a niche business

Quotes:

“After being in fashion for 20 years, I was like, F this, I have experience, I have the data now, so I’m gonna do it. And interestingly enough, I did pitch my idea a couple of times to other brands, and because people aren’t used to it, it’s a new category that I’m forging, they thought it was too “niche”, and I didn’t get the yes. So, I said, you know what? I know in my heart of hearts, the data, the experience… If someone’s gonna do it eventually, but why not me?” – Alice Kim

“I think getting dressed should be easy. So you can focus on being a boss.” – Jennifer Justice

“The market is there. I think what did well [on TikTok] is not only following the trends, but I talked about something that is “taboo”. You’re not supposed to talk about boobs outside of bras, right or swimwear.” – Alice Kim

Website

http://www.perfectdd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectdd/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@perfectdd

In this episode, we talk with Sana Clegg and Fiona Simmonds, the co-founders of Pinkie, a company that fills an unmet need by making organic period pads custom-sized for tweens and teens. Sana and Fiona share their personal experiences with traditional period products and the lack of options available for young girls. They discuss how Pinkie pads are designed to be comfortable and provide confidence for young girls navigating their periods. 

SANA CLEGG is the co-founder of Pinkie, Inc., the only small-sized organic period pads designed to fit tweens, teens, and adults. Sana is a veteran marketing and public relations expert with over a decade of experience working with top luxury marketing and PR firms in the country, including Valentino and Ivanka Trump Jewelry. She is also the founder of the luxury children’s sleepwear brand Sunny with an A. Sana also spent five years in investment banking and holds a degree from Georgia Tech. She is the mother of three daughters and one son and lives with her family in New York City. 

FIONA SIMMONDS is the co-founder of Pinkie, Inc., the only puberty company which offers small-sized organic period pads designed to fit tweens and teens. Prior to founding Pinkie, Fiona spent over a decade in Investment Banking and Mergers & Acquisitions at Citigroup Global Markets and American Express. She also has executive management and business operations experience from her time at a Blackstone portfolio company. Fiona holds a BA from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. She is the mother of one son and two daughters and lives with her family in New York City.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with insight into the mission and values of Pinkie and the work that Sana and Fiona are doing to empower young girls during a scary time in their life.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

• How Pinkie fills a need for young girls who are starting their periods at earlier ages by offering small-sized organic period pads for teens and tweens
• Why open communication, no egos involved, and work towards what’s best for the company, which has been crucial to their success
• The importance of having a co-founder with complementary skills and personalities
• Using bootstrapping and being frugal and thoughtful in spending can build a business long-term
• How Pinkie has received investment from supportive investors who have an open mind and want to learn and understand the product and its mission, including men who were able to understand the product through financial analogies

Quotes:

“I went to the drugstore and looked around and I thought, wait a minute, like nothing’s changed from what my mom gave me decades ago.” – Fiona Simmonds

“It’s more just making sure when you partner with someone that they have all Yins to your Yangs and vice versa.” – Sana Clegg

“You have men who invested… I know that other people I’ve talked to, or female founders, who had tampons, et cetera. [and], it was a very difficult conversation with men in the room. [The woman] had to move it away from the icky topical topic of a period and literally just talk about the financial like aspect of it and how much money they would make.” – Jennifer Justice 

“[Explaining a female product], it’s like that astronaut. [Sally Ride], one of the female astronauts who went to space. And they gave her, like, 100 tampons for like a four-day flight 100 tampons, and these are literally rocket scientists.” – Fiona Simmonds

“I was flabbergasted, I was one of our first meetings, we went have this pretty bro-y office of VC investors, but the best of the whole thing. After we gave the whole speech, they were like, “so, why don’t you just get your husbands to invest in this?’” – Sana Clegg

Pinkiepads.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkiepads

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pinkiepads

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pinkie-Organic-Cotton-Topsheet-Tweens/

After a successful 20-year career in technology, Alli founded The Forem to unlock opportunities for women across disruptive brands and Fortune 1000 organizations. As CEO, Alli oversees all aspects of The Forem, including corporate training and Executive Coaching.

In her last role, Alli led Americas at Turn, a tech company in the middle of a challenging transition and exit. In her most prominent role, Alli led various sales teams over an 11-year tenure at Google, where she focused on strategic partnerships and aligning customer goals with emerging tech solutions, including the development of a global programmatic strategy which drove several billion in revenue. Alli began her career at Yahoo! and went on to lead creative and marketing strategy at both Deutsch and Mediacom.

Throughout Alli’s career, she noticed a pattern — there are unwritten rules that men and corporations have been using for decades that women have not implemented due to lack of exposure and sponsorship, among other things.

Alli spent a year researching career advancement and launched a new curriculum that unlocks upward mobility for women, called the 5 Critical Skills. These skills are not gender specific, but they are often underutilized by women, and they are critical to navigating leadership within corporate culture. Alli’s unique curriculum is based on her experience at Google and can reach a wide audience via her platform at The Forem. These skills apply to young women starting their careers, all the way up to CEOs seeking board seats. Alli’s personal mission is to move 1M women into leadership by 2030. The Forem’s Five Critical Skills are taught through talks, live workshops, and a career advancement platform, which enhances ongoing learning. These skills can be leveraged at any stage of a career.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Alli Young where they discuss It is essential for supervisors to demonstrate an aptitude for breaking the status quo. Developing a sense of unity among employees within an organization is critical, as is promoting psychological safety. For women working in the tech industry, it is wise to cultivate a support network of colleagues who will be there to provide guidance and encouragement.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

• The importance of instilling psychological safety.
• Managers need to be willing to be disruptors.
• The importance of creating community within a company.
• Have a tribe of people on your side.

Quotes:

“Teaching people why growth mindset is so important. And when you teach that, and they believe it, it does help with everything else that follows. People are more willing to be curious, and to be a little more introspective, and figure out different ways in which they can show up.” – Alli Young

“As an executive, I’ve always found [you’re either making money or saving money for the company] one of the most difficult things to get across to more junior exec, employees, etc. because they want to join something that they want to be a part of they’re not thinking necessarily, of the P&L and the bottom line.” – Jennifer Justice

“If these companies don’t really look within at the employees that they have and look at them and say we’re going to help you operate at a higher-level man they’d better sell more effectively understand the P&L, so you can make better business decisions like all of that. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to achieve their goals.” – Alli Young

“Have your tribe of people not inside, but out.” – Jennifer Justice

alliyoung@theforem.co

https://theforem.co

Named one of Inc. Magazines Top 100 Female Founders of 2020, Collette Courtion is a distinguished and award-winning consumer marketer, inventor (21 issued patents), and femtech leader who is revolutionizing the $600 billon dollar menopause market with Joylux—the leader in at-home medical devices, personal care products and digital tools for menopausal women experiencing vaginal and sexual health issues. With over 20 years of cross-functional expertise leading consumer product, retail, and medical device companies, she is known as a category creator in the emerging health and wellness space. Prior to founding Joylux and her other two skincare related start-ups, she was a marketing executive with Starbucks responsible for launching and growing the Starbucks Card and Customer loyalty program into a multi-billion-dollar business. Courtion and her companies have earned numerous accolades including the AARP Innovation Lab’s Women’s Health Award (2021), Angel Capital Association’s Most Innovative Company (2019), Best Product of the Year (2003) for Starbucks Duetto Card from Business Week, Top 15 Women of Influence (2009) in Seattle and Top 40 Under 40 leaders (2006) in Seattle from Puget Sound Business Journal.

In this episode, Collette discusses the inspiration behind Joylux and how her company is changing the way women take care of their intimate health. Collette started Joylux after experiencing challenges with traditional products on the market and realizing the need for more personalized solutions. Joylux is a leading menopausal platform company offering high-tech home-use medical and wellness devices, digital tools, and products that address menopause-related intimate health concerns such as incontinence, vaginal dryness, sexual function, hot flashes, and other common symptoms. Their hero product is the vFit/ vSculpt device – the first home-use device clinically-validated to improve genitourinary syndrome of menopause using photobiomodulation technology. Joylux products are sold in over 10 countries around the world under the brands Joylux, vFit, vSculpt, Cooling Care, and HER Intimate Care. Our mission is to help women find delight in their lives, through all phases of menopause.

Collette emphasizes the importance of taking care of intimate health and the positive impact it can have on overall well-being. She expresses her passion for empowering women to take control of their intimate health and her commitment to continuing to develop innovative solutions to meet the needs of women everywhere.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Collette Courtion about how she and Joylux are revolutionizing the women’s health industry and providing personalized solutions to improve women’s intimate well-being.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

– The Story of founding Joylux, a company dedicated to providing innovative women’s health solutions

– Understanding menopause and perimenopause

– The challenge of promoting female sexual health products through social media

– Securing capital for a business within the sexual health sector

– The importance of educating women about perimenopause, with the ultimate goal of breaking down taboos

Quotes:

“If your OB is saying you’re not in menopause yet or you’re fine, fire them immediately, if you’re over 40. Like that’s ridiculous, because you want to get ahead of these things and understand what your body is going through.” – Jennifer Justice

“Menopause is a life stage, it’s not a disease.” – Collette Courtion

“Women should have equal rights with men in terms of our bodies. In terms of how we talk about our bodies, a vagina is really no different than a different than a penis.” – Collette Courtion

Connect with Collette, Joylux, and Mommy Matters:

www.Joylux.com/

www.Mommymatters.com/

Ali Koplar Wyatt is a veteran of the start-up world, having worked in a leadership capacity at iconic lifestyle and culture-shifting companies like Goop, Refinery29, and most recently, launching Female Founder Collective with Rebecca Minkoff. She is a business builder, advisor to start-ups, and an investor in female-funded businesses.

Ali was one of the first employees at Refinery29 and was tasked with building an ad and brand partnership business from scratch, subsequently assembling a world-class team that integrated custom collaboration with brands on editorial, product, design, and consumer marketing. Under Wyatt’s leadership, the sales team grew from a few hundred thousand in advertising revenue to well into the tens of millions of dollars in just four years, securing a spot for Refinery29 on the Inc500 for three consecutive years.

She left Refinery29 to become the first CRO at Goop, where she architected and launched the business in the US, introducing brand advertising that included a mix of native content, immersive experiences, and integrated media alongside beautifully constructed content. Staying true to her entrepreneurial spirit, she then turned to starting a company from scratch, joining forces with Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso to launch a female-focused media business called Girlboss, which hosts thousands of women at cross-country rallies and galvanizes the voices of women in key life transition points in countries throughout the world.

Through her journey, she has become passionate about not only supporting start-ups through advising but also through investing in female-led companies as an angel investor. Past and current investments include Tia Women’s Health Clinic, Humanified, Caribu, The Wonder, Good Mylk, Forward Space, Summersalt, Hatch Collection, Refinery29, Sunscoop, Girlboss, The Wing, Goop, Golde, iFundWomen, and Heymama Co. She is proud to invest in women to build a better future for themselves and their families.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Ali Wyatt about her new venture, THE NORTH, that’s making a big impact in the entrepreneurial world by connecting women with other women who can provide guidance and support as they build their businesses.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

–    Ali’s journey in building and scaling portfolios of female founders

–    What to do if you don’t want your boss’ job

–    The power of putting money into the hands of women

–    Why money should go into communities and not philanthropy

–    The necessity of having more than just confidence in your abilities and ideas when you pitch for funding

–    What it means to have transactional value & adding monetary value to your time

–    How THE NORTH empowers women entrepreneurs by providing them with access to a network of successful businesswomen who can offer advice and support

–    Why women need to support each other in order to succeed in the male-dominated business world

–    The importance of having a diverse, tight knit group of women in your corner

Connect with Ali:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-koplar-wyatt-14a8031

Website: https://femalefoundercollective.com

Instagram: @alikwyatt7 @findyournorth_

Anne Clarke Wolff is a 30-year transformational leader in the financial services industry with expertise in managing large-scale global businesses and working with companies through financial life cycles – from initial public offerings to mergers and acquisitions. In 2021, Anne founded Independence Point Advisors (“IPA”), a women-owned investment bank and advisory services firm, where she serves as its Chief Executive Officer based in New York. Prior to IPA’s launch, Anne spent the majority of her career managing businesses focused on banking relationships, access to capital markets as well as treasury transformation. During her roles building Bank of America’s $10B Global Corporate Banking business, and as Head of Sales for JP Morgan’s Treasury and Securities Services business, Anne advocated for the integration of technology and banking in driving business results. She also served as Head of North America Corporate Banking at Citigroup and has been repeatedly recognized as one of The Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker and Notable Women in Finance by Crain’s New York.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Anne Clarke Wolff about her women-led investment bank, IPA, and how they’re striving toward the goal of building diverse financial advisory teams who provide new opportunities and better advice for their clients. 

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

• How and why Anne created IPA and why a positive diversity experience is imperative in the traditional economic industry
• The basics of an investment bank; raising capital by selling securities, taking companies public, and accomplish their financial goals  
• IPA’s business model when capital basing for large companies that are progressive; wanting to include diverse firms and regularly access the bond market
• IPA’s deep focus on energy transition, consumer relationships, and sustainability (ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance) investments
• The importance and benefits of having a venture investor as a female founder
• Straying away from gender stereotypes within the investment industry
• The difference between character assassination and performance evaluation

Connect with Anne: 

Website: https://www.independencepoint.com/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anneclarkewolff

Angie Tebbe is the co-founder and CEO of Rae Wellness. A fruitful 13-year career at one of the world’s most recognizable retailers, a lifelong commitment to well-being, and an endless thirst for knowledge led Angie to start Rae Wellness, a holistic wellness company that is committed to well-being for all by providing natural supplements at affordable price points.

The North Dakota native grew up in a humble and holistic home. Angie’s mother worked as a nurse, and her father had a deep passion for Eastern medicine. At a young age, Angie learned how to meditate and developed a curiosity for wellness. In 2018, a period of reflection sparked the idea of Rae Wellness. She gave up her title-holder role at Target, dusted off her father’s books, and decided to pursue a new path.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Angie Tebbe about her company, Rae Wellness, Angie’s journey of growing the company, and their goals of affordable and holistic wellness and nutrition products for all.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

• How Rae Wellness’s supplements help women in all areas of their wellness needs including stress, hormones, digestion, skin, sleep, and much more
• How after working for the Target Corporation for 13 years, Angie used her expertise in wellness, big box retailers, and her understanding of the ethos behind company brands to help women become their best selves
• How Angie set out to solve the whitespace in the wellness market: Companies only cater to the “1%”
• The importance of breaking down a five-year business plan into key categories
• How Angie broke down roadblocks such as raising money as a female founder and the struggles she still encounters today
• The key to finding a team is looking for good people who care about the purpose and investing in them

Connect with Angie:

Website: https://raewellness.co/ 

Socials:

Instagram: @raeforwellness

TikTok: @raewellness

With her finger on the pulse of better-for-you brands, Rachel Krupa is the Founder of The Goods Mart, a better-for-you convenience store that opened its doors in 2018 and now has three locations in New York City. As a professional “Snack Curator,” Rachel has deep insights into what makes a small brand stand out on the shelves and offers personalized and customized snack curation for corporations, hotels, and beyond. Rachel’s work as a leader in better-for-you food and wellness iterations has garnered her features in Fast Company, Marie Claire, New York Times, and Vogue, among others. Rachel has graced Create & Cultivate’s annual list of forward-thinking women and she is an advisor for Food Tank, Naturally New York, and New American Kitchen.

Listen to this Takin’ Care of Lady Business episode with Rachel Krupa about her socially conscious convenience store, The Goods Mart, its journey and goals as a company, and the featured products found on their shelves in NYC. 

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

• How Rachel used her experience owning a PR agency with better-for-you CPG brands to open The Good Mart and fill the white space of retail space with better-for-you snacks
• How The Goods Mart is a socially conscious convenience store and how they act as a stepping stone for emerging brands 
• Why it is difficult for brands to sell direct-to-consumer because of costs such as ads and digital marketing 
• How The Goods Mart’s dedication to providing better, healthier ingredients within common snack foods and wellness products are making them stand out from the regular gas stations and rest stops 
• How Rachel figured out how to find the brands/products for The Goods Mart with a mix of recommendations, community research, trend studies, and recognizing competitors’ supply 
• Why starting a business does not mean learning how to do every position of a C-Suite but rather hiring out what you don’t know

Connect with Rachel: 

Website:  https://www.thegoodsmart.com/ 

Socials: 

Instagram: @rachkrupa | @thegoodsmart | @krupaconsulting