Episodes
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Esther Ayorinde is a former NFL/NBA dancer turned Founder & CEO of GrowthQ, an AI-powered Career Navigation Platform.
In this episode, Esther shares her journey of:
Leading with curiosity instead of judgement Learnings about self and career as a pro-athlete Prioritizing through intentional congruenceHighlights
(01:55) Life mantra and identity
(06:18) What it's like to be a professional dancer in the NFL/NBA
(8:54) How to priortize your life
(12:08) Breaking into Tech at Cisco
(16:23) Camaradrie and women supporting women
(18:17) Transition to leadership
(22:09) ENFP personality type
(27:02) Founding story of GrowthQ
(33:43) Advice to early career self
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Guest Bio
Esther Ayorinde has over 17 years of Technology Go-to-Market Leadership Experience.
She's the Founder & CEO of GrowthQ, an AI Career Navigation Platform.Esther is also a former professional dancer in the NFL and NBA for 7 seasons, 5 of which while working in tech. She's the recipient of multiple awards and honors for her achievements and impact, from The Network Journal's 40 under Forty Awards, Diversity Women's Magazine Power 100 Executives List, and the first Black Dance Captain in New York Jets franchise history.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about AlphaSense and other partners here.
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Julian Guthrie was a journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle for 20+ years and is now the founder and CEO of Alphy, an AI communications company.
In this episode, Julian shares her journey of:
Amplifying the underdog stories Giving and receiving feedback Communicating with efficiency and inclusivityHighlights
(02:13) Amplifying the underdog story
(05:44) What it's like to be a journalist
(9:23) A life changing experience as a journalist
(14:14) The art of giving and receiving feedback
(16:58) Founding story of Alphy
(26:28) Idea for book, Alpha Girls
(32:00) Advice to earlier career-self
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Guest Bio
Julian Guthrie is the founder and CEO of Alphy, an AI communications company. Prior to this, she spent 20+ years as a journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle., where her stories were nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize. She is the author of 5 books, including two New York Times Best Sellers, including Alpha Girls.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about 360Learning and other partners here.
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Michelle Kim is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing at Refersion/Pantastic.
In this episode, Michelle shares her journey of:
Building strong communication between sales and marketing teams Experiencing three exits Giving exposure to small businesses through technologyHighlights
(02:28) How political science shaped her into a marketer
(04:08) Learnings about B2B marketing from the field
(6:58) Strengething communication between sales and marketing teams
(13:11) Experience of going through three exits
(18:48) Founding story of Pantastic
(21:59) Day in the life of an executive
(24:17) Organization strategies
(28:03) Career advice & lateral moves
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Guest Bio
Michelle Kim has 20+ years in GTM and marketing functions. She thrives on creating strategies that drive transformational growth and brand awareness, ensuring that every effort contributes more than the sum of its parts.
She's the Co-founder and VP of Marketing at Refersion/Pantastic, where they empower independent retailers with best-in-class marketing apps designed to scale their businesses efficiently. Previously, Michelle held leadership roles at Amplitude and Okta.==========================
Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Contentful and other partners here.
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Olivia Goldstein is a General Partner at StartFast Ventures. She previously founded RepHike and led it through to acquisition.
In this episode, Olivia shares the value in:
Embracing career pivots Taking on challenges and putting yourself out there Doing good and giving backHighlights
(06:22) Embracing an unexpected career pivot from the CIA
(08:57) Moving from the US to India to join a startup
(12:28) Founding RepHike
(16:16) Learnings as a first time founder
(17:15) The decision to be acquired
(18:41) The importance of relationship building
(21:29) Transition from founder to investor
(24:15) Overview of investing
(27:05) Proudest personal and professional accomplisments
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Guest Bio
Olivia Goldstein an operator turned VC who is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs.
She started working in tech first as a “connector” then moved into product growth & driving adoption through strategic partnerships. She founded RepHike, a software company in the brand ambassador / influencer marketing space. After a few years, she led the company through to its acquisition. Now, she supports high growth founders in Upstate NY through a non-profit (UVC) and investing in world-changing B2B SaaS companies through StartFast Ventures.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Monte Carlo and other partners here.
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Kimberly Kelleher is the Chief Commercial Officer of AMC Networks. You know the one, home of shows like: The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and more. Prior to this, she held leadership roles at Condé Nast, TIME and Sports Illustrated.
In this episode, Kimberly shares:
The drastic changes in advertising across media & entertainment How she got hired for what she didn't know "Your Book" and how it can shift over timeHighlights
(05:33) How Kim doesn't think about the past and focuses on the future
(05:58) The first job that launched a career in publishing
(09:59) Big changes in advertising, publishing, and entertainment
(15:37) Show recommendations from an expert
(19:44) Learnings from an early startup experience
(23:14) Takeaways: startup vs. large company
(24:23) Cross atheletes and why they're invaluable
(27:30) A mentor's advice that has stuck with her
(28:15) Leadership learnings as the first female executive of Sports Illustrated
(31:33) Leaving publishing for entertainment at AMC Networks
(35:16) The one thing she's never done
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Guest Bio
Kim Kelleher is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of domestic and international experience.
Kelleher’s proven track record of success with some of the world’s most influential brands (WIRED, GQ, Sports Illustrated, TIME...) has been transformative. In addition to general management, revenue and operational oversight, Kelleher prioritizes business transformation, thought-leadership, corporate strategy and a winning culture. Her entrepreneurial approach to businesses—both corporate and start-up—fosters a culture of urgency, focus and performance throughout her teams.
Kelleher is also an active board member with industry and philanthropic organizations. Currently serving on the boards of the American Advertising Federation (immediate past-Chair), CEW, New York Women in Communications (Past-President) and Cancer & Careers.==========================
Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Pitchbook Data and other partners here.
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Maya Mikhailov, Founder & CEO of SAVVI AI, shares her experience of:
Fundraising for her company while pregnant An accidental appearance on Good Morning America that almost ended her company Things are never as good or as bad as they seemHighlights:
(02:09) How math played a pivotal role in Maya's childhood & future career
(03:40) Crediting Kanye West for machine learning
(05:15) Founding first company
(07:27) Imposter syndrome + women supporting women
(11:07) Being pregnant while fundraising for second company
(14:12) Post-aquisiton + startups vs. large orgs
(19:11) Building a team that is more than a resume
(23:07) Founding SAVVI AI
(23:57) Proudest personal accomplishment
(24:56) Advice for entrepreneurs
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Guest Bio:
As a founder of SAVVI AI, Maya is on a mission to empower all enterprises to be more efficient leveraging the power of AI and machine learning - easily and cost-effectively. She has 15+ years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and leader in the AI, FinTech, and developing intelligent solutions space.
She's worked with top brands including: Citi, Walmart, Adidas, Footlocker, Best Buy and Estee Lauder; and has been featured in multiple media outlets such as Bloomberg, New York Times, CNBC, NBC Nightly News, Forbes, Business Insider, and WWD.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Fisher Investments and other partners here. -
Brianna Doe is the Founder of Verbatim, a full service marketing agency.
In this episode we discuss:
building a client base with zero experience the importance of cultivating your passions what she's learned about putting herself out thereHighlights:
(03:03) Early days of story telling & growing from written to visual
(04:13) Favorite movies...of the moment
(05:12) Charting a different path from her type A family
(08:42) Building a client base from scratch
(14:03) Founding her company, Verbatim
(18:04) Mistakes marketers make
(21:32) Jumping on social trends
(23:51) Identifying your audience
(29:18) Advice to early career self
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Guest Bio:
Brianna is a Founder & entrepreneur. After spending 12+ years as an in-house marketing leader, she launched Verbatim, a boutique agency that helps startups and SMBs grow.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Elastic.io and other partners here. -
Jessica Klek, Chief Revenue Officer at User Interviews, shares her perspective on:
Non-linear career paths Why you shouldn't do it by yourself What she's learned from failing forwardHighlights:
(01:33) Getting into sales
(04:09) Defeating imposter syndrome with naivity
(05:37) Parallels between teaching and sales
(08:18) Finding your compass
(9:20) Moving from Salesforce to Linkedin
(10:39) Transitioning to management
(12:08) Building block vs. linear career path
(19:35) The value of mentorship
(24:12) Having touch conversations & learning from a misstep
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Guest Bio:
Jessica has over 20 years of experience building teams at companies like LinkedIn SalesLoft and Sixth Sense. She's currently the Chief Revenue Officer at UserInterviews.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about Elastic.io and other partners here. -
Jamie Coakley, Chief People Officer at Electric, shares:
The process for building high performing teams A reframe of the "title conversation" The unexpected growth that came from creating space in her life.Highlights:
(01:57) Cutting her teeth in sales at Yelp
(04:09) The pivot that came from being let go
(04:28) Network everywhere - meeting her future employer at a jazz club
(07:46) Bringing your true self to work
(11:48) Developing her leadership style
(14:35) Getting confidence in her abilities
(17:04) The responisiblity of giving feedback
(19:23) Why she loves startups
(20:19) Hated being a CEO and identifying what she wanted
(22:23) Reframe of the title conversation
(24:35) Building high-performing and diverse teams
(27:39) Advice to early career self
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Guest Bio:
Jamie's a startup enthusiast with over 13 years of experience building teams in the tech space. She's currently the Chief People Officer at Electric.ai, having grown the team from 45 to over 400 in the past five years.
Prior to this, she was the CEO at TwentyPine, where she led the company through an acquisition.
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Thanks to our WISE partners for supporting the next generation of female leaders. Learn more about MovableInk and other partners here. -
WISE recently led a panel on Building Your Bench at the Revenue Excellence Summit hosted by Modern Sales Pros.
Alexandra Beal (Formative Search), Lauren Collett (Uber Freight) and Meghan Lubeck (Mews) discussed tactical advice for identifying and cultivating leadership amongst your team.
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Erika Ayers Badan, first CEO of Barstool Sports & current CEO of Food52, shares why pay cuts can pay dividends, the practice of failing often, and the value in being fiercely yourself.
Purchase Erika's book, Nobody Cares About Your Career.
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Alexandra (Adamson) Beal, Managing Partner at Formative Search, shares the founding story of WISE, how she developed an executive presence, and the decision-making that altered her career journey.
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