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In this episode of 5 to 9, I had a chat with Kim Pham, a creative director, BDSM educator, nomad, and co-founder of Omsom, a proud and loud food brand reclaiming Asian flavors, that was recently acquired in 2024.
As a self-proclaimed “internet weirdo”, Kim was fascinated by the internet early in her life growing up in Boston. This led her to spend 12 years working in early-stage tech start-ups, building Europe’s premier community platform for operational leaders in VC and getting recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 Europe in 2017.
She then co-founded Omsom with her sister in 2019, a food brand of chef-crafted noodles and sauces that took the internet by storm!
And while building this “proud and loud” food brand, Kim also gave voice to her own self-expression as a BDSM educator on TikTok and Instagram, now with over 180k followers cross-platform.
We talked about everything from her early aspirations of hosting a Food Network show, to her years in venture capital, to co-founding OMSOM and its mission of reclaiming loud and proud not only in Asian flavors but also in herself. We also talked about her post-acquisition life, the courage to explore new identities and her next chapter—where creativity, authenticity, and curiosity take center stage.
Kim’s journey is a masterclass in following your intuition, embracing the unknown, and rewriting the rules for success.
This is Kim Pham for 5 to 9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Brandy Cerne, a brand strategist, community builder, and now the owner of a connections-led pousada in Brazil.
Brandy started her career in New York, doing marketing for Shake Shack and SoFar Sounds, where she played an integral part in both brands' growth.
After years immersed in the hustle of city life, Brandy found herself drawn to a different pace, which eventually led her to live in Brazil. She is now a freelance brand strategist for community-led startups, and is embarking on a new venture of opening a pousada, a Brazilian-style boutique inn focused on community and connection.
We talked about her years at Shake Shack & Sofar, lessons in hospitality, self-employment, when you’re ready for your next thing, when you need small changes vs big ones, piecing together a unique career, celebrating small wins, and more!
This is Brandy Cerne for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Farah Sheikh-Ogoe, a brand manager at META, co-founder of NOTES International, a community of Black and brown people who love natural wine, vibey tunes, global travel and the intersection of all 3, and a lover of all things food, fashion, community and connection.
Farrah’s had quite a non-linear career. She started off as a content manager in the agency world at Ogilvy, then went to the non-profit at Do Something for a few years then back to the agency world as a producer at Big Spaceship. She then spent a few years at Squarespace on their brand team and had a stint at JP Morgan, Peloton and Vivino, an online wine market place. Along the way, she freelanced and had multiple side projects such as Feed & Foster, a peer mentorship dinner for women of color and Notes International.
With each step, Farrah has deliberately chosen to pursue work that fuels her creativity and aligns with her values, always being intentional on what it is that she needs and wants next and building a career that is uniquely hers.
We talked about the power of taking a non-linear path, the lessons she’s learned from shifting industries, balancing a full-time role with passion projects, how they impact each other, and redefining what success looks like beyond a 9-to-5.
Here is Farah Sheikh-Ogoe for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Kelsey McCormick, a lover of transcontinental travel, mom to Neil, the founder of Coming Up Roses, an educational platform that helps creatives increase their sales, and The “Queen of Marketing Campaigns".
After a decade working in PR and marketing for music festivals like Coachella and artists like Katy Perry, Kelsey realized that her corporate music career wasn't aligned with the lifestyle she envisioned for herself. With a curiosity in graphic design, she took a Squarespace design course and launched her then design studio Coming Up Roses in 2020. She quickly grew it to a multi-six figure business then realized she’s actually much more interested in helping creatives grow their service businesses through educational courses aka what she does now!
We talked about the pivotal moments that shifted her career trajectory, the challenges of leaving behind a corporate identity, navigating self-doubt, finding opportunities in the market, and what it means to follow your intuition as a creative entrepreneur.
This is Kelsey McCormick for 5to9.
*****
Follow Kelsey on Instagram.
Join the waitlist for Kelsey's signature program, Launch Your Own Way.
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Solo episode time! This includes an update on what I've been up to, a topic that I'd like to unpack with you, and something I'm really excited about! And remember to hit me up on Instagram @spacetogrow.world.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Haruko Hayakawa, a Computer Graphics Artist, a Creative Director, an introvert, cat mom and a cookbook enthusiast.
Haruko developed a love for computers and art at a young age and went to School of Visual Arts to study 3D art and graphic design. She then went on to be a designer at agencies like Anomoly and Superunion and brands like Chobani. Always knowing that she wanted to have full control of her work, Haruko left corporate to create her branding studio right before the pandemic then serendipitously fell back into making her first love, 3D art.
These days, she creates beautifully detailed 3D art for brands like Google, Apple, Fly by Jing, Bon Appetit, 88Rising, Blueland and more.
We talked about her years of feeling lost and what she did during that time, how she first got into 3D art as a child and then got back into it as an adult, what she learned as a corporate creative, why she decided to work for herself, important mindset shifts she made as a creative business owner and more!
This is Haruko Hayakawa for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Kaitlin Maud, a strategist artist, strategist, and activist.
Always having the audacity to carve a path that’s in integrity to her values, Kaitlin started her self-employment journey 5 years into her career and since then has operated as a freelancer, consulting for brands like Nike, Beats by Dre, and Google, founded a consultancy with partners (then eventually left the company), done 3 Tedx talks, was featured in the book Company of One by Paul Jarvis and been a vocal agent for change in the communications industry.
We talked about why she thinks self-employment is more sustainable than a corporate job, what career growth looks like when you work for yourself, different seasons in her work, how boundaries is about creating space, what to think about when you start a business, and more hot takes!
This is Kaitlin Maud for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Lori Abichandani, a curious strategist, lover of deep conversations, a culinary enthusiast and according to her friends, “the embodiment of a big hug.”
With an interest in entertainment and human psychology, Lori started her career working at Nielson, a media insights company. After a few years working there, she felt immense apathy towards the direction her career was heading in and quit cold turkey.
This led her to a 7 year journey of self-discovery, creative career exploration and ultimately founding A Big Idea, a creative studio that launches brands and experiences to deepen our shared humanity. Since then, she’s worked with dozens of brands to create values-driven strategy and creative that prioritizes true, intentional growth.
We talked about listening to your intuition, the relationship between entrepreneurship and spirituality, how sticking with consistent small steps open up bigger opportunities, her short stint in the culinary world, trying new things by choosing joy and more!
This is Lori Abichandani for 5to9.
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Solo episode time! This includes an update on what I've been up to, a topic that I'd like to unpack with you, and something I'm really excited about! And remember to hit me up on Instagram @spacetogrow.world.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Sonya Matejko, a writer and poet who moved from New York to Vienna to live her dream life abroad.
After a decade in advertising and tech, following rules and checking boxes at companies like Razorfish and Way Up, Sonya was craving more autonomy in her work and wanted to finally pursue her lifelong dream of living in Europe and publishing a book. With company layoffs in 2019, Sonya took it as a sign to launch her business, Nurtured Narratives, where she provides feel-good storytelling experiences for brands, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who value well-being and feeling seen. Some of her clients include Betterment, American Express, MetLife, and Eden Health.
In addition to growing Nurtured Narratives, she writes poetry on her Instagram and recently got a book deal. She is also a yoga teacher and loves to explore coffee shops in Vienna in her free time.
We talked about her journey from following rules to going against the grain, the first steps to building her business and its evolution, moving abroad, how she got her book deal and more!
This is Sonya Matejko for 5to9.
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This episode of 5to9 is sponsored by Groove. With Groove, you can finish the important things, have a life outside of your work, and feel inspired by people who care. Groove was built for business owners working from home who wish they had more time to tackle everything on their plate.
To get into the Groove, and use the code SPACETOGROW to redeem your FREE 30-day pass, no credit card is needed. Groove’s coworking sessions are on-demand, so simply hop into a Groove whenever you’re ready to get into work mode for an hour and 1-3 other humans will be there to cheer you on.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Neha Bhatia, a strategist, designer, researcher, collage maker, wannabe artist, and writer.
Neha grew up in India with dreams of being a fashion designer. After getting a scholarship to study at Parsons School of Design then a letdown working in the fashion industry which led to a full-blown identity crisis, Neha pivoted her career into advertising and innovation. As a highly ambitious person working in an industry that encourages long hours and full dedication, she found herself questioning her relationship with work, what she actually values and her worth beyond work. She ultimately realized that what she wanted was freedom and to her, freedom is the gift of time.
She is now an independent strategist and researcher who expresses her identity through art, teaching, community and exploring different definitions of a life well-lived.
We talked about working in the US with a visa, what happens when your dreams get crushed, finding more of herself after an identity crisis, defining her own version of a success, untethering our identity from work and more!
This is Neha Bhatia for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Emily Kessler, a meditation teacher, artist manager in the music industry, solo traveler across the globe, and fantasy romance novel lover!
While working as a marketing director in the music industry managing artists like Big Gigantic and the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, Emily got into meditation as a way to recenter herself in her hectic, busy life. Her personal interest in meditation and professional role in music marketing led her to work with The Big Quiet. Together, they created the first mass meditation ever to take place on the main stage of an American music festival and spent the next 5 years producing mass meditation events all across the country.
She is now a freelance marketing consultant & event producer, a partner at the Big Quiet, a content creator on meditation with over 140k subscribers, and a certified meditation teacher who specializes in helping busy humans make friends with their minds so that they feel calm, happy, and empowered inside their lives.
We talked about how she got into meditation, why meditation is such an important investment for people carving their unique paths, why we should be bored, self-awareness and so much more!
This is Emily Kessler for 5to9.
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Use code "5to9" to get a 20% discount for Emily's upcoming "Meditation for Busy Humans: A 3-Session Learn to Meditate Course". on Jan 16 - 18! You'll learn how to become a self-sufficient meditator for life & start to feel more at peace inside your busy mind.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Hailin Liu, aka DJ Hailife. She’s a musician, brand strategist, lover of fashion, cat mom, and a tarot enthusiast.
Growing up with traditional expectations of her career, Hailin started in investment banking due to her family and peer’s influence. She quickly realized that she hated the environment and pivoted to brand strategy. While working at Landor and McCann, she realized that she was yearning for more creative expression in her life, which led her to experiment with music and fashion. She is now a brand and design strategist at Pepsi while moonlighting as a DJ playing at dope venues in New York like TBA and elsewhere. She also just released her newest single, Call Me Baby, and is slotted to perform at Groove Cruise, a festival also featuring DJs you might know like Diplo and Tiesto.
We talked about her unconventional journey into music, how knowing what she didn’t want led her to find what she wanted, following her joy, the power of taking small actions, what she calls “creative courage”, the role of her 9-5 job as a strategist while pursuing music and more!
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Shyne Webster, a multidisciplinary designer, brand strategist, design education creator, Adobe Ambassador, extreme extrovert, and sneakerhead.
At 17, Shyne created her business, Designed by Shyne - a passion project turned clothing brand. After realizing her creative skills can be used as a service to brands, she evolved her business into an agency, offering design, brand strategy, and workshops on innovation and design thinking to over 100 clients. After graduation this year, she’s decided to scale down her business to freelance more freely with the clients she’s built up over the years while making space for slowness and new creative ideas.
We talked about how she started and evolved her creative business at such a young age, how Gen Zs view their careers, self-learning creative skills, the importance of mindset as a self-employed creative, and more.
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This is a special solo episode where I'm going to give you some updates on what I've been up to, a topic that I'd like to unpack with you and talk about something that I've been really excited about! Hope you enjoy it!!! And remember to hit me up on Instagram @spacetogrow.world. I want to know you!!!!
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Olivia Owens, a creator, writer, business coach, lover of personal development books, and digital nomad who's passionate about helping creators and entrepreneurs make impact & money.
Olivia started her career at Under Armor’s HR department then spent 5 years at IFundWomen where she launched IFundWomen of Color, a platform for women of color to raise capital through crowdfunding, grants, coaching, and connections to launch and grow successful businesses. This effort put her on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2022 among other accolades.
She's currently a Creator Partnerships Manager at Teachable, a no-code platform for creators to get paid on their own terms.
We talked about her first then second identity crises and how she navigated them, who we are outside of our work, trusting the universe, changing her narrative, separating facts from feelings, and lots of other juicy topics.
This is Olivia Owens for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Ximena Vengoechea, a writer, speaker, illustrator, UX researcher, mother, and lover of fiction.
Ximena has always loved bringing design thinking to our everyday world, which led her to spend a decade in the tech industry at companies like Linkedin, Twitter, and Pinterest as a user researcher. During that time she also manifested many side projects such as The Life Audit (which got written about on Life Hacker, CNBC, and INC), while contributing to articles in Fast Company, and many illustration projects. Her side projects led her to author two books - Listen Like You Mean It (which is about building better relationships through listening) and Rest Easy (a book that’s about reclaiming rest in our work-obsessed culture.)
We talked about her early career, why she’s insistent on not picking a lane, the importance of side projects, her experience with burnout and how it led her to write a book, a deep dive into what is rest, why we need rest, how to rest and more!
This is Ximena Vangoechea for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Justin Bridges, a photographer, holistic financial coach, fractional CMO for tech startups, writer of the Growers newsletter, and a proud plant dad.
Justin started his career as a Wall Street analyst at Goldman Sachs, and quickly realized that he disliked the culture and was craving to do something more creative. He then pivoted into fashion, working as a planner and buyer at Jcrew and Saks Fifth while pursuing fashion and lifestyle photography on the side. He then worked for an OG fashion blog, the Sartorialist, as a photographer, which took off his lifestyle fashion career, shooting for brands like Kith, Pyer Moss, GQ, Highsnobiety, and Everlane just to name a few. He is a also top instructor on Skillshare teaching photography and personal finance to over 150 thousand students. In 2021, he joined the team at El Camino Travel, a company that curates conscious, intimate group travel experiences for women as their co-founder and CMO. After leaving El Camino, he now runs a photography studio, is a fractional CMO for tech start-ups, writer of his newsletter Growers, and continues to tinker with many different projects.
We talked about his ever-evolving creative career, theories on networking, why you shouldn’t pursue your passion, a reframe of imposter syndrome, his policy of constantly trying something new, and more.
This is Justin Bridges for 5to9.
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In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Erin Claire Jones, a human design guide & leadership coach, offering high performers a practical approach to full alignment at work and in life.
With a background in social entrepreneurship and tech, Erin has always loved helping people and teams. After discovering human design serendipitously at a party, she delved deep into the system and has built a business supporting people all over the world with practical tools, digestible tips, and deeper self-knowledge through Human Design. Her signature offering, the Human Design Blueprint, a 60-page report on your unique design, has been delivered to over 25,000 people since 2019 and she’s built a community of over 240,000 human design lovers.
We talked about her background, the different energy types in Human Design, what they mean, how to apply them in work and life, her career journey, why we gotta listen to our curiosity, trusting in the unknown, and more!
This is Erin Claire Jones for 5to9.
*****
Get 10% off Erin's Human Design Blueprint with code: SPACETOGROW
Look up your Human Design here.
Erin's instagram: instagram.com/erinclairejones & instagram.com/humandesignblueprint
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In this episode of 5to9, I chatted with Paff Evara, a writer, creator, founder, and public speaker empowering queer people of color to be their most authentic selves.
Originally from a small village in Australia, they’ve spent their career in digital marketing and most recently heading up a paid digital agency in Scotland. They are now a creator with a community of over 100k people, consultant for companies like Meta on diversity, a touring speaker, and co-founder of Take up Space, a decentralized community-driven media company for BIPOC and queer voices to connect, learn and heal.
We talked about their journey to burnout, their trust fall into the universe aka quitting their job with no plan, how they became a paid touring speaker, why they always strive to get out of their comfort zone, the difference between delusional and abundance mindset and more!
This is Paff Evara for 5to9.
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