Powerful Ladies® Podcast

Episode 13: Sandy Zhao-Ran Ji

Sandy is energetic and exciting, just like the plant-based biodegradable glitter brand she’s created, EarthShine Glitter.  She’s also your modern American success story. Born in China, she and her parents immigrated first to Canada, then to Palo Alto, California.  Always creative and resourceful upcycling the hand-me-downs she was given growing up, at an early age she became interested in the fashion industry. After working at LA fashion labels such as BCBG and Forever 21, she continues to mix product merchandising and e-commerce to bring brands into the modern era.  When her passions for environmentalism and fashion came in conflict, she knew she had to find a way for them both to exist. This is her story.

Episode 12: Lisa Ledezma

Lisa Ledezma is your average American woman. She’s a divorced mom of three, she lives in suburbia, she’s a soccer coach, and has a career as a loan officer.  She’s spent decades working to help the Latino population in her communities have financial literacy, buy a home and have the American dream. Then one day she was accused of mortgage fraud.  On this episode she shares for the first time her story of being swept up in the financial crisis, how its impacted her life, and what she learned as a result.

Episode 11: Miracle Sisters - Jamie Bartley, Madelyn Golgart, & Jessica Niblett

Once I decided I was going to go full-time into expanding Powerful Ladies, I knew I needed a support system to keep me accountable and on track. The universe knew it too and at a Friends-Giving, two friends of mine Madelyn & Jessica asked if I wanted to join them in a book club that was going to read a Course in Miracles.  It was exactly what I needed. Our other friend Jamie joined, too. These three women, who I had known for five years and we had mostly spent time together in large groups suddenly became some of my most important supporters. On this episode they talk about the importance of being part of a group that’s equally committed to being up to big things, where they go for inspiration and how with all our different stories and backgrounds we’re all looking for our version of an amazing life.

Episode 10: Monique Vizzerra

You guys are in for a treat today! Today’s guest is one of my favorite ladies of skate, Monique Vizzerra.  She’s passionate about skateboarding and honoring the athletes, history and participants of the sport. She’s spent 15 years working in the skate & action sports industry where she gets to hang out with her friends and still fans-out when she gets to spend time with one of the sports’ legends.  She’s on my list of favorites. She works her ass off, she’s funny, and is clear on what her priorities are so that she can live her best life. On this episode she shares what it’s like to be a lady in the skate world, why it’s important to build your friend family, how you can hustle all week and live for cannon balls on the weekend, and how she balances being a babe and loving Budweiser and so much more!

Episode 9: Gintel Gee

Gintel Gee is a badass carving her own path.  Raised in South Central LA by families with one focused on achieving excellence and one focused on finding hustle & joy, early in her life it became clear to her the importance to always be learning, to serve your community, and to chase what makes you happy. She’s a high performer who stands out in her industry of UX Design by gender and race.  She’s real, she’s authentic and she’s wise. On this episode she shares how she keeps discovering her path, why being ready never happens, why we all love Beyonce, and that real life has both ups and downs and that’s where you find your confidence and true self. There’s so much good stuff in this episode you need to listen through to the end. It’s never been more of a challenge to pick an intro quote because the nuggets of wisdom just kept coming.  

Episode 8: Adeline Bondu de Perez

Adeline Perez Bondu was born in France and then upon graduating from university started to travel the world. She’s lived in Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Spain, where she lives today just outside Barcelona with her husband and cat.  She’s a yoga instructor who works in marketing by day and is crafting her coming soon yoga plus empowerment business by night. She’s smart, powerful, organized, ambitious, authentic, beautiful, strong and sweet. We met almost 10 years ago and she instantly became one of my favorite humans.  Even though we haven’t lived in the same country for almost 7 years, we always reach out to meet up when we’re in each other’s country or city - or when we happened to both be in Ibiza and her husband approved turning one night of their honeymoon into a double date night. I admire her hunger to see the world, to keep pushing herself & to share with others.  I’m inspired by the life she’s created, that she always convinces herself to do it anyway especially when she’s scared, and the purity of her intentions. On this episode she shares her story of finding her voice, of finding her purpose and what’s it’s like to take on your fear to have the amazing life waiting for you on the other side.

Episode 7: Marhnelle & Dave Hibbard

If you look up Power Couple, the first example is Beyonce & Jay-Z. The second example is Dave and Marhnelle Hibbard.  They are the co-founders of DIALEXIS a sales training, mindset & leadership coaching business, as well as public speakers and co-authors of two books SOAR SELLING: How To Get Through to Almost Anyone—the Proven Method for Reaching Decision Makers and The Canoe Theory: A Business Success Strategy for Leaders and Associates. For decades they have been traveling the world coaching executives on leadership and training sales teams on achieving breakthrough numbers for pretty much every major company in the world including Apple, Xerox and Dupont.  As successful as their business has been, they also an example of what it looks like to win at home. I’m so inspired by the respect they have for each other, how they’ve grown and evolved together, and how they really do push, balance and elevate each other.  I was lucky to meet them when Marhnelle took a personal development program for which I was a coach. Ever since I’ve been looking to her and Dave for inspiration, advice and as a reminder that you CAN create a life beyond your wildest expectations even from nothing.  On this episode I was lucky to get them both in the studio and have them share their journey as business people and as a couple who both came from nothing and have exceeded any expectations younger versions of themselves would have ever dreamed of.

 

Episode 6: Renee Colvert

Renee Colvert is a writer, a runner, a podcast panelist, and has one of the best jobs in LA. She’s the co-creator and one of the hosts on the Can I Pet Your Dog Podcast, a podcast dedicated to all things dogs. Awarded “Podcasts that Make you Happy” by Oprah Magazine as well as Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR, Can I Pet Your Dog started in 2015 with Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame as their first guest. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Renee traveled between LA and NYC to pursue her passion in Musical Theater.  On this episode she shares her story of chasing what brings her joy, including being mom to dog Tugboat, and how pursuing what she’s interested in has brought her through many career phases. We discuss how to know what your passion is, how to find your circle in the competitive landscapes of Broadway and Hollywood, and the unpredictability of where life will take you.

Episode 5: Ryann Gaspara

Ryann Gaspara is the badass entrepreneur owner of Gaspara Flora, what started as custom wedding gifting company and transformed into a custom corporate gifting company and has expanded again to include bespoke hotel luxury amenities.  She’s a fierce supporter of women entrepreneurs and that creating something that matters for you, your customers and the end consumer is what really matters.  Ryann and I met through our great friend Ally Winn, when we all ran the Southern California Ragnar race together. Since then thanks to social media and running the race again the next year, we’ve become part of each others boss lady cheer team.  She’s super inspiring, a loyal friend, and really authentic on both this episode and on social media about the great and the ugly of being an entrepreneur and running a small business. She’s a living, breathing Powerful Lady.On this episode she shares her story from starting on the safe path to making the leap to living big & boldly as her own boss. We discuss how to know when it’s the right time to start, how to take care of yourself along the way, what to do when you’re not feeling so powerful and how the universe helps you along the way.  

Episode 4: Bry Zaragoza

Bry Zaragoza is a mobility and movement specialist, certified yoga teacher, personal trainer and dancer from Long Beach, California. She began dancing at age two, teaching dance classes at 16, danced internationally on tour with the Celtic Tiger by Michael Flatley show, and found her dance home in the RhetOracle Dance Company. After years of sacrificing her body for her love of dance and searching for a way to repair herself, Bry went down the path of personal training to discover her new passion for guiding people to find balance in their bodies and their life.  On this episode she talks about what it was like to be a professional dancer, how she found her way into personal training, and how her views of what you can do with your body and how to take care of it have evolved.

Episode 3: Amber Amos

Amber Amos is the owner and chef of Westside Taco. Her carnitas tacos took 2nd place at the LA Weekly’s Tacolandia and was voted 3rd best restaurant in Bend just months after opening up shop Oregon and not even being located in Bend! When not creating ridiculously delicious tacos such as the Blueberry Brisket Tacos, she’s a great mom of two boys and spending as much time outside in Central Oregon’s nature as possible.  On this episode she share the journey that took her from working at a ski lift in June Mountain to working at the Oscars with Wolfgang Puck to opening up West Side Taco Co. She also shares how she makes it through the tough times in life and why showing her sons what bravery looks like is what matters most.

Episode 2: Ali Owens

Ali Owens is a girl you want in your corner. She’s a motivational speaker, she’s a writer and she’s the author of Bad Fat Person: A reflection on plus size bodies in a cookie-cutter culture.  On top of all of that she’s an empowerment strategist, on a mission to transform women’s lives.  And she knows what what she’s talking about, she’s gone through it as a survivor of domestic abuse and borderline eating disorder. On this episode she shares how she left the abusive relationship, how she found her voice, and why it’s so important for her to be showing other women that the life they dream of is possible.

 

Production, Audio Engineering, & Editing by Jordan Duffy

Music by Joakim Karud @joakimkarudmusic

Episode 1: Elizabeth McGarry

Elizabeth McGarry is the Creative Director for York Athletics Mfg. Her career has been built in the high fashion and sportswear world where she’s been a designer & creative for brands such as Veronique Branquinho, Jansen Sports, Nike, Reebok, New Balance, Supra, and many more. She was featured as a panelist on the first ever Her By Bodega co-hosted by Nike this past December, a night of hearing the perspectives of women in streetwear.  She launched her own Creative Agency, McGarry & Sons when she became pregnant with her second son and it’s been the go-to agency for reinventing your brand or taking it to the next level ever since. York Athletics has been a client of McGarry and Sons since its inception. Elizabeth decided at the end of last year to at least temporarily close up shop at McGarry & Sons to join her husband who’s the CEO and work at York, full time. The idea being that with the two of them 100% focusing on York they can better balance life and being game changes in the footwear world. I have no doubts about that knowing the two of them. In this episode she shares about her journey from suburban Oregon to high fashion in Europe to queen of Sportswear Design. She also shares about her brave decision to become a mother in her early twenties, what it’s like to close her first company to become a partner with her husband, the importance of raising two boys in a Girl-Power world, and what’s it like to now be a mentor in the industry calls home.

 

Production, Audio Engineering, & Editing by Jordan Duffy

Music by Joakim Karud @joakimkarudmusic

Welcome to the Powerful Ladies Podcast!

Coming soon! Powerful Ladies founder and podcast host, Kara Duffy, sits down with the awesome and the up-to-something - entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, chefs, authors, scientists, adventurers, and more - to share their story.  You’re goal is to live your best life. Reality is it's hard to figure out what that even means, how to start and once you do start what's next?  This podcast is here to help you figure that out by sharing with you the stories of people, mostly women, who have been there and are in action right now on making & living their awesome life.  Inspirational stories.  The good, the bad and the ugly of real life and how to keep rising. Practical tips & motivation for you to be in action creating your dream life. Be entertained. Be inspired. Be awesome & up-to-something you love. 

 

Production, Audio Engineering, & Editing by Jordan Duffy

Music by Joakim Karud @joakimkarudmusic