Stay ConnectedBehind Her Empire is focused on highlighting self-made women leaders & entrepreneurs and how they tackle their career, money, family and life.
Each episode covers their unique journey and what it really takes to build an empire with key lessons learned along the way. The goal of the series is to empower you to see what’s possible & inspire you to create financial freedom in your own life.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Copyright: © Yasmin Nouri
Do you struggle with sugar cravings? Trust us, you’re not alone. We’re sharing our personal stories and getting expert tips that can actually start making a meaningful impact on your blood sugar and metabolic health today.
In this episode you’ll learn:
* Top blood sugar hacks from two doctors
* How your cycle impacts insulin sensitivity
* The impact of sleep on cravings
* How your hunger hormones work
* Why we eat more sugar now than ever before
Tanda Cook is a naturopathic physician, food expert, published author, international speaker, blogger, health coach and farmer who is wildly passionate about educating and inspiring women to take steps towards health. Dr. Katie Collier is a naturopathic physician with a shared mission. Together, these practitioners work to help people feel their best in both clinical practice and their monthly class, The Soapbox Docs.
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Dr. Tanda:
* Website: https://drtandacook.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtandacook/
Follow Dr. Katie:
* Website: https://drkatiecollier.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatiecollier/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin co-founded theSkimm in 2012, a digital media company dedicated to giving women the information they need to navigate life’s most important decisions. Since hitting send on the first Daily Skimm email over a decade ago, they have cultivated a trusted community that reaches more than 12 million women. As their audience has matured, so has theSkimm, evolving beyond a singular newsletter into an award-winning ecosystem that includes dedicated newsletters in money, wellness, parenting, and shopping, a career podcast, an in-house creative agency, and a commerce arm that performs at 3x the industry standard.
Danielle and Carly both grew up with a love for journalism and storytelling. The two met after a summer spent studying abroad in Rome and reconnected after graduation while working in New York City, where they eventually became roommates trying to make it in the media industry. Both news junkies at heart, they quickly realized there was an opportunity to change the way media was consumed and created an outlet that provided its audience with bite-sized and easily digestible news. With $4,000 between the both of them, they decided to quit their jobs and launch theSkimm.
In this week’s episode, Danielle and Carly share their love for storytelling, what it means to start their digital media company from their couch, and why they thought it was a bigger risk to not pursue theSkimm than it was to pursue it. They share what it’s like to work with a co-founder and the benefits of having one, ways they applied grassroots marketing in the early days of the business when they had zero funds, and how they thought about growth & monetization. We also get the inside scoop on how they fostered an intensely engaged community through their Skimmbassador program, how they balance their relationship as friends and Co-CEOs, and what goes into producing great content. Danielle and Carly also open up about their biggest mistakes during their journey, how they dealt with rejection when fundraising early on, and so much more.
* In this episode, we’ll talk to Danielle and Carly about:
* Their lives as journalists prior to theSkimm. [02:53]
* Transitioning to full-time focus on theSkimm. [11:15]
* No Plan B: Driving force for productivity. [17:33]
* Growth propelled by theSkimm ambassador program. [22:01]
* Finding the right investors amid rejections. [27:06]
* Momentum building and monetization strategies. [29:56]
* Fostering their relationship as co-founders. [33:37]
* Tips for first time entrepreneurs. [38:35]
* Prioritizing self-care basics. [41:39]
* Who shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. [48:55]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Danielle and Carly:
* Website: https://www.theskimm.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimm/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlyanddanielle/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kori Estrada is the co-founder of RiseWell, a company that is disrupting the oral care industry with an all-natural, sustainable brand that prioritizes safe ingredients and transparency.
The inspiration for starting the company came to Kori when she was undergoing fertility treatments and realized all the toxic chemicals that were prevalent in our personal care items, including toothpaste. Fueled by her experiences with celiac disease and IVF struggles, Kori, joined by her former partner and brother, created dentist-formulated products that didn’t have harmful chemicals like fluoride, sulfates, and synthetic additives.
Since launching in 2016, RiseWell has gone from toothpaste to a full suite of products, including mouthwash, floss, and mints. In addition to running RiseWell, Kori is also the co-CIO and co-CEO at Axon Capitol, a New York-based asset management firm.
In this week’s episode, Kori openly talks about how she struggles with perfectionism in the early days of the business, what she did to move past it and how she deals with the mental and emotional tolls of entrepreurship. We also talk about how have another career in corporate, and starting a business with work experience under her belt, has only helped propel RiseWell’s success.
She also explains the confusion people have about fluoride, why we should be treating toothpaste like food and how she stumbled on the brand’s its key replacement ingredient on a personal trip in Japan. We also dive into the most difficult and impactful lessons she’s learned on her journey, the time & the many iterations it took for her to create their first product and the steps she took to create brand awareness early on with influencers and dentists who became brand ambassadors, and so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Kori about:
* Kori's evolution in dealing with perfectionism over the years. [03:07]
* Influences from Kori's upbringing and childhood. [05:38]
* Impact of New York finance lifestyle on Kori's well-being. [11:21]
* The inspiration behind founding RiseWell. [15:52]
* Initial steps in starting the business. [19:35]
* Challenges faced in manufacturing. [24:09]
* Crucial pillars before launching the business. [26:39]
* Creating market awareness. [28:55]
* Influencer and dentist support for RiseWell. [31:21]
* Early mistakes and lessons learned. [34:32]
* Considerations for toothpaste ingredients. [40:17]
* Balancing career and family by rejecting perfectionism. [44:00]
* Why starting a company is as much emotional as it is mental. [49:01]
* Future plans for RiseWell. [51:30]
* Kori's personal blog as a passion project. [52:54]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Kori:
* RiseWell Website: https://risewell.com/
* RiseWell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risewellco/
* Kori’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekokobutter/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We just learned that oral tissue is similar to vaginal tissue, and that a healthy mouth is an integral part of having a healthy body. From puberty to menopause, changes in our hormones actually have an impact on our teeth, gums, saliva and more. Suffice it to say, we’re never brushing our teeth the same way again…
In this episode you’ll learn:
* How you can reverse cavities
* The link between flossing and fertility
* Why pregnant women’s teeth can change
* The truth about root canals
* Best practices for optimal oral health
Dr. Leedia is a biological dentist who is revolutionizing the way we think about oral health. Her approach focuses on overall wellness, long-term disease prevention, and empowerment through education.
In Dr. Leedia's Beverly Hills office, she offers a range of integrative dental therapies, such as integrative dental extractions, responsible cosmetic dentistry, biomimetic fillings, safe mercury removal and detox, ozone therapies, micronutrient testing, an airway centric approach to dental care and so much more.
Dr. Leedia recognizes that over 65% of women suffer from dental disease concurrent with pregnancy, and that inflammation in the mouth is linked to premature labor, low birth weight, heart disease, and more. This realization has prompted her to put a spotlight on the importance of women's dental health and the impact that hormones have on the oral cavity. By educating and empowering women and fostering collaboration between the medical and dental worlds, Dr. Leedia is helping patients achieve optimal whole body health.
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Dr. Leedia:
* Website: https://rdentalgroup.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drleedia/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sara Cullen is the Founder and CEO of GEM. GEM VItamins are bite-sized vitamin chews made from whole foods that contain over 20 whole plant-derived ingredients, including key vitamins, minerals, herbs, prebiotics, and probiotics.
The inspiration for GEM stemmed from Sara’s health journey. When she got sick in her late 20s, she was shocked to find out that she was nutrient deficient. She was taking all her supplements and eating the rainbow, yet she suffered from inflammation, extreme fatigue, digestion issues, acne, and so much more. With a ton of research and determination, she realized that the answer is in food, not pills or gummies made with synthetic fillers and isolated nutrients. She was experimenting in her kitchen and created the product that she needed to support her own health. Fast forward to today, Sara has raised of $16 million in venture capital and has sold over 20M bites and counting.
In this week’s podcast, we talk to Sara about her entrepreneurial journey from growing up on a farm in Oregon to working with start-ups and building things that mattered. She shares the biggest lessons she had from her first start-up, why it couldn’t scale despite being an innovative idea, and how that business failure was the biggest gift in her journey. Sara walks us through how she proved the concept for GEM before putting too much money behind it, how she built a community on Facebook to test out her prototypes, and the steps she took to find the right investors to back her. We also talked to Sara about how the company has expanded its product line, how she thought about her subscription-based model, and the common practices she implements daily to help her reset and recharge from the day and so much more!
In this episode, we’ll talk to Sara about:
* Growing up on a farm significantly shaped Sara's upbringing. [02:55]
* Nature's impact on Sara and its integration into her life. [04:31]
* Creating her first business and lessons from "failing”. [09:45]
* Sara's journey in launching her second business after setbacks.[16:43]
* Navigating health challenges and identifying market potential.[20:01]
* Consulting experience and funding journey for her company.[24:25]
* Strategic considerations for building a scalable business. [27:00]
* Significance of word-of-mouth and online communities. [30:09]
* Sara's approach to educating customers about GEM vitamins.[34:16]
* Exploring product taste and challenges faced. [36:51]
* Generating awareness and gaining traction. [39:57]
* Challenges Sara conquered on her entrepreneurial journey. [43:51]
* Sara's daily routine and practices for nurturing her mind. [47:25]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Sara:
* GEM Website: https://dailygem.co/
* GEM Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daily_gem/
* Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cullensara/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have you ever connected how you feel mentally to what you’re eating? Turns out, they are absolutely related, according to a Harvard nutritional psychiatrist. If you’re someone who has dealt with anxiety, depression, panic attacks or other mental health challenges, this episode is for you.
In this episode you’ll learn:
* The connection between french fries and depression
* How to know if you have leaky gut
* The impact of blood sugar on anxiety
* How food can contribute to panic attacks
* Foods to help reduce anxiety
* And more…
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard trained nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, nutritional biologist and author of the international bestseller, “This is Your Brain on Food”, and her newest book “Calm Your Mind with Food”. Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food and medicine space as the nexus of her interests have found their niche in Nutritional Psychiatry.
Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first and only hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the MGH Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Uma has appeared as a Nutritional Psychiatry expert on Live with Kelly & Ryan, Today Show, 700 Club, ABC, and been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Harpers, Shape, Parade, Boston Globe, AARP, and more.
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Dr. Uma:
* Website: https://umanaidoomd.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drumanaidoo/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Adriana Carrig is the founder and CEO of Little Words Project, a jewelry company that’s on a mission to inspire and spread kindness one word at a time.
Adriana was motivated to start her business due to her personal experience with bullying growing up. She started making bracelets that acted as affirmations for her and her sorority sisters in college. While being an entrepreneur was never in her plans, she immediately saw the value of her idea and was quickly affirmed when she saw her sorority sisters continued bracelet-making long after she graduated. Seeing this fueled her to start a business and in 2013 the Little Words Project was born. Adriana has self-funded the brand with $5,000 of her own money and grew it to over $20 million in revenue before they brought on their first investor.
She understood the impact of what these wearable affirmations can do for the rest of the population and the rest is history. The brand has also built a cult following of loyal customers and boasts celebrity fans including Lance Bass, Kourtney Kardashian, Alicia Keys, and more. The company has over 1,000+ retail partners – including Target and Nordstrom – and is set to have 12 retail stores by the end of this year.
In this week’s episode, we talk to Adriana about how she went from beading bracelets and shipping them out herself at her parent’s basement to growing the business into what it is today. We talk about her experience with bullying and how it has inspired her to start her business, what it means to fail forward, and the importance of taking the first step. She opens up about how she dealt with naysayers who thought that she couldn’t build a real business around $25 bracelets, the steps she took from Day 1 on building the most incredible brand and community and the messy truth about entrepreneurship that no one talks about. The interview is all about intuitive entrepreneurship, how listening to your gut can be your biggest superpower, and so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Adriana about:
* The power of taking the first step. [04:16]
* Burnout and infertility experience. [08:10]
* Adriana’s childhood and upbringing. [14:19]
* Facing bullying and cultivating confidence. [14:17]
* The inspiration behind the Little Words Project. [20:28]
* Facing doubts and criticism in product development. [26:23]
* Developing her initial products. [34:02]
* The rewarding and challenging experiences of growth. [39:40]
* Building a self-funded, sustainable business. [46:39]
* Organic brand growth and community relationships. [50:31]
* The messy truth about entrepreneurship. [52:32]
* Intuitive entrepreneurship: Embrace what feels right. [55:46]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Adriana:
* Adriana's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianacarrig/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlewordsproject/
* Website: https://www.littlewordsproject.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode is as intimate as it gets. We sat down with Dr. Rena Malik, a medical doctor who specializes in urological health to get her clinical perspective on women’s shared experiences that are rarely talked about.
In this episode you’ll learn:
* The #1 thing that will improve your sex life
* Benefits of hormone replacement therapy
* Why masturbation is good for you
* Steps to take for pelvic floor dysfunction
* How to navigate mismatched desire with your partner
* What causes recurrent UTIs
* And more…
Dr. Rena Malik is a urologist and expert in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS)/Urogynecology. She focuses on the care of patients with pelvic health issues such as urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) and pelvic organ prolapse (vaginal bulge due to bladder, uterus, rectum or bowel dropping), neurogenic bladder, and urogenital reconstruction for stricture disease or fistulas of the lower urinary tract. Dr. Malik was named Top Urology and Urogynecology Doctor in Baltimore Magazine in 2019. She also shares her expertise on her YouTube channel where she has garnered a community of over 1.8 million subscribers.
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Dr. Rena:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renamalikmd/
* Website: https://renamalikmd.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cassandra Thurswell is the founder of KITSCH, a global brand that creates eco-friendly hair care and beauty accessories for women.
Cassandra came from a small town in Wisconsin to Los Angeles with the hopes of creating something meaningful in her life. But before launching her own business, she did whatever it took to make ends meet from working at a cupcake shop to crafting jewelry and babysitting. After seven failed attempts at various businesses, the idea for Kitsch was born. She started by hand-making her first product which was a basic but innovative knotted hair-tie in her tiny LA apartment. She was making cold calls, doing door to door sales, and whatever she could to get the brand out there all without any outside funding. Fast forward to today, the company has evolved into a multi-million dollar brand that’s sold in over 27 countries and across 20,000 retail locations worldwide. You can find them at Ulta, Sephora, Whole Foods, Urban Outfitters, to name a few.
In this week’s episode, Cassandra walks us through how following her gut over the years has truly been the key to her success – from couch-surfing to saving money for her business to working different jobs to learn the industry. She also talks about how every single job she’s had in the past has helped her become a stronger business person and was the "mini MBA" she needed. She then dives into the challenges of the early days of fulfilling orders in her one-bedroom apartment and the creative tactics she used to get into retailers without any connections. We also talk about the biggest learnings she's had over 14 years of running Kitsch, the power of micro-intentions and micro-habits when creating your dream life, & so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Cassandra about:
* Her thoughts on manifestation and its role in creating success. [05:05]
* The power of visualization. [13:06]
* Moving to Los Angeles, being broke, living on people’s couches & hustling in life. [17:12]
* Kitsch creation journey and inspiration. [29:28]
* Having various jobs to make ends meet and how she self-funded Kitsch. [33:17]
* Retailer entry without connections. [37:07]
* Getting her first large purchase order. [39:30]
* The power of vision boards and future journaling. [43:30]
* Her unique partnership approach [51:04]
* Experiencing postpartum anxiety. [58:35]
* Establishing boundaries and leaning into change & personal growth. [01:00:58]
* Definition of success and how it changed over the years. [01:04:00]
* Daily routine and micro intentions. [01:08:37]
* The messy truth in launching a business. [01:13:50]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Cassandra:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandrathurswell/
* KITSCH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykitsch/
* KITSCH Website: https://www.mykitsch.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you’ve ever been on birth control, this episode is a MUST listen. We dive deep into how taking a hormonal contraceptive impacts the brain, and how our options may be evolving in the future… with help from a self-experimenting researcher (in the name of science, of course).
In this episode you’ll learn:
* What happens to your brain on birth control
* How hormonal birth control impacts attraction
* The link between cortisol and the immune system
* Why we need balanced progesterone and estrogen
* The best alternatives to hormonal birth control
Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, Sarah Hill earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. It was at UWM that she was first exposed to research in human behavioral ecology and evolutionary psychology. She later earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin working with Dr. David Buss. She has an almost endless number of research interests, but tends to gravitate toward questions about relationships and health which she explored in her book “This is Your Brain on Birth Control”.
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Dr. Sarah:
* Website: https://www.sarahehill.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahehillphd/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
