Her Story of Success

Latest Episodes:

Designing Your Dream Life with Diana Sumpter Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Diana Sumpter helps women design and live out their dream lives, and she believes it all starts with a positive mindset. She's an author, motivational speaker, and Independent National Sales Director at Mary Kay, and she speaks and teaches all around the world. Diana started her career in the Air Force, but she left to join Mary Kay in search of a better life where she could work from home, make more money, and be happy all at the same time. That bold decision transformed her life, as the mentors and experiences she gained helped her to grow into the confident, powerful leader she is today.

Diana's first book, Step Out of the Box: Your Dream Life is Waiting, teaches women to "erase and replace" the old labels that have defined them and kept them from living their dream lives. She also developed IGNITE, a program designed to train and motivate church volunteers to encourage, equip, and energize their teams.

Diana's incredible story of transformation is a great example of how investing in your own life can inspire and motivate countless other women. She joins Leah on Her Story of Success to talk about how she moved past old mindsets and habits into living her dream life, and she shares helpful advice for how you can learn to do the same.

In This Episode:

Diana describes the process of transforming from a person who was controlled by negative mindsets and labels into a leader who's living her dream life and speaking into the lives of others. She shares wisdom from her book about investing in yourself, and she talks about some of the biggest lessons she's learned in her marriage.

Here are some of the highlights:

Diana's story of serving in the Air Force and then starting to work for Mary Kay
Why your thoughts make the biggest difference in helping you reach your goals
How to have a healthy marriage when you share different faiths
The importance of surrounding yourself with uplifting people
How to erase and replace old labels so you can start to dream bigger
Finding a dream that impacts and inspires others

The books Diana and Leah mentioned:

Step Out of the Box: Your Dream Life is Waiting by Diana Sumpter

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Sponsored by: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Non-Profit Spotlight: Friendship Bridge helps women in Guatemala start their own businesses. They know it takes more than loans to help women get out of poverty, so they designed a unique microedit loan program that also includes education, training and health services to empower women holistically.

Selling Your Brand's Honest Story with Krista Ripma Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Krista Ripma is the President and Co-Founder of Authentic Audience, a digital marketing agency that helps brands tell their honest stories. Krista fell in love with marketing through a unique combination of experiences — learning storytelling in Hollywood before ultimately leaving because of the toxic work environment and then learning how to market a business in the yoga and wellness industry. She then started Authentic Audience with her husband and has grown it into a thriving company that offers brand strategy, content creation, email marketing, social media and more, all with the goal of helping brands "sell the truth." Krista has been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur, hosts The Authentic Audience Podcast and recently developed an online course in Marketing Fundamentals to further share everything she has learned.

Since Krista built much of her business as a solopreneur, she's learned firsthand about the importance of setting boundaries around work — even when you love what you do — and finding ways to have a positive mindset and a full life outside of your career. She joins Leah on Her Story of Success to tell the inspiring story of how she got to where she is today, and they talk about some of the most important things people should think about when they want to start prioritizing marketing and brand storytelling for their businesses.

In This Episode:

Krista shares how she's helping companies to tell their honest stories and make money in the process with Authentic Audience, and she offers advice for leaders and business owners looking to be more intentional about building their brands.

Here are some of the highlights:

Starting out in Hollywood and deciding to leave
Working with yoga brands and learning to do business with heart
Having a strong product, separating yourself from your brand and other tips for telling your business' story
Learning to embrace the slow burn over high growth and extreme stress

Non-Profit Spotlight: AWAKE Tennessee works to advance opportunities for women and kids with education and policy change. In the six years since they started, AWAKE has helped 8 bills into law, launched a state-wide campaign for child abuse prevention and created a curriculum for middle school kids to learn about healthy relationships and financial independence.

Sponsored By: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Providing Accessible Birth Control Delivered with Dr. Sophia Yen Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Sophia Yen is the co-founder and CEO of Pandia Health, the world's only doctor led, women founded, and woman led birth control delivery company. With more than 20 years of experience in medicine, Dr. Sophia is board-certified in Adolescent Medicine, with a Doctorate of Medicine from UCSF Medical School and a Master's of Public Health from UC Berkeley in Maternal Child Health. She started Pandia Health out of a desire to make women's lives easier by reducing "pill anxiety," the stress that comes with having to refill birth control every month. As a respected thought leader and educator, Dr. Sophia is also passionate about educating women about topics like #PeriodsOptional, sexually-transmitted infections, acne, and other adolescent health issues. She has spoken at SXSW, TedxSilicon Valley Women, TedxBerkley, and at universities around the U.S., along with teaching as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford Medical School.

Even though Dr. Sophia is incredibly qualified to run Pandia Health, she has often struggled to get the same level of funding as her male counterparts, and she's had to navigate the difficult regulations around practicing medicine in different states. She joins Leah on Her Story of Success for an honest conversation about the struggles so many female founders face, especially when pitching female-focused products and services to male venture capitalists. Dr. Sophia also explains how you can partner with Pandia Health to help bring affordable, stress-free birth control to women across the U.S., especially those who may struggle to afford it on their own.

In This Episode:

Dr. Sophia shares insight into the ways pill anxiety and periods can negatively affect women and describes how Pandia Health is actively working to solve those issues. She also opens up about her experience of being the only female founder and CEO of a birth control delivery company, and she and Leah discuss the importance of pushing through frustration that can arise when you have a big vision but change is happening slowly.

Here are some of the highlights:

How Pandia Health is getting rid of pill anxiety for women
The health benefits of #PeriodsOptional and getting affordable birth control through Pandia Health
The unique challenges of running a FemTech company and trying to get funding
Pushing through the frustration of slow-moving change and continuing to stay passionate about your goals

Non-Profit Spotlight: In Her Shoes helps girls and women around the world live courageously. In addition to hosting an annual women's summit, they also provide workshops and leadership training for high school girls. Everything In Her Shoes does is centered around one question: "What would you do if you were 1% more courageous?" With this mission in mind, they help girls to understand their passions, express themselves and pursue possibility in every area of their lives.

Sponsored By: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Leading an Employee-Centric Company to Success with Sherry Stewart Deutschmann May 28, 2020

Show notes

Sherry Stewart Deutschmann built an incredibly successful career out of the belief that empathy could be the key to a more profitable business model. She put that idea into practice with LetterLogic, Inc., a company she built out of her basement and grew to $40 million before selling it in 2016. LetterLogic, which was named an Inc. 5000 company for ten consecutive years, was built on a unique model of putting employees first, starting with the dedication to paying employees a living wage and trickling into other areas like profit sharing and allowing people to bring their kids to work. Sherry has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Fast Company and more, and she was honored by President Barack Obama as a White House Champion of Change in 2016. Her newest venture, BrainTrust, is a company dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses to $1 million in annual revenue and beyond. Sherry is also the author of Lunch with Lucy, a book that teaches business owners to "maximize profits by investing in your people."

Sherry joins Leah on Her Story of Success to share some of the practical steps she took to create an employee-first business model, including the Lunch with Lucy program that she talks about in her book. She also opens up about what it was like to sell her company and gets real about the mourning process that went with letting go of something she'd built from the ground up. Sherry's passion for leading well and empowering others is such an inspiration, and her story of finding new ways to invest in other women — both through her own venture firm and through BrainTrust — is such a great example of how women can lift each other up while also achieving their own personal success.

In This Episode:

Sherry tells her inspiring story of starting a company as a single mom with only a high school diploma and finding success through her intentional choice to put her employees first. She also breaks down the specifics of what that business model looked like, from paying people a living wage to becoming a more approachable CEO. As a newly published author and founder and CEO of BrainTrust, Sherry explains how she's continuing to empower women business owners in every area of her career.

Here are some of the highlights:

Creating an employee-centric company, and what it means to pay people a living wage
Becoming an approachable leader with "lunch with Lucy"
Sherry's experience of selling the company she built and looking for new ways to fill her time
Empowering other women business owners with BrainTrust

Non-Profit Spotlight: The Pandia Health Birth Control Fund provides financial assistance for women who need help paying for their birth control, furthering Pandia's mission of creating confidential, convenient and affordable access to birth control for all women.

Sponsored By: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Preparing for Next: Expanding in the Midst of COVID-19 with Erica McMannes May 21, 2020

Show notes

Erica McMannes is the founder and COO of Instant Teams, a company that builds and manages remote teams for companies across the U.S.. She and her co-founder, Liza Rodewald, started Instant Teams out of Erica's own experience as an Army spouse who had to get creative about finding career opportunities that could accommodate her lifestyle. At Instant Teams, military spouses can create a free profile and be matched with remote work. Instant Teams recently closed a $1.5 million round of VC funding and has been able to continue expanding even in the midst of COVID-19 losses. Erica is also a speaker and thought leader around military spouse employment and serves on the advisory board for the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs.

Though Instant Teams has lost a few clients during COVID-19, the company has also been able to bring on about 30 new employees, and they're continuing to offer solutions for businesses that need remote work more than ever. Erica shares her optimism around the innovation that she believes will come out of COVID-19, and she explains how she's learning to seek work-life harmony instead of balance, even in chaotic times.

In This Episode:

Erica shares some of the biggest lessons she's learned while building her company, from the importance of flexibility and remote work options to the power of networking. She also stresses the importance of staying true to yourself and your business, even when you're a woman in a male-dominated space like venture capital.

Here are some of the highlights:

Building remote solutions for clients
How COVID-19 is fostering innovation in the workplace
Seeking harmony instead of work-life balance
Lessons Erica has learned through the fundraising process

Sponsored By: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Preparing for Next: A Live Interview with Maggie Tucker May 14, 2020

Show notes

Maggie Tucker is the owner and founder of the Nashville-based retail stores magpies baby and magpies girl. The magpies stores provide clothing, gifts and more for young girls and their families in a uniquely joyful and fun environment. Maggie has been featured in Southern Living, Cottage Living and Gift Shop Magazine, and she won HGTV's award for top retail merchandising and design. Maggie is also passionate about serving the Nashville community, both by partnering with entrepreneurs and creatives and by giving back to organizations like Preston Taylor Ministries and the Dream Center.

When Maggie realized her store would have to close because of COVID-19, she and her team shifted the entire business online, providing curbside pickup and shipping orders to families across the country. She's also had to stay flexible with her plans around ordering new products, marketing her business and still providing an incredible experience even when people can't come into the physical store. In the process, she's witnessed the power of people's support for small businesses, and she offers words of encouragement to other women who find themselves struggling during these difficult times.

In This Episode:

Maggie opens up about the difficulties she's faced as a small business owner during COVID-19 and explains how she's shifted her operations to stay in business. She also encourages women to support and empower each other and talks about the importance of learning to accept help from others when they offer it.

Here are some of the highlights:

Transitioning to stay in business during COVID-19
Staying true to the heart of magpies even when selling online
The importance of supporting other women business owners
Learning to accept help from others

Businesses Leah and Maggie mentioned:

Listen to Maggie's First Her Story of Success Episode

Preparing for Next: Marketing for the Next Phase with Nekasha Pratt May 07, 2020

Show notes

Nekasha Pratt is an award-winning marketer, speaker and thought leader. She works as the Director of Marketing for Tennessee Tourism and is the Chief Strategy and Brand Officer for her own firm, Bright Advisory Group. With almost 20 years of marketing experience, Nekasha has worked in a wide array of roles and industries, servicing both small and large clients. Today she specializes in digital marketing, branding and multicultural marketing. Nekasha has been honored with many national and local awards, including 3 international Cannes Lions Awards, Nashville's 2019 Women of Influence Award, a BizWomen Economic Develop Headliner, and more. She also serves her community on boards like Women Can Be Angels, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, and Together Digital, and she's an advisor for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and a Business Mentor for Pathway Women's Business Center.

In the midst of COVID-19, Nekasha believes marketing is more important than ever, and she's helping clients to shift their messaging to building awareness and relationships, rather than hard selling in a time of so much uncertainty. While she advocates for the importance of a strong marketing strategy, she also encourages business owners to plan in a way that allows future flexibility, especially when looking ahead to the upcoming phases of COVID-19 recovery.

In This Episode...

Nekasha offers practical advice for marketing effectively during COVID-19 by shifting the focus from hard selling to relationship building. She also breaks down some of the basics of how to develop a strong but flexible marketing strategy and explains how you can know that it's time to outsource some of your marketing efforts.

Here are Some of the Highlights:

Why marketing matters during uncertain times
Developing a strong core message and communicating your value
Adapting your strategy to focus on relationship building
Planning for recovery
How to build a marketing strategy and how to know when it's time to outsource

Sponsored by: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Controlling the Narrative of COVID-19 with Nicole Wegman Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Nicole Wegman is the founder and CEO of Ring Concierge, a jewelry company that's making luxury accessible to the masses. Ring Concierge is run by women, for women, and it is disrupting the traditionally male-dominated jewelry industry with its all-female team and thriving e-commerce business. In 2013, Nicole left a career in the fashion industry to start Ring Concierge, inspired by her own experience of shopping for an engagement ring and realizing the industry lacked the perspective of millennial women. Ring Concierge has amassed a large social media following, where Nicole blurs the line between retailer and influencer to provide engaging, accessible content for her customers.

Since the start of COVID-19, Nicole has had to pivot her business strategies multiple times, first by finding packaging manufacturers outside of China, and most recently by shifting to fully remote work when it became unsafe to go into the company's New York City office. Because of her innovative, e-commerce approach to jewelry retail, Nicole has been able to keep selling product in a time when many other jewelry companies are struggling to adjust to selling online for the first time.

In This Episode:

Nicole shares her strategies for staying calm and leading her team well in the midst of COVID-19, and she describes how she's adapted her business to accommodate working from home. She also offers insight into the gradual way that many businesses will have to approach reopening once government mandates allow them to do so.

Here are some of the highlights:

Building a company by women for women
Pivoting quickly throughout COVID-19
Staying calm in the face of uncertainty
Looking ahead to a gradual reopening
Developing a brand around innovation

Sponsored by: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Controlling the Narrative of COVID-19 with Gail Peace Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Gail Peace is the Founder and CEO of Ludi, Inc., a healthcare technology and physician-advocacy firm that helps hospitals manage payments to their physicians. She has more than 25 years of experience as a healthcare executive and entrepreneur, serving in leadership roles at companies including WebMD and Vanguard Health Chicago. With Ludi, Gail created DocTime Log, Ludi's software that helps clients keep track of their complex contracts with the independently employed physicians who work for them. Gail has been honored as a Female Healthcare IT Leader to Know by Becker's Hospital Review in 2018 and 2019, and she's a published author, blogger and speaker.

In the midst of COVID-19, Gail wants to help all hospitals pay their physicians properly, even those that aren't Ludi clients. She and her team developed a free version of DocTime Log to help hospitals keep track of the practitioners who may be working different hours or in different areas than normal. She's also working to keep her employees informed about the facts of COVID-19 with weekly newsletter updates, and she's adapting to changes within her own business as a result of the pandemic.

In This Episode:

Gail shares how she's navigating COVID-19 as a small business owner and continuing to provide important services in the healthcare industry. She also reminds listeners that new opportunities may arise from this crisis and encourages them to learn from these unusual circumstances.

Here are some of the highlights:

How COVID-19 is impacting the healthcare industry
Over-communicating to help employees navigate this pandemic
Releasing a new product to serve the industry and invest in future clients
Learning from the challenges of COVID-19

Sponsored by: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

Controlling the Narrative of COVID-19 with Christine Owenell Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Christine Owenell is an executive coach, consultant and speaker who's passionate about helping leaders cultivate presence, compassion and self-awareness. She's the founder of Owenell Global Consultancy, where she works with CEOs, high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and people in transition to help companies scale without losing their souls. She's also a partner at Evolution Service Corp, a coaching organization that specializes in working with high growth startups and companies. Christine has advised and coached leaders at high-profile organizations including Slack, Vanderbilt, LinkedIn, Northwestern Mutual and more.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, Christine is helping executives to navigate all of the unknowns by reminding them that it's OK to not have answers and giving them space to be vulnerable and talk about their fears and questions. She's also launched her first group coaching program, where she's working with high level leaders to help them transform the chaos of COVID-19 into new opportunities.

In This Episode:

Christine shares how she's navigating the challenges of parenting while working full-time from home and continuing to be a resource for her clients. She also encourages leaders to deal with this crisis one step at a time, instead of spending too much time planning for things that are completely unknown.

Here are some of the highlights:

Adjusting to working from home while parenting
Creating space for executives to be vulnerable
Giving your family grace in this time
Taking it day by day instead of trying to plan in the midst of so much uncertainty.

You can listen to Christine's episode where she breaks down the executive coaching process here.

Sponsored by: This episode is sponsored by Insperity, an HR company that makes a difference. Insperity combines first class service and robust technology so you can focus on your people.

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