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The Curious Middle — Business
The Curious Middle

We’re two San Francisco moms who got tired of pretending the obvious isn’t obvious.
Top 1.5% of podcasts globally not because we play it safe. We ask the questions people are thinking but won’t say out loud, on the topics that actually shape how we live: media, politics, culture, parenting, careers and what it means to defend common sense in a state that often ignores reality.
We’re two women who’ve earned our opinions through life, careers, raising kids and educating ourselves, Expect ideas that challenge what you think you know. Conversations that don’t wrap up neatly. And the occasional moment where one of us changes our mind on air, because that’s what actually curious people do.
Being “in the middle” isn’t about being passive. It’s about being grounded enough to question everything, open enough to learn from anywhere, and brave enough to push beyond comfortable assumptions. Expect conversations that challenge, entertain, and push you toward a more thoughtful, and wildly better life.

Follow us on Instagram @thecuriousmiddlepod or reach out at thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

Latest Episodes:

Caroline Cotto's Path to COO of Renewal Mill, an Upcycled Food Company Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Solving the problem of food waste and creating new products based on upcycled food was the type of project Caroline Cotto was meant to work on. As someone who has intentionally sought out challenging experiences since high school, Caroline is determined to live on the side of impact and adventure. Today, Caroline is the COO of Renewal Mill, a next generation ingredients company that's reducing food waste by upcycling the byproducts of food manufacturing into high quality ingredients and products. In our conversation, Caroline shares how her career decisions, family influences, traveling and love of food led her to Renewal Mill.

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You can reach us at contact@meantforit

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and please subscribe for future episodes.

Podcast co-hosts Polina and Amber

Annette Ross Was Meant For Love Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Annette Ross was meant for love. After overcoming a tragic accident during the birth of her second child that left Anette unable to walk, Annette went on to create a beautiful life with five daughters and the love of her life. In our conversation, we discuss how Annette adjusted to life and how her love for her family has always carried her forward.

Annette shares advice on navigating through life in a way that keeps joy and gratitude at the forefront, while also being open to opportunities and accepting challenges.

You can learn more about Annette by reading her memoir, Where Fairytales Go or by watching the HBO documentary, Any One of Us.

We were honored to host Annette and inspired by her beauty and strength.

Reach out to us: contact@meantforit.com

Learn How to Give Feedback Like a Pro with 'Let's Talk' Author and Cognitive Scientist Therese Huston Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

If you have had issues receiving or giving performance feedback (who hasn't?), this conversation is for you. Therese Huston's role as a Cognitive Scientist at Seattle University involves finding ways to help professionals do their best work. Therese's third book, Let's Talk, focuses on how to deliver feedback and create conversations that lead to growth and stronger relationships.

Although you have probably read about this topic before, 'Let's Talk' is different because Therese's unique style of writing and communicating her findings is truly easy to understand, remember, and apply. 'Let's Talk' could be an excellent handbook for every manager interested in delivering feedback in ways that create psychological safety, propose constructive solutions, and instill a collaborative framework. In our conversation we discuss different feedback styles, how to listen and set good intentions, how to set up two-way conversations, tips for creating psychological safety, best practices for frequency of feedback, and surprising research about the praise to criticism ratio.

This conversation is filled with actionable tips and advice for managers, parents or anyone who wants to get better at sharing feedback. We also recommend our podcast conversation with Therese Huston from 2016 on her book How Women Decide: What's True, What's Not, and What Strategies Spark the Best Choices. In podcast episode 21, we discussed high-pressure decision making, the gender myth, and tactical advice that may help you when you're stuck trying to make your own decisions.

Follow us @meantforit

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend. On your iPhone select episode, click "details," click on the 3 dots to the right of play, and text or email it to a friend.

To write a review on your iphone, after selecting the podcast, scroll down till you see "Write a Review" and tap.

Kelley Higney, Founder of Bug Bite Thing and 'Shark Tank' Entrepreneur Jan 17, 2021

Show notes

Kelley Higney, Founder & CEO of Bug Bite Thing, is an unstoppable force also known as a "mom on a mission." When a relocation to South Florida, led to constant mosquito bites for Kelley and her daughter, Kelley started searching for solutions. After many failed attempts to help her daughter with the bites, Kelley discovered a little-known tool that uses suction to help remove insect saliva/venom from under the skin. Kelley was amazed to find that the product worked and quickly realized it was an opportunity for a business. Kelley secured the exclusive distribution rights for the product in the U.S. and started her company, Bug Bite Thing. Then, Kelley made a bold and strategic decision to sell her house and move into a rental so she could afford to start her business. In the early days, Kelley started by selling her product at bake sales, school events, online and through Amazon. Eventually, word of mouth created buzz around the product and Kelley was featured on the local news. As sales expanded and Kelley's marketing skills evolved, one of Bug Bite Thing's social media posts caught the attention of a producer of the hit show 'Shark Tank.' This led to a successful appearance on the show and Kelley and her mother, Ellen McAlister, partnered with inventor and entrepreneur Lori Greiner. Then, things really took off. Kelley leaped into a new level of sales and took on the challenges of quick growth. In our conversation, we discuss Kelley's path from discovering the product now known as Bug Bite Thing, to early sales and how Kelley is managing her business today. If you are interested in entrepreneurial stories, you will love this episode and Kelley's advice for people who want to pursue their own entrepreneurial dream.

If you enjoy this episode please share it with a friend and follow us on Instagram @meantforit.

Get yourself a Bug Bite Thing

Gr8nola Founder Erica Liu Williams Shares How She Started Her Award-Winning Food Product Line Business Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Erica Liu Williams is the founder of Gr8nola, a "delicious, low sugar superfood granola." A two-time Olympic time-trial swimmer who's married to a former-NFL football player named "Tank" Williams, Erica first created gr8nola as a crunchy snack during their annual food cleanse. Erica shares how she started her business as a "cottage food operator," baking trays and trays of gr8nola in her kitchen and selling at a local farmer's market. As sales grew, there was a lot that she needed to learn in order to grow her business. "Once I started doing my second farmer's market and selling online, I needed other certifications and of course, an official nutrition label. It took me tons and tons of phone calls and networking with other food entrepreneurs to figure it all out. There's no step-by-step guide."

In our conversation, Erica shares the story of growing gr8nola, pivoting during Covid, and expanding her sales channels. Erica offers advice on how to start your own business, from the earliest stages of kitchen production and hiring to figuring out how to scale and build brand awareness. We also discuss Erica's early influences and the decisions that led her to a career she loves. Plus, we find our what led Halle Berry to share her love of gr8nola on her IG page!

Episode co-hosts: Willow Older and Polina Selyutin

Follow us or reach out for interview ideas to @iwhjpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend. On your iPhone select episode, click "details," click on the 3 dots to the right of play, and text or email it to a friend.

To write a review on your iphone, after selecting the podcast, scroll down till you see "Write a Review" and tap.

After the Last Border with Jessica Goudeau Nov 28, 2020

Show notes

We often hear that volunteering can lead you to places that will change your life. For Jessica Goudeau, volunteering led to starting a nonprofit that provided supplemental income for Burmese refugee artisans for seven years and then to writing After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, which was named a New York Times Editors' Choice book.

Jessica has a PHD n literature from the University of Texas and has spent over 10 years working with refugees in Austin. In our conversation, we discuss how Jessica's friendships with "Mu Naw" and "Hasna" , inspired her to devote two years to writing her first book, and the ways her experiences helping refugees has transformed her life. We also discuss how the sentiment towards towards refugee resettlement in the USA has changed, and a few ways the refugee resettlement program is evolving.

Jessica's book recommendations:

Kao Kalia Yang, Somewhere in the Unknown World

Dina Nayeri, The Ungrateful Refugee

Ahmed Badr, While the Earth Sleeps We Travel

Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Displaced

Follow the podcast or reach out @iwhjpodcast

Breakup Bootcamp with Amy Chan Nov 21, 2020

Show notes

We've all been through heartache and heartbreak, but Amy Chan has made a career of it. Amy is the founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp, a retreat that takes a scientific and spiritual approach to healing the heart. If you or someone you know is reeling from the pain of a breakup, attending one of these workshops can be transformative. During Covid, the bootcamps are going strong with online sessions. Amy was a guest on the podcast in episode 100 to discuss her career path and how she started Renew Breakup Bootcamp.

In our latest conversation, Amy joins us to discuss her new book, Breakup Bootcamp. Amy shares highlights from her book and we discuss some of the book's themes such as recognizing love addiction, tools for getting over breakups and understanding our love compass. Amy shares how the many breaks ups she endured gave her an understanding of common dating patterns and the different ways we can sabotage ourselves in love or get stuck in suffering during breakups. Amy has poured all the research and learnings from her career and fours years of break up bootcamps into this must-read book on dealing with dating and breakups.

Follow us @iwhjpodcast

Follow Amy @missamychan

How to Make a Major Career Pivot with Gianna Stanley Nov 14, 2020

Show notes

Gianna Stanley made a huge career pivot when she realized her post college dream job for a boutique marketing and consulting agency was not the the path she wanted for the rest of her career. Instead of staying stuck and unhappy, Gianna made a bold move to leave her job, and then another bold move by deciding to go to the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. The decision to go to culinary school actually came out of Gianna's volunteering at the St Francis House Day shelter. After leaving her job, Gianna increased her volunteer hours at the shelter and soon realized the work of cooking and feeding people gave her the joy and purpose she was craving.

At the Institute of Culinary Education, Gianna fully embraced the intensity of the cooking program and took advantage of various internships and opportunities to learn. After finishing the program, Gianna got an externship at Blue Hill and then accepted a position as a private chef along with a side job as a chef with a pop-up event company called The Underground Kitchen. In addition to her cooking jobs, Covid led Gianna to another side gig as a food photographer. In our conversation, Gianna shares her career story and how she started and grew her food photography business. If you have a career switch on your mind or are curious about starting a new side hustle, you will love learning how Gianna has followed her heart to a create her own recipe for a meaningful career.

Follow Gianna @sustainablygia

Follow us/reach out @iwhjpodcast

Financial Advisor Kristin O'Keefe Merrick (Net)Works Bleeping Hard Nov 07, 2020

Show notes

Have you ever thought about what it's like to work as a financial advisor? Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick, a money expert with 19 years of professional experience in the financial industry, is a financial advisor at her family-run firm, O'Keeffe Financial Partners. Kristin shares her career path story and why more women should consider financial advising as a career option. We discuss the challenges Kristin faced when transitioning to a financial advisor role and advice on how to get started in this field.

We also discuss the project Kristin started with her close friend, Lindsay Shookus, Women Work F#cking Hard, a networking group that is bringing together women with the goal of helping women business owners. Kristin also writes about money for leading publications such as Forbes, NY Magazine and she is a frequent guest on Today Show, the NBC Nightly News and Yahoo Finance Kristin was recently named as 2020 Badass 50 by InStyle Magazine.

How to be a Grief Warrior With Leslie Barber Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

Grief Warrior was born out of Leslie Barber's tragic personal experience—the sudden death of her husband, Steve, at 46 years old. This life-changing event, and the grief Leslie has since endured, led her to found Grief Warrior. The company is dedicated to changing how individuals, companies, and our society at large thinks about and handles grief.

Grief Warrior is both a mission and a movement. What began as a thoughtful gift box for grievers has evolved into a comprehensive selection of offerings including a training series for managers and HR, a Grief Squad crisis response team, 1:1 coaching and counseling, digital courses, and keynote presentations.

In this conversation, Leslie shares why it's so important for leaders to learn how to be compassionate, empathetic, and supportive during an employee's most difficult time. Such efforts include learning what we shouldn't say to someone who's grieving. (For example, never start a sentence with "At least …" or suggest that, "God needed another angel.") Leslie points out that mastering such so-called "soft" skills to support grievers can directly improve things like productivity, morale, and retention. In other words, learning how to help people "feel human at work" (as one Grief Warrior participant put it), is fundamentally good for business.

With an impressive NPS score of 85, it's clear that Grief Warrior's services are effective—and essential. Leslie explains how she has grown Grief Warrior to a team of 20 and how she's continuing to expand her business. As she tells us about her mission to become the "Brene Brown of grief," Leslie says, "We can't make grief better, but maybe we can make it less awful."

Willow Older, a friend of the podcast, is a co-host on this episode. Willow is writer, editor, and co-founder of the must-follow Instagram account called Today I Noticed (@today.i.noticed).

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