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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:

Parenting Expert Dr. Laura Markham On Building Deeper Bonds With Your Children Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

If you're a parent, chances are you know about Dr. Laura Markham. And if you don't, allow us to introduce her and her parenting advice that could be life-changing for you and your family. Dr. Laura is the founding editor of AhaParenting, a blog 130k+ subscribers strong. As a parenting expert she's been interviewed for thousands of articles by publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Real Simple, Newsday and Parents magazine. In addition to her blog, she shares critical parenting advice in each of her weekly emails, aimed to help you build stronger and deeper bonds with your children. After all, we are mightily convinced she just may be a modern-day Mary Poppins.

In today's episode Dr. Laura shares her philosophies on raising kids with empathy and connection, as well as ideas for building stronger and more trusting relationships with your children. She walks us through a scenario on how to deal with temper tantrums, tips on managing technology with kids and more. We also discuss how putting in the work now to build loving and trusting relationships can ripple toward the future, creating an output with lasting effects.

Former Cosmo Editor + Author Kate White On Nailing A Career You Love Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

As the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 14 years, Kate White led the iconic women's glossy straight to the top. And now she's a best-selling author of career and suspense books that you just can't put down. How did she do it? In today's show she shares how her gutsy instincts, risk taking, rule breaking, love of data and strong business skills blended to create the special sauce that was her personal secret to success. Kate shares how this mindset, as well as other strategies, fueled her accomplishments at Cosmopolitan and how they can help you, too. Then, if you want to take Kate's advice to the next level, we highly recommend you pick up her latest book, The Gutsy Girl Handbook, to learn how you can apply her tactics to negotiate your salary, manage your time, learn from failure, reduce your worrying, shed the "good girl" instinct and more. Listen in to learn how, like Kate, you can become better, bigger, bolder and more bad ass in everything you do. @iwhjpodcast

Meesen Brown, Co-Founder And CEO Of Behere, A Service That Helps Women Live In New Cities May 30, 2018

Show notes

After experiencing the hassle of living abroad and moving, Meesen Brown sparked to the idea that there had to be a better way to make travel easier. She realized the need to help fellow women who wanted to travel, but who didn't have the time or resources to find housing arrangements. And with this, the idea for Behere was born. Today Meesen is the co-founder and CEO of Behere, a service for women that provides furnished housing options for cities around the world that a woman can contract on a month-to-month basis. You read that right: You can live in select cities around the globe for a month at a time, no long-term contracts or obligations. With a Behere membership, your rental will include workspaces, fitness memberships, city guides and more. Listen in to hear how Behere's mission to make travel easier and more comfortable can help you on your great adventures. If you enjoy this show please share it with a friend.

Gillian Morris On Building + Growing Travel App, Hitlist Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

Gillian Morris is the founder of Hitlist, an app that sends travel listings based on your time, destination and budget preferences. Have you always wanted to go somewhere but wanted to wait for the best time for your budget? The app will even alert you to travel deals on the destination of your dreams. The idea for Hitlist came to Gillian while she was living in Istanbul. Frustrated that her friends weren't visiting, she started sending them airline deals, and made the observation that if she sent them airline deals, they were more likely to travel more. Those same friends then started asking Gillian to provide discount fare alerts to other cities. After another travel-related search engine business idea didn't take off, Gillian taught herself to code through Code Academy. And then, with the help from the developer community, she wrote a first script for Hitlist. In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Gillian shares how she iterated her idea, what her day-to-day life is like running Hitlist, and we also discuss why she considers travel one of the best "side hacks for peace building." We also talk about a meaningful way to drive social impact while gaining priceless perspective and learn more about her experience volunteering for Gaza Sky Geeks, the first tech hub in Gaza. If you enjoy this show, please share with a friend and leave us a review on itunes. If you have ideas for future shows, you can reach us at podcast@iwantherjob.com.

Sydney Thomas of Precursor Ventures on Coffee + Investing Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

After "trying on" a variety of internships and roles, including time in the public sector, Sydney Thomas realized she wanted to be the one making the decisions about where to invest money for the most impact instead of the person asking for the investments. It was her curiosity, networking and yes, those internships, that led her into the venture capital industry. Currently she works as an investment associate and head of operations at Precursor Ventures. In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast we talk to Sydney about her path into venture capital and the scope of her current role. We also discuss her journey through 52 cups of coffee through her LinkedIn profile, her tips for turning connections into coffee dates and hear about some of her favorite productivity tips and apps. If you enjoy this show, please share it with a friend, and subscribe to iwantherjob on itunes.

Winemaker Lauren Belden On Building A Dream Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

Imagine living in a winery with 50 acres of vineyards to stroll through during evening moonlit hours. Imagine a place where you can invite friends and family, host events and tastings, and where your kids can grow up with dozens of acres as their domain. This is a dream winemaker Lauren Belden and her husband, Nate, have brought to life with Belden Barns, a Sonoma winery, where they create a variety red and white wines. Lauren and Nate Belden have an ambitious and exciting vision of creating a different type of wine tasting experience that provides the opportunity for you to experience and learn about winemaking and agriculture with interactive, family-friendly experiences. In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Lauren shares the glamorous and not-so-glamorous part of running a winery. Although it's easy to romanticize running a winery, Lauren sheds some light on the labor and difficulties involved in the industry. At different times of the day, Lauren and her husband are the only members of the distribution, marketing, account management, customer service or sales departments teams of Belden Barns. Luckily, this husband and wife team each bring a set of different strengths to their business, and that has allowed Belden Barns to flourish. Their founding story built on love also includes a wishing tree that is helping guests of Belden Barns wish for their own dreams.

The Hivery Founder Grace Kraaijvanger On Redefining How We Work + Support One Another Dec 30, 2017

Show notes

Grace Kraaijvanger is the founder of The Hivery, a women's co-working space located in Mill Valley, California. But, as good as she is at creating a delightful environment for her members, her goals go beyond simply offering a beautiful space. The Hivery, Grace says, aims to be a community and movement of women supporting one another. In today's episode, Grace shares how her career in professional dance and marketing roles merged with her desire to build community, and led to her idea for The Hivery. We also discuss how a powerful, personal loss changed Grace, and how we feel loss can transform our lives. She also shares her funding story, lessons learned along her path and the way that her previous career in dance taught her the power of resilience and showing up. "So much of what I learned in dance is [about] showing up when you don't feel like it," Grace says. "in life, all kinds of crazy things are going to go wrong. [For example,] kids are going to get sick and things are not always going to go according to plan, but we have to show up, and we have to keep showing up." If you've had an itch to make a change in your life, we hope Grace's story of launching The Hivery also will inspire you to make your bold move.

Barre3 Co-Founder + CEO Sadie Lincoln Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

Oftentimes the answers we are searching for can be found within us. And this was certainly the case for Sadie Lincoln, the co-founder (along with her husband, Chris) and CEO of Barre3, a bar-based fitness program with more than 130 locations worldwide. Barre3, which is part of a robust $30B dollar fitness industry, is a business that is spiritually aligned with how Sadie desires women to treat their mind, soul and bodies. Barre3's classes encourage its participants to do what feels right for them. Instead of vigorously working to copy instructor-led moves, it's a place that encourages and fosters individuality. In today's show, Sadie shares with us how her unconventional upbringing in Eugene, Oregon, by a group of four women who were best friends that she affectionately calls her "aunties" shaped her future. She details how this upbringing shaped her path and ultimately, influenced the way she now runs Barre3—tapping into the collective wisdom of her tribe of employees, members, franchisees and her own inner wisdom. In fact, it was this intuition that led her from a great managerial role at 24-Hour Fitness in San Francisco where she worked for a decade learning about the industry from different angles, to a bold move to Portland with the goal of starting a business and finding the community she craved. Other topics discussed include her franchising philosophy and selection of applicants, as well as her managerial practices that help her run such a grand and successful business. If you enjoy today's show with the brilliant Sadie, please share with a friend, and please leave a review us on iTunes. As always, if you have ideas for future shows, you can reach us at podcast at iwantherjob.com.

Restaurant Founder Erin Wade On Launching Homeroom And Its Delicious Mac-n-Cheese Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

If you'd describe yourself as a foodie who loves restaurants, or if you're curious about what it takes to start a restaurant, then today's interview with Erin Wade is for you. Erin is the founder of Homeroom, a mac-n-cheese restaurant with a mission to serve the most delicious and comforting pasta dish in America. And they're well on their way. Homeroom quickly became a community destination in Oakland, Calif., with lines that stretch beyond the door. But, it wasn't always so in demand -- especially when it came to some family and friends who thought the restaurant was a terrible idea. Homeroom had a place in Erin's heart though, and after she met the "one person who didn't think Homeroom was nuts" that person became her partner. In episode 58 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Erin shares with Host Polina Selyutin some of the up's and down's of opening the restaurant -- including running through her entire life's savings and opening the restaurant with just two weeks of operations expenses left in her bank account. Finally, we discuss the reason Erin left her previous career -- as a lawyer -- behind. And, she shares why she felt staying in the legal industry was a bigger personal risk for her than putting her entire life savings on the line to passionately chase her idea.

SheEO Founder Vicki Saunders On The Power Of Funding Women Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

Vicki Saunders is the founder of SheEO, an organization redefining the rules for how businesses are funded. SheEO's radical generosity funding model is completely transformative, and if Vicki's goals are realized, a $1B dollar fund will be created to fund female-owned small-to-medium businesses, forever. In episode 56 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Vicki shares advice from her career path with Host Polina Selyutin. She also discusses lessons she's learned through her career, self-development advice, why she founded SheEO and why we desperately need small-to-medium businesses to transform our communities. SheEO's mission is incredibly inspiring, and it's quite possibly a game changer for how women fund and support one another.

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