Support is Sexy

Eveyln Frison was raised to play by the rules. Growing up in different parts of the world thanks to her military family, Evelyn, was taught the value of hard work, discipline and avoiding risk, and later fell in line with that tradition by signing up for ROTC in college at University of Colorado. But that bit of rebel and that entrepreneurial spirit that was also a part of who she was couldn't be resisted. In 2013, after a few years of working in marketing and advertising -- and also experiencing frustrating with clothing options for women who go through may phases throughout thier day -- she decided to take the leap. Today, with her business partner Yehua Yang, Evelyn is the co-founder and brand director of Pivotte Studio -- which is a line of polished clothing that offers form, function and fashion for women on the go. Their goal is to help women move through the world feeling comfortable and confident. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Evelyn talks about the twists and turns on the path to success, what she wishes she knew before she jumped into her business, what it's like to build a business partnership with your best friend (yes, it can work!) and how entrepreneurship is one of the greatest personal growth journeys you'll ever have. On this episode you'll learn: Key conversation you should have with your business partner before you start your business.What make a business partnership work.How to resolve conflicts between partners.The importance of regular checks.The power of being a digital first business, even in fashion.Getting clear on your message for your business.Practice saying your message and your brand proposition out loud.Remembering that, as a startup, you're going to continuously evolve.Seek feedback about your brand from your customers.Be okay with letting an idea go when it's not working.Importance of having a mentor who gives you feedback and helps build confidence.How personal development plays a role in entrepreneurship.How confidence is key to being a successful entrepreneur and how they can be nurtured.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the "Mama Bear" in Lesley Pyle that moved her into her life as an entrepreneur. After giving birth to her daughter 22 years ago, the Tomball, Texas, native felt almost immediately that she wasn't going to want to return to her full-time job in an office, which would cause her to be away from her newborn all day. And she was right. When Lesley returned to work, missing her daughter was just too much. After approaching her employer to see if a flexible schedule was possible (it wasn't), Lesley decided to take the leap and begin a business of her own. What followed next as she freelanced and worked on building her business was plenty of Ramen noodles, having to sell one of the family's cars and a lot of cutting back. What Lesley learned she needed most was a network of women like her who wanted more options for how they work. When she couldn't find one, she created it -- and her business continued to evolve from there. Eventually, HireMyMom.com was born. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Lesley shares with us the ups, downs and realities of starting your own business, how to tap into the needs of your niche and how to know when it's time to seek support when you're ready to grow. On this episode, you'll learn: Go for what you know inside you can do, even if you're not sure how.Never shy away from the "big opportunity" just because you don't think you'll get it.How to tap into the needs of your audience/clients.How to get the word out about your business.Sticking with your niche.Take time to consider your next move.How to have a unique offering for your customer.Knowing when it's time to adjust your business model.How to get through the challenges in your business.How to build your network. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That vision that you have -- that was given to YOU for a reason. So why are you stalling? What's stopping you from getting started? What's standing in your way? Whatever it is -- get over it. Because NOW IS THE TIME! The world is waiting for you to execute that vision, to make it happen. As Marianne Williamson says, "your playing small does not serve the world." NOW IS THE TIME! And on this episode, I talk about three obstacles we may face on the journey, and how to move beyond them. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. FOR INFORMATION ON THE CREATE SOMETHING SEXY MASTERMIND AT createsomethingsexy.com! [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you face a failure, disappointment or challenge that you think is a result of some shortcoming you perceive in yourself, how do you communicate with yourself about it? Do you respond immediately withe blame, anger, shame? Do you curse that shortcoming aloud (as I mentioned I did in this episode)? When it comes to your language, thoughts and feelings when communicating with yourself, I have a reminder for you: Be gentle. In this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, we get into why this is so important for your well being. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tricia Lee has always been about her business, literally. At age 11, the Phoenix native had a cleaning business, including classmates -- and her sister -- who worked for her for $5 per day. After high school, Tricia wanted to be a flight attendant -- and did, at age 19 -- until she was fired. What came next, after getting her B.A. in Communications from Arizona State University, was more than a decade of groundbreaking work in the beauty business, including positions at Estée Lauder and MAC Cosmetics, and eventually with the launch of her innovative business, Polish Bar -- a nail salon that took Brooklyn (and the industry) by storm. But 10 years later, even though her business was still buzzing and beloved by the press and patrons, Tricia knew it was time to move on, again. Next stop: real estate. But the journey wasn't an easy one. In fact, Tricia calls it muddy, one of the hardest she has faced. On this episode, Tricia talks to us about believing wholeheartedly in your dreams, tapping into that part of yourself that knows when it's time to make a move, and how success can sometimes cloud your reality. On this episode you'll learn: How to keep moving toward your vision despite the obstacles.Knowing when it's time to move on.Remain focused on your WHY.How to make liars out of haters.Why you have to surround yourself with people who support your kind of crazy.Moving beyond from the guilt of moving on.How to face down self doubt.How success can sometimes cloud your reality.The benefits of the hard times.Her advice for women going through a tough transition.How being "bout it" has been key to her success.The importance of doing the work when no one is watching Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lisa Brown Alexander grew up in Montreal, Canada, the daughter of conservative Jamaican parents, who taught her the importance of hard work. During her childhood in Canada, Lisa says she was oriented to social causes and organizations, an influence she had no idea would play such a major role in her later work. After graduating from Howard University and rising up through the ranks in other organizations as an HR executive -- to the point where she had the corner office with the rubber tree plant -- Lisa had to face her reality: she wasn't professionally fulfilled, no matter how "successful" she seemed. She decided to take a major leap of faith and start her business, Non Profit HR, while pregnant at the time with her third child and going through what later became a divorce. Nearly two decades later, her Washington, D.C.-based business -- Non Profit HR -- is thriving and is considered one of the country's leading human resources firms with clients such as Amnesty International and the ASPCA. But Lisa is first to admit the journey was not easy, and in her book, Strong on the Outside, Dying on the Inside, she bravely outlines her struggles with depression along that journey and how she had to move beyond the stigma attached to it. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Lisa speaks candidly with us about those first few years of entrepreneurship, the moments you have to walk alone, how she experienced and overcame her depression and why she wants to empower other women to take off "the mask" and get the support they need. On this episode you'll learn: How to get through those early years of entrepreneurship.The value of focusing on your niche, especially one that is undeserved.What many non profits get wrong about staffing.How success in parts of your life can sometimes obscure depression.How to get beyond the "shoulds" that we base on our success.Dangers of keeping up appearances when you're actually depressed or in pain.How to realize when work is your drug of choice.Why you MUST get help if you are depressed.The importance difference between having a bad day or being in a funky mood and depression.Removing the stigma around depression.How depression shows up differently for each of us.How to remove the mask and be honest about what you're experiencing.Why sometimes you have to let some people go.Resources of where you get support. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the time she was young girl, growing up in New York City and playing competitive tennis, Samantha Ettus always questioned the way things worked – which she now knows is the core driver for most entrepreneurs. One of those moments happened when Samantha was at Harvard getting her MBA, and she noticed just how lackluster the CEOs were who came to speak to her and her classmates. She knew there had to be more to them, some sort of spark that they weren't tapping into. After working few years in Hollywood on shows like Nickelodeon's Blues Clues post-graduation, Samantha created the first ever talent agency for personalities and CEOS, with a mission of helping people find (and optimize) their spark. Today, as a bestselling author, speaker, entrepreneur and career expert, she is still committed to helping people discover that spark, especially women, who Samantha says need to learn how to work it -- literally -- even after having kids and playing a major role in their families. How? By learning how to slice up their pie! On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Samantha, who is author of the latest book, The Pie Life: A Guilt-Free Recipe for Success and Satisfaction, gives advice on how to live "the pie life," how to stay connected to the workforce and network like a pro (even on the playground!), and how to manage (rather than balance) work, life, love and so much more. On the episode, you'll learn: How to identify your spark.Why it's important for women to have their own money.The importance of fulfillment beyond motherhood.The truth about work-life balance and why the term is problematic.Samantha's advice for work-life management.How to "slice up your life" into a yummy pie.How to create an environment of balance in your business.How to create "the magic hour."The beauty of the "golden triangle."When it's time to put your phone away.Why it's important for stay at home moms to work.How much you lose (by the numbers) when you leave the work force.Smart tips for moms who want to return to the workforce.How to network on the playground like a pro.Why mentioning your mom duties in an interview is NOT a good idea.The importance of having a clear answer for "what do you do?" in any environment.Samantha's top tips for dating as an entrepreneur.And why you need to embrace new friends. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I get it. You can do it all on your own, right? Maybe. But if you want to truly create something sexy in your life -- a sexy business and life that you love, having support with make that dream a reality! You've heard me say it before and I mean it: Support is sexy, and having it all doesn't mean doing it all alone! It is my mantra, it is what I live by and what I do business by. And as women, nothing is sexier -- or more powerful -- than when we support each other, stand up for each other and want to see each other win! In this episode of the podcast, I outline 7 ways that support can help you create a sexy business and life that you love, and how resources such as masterminds can be crucial to your success. As Jim Rohn famously said, "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." So I say, it's time to do the math! And a mastermind filled with driven and generious women who share similar goals and dreams of success that you do is the perfect addition to your equation. Being a part of a mastermind last year was a key turning point in my business. It is, in fact, where I first saw women light up when I uttered the phrase, "Support is sexy." The rest is history! I want the same experience for you, which is why I created the Create Something Sexy mastermind, a five-month mastermind that brings together an intimate group of powerful women who share one common goal: seeing each other win! The Create Something Sexy mastermind includes bonuses like weekly group calls, one-one-ones calls with me, guest appearances from experts from various industries, a private members-only Facebook group, and exclusive trainings, content, events and more! TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CREATE SOMETHING SEXY MASTERMIND, CLICK HERE TO GO TO CREATESOMETHINGSEXY.COM NOW TO SIGN UP! Until then, go out there and create something sexy! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pat Duckworth helps women get their groove back, to find their mojo -- and to do so POST menopause. (Yes, it's possible!) When the international bestselling author and global speaker saw that most markets completely ignored the experiences of women who were 50+ who were going through different stages of life and who may be looking to start a new chapter, she decided that she would focus on empowering these women to embrace all of these changes in their lives! How? By focusing on being, as her book says, hot women with cool solutions. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, the London, U.K., native talks to us about the moment she came to the tear-filled realization that it was time to make a change in the trajectory of her life, how we can learn to go with the flow, how to find your entrepreneurial mojo and how to make it easy for folks to love up on you! On this episode you'll learn: How important it is to take that first step toward your goal (even when you don't know what the next step is).Why you have to jump into the river and go with the flow.How to discover your own niche based on your own experiences.The moment you realize that you're playing BIG.The value of living the question.Her tips for marketing and pushing your book.What Pat wishes she knew before she went through menopause.How mindset keeps you from "getting old."Advice for how to manage changes within your life.The value of being in a mastermind group.How we can get over what we think we "should" know.An empowered way to think of failure.How to find your entrepreneurial mojo.The power of understanding your WHY.Smart and savvy ways to market your self-published book.Tips for how to standout when networking.Make it easy for people to love and support you! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and nutritionist JJ Smith is an example of figuring out what works and sticking with it. Her marriage didn't work, she and her husband divorced but are still best friends and biz partners in a $30 million IT Consulting firm. She became terribly ill from mercury poisoning, was on 24 medication and wanted to heal herself, she became very focused on discovering the best foods for her and what she needed to eliminate from her diet. And when she discovered the power of green smoothies and witnessed how they changed her life, she wrote and self-published her book, 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose Up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days, BEFORE the book deal and ended up on the New York Times bestsellers list. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, JJ talks about her latest bestselling book, Green Smoothies for Life (and her first self-published book ,why green smoothies have the power to transform your life, easy ways to eat healthy and clean, and how focusing on your passion (rather than your income) can lead to opportunities your never imagined. On this episode you'll learn: How her self-published green smoothie book became a bestseller.Why you should give up on resolutions.Why a lot of us get caught up in the regimen and the diet, and why we should focus instead on one meal at a time.Why healthy eating and clean eating is the same no matter your lifestyle.How to figure out how certain foods impact your body.Foods you should avoid no matter your diet.Why people underestimate detoxing.The healing power of green smoothies.The key ingredient for your green smoothie.The surprising way to trick your metabolism.Why JJ doesn't believe in "cheat days," and what she suggests as a smart alternative.How mindset plays a key role in staying healthy.Why you not only need to make the decision, you need to remain committed.How to go for your passion.How to get your sexy back! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Joanne gave birth to her first son, she felt that pull to rework her career so that she could spend more time with him. After her second son, she knew she had to find a way to become an entrepreneur, to create her own schedule and to be the boss of her own time. She decided to take control of her time, her life and all that was buzzing around her. The goal was not to find work-life balance, it was to become the queen bee. Today, Joanne -- founder of Queenbee.club -- helps other moms find their flow, become the queen bees of their own hives, learn to get over the guilt of work-life balance and take the sting out of life's stresses. On this episode you'll learn: How to pay the attention to the questions people ask you so you can determine what kind of service or business you can createHow to get through your day with more grace.How to avoid having a "a bad day."How your health affects things like your intuition.How to thrive in your hive.If you're not thriving in your hive, then the whole hive suffers.How to have moments of self care.The power of meditation.Simple tips for busy moms.The importance of belly breaths.How to be unapologetic about going at your own pace.Why it's not healthy to plow through everything.How to find your mom flow.Why you shouldn't stress about work-life balance.Getting over imposter syndrome.Why you're the expert of your own experiences.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tiffany Dufu was a good girl. A good girl who always did what was expected of her as a good daughter, a good sister, a good employee and later, a good mom. Eventually, the ambitious and successful career and family woman, who is the Chief Leadership Officer at Levo League, let go of "good" and did what was best for her and her relationships at home, at work and with herself. She decided to drop the ball, on purpose. In this episode of the Support is Sexy, Tiffany talks about aligning your career with your purpose, how to let go of your "goods" and your "shoulds," how to avoid resentment as a woman and her reason for encouraging other women to strategically let some things go with her new book, Drop the Ball. On this episode you'll learn: How to get over the goods and the should.How to engineer your purpose.How to create a "portfolio career."How to cultivate an eco system of support for your career.The dangers of the Lone Ranger syndrome.The truth about false delegation.The power of dropping the ball.How to have three important conversations -- with ourselves, our families and our colleagues.How to negotiate what matters with your kids.How to delegate with joy.Tiffany's 4 go-tos for your career.Why we sometimes waste time worrying about decisions we don't even have to make.The important difference between a sponsor and a mentor.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are you saying "no" to, that you could be saying "yes" to, and if you said "yes" it could totally change your life? Whether relationships or business -- here are some reasons that a YES may take you to the next level. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, resources, links and contacts for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find your flow. That's the message that I've been getting from the Universe (and from the fabulous women I've interviewed the past few days): Find YOUR flow. Here's some advice on how to let go of the expectations and rigidness about the things that you are creating in the world and find your flow and manage your business with grace and ease. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, resources, links and contacts for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seasons change. Here's a bit of advice (and perspective) on how to find the light on those dark days, make the most of every circumstance and to remember that for now is not forever. The possibilities are there -- you just have to look beyond the clouds. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links and resources for this episode can be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's on your mind? What do you spend your time thinking about? What are you worrying about? You don't have to have all of the answers, but how can you change self-defeating thoughts into empowered questions? In fact, how can you LIVE the question? This is what we talk about on this episode, how to shift from a defeatist attitude and begin to ask empowered question that will lead you to the answers, resources and people you need to help you move forward! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode can be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy birthday to me! Celebrating the big 44 today and feeling amazing! Know why? Because I am recommitting to do more of what I love, with the people I love, in the places I love. Sound cheesy? Maybe, until you try it, too! When's the last time you truly committed to doing what you love, with people you love, in the places you love a lot more often? If you can't remember the last time, I'd say that's been too long. If it's recent -- great! Do it again! I consider my birthday my new year, and this new year is beginning with me in my home state of New York catching up with friends from college, running for miles in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, hosting a vision board party and helping women create something sexy and reconnecting with some of my Brooklyn peeps. All simple, all things I love! Too often, we settle for what's in front of us and fall into a routine that has us forgetting to do, and to celebrate, the things we really love about ourselves and all that's magical in our lives! Have a listen to this episode and get inspired for some ways to show yourself some love. This is my birthday wish for you! Today -- and always! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, resources, contacts and more are at supportissexypodcast.com [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to failure, don't let it continue to live with you forever. As we talked about in our series this week, you have control. You get to decide what you think about failure, you get to define it -- or redefine it -- in whatever way you choose. We also talked about how to process and ponder failure with an exercise that will ensure that you get the most out of that failure. (Yep, that's possible.) And then we talked about the OTHER side of failure, how to get through and how to, if you will, fail forward. I also shared my own experience with failure and how I got through. In this episode, we talk about beginning again. If you failed, consider it fertilizer for your dream. Bury it, and begin again. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode 163, part 3 of our series on failure, we talked about how to process and ponder failure while we're in the thick of it, and went through an exercise to help us do so. On this episode, we're going to talk about that bounce-back, and how to get on the OTHER side of failure once you've processed and pondered enough. Here are three ways to do that, and a personal story of one of my own business failures. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our first two episodes in our series on failure, we talked about not letting fear of failure -- before it even happens -- stop us from trying something new, before we even start on episode 161. We also talked about redefining what failure means to you and says about you, and the importance of adjusting your mindset on episode 162. Today I want to challenge you to think about how you process and ponder failure? Does it knock you down and keep you down? The heroes aren't the ones who never get knocked down; the heroes are the ones who keep getting back up again and again and again. Listen to this episode for exercises for healthy ways to process and ponder failure, and how to be a hero who gets back up again. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're continuing our series on failure, which started with episode 161. Today, in part 2, we're going to talk about how we define failure. Or, more importantly, how we let failure define US. Some of us take on the beliefs of others from very early on and throughout our lives -- parents, teachers and other powerful influencers -- that failure is to be avoided at all costs, otherwise everyone will be disappointed in us and we will end up disappointed in ourselves. Know what that leads to? Shame. And I think we can all agree that most of us prefer to avoid what we perceive may bring us shame. But here's what I suggest: Let's REDEFINE failure and take the shame out of it. Listen to this episode to find out how. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tell me: What do you think about failure? How does it play a role in your life? Does it stop you, or does it fuel you? Do you see it as an obstacle, or do you see it as an opportunity? That's some of what we're going to explore this week in this series on failure -- what can we learn from it, and how might it actually help us move forward stronger than ever. On today's episode we talk about how we sometimes let failure get the best of us before we even get started. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years of being a full-time entrepreneurs, it's that curiosity is QUEEN. As much as I have moments where I wish I knew everything, I never will. And, I don't need to. To be an entrepreneur, a creative -- hell, a well rounded human -- one need to be in a state of constant curiosity, constant learning. Does it pay to have some area(s) of expertise? Arguably, yes. But does it pay tenfold to be curiosity about a variety of topics? Absolutely, yes! If you're not learning, you're not growing, and ask they say, if you're not growing, you're dying. In this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, I talk about the ways that curiosity keeps us alive. Not only in our businesses, but mentally, physically, spiritually and financially. You don't have to have all of the answers. Just, remain curious. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of building a career in leadership positions in corporate America, Denise Harris -- a native of my hometown of Lakeview, Long Island in New York -- decided that it was time. She could no longer deny that burning passion she had to offer executive training and coaching services, so she signed up for a coaching course of her own while still working full-time. But once she started, she couldn't stop, and neither did her clients, who started to flow into her by referrals. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Denise talks about how to know when you're onto something, how to get over imposter syndrome, how to quiet your inner critic and how to remove the idea that the road to your happiness "has to be hard." On this episode you'll learn: How to pay attention to the signs and be self-aware enough to know that you're on the right track.Getting over the misconception that it has to be hard before you can be happy.The power of masterminds and how they work.As a go-getter, what happens when you stop?How to identify what gets in the way.How to quiet the inner critic in your head that tries to keep you safe and comfortable.How to feel the fear and do it anyway.3 important ways to help you get "unstuck."What stops many of us from moving forward.The importance of celebrating the wins along the way.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joanne Roberts gives props to the feminist movement for giving her the guts to go after her dreams of working in the television industry -- just as her father had -- after years she spent as a Kindergarten teacher. Teaching wasn't her passion, but it was what she thought she was supposed to do, the kind of work women did at the time. But when her then-husband got a job in L.A. and they relocated to the West coast, Joanne went for it, realizing the time was now! After getting her show on television and building an Internet company, the bubble bursts in more ways than one. On this episode, Joanne talks about boldly pursuing your dream, recovering from failure, redefining entrepreneurship, reinventing yourself and discovering what's now and what's next! On this episode you'll learn: Recognizing now is the time!Knowing that failing doesn't mean that you're a failure.Finding new ways to be your own entrepreneur.How to tap into what's next.How to connect the dots of your experience to inform your reinvention.How to brave enough to ask the question: "What's now, what's next?"Realizing that thoughts become thingsThe value of taking risks.Start with the end result in mind Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's not to love about a great glass of wine? And for sommelier and The Vine Wine Club owner Benita Johnson, what's not to love about entrepreneurship? Though it's not as glamorous as most may think and you may not be rolling in dough, Benita says she was drawn to the freedom entrepreneurship offered? And even though she may have experienced more "stability" by sticking with her 9-to-5 job as an accountant, she wouldn't trade entrepreneurship for anything. On this episode of Support is Sexy, Benita talks about making the leap into entrepreneurship, how to know when it's time to move on, how to know when to say yes, and how to reinvent your business and reach your audience in brand new ways. On this episode, you'll learn: How to know when it's time to make the leap into entrepreneurship.How to choose the perfect wine.How to develop your palette.Tips on negotiating your commercial real estate lease.How to know when to walk away from a deal or business venture.How to reinvent your business.The importance of paying attention to the things people keep asking you advice about when you're creating your new venture.Why you have to decide every single day to be an entrepreneur.How to get through the dry seasons in business. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharene Wood is an unapologetic Harlem girl through and through. Since she was a kid, she says she was a "loud little leader," who always knew she was meant to be in charge and that she would someday open her own business , although she wasn't certain of her passion or what kind of business she would be led to at the time. When her boyfriend, Guy, asked her to help him out in 1982 with his biz idea that she had, the pre-law major said "yes," and 5001 Flavors was born from Sharene's Columbia University dorm room as she banged out correspondence on a typewriter. Today, Sharene and her husband/business partner Guy -- that boyfriend from her college days -- are celebrating their 25th year of 5001 Flavors, a custom clothing company that has worked with an endless list of celebrities celebrities, from Beyonce and Blue Ivy's Salt N Pepa Halloween costumes to looks for David Beckham, Lady Gaga, Missy Elliott and more. The couple is also celebrating the fifth anniversary of their latest family venture, Harlem Haberdashery, which is a chic boutique in Sharene's old stomping grounds that is with a beautiful brownstone that a unique historical significance: It is the former home of civil rights leader Malcolm X. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Sharene talks about the importance of charting your own history and making an impact in your community while building a family business, creating transferable wealth , and establishing a legacy that will live on for generations. On this episode, you'll learn: How to be mindful of the way we cultivating leadership in our girls.Getting real about the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship.Selling fashion as a service.The importance of giving back to the community you're within.Her advice for working with family.Why you can't bring mental baggage into what it means to work with family.How to build your business and your brands through referrals.The key skill she believes lead to success in entrepreneurship.Why you have to remain focused on the next client while serving the current one.What she's learned about owning a brick and mortar boutique.The importance of creating transferable wealth and building a legacy. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don't get overwhelmed by your long list of to-dos or the goals that you have that can sometimes seem insurmountable. Instead, get focused! And do so by focusing on that first domino, the one that will, once it has the right tilt and the right momentum as a result of your hard work and intention, will fall and knock over another, and another, and another, and they get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. On this episode, I talk about how to get focused on the first domino, avoid overwhelm, and spark that chain reaction that will take you to the next level! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Vonne Williams, it was her proximity to a few one-hit wonders that led her on the path of creating her own financial consulting firm, Activate Increase. While working in the studio as an audio/visual expert years before starting her business, she witnessed several music artists who were blowing their money as if it would never run out -- but it did. Vonne noticed the same is true for many athletes who are sadly broke by the time they retire. Today, Vonne's company offers tax preparation, small business accounting and, something she loves most, financial abundance to everyday people to help them avoid the one-hit wonder track. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Vonne shares how we can shift our mindset from scarcity to abundance, how being a good steward of our money lifts us in other areas of our lives, the difficult lesson she learned when life happened and caught her out there unprepared, and why twerking taught her how to learn to let go. :) On this episode you'll learn: What does it mean to have a scarcity mindset vs an abundance mindset.How to adopt an abundance mindset.How being a good steward of your finances leads to abundance in other areas of your life.The importance of setting up your financial life so you can have freedom of choice in your future.Common money mistake most of us make.The hard lesson Vonne learned about managing her own money.How to prepare yourself for the moments when life happens.Simple tools to help you, as an entrepreneur, track your spending.How to get your masculine energy in check.Why you need to give yourself permission to let go.And the importance of giving yourself permission to stop.How opening yourself up to support leads to abundance. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kierna Mayo has always been about her crew -- a group of women who had her back and were a part of her tribe. Her world included the powerful influences of hip hop culture, dance, style, art, her hometown of Brooklyn and New York City, which not only shaped her childhood and high school years, but also shaped her evolution as a storyteller. Today, Kierna is arguably one of the leading voices of the culture, having been an early hip hop journalist at a time when many people were still questioning the validity of the music and even more so the spaces that women would occupy, a co-founder of honey magazine, leading the resurgence of Ebony magazine and its web site, and now serving as Senior VP of multimedia company Interactive One and appearing regularly to offer cultural commentary on CNN. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Kierna tells her story of trusting her gut, creating her own lane in the fast-changing world of media, learning to forgive yourself for the perceived missteps and business failures, and why Black women, especially, need to be flexible, tenacious, determined to evolve and at times, angry. On this episode you'll learn: The unspoken dynamic of how to navigate fame among friends.How to recognized when you're on the right path.How to hold your own and pronounce your voice in a room full of men.How challenges help sharpen your knife.How to create a lane for yourself in unfamiliar territory.Redefining your own success.The importance of learning to forgive ourselves.Her advice for aspiring writers and editors today.The job of a writer.How to be READY when someone asks you for your work.What it means to be a storyteller today.The importance of being flexible, evolving and not getting stuck, especially in the anger.Your success is not your whole story.How to move beyond the fears and shame of business failure.There's a time to be in the light and there's a time to be in the lab. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The seeds for entrepreneurship were planted in Detroit native Reagan Gomez when she was just 14 years old. It was on the set of the 1990 TV show The Parenthood, as the young actress observed her co-star, Robert Townsend, not only work in front of the camera, but take on roles behind the camera as a writer, director and producer. Reagan was already in love with acting -- having began performing in local theater in Philly before the family moved to LA in support of her career -- but at that point she knew that being the creator of her own projects were going to be a part of her journey. That was in 1994. Today, Reagan has more then 20 years in the business not only as a working actress (one of her latest roles was on OWN's Queen Sugar) but also as a writer, director, producer and creator of her own work -- including the web series Almost Home and Surviving (which was nominated for a Gotham Award), and her own podcast, Reaganomics. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Reagan gets real about what it takes to survive in Hollywood without anyone else's permission, how politics have affected our nation and her own world, what her evolution has taught her about herself as a woman and what she chooses to teach her daughter about feminism and the power of resistance, standing up for yourself and using your voice -- and your platform -- to change the world. On this episode you'll learn: The importance of teaching our girls to be confident and vocal.How to give our girls space to express themselves.Her advice to her younger self as an actress.How to survive the Hollywood machine.Why creating your own content is important.Why she feels it's so important for Black and marginalized women to create content.How to utilize social media to support your content and connect.How to build your tribe.How to trust your gut.And the importance of discovering how self-care works for you. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing up in Haiti and later as a teenager in the US, Marie Jean-Baptise always knew she wanted to create something different, although she didn't know what that something was. There was a part of her that dreamt of be a fashion designer -- or an Alvin Ailey dancer. After designing her first collection at age 18 and landing an internship with one of her fashion idols, Lemington Ridley, she decided fashion was her true love. Today, as an e-commerce fashion entrepreneur, Marie has a gorgeous fashion line, Rue 107, that she has been building since 2011, and is beloved by fashionistas of all sizes. Marie speaks candidly on the Support is Sexy podcast about bootstrapping out of necessity, how to connect with your customer, her vision for developing Rue 107 into a truly size-inclusive brand and how to move beyond the loneliness of entrepreneurship. On this episode, you'll learn: The importance of testing.Why you have to develop a service mindset.How not having access to capital can benefit you.The challenge of having a straight and plus-size line.The reality of being one of few Black women designers in fashion.The lesson she learned about "black" and "urban" brands.The fashion business is not designed for WOC to win.What she learned about hiring and firing people.Why you shouldn't put people on a pedestal in business.Greatest misconception people have about fashion design.Why social media does not equate to sales.Don't get too attached to your product.Why you can not operate from a space of fear and should always leave room for growth.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nowadays it's easy for us to get caught up in who's watching, right? We put our work out there, share it, post it, tweet it, and wait for the likes, loves, reposts and retweets to pour in. Hopefully some money, too! What we have to remember, though, is there will be days -- plenty of days -- when there won't be any "celebrations" of the work we're doing. No one will know what you're going through to make that thing happen, to get it out there in the world. In those moments, you know what you have to do? Do the work when no one is watching. It's easy to shine when you're standing in the light. On this episode I offer some advice on how to stay motivated, even in the dark! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Most people want the convenience of transformation, without the inconvenience REQUIRED for transformation... If you want to have a conviction for something, you have to SIGN UP to be inconvenienced.~Author and transformational coach Lisa Nichols, appearing as a guest on the Inside Quest video series with Tom Bilyeu Are you willing to being inconvenienced for the sake of your dream? Are you wiling to stretch, be uncomfortable, be uncertain, be embarrassed even to do what you need to do to manifest your vision and stick to your commitment to yourself? How far are you willing to go for your transformation? Will you put your convictions first, no matter what? I ask that question of you in this episode and honestly, I am asking it again and again of myself. How far are you willing to go? I don't know about you, but I'm going to PUSH IT in 2017. Life is a gift, a precious gift, a finite gift. If not now, WHEN will you go for it? It's time to put your commitment ahead of your convenience. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's get real: What's blocking you from manifesting your vision and making your dreams a reality? You may say that you're afraid, that fear is holding you back in some areas of your life. But when you get real, I mean REALLY real with yourself, what's BEHIND that fear? There is a reason you're choosing to remain afraid. It's called blockage. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast I address some of the blockage that many of us -- myself included -- have in our lives based on habits, experiences or fears that keep us from moving forward and cause self-sabotaging behavior. You have work to do! It's time to get CLEAR! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I got questions -- questions that I want you to answer before you even think about creating your 2017 vision board. Whether you're a big vision board fan or not, this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast will offer you important questions to consider as you think of the kind of year you want to create, experience, embody in 2017. We don't always know the answers, at least not right away, but living the questions -- and giving ourselves the space and grace we need to -- can often lead to discoveries we never imagined! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first month of 2017 is almost behind us. So what's up? Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now, more than ever, take care of yourself. Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jen Glantz has always known that she wanted to be a writer; what she didn't know that she would end up a bridesmaid, always. In 2014, after being in the weddings for several of her friends, Jen decided to go pro, and launched her unconventional business -- Bridesmaid for Hire -- which helps brides get down the aisle with the peace of mind of knowing someone is there (along with their bridal party) to help them no matter what kind of bridezilla moment they may have. Since the launch of the company, Jen has worked with more than 50 brides and has told her story to more than 500 press outlets, including the Today show, Bravo, Good Morning America, Nightline, New York magazine, Glamour, People and Elle. As Jen now prepares to fulfill the longtime dream of release her debut book, Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire), she chats with the Support is Sexy podcast about believing in your business in spite of the doubters (even when those doubters confront you on-air), how to move the needle with media coverage, and how to use failure and rejection to your advantage Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Known and admired as "the meanest woman alive" for the fierce way she defends her clients and how she argues (and wins!) $30 billion cases for some of the world's biggest corporations, Linda Smith -- author of the upcoming book, Lessons in Success from the Meanest Woman Alive, and Senior Litigation Partner at DLA Piper -- knows the importance of having the self-confidence of a man and embracing the feminine power of a woman. During her 4o-year-career, Linda has smashed glass ceilings by successfully putting both to use, and now, as a longtime mentor to young women, she is encouraging women to do the same by sharing her own experiences. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Linda tells why woman should use their femininity to their advantage, why women need to take action BEFORE we're ready (like men do all the time!) and the infuriating moment that made her realize that never again did she want to feel disempowered. On this episode you'll learn: Why women should use their sex to an advantage.How to be tough and nurturing.The key to tapping into your emotional intelligence.Why she believes a little bit of flirtation goes a long way.The external and internal barriers to success.How to succeed in a misogynistic world.How to use underestimation to your advantage.Ways women self-sabotage themselves.Why she believes in faking it until you make it.The best way to build self-confidence.The myth that competence makes you successful.The trouble with perfection.3 lessons in success from the meanest woman alive.The important distinction between being mean and being a bitch.How to hold your own in a room full of men.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rhonesha Byng considers herself a "self-starter," which is an incredible understatement. A high achiever who has been giving out her own business cards since the time she was 16, the Brooklyn native has always known two things: That she loved to write and was soon smitten with journalism, and that connections and relationships are crucial to one's success. So events, workshops, progrmas, scholarships, internships with media companies -- Rhonesha did it all, and it's paid off since she was in high school! Fast forward to her dorm room at DePaul University in 2008, and Rhonesha decided that she would start her own media business, Her Agenda, which is a business platform that aims to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women and, most importantly, provide access to the types of connections that she had been cultivating since an early age. Today, Rhonesha has moderated panels at the White House and recently appeared on Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30 in Media" List. But what's important for Rhonesha isn't her own shine, it's that of her members and the women she features on Her Agenda."The same way people look at Beyonce is the same way I look at these women who are accomplished and amazing and who are just doing their thing," she says. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Rhonesha shares how she's helping millennial women get access to the room and giving a seat at the table, how she's nurturing the next generation of leaders on college campuses, and why she's determined to shine the light on a different type of role mode; -- one who isn't necessarily a celebrity. On this episode you'll learn: Why you have to put yourself in the spaces and places that will allow you to meet potential mentors.Be completely unapologetic about who you are and what your goals are.Why follow up is everything -- and why most people don't do it.What your social media bio should say bout who you are.Make it easy for people to support you and get clear on what your ASK is.Learn to anticipate people's needs before they even articulate them.Surround yourself with people who see more for you than you see for yourself.How to turn those "nos" into a "yes."What Rhonesha learned about running a business.How she learned to close the gaps in what she needed to learn about business.How crucial programs, workshops and other opportunities are to your success.Why she says that just because you don't have the right network, doesn't mean you shouldn't have a chance at success.How one outreach to a contact landed her an opportunity to speak on a panel at the White House, and later as a moderator one of the United State of Women Summit panels.What entrepreneurship teaches you about your own power. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while you know that the title of the show is really our mantra for life: Support is Sexy. The intention is to spread this idea of women supporting women to help us ALL move forward powerfully. Because nothing is sexier than women supporting women, and together we WILL change the world. But what I want to focus on today is the tag ine that goes along with Support is Sexy, and that's "having it all doesn't mean doing it all alone." How often do you forget this when it comes to receiving support for YOURSELF -- knowing that you don't have to do it alone? This is a lesson I learned after attending a personal development workshop in 2015 called Momentum. In this workshop there were all these great leaders, activists and accomplished people who had achieved much in life and who, on the surface, may have appeared to "have it all." But yet there were two things that, when pushed, were so incredibly difficult for us all to ask for 1) love 2) support. And when I say difficult I mean shaking, ugly crying, terrified and resistant! It was during my time in this life-changing workshop that I realized how many blind spots I personally had around asking for and accepting support. I had been giving it generously all my life, as most of you have. Giving is my love language. And by the grace of God, I have received it, too. But consciously and intentionally asking for it and accepting it -- especially when doing so made me feel uncomfortable? Good Lord, no. I'd rather struggle and figure it out on my own than do that! And even though I now know better and practice doing better, I am STILL a work in progress and working to really heal that part of me that is uneasy with asking for and accepting support. So I wanted to do this episode today for YOU to check in with yourself and see if YOU may have some blind spots around support. And I really want to challenge you to think about the important areas this may be holding you back in your business and in your life! Here are 7 reasons I believe some of us -- especially as women, entrepreneurs, moms, leaders, creatives and so on -- don't ask for and accept support. These are based on my own experience, so think about what those reasons may be for you, then make a different decision. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time. It's 2017, and it's time for you to stop letting fear stop you from doing that thing that you've been thinking about since the start of this month, since the middle of last year, since forever. No more excuses. Time to face down your fear and your ego. Your ego is trying to keep you safe, but it's also causing you to make up stories about how things may go wrong or how you may be embarrassed or that you may get rejected and how you may fail -- stories that, if you think about it, are all make believe. You have no idea what's going to happen. While you're busy being stuck in fear, the opportunities that await you are moving on without you, as are the people and resources that would show up if you just take that leap. In this episode, I talk about my own leap into doing something I've been afraid of within my business and give you 7 tools you can use to help you make that move in your own business and life. It's time. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com TO DONATE TO THE SUPPORT IS SEXY PODCAST IFUNDWOMEN CAMPAIGN MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE, GO TO SUPPORTISSEXYLOVE.COM! [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While other girls her age were spending their Saturdays roller skating and playing with friends , Keisha Carter spent her weekends with her mom going to antique jewelry shows. By the time she was in the second grade, the Chicago native was a lover of jewelry design, and even worked with a craftsman to recreate a piece that she still holds precious until this today. Today, Keisha creates precious pieces for her clients as the founder and CEO of KZ Noel -- an Atlanta-based jewelry line that sells in fine boutiques around the country and major retailers such as Neiman Marcus. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Keisha talks about becoming aligned with your passion and listening to that inner voice, why -- when it comes to your goals -- you have to set the bar at its highest and how she plans to continue to shine and grow her business in the years ahead. On this episode you'll learn Why you must listen to your inner voice.Start within your inner circle.Her top tips for getting your designs in retailers.Why you should set your bar higher.What you need to know about trunk shows and why they are a key event for your business as a designer.How to get your brand in front of celebrities.The simple way you can have your products featured in a gifting suite during awards season.The importance of partnerships.How to know when it's time to bring in support.Why, if you're a designer, you should start an Instagram account for your brand NOW.Why "no" just means not right now.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wanona Satcher describes herself as a child who was thoughtful, "geeky," and one who never followed status quo. The Atlanta native thought dolls were ridiculous, eschewing them and using them as speed bumps within the neighborhoods she built while playing on her family's living room floor for hours -- fascinated by how things are built and designed. Today as founder of Rejuve, a charitable 501c organization focused on design and social good, Wanona advocates for designing meaningful spaces for communities, women, families, children and small businesses in innovative ways -- and is still committed to rejecting the status quo. On this episode, Wanona discusses the power of architecture and design and its influence on our surroundings, the importance of designing spaces for "purposeful serendipity," how to build prosilient communities and how she's reaching out for funding support! On this episode you'll learn: How to create equity of spaces.Why she believes there are really are no new ideas.The difference between prosilient and resilient communities.The benefits and the bureaucracy of working with local government.How to know when it's time to walk away, and why it's important not to burn bridges.Why it's important for women to have side hustles.Why you MUST get rest and the power of meditation.How to "lean in" in your own way.Her top tips for fundraising.There's nothing sexier than saying "I don't know," and asking questions.How to recognize the right opportunities, and how to know when to say "no."Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Little April gets healed every time I engage in a conversation or action with a family of adoption or the community as an adult." ~April Dinwoodie April Dinwoodie is the adoptive daughter of a loving family in Rhode Island, a family she says created a center of gravity for her, a safe space. While Dinwoodie, who now lives in Harlem, New York, is grateful for a home where she felt grounded, accepted and loved, she always felt pulled to discover more about herself. That pull has been with her since she was a child, growing up as a biracial girl with her within a white family. And that pull is with her still today, fueling her passion to be a voice for adoptive families, adopted and foster care children and children within transracial families as Chief Executive of the Donaldson Adoption Institute and the founder of several programs and organizations around adoption. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, April speaks about her personal journey of self discovery and navigating the world as an adoptee and as a Black woman, how her work in the adoption field began because she was solving a problem for herself in her journey to find her birth family, and how her passion for creating programs and spaces that support adoptive and foster and families has evolved into her purpose. What you'll learn... How growing up adopted pushed her to learn some coping mechanismsApril's advice of when to tell your child they are adopted.How she had to overcome the fear of "leaving home."How to create programs and opportunities that align with your personal experience, passion, purposeThe moment she began to shift from individual work to focusing on impact.The ways race, class and culture plays into adoption, foster care and women's reproductive health.How secrecy and shame play into the adoption process.What work she's doing today to preserve families and affect policy.What she wants people to know at transracial adoptions.How creating her podcast, Born in June, Raised in April has been cathartic for her and how she plans to grow moving forward.How self care is crucial to her.Resources for those on adoptions -- including movies and TV shows she recommends related to adoption.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode I share what I'm calling the 4 c's of Momentum. What I've learned about momentum, what it means, how we get there and what to do when we get there. The 4 c's are: Commitment Consistency Courage Continue. Have a listen and let me know what you think about momentum, how it's working for you, how you plan to get it going and what you're doing to keep it going! Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Count it all joy, my [sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -- James 1:1-4 Whether Christian or not, religious or not, you can likely find inspiration in this scripture from the English Standard version of the Bible -- especially if you're an entrepreneur. You have undoubtedly faced many trials along the way to creating the business of your dreams. (And if you haven't yet, I would argue that you're not playing big enough -- but that's a whole other episode.) And even with those trails, whether it's because you're crazy or you have crazy faith (or a little bit of both!), you keep going, and you somehow find the joy in it. This week, I was reminded by the inspiring, fascinating women entrepreneurs that I had the pleasure of interviewing to remember to count it all joy -- no matter the circumstance, challenge, upset or disappointment. It will pass, and it will only make you stronger, a better woman and a better entrepreneur. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that message until it came to me throughout this week's string of interviews. (Thank you, Universe.) And thank you to Carrie Sheffield, Carmen Daniels Jones, Shantrelle P. Lewis and Wendy Wollner (who actually said "Add laughter to your to-do list") for those beautiful reminders. And for you, no matter what you're going through, whatever the challenge, no matter how fast and sometimes furious they seem to come, remember: Count it all joy. This is only PART of your journey. Your job? Keep going. With joy, Elayne Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wendy Wollner has always been loud and loving. Yes, it's possible to be both. As one of few women CEOs whenever she's in the room negotiating with Fortune 500 companies on behalf of her corporate training business, Balancing Life's Issues, Wendy has learned over the past three decades of being an entrepreneur that "For me to be taken seriously, I learned I had to be a little loud." Another thing that the Westchester, New York, native says is possible: Work-life balance. In fact, it was her pursuit of work-life balance as a divorced mom of three 30 years ago that led her down the path of discovering this possibility and creating a company that teaches these skills and many more to corporations around the globe -- covering 300 topics and conducting more than 15,000 sessions per year. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Wendy offers plenty of tips for how women entrepreneurs can achieve balance in their own lives, what it means to develop your emotional IQ (especially when it comes to understanding your own emotions), how to embrace healthy conflicts and how to live out loud even when others are telling you to be quiet. On this episode you'll learn: What it's like to the only woman CEO in the room.Wendy's personal definition of mindfulness.How to find balance between drive and ambition and being compassionate.How to handle it when people tell you to "tone it down."How to process feedback.How to fight fairly and have healthy conflict.Is work-life balance truly attainable?5 buckets of contentment.How to come to terms with the poor decisions and mistakes we've made.Tips to pitch your company for corporate training.The importance of laughter.Why emotional intelligence is important and helps your find balance.Why sucking it up sucks.Knowing the differences between the emotions your feeling: sad, despondent, fear, anxiety, overwhelm...The trouble with multitasking.How to do resolutions right, and know that it's not always about focusing on what's "wrong."How to positively leverage your emotions.Top 3 tips for finding balance and managing stress.Why rest is a gamechanger and "crushing it" is a think of the past..Why the idea that you don't have enough time is a convenient excuse. Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shantrelle P. Lewis has always been a woman of vision. From the time she was a little girl growing up in her beloved New Orleans -- assertive, ambitious, clear that she could do anything -- Shantrelle was calling in the law of attraction, placing posters of the college she wanted to go to on her wall (she went), later, the kind of man she wanted to meet (she married him last November) and the bestselling book she wanted to write (it's scheduled for release this April). But what Shantrelle has also been about, always, is loving Black people, Black history and Black culture, and the expression of that culture through art, style, writing, and most recently, business. As a curator, she has traveled the world with her Dandy Lion Project exhibit and anthropological studies, and as an entrepreneur she seamlessly intertwines her culture into the fabric of each venture, including Shoppe Black -- her partnership venture with her husband, Tony, which supports and highlights Black businesses, and William + James, her bow-tie line inspired by the great Black intellectuals W.E.B. DuBous and James Baldwin. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Shantrelle riffs on a long list of books, scholars and resources that you'll definitely want to dive into (see RESOURCES below) and talks about the importance of vision, of doing the work and of making joy a practice. On this episode you'll learn: How to be a woman of vision.The importance of vision boards and getting clear on how -- and why -- they workHow to incorporate your passion into your business.What it takes to be an entrepreneur.Why spirituality, love and joy take practice.How to break down your goals and tackle them.The importance of knowing what works for you and establishing best practices around that.The value of having an accountability partner.You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so you must get rid of people who don't believe in the possibilities.Why you have to "do you" and be authentic to your own vision and dreams.Subscribe to Support is Sexy podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher Radio! Thank you for listening! And hey, if you love it, please click here to leave us a Rating & Review on iTunes! Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at supportissexypodcast.com. [Music: "Easy" by SPCZ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices