Christa Cotton, CEO of New Orleans-based beverage brand El Guapo, shares the entrepreneurial journey behind building a successful product-based business from the ground up. What started in 2017 with bitters and syrups made in crawfish boil pots has grown into a brand available in all 50 states and eight countries, offering four product lines and expanding into national retail partnerships. Christa shares how her background in family businesses, distilling, marketing, and agriculture shaped her approach to entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on quality ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, sustainability, and customer service. She also discusses how El Guapo evolved from selling individual cocktail ingredients to creating complete cocktail kits, making it easier for customers to enjoy restaurant-quality drinks at home, including full-proof, low-proof, and alcohol-free options.

Beyond building the brand, Christa opens up about the realities of being a CEO, the challenges of scaling a product-based business, and the less glamorous aspects of entrepreneurship, including pricing, logistics, freight costs, and protecting profit margins. She also shares the importance of mentoring other women entrepreneurs, staying grateful while continuing to pursue bigger goals, and creating opportunities for the next generation of women leaders. Through a memorable customer story that unexpectedly connected her with a distant family relative, Christa highlights the power of authentic storytelling and putting yourself out there. In this inspiring conversation, she reflects on what it means to be an empowered woman: unapologetically pursuing what you want while holding the door open for other women along the way.

Connect with Christa:Website: www.elguapobitters.com LinkedIn: Christa Cotton Instagram: @elguapobitters | @hurricane_christa

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In this episode, we sit down with Samantha Warren, speaker, MC, founder of Voice and Visibility, and a passionate advocate for finding and using your voice. Samantha shares her 10-year journey from architect to personal trainer, nutrition coach, business coach, and ultimately founder of a conscious media company. Her story begins with a pivotal moment when she was offered the opportunity to take over a prestigious architecture firm, yet everything in her body told her it was not the right path. Despite having invested years and significant money into her education and facing questions from the people around her, Samantha chose to trust her intuition. That decision became the beginning of a journey toward greater confidence, self-trust, and discovering what she was truly meant to do.

Samantha explains how caring for her body and developing her confidence through fitness helped her reconnect with her intuition and find the courage to keep following the breadcrumbs. After years of helping people with fitness, nutrition, life purpose, and business, she recognized a deeper thread connecting all of her clients: the power of their voice. Today, through Voice and Visibility, Samantha helps founders and impact-driven entrepreneurs bring their stories and expertise into the world through podcasts, shows, stages, and strategic media. She discusses why building a successful show requires more than simply recording and editing episodes, emphasizing the importance of intentional strategy, authentic expression, visibility, and creating a format that truly fits who you are. At the heart of her work is the belief that the very parts of ourselves we often try to hide may be the things that make us most unique, powerful, and worthy of being seen and heard.

Connect with Samantha:Website: www.thesamanthawarren.com | www.voiceandvisibility.com Instagram: @thesamanthawarren | @voiceandvisibility

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In this episode, Anisha Jennings, founder of Jennings Tech Corner, shares her journey of connecting technology, storytelling, and visibility to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Anisha talks about her background in engineering, teaching, and technology before moving to the United States and starting her own business in 2024. She explains how her natural ability to troubleshoot and solve problems led her to focus on strategic websites, helping business owners create an online presence that builds trust, attracts leads, and clearly communicates their story. Anisha also shares how her podcasting journey began as a way to tell her own immigrant story and eventually grew into a podcast with more than 100 episodes featuring the stories and experiences of other immigrant women.

Anisha also discusses how she supports entrepreneurs with the technical side of their businesses, from building WordPress and Squarespace websites to auditing tech stacks, identifying unnecessary subscriptions, and troubleshooting platforms and systems. She shares details about her five-week podcast launch program, created to help women turn their ideas into launched podcasts without feeling overwhelmed by the technology involved. Whether someone has only an idea, has started gathering the pieces, or simply feels called to share their voice, Anisha encourages them to take action and recognize the impact their story and expertise can have. She also shares her definition of an empowered woman: becoming aware of your gifts, skills, and the impact you are capable of creating, and then having the courage to share them with others.

Connect with Anisha:Website: www.jenningstechcorner.com LinkedIn: Jennings Tech Corner Instagram: @jenningstechcorner Facebook: Your American Dream Pinterest: Jennings Tech Corner LLC YouTube: Anisha Jennings

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Calle Foster is a leadership coach and speaker who helps Millennial and Gen Z women build confidence, strengthen communication, and develop their professional personal brands. She also helps leaders and organizations better understand the four generations currently in the workplace: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Calle explains how each generation's unique social and cultural experiences have shaped workplace behaviors, expectations, and communication styles. From Baby Boomers' institutional knowledge and value for face-to-face connection to Gen X's independence and emphasis on work-life balance, Millennials' role as workplace translators and sandwich-generation leaders, and Gen Z's experience entering the workforce during COVID, Calle offers valuable insight into moving beyond generational stereotypes and creating more supportive, sustainable workplaces.

Calle also shares why empathy and perspective are essential to better workplace relationships, including a powerful story about her husband and his Gen Z intern that demonstrates how quickly assumptions can change when we pause and consider someone else's perspective. She discusses her work with individuals, team leaders, and organizations, helping people build confidence, communicate effectively, demonstrate their expertise, and become more visible in their careers. Calle also introduces her free resource, "5 Everyday Behaviors That Build Credibility and Influence," and shares her powerful definition of an empowered woman: reconnecting with the powerful woman already within you and calling her forward when you need her.

Connect with Calle:Website: www.callefoster.com LinkedIn: Calle (Lieppman) Foster Instagram: @millennialleadershipcoach

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In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Gelband, a sex therapist in New York City and the founder of Openly Health, a platform designed to help women navigate sexual health care across every stage of life. Michelle shares how her years working in OB-GYN settings revealed a major gap in conversations around sexual health, pain, pleasure, and intimacy, and how her own experience with endometriosis and a fragmented healthcare system deepened her passion for creating change. She opens up about her personal journey with painful periods, painful sex, advocating for herself as a patient, and the challenges of finding providers who looked beyond the surface to understand what was really happening.

Michelle also shares her vision for Openly Health, which brings providers, resources, education, products, and an anonymous community together in one place so women don't have to search across countless websites to find trustworthy support. She discusses building the platform in beta, gathering feedback from women and providers, navigating the stigma and shame surrounding sexual health, and the realities of being an entrepreneur building something deeply personal and meaningful. Michelle explains how Openly Health aims to make care more accessible, normalize conversations around sex, and help women understand that pain is not something they simply have to accept. She also answers the million-dollar question: What is an empowered woman? Her answer is a powerful reminder that empowerment can mean continuing forward even when doubt, fear, or difficult emotions are present.

Connect with Michelle:Website: www.openlyhealth.io Instagram: @openlyhealth | @michellegelband TikTok: Michelle Gelband

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In this inspiring conversation, Lori Mayberry, Executive Director of Get Out the Vote PAC, shares her unexpected journey from working behind the scenes as an operations manager to becoming the public face of a growing political organization. Lori explains how the passing of her business partner and the organization's founder, Steve, pushed her into a leadership role that required her to learn fundraising, politics, communication, and organizational leadership along the way. She also discusses how her own experience as someone who once had many questions about politics shaped the way she communicates with voters. From voter outreach and education to fundraising and building recurring donor support, Lori explains how her organization uses targeted communication, texting, phone calls, and digital advertising to help people understand elections and participate in the voting process.

Lori also reflects on the organization's grassroots beginnings, its growth, and the impact of strategic voter outreach and donor support. She shares lessons from her experience supporting races in Virginia, the importance of building relationships and coalitions, and the many ways people can contribute beyond making a financial donation. At the heart of the conversation is the idea of an empowered woman as someone who is willing to learn, grow, step outside what she already knows, and take on challenges even when they feel unfamiliar. Lori's story is a powerful reminder that leadership and empowerment can come from being willing to dig in, learn something new, and grow into the role that life places in front of you.

Connect with Lori:Website: www.gotv.vote LinkedIn: Lori Mayberry

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In this episode, Cathy Derksen shares her unexpected journey from a career in medical genetics and financial planning to creating multi-author books that give women the opportunity to become published authors. Cathy explains how becoming an author herself in 2019 sparked a passion for helping women share their stories, wisdom, experiences, and lessons with the world. Through her multi-author books, each featuring approximately 20 women around a shared theme, Cathy creates opportunities for women to build confidence, connect with a global community, and amplify what they are doing in their lives and businesses. She also shares how authors receive support throughout the writing and publishing process, from developing their chapter and editing to professional publishing, marketing, and opportunities for visibility.

Cathy also shares inspiring stories of women who initially believed their stories were not important enough to share, only to discover the powerful impact their words could have on others. She discusses how participating in a multi-author book can become a starting point for women who eventually want to write their own books, build a platform, or expand their visibility. Cathy's work has grown into a larger community through her Women's Wisdom and Impact Collective, connecting authors from her various books through networking and spotlight opportunities. At the heart of Cathy's message is the belief that an empowered woman takes ownership of her passions and goals, gives herself permission to embrace new possibilities, and remembers that it is never too late to start something new.

Connect with Cathy:Website: www.inspiredtenacity.com LinkedIn: Cathy Derksen Instagram: @inspired_tenacity Facebook: Cathy Derksen

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Victoria Wright is an author, speaker, and mentor who helps people challenge the limiting beliefs that keep them playing small so they can step into a more limitless life. In this episode, Victoria shares the deeply personal turning point that transformed her own life. After being unexpectedly demoted during a corporate reorganization, she experienced a profound crisis of identity and began confronting the beliefs and inner criticism she had carried for years. What initially felt like a devastating setback ultimately became the catalyst for a spiritual awakening, early retirement, and a completely new chapter that led her to writing, speaking, and mentoring. Victoria opens up about how her journey taught her that many of the beliefs we carry are planted in us by family, culture, society, and our experiences, but that we have the power to decide which ones we continue to carry.

Victoria also talks about her latest book, The Quiet Butterfly, a young adult story inspired in part by her experiences with bullying and her desire to help young people recognize their worth and inner strength. She shares how her own lived experiences shape the way she mentors others, offering guidance and a safe space for people to take the next step when they feel too overwhelmed to see what is possible. Victoria also reflects on what it means to be an empowered woman, describing empowerment as being able to simply be and recognize that what we need is already within us. Listeners can learn more about Victoria, explore her books and speaking work, and connect with her mentorship opportunities through her website, where she also offers a free 30-minute conversation for those interested in working with her.

Connect with Victoria:Website: www.victoriawrightspeaks.com LinkedIn: Victoria Wright Instagram: @healingwordssource Facebook: Healing Words by Victoria Wright

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Erin Barbossa, LCSW, is a grief coach and the founder of Lionflower Studio, where she helps women navigate grief and loss through creativity, connection, and self-trust. Erin's journey is anything but traditional. She began her career in television, working at NBC before spending four years working for Oprah, where she discovered the power of listening to women's stories. She later returned to school to earn her master's in social work and spent 15 years as a therapist, primarily supporting women through postpartum experiences. After experiencing a profound personal loss, Erin's perspective on grief, mental health, and healing shifted, inspiring her to create a space that goes beyond traditional clinical care and helps women reconnect with themselves and find their way back to life.

In this episode, Erin shares how creativity became an essential part of her own healing journey and how she now uses it to support women experiencing many forms of loss, including death, diagnosis, divorce, and other life-altering transitions. She explains why creativity isn't about being talented or producing something "good," but about creating space for play, choice, gentleness, and self-compassion—what she calls "baby chick energy." From writing and painting to singing, gardening, and cooking, Erin encourages women to rediscover what brings them joy and helps them reconnect with their voice and inner world. She also shares her definition of an empowered woman: someone who is connected to herself while also recognizing the importance of safe, supportive community. Learn more about Erin and Lionflower Studio at lionflowerstudio.com or connect with her on Instagram and book a free consultation to explore whether her one-on-one coaching is the right fit.

Connect with Erin:Website: www.lionflowerstudio.com Instagram: @lionflowerstudio

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In this episode, we're joined by Carrie Mayers and Samantha Mayers, a mother-daughter duo behind a corporate coaching company focused on transforming potential into performance. With Carrie bringing more than 30 years of experience in sales, client relationships, training, coaching, and consulting, and Samantha bringing her background in tech consulting and leadership development, they combine two generations of experience and perspectives to help teams communicate better, build accountability, strengthen leadership, and work more effectively together. They share the story of how Carrie's business evolved organically from workshops into consulting and coaching, along with the unique journey of becoming business partners as a mother and daughter.

Carrie and Samantha also take us behind the scenes of their highly customized approach to leadership development, from workshops and retreats to individual coaching and team programs. They share powerful client stories that demonstrate how creating common language, strengthening accountability, and developing leaders can create lasting organizational impact. We also talk about their upcoming Lead Out Loud one-day leadership retreat for women in San Diego, their experience working together as a mother-daughter team, and what they've learned from bringing different generations and perspectives into the business. Plus, they each share their definition of an empowered woman and why choosing your own path—and owning it without shame—is at the heart of true empowerment.

Connect with Carrie and Samantha:Website: www.corpcoachingco.com LinkedIn: Corporate Coaching Co.

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Suzanne Longstreet, known as the "Millionaire Activator," helps women break through limiting beliefs, build confidence, and unlock their potential for greater financial success. In this episode, Suzanne shares her inspiring journey from corporate HR to entrepreneurship, NLP coaching, and hypnotherapy. She opens up about the challenges she faced along the way, including self-doubt, past experiences, and the mindset patterns that were holding her back from fully stepping into her potential.

Suzanne explains how changing the way we think, feel, and show up can create powerful shifts in business and life. She shares the story of a client who went from $300,000 to more than $1 million in revenue in just 110 days, as well as insights from her books, The Millionaire Codes and The Millionaire Brain. Most importantly, Suzanne encourages women to stop shrinking, speak up, embrace their worth, and reconnect with the confident version of themselves that has always been there.

Connect with Suzanne:Website: www.successandclarity.com LinkedIn: Suzanne (Smith) Longstreet | Success & Clarity Instagram: @successandclarity | @suzanneglongstreet YouTube: Suzanne Longstreet

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Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest

Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking