Clover: Conversations with Women in Leadership - Founders, Executives, & Change-Makers

In this episode of Clover, I get to catch up with my longtime friend and powerhouse media executive, Tracy Kaplan, and her “hodgepodge” career that turned out to be a masterclass in building a bold, non-linear path in media, tech, and podcasts.

Tracy walks us through her journey from WGBH and ABC News to CBS Interactive, SnappyTV, Twitter, TuneIn, Patreon, Tenderfoot TV, and now Courier Newsroom, all while launching her own company,...

In this episode, I sit down with mortgage industry veteran and coach Carrie Guarrero to trace a three-decade career built on service, community, and relentless growth. Carrie shares how an 11-year-old’s flyer route in her mom’s mortgage office became a billion-dollar origination career—and why the trophies eventually mattered less than the names and stories behind each loan. She opens up about a career “pause” that didn’t go as pla...

In this conversation, I catch up with longtime friend and operator, Stephanie Quay—a five-time acquisition veteran who recently launched Five Experts, a platform matching early-stage companies with proven operators to drive value creation in the first five years. We trace her zig-zag path from film school and TV.com (hi, CNET days!) to growth-stage leadership across PE- and VC-backed companies, and the playbooks she now packages fo...

For years, women in leadership have been told to “find balance” — as if the secret to thriving careers, healthy families, and full lives could fit neatly into a color-coded planner. But what if balance isn’t the goal at all? What if it’s the trap?

In this solo episode of Clover, I unpack the myth of balance — how it was sold to women as a shiny standard we could never meet, and why it’s time to let it go for good.

From early-morning ...

In this episode of Clover, I’m rethinking one of the biggest myths about career growth — the idea that success is about climbing a ladder.

For many of us, especially women, that ladder was never built for the way our careers actually unfold. So let’s talk about a better metaphor: the jungle gym. It’s flexible, unpredictable, and a whole lot more real.

I share lessons from my own path — from film school to marketing, from startups to ...

In this episode of Clover, I sit down with the incredible Erin Rich, VP of Trade Marketing & Communications at Paramount, for a conversation that feels like a time capsule of the tech, media, and entertainment worlds over the last three decades — and a masterclass in reinvention.

Erin takes us through her journey from the early Bay Area startup scene and the heyday of Yahoo and CNET, through mergers at CBS Interactive and Viacom...

I sit down with Conni Francini, CEO of Soro Publishing, to explore how she’s building a more author-friendly path to publishing. Conni traces her unconventional route—from journalism/PR into education, then a 15-year run in educational publishing where she rose to editor-in-chief and developed award-winning products with partners like the Smithsonian and TIME for Kids.

After dozens of candid chats with writers—frustrated by low roya...

In this heartfelt, high-energy conversation, Stephanie Bohn—entertainment veteran turned startup founder—traces her journey from American Express to 13 years at Warner Bros., scaling Rotten Tomatoes, a pivotal stint at Netflix, and ultimately to purpose-built entrepreneurship. Stephanie shares how “raising your hand before you feel 100% ready” opened doors to building new business lines (hello, early App Store days) and leading thr...

This week on Clover, I sit down with Emily Gupton—a technology leader, community builder, and soon-to-be President of Austin Women in Technology. Emily’s career path has been anything but linear: from studying neuroscience and working in radiology, to project management in commercial furniture, to building a SaaS platform from the ground up, and now serving as CTO at SKG.

In this conversation, Emily shares how curiosity, resilience,...

In this episode of Clover, I sit down with Cherie Werner, the force behind Fiesta, the largest community for founders and investors in Austin, and FoundHERs, a dedicated space for women entrepreneurs. Cherie shares her journey from startup life to building Fiesta almost by accident, and how “leading with welcome” has become her guiding principle.

We talk about what it really takes to turn a crowded room into genuine connections, why...

In this episode of Clover, I’m joined by Camille Ricketts, now a partner at XYZ Venture Capital and formerly a marketing leader at Tesla, First Round Capital, and Notion.

Camille’s career journey has been anything but linear—starting as a journalist at The Wall Street Journal, moving into communications at Tesla, where she worked directly with Elon Musk, then pioneering content marketing with First Round Review, and later scaling co...

In this very first episode of Clover, I chat with Amina Mohamed, founder of Cameras For Girls, an organization using photography and storytelling to help young women in Africa break into male-dominated media spaces.

Amina’s story begins with her family’s journey as refugees from Uganda to Canada, a career in film and television, and a life-changing return to Uganda that revealed the inequities facing girls denied education and oppor...

After 100 episodes of Small Business, Big Mindset, it’s time for something new. In this special episode, I share why I’m rebranding the podcast and what you can expect from the next chapter: Clover.

Clover is a show dedicated to spotlighting women redefining leadership—founders, executives, and change-makers who are shaping the future. The name comes from the phrase “to be in clover,” which means to live in prosperity, comfort, and ...

Welcome to Clover. I created this podcast to spotlight women who are redefining leadership. Each week, I connect with founders, executives, and change-makers to share real stories of bold leadership, lasting impact, and what it truly takes to thrive at the top.

Whether you’re just starting out in your career, aiming to take it to the next level, or already leading and looking for ways to give back, Clover will leave you with insight...

This week on the show we have the one, the only, soon-to-be New York Times Bestselling author, Laura F*ing Belgray!

When I thought of who I would want to help ring in my 100th episode, my mentor, my friend, Laura Belgray catapulted to mind first.

She has a long list of accolades which you can learn more about on her Talking Shrimp website...as well as learn why her company is named after a chatty crustacean to beg...

Episode #99!  Wow. When I first started this podcast I just wanted to connect entrepreneurs so we could inspire and learn from each other. What a journey it's been.  

As we catapult to episode #100, I thought I'd highlight the top 5 episodes so far (by downloads), introduce what's next with the podcast...and let you know who the special guest for episode #100 is (hint - she's a celeb in the copywriting ...

I'll be honest - the mere thought of artificial anything, when it comes to creating the written word makes me cringe. It goes against every fiber of my being because for me, the point of writing is to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard to create something genuine. 

Even if it's fiction, it's supposed to come from a place of organic creativity. So when I heard artificial intelligence, I was like, oh here ...

Maura Kelpy, founder of Veggies & Vodka and Maura K Creative, joins the show this week! Maura runs her own successful graphic design business (in addition to her wellness community under the Veggies & Vodka umbrella) and shares with us specific actions to take when crafting your own visual brand. You know, the look and feel of your business where customers can recognize you in an instant.

Here's an excerpt:

Hiring. A critical piece to scale your business. But how do you know it's time to grow your team? What role do you hire for first...or next? How do you make sure you don't hire a jerk that will torpedo your business to the ground? (dramatic? maybe...but maybe not!) What are the pros and cons of hiring a full-time employee vs. a subcontractor? If you hire someone that's not working out, how do you let them go?