Startups in Stilettos

Startups in Stilettos

Have you recently started a business, or are you considering taking the leap to start? Do you find yourself alone or overwhelmed in the whirlwind of early challenges in your Entreprenista journey? Well, you’re in the right place - Startups in Stilettos is for you. Learn what it takes to grow your startup, from your peers in the startup world, and those who are in your shoes (or stilettos, if you will) We’re meeting you where you are to get you through your biggest challenges and toward your biggest goals. From the team behind the Entreprenista podcast, tune in to Startups in Stilettos as you take steps to build your startup from the ground up. So what can you expect from Startups in Stilettos? Each week, we’ll interview a startup founder in our community to uncover their early challenges, learn from the solutions they’ve found, make new connections, and strategize for the future growth of their business. You’ll walk away with practical tips and resources to help you along your journey and a new community member to connect with through the Entreprenista League!

Episodes

Faith Morris helps Founders Untangle Their Operations

March 3, 2026 • 44 mins
“…help me figure out what I am, because I, that wasn't clear to me as well. If I'm going to be an entrepreneur, what am I?” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosted by Ingrid Zapata-Read, we sit down with operations strategist Faith Morris to unpack the identity crisis so many entrepreneurs face when they outgrow the way they’ve been running their business—and even outgrow their own job titles. From hitting rock botto...
Mark as Played

Jasmine Moseley-Beal Prepares Executives to Lead Through Change

February 24, 2026 • 41 mins
“Well, you know what? I'm going to put a little twist to it because whether he said yes or not, I was going to do it because it was in my gut and it was in my heart to do it.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Jasmine Moseley Beal — award-winning global learning and talent development leader, founder and CEO of Virtue Key Consulting Group — to talk about betting on your vision, building wi...
Mark as Played

Sailynn Doyle Helps Women Build Sustainable Million-Dollar Businesses

February 17, 2026 • 39 mins
“Here's the thing. Systems truly set you free, right? It allows you to scale a business. Once I fine -tuned my machine, you know, after those two years,I literally ran my business remotely between Florida, Massachusetts, because I just put in systems.” In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Sailynn Doyle, founder of Passion Purpose Posture, to unpack what it really takes for women entrepreneur...
Mark as Played

Lisa Simone Richards Empowers Female Founders

February 10, 2026 • 38 mins
“...if this goes out and this doesn't work, that's going to suck.But I wanted to actually put it out from a place of very genuine. I don't know how this is going to go. I didn't just publish this because I know what the ending was. So it was a real place of vulnerability for me.”In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Lisa Simone Richards, founder of Pearl Spark Pages and ...
Mark as Played

Ingrid Zapata Read Builds Business Through Community

February 3, 2026 • 27 mins
“And not every idea should be one that you see through, but I feel like the ones that align with your goals and that you feel deeply passionate about are those that you should keep pushing forward.”In this special episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman flip the mic and interview each other.If you’ve ever wondered who’s behind the voices, how this podcast came to life, or why Startups in Stilet...
Mark as Played

Carlyn Bushman Teaches Founders How to Build Businesses that Last

January 27, 2026 • 26 mins
“But it's also like a rising tide lifts all boats. And I mean that not only from moral support and collaboration, but it also is the gap in women starting businesses, growing businesses, but clearly staying in business.” ‍In this special episode of Startups and Stilettos, co-hosts Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman turn the mic inward to share the stories, philosophies, and messy middle moments that shaped who they are as entre...
Mark as Played

Osayi Lasisi Builds Representation One Doll at a Time

January 20, 2026 • 32 mins
“And I feel like being able to teach this at a young age, even if it's like, you know, lemonade stand basics, right? Like, what do you need and how much do you have to spend? And what is it going to take for you to go out there? And what does it mean to actually earn a profit and all of that?”In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Osayi Lasisi, founder of Pocketlings, a joy-centered toy and...
Mark as Played

KJ Blattenbauer Makes Female Founders Pitchworthy

January 13, 2026 • 38 mins
“No one can fund your business. No one can come to your store. No one can purchase your service. If they don't know you exist, if they don't know about it, if they don't know how it can help you, PR does all of those things.”‍What if visibility isn’t about being louder—but being more relevant? In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman sit down with PR powerhouse KJ Blattenbauer, founder o...
Mark as Played

Tracy Beavers Helps Founders Get Visible without the Burnout

January 6, 2026 • 36 mins
“That's that visibility that I teach for that with that consistent content has to drive to your list or here again, it's just noise. It's just content. That's all it's doing. So visibility without strategy is just noise.”In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Tracy Beavers, CEO and Founder of Tracy Beavers Coaching and longtime visibility strategist, to unpack sustainabl...
Mark as Played

Dionne Ellison Builds an Eyewear Brand That Leads with Vision

December 30, 2025 • 32 mins
“I never really wanted to be in front of the camera with my brand because I wanted to be an eyewear brand, not a black -owned eyewear brand. I didn't want to be pigeonholed into something in people's mind.”In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman sit down with Entreprenista League member Dionne Ellison, Founder and CEO of Vuliwear, an elevated eyewear brand redefining how we think about ...
Mark as Played

The Conversations We're Still Thinking About in 2025

December 23, 2025 • 18 mins
“You truly kept going. You learned along the way. And guess what? You asked for help. You figured things out. And I know we sound like a broken record here, but so many wins, so many plot twists. And once again, you're still here.”In this special year-end episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman look back on the moments that defined this year—not the polished highlight reels, but the raw, powerful con...
Mark as Played

Darcy Bennet Transforms How the World Sees Admins

December 16, 2025 • 33 mins
“...Now I feel so secure and confident in what I'm doing that, you know, it's completely different than what I originally set it out to be. But I'm really grateful that it is.” In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Darcy Bennet—founder of DB Executive Services and the powerhouse behind Elevating Administrative Professionals, a fast-growing global event series and community transforming...
Mark as Played

Nicole Leon Helps Founders Buy Back Their Time

December 9, 2025 • 31 mins
“...I have been able to scale multiple businesses off of organic social media reach alone. No email marketing, no paid ads. Literally just organic reach. And word of mouth. And I mean, I think that speaks volumes to it.”‍In this inspiring episode of Startups in Stilettos, we sit down with Entreprenista League member and Powerhouse Latina founder Nicole Leone—the dynamic force behind El Leone Virtual Assistance, a boutique executive...
Mark as Played

Jade Pruett Gets Women-Owned Brands Found Online

December 2, 2025 • 32 mins
"I think what really sets a lot of different agencies apart is how they acquire backlinks because there's so many. And that's another one of those terms, like, who even knows what that means. It's very important to get other websites to talk about your website.”In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, Carlyn and Ingrid sit down with SEO strategist and founder of HelloSEO, Jade Pruett, to explore what visibility really means in 202...
Mark as Played

Katya Eckert Crafts Sleepwear That Supports Hormonal Wellness

November 25, 2025 • 35 mins
“And we reached out to them. I was like, I really want to do this self -care giveaway. I really want to elevate this like process of self-care…”On this episode of Startups in Stilettos, host Carlyn Bushman sit down with Entreprenista League member Katya Eckert, founder and CEO of A DOMANI, the sleepwear brand redefining rest for women navigating postpartum, menopause, breast-cancer treatment, and beyond. Inspired by her own postpa...
Mark as Played

Sequoia Armstrong Inspires Women to Explore with Intention

November 18, 2025 • 34 mins
“I've been in a number of communities and I think that sharing your challenges and your, even fear, you know, fears and challenges and your wins, which I think as women can be very hard sometimes to do with others…” In this episode of Startups In Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Sequoia Armstrong, conscious travel consultant, community builder, and founder of Puebla York, a boutique travel consultancy helping women...
Mark as Played

Allyse Cirillo Redefines Clean Beauty from the Inside Out

November 11, 2025 • 33 mins
“We all feel that way. We all feel like where do we start? You know, you can't do everything every day all the time. So just creating those little habits and little changes.”On this episode of Startups and Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Allyse Cirillo, Founder and CEO of St. Joe, a clean wellness brand reshaping the beauty industry from the inside out.After over a decade in corporate product development and a per...
Mark as Played

Nina Sarin Arias Grows a Global Luxury Brand from the Ground Up

November 4, 2025 • 32 mins
“I'm happy to be growing organically and, you know, taking my time with it. I'm not in a rush. So I think that's what I've learned in the past kind of eight, nine, eight years since I've had the brand. It's just, it's going to take time.”What does it take to trade a corporate career at Burberry and Cartier for life as a fashion founder in New York City? For Nina Sarin, Founder & Creative Director of Arias New York, it all started w...
Mark as Played

Kelly Gushue Simplifies Money Management for Busy Entreprenistas

October 28, 2025 • 37 mins
“...there is a money mindset that we are continuously addressing. And this is why it's an ongoing learning process. And it's great to be part of a community associated with money because there are different dimensions associated with money.” Money isn’t just about numbers — it’s about choices, confidence, and freedom. In this empowering episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Kel...
Mark as Played

Jamie Keane Builds Creator Websites in 20 minutes

October 21, 2025 • 35 mins
“They're like, well, I don't know if I have the money to do marketing.I'm like, if your marketing is garbage, you're not going to make money. You have to have good marketing.” In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, hosts Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman sit down with Jamie Keane, founder of Julip — the innovative “website-in-bio” platform helping creators and solopreneurs build stunning, functional websites in just 20 min...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Betrayal Season 5

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Wearables

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.