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

August 11, 2026 37 mins
Resources:  The Most Expensive Line Item in Your Business Isn’t on Your P&L “So that's what gets me up in the morning. I love working with people and seeing them transform.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, host Carlyn Bushman sits down with Joy Errico, founder of Maven Row Communications and former Fortune 200 communications executive, to discuss the leap from corporate leadership to entrep...
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“Every person regardless of their role operates as an individual leader. And when you eventually get to leadership, what do you want people to know you for?” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, Carlyn Bushman sits down with Lori Lalonde, founder of Her Executive Ascent and former Microsoft executive, to discuss her journey from nearly 30 years in corporate leadership to building a business dedicated to helping se...
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“If you don't open up and share your story, you're never going to find the people who are meant to find you and that you're meant to find.” In this special live episode of Startups in Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with three accomplished Entreprenista members—Emily, founder of Electric Collab; LinkedIn strategist Natasha Walstra; and trademark attorney Lauren—to explore how collaboration, auth...
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Resources: Meta Ads Readiness Checklist “So I just decided to participate way more in Entreprenista and that changed my damn life last year and like 70% of my leads last year were from women that I met that wanted to talk about ads.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Meta ads strategist and revenue growth expert Jess Gleim to unpack what it really ...
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Resources:  Bobo Wears a Bowtie “So all of these pieces started to come together to become this personal brand. The voice of the families. That's who I am.” What does it take to pivot careers, build a million-dollar business, and impact the lives of more than 150,000 families? In this inspiring episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Luba Patlakh, founder of Ki...
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“Understanding your audience and creating something specifically for them is the best approach you could take with any of this.” What does it really take to launch a podcast that drives business growth? This week on Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman sit down with Hayleigh Hayhurst, founder of Espresso Podcast Production, to uncover the strategy behind successful podcasts and why there’s...
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“An inspirational vision is not a pipedream. Give it a chance to mature and reveal its true potential” In this inspiring episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Dr. Dominique Carson—licensed massage practitioner, journalist, author, and founder of the mobile massage business Mani Benedette. Dr. Dominique shares her remarkable journey from a young writer inspired...
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Resources mentioned: Entreprenistas get 35% off Dubsado with code ENTREPRENISTA35 at dubsado.com/entreprenista. “Once you launch into entrepreneurship and start providing a service, you need to figure out how you are bringing your money in and how you are presenting yourself with your clients from proposals to everything else.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read ...
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“We've got to find a way to keep the good people contributing their talents in the workforce.” In this thought-provoking episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Annie Graziani, founder of Sovera Strategy Company, doctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, executive coach, and author of the upcoming book Leave Life and Live. Annie shares insights from two d...
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“You can’t outperform your relationship with money.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlin Bushman and Ingrid Zapata Reed sit down with Ruchi Pinniger, founder and CEO of Watch Her Prosper, to explore the powerful connection between money mindset and business success. After spending nearly two decades as a Wall Street executive, Ruchi left corporate finance to help women founders build healthier ...
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“...I had all this knowledge and way of putting design into work because I had learned from my partners to say, yes, it's a creative entity, but you have to have a process to it…” In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, host Carlyn Bushman sits down with product development expert Suzy Haber Wakefield, founder of Suzy Wakefield Designs, to unpack what it really takes to build a successful product-based brand ...
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When you are in alignment with what you're being called to do, which is quite different than just like Googling your way to purpose, you know, like I don't believe that can happen. You have to go within. Then the community is actually pulling you.” In this inspiring live episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read and Carlyn Bushman sit down with Sheri Crawley, founder and CEO of Pretty Brown Girl, to talk about pur...
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“So that's the premise of what we do. We show up when you don't know what to say, when it's hard for you to remember those days, but you don't want to leave someone alone.” In this heartfelt episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Kelly Edmondson, founder of Timely Presence, a year-long grief support service created from unimaginable loss and deep compassion. After the unexpected death of he...
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Emily has a long and rich history in the branding world. Over the stretch of 14 years, Emily says she's done everything from skinny jeans to french fries, working in the brand development of companies like Abercrombie & Fitch and Wendy’s. But what she really loves more than anything, is working with passionate entrepreneurs to help build authentic brands that deeply connect with clients.   In today’s epis...
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“Community forms when people see themselves in your story, your mission, or your message.” In this episode of Startups and Stilettos, Ingrid shares the cornerstone of her business success, community. From building real relationships to creating a support system that persists through both wins and setbacks, Ingrid shares how authentic connection is the true magic behind growing a thriving business. You'll learn why...
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"I had so many people that were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Could you just do it? And it took me a while to kind of come to terms with that. And I decided, OK, I am going to do this, but I'm going to do it my way.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Christina Lenkowski, founder of Publicity by Christina, to unpack how a single shift in strategy—podcast guesting—completel...
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“So that was really the light bulb moment of, I can't be the only other operator out there feeling this alone and isolated, trying to figure it out every single day.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Megan Long, founder of Second First, to spotlight the often-overlooked role of the second-in-command. After spending a decade as a COO navigating high-stak...
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“AI cannot read the room. Right.They don't know what mood or mode that your executive is working within right now or what element.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, we dive into one of the most valuable—and limited—resources every founder faces: time. Carlyn Bushman sits down with operations expert Gwendolyn, founder of Your Virtual Admin Expert, to unpack what it really takes to lead at your hig...
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“Just get started, right? Progress over perfection. What I teach all the time, what I coach, what I consult on, progress over perfection.” On this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with award-winning podcaster and coach Heidy De La Cruz to unpack the real journey behind building a podcast that’s not just a passion project—but a powerful business tool. ...
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“Don't let it be about control. Don't let it be about guilt. Let it be about, wow, I'm going to be able to accomplish so much more by not having to waste my time on these things that I could hire outsource for.” In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, host Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with fractional COO and founder of La Pausa Consulting, Adair Vilella, to unpack what it really takes to build a business that can gro...
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