The Hotel Management Aspirant turned Founder of Running Mate ft. Dena Lewis

In this episode, I sit down with Dena Lewis to discuss career pivots, entrepreneurship, resilience, and the personal story behind Running Mate, an on-demand app that matches runners with verified companions for safer runs. Dena discusses her early interest in hotel management, a 20-year career in medical device sales, three earlier businesses, the trauma that pushed her to rethink runner safety, and the challenges of building a mission-driven tech startup.Timestamps0:00 - Preview & Introduction0:42 - Meet Dena Lewis & Running Mate Overview3:10 - Runners' Safety Matters10:35 - What Defines a Runner12:45 - From Cornell Dreams to Med Device16:30 - Handling Rejection21:25 - Finding Purpose & Leaning Into Strengths26:24 - Building Her First 3 Companies34:00 - The Story Behind Running Mate43:27 - Startup Challenges48:31 - Living With PurposeConnect with the guest:Dena Lewis: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dena-lewis-a9546a24/⁠Running Mate: ⁠https://www.getrunningmate.com/⁠Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the PodcastYouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To learn more about Wednesday Women check out theirWebsite: ⁠⁠https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/⁠⁠LinkedIn page: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/⁠⁠Connect with the Show Producer:Manali: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/⁠_____________________About She's So Suite Podcast:Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.