The High Achieving Female Podcast

Episode Summary: Why do 20% of women-owned businesses reach $100k in revenue, while only a tiny fraction ever break past the seven-figure mark? In this episode, host sits down with Coco Selman—a 5-time serial entrepreneur, impact investor, and the visionary behind A Force for Good. Coco pulls back the curtain on how she took her company, Illume Home Care, from absolute zero to an eight-figure powerhouse with a seven-figure profit in just four years before navigating a massive strategic exit. Inspired by her stepdaughter Amelia's complex medical needs, Coco shares how she built a deeply emotional, purpose-driven brand without letting it cloud her operational strategy. She details her "special sauce" for scaling—including treating a startup like a Fortune 500 company from Day 1, auditing your time for "high-potency actions," and establishing rigid operational rituals. Now, she is on a massive mission to help 1,000 purpose-driven women founders break through their growth plateaus and scale to $20 million and beyond. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Spark Behind Illume: How an unmet insurance need for Coco's stepdaughter Amelia exposed a massive systemic gap in home nursing care for medically fragile children. Operating in the Red for Licensure: The grueling, capital-intensive 18-month journey to secure CMS licensure and public health accreditation while paying staff out-of-pocket. Finding the Area of Chosen Greatness: How focusing exclusively on the recruitment and retention of high-quality nurses solved the industry's biggest bottleneck and unlocked rapid scale. The Psychological Pivot of a Serial Founder: Why treating your business as a "chapter" rather than your entire identity protects your strategic vision. The Fortune 500 Framework: Why putting your 10-year vision into clear language is the only way to step back and let your leadership team execute. Auditing for High-Potency Actions: How to define your "highest and best use" as a CEO by setting a singular 12-month breakthrough goal. Daily, Weekly, and Quarterly Rituals: The exact rhythm of operational reviews needed to keep the business steering toward True North when chaos hits. Coco's Next Move: Why Coco is currently hunting to acquire a soul-satisfying, cash-flowing business with $1M to $2M in EBITDA, and why acquisitions are the ultimate growth shortcut for women. Links & Resources Mentioned: Explore A Force for Good: aforceforgood.biz Learn About the Founders Circle Program: aforceforgood.biz/founders-circle Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale  

Episode Summary: How do you take a single, simple product—a flexible, weather-proof plastic bangle—and turn it into a multi-million dollar, decades-long global movement without ever losing its core identity? You sell the meaning, not just the merchandise. In this beautiful solo episode of the High Achieving Female Podcast, Jessica Jesse, the CEO, founder, and creative director of BuDhaGirl, pulls back the curtain on the art of mindful retail. Inspired by her deep experiences with contemplative practices in Thailand, Jessica set out 14 years ago to prove that women could be simultaneously "mindfully glamorous." Jessica shares how she resisted the fast-fashion temptation to constantly reinvent her brand, choosing instead to anchor her signature All-Weather Bangles in daily morning rituals, moon cycles, and seasonal intentions. From starting with just one single gold bangle to scaling a powerhouse direct-to-consumer and wholesale empire spanning Dillard's and hundreds of independent boutiques, this episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur wanting to build a timeless, legacy brand that transcends passing fads. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Thai Inspiration: How immersive contemplative practices inspired Jessica to infuse a simple, fashion-forward accessory with a sense of sacred morning intention. Evolution Without Extinction: The strategic journey from a single gold bangle to 47 distinct colorways while preserving the exact same product essence and material integrity. The Art of Stackable Design: How BuDhaGirl leveraged consumer behavior to turn a singular product into a collectible, highly personalized movement. Storytelling vs. Hype: How aligning product marketing with timeless spiritual anchors—like the zodiac and lunar phases—shields a product from the standard fashion hype cycle. Links & Resources Mentioned: Shop the Collection: budhagirl.com Follow BuDhaGirl on Instagram: @budhagirl Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale Follow on Instagram & LinkedIn: @theknowwomen For more like this head to www.theknowinsider.com   

Investing in women's sports isn't charity — it's one of the smartest wealth plays available right now. That's the case Chantell Preston makes in this episode: a former healthcare executive who scaled and exited a multi-million dollar business, then turned around and co-founded Love San Francisco, a professional volleyball team built on the belief that women need to stop just watching sports and start owning them. Chantell opens up about the "success lie" she believed for years, the real reason she chose volleyball over every other league, and the mindset shift that took her from chasing an exit to building lasting wealth. Key Takeaways & Highlights Build a business bigger than you — the smartest exit decision Chantell made was surrounding herself with people who could run the company without her, which drove up the eventual valuation. "You can have it all" is the lie — chasing the perfect outcome burns women out; success has to be defined on your own terms, not inherited from society. Every yes is a no to something else — Chantell's hard-won lesson on saying no without guilt, and reframing FOMO into focus. Investing in women isn't charity, it's strategy — women drive 80% of household spending decisions, yet remain underinvested in as an asset class. You don't need a fortune to start — $10K–$25K and an investment circle with girlfriends is enough to begin building real wealth. Just jump — Chantell's closing advice for any woman sitting on a big idea: start before it's perfect. Links & Resources Mentioned The Success Lie by Chantell Preston — ChantellPreston.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Chantell's podcast: Get Real, Get Results LOVB San Francisco (League One Volleyball) If this episode hit home, hit follow so you catch next week's conversation, and a quick rating on Apple Podcasts helps more high-achieving women find this show.

Episode Summary: If you want to lose ten pounds, you don't ask someone who has never successfully managed their health. If you are struggling with your faith, you don't consult an atheist. So why are you taking hot financial tips on the golf course or from well-meaning family members who haven't built wealth? In this sharp, unfiltered solo episode of the High Achieving Female Podcast, Victoria Woods, founder and CEO of ChapelWood Financial Services and the Financial District of Oklahoma, explains why your ears should only be open to proven credibility. Known across the airwaves for over 25 years as "The Financial Diva," Victoria shares her journey from a childhood of humble beginnings—babysitting six kids at age 12 just to afford lunch money—to managing elite wealth for millionaires. Victoria drops her legendary closing signature rule: Don't take advice from broke people—physically, financially, or spiritually. She delivers a direct masterclass on how high-achieving women can guard their minds, audit their advisors, and fast-track their path to becoming aspiring millionaires by demanding true credibility from anyone they allow into their ecosystem. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Birth of the Financial Diva: The accidental radio interview moment that labeled Victoria for life—and why a high reputation requires showing up with excellence every single day. The Credibility Clock: Why your brain naturally tunes out a speaker or advisor if they don't lead with their track record, past history, and proof of concept. The Three Pillars of "Broke": Unpacking why a lack of success isn't just about a bank account—it applies equally to physical health, emotional energy, and spiritual grounding. Aspiring Millionaires vs. The Brother-in-Law Hack: Why high-achieving leaders must stop letting personal closeness dictate professional and strategic boundaries. Links & Resources Mentioned: Read Victoria's Book: It's All About the Money, Honey (Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble) Discover ChapelWood Financial: chapelwoodfinancial.com (or preferred brand link) Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale Follow on Instagram & LinkedIn: @theknowwomen For more like this head to www.theknowinsider.com   

Episode Summary: What do you do when you arrive in America at 26 with zero connections, no safety net, and barely any English? If you are Jenny Zhu, you learn English alongside the toddler you nanny, study textiles at FIT, and go on to build a home decor empire generating over $100 million in revenue. In this episode, host sits down with the phenomenal founder of Lush Decor, Jenny Zhu. Jenny's journey is the ultimate masterclass in raw grit and resilience. She opens up about growing up in a remote Chinese village with no electricity, learning the art of weaving from her grandmother, and how "starting from zero" became her greatest competitive advantage in business. She also shares the dark, raw reality of her early founder years—including a devastating betrayal by a business partner that ended with her being escorted out of her own building by the police—and how she dug deep to reclaim her company, her identity, and her power. Now an author, philanthropist, and founder of the Dream Weaver's Foundation, Jenny explains why high-achieving women are "very good at looking strong while quietly drowning," and why finding the right community is the ultimate key to letting your dreams fly. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Philosophy of the Broken Thread: The powerful lesson Jenny's grandmother taught her about weaving: "When the thread breaks, you tie the knot and you keep going." Starting from Zero as a Competitive Advantage: Why not having money forces you to be creative, and how not speaking perfect English taught Jenny to become an expert listener. Stepping into the Unknown at FIT: The audacious story of how Jenny applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology without knowing what a "portfolio" even meant—and got accepted. The Darkest Chapter (Partner Betrayal): Jenny recounts the terrifying nightmare of being fired from her own business, escorted out by police, and threatened with deportation, and how she fought back in court to reclaim her power. Beyond Financial Freedom: Why selling her business in 2018 felt surprisingly empty, and how writing her memoir, Dream Weaver (which debuted as a short film at the Venice Film Festival), became her ultimate healing process. The Dream Weaver's Foundation: How a single woman's story sparked Jenny's escape from her village, and why she is dedicated to showing other women that a path out of their circumstances exists. The 24-Hour Non-Negotiable Challenge: Why Jenny wants you to speak your loudest, most terrifying dream out loud to someone you trust in the next 24 hours. Links & Resources Mentioned: Explore the Dream Weaver's Foundation: dreamweavers.org Learn more about Lush Decor: lushdecor.com Connect with Jenny Jing Zhu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyjingzhu/ Connect with KNOW:  Subscribe to KNOW INSIDER: www.theknowinsider.com Instagram: @theknowwomen

Episode Summary: For a long time, your ability to solve every problem, step into every role, and figure out every bottleneck is exactly why your business grew. But there is a tipping point where being good at everything stops being your greatest strength and becomes your biggest financial liability. In this eye-opening solo episode of the High Achieving Female Podcast, Dr. Leilani Felix-Acosta breaks down why 8 out of 10 profitable businesses that go to market fail to sell. The culprit? Owner-dependence. Dr. Leilani shares her proprietary Acquire, Maximize, Exit framework designed to transition high-achieving female founders from operational "heroes" into strategic "architects." Whether you want to exit your company next year or run it for the next decade, Dr. Leilani delivers a masterclass on how to extract yourself from the center of your operations, build transferrable value, and create an asset that functions because of your vision—not your daily presence. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Dependence Delusion: Why a business that routes every decision, exception, and issue back to the founder isn't a leadership success story—it's a bottleneck. The Shocking 80% Stat: Why highly profitable companies fail to find buyers because the founder is the sole "decision engine" and "rainmaker." The Acquire, Maximize, Exit Framework: A systematic approach to building repeatable, transferable, and predictable operations from day one. The 30-Day Litmus Test: The exact diagnostic questions every high-achieving woman needs to ask herself to determine if she owns a true business or simply a highly demanding job. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Dr. Leilani Felix-Acosta: (Insert Website/Booking Link here) Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale Follow on Insta and LinkedIn: @theknowwomen For more like this head to: www.theknowinsider.com   

Episode Summary: What happens when a powerhouse corporate mergers & acquisitions attorney realizes her own middle school daughter has no idea what she—or her wildly successful female friends—does for a living? You leave the corporate legal world to launch a global mentorship empire. In this episode, host welcomes Illana Raia, the brilliant founder and CEO of Être Girls, a groundbreaking mentorship platform that brings middle and high school girls directly into the boardrooms of the world's most influential companies. Illana shares how she leveraged her high-stakes legal background to land massive partnerships with global giants like Google, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Hello Sunshine (Reese Witherspoon's media empire). She pulls back the curtain on the real state of girls' confidence, the power of a "rookie mindset," and how we can all help raise the next generation of female leaders. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Spark for Être Girls: The series of tiny moments that made Ilana realize her daughter (and millions of other girls) couldn't see what successful women did in their day-to-day roles. The M&A Edge in Social Entrepreneurship: How analyzing risk, protecting IP, and structuring deals as a lawyer laid the foundation for a global brand. Embracing the Rookie Mindset: Illana's transition from elite corporate expert to absolute beginner—taking $20 website classes and asking other founders for their biggest mistakes. Landing Fortune 500 Boardrooms: Ilana's simple, bulletproof strategy for pitching massive brands (and why keeping the ask "authentic and light" is the ultimate hack). The Confidence Gap Statistics: Unpacking the sobering research co-conducted with Hello Sunshine showing a 20% drop in girls' confidence between ages 13 and 18, and how a mentor moment changes everything. Sports, Mentorship & Leadership: Why keeping girls in sports past age 14 is a critical incubator for future female C-suite executives. How to Get Involved: From starting a high school club in 23 states to hosting a virtual "mentor pop-up" with CEOs, how moms and daughters can plug into the Être ecosystem. Links & Resources Mentioned: Explore Être Girls: etregirls.com Follow Être on Instagram: @etregirls Connect with Illana Raia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illana-raia-72958833/ Connect with KNOW:  Subscribe to INSIDER: www.theknowinsider.com Follow on Instagram: @theknowwomen  

Episode Summary: Are you tired of getting off a stage only for people to tell you your speech was "so inspiring"—while your bank account stays exactly the same? In this high-yield solo episode of the High Achieving Female Podcast, Dena Patton, an elite business coach with 25 years of experience and founder of Dena Patton Coaching and Training, pulls back the curtain on the ultimate one-to-many marketing hack: public speaking. Dena walks you through the exact operational playbook she has used for 15 years to consistently convert small stages of 50 to 500 people into massive pipeline windfalls of $10,000 to $100,000 per event. Dena drops her famous "Champagne, Wine, and Beer" client framework, shares how to build an administrative tracking system for speaker applications, and explains the subtle psychological shift required to move your audience from an "aha moment" straight into a high-ticket sales inquiry. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Drink Matrix: Why your business needs to immediately stop attracting "beer" clients (the budget-obsessed) and exclusively target "wine" and "champagne" clients. The Unsexy Spreadsheet: How to build a rolling, tactical speaker chart tracking seasonal application deadlines for your industry's top 10 annual events. The "Bookable" Digital Footprint: The absolute bare minimum requirements your website needs to feature on its speaker page before event organizers will take your pitch seriously. The Inspiration Trap: Why being called an "inspiring speaker" is actually a red flag if your goal is client acquisition, and how to position yourself as the ultimate strategic solution instead. Links & Resources Mentioned: Explore Dena Patton Coaching & Training: denapatton.com Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale Follow on Insta: @theknowwomen See more like this at: www.theknowinsider.com  

Episode Summary: What do you do when you co-found a global luxury travel advisory in 2019, only for the entire world to completely shut down months later? If you are Julie Danziger, you don't slow down—you compress a seven-year growth plan into seven months. In this episode, host sits down with the powerhouse co-founder and managing partner of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel giant that has grown to over 200 advisors globally and scaled to a $200M+ organization. Julie shares her incredible "accidental entrepreneur" journey—from starting as an unpaid intern and working for $8 an hour to leading one of the fastest-growing women-owned companies in America. Julie pulls back the curtain on how Embark Beyond disrupted the industry using a law-firm style partnership model, how they maintain 100% core team retention through simple culture hacks like a daily "15-Minute Morning Lineup," and why she completely rejects the myth of work-life balance in favor of "blending" business, travel, and motherhood. Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Accidental Entrepreneur: How Julie went from an unpaid intern to an $8-an-hour entry-level employee, spent 14 years mastering her craft, and woke up realizing she owned a company. Compressing the Timeline in a Crisis: The exact pivot Julie and her co-founders made in early 2020 to build their business infrastructure while competitors were closing their doors. Disrupting the Industry with a "Law Firm" Model: How Embark Beyond structured a path to equity partnership for independent travel advisors, and why it became their ultimate recruitment tool. Scaling Culture Globally: Moving from a tiny NYC loft to 200+ remote advisors in 26 states and international markets like Brazil without losing the "boutique" family feel. The 15-Minute Daily Habit: Why Julie and her co-founders still religiously log on for a daily "Morning Lineup" Zoom with up to 90 global team members every single workday. Treat Everyone Like the CEO: The invaluable piece of business advice Julie learned from her grandfather at a local diner. Blending vs. Balancing: A transparent look at how Julie integrates her three kids and her husband, Joe, into her jet-setting career. The "Disaster" Pep Talk: Julie's refreshingly honest message to every ambitious woman struggling with guilt: "We are all a mess—some of us just hide it better." Links & Resources Mentioned: Explore Embark Beyond: embarkbeyond.com Connect with Julie on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliedanziger/ Connect with KNOW: Website: www.theknowwomen.com Become an INSIDER: www.theknowinsider.com    

Episode Summary: What happens when a dedicated hospital nurse realizes that the healthcare system is systematically failing families at their most vulnerable moments? If you are Jasmine Bhatti, you walk away from lucrative travel nursing gigs to disrupt a multi-billion dollar industry. In this powerful solo episode of the High Achieving Female Podcast, Jasmine Bhatti, RN and CEO of NaviNurses, shares her incredible transition from a burnt-out frontline worker during the pandemic to the founder of a $7.1 million bootstrapped healthcare empire. Jasmine pulls back the curtain on the crushing reality of the "post-hospital gap"—where everyday citizens are forced to become nurses overnight—and how her team of 150+ nurses is stepping in to provide holistic, private care. Jasmine breaks down the exact operational strategies she used to build her company from scratch, how she leveraged institutional grants (including a major nod from the American Nursing Association), and why the key to scaling your vision is simply having the courage to "open the door and see what's on the other side." Key Takeaways & Highlights: The Post-Hospital Gap: Why insurance and Medicare leave families stranded with complex medical needs, and the personal family crisis that opened Jasmine's eyes to the flaw in the system. The "Uber for Nurses" Trap: Why Jasmine stopped obsessing over building custom tech from day one and instead scaled past $7M using basic, pre-existing software. Fighting Nurse Burnout with Data: How NaviNurses' breakthrough research proving that their model actually cures hospital burnout won the backing of the American Nursing Association. The Power of Setting Blind Goals: Why Jasmine has massive expansion targets for 2026 without needing to know how they will happen yet. Links & Resources Mentioned: Learn More About NaviNurses: navinurses.com Follow Jasmine Bhatti on Instagram & TikTok: @YourHypeNurse Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale Follow on Instagram: @theknowwomen  

We've been sold a massive lie: that success is a solo sport. We picture the ambitious woman in a sleek skyscraper office, completely self-sufficient. But behind that glamorous image lies a heartbreaking reality—80% of women in white-collar careers feel deeply lonely because of their jobs. In this episode, host welcomes media icon Ann Shoket, the former Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen Magazine and CosmoGIRL!, regular Good Morning America expert, former America's Next Top Model judge, and current CEO of The List. Ann takes us behind the scenes of her meteoric rise in the cutthroat New York media world, what it really felt like to step down from a legendary corporate throne, and how she completely redefined her identity. Plus, she reveals the groundbreaking research behind the modern loneliness epidemic and shares a 10-minute daily habit you can start today to build your ultimate support network. Key Takeaways & Highlights: Learn How Work Works: Ann's early days at The American Lawyer during the O.J. Simpson trial and why her best advice for grads is to just get a job—any job. Pitching with Confidence: How deep audience alignment allowed Ann to boldly pitch for (and land) the Editor-in-Chief role at Seventeen. Innovating Through a Crisis: Managing a massive legacy print brand during the 2008 economic crash and the birth of digital media. The Myth of the "Borrowed Seat": The mindset shift required to walk away from a powerful corporate title and buy your own executive chair. The Loneliness Epidemic: Why 80% of professionals feel isolated at work and how it leaks into our personal lives. The 10-Minute Togetherness Routine: Ann's daily morning habit to foster meaningful professional and personal connections without the overwhelm. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Ann Shoket: The List (theli.st) Read Ann's Book: The Big Life: A Blueprint for Ambitious Women Follow the Podcast: @HighAchievingFemale