The Breadwinners Podcast

Alexis Contos
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They say you can't have it all — that mothers must choose between ambition and presence. But what if we're asking the wrong question? On The Breadwinners Podcast, Alexis Contos redefines what it means to be a Breadwinner in modern culture, moving it far beyond the paycheck. Through raw, honest conversations with women like Morgan Zanotti (CEO of Primal Kitchen), Nicole Trunfio (CEO of Bumpsuit), and Eve Rodsky (Author of Fair Play & Find Your Unicorn Space), we explore what it really takes to bring financial richness, emotional richness, and systemic change to our families. This isn't about balance, it's about integration. Not perfection, but wholeness. Whether you're already navigating motherhood and career, building your empire before kids arrive, or reimagining what family leadership looks like, these conversations will challenge everything you've been told about what's possible. The Breadwinners: Where ambitious mothers aren't just earning a living, they're pioneering a new era for themselves, and everyone who comes next. Learn more at thebreadwinners.co.

  1. Your body isn't broken: We're Talkin Postpartum Recovery, Pelvic Floor Myths, & Building Through the Seasons

    6 DAYS AGO

    Your body isn't broken: We're Talkin Postpartum Recovery, Pelvic Floor Myths, & Building Through the Seasons

    Your body isn't broken. You just haven't had the right person in your corner. Dr. Alexis Griffin is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a board-certified sports clinical specialist, and the woman who has kept NFL players, NBA athletes, and Olympic competitors performing at the top of their game. She has also navigated four pregnancies, four unmedicated deliveries, and four postpartum recoveries — each time rebuilding herself with the same rigor she brings to elite athletes. Now she's opening a gym in Austin and entering one of the most expansive seasons of her career. In this episode, Alexis Contos sits down with her friend and PT, Dr. Alexis Griffin, to talk about what women's bodies actually need — and what the fitness industry keeps getting wrong. In this episode: Why your pelvic floor needs to yield, not just strengthen — and what that actually means The difference between stability and strength, and why stability wins every time How moving well in daily life (picking up a baby, bending over the crib) is more powerful than 45 minutes at the gym Four unmedicated births: what they taught her about trusting her body — and herself The season she stepped away from her PT practice for a tech sales job at 39 — and why it was the right call How she and her husband manage a dual-income household with four kids, a new gym build, and a nanny who makes it all possible Why she believes effort is the most important thing to model for children in the age of AI The gym she's building in Austin and the philosophy behind it: member experience first, always Dr. Alexis Griffin is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and board-certified sports clinical specialist based in Austin, Texas. With over a decade working with professional and Olympic athletes, she has spent her career translating elite performance principles into tools that help real people — especially mothers — move better, recover smarter, and build forward. Learn more at dralexisgriffin.com. Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Please rate & review wherever you listen — it helps more women find our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 11min
  2. Saved Seats | Aileen Fitzgerald on The Art of Devotion: Leaving Nursing, and Chasing Her Dreams

    6 APR

    Saved Seats | Aileen Fitzgerald on The Art of Devotion: Leaving Nursing, and Chasing Her Dreams

    *THIS IS A REPLAY FROM AN EARLIER EPISODE IN SEASON 1* Aileen Fitzgerald left a nearly decade-long nursing career, ended a long-term relationship, and moved into a new home the night before the Austin snow apocalypse, with four weeks of rent money and a set of paint brushes. This episode is about what it looks like to burn your life down in order to build one that is actually yours. Aileen Fitzgerald is a world-renowned painter and former ICU nurse whose work captures what she calls the landscapes of the human condition. She joins Alexis Contos on The Breadwinners to talk about the art of devotion — being fully present with your children while pursuing your deepest calling — and why emotional richness is its own form of wealth. What we cover: How the pandemic cracked open a decade of emotional starvation and led Aileen back to her brushes What "structuring for freedom" actually looks like as a working artist and mother The single moment she realized no one was coming to save her, and what she did next How her art collections map directly to her inner life: sepia tones for survival, green for healing, red for love Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, neuroplasticity, and why holding your younger self's hand is a real practice Acupuncture, Barton Springs, and other non-negotiables for resetting your nervous system Why presence isn't a personality trait — it's a learned skill that starts with going outside About Aileen Fitzgerald: Aileen Fitzgerald is an Austin-based painter whose work explores landscape, color, and the interior life of being human. She spent nearly nine years as a critical care nurse before walking away entirely to rebuild her life as a professional artist. Her work is available through galleries and at aileenfitzart.com. Find her on Instagram: @aileenfitzart Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Rate and review wherever you listen — it helps more women find this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 21min
  3. EP. 16 | Alison Fragale on Why You Do Care What People Think | The Breadwinners Podcast

    30 MAR

    EP. 16 | Alison Fragale on Why You Do Care What People Think | The Breadwinners Podcast

    The formula for women's success isn't what you've been told. It's not your title, your salary, or your track record. It's your status — how much others respect and value you. And the way women build it is completely different from what most of us have been taught. Alison Fragale is an organizational psychologist, tenured professor, former McKinsey consultant, and the author of the national bestseller Likable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve. She has spent 20 years studying status, influence, and how women can build both — without compromising who they are. In this episode, Alexis Contos and Alison unpack the real science behind what makes women respected, valued, and powerful — at work, at home, and everywhere in between. What you'll learn in this episode: 🔬 Why status is a resource — just like money and health — and how to build and spend it strategically 💡 The "caring + capable" equation: the two signals that determine how others perceive you (and what most women get wrong) 🧠 How Alison went from feeling like a fraud at McKinsey to building a 20-year career on the one thing she was told wasn't serious: reading people 📊 Why "I don't care what people think" is a story we only tell ourselves when we're in pain — and what to say instead 🎭 The resting bitch face problem — and what it teaches us about non-verbal status signals 👩‍👧‍👦 Why the way you parent multiple kids is the exact same skill as influencing people at work (and why we feel proud of one but ashamed of the other) ✈️ What an American Airlines Concierge Key reveals about status symbols vs. actual status 🏗️ How to build status before you need it — and why career transitions feel so disorienting 💬 The fastest way to build status in a room full of strangers 🤝 Why women wait too long to negotiate — and what to do about it Whether you're navigating corporate life, building something new, or figuring out how to show up differently in 2026, this conversation will change how you walk into your next room. 📚 Books mentioned: Likable Badass by Alison Fragale Quit by Annie Duke Deep Work by Cal Newport Talk by Alison Wood Brooks 🥂 Join The Breadwinners community: → ⁠Subscribe to our Substack⁠ → ⁠Follow on Instagram⁠ → Rate & review wherever you listen to our pod — it helps more women find our show 🔗 Connect with Alison Fragale: → Alison's Instagram → Alison's LinkedIn → www.alisonfragale.com Recorded live during SXSW in Austin, Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 9min
  4. EP. 15 | So I Decided to Interview My Husband...

    23 MAR

    EP. 15 | So I Decided to Interview My Husband...

    What does it actually look like when two ambitious people are building a life together .... from both sides? In this episode, I hand the mic to my husband, Todd Grantham - entrepreneur, father of four, and the person who has seen me at my most magnetic and my most completely undone. No script, no canned questions. Just a real conversation about what modern marriage actually looks like when ambition, identity, money, and family are all in the mix at the same time. We get into the invisible load debate and why one viral Instagram post made me break my own "don't take the bait" rule. We talk about how we split household responsibilities - and why we've never actually sat down and agreed on any of it. We go deep on parenting values, religion, raising kids who can think for themselves, and what we want our children to see when they look at us. And yes, we talk about the dishwasher. At length. This is the episode behind the episode - the partnership story that makes everything else possible. In this conversation: - How we actually divide household labor (and what the research gets wrong) - The invisible load, rage bait culture, and why broad generalizations are hurting the conversation (hint: the "comments" section) - What Todd thinks makes a modern marriage work - How we parent without projecting — and why we make our kids solve their own problems - What his late father taught him about being present ______________________________ The Breadwinners is a podcast and community for ambitious women redefining what it means to be a Breadwinner — beyond the paycheck, to include emotional richness, systemic change, and legacy. 🎙 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts 📩 Join the Breadwinners Substack 📲 Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 3min
  5. EP. 13 | Juliet Starrett on Being Built to Last - Longevity, Equal Partnership, and the Marathon of Parenting

    20 MAR

    EP. 13 | Juliet Starrett on Being Built to Last - Longevity, Equal Partnership, and the Marathon of Parenting

    What does it actually look like to build something sustainable — in your body, your business, and your family — without burning everything down in the process? Juliet Starrett has done it. Three world championship titles in elite whitewater paddling. A law degree. Nearly a decade in Big Law. Co-founder of San Francisco CrossFit, one of the first 25 affiliates in the world. And today, co-leader of The Ready State alongside her husband Kelly Starrett — the movement and longevity platform that has transformed how millions of people think about what their bodies are capable of. Their book, Built to Move, is a New York Times bestseller. In this episode, Alexis and Juliet go deep on the things that don't make it into the highlight reel: the real architecture of equal partnership in business and in marriage, what it means to be a breadwinner mom who is also the primary decision-maker at work, and how to raise teenagers who are watching your every move — and actually learning something worth keeping. What we cover in this conversation: How a 7-year-old's wilderness river trip in Colorado became the origin story of a world-class athlete Why Juliet left a lucrative law career to build San Francisco CrossFit from a parking lot — and what she'd tell any high-achieving woman standing at that same crossroads The 51/49 rule: how Juliet and Kelly structure decision-making in a 20+ year business and life partnership The skill-based case for working with your spouse — and why complementary strengths matter more than compatibility The parenting philosophy Juliet swears by: why investing in career flexibility when your kids are small is the long game for being present when it counts most — high school What The Teenage Brain taught Juliet about not sweating the small stuff Why the "all or nothing" mindset is the biggest obstacle to sustainable health The most underrated longevity habit (hint: it's not your red light mask) The sit-to-rise test and what it actually predicts about how you'll age Pick up Built to Move at your local bookstore or wherever books are sold, or visit thereadystate.com to go deeper on each vital sign. 🎯 EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR BREADWINNERS: Ready to train like the Starretts? The On Demand Starrett System gives you access to Kelly and Juliet's full strength and conditioning programming — the same system Juliet referenced in this episode. Use code BREADWINNERS at checkout for 15% off your subscription. 👉 thereadystate.com Connect with Juliet Starrett: 🔗 thereadystate.com 📱 Instagram: @julietstarrett | @thereadystate Connect with The Breadwinners: 📬 Substack 📱 Instagram If this conversation resonated with you — click follow/subscribe, leave a rating, and share it with a breadwinning woman in your life. Every review helps us reach the women who need to know they're not alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 11min
  6. EP. 14 | Devon McDonald on the Secrets Successful Women Keep: Burnout, Mom Shame, & Rebuilding with Intention

    20 MAR

    EP. 14 | Devon McDonald on the Secrets Successful Women Keep: Burnout, Mom Shame, & Rebuilding with Intention

    What does it feel like to reach the pinnacle of your career — and realize it no longer fits? Devon McDonald spent 17 years in venture capital, rising to General Partner at OpenView Ventures while raising three kids and serving as the financial anchor for her family. In March 2020, OpenView had its largest exit ever when Datadog went public, returning the fund ten times over. On paper, it was the moment she'd worked her entire career for. On the inside? Devon was sitting alone in her car, listening to meditation audiobooks, wondering why she felt desperate to escape. In this raw, honest conversation, Devon and Alexis explore what happens when the life you built for everyone else stops fitting who you're becoming — and what it actually takes to rebuild. Devon opens up about the warning signs she ignored for years: the physical symptoms of chronic stress, the shame spiral of working-mom guilt, the perfectionism and control that masked how much she was struggling. She shares the terrifying work of dismantling a life that looked perfect from the outside — losing 30 pounds, hiring a psychologist and spiritual coach, learning nervous system regulation, setting boundaries at work, transitioning out of her GP role, and ultimately leaving her marriage. Today, Devon is the co-founder of Second Harvest, a retreat for high-achieving leaders at midlife who are ready for something more aligned to their inner truth. This episode is for every Breadwinner mother who has ever sat in her car just to breathe. What we cover: - The moment Devon realized her biggest career win felt completely hollow - How the body signals misalignment long before the mind catches up - Mom shame, working-mother guilt, and why high-achieving women don't talk about it - The role of nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, and spiritual coaching in Devon's transformation - Why divorce made her a better, more present mother - What "high achieving" actually means — and who Second Harvest is really for - How to build community rooted in giving, not performing Connect with Devon McDonald: 🌿 secondharvest.co 💼 LinkedIn: Devon McDonald 📸 Instagram: @second_harvest_retreats, @devmcdee Connect with The Breadwinners: 📩 Substack: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Instagram: wearethebreadwinners 🎙️ Rate + Subscribe wherever you listen — it helps us reach the women who need to know they're not alone. 🌿 A Special Offer from Second Harvest Loved this episode? Devon & Richard are hosting the Second Harvest Spring Summit on May 21st at the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA — a one-day gathering for leaders at an inflection point who are ready to step back and figure out what comes next. As a Breadwinners listener, use code BREADWINNERS for $200 off tickets. 👉 secondharvest.co #WomenInBusiness #HighAchievingWomen #career #BurnoutRecovery #WorkingMom #mom #MidlifeWomen #CareerTransition #WomenLeaders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 5min
  7. Saved Seats | Replaying Our Pilot Episode: Kim Chappell on the Dinner That Started It All

    2 MAR

    Saved Seats | Replaying Our Pilot Episode: Kim Chappell on the Dinner That Started It All

    One year ago, we gathered a group of extraordinary women around a dinner table at SXSW — and The Breadwinners was born. In honor of our one-year anniversary, we're bringing back the episode that started it all for the listeners who've joined us since. "You're not hitting your skincare routine, being a great mom, crushing it at your job, putting dinner on the table, and having sex with your husband in 24 hours every day," says Kim Chappell, Chief Brand Officer at Bobbie. "Nobody is. That's not happening." In this pilot episode, Alexis Contos sits down with Kim to talk about what it actually looks like to build a career and a family at the same time — without the performance. They dig into returning to work after maternity leave, the guilt that quietly follows you back, and why the "girlboss" era left so many of us more exhausted than empowered. What comes after hustle culture? A new conversation about what it means to be a breadwinner — one that goes beyond the paycheck and into how we define success, boundaries, and what we're actually building. If you're new to the community, this is where it all began and we're excited to revisit our origin. So, welcome! The Breadwinners Join the Community on Substack Kim's Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 17min
  8. EP. 12 | Mel Strong on Why Motherhood Has Never Been One-Size-Fits-All

    23 FEB

    EP. 12 | Mel Strong on Why Motherhood Has Never Been One-Size-Fits-All

    What does it take to walk away from 17 years of corporate security — stock options, healthcare, a VP title at Nike — and bet on yourself? In this episode, Alexis sits down with Mel Strong, co-founder of Next Ventures, a health and wellness-focused venture fund. Mel's path has been anything but linear: first-grade teacher, journalist, marketing executive, interim CMO of Oura Ring, and now fund manager — and she's candid about every messy step it took to get there. In this conversation: Why women at the same income level as men weren't investing the same way — and what Mel did about it The athlete mindset and using fear as a compass instead of a stop sign Growing up as a caregiver to a sister with disabilities — and becoming a "mom" in 4th grade What it was really like when her husband became unemployed and she became the Breadwinner Her early investment in Oura Ring and what she saw before anyone else did Why women are the chief medical officers of their families — and what that means for the future of health tech The loneliness epidemic, human connection, and why community is the truest form of technology Mel's story is a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and building wealth on your own terms. 🎙️ The Breadwinners Podcast — where ambitious mothers don't just earn a living, they're pioneering a new era. 📩 Join the Breadwinner community: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com 🌐 Next Ventures: nextventures.com | Substack: https://nextventures.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 12min
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They say you can't have it all — that mothers must choose between ambition and presence. But what if we're asking the wrong question? On The Breadwinners Podcast, Alexis Contos redefines what it means to be a Breadwinner in modern culture, moving it far beyond the paycheck. Through raw, honest conversations with women like Morgan Zanotti (CEO of Primal Kitchen), Nicole Trunfio (CEO of Bumpsuit), and Eve Rodsky (Author of Fair Play & Find Your Unicorn Space), we explore what it really takes to bring financial richness, emotional richness, and systemic change to our families. This isn't about balance, it's about integration. Not perfection, but wholeness. Whether you're already navigating motherhood and career, building your empire before kids arrive, or reimagining what family leadership looks like, these conversations will challenge everything you've been told about what's possible. The Breadwinners: Where ambitious mothers aren't just earning a living, they're pioneering a new era for themselves, and everyone who comes next. Learn more at thebreadwinners.co.

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