The Breadwinners Podcast

Alexis Contos
  • 4.9 (21)
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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. 4d ago

    Jaclyn Johnson on Building, Losing, and Reclaiming Everything

    Jaclyn Johnson built Create and Cultivate from a blog into a multi-million dollar company, sold it, watched it fall apart under new ownership, and bought it back. In this episode, Create and Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson breaks down what it actually costs to build a company: a $75 million acquisition deal that collapsed because of COVID, a private equity sale two years later, a stage zero breast cancer diagnosis, and a marriage that ended along the way. She explains how she negotiated her way back into ownership of the company she started in 2012, why she now runs Cherub to get more women into angel investing, and how resilience carried her through every setback. What you'll learn in this episode: - Why Create and Cultivate didn't turn a profit for five years, and why that was the point - The difference between a strategic acquisition and a private equity buyout - How COVID killed a $75 million deal and forced a pivot to virtual events overnight - What to know before your next mammogram, and how to push for a second opinion - How she negotiated to buy back her own company after the PE firm decided to sell - Why women get 1.9% of VC funding, and how Cherub is closing that gap with angel investing starting at $10,000 Jaclyn Johnson is the founder of Create and Cultivate, the media and events platform for women entrepreneurs she built starting in 2012 and grew into a multi-million dollar company before selling a majority stake in 2021. She later bought the company back and now also runs Cherub, an angel investing platform built to get more capital into the hands of women. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro/Teaser 02:32 Meet Jaclyn Johnson 05:30 Building community before it was trendy 10:15 Early career, layoffs, and starting over 16:14 The moment Create and Cultivate got real 20:08 Getting acquired, a deal falling through, and COVID 25:12 Strategic acquisition vs. private equity, explained 30:05 Buying back her own company 34:28 Identity, marriage, and the crash after the sale 38:03 Her breast cancer diagnosis 44:01 What to do when you get "the call" 47:22 Founding Cherub and democratizing angel investing 49:26 Accreditation and check sizes, explained 53:34 Her mom, the unofficial co-founder 55:34 Defining "breadwinner" Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Rate & review wherever you listen - it helps more women find this show #CreateAndCultivate #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #AngelInvesting #WomenAndMoney #BreastCancerAwareness #Breadwinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Jaclyn Johnson on Building, Losing, and Reclaiming Everything

  2. Jul 14

    Saved Seats | Morgan Zanotti on Building Brands while Building Family.

    In this episode, Alexis Contos sits down with Morgan Zanotti, the founder behind Waay and former leader at Primal Kitchen, to discuss what it really takes to build wellness brands while being a breadwinner mother. From navigating the competitive CPG industry to creating products that align with her values as a parent, Morgan shares the unfiltered reality of startup life, financial responsibility, and integration. Learn about her journey from established brand to founder, her philosophy on health and family, and how she's redefining what success looks like as a mother-entrepreneur in the wellness space. The Breadwinners Join The Breadwinners on Substack - wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Waay Morgan's Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Saved Seats | Morgan Zanotti on Building Brands while Building Family.

  3. Jul 7

    Your Kid's Boredom Matters More Than You Think - Lizzie Assa on Independent Play | The Breadwinners Podcast

    Most parents think entertaining their kids is the job. Lizzie Assa says the real job is stepping back enough for kids to build the skill of playing independently. Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace for Children and author of But I'm Bored, joins The Breadwinners to break down what independent play actually is and why it's disappearing from modern childhood. Alexis and Lizzie get into the difference between a toy and a prompt, why a bored kid is a sign you're doing something right, and how to build independent play skills from toddlerhood through the teenage years. What you'll learn: We co-regulate our kids. When we're a calm presence, they can be one too, they just want to be in the same room as us The permission slip to do less: stepping back and saying less is what gives kids their lead back How to look at how your kid is most successful in play, and give them more of that instead of trying to fix how they play Why a bored kid is usually looking for connection, not an activity How to look at behavior through the lens of curiosity instead of discipline Why no kid is a bad kid, and what changes when you actually believe that Lizzie Assa is a former teacher with a master's degree in education and the founder of The Workspace for Children, a play-based parenting platform with nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram. She is the author of But I'm Bored and works with private clients to build independent play skills in kids of all ages. Join Lizzie’s community: https://www.workspaceforchildren.com/ Her Substack: The Workspace for Children Purchase Lizzie’s ‘But I’m Bored’ book ____________________________________ Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack: Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Rate & review wherever you listen - it helps more women find this show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Your Kid's Boredom Matters More Than You Think - Lizzie Assa on Independent Play | The Breadwinners Podcast

  4. Jun 30

    Saved Seat | Ali Tate Cutler on How Moms Actually Build Businesses

    Ali Tate Cutler⁠ gets brutally honest about what nobody tells you: how to build a business while grieving the version of yourself you once were. Less than 1% of guests on major business podcasts are mothers. The rest? Childless men teaching strategies that don't work when you're building while celebrating your own transformation as a working mom. Ali (former supermodel turned social media strategist) created a new framework: Mothers don't grind, we create. We don't hustle, we flow. She shares the grieving process of losing her pre-mother self, what she misses, the paradox of freedom, how to create when your time is fractured, and what small business owners get wrong about social media. What You'll Learn: How moms actually build businesses versus the traditional playbook The grief of losing your pre-mother self and why it's okay The paradox of choice after choosing kids Creating (not grinding) with constant interruptions What's wrong with "hustle" advice for working parents Building visibility without burnout Honoring who you were while becoming who you are ⁠Connect with Ali⁠ ⁠Join The Breadwinners on Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Saved Seat | Ali Tate Cutler on How Moms Actually Build Businesses

  5. Jun 23

    Neha Ruch on the Best Payback: Loving Your Life When No One's Watching | The Breadwinners Podcast

    Twenty years ago, Neha Ruch and I were colleagues at an ad agency in Boston. Two twenty-somethings staying late, expensing cab rides home, measuring our worth by how hard we hustled. Today, between us, we have six kids, two platforms, and a completely different definition of what it means to be ambitious. Neha is the founder of The Power Pause and the author of the book by the same name. For a decade she's been building language for a question most high-achieving women won't say out loud: if I'm not working for pay, what is success? This isn't an interview. It's a reunion - two old friends comparing notes on what the journey actually cost, and what it gave back.In this episode, we talk about: Why the real turning point in Neha's life came in motherhood, not business school How to write your ideal day, and why it works like a contract with yourself The invisible emotional labor of parenthood, and how to start noticing it again Making decisions that no one else has to understand, and why that's the hardest muscle to build Growing up alongside your kids as they need less of you Redefining ambition as aligning your time with your values, not maximizing your output Why we punish women for slowing down, and what it costs all of us The best payback: loving your life when no one is watching _______________________________ The Four Agreements book mentioned by Neha Find Neha at thepowerpause.com and on Instagram at @neha_ruch Subscribe to The Breadwinners on Substack Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Neha Ruch on the Best Payback: Loving Your Life When No One's Watching | The Breadwinners Podcast

  6. Jun 16

    In Confidence: A Series from The Breadwinners | What Breadwinner Mothers Say When No One Is Performing

    Most working mothers have never been asked what they actually carry, and what they bring. At our Los Angeles dinner, we pulled women aside and asked. In Confidence is a five-part documentary series filmed at The Breadwinners' inaugural Los Angeles dinner. Eight women stepped away from the table and into something rarer: unfiltered truth. What came out wasn't curated. It was real. Over five episodes, Breadwinner mothers, primary earners, founders, executives, single mothers, confront the questions that don't typically get asked. What IS my job description as a mother, no one gave it to me? Am I feeling guilty about working, or just devastated that my kids are growing up? What do I actually bring home beyond the paycheck? Presented by The Breadwinners in partnership with birthFUND and Hearth. Episode 1: Reframing Motherhood — What We Bring The series opens with the question at the heart of everything: what do you carry, and what do you bring? Elaine Welteroth leads a conversation about the invisible weight of working motherhood - and the value we bring home that never makes it into the performance. The cuddle party. The fresh whipped cream in the fridge. The things our families need that only we provide. This episode is about remembering what that is. Episode 2: Who Am I Now? The Vulnerability of Motherhood Not every mother fits the traditional template - and for some women, figuring out what their version of motherhood actually looks like has been the hardest work of their lives. This conversation asks a question most of us have never been asked out loud: what is your job description as a mother? No one handed it to you. This episode sits with the women who had to write it themselves. Episode 3: That Unstoppable Feeling — When Motherhood Unlocks Ambition Shilpa Shah, co-founder of Cuyana, didn't slow down when she got pregnant. She felt unstoppable. This episode is for anyone who has ever been told they can't do it with kids - and responded, internally or out loud, with watch me. It's about what pregnancy unlocked, what ambition looks like when you stop caring what everyone else thinks, and why motherhood is, for some women, the moment everything accelerates. Episode 4: Raising Better Humans — The Legacy We Leave Shilpa Shah still makes her 17-year-old breakfast every morning. He wrote his college essay about wanting to live the way she has. This episode is about presence, ripple effects, and what it actually means to build something your kids will one day describe as the permission structure for their own lives. Having it all without doing it all — what that actually looks like in practice. Episode 5: Reclaiming "Breadwinner" for Today's Mother The word breadwinner used to mean one thing. These women are rewriting it. Three breadwinner mothers, three very different origin stories, one shared conviction: this is the revolution we asked for. This episode closes the series with the question of legacy - not just for our children, but for the definition of what it means to provide, lead, and build a life that is both financially powerful and emotionally rich. _______________________________________________ Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Rate & review wherever you listen — it helps more women find this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    In Confidence: A Series from The Breadwinners | What Breadwinner Mothers Say When No One Is Performing

  7. Jun 9

    Saved Seats - Replaying Libby Leffler on Protecting Your Future Self: Your Marriage and Money

    This is a replay of an earlier episode with Libby Leffler of First. Libby Leffler built an entire company around the conversation most couples never have. As founder and CEO of First, a platform making prenuptial agreements accessible to modern couples, she's reframing the prenup not as a divorce document but as a partnership design tool - the first legal agreement a couple makes, not the last resort. In this episode, Alexis sits down with Libby to explore what it actually means to build a financial foundation before a marriage, why money is harder to talk about than sex, and what the $80 trillion great wealth transfer means for women right now. They also go deep on integration over balance, raising daughters who watch you work, focus as a superpower, and what it looks like to lead a startup while showing up as a parent. What you'll learn in this episode: Why nearly 50% of millennials now get a prenup — and why women are initiating that conversation at the same rate as men. How a prenup protects the future you, not just the assets you have today — including your business equity, IP, real estate, and even your social media handles. Why money is the last great taboo and what it will take to normalize financial conversations the way we've normalized talking about sex. - What "partnership design" actually looks like when couples approach a prenup as a joining point. How Libby integrates running a high-growth startup with raising young children — and why she's replaced "balance" with seasons. The Breadwinners Website ⁠- Join The Breadwinners on Substack - wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Breadwinner's Instagram⁠ - @wearethebreadwinners ⁠First Official Website ⁠ First's Instagram⁠ ⁠Libby’s Instagram⁠ Business Insider Article _______________ Promo for The Breadwinners Community: $100 off your prenup with First by using code BREAD100 at checkout. Discount codes must be applied at checkout. No retroactive coupon codes or refunds applied. ________________ Rate and review The Breadwinners Podcast wherever you listen — it helps more women find this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Saved Seats - Replaying Libby Leffler on Protecting Your Future Self: Your Marriage and Money

  8. Jun 2

    Jeni Britton | Founder of Jeni's and Floura, on the Cost of Being a Woman with Ambition | The Breadwinners Podcast

    Jeni Britton built Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams from a $30,000 SBA loan into a $175 million company. She is doing it again with Floura, her next-generation fiber company turning produce trimmings like watermelon rinds and apple cores into nutrient-dense bars. This episode is not a business case study. Alexis Contos sits down with Jeni for an interior conversation about the person underneath both companies. The near-death experience at age seven that made her feel invincible for the rest of her life. The family that broke apart violently when she was fourteen. Why she does not believe in free will anymore. The ninety-eight-year-old version of herself she talks to most days. What she has refused to give up for any company, in any season. This is a conversation about belief. About vision. About what it costs to be a woman who is ambitious, and what it costs to keep pretending you are not. What you will hear: The near-death experience at age seven that shaped every decision after it Why Jeni had to "pretend to be less ambitious" to build something big How she thinks about intuition, vision, and listening to her future self What her definition of 'financial freedom' actually buys a woman Raising her daughter Greta, and what it taught her about herself Leaving the company that carries her name, and the time it took to recover Why she does not want a legacy. She wants to be wrecked at ninety-eight. Jeni Britton is the founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, which she built from a single farmer's market stall in Columbus, Ohio into a national brand with more than 80 scoop shops and 12,500 retail placements. She is now the co-founder and CEO of Floura, a Certified B Corporation tackling America's fiber deficiency and food waste through upcycled produce trimmings. Join The Breadwinners community: Subscribe on Substack: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com Follow on Instagram: @wearethebreadwinners Rate & review wherever you listen. It helps more women find this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Jeni Britton | Founder of Jeni's and Floura, on the Cost of Being a Woman with Ambition | The Breadwinners Podcast
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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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