Feminist Founders: Building Profitable People-First Businesses

Becky Mollenkamp
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

You are a business owner who wants to prioritize people and planet over profits (without sacrificing success). That can feel lonely—but you are not alone! Join host Becky Mollenkamp for in-depth conversations with experts and other founders about how to build a more equitable world through entrepreneurship. It’s time to change the business landscape for good!

  1. The Workplace Case for Period Leave with Dr. Moriah Brewer

    4d ago

    The Workplace Case for Period Leave with Dr. Moriah Brewer

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Moriah Brewer (sociologist, researcher, and founder of Like Home) about one of the most overlooked workplace equity issues hiding in plain sight: menstrual care. Only 2% of US companies offer any form of period leave, yet menstruation affects roughly half the workforce for decades of their working lives. Becky and Moriah dig into why that number is so low, what the equity vs. equality argument actually means for HR policy, and how period poverty, medical dismissal, and the $40 billion period care industry all point to the same problem, we've invested in discretion, not care. If you're building a feminist business, this conversation will challenge you to examine your own policies. Topics Covered:• The business case for menstrual/period leave, only 2% of US companies currently offer it, but Moriah argues it's both an equity issue and a long-term investment in workforce wellbeing and retention• Equity vs. equality in workplace policy, why "giving everyone the same thing" doesn't close gaps, and what targeted support actually looks like for menstruating employees• Period poverty as a workplace issue, in Michigan alone, 2 in 5 women experience period poverty, causing them to miss work or school due to lack of access to basic products• The $40 billion period care industry gap, the entire industry is built around products and discretion, not care; Moriah is building Like Home to change that with virtual services, cycle syncing support, and in-home care options• Medical dismissal and the cost to workers, Moriah's own experience with PCOS, fibroids, and years of being brushed off by the medical system speaks to a broader pattern that impacts worker productivity and health• Why period equity lifts all workplace benefits, the same political and cultural fight that wins period leave also opens the door to better mental health leave, disability leave, and paternity leave• What feminist business ownership demands, how "permission structures" in workplaces signal ownership dynamics, and what it looks like to lead differently LEARN MORE:• Like Home: https://joinlikehome.com/• Dr. Moriah Brewer on Instagram, Threads, and Substack: @MariahLynnJoe 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    41 min
  2. Was That Racist? A Real Conversation with Dr. Evelyn Carter

    Jun 16

    Was That Racist? A Real Conversation with Dr. Evelyn Carter

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ On this episode of Feminist Founders, Becky Mollenkamp talks with social psychologist Dr. Evelyn Carter (author of Was That Racist? How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life) about why she waited until 2026 to publish a book she could have written during the 2020 racial reckoning, what happened when she watched a community of women authors fail a basic accountability test, and why "safe space" is the wrong goal for anyone trying to build an inclusive business or community. In This Episode, We Get Into: Why Dr. Carter didn't write her book in 2020, and what made 2026 (mid-backlash, mid-DEI-rollback) the right momentThe whiplash of clients who slashed DEI budgets in early 2020 then begged for workshops weeks later after George Floyd's murderA real-time story of Evelyn leaving a women authors' group after watching the group's leaders fail to enforce their own community normsThe difference between a "safe space" and a "safer space," and why claiming the former is actually a red flagThe research on self-regulation of prejudice, why guilt changes behavior and anger doesn't, and what that means for how we respond to being called outWhy white women's tears in conversations about race do real, measurable harm (and what to do with those feelings instead)Concrete, everyday microaggression examples from networking events and speaking gigs—"you're so articulate," "are you sure you're the speaker?"The simple practice of assuming the underrepresented person in the room holds the higher-status roleBecky's own story of accidentally lecturing the one Black woman in a coaching group about diet culture, and how she repaired itWhat harm repair actually looks like in practice, and why it's the missing piece in most community guidelinesResources Mentioned: Was That Racist? How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life by Evelyn R. Carter, PhD (Little, Brown Spark): https://amzn.to/4aS0rqeWhite Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad: https://amzn.to/4epWPNh🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: https://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    1h 4m
  3. Navigating Discomfort: From Cult Survivor to Business Owner with Alesia Galati

    May 4

    Navigating Discomfort: From Cult Survivor to Business Owner with Alesia Galati

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ In this powerful conversation, Faith Clarke sits down with Alesia Galati—podcast host, business owner, wife, and mother—to explore how discomfort shows up in our bodies and impacts how we navigate relationships and power dynamics. Alesia shares her journey from growing up in a single-parent home affected by addiction, through 10 years in a cult disguised as a women's program, to building multiple successful podcasts and a full-service podcast management agency. What We Discussed: How women's bodies teach distress tolerance through periods and other physical experiencesThe complicated relationship with "push through" messaging after cult traumaMoving from knee-jerk reactions to slowing down in moments of discomfortHow childhood experiences shape our automatic responses to conflictThe importance of mitigation versus avoidance strategiesParenting in the age of AI and teaching kids to sit with questionsBook recommendations for understanding different perspectives on discomfortThe power of sitting with someone through their coping mechanismsFeatured book: They Wouldn't Dare by Deanna Gray: https://amzn.to/4tdVVJc Ready to connect with other feminist founders navigating these conversations? Join us in the Feminist Podcasters Collective at feministpodcasterscollective.com

    40 min
  4. What Real Consent Actually Looks Like (Beyond “Yes” and “N

    Apr 6

    What Real Consent Actually Looks Like (Beyond “Yes” and “N

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ Consent isn’t a checkbox—it’s a relationship. In this episode, Becky Mollenkamp and Faith Clarke dig into the messy, nuanced reality of consent. Moving far beyond the simplistic “yes means yes” framework, they explore how power dynamics, discomfort, and unspoken pressure shape whether consent is actually present. From workplaces to relationships to leadership, they challenge the idea that words alone determine consent—and make the case for deeper awareness, ongoing check-ins, and paying attention to what’s not being said. This is a conversation about power, humanity, and what it really takes to create environments where people can genuinely choose.  In This Episode, We Cover:  The difference between performative consent and real consent  Why “they said yes” is often not the full story  How power dynamics distort people’s ability to consent  The role of nonverbal communication (and why words aren’t enough)  Why leaders have a responsibility to pay closer attention  Consent as an ongoing, relational process—not a one-time agreement  How discomfort prevents both giving and receiving real consent  The problem with forcing vulnerability in workplace culture  Why “use your words” can be an oversimplification  Real-life examples of honoring consent—even when it costs something🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    22 min
  5. Discomfort Isn’t the Problem, Avoidance Is

    Mar 30

    Discomfort Isn’t the Problem, Avoidance Is

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ Let’s clear something up right away: discomfort and conflict are not the same thing. But most of us treat them like they are, and that misunderstanding is costing us. In our relationships, in our leadership, and in the kind of world we say we want to build. In this first episode of our discomfort series, I’m joined by Faith Clarke to break down what discomfort actually is (hint: it lives in your body), what conflict actually is (hint: it lives between people), and why so many of us are doing everything we can to avoid both. We talk about:  Why your brain is so quick to label discomfort as danger  How power and identity shape your relationship to conflict  The stories you tell yourself that escalate everything  And why learning to stay with discomfort might be one of the most important leadership skills you can build If you’ve ever avoided a hard conversation, over-accommodated to keep the peace, or spiraled over something small—this one’s for you. 🔑 What We Cover in This Episode:  The difference between discomfort (internal) and conflict (relational)  Why discomfort is often a somatic, body-based experience  How conflict arises from competing stories—not just feelings  The role of power, privilege, and identity in how we handle conflict  Why many of us were conditioned to believe conflict is “bad”  Fight, flight, freeze, fawn—and what they look like in real life  The importance of threat assessment (is this actually dangerous?)  How meaning-making turns small discomfort into full-blown spirals  Why avoiding discomfort makes everything more expensive (emotionally, mentally, physically)  The possibility of healthy conflict as a tool for growth and co-creation 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    22 min
  6. When Discomfort Becomes Conflict, and How to Stop It

    Mar 23

    When Discomfort Becomes Conflict, and How to Stop It

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ Becky and Faith kick off their discomfort series with something deceptively small: a middle-of-the-night argument about an open window. What starts as a relatable story about being woken up at 3am becomes a real-time breakdown of how discomfort turns into conflict — and what we can do about it. They dig into the stories we tell ourselves when we feel disrespected, why anger is actually energy looking for justice, and how our nervous system state determines what choices are even available to us in heated moments. Plus: why the low-stakes conflicts are exactly where we should be building our conflict navigation muscles — so we're ready when the stakes are actually high. In this episode:• How a single moment of discomfort becomes a full conflict narrative• What your body is trying to tell you before you do something you'll regret• The difference between the stimulus and the story• Why choosing your response is a form of agency, even at 3am• How small conflicts are training ground for the big ones• Using conflict as a tool to actually improve your relationships 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

    22 min
  7. Discomfort vs. Conflict: Why They’re Not the Same

    Mar 16

    Discomfort vs. Conflict: Why They’re Not the Same

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ This short conversation kicks off a new Feminist Founders mini-series on discomfort. Becky Mollenkamp and Faith Clarke start by unpacking a question many of us struggle to answer clearly: What’s the difference between discomfort and conflict? They explore how discomfort often shows up first as a somatic signal in the body—tight shoulders, a knot in your stomach, a sense that something isn’t right. Conflict, on the other hand, tends to emerge when our stories about a situation collide with someone else’s. The conversation moves into how identity, power, and lived experience shape our relationship to both discomfort and conflict. Becky reflects on how whiteness and privilege can create an expectation that comfort should always be restored quickly. Faith shares how marginalized identities often require learning to navigate discomfort without the luxury of avoiding it. Together they discuss: The difference between internal discomfort and interpersonal conflictHow meaning-making can escalate discomfort into conflictThe role of power, identity, and cultural conditioningFight, flight, freeze, fawn—and the possibility of facing discomfort insteadWhy learning to sit with discomfort is essential for building something newThis episode lays the groundwork for the rest of the series, where Becky and Faith will share stories and tools for navigating discomfort more skillfully in leadership, business, and social change work. 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    20 min
  8. Practicing Mutual Aid in Real Time: Discomfort, Power, and Community Care

    Feb 23

    Practicing Mutual Aid in Real Time: Discomfort, Power, and Community Care

    Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ 👉 Capacity for Conflict workshop on March 11, 2026: https://feministfounders.co/workshop/ What does it actually look like to live your values — not in theory, but in the middle of a messy, real-life situation? In this conversation, Becky and Faith unpack a recent experience that brought questions of mutual aid, identity, power, and discomfort to the surface. After an unexpected financial crisis, their community rallied to offer support — and what followed was a deeply honest exploration of what it means to ask for help, receive care, and navigate the complicated feelings that come with both. Together, they reflect on the emotional and relational layers that surfaced: fears about perception, internalized narratives around self-sufficiency, the tension between gratitude and vulnerability, and the ways discomfort can be a doorway to growth rather than something to avoid. They also introduce a framework for understanding conflict and discomfort through three key relationships — with ourselves, with others and power, and with the problem itself — offering listeners practical ways to approach hard moments with more curiosity and compassion. If you’ve ever struggled to ask for support, worried about how you’re perceived, or wondered how to live your values when things get complicated, this episode offers both resonance and reflection. In this episode, we explore: Why discomfort isn’t a problem to solve — it’s informationThe emotional realities of mutual aid and community supportHow identity and stereotype threat can shape our responses to crisisWhat it means to receive help without shameNavigating fears of judgment, performativity, or “getting it wrong”The difference between charity and collective careHow power dynamics show up in everyday situationsPracticing liberatory values in imperfect, real-time waysA framework for working with conflict through relationship awarenessMoving from judgment to curiosity when discomfort arises🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

    41 min
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You are a business owner who wants to prioritize people and planet over profits (without sacrificing success). That can feel lonely—but you are not alone! Join host Becky Mollenkamp for in-depth conversations with experts and other founders about how to build a more equitable world through entrepreneurship. It’s time to change the business landscape for good!

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