Fearless and Flawed: Women In Charge

Serena Reynolds & Sara Ferrer
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Fearless and Flawed, the podcast hosted by Sara Ferrer and Serena Reynolds, where we dive into the unfiltered stories of fearless female leaders. As female entrepreneurs ourselves, we know the hustle, the challenges, and the triumphs that come with leading the charge. Each episode, we bring you the authentic journeys of inspiring female leaders. We talk about the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From stepping into leadership roles to mastering the art of delegation, we cover it all. No fluff, just straight talk from women who’ve been there and done that. Whether you’re looking to own your worth, refine your leadership style, or just need a dose of inspiration, Fearless and Flawed has got you covered. We’re all about empowering you to lead with confidence, authenticity, and a whole lot of heart. Join us, Sara and Serena for high-energy episodes packed with actionable insights, practical advice, and plenty of laughs. Let’s unleash your inner leader and take on the world together.

  1. 1d ago

    The fear hiding underneath the fear of public speaking with Aleksandra Plazinic

    You can love the stage and still worry that someone will realise you don't belong there. Aleksandra Plazinic knows that feeling, and she's written a book about it. This week, Serena Reynolds and Sara Ferrer welcome Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic, communications coach, lecturer and author of From Fear to Fearless Female Speaker. She set out to write about public speaking and recognised her own imposter syndrome in the pages: the overpreparing, the proving and the question of whether she'd done enough to earn the room's approval. If you've ever replayed a presentation in your head, cringed at your recorded voice or read too much into someone's expression, this conversation will feel familiar. Aleksandra explains why confidence starts before delivery, and why trying to please everyone can get in the way of sharing something useful. You'll hear about: Moving from proving yourself to serving your audience.Owning your accomplishments instead of immediately chasing the next goal.Starting with your body when your mind is busy telling you everything that could go wrong.Finding an outfit that helps you feel confident, without losing yourself in the preparation.Giving yourself room to pause, think and sound like a human being. Along the way, Serena and Sara share their own speaking insecurities, question the pressure women face over their appearance and discover that even an embarrassing childhood haircut has a place in this discussion. Follow Fearless & Flawed for more honest conversations with women who own their imperfections. Explore more episodes and join the conversation at fearlessandflawed.com.

    The fear hiding underneath the fear of public speaking with Aleksandra Plazinic

  2. Sep 25

    Building A Business By Experiment with Sasha McDowell

    Sasha McDowell did not set out to become an entrepreneur. After her employer refused her request for part-time or hybrid work, she left the nonprofit management career she had trained for, started something on the side and assumed she would eventually return. Instead, that experiment became Epicycle Group, a leadership development firm helping senior leaders and teams navigate complex people challenges. In this episode, Sasha joins Serena and Sara to talk about building a business when experienced owners cannot agree on pricing, services or the “correct” path forward. Rather than seeing that uncertainty as a disadvantage, she learned to treat it as permission to experiment. Sasha also discusses why she will not guarantee a CEO an outcome, what knitting taught her about accepting mistakes, and how relationship goals changed the way she measures a successful year. The conversation explores entrepreneurship, leadership, perfectionism and the idea that legacy is built through daily decisions, not saved for the final chapter of a career. Listen for a candid reminder that there may be no perfect formula, and that can be good news. Find Sasha at epicyclegroup.com.

    Building A Business By Experiment with Sasha McDowell

  3. Sep 11

    Pricing With Confidence, Authority, and Peace with Etinosa Agbonlahor

    Most women negotiate as though they’re asking for a favor. But as behavioral economist and Decision Alpha founder Etinosa Agbonlahor explains, asking to be paid is not begging, it’s a conversation about the measurable value of work already delivered. In this episode of Fearless & Flawed, Etinosa joins Serena Reynolds and Sara Ferrer to unpack the psychology behind pricing, negotiation, and financial confidence. She explains why your worth as a human being should never be confused with the price of your services, then introduces a practical “pricing house” built around your cost floor, your customer’s willingness-to-pay ceiling, and the competitive alternatives in between. The conversation explores why low prices can signal low quality, how anchors quietly influence buying decisions, and why presenting multiple packages moves the question from “Do I want to work with you?” to “How do I want to work with you?” Etinosa also shares the story of a $600,000 pricing project that changed her understanding of what was possible, and why authority, outcomes, and implementation can completely reshape the value of an offer. What You’ll Learn: How to separate your personal worth from the value of your workHow to use the pricing house to identify your floor, ceiling, and positionWhy anchors and multiple options change how customers make decisionsHow the “tyranny of low prices” can undermine trust in your offerWhy using AI to work faster should not automatically reduce your priceHow to recognize when a client is not the right fit, and walk away The conversation also turns deeply personal as Serena shares how an abusive working relationship affected her confidence around money, and Etinosa offers an important reminder: pricing is hard because it requires women to unlearn years of conditioning, but discomfort does not mean the price is wrong. Listen now for a practical, honest conversation about charging with confidence, building authority, and protecting your peace.

    Pricing With Confidence, Authority, and Peace with Etinosa Agbonlahor

  4. Aug 28

    Turning Points, Recovery, and Building Anyway with Dr. Liz DuBois Erskine

    What if the most powerful thing you could do as a leader wasn't hiding your worst chapter, but saying it out loud, on the record, without flinching? This week we sit down with Dr. Liz DuBois Erskine, executive coach, writer, PhD in conflict analysis and resolution, and the woman behind the networking group Ladies Who Lunch. Before the coaching, she was on the inside at Disney and iHeartRadio, and she took very different lessons from each. Liz walks us through a life that reads like five lives stacked on top of each other: blindsided by a non-compete at 23 and rehired within 48 hours; the boss who sent her home to heal; the pandemic morning her son fell off the boat they were living on, and the next-day decision to quit a job she loved and build a business that tripled her income in a month. She's refreshingly honest about relapse, recovery, and why owning your hardest moments is the fearless part. In this episode you'll hear about why how you treat people matters more than what you sell, the Disney lesson on selling the transformation not the product, why shame makes us victims and what saying the hard thing out loud actually does for you, why the critical voice in your head so often sounds like your mother, how so many women become accidental entrepreneurs and how to make it work, and a bonus tip for taming impossible curly hair. If her story moved you, share it with a woman who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Fearless and Flawed wherever you listen.

    Turning Points, Recovery, and Building Anyway with Dr. Liz DuBois Erskine

  5. Aug 14

    Stop Discounting Your Easiest Work | Andrea Engstrom

    Andrea Engstrom built $2 million in sales from Facebook without a single paid ad, by charging confidently for the work that comes easiest to her. Before that, she spent years being excellent at someone else's business. Valued. Recognised. And completely unfulfilled. In this episode, Andrea breaks down the difference between your zone of excellence and your zone of genius, why the work that feels most natural to you is exactly what you should charge the most for, and what it really took to walk away from $12,000 a month and bet on herself. She gets personal too: six years sober, the childhood moment that planted the wrong story about her own worth, and why she believes the belief work always has to come before the business results. Plus the roots before the branches, a botany metaphor that reframes why some women scale quickly and others need more time to build, and why both timelines are valid. Andrea Engstrom is the founder of the Bold Coaching System and author of Bold Confidence. She coaches women entrepreneurs to build high-ticket group programs that generate $10,000+ months, guaranteed. Find her at andreaengstrom.com. Subscribe to Fearless & Flawed so you never miss a conversation.

    Stop Discounting Your Easiest Work | Andrea Engstrom

  6. Apr 24

    How Kristin Smith Built a Multimillion-Dollar Company From Maternal Desperation

    We celebrate exhausted mothers and judge the ones who ask for help, here's why that's dangerous. Kristin Smith, founder of Well-Supported Family, was told at 19 that she'd never amount to anything. Her family was wrong. After becoming a single mother with zero support, she taught herself infant sleep techniques out of pure survival while working as a nanny, bringing her newborn to work just three weeks postpartum. That desperation became expertise, which became a multimillion-dollar company serving 200+ team members across 14 states. In this episode, Kristin challenges the maternal martyrdom myth and reveals why rested mothers aren't selfish, they're essential. You will hear: Why society expects mothers to suffer and the cost of that expectationHow she built a national business from a single act of survivalThe judgment mothers face when they refuse to play the exhaustion gameReframing failure, feedback, and what it means to support womenParenting differently after a difficult childhoodWhy sleep-deprived doctors and midwives should terrify us all Kristin is a trained birth doula and midwife, mother of two (including a recently adopted five-week-old daughter), and living proof that your origin story doesn't determine your destiny. Subscribe for more conversations that challenge cultural narratives about work, motherhood, and asking for help.

    How Kristin Smith Built a Multimillion-Dollar Company From Maternal Desperation

  7. Apr 10

    What Happens When You Refuse to Take No for an Answer? Karen Minsky

    She tried hand cream at a red light and built an empire. Karen Minsky, President of Dionis Goat Milk Skincare, shares how she scaled a 40-year-old woman-founded brand from a tiny team to 150+ employees across nearly 6,000 retailers, including Ulta and Macy's, by refusing to take no for an answer. In this episode, Karen reveals: The legendary origin story of how the founder walked into Cracker Barrel with a live goat to pitch soapHer "bull in a china shop" approach to retail distribution (including sneaking into corporate offices to find buyers)Why product truth beats beautiful packaging in the beauty industryThe power of certainty: sending samples and knowing buyers will call back • How rejection became her favorite part of the jobScaling a business while raising three boys and staying true to the brand's mission This is a masterclass in fearless selling, product confidence, and the unglamorous hustle behind the brands in your favorite stores. Perfect for entrepreneurs, beauty industry professionals, and anyone who needs permission to be "that person" who won't take no for an answer. Subscribe for more stories of founders who built empires on conviction, not compromise.

    What Happens When You Refuse to Take No for an Answer? Karen Minsky

  8. Mar 27

    Kate Assaraf on Building a Factory, Rejecting Amazon, and Protecting Indie Retailers

    What if the best way to scale your movement is to reject the platform that promises the most reach? Kate Assaraf built Dip, a plastic-free haircare brand that's redirected $5M to independent retailers, all while refusing Amazon, influencers, and paid ads. With 20 years of beauty industry experience and a contract manufacturer bankruptcy that nearly destroyed her, Kate made the "crazy" decision to build her own factory in North Carolina. Now she works with 4,000-5,000 zero waste stores, salons, and surf shops across the country, and for some of them, Dip literally pays their rent. This conversation with Serena and Sara goes into the turning points that shaped Kate's approach. From discovering the plastic crisis while pregnant 11 years ago to testing her conditioner bar with 400+ people before launch, Kate shares the unglamorous reality of building a sustainable business that actually sustains you. She talks about paying herself from day one, doing customer service for four years to understand every issue firsthand, and why she sends abandoned cart customers to a store locator instead of a discount code. You'll also hear about the competitor who copied her signature scent and the misleading blog tactics designed to hijack her organic search, and how Kate's focus on brand integrity over growth hacks continues to pay off. What You'll Learn: 🧪 Why "eco-friendly without looking eco-friendly" matters — Kate's approach to marrying science and sustainability without compromising on performance or aesthetics 🏭 How a bankruptcy became the catalyst for vertical integration — The moment Kate's contract manufacturer went under with her deposit, and why she chose to build her own factory with displaced workers 💰 The first-week $30K launch strategy — How Kate sold five figures from her personal network alone, and why not burning bridges is the ultimate business asset 🛒 Wholesale loyalty over DTC convenience — Why Kate's abandoned cart emails send customers to local stores instead of offering discounts, and how this protects independent retailer margins 🎤 The karaoke bar pivot question — Kate's answer to what business she'd start if she had to do it all over again (spoiler: it involves private rooms and playlists) Building a brand with integrity in an industry plagued by fake reviews and copycat competitors isn't easy. But Kate proves that when you center your values, your people, and your retailers, you can build something that scales the movement, not just the customer list. Serena and Sara bring out the humor, the grit, and the hard-won wisdom that makes this episode unmissable. If her story moved you, share it with a woman who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Fearless & Flawed wherever you listen.

    Kate Assaraf on Building a Factory, Rejecting Amazon, and Protecting Indie Retailers
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Welcome to Fearless and Flawed, the podcast hosted by Sara Ferrer and Serena Reynolds, where we dive into the unfiltered stories of fearless female leaders. As female entrepreneurs ourselves, we know the hustle, the challenges, and the triumphs that come with leading the charge. Each episode, we bring you the authentic journeys of inspiring female leaders. We talk about the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From stepping into leadership roles to mastering the art of delegation, we cover it all. No fluff, just straight talk from women who’ve been there and done that. Whether you’re looking to own your worth, refine your leadership style, or just need a dose of inspiration, Fearless and Flawed has got you covered. We’re all about empowering you to lead with confidence, authenticity, and a whole lot of heart. Join us, Sara and Serena for high-energy episodes packed with actionable insights, practical advice, and plenty of laughs. Let’s unleash your inner leader and take on the world together.

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