The She Leads® Podcast - Wealth Building & Business Growth

She Leads Podcast Network
  • 5.0 (37)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The She Leads Podcast is where women entrepreneurs and business leaders get the real strategies behind scaling a business to one million dollars and beyond. Each week, host Adrienne Garland, CEO of She Leads Media, professor at NYU and Rice University, and business growth advisor, speaks with women who have actually built it: founders who broke past the revenue ceiling, executives leading thousands, and strategists rethinking how women build wealth, lead teams, and grow companies. Episodes cover business growth strategies for women, from pricing and hiring to leadership communication, AI and the future of work, networking and social capital, and the founder to CEO transition. If you're a woman entrepreneur building toward your first million or your next one, this is the show that meets you where you actually are: past the motivational fluff, deep in the work, and ready to scale.

  1. College Isn't the Only Path: Building Worker-First Careers and a Women's Camp in a French Château with Leah Lykins

    18h ago

    College Isn't the Only Path: Building Worker-First Careers and a Women's Camp in a French Château with Leah Lykins

    Leah Lykins thinks college isn't the only path to a good career, and she's built worker-first tools that prove it. Leah is the co-founder of WhereWeGo, a public benefit corporation connecting people who are ready to work with the programs ready to train them, and the co-founder of Camp Chateau, an adult women's sleepaway camp in a French château. In this episode, Leah explains why the infrastructure that keeps a country running, from clean energy to advanced manufacturing to the electrical grid, needs people desperately, and how the right framing turns a career nobody has heard of into one worth getting out of bed for. She also shares how she and her mother bought a château for the price of a San Francisco apartment, funded the first location with 150 women, and filled the second in seven days. If you are rethinking your next move, or want to build a business that actually fits your life, this one is worth your time. Chapters: 🎙️ 00:01 Welcome and why a five star review helps every guest 🌱 03:20 The frustration that started WhereWeGo, 🧭 04:38 No plan B navigation for the students who skip college ⚡ 11:35 The infrastructure jobs that need people desperately 🔍 15:58 How WhereWeGo, meets workers at their comfort zone 🚀 19:53 WhereWeGo Labs and shipping a new tool every 30 days 🏰 27:34 Buying a château for the price of a San Francisco apartment 🌷 33:05 Selling out the second location in seven days 💼 37:42 Building companies women don't have to shrink themselves for 📬 44:27 Where to find Leah, WhereWeGo, and Camp Chateau Links:LinkedIn: Leah LykinsWebsite: WhereWeGo Reach out to Leah Lykins to explore WhereWeGo success stories or to connect about the workforce problems you are trying to solve, from helping a young person find their path to navigating your own career pivot. We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (00:01) - 🎙️ Welcome and why a five star review helps every guest (03:20) - 🌱 The frustration that started Where We Go (04:38) - 🧭 No plan B navigation for the students who skip college (11:35) - ⚡ The infrastructure jobs that need people desperately (15:58) - 🔍 How Where We Go meets workers at their comfort zone (19:53) - 🚀 Where We Go Labs and shipping a new tool every 30 days (27:34) - 🏰 Buying a château for the price of a San Francisco apartment (33:05) - 🌷 Selling out the second location in seven days (37:42) - 💼 Building companies women don't have to shrink themselves for (44:27) - 📬 Where to find Leah, Where We Go, and Camp Chateau

    48 min
  2. Why Only 1% of Women Founders Ever Sell: Rethinking the Business Exit with Alisha Pennington

    Jun 19

    Why Only 1% of Women Founders Ever Sell: Rethinking the Business Exit with Alisha Pennington

    Most women founders never sell the business they built. Alisha Pennington wants to change that, and she says the block is not financial literacy. It is identity. In this episode, I sit down with Alisha Pennington, founder of Exette and a consultant who scaled and sold her own multi-seven-figure staffing agency. Only about 1% of female founders ever exit, and Alisha breaks down why: a lack of women we can point to who have done it, and the emotional attachment that keeps us holding on long after the business stops serving us. We get into the idea that your business is an asset, not your baby. We talk about building for optionality from day one, what "be ready so you don't have to get ready" actually looks like, and her vision for women buying and selling businesses to each other instead of letting them quietly disappear. If you are building toward a million and wondering what comes after, this one is worth your time. Chapters:🎙️ 00:52 Meet Alisha Pennington, the founder helping women exit the businesses they built 📊 02:16 Why only 1% of women founders exit, and the 68% who stay for emotional reasons 💭 04:45 How women tie their worth to output, and why that keeps them holding on 🍼 06:36 Your business is not your baby: making logical decisions about an asset 🔁 12:01 The marketplace women are missing: buying and selling businesses to each other ⏱️ 24:32 Be ready so you don't have to get ready: building for optionality from day one 🚪 28:00 Why Alisha sold a multi-seven-figure agency when it stopped being fun 💬 37:06 Inside Exette and the free community normalizing the exit conversation Links: Website: penningtonperspective.com LinkedIn: Alisha Pennington Instagram: @itsalishamp Facebook: @itsalishamp Connect with Alisha Pennington to learn more about preparing to exit, sell, or evolve beyond your business, and join her free Exette community at exette.co where women are normalizing the exit conversation every week. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (00:52) - 🎙️ Meet Alisha Pennington, the founder helping women exit the businesses they built (02:16) - 📊 Why only 1% of women founders exit, and the 68% who stay for emotional reasons (04:45) - 💭 How women tie their worth to output, and why that keeps them holding on (06:36) - 🍼 Your business is not your baby: making logical decisions about an asset (12:01) - 🔁 The marketplace women are missing: buying and selling businesses to each other (24:32) - ⏱️ Be ready so you don't have to get ready: building for optionality from day one (28:00) - 🚪 Why Alisha sold a multi-seven-figure agency when it stopped being fun (37:06) - 💬 Inside Exette and the free community normalizing the exit conversation

    41 min
  3. Building a Business in a Male-Dominated Industry: How One Woman Is Disrupting Construction and Real Estate with Jennifer DeVito

    Jun 12

    Building a Business in a Male-Dominated Industry: How One Woman Is Disrupting Construction and Real Estate with Jennifer DeVito

    Most real estate agents know nothing about the homes they sell. Jennifer DeVito built a woman-owned construction and real estate company to fix exactly that. In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer DeVito, founder of Evolution, a design-build general contracting and real estate company on Long Island. Jennifer grew up running equipment on her parents' excavation sites, became the only woman managing 400 home builds for a national developer, and turned that into a business that combines buying, renovating, and selling under one roof. We get into why she charges sellers a flat fee instead of a percentage, how she gives buyers the true cost of a home before they make an offer, and why she trains alongside her 23 employees every single day. Jennifer is proof that you do not have to build your business the way men built theirs. If you are growing something in an industry that was not designed for you, this one is worth your time. Chapters: 🏗️ 02:53 Jennifer DeVito learned the business on her parents' excavation sites 👷‍♀️ 04:27 Running 400 home builds as the only woman on site 🏠 07:05 Buying her first flip at 21 and stumbling into real estate 💡 11:55 Why your real estate agent should also be your contractor 💵 15:19 Replacing the percentage commission with a flat seller fee 🤸‍♀️ 21:00 Forget work-life balance, build work-life integration instead 📈 29:10 The real, unfiltered cost of growing a business self-funded 🛁 39:09 Bath in a Box: transparent pricing for a renovation in 14 days Links:Email: info@evolutionli.com Website: evolutionli.com Instagram: @evolutiongeneralcontracting Facebook: Evolution General Contracting LinkedIn: Evolution Renovations Reach out to Jennifer DeVito if you are buying, selling, or renovating a home on Long Island and want someone who understands the true cost before you commit. She also offers Bath in a Box, six pre-designed bathroom renovations with transparent, all-in pricing. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (00:00) - - 🤸‍♀️ Forget work-life balance, build work-life integration instead (00:05) - - 🏠 Buying her first flip at 21 and stumbling into real estate (00:09) - - 🛁 Bath in a Box: transparent pricing for a renovation in 14 days (00:10) - - 📈 The real, unfiltered cost of growing a business self-funded (00:19) - - 💵 Replacing the percentage commission with a flat seller fee (00:27) - - 👷‍♀️ Running 400 home builds as the only woman on site (00:53) - - 🏗️ Jennifer DeVito learned the business on her parents' excavation sites (00:55) - - 💡 Why your real estate agent should also be your contractor

    43 min
  4. Why Women Can't Scale on a System Built Against Them and How AI Changes That with Melissa McCann Tilton

    Jun 5

    Why Women Can't Scale on a System Built Against Them and How AI Changes That with Melissa McCann Tilton

    Most business frameworks women are taught were designed for someone else. The playbook says pattern your company after proven models of success, but those models were built for a different kind of founder operating inside a different kind of system. Melissa McCann Tilton, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Criteria, has spent two decades scaling companies from $20M to $100M+ across automotive, logistics, and HR tech. She makes a case that stops you cold: AI does not create efficiency. AI creates amplification. If your decisions, your culture, and your hiring are strong, AI will multiply that strength. If they're broken, AI will multiply the damage. For women entrepreneurs stuck at the revenue ceiling, this is the episode that reframes everything: the old system is finally cracking, and the founders who understand what AI actually does, not automate but amplify, are the ones who will build what comes next. In this episode, Melissa McCann-Tilton, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Criteria and I talk about why she believes the next three to five years will be the most fascinating period in work history, and why women have a rare opening to rewrite the rules right now. Melissa is direct about AI in that it creates amplification vs. the efficiency most people tout. If judgment is bad, AI makes it worse. If your core is right, AI makes it stronger. Melissa and I get into why productivity is the wrong metric, why so many of us feel worthy only when we are producing, and how that harmful societal programming is one of the components that keeps so many women led businesses fighting so hard to break through the million-dollar revenue mark in our businesses. Listen to why breaking the rules might be the smartest business move women can make this year. 🚗 04:23 Melissa McCann-Tilton on surviving brutal, male-dominated industries and learning to scale 🧠 12:16 Why the next three to five years will be the most fascinating period in work history ⚖️ 13:34 Defining the human work and the AI work before you let either take over 💡 18:46 The human renaissance, and why productivity is about to become the wrong metric 🏢 22:12 What return-to-work mandates get wrong about why people show up 💔 34:02 The loss that knocked her out of the grind and changed how she saw other women 🔑 37:19 Hiring for adaptability over pedigree, and making yourself irrelevant ✨ 42:04 AI does not create efficiency, it creates amplification Links: Website: criteriacorp.com LinkedIn: Melissa McCann-Tilton Instagram: @melissamccanntilton Reach out to Melissa McCann-Tilton to learn more about hiring for adaptability and designing human-centered organizations where AI amplifies your people instead of replacing them. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (04:23) - 🚗 Melissa McCann-Tilton on surviving brutal, male-dominated industries and learning to scale (12:16) - 🧠 Why the next three to five years will be the most fascinating period in work history (13:34) - ⚖️ Defining the human work and the AI work before you let either take over (18:46) - 💡 The human renaissance, and why productivity is about to become the wrong metric (22:12) - 🏢 What return-to-work mandates get wrong about why people show up (34:02) - 💔 The loss that knocked her out of the grind and changed how she saw other women (37:19) - 🔑 Hiring for adaptability over pedigree, and making yourself irrelevant (42:04) - ✨ AI does not create efficiency, it creates amplification

    50 min
  5. How to Build a Tech Company Without a Tech Background with Meghann Butcher

    May 29

    How to Build a Tech Company Without a Tech Background with Meghann Butcher

    Meghann Butcher built RepSpark, a B2B wholesale e-commerce platform now moving over a billion dollars a year, without a single line of tech on her resume. She grew up in her dad's apparel and footwear business, hanging around the warehouse at five years old. At 27, when her father's order-entry tool started catching on with independent sales reps, he asked if she wanted to run with it. She said yes, and bootstrapped it from there. In this conversation, Meghann and I get into how a psychology and communications major became the product visionary for a software company, why she still leans on empathy over technical skill to lead, and how staying close to customer pain points built a platform now used by nearly 100,000 retailers. We also talk about being a mom of three while running a growing company, building a drama-free culture, and what it actually takes to scale a bootstrapped business on your own terms. Tune in for a real look at building something durable without the usual playbook. 🎙️ 02:44 Meghann Butcher on why balance always looks a little wobbly 🛍️ 04:07 What RepSpark actually does for wholesale brands and buyers 👟 05:15 From her dad's warehouse to running with the platform at 27 🧠 10:18 Why a psychology degree beats a tech background for leading software 🌙 14:43 The scary part: testing the platform with real customers 🌱 16:46 Staying bootstrapped and hiring for what you are bad at ⛳ 19:24 Why niching into passion brands built an unbeatable moat 🤝 30:34 The loneliness at the top, and building a drama-free culture Links:Email: meghann.butcher@repspark.com Website: repspark.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/meghannbutcher Reach out to Meghann Butcher to learn more about modernizing B2B wholesale and what it takes to build and scale a bootstrapped software company. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (02:44) - 🎙️ Meghann Butcher on why balance always looks a little wobbly (04:07) - 🛍️ What RepSpark actually does for wholesale brands and buyers (05:15) - 👟 From her dad's warehouse to running with the platform at 27 (10:18) - 🧠 Why a psychology degree beats a tech background for leading software (14:43) - 🌙 The scary part: testing the platform with real customers (16:46) - 🌱 Staying bootstrapped and hiring for what you are bad at (19:24) - ⛳ Why niching into passion brands built an unbeatable moat (30:34) - 🤝 The loneliness at the top, and building a drama-free culture

    40 min
  6. Why Most Networking Advice Fails Women and the Two-Network Formula That Actually Scales with J. Kelly Hoey

    May 22

    Why Most Networking Advice Fails Women and the Two-Network Formula That Actually Scales with J. Kelly Hoey

    Most networking advice was built for men and tested on men. It tells you to work the room, collect contacts, and follow up fast. But research across four continents and fifteen years of longitudinal studies shows that women who network like men consistently underperform the women who don't. Networking strategist and two-time author J. Kelly Hoey shares the goods from the landmark study that launched her latest book, The Social Billionaire. Women who reach the top don't just stay plugged into information flows. They build a second, inner circle of like-minded women with diverse networks, and they use three high-impact strategies most women have never been taught: brokering, churn, and visibility. If you've been told to "just get out there and network" and it's never moved the needle for your business, this episode explains why, and gives you the research-backed formula that actually works. In this episode of the She Leads Podcast, Adrienne and Kelly unpack the central finding of her new book, The Social Billionaire: the women who get internships, land roles, and grow businesses past the million-dollar mark run two networks at once. One is the broader information flow everyone else is in. The other is a smaller, intentional inner circle of like-minded women with diverse networks who give real feedback, real introductions, and back-channel advice that moves careers and businesses forward. Adrienne and Kelly get into the three high-impact networking activities women consistently skip: brokering, churn, and visibility. They talk about why "I don't have time to network" usually means defaulting to transactional outreach, and why the kindest thing you can do for someone is to be specific about what you need. To build a strong, healthy business with longevity, you must build your network strategically. Kelly tells us why. Chapters:🤝 02:42 J. Kelly Hoey on how networking became the spine of her career 🔬 09:19 The research finding behind The Social Billionaire 👯 15:21 Why your closest people are the wrong network for career advice 🔗 24:00 Brokering is the high-impact networking move most women skip 🔄 31:34 Churn and visibility: the two activities your network has outgrown 🚀 38:53 The networking formula for women entrepreneurs scaling past a million 🎯 45:50 Being specific is kindness, vague asks shut down the listener's brain Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kellyhoey Website: jkellyhoey.co Book: The Social Billionaire Reach out to J. Kelly Hoey to learn more about the networking formula behind The Social Billionaire and the relationships that move women's careers and businesses forward. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (02:42) - 🤝 J. Kelly Hoey on how networking became the spine of her career (09:19) - 🔬 The research finding behind The Social Billionaire (15:21) - 👯 Why your closest people are the wrong network for career advice (24:00) - 🔗 Brokering is the high-impact networking move most women skip (31:34) - 🔄 Churn and visibility: the two activities your network has outgrown (38:53) - 🚀 The networking formula for women entrepreneurs scaling past a million (45:50) - 🎯 Being specific is kindness, vague asks shut down the listener's brain

    55 min
  7. Why the Founder to CEO Shift Is Really a Communication Shift with Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport

    May 15

    Why the Founder to CEO Shift Is Really a Communication Shift with Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport

    The hardest shift in business is learning to lead your team without doing their jobs for them. Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, runs a 6,000-person, 24/7/365 operation where a communication breakdown is both costly and dangerous. She took a struggling, de-hubbed Pittsburgh International and turned it into one of the most celebrated airports in the world, and she did it by mastering how to communicate the WHY behind every decision. If you're a founder who has built your business on doing everything yourself and you're hitting the ceiling, this episode articulates why your ability to communicate a vision your team can execute without you in the room is the number one way to scale with excellence. In this episode of The She Leads Podcast, Adrienne Garland speaks with Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International and Allegheny County Airport. Under Christina's leadership, Pittsburgh International became the first major airport in the world powered entirely by a microgrid, an Air Transport World Airport of the Year, and one of Fast Company's most innovative companies. Christina makes the case that communication is not a soft skill. Rather, it is a core leadership skill. Her assertion is backed by her actions during COVID: all-hands calls every Wednesday across three shifts for fourteen months. She also explains what she calls her legacy-first leadership approach and why she has no plans to put AI bots in front of passengers. If you have ever wondered whether your team actually understands what you are trying to build and why you're building it, Christina has spent eleven years answering that question one Wednesday at a time. Chapters: 🛫 02:46 Christina Cassotis on flunking out of college on purpose, then running a major airport 🌍 03:25 From a Pan Am pilot's daughter to seventeen years consulting airports worldwide 📞 06:27 The headhunter call she almost turned down, and why she said yes to Pittsburgh 🗣️ 16:13 Communication is a core skill, not a soft one, and the path to CEO people overlook 📢 19:23 Leading 6,000 people through COVID with a call every shift, every Wednesday ⚡ 27:52 Why an airport that handles 500 organs a year built the world's only microgrid 💰 34:18 How an airport actually makes money, and the FAA rule that keeps it on site 🤝 41:49 Never an AI bot for customer service, because people want assurance, not information Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christinacassotis Reach out to Christina Cassotis to learn more about leading complex infrastructure and building a leadership practice around communicating the why. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Book Directly with Kent: http://talktokent.com  Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (02:46) - 🛫 Christina Cassotis on flunking out of college on purpose, then running a major airport (03:25) - 🌍 From a Pan Am pilot's daughter to seventeen years consulting airports worldwide (06:27) - 📞 The headhunter call she almost turned down, and why she said yes to Pittsburgh (16:13) - 🗣️ Communication is a core skill, not a soft one, and the path to CEO people overlook (19:23) - 📢 Leading 6,000 people through COVID with a call every shift, every Wednesday (27:52) - ⚡ Why an airport that handles 500 organs a year built the world's only microgrid (34:18) - 💰 How an airport actually makes money, and the FAA rule that keeps it on site (41:49) - 🤝 Never an AI bot for customer service, because people want assurance, not information

    56 min
  8. Why Your Pricing Strategy Won't Scale and the Formula to Fix It with Linda Hunt

    May 8

    Why Your Pricing Strategy Won't Scale and the Formula to Fix It with Linda Hunt

    If your service business has hit a revenue ceiling, the problem probably isn't your offer, it's your pricing. In this episode, pricing strategist and author Linda Hunt introduces the concept of the "minimum aligned price," the pricing floor below which you're actually paying your clients to work for them. Linda covers the three points at which service businesses start to show weakness: the pricing conversation, scope creep inside the work, and a lack of repeatable processes. If you've been bootstrapping your way through growth, this is the formula for building the business that scales with you. In this episode of The She Leads Podcast, Adrienne Garland's guest is Linda Hunt, founder of Sum Solutions, author of The Money Conversation, and the financial architect known to the women she works with as the money clarity catalyst. Linda makes the case that "I cannot afford it" is almost never the real objection. Clients always find the money for what they value, but a discount in that moment teaches them they were right to hesitate. She also walks through the cost of scope creep on a high-touch client and why a defined service process is what lets the work actually scale. Linda introduces her free Perfect Pricing Formula and the principle that changes how women build service businesses: price your services from day one as if someone else were going to be doing the work, not you. Chapters:💼 02:38 Linda Hunt's corporate dropout origin story and the bookkeeper trap 🧠 07:31 Why women run their businesses the way they ran corporate 🔧 11:38 Where a service business breaks: pricing conversation, scope creep, no process 💰 17:30 Why "I can't afford it" is almost never the real objection 📐 20:30 Defining how you deliver, even when it costs you the wrong clients 🧮 28:49 The Perfect Pricing Formula and finding your minimum aligned price 👥 36:05 Pricing as if someone else will do the work 🚀 39:28 Hiring before the work arrives, and what scales with you Links:The Money Conversation and a free chapter: moneyconversation.net Website and a free tool: sumsolutions.com Reach out to Linda Hunt to calculate your floor and rebuild your packages around how you actually deliver the work. Thank you to our podcast sponsor Go From Expert to Thought Leader with the Genius Discovery Program. Book Directly with Kent: http://talktokent.com  Learn more at: geniusdiscovery.org  We're always seeking aligned sponsors.⭐️  If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️ Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com  Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking. As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.   One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you so much!! XOAdrienne  (02:38) - 💼 Linda Hunt's corporate dropout origin story and the bookkeeper trap (07:31) - 🧠 Why women run their businesses the way they ran corporate (11:38) - 🔧 Where a service business breaks: pricing conversation, scope creep, no process (17:30) - 💰 Why "I can't afford it" is almost never the real objection (20:30) - 📐 Defining how you deliver, even when it costs you the wrong clients (28:49) - 🧮 The Perfect Pricing Formula and finding your minimum aligned price (36:05) - 👥 Pricing as if someone else will do the work (39:28) - 🚀 Hiring before the work arrives, and what scales with you

    44 min
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37 Ratings

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The She Leads Podcast is where women entrepreneurs and business leaders get the real strategies behind scaling a business to one million dollars and beyond. Each week, host Adrienne Garland, CEO of She Leads Media, professor at NYU and Rice University, and business growth advisor, speaks with women who have actually built it: founders who broke past the revenue ceiling, executives leading thousands, and strategists rethinking how women build wealth, lead teams, and grow companies. Episodes cover business growth strategies for women, from pricing and hiring to leadership communication, AI and the future of work, networking and social capital, and the founder to CEO transition. If you're a woman entrepreneur building toward your first million or your next one, this is the show that meets you where you actually are: past the motivational fluff, deep in the work, and ready to scale.

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