58 episodes

When She Founded with Somer Hamrick, CEO & Founder of Channel Clinical, is an insider view on what it really takes to start and scale a company in STEM. Each episode takes a deeper look into one such business venture and the woman who started it. Industry mavens describe their personal path to entrepreneurship through one-on-one conversations with a host who has been figuring it out herself. Somer Hamrick launched her own company in early 2019. With 20 years’ experience in business development and half that specifically in global health and clinical research, Somer found herself having to reach outside the life science community for support and mentorship. She created When She Founded as a platform to share what she has learned, and is still learning, on her journey. This podcast demystifies some of the steps for female founders in industries where representation is lacking.

When She Founded Somer Hamrick

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 18 Ratings

When She Founded with Somer Hamrick, CEO & Founder of Channel Clinical, is an insider view on what it really takes to start and scale a company in STEM. Each episode takes a deeper look into one such business venture and the woman who started it. Industry mavens describe their personal path to entrepreneurship through one-on-one conversations with a host who has been figuring it out herself. Somer Hamrick launched her own company in early 2019. With 20 years’ experience in business development and half that specifically in global health and clinical research, Somer found herself having to reach outside the life science community for support and mentorship. She created When She Founded as a platform to share what she has learned, and is still learning, on her journey. This podcast demystifies some of the steps for female founders in industries where representation is lacking.

    B-Side: She Who Sets the Agenda Wins

    B-Side: She Who Sets the Agenda Wins

     
    When you fall short of having a strong agenda or lose control of the one you've set, the people you're leading will see you as disorganized, uncertain, insecure, and often defensive, it ain't a good look, y’all. - Somer Hamrick
     
    Today on When She Founded:
    -We are always, always driving an agenda
    -The importance of agendas
    -The three keys to a clear agenda
    -The lesson from the 2020 Democratic National Convention 
    -The value of succinct talking points
     
    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
     
    Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.
     
    Don’t forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab https://launchtoleadslab.com website.

    • 20 min
    Why Investing in the Future of Clinical Trials is Smart Business

    Why Investing in the Future of Clinical Trials is Smart Business

    Devora Torrence is a highly experienced Clinical Research Professional who boasts 17 years of experience, most of which is at the site management organizational level. Devora began her clinical research career in 2003 at the CRO, PPD, in Austin, TX as a project manager for their phase 1 clinical trial division. From there, Devora founded Centex Studies in 2006 (acquired by Headlands Research in 2019) and throughout the years, expanded her business model across five sites from the ground up. 
    During her tenure at Centex Studies, she operated as the Clinical Operations President and CEO within the multisite organization. Most impressively, she was able to change the way that her organization conducted clinical research when they were faced with the pandemic. The sites utilized a 100% electronic source system that housed regulatory, source, recruitment, and finance, and they were always on the lookout for the latest innovation to improve their efficiency. During this time, more than 1000 patients were vaccinated or treated for COVID-19 between her sites. Devora has experience in all phases of Clinical Trials and across many therapeutic areas (COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment, Type II Diabetes, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, Hypogonadism, Asthma, etc.). As the first site network acquired by the private equity, Headlands Research, Devora had the honor of establishing the multisite networks SOPs. She also had the responsibility of forecasting clinical trial revenue to increase the company’s EBITDA and managing the organization’s operational budget. 
    Devora’s leadership skills, innovation, and dedication have been the keys to her successful career. Centex Studies was founded and started with two people and within 15 years, grew to 100+ people across two states. She has developed a rapport with physicians across North America and gained a referral network that was key to her site’s recruitment efforts. Today, Devora is ready for the next step in her career and the opportunity to put her skills and assets to the test. Clinical research is her passion and she is an entrepreneur by trade. Her goal is to be a part of an organization that allows her to make her mark and advance the company.
     
    “Risks are meant to be taken. And there's always tomorrow. So even if you make a mistake, that's a learning thing to do to learn and move on.” -Devora Torrence
     
    Today on When She Founded:
     
    -The significance of a site management organization
    -The benefits for physician’s office to be the site of a clinical study
    -Which came first, the infrastructure of a corporation or the need for infrastructure
    -Maneuvering through the dark times 
    -The importance of expanding your business development network
    -When people question your quest for high tech solutions
    -The shift in clinical research post pandemic
     
    Connect with Devora on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/devora-torrence-10a93039/, 
     
    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
     
    Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.
    Don’t forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab https://launchtoleadslab.com website.

    • 35 min
    Episode 56 - Why Every Female Founder Needs a Sales Expert

    Episode 56 - Why Every Female Founder Needs a Sales Expert

    Today on When She Founded Somer welcomes us back after a brief summer break to share her insights on the benefits of having a sales coach as a female founder. 
     
    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
     
    Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.
     
    Don’t forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website launchtoleadslab.com.

    • 22 min
    When She Founded Goodpods with JJ Ramberg

    When She Founded Goodpods with JJ Ramberg

    JJ Ramberg is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, best-selling author and investor.  
    JJ is the co-founder of two companies. Goodpods, a social network for podcast listeners and creators where users can follow groups, friends, and influencers .  She was recently named as part of Inc Magazine's Female Founders 100 list and Goodpods was included in Fast Company's
    Most Innovative Companies. SearchKibble is a Bing-powered search engine which supports shelter animals with every search. For 12 years, JJ hosted MSNBC's then second longest-running program Your Business which focused on entrepreneurship and what it takes to run a successful venture. JJ is the author of two books, the best-selling  It's Your Business and the children's book
    The Startup Club.  
     
    Today on When She Founded:
     
    Problem solving in the podcast space When to focus on monetization vs. user experience How to plan for growth How important podcasts are during COVID How to get the word out about a company How to succeed in the midst of what feels like failure  
     
    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
     
    Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.
     
    Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

    • 36 min
    Ask for More with Alexandra Carter

    Ask for More with Alexandra Carter

    Alexandra Carter is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School. In 2019, Professor Carter was awarded the Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia University’s highest teaching honor.  
     
    Professor Carter’s teaching and research interests lie in the field of alternative dispute resolution, primarily in mediation and negotiation. She is a leading trainer on negotiation and mediation for many from the private and public sectors, including the United Nations, where she designed a negotiation workshop as part of the first ever skills-building summit for female diplomats, entitled “Women Negotiating Peace;” U.S. courts and federal agencies; private corporations, such as Comcast NBCUniversal, Time Warner and Viacom; and law firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Morrison & Foerster and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.  
     
    Back at home, she serves on the New York State Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee commissioned by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore; she previously served on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the New York City Bar Association as well as the Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee for the New York State Unified Court System.  She is an admitted mediator for the Southern District of New York.
     
    Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, Professor Carter was associated with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she worked as part of a team defending against a multibillion dollar securities class action lawsuit related to the Enron collapse, served as the senior antitrust associate on several multibillion dollar mergers, and handled cases involving copyright law.  She also worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Taiwan.
     
    Professor Carter received her Juris Doctor degree in 2003 from Columbia Law School, where she earned James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone academic honors. She also won the Jane Marks Murphy Prize for clinical advocacy and the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for the best oral argument in the 2002 Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition. After earning her degree, Professor Carter clerked for the Hon. Mark L. Wolf, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston.
     
    Professor Carter has been sought as a media commentator in the area of conflict resolution, with appearances on MSNBC Live, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the CBS Early Show and NPR Marketplace. Her first book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything, will be published by Simon & Schuster on May 5, 2020 and became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller -- the first negotiation book solo-authored by a woman to make that list.
     
    Professor Carter is the Executive Director of Stand Up Girls, a New Jersey organization dedicated to the empowerment of girls and women. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her husband, Greg Lembrich and their daughter Caroline.   
     
    “The biggest negotiation you will have is within the four walls of your own brain.” 
    -Alexandra Carter
     
     
    Today on When She Founded:
    Asking for what you are worth with clarity and confidence The importance of picking the right problem to solve Realizing that if you are talking to someone you are negotiating What makes you different is your market advantage How to lessen the gap of understanding your value The three things that your ask should contain How to reconcile your imposter syndrome  The importance of audacity The Elenor Beaton Episode
    The Brandi Bernoskie Episode
     
    Connect with Alexandra on her website alexcarterasks.com and on LinkedIn, Instagram and Clubhouse.
    Below is a link to her Free 7 Day challenge.  The second link  is for digital course - which will do a second launch at the end of the 7 day challenge (May 11)

    https://alexcarterasks.com/7days/

    https://alexcarterasks.com/courses/

     
     
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    Thanks

    • 45 min
    Sister Scientist with Erica Douglas

    Sister Scientist with Erica Douglas

    As a formulating, cosmetic chemist in the multicultural beauty space for over a decade, Erica has been the “brains” behind a number of popular products on the market. Erica earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. She then advanced to Northwestern University as a National Institute of Health Research Fellow where she conducted research in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology. However, her personal horror stories as a child who experienced hair and skin issues are what motivated her to dedicate her scientific career to developing innovative and quality products in beauty and personal grooming space. Ascending the ranks in a male dominated laboratory to the position of Director of Research & Development before the age of 30 for one of the category’s most successful brands, Organic Root Stimulator, Erica’s long-term impact and positive influence on natural hair and skin care is undeniable. 
    After becoming frustrated with hearing the perpetual inaccuracies regarding ingredients and product claims, Erica started engaging with consumers as Sister Scientist to debunk myths and set the story straight by educating the masses on the science behind beauty. Using her expertise, experience and outgoing personality, Sister Scientist has become a fun and creative platform for consumers seeking a trusted source for scientific/technical information about their beauty and grooming products. Erica also uses this medium to motivate and encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related fields by exposing them to the fun side of science. 
    Over time, Erica started to recognize that building successful brands only relied partially on developing quality products, and wanted to see more women and minority owned companies building long-term wealth in the space. Her desire to understand the full scope of building successful brands in consumer goods was the catalyst for her to return to academia, earning an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, with concentrations in Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. In 2014, she founded mSEED group – a product development, manufacturing and brand development company focused on providing strategic growth solutions to aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses in beauty and personal care. As Chief Executive Officer, Erica manages a 7- figure business and is spearheading mSEED’s corporate mission to grow a new generation of successful entrepreneurs, and drive innovation and creativity in the beauty space. Furthermore, proving that Science Never Looked This Good.
     
    Today on When She Founded:
    The ecosystem that benefits from startups Science influences on young women Making the jump from corporate comfort to startup Understanding the customer pain point personally Dealing with the expense of expanding A larger vision and the smaller building blocks involved Connect with Erica on all the socials with the tag #SisterScientist, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.
     
    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
    Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.
    Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
18 Ratings

18 Ratings

Dowlkat ,

So inspired

There are so many BORING spaces for women in biotech. When She Founded is different. I was so drawn to this podcast because of the industry, but I stay because she is talking about such great ideas, regardless of what area someone works in. Listen ladies!

slothslikesadie ,

Amazing Episode

The interview with Alex Carter is so good! I’m feeling inspired to know my value and go out and get it!

xxhardtoimpressxx ,

Just the Female Founder Energy I Need!

Somer has become the confident voice in the back of my head — whether I’m in client negotiations or in the bathtub wondering why I started out on my own. Somehow she balances giving the kick-in-the-pants i need to keep going without preaching or shaming. Her guests are across the board fascinating — and they sure are across the board. No other show jumps so seamlessly between episodes from sex toys to data management software. She’s interviewed some of my heroes (what’s up, Rupal Patel?!) and introduced me to women I never would have stumbled across. What a great showcase of female founders!

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