Wings of Inspired Business

Melinda Wittstock
  • 4.9 (146)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Women entrepreneurs are changing the game of business, stepping into our authentic feminine power and growing consciousness to start and scale great companies. Listen to Wings to learn from women who've "been there, built that" with 7, 8 and 9-figure businesses, even billion dollar Unicorns. You'll learn how to manifest the mindset, mojo and money to create, grow and scale a business aligned with what makes your heart sing. Wings is hosted by Melinda Wittstock, a 4-time serial entrepreneur, tech visionary and award-winning journalist. Melinda focuses where personal and business growth meet, her insightful interviews with inspiring female founders and businesswomen providing actionable tips to help listeners to real and tangible results. These innovators, influencers, and investors all share their success secrets, epiphanies, and practical advice on how to get the confidence, connections and capital so you too manifest the success of your dreams in life and in business.

  1. 5D AGO

    Cannabis Opportunities: Entrepreneur Wendy Bronfein on Funding, Franchises and Scaling Wellness

    Wendy Bronfein is the Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer and Director of Public Policy at Curio Wellness, Maryland's leading medical cannabis company, where she focuses on driving the company's legislative agenda across multiple states and building the Curio brand. Wendy made the leap into the medical marijuana space after a long career in television. She was Creative Director of On-Air Promotions at LIVE! With Kelly & Michael and was a Managing Producer at BBC Worldwide Americas from 2006-2010. She has also served in various freelance production roles in New York and Los Angeles working on shows such as The Andy Milonakis Show, Wanda Does it, and The Sharon Osbourne Show. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🛠️📝 Navigating Regulatory Roadblocks: How to scale a business in a challenging industry like cannabis, where U.S. federal Schedule 1 drug status means excessive taxation and restrictions on banking, research, and marketing. This, when research shows safer communities, more state tax revenue, reduced opioid use, and lower teen consumption where cannabis is legal. 🤟❤️ Branding in a Constrained Industry: What to do when traditional marketing and advertising channels are closed off, and how to make creative, high-touch approaches, community engagement, and "ground game" outreach earn customer trust and build awareness. 🌈 🤎 Empowering the Next Generation of Diverse Entrepreneurs: Learn how Curio Wellness is taking bold steps to offer franchise opportunities specifically designed to help women, minorities, and disabled veterans break into the cannabis business—helping others navigate regulatory and financial barriers by supporting their capital needs and providing operational guidance. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings954 More about Wendy at Curio Wellness

    35 min

  2. OCT 28

    Reinventing Healthcare: Entrepreneur Chelsea Ryckis on Overcoming "The Big Lie" to Rethink Employer Benefits and Lower Costs

    Chelsea Ryckis is the award-winning founder and president of Ethos Benefits, a firm dedicated to advancing fiduciary-driven health insurance strategies for employers nationwide to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse from employer healthcare plans while increasing savings for both employers and their employees. After suffering a traumatic brain injury as a Division 1 college athlete, Canadian-born Chelsea experienced the US healthcare system firsthand, inspiring her pioneering entrepreneurship in healthcare. Chelsea was awarded the industry's most prestigious award, Advisor of the Year, by Benefits Pro in 2024. She has also been named the Most Innovative Healthcare Consultant in the United States for 2024. Chelsea is the co-host of the Ethos Effect Podcast with her husband Donovan and producer of the documentary "It's Not Personal, It's Just Healthcare." 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 💰 📈 Misaligned Incentives Are Driving Up Costs: Traditional brokers work on commission, meaning they earn more when your company pays more. Always ask your vendors, brokers, and consultants, "How are you paid? What incentives shape your advice?" 💡🛑 Transparency Is Possible—But Not From the Big Players: Most major carriers bundle all aspects of the health plan in a "closed box," preventing employers from seeing claim-level data or understanding actual costs. By unbundling and using fee-based advisors, employers can regain control and thoroughly understand where their dollars are going. 🚀 🤝 Employers Have More Power Than They Think: 60-65% of Americans get insurance through work, yet most companies don't realize they can drive change. Simple steps like questioning your broker's incentives and exploring open-box plan options can lead to substantial savings and better employee care. ✨🛠️Smaller groups can save, too: Even with as few as 10 employees, innovative options exist—Chelsea shared a client success who saved $110,000 with just 22 workers. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings953 More about Chelsea at Ethos Benefits https://ethosbenefits.com/

    48 min

  3. OCT 21

    More Heads to Turn: Entrepreneur Kate Assaraf on Growing A 7-Figure Sustainable Hair Care Without Amazon or Advertising

    Kate Assaraf is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Dip Sustainable Hair Care, building a 7-figure beauty brand without Amazon, big-box retailers, or influencer gimmicks. Kate is also a Forbes columnist, and a mom of two who proves that entrepreneurship and motherhood can coexist without burnout—by prioritizing presence, purpose, and smart business choices. Kate has been featured in Allure, Cosmopolitan, Modern Salon, and The Unwash, was named NJ's Mompreneur of the Year (2024), and was honored as a "Woman of Courage" by Insigniam Quarterly. She's passionate about helping other moms in business build profitable brands without sacrificing their families, values, or sanity. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🔥✨Dare to Be Different: When everyone zigged, Kate zagged, rethinking the beauty playbook. She said no to Amazon, no to advertising, and no to paid influencer marketing, and instead let truly delighted customers become the voice of her growing 7-figure brand.  💡 🚀 Product Over Hype: Tired of the "plastic-free at all costs, performance be damned" narrative and marketing tactics that overwhelmed consumers, Kate obsessed over making a product so good it always "overdelivered," turning skeptics into passionate advocates—her return rate is just 0.006%! 🌱 💰 Sustainable Growth, Real Impact: Learn how slow, meaningful and sustainable growth can mean bigger profits, and how to make sustainability profitable: Kate hires locally, gives back to causes, and fosters a business culture that truly respects employees and customers. 👩‍🔬❤️ Mompreneur Mindset: How to balance motherhood with mission-driven entrepreneurship without burning out. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/Wings952 More about Kate at Dip Already www.dipalready.com

    42 min

  4. OCT 14

    Conscious Entrepreneurship: Lauren Morgan on Co-Creation and Tuning Into Your Business's Unique Energy

    Lauren Morgan is the founder of Wild Wisdom, an energy master, and a trauma recovery and business coach on a mission to empower women overcome imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs and self-sabotage so they can turn their pain into purpose, transform their wounds into wisdom, and create heart-centered businesses. She brings her personal expertise with healing practices like Ayurveda, hypnosis, meditation, shamanism, energy work, and core belief work to help entrepreneurs grow abundant, purpose-driven businesses. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 ✨🔹 Your Business Has Its Own Consciousness: Think of your business as its own entity—almost like a child with unique needs, energy, and purpose beyond your own. When you recognize and honor that, you unlock new ways to co-create success. 🌙 💡 Tune In and Listen: Why the magic often happens when you slow down, get grounded, and create quiet space. By intentionally listening (whether through intuition, journaling, or mindfulness), you receive guidance on what your business truly wants to become—and how you can help it thrive. 🚀 📈 Alignment Leads to Growth: When you and your business are in sync, clients, opportunities, and abundance flow naturally. Lauren's real-world examples prove that when you embrace this energetic partnership, everything from your messaging to your customer base can shift in amazing ways. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/wings-951 More about Lauren at Wild Wisdom Coach www.wildwisdomcoach.com

    44 min

  5. OCT 7

    Insider IRS Secrets: Sherry Peel Jackson on Protecting and Growing Wealth in Uncertain Times

    Dr. Sherry Peel Jackson is a retired IRS agent, CPA, and Certified Fraud Examiner who's helped over 100,000 professionals legally reduce taxes and build lasting wealth. With over 35 years of experience, she's the creator of the KPG System—a proven method to Keep, Protect, and Grow your income without risky investments. She's also the author of How To Escape The Rat Race and a passionate speaker empowering people to take control of their finances and create generational wealth.  🔑Key Takeaways🔑 💰 📈 What the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know: Learn the inside secrets of how to reduce your tax burden—from write-offs you never knew existed to paying your children, plus the story of "Chesty Love" and how she succeeded writing off a breast augmentation. Plus, how to audit-proof your business from the get-go. 💪 🚀 From Whistleblower to Wealth Coach: How to turn pain into purpose, and what inspired Sherry to walk away from the IRS and create a mission-driven business dedicated to helping others escape financial traps. 👩‍🔬 🌱 How Women Entrepreneurs Can Build Legacy Wealth Without Overworking or Overspending: Why women need a new financial playbook—and how they can grow wealth without burnout, reclaiming work-life balance. Learn Sherry's KPG System to Keep, Protect, and Grow income and wealth.  🔥✨ Escaping the Rat Race: The 3 most important moves you can make this year to start building financial freedom and generational wealth, even if you're drowning in taxes, debt or limited income. 💼 🤝 Lawsuit Protection and Legal Risk: The U.S. business environment is litigious, so learn how to structure your business to protect personal assets, how to use family limited partnerships and trusts as protective tools, plus examples of complex corporate structures by wealthy individuals. Also, the inside skinny on how to protect yourself from challenging employment laws. ⚡📚 Your Business Structure Matters: The way you set up your business can make or break your risk exposure. Sherry shares that corporations often provide better protection for your personal assets than LLCs, especially in a litigious environment like the U.S. 🌍💡 Prepare for Uncertainty—Diversify & Protect: The importance of 'structuring your business—and personal finances—to weather economic and political storms, plus why now is the time to invest in hard assets (real estate, gold, silver, even global property) and always having a 'Plan B' in case of major market shifts. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/wings-950 More about Sherry at Sherry Peel Jackson https://sherrypeeljackson.com/

    50 min

  6. OCT 1

    Robots for the Future: Entrepreneur Jenny Young on Empowering Kids' Creativity Through Hands-On Robotics Development

    Jenny Young is the Founder and CEO of Brooklyn Robot Foundry, the vibrant and inclusive brand dedicated to prioritizing diversity and empowerment for children of all backgrounds and communities through STEAM education. Jenny is a trained mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur to bring a more diverse, inclusive and creative approach to STEAM education. Founded in 2011 and with four locations open currently, the brand focuses putting the "art" in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and sharing the fun of STEAM education with children everywhere, inspiring them to continue a life full of exploration, problem-solving, and imagination.

    46 min

  7. SEP 23

    Females in Franchising: Entrepreneur Brittney Lincoln on Helping Women Scale Brands and Take Locations from 1 to 100

    Brittney Lincoln is the CEO and Founder of Females in Franchising, a dynamic platform dedicated to empowering women in the franchising industry. With over 13 years of experience spanning home services, beauty, and medical franchises, Brittney has built a reputation as a connector, educator, and strategist in the franchising world. She is passionate about providing a space for women to collaborate, learn from industry experts, and grow both personally and professionally. Her expertise lies in helping business owners understand franchising, scale their brands, and take their locations from one to 100. She's also a partner in Limitless Franchise Growth, a franchise sales organization (FSO). 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 ✨🤝 Why Community Matters in Franchising: Franchising can be isolating for women—whether you're a franchisee, franchisor, or vendor. While other industries offer executive women robust networks, franchising often leaves women searching for peers who truly understand the unique challenges of this "not-quite-corporate, not-quite-entrepreneurship" field. 💡🚀 Franchising: Is It For You? Whether you're dreaming of scaling your own brand or exploring business ownership through franchising, learn what it really takes to turn a business into a franchise, how to avoid common mistakes, leverage must-have systems for success, plus how to find—and vet—the right franchise for you. 💼 ⚡Roadmap for Aspiring Franchisees & Owners: Why profitability and repeatability are king when thinking about franchising your business. Plus, systems, documented processes, and team support are musts if you want to scale and support franchisees successfully. And if you're looking to buy a franchise? Seek a reputable franchise consultant to find the right fit for your goals and lifestyle. 🧠✨ The Mindset Shift: Why abundance, not scarcity, powers women's success—and how Females in Franchising is setting a culture where women "don't compete, we complete each other." 👩‍🔬 📈 Females in Franchising: Learn all about Brittany's new community platform (now with a waitlist!)—designed to foster authentic connections, mentorship, collaboration, and resource-sharing just for women in franchising. Think: in-depth peer groups, a community-driven job board, and expert-led "mentorship minutes" calls. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/wings-948 More about Brittney at Limitless Franchise Growth

    41 min

  8. SEP 16

    Surviving to Thriving: Entrepreneur Christine Fruehwirth on AI and a Job Market in Flux

    Christine Fruehwirth is the CEO and Founder of FlexCareers Consulting, and with more than 20 years of career counseling and life coaching experience, she helps college grads land jobs and stay-at-home parents return to the workplace. She's a passionate advocate for technology, and helps students and "re-launchers" alike hone their skills for the new "AI Age", including creative problem solving and entrepreneurial skills. A former career consultant and instructor of a Career Management Strategy course at George Washington University, and most recently Georgetown University, developed an expertise in helping undergraduates of all majors recruit for and successfully obtain internships and full-time positions in the financial services industry, where she previously spent a decade focused on consumer and later investment banking at America, Capital One, Wells Fargo, and Lending Tree. Christine is also the author of Surviving Life's Storms and Thriving in the Aftermath. 🔑Key Takeaways🔑 🚀 📈 Find Your Inner Entrepreneur: Why it's necessary in the new "Age of AI" to develop problem-solving skills (not just being a "problem identifier"), build a personal brand that reflects your values, interests, and skills, and develop networking strategies and interview skills. 🤖💡Boost Your AI Proficiency: Everyone's talking about the jobs AI will eliminate, but at the same time, every company needs people who are proficient in AI, from prompts to tools to creating AI systems. Now is the time to take some AI courses. 💼 👥 Rebuild Your Network if You're a Re-Launcher: For women returning to work after having a child or any other prolonged absence, its vital to make LinkedIn your best friend to connect and reconnect, build an entrepreneurial "flexible work" strategy and professionalize any volunteer or board work as you update your technical skills. ✨💪Adaptability & Mindset Are Everything: Whether you're starting your career or returning after a break, being adaptable, continuously learning, and shifting your mindset from "problem identifier" to "problem solver" is essential to growth and opportunity. 🛠️👩‍🔬 Technical & Relationship Skills Go Hand-in-Hand: Staying current with technology (especially AI tools) is critical, but so is strengthening your networking and relationship-building skills. Businesses are built on trust, collaboration, and personal connection—qualities that never go out of style. 🤝 🌱 There's No One "Right" Path: Whether through entrepreneurship, upskilling, or redefining your career path entirely, building a fulfilling professional life today means being open to unconventional journeys. Colleges may not be fully prepared for this shift—so it's up to everyone to create and seize your own opportunities. 🎙️Subscribe to Wings and get the full Show Notes at https://bit.ly/wings-947 More about Christine at FlexCareers Consulting

    42 min
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4.9
out of 5
146 Ratings

About

Women entrepreneurs are changing the game of business, stepping into our authentic feminine power and growing consciousness to start and scale great companies. Listen to Wings to learn from women who've "been there, built that" with 7, 8 and 9-figure businesses, even billion dollar Unicorns. You'll learn how to manifest the mindset, mojo and money to create, grow and scale a business aligned with what makes your heart sing. Wings is hosted by Melinda Wittstock, a 4-time serial entrepreneur, tech visionary and award-winning journalist. Melinda focuses where personal and business growth meet, her insightful interviews with inspiring female founders and businesswomen providing actionable tips to help listeners to real and tangible results. These innovators, influencers, and investors all share their success secrets, epiphanies, and practical advice on how to get the confidence, connections and capital so you too manifest the success of your dreams in life and in business.

Information

  • Creator
    Melinda Wittstock
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    958
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Wings Media LLC 2019
  • Show Website
    Wings of Inspired Business