Pretty Powerful Podcast with Angela Gennari

Episode 72: JJ DiGeronimo

Most of us have struggled with the question.... "Is this what I am supposed to be doing with my life??" at some point. On this episode of the Pretty Powerful Podcast, JJ DiGeronimo helps people to navigate this question by bringing mindfulness into the conversation. A woman in tech turned award-winning author, JJ DiGeronimo, shares energy practices and empowering strategies that listeners can use to create more impact! With new levels of awareness, JJ shares a more spiritual side of her life that undeniably strengthens her mission to empower women at work and in life. Conditioned to look outward, JJ juggles a variety of external validations, such as titles, salaries, and relationships intermingled with self-doubt, negative self-talk, and demanding schedules. These same pressures lead many women to ask, “am I enough?”, “What am I doing?” or “Is this it?” With over 20 years in the tech industry, she is no stranger to navigating the twists and turns of moving from entry-level positions to leadership, and now she is focusing on unleashing leadership and insights from within!

Episode 71: Irena Azaraev

I hear from people so often that they have always wanted to take the leap into being an entrepreneur, but they are afraid to leave their comfortable corporate position. Irena Azaraev decided to get uncomfortable, leave her great job with a large retail chain, and pursue her dream of bringing people safe and practical solutions to treat aesthetic and medical conditions.... in the middle of the pandemic! Irena launched BYou Laser Clinic against the odds and the advice of everyone around her, and her risk paid off tremendously. BYou Laser Clinics now has several locations in New York, and has started franchising into additional markets. Listen to Irena as she discusses her journey, and passion for helping everyone feel confident in their skin. 

Episode 70: Victoria Pelletier

When you spend much of your career as "the only" (woman) in the room, the pressure is different, not just in meeting the expectations of the role, but in ensuring that path to success is paved for others as well. In this episode, we hear about the journey of Victoria Pelletier, a 20+ year Corporate Executive and Board Director. Nicknamed the “Turn Around Queen” by former colleagues and employers, Victoria inspires and empowers her team and clients to change mindsets and drive growth in business, leadership and culture. As someone who does not subscribe to the status quo, she is always ready for new challenges becoming one of the youngest Chief Operating Officers at the age of 24, a president by 35 and a CEO by age 41.
Victoria was recognized as one of the 2023 Woman of Influence by South Florida Business Journal, a semi-finalist in the 2023 50/50 Women on Boards Women to Watch, 2022 Top 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech by CIOLook, 2022 Most Influential Entrepreneur of the Year by World Magazine, 2021’s Top 50 Business Leader in Technology by Insight Magazine and a Mentor of the Year by Women in Communications & Technology in 2020. HSBC bank awarded her the Diversity & Inclusion in Innovation award in 2019 and she was IBM’s #1 Global Social Seller ranked by LinkedIn in 2019 and 2020.
Join us for an incredibly insightful conversation about the importance of DE&I, imposter syndrome and taking incredible chances in her career.

Episode 69: Laura Gisborne

Don't you love when simply trying to solve a basic life problem leads to an epiphany?? For Laura Gisborne, she needed to figure out how to create a way for her to balance being a mom while working in their family-owned and operated restaurant. Now, Laura is a highly successful business expert with over 25 years experience in growing and scaling her companies.
From structuring and selling small boutique businesses to owning a multi-million dollar wine and real estate empire, Laura has owned nine businesses, her first when she was only 23 years old. Laura is an Internationally recognized speaker and serves as a business growth strategist for leaders in both the private and non-profit sectors. The innovative business model of her company, Limitless Women, exemplifies that companies can be both profitable and purposeful. To date the Limitless Women community has raised over $600,000 for charities. Through their initiatives, thousands of women and children are receiving regular contributions in multiple countries across 5 continents. Laura has served as a Guardian Ad Litem for foster children through CASA, Parent Education Coordinator for Family Outreach, Board Member for Habitat for Humanity, The New Peaks Foundation, and is on the Business Engagement Team of the Pachamama Alliance. She is the author of the books, “Stop the Spinning – Move from Surviving to Thriving” and “Limitless Women” and has been featured as a guest expert on both CBS and ABC, as well as on the national hit show, “The List.”

Episode 68: Beth McDaniel

Isn't it beautiful when your expertise and passion combine to not just improve your own life and define your purpose, but to genuinely improve the lives of others? That is the journey that Beth McDaniel is on as she tackles not just climate change and social justice, but also protecting intellectual property as an attorney. Beth McDaniel, JD is co-founder and President of the award-winning paint and coatings company, Reactive Surfaces where she also serves as legal counsel. She is also a partner in McDaniel and Associates, a law firm specializing in patent and trade secret law. Her legal practice is focused on contracts, business administration, innovation, and entrepreneurship. As a serial entrepreneur, she has guided this bleeding-edge innovation company, operating in the paint and coatings and specialty chemicals industries, for the past 15 years. She has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations, including serving as a Pathways to Peace Fellow, a premier social justice organization. Her work in the area of human rights and social justice brings a level of experience and intention to ensure that any climate solution has at its heart environmental justice and enhancement of human rights and personal livelihood. 

Episode 67: Celina Shands

Adversity can create an inner fire can move you in directions you could never imagine. At a young age, Celina Shands turned to sports as a welcome and rewarding distraction from a troubled home environment, and found a passion and talent that would continue to drive her to achieve greatness throughout her life. As a former Female Athlete of the Year, Celina attributes her love of sports as the driving force and passion that she puts into every single project. She is now the founder/CEO of Full Capacity Marketing (her 3rd company!), a 20+ year old national consultancy specializing in brand storytelling and strategic communications for those in the workforce, education and entrepreneurship sectors. 
FCM’s customer-centric model has earned the company more than 75 global awards for its customers who have built sustainable and relevant brands across the nation. Celina's story is inspiring and insightful... learn from her incredible journey in this episode.

Episode 66: Limor Bergman Gross

Navigating a career in technology as a woman can be challenging. Limor Bergman Gross knows that firsthand as she has been working in tech for over 20 years as an engineer, manager, and director of engineering. Limor is used to being the only woman in the room and breaking through glass ceilings, and now she teaches other women to achieve their own goals. Join us for a great conversation about how she achieved success and how others can show up in their careers ready for leadership. 

Episode 65: Deb Curtis

Deb Curtis is a beacon of resilience and unity in diversity. Abandoned as a child and overcoming personal and professional adversities, she transformed her hardships into empowerment. After a 30-year career in corporate America, she took the lessons she learned and set out to empower others. In 2018, she established her own small business to help women and people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds take over and run successful businesses. Partnering with the Small Business Administration, Deb has been a relentless advocate for diversity and inclusion, breaking down barriers and changing preconceived notions of business ownership.
Her mission is to champion diversity and inclusion in business ownership, helping individuals from diverse backgrounds navigate success. Join us for a transparent discussion about the challenges women often face in the workplace, and how to overcome them. 

Episode 64: Crystal O’Connor

Three time celebrity endorsed author Crystal O'Connor is the creator of 'Moxie Entrepreneur' & Moxie Media Solutions with programs like High Ticket Mastery, Wealthy Wellness Academy, Moxie Bod, 'Rich, Fit and Happy' and author of Unleash Your Moxie endorsed by Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank. Crystal teaches women and small business owners all over the world how to create 6 & 7 figure incomes by getting raw & Moxie in business. Not only do we dive into topics like marketing for small businesses, but also how our hormones impact our daily stress levels and how to feel your best by developing the proper mindset.

Episode 63: Ann Carden

One of the primary reasons I started this podcast was to provide our audience with female role models who are out there accomplishing great things in their career and setting a standard of excellence that others may emulate. Ann Carden is that example for entrepreneurs who are trying to scale or develop their small business. Ann has more than forty-one years of business, marketing, and sales experience with over thirty years as an entrepreneur.  She has built 7 successful businesses (selling five) and is the current owner of two. Ann is also a three-time published Author for business, marketing and success success, and her latest book was a #1 International Bestseller. She has been a public speaker for almost forty years, and she is the host of her own podcast "Expert In You." Ann provides excellent advice for business owners and leaders on this episode that you will not want to miss.