Pretty Powerful Podcast with Angela Gennari

Episode 76: Shani Bocian

Sometimes we reach a point in life where we are so passionate about something that it causes a complete pivot to a more mission-driven career. Shani Bocian, the Founder and CEO of Allermi, was a teacher prior to pivoting to the medical industry. 
Allermi is the first one-bottle allergy medication tailored to your symptoms. Patients fill out a symptom survey on their website that is reviewed by a physician at Allermi. Then, their customized nasal spray is sent to their door once or on a subscription basis.
Why does this matter? Because 70% of traditional treatment users in the US report dissatisfaction, there’s a record number of allergy sufferers, and we have a shortage of allergists. Shani is passionate about bringing clinically backed treatment that is more affordable, more effective, and easily accessible to allergy sufferers. Join us as we discuss her journey through the healthcare industry, the obstacles Shani faced along the way and her passion for improving the lives of allergy sufferers. 

Episode 75: Laura Bowers

We all wish we could be more efficient with various projects, but Laura Bowers has actually created a formula for it. Laura Bowers is the CEO of The PMO Boss. After 20 years of leading projects and teams she has witnessed some of the best and worst practices out there. She then took that knowledge and developed a streamlined approach for implementing and managing a project management office (PMO), using the B.O.S.S. Method, and bet on herself as an entrepreneur. 
As she states, "entrepreneurs are great visionaries, but not so great at sticking to a plan", and truer words have never been spoken! Join us for an insightful conversation about how to make life and work a little more manageable. 

Episode 74: Natalie Guzman

There's no doubt that automation of tasks has saved a ton of time and effort... some of us remember the days when we would need to write and mail checks to pay bills and then balance our checkbook manually... yeah, those days are thankfully behind us! But Natalie Guzman has figured out how to automate almost everything as a family manager, virtual assistant, entrepreneur and busy mom.
Natalie's story is truly inspiring. She is a former foster kid turned CEO and has a passion for helping entrepreneurs create their dream businesses online.
Natalie Guzman became a virtual assistant in 2015 after her job told her she had two days to give birth, and then she would have to return to work. She immediately started her virtual assistant business to make money from home, on her terms. When she decided to turn her side hustle into an agency, it hit 6 figures in 3 months. 
Now Natalie owns Nadora, an all-in-one system for entrepreneurs to build the back end of their business with the support of a virtual assistant team while raising her family in southwest Florida. Not only is she using her talent for finding efficiencies to make money, she is effectively saving her clients money as well. 
 

Episode 73: Carrie Pierce

Carrie Pierce is a true Renaissance woman, who continues to find new outlets for her creative talents. Carrie has over twenty years of experience in Publishing, Radio & TV as a renowned make-up artist and actress. She is also a published author and ghostwriter. She began crafting quality stories from the heart that contain important life lessons in her children's book, Abby Apple Tree, and was named a finalist for an Eric Hoffer Award. Her publishing house, Morgan Pierce Media & Publishing, is a publishing house where authors don't have to worry about their manuscripts being censored or changed to fit the current mainstream narrative. And her subscription letter service delivers thoughtfully penned letters twice a month to women who suddenly find themselves alone after a major life change later in life. Join us on this episode of the Pretty Powerful Podcast as Carrie shares insight from all facets of her journey.

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.