Posts tagged: The Mentor Files

When Audra Lawlor traded a busy corporate job in New York City for a quieter life in the San Juan Islands, she wanted to reinvent what having a career looked like for her. “I was on a mission to create something different,” she tells Monica Royer in a new episode of The Mentor Files podcast. “Most importantly, to prove to myself that I could do it, that I could create a business and be an entrepreneur and build a company that did scale purposefully and could afford me some of...

Hint Water found Kara Goldin describes herself as an “accidental entrepreneur,” and her journey all traces back to amazing advice she received from her dad as she started her career. “What he said to me still sits with me today, and, frankly, something that I share with my kids is that go and find a brand that you want to support, that gets you excited, that has feelings inside of you or creates feelings inside of you that you get really excited about,” Kara tells Monica Royer in a new...

Forever 21 is an iconic brand. But as the CEO who stepped into the leadership role with big shoes to fill in 2022, Winnie Park is propelling the company into the future–and that has much to do with responding to customers’ wants and interests. “The customer’s the creator and we’re along for the ride,” Winnie tells Monica Royer in an amazing new episode of The Mentor Files. Through her life as a Korean immigrant, career working with brands, and experience as a single mother of a daughter, Winnie knows a...

As professional nurses with hospital experience, starting a business wasn’t the expected course for Suzie Carroll and Michelle Shetty. But both women felt strongly called to create a medical aesthetic spa where every person could leave feeling better than when they arrived–regardless of whether they got a service. The result is The Fitz, a one-of-a-kind medspa in Chicago. In a new episode of The Mentor Files, host Monica Royer speaks with friends-turned-cofounders Suzie and Michelle about their path to entrepreneurship, their relationship as business partners, and their lessons. Back when...

As she began her career, Irene Ortiz-Glass witnesses some first-hand examples of leadership gone wrong. As she transitioned into team-building roles and executive management, she sought to do business a different way—specifically by looking at who people are as a whole. "It dawned on me that executive coaching was and should always be connected to life and our life lives, not just work," Irene tells Monica Royer in a new episode of The Mentor Files. "We are one person interacting in these different areas of our lives." In this new...

Even if you know what you want to do with your life, the actual journey is bound to be interesting. Look at Dr. Sonya Bhole, a radiologist with Northwestern Medicine, who was impressively accepted into medical school at the age of 17. Even though that set her on a great career path, many unexpected events and meetings helped Sonya truly blossom into her purpose. In a new episode of The Mentor Files, host Monica Royer and Sonya talk about the parallels between entrepreneurship and medicine, the importance of collaboration, and...

Have you ever stopped to think about how many meals kids eat? Weelicious founder Catherine McCord certainly has. “When you start to realize that what it means to be a parent is that you are cooking 21 meals plus snacks per child for 18 years,” she says during the new episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer. “And it’s this horrible, overwhelming feeling!” All too often, parents share with Catherine that their meals are met with “It’s gross. I don’t want this.” And as a parent herself, Catherine has...

In a new episode of The Mentor Files, host Monica Royer talks with Kadeya founder (and her sister-in-law!) Manuela Zoninsein about what we stand to gain by embracing more eco-friendly habits.

In this deeply impactful episode of The Mentor Files, host Monica Royer sits down with Navyn Salem, the founder of Edesia Nutrition, a non-profit organization on a mission to end malnutrition globally.

Much like a marriage, finding the right business partner has to be a very good match. For Monica + Andy co-founders Monica Royer and Brian Bloom, a chance introduction resulted in teaming up to launch the company. Listen to The Mentor Files podcast as they reflect and look ahead.