Liberty Sessions With Nada Jones | Celebrating Women Who Do & Inspiring Women Who Can |

In this special episode, Nada celebrates the launch of LIBERTY’s Editorial Journal by interviewing female founders Clare Vivier of Clare V., and Emily Current and Meritt Elliott of THE GREAT.In this panel discussion, Clare shares how she identified a gap in the handbag market when she was looking for a stylish laptop case. Her made in LA designs launched a lifestyle brand known for its classic style and quality as much as its playful French sensibility. We know you’ll enjoy Clare’s down-to-earth and accessible nature--she’s a breath of fresh air.Emily and Meritt join the conversation by letting us in on their decades-long partnership. Launching multiple brands, these friends share the secret to their partnership and their business success. Whether they are playing the role of stylists, denim and home decor designers or retail executives of THE GREAT, this creative duo is honest and transparent about how they have built the businesses through highs and lows. Please follow Clare at @clarevivier and @shopclarev

Shannon McKinstrie, the founder of Boutique Social, is a social media strategist for business owners who want meaningful results through organic + proven social media strategies. She is a wife, mom, Target junkie, oat milk latte fanatic, cheap wine connoisseur, and co-founder of The Social Squad Society.In this episode, Nada sits down with Shannon to discuss all things Instagram. Shannon highlights the differences between feeds, reels, and stories and how to create result-worthy content specific to each platform. She explains how outdated marketing tools no longer serve us and how the amount of information we are exposed to has changed how we talk to and connect with our target customers. Shannon reminds us that social media is, first and foremost, a tool for connection. Shannon says, "The more fun you have with it, the more you will attract your people." Be sure to check out Shannon McKinstrie’s website. And she suggests you check out her client Katie’s Instagram reels for inspiration @theweightloss.nutritio

Sophia Demirtas is the Haitian-born designer of the womenswear label Fanm Mon. The line of made-to-order dresses and knitwear is produced in Fanm Mon's atelier in Fethiye, Turkey, and celebrates the bounty of nature through a vibrant color palette and hand-stitched embroidery. Sophia moved to New York City from Haiti as a young woman, where she earned a Masters in Social Work and spent several years serving as the director of a homeless shelter in Manhattan. She always used fashion as a form of self-expression. After moving to Turkey with her husband and two young boys, Sophia struggled to find dresses that felt effortless and easy to wear in thoughtfully-made feminine silhouettes. She started to design and sew her collection, and after success selling online, she expanded her operation to her now cut-on-demand line."Fanm Mon" refers to a woman who is one with nature - one who creates and manifests beauty from her natural surroundings. Through her consciously crafted line, Sophia seeks to develop cycles of be

Julie of @thefiftyist is a silver-haired, pro-age content creator and writer who is having an absolute blast on social media at 56. After working in education for many years, Julie left her position for more creative endeavors and found herself battling a second breast cancer (after 20 years) diagnosis. After being derailed for almost two years, she emerged from that period with a sense of gratitude and drive to have more fun while stacking the health odds in her favor by eating and living as healthy as possible. Her personal journey spilled over into all areas of her life, including Instagram. Julie found herself sharing her discoveries in clean makeup and self-care products. Today she is creating content with like-minded brands and writing a book, and guest blogging for Tangled Silver – an online magazine aimed specifically at women with silver hair.  Although entering the world of social media in her fifties has been a challenge, it has allowed Julie the creative space to speak her truths for the first tim

Una Battaglia has always been passionate about skincare and loves helping others maintain healthy glowing skin. She earned her Master's degree in Physical Therapy and has an extensive understanding of the lymphatic system due to her training. Una took some time off from her profession to raise her four children, but she always aspired to return to healthcare, specifically in Aesthetic Medicine. During the pandemic, Una saw the opportunity to return to school and get her license. In 2022 she opened Essentia Esthetics in Pasadena, California. Una is both the principal esthetician and practice manager. In this episode, Nada sits down with Una to discuss her journey from physical therapy to motherhood to becoming an esthetician and entrepreneur. Una shares how she uses her previous experience and knowledge as a physical therapist to create her signature facials that support lymphatic drainage and healthy glowing skin. Along with sharing the realities of starting a business, Una gives daily skincare advice and tip

Lindsay Pinchuk is an award-winning entrepreneur, consultant, community builder, connector, storyteller, expert marketer, social media maven, spokesperson, on-air expert, small business champion, and Mom. With a $500 investment and a baby on the way, she left her job as a magazine publishing executive. She founded her first company, which she grew to reach 3MM users per month and generate seven figures in revenue year over year. She turned a profit in year one and, less than a decade later, led her company through an acquisition to a large agency holding company. Today, Lindsay works with large and small businesses to build and monetize their communities through content, social media, email, event partnerships, and publicity strategies. You can also find her behind the mic of her twice-weekly podcast for female founders, Dear FoundHer... Lindsay lives on Chicago’s North Shore with her husband, two daughters, and mini Bernadoodle, Ollie.In this episode, Nada sits down with Lindsay Pinchuk to discuss how she us

JJ Elliott is an advertising copywriter with a degree in English from UCLA. She lost her mother to suicide as a teenager and spent over two years volunteering on the suicide hotlines in LA. One of the reasons she wanted to write this book is because she finds herself increasingly frustrated by the way suicide is treated in print and on-screen, as a mystery to be solved rather than a multi-layered, complex mental health situation that can rarely be boiled down to one specific "reason."​A native of Northern California, JJ now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two teenage kids, and two poorly trained bulldogs. She loves to read, drink wine, play tennis, and eat cheese. There Are No Rules For This is her first novel.In this episode, Nada sits down with JJ to discuss her newly published book. After ten years of crafting the story, JJ decided not to go with a traditional publisher and shares why that was an important decision in telling this very personal story. She helps us understand a hybrid

Nancy Gillespie has been a high school counselor for 14 years. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from The Ohio State University and has created an ASCA (American School Counseling Association) model program, all while working full time. Her research interests include adolescent mental health and wellness, suicide prevention in schools, the effects of technology on the adolescent brain, and the COVID disruptions to k-12 education.Nancy has been married to her college sweetheart for 31 years. Together, they have two adult children. She's embracing the "Empty Nest" phase of life and enjoys long walks, cooking with her husband, and being immersed in literature and research as she fully re-engages in student life. Additionally, Nancy enjoys presenting at conferences nationwide as a voice for the school counseling profession and an advocate for adolescent mental health. In this episode, Nada sits down with her younger sister to discuss her decision to return to school at 51. Nancy sha

Heidi Rauch is a seasoned entrepreneur passionate about building women's lifestyle brands, product sourcing, supply chain management, and digital strategy. Heidi founded Belabumbum, a women's maternity apparel company that provided market access to female-owned and operated manufacturers in Central and South America. In early 2019 Belabumbum was acquired by Adore Me as its first sister brand. The acquisition launched Adore Me's entre into the maternity category for a growing customer base. Currently, Heidi provides business strategy and operations management on a fractional basis for Adore Me's Become brand and a range of FemTech-focused companies in the menstruation-menopause space.In this episode, Nada sits down with Heidi to discuss Become's technology and what it means for women in peri and menopause. She shared what it means to work on a fractional basis and how that role combines her entrepreneurial know-how and corporate experience. Heidi touts the benefits and autonomy of offering fractional services

Amy Porterfield is an ex-corporate girl, author, online marketing expert, and the host of the top-ranked podcast Online Marketing Made Easy. Starting an online business so genuinely, drastically, and beautifully changed her life that she became obsessed with shouting how she built an 8-figure business with 50,000+ students, 49 million+ podcast downloads, and a 32-hour workweek from the freakin’ mountaintops. But the leap from overworked corporate yes-girl to leading a team of 20+ and helping thousands of entrepreneurs create lives they love didn’t happen overnight. That “leap” was a back-and-forth dance with plenty of humiliating failures and decisions. But, she says, it was the best decision of her life.In this episode, Nada sits down with Amy to discuss why she left her corporate job, how she created her first course, and whether it was a success out of the gate. They discuss Amy’s current digital courses and how her platform is supporting so many women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s to take their experience an

Rose-Marie Swift is a prominent makeup artist working with some of the most prestigious models, actors, photographers, and magazines in today's fashion and beauty world. Her work has been featured in Vogue (French, Italian, American, Japan, China), W, Harper's Bazaar, I.D., Self Service, V, Allure, Glamour, and Interview, as well as in ads for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, and Victoria's Secret. She has painted some of the most famous faces in the world, from Gisele Bundchen, Zoe Saldana, Miranda Kerr, and Tilda Swinton, to artists such as Cindy Sherman. The impressive list of leading fashion photographers she has worked with includes Mario Sorrenti, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Glen Luchford, Hedi Slimane, Peter Lindbergh, David Simms, Annie Leibovitz, Arthur Elgort, and Patrick Demarchelier, to name a few.In this episode, Nada sits down with Rose-Marie to discuss how she started her clean makeup brand RMS Beauty. Despite eating clean, a medical examination found Rose-Marie ha

Leigh Oshirak is a Global Brand Consultant with over 30 years of experience building some of America’s most beloved brands. Seven years ago, she launched her own consulting business and has been working with Female-founded companies. Prior to that, she was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Digital Content at Williams-Sonoma Inc. and the Director of Marketing for Joe Boxer. She started her career in Los Angeles in 1990 in the film industry, working for major film studios, including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, and Warner Brothers on movies such as the Tina Turner biopic: What’s Love Got to Do with It which was nominated for two Oscars. She is the co-author of the acclaimed book: Balance is a Crock, Sleep is For The Weak: An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood, published by Penguin in April 2010.  In this episode, Nada sits down with Leigh to discuss her decision to “retire from paid work”. Leigh unpacks how and why she came to this decision. The conversati

As a mom of three living in New York City, Ramy Brook Sharp started her eponymous line after searching for the perfect sexy date night top to pair with her jeans. Through Ramy’s signature use of silk fabrics, lively colors, and sophisticated silhouettes, the collection is meant to be a day-to-night solution in a woman’s wardrobe. Ramy Brook is now sold in more than 250 boutiques nationwide, including the Ramy Brook flagship store on Madison Avenue, Southampton, and ramybrook.com. The brand can also be found in retailers worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, and Neiman Marcus. In this episode, Nada sits down with Ramy to discuss how she went from tailoring all her clothes to fit her aesthetic to a successful lifestyle clothing brand. Ramy opens up about the highs and lows of the last ten years of running Ramy Brook, from traveling trunk shows to persistently pursuing connections in the industry. Ramy also walks us through the slow but important process of developi

Melinda Moore is an award-winning entrepreneur with 15+ years of evaluation and investment success with a keen understanding of product-market fit, consumer insight, operations, and performance marketing. Moore’s founder-driven approach has been the basis of all her investments, from pre-revenue startups to multi-million dollar companies. She has a diverse investment background and has deployed over $200 million in working capital, equity crowdfunding, and traditional venture capital. Melinda is an advisor to Coyote Ventures and a mentor at TechStars and Big Idea Ventures.Melinda is also the author of How to Raise Money: The Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding and has raised over 100 million via equity crowdfunding. She served as the Senior Vice President for Entertainment Media Ventures. Her work has been widely recognized by Digital LA (Top 50 Digital Women in 2015), the Green Business Bureau, and the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Hall of Fame. Melinda serves on the Board of A Sense of Home and

TooD is a beauty brand born out of Sharareh Siadat’s journey of reclaiming her beauty narrative. After years of being bullied over having a unibrow, she spent decades trying to hide and conform to a society she believed she did not fit into. After having her third daughter, Sharareh decided to grow her unibrow back. She wanted to show her daughters how to regain their power. She not only changed her attitude toward herself, but she also decided to celebrate her uniqueness. At the intersection of clean, colorful, and high-performing cosmetics, TooD products are non-toxic, and so is the brand’s mindset. Sharareh believes makeup is about joy, creativity, and experimentation. She is passionate about removing shame and insecurity around beauty. She even gives customers a way to highlight and celebrate their uniqueness to express how they feel vs. what they should look like.In this episode, Nada sits down with Sharareh to discuss how her journey of reclaiming her voice, body, and 100 hairs led her to TooD. She open

Eat Your Flowers started out of Loria Stern's tiny kitchen located on a 1890's built Montecito, California estate. In 2016, while renting one of the cottages on the property, Loria began experimenting with the edible bounty that grew freely on the grounds.  Loria studied medicinal and edible plants all through her years of culinary training.  She didn’t attend culinary school, instead, she received her professional training by working long hours in dozens of kitchens and bakeries. Loria’s vibrant edible botanical creations have been celebrated in Vogue, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Oprah among others. The Los Angeles-based chef, baker, botanist, gardener, and artist first gained fame as the originator of the botanical pressed cookie and has created many other unique creations along the way. Loria’s EAT YOUR FLOWERS brand values local community, sustainability and inclusivity. She harvests from her own abundant flower garden, works alongside local farmers to source seasonal and organic produce, and

Dr. Regina Y. Baker is an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California. She has faculty appointments at Keck Hospital of USC, Keck Verdugo Hills Hospital, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and LAC USC Hospital. Dr. Baker's clinical interests include breast reconstruction, cosmetic breast surgery, adolescent breast surgery, body contouring, complex reconstructive surgery, gender-affirming surgery, and all aspects of aesthetic surgery. She has special interests in women's health and issues. Dr. Baker received her medical degree from Keck School of Medicine of USC. She then completed an integrated plastic surgery residency at USC and later joined the faculty in the plastic and reconstructive surgery division at USC. She is dedicated to enhancing surgical education and is actively involved in teaching medical students and residents.In this episode, Nada sits down with Expert Dr. Baker to equip women to make inf

Ai Kubo is a health coach who helps busy humans struggling with weight, fatigue, stress, and sleep to find a more balanced and sustainable lifestyle without feeling deprived or miserable. As a full-time researcher and a mother of two teens, she knows how difficult it is to create healthy habits. With 20 years of experience teaching mindfulness, Ai has created a unique method that is approachable, transformative, and sustainable. Barely speaking English, Ai moved to the US from Japan in 1996 to pursue her graduate studies. She received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in epidemiology and studied nutrition at UC Berkeley, BS, and MPH. Leaning on her background, she incorporates evidence-based tools in her health and wellness teaching. In this episode, Nada sits down with Ai to talk about how she has balanced being a health coach and previously a yoga teacher while working full-time. Ai's joy in sharing her knowledge led her to pursue her passion and launch her health and wellness platform. Her goal was not to d

Sharon Brown began her timeless ethical clothing brand Lotte.99 in 2017. The name is inspired by her daughter and muse, Char-lotte, born in 1999. Sharon's small batch collections incorporate unique fabrics, shell buttons, and trims, and her designs use the highest quality, often up-cycled silks, cottons, and linens sourced from around the globe.In this episode, Nada sits down with Sharon to discuss how Lotte.99 has transformed since its inception. Sharon shares the never-ending series of challenging circumstances that forced her to rethink her sales pipeline, product, and partnership time and again. She also shares how her upbringing and previous work as a costume designer instilled the motto of working "for the good of the whole" and how that has propelled her throughout her life and now, even as a solopreneur.  Listen for tips on acquiring deadstock or repurposed fabrics and where to buy wholesale materials in downtown LA through LA Mart's directory. And if don't know who the amazing Nancy Mayer Allan is, c

Katie Morford is a food writer and registered dietitian with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition. When her kids came along, they didn’t care about those credentials, only that their noses got wiped and their bananas mashed just right. Katie put her work life on hold, worrying she’d lose touch with her craft. It turns out the opposite happened. Being a mom fueled a passion for helping families raise healthy kids through sound feeding habits, delicious recipes, and lots of patience. In addition to her blog, Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, Morford develops recipes, teaches cooking and nutrition classes, consults, and writes for magazines and newspapers. She’s published three cookbooks: Prep: The Essential College Cookbook, Rise and Shine: Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings, and Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love which was an IACP awards finalist. In this episode, Nada sits down with Katie to discuss how she balances her many hats. Today, authors must be entrepreneurs and do a l