Can you share a bit about your professional journey and how it led you to co-host In Her Land?
I spent the majority of my professional life on the west coast scaling startups- starting with Yelp in 2011 and most recently working as Head of Sales Training and Enablement at Doordash from 2018 to 2023. During this time I was able to boomerang back to NEO where I was was reminded 1) how amazing Cleveland is but also 2) how much work there is still to do in highlighting women and the incredible impact they have made here in NEO.
As my titles and scope grew in the various tech businesses I worked, there became less and less women in the room. When I ultimateIy left Doordash is 2023, I saw such a need for encouragement and investment in women founded businesses and the growth of women in leadership and impact. This is a big reason why I have leaned into projects like In Her Land.
What roles or experiences have shaped your perspective on women’s journeys and storytelling?
Both my mother and grandmother have had tremendous impact on shaping my experiences on women's journeys and storytelling. In the 90's my mother was the host of a very popular interview show called Corporate Club here in Cleveland. She basically had the opportunity to interview corporate executives in NEO. I loved hearing stories about their experience- but realized early on that never once did she have the opportunity to interview a woman (and this wasn't even that long ago!). She did such an incredible job of getting these men to talk and connect with them on a personal level that was both enlightening for viewers, but also put those being interviewed at ease.
And then my grandmother, who is now 95 - I feel like every time I speak with her I learn something new that is either astonishing or unexpected. Women have kept so many things close for so many years because we have been expected to- and I am looking forward to peeling back some of those layers in our conversations in In Her Land.
What’s your favorite go-to mantra or quote that keeps you motivated?
“Why be normal when you can be me.”
How do you hope listeners will feel after tuning in to an episode?
I have thought a lot about this. I hope listeners feel like In Her Land is a little bit like a long hug after a hard day. I think the conversations we will have will be funny, some will be hard, others will be enlightening, and others will feel a little random and will make you giggle. But really- I just hope you feel comforted, like a long hug after a hard day.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
The journey is the destination, so slow down a bit and enjoy yourself.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
I am completely obsessed with buying secondhand. I have purchased 90% of my family's clothes/furniture/goods from either Poshmark or Goodwill/Thrift stores for the last 3 years. At first, it was just to see if I could- now it's more because I truly believe that the quality of clothing that you can purchase now has declined so rapidly, and the negative impact clothing and furniture production has on our environment is 100x worse than we can imagine.
