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

Ritu Bhasin is an empowerment coach, speaker, justice advocate, and author. Her mission is to help create a world where all belong. Born in Toronto, Canada to Sikh Punjabi immigrant parents, Ritu experienced the constant sting of racist bullying and struggled with cultural tension around her own identity. She carried her insecurities and the pressure to conform into her work life, first as a lawyer and then as an HR leader at a global law firm. Looking to heal and transform her life, she left her corporate job, launched her global DEI consulting firm, became a yoga and mindfulness teacher, studied trauma and wellness healing practices, wrote the bestselling book The Authenticity Principle, and dedicated her life to empowering others. In 2023, Ritu wrote the award-winning book We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging. In this episode, Nada sits down with Ritu to talk about how she took the trauma of racist bullying and transformed it into a thriving DEI consultancy teaching clients about the

Elizabeth Hall is the founder of Eeze Natural Health. Her pioneering spirit led to the launch of Travel-eeze, an innovative product designed to alleviate constipation discomforts. Motivated by her health struggles, Elizabeth was committed to finding a solution to overcome challenges stemming from a complex medical history.Beyond her entrepreneurial endeavors, Elizabeth runs a residential real estate business and hosts the educational podcast ‘Gusty Babe’ where she shares empowering stories of hope and resilience. Her passion for wellness and property seamlessly converges as she blends her dedication to natural health solutions with a profound understanding of the real estate landscape.In this episode, Nada sits down with Elizabeth to look behind the curtain to understand the process of creating a natural supplement. Once word got out about the concoction she whipped up in her kitchen to combat her health struggles, all her friends began requesting her home remedy before heading out on vacation. Elizabeth shar

Vicki Regan Stauber spent 12 years in Marketing and Business Development roles before earning her MBA at Northwestern University. After years in corporate roles, she turned her attention to a long-held interest in fashion. During her tenure in fashion she founded Sway Jewelry in 2001 and then took on a role as a creative director/buyer at a high-end luxury retailer. Years later, Vicki returned to Northwestern to work in Admissions and special projects at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. During her time there, she supported the work of Sally Blount in her white paper “Getting More Women into the C-Suite Means Keeping Them in the Talent Pipeline.” The disruption of the pandemic returned her to the ever-present reflection: “What do I love to do? What am I good at? Designing, Styling, Discovering, Curating, and Sharing.” These questions and answers led her back to her love of fashion, this time with a slight name change, Sway Into It.When not designing jewelry, mining fashion sites, hunting for an

Catriona Waters (pronounced Catreena--it's a Scottish) grew up in London and attended college in Sheffield, earning a bachelor's degree in Business Studies and French. From there, she enjoyed many years as a successful marketing and public relations executive working with major brands. After moving to California 20 years ago with her family, she started her second career as a therapist. She earned her Master's in marriage and family therapy from Pacific Oaks College and trained at the Family Services Agency of Burbank. She has been practicing as a therapist for over eight years. Catriona specializes in treating anxiety, panic, depression, and trauma.In this episode, Nada sits down with Catriona to discuss the impact of returning to school and starting a new career in midlife. Catriona gives us a glimpse of her therapy practice and what led her to focus on patients with anxiety and depression. She also gives us some great tips for leaving work at work and using our senses to ground ourselves.Check out Cat

Katie is deeply passionate about the art of storytelling. She aims to help people and companies craft their stories concisely and compellingly. Katie left a career, launched a new business, and moved into a 180 sq ft home with her husband and baby girl, giving her the freedom to redirect her story. Katie's work as a storytelling coach has allowed her to lead workshops and keynotes for incredible global organizations like United Healthcare, Zillow, and Optum. In this episode, Nada sits down with Katie to learn more about what compelled her to shift careers. She begins by sharing the moment she knew she needed to be in the storytelling business. She expands on what a story can be and how the best stories happen around a table. Katie offers practical advice on crafting our story and finding the balance between being the face of a brand and being a business owner who connects with the brand's audience. Check out Katie's website and the Comeback Summit she collaborated on with the Mom Project. She recomm

A former lawyer and legal affairs journalist, Erin Gordon writes book club novels that stay with you long after you’ve read the final page. Erin also writes breezy contemporary romance novels under the pen name Jenna Starly. The former attorney lives in San Francisco with her family and loves yoga, knitting, reading, and spending time in Lake Tahoe. We’ve heard many women say that they have a book inside them, so we called on an expert to walk us through the process. Nada sat down with Erin to discuss her journey to becoming a self-published author. Erin tells us about her books and the realities of the publishing world. She also introduces the idea that you can write books with community and book clubs in mind. Erin explains why she uses a pen name to explore different writing styles and reach a larger audience.Check out Erin’s websites: Erin Gordon for the books written under her name and Jenna Starly for the books written under her pen name. Erin recommends adding Rogue Justice: A Thriller Book by Sta

Zanna Roberts Rassi is a New York-based, award-winning fashion and beauty journalist, stylist, television host, and co-founder of Milk Makeup. She is currently the Fashion-Editor-at-Large for Marie Claire, E! News fashion correspondent, NBC Today Show fashion contributor, and Target Stylist. Rassi interviews A-list celebs and is part of the E! Live from the Red Carpet team covering the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmy Awards. Her charismatic on-camera presence has made her a sought-after mentor, judge, stylist, and host on such properties as Project Runway All Stars, Glam Masters, E!’s Just 1 Thing, and her mini-series, Commuter Beauty and W2W.In this episode, Nada sits down with Zanna to talk about the multiple hats she has worn throughout her career. Zanna shares how her many roles each fulfilled a different aspect of who she is. She always took any opportunity that came her way. But now that she has entered her middle third, she is learning to edit, prioritizing her family and the people she wants to w

Elise Loehnen is a writer, editor, and podcast host of Pulling the Thread. Ultimately, Elise is a seeker and synthesizer, braiding together wisdom traditions, cultural history, and a deep knowledge of healing modalities to unlock new ways to contextualize who we are and why we're here. She's also the author of the instant New York Times bestseller On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good. The book explores the ways patriarchy embeds itself in our consciousness. The Seven Deadly Sins—Sloth, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Anger—reads like a checklist of what it means to be a "good" woman and offers a path forward, moving ourselves and each other toward freedom and balance. Elise is a frequent contributor to Oprah and has written for The New York Times, Elle Decor, Stylist, and more. She has co-written 12 books, including five New York Times Best Sellers. Previously, she was the chief content officer of goop, and co-hosted The goop Podcast and The goop Lab on Netfl

Lia Garvin is the bestselling author of Unstuck, TEDx speaker, host of the top podcast Managing Made Simple. Lia is also a consultant with experience leading team operations across Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Bank of America. As the Founder of The Workplace Reframe business consulting firm, Lia uses the lens of “disruption without destruction” to equip innovative organizations of any size and industry with the tools to cultivate inclusive, motivated, high-performing teams resulting in higher retention, more efficiency, and better business results. She is a sought-after expert and is featured across Inc, FastCompany, ABC News, CNN Business, US News & World Report, HBR, Yahoo, and TV News.In this episode, Nada sits down with Lia to dispel the myths that are holding us back. A myth Lia personally had to get unstuck from is: “I'm not a good public speaker.” First, she set a goal to one day give a TEDx talk. It was not until she got an expert involved and changed her approach that she was able to conquer thi

Zee Clarke, author of Black People Breathe, has spent over 20 years leading teams at Fortune 500 companies and tech startups in Silicon Valley. After experiencing several challenges in the workplace, from microaggressions from colleagues to disparate treatment around salary and promotions, she pursued extensive mindfulness training in India to help her manage these challenges. As the Founder of Reclaiming Flow LLC, Clarke leverages her toolkit of meditation, breathwork, and yoga to teach others how mindfulness and breathwork can improve their well-being despite any challenges that race or gender might present. Zee leads transformative workshops for BIPOC employees on microaggressions, imposter syndrome, and Black fatigue at Google, Visa, AMC Networks, and more.In this episode, Nada sits down with Zee to discover how she went from needing to heal from her corporate experience as a black woman to teaching mindfulness and breathwork to BIPOC in corporate America. Zee opens up about her experiences and how t

Michele Canon is a certified personal trainer, fitness nutritionist and behavioral change specialist. She is the owner of Michele Canon Fitness & Nutrition. Additionally, Michele is the creator of the Strong not Skinny 5-Day Metabolic Reset and the MCFIT Midlife Academy, and has her own line of delicious whey protein powders.Canon is a 48-year-old single mom to an 18-year-old son and a four-year-old golden retriever. She has made a living coaching women from all stages of life to become the strongest, healthiest and most confident version of themselves. She focuses on body composition and lifestyle enhancement for women over 35 in perimenopause or menopause. In this episode, Nada sits down with Michele to discuss how one size does not fit all with regard to midlife health, fitness, and nutrition. Michele gets personal and shares how she finally felt ready and equipped to launch her business in her 40s. She is honest about her struggles and celebrates her wins. Be sure to check out Michele Canon

Monica Molenaar is a serial entrepreneur and an advocate for frank talk and common sense solutions around women’s health and wellness. At the age of 40, Monica tested positive for the BRCA gene and elected to remove her ovaries prophylactically to reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancers, thereby ending her natural production of estrogen and sending her into surgical menopause overnight. This began a multi-year journey trying to make sense of all the misinformation and lack of clarity around this phase of life. It was only after starting to supplement with estrogen and progesterone that Monica found relief from the menopausal symptoms affecting her quality of life and was able to get back to work. She was inspired to start Alloy to make sure that other women entering menopause would have an easier time than she did, accessing credible information, effective and safe solutions, and a supportive community. Monica is a graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. A lifelong New York

Kaye Popofsky Kramer is an experienced founder, entrepreneur, and senior executive with a proven track record of delivering mission-critical results and a passion for growing organizations and generating business opportunities. Kaye is a certified career coach with a history of working in the non-profit organization management industry, in strategic partnerships, and as a business advisor. She is skilled in management, leadership, strategic planning, business development, and coaching. She is a strong business professional and graduated from Tufts University.In this episode, Nada sits down with Kaye to discuss her current role with Step Up and how she has successfully delegated the CEO role to others while staying involved as the founder. She gives us the hard truths about running a non-profit and why you might want to consider working for an organization where you can add your skills instead of starting from scratch. She also opens up about her search for what's next and how she is still searching for what's

Stacey Lindsay is a journalist and writer who has spent her career interviewing global thought leaders. She is the consulting senior editor and editorial director of various digital publications—two of note: Liberty Road and Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper. Stacey has ghostwritten two books and is writing the first under her name, which The Open Field, an imprint of Penguin Random House, will publish. She was a longtime editor at goop, where she was instrumental in building new editorial franchises, including Game Changers and The Good Samaritan, that focused on women evolving humanity. Prior to goop, Stacey served as an evening TV news anchor and reporter in the Four State region, where she dived deep into the veteran healthcare crisis, the plight of local factory workers, the rising cost of food, and more. Her Sunday newscast received some of the highest ratings in the region. She also worked with the late and legendary James Caan as his associate producer and right hand. She began her career in New

Amy Tan is a hand-lettering enthusiast turned Founder of Amy Tangerine, a brand committed to providing creatives with the tools and space to see the bright, shiny side of life. Whether you follow her on IG, watch her on YouTube, or read her book Craft A Life You Love, it’s clear that Amy is on a mission to impact the world with her positive message. In this podcast, Amy shares how she went from stylist to fashion designer to product designer and even teacher. We loved sitting down with the sunny personality that is Amy Tan, not only because her smiles and energy are infectious but because she is serious about creativity in a way most of us have never experienced before. She’s a lesson in what it looks like to pay attention and pivot when necessary. One of the best things about our time with Amy, aside from her mom's homemade egg rolls, is how she details what she did to get to where she is. If you’re looking to pivot or trying to understand how to integrate multiple platforms to create you

Marley is the Founder and CEO of The Party Goddess!, a nationally acclaimed full-service event planning and catering company. In this episode, Marley opens up about how hitting rock bottom allowed her to imagine what her next venture could be--a full-service catering and event planning company that accomplishes fabulous, quirky, and memorable events. Armed with the successes and failures from her last venture, she sought out a way to differentiate herself in a saturated event planning industry. Her solution was to become a celebrity event and party planner! You’ll quickly learn that when Marley sets a goal, she accomplishes it. In addition to being a celebrity event and party planner, Marley has added author, tv contributor, and author of "But Are You Making Any Money?” to solve her own need to see beyond her revenue goals and to achieve profit goals necessary to be a success in her own business. She gives sound financial advice for an entrepreneur at any stage.Please follow Marley and The Party Goddess! team

Carmen Ruiz de Huidobro is the Founder of ESPAÑOLITA, a platform that highlights all things great about Spanish culture and artisans. Whether it's ESPAÑOLITA’s curated trips to Majorca, her Spanish inspired dinners or sharing products and stories of native artisans, Carmen is committed to making sure you fall in love with her home country.  In this episode, Carmen shares how her entrepreneurial journey was birthed out of passion. Her Spanish heritage has been a source of inspiration. From being a Production Assistant and art directing films to interior design and running a catering and floral business, the through line has always been her Spanish roots. Follow Carmen at @espanolita_net on  Instagram. You can find out more about ESPAÑOLITA and ESPAÑOLITA trips by going to www.espanolita.net.Please follow us at @thisislibertyroad on Instagram--that's where we hang out the most and connect with our community. And please rate and review this podcast. It helps to know if these conversations are inspiring and equip

Gina Pell and Amy Parker are the Chief Content and Chief Executive Officers of THE WHAT. list, a weekly newsletter and community, connecting women to WHAT matters to them. In this episode, Amy and Gina share how they are business partners who “can’t quit each other!”  With 18 years and three ventures, they have weathered the entrepreneurial storm together.  After navigating the dot com boom, the 2008 recession, running a lifestyle website, and the dramatic changes in online advertising, Gina and Amy have learned the importance of iteration and pivoting. Each of these lessons, and a little bit of life, have led to the launch of their 3rd business, THE WHAT. list. THE WHAT. list has created a thriving online community of women through curated content around Amy and Gina’s discoveries of products, services and experiences. Side note: Nada also uncovers exactly what Gina meant when she coined “Perennial”.You can find out more about THE WHAT at http://www.thewhatlist.com. Please follow us at @thisislibertyroad on

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