Badass Women in Business

Rebecca Todd: Building a Purpose Driven Photography Business Through Relationships

Send us a textIn this episode of the Badass Women in Business podcast, Aggie sits down with Denver-based photographer and TruBlu Images founder Rebecca Todd. Rebecca shares her journey from studying photography at LSU to rebuilding her business after relocating from New Orleans to Denver.They talk about carving out a niche working with mission-driven brands and nonprofits, why relationships matter more than marketing tactics, and how Rebecca has built a sustainable creative business while navigating imposter syndrome, seasonality, and growth. Rebecca also shares powerful behind-the-scenes stories from nonprofit work and offers practical advice for creatives who want to build a business that lasts.Key Topics Discussed • Building a photography business rooted in purpose • Rebranding and niching without limiting growth • Moving a business to a new city and rebuilding relationships • Why relationships drive repeat business and referrals • Imposter syndrome and seasonality in creative work • Hiring contractors and outsourcing as a working parent • Growing a creative business beyond one-off projects • Long-term vision for scaling TruBlu Images nationallyAbout the Guest Rebecca Todd is a Denver-based photographer and the founder of TruBlu Images. A New Orleans native, Rebecca works with mission-driven brands and nonprofits to tell meaningful, value-led stories through photography. She is known for building long-term client relationships, finding a clear niche, and creating a creative business rooted in impact and sustainability.Connect with Rebecca Website: https://www.trubluimages.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trubluimages/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-todd-27216269/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trubluimages Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/trubluimages/ Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TruBluImages--- Subscribe and ReviewIf you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way. Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: Facebook: Empowered Women Leaders Instagram: @badass_women_in_business LinkedIn: ProveHer - Badass Women in Business Website: Badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com Athena: athenaac.com

Anna Perks: Building a Business by Taking Houses Apart, Not Burning Out, and Rethinking Waste

Send us a textAnna Perks is the founder of Perks Deconstruction, a Denver based company proving that sustainability and profitability can coexist. What started with walking her dog past a bulldozed historic home turned into a seven year journey building a 20 plus person company that diverts massive amounts of construction material from landfills. In this episode, Anna shares how she built a business in an industry she did not come from, why entrepreneurship is often romanticized, and what it really takes to lead, delegate, and grow without burning out. This is a grounded, honest conversation about circular economy, leadership stress, learning by doing, and why keeping things out of the trash is everyone’s responsibility.Episode Notes / Key Takeaways • How a single moment sparked the idea for Perks Deconstruction • What deconstruction is and why demolition is one of the biggest waste problems we ignore • Why Anna chose to start a business instead of going to business school • How research, informational interviews, and mentorship shaped her first year • The reality of slow starts, early mistakes, and painful learning curves • Why culture, policy, and infrastructure keep us from becoming a zero waste society • What consumers and homeowners can do today to support reuse and recycling • When Anna knew the business was actually going to work • Leadership challenges, stress, and the loneliness of being at the top • Learning what to delegate and trusting others to run parts of the business • Growing from a solo founder to a 20 plus person team • Long term vision for expansion, technology, and policy driven change • The importance of resilience, relationships, and just keeping goingContact Anna PerksWebsite: www.perksdeconstruction.com Reclaimed Materials Store: www.perksreclaimed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perksdeconstruction/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/perks-deconstruction-ltd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perksdeconstruction/--- Subscribe and ReviewIf you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way. Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: Facebook: Empowered Women Leaders Instagram: @badass_women_in_business LinkedIn: ProveHer - Badass Women in Business Website: Badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com Athena: athenaac.com

Maria Onesto Moran: Being Where Your Feet Are and Building a Values-Driven Business

Send us a textMaria Onesto Moran, founder and CEO of Green Home Experts, joins the Badass Women in Business podcast to share the real story of building a sustainable, values-driven company through recession, pivots, leadership challenges, and motherhood.Maria started Green Home Experts in 2007 as a green building supply showroom just before the housing market crashed. What followed was not failure, but evolution. Today, Green Home Experts is a WBE-certified energy efficiency logistics and fulfillment company serving utilities and program implementers across the Midwest.In this episode, Maria talks about mindfulness as a leadership practice, trusting your gut without a business degree, learning through mistakes, and building a strong company culture rooted in integrity, flexibility, and excellence. This is an honest conversation about entrepreneurship without the highlight reel.Key Topics Discussed • Mindfulness and the mantra of being where your feet are • Starting a business right before the Great Recession • Pivoting from retail to warehousing and logistics • Building Green Home Experts into an energy efficiency partner for utilities • Pick and pack, product distribution, and kitting services explained • Workforce development and inclusive hiring practices • Leadership lessons learned by doing every job first • Balancing business ownership and motherhood • Trusting your gut and learning through failure • Creating a values-driven company culture • Setting expectations without micromanaging • Redefining success beyond revenue and growthAbout the GuestMaria Onesto Moran is the founder and CEO of Green Home Experts, a WBE-certified energy efficiency logistics company based in the Chicagoland area. Green Home Experts supports high-performing energy efficiency programs for utilities and implementers throughout the Midwest through pick and pack, product distribution, and kitting services.Maria holds a degree in Sociology from DePaul University and has nearly two decades of experience in sustainability, green building, and energy efficiency. She is known for building a people-first workplace rooted in integrity, versatility, and excellence. Maria is married to her high school sweetheart and is raising three eco-fabulous sons.Connect with Maria - Website: https://ghexperts.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-onesto-moran-b68a756/--- Subscribe and ReviewIf you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way. Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: Facebook: Empowered Women Leaders Instagram: @badass_women_in_business LinkedIn: ProveHer - Badass Women in Business Website: Badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com Athena: athenaac.com

Molly McCartan: Why Working Moms Are Leaving and What It Says About Leadership

Send us a textMolly McCartan, Founder and CEO of The Mom Pact, joins Aggie and Cristy for a direct conversation about why nearly half of working moms are leaving the workforce and why this is not a motivation or confidence issue.This episode looks at leadership, incentives, and systems that were never built to support real life transitions. Maternity leave, flexibility, childcare, career gaps, and return to work are not fringe topics. They are core business and leadership decisions with long term consequences.If companies care about talent, retention, and performance, this conversation makes one thing clear. The problem is not working moms. The problem is how work is designed.In this episode, we unpack:Why high performing women exit the workforce after becoming mothersWhat the 44 percent statistic actually reveals about leadership failureWhy flexibility outperforms salary increases in retentionThe cost of rigid work structures on productivity and trustWhy career gaps should be viewed as capability, not riskWhat most companies misunderstand about maternity leave and reintegrationWhy the system pushes women out instead of pulling them back inHow community and strategy rebuild confidence after time awayWhat leadership looks like when policy has not caught up to realityCore idea:Working moms are not opting out. They are being pushed out by inflexible systems.About the GuestMolly McCartan is the Founder and CEO of The Mom Pact, a career driven network supporting working moms through major professional transitions. With more than a decade of experience in strategy, operations, and business development, Molly brings a business and policy lens to a problem often framed as personal.Connect with MollyWebsite: https://www.themompact.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymccartan52/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themompact/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molly.owens/--- Subscribe and ReviewIf you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way. Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: Facebook: Empowered Women Leaders Instagram: @badass_women_in_business LinkedIn: ProveHer - Badass Women in Business Website: Badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com Athena: athenaac.com

Dr. Laura James ND: Why Modern Healthcare Overwhelms Women and What Actually Helps

Send us a textThis episode is about health in the real world, not textbook medicine.Aggie and Cristy sit down with Dr. Laura James ND, a naturopathic oncologist with more than twenty years of experience working with women inside an overwhelmed healthcare system. Together, they explore why modern healthcare leaves so many women confused, exhausted, and unsupported, especially while they are managing work, family, caregiving, and their own health.Dr. Laura explains how rushed appointments, fragmented care, and authority driven medicine limit understanding and undermine trust. She shares why education, inquiry, and listening are essential to better health outcomes, and how integrative approaches can support conventional care without replacing it.They also discuss supplements, misinformation in the wellness industry, menopause, energy depletion, and why fewer, well designed tools often work better than endless advice. This is a grounded conversation about resilience, boundaries, and how women can protect their health and capacity in systems that were never designed to support them.Notes:Overwhelm is often more damaging than the diagnosis itselfSeven minute doctor visits do not leave room for real understandingWomen need guides in healthcare, not just authority figuresAsking better questions leads to better decisionsMidlife women are often caring for everyone while neglecting themselvesSupport only helps when it matches what someone actually needsLearning to ask for specific help reduces stressBoundaries are a health strategy, not a personal failureThe supplement industry is confusing and poorly regulatedFewer, targeted supplements work better than long listsMenopause during illness adds another invisible layer of strainEducation is one of the most powerful forms of careThe healthcare system is breaking under capacity pressureResilience is built through clarity, support, and agencyGuest ContactDr. Laura James NDWebsite: https://www.laurajamesnd.comSupplement line: https://bestforbreast.com--- Subscribe and ReviewIf you loved this episode, drop us a review, share it with a badass woman in your life, and subscribe to Badass Women in Business wherever you get your podcasts. Stay badass. Stay bold. Build it your way. Keep up with more content from Aggie and Cristy here: Facebook: Empowered Women Leaders Instagram: @badass_women_in_business LinkedIn: ProveHer - Badass Women in Business Website: Badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com Athena: athenaac.com