Episodes

  • Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald on Levain Bakery’s 30-Year Climb to Success

    Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald on Levain Bakery’s 30-Year Climb to Success
    Feb 5 2025
    Unlike MBA grads focused on scaling and selling companies, Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald built Levain Bakery with no intention of selling. Baking was the life plan, the thing they’d do til their hands couldn’t anymore. They embraced slow, sustainable growth for years with no regrets. Then came a compelling offer and a gut feeling that led them to finally take on an investor. Listen as Pam and Connie share how a YWCA brought them together, how a New York Times article skyrocketed their company's success, and why having patience was their greatest tool. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Pam and Connie share: What they loved about their former colleague and supporter, Anthony Bourdain How chance bike ride with an old friend got them a small business loan When they knew it was time to expand to new locations How they navigated tedious problems like meeting with community boards and dealing with frustrated neighbors Why scaling their business slowly was key to their success and when they knew it was time to take on an investor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • CNN’s Laura Coates on Sacrificing Financial Independence for a Career Move

    CNN’s Laura Coates on Sacrificing Financial Independence for a Career Move
    Jan 29 2025
    In 2015, Laura Coates traded courtroom drama for newsroom deadlines, leaving her job as a Justice Department prosecutor to dive into a journalism career. She was a new mom with no media experience or contacts, but knew she’d regret it if she never tried. Fast forward to today. Laura is CNN’s Chief Legal Analyst, a Sirius XM host, and a trusted voice on today’s most pressing legal stories. Despite her success, it didn’t come without sacrifice. Listen as Laura gets real about the hard conversations she had with her husband – and herself – about prioritizing her professional ambitions over financial security. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Laura shares: How she charmed her husband when they first met, despite having a waxed off eyebrow Why she found it difficult to financially depend on her husband while figuring out her career How she got her foot in the door in media with no connections, and why getting the second foot in is more important Why she never shuts down her kids’ curiosity around current events How she’s dealt with big personalities in the courtroom, and on television Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Bobbie CEO Laura Modi on Making the Unpopular Move

    Bobbie CEO Laura Modi on Making the Unpopular Move
    Jan 22 2025
    Laura Modi’s organic baby formula company, Bobbie, thrived during a formula shortage that saw nearly 50% of the nation’s formula supply vanish. As desperate moms searched for alternatives, many turned to Bobbie, leading to massive growth—until the demand threatened the supply. Laura faced a critical decision: continue accepting new customers or pause growth so OG Bobbie babies were taken care of. Laura tells the story of how her bold choice paid off and how Bobbie has future-proofed itself through smart business decisions. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Laura shares: How growing up in rural Western Ireland taught her hospitality Why it took having a second child to push her to start Bobbie How she navigated Bobbie through a product recall just two weeks after it launched Bobbie’s recent 15% price cut, and how the company was able to do it Why implementing paid family leave federally would help alleviate moms’ mental health issues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • L’Oréal CMO Han Wen on The Power of Listening First

    L’Oréal CMO Han Wen on The Power of Listening First
    Jan 15 2025
    When Han Wen got a job at L’Oréal as an entry-level marketing associate, she didn’t even know what marketing was. The interviewers didn’t care. They spent the bulk of the interview talking about her bold outfit, which she got off the sales rack at J.Crew just an hour before. Fast forward to 2022, and Han became the CMO of L’Oréal USA at just 39-years-old. Talk about a full circle moment. Han shares how she made impressions throughout her corporate career, and how she’s gotten really good at listening – even when it might be hard to hear. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Han shares: Why her work stint in France was nothing like “Emily in Paris” The best lesson she learned about being a people manager What she focused on instead of chasing after titles during her career How having kids destroyed any illusion of control, and how it carries into her work Why L’Oréal encourages some rule-bending to make great products Follow Carly and Danielle on Instagram @carlyanddanielle, and be sure to subscribe the show so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • Mother Untitled’s Neha Ruch on Rebranding Stay-At-Home Motherhood

    Mother Untitled’s Neha Ruch on Rebranding Stay-At-Home Motherhood
    Jan 8 2025
    Neha Ruch chose to take an indefinite pause from work after having her second child. She immediately faced raised eyebrows and unsolicited advice. She didn’t bat an eye at her choice. But the reactions got her thinking: why are we riding on outdated stereotypes about moms choosing to exit the workforce to take care of their family for a chapter of their lives? Enter: Mother Untitled, the leading platform dedicated to ambitious women choosing to lean into family life – without shame. Today, Neha shares tips from her new book The Power Pause to help listeners pull it off like pro. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Neha shares: The importance of her gap year in India and what it did for her self-trust Why she couldn’t find the peace and purpose at work that she got from motherhood How stay-at-home-motherhood has been wrongfully labeled as a “luxury” The percentage of women who stop working because of high childcare costs Financial levers couples can pull to make room in the budget for a future pause Neha’s Instagram: @motheruntitled Neha’s book: The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids – and Come Back Stronger Than Ever Carly and Danielle’s Instagram: @carlyanddanielle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Morgan Stanley CMO Alice Milligan on Why Your Career is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

    Morgan Stanley CMO Alice Milligan on Why Your Career is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
    Dec 18 2024
    Alice Milligan left home at 19 to escape a dysfunctional family life. Her peers went to college right out of high school. Meanwhile, Alice spent ten years getting her college degree while working full-time to support herself. She had no choice but to be resilient, independent, and patient. Decades later, and faced with choosing between a dream job or staying near her husband awaiting a liver transplant, Alice shares how the patience she cultivated as a young woman guided her choice. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alice shares: Her deep cut bagel order (cinnamon raisin fans, rejoice) The strong women in her life who helped her navigate leaving home Why working in HR in her early career served her well throughout her career How she rationalized her choice of remaining close to her family or taking on her dream job How Morgan Stanley prioritizes women feeling financially empowered – and how the company’s new marketing initiatives reflect that Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Connie Chung on Outwitting the Boys Club

    Connie Chung on Outwitting the Boys Club
    Dec 11 2024
    She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment. Connie Chung is the trailblazing veteran broadcaster who worked her way up from being a copy-girl at a local news station to anchoring one of the most popular nightly newscasts, CBS Evening News. To get there, she had to make it through the “boys club” of the 70s newsroom. Think: Mad Men, but news. She says it could’ve been worse. But she made it work by being just as confident as they were. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Connie shares: The impact of growing up around four strong-willed sisters How she defied the racist and sexist stereotypes men had of her Her biggest regret of her career and how she reconciles it now Why getting fired from CBS Evening News proved to be serendipitous A cameo from her husband, Maury Povich. Yes, that Maury Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis on Prioritizing Your Mental Health as a Mom

    Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis on Prioritizing Your Mental Health as a Mom
    Dec 4 2024
    Welcome back to a new season of 9 to 5ish. We’re kicking things off with Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis, two best friends and co-hosts of the show “Honest Renovations” on The Roku Channel. There are plenty of home renovation shows out there. But theirs highlights the importance of mom having their own space to recharge. As moms of three kids each, they learned that the hard way. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Jessica and Lizzy share: Their friendship origin story and why Lizzy lied to Jessica about her age for years How they took the jump from being friends to becoming co-hosts of a show Why surface-level friendships don’t last in business partnerships The burnout of filling others’ cups before their own, and how they fixed it Tips on dealing with the highs and lows of the holiday season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 mins