In this episode, Lis is joined by Praise Santos McKenna, founder of Come Plum, to discuss creating your personal brand, throwing out the “shoulds” in entrepreneurship, and manifesting ease. Praise works at the beautiful intersection of brand photography and personal branding for thought leaders.

Her recent Mexico City retreat was a huge success. Praise emphasizes the importance of creating spaces in a retreat that allow space for processing and self-reflection. She also speaks to how she knew it was time to take a sabbatical, what she learned in her time of deep rest, and the role of nourishment in guiding her decision-making.

At Come Plum, a personal brand consists of the elements that make someone memorable and loveable. Praise guides listeners to a revealing question to help you hone in on your brand!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(03:09) Branding and photography to help women align with their value

(05:41) Praise’s entrepreneurial journey

(16:33) Permission to leave the “shoulds” behind

(19:15) The experience and impact of creating in-person retreats for women

(29:55) How to know when it’s time for a sabbatical

(36:39) Come Plum’s lens on personal branding

(38:55) Tips for crafting a memorable personal brand

(46:12) The importance of visibility and suggestions for embracing discomfort

(49:38) Leadership as listening, stepping back, and asking good questions

Resources Mentioned:

• Take the “What’s your personal brand vibe?“ and “What kind of business/side hustle fits your personality?“ quizzes on comeplum.com.

Guest Info:

• Connect with Praise on LinkedIn
• Follow Praise on Instagram
• Learn more on Come Plum’s website
• Listen to the Branding Your Business podcast

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by storytelling coach Liz Morrison to discuss the power of reflecting on our own stories, how to become the author of your story this year, and how you can use storytelling as a tool for connection.

Liz explains the neuroscience of storytelling and why humans have evolved through storytelling. Stories make people care, which in turn leads us to action. Stories are the ultimate first step toward creating better futures.

Liz shares what a hi-story is and her favorite tips and tricks for better communicating your own story, including her story scaffold framework and story bank method. She highlights two ways that storytelling can inform leadership. Remember, you never know who needs to hear your story!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(03:23) What does a storytelling coach do?

(08:25) How Liz turned being laid off into an empowering story

(15:46) Humans are a storytelling species

(18:04) The neuroscience behind storytelling

(21:46) Stepping into author mode

(29:30) How to craft your hi-story

(38:30) Ways to build the storytelling muscle

(44:44) How good leaders use storytelling

Resources Mentioned:

• Reflect on 2024 and begin authoring your 2025 story with this free guide.
• Receive Liz’s free storytelling worksheet, Plot The Chapters of Your Career.
• Download the Plant a Story Seed worksheet.

Guest Info:

• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
• Follow Liz on Instagram
• Learn more on Liz’ website

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Sam Hartsock, co-founder of qb. consulting, to discuss what it means to take a human-centered approach to ESG strategy and consulting, the Remake Ambassador Program, and balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.

The name qb. represents a female-led community in nature 🐝 and reflects the firm's mission to help organizations prioritize inclusive, diverse communities and climate resilience. Sam shares the lessons she learned at the beginning of her career in sustainable fashion and how they have impacted her work today.

She discusses the early challenges of running a small business, the wins that kept stacking over the past seven years, and how she has navigated motherhood along the way. Sam emphasizes the importance of listening to communities and designing solutions informed by local needs and perspectives, including how she does this through her work at qb. today.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(04:41) qb.’s vision for diverse communities and climate resilience

(08:35) Sam’s career journey and passion for sustainable fashion

(21:47) Creating the Remake Ambassador Program

(27:18) The early years of building qb., one project at a time

(32:25) Cold outreach and being selective about clients

(39:23) Being vulnerable and asking for help as a business owner

(43:45) Sam’s work in climate justice, climate equity, and double materiality

(49:15) Her motherhood journey as an entrepreneur

(53:00) The importance of vulnerability and accountability in leadership

Resources Mentioned:

• Remake Ambassador Program

Guest Info:

• Connect with Sam on LinkedIn
• Learn more on the qb. consulting website
• Follow Sam on Instagram
• Sign up for the qb. newsletter
• Email Sam at sam@consultqb.com

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Luisa Alberto, the CEO of People First Finance, to discuss what she wishes more entrepreneurs knew about money, the importance of money mindset for founders, and how to figure out profitability in your business.

Luisa shares her journey from running a juice bar to launching People First Finance. She discusses the challenges of rapid growth, experiencing burnout, and the importance of financial literacy. Luisa provides a simple framework for calculating profitability, highlights the importance of factoring in owner pay, and explains the role of bookkeepers in providing insights and helping business owners make informed decisions. Luisa addresses the harmful financial advice that can be found online and the importance of advocating for yourself and knowing when to seek professional guidance.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(02:56) The power of active listening and enjoying life

(06:40) Opening and growing People First Finance

(12:41) Business lessons of 2024

(16:40) Rebuilding from burnout

(21:35) Learning to ask for help

(29:29) Building a relationship with your numbers

(34:07) Understanding the profitability of your offers

(39:01) Debunking common money advice

(42:44) Cultivating a healthy money mindset

(47:30) Leadership means integrity

(50:08) Thinking big and zooming out

Resources Mentioned:

• Sign up for the email series "Savvy Scaling Beyond $500K" — everything your accountant never told you: https://peoplefirstfinance.com/savvy-scaling-signup

Guest Info:

• Connect with Luisa on LinkedIn

• Follow Luisa on Instagram

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co

• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective

• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Jessica Lackey, a business and operations strategist, to discuss defining your business model, the six systems your business needs, how subcontracting can stabilize your revenue, and more.

Jessica breaks down different types of business models and explains the importance of business foundations for sustaining long-term revenue and growth. Jessica breaks down the six systems your business needs and explores the power of combining corporate expertise with feminist business practices. She introduces the Three Sisters metaphor and how it relates to income diversification, shares insights on creating a safety net while bootstrapping a business, and offers a sneak peek into her upcoming book on sustainable business strategies.

Whether you're scaling a business, seeking clarity in your operations, or simply tired of wondering which tactics might actually get you results, this conversation is packed with actionable wisdom.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(02:51) Jessica’s day-to-day

(05:56) Journey from corporate to entrepreneurship

(12:00) Capitalism + feminism = commerce

(16:30) The role of subcontracting for revenue stability

(19:30) Business models and deeper foundations

(24:05) Six systems of business

(26:12) Types of business model

(31:20) How the Three Sisters method of planting can be applied to business

(37:20) Jessica’s upcoming book

(43:10) Leadership and resilience in business

Resources Mentioned:

• Subscribe to Jessica’s newsletter here.
• Register for one of Jessica’s monthly free Deeper Business Dialogues here.
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What To Do About It
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Guest Info:

• Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn
• Learn more on Jessica’s website
• Subscribe to Jessica’s newsletter

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Emily Empel and Nadine Hare, founding members of Advance Notice, a vision studio and dreaming collective. They discuss their Collective Wellbeing Report, wellness paradigms, spiritual foresight, and how they help people and organizations articulate their ideas for the future.

Building a new future of wellness has never been more important. Emily, a spiritual futurist, and Nadine, a medical anthropologist, share their collaborative process behind Advance Notice's work. An excerpt from their Collective Wellbeing report emphasizes the need to move beyond individualism to focus on the collective when it comes to our health and wellness, among other things. They outline the six dimensions of collective well-being, including the porous body and death as aliveness, and how these themes have impacted their experiences and perspectives. Nadine and Emily agree that leadership needs to be redefined and encourage thinking about relationality and collaboration as we write this new future.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(04:22) Excerpt from the Collective Wellbeing Report

(05:45) Meet two of the women behind Advance Notice, Nadine and Emily

(14:11) A vision studio and dreaming collective

(16:57) Collaborations to live into the vision

(19:56) The journey to becoming a futurist and medical anthropologist

(23:06) The realities of wellness vs. the perception of wellness

(27:51) Six key dimensions of collective well-being

(31:18) Death as aliveness, the aging body, the porous body

(41:18) How to cultivate more well-being

(45:33) Thoughts around leadership

(51:13) What’s next for Advance Notice and the future of wellness

Resources Mentioned:

• Preview Collective Wellbeing: A Report on the Future of Wellness
• GCC x The Now Work: Community Power Hour, November 20th at 9 am Pacific
• Sophie Strand
• adrienne maree brown

Guest Info:

• Connect with Emily Empel on LinkedIn
• Connect with Nadine Hare on LinkedIn
• Connect with Advance Notice on LinkedIn
• Follow Advance Notice on Instagram

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Emily Anne Brant, an Indigenous author, speaker, and mentor. She discusses her journey into decolonizing personal development and coaching, unlearning perfectionism, and how she calls upon ancestral wisdom in her everyday life.

Emily shares how she balances running her business with a full-time job, normalizing how supportive it can be to have both. She shares how a spiritual experience led to a path of healing around her Indigenous ancestry, how that impacted the direction of her business, and how she shows up in community.

Emily defines colonization and white supremacy and shares what decolonization actually looks like in practice. She addresses the importance of unlearning perfectionism, especially as a woman, when embarking on a decolonization journey and the fundamental tenets of down-to-earth manifestation for achieving practical abundance rooted in ancestral wisdom. Emily also speaks to the impact she has experienced of a slow, intentional approach to business growth aligned with turtle medicine.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(03:13) Emily’s identities, privileges, and roles

(06:11) Balancing business and a full-time job

(11:18) Emily’s journey to decolonization work

(20:49) Safe spaces and white supremacy

(25:48) Defining decolonization and colonialism

(28:43) Decolonization mindset, words, and action

(31:39) Getting started on your decolonization journey

(35:52) Down-to-earth manifestation

(43:29) Turtle medicine and business growth

Resources Mentioned:

• White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao

Guest Info:

• Learn more on Emily Anne Brant’s website
• Follow Emily Anne Brant on Instagram
• Listen to the Soul’s Way podcast
• Join the Round Table or the Decolonized Coach Community. Use code LIS for 15% off the DCC!

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In this episode, Lis is joined by Jessica Custer, a social impact strategist and project management expert. She discusses all things social impact, corporate responsibility, theory of change, leadership, and her life-changing experience in the Peruvian Amazon.

Jessica reflects on her journey from the non-profit sector to freelance consulting. She emphasizes the importance of effective project management in driving positive societal impact and the opportunity to better integrate agile methodologies in impact and sustainability work. She introduces her Substack, The Change Maker’s Guide to Getting Good S*** Done, and her workshop, Possible to Probable, designed to support change-makers in operationalizing their visions.

Jessica highlights the need for thought leadership, an expanded definition of leadership as related to different power structures, and the role of the theory of change in shaping our approach to both life and our work as change agents. Jessica’s vision for the future is an inspiring call to action for those of us working to build a better future!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

(03:36) Addressing the project management leadership gap

(11:13) Jessica’s career journey and the impact of her travels

(19:54) Exploring a sustainable sanitation business model in the Peruvian Amazon

(29:30) Changes in ESG and social impact over the last 10 years

(36:35) The strength of generalizing specialists

(39:06) Project management for bigger, better impact

(43:18) Theory of change applications

(46:53) Leadership and different types of power

Resources Mentioned:

• Subscribe to Jessica Custer’s Substack, The Change Maker’s Guide to Getting Good Sh*t Done
• Join the next free Girls Club Collective Community Power Hour on Wednesday, November 20, at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern

Guest Info:

• Learn more on Jessica Custer’s website
• Connect with Jessica Custer on LinkedIn

Follow Us:

• Learn more on our website: girlsclubcollective.co
• Follow us on Instagram: @girls_club_collective
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Girls Club Collective

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.