Podcast
She Built It® Podcast
Hosted by Melanie Barr · EN
Welcome to the She Built It® podcast. Join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it - a life and business that they love. We dive into the topic of “how” they built it and talk about everything from having the courage to make career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively, build teams, implement growth strategies, and infuse tech innovation. Magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let’s dive in.
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Lead a $30 Million Dollar Nonprofit and Turn Big Ideas Into Scalable Systems
4d ago00:31:16Tap to summarizeChildcare is not a personal problem. It is an economic one, and the system built to support it is underfunded, understaffed, and breaking down.On She Built It®, Jennifer Cowan, CEO of Connections for Children, a $30 million nonprofit serving the West Side and South Bay of Los Angeles, shares what it actually takes to lead a mission-driven organization through a pandemic, wildfires, a headquarters move, and a national childcare workforce crisis, all while continuing to grow. Jennifer talks about how she turns big ideas into scalable systems, what it takes to align public, private, and community stakeholders around a common goal, and why resiliency and flexibility are the most critical leadership skills in the nonprofit sector today. She also speaks to the founding of New York City’s first Expanded Learning Time model (now replicated nationally) and what leaders need to understand about building something designed to scale.This is a conversation about systems, leadership, and what it looks like to keep showing up for families when everything around you is changing.Connect with us:Connections for Children WebsiteConnections for Children LinkedInConnections for Children InstagramConnections for Children FacebookJennifer Cowan LinkedInWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →How to Build Healthcare Tech That Earns Trust
2w ago00:25:18Tap to summarizeWhen Dr. Maheen Mausoof Adamson’s father had a stroke that left him unable to speak, it took him fifteen minutes to ask for a glass of water. She had just finished her PhD in neuroscience. She understood the brain but still couldn’t help him.On She Built It®, Dr. Adamson shares how that experience eventually led her to found Soof Solutions, an FDA-cleared, AI-guided communication app that uses eye and head tracking on an iPad to help people with ALS, stroke, and other neurological conditions communicate when speech is no longer possible. She also opens up about building a company while holding dual roles at Stanford and VA Palo Alto, navigating the leap from researcher to founder, and why she chose to crowdfund on StartEngine so that the community, not just investors, could be part of what she is building.This conversation is about what happens when science, personal mission, and entrepreneurship meet, and what it takes to build something that puts real impact directly in the hands of patients.Connect with us:Soof Solutions WebsiteSoof Solutions InstagramSoof Solutions LinkedInMaheen Mausoof Adamson LinkedInStanford ProfileStartEngine: Invest in Startups OnlineSoof Solutions App — FDA-Cleared Eye-Tracking AACSoof Caregiver App — Real-Time Patient Monitoring & SupportSoof Provider App — Clinical Tools for Neuro & Stroke CareWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →Adoption Grants, Advocacy, and Building a National Nonprofit From Scratch
3w ago00:42:00Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Becky Fawcett, founder and CEO of Helpusadopt.org, shares the deeply personal and fiercely honest story behind building a national multi-million dollar adoption grant program from her New York City apartment. After three miscarriages and a failed IVF journey, Becky found her way to adoption, and then turned her experience into a mission that has helped over 1,100 families and distributed more than $11 million in grants over 19 years.Becky talks about what adoption actually costs, why she built Helpusadopt.org like a business from day one, the fundraising philosophy that has nothing to do with asking for money, and the conversations around infertility, adoption, and family building that she refuses to stop having, no matter who squirms. If you want to donate, volunteer, or learn more, visit helpusadopt.org. Every dollar counts, and Becky means that.Connect with us:HelpUsAdopt.org WebsiteHelpUsAdopt.org InstagramHelpUsAdopt.org LinkedInThe Fawcett Report PodcastThe Fawcett Report InstagramBecky Fawcett InstagramBecky Fawcett LinkedInWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →Andrea Williams on Growing Tubby Todd the Right Way
4w ago00:24:44Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Andrea Faulkner Williams, co-founder and president of Tubby Todd Bath Co., shares what it really took to build a brand that drives 95% of growth in the baby lotion category on Amazon, without paid ads, without VC funding, and without celebrity investors. What started as a solution to her own son's eczema became a 12-year journey of community-first growth, profitable scaling, and a business that has earned over 50,000 five-star reviews.Andrea talks about the smartest early decisions she made, how she thinks about marketing as friendship, what happened when she sold a majority stake to private equity, and why slow, steady, profitable growth has always been more important to her than chasing speed. This conversation is for every founder who wants to build something real, and keep building it long after everyone else has cashed out.Special offer: Tubby Todd is offering She Built It® listeners 15% off the entire order at tubbytodd.com with code SHEBUILTIT — valid until 7/31/26.Connect with us:Tubby Todd Bath Co. WebsiteTubby Todd Bath Co. LinkedInTubby Todd Bath Co. InstagramAndrea Williams LinkedInAndrea Williams InstagramWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →Trust Is the New Marketing: What Brands Get Wrong About Proof and Claims
May 2600:27:26Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Susanne Mitschke, co-founder and CEO of Citruslabs and Harvard-trained epidemiologist, pulls back the curtain on what's really happening in the wellness, beauty, and consumer health industries. From claims washing and heavy metals in protein powders to why transparency is now a growth strategy, Susanne explains what separates the brands consumers actually trust from the ones making promises they can't back up.She also shares what most founders get wrong about clinical studies, how brands have turned failed study results into powerful marketing stories, and why the gold standard in research is more accessible than most brands think.Stick until the end, where Susanne is busting some of the most common health myths, including why cold plunging may actually be increasing inflammation in women, and what your menstrual cycle has to do with your training performance (follow her on LinkedIn for more details).Episode Resources - ClinicalTrials.gov - learn about clinical studies from around the worldNational Institutes of Health (NIH)Federal Trade Commission - Protecting America's ConsumersNational Advertising Division (NAD)Better Business Bureau (BBB)Investigational New Drug (IND) ApplicationConnect with us:Citruslabs WebsiteCitruslabs LinkedInCitruslabs InstagramSusanne Mitschke LinkedInWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →What Your Nervous System Has to Do With Revenue, Leadership, and Growth
May 1900:31:53Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Jessica Tellian, former medical professional, EFT tapping expert, and founder of The Tapping School, shares why the most successful women she works with often feel the most stuck. Not because they lack strategy or ambition, but because 95% of what drives their decisions, behaviors, and results is running from the subconscious mind, a part of the brain most high achievers never address.Jessica explains what EFT tapping is, how it combines modern psychology with ancient Chinese medicine to rewire neural pathways in real time, and why working with the nervous system instead of against it changes everything from business growth to personal fulfillment. This conversation is for every high-achieving woman who has ever known exactly what she should do, and still couldn't make herself do it.Connect with us:A Stronger You WebsiteJessica Tellian InstagramJessica Tellian TikTokThe Tapping School ™ InstagramA Stronger You PodcastFREE Gift for SBI AudienceWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →Georgia Thomas on Designing Freedom for Founders
May 1200:29:13Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Georgia Thomas, former corporate lawyer, co-founder of E!Studios, and CEO of the eight-figure Venture Haus Group, shares what it actually takes to build a business that runs without you. Not in theory, but in real life, as a founder, mother, and multi-business operator navigating maternity leave, AI disruption, and the constant pressure to grow.Georgia talks about why founders stay stuck as operators far longer than they need to, how to delegate ownership rather than just tasks, what a "perfect team structure" exercise can reveal about how much you are really carrying, and why sustainable growth looks different in every season of life. This is a conversation about building businesses that create freedom, and actually living it.Connect with us:E!Studios WebsiteE!Studios LinkedInE!Studios InstagramGeorgia Thomas LinkedInGeorgia Thomas InstagramThe Social Edge PodcastWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →The Age of Overwhelm: What Positive Psychology Can Do for Marketing Teams
May 500:29:29Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Dr. Debbie Qaqish, creator of Revenue Marketing® and founder of The Growth Factor, shares why the most urgent problem in marketing leadership today isn't strategy or AI; it's the human being trying to keep up with all of it.With 35 years in B2B marketing and a deeply personal journey through depression, ketamine therapy, and positive psychology, Dr. Debbie brings a rare combination of hard-won experience and science-backed tools to one of the most demanding roles in business. She talks about what survival mode is costing leaders and teams, how neuroscience explains why stress narrows our thinking, and the practical techniques (from breathwork to reframing to gratitude) that help leaders shift from hanging on by their fingernails to genuinely flourishing at work. This conversation is equal parts science, strategy, and deeply human.Connect with us:The Growth Factor WebsiteDr. Debbie Qaqish LinkedInDr. Debbie Qaqish TikTokVIA Institute on CharacterLeadership ResetWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →How Amanda Black Built The Solo Female Traveler Network
Apr 2800:19:50Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Amanda Black, founder of The Solo Female Traveler Network, TEDx speaker, and leader of women-only group trips around the world, shares how a one-way ticket to Honduras, became the beginning of a global community of more than 600,000 women.Amanda talks about building her first trip to Bali with a negative bank balance, firing a guide a week before her travelers arrived, and watching 9 out of 17 women tattoo the trip logo on their hands by the end of it. She shares what real female connection looks like when you give women the time and space to simply be themselves, and why, for women who want to see the world, the only thing standing in the way is usually themselves. This conversation is part travel story, part founder origin story, and entirely about what becomes possible when you decide to just go.Connect with us:Amanda Black WebsiteAmanda Black InstagramAmanda Black LinkedInThe Solo Female Traveler Network WebsiteThe Solo Female Traveler Network LinkedInThe Solo Female Traveler Network InstagramThe Solo Female Traveler Network Facebook groupThe Solo Female Traveler Network TikTokWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
Transcribe →Systems, Design, and Scale: How Alisa Sparks Franchised a Creative Business
Apr 2100:21:58Tap to summarizeOn She Built It®, Alisa Sparks shares how she went from managing multi-million dollar military budgets to founding Linden Creek, a home staging and interior design company she built from her garage and grew into a national franchise. What started as a side hustle she built quietly on Fridays has become a 326-page operations manual, a 10-year franchise model, and a community of business owners building their own design businesses with done-for-you systems and hands-on support.Alisa talks about the risk-averse mindset that actually made her a better entrepreneur, the identity crisis that sparked the idea to franchise, and why functionality (not aesthetics) is always the starting point for great design. This conversation is for every woman sitting in a successful career who still feels the pull to build something entirely her own.Episode Resources:Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon LechterConnect with us:Alisa Sparks LinkedInAlisa Sparks InstagramLinden Creek WebsiteLinden Creek LinkedInLinden Creek InstagramWork with She Built It® Media She Built It® Instagram She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr InstagramMelanie Barr LinkedInShe Built It® LinkedIn
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