Women Worldwide with Deirdre Breakenridge

Healthcare is one of the leading sectors when it comes to innovation and creating new drugs and treatments. Today’s guest is passionate about healthcare, patient treatment, science, startups, venture capital, and helping women businesses create innovative answers to today’s healthcare problems. Rafaele Tordjman, MD, PhD went from medical doctor to venture capitalist in her quest to help patients find the absolute best care.

Rafaele Tordjman, MD, PhD is the founder and chairwoman of WITH Association an international organization of female biotech, medtech, digital health, and healthcare executives. The organization supports innovative healthcare solutions across the globe. She is also the founder and CEO of Jeito a next-generation fund with a patient benefit approach. These organizations empower women entrepreneurs to innovate life science and global healthcare.

Sponsor Spotlight: Prep Dish

Prep Dish is a healthy subscription-based meal planning service designed to help you shop once, prep once, and enjoy wholesome, delicious meals that come together in minutes all week long. Sign up at www.prepdish.com/worldwide to get your first 2 weeks FREE.

Show Notes

  • [03:22] Rafaele started as a medical doctor specializing in clinical haematology and internal medicine.
  • [03:54] She wanted to do more for the patients and understand the biology and cells behind the patients. So she earned a PhD.
  • [05:04] She then joined the investment world working in biotech.
  • [05:29] She became an analyst and worked for 15 years. She discovered that creating the best drugs requires a lot of innovation and diverse groups of people.
  • [07:41] Some of the latest treatments include using people's own immune systems to fight cancer cells.
  • [08:05] There weren't a lot of women in the VC world when Rafaele began. There still isn't a lot of women involved in venture capital.
  • [08:57] 80% of healthcare decisions are made by women. This is one of the many reasons more women need to get involved in these sectors.
  • [09:08] Rafaele is part of the wave of getting more and more women involved.
  • [09:38] WITH is a result of Rafaele noticing there weren't enough women in the healthcare ecosystem. She wanted experienced women from different parts such as scientists, physicians, and investment people.
  • [10:59] The purpose is to have a collaborative effort that creates better health for women and all patients.
  • [11:38] It's a global organization with a diverse International group of extremely talented women. They have 500 women all around the world.
  • [12:40] Her dream was for this group of talented women to work on one project and have something positive come out of it. In order to speed things up, she started her new venture which is Jeito.
  • [13:21] Jeito means where there is a will, there's a way. This is company that will invest in biotech in a new way. They also focus on having more success getting drug access for patients.
  • [14:35] Jeito mentors coaches and finances women who are driving medical innovation.
  • [15:52] It's inspiring to have an entrepreneur start an organization with great goals and then move it into a new even more inspiring organization.
  • [16:53] They have a team of 11 people. The goal is to improve things, save time, and decrease risk.
  • [20:31] It's so important to have women involved in healthcare and studies because they think differently.
  • [22:41] As a leader, women have to do much more to keep things collaboratively moving on. Women can be results-oriented. Women should also believe in themselves and respect themselves in leadership roles.
  • [25:54] Even the accomplished women in WITH need support to know that they are as good as if not better than some of their other colleagues.
  • [26:51] Rafaele was influenced by her father. He didn't want her to be dependent on anyone. He wanted her to be able to choose how she lived and what she did.
  • [29:34] Networking is key in the VC industry. It's all about people and relationships and betting on the right partners.
  • [30:39] Rafaele is in favor of in-person meetings.
  • [33:53] Rafaele likes the aspects of patients sharing information with each other on social media but meeting a doctor in person is still the best way to get a diagnosis and medical help.
  • [36:09] Women are beginning to catch up to men when it comes to heart disease. It's more important now than ever for women's health to be taken seriously.
  • [36:41] Rafaele's ventures are not a balance with her family. It is more of a coexistence.
  • [38:00] Women can make their own choices without having to justify it. Surround yourself with supportive people who will partner with you.  

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW192.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Entrepreneurs often struggle with juggling demands on their time. Not being able to get everything done is a constant source of stress. One constant in every entrepreneurs life is that they need to eat. Family meal time is not only necessary, but it is a time to unplug, recharge, and focus on what matters. My guest today, wants to remove the stress from family meal time and bring back the joy.

Allison Schaaf is the founder of Prep Dish an online meal planning service that provides tools to quickly and efficiently prep healthy gluten-free and paleo meals for the week. Allison has always had a passion for cooking and has a degree in Culinary Nutrition. She owned a personal chef company, but wanted to reach more people with Prep Dish and solve the problem of having accessible healthy home cooked meals even when people are busy.

Sponsor Spotlight: Prep Dish

Prep Dish is a healthy subscription-based meal planning service designed to help you shop once, prep once, and enjoy wholesome, delicious meals that come together in minutes all week long. Sign up at www.prepdish.com/worldwide to get your first 2 weeks FREE.

Show Notes

  • [03:22] Allison always knew she would be an entrepreneur. She found a way to combine her love of cooking and entrepreneurship with Prep Dish.
  • [05:35] Allison started out as a personal chef. She knew this wasn't for her because when she got home she didn't have enough energy left to cook for her family. What she did do was take her systems she used for her personal chef business and integrated it into her new business.
  • [06:51] From an early age, Allison knew that food was the one thing that brought people together.
  • [07:25] Food is also fuel and needs to be healthy.
  • [07:39] Using meal prep to create the meal plans is what makes Prep Dish different.
  • [08:44] Allison loves helping her customers, she even saved someone's marriage.
  • [09:47] If you want to grow a business, it involves a team and hiring people. Allison likes providing jobs that people are passionate about it.
  • [10:50] Her team are people from within her community. She takes the time to make sure the hiring process is the right fit.
  • [12:53] One of the questions in the application process is do you like vegetables. The people who create meal plans have strong backgrounds in culinary service.
  • [15:21] They have a Facebook community which helps with support and getting people excited.
  • [16:36] Social media plays a big role and helps them get to know their subscribers.
  • [18:24] They send out a survey twice a year. Their audience hangs out at Facebook and Instagram. Go where the people are.
  • [20:14] Allison tries to be intentional with her time that she spends on social media.
  • [21:04] Prep Dish removes the decision of what's for dinner and adds variety with their great recipes. Deirdre loves the sweet potato frittata and the superfood salad.
  • [21:58] Allison's favorites are the beef and butternut squash tagine and pizza soup.
  • [24:15] Allison's greatest success is that she started Prep Dish over five years ago and it’s still going strong.
  • [25:36] One of her biggest challenges is wrapping identity into her business. She needs personal success and business success.
  • [27:15] When it comes to problems everything is “figure outable”. Nothing is life or death. Sometimes you have to trust your gut and make a decision. Sometimes you have to reach out to other people.
  • [32:42] Allison actually does better when she works less hours and gives her brain a rest.
  • [33:17] There are statistics that entrepreneurs are more productive if they take a vacation.
  • [33:45] Allison is a big meditator. She also follows her own meal plans.
  • [35:52] Entrepreneurs need to have passion, accountability to themselves, and dedication.
  • [38:02] Entrepreneurs also need to be disciplined.
  • [39:04] Allison has been in business for over five years. She has learned to learn from her mistakes, and she has built a great team.
  • [40:05] A series of mistakes makes a great entrepreneur.
  • [40:31] Know your strengths. Create systems, processes, and efficiencies.

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW191.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Are you on the road to financial wellness? Are you taking the right approach? Is it too early or too late to start thinking about financial planning for your future? If you have asked any of these questions you are going to love my interview today with Lori Atwood, the founder and CEO of Fearless Finance. This is a platform and app that gives a complete 360° view of your entire financial situation.

Lori also has the expertise to back up her work. She started Fearless Finance after working in the finance industry for over two decades. Some of her prior experience includes private equity funds, investment banking, being CFO of an Internet startup, and telecom investment banking in Europe. She also has a financial planning consulting business where she helps clients understand overall cash flow and retirement planning.

Sponsor Spotlight: Prep Dish

Prep Dish is a healthy subscription-based meal planning service designed to help you shop once, prep once, and enjoy wholesome, delicious meals that come together in minutes all week long. Sign up at www.prepdish.com/worldwide to get your first 2 weeks FREE.

Show Notes

  • [03:13] Lori started out on her own in kind of a roundabout way. She wanted to improve her video skills and started offering free finance workshops. Pretty soon people were asking her if she took clients.
  • [05:01] She became a certified financial planner. While working with clients, she discovered that many people had the same questions and she wanted to find a way to automate things.
  • [05:40] Lori took her passion and combined it with technology and Fearless Finance was born.
  • [07:16] The Fearless Finance platform can be a way to discreetly run different financial scenarios and explore your tree situation.
  • [08:07] Fearless Finance is only $6.99 a month.
  • [09:21] With the software, Lori is trying to reach people who don't want to come in and see a human.
  • [10:06] She also wants to help people who are making it, but who just aren't financially secure yet.
  • [11:58] Most people are too overwhelmed to work on their finances.
  • [13:33] It's never too early or too late to track your expenses and project your savings. Clients range from college students to retired people.
  • [14:57] A lot of Lori's clients are millennials and what stands out about them is that they are asking questions.
  • [15:47] Getting people to ask the question creates an opening to serve people with Fearless Finance or consulting.
  • [16:59] Lori has an undergraduate degree in computer science. She's always been interested in technology.
  • [17:58] The biggest obstacle when offering something new is getting people to understand that they need it.
  • [19:16] The ultimate challenge is finding a need and then finding a solution to that problem.
  • [20:04] Taking the first steps when starting a business can be nerve-racking. People need to understand the runway of cash they need to get going.
  • [25:34] Lori gets so much done because she has a single focus. She also tries to be extremely economical with their time.
  • [27:40] Lori knows how long things take to do, so she sets out realistic time goals.
  • [30:51] It's better to set out time to do the unpleasant tasks then to get behind and become stressed out.
  • [31:45] Lori is a one-woman crusader for living within your means. She thinks it's better to face things head-on.
  • [33:01] Lori likes tools that help her simplify her life.
  • [34:47] Lori just came back from FinCon and people told her that her app was amazing. She is building the app because it needs to be built because people need a tool to help them with their finances. Lori feels successful because she is filling a need by helping people.
  • [37:52] Your passion finds you. Be open to your passion finding you.

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW190.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

You may be storytelling about your brand, but are you a courageous marketer? Do you have what it takes to cut through the clutter? Courage is something that we need to embrace today, especially if you are a marketer. How do we make a brand stand out? How do we get recognized? CMOs have to have both sides of their brain working.

My guest today is Drew Neisser the founder and CEO of Renegade, a marketing company that helps courageous CMOs cut through the clutter. Drew is a strategist and writer who has helped dozens of CMOs unleashed their inner renegade. He has told the stories of over 300 marketers via his AdAge column, his book The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing, and his podcast called Renegade Thinkers Unite.

Show Notes

  • [04:09] Drew's first taste of marketing was when he was in college. He created flyers and passed them out at Duke University when he was running a film event.
  • [04:36] To his surprise, his tactic worked and people came to the theater.
  • [05:39] Working at an agency Drew learned everything you shouldn't do when marketing.
  • [06:19] He worked at different agencies until he finally had the opportunity to get involved with Renegade, which he eventually bought out.
  • [08:04] Calling your agency renegade sets the bar pretty high. They present clients with ideas and programs that they may not necessarily be expecting.
  • [09:59] Drew's books orchestrates and organizes all of the elements that CMO's use. He used his existing interviews and added a few more, and ended up with a book.
  • [11:32] The CMO roll is the most bespoke role. CMO's are in charge of so many different things from marketing to sales to product development.
  • [12:18] A great CMO can pick what they need in the moment and apply that with some general principles in mind.
  • [13:06] A great CMO has the courage to be unique, and the courage to make sure that the brand is unique.
  • [14:35] CATS courage, artful, thoughtful, and scientific. These are the things that make a great CMO. Plus, having the ability demonstrate that they can solve the problem the client didn't even know they had.
  • [14:58] CMO's have to artfully build a team. The great ones are also great storytellers.
  • [15:56] Being thoughtful and thinking about how to be of service to your customers.
  • [16:45] Science is always creating hypothesis and testing.
  • [19:00] Because of all of the technology, CMO's frequently have to go back for more for more continuing education.
  • [24:09] The difference between male CMOs and female CMOs. Sometimes female CMOs are reluctant to put the spotlight on themselves. They talk more about building and nurturing teams and seem to be more self aware.
  • [28:29] Get the operational experience that you need and then when you get on a board, keep in mind that it is an advisory role.
  • [28:56] Leaders who give credit to their teams excel.
  • [29:43] As a CEO, Drew tries to do only the things that only he can do. He also understands how to delegate. He focuses his interviews on people who will be of interest to his clients.
  • [31:47] His episodes are also a springboard for additional content like his AdAge columns.
  • [32:22] Business books are about delivering hope. Books that give a simple path seem to be more successful.
  • [33:50] One of Drew's heroes is Benjamin Franklin. He was America's first chief marketing officer. "Well done is better than well said." This Benjamin Franklin quote has been a mantra for Drew.
  • [35:26] Drew personally loves social media. In 2008, when they pivoted to social media, it saved their company.
  • [39:16] Drew is a marketing omnivore. He just loves learning. He knows that working on one business and just one channel would bore the heck out of him.
  • [40:14] He also needs deadlines and pressure to do his best work.
  • [42:06] To become a better leader Drew recommends reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln to learn how to bring out the best in a team.  

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW189.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

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