E.60Jan 10 2023

On traditions, boundaries and mindful health practices with Ann-Kathrin Grebner and Yasmin Poloczek

00:38:08

Today, Ann-Kathrin Grebner and Yasmin Poloczek shared their personal stories of reclaiming control of their own health and wellbeing. As founders of MY INNER HEALTH Club, they are on a mission to provide people with practical, simple exercises that can easily be incorporated into daily routines, empowering people to improve their mental and physical health. In today's episode, we discuss how to integrate traditional wisdom from the past into your life and how just 5 or even 1 minute of self-conscious exercise on a daily basis can help you become the best version of yourself in the new year. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to rate it on Spotify or leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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E.59Dec 27 2022

How to build a conscious beauty brand from scratch with Jennifer Baum-Minkus

00:32:36

Jennifer Baum-Minkus quit her corporate job not knowing what's next. She found her way into the startup scene after realizing how harmful nail polishes can be for people. After a couple of months of deep research, she founded gitti a conscious beauty brand, with the mission to offer products that are good for people, the planet and society. Today we learn how to build courage while listening to one's gut feeling, how to make an impact in the beauty market and ensure gradual evolution of your brand. Hey and don’t forget to share this episode of the show with your friends and family! In 2022 we were ranked in the top 5% most shared podcasts globally - help us reach the top 1% in 2023! In the meantime enjoy today’s conversation with Jenni.

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E.58Dec 13 2022

Empowering women through FemTech and giving them agency over their own health with Rhiannon White

00:49:18

Today's guest is full of courage and curiosity. In fact, her professional journey has been all about following a thread of deep curiosity for people—trying to understand their motivations and choices they make. Rhiannon White, is the Chief Product Officer at Clue, a period & cycle tracking app. Rhiannon speaks to women on a weekly basis across the globe and gets to hear about their pain and experiences which are still routinely dismissed. She strongly believes that everyone should have the information and knowledge to make their own choices. Today we talk about Rhiannon's captivating journey in politics, her path into product and, of course, the future of FemTech. Don’t forget to share this episode of the show with your friends and family. In 2022 we were ranked in the top 5% most shared podcasts globally—help us reach the top 1% in 2023.

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E.57Nov 29 2022

Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses as a founder with Emma Tracey

00:40:29

Emma Tracey worked as a journalist in Colombia and founded a communications agency in South Africa. In 2015 she came to Berlin where she found herself doing something completely new - co-founding a recruitment platform called Honeypot. Reflecting back, Emma didn’t feel like she was “qualified” per se to found a tech company. But she also knew that she would figure most of it out. And she actually did. In fact in 2019 XING acquired Honeypot for €57 million, where Emma achieved what all founders dream of - successful establishment and the million-euro deal. Today we speak about why people hold themselves back as they think they aren’t good enough and how one can tackle that. We reflect on Emma’s success, explorations and what is holding her in Berlin. Get ready to hear Emma’s story and make sure to sign up for our newsletter via the website waa.berlin.

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E.56Nov 15 2022

Learning how to scale your expertise and talent with Laura Lewandowski

00:50:58

Our guest today is Laura Lewandowski, the founder of the media brand Smart Chiefs and co-founder of the YouTube show Meet Your Mentor. As one of the leading voices in the German digital scene, Laura writes on social media, in her newsletter and as a columnist for Business Insider about the new work, creator economy and personal development. We talk about her successful career as a creator, self-optimization and how Laura balances entrepreneurship and motherhood. I hope you enjoy today’s conversation and make sure you subscribe to our newsletter via waa.berlin.

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E.55Nov 01 2022

Unlocking the new age of social commerce with Deann Evans (Live Podcast)

00:34:02

Today with me live on stage here in London is Deann Evans, Director of EMEA Expansion at Shopify. More and more SMEs and creators are unlocking the power of social commerce through platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Youtube, where social commerce orders grew four times in the beginning of the year. As the bridge from content to commerce gets shorter, Shopify continues to innovate and build tools for the creator economy, where new products like YouTube Shopping are making it easier for creators and brands to sell directly on YouTube. Today we speak about the exciting future of commerce. If you enjoyed the episode make sure to leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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E.54Oct 18 2022

On mastering Data Science and how one’s path is never linear with Dr. Alisa Kim

00:55:30

First time in the studio we get to welcome a data scientist! Dr. Alisa Kim is the Head of Data Products at Vestiaire Collective where she follows her passion for machine learning applications to achieve corporate sustainability goals, upgrading traditional business operations. Previously Alisa worked at Amazon Web Services as a research scientist and was an educator at Humboldt University of Berlin. Today we speak how Alisa’s path to becoming a data scientist was everything but linear. She lived in Hong Kong, built a company where she was selling high end Chinese tea in Mexico and reinvented herself in the mid 20’s to kick start the career in data science. Get ready to hear Alisa’s unique story and make sure to sign up for our newsletter via the website waa.berlin.

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E.53Oct 04 2022

Reinventing the way we find and buy preloved furniture with Gemma Comabella

00:34:01

How can you reduce your ecological footprint and increase your next vacation budget? The answer is simple - by buying and selling only used furniture. Gemma Comabella is the co-founder and CEO of COCOLI, a marketplace for used furniture and interior design pieces. Before COCOLI Gemma was building global fashion and consumer brands like Zalando, L’Oréal, Vestiaire Collective and Showroom, and was running furniture platform Made.com as the Managing Director for the DACH region. Today we speak about why it’s about time that we reinvent the way we find, buy and reuse furniture and why best businesses are created and made stronger out of a downturn. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to share it with a friend.

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E.52Sep 20 2022

E.52 How to navigate a company through economically difficult times as a CEO with Lana Wittig

00:48:20

Lana Wittig is a true Berliner born in Wedding, she grew up in Tegel. Lana started her career in the music industry and has been responsible for artist management and music marketing since 2006. In 2021 Lana took over as the CEO of the media company called EDITION F, a digital home for strong women and their friends. In this episode, we speak about Lana’s upbringing and how she overcame fear of not having enough financial security, overruling that fear with values and purpose. With the recent insolvency announcement at EDITION F, we also talk about how it’s like to navigate a company through economically difficult times as a CEO. We hope you can learn a lot in today’s episode and make sure you subscribe to our newsletter via waa.berlin.

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E.51Sep 06 2022

Understanding how traditional and decentralized finance can be bridged with Jessica Holzbach

00:35:52

Right after graduation Jessica Holzbach worked as a digital strategy consultant for banks and insurance companies. Quite quickly she realized that traditional banking is not innovative enough. At this moment Jessica decided to not wait any longer and took the initiative in her own hands. She founded Penta in 2017 with the goal of building a bank that offers a user friendly product and a great customer experience. 4.5 years later she stepped down from renowned and successful company Penta to take on a new challenge and launch - Pile Capital, a Crypto-as-a-service company that is giving access to DeFi products for startups and neobanks. Today we speak about Jessica’s journey as a serial founder, fundraising in the times of economic downturn and how traditional and decentralized finance can be bridged. Enjoy the episode and make sure to sign up for our newsletter.

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E.50Aug 23 2022

Understanding the nomadic life and discovering diversity in Dubai with Vera Futorjanski

00:43:10

Vera Futorjanski came to the Middle East back in 2015 as a founder at Rocket Internet. She has been leading global communications at The Dubai Future Foundation launched by the office of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and was the Director of Innovation at 500Global. Today Vera is the founder of a global strategic advisory firm, Veritas Ventures and is currently building a supportive community for women. Alongside learning about the startup landscape in Dubai, in this episode we really wanted to hear about Vera’s upbringing, how she was continuously seeking “otherness” and diversity in her life. Vera shared about her past as a professional dancer and how she had to get back on her feet a couple of times in her life. We hope you enjoy today’s conversation. At Women Authors of Achievement we launched our monthly newsletter, so make sure to sign up for that via waa.berlin.

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E.49Aug 09 2022

Building financial independence and living the dream with Cloudy Zakrocki

00:41:30

In Germany, she is known as the expert for all things digital media and her name is Cloudy Zakrocki. Up until 2021, Cloudy was the Vice President for International Content & Brand Strategy at Refinery29, she was also the Editor in Chief of German INTERVIEW Magazine and LesMads, the first and leading fashion blog in Germany. Today she is the founder of the interior brand HAND IN HAND and co-founder of creative agencies MIKADO CULTURE and ONLY GOOD PEOPLE. We talk about her year of saying yes to life experiences, how she built her financial independence to live the dreams, and what authenticity is in today's digital world. Grab a lemonade and enjoy this episode. If you want to follow the latest news on Women Authors of Achievement, sign up for our newsletter via waa.berlin.

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E.48Jul 26 2022

Unlocking new ways of rewarding communities via Web3 with Katia Yakovleva

00:41:04

From a no-name startup to a post-IPO industry giant, Katia Yakovleva joined Spotify back in 2009 as one of the first sales executives. She built out advertising sales both in Spain and Germany and was leading strategic accounts, generating millions of revenue for the company over the years. Today Katia is wearing many hats. She is the Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Beyond, angel investor and a podcast host. In this episode we speak about her wild ride at Spotify, her mission to share her experience and industry network with founders, and how Web3 opens a whole new world of possibilities to create, grow and reward communities. Join us for today’s conversation and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter.

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E.47Jul 12 2022

Attracting talent by offering inclusive fertility benefits with Jenny Saft

00:38:20

In 2019 Jenny Saft turned 32. With no partner and no desire to have kids anytime soon she decided to freeze her eggs. But the issues started to arise even before she found a fertility clinic. Long story short, this experience encouraged her to kick off her own startup called Apryl. According to Apryl, in Germany over 50% of women with academic education do not have kids at age of 35. And it's been Jenny’s mission to educate companies on the huge social challenges infertility may bring. Today we also speak about Jenny’s time working closely with the management board at Deutsche Telekom, her life in San Francisco and how she is planning to build more inclusive workplaces in Europe. If you don’t want to miss out on the next episode release, then sign up to our newsletter.

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E.46Jun 28 2022

On society, racial justice and self-identification with Constanze Osei

00:41:33

From the German Bundestag to the tech giant Meta. Constanze Osei started her career in politics later on heading the department of economic and innovation policy at the Germany’s digital association Bitkom. Today she is the Head of Society & Innovation Policy at Meta (previously Facebook). We speak about racial justice, explore self-identification and discover the interplay between technology advancements and impact it has on our society. If you want to move things, you have to move people, so join me for today’s conversion to learn how Constanze is making a difference with her work. And if you enjoyed the episode, take a few moments and leave a review.

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E.45Jun 14 2022

On the creator economy with Jennifer Phan

00:31:34

Are you an everyday creator? Then this episode is for you. Together with Jennifer Phan we discover the creator economy and how side-hustlers are developing the passion economy of the future. Jennifer herself left the VC world back in 2021 to build Passionfroot, an operating system that helps creators manage their financing and workflows in one place. In this episode, we speak about why Jennifer is passionate about empowering people to work and live on their own terms and how creators can get into angel investing. If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or rate the show on Spotfiy. We really love reading your comments.

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E.44May 31 2022

What is takes to build an organic beauty brand with Stephanie Dettmann

00:39:35

After finishing her studies in communications and business, Stephanie Dettmann started her advertising career in 1998 at the well-known creative agency Jung von Matt. She worked with lifestyle brands such as Sixt, Mini, BMW, Ferrero and many more. Then came a change in her life as she switched to the beauty industry and co-founded organic beauty label UND GRETEL. We speak about how she selected her first business partners and built the company brand from scratch. Stephanie also shares the key success ingredient behind building a beauty label in a highly competitive cosmetic market. When you feel like you want to learn more about the show, find us on instagram at @waa.berlin.

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E.43May 17 2022

Turning brands into pop culture icons with Dora Osinde

00:38:51

Dora Osinde is the Global Chief Creative Officer at Granny, a creative agency with a mission to turn entertainment brands into pop culture icons. Five years before joining Granny, Dora worked as the Global Creative Marketer at Netflix where she took the DACH Netflix socials from zero to +1M followers and was later in charge of running global marketing campaigns for Netflix Originals such as DARK (DACH), Elite (ES), Quicksand (SE) and Blood & Water (SA). We speak about her times at Netflix, her plans at Granny, trends in social media marketing and why successful marketing has to be thought of as social first. If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to leave us a review.

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E.42May 03 2022

Why SpaceTech needs courageous and humble leaders with Maru Winnacker

00:33:15

Let’s talk about SpaceTech with my guest Maru Winnacker, who is driven by the mission to build a better world by backing up founders she truly believes in. Maru is an Entrepreneur and the Managing Partner at Urania Ventures, a French-German private investment firm committed to back scientific breakthrough technology founders who strive to serve humanity for the better. Today we speak about the importance of principles and values, how entrepreneurship embodies independence and why Europe needs to bring back courage and boldness into the startup ecosystem. Don’t want to miss out on the next episode release? Follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any other platform of your choice.

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E.41Apr 19 2022

Lead today, shape tomorrow with Nina Wöss and Lisa-Marie Fassl

00:42:16

It’s the first time on the WAA show we get to welcome two guests: Nina Wöss and Lisa-Marie Fassl. Both have extensive background in the startup scene as investors, founders and advisors. In 2016 they founded Female Founders, Europe’s fastest-growing community of entrepreneurial women, where they solve the two biggest pain points in the European tech ecosystem – access to funding for female-led ventures and growing visibility of female talent. We speak about why Austria is gaining reputation as a hub for female start-up founders and how you can lead today in order to shape tomorrow. When you feel like you want to learn more about the show - find us on instagram at @waa.berlin.

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E.40Apr 05 2022

How to win an investor on the Lion’s Den show with Aimie-Sarah Carstensen

00:31:18

In 2016 Aimie-Sarah Carstensen founded ArtNight, a platform for in person "Do-It-Yourself" experiences - with the aim of inspiring people to break their daily routines and experience creative flows. Today along with her personal journey to finding her passion for creativity, we speak about her experience participating in The Lion's Den and why she is mentoring teenagers across Germany on the topic of entrepreneurship. Let’s learn how to activate our own creative powers with Aimie-Sarah and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on waa.berlin.

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E.39Mar 22 2022

Building a community for underrepresented founders with Deborah Choi

00:52:09

Deborah Choi is the Managing Director and Chief Brand Officer at Bosque, a technology-enabled direct to consumer plant business which focuses on selling sustainably grown houseplants. She is also the Managing Director at Founderland, the first European hub for women of color, built on the pillars of community, visibility and better access to capital for underrepresented founders. In today’s episode Deborah shares how she received funding from Google twice in a row and how to thrive in situations even when you have to start from scratch.

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E.38Mar 08 2022

Dismantling patriarchal structures in foreign policy with Kristina Lunz

00:36:32

“No Peace without feminism” is the core message of my guest today. Kristina Lunz is the Co-Founder of the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, a research, advocacy, and consulting organization founded in the UK in 2016. Kristina is a human rights activist and former advisor to the German Foreign Office. And today she is challenging the status quo in the foreign policy sphere. In this episode we discuss educational inequality in Germany, as she shares her personal story of being a working class child from a village to Oxford graduate and we speak about her latest book “The Future of Foreign Policy is Feminist". If you want to learn more about the show - find us on instagram at @waa.berlin.

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E.37Feb 22 2022

Learning about business culture in Japan with Chika Yamamoto

00:35:40

Tokyo, Helsinki, London and New York - my guest today Chika Yamamoto has been building her career as a product manager, before founding her own company CROSSBIE where she supports startup alliances between Japan and Europe. In today's episode we take a journey into the business world of Japan. Together with Chika we explore how a business can expand into the Japanese market and how a perfect partnership between Tokyo and Berlin looks like.

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E.36Feb 08 2022

Why girls just want to have funds with Katy Campbell

00:31:20

Katy Campbell, known as the Beyoncé of Business, is a two-time founder, has worked at Zalando, Rocket Internet, APX and Porsche leading venture development, investment and branding teams. Today she is the Director of Organisational Strategy at Parity Technologies. A company which is building a blockchain infrastructure for the decentralized web, where Katy is attracting and retaining the best global talent. In this episode we speak about her metaverse, NFT projects and why she swapped Berlin for Paris. Don’t want to miss out on the next episode release? Subscribe to the show!

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E.35Jan 25 2022

Running a multimillion family business with Angela De Giacomo

00:28:42

A German tax advisor by training, Angela De Giacomo has been building a career well beyond the expected. Until recently she has been running the multimillion Indian-American Bissell Family Office, where she managed family wealth and invested in startups based in India. Today she is the Managing Director of WunderNova, an organization which hosts annual events, here in Berlin, with the most sought after female speakers. In today’s episode I asked Angela about her main learnings from her time working in India and how to invite life-changing encounters into your life.

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E.34Jan 11 2022

How AI helps us live better lives with Nicole Büttner

00:32:48

Today we speak to entrepreneur, economist and tech optimist Nicole Büttner. Nicole is the founder of Merantix Labs, where she is working on solutions to enable companies to unlock the value of Artificial Intelligence across all industries. She believes AI has the potential to create a positive impact on individuals, businesses and society. Where people can rediscover what is the essence of being human in part thanks to Artificial Intelligence. In today’s episode we speak about her political career, Renaissance of Humanity, and how companies can plan and prepare for integrating AI.

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E.33Dec 28 2021

Tackling the climate crisis with Lubomila Jordanova

00:34:56

Lubomila Jordanova is one of the most influential founders in the European GreenTech landscape. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Plan A, a Berlin-based startup developing an end-to-end platform that enables companies to measure, monitor and reduce their environmental footprint. In today's episode we understand the difference between carbon-neutral and climate positive, we learn about the European Green Deal and how Lubomila started her journey on fighting climate change.

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E.32Dec 14 2021

Identity solutions in FinTech with Delia König

00:36:56

Delia König is the Managing Director of the Identity Unit at the FinTech company Solarisbank. Solarisbank is the first Banking-as-a-Service platform with a full banking license that enables B2B services. In today’s episode we break down how to build cutting edge products in banking and why a good KYC process will win you customers. You probably also want to know how to grow into a Managing Director role within 2 years working at a company, let today’s episode reveal the truth.

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E.31Nov 30 2021

Gut microflora & female wellness with Chanyu Xu

00:36:44

"You are what you eat" with these words we are starting Season 2 of Women Authors of Achievement Podcast! Women's health, beauty and wellness is a growing multi-billion market. My guest today Chanyu Xu has 10 years of experience as a startup founder and with her latest venture she is aiming to help working women with everything from gut and skin health to essential vitamins. In today’s episode I asked Chanyu about her secret source of energy as a founder of 5 startups, how we can support our gut microflora and the state of dietary supplements in the European market.

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