Paid Vocation with Lupe Prado

Episode #91. This week on the podcast, I am thrilled to be joined by Anne Garcia. Anne is a virtual assistant turned agency owner and team lead for Dklutr.

Dklutr is a team of creatives that aim to help clients declutter their workflow. Our agency provides key services so clients can achieve a seamless system and workflow, be visible online and on social media, and have time to do the things that matter to them the most.

After leaving her corporate work due to a heart condition, she delved into the world of virtual assistants. Her “get-things-done-no-matter-what” mindset and “loves-to-check-things-off-the-list” personality fit perfectly with the VA world and remote work.

Anne loves working with collaborative, inspiring, and imaginative clients, and having a solid team of highly-skilled individuals with great personalities and strong work ethics has been the formula for the growth and success they now enjoy.

I met Anne when I really needed help with launching my podcast. I've worked with her and her team in the Philippines ever since. Hiring her and her company has been one of the best decisions.

In our conversation today, we talked about how Anne has built a successful team and found work that gives her a sense of purpose.

Connect with Anne:

Episode #90. This week on the podcast, I am thrilled to be joined by Katherine Morgan Schafler.

Katherine is a New York City-based psychotherapist, author, and speaker, formerly an on-site therapist at Google.

Katherine earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at UC Berkeley before obtaining two Master's from Columbia University, one focused on clinical assessment and the other on psychological counseling. Additionally, she completed post-graduate training and certification at the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy in New York City.

She contributes as a mental health expert to a variety of popular publications like The Huffington Post, Forbes, ELLE, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Reader's Digest, Bloomberg Businessweek, and In Style, etc.

During the pandemic, she wrote her first book, THE PERFECTIONIST’S GUIDE TO LOSING CONTROL.

In our conversation today, we talk about the different types of perfectionism, and how perfectionism isn’t a bad thing. I never realized I was a perfectionist until reading Katherine’s book. I had so many ‘aha’ moments while reading her book and loved having the opportunity to talk about it with her on the podcast today. 

Connect with Katherine:

Episode #89. This week on the podcast, I am excited to be joined by Lauren Palmieri. Lauren co-founded MEL Sleepwear, a small batch brand she created with her mother, Elaine, and sister Mia, during the pandemic.

Lauren grew up in Upstate, NY, and after graduating with her bachelor's degree in Psychology, moved to NYC, where she earned her Master's degree from Fordham University in Human Resources Management.

Lauren has over a decade of experience working as an HR professional in the financial services and legal industries.

It was while living in Manhattan that Lauren noticed her desire to live a more creative and colorful life. During the pandemic, she chose to lean into her inner artist and away from her inner critic and began dreaming up ideas to design beautiful and functional sleepwear alongside her mother, Elaine, a Nurse Practitioner, and sister, Mia, a junior at Boston University.

As women who struggle with sleep, Lauren and her co-founders hope to inspire women through their sleepwear and community to reconnect to themselves each night through the power of ritual and routine. MEL believes that sleep is a non-negotiable when it comes to following our dreams and hopes to contribute to changing the narrative to sleep being ‘a must have’ instead of a ‘nice to have.

In December 2023, MEL launched its first style, The Beatrice, via e-commerce and looks forward to growing this summer with the reveal of a new silhouette.

Lauren recently relocated from NYC, where she lived for a decade, to Palm Beach where she resides with her partner Remm.

In our conversation, we talk about what Lauren has learned as a new founder. She shares how the pandemic helped her realize that she wanted to do something more with her life. I think you will find Lauren’s story really inspiring.

Connect with Lauren:

Episode #88. This week on the podcast I am thrilled to be joined by Natalie Franke. Natalie is an author, community builder, neuroscience nerd, and mama bear for small business. 

As one of the founders of the Rising Tide, the Chief Evangelist at HoneyBook, and author of Built to Belong, she leads tens of thousands of independent business owners while fostering a spirit of community over competition around the world. She is the host of the new podcast Independent Business and the author of the new book Gutsy which will be released in August of this year.

In this conversation, Natalie talks about the importance of community and how we can go about looking for community in our lives.

Connect with Natalie:

Episode #87. This week on the podcast, I am thrilled to be joined by Charlotte Cowles. Charlotte is a journalist and columnist for The Cut. She also contributes regularly to the New York Times.

In our conversation today, we talk about the power of writing and how we can improve it. I loved learning Charlotte’s perspective on writing.

Connect with Charlotte:

Episode #86. This week on the podcast I am joined by Lori Mulady Burdick. Lori brings over 30 years of experience in the counseling profession, wellness and spirituality.

Lori has been drawn to soul-healing work from a very young age. Miraval Wellness Resort has provided a beautiful platform to integrate her wealth of knowledge, education, experience and spiritual wisdom to create space and to companion guests in navigating the waters of their lives.

At Miraval she specializes in life transitions, relationships, family dynamics, parenting, boundaries, health, and bereavement. She offers an opportunity to realign your perspective and receive support and guidance.

She also offers private consultations for each of those topics in addition to consultations for mindful relationships and mindful parenting. Outside of Miraval she is a private practitioner, educator, presenter and retreat facilitator.

In this conversation, we talk about the importance of mindfulness and how we can create space for more mindful moments in our lives.

Connect with Lori:

Episode #85. This week on the podcast, I am joined by Meg Rentschler. Meg is an executive and leadership Coach dedicated to assisting management teams in maximizing the potential of individuals within their organizations, through customized team-building and/or coaching programs designed to meet business objectives. 

As a psychotherapist and a business owner in private practice for more than two decades, Meg has the benefit of understanding people and their challenges, as well as the keys to building a successful business.

Meg is also the host of the STaR Coach podcast. 

In this episode, we talk about Meg's pivot from a career as a psychotherapist to coaching. Meg is one of the most gifted coaches that I know and I am so excited to get to share her wisdom with you.

Connect with Meg:

• Website

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #84. This week on the podcast I am delighted to have Steven Ross.

Steven is a spiritual coach, ordained minister, meditation teacher and intuitive medium. 

His journey to his work today started about twenty years ago, when he moved to Houston, Texas. After living in the US for only a week, Steven had what some would call an epiphany. 

An intuitive thought that there was more to life than meets the eye. This began a quest for meaning and self-discovery that has continued to this day. At that time he was a 26 year old, somewhat anxious, oil and gas accountant.  

The quest for meaning led him into holistic and spiritual pursuits of all kinds. Eventually Steven dedicated all of his free time to healing practices and meditation.

In 2008 Steven and his wife moved to Austin, quit their jobs and opened a yoga studio. Over a 10 year period Steven and his wife built a vibrant community and taught thousands of students. 

In 2018 he sold the business and joined Miraval as wellness facilitator, meditation teacher and intuitive medium. 

At this point Steven has given close to 2000 "life readings". Last year Steven along with his teaching partner launched The Spiritual Living School.

In this conversation, Steven shares how we can tap into our inner compass to find our vocation. I loved this conversation. Steven has such a calming energy and brings so much wisdom.

Connect with Steven:

• Website

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #83. This week on the podcast, I am thrilled to have Dr. Carol Kauffman. 

Carol is known globally as one of the top leaders in the field of coaching. She has been named the #1 Leadership coach in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith group. Thinkers 50 shortlisted her as one of the top 8 coaches for her contribution as a thought leader and coach. 

She is on the faculty at Harvard where she is the Founder of the Institute of Coaching. In addition, she supervises an international fleet of leadership coaches and has created a Coach Approach training program with a global footprint.

She is the co-author of the new book Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes are High.

I am so excited to share this episode with you. Carol is one of the most respected coaches in the coaching industry and she shares a model for how we can think of any challenge that comes our way.

Connect with Carol:

• Website

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #82. This week on the podcast, I am excited to be joined by Shana Rehwald. Throughout Shana’s decade-long career working in social media and marketing, she helped build brands like Alo Yoga and Grayson. 

At 30 years old, the dream life she built, while coveted by others, had started to burn her out. Pouring herself into a journey of self-discovery and purpose led to her leaving her marriage and an established career path in the same year and shortly after to becoming an accidental entrepreneur. 

Her product, the Me-est Me Journal launched in 2021 with high acclaim and has helped thousands build self-awareness, quiet the noise of the world, and embrace short-term discomfort to move towards their truest desires. 

The Me-est Me Journal has been featured in CNN, Who What Wear, NY Mag, and was voted one of the best-guided journals in Shape Magazine. 

In addition to being an entrepreneur, she is also the FoundHER Program Coordinator at the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute where she helps cultivate current and future entrepreneurs out of UT Austin

Originally from Los Angeles, Shana recently relocated to Austin where she resides with her partner. 

In today’s conversation, Shana and I talked about how we can connect to our inner knowing and we can start practicing that skill with the smallest of decisions.

Connect with Shana:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #81. This week on the podcast I am thrilled to be joined by Alisha Fernandez Miranda. Alisha is the author of My What If Year. 

She serves as chair and former CEO of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with the world’s biggest nonprofits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives. 

A graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics, her writing has been featured in Vogue, Business Insider, Romper, and Huffington Post. Originally from Miami, she currently lives in Scotland with her husband and children.

This conversation was so much fun. Alisha shares her story about taking a year off of work to pursue her passions and why she encourages people to try things that they might fail at and how that can lead to the most opportunity and the most growth.

Connect with Alisha:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #80. For this 80th episode of the podcast I thought I would invite someone very special. I am thrilled to be joined by Jose Luis Prado Sr, my father-in-law. 

Jose Luis is a business and community leader with over 35 years of experience.

Jose Luis is an Executive Advisor Partner at the private equity firm Wind Point Partners. Jose Luis also serves as a Board Director at the Northern Trust Corporation and at Hormel Foods Corporation. 

He is deeply committed to the community and serves as Trustee or Board Director at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, co-founder of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, Latino Donor Collaborative, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Migration Policy Institute. 

Most recently Jose Luis was named a founding Board member of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino to be built in Washington DC. 

Jose Luis retired from PepsiCo in 2014 after a career spanning 30 years in three continents and multiple countries.

In his final assignment with PepsiCo, Jose Luis served as President of Quaker Oats North America, a $3billion dollar company, becoming the first Mexican to lead a major PepsiCo Division in North America. 

Jose Luis has had a very successful career; and yet what I most admire about him is his love for his family, his love for my amazing mother-in-law Rosy, his love for his kids and of course his love for his grandkids 

In our conversation today, Jose Luis shares his career journey and his advice for younger professionals.

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #79. This week on the podcast I am thrilled to be joined by Rachel Kleinman Green.

After 7 years working in financial services management consulting for Accenture, Rachel joined the Estée Lauder Companies in 2018, first in their internal consulting group to work on marketing and creative process optimization, then as director of strategy and innovation across a cluster of brands.

Most recently, Rachel joined Too Faced as their executive director of integrated marketing where she oversees the go-to-market process and consumer engagement strategy from product development all the way to launch.

Rachel has always had a passion for makeup. In our conversation, she shares how her deep unhappiness in a consulting role prompted her to start looking for ways to pivot into the beauty industry and ultimately into a dream role.

Connect with Rachel:

• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #78. This week on the podcast, I am thrilled to be joined by Andrea Campos. Andrea is a first-generation Mexican-American visual artist and New York Times Bestselling illustrator.

She began her career in illustration when the world went into lockdown in March 2020. Like so many others at that time, Andrea felt anxious and overwhelmed by the state of the world, so she turned to art as a way to make sense of it all. 

Her work is positive, comforting, and colorful and sits at the intersection of playful with a purpose which has led her to work with some industry giants including Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez. 

The daughter of immigrants, Andrea is committed to inclusive storytelling in her work. 

I loved this conversation. Andrea is so open about her journey and the doubts that came with it. She shares how she got back into art and how that led to a life-changing opportunity. 

Her story shows what is possible for us when we are willing to step outside of our comfort zone and pursue the things that bring us joy.

Connect with Andrea:

• Website
• Instagram
• Link to Buy Con Pollo
• Book Resource

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #77. For the final episode of 2022, I am thrilled to be joined by Ahmad AbouZanat.

Ahmad is a Qatar-born designer who balances modern minimalism with timeless elegance, seamlessly blending multicultural influences with different design styles and periods including his love for contemporary Parisian design. His design background can be characterized as the fusion of French and Middle Eastern aesthetics as well as his appreciation for contemporary architecture. Because he has been fully immersed in different regions throughout his life, he can relate to those who come from different cultural backgrounds or those with an affinity for distinctive design preferences.

Ahmad was raised in Lebanon and now resides in New York City, he has successfully carved out a name for himself at the helm of PROJECT AZ. With a degree in interior design from the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut and an extensive resume of hospitality and residential design work in both Lebanon and the States, 

Ahmad has gone on to finish projects all around the world including Beirut, New York, Tennessee, Washington DC, Paris, Jeddah, and Doha.

Ahmad has been named to Architectural Digest Middle East's 2022 top 50 designers, profiled by the leading online marketplace 1stDibs' Introspective Magazine as a 2021 “Designer to Watch” and named as an “interior design visionary” in Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine. 

Ahmad also serves as a Founder and active board member of the interior design platform, Interior Collab where after the startup Homepolish collapsed, he came together with numerous other designers to advocate for the power of community amongst designers in the industry, share resources, help connect clients to designers and spearhead events that help the planet and local communities.

This has been one of my favorite conversations on the podcast. I met Ahmad at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas, Texas and loved his warm energy and loved his amazing design. 

In our conversation today, Ahmad shares how he has built his successful design firm and has never given up on his dreams. I am so inspired by him and his story.

Connect with Ahmad:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #76. Abi Gallagher is the CEO of Words for a Season. Her company offers a beautiful way to wear a meaningful word without the commitment of a permanent tattoo. 

Her temporary tattoos work as fun self-expression, but also as encouraging pep talks to take wherever you go. She has blended her love for calligraphy and desire for a tattoo, and created a community of women who wear Words for a Season to celebrate their highs and find strength for their lows. 

Abi has partnered with brands such as Anthropologie, Madewell, Magnolia, and Free People and has been featured in segments with Good Morning America and Good Morning Texas.

This conversation with Abi was so motivating, she shares how she came up with the idea for her company and how she built it for the past five years while working her corporate job. Abi is so warm and so generous in sharing her story. I can't wait for you to listen.

Connect with Abi:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #75. I am so excited to have Whitney Rowell on the podcast. Whitney is a mother, wife, and passionate entrepreneur. She spent the first decade of her professional career helping to launch new businesses and grow brand awareness through positions in public relations, digital strategy, marketing, and branding in Dallas, New York City, and Palm Beach.  

Today, she is the founder and CEO of Miracle Milkookies, a direct-to-consumer lactation ‘Kookie’ company with the mission of giving mamas everywhere a boost. 

Whitney is also founder and host of the podcast, Message From Mom, a platform for conversations with other moms, healthcare professionals, and influencers in the postpartum space to share the resources she wished she had as a first-time mom. 

Whitney is co-founder and an advisor for HerStory, a marketplace she and two friends launched during COVID for local female-founded businesses to sell their products on a global scale. 

She loves connecting with other female entrepreneurs and has helped build a local female founder network called Collective Thirty One. 

I left this conversation feeling so inspired and energized by Whitney, her personal story on the why behind her company and her passion for supporting other women and women founders is so powerful.

Connect with Whitney:

• Website
• Instagram
• Website

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #74. I am so excited to be joined by Brodie Riordan, PhD. Brodie is an industrial psychologist, executive coach, author, and part-time professor at Georgetown University. Her career has included global leadership roles in talent and L&D at Procter & Gamble, Corporate Executive Board, and McKinsey & Company. 

Brodie currently manages her own practice, Ocular, and is also an executive coach with The Boda Group. 

She is the author of three books on coaching and feedback, including Using Feedback in Organizational Consulting, Feedback Fundamentals and Evidence-Based Best Practices, and The Coaching Shift. 

I love Brodie’s energy and passion for her work around feedback. It is so needed because as Brodie points out in this interview. Most people are unskilled at giving feedback and it tends to have a negative connotation. She shares how we can change how we think about feedback and what we can do to be better at giving, receiving and asking for it.

Connect with Brodie:

• Website

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #73. This week on the podcast, I am joined by Jacqueline Baker. From podcast producer and author to founder and speaker, Jacqueline helps her clients embrace their inner leader, confidently advance to their next level, and Just Start™ the things they want to do.

Jacqueline founded Scarlet Communications, a global leadership consultancy, in 2012. With thousands of students, Fortune 500s, and community organizations across the globe, Jacqueline makes a meaningful impact with a modern, relatable, and digestible approach to leadership content creation and delivery. 

Prior to launching Scarlet, she spent nearly a decade serving in corporate leadership roles supporting companies like AT&T, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, and AAA of Michigan. 

Her most recent corporate role as VP of Startup Programming at AARP Innovation Labs provided a unique opportunity to discover disruptive startups across the globe and identify ways to collaborate with one of the nation’s largest nonprofits. She also aided in the leadership development of these startup organizations.

Jacqueline is the host of the podcast, Just Start™: From Ideas to Action. 

Jacqueline has been featured in many publications and organizations including Essence Magazine, Medium, Ambassador Magazine, McDonald’s, and Michigan Chronicle/Michigan FrontPage, and on NBC, Detroit Public TV, CBS, and Metro Parent Magazine.

Her new book, The Unexpected Leader: Discovering the Leader Within You, will be released in Fall 2022 by Wiley.

In today’s conversation, Jacqueline shares her journey to becoming an entrepreneur and an author. I especially loved what she shares on being open and curious and the positive impact that has had on her life. I left feeling so motivated and inspired. Can’t wait for you to listen!

Connect with Jacqueline:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram

Episode #72. This week on the podcast I am thrilled to be joined by Alex Cohen. Alex is a Dallas-based fashion stylist. She has produced numerous editorial pieces and her work can be seen on red carpets stretching from TX, Nashville, LA, and New York. She has been spotted sitting front row with clients at New York Fashion Week and behind the camera alongside Nashville’s soulful starlets. 

Alex paved her way through incorporating her love for fashion and her drive to empower others. She has been able to bridge the gap and bring together high-fashion aesthetics and accessibility for her clientele base. 

When you work with Alex, her belief of “Style is evolving and style is you” always shines through. She believes in the interconnectivity between the outer self + appearance with how you feel inside.

She has styled for Dolce & Gabbana, E! Entertainment, Fresh Faces Runway Show, CMA,  and Grammys 2021. Her recent venture has landed her among the top Runway “Stylist” in Dallas.

I loved this conversation. Alex shares how she got started in her career and how important taking care of our mental health is to being a successful entrepreneur. 

Connect with Alexandrea:

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Lupe:

• Website
• Instagram