YOU Have the Answer

Olga Sagan

Olga Sagan is the Owner of the nationally renowned bakery, Piroshky Piroshky. Founded in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, Piroshky Piroshky has offered handcrafted pies to loyal fans since 1992. An immigrant from Russia when she was 16, Olga arrived in America and faced many challenges overcoming language barriers and learning to navigate what it means to be a woman in a leadership role — something that was not encouraged in her home country.

In 2006, Olga became part owner of Piroshky Piroshky and took complete ownership in 2017. Under her leadership, the bakery has grown to four locations and a food truck, teamed up with iconic Northwest businesses such as Field Roast, Uli’s Famous Sausage, Tillamook, and Double R Ranch, and introduced a vegan line. Passionate about leadership, she got her SHRM Certification in 2018 and was picked by Puget Sound Business Journal as a “small business hero” in 2019. She was also chosen by the SBA as the 2020 “Washington Small Business Owner of the Year.” In 2020, she started Catch22Market, a free website aggregator that helps small businesses take their customers back.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • How Olga Sagan started working at Piroshky Piroshky and how she took ownership of the bakery chain
  • What Olga has learned about herself as a business owner
  • Piroshky Piroshky’s history, its locations, and how Olga immigrated to the US
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of Catch22Market — and how the app has grown
  • What went right for Olga when building her businesses?
  • Olga talks about some of her mentors and the best piece of advice she has received from them
  • What Olga is currently focused on and her advice to women struggling in business
  • Olga talks about her favorite food joints in Pike Place Market and explains the difference between piroshki and pierogi
  • Olga’s superpower and how to get in touch with her

In this episode…

Two of the most important character traits needed to build a thriving business are trust and transparency. Entrepreneurs need to be transparent about their products, businesses, and how they relate to other players in their industry. They also have to build trust with their customers and industry partners.

Olga Sagan’s desire for transparency led to the creation of Catch22Market, a website aggregator which helps put power back into small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she realized that many players in the food industry were losing a lot of business due to the shutdowns and were spending a lot of money working with third-party delivery apps to serve their customers. She, therefore, came up with the brilliant idea for Catch22Market that not only provides transparency but also helps build trust between businesses and their customers.

Olga Sagan, the Owner of Piroshky Piroshky, is Andrea Heuston’s guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she gets interviewed about her entrepreneurial journey and her desire to give power back to small business owners. Olga explains how she immigrated to the US, how she came to be the sole owner of Piroshky Piroshky, and how her website aggregator tool is helping businesses in the food industry thrive. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.

They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.

To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.

Finding the Side Door

Michelle Bomberger

Michelle Bomberger is the Founder, CEO, and Managing Attorney at Equinox Business Law Group. As a small business founder and entrepreneur, Michelle understands the emotional and practical aspects of owning and scaling a business, which makes her an effective guide for business leaders in evaluating risk and opportunity in their decision making. She received her MBA and law degrees from Northwestern University and undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Michelle serves on the Board of Directors for Bellevue LifeSpring and Youth Theatre Northwest, serving youth and families in the community. She was honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of its “40 Under 40” in 2012. In addition, she and Equinox Business Law Group were awarded the King County Executive’s Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award in 2013, along with being listed as one of Puget Sound’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 2020.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • What inspired Michelle Bomberger to start Equinox Business Law Group
  • What has led to the success of Michelle’s business?
  • Michelle talks about her business model, how she adds value to her clients, and the types of businesses she serves
  • What drives Michelle to work with nonprofits — and how growing up in Panama impacted her life
  • Michelle’s experience being a guest co-host on The Shrimp Tank Podcast
  • The most impactful piece of advice Michelle has received from a mentor and her advice to women looking to create value for others
  • How Michelle leads like a woman, and how she and Andrea met
  • Michelle’s superpower and her contact details

In this episode…

If you are a new business owner, do you have a trusted person to go to for legal advice? If you are an established company, have you been investing in regular legal counsel? This is a very important aspect of running a business that many owners often neglect.

Having seen how many small business owners fail to seek legal advice when starting their organization, Michelle Bomberger was driven to become a small business consultant. She later created Equinox Business Law Group to provide legal services to such companies. She advises them to plan for their future, manage their businesses in a smart and strategic way, and pay attention to their people and organization in general.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Michelle Bomberger, the Founder, CEO, and Managing Attorney at Equinox Business Law Group, to talk about the value of receiving legal advice as you grow a business. Michelle also talks about her law firm’s business model, how she serves her clients, and she shares her experience being a guest co-host on The Shrimp Tank Podcast. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.

They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.

To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.

LOVE is a Superpower

Cathi Rodgveller

Cathi Rodgveller is the Founder and CEO of IGNITE Worldwide, which works directly with teachers during the school day to provide programming that promotes STEM education and career advancement for girls and non-binary youth from historically marginalized communities. As a longtime educator and school counselor, Cathi witnessed the systemic obstacles girls face in accessing STEM pathways, especially girls from underserved communities. She founded IGNITE Worldwide in Seattle Public Schools over 20 years ago to bridge this gap and has grown the program to reach girls in over 100 US school districts and 50 countries, inspiring 80,000 girls to date.

Cathi received the 2012 Social Impact Abie Award from the Indiana Borg Institute, and IGNITE Worldwide has been lauded by the Department of Education, Department of State, and the National Science Foundation.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • How Cathi Rodgveller’s experience as an educator inspired the founding of IGNITE Worldwide
  • What Cathi’s bold mission statement means to her
  • What is STEM education?
  • How Cathi organizes STEM events for girls and what has led to her success with IGNITE Worldwide
  • Cathi talks about her motivation for her work and the need for funding 
  • How to support IGNITE Worldwide
  • Cathi’s superpower and contact details

In this episode…

Although many school-going girls love STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and would love to venture into careers in these fields, few of them actually pursue those careers. The main reason behind this is that girls shy away from appearing smart in front of their peers and do not want to stand out.

This perception minimizes girls’ powers and abilities and ultimately limits their career prospects. This problem is common in many schools worldwide and not just in the US. To change the narrative, it is important to instill power, courage, and confidence in these girls at a young age. They need to know just how capable and talented they are, and receive the support they need to dream big, own their intelligence, and harness their full potential. 

Cathi Rodgveller, the Founder and CEO of IGNITE Worldwide, is Andrea Heuston’s guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about community and providing educational opportunities for girls and non-binary youth. Cathi discusses what STEM education means, explains what drove her to start IGNITE Worldwide, and talks about how she helps empower girls and achieve gender equity in STEM.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.

They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.

To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.

Listen Twice as Much as You Talk

Megan McNally

Megan McNally is a business lawyer, angel investor, and strategic advisor to purpose-driven people and organizations. She spent more than two decades as an organizational leader, consultant, educator, and public speaker, including executive roles with NPower Network, Washington State Bar Association & Foundation, and Pacific Science Center. In 2017, she founded Diana Sports TV, a streaming service dedicated to women’s sports that failed resoundingly, and the FBomb Breakfast Club, a thriving peer support community of nearly 4,000 female founders and women business owners — which was a finalist for GeekWire’s 2018 Newcomer Award.

Megan was named one of the most influential people of 2018 by Seattle Magazine and was awarded the Female Founders Alliance inaugural Champion Advocate Award. Today, she leads Doyenne Strategy, a consulting firm with offices in Seattle, New York, and clients around the globe. She also serves as a Legal Officer with Foundry Law Group. She is an active board member, advisor, and investor, and has been featured in GeekWire, Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Lawyer. She is a two-time winner of the Moth storytelling competition and frequently speaks on community, leadership, and failure. Megan is happiest riding her bike or whale watching from her deck.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • What drives Megan McNally to make a difference in the world
  • Why Megan created FBomb Breakfast Club and how its culture came about
  • Megan talks about building a diversified supportive community through her club, explains how they transitioned to online events, and talks about their paid membership program
  • Where to learn more about the FBomb Breakfast Club
  • Why Megan started Diana Sports TV, the mistakes she made, and what she learned from the experience
  • What excites Megan about angel investments — and her advice to women with great business ideas
  • The most impactful guidance Megan has ever received and her current business focus
  • Megan’s superpower and how to get in touch with her

In this episode…

In the quest to build a thriving business, many owners often find themselves making mistakes in the way they run their business, how they handle their customers, or through their products. How such mistakes or failures are handled separates the successful businesses from the non-successful ones.

Megan McNally experienced this when she started her own sports channel in 2018. She made a couple of mistakes that turned into great learning opportunities to help her build better businesses in the future. She now advises fellow women entrepreneurs to show up and build authentic businesses without the need to live up to other people’s expectations.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Megan McNally, a strategic consultant, lawyer, and angel investor, to talk about cultivating a supportive community of female founders and learning from your failures. They also discuss the importance of creating products that meet customers’ needs, knowing who your ideal customers are, and building authentic businesses.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.

They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.

To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.

You Can Make Anything Happen

Lei Wang

Lei Wang is an executive coach, speaker, and mountain climber. As the first Asian woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam, Lei has been a sought-after international motivational speaker since 2010. She has inspired people around the world to dream big and achieve a fulfilling life that is truly exciting. As a coach, Lei helps business leaders accelerate their career to exciting new heights with ease and grace, lead their organizations to make bigger impacts, and connect deeper with the communities they serve.

In 2004, Lei, who grew up as a Beijing city girl with no athletic training, set out to climb Mt. Everest. She was on a promising career track in finance with an MBA from Wharton. But she was excited about proving that an ordinary person could climb Everest. That excitement empowered her discovery, and she found that excitement is the driving force that motivates and empowers every one of us — and it’s the secret to innovation, peak performance, and extraordinary achievement. Today, as a coach, speaker, author, and adventurer, she travels the world to ascend new summits and empower individuals and organizations to dream big, take a leap of faith, and tap into the power of excitement to realize their potential and move mountains.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • What inspired Lei Wang to start a coaching business?
  • How Lei uses the power of excitement when coaching clients
  • Lei talks about her motivation for climbing Mt. Everest, how she trained for the climb, and how much it cost
  • Lei’s experience completing the Explorers Grand Slam
  • What Lei has learned about herself over the years
  • How Lei’s life lessons inspired her to write a book
  • Lei’s advice on leading like a woman and tapping into the power of excitement
  • The counsel that has had a big impact on Lei’s life
  • Lei’s superpower and contact details

In this episode…

Climbing to the top of the tallest mountains in each of the continents is not an easy thing to do, and very few people have succeeded in doing that. One of those people is Lei Wang, who did not even grow up with athletic training.

Some of the best life lessons Lei learned were from her experience climbing mountains — as well as from her failures and mistakes. They helped her make better decisions in both her personal life and professional life. She learned that she has the power to change her life and make things happen, and now she’s sharing these lessons with others.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Lei Wang, an executive coach and mountain climber, to talk about ascending new summits in life and business. Lei shares her experience preparing for and climbing Mt. Everest, participating in the Explorers Grand Slam, and how she guides others to reach new heights through her coaching business. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.

They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.

To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.