BlogHer VOTY 100: Meet Our Biz Expert Honorees
Explore the entire BlogHer VOTY 100 digital issue.
Voices of the Year (VOTY) is BlogHer’s annual celebration of women doing culture-shifting work for the greater good. This year, we’ve expanded this initiative into the VOTY 100, a list of changemakers across 10 categories: Wellness Champions, Small Business Owners, Creators, Eco Impact Warriors, Next Gen Creatives, Biz Experts, Innovators, Social Impact Leaders, Storytellers, and Community Builders.
Whenever we need financial advice, marketing pro-tips, or a confidence boost, these are the business experts we consult.
Ali Kriegsman, Author, Co-founder & COO of Bulletin
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
From December 2020 through April 2021, I had to juggle planning, prepping, and executing my own book launch for How to Build a Goddamn Empire, double Bulletin’s team size, and close a round of financing alongside my co-founder and CEO. I’m not proud because the book launch was a success, or because I found great hires and successfully closed this round of financing – the material things.
I am more so extremely proud for getting through this big life sprint. It is rare to have so much on your plate – so many high stakes things nonetheless – and I powered through despite fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and bouts of impostorism. I always fail to remember that I can do the impossible, and I love proving myself wrong. I am proud of my resilience, commitment, and hard work more so than the outcomes themselves.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I love to read poetry. I find it really soothing and a great way to get out of your own head. I have been reading bone by Yrsa Daley-Ward, What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer, and Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans when I’m feeling stuck.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
That you should build your career around your magic and whatever makes you special. I spent so many years trying to become a finance person or a straight salesperson, simply because I saw other people in my orbit going that route and finding “success.” I chased others’ definitions of success for so long instead of creating my own definition. I wish I had known had futile that was.
Danielle Alvarez, Founder of The Bonita Project
In 2018, this Peruvian-American publicist took her public relations experience and applied it to the launch of her very own boutique agency. Bridging the gap between major brands and publications, Alvarez and her team are responsible for bringing some of the hottest Latinx-owned brands and influencers into the spotlight, and “breaking barriers for bonitas all around the world.”
Candace Junee, Digital Marketing Maven & CEO of Epic Fab Girl
(and former BlogHer speaker)
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
As the CEO of Epic Fab Girl, one of my proudest moments in the past year was serving over 4,500 women during our Go-Getter Confidential Virtual Summit in 2020. We featured over 20 successful entrepreneurs, and, in Partnership with Thinkific, we were able to help prepare women of color to transition to building digital businesses and courses at the beginning of the pandemic. This moment was huge for me because it really showed the power of our brand, but it also showcased the importance of why we do what we do – empowering women to shift their lives and businesses.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I spend time meditating on scriptures from the Bible, and I like to spend time praying. My inspiration often comes from the amazing community of entrepreneurs I’m connected with. When I’m struggling, I’m able to be vulnerable with my closest entrepreneur friends. They always find a way to cheer me on, empower me, and give me the push I need to keep trusting in God, myself, and the journey.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I knew how to charge my worth. I wish I knew the value that I was able to provide in others’ lives and be able to charge for that. It took me years to raise my prices because I could not truly see the value in my work and ability to help others strategically market their businesses.
Brittany Antoinette, Founder of The Idea Girl
(and former BlogHer speaker)
Brittany Antoinette is a former BlogHer speaker and self-taught, multidisciplinary creative from Brooklyn. She’s also the founder of The Idea Girl, a bustling creative agency aimed at helping ambitious entrepreneurs build inspiring brands; and The Netwerk, a space for entrepreneurial women to connect and support one another (formerly known as The Idea Girl Gang). With a strong emphasis on branding, Brittany and her team help women entrepreneurs tell brand stories in a beautiful way.
Jenell B. Stewart, Brand Coach
(and former BlogHer speaker)
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Last year, while my audience was in a rut due to Covid-19, many of them, including myself, sought comfort in food. I made a decision to take charge of my health and created a wellness program to build community and make healthy living fun! I supported over 400 women changing their diet and moving their feet to regain their strength and mental well-being.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
I call on my network of dynamic women who are doing amazing things. I connect and collaborate with them to lift my spirits. After just one call, they quickly remind me of just how dope I am.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I knew how to price myself.
Fadia Kader, Head of Media Partnerships and Creators at Clubhouse
Kader, a music and branding veteran at the top of her game, is responsible for boosting some of the most exciting cultural events and movements in recent years, including Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s massively popular Verzuz series. After four years as Instagram’s Music Partnership Lead, Kader is now Head of Media Partnerships at Clubhouse and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Kathryn Finney, Founder & CEO of Genius Guild
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
Launching my new company, Genius Guild, is the boldest thing I’ve ever done (in a life of doing really bold things)! It is the natural progression of years of thought leadership and community building. Genius Guild represents a league of extraordinary geniuses who are coming together to rethink, restructure and rebuild access to capital that fully supports positive actions and supports a community of Black Innovators.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
As a founder, it’s important to find times to break away from the fast-paced life of high-stakes decision-making and constant meetings. I always advise incorporating restorative practices to break out of ruts and avoid burnout. If you don’t carve out moments for yourself and switch up your routine, it can take a toll on your health, both mental and physical. It’s why I like exercise. Swimming forces me to stop thinking for a moment, which is a good thing for someone who is always thinking.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
Earlier in my career, especially when I was founding companies where I was challenging others to be bold, brilliant, and even rule breakers, I wish that I had given myself permission to just be those things. At those times I was working under really restrictive conditions and always felt like I had to ask permission to be visionary and innovative. But you don’t need permission. You don’t need permission to be innovative; you just are, and then you just do.
Sonja Rasula, Small Business Expert & Founder of Unique Markets
(and former BlogHer speaker)
Rasula is all about taking risks. In fact, she self-funded her first business, Unique Markets, back in 2008, and continues to own it without outside investment. Since then, she has continued to jumpstart other ventures (The Unique Space, Care Package), and host a podcast, all while being a sought-after thought leader in the small business space.
Tiffany Aliche, Author & The Budgetnista
(and former BlogHer speaker)
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
My proudest moment was when my first traditionally published book, Get Good with Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole, made the New York Times Bestseller list.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
What helps me most is service. Service helps me clear out any funky feelings, so I look to the women that I serve and ask myself how I can lean in more. Service reminds you that it’s not all about you.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I knew that I could ask for help sooner. I never wanted to bother people. But I learned that people genuinely want to help, especially if they see that you are putting in the work.
Julie Solomon, Business Coach, Founder of The Influencer Podcast & Pitch It Perfect
(and former BlogHer speaker)
What is your proudest moment of the past year?
My proudest moment of the past year on the career side was opening my high-level coaching mastermind called SHINE. It is something that I have been wanting to do for years but hadn’t quite found the right time and space to make it happen. During the pandemic, there were so many women who were called to step into a higher version of themselves. They were overwhelmed by the burdens of life, parenting, and debt and it really started to take a toll on their confidence. I kept getting asked by the women in my community if I would support them in that. I knew that it was an opportunity for me to also step into a higher version of myself and start coaching women through some of the challenges that I had faced when I first started my business.
Since creating SHINE, I’ve had over 100 women launch their dream businesses, turn ideas into six and seven-figure careers and start serving their communities in a way that brings so much joy in their lives. To be an example of what’s possible and creating a domino effect of support has been phenomenal. Also, creating a container for women who are all growing a business and need other like-minded women around them for support has been a dream come true for me. I also got a book deal this past year with Harper Collins and am almost done with the manuscript! The book is titled Get What You Want, and it’s for anyone who is ready to shed their limitations and get everything they want out of life. The book also has a lot of my story in it, most that I’ve never shared. It may be shocking to some women who know me well through my work, but I am really proud to be able to open up in this vulnerable way and create the work.
Another proud moment of my life this last year was the birth of my daughter, Lily Jo. She was such a welcome light during the pandemic and we have been blessed to have her sweet spirit in our home every day.
When you’re in a rut, how do you get inspired?
Getting outside really helps me when I’m in a rut, especially during Covid-19 when all of us were stuck inside. My family and I recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee from Los Angeles and now live on three acres. I never realized how much I craved nature until we got a little bit of land to call our own. When I was pregnant, it was really nice to be able to go outside and breathe fresh air and just be still for a moment.
Being still has always been a challenge for me as I am someone who is all about going and doing and moving on to the next thing. One of the gifts of this last year has been the ability to slow down and really stay in the present moment and to be grateful for what is, instead of longing for what’s to come or what has been.
What is something you wish you knew at the start of your career?
I wish I would have known that waiting to “be ready” or have the “right thing” in place before you start whatever it is you want to do is a big fat lie! It sounds nice, but it doesn’t exist. It’s not what you need to have in order to get started on your dreams or goals, but who you need to be first. You need to become the person today that you need to be in the future to get the results you want now. How does that person act? How does that person think? If I would have focused on that and just started before I was ready, I would have saved myself a lot of sanity.
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