Badass Women of Promo Podcast

“It’s a nod to Field of Dreams, one of my favorite movies.” We’re kicking of the New Year with a new episode of the Badass Women of Promo Podcast featuring the one and only Jenna Quaranta! In this episode JQ, as she is known in the industry, tells us who she is, where she has been, and what’s next for her - all while dropping insane wisdom along the way. Listen in and let us know what you think!

Rules? What rules?! Danny Henderson, VP of Sales at Proforma Graphic PrintSource, isn't exactly a badass woman of promo. Danny's mom, Linda Martinelli, however, might just be the ultimate badass woman of promo. She also happens to be Danny's boss. Listen in as Danny brags about his mom and her never-ending list of badass achievements, and prepare to be inspired. He also shares his perspective on women empowerment, reminds us that returning your shopping cart makes you a better human, and dives into the importance of working towards inclusive empowerment in our industry.

"You can't get great until you get started!" GUESS WHAT? This episode was originally recorded 1/31/2019 before the BWOP Pod even existed. In it, Charity and entrepreneur/Author Gina Schreck discuss why we set wimpy goals, the importance of celebrating at the summit, can and can't vs will and won't, social media strategy, and SO. MUCH. MORE. It's a little longer than most episodes and a bit all over the place, but you'll learn a ton. Grab a note taking device and get ready. It's the Badass Women of Promo Podcast Episode #31. Let's roll!

Julie Kwan is the HR Talent Development Consultant at Hilltop Holdings, although she earned her spot on the Badass Women of Promo Podcast for the incredible work she did prior to her current role in finance, as PPAI's manager of diversity and learning engagement. 2020 brought a lot of unexpected changes for all of us, and while Julie is no longer working in promo, the conversations she started at PPAI of how we continue to broaden peoples' perspective on diversity in our industry is one that is still relevant, even more so today than when this conversation was recorded a year ago. Listen up y'all, and welcome to episode 30!

If this conversation doesn't just scream empowerment (through a plastic megaphone with a one-color imprint) on all levels, we don't know what does. Listen in as Samantha Kates, VP of Sales, and Ashley Colautti, Senior Account Manager for industry service provider commonsku, about what it's like being two of the women behind the company whose community of distributors have achieved $1 Billion in network volume as of April 2021. They also talk about the inspiration they get to be a part of daily, working for the powerhouse that is Mark and Catherine Graham, the power in empowering each other in all things we do, and they even get real about the effects the pandemic has had on them, their families, and their careers. This is one you do not one to miss, friends.

Adrienne Palmer is the editor-in-chief of Big Picture and Screen Printing Magazines, the host of the recently launched podcast, Screen Saver, and is a frequent speaker and panelist at various industry events. Listen in as Adrienne makes apparel decoration sound sexy (because it is), and hear about all of the ways she is working to bring more diversity into the world of screen printing; specifically when it comes to women and women of color. Adrienne also shares her views on the importance of advocating for ourselves as much as others, and find out who her badass women of promo inspirations are, and how they helped her get to where she is today.

Melissa Newman has been the babe behind social media and podcasts for the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) for the past eight months, although if you follow her, you'd think she was an industry vet. Listen in as we talk to Melissa about her evolving passion for all things social media, why she loves being in the world of promo, and hear how with not even a full year into this industry, she's already making a name for herself and carving her path for the long haul.

If you don't know Roni Wright, she is an incredible 30+ year industry veteran and VP of Florida-based supplier The Book Company. In 2020, Roni earned the highest honor of being inducted into PPAI's Hall of Fame. Listen in as this life-long-learning, knowledge-seeking, yoga-mastering, adventure-taking, all-around amazing badass woman of promo shares some inspiration drawn from her experiences of dealing with "the yucky stuff" of life, and how this industry has been a wonderful staple throughout it all.

Sandra Kelly is the founder and COO of the Michigan-based distributorship Prestige Promotions, as well as the current president of regional association MiPPA. Listen in as Sandra talks with us about her entrepreneurial journey that led her into the promotional products industry 17 years ago, what it means to "operate in your space of unique genius," and so much more.

Sylvia's whole life changed when her young son, Brandon, was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism called metatropic dysplasia at the age of two years old. And, in a moment of serendipity, her life - and Brandon's too - changed again while walking the aisles of a promotional products tradeshow Listen in as Sylvia talks with us about the power of promo, how one conversation can have a profound impact on someone's life, the importance of not allowing our circumstance to dictate our future, and so, so much more. In a true tale of overcoming, this episode of the podcast shares the story of one incredibly strong young man and his badass promo mom. Hot off the press, it's Episode 24 of the Badass Woman of Promo, Sylvia Farbstein!

Things you may not know about Shannon Walsh Loredo: A post she made in a group one day was the genesis for me starting this podcast the next! Learn more about how the BWOPpod came to be, more about Shannon, and who she considers to be a badass woman of promo in the Badass Women of Promo Podcast episode #23!

Join host Charity Gibson as she speaks with industry super star Mary Jo Tomasini former board member with PPAI and CEO of Competitive Edge. Together they talk through Mary Jo's history and how she came into the promo industry, some of the challenges we've faced during covid, as well what opportunities exist for women in the industry post-pandemic. Mary Jo also talks to us about who she considers to be a badass woman of promo and why. Listen in - Episode #22 with Mary Jo Tomasini of Competitive Edge.

Where in the world has 2020 gone? Listen in as #BWOPPod host Charity Gibson gives an update on the podcast, upcoming guests, what to look out for and more!

Running a household is a lot of work. Parenting is a lot of work. Working is work. Doing all of this at the same time is a lot of work and throw a pandemic in the mix? From whether or not to send our children back to school, if that will even be an option, to figuring out schedules and ensuring everyone has enough bandwidth - metaphorically and literally - working parents are finding themselves having to make some extremely tough choices. Join host and supplier rep with Peerless Charity Gibson, distributor Andrea Weston with Bob Lilly, and consultant and service provider Jessica Gibbons Rauch for a discussion about working and parenting during a pandemic. Have questions? Have great ideas or solutions? Just need a virtual hug? Drop your comments below or on the post for this pod on our social media channels. We're here to help - or at the very least, even if we don't have answers for you - we're here.

From starting with ASI to recently landing at Bel Promo, Susan Lewandowski has spent nearly three decades building a name for herself in the promotional products industry. Listen in to hear her story, get some inside information on Bel Promo, how the Women's Leadership Conference has influenced her, who she considers to be a badass woman of promo and why, and much, much more! ----------------------------------------------------- The Badass Women of Promo Podcast a.k.a. the #BWOPpod was created to spotlight the powerhouse women of the 25 billion dollar promotional products industry, highlight their achievements, provide a platform for their voices be heard and their ideas be shared. Are you a woman in promo? If you haven't done it already, it's time for you to #findyourinnerbadass. Welcome to the #BWOPpod! Big thanks to our friends and sponsors, commonsku and our brand new supporter and apparel manufacturer, Allmade! Please find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @commonsku and @allmade, like and follow, and to show your appreciation for their support of both the Badass Women of Promo podcast, and badass women of promo in general.

Do you know Lisa Bibb? Lisa is the Executive Director for VAPPA & GAPPP. If you don't know that whose acronyms are, listen in and Lisa will tell you! In addition, Lisa is the admin for the Promotional Products Professionals group on Facebook - a group which now has more than 10,000 members! Jump on, listen in, and hear about her experience, what one thing Lisa would like to tell all the members of the PPP group on Facebook, who she considers to be a badass woman of promo and more. ---------------------------------------------------- The Badass Women of Promo Podcast a.k.a. the #BWOPpod was created to spotlight the powerhouse women of the 25 billion dollar promotional products industry, highlight their achievements, provide a platform for their voices be heard and their ideas be shared. Are you a woman in promo? If you haven't done it already, it's time for you to #findyourinnerbadass. Welcome to the #BWOPpod! Big thanks to our friends and sponsors, commonsku and our brand new supporter and apparel manufacturer, Allmade! Please find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @commonsku and @allmade, like and follow, and to show your appreciation for their support of both the Badass Women of Promo podcast, and badass women of promo in general.

Today we're getting to know Rachel Minogue, Senior Account Manager with Monarch & Company. Monarch & Company. Founded in 2009, Monarch is a woman-owned, creative merchandising agency with offices in Chicago and Denver. Their mission is to create innovative merchandise solutions that provide unforgettable brand experiences. Rachel got her start with Monarch more recently and in this episode she talks with me about what she loves about the promotional products industry, what challenges she is facing, who she considers to be a badass woman of promo, and more. As always a big thank you to Allmade and Commonsku for their support of the Badass Women of Promo Podcast. We appreciate all you do to make this podcast possible. #gratitude

"As far as balance. . . It's making choices and shuffling priorities here and there. Or sometimes you just have to ask for help." Kelli Denes. You might know her as the bright orange wearing slice of sunshine of the promotional products industry, or maybe you haven't met her yet. In either case, she is here with me today on the podcast so you can get to know her as we talk about being present where we are, keeping communication open, setting expectations, and the simple and also impossible task of asking for help. Tune in, and as always, please feel free to share your thoughts on what challenges you face and/or what solutions you have found for making things work in world full of . . .well. . . work! Also, be sure to listen through to the end to hear who Kelli considers a Badass Women of Promo. Her answer gave me goosebumps! It is so heartwarming that this is in industry that truly values collaboration over competition. As my new friend Sandra Yancey would say, "Lift while you climb." #ironsharpensiron Happy listening friends. - C -------------------------------------------- The Badass Women of Promo Podcast a.k.a. the #BWOPpod was created to spotlight the powerhouse women of the 25 billion dollar promotional products industry, highlight their achievements, provide a platform for their voices be heard and their ideas be shared. Are you a woman in promo? If you haven't done it already, it's time for you to #findyourinnerbadass. Welcome to the #BWOPpod! Big thanks to our friends and sponsors, commonsku and our brand new supporter and apparel manufacturer, Allmade! Please find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @commonsku and @allmade, like and follow, and to show your appreciation for their support of both the Badass Women of Promo podcast, and badass women of promo in general.

Johanna Gottlieb of Axis Promotions and Kate Plummer of Clearmount just took over as Chair and co-chair of the promotional products industry 501c3 non-profit PromoKitchen. Listen in as we talk about what female leadership means for PK, why diversity needs to be more of a topic in the industry and in general, and just share some good conversation between friends. ------------------------------------------------------ The Badass Women of Promo Podcast a.k.a. the #BWOPpod was created to spotlight the powerhouse women of the 25 billion dollar promotional products industry, highlight their achievements, provide a platform for their voices be heard and their ideas be shared. Are you a woman in promo? If you haven't done it already, it's time for you to #findyourinnerbadass. Welcome to the #BWOPpod! Big thanks to our friends and sponsors, commonsku and our brand new supporter and apparel manufacturer, Allmade! Please find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @commonsku and @allmade, like and follow, and to show your appreciation for their support of both the Badass Women of Promo podcast, and badass women of promo in general.

"If I'm winning at home, I'm winning at home. If I'm winning at work, I'm winning at work. The balance for me is figuring out where I'm going to win - on the work front, or on the home front. " From working with the Alzheimer's Association, becoming an ED for a regional association, to becoming the Director of Regional Relations for PPAI, Dana Geiger is one of the hardest working women in promo. Additionally, she is a wife, a mom, and an all around great person. Listen in and learn about Dana, regional associations, balancing work, travel, and home life, and more. ------------------------------------------ The Badass Women of Promo Podcast a.k.a. the #BWOPpod was created to spotlight the powerhouse women of the 25 billion dollar promotional products industry, highlight their achievements, provide a platform for their voices be heard and their ideas be shared. Are you a woman in promo? If you haven't done it already, it's time for you to #findyourinnerbadass. Welcome to the #BWOPpod! Big thanks to our friends and sponsors, commonsku and our brand new supporter and apparel manufacturer, Allmade! Please find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @commonsku and @allmade, like and follow, and to show your appreciation for their support of both the Badass Women of Promo podcast, and badass women of promo in general.