I Want Her Shoes Podcast

Melissa's career has never followed a straight line. She's moved through journalism, radio and television, Hollywood, entrepreneurship, luxury fashion and jewelry, writing, and interviewing extraordinary women. Today, her work with Future Intelligence explores an entirely different kind of development: what happens when we give our inner lives the same attention and training we've spent years giving our careers. Anna and Melissa unpack something many high-achieving women rarely talk about: you can be incredibly high-functioning and still be overwhelmed. They explore the difference between resilience and simply becoming very good at overriding yourself, why emotional regulation matters, and what happens when you finally achieve the thing you were convinced would make you feel complete. The conversation also moves into identity and reinvention. Melissa shares how a life spent moving between cultures, industries, and versions of herself shaped her adaptability and raises a bigger question: How do we know when we're genuinely evolving versus changing ourselves to survive the environment we're in? They talk about intuition versus fear, science and spirituality, purpose and self-transcendence, relationships, technology, and what becomes uniquely valuable about being human as AI grows increasingly capable. They also explore whether greater emotional awareness changes who we're attracted to, what we're willing to tolerate, and how we show up in love. And, of course, they eventually make their way into the closet. Melissa and Anna talk about the pressure women feel to look successful, fashion as both armor and self-expression, how personal style changes as identity evolves, and the shoes that carry the stories of who we've been. Key Moments Why an impressive life can still leave us feeling like there's more life available The difference between resilience and becoming disconnected from yourself How highly successful women can function while emotionally dysregulated Why getting what you wanted doesn't always create the feeling you expected Learning to distinguish intuition from fear What becomes more valuable about being human as AI becomes more powerful How emotional growth can change our relationships, attraction, and boundaries Fashion as armor, identity, and eventually genuine self-expression Maybe the next chapter of ambition isn't always about becoming more. Maybe it's learning how to be fully present inside the life you've already created to feel it, inhabit it, and know yourself well enough to recognize what is true before the rest of the world tells you what you should want. Because intelligence isn't only about knowing more. Sometimes, the intelligence we need most is knowing ourselves. Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet, it’s definitely worth the view!  https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcast Follow us for more updates: IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/ IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/  Melissa’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/melissakiguwa/  Melissa’s Website: https://www.futureintelligence.app/  Melissa’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissakiguwa/  EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Anna and Maya go well beyond Selling Sunset. They talk about what years of walking through other people’s homes have taught Maya about money, relationships, identity, and human behavior and why selling a home can be much more emotional than people expect. Maya shares what sellers stop noticing about their own homes, what wealthy buyers actually care about, where homeowners can waste money, what can genuinely add value, and what women should understand about real estate as they build financial independence. They also get into the psychology of negotiation and why staying calm can be one of the most powerful tools in a high-stakes deal. And then there’s reinvention. Anna and Maya talk about what it means to start again when people already think they know who you are, the difference between fame and credibility, and turning visibility into leverage for a real business rather than making fame the career itself. Of course, this is still I Want Her Shoes. The conversation eventually turns to luxury, personal style, how Miami has influenced Maya’s wardrobe, the relationship between the way we dress ourselves and dress our homes, and the shoes in Maya’s closet that tell a story of their own. Key Moments Why a beautiful house isn’t necessarily what makes somewhere feel like home What real estate has taught Maya about people, relationships, and major life transitions The things sellers obsess over that buyers simply don’t care about What women should understand about real estate and financial independence What wealthy buyers actually look for in a home Maya’s approach to negotiation and knowing when to walk away Turning Selling Sunset visibility into a real business rather than simply chasing fame Starting over, building a new identity in Miami, and deciding what success looks like now At its heart, this conversation isn’t really about houses. It’s about what we choose to build, what we’re willing to leave behind, and how our definition of home changes as we do. Because sometimes starting over means changing the address. Sometimes it means changing the plan. And sometimes the most beautiful thing you can build is a life that finally feels like yours. Listen to the full episode of I Want Her Shoes Podcast with Maya Vander.  Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet, it’s definitely worth the view!  https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcast Follow us for more updates: IWHS Club Beta: https://iwanthershoes.com/community?utm_source=podcast  IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/  Maya’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/themayavander/   Maya’s Website: https://www.realestateagents.com/fl/miami/maya-vander EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this deeply personal episode of I Want Her Shoes, Sammy returns to the closet for an honest conversation with Anna about the grief we experience and the losses we don't always give ourselves permission to grieve. Anna opens up about losing her grandmother, losing her beloved pets Bonnie and Ozzie only months apart, and grieving the end of her marriage while navigating divorce. Together, Anna and Sammy explore the particularly complicated experience of grieving something that you can simultaneously know was right to lose. You can mourn a marriage without wanting the marriage back. You can miss pieces of a former life while still choosing the life ahead of you. And sometimes what you're grieving isn't only a person or relationship it's the future you once imagined. They also talk about the strange everyday reality of loss: how life keeps moving even when you're grieving. Kids still need breakfast. Meetings still happen. Emails still arrive. You can laugh, work, go to dinner, experience something wonderful—and still be carrying sadness alongside it. The conversation moves through losing animals and why pet grief can be so profound, motherhood and the pressure to keep functioning, the discomfort people sometimes have around another person's pain, and what actually helps when someone we love is grieving. And ultimately, they arrive at a bigger question: Does grief ever really disappear or does life simply become bigger around it? Key Moments The many losses we experience that we don't always recognize as grief Grieving someone or something that is still technically there Mourning a marriage while knowing that ending it was the right decision Anna on losing her grandmother and the things we still wish we could say Losing Bonnie and Ozzie and why the death of a pet can leave such an enormous absence How motherhood and responsibility coexist with grief Why grief and growth can happen at the same time What actually helps when someone you love is grieving Perhaps healing isn't reaching a point where the loss no longer hurts. Maybe it's learning how to carry what mattered without allowing the loss to become the only thing we carry. There can be grief and gratitude. Grief and relief. Grief and joy. And even grief and the beginning of a beautiful new chapter. Moving forward doesn't necessarily mean leaving everything behind. Sometimes it means deciding what deserves to come with us.  To pick up a draggable item, press the space bar. While dragging, use the arrow keys to move the item. Press space again to drop the item in its new position, or press escape to cancel. Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet—it’s definitely worth the view! https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcast Follow us for more updates:  IWHS Club Beta: https://iwanthershoes.com/community?utm_source=podcast  IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/ Anna’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoes/  Sammy’s IG: https://instagram.com/sammidawgs EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Somewhere between the podcast conversations, dinners, brunches, WhatsApp messages, new friendships, introductions, and women showing up for one another, something unexpected happened. The audience started becoming a community.In this special solo episode, Anna steps out from behind the interview questions to share what she’s been quietly building: I Want Her Shoes Club, a new digital and IRL home for ambitious, accomplished, curious women who want meaningful connection alongside all the beautiful things that make life fun.Anna takes listeners inside the early version of the platform and shares the thinking behind it from member connections and curated events to trusted experts, recommendations, fashion, style, and eventually a much smarter relationship with our own closets. But the vision isn't to create another social network designed to keep women scrolling.It's almost the opposite. Anna has spent years working in AI and building technology communities, and now she's applying that experience to something intentionally human: using technology to help the right women find one another and then get off their phones and into the same room.Miami is only the beginning. The bigger vision includes city communities, intimate dinners and experiences, trusted recommendations, experts, fashion and wardrobe tools, and a network that can travel with its members wherever life takes them.And because the Club is still being built, Anna isn't simply inviting women to join it.She's inviting them to help shape what it becomes.👠 Key MomentsHow I Want Her Shoes evolved from a podcast into a real communityWhy the shoes were never really about fashion they've always been about the journeyWhat Anna learned from bringing women together for intimate dinners and brunchesWhy connection not networking is the productThe vision behind I Want Her Shoes ClubWhy AI should facilitate human connection rather than replace itWhat's coming around events, experts, style, recommendations, and our closetsWhy Anna wants the earliest members to help build the community alongside herAnna doesn't want to build another place where women perform how successful, polished, or fabulous their lives are.She wants to build a place where women can actually know each other.Where you can talk about the promotion and the divorce. The company you're building and the terrible date you went on. The investment you're considering and the shoes you're considering.A place to share what we've learned, celebrate one another's wins, open doors for each other and occasionally tell another woman, “Girl, absolutely do not buy those.” Because the shoes were never really about fashion. They've always been about the journey. And this is what's coming next. Adding a chic twist to each episode, the 'I Want Her Shoes Podcast' is recorded in Anna’s stunning personal closet, strategically located near the vibrant Miami Design District. This unique setting not only provides a visually captivating backdrop but also embodies the spirit of fashion and innovation that the area is known for. 📺 Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet, it’s definitely worth the view! https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcastFollow us for more updates:IWHS Club Beta: https://iwanthershoes.com/community?utm_source=podcast IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/Anna’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoes/  EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anna and Alexis unpack why financial independence has to be part of the conversation about women’s empowerment, how self-limiting beliefs can quietly become career ceilings, and why confidence is often something we develop after taking the leap—not before it. They also talk about learning to ask for more, advocating for yourself in rooms where decisions are being made, and the difference between mentorship and having someone who will actually say your name when you’re not in the room.The conversation also explores Alexis’s experience building Business of Her, the importance of women creating opportunities for other women, and why collaboration can be far more powerful than competition. And, of course, they get personal about ambition, evolving identity, personal style, and what it feels like to dress—and live—as the woman you’re still becoming.Because power isn’t something we suddenly earn when we reach a certain title, salary, or age. It’s something we can start building now.👠 Key MomentsWhy Alexis believes women need to redefine their relationship with powerThe lessons about money, negotiation, and self-advocacy women should learn much earlierHow to build confidence before you actually feel readyWhy financial agency is an essential part of women’s empowermentRecognizing self-limiting beliefs before they become career ceilingsThe difference between mentorship, sponsorship, and having someone advocate for youWhy collaboration between women can create more opportunity than competitionHow style and identity evolve as we step into bigger versions of ourselvesWhat if women didn’t wait until their 30s, 40s, or 50s to learn how to negotiate, advocate for themselves, build wealth, and take up space?🎧 Listen to the full episode of I Want Her Shoes Podcast for a conversation about money, confidence, ambition, community, and learning to stop waiting for permission.Because sometimes the most important step toward becoming powerful is realizing you were allowed to begin before you felt ready.📺 Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet—it’s definitely worth the view!  https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcastFollow us for more updates:IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/  Alexis’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-meruelo-499446113/  Alexis’s Book: https://alexismeruelo.com/bookLadies, I’d love for you to join us inside I Want Her Shoes Club, our private, application-only community for stylish, ambitious women. Local dinners, vetted stylists, member offers and real conversations.Apply here 👠 EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.