Starter Girlz Podcast

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, and professionals navigating career transitions, this episode explores why your humanity matters more in an AI-driven job market—and how personal branding and authentic storytelling can help you stand out. AI job search tools can be helpful, but relying on them alone can make your resume sound like everyone else’s. Human experts can help uncover the experiences, accomplishments, and unique value that automated hiring systems and generic AI-generated language often miss. Jennifer Loehding sits down with Mae Schaefer and Deborah Wheatman, co-founders of Craft Career Studio, to discuss how hiring automation is changing the job search and why an effective career strategy requires more than keywords. They explain how to communicate your value, own your accomplishments, and build a personal brand that connects with the people making hiring decisions. You’ll also hear why resume writing should focus on outcomes rather than responsibilities, how authentic storytelling can strengthen your resume and LinkedIn profile, and how to navigate job search rejection in a competitive market. About Mae Schaefer & Deborah Wheatman Mae Schaefer and Deborah Wheatman are the co-founders of Craft Career Studio, where they combine their backgrounds in marketing, research, career strategy, and professional writing to help people navigate career transitions. Through a personalized, high-touch approach, they help professionals clarify their value, strengthen their personal brands, and tell career stories that connect with real people. Connect with Mae Schaefer & Deborah Wheatman Website: https://craftcareerstudio.com Chapters 00:00 Why Humanity Matters in an AI-Driven Job Market 00:58 Celebrating Grit and Determination 02:07 Founding Craft Career Studio 05:18 Services Offered by Craft Career Studio 08:40 The Importance of Storytelling in Resumes 13:40 Crafting Aspirations and Outcomes 17:36 Empowering Women in Career Advancement 20:33 Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey 23:23 The Power of Delegation and Focus 25:00 Crafting Unique Career Stories 27:54 The Human Touch in Resume Writing 30:26 Navigating Career Transitions 33:45 The Passion Behind the Work 37:57 Dealing with Job Search Rejections 43:07 Defining Success in Business 45:31 The Boutique Experience in Career Services Connect with Starter Girlz Starter Girlz features conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders about what they’ve built, what they’ve learned, and the ideas that can help others grow in business and life. https://startergirlz.com Want to Be a Guest on Starter Girlz? Apply here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

For founders, entrepreneurs, creators, leaders, and other growth-minded professionals, success can become so closely tied to achievement that it becomes difficult to know who you are without the title, trophy, or next win. In this episode of the Starter Girlz Podcast, Jennifer Loehding sits down with Dr. Angela Kerek—a former professional tennis player, global law firm partner, entrepreneur, author, and high-performance coach—to explore what her many reinventions have taught her about winning externally while learning how to win from within. Angela explains why high performers often depend on achievement and adrenaline to keep moving, what happens when those external measures disappear, and why sustainable fulfillment requires an identity beyond titles, careers, and trophies. Their conversation explores career transitions, high performance, Active Giving, aging and fitness, menopause, creativity versus execution, listening to the body, creating space for growth, and replacing traditional to-do lists with “win lists” that recognize progress and rebuild self-worth. Connect with Dr. Angela Kerek Website: https://angelakerek.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelakerek Connect with Starter Girlz Starter Girlz features conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders about what they've built, what they've learned, and the ideas that can help others grow in business and life. startergirlz.com Want to be a guest on Starter Girlz? podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders, the drive to achieve can sometimes hide the very patterns holding us back. What looks like strength on the outside may be carrying a hidden cost. In this episode of the Starter Girlz Podcast, Jennifer Loehding sits down with structural engineer, entrepreneur, and speaker Jasper Calcara to explore what nearly three decades of building businesses, leading teams, and solving structural problems taught him about personal growth, self-worth, resilience, and the pressure to be the one who carries everything. Jasper shares how his “Superman complex” helped fuel his ambition and professional success while also masking anxiety, perfectionism, control, and struggles with self-worth. He explains how learning to recognize those internal cracks changed the way he approached his personal life—and why the same drive that helps us achieve can eventually cost us if we don't understand what's underneath it. The conversation explores Jasper’s Be Good, Do Good, Evolve framework, emotional healing, self-awareness, getting unstuck, asking for help, managing anxiety, resilience, and redefining success. Using lessons from structural engineering and bridges, Jasper explains how becoming more flexible and addressing our weak spots can help us withstand the inevitable “earthquakes” of life without collapsing. CONNECT WITH JASPER CALCARA Website: jaspercalcara.com CONNECT WITH STARTER GIRLZ Starter Girlz features conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders about what they’ve built, what they’ve learned, and the ideas that can help others grow in business and life. startergirlz.com WANT TO BE A GUEST ON STARTER GIRLZ? podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders, success isn't only about strategy—it's also about recognizing the blind spots that influence how we think, decide, and respond under pressure. In this episode of the Starter Girlz Podcast, Jennifer Loehding sits down with cybersecurity expert Robert Siciliano to explore what more than 30 years of studying risk, deception, and human behavior has taught him about why we're easier to manipulate than we think—and how becoming more aware can make us harder targets. Robert explains the Human Blind Spot, how scammers manufacture urgency to bypass better judgment, and why understanding human behavior is central to becoming a harder target. The conversation also covers social engineering, online scams, identity theft, password security, two-factor authentication, credit freezes, and fraud prevention. CONNECT WITH ROBERT SICILIANO Website: https://protectnowllc.com Book: Identity Security, Identity Protection and Fraud Prevention — available on Amazon by searching Robert Siciliano. CONNECT WITH STARTER GIRLZ Starter Girlz features conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders about what they've built, what they've learned, and the ideas that can help others grow in business and life. startergirlz.com WANT TO BE A GUEST ON STARTER GIRLZ? podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders, the spaces we live and work in can influence far more than how they look—they can quietly affect our focus, energy, stress, and overall well-being. In this episode of the Starter Girlz Podcast, Jennifer Loehding sits down with interior designer Loren Ng to explore how psychology-led design considers both the conscious and subconscious needs of the people using a space—and why good design starts with understanding the person, not just the room. Loren explains how visual clutter, functionality, and subtle sources of “quiet friction” can affect how we feel and function in our environments. The conversation also explores nervous system regulation, mental well-being, invisible sources of stress, and how a more holistic approach to design can create spaces that better support the way we live and work. CONNECT WITH LOREN NG Website: lorenngdesigns.com Instagram: @loren_ng_designs CONNECT WITH STARTER GIRLZ Starter Girlz features conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders about what they've built, what they've learned, and the ideas that can help others grow in business and life. startergirlz.com WANT TO BE A GUEST ON STARTER GIRLZ? podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b