Starter Girlz Podcast

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders, growth can bring a difficult question: are you building a business you can lead, or one that demands more of you every day? In the messy middle of entrepreneurship, business growth can come with shrinking profits and mounting business debt. Brent Garrett’s story shows why moving forward means facing the numbers, setting the culture, and growing into the leader your business needs. In this episode of the Starter Girlz Podcast, Jennifer Loehding sits down with business owner and coach Brent Garrett. After discovering his business was nearly $1 million in debt, Brent had to examine the finances he had stopped watching, the culture he had allowed someone else to shape, and how far his work had drifted from his values. Brent explains the five stages of entrepreneurship and what happens when a growing company reaches the ceiling of complexity. He and Jennifer discuss the shift from doing the work yourself to leading a team, and why growing as a leader has to keep pace with growing the business. The conversation moves through business finances, culture, delegation, emotional intelligence, sales language, and finding your unique ability. Brent draws on his experience in skilled trades, while the lessons reach business owners well beyond that industry. Chapters 00:00 Trailer: From Debt to Leadership01:14 Meet Brent Garrett13:31 Aligning Values with Business Success22:42 The Five Stages of Entrepreneurship and the Messy Middle33:20 Emotional Intelligence in Leadership35:12 Emotional Intelligence in Conversations39:47 The Language of Sales45:18 Moving Through the Messy Middle50:28 Finding Your Unique Ability54:05 The Role of Pets in Emotional Support58:48 Building Meaningful Connections in Business Connect with Brent Garrett Website: https://brentgarrett.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. https://startergirlz.com Want to be a guest on Starter Girlz? https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

For founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, and anyone navigating a new chapter, this episode explores why you don’t have to start over to reinvent yourself—and how taking action can create clarity when the path ahead feels uncertain. Change often challenges more than our plans. It can disrupt our identity, confidence, and sense of direction. Whether you are facing an empty nest, career transition, changing business, personal setback, or unexpected opportunity, moving forward may require reframing what is happening rather than waiting until you feel completely ready. Jennifer Loehding sits down with Debbi DiMaggio, a top 1% real estate professional, six-time author, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and mindset coach who has spent more than 35 years helping people navigate change. When her children left for college, Debbi began a decade-long reinvention that expanded her life beyond real estate into writing, speaking, coaching, philanthropy, and endurance challenges. Debbi shares why reinvention doesn’t always require leaving your career behind, how she completed the Los Angeles Marathon primarily through mindset, and why movement often comes before confidence. They also discuss resilience, accountability, reframing challenges, the Great World Race, Girls on the Run, preparing for a TEDx talk in South Africa, and the surprising connection between Debbi’s tenacity and her famous relative, Joe DiMaggio. Chapters 00:00 Reinvention Starts With Motion00:52 Welcome to Starter Girlz01:09 Meet Debbi DiMaggio07:02 The Journey Into Real Estate13:39 Mindset and Personal Growth18:22 Navigating Change and Accountability23:44 The Great World Race Initiative28:40 Debbi’s TEDx Journey29:53 The Marathon Mindset31:10 Reframing Challenges33:44 Grit and Tenacity in Life37:04 Defining Success44:12 Family Legacy and Joe DiMaggio About Debbi DiMaggio Debbi DiMaggio is a top 1% real estate professional, six-time author, TEDx speaker, mindset coach, philanthropist, and host of the Mastering the Art of Success podcast. With more than 35 years in real estate, Debbi has built her career around helping people navigate meaningful transitions and move confidently into their next chapter. Her work extends beyond real estate through writing, speaking, coaching, and her Mindset in Motion philosophy, which encourages people to build confidence, clarity, and momentum through intentional action. She is also leading Debbi Runs the World, an initiative supporting Girls on the Run while inspiring people to identify, share, and pursue meaningful goals of their own. Connect with Debbi DiMaggio https://debbidimaggio.com https://debbirunstheworld.com https://networkdebbi.com https://www.instagram.com/debbidimaggio Connect with Starter Girlz https://startergirlz.com Want to Be a Guest on Starter Girlz Podcast https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17044863446695017c1879d7b

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