I Want Her Shoes Podcast

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

Laura has spent her career looking at entrepreneurship from almost every angle. Before launching Ascendo, she founded Endeavor Miami, the first U.S. affiliate of the global entrepreneurship organization, where the portfolio grew to 23 companies generating more than $250 million in revenue. Earlier in her career, Laura held leadership positions at Visa and developed deep experience across fintech, payments, M&A, and private equity. Today, she brings all of those perspectives together as an investor.In this conversation, Anna and Laura explore what makes an exceptional founder, why overlooked markets can create extraordinary investment opportunities, where venture capital may be looking in the wrong places, and how AI is changing the investment landscape.They also talk about Laura’s own evolution from corporate executive to ecosystem builder to venture capitalist and what years of working across countries, industries, and boardrooms have taught her about leadership, reinvention, and success.Because sometimes the greatest opportunities aren't where everyone is already looking. They're where very few people have thought to look yet.👠 Key MomentsWhat connects the many chapters of Laura’s career as an executive, founder, operator, investor, and board memberWhat Laura saw in Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem before the city became a major startup and technology hubThe qualities she looks for when deciding whether a founder is truly exceptionalWhat investors can learn about a founder that will never appear in a pitch deckWhy Laura sees inclusive innovation as an investment advantage, not simply a social objectiveHow overlooked founders, consumers, and markets can create asymmetric investment opportunitiesWhy investment capital still hasn't caught up with the enormous economic influence of womenHow Laura evaluates AI companies in a market where almost every startup has an AI storyWhere she believes AI opportunities may still be underestimatedWhat venture capital may be overfunding—and overlookingWhy Laura’s experience as an operator changes the way she works with foundersWhat working at Visa taught her about building companies that can truly scaleLessons about leadership from working across the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, global corporations, startups, and venture capitalHow to recognize when it's time to leave a successful chapter and reinvent yourselfThis episode is ultimately about seeing possibility before it becomes obvious.Great founders don't all look the same. Great ideas don't come from one demographic, one geography, or one network. And some of the most compelling investment opportunities may exist precisely because everyone else is looking somewhere else.Laura’s own career is also a reminder that reinvention doesn't mean leaving your experience behind. Every chapter can become part of the toolkit you bring into the next one.🎧 Listen now for a conversation about venture capital, AI, entrepreneurship, Miami, women and wealth, leadership, reinvention—and what it really takes to recognize an opportunity before the rest of the world does.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 Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/ Laura’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-i-mayd%C3%B3n-22018a/ Ascendo VC: https://ascendo.vc/  EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube

Over nearly two decades, Joanna has helped build and scale some of the most recognizable brands across technology, health, wellness, travel, and consumer products. She’s served as CMO of Spring Health, Skyscanner, ClassPass, and Reforge, worked across nine startups, led teams of more than 280 people, and helped scale global businesses reaching more than 110 million people each month.But after years of helping other founders build extraordinary companies, Joanna is entering a new chapter: building something of her own.In this conversation, Anna and Joanna explore what separates great marketing from a brand that becomes part of culture, what decades of operating have taught Joanna about leadership, how AI is reshaping marketing, and why curiosity may be one of the most important qualities we can carry into the next chapter of our lives.They also dive into Joanna’s newest venture, NEON PALM, and what it feels like to move from advising founders to becoming one herself.Because the most interesting careers rarely follow a straight line. And as Joanna says, beautiful things are never built alone.👠 Key MomentsWhat nine startups taught Joanna about building, scaling, and starting overWhy Joanna considers herself an operator first—and a marketer secondThe difference between great marketing and building a brand that becomes part of cultureHow to keep brands human while operating at massive scaleWhy creating cultural conversations matters more than simply creating contentWhat companies are still getting wrong about growth marketingHow AI will transform marketing—and where human creativity will become even more valuableWhy more AI-generated content doesn’t necessarily mean more meaningful contentThe story behind Joanna’s new venture, NEON PALMWhat becoming a founder has taught her after years of advising other foundersThis episode is a conversation about building, reinvention, and staying curious—even after you’ve already achieved extraordinary things.Because success doesn’t mean arriving at one final destination. Sometimes the most exciting thing you can do is decide to build again.🎧 Listen now for a conversation about brands, AI, leadership, style, entrepreneurship, and why the best things we create are rarely created alone.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 Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/ Joanna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannalord Joanna’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannalord/ Neon Palm: https://neonpalm.co/  EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube

One of the summer’s biggest stories was the announcement and subsequent cancellation of John Galliano: Horizons, the major Spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition that would have celebrated Galliano’s extraordinary and complicated career. Naturally, Anna and Ella have opinions. Was canceling the exhibition the right decision? Can we separate the art from the artist? And what would a Galliano-inspired Met Gala have looked like if it had actually happened? But Galliano is far from the only designer on trial. Ella arrives with a confession of her own: she finally caved and bought her first pair of Matthieu Blazy Chanel shoes. So, is Blazy making Chanel exciting again and could we be witnessing the beginning of a new era for the house? And while we’re asking important questions... why is everything suddenly “chic”? Chic restaurants. Chic sneakers. Chic vacations. Chic interiors. Chic water bottles. Has social media officially ruined the word? After years of quiet luxury and understated minimalism, fashion also seems to be having fun again. Anna and Ella debate the bedazzling of everything, the return of maximalism and statement dressing, archival fashion, luxury prices, what they’re actually buying for fall and whether we’re finally witnessing the return of something fashion has been missing: Personality. 👠 Key Moments Has the word “chic” officially lost all meaning? The bedazzling of everything—and whether maximalism is officially back Is quiet luxury finally losing its grip? The canceled John Galliano: Horizons Met exhibition and the complicated question of separating art from artist What a Galliano-inspired Met Gala would have looked like Ella’s confession: buying her first Matthieu Blazy Chanel shoes Is Blazy ushering in a new golden era at Chanel? Archival fashion, creative-director shakeups, and what feels exciting in fashion right now Are today’s luxury prices actually worth it? What Anna and Ella are buying for fall and what everyone should stop buying This episode is ultimately about something bigger than trends. After years of understated dressing, neutral palettes, and the idea that looking expensive meant barely looking styled at all, fashion seems ready to have fun again. Maybe we don’t need another uniform. Maybe we need more personality, more experimentation, more fabulous shoes and fewer rules about what qualifies as chic. 🎧 Listen now for Anna and Ella’s summer fashion debrief and find out what officially made the Fashion Crimes list. 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/@IWantHerShoesPodcast Follow us for more updates: IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/ IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/ Anna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoes/ Ella’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/ella_murad/ EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube

Together, Cynthia and Simon have built more than a remarkable venue.They've created a space where ideas are exchanged, relationships are formed, artists are celebrated, and community comes to life. In this conversation, Anna explores what it takes to build meaningful experiences, lead as partners in business and life, and create environments that people remember long after they've left. Because great hospitality isn't just about service. It's about creating a sense of belonging. 👠 Key Moments: How Cynthia and Simon built a business—and a life—together The vision behind The Moore Miami Why hospitality is really about human connection Lessons from decades of entrepreneurship and leadership What makes unforgettable spaces unforgettable The future of luxury, culture, and experiential hospitality How AI may change hospitality—and what should always remain human The role of style, architecture, and design in shaping experience Building a lasting legacy through community The stories behind the shoes they brought to the podcast This episode is a celebration of creativity, partnership, and the people who understand that the most meaningful experiences aren't manufactured—they're thoughtfully designed. 🎧 Listen now and discover why the greatest luxury isn't a beautiful space—it's how that space makes you feel. 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/@IWantHerShoesPodcast Follow us for more updates: IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/ IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/ Cynthia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_okeefe Simon’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-sorpresi-3504a922/ The Moore: mooremiami.com EPISODE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Anna AnisinProduced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby TeamFollow us on IGWatch on Youtube