Recent Episodes

May 4, 2022

EP 43: SAVING ONE AT A TIME!

In honor of May being National Pet Foster Care Month, this week’s guest is Gwenn Vallone, CEO of Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles , a non-profit dedicated to the rescue, care and placement of abandoned, neglected, unwanted an...

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April 27, 2022

EP 42: FABIAN NAVEJAS & MELISSA HESSE – LIFE AFTER Z GALLERIE

This week’s episode is part of our Life After Z Gallerie series. Michelle worked closely with both Fabian & Melissa during her time at Z Gallerie. Fabian was born and raised in LA, is a self-taught creative leader and a bona ...

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April 20, 2022

EP 41: MISSY LIVINGSTON FOUNDER/CEO TWISTED WARES - PUTTING THE FUN I…

When Missy lost everything in the 2008 recession, she almost lost all hope. She was broke, had 3 kids, and had just moved again. One day, her youngest was running through the kitchen and playfully yanked on the dish towel she...

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April 13, 2022

EP 40: ALLISON CARTER / CEO - CELEBRATES!

This week’s guest is Allison Carter. Allison is a Seattle mom of two and believes that every occasion, big or small, deserves to be celebrated. As the founder and CEO of Allison Carter Celebrates , she helps make busy moms’ l...

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April 6, 2022

EP 39: HUSTLER OF THE WEEK!

This week's guest is CEO & founder of Swanky D's, Nadiyah Gulley. Established in 2016, Swanky D’s is a company dedicated to mentoring and coaching businesses on how to creatively succeed in a competitive industry through visu...

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March 30, 2022

EP 38: FOREVER FUN!

This week’s guest is Nathan Waldon, Founder of Everything for Nathan & Co . After a bazillion plus years of product development for the big guys, nothing ever scratched his retail itch like opening his own eponymous shops. He...

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March 23, 2022

EP 37: SIMPLIFY BUSINESS. IMPROVE LIVES.

This week’s guest is Kurt Beeken, Owner & President of Retail Dimensions (RDi). Kurt is a veteran of the retail and technology industry having worked in retail technology since 1985. He has written and implemented inventory m...

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March 16, 2022

EP 36: A LOVE LETTER TO LA

This week’s guest is Jeannine Braden / Creative Director & Co-Founder / Le Superbe California . From long time Los Angeles fashion insider Jeannine Braden, stylist, consultant and former owner of the much-loved Santa Monica b...

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March 9, 2022

EP 35: FAILURE IS YOUR BEST INSTRUCTOR

We have all dealt with what we perceive as a failure. Failure can be useful. We can learn from it, gain new insights, and do better next time. The right kind of failures give us new information & teach us something that gets ...

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March 9, 2022

EP 35: FAILURE IS YOUR BEST INSTRUCTOR

We have all dealt with what we perceive as a failure. Failure can be useful. We can learn from it, gain new insights, and do better next time. The right kind of failures give us new information & teach us something that gets ...

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March 2, 2022

EP 34: CHAXEL

We LOVE a #hustler and this week’s guest Brea Menees, owner of Chaxel certainly falls under that header! Brea is a 31-year-old California native, married for 4 years with 2 frenchie babies and has a Fashion Degree from Sacram...

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Feb. 23, 2022

EP 33: HUMANIZING RETAIL WITH STELLA ADENA OF RANCHO RELAXO

Stella grew up in Ohio and studied Economics and Japanese at Princeton University. Stella made a career change at 30 from investment banking to fashion. She moved from San Francisco to New York where she worked her way up at ...

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Feb. 16, 2022

EP 32: KITTY MEOW BOUTIQUE. WITTY. SWEET. FIERCE.

This week’s guest is Catherine (Cat) Hildner, creator, designer and heart & soul behind Kitty Meow® Boutique ( @kittymeowboutique ). Michelle & Cat will be discussing, among other things, the beauty of 'F' Bombs, Cat’s blogs,...

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Feb. 9, 2022

EP 31: ETIQUETTE & GRATITUDE

After 3 weeks of doing setups & buying at both the Las Vegas Winter Market & LA Mart Winter Market , Michelle has had time to decompress and reflect on the do’s and don'ts of how to act in someone’s showroom or someone’s reta...

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Feb. 2, 2022

EP 30: LITT CONCEPT HOUSE — 'CREATING CONNECTION THROUGH RETAIL'

A family who travels together, stays together. The Litt family has traveled the world for fifty years, antiquing in over 35 countries! As direct importers, they went on too many buying trips to count. With weekly shipments co...

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Jan. 26, 2022

EP 29: DIPPING YOUR TOE INTO THE ECOMMERCE POOL

Web Studios West has been building websites, e-commerce solutions, social media platforms, and custom software for over two decades. This week's guest is Shiloh Pettyjohn is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Sales for W...

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Jan. 19, 2022

EP 28: GIFT SHOW BUYER TIPS & TRICKS

On this week’s episode, Michelle, on-site in Las Vegas for multiple client show set-ups, will be sharing her tips & tricks on the most effective way to attend a gift show. From day 1 strategies, to packing the right snacks , ...

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Jan. 12, 2022

EP 27: BUILDING A WARDROBE WITH JENNY LIVITS

This week’s guest is Jenny Livits, the founder of Pink Lagoon , a boutique located in Solana Beach, California, and Wardrobe Design and Styling by Jenny Livits, a holistic personal styling business that helps teach women that...

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Jan. 5, 2022

EP 26: MARGO KOPMAN / PRESIDENT — PROJECT RETAIL

Stylish Visionary : Ambitious Multi-tasker : Retail Junkie Margo Kopman lives, eats, and breathes all things retail. With over 15 years of retail consulting experience as the President of Project Retail , she is extremely pas...

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Dec. 22, 2021

EP 25: RUNNING A MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILY BUSINESS

This week’s episode is near and dear to Michelle’s heart. She had the pleasure of interviewing her friend and former co-worker Damon Von Schweikert of Von Schweikert Audio. As former co-workers, which they touch on in the epi...

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Dec. 15, 2021

EP 24: SOLOCAST - TOP 10 DISPLAY TIPS!

This week's episode is a Michelle Solocast where she will take the listeners on a deep dive into her design philosophy and review her Top 10 Display Tips! Michelle was asked earlier this year to write an article for Gift Shop...

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Dec. 8, 2021

EP 23: OWNER/FOUNDER OF SERGE + JANE - JAMIE CARL

S+J is a Lifestyle Boutique featuring Men's, Women's, Kids, Pets, Vinyl, Home + Gifts in our 3 story shop, (4 including their open-air rooftop where they host fashion shows, trunk shows, pop-ups + always a DJ + dance party)! ...

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Dec. 1, 2021

EP 22: HELPING RETAILERS BECOME MORE PROFITABLE!

We are thrilled to have the president of The Retail Smart Guys , Dan Jablons, as a guest this week. The Retail Smart Guys is the premiere consulting company. Dan Jablons worked in retail while attending the Ohio State Univers...

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Nov. 24, 2021

EP 21: SHOULDER PADS & UNDERAGE DRINKING

This week’s episode was a tricky one to write show notes for as I am part of the episode. Michelle and I (Elisa) have been friends for over 40 years and although our professional lives couldn’t be more different, we are truly...

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