No matter who you are or where you\u2019re from, building a meaningful career or business can be a winding and often challenging road. \u201cStories by Career Sistas\u201d is a new podcast celebrating the true experiences of women\u2014placing the spotlight on those whose stories are too often overlooked, yet offering lessons, inspiration, and connection that resonate with all women. While we explicitly celebrate diverse stories, every episode is a reminder that strength, resilience, and inspiration are universal.<\/p>
What sets \u201cStories by Career Sistas\u201d apart is its truly international lens. With early guests joining from the UK, the US, and the Netherlands, the podcast embodies global sisterhood, bridging experiences from across borders and backgrounds. Every conversation lives up to the podcast\u2019s tagline: Real women, real stories, real inspiration.<\/p>
Episode 1: \u201cMoney & Gatekeepers \u2013 Funding Our Dreams as Women of Colour\u201d\u00a0Featuring Jo Wong, CEO and Founder of Let\u2019s GROW Black Female Founders (UK)<\/strong><\/p> The series opens with Jo Wong, a Black Trinidadian woman based in the UK, who is CEO and Founder of Let\u2019s GROW Black Female Founders (Let\u2019s GROW B.F.F.). Jo specialises in business development and is driven by her passion for empowering Black women to build sustainable and scalable businesses. In this candid conversation, Jo confronts the real hurdles women of colour face in funding their ambitions\u2014from bias and bootstrapping to confidently pitching for investment.<\/p> Jo\u2019s honesty resonates with anyone who has ever felt stuck at a crossroads:\u00a0\u201cI think the most difficult space and time was knowing I needed more, knowing I was ready for the next step, but not seeing the next step.\u201d<\/p> On why so many women pivot to entrepreneurship, she shares:\u00a0\u201cThey got into a place where it wasn’t the glass ceiling, it was the glass cliff.\u201d<\/p> And Jo leaves listeners with many pieces of empowering advice, including one of our personal favourites:\u00a0\u201cYou have to believe in your product, your brand, your service so much that anyone can come at you at any angle, and you already have a response for that.\u201d<\/p> Episode 2: \u201cPassion & a Sponsor \u2013 What It Takes to Follow Your Dreams\u201d\u00a0Featuring Karen Vanterpool, PhD, Senior Research Scientist (US)<\/strong><\/p> Next, we meet Karen Vanterpool, PhD\u2014a Black behavioural scientist and senior research scientist at a medical school in the United States and the founder\u2019s sister. Karen\u2019s work in public health is dedicated to addressing disparities and creating change. Her episode unpacks the power of sponsorship and finding your path, especially when you\u2019re one of the few who look like you in your field.<\/p> She speaks to both the challenge and the resourcefulness that come with underrepresentation, in the context of her PhD programme:\u00a0\u201cThere weren’t a lot of people that looked like me on the faculty side of things or in my programme itself as a student… One of the biggest challenges was navigating being in an arena where there weren’t really people that looked like you to provide support.\u201d<\/p> Community became her solution:\u00a0\u201cMyself and a couple other students that were also from minority backgrounds, we formed our own little group where we helped each other… When we found out about different resources, we shared it with each other.\u201d<\/p> Karen\u2019s guidance for gaining visibility and pursuing your dreams is refreshingly practical:\u00a0\u201cYou need to get to know the people that you work with that are in positions of power or leadership\u2026 Talk to them, express to them your career aspirations\u2026 So as opportunities arise, hopefully they will mention your name.\u201d<\/p> And, her final piece of advice: \u201cFigure out what you want, what you\u2019re passionate about and pursue that, but don\u2019t get so stuck on a particular vision that you can\u2019t adapt or adjust to new opportunities or circumstances changing.\u201d<\/p> Episode 3: \u201cNew City, New Circles \u2013 Building Your Network from Scratch\u201d\u00a0Featuring Selina Thompson, Founder and Digital Adoption Consultant (Netherlands)<\/strong><\/p> Episode three takes us to the Netherlands, where we meet Selina Thompson, a Black British founder and digital transformation strategist. As the founder of Forward Transformation, Selina is committed to helping people and organisations navigate the world of digital change. She\u2019s also a passionate advocate for women in tech.<\/p> For anyone who has ever started over in a new place\u2014or in a new field\u2014Selina\u2019s story is about the power of building relationships from the ground up:\u00a0\u201cNothing happens without relationships and connections.\u201d<\/p> She reframes networking as ongoing and authentic:\u00a0\u201cNetworking is also understanding that it is a conversation\u2026 Not necessarily expect anything back from that conversation other than a connection and then keep that conversation going over time.\u201d<\/p> And she reminds us that consistent effort leads to meaningful opportunities:\u00a0\u201cA lot of networking events I go to, I have been showing up for years. And not expecting anything in return. And then when the opportunity has presented itself, I’ve been able to seize the opportunity or collaborate with somebody because I have kept showing up and I\u2019ve kept conversations going.\u201d<\/p> Why Listen?<\/strong><\/p> \u201cStories by Career Sistas\u201d models what\u2019s possible when women support each other across boundaries\u2014geographical, cultural, or professional. With diverse voices bridging the UK, US, and Europe with more to come, the stories shared offer practical wisdom, relatable experiences, and encouragement for every woman striving for more.<\/p> If you\u2019re looking for real talk, actionable advice, and inspiration from women who are building, leading, and rebuilding all over the world, this podcast is for you. Join us for real women, real stories, real inspiration\u2014and discover your own story in the sisterhood.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" No matter who you are or where you\u2019re from, building a meaningful career or business can be a winding and often challenging road. \u201cStories by Career Sistas\u201d is a new podcast celebrating the true experiences of women\u2014placing the spotlight on those whose stories are too often overlooked, yet offering lessons, inspiration, and connection that resonate with all women. 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