What She Does Podcast

What She Does Podcast

by Annie Sinzinger & Liane Starr
Careers
Season 1

Shoot Your Shot: Matchmaker Jill Dunn on the Business of Modern Dating

What does it actually take to find real connection in the age of dating apps? Matchmaker Jill Dunn, founder of Jillin' It, joins Annie & Liane to unpack why modern dating feels so exhausting — and what to do about it. Jill shares the divorce that accidentally launched her matchmaking career, how she screens singles before ever introducing them to a client, and the one mindset shift that can change your next first date. In this episode: • How one sold-out singles event turned into a full-time matchmaking business • Why dating apps create a "shopping list" mindset that hurts self-worth • The difference between expectations for a life partner and expectations for a first date • How COVID reshaped dating for an entire generation • Jill's number-one piece of advice for anyone who's single right now Whether you're newly single, navigating divorce, or just curious how a real matchmaker works, this conversation is full of honest talk about love, patience, and showing up as your best self.
S1 · E32
Jul 28, 2026
44:34

From Pharmacy to Pitas: Franchisor Sawsan Abublan on Building Shawarma Press

Sawsan Abublan spent years building a career as a pharmacist before an idea she had with her husband led to an entirely new path. She's now a restaurant franchisor. In this episode, Sawsan joins Annie & Liane to talk about walking away from a license she'd worked hard for, learning a completely new industry from the ground up, and what it actually took to build confidence as a woman stepping into restaurant franchising. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why Sawsan held onto her pharmacist's license for years before finally letting it go • How her pharmacy training in discipline and cleanliness shaped an unexpected second career • What a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is — and why every franchisor needs one before selling a single unit • What it took to earn confidence as a woman in restaurant franchising • What she'd tell her younger self about the hardest early years
S1 · E31
Jul 21, 2026
42:08

30 Years Behind the Mic: Tish Hicks on Voiceover, AI, & Reinvention

For over 25 years, Tish Hicks has been one of voiceover's most in-demand working artists, including more than 15 years as one of the voices of Subaru. The veteran voiceover artist and founder of The V.O. Dojo joins What She Does to break down how she built a career, a company, and a community in one of entertainment's most misunderstood industries. In this episode, Tish covers: • How she stumbled into voiceover after years in theater, opera, and improv • The wildly different worlds inside voiceover — commercials, animation, audiobooks, video games, and more • Why the industry has shifted from agency relationships to entrepreneurial hustle • What it actually takes to build a sustainable voiceover business, including her advice on career pivots • How she trains the next generation through VO Dojo's belt-based curriculum • Her honest take on AI's impact on voice work and why human connection still wins Whether you're considering a career pivot or just curious what happens behind the mic on your favorite commercials, this conversation is a masterclass in reinvention.
S1 · E30
Jul 14, 2026
39:17

Building Financial Confidence: Wealth Advisor Heidi Foster on the Path and Practice

What does a wealth advisor actually do all day? Heidi Foster has a surprising answer: she brings people peace. With more than 30 years of experience managing investments for individuals, families, and charities, Heidi has seen it all — the spenders married to the savers, the retirees who don't know how to stop accumulating, the divorce clients, the inheritance clients, and the 20-somethings who just need someone to tell them to open a Roth IRA. She's a VP and wealth advisor at American Wealth Management, a USC and UNR MBA graduate, and a former executive at Wells Fargo's private bank. But the thing that makes her exceptional isn't the numbers. It's the people. In this episode, Heidi joins Liane and Annie for a warm, frank conversation about money, psychology, parenting, and why your financial mindset was probably formed before you were old enough to remember it. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why Heidi defines her job as bringing 'peace and confidence' — not managing portfolios • How your relationship with money was likely shaped before age eight • The 'save early and often' rule — and why a $10 latte could be worth $100,000 • What it's like to be a financial marriage counselor for spender-saver couples • How Heidi balanced three kids with a demanding career — including when Wells Fargo wouldn't let her work from home during a high-risk pregnancy • What skills you need to pivot into financial advising — and why career-changers often make the best advisors • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe story that explains everything about why Heidi does what she does Heidi is a USC Order of the Laurel recipient, a Reno-Tahoe Twenty Under 40 honoree, and a FINRA registered representative. She's also the mother of three. This one's for anyone who's ever felt afraid of their own money — and needed someone to tell them it's going to be okay. #WhatSheDoes #WealthManagement #PersonalFinance #WomenInFinance #FinancialAdvice #MoneyMindset #WealthAdvisor #FinancialPeace
S1 · E29
Jul 7, 2026
30:13

Startups & Stability: Venture Lead Lydia Hall on Building Kids' App, Aqua

What does it look like to build a startup inside one of the world's biggest creative companies? Lydia Hall knows. As Venture Lead and Co-Founder of Aqua by Adobe, Lydia pitched Adobe's executives on a bold idea: to take the creative power of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fresco and rebuild it from the ground up for kids. In this episode, Lydia joins Liane and Annie for a candid conversation about the intersection of parenthood, entrepreneurship, and building products that actually matter to kids — because her team tests it with their own children every single day. In this episode, you'll learn: • What a Venture Lead actually does inside Adobe's incubator program • How Aqua (free on iOS, Android, and the web at aqua.adobe.com) bridges the gap between kids' doodle apps and professional creative tools • Why Lydia made a conscious choice to join a big company when she became a parent — and what surprised her about startup life from the inside of a corporation • The thoughtful philosophy behind how Aqua uses AI: enhancing creativity without replacing it • What kids actually told them they wanted in focus groups — including claw machines, K-pop kitchens, and personal art museums • How Aqua connects to Adobe Fresco so kids can grow their portfolios into professional tools • The career 'car crash' that taught Lydia to trust her gut faster • Why tenacity — not polish — is the skill she credits most Lydia is a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, Y Combinator Imagine K12 participant, and former COO of Chalkup (acquired by Microsoft). She founded her first company while at Penn Law and Wharton. This one's for the parents, the builders, the creatives, and anyone who's ever wanted to make something from scratch inside a room that's already full of greatness. #WhatSheDoes #AdobeAqua #KidsTech #WomenInTech #FounderStory #EdTech #StartupLife #Parenting #CreativeKids #AdobeIncubator
S1 · E28
Jun 30, 2026
23:52

Going Indie: How Jennifer Barnwell Built a Home for Boutique Hotels

Jennifer Barnwell didn't plan to end up in hotels — but a nudge from her older sister at Cornell changed everything. Today she's the President of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection, a membership platform she launched in the middle of a global pandemic to champion the independent and boutique hotels that go it alone. In this episode, Jen pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build something new in a tough industry, how Curator helps small properties compete with big brands, and why being an 'indie rebel' is more than just a tagline. In this episode: • What Curator Hotel & Resort Collection does — and why it exists • How independent hotels compete with major brands using collective leverage • The Airbnb and OTA distribution question every boutique property faces • What it was really like to launch a business during COVID-19 • How the K-shaped economy is affecting the hospitality industry right now • The technology improvements that are changing the hotel guest experience • The career path she didn't see coming — and the sister who changed it • Her honest advice to her younger self: take risks, travel more, find a mentor #WhatSheDoes #WomenInHospitality #BoutiqueHotels #IndependentHotels #WomenInBusiness #HospitalityIndustry #CuratorHotels #Podcast
S1 · E27
Jun 23, 2026
36:17

Finding Balance: A Physician Assistant’s Root-Cause Approach to Aging & Longevity

What does a Physician Assistant who's spent 25 years in medicine wish more people understood about hormones, aging, and feeling like yourself again? Elizabeth Vogstrom breaks down perimenopause, bioidentical hormone therapy, DNA genetic testing, and root-cause medicine — and shares the personal health crisis that changed everything. #WhatSheDoes #HormoneHealth #Perimenopause #BHRT #LongevityMedicine
S1 · E26
Jun 16, 2026
34:38

She Built the Village: Britt Riley on Haven, Working Parenthood, and Rewriting the Rules of Childcare

What if the answer to the childcare crisis wasn't a policy fix — it was a building with a community membership? Britt Riley is the founder and CEO of Haven, an integrated childcare, coworking, and fitness space designed for working parents — where kids learn downstairs while parents work upstairs, all under one roof. What started as Britt's own frustration with the impossible juggle of career and parenthood became one of the most innovative care models in the country. In this episode, Britt talks about leaving her marketing career to build something that didn't exist yet, surviving a pandemic six months after opening, growing Haven through franchising without losing its soul, and why the childcare industry is long overdue for a rethink. This one is for every parent who has ever felt torn in half. And for every founder who built their way out.
S1 · E25
Jun 9, 2026
36:14

How Dr. Nicole Alioto Turns Data Into Impact and Built a Career in Education Consulting

What if you could measure anything — even the things that feel impossible to pin down? That's exactly what Dr. Nicole Alioto has spent nearly 30 years helping schools do. As the founder of Alla Breve Educational Consulting, a two-time TEDx speaker, a podcast host, and author of Your School Sucks: Why Schools Fail to Measure Up and What To Do About It and the new You Can Measure Anything, Nicole has a gift for making data feel accessible, actionable, and even fun (her words), and we believe her. In this episode, we sit down with Nicole to talk about how she moved from a social psychology PhD into transforming small and rural school districts, why student voice is the most underused data point in education, what parents can actually do if they think their school is falling short, and how AI is changing the classroom in ways nobody fully predicted. If you work in education, parent school-aged kids, or just believe data should drive better decisions, this one is for you.
S1 · E24
Jun 3, 2026
34:20

From Paicoma to Congress: Rep. Luz Rivas on STEM, Risk Taking, and Opening Doors for the Next Generation

What happens when a girl from Pacoima who learned to code in fifth grade ends up in the United States Congress? We sit down with Representative Luz Rivas — engineer, educator, nonprofit founder, and the only Latina in Congress with a STEM background — to talk about the winding, unplanned path that took her from MIT to Motorola, from founding DIY Girls to the California State Assembly, and now to representing California's 29th Congressional District in Washington, D.C. Rep. Rivas opens up about what it's like to be a freshman in Congress, how she was elected by her peers as the Freshman Leadership Representative, and why relationship-building across the aisle may be the most underrated skill in politics. She also gets real about the financial realities of serving in public office — managing two households on a congressional salary — and why she believes the key to being a great leader is hiring people who know more than you do. Whether you're interested in STEM careers, women in leadership, public service, or simply what a day in the life of a congresswoman actually looks like, this episode will leave you inspired to take your next big risk — even when it's scary.
S1 · E23
May 27, 2026
30:28
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