Heroine
144 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 468 ratingsEavesdrop on real, vulnerable, intimate conversations with award-winning artists, best-selling authors, CEOs and execs you can’t get anywhere else – like listening to two good friends talking over a cup of tea or glass of wine. We go deep.
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Episodes
Redefining Success {Grace Bonney}
February 23, 2017 13:00 - 57 minutesGrace Bonney started the blog Design*Sponge many years ago, and today it’s one of the most trusted places online to go for creative inspiration. Her journey has had several points of big changes, like when she decided to pursue her blog full-time, when she came out as gay, and when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She’s an excellent example of how we sometimes must cycle through the heroine’s journey more than once. Grace is also the author of the recently released book, In the Company of Wo...
Drop the Ball {Tiffany Dufu}
February 16, 2017 13:00 - 59 minutesAre you a fixer who loves taking responsibility and caring for others, but feel like you have too much on your plate? You’re not alone. Today’s episode features Tiffany Dufu, Chief Leadership Officer at Levo League and author of the new book Drop the Ball – a must-read for all of us trying to do everything ourselves and struggling to embrace imperfection. Tiffany’s gems of wisdom include the value of delegating with joy, a concept she calls “strategic chaos”, and the three attributes to loo...
Design for Good {Patrice Martin}
February 09, 2017 13:00 - 57 minutesDesign is powerful magic – It can help solve some of the world’s most urgent, critical problems. Patrice Martin is co-founder of IDEO.org, an organization that works to improve the lives of people in poor and vulnerable communities through design. Patrice shares about her past struggles to be taken seriously as a petite woman, what she’s observed as a difference in creative confidence between men and women, and some of the incredible projects her team is focused on. Her conversation with Maj...
Discipline & Faith {Alana Nichols}
February 02, 2017 13:00 - 53 minutesThis interview had our host in tears. In today’s episode, Majo speaks with Paralympic Gold Medalist Alana Nichols. Playing sports was like a safe haven for Alana, whose family life wasn’t always ideal. But at 17, she broke her back in a snowboarding accident that left her unable to walk again. As a lifelong athlete, this was devastating. Alana grappled with denial, depression, and isolation in college, until a magical moment turned everything around. Her story is about the power of practice,...
Victim to Queen {Justine Musk}
January 26, 2017 14:10 - 43 minutesIn today’s episode, we speak with with writer, speaker, and soul-blogger Justine Musk, who has long been exploring the heroine’s journey in her work. She’s bold, honest, raw, and her story is an uncanny fit of the heroine’s arc. Justine found her true voice and power as a creative leader after rising up from her own personal underworld. She shares how we can look to myths for guidance and offers advice for putting yourself out there. Her insights on our relationship to emotions, what she ca...
Are you an "artist"? {Lisa Congdon}
January 19, 2017 13:00 - 47 minutesEver get the feeling that it’s too late to do what you love? In this episode, even our host admits to feeling that way sometimes, thinking it’s “too late” because she's already thirty. But thirty is around the magical time that artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon had her artistic revival. After working many years in education, she felt like a part of her wasn’t being fed. On a fluke she took an art class with her brother, and the experience changed her life. Lisa is best known for her color...
Bonus: Elle Luna
January 05, 2017 13:00 - 33 minutesStarring in this bonus episode is returning guest, Elle Luna. Majo hosts a Q&A with the author and artist, who drops deep, timely wisdom that will help you reflect for the new year. Elle shares her profound perspective on the difference between 'should' and 'must', and why it's so important to be aware of our 'should's as women. She is an activator and a catalyst who will get your heart stirring and your mind bubbling with ideas. References: The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna ...
Quick Update
December 29, 2016 13:00 - 1 minuteA quick update from Majo during the break — including a preview into next year's interview lineup. Happy Holidays!
Bonus: Ayla Nereo
December 22, 2016 13:00 - 18 minutesIn this bonus episode, Majo hosts a Q&A with musician and environmental activist Ayla Nereo. Ayla is an incredible soul with an uncanny ability to listen to her surroundings and channel the inspiration she hears into musical form. Ayla shares insights on some meaningful topics, like the importance of listening, being vulnerable, and how we all possess a unique puzzle piece to the bigger picture of our world. Her advice is timely and will inspire you to speak up and share your own creative g...
Transition & Learning {Jesse Genet}
December 08, 2016 13:00 - 48 minutesHow many fifteen-year-olds do you know have a mid-life crisis and stop to ask themselves, What really matters in life? Jesse Genet was one of them, and today she’s the Designer, Founder, and CEO of Lumi, a company that lets you easily brand your own packaging. Her journey to entrepreneurship started in high school – she basically petitioned herself out of her senior year and drove across the country to L.A. with nothing but a dream and her 1969 Lincoln convertible. Jesse is a perfect example...
Designing Rituals (6/6)
December 01, 2016 13:00 - 15 minutesYou are human. You make mistakes. You aren’t perfect and you certainly aren’t a machine. We all know this, and yet so many of us hold ourselves to idealized standards of very disciplined people with high willpower. In a perfect world, maybe we’d actually be like that. But the truth is that even after you design your ritual and test it out, eventually it will morph, lessen, or decay altogether. This is completely natural. We have to design for the maintenance of our rituals as much as the cre...
Art & Service {Lynsey Addario}
November 23, 2016 13:00 - 48 minutesA woman in complete service to what she does, who is even willing to die for her work, definitely fits the archetype of the heroine. Lynsey Addario is a photojournalist who has photographed women under the Taliban, documented misogyny in the Congo, and been on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11. From capturing the lives of transgender prostitutes in New York to her continued work on Syrian refugees and those displaced by war, Lynsey seeks to do justice for her subjects by capturing the true...
Designing Rituals (5/6)
November 17, 2016 13:00 - 9 minutesRituals are growing, evolving things with their own stubborn intelligence. That’s why the same exact rituals are hard to sustain over time. Since we are constantly changing with the months, seasons, and our environments, it makes sense to allow our rituals to organically change along with us. This approach is not only more realistic, forgiving, and practical, but it honors our naturally changing feminine energy. Majo described in Part 4 how to design your morning and evening rituals after i...
Community & Heritage {Bethany Yellowtail}
November 10, 2016 13:00 - 39 minutesIf you’re looking to understand your creativity and how it connects to your roots, this interview will surely spark some ideas and inspiration for you. Bethany Yellowtail is an influential Native fashion designer who shares her Crow and Northern Cheyenne heritage with the utmost sensitivity and care. When our host first stumbled upon her, Majo was struck by Bethany’s work and its beautiful celebration of Native American culture (without the ickiness of appropriation). They cover what it was...
Designing Rituals (4/6)
November 03, 2016 12:00 - 11 minutesReady to design your morning and evening ritual? Even if you’re not, this flash wisdom episode will help you go through the motions to see what happens. In the last episode of this series we identified actions that align with your deeper desires. The next step is even simpler: sequencing these actions into a ritual. A ritual is simply a structure with intention, something we make sacred through our attention and love. They provide a way to elevate the mundane (taking a shower) into a magica...
Shifting Power {Eileen Carey}
October 27, 2016 13:00 - 56 minutesOur speakers often hold up a big mirror, sometimes revealing traits within us that need to be developed or amplified. Eileen Carey is a super feminist who offers that experience as an outspoken, unapologetic woman with a thirst for power. An overachiever who doesn’t always follow the rules, Eileen is CEO of Glassbreakers, which provides solutions for companies that want to keep their employees diverse and engaged by tackling diversity at the corporate level. Eileen comes from a long line of ...
Designing Rituals (3/6)
October 20, 2016 12:00 - 7 minutesPleasure gets an interesting rep, don’t you think? Spiritual traditions all over the world have told us to “transcend” pleasure, or at the very least not get too attached to it. Our American culture built on puritanical principles makes us feel wary of anything that’s too pleasurable, or that comes through pleasure versus hard work. Layer on gender, and we have a whole other conversation about so many of us women (especially good girls) who feel guilty about experiencing pleasure. In this f...
Fight for Authenticity {Nancy Douyon}
October 13, 2016 12:00 - 53 minutesMany of our guests have had their fair share of obstacles they’ve had to overcome, but Nancy Douyon is on a whole other level. A user experience researcher at Google, Nancy found her way to happiness and stability only after bridging a new and bewildering culture, bouncing around foster homes and living on the streets, and coming to terms with her broken childhood. You won’t believe the magical, serendipitous encounter with the MIT Media Lab that changed (and potentially saved) her life, re...
Designing Rituals (2/6)
October 06, 2016 12:00 - 10 minutesHere’s the truth nobody ever told you: rituals are really hard to hold down. A lot of people like to pretend it’s a snap to set rituals into place. When we hear about the daily do’s of others (especially successful people of today) it can be inspiring, but it can also make you feel kind of shitty if you’re struggling to nail down your own. We all make mistakes in how we approach and think about rituals— from the time we set them to how we relate to them after we “fail.” In this flash wisdom...
In Progress {Jessica Hische}
September 29, 2016 12:00 - 1 hourYears ago, Majo (our host) invited Jessica Hische to speak at the first Women In Design event and she blew everyone away with her humor, honest vulnerability, and passion for her work. Jessica is a lecturer, illustrator, and type designer – hands down one of the most important designers living amongst us in our generation today. Her clients include Wes Anderson, Dave Eggers, Penguin Books, The New York Times, Tiffany & Co., the list goes on and on. She recently released her book, In Progres...
Designing Rituals (1/6)
September 22, 2016 12:00 - 10 minutesNow that we’ve finished the Creative Confidence series, we’re launching a new flash wisdom series called The Magical Effects of Morning and Evening Rituals. In this first episode, our host makes the case for why you must fiercely protect your daily rituals as a creative woman. So why is it even important to have daily rituals? Think for a minute of all the stimulation we have at our fingertips day to day: our laptops, iPhone, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, the list goes on and...
Strength & Mindset {Nidhi Kulkarni}
September 15, 2016 12:00 - 55 minutesBefore Nidhi Kulkarni co-founded Spitfire, she did what many of us do after graduating college – she found a good, safe job where she worked hard and burned a lot of midnight oil. But she soon realized she was only pushing herself to avoid the fact that she felt lost and creatively unfulfilled. When the chance came to take a creative side project to the next level, she took it and launched Spitfire Athlete, a strength training and weightlifting app of thousands of users that helps women build...
Overly Independent (Block #10)
September 08, 2016 12:00 - 6 minutesThis is the 10th and final #flashwisdom episode in the series, The 10 Blocks to Creative Confidence, and it’s all about being overly independent. Many of us (especially women) find it difficult to ask for help or fear being a “burden” to anyone. As a result, we’re so eager to achieve financial independence that we often choose paths that focus more on financial reward than heart. Join Maria as she talks about the harm in being overly independent, sharing her own examples of how she grapples...
Being a Creator {Ariana DeBose}
September 01, 2016 12:00 - 49 minutesHave you heard of the Broadway musical Hamilton? It’s a story of one of America’s founding fathers, featuring a score that blends hip hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway. It has won 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and our own President has seen it. In today’s episode we hear from one of the show’s stars, Ariana DeBose, a woman who had the courage to follow her intuition, drop out of school, and fulfill her dreams. Ariana is a young, passionate, multi-talented woman with many cr...
Pressure (Block #9)
August 25, 2016 12:00 - 7 minutesIn this flash wisdom episode, host Maria Molfino gets personal about the 9th block to creative confidence – Pressure. She shares about the pressure she once felt to repay her immigrant parents for their sacrifice, and how her “save the world” complex left her feeling stressed, angry, and unable to follow her true path. Listen to her story of the lesson she learned during her travels in India that helped reframe her perspective around pressure, and how small acts of kindness really can make ...
Owning Your Desires {Emily LaFave Olson}
August 18, 2016 12:00 - 48 minutesIt’s not uncommon for girls who grow up in a patriarchal society to wonder if being a boy would be better; to see masculinity as more powerful than femininity. That was the case for Emily LaFave Olson, but a conversation with her mom led her to a realization that changed her life (and her perspective on the feminine). Emily is a fierce entrepreneur whose choice to take back her maiden name and become co-CEOs with her husband sets her apart as a woman unafraid to ask for what she wants. We co...
Chronic Stress (Block #8)
August 11, 2016 12:00 - 4 minutesWhat is chronic stress? Unlike acute stress, chronic stress is constant and low-grade, wearing and tearing on the nervous and immune systems over time. You may not even realize you’re being affected, but studies show that chronic stress makes it harder for us to be creative, think outside the box, and be mentally flexible. In this flash wisdom episode, host Maria Molfino explains how this form of stress cripples our energy and willpower, inviting the inner critic to come out and play. Pract...
Eileen Fisher: Reclaiming the Voice
August 04, 2016 12:00 - 53 minutesA big piece of the heroine’s journey is reclaiming what’s been lost. For some of us, it’s our intuition, our creativity, or our sense of self trust. For Eileen Fisher, it’s been her voice and her courage to lean into difficult conversations. This design magnate has scaled an incredible organization that generates over $300 million a year in revenue, but she didn’t have an easy start or a path paved with roses. What makes her shine even more is her passion for sustainability, empowering women...
Numbing Feelings (Block #7)
July 28, 2016 12:00 - 5 minutesWe live in a culture that medicates feelings. Women are especially under constant pressure to restrain our emotional lives; we apologize for our tears, suppress our anger, and tone down our passion out of fear of being called hysterical. Join Maria in this flash wisdom episode about the 7th block to your creative confidence and expression: numbing feelings. Learn the consequences of this tendency, such as missing out on feelings essential to the creative process, and the important role feeli...
Creative Confidence {Andréa Mallard}
July 21, 2016 12:00 - 47 minutesImagine graduating from college and flying to Europe for your first job as a journalist. Instead of things going as planned, you end up bartending in the red-light district to survive. That’s Andrea Mallard’s “fall from grace” story, but it’s not where her story ends. From making friends with the head pimp on the street to becoming Chief Marketing Officer at the inspiring and innovative company, Omada Health, Andrea’s journey is filled with personal insights about finding the creative confid...
Attachment to Outcomes (Block #6)
July 14, 2016 10:00 - 3 minutesDo you hold back from going after what you want because you’re too tied to how things will turn out? Host Maria Molfino shares how our attachment to outcomes is keeping us from the joy and pleasure of our creative process. In this short 'n' sweet episode, learn how to create space between your work and the results and maintain a healthy outlook around how other people perceive you and your own expectations. Show Notes: -Download Maria’s free Creative Confidence Playbook at mariamolfino.com/f...
Luck & Opportunity {Katie Dill}
July 07, 2016 10:00 - 55 minutesKatie Dill, Head of User Experience Design at Airbnb, grew up with a creative background that was far from typical. So how did she land her dream job at a company centered around creating unique experiences for their users? Katie shares all about her journey, which often required her to step outside her comfort zone, and how she found her niche. Learn specific ingredients designers have that are useful to leaders, how she handles growing pains and tough feedback, and her wisdom on the relati...
Comparison (Block #5)
June 30, 2016 13:00 - 7 minutesContinuing the series on the blocks to creative confidence, host Maria Molfino reveals the fifth block: Comparison. Comparison is an ugly face of the inner critic, and a huge de-motivator. Learn what comparison feeds on, how it can warp your standards for success, and what you can do to keep it in check. Show Notes: -Download the free Creative Confidence Playbook at Mariamolfino.com/free-playbook -Music by Lucia Lilikoi at lucia.bandcamp.com
Aphrodite Emerges {Elle Luna & Susie Herrick}
June 23, 2016 13:00 - 45 minutesIn this episode, host Maria Molfino takes on two inspirational women in one go: Elle Luna, a SF based artist and author, and Susie Herrick, a licensed therapist with over 20 years experience and author of an upcoming memoir, Aphrodite Emerges (to be released in the Fall). They tackle some big themes, the biggest being inner misogyny. Hear about their journeys and the challenges they faced, how to know when you’re following expectations vs. your deeper calling, the expansive power of dreamin...
Vision Quest {Majo Molfino}
June 16, 2016 14:00 - 45 minutesWe’re taking a little break from the blocks to creative confidence series to honor an important one-year anniversary. In this episode, host Majo Molfino shares her recent interview with SOULS of Society creator Dijon Bowden, in which she opens up for the first time about her three-day vision quest in the desert that she embarked upon one year ago today. Get to know Heroine’s founder and host through her own journey, one that challenged her on every level, as well as the immense preparation i...
Courage & Hustle {Sofya Polyakov}
June 09, 2016 13:00 - 1 hourCEO & co-founder of The Noun Project, Sofya Polyakov inspires us through her heroine's journey, which includes immigrating to the U.S. from Russia, working insane hours, holding meetings out of her car, and having the courage to embrace the unknown by starting a company for the first time. She also shares her perspectives on key issues that commonly block us from reaching our full potential as creative leaders. Show Notes: - Growing up stubborn and independent in communist St. Petersburg. [...
Guilt of Pleasure (Block #4)
June 02, 2016 14:00 - 5 minutesHow's your relationship with pleasure? Host Maria Molfino talks about the tendency to feel guilty about pleasure and where that guilt comes from. Learn why it's so important to slow down and access pleasure in your day-to-day. Show Notes: -Download the free Creative Confidence Playbook at Mariamolfino.com/free-playbook. -Music by Lucia Lilikoi, lucia.bandcamp.com
Grit & Generativity {Helena Price}
May 26, 2016 14:00 - 47 minutesDo you have a creative passion you never imagined could pay the bills? Host Maria Molfino introduces us to tech photographer Helena Price. Recently named Silicon Valley’s most wanted photographer, this heroine rekindled a lifelong passion and made it her career. Find out what it takes to make the leap into becoming a full-time creative, and learn some surprising ingredients that can help in the process. Show Notes: -Young Helena: Her background, being perceived as the “smart kid”, and dealin...
Perfectionism (Block #3)
May 19, 2016 14:00 - 8 minutesIs your tendency towards perfectionism blocking your creative confidence? Writer and coach Maria Molfino reveals the root of perfectionism's dark side and shares how you can decrease its power over your life. Show Notes: -Download the free Creative Confidence Playbook at mariamolfino.com/free-playbook References: -The Gap by Ira Glass -Big Magic by Liz Gilbert Music: -Lucia Lilikoi lucia.bandcamp.com
Creative to CEO {Marian Goodell}
May 12, 2016 13:00 - 1 hourHow did Marian Goodell go from studying photography and creative writing to becoming the CEO of Burning Man, one of the biggest sociocultural experiments of our time? The link is fascinating, especially for those who are both creative and analytical and who aren’t following a straight and predictable path. Find out how Marian deals with criticism (i.e., she is too impatient and her tone is too "demanding") and how she filters feedback. Show Notes: -Marian as a little girl: Learning self-acc...
Fixed Mindset (Block #2)
May 05, 2016 14:51 - 7 minutesHost Maria Molfino shares how a fixed mindset – believing things about yourself cannot change – is blocking your creative confidence. - Creative confidence playbook: mariamolfino.com/free-playbook
Meaning over Happiness {Dr. Vivienne Ming}
April 28, 2016 16:10 - 1 hourIf you believed you could never be happy, would you go on living? That’s the question that echoed in Dr. Vivienne Ming’s mind when she contemplated killing herself, before she became a woman, mom, neuroscientist, technologist, and LGBT advocate. Dr. Ming shares more about the wisdom that saved her life, and how it led her to focus on the one superpower that predicts success over and over again. Show Notes: - Vivienne’s upbringing, not living up to expectations, and realizing she was “differ...
Following the Rules (Block #1)
April 19, 2016 13:48 - 7 minutesFollowing the Rules: Little girls outperform boys in school because they do their homework, listen to their teachers, and follow the rules. But that can backfire when it comes to creative leadership. Writer and coach Maria Molfino explains why and how following rules could be blocking you in unexpected ways. Show notes: - Download the free Creative Confidence Playbook: mariamolfino.com/free-playbook - Lucia Lilikoi music: lucia.bandcamp.com
Discomfort & Risk {Roz Savage}
April 19, 2016 13:40 - 1 hourHow and why does a management consultant become the first woman to row across three oceans? How does she overcome the ocean at night, and above all, the doubts swirling in her own mind? Roz Savage, environmental advocate and TED speaker, shares the specific process that set her on this wild adventure – one that you can do in under ten minutes. Show Notes: - Roz’s upbringing as the perpetual new girl and her skill at jumping through childhood’s hoops. [1:51] - How Roz got stuck for 11 yea...