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Welcome to Season 2 Episode 9 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Chiara Totire, Italian fashion influencer and street style star. Born in Bari, this Italian beauty started her career as a pharmacist before risking everything in order to pursue her love for fashion. She left her hometown and moved to the fashion capital, Milan, where she worked for magazines such as Gioia and Grazia. She currently lives her dream and works at Vogue Japan! Here’s what we learned from Chiara: Happiness is the true key to success. Chiara studied Pharamacy for 6 years before graduating as a Pharmacist. She was unhappy because this wasn't her true passion, and after graduating, she realised her heart wasn't in Pharmacy and needed to make an important decision. Chiara always had a passion and keen interest towards creative art and fashion. She knew she wanted to be a stylist, and decided to give her dream a chance, and now she couldn't be happier!   Always be willing to try new things. Welcome opportunities that come your way and be thankful for doors that open in unexpected places!  Chiara started working at Gioia because her friend introduced her to the Director! Passion, enthusiasm and positivity are key. Chiara has since been approached by Grazia and Vogue Japan! Chiara advises that when it comes to trying something new, you must be willing to put in 110%.   Don't let the unknown scare you. Trying something new, or starting a new job can be scary and daunting! But once you gain confidence and start believing in yourself, you till realise that being brave and putting yourself out there was the best thing that you could have done! Being risky will always pay off if you put in the hard work!   Follow your heart and your instinct. If it makes you happy then you know you are on a path towards greatn

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 8 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Sharmadean Reid, a London-based Creative Consultant & Stylist, and Founder of the ultra trendy business, WAH nails. Sharmadean is passionate about beauty, art and technology, and this is reflected in her self-made business! The visually creative and psychedelic nature of WAH nails reflects all things Sharmadean, including her taste in fashion and her personality! As a female entrepreneur, she has stayed true to her brand, and is the definition of a #girlboss! Here’s what we learned from Sharmadean: Before creating her own business, Sharmadean worked in fashion as a Stylist and Brand Consultant. She was surrounded by fashionable and creative influencers, and this inspired her to launch her own successful brand. She received great experience and picked up valuable skills that enabled her to make her creative vision possible. She learnt how to create a name for herself and how to market her brand!  From working in fashion, Sharmadean developed an appreciation for colour coordination and accessories. She appreciates prints, patterns and textures. She especially loves transforming her favourite art into unique nail designs. Sharmadean is fearless in her creativity; she loves to create new, innovative designs that no one has been brave enough to try before! Sharmadean encourages our listeners to keep talking about their dreams! Be excited about your brand, and other people will be excited too! By throwing herself into different work environments, Sharmadean learnt how to get influential people interested in her brand. She created a tight network of people in fashion, art and music, and was able to get everyone talking about her brand!  Sharmadean's entrepreneurial journey is one huge learning curve. It is both a creative and self-developing process! Being your own boss means teaching yourself whilst also teaching the people around you. It's a hands on job, but a completely worthwhile effort! Sharmadean's Triple

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 7 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Allia Al Rufai, a Fashion Stylist and Consultant based in India. From working on a Bollywood Movie set, her skill and passion was instantly recognised and she soon started working as a Fashion Assistant at Harper's Bazaar India! She has since worked her way up the ladder, working impressive roles as Chief Stylist and Fashion Editor, whilst simultaneously managing the Magazine's Mumbai office! Here’s what we learned from Allia: Don't give up on your dream. Although Allia was passionate about fashion from a young age, she never studied fashion. Instead she completed a Masters degree in Commerce and an International Understanding Course in India. An opportunity came along to intern for a Bollywood movie, and Allia decided it was the right time to pursue her true passion. The movie was about the fashion industry. Not only was Allia exposed to the world of fashion, but she got to work with the best models, photographers and designers in India. Although the hours were long and the work was hard, Allia always worked with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. This resulted in Allia being recommended for more brilliant job opportunities!   Always work with a positive attitude and be willing to adapt to new situations and environments. Soon after Allia's costume design internship, she was approached to work for Harper's Bazaar. She worked her way up from a runner, to a fashion editor to a fashion stylist! Naturally, this involved a variety of roles and challenges, each of which Allia accepted. She valued the different learning experiences that each role offered!   Always be a step ahead of the game! Allia discusses the competitiveness of the fashion industry and how you have to make yourself really stand out in order to get noticed. Allia advises girls that want to break into the industry to do their research and stay on top of the latest trends. Be attentive to relevant blogs and magazines to constantly expand your knowledge of the fashion industry!   Watch and le

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 6 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Debbie Shasanya, who is an established magazine assistant at ASOS. Since joining the ASOS team in 2011, Debbie has starred in Coco-Cola print adverts for ASOS, and has modelled for brand campaigns. We LOVE Debbie's inspirational career journey- She started off working in a job that she wasn't passionate about and decided to pursue her dream! Debbie is currently living her dream and working as an ASOS insider, as well as building a successful following on her stylish Instagram!  Here’s what we learned from Debbie: Like many graduates coming out of fashion related degrees, Debbie struggled to find a career in fashion. It's a saturated and competitive industry, but you shouldn't let this scare you. Debbie advises our listeners to engage with social media platforms by establishing your brand, voice and identity on Instagram and Tumblr. It's important to make yourself stand out! If you are working a job that doesn't excite you, then ask yourself if it is the right career for you. Debbie found that working in the Police Communicator's Office did not satisfy her passion. She trusted her heart and followed her roots back to the fashion industry, and now she couldn't be happier! Seize the day and make the most out of opportunities. During Debbie's year of unemployment after leaving the police department, she secured herself an internship at ASOS within the fashion team. Her hardwork, passion and eagerness to help others resulted in her referral for more intern work, which eventually led to her being offered a full-time job. Be proactive and don't wait for opportunities to walk into your life! Go pursue them! An important thing that you can do while you are searching for your dream job is market yourself through social media. Connect yourself with other creative individuals, and surround yourself with industry-re

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 5 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Chelsea Matthews, who is the CEO and founder of Matte Black, a culture marketing firm based in Los Angeles. (She's also friends with our girl Puno!) Chelsea has been in social media marketing for over 5 years, and some of her clients include Corepower Yoga, TOMS, and many more. She was recognized as a Tastemaker to Know and has been spotlighted in the Huffington Post and YouTube's The Stylish. Here's what we learned from Chelsea: Network, network, network! It's super important to go out and make connections whenever possible because you never know when you'll need them. Chelsea made lots of connections when she worked in fashion, so when she started working as a social media freelancer, she already had a big network of people that she could reach out to! Even though social media marketing is super helpful when building your brand, you've got to use other forms of digital marketing too. So branch out beyond Twitter and Instagram! Try starting a blog or send out an email newsletter - just get your content out on multiple platforms. You're never too small to act big when it comes to building your team, so even if your team is small, make sure it has structure. It's also super important to support and empower your team because it'll only bring success and positive results! If there's something you want to do, tell the whole world about it! Talk about what you want to achieve because if you're not open about what your goals are, people won't be able to help you and connect you with helpful resources. Even if your project isn't perfect yet, just tell people about it! Chelsea's Triple Love Round Answers A book she loves:

This week, Alice has a chat with Natalie Joos, who is a Belgian-born writer, photographer, and stylist living in New York City. She's worked in the fashion industry for more than 17 years! In 2003, she established a successful casting company, where she has cast models for brands like Hugo Boss, Jeremy Scott, and Philip Lim. In 2010, Natalie launched her own blog called Tales of Endearment, where she shares her passion for vintage and fashion. Here's what we learned from Natalie: When starting your fashion career, you must have a positive energy and say yes to anything. Be confident in your abilities, and you'll go far! Be persistent, and don't take no for an answer. If you believe in something, keep going after it! It's super important to get an internship if you want to work in the fashion industry. Start by making a list of the people who you really admire and would love to work for. Then start applying for internships with them! It's also really important to go abroad when you're young. Not only will it boost your fashion knowledge, but it'll help with your growth and maturity. As fashion-obsessed as we are, the world doesn't actually revolve around fashion. That's why Natalie recommends studying broad subjects rather than fashion-focused subjects in school. For example, if you want to work in fashion marketing, studying marketing as a whole so you'll have a broader knowledge and understanding of the topic. Natalie's Triple Love Round Answers A place she loves: her New York apartment A magazine that she loves: Rolling Stone Magazine because she loves reading about politics and music, and it gives her lots of ideas about up-and-coming stars for her shoots!

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 3 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Heidi Petitjean, aka Heidi Petite! Heidi is a folk and R&B singer and songwriter, and she also explores the world of art with colour, mixed media, and vinyl work. She is also the founder of Confetti Crowd, which is the UK's 1st official girl gang of creatives. With her friends in Confetti Crowd, Heidi has worked with cool brands like Nike, Schuh, and Lamoda, and she has been flourishing with the London music and fashion scene with her cool music & colourful style. Here's what we learned from Heidi: It's so important to be yourself. You can't please everyone, so don't be afraid to push the boundaries! Stop worrying so much about what other people think. You can't impress everyone, so try to do what makes YOU happy! It'll only ever make you a stronger person. If you have a dream that you're really passionate about, then it IS possible. Make that phone call, send that email, take that course - do everything you can to make your dream come true! We've said it many times before, but it's SO true: push past your fear to make your dreams come true! If you have an idea that you're really passionate about, you just have to go for it! Heidi said that her first musical performance was the scariest thing she'd ever done, but it was also the greatest thing she'd ever done. She pushed past her fear and took the plunge, and now all of her dreams are coming true! Heidi's Dream Moments When she performed for the first time and got loads of positive feedback! When she and her gal pals in Confetti Crowd shot a short film in London - it made them realize that all of their hard work was paying off! Heidi's

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 2 of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Katia Giorgino, the girl behind the colourful style blog Lazy Kat. Katia started blogging back in 2008 and has worked with cool brands like Skinnydip London and Kenzo. Today, she uses her blog to share her fun and colourful style pics and favourite beauty tips. Here's what we learned from Katia: Blogging isn't as easy as it looks. If you want to start your own fashion blog, it's super important to stay organized and be active all the time. Katia worked very hard to become as successful as she is, and you should too! When it comes to style, you have to stay true to who you are and what you like. Don't wear something just because other people will like it. Think for yourself and dress for yourself, not for other people. Fashion should be fun, so don't be afraid to wear something wacky or bold. Be true to who you are, and have fun with fashion. Katia sure does! Katia's Dream Moment When the Jean Paul Gaultier team asked her to do a photo shoot! We're so jealous!  Katia's Triple Love Round Answers An outfit she loves: her pink cat-print culottes with a matching cape from Paul and Joe Sister A place she loves: London - she believes that Londoners are more open-minded about style An inspirational woman she loves: Miley Cyrus because she doesn't apologize for who she is and she fights for feminism; Lady Gaga because she has such a bold style We also learned that Katia is super inspired by her friend's vegan blog, Il Sera Une Fois

Welcome to the 1st episode and 2nd season of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Jennifer Puno, aka Punodostres! Puno is the ultimate creative girl. She has started many businesses, including Map and ilovecreatives, which is a curated community of creative people. Puno also dabbles in photography and styling, and she even helps other businesses with their branding and social strategies! Here's what we learned from Puno: It's okay if you don't know what you want to do with your life. Take time to figure out what you're passionate about because that will lead you to your ultimate dream! It's super helpful to set measurable goals for yourself, especially when you're growing your business. For example, if you want to get 10,000 Instagram followers, make a plan for how you'll gain more followers each day. Once you've made a plan, it'll be much easier to accomplish your goals! Now that you've planned it all out, you've got to be consistent about accomplishing those goals. Do something every day that will get you closer to your dream! Things don't always work out the way you expect them to, especially when you're growing your business. But it's super important to stay grounded and stay positive! Her Dream Moment When she and her husband went to Europe and met people that were using Map, the business they started together! Puno's Triple Love Round Answers A quote she loves: "It's not as good as you want it to be, but it's not as bad as you're making it." This quote reminds her to stay grounded when things don't work out the way she expects them to. A place that she loves: Kruger National Park in South Africa, where she went on a safari and saw lots of South African wildlife! An inspirational woman she loves: her aunt, who is super stylish and independent; she also introduced Puno to the world of graphic design! She also loves reading Paul Graham's start-up essays, which inspired her to start setting measurable goals for herself. To learn about Puno's creative career and be inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit, listen to the full #WearYourDreams episode! Want to learn more about Jennifer Puno? Check out her website to learn all about Map, ilovecreatives, and her other projects.Follow her on Instagram at @punodostres and @made

Welcome to the eleventh episode of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. In this special episode, Alice talks about 10 lessons that we have learnt after speaking to 6 female millionaires, 3 fashion girls, and 1 creative entrepreneur. Get ready for our #WYD Lessons!

Welcome to the tenth episode of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Laura Roeder. Laura is the founder of LKR Social Media, where she used her expertise to help small businesses with social media and online marketing. She is also the founder of Edgar, which is a tool that helps with social media scheduling and marketing automation. Laura has helped over 4,000 small business owners, and has won several awards for being one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs Under 30. Here·s what we learned from Laura: It's super important to be decisive. You could have an amazing idea for a business, but it won't actually be successful if you don't take action. There is no perfect time to start, so just start now! Sometimes we get scared of trying out new ideas because we don't know if they'll be successful, but don't let that fear keep you from getting started. Your idea might need work, but it'll have no chance of being successful if you don't even try to execute it! Don't let your lack of connections hold you back from pursuing your dream. When Laura started her business, she didn't know any business owners in her area, so she started from scratch. She made her connections simple by going out and talking to people. Don't be afraid to hustle like Laura! Laura's Triple Love Round Answers A book she loves: Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't by Verne Harnish A quote she loves: ·How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard A woman she loves: Diane von Furstenberg, because she has created a great culture in her business and is very genuine about helping other womenWe also learned that Laura loves Diane von Furstenberg's new reality show, House of DVF (she loves how brutally honest Diane is)! To learn how Laura quit her job to start her own business, hear about how she hustled to find her clients, and be inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit, listen to the full episode!

Welcome to the ninth episode of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Ivy Slater, who spent 20 years as owner and operator of a successful seven-figure printing business in New York, called Slater Graphics. Her clients included W Magazine and Harper's Bazaar, just to name a few. In 2008, Ivy started another company called Slater Success Coaching, where she helps a multitude of women business owners to achieve success on their own terms. She's also the author of Conquering Your Fear of Money: A Woman's Guide to Business Success. Here’s what we learned from Ivy: Don't take no for an answer! If someone closes the door in your face, don't give up. Just prove them wrong! There is no perfect time to start your business, so why not start today? If you want to be an entrepreneur, just start taking action! If you want your business to be successful, you’ve got to take action. Stop waiting for the right time to follow your dream; make it the right time.Ivy's success tip: When starting a business, you should work on building relationships with 3 new people every day. If you do this every single day, you'll amazed by how much your network and your business will grow! Ivy's Triple Love Round Answers A book she loves: Inspiration 365: Zig Ziglar's Favorite Quotes by Zig ZiglarA quote she loves: “A goal is a dream with deadlines." - Napoleon Hill A woman she loves: Oprah Winfrey, because she has faced many odds but never lets them stop her from making a difference for women To learn how Ivy got her resilient spirit (hint: it has to do with dancing), hear how she fought sexism by starting her own company, and learn more about her entrepreneurial journey, listen to the entire interview!

Welcome to the eighth episode of #WEARYOURDREAMS, hosted by Alice Oluyitan and featuring inspirational conversations with girls in business. This week, Alice has a chat with Jordana Schrager, the owner and designer of Sneakers by Jordana. This girl boss uses her amazing artistic abilities to create cool customized sneakers and has designed unique sneakers for hundreds of customers, including celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande! She also has a line of officially licensed college-inspired sneakers called Skicks, which is wildly popular on college campuses all over the U.S.! Here’s what we learned from Jordana: There are going to be lots of challenges and obstacles when you’re starting a business, so you need to work really hard and use your passion and commitment to focus on your goals. As a young entrepreneur, it can be difficult to balance your business with your schoolwork. That's why it's super important to stay organized. If you have an idea for a business, just GO for it! If it's something you're truly passionate about, you will be successful. Jordana’s Dream Moments When Taco Bell asked her to make custom sneakers for their social media team! When Miley Cyrus wore her custom Sneakers by Jordana backstage at the VMAs! Jordana’s Triple Love Round Answers: A book she loves: How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It by Mark Cuban A quote she loves: “Good shoes take you good places.” Because she puts a lot of love and passion into her sneaker designs, she feels that when you wear her great shoes, you’ll end up in the great places you want to go! A woman she loves: Her “mom-ager,” who has encouraged her to work hard and follow her dreams

This week, Alice has a chat with Luba Tolkachyov, who is a successful entrepreneur and self-made millionaire. She is the cofounder and Director of New Media for Gravity Media, which is a leading cultural advertising agency in New York City. Luba gained years of marketing experience while working for global brands like Coca-Cola and Red Bull North America. Just last year, she won a Stevie Award for Women in Business in the category of Female Entrepreneur of the Year. Here’s what we learned from Luba: It's extremely important to have advisers around who can help you make the beginning steps of your business journey. We all need support, so make sure you have a network of people that you can lean on from time to time.   Expect that you will be successful in what you're doing. Believing that you will succeed and that your dreams will come true is the only way to pursue your entrepreneurial journey!   Optimism is a big part of being an entrepreneur, but you also need to have a plan. It's super important to set measurable goals for yourself.   Try to get as organized as possible. It'll make your life so much easier!   It's super important to take a step back from time to time. To avoid feeling burned out from work, try taking a yoga class or go for a run to clear your head.   Your dream doesn't have to be just a dream; it can be a reality if you want it to be! Take advantage of the amazing global network of woman entrepreneurs, and make your dreams a reality!

This week, Alice has a chat with Grasie Mercedes, the fashion blogger behind Style Me Grasie. Grasie is a triple threat: she is an actress, a TV host, and of course, a style blogger. Her fashion-forward looks have been featured in Glamour, Lucky Magazine, and Who What Wear, and her style even landed her a feature in the Refinery 29 book Style Stalking. Here’s what we learned from Grasie: If you’re struggling to keep some balance in your life, whether it’s with work or your social life, remember to do what’s best for you. Don’t take on a job or project if you don’t think it will benefit you or your brand. Don’t compare yourself to others. The most successful girls are the ones who are true to themselves! When following your dreams, don’t be afraid to take that bold step! It might be scary, but as Grasie said, nothing is irreversible. If you really want something, make it work! Grasie moved across the U.S. with very little money in her pocket, but she knew she was doing what she was meant to do and made it work. Now she’s a successful actress, TV host, and blogger!

This week, Alice has a chat with Allison Maslan, the CEO of Allison Maslan International. Allison is a business coach, speaker, and the best-selling author of Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality. She was recently named by Self Made Magazine as “One of the Top Women Entrepreneurs Who Inspire.” Here’s what we learned from Allison: Put your big girl panties on! If you want to create a million-dollar company, you’ve got to be serious about it! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Allison became successful because she asked people to teach her what she didn’t know. She also says that you cannot run a million-dollar company all on your own; you must hire other people to help your business grow. If you want your business to be successful, you’ve got to take action. Stop waiting for the right time to follow your dream; make it the right time. When you are following your dream, there will be naysayers telling you why you won’t be successful. Instead of letting their words discourage you, prove them wrong! Don’t let anyone throw you off your path. Dream big, and don’t let your fear take over. You’ll have to get outside of your comfort zone, but it’s worth it. Remember: if you hide, you never get to experience what’s on the other side.

This week, Alice has a chat with Kelly Lundberg, Dubai’s fashion queen. Kelly has an awesome business founded in Dubai called Style Me Divine, which is a personal styling and fashion agency and is the go-to company for styling, wardrobe advice, and personal shopping. Kelly is also the author of the best-selling book Success in the City, and her latest book How to Be a Personal Stylist will teach you how to launch and grow your styling business.

This week, Alice has a chat with Dr. Jude Miller Burke, a self-made millionaire. Jude is a business psychologist, executive coach, and the author of The Millionaire Mystique: How Working Women Become Wealthy and You Can Too! and has co-published the study “Pathways to Career and Leadership Success.” She is a national speaker and currently has her own consulting firm, JAMB Consulting.

This week, Alice has a chat with Chloé Watts, aka Chloe Digital. Chloe taught herself how to code when she was just 16 years old, and in between, she was always scouring fashion glossies and hitting the high street. In 2012, she created Chloédigital to combine her love of fashion and technology. Her company is now a trusted tech support and strategy solution for global style publishers, and she helps bloggers and fashion start-ups take their brands to the next level.

This week, Alice has a chat with Anita Crook, who is an entrepreneur and designer. Anita is the creative director of Pouchee, which is a company that creates practical purse organizers. What started as an idea to organize her own purse turned Anita into a female millionaire. Her Pouchee products are now sold in around 1,500 shops in the U.S. and Canada, and her company’s success only continues to grow.