Tag Archives: entrepreneurship

separator
Photo of Maya Camille Broussard Founder of Justice of the Pies Zora Talks Podcast Artwork for episode 20

Episode 20: Justice of the Pies

separator

In this episode, we speak with Maya Camille Brossard. She is the founder of Justice of the Pies, founded in 2014. Her inspiration was her late father’s. He was a Criminal Defense Attorney. And he loved pies. She calls him the “pie master.” Justice of the Pies is an L3C social enterprise. It positively impacts […]

Read More
Zora Talks podcast episode 19 - AK Candles

EPISODE 19: TURNING SCENTS INTO CENTS

separator

Keena Ward of AK Candles was always interested in creating a candle business. During the pandemic, many companies were forced to downsize. Keena decided to use that uncertainty and her desire to be her own boss as a catalyst for her business. After a year of research, while the crisis was in full swing, she […]

Read More
Man standing in a field smiling brightly. Zora Talks written over photo

Episode 18: Buzzing with Excitement

separator

Happy New Year, listeners! A new year means an all-new episode of Zora Talks. Joining us for episode 18 is Thad Smith, owner and founder of Westside Bee Boyz, a black-owned Chicago apiary that specializes in selling beekeeping supplies and honey products. Back when Thad worked as a beekeeper, he wanted to find a way […]

Read More

Episode 17: Finding Your Zen with Zenfuel

separator

Just before nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns hit, Lori Lefcourt took a trip to New York to meet with investors to help fund her plant-based coffee creamer business, Unicreamer. On this trip, she met with an investor who offered to buy out Unicreamer’s SKUs and unite the coffee creamer brand with Zenfuel. Now as a co-founder of […]

Read More
Zora-Talks

Episode 16: Before The Butcher Makes Plant-Based Mainstream

separator

Three months after adopting a plant-based diet, Before the Butcher founder and president, Danny O’Malley’s cholesterol level dropped over 70 points. Thinking that high cholesterol ran in the family, he was shocked by his results. This diet paired with more exercise, Danny knew that a plant-based diet was the best for him. This lifestyle change […]

Read More
Zora Talks Episode 15

Episode 15: Vous Vitamin is the Right Vitamin for You

separator

Over six years ago, Chicago physicians, Romy Block and Arielle Levitan noticed that they spent a lot of time discussing vitamins with their patients. They’d dealt with many patients who were confused on what multivitamins they should be taking and had seen multiple patients who came into their offices with bags full of vitamins unsure […]

Read More
Zora Talks Ep 14

Episode 14: Hip Circle Combines Fitness and Fun to Empower Women

separator

Ten years ago, Malik Turley, founder of Hip Circle Empowerment Center, saw that many women had a tough time feeling comfortable at the gym. So she started teaching classes around the community. When her community of attendees grew, Malik wanted a space of her own to hold classes. She decided to open Hip Circle, an […]

Read More
zoraepisode13-2

Episode 13: Lil’gourmets Makes Veggies Delicious

separator

When lil’gourmets founder, Shibani Baluja struggled to get pregnant, she became cognizant of the food she was putting in her body. She reevaluated her diet, cut out all processed foods, and turned to healthy options in hopes of getting pregnant. Her journey to get pregnant turned out to be a success, and she later had […]

Read More
Toyin Iya Pic

Episode 12: Bringing Healthy African Foods to America

separator

When Toyin Kolawole started Iya Foods, she had a vision of providing nourishing, African foods that use ingredients sourced from Nigeria and the US. Her passion for healthy eating connects to her Nigerian roots. Having grown up in Nigeria, Toyin immediately noticed the difference between African foods and American foods that contain preservatives and artificial […]

Read More
StephHulthen

Episode 11: Building a Community with Quality Coffee

separator

“Have you ever gone on Craigslist looking for an espresso machine and ended up buying a coffee shop?” That’s what Melissa Villanueva, owner of Brewpoint Coffee, joked about when asked to explain how she opened her first coffee shop. In episode 11 of Zora Talks, Melissa recounted the story of her journey to starting a […]

Read More