"How can my brand get more exposure without spending a fortune?" is one of the most commonly asked questions by founders. And as we all know, building credibility and trust is crucial in the world of marketing. That's where social proof comes into play. Social proof is like having a third-party endorsement, which could be in the form of a quote, testimonial, or, you guessed it, a feature in a renowned publication. Today's guest has mastered the art of scoring features in major publications...

Welcome back to a new season of The Next Big Thing podcast!  In this episode, we chat about the intersection of design and AI with Lauren DeVane, founder of The Bemused Studio. Together, we explore why many people view AI as a threat to their jobs and discuss how design and creativity can work with, rather than against, this rapidly evolving technology. Lauren shares her insights on why the distinction between art and design is subjective and how AI comes from prompting. We dive into the...

Community: it's so hot right now. But are brands and entrepreneurs really building community in a sustainable, thoughtful way that actually nurtures and satisfies members? Today, we're catching up with Grace Blacksea, a community founder who helps modern leaders connect and learn from one another. After feeling burned out and confused in the corporate world, Grace set out to build something AMAZING. Quench Collective is the ultimate values-driven community where founders can be vulnerable,...

If you're feeling stressed TF out about the upcoming recession, and you're also a business owner or founder, you're not alone. It's easy to fall into the media trap of constantly feeling like the world is ending and business is going to start to slide. In fact, the fear-mongering from the media makes it even worse, as they highlight the upcoming doom and gloom without giving us as founders and consumers an opportunity to prepare, do things differently, and put our minds at ease. If you're...

What if sticking to your values (and not conforming to the industry norm) actually helped your brand pave its own way in a highly competitive industry packed full of heritage brands? Today, we're chatting with the thoughtful, brilliant, and provocative changemaker from Nemi Snacks, Regina Trello. Surprisingly, Regina got her career start as a lawyer before creating her own snack foods on the side. While her first product didn't work out, she was determined to create something delicious and...

What if you launched a brand in a highly competitive category right before the pandemic hit? And beyond that - what if you built so much momentum that you had the opportunity to go on a major network TV show DURING the pandemic? Today, we're chatting with the vibrant, charismatic, and creative co-founder of Aura Bora, Maddie Voge. Maddie started Aura Bora with her husband Paul in 2019 after realizing that the sparkling water industry had so much more room for FUN. Between bright branding,...

What if your intuition was guiding you toward a game-changing product idea? Would you listen to what everybody else was saying you should do with your career - or would you tap into your gut feeling? Today, we're chatting with the thoughtful, provocative, and bold founder of Wherewithal, Danielle Rushton. Danielle was a tomboy growing up, but always had a challenge finding a strapless bra that fit properly (hello - don't we all?) Fast forward to her career in the corporate world, where she...

Have you ever thought about launching your own fashion brand - but wondered where you'd ever get the experience to start? Many of us go to college and focus on majors that we never end up using IRL. And sometimes, brick-and-mortar retail experience just isn't going to cut it. Xi Chen went from getting her PhD to realizing she wanted to start her own fashion brand. Her brand Sonderlier is truly a brand all of us will appreciate post-COVID. Focused on every day essentials, Sonderlier is a brand...

Talk about a mind-blowing episode (have you heard Sam mention that word enough?) In this episode, Sam sits down to chat with Tesla la Touche, the CEO of Zymonetics. Tesla is at the forefront of psychedelic therapy research and longevity studies. And she is here to share what she's learned in this space. If you've ever been curious about psychedelics or biohacking, or how to live longer, then you will absolutely love today's episode with Tesla. Also, Canadian listeners, represent! Tesla is...

In this week's solo episode, Sam tackles a question she answers often: why isn't my brand growing? Let's face it: the last few years have been stressful. If you've been busy running your own brand, you know that it can be hard to zoom out and really see your brand with constructive eyes, especially in the midst of COVID, inflation, evolving consumer shopping habits, and more. That's why in this episode, Sam chats about how you can gut check yourself (and your brand) to ensure you have the...

Growing up, women are told that sex, menstruation, and pleasure are private. We're told to be dainty and shy away from "inappropriate" topics so that we don't draw any "unnecessary attention". But it's time to change that conversation. It's time to empower women to feel confident and shame-free shopping for pleasure products, or being open about sex. That's where Jemma Sawyer of ILOH comes in. Jemma comes from the fashion industry and started ILOH as a pandemic business. She's had to overcome...

Here's a fun fact: over 75% of women do not finish their cosmetics. Why does that matter? Because day after day, women (and the broader skincare-focused population) are wasting plastic by getting pulled into the next temporarily viral brand or product. Laurie Mias is looking to change all of that. Her brand MONO Skincare has a patented innovation for developing the first skincare tablet, so skincare lovers can prevent waste through MONO's glass bottles and also get the highest quality...

After taking a brief hiatus to focus on client work and additional projects, we are BACK in March! Get excited for a brand new season full of inspiration! Have a topic suggestion? Want to suggest a specific guest? Please email us at [email protected].

The search to find the right speaker for your event or organization can be a real struggle at times .. In Today's episode, our guest has truly revolutionized the process of finding and booking the perfect speaker. Danielle also encourages her community to network and market themselves to one another. While helping run BUILT BY GIRLS in her time at Verizon Media, Danielle Letayf noticed a lack of representation amongst the speakers for her diverse group of mentees at the events they would...

The pandemic changed the way that we ALL interacted with one another, in life and in business .. With the lack of social ques being able to connect through a group zoom call was next to impossible. Cecilia Razak, co-founder of Slides with Friends revolutionized the way that people connected remotely. She saw a need and just went with it!! Cecilia added structure and tools to ensure that those who joined in on the call would walk away feeling like they were in the room vs. just staring at a...

The word postpartum makes many immediately think of postpartum depression .. and in Today's episode, our guests are determined to take back that term and give it the respect and care that it deserves. They have even renamed it the fourth phase! These women believe that the journey does NOT end after the third trimester and women deserve to feel taken care of especially after the baby enters the world. The founders of the fourth phase Marcia Cole and Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo are innovating how the...

In Today's episode we are doing a deep dive into what it really means to be sustainable .. Tamara Laine founder of systemCHANGR tells the hard stories the world needs to hear with her values at the core of everything she does, always finding new and innovative ways to champion human rights, sustainability, and women’s empowerment. Ballerina turned into a journalist and producer.. The journey of an entrepreneur is truly remarkable. Each founder that we have come onto TNBT always end up doing...

"When you don't have to hide your weights you will reach for them" - Kodi. In Today's episode, Kodi shares how she is redesigning and disrupting the fitness industry. She believes that beautiful design incentivizes movement! The founder of Equipt is a freakin powerhouse and embodies everything that is entrepreneurship.. Prior to starting Equipt just like many other business owners, Kodi wore several hats including acting and modeling! You'll quickly realize that very few business owners that...

Former indie movie producer turned sex app creator, Elizabeth Dell co-founder of Amorus was such a joy to interview. We have never had a conversation quite like this one here on The Next Big Thing. Elizabeth had her heart set on creating a fun and safe place for her users to sext and express themselves in a way that you simply cannot do via text message. Between the activities and prompts this app promotes a sex positive environment for those that want to lean into their sexuality. This...

Are you tired of doing "all the things"?! Most of us left our 9-5s because we were underpaid and overworked... So why as business owners do we tend to put ourselves right back into that stressful corner.. The truth is - it is hard to give up control, it is even more stressful finding the right person, training them, and then hoping that they actually do their job! It's a vicious cycle that ultimately ends up with you being right where you are at now.. overworked and doing tasks that you...

Recently almost every business has brought up how they strive to be more sustainable and eco friendly.. But what does that really mean? The Co-Founders of The Good Side Danielle Selig and Anna Niedermeyer have built their brand around the belief that you can be sustainable without compromising the customer's experience. The Good Side was created just a little over a year ago while two friends grabbed a cup of coffee. Since then, these two have seriously set the bar high for putting...

When you think about marketing, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Social Media.. Right? We are going to expand your thought process on what exactly Marketing is and how you can utilize several tools to give your future clients a better experience therefore they are more likely to purchase from you. Make sure to pay attention, because this episode is FULL of tactical take-aways that you can start implementing today. In Today's episode our Host Sam Ogborn dives into why she left...

Are you really paying attention to your calling? Are you ready to build a thriving community of like-minded, passionate individuals? It's safe to say in business, especially entrepreneurship you can feel confused and alone. It can feel like you are going through the ups and downs without anyone to vent to, get advice from, or better yet, celebrate wins with! But, what if you were able to team up with other like-minded driven women that are on the same journey as you? In today's episode...

Chatbots are the future of marketing and e-commerce. Is your brand ready? In this episode, we'll uncover how you can automate, save time and make more money in your business today using bots. School Of Bots Co-Founder Natasha Takahashi debunks so many fears about using chatbots to communicate vs. speaking one-to-one with your customers. She explains how utilizing chatbot technology will actually ensure a more pleasant experience for your customer. Her mission is to accelerate the growth of...