Veronica Jeans, an eCommerce expert, responds from Texas

This interview took place on May 15, 2020.

Connecting in person with Veronica at the Social Media Marketing World conference every year is a highlight for me. We both support businesses with online marketing know-how, but Veronica focuses mainly on e-commerce clients who use Shopify to sell their products, while I focus more on sales funnels and Facebook advertising for service-based businesses that use Kajabi or Wordpress. I reached out to Veronica to find out how things are going these days in the e-commerce world.

Guest bio:

Veronica Jeans is an eCommerce Business Consultant & Shopify Expert. With a passion for following online sales trends, she can tell you all about turning an initial investment of $100,000 into a company with a return above $2.5 million annually within 2 years, because she's done it. Long story short, she built a successful business supplying IT professionals to some of...

Sigrun, Online Business Coach, responds from Switzerland

This interview took place on April 29, 2020.

I first met Sigrun in 2016 at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego at an impromptu lunch with other online business friends. She was emerging as a well-known influencer for female entrepreneurs with online businesses and quickly rose to the top of her game. Her in-person summit in Iceland was coming up in June, and I had a ticket to go. COVID-19 had other plans causing the cancelation of many events around the world including this one. I figured the next-best thing would be to interview her for this podcast to see how she and women who work with her are responding.

Guest bio:

Sigrun is on a mission to accelerate gender equality through female entrepreneurship. She is the leading business mentor for female online entrepreneurs in Europe, TEDx speaker, and host of the Sigrun Show podcast. Originally from Reykjavik, Iceland, she has spent more than half her life...

Kimberly Edwards, Entrepreneur, Airbnb host, and #freeTN founder, responds from Tennessee

This interview took place on April 24, 2020.

After renovating part of her home as an Airbnb rental, Kimberly was thrilled that March and April were fully booked for with guests who were ready for the downtown Nashville museums and music. When COVID-19 hit the scene, her plans were squashed, all bookings canceled, and Nashville's honky-tonk scene became a ghost town. Kimberly's husband has his own business venture as a DJ for weddings and corporate events, another business that is not recession-proof. She put on her advocacy hat and created the #freetn movement for Tennesseans ready to go back to work. This is her story.

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Sally Hendrick (00:39):

Hey Kimberly, how are you doing? I'm Sally Hendrick. Hi Sally. I'm doing good. Thanks. How are you? Good. Good to meet you. Finally, I reached out to you yesterday, just yesterday to talk to you about what's going...

Keith Carver, UT Martin Chancellor, responds from Tennessee

This interview took place on April 22, 2020.

With colleges having to pivot in the middle of the semester all over the world, reaching out to Dr. Keith Carver, chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin, was an obvious choice for an interview. Keith and I attended Memphis State University together nearly 30 years ago. Not only were we connected through the Sigma Chi Fraternity, but I knew the gal he ended up marrying from our days singing together at Kincaid Studios in Crockett County, Tennessee. Listen to how Keith is handling the COVID-19 situation.

Guest bio:

Dr. Keith Carver began his duties as is the 11th chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin on January 3, 2017. He has worked with the UT System for 22 years and served as executive assistant to the UT president from January 2011-December 2016 before taking the post at UT Martin.

Prior to his position with the UT...

Elizabeth Antony, Independent College Counselor in Tennessee, responds

This interview took place on April 08, 2020.

Helping students navigate college choices, fill out applications, and filter through programs that help them reach their life goals is the business of Elizabeth Antony of Nashville, Tennessee. With much ado and much to sort through to help students and parents figure out how to handle the unknown due to COVID-19, Elizabeth shares her insight into what may come.

Guest bio:

Elizabeth Antony of College Application Coach LLC of Nashville, Tennessee, leads an innovative firm offering individualized college admission consulting. She is committed to guiding students through the college selection, admission, and acceptance process. She combines her unique background in Developmental Psychology and critical and personal writing with a strong working knowledge of today's competitive admissions process. 

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Sally Hendrick...

Keaton Wilson, Graduating College Student, responds from Tennessee

This interview took place on April 17, 2020.

Keaton was looking forward to his college graduation ceremony in Martin on May 2, 2020, from the University of Tennessee. He never dreamed it would be via Facebook Live instead of in-person in front of thousands of students, parents, and faculty. After losing his father to cancer the day of his final high school exam four years ago, he's now facing an unknown path into his career as he finishes his bachelor's degree. He has been on a long journey of self-discovery and has had to grow up faster than most young adults his age. This is how he is responding.

Guest bio:

Keaton is currently a senior at the University of Tennessee at Martin who is pursuing a BSBA degree in Business Management with a minor in English. In his free time, he loves hiking and playing guitar. He also loves writing and is in the process of writing his first memoir.

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Dr. Michele Summers, Physician and College Instructor, responds

This interview took place on April 02, 2020.

Michele and I met online before we met in person. From a social media marketing conference in California to another event in New York City, we struck up some conversation and have kept in touch since. When the COVID-19 threat began, we caught each other's attention on Facebook when I was explaining the statistics, and she was explaining the clinical and political aspects.

Guest bio:

Dr. Michele is the author of Body Wisdom: 10 Weeks to Transformation and the creator of the podcast Body Wisdom with Dr. Michele. She is also a physician specializing in autoimmune disease, an Ayurvedic health coach, and a certified yoga teacher, offering workshops and online courses based on her book. She hopes to inspire women to live happier, healthier lives that honor their own bodies, wants, and desires.

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Sally Hendrick (...

Zan Phillips, Registered Nurse in Tennessee, responds

This interview took place on April 06, 2020.

Zan Phillips has been laid off from her job as a nurse in the aesthetics industry while elective procedures are disallowed during the current COVID-19 situation. She sat down with Sally Hendrick to discuss what she is experiencing and how she's being asked to consider returning to the hospital setting.

Guest bio:

Former ICU and hospice nurse, Zan Phillips of Nashville, Tennessee, currently specializes in aesthetics with her nursing career.

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Zan Phillips (00:40):

Hi Zan Phillips. How are you doing? How are you? Good. It's good to talk to you. And I know that you're a nurse. Yes. So I was an ICU nurse in the national area and also a hospice nurse I did in home hospice for years. My heart got a little tired. I got kind of, you know, that was a very intense job for a lot of years. And so I have moved into the plastic surgery field. So I work for a...

Maelynn Johnson, Rural Carrier Assistant in Tennessee and resident of Kentucky, responds

This interview took place on March 31, 2020.

We grew up together in West Tennessee, and when the coronavirus news started popping up all over Facebook, Maelynn and I reconnected in the comment threads of posts on the news of this virus. I wanted to dig further to find out how the post office is responding to the crisis in the rural area near where I was raised.

Guest bio:

Maelynn Johnson works for the post office, touching 1,700 pieces of mail per day. Living in Kentucky but working in Tennessee gives her a perspective most do not have about the response of the governors in both states.

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Sally Hendrick (02:16):

Hey, Maelynn. How are you doing? This is Sally Hendrick, I'd love to talk to you today about what's going on in your neck of the woods regarding this COVID-19 outbreak that we're experiencing around the world. So how are you doing?

Maelynn Johnson...

Steve Paladino, President of Music City Fire of Tennessee, responds

This interview took place on March 29, 2020.

With connections in China for his business and personal relationships at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville due to his son's illness, Steve Paladino has taken it upon himself to bring the two together to meet a need. When social-distancing measures first began, he was trying to figure out how to secure N95 masks with many obstacles standing in his way. Since the interview, he has adjusted to making hand-sanitizer with major purchase orders in hand from big-box retailers.

Guest bio:

Steve Paladino, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is the president and founder of Music City Fire Company that designs and manufactures tables featuring Sound Reactive Fire Technology supported by Multiple Patents and Safety Certifications.

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Sally Hendrick (01:16):

So, Hey Steve, how are you doing?

Steve Paladino (...