This week, Kim sits down with Meredith Klein, the woman behind the iconic hat and the Substack everyone in comms actually wants to read. Meredith is a communications executive with nearly two decades of experience at some of the biggest names in the game: Walmart, Pinterest, and Jet.com, to name a few. She's the author of Meredith & The Media, a wildly popular Substack on the latest news, moves, and trends in media, featuring exclusive interviews with leading journalists on what's driving their coverage. She’s a PRWeek 40 Under 40 honoree and regular contributor to Inc. She’s the person in the room who actually knows everyone and makes sure everyone else knows each other too. Basically, if comms had a connector-in-chief, it would be her.
Kim and Meredith talk about personal branding, networking without the ick, why “believe it until you achieve it” beats “fake it till you make it,” and what it takes to really own your worth. Grab a martini (with extra olives) and get ready for some F-bomb filled wisdom.

Connect with Meredith:

Meredith & the Media Substack: https://meredithandthemedia.substack.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-klein-4389666/

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Maddie sits down with Brandon McCraney, Air Force veteran and founder and Master Blender behind Olde Raleigh Distillery in Zebulon, North Carolina. Brandon spent fifteen years just thinking about whiskey before he finally opened his doors, and even then it took four more years, a dozen rejections, construction delays, and a global pandemic to get there. Two years later, Olde Raleigh had already won Best Micro Distillery in the US. Brandon shares what it actually took to grow a business through COVID, the military discipline that kept him going when everything else said quit, and how working with people turned out to be the hardest part of the job.

Connect with Brandon:

Website: https://olderaleighdistillery.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmccraney/

Instagram: @brandonmccraney and @olderaleighdistillery

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Kim sits down with Alyshia Hull, a New York-based freelance journalist who writes for Business Insider, Fast Company, USA Today, Inc., and Entrepreneur. They cover why workplace authenticity matters, how culture is set from the top down, and the personality types that can either help or hurt you at work. The conversation also touches on the real AI risk facing today's workforce and the double-edged sword of freelancing…plus dogs, guilty pleasures, and whether cursive is a lost art. 

Read Alyshia's https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/how-to-be-yourself-at-work/90316266007/.

*Connect with Alyshia:*

* Website: http://alyshiahull.com
* LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyshia-hull-a35b56a1/
* Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/alyshiahull/
* YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@alyshiaHull

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Lindsey Potter, Owner/Director of Bright Light Early Care & Education in Battle Creek, where she's on a mission to redesign child care as we know it.

They covered what it's really like to run a licensed child care center day-to-day, the lessons she's picked up across 20+ years in early childhood education, and how she's building something better for kids, families, and the future of the industry. Lindsey also shares what drives her passion for this work and why early care and education is long overdue for a reimagining.

Connect with Lindsey on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Bright Light Early Care & Education.

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Maddie sits down with Grace Gavin, co-founder of Know Honesty, three-time founder, and co-author of the book Know Honesty: Eliminate the Divide, Become a Masterful Communicator, and Connect with Anyone. Through her book, workshops, and keynotes, Grace helps leaders and organizations have the real conversations that actually make a difference.

She and her business partner built Know Honesty around what they saw missing in workplaces everywhere: real communication. At the heart of their work are two simple but very different skills, being open and being honest, and Grace has spent years coaching leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs on how to practice both.

Grace and Maddie get into why so many workplace conversations go sideways even when everyone thinks they're being reasonable, what leaders are actually missing when they say they want honesty, and the conversations most teams are avoiding that they really can't afford to.

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Rebecca Dutcher, founder and CEO of RED66 Marketing, a Michigan-based marketing agency helping clients build strategies that connect with their audiences throughout the buyer's journey.

They covered what it's really like to run a growing marketing agency, the lessons she's picked up across more than 20 years in the industry, and how marketing can be used to solve real business challenges. Rebecca also shares what drives her as a self-proclaimed marketing nerd and yes, the RED in RED66 comes from her bold hair, and the 66? Her jersey number when she became the first girl to play football at age 8.

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.

Learn more about RED66 Marketing.

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Kim sits down with Monica Gauthier, who has spent the past 11 years co-owning Groovy Donuts, and is now finally catching up on sleep.

She started out studying fish disease and turned that into a successful career of early mornings at the donut shop and late-night baking. Over time, she built a team strong enough to keep the business running smoothly, even when she needed to step away to care for her dad in the hospital.

They get into the unglamorous side of small business ownership, the unseen labor and the pressure to keep growing when growing isn't always the answer. They also talk about what it takes to build something worth selling.

Monica sold her award-winning business to someone who had dreamed of owning it, and she did it on her terms.

Want to know what she’s doing next? Well, it’s none of your business.

Monica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-gauthier-453939368/
Groovy Donuts Website: https://www.groovydonuts.com/

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Jody Hayden, co-owner of Grocer's Daughter Chocolate, a Michigan-based chocolate company with roots in the specialty coffee and chocolate industries going back to 2001.

They covered what it's really like to be in the chocolate business, what she's most proud of, the lessons she's picked up along the way, and what's coming up for her and her team. Plus, if you haven't heard about the sugar bear, you'll need to watch this video now.

Connect with Jody on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Grocer's Daughter Chocolate.

Some ballot measures never make it to Election Day - and that's exactly the point. Many of the most consequential political battles happen before you ever enter a voting booth.

In this episode, Kelli Saunders from the Small Business Association of Michigan joins Maddie to talk about two proposals they are fighting to keep off the ballot and why small business owners should be engaged now.