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Erica is the owner and creative force behind LUX Boards, a woman-owned charcuterie and grazing company based in Austin, Texas. Founded four years ago alongside co-founder, Brittni Johnson, LUX Boards was built on the vision of creating elevated, intentional experiences where luxury meets connection.

LUX Boards has had the opportunity to serve a wide range of organizations, businesses, firms, and private residences throughout the Austin area and beyond. The brand has also been featured in news outlets and magazines, highlighting its impact, creativity, and commitment to excellence. Erica is the face of LUX Boards and has represented the company through podcasts, panels, and community events, sharing the journey of building a woman-owned business rooted in passion and purpose. What began as a creative outlet during Erica’s time as a stay-at-home mom has grown into a thriving business that continues to touch and bring joy to so many. The unexpected growth of LUX Boards has been both humbling and rewarding, allowing Erica to merge artistry, entrepreneurship, and community engagement in meaningful ways. Erica received the Small Business Of the Year Award by the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce.

You can connect with Erica by following her on Instagram. Check out her company’s website on www.luxboardsatx.com. Here are 3 tips that Erica shared on the podcast to get started on your creative business journey:

1. Display your work on social media. Test your business ideas!

2. Networking & Join local Associations.

3. Don’t rush to start marketing your product and/or service. Allow for organic growth!

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

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Jeanne brings a unique perspective as an educator and mentor who teaches business to artists and designers at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she helps ignite entrepreneurial thinking in the next generation of creative leaders. Through her company SuperGirlls LLC and her empowerment summits, she has inspired thousands of women and girls to step into leadership, own their voice, and build their own path to success. In her own words… “I believe in girl power first, God put me on this earth to cheerlead women into their boss queen selves, help them shine their crowns, and rule.” She is the author of “Be Your Own Hero. A girls guide to launching from College to life,” and host of the Podcast, PINK BALLS, THE GIRL POWER PODCAST, ON SPOTIFY. Jeanne holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BBA from The College of William and Mary, and is known for bridging the worlds of executive leadership, creative entrepreneurship, and academia.

You can connect with Jeanne McPhillips on LinkedIn. You can also check out her website here. Here are the 3 resources she shared on the podcast:

1. Book Recommendation: “Be Your Own Hero: Get Good, Get Girlls, Get Going + Get the Gig”

2. Business Model Canvas link.

3. The Strategyzer resource.

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

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Shali Reed is the COO of The Reeder LLC, a content strategy consulting and media company helping B2B brands and founders turn storytelling into revenue. She is also a former go-to-market and customer success leader who’s closed over $8 million in sales, and now blends business strategy with bold creativity to build brands that scale with soul. Known for her unfiltered takes on leadership, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, she’s redefining what modern growth looks like — equal parts operator, creator, and storyteller.

You can connect with Shali Reed on Linkedin and on Instagram. Also, check her out on her website here. Here are the tools to start your own business that Shali shared on the podcast:

1. Bob Iger’s Master Class.

2. Claude AI Tool to write a business plan, marketing resource, and legal guidance.

3. Honeybook for automated invoicing.

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

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Caroline Ruder. Caroline is a former Director of NA Quality at Amazon, where she spent over a decade leading large-scale operations, developing leaders, and driving customer-focused improvements across complex systems.

Throughout her career, Caroline became especially passionate about building strong teams and helping individuals grow into confident, capable leaders. Her experience spans fulfillment operations, inventory management, and quality systems, with a consistent focus on operational excellence and people development.

After 13 years at Amazon, Caroline made the intentional decision to step away from her corporate role to focus on her family and a new season of life in Montana. She is currently exploring how to apply her leadership experience in new ways, with a long-term interest in supporting organizations and individuals in building strong, effective teams.

You can connect with Caroline Ruder on Linkedin. Here are a few tips Caroline shared:

1. Develop strong communication skills

2. Bring your personal identity/brand into your day-to-day work day

3. Bring your creativity to your work! Fictional Leadership Book Recommendation: Enders Game

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

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Laura works with women returning to the paid workforce after a career break, helping them take control of their job search and find work aligned with their current goals. With over 15 years of experience in HR, along with her own journey of returning from a career break and changing careers, she understands the unique challenges women face as they reenter the workforce. Rather than viewing career breaks as a liability, she helps women see them as an asset and position them with confidence. She lives in Texas with her husband and son, but will always be a Midwesterner at heart!

You can connect with Laura Niebauer on Linkedin. Here are a few of the Career resources she shared on the episode:

1. The Ultimate Guide On Returning To Work After Your Career Break

2. Book Recommendation: The Power Pause

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

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Mercedes Swan is the Career Love Coach and creates empowering and safe places for high-performing and purpose driven Black women. She is a business and career coach for Black Women across the US, leveraging her expertise as a certified HR Professional (SHRM-CP), executive recruiter, and DEIB champion. It's her passion to see more Black Women find bliss personally and professionally and her mission is to close the pay, promotion and inclusion gap.

Mercedes holds a Master’s degree in management and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida. Mercedes has 8+ years of experience as an HR professional in talent acquisition, DEI, talent management and change management.

Mercedes currently lives in Florida with her fiancé, and two sweet boys: a chocolate American Staffordshire Terrier named Uno and tri-colored Beagle named Thorin. In her personal time, she loves nerding out , kayaking, spending time with family and crafting.

You can connect with Mercedes Swan on Instagram- @mercedes.swan. Follow Mercedes tools and resources below:

1. Check out Happy Black Women.

2. Download Mercedes free Career Love Journal

3. Black Woman Bliss Community (a free and paid community experience for high-performing, passionate Black women).

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.

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Urmi is a self-published author, speaker, blogger, and podcast host who works in the financial services industry in Canada. She holds both the CFA and CAIA designations and is deeply passionate about empowering women through mentorship, education, and public speaking.

Her book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle, reflects her journey as a third-culture kid navigating questions of identity, culture, and belonging. Through her writing and lived experiences, Urmi aims to create spaces for honest conversations around representation and self-discovery. She also hosts the podcast Stories Beyond Borders, which amplifies diverse voices and stories on identity, migration, and language.

Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Urmi enjoys reading thrillers, practicing boxing, and staying active through running and HIIT workouts.

You can connect with Urmi Hossain on Instagram- @urmamio. Follow Urmi’s 3 Tips for how to break into the financial industry:

1. Connect with 100 Women in Finance.

2. Listen to the podcast, Leave Your Mark.

3. Check out the following Books Recommendations: “Leave Your Mark” by Aliza Licht and “Ikigai:The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” by Hector Garcia.

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.

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Nina is a proud wife, mother, grandmother, entrepreneur, and community leader whose life is deeply rooted in faith, family, and service. She is the oldest of three daughters, a role that taught her early about leadership, compassion, and perseverance. Nina’s entrepreneurial spirit was shaped by the example of her parents, who broke barriers in their own right. Her mother made history in their hometown as the first Black woman and first woman to own and operate an auto body shop, where she skillfully repaired and restored vehicles with determination and pride. Her father was a DJ, whose deep love for music inspired Nina’s own appreciation for creativity, rhythm, and connecting with people through joyful celebration.

Before stepping into public leadership, Nina spent more than twenty years in the nursing field. That same heart for service later guided her toward entrepreneurship and event design. She began her business journey humbly—selling floral arrangements, décor, and women’s clothing through roadside and tent pop-up shops for many years. She then launched into wedding coordination, event design, and planning. In 2020, Nina expanded her vision by opening SB Fashion Boutique and soon after, launched the Simply Beautiful Event Center, a vibrant venue that now hosts weddings, receptions, and community celebrations throughout the region.

Nina is a Certified Wedding and Event Planner through the Wedding Planning Institute and the CEO and Owner of Simply Beautiful Events & More, a full-service event and floral design company. In addition to her thriving business, Nina proudly serves as a school bus driver for Butler County Schools. She serves on both the Career Tech Advisory Board and the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Advisory Board, lending her leadership to career training and workforce development programs that help prepare students for success in the hospitality industry.

In August 2025, Nina Jones Bonner made history as the Mayor-Elect of Georgiana, Alabama, becoming both the first Black woman and the first woman ever to hold the position. Her leadership vision is built on unity, revitalization, and opportunity. She continues to pour her heart into every role she holds—serving God, her family, and her community with excellence, humility, and love.

You can connect with Nina Bonner on Instagram- @sbeautifuleventsandmore. Follow Nina’s 3 Tips for how to get involved in your local city:

1. Volunteer in your local community.

2. Network with people involved in local community organizations.

3. Stay updated and read local magazines and newspapers to know what’s going on in your local community.

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.