From Navy Decks to Wine Country: How Renee Ventrice Built an Empire by Uncorking Her Quirks
What happens when a US Navy veteran, WSET-certified sommelier, and community marketing strategist decides wine is for everyone — not just the connoisseurs? Renee Ventrice built Cork and Keg Tours from scratch, grew it to make USA Today's Reader's Choice Top 10 three years running, exited on her own terms, and launched WineauxClock Culinary Experiences with brand partnerships at Marriott and Salesforce. Now she's the Amazon bestselling author of Pour Relationship Choices and Loudoun County's first Certified Tourism Ambassador of the Year. In this conversation, Renee reveals how she turned passion into profit, why stress creates diamonds, and how she finds windows where others see walls — all while giving back through an entrepreneur scholarship fund.
The Difference Maker: How Alyssa Subecki Built America's Only 7-Allergen-Free Bakery — During a Pandemic
Alyssa Marie Subecki had no culinary background, no restaurant experience, and opened a bakery during COVID-19. Within six months she was named one of the top 100 women in business in the food allergy industry and won Best Allergen-Free Bakery in the United States. The Difference Baker in Loudoun County, Virginia remains the only retail location in the US certified free from seven of the nine top food allergens — serving a community that has historically been left out of the food experience. With cinnamon rolls so good her own husband thought he was being glutened, wholesale partnerships with Loudoun coffee shops, and a new location at Dulles Town Center with franchising on the horizon, Alyssa's story is proof that your most personal problem might be your greatest business opportunity.
What the Healthcare System Won't Tell You: Donna Figueroa on Hormones, Healing, and Functional Medicine After 60
Donna Figueroa spent her entire career in women's healthcare — as a board-certified nurse midwife and nurse practitioner — and still didn't know how to help herself when perimenopause hit. Aching joints, failing eyesight, pending hip surgery, and a medical system that told her to simply buckle up. Instead, she discovered functional medicine, uncovered food sensitivities, a gut infection, and heavy metal toxicity — and healed without going under the knife. At 60, she went surfing to celebrate. Now the founder of Midlife Midwife Functional Health in Leesburg, VA, Donna helps midlife women find their optimal wellness by addressing root causes rather than masking symptoms with medication. Her story is a blueprint for anyone who has been told to simply accept how they feel.
From the CIA to CEO: How Erica Bourne Turned Federal Disruption Into Her Greatest Business Launchpad
Twenty-plus years in federal service — including a career at the CIA — and Erica Bourne still knew she wasn't working on what was truly hers. When federal reorganization created a wave of uncertainty, she didn't panic. She pivoted. Taking the deferred resignation program as her launchpad, Erica fast-tracked the early stages of Erica Bourne Consulting and walked away from a guaranteed salary toward something far more aligned: her own purpose. In this honest and energizing conversation, Erica talks about what it feels like to trade the structure of a federal career for the wide-open terrain of entrepreneurship — and why, for anyone who knows their own value, the leap is far less terrifying than it looks from the outside.
Why Your Insurance Is Probably Broken — And What Kim Ruiz King Wants You to Do About It
Kim Ruiz King didn't plan to build a career in insurance. She was a CPA running a vending machine company when COVID shut everything down. She found her way to insurance through ZipRecruiter, worked around the clock while her son transitioned to online school during a personal separation, and won a trip to Costa Rica within three months by helping enough families in enough ways to count. Now she's the founder of Fambuli Insurance Services, a Loudoun-based brokerage where clients don't just hold policies — they actually understand them. Life insurance, health insurance, retirement planning, business protection, and yes, even pet coverage. In this conversation, Kim shares what happens when families don't have the coverage they need, why most people resist the conversation, and why consistent effort — like watering bamboo — eventually grows something extraordinary.
Taking the Misery Out of Death: Navigating End-of-Life Planning with Closure
Victoria Burke is the founder of Closure (Get Closure), an end-of-life planning concierge service powered by AI. As a former funeral director and mortician, she has years of experience navigating grief and funeral services, having gained extensive hands-on training in human anatomy and embalming during mortuary college. Additionally, she has worked as an entrepreneur teaching CPR for the American Heart Association and American Red Cross for ten years
The Power of the Pivot: Edna Howard on Empowering Women and Building Confidence
Edna Howard is the founder of Voices of Encouragement and operates ICE (Inspiration, Coach, Empower) Coaching and Consulting. Her diverse background includes managing Virtual Business Operations Services Support (VBOSS) to providing marketing, HR, and administrative assistance, working in corporate America as a woman in tech, and serving as a Mary Kay sales director. She also manages a home services referral network alongside her husband's former handyman business. Her primary professional focus is empowering women in the workforce by building their confidence and bridging the gap between their credentials and self-belief.
Guarding Your Peace: Brandon Davis on Solo Law Practice & Small Business Realities
Brandon Davis is a solo practice business and estates attorney licensed in Virginia and Washington, DC. Before starting his own practice, he worked as a corporate counsel and contracts attorney, where he spent time overhauling fourteen years of corporate neglect and building entire contracts departments, integrating closely with sales, human resources, and ownership. Currently, he focuses on assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs with operational administration, financial systems, corporate organization, and partnership planning.
Finding the Right Space: Charlotte Bonini on Commercial Real Estate
Charlotte Bonini is a commercial real estate broker at eXp Realty with thirteen years of experience navigating the industry. She transitioned into real estate after facing a period of unemployment, seeking a career where she could control her own hustle and work. Today, she specializes in helping small business owners find the perfect commercial spaces.
The Perfect Fit: Nanette Parsons on Curated Retail Experiences
Nanette Parsons is the owner of Best Rack Around, where she has been in business for over a decade. She operates a boutique providing highly curated, one-on-one bra-fitting experiences. She offers personalized fitting for everyday, sports, and formal wear, creating accommodating and safe environments that include tailored experiences for young girls and autistic individuals.
Practical AI for Business: James Galang on Automating Operations
James Galang is the co-founder of GalangAI, and the leader of AI Strategy and Enablement at Sky Solutions. Armed with a degree in Biology, he transitioned into IT by learning Java and spent six years working in business operations and sales. He joined the government contracting firm Sky Solutions as their first back-office hire, heavily contributing to their massive growth from a $4 million to a $60 million firm. Currently, he builds practical, automated AI systems for businesses, such as marketing systems for biotech companies and automated podcast SEO operations
Healing and Entrepreneurship: Kellie Boyle on EMDR and Private Practice
Kellie Boyle is a licensed professional counselor and the owner of Reprocess Therapy in Purcellville, Virginia. With a background as a Psychology major, she brings twenty years of experience in mental health, including a decade working at group practices before launching her own business in the fall of 2024. She specializes in trauma therapy using EMDR, helping clients process traumatic memories, navigate midlife existential crises, and overcome negative core beliefs
Navigating Federal Acquisitions: Kara Ryles on Government Contracting
Kara Ryles is the CEO and founder of the Contracting Intelligence Group. She formerly served as the Director of Contracts and a federal executive at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families. After losing her position due to a major department reorganization, she founded her business to bridge the gap between the federal acquisition community and the private sector. She provides small to mid-sized businesses with custom acquisition strategies, embedded acquisition intelligence, and federal proposal consulting.
Dejunkifying Operations: Sarah Smith on Systems, Scaling, and Founder
Sarah Smith is the Chief Innovation Officer at Iconoclast Innovations, consulting with founders, startups, and small-to-medium businesses to streamline operations, execute transformations, and "dejunkify" their processes. She holds a B.A. in English from Kennesaw State University and transitioned into the tech industry, eventually starting her first coaching company in 2018 before launching her current business in 2024, where she initially worked as a subcontractor for leadership development and operations reform. She is also currently an MBA student.
Illuminating Wellness: Tom Watson on Building TheraBulb and Logistics
Tom Watson is the CEO of TheraBulb and has been a serial entrepreneur since his twenties. Professionally trained as a network engineer, he previously owned Capital Computers, an IT managed service provider, for twelve years. He built TheraBulb by sourcing, manufacturing, and obtaining RoHS and CE certifications for toxin-free infrared light bulbs in Asia, successfully navigating complex international shipping, customs, and third-party laboratory testing.
Powering the Future: Stephanie Choi Brookes on Safe Energy Storage
Stephanie Choi Brookes is the Chief Marketing Officer at Syntropic Power. She boasts nearly two decades of experience blending strategy, storytelling, and execution, having built a boutique communications firm, managed complex federal projects, and worked in commercial construction and the GovCon space. She focuses on marketing advanced layered sodium technology as a safe, resilient, and domestically manufactured energy storage alternative to lithium for residential use and data centers.