Chef Claudette Zepeda on Building a Hospitality Empire as a Single Mom

Early in her career, Sharon Price-John literally put pen to paper and wrote what she dubbed her “price values.” AKA: the qualities that guided her in work and life. She reasoned that if she had time to write a grocery list, she could take a second to define what was important to her. Although her price values have inevitably evolved as she got older, Sharon shares that defining her values made the path to achieving her goals a lot clearer. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Sharon shares:  The brownie points she scored from her kids being a toy company exec Why she follows the age-old advice “love what you do”  What influenced the changes to her “price values” list How she managed to bring Build-A-Bear its three most profitable years ever after COVID The difficulties of succeeding a founder-led business, and how she overcame them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through her twenties and thirties, comedian Jenny Slate couldn’t find peace. By all accounts, she was succeeding. She earned a spot on Saturday Night Live, and became recognizable through her on-screen appearances next to actors like Amy Poehler and Nick Kroll. But she still felt stuck in a cycle of self-criticism and a pressure to always be on. Then she became a mom and it all clicked. Listen as Jenny shares why becoming a mom made her feel less desperate to get jobs, please others, and “perform her tricks”.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Jenny shares:  Why living in Massachusetts instead of Los Angeles is helpful for her creative work What traits her parents were most concerned about in her upbringing How leaving Saturday Night Live led her to a major learning about success  Why perfection isn’t worth aiming at, and how she unlearned doing that   How the unconditional love she feels for her kid helped heal her own inner child A skimm of her new memoir, “Life Form” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Andrews has become one of the most recognizable sideline reporters in the sports industry. She started out at ESPN in her early twenties, and eventually moved to Fox NFL where she continues to give fans updates on their favorite players and coaches. While Erin’s worked in the biz for nearly two decades, she says she knows there’s a “shelf life” to her job. But the only way she’ll stop is if they drag her off the sidelines – and Erin says, it ain’t gonna be pretty.   In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Erin shares:  The news junkie side of her, and how it’s ruined family vacations  How she’s proactively addressing the “shelf life” of her on-camera career  The trauma she endured after being stalked, and how it informs her boundaries today How she’s built genuine relationships with her colleagues and the people she covers Why work became such a safe haven for her after going through her cervical cancer diagnosis and IVF treatments PS: Check out Erin Andrews podcast, Calm Down.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before she decided to run for mayor, Kate Gallego was newly divorced with a young child. Her support system drastically changed after her mom was diagnosed with cancer. Her only income was through her job on the city council, and she questioned whether Phoenix could stomach a young, unmarried woman as mayor. She won the race and has led the city for five years now. As mayor, Mayor Gallego implemented one of the most generous paid family leave policies for government employees and established an office to respond to Phoenix’s rising heat. Another part of her legacy so far? Redefining what’s possible for young working moms who don’t have perfect personal lives. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mayor Gallego shares:  How climate defined her childhood and early professional career Why people should run for office even if their personal life isn’t perfect The women in government who guided her through her own public service career How she implemented a 12-week paid family leave policy for public employees, plus a surprising fact on who uses it the most  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz said “I do” to Kevin Hartz twice: once when they got married, and again when she decided to become a co-founder with him. Julia says she doesn’t even remember the latter moment. All she knows is she trusted Kevin’s entrepreneurial instincts and it paid off. But when Kevin needed to step down as CEO and have Julia step in, she describes the transition as going from “Candyland” to “Tron”.   In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Julia shares:  What her internships on “Friends” and “Jackass” taught her The unofficial exit strategy she and Kevin agreed on in case they didn’t work out romantically Why it was bittersweet stepping up as CEO while Kevin navigated health struggles health struggled   How Eventbrite’s IPO was the most diverse in NYSE history Why she takes it personally when female executive leadership exit the business after going public Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the literal first day Rachel Zoe decided to be a freelance stylist, Tommy Hilfiger called her up to style a 2-week campaign with the biggest celebs and supermodels. She had 0 faith in herself, but he trusted she could do it. Rachel spent her career mainly behind the camera until her clients – who were the it-girls of our time – started pulling her in front of the paps with them. That turned into a Bravo TV show about her life, “The Rachel Zoe Project” and several fashion-focused brands centered around her styling. The best part? She never planned any of it.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Rachel shares:  The subconscious impact of growing up near New York City Her biggest fashion pet peeve in the workplace How she managed her limelight career as an introvert Why she decided to allow Bravo to film her life, despite swearing it off initially Whether or not she’d be able to launch her styling career in the age of social media How not having a plan for her whole career ended up working out  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claudette Zepeda grew up as a border kid between San Diego and Tijuana. On top of that, she spent summers in Guadalajara, watching her aunt run a bustling restaurant. She didn’t know it then, but those summers created the foundations for Mexican cuisine and hospitality in her mind. Then, she became a mom at 18-years-old. Claudette was a kid raising her own kid. She needed to pay the bills, sure. But what Claudette wanted more was to figure out how to build intergenerational wealth – and how to inspire young single moms to believe they could do it too.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Claudette shares:  Why she never allowed herself to dream beyond getting off food stamps and paying her bills on time How she stumbled into being a celebrity chef thanks to “right place, right time”  Why it’s detrimental to not talk about failures publicly  A recent on-air mess up she can’t stop thinking about, and what it taught her  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Barra grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, aka: the heart of the auto industry. Her father worked at General Motors for 40 years, and Mary became a second generation GM’er. She worked her way up the company, studying at the General Motors Institute (yes, it was a thing) to eventually becoming the CEO in 2014. Mary claimed GOAT status in the auto industry for steering the company through several crises – and for being a mentor to other women in the biz.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mary shares:  Who would make the cut on her cross-country road trip roster Why she’s never blinked twice at the rarity of being a woman in the auto industry The most difficult crisis she had to navigate a CEO Advice to her daughter and other women on when it’s time to leave a job Why she views herself as a caretaker to General Motors and what that responsibility means  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamie Kern Lima sold her company, IT Cosmetics, for $1.2 billion to L’Oréal. The sale made Jamie the first female CEO of a L’Oréal brand and safe to say, she made a pretty penny. She'd made it. At least that’s what everyone thought. In reality, Jamie says she couldn't find the self-worth to make her feel like she deserved any of it.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Jamie shares:  Why befriending Oprah deepened her understanding of being “enough”  How she distinguishes between self-confidence and self-worth  Her struggles with work addiction and how it affected her relationship with her family The story of learning to quiet self-doubt and learning to trust herself with her new book, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life PS: 9 to 5ish is going on summer vacation. We'll be back in your feed in September.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’ve got a bonus episode of “9 to 5ish” for you with a guest whose name has been in the news a lot lately. Our guest is Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, the co-chair of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and author of the New York Times bestseller “True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.” As a popular governor of a swing state, Governor Whitmer’s name has been floated in convos about who might be on the Democratic ticket since Biden ended his re-election campaign.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Governor Whitmer shares:  Whether you’ll see a Harris-Whitmer ticket in 2024 What politicians can do to stop political violence How democrats should think about reaching conservative and independent voters What most people are surprised to learn about her after reading her book  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices