Beyond The Handshake
Welcome to Beyond The Handshake, hosted by Lucy Miller—Founder of Women Connect and a passionate advocate for building meaningful business relationships. On this podcast, we dive deep into the stories behind businesses and their leaders, exploring what drives their success, what keeps them going, and the challenges they face. We’ll uncover the “why” behind their work, their biggest struggles, triumphs, and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way.
It’s time we go beyond the handshake—beyond the business card exchange and initial introduction—to cultivate deeper, more authentic relationships.
Lucy’s experience creating Women Connect, a fast-growing professional women's networking group with chapters across Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, fuels her love for helping others build lasting connections. What began in 2020 as local networking events has expanded into a thriving community, hosting monthly events and the annual LIVE conference—a highlight of Lucy’s year.
Join us as we take business relationships to the next level and learn from the best in the business world.
Learn more: https://wearewomenconnect.com/
Episodes
19 episodes
She Built It Anyway. Growing a Business, Raising a Family & Asking for Help with Luba Patlakh
Meet Luba Patlakh speech language pathologist, founder of Kidology Inc., mom of three, and one of those women you meet and immediately think, we were supposed to connect. Luba’s journey is anything but traditional. She started in broadcast jour...
Seeing Your Invisible Potential with Executive Coach Shea Smith
What if the biggest barrier between where you are and where you want to be… is the story you're telling yourself?In this episode of Beyond the Handshake, Lucy Miller sits down with executive coach Shea Smith of Novus Global
Medicare Misty | She Lost A Job, Found Her Calling, And Created Opportunity For Dozens
A layoff, a nickname, and a decision to bet on courage—that’s how Misty Bolt became “Medicare Misty” and built a 50-agent, 45-state agency that puts advocacy first. We go deep on what it really takes to move from a safe paycheck to a mission-dr...
Pivot With Purpose: How Kimmy Powell Scaled Luxury Spas and Designed a Life of Freedom
Entrepreneur, author, and mentor Kimmy Powell joins Beyond the Handshake to share how a 13-year-old coder became a multi-location owner of Woodhouse Spa. Kimmy walks us through her bold mid-life pivot at 45 from Ohio to t...
Dear Fear, It’s Not You..It’s Me: Becoming Her with Tracy Litt
In this powerful conversation, Lucy sits down with global visionary Tracy Litt to unpack what it really takes for high-achieving women to evolve without burning out. Tracy shares her transformation from single mom on food stamps to CEO of a sev...
Culture by Design: Building and Evolving with Marvel HR’s John Sharpe
This episode of Beyond the Handshake, host Lucy Miller sits down with John Sharpe, CEO of Marvel HR, to unpack what it really takes to build—and evolve—an intentional company culture.What we explore:Culture...
Building a Brand Together: How Two Sisters Grew Smiley Aesthetics into a Med Spa Powerhouse
Twin sisters. One vision. Multi-million-dollar growth.In this powerful episode of Beyond The Handshake, Lucy sits down with Mary Smiley Ford and Carla Pierson, twin sisters and co-founders of Smiley Aesthetics
Liza Graves | The Blueprint of Success
In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Liza Graves, Founder and CEO of StyleBlueprint — the South’s premier digital lifestyle publication dedicated to uplifting women, spotlighting small businesses, and celebrating Southern c...
Heather Locke: Digital Strategy Meets Human Connection
Beyond The Handshake with Heather Locke, Founder of Hammersmith Support.In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Heather Locke, the Founder and Chief Support Officer of Hammersmith Support, a web development and mainten...
Jessica Baladad | From Survivor to Advocate: Revolutionizing Breast Cancer Awareness
In this compelling episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Jessica Baladad, a six-year breast cancer survivor and the visionary founder of Feel For Your Life. Jessica transformed her personal battle with cancer into a mission to empow...
Jamie Heard | Faith in Action-Mission to Uplift Women Through Faithfully Restored
Have you ever envisioned starting a non-profit to champion a cause close to your heart?In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Jamie Heard, Executive Director of Faithfully Restored, a non-profit dedicated to uplifting...
Tammie Osborne | Creating Space for Success
In this inspiring episode of Beyond The Handshake, host Lucy Miller sits down with Tammie Osborne, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of The Sapphire Suite, a thriving co-working and event space designed exclusively for women. Mo...
Sydney Dozier | Building a Renaissance Movement: Empowering Women Through Business and Community
Conference planning is not for the faint of heart! On this episode of Beyond The Handshake, Lucy Miller sits down with Sydney Dozier to talk all things conference planning for women—the excitement, the challenges, the purpose be...
Jamie Rose Plum- From the Kitchen to Success: A Chef's Inspiring Business Journey
This episode of Beyond The Handshake is with Jamie Rose Plum, Founder and Owner of Rose & Plum Living. Get ready to listen in on two good friends chatting all things business. From starting a business, the roller coaster we are on, the mom ...
Chelsea Ryckis- Ethos Driven Opportunity
Are you overwhelmed by the complexities of the benefits world? Not sure how to incorporate YOUR ethos into your business practices? Perhaps you are curious about the experiences of a college athlete as a business woman now or someone who has fa...
Jennifer Ghanem: 10x Your Goals To Change Your Mindset to Achieve
In this exciting episode of Beyond The Handshake, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the inspiring Jennifer Ghanem, who is not only the Founder but also the CEO of The Row Title.Jennifer's journey towards establishing her own title...
Brielle Cotterman- Publicity Expert with YOUR Story as the Focus
In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Brielle Cotterman, Founder and CEO of The Influential Leader Agency. Brielle’s remarkable journey of resilience has inspired her to share her story worldwide, empowering others t...
Anna Vija McCloud: Marketing Agency Owner Master of Content Production and Batching
In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Anna-Vija McCloud. We chat through her journey of starting her agency as an "accident," growing and scaling it, the pivots she took, and now the ways her team serves their clients with m...
Blair Moore: From Solo Entrepreneur to Building a Dream Team at BeStyled Co.
In this episode of Beyond The Handshake, we sit down with Blair Moore, Founder of BeStyledCo, who shares her incredible journey from accidentally starting a business to navigating the challenges of growing a team and serving clients ac...