From Spark to New Venture
From Spark to New Venture is a student-driven podcast from the University of Mary Washington (UMW), where undergraduates share the stories of entrepreneurs and their journeys from idea to venture. Each episode uncovers the sparks of inspiration, the challenges they faced, and the mindsets that helped them overcome obstacles in their journey. The goal of this podcast is to inspire students to learn entrepreneurial mindsets and bring them into everyday lives, taking action and learning from every step along the way.
Episodes
67 episodes
Phil Knight: Co-founder of Nike
This episode explores the entrepreneurial journey of Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, and how his mindset helped transform a simple idea into a global brand. We discuss what motivated Knight to start his venture, including his passion for runni...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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10:33
Jack Ma: The rise of Jack and Alibaba
In my podcast, I did a short episode on the famous Chinese entrepreneur named Jack Ma. Jack is a hardlined entrepreneur who had a sketchy start within the business world. He had a rough start with being denied from college 3 times, and struggli...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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20:48
Ishmael Mejia: IM Quality Home Contractor-- Building a way up
The story of Ishmael Mejia, starting out as an immigrant to the United States from El Salvador to owning his own successful contracting business. His story is about perseverance, creating skills, learning as you go, and working hard. Ishmael st...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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10:49
Catherine: Generations of Giving Back: The Heart Behind Monkees
This episode of the podcast collection, we will be interviewing a small boutique owner Catherine. She was inspired by her grandfather who opened a hardware store after he returned from WWII. She always knew she wanted to give back to the commun...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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17:49
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Riley Burzynski: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in Small Business
For my first podcast, I chose to interview my friend and former coworker, Riley Burzynski. She is the owner of two small businesses located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She firstly is a licensed Cosmetologist, and operates independently within ...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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23:45
Lolita--More than a Salon
In this episode, hosts Anna and Jasmine sit down with Lolita, the owner of Hstyles, Inc., to discuss her journey to becoming her own boss. We explore the challenges Lolita faced and the valuable lessons she learned along the way. From taking ri...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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13:22
Alayna Hermans: From Classroom to Clients: Redesigning Life Through Entrepreneurship
In this episode of From Spark to New Venture, hosts Kyle Johnson and Monique Lipton share the story of Alayna Hermans: a former Health and PE teacher at a Virginia Beach middle school who took a bold step into entrepreneurship. After years in t...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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19:37
Dinah Idan-Biney: From Ghanaian Immigrant to Self-Made CPA Entrepreneur in Woodbridge
This episode tells the inspiring story of Dinah Idan-Biney, a Ghanaian immigrant who built a successful career as a Certified Public Accountant and opened her own accounting firm in Woodbridge, Virginia. Dinah’s journey highlights the determina...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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10:23
Nehemia Abel: From Refugee to Founder Empowering Burundian Students Through Education and Opportunity
This episode highlights the inspiring journey of Nehemia Abel, a refugee who overcame significant challenges to become a co-founder of a nonprofit organization called Ubumwe, which means “unity,” dedicated to supporting Burundian students. As a...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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16:34
Gabe Wilson--Student Athlete to successful Strength & Conditioning coach
In this episode, we sit down with Gabe Wilson, a former student athlete who turned his passion for performance into a thriving career as a strength and conditioning coach. Gabe shares his journey from competing on the field to coaching athletes...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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13:34
Max McCusker--From Rugby Player to Rugby Gear Entrepreneur
This podcast features an interview with fellow University of Mary Washington student Max McCusker, a former competitive rugby player who transitioned into entrepreneurship following a career ending injury. Although he was no longer able to comp...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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17:22
Christine Goodwin--From UMW Alumni to CEO
In this episode, I interview Christine, a technology leader and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience developing enterprise-scale software solutions across industry, government, and national security sectors. Named one of Virginia’s Top...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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20:28
William Rosenburg: Brewing Success: The Story Behind Dunkin’ Donuts
This episode tells the inspiring origin story of Dunkin’ Donuts and its founder, William Rosenberg. It explores how Rosenberg, coming from a working class background, noticed that coffee and donuts were the most popular items among busy workers...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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9:00
Tristan Mahoney: From Locker Room to Launch
Building a Baseball Brand Before It Exists In this episode of From Locker Room to Launch, we sit down with Tristan Mahoney, a former baseball player turning his vision for the game into a growing apparel brand set to launch in 2026. Tristan sha...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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10:36
Michael Jordan: The Rise of Michael Jordan’s Jordan Brand — From Athlete to Enterprise
The Jordan Brand is one of the biggest brands in the world. This podcast will dive into how it rose from a single signature sneaker into one of the most powerful sports brands of all time. In 1984 Nike took a shot on a young rookie Michael Jord...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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12:29
Josh Leyva and Tyler McCann: From Fitness Enthusiast to Entrepreneurs Podcast
This podcast episode will explore the health-conscious brand that goes by the name of Taste Salud, founded by Josh Leyva and Tyler McCann. Josh, a YouTube influencer with a large following partnered together with Tyler, a knowledgeable fitness ...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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14:29
Rene Smits: From Dutch Welder to American Business Owner
In this episode, I share the inspiring journey of my dad, Rene Smits, the founder of Smits International. Originally from the Netherlands, he began welding at just 16 years old where he mastered advanced welding techniques used on large ships. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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10:49
Elon Musk Taking Big Risks to Change the Future
This episode discusses Elon Musk and how he became a highly famous and successful inventor and entrepreneur. It shows how he worked on big problems and tried to make the future better, starting when he was interested in technology as a kid. He ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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10:37
Aloysious Kabonge: Resources and Mentorship
In today’s podcast, Aaron Applegate and Calvin Harold two juniors at UMW with backgrounds in business and sports. Today we will be interviewing a local UMW student by the name of Aloysious Kabonge. He is currently studying mathematics with ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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13:11
Katy Hearn: From Fitness Influencer to Global Brand CEO
This episode of Spark to New Venture explores the entrepreneurial journey of Katy Hearn, a fitness influencer who turned personal struggle into a multi-million-dollar wellness brand. Hosts Ella Hernandez and Allison Magruder walk listeners thro...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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9:29
Oprah Winfrey: Hardship to Success
In this episode, Kylie explores the journey of Oprah Winfrey and the mindset that transformed her from a young girl growing up in poverty into one of the most influential media entrepreneurs in the world. Rather than focusing solely on Oprah's ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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7:38
Maria Billmyer- From Solo Cleaner to Selfmade Business Owner
This episode tells the story of a self-employed home-cleaning business owner whotransformed a simple idea into a sustainable venture through determination, adaptability, and hard work. Starting with limited resources, she shares what motiva...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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12:41
Ben Mala: Turning Knowledge, Risk, and Resilience Into Lasting Success
This episode tells the story of Ben Mala and how he went from craving financial freedom to becoming a successful real estate entrepreneur. It walks through what motivated him to start, how he learned the business, and how he built money and con...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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10:17
Mr Juma the construction Entrepreneur
This narrative outlines the entrepreneurial journey of a Zimbabwean visionary who turned a personal obstacle into a thriving concrete brick manufacturing business. Motivated by the high cost and scarcity of building materials while constructing...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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10:17
Echo Chocolate: From Childhood Passion to Award Winning Chocolatier
We had the pleasure of interviewing UMW’s softball pitching coach, Coach Echo, as she gave us a deep dive into her chocolate business. Echo has always had a love for chocolate, and turned her passion into profit, with Echo Chocolate opening in ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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19:11
