When you’ve built a very successful business as a jewelry designer for more than 20 years, the natural move is to leave it all behind and start making documentary films celebrating and supporting female artisans and entrepreneurs through authentic storytelling, right?Kara Ross, renowned entrepreneur and award-winning fine jewelry designer and founder of Unleashed (anon profit media organization founded whichcelebrates and supports female artisans and entrepreneurs)joins Socialfly founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and Unleashed and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.In this episode:
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
Get featured on our podcast as an Entreprenista League member
Interested in being a podcast guest? We’re accepting applications from Entreprenista League members who want to share their stories.
Join 2,000+ supportive, ambitious founders in the
Highlights
- How Kara needed to start a business to take care of kids after divorce as a single mom
- Kara’s first employee–her sister
- The entrepreneurial reality of never feeling like you made it—ail it’s always about the next thing
- Why Kara doesn’t miss her jewelry business even after 25 years
- How Kara is focusing now on other female entrepreneurs and artisans
- Why Kara felt guilty about closing her store
- When you’re not on the treadmill and running, it is difficult to stop and choose to spend your life and resources another way
- Why Kara wishes she had talked with someone about leaving her business—it was emotionally and mentally tough
- Creating Unleashed, a short film series telling the stories of female entrepreneurs around the world.
- Shooting the pilot with the Bella Twins
- Why Kara won’t be featured in the show
- Creating a content library that highlights multiple industries and career fields
- How Kara’s daughter is helping after graduating from film school
- What Kara learned from her jewelry business that could be applied to Unleashed
- How Kara is more relaxed now enjoying herself more, and more in control of her time
- The power of leading by example
- Trying to challenge yourself and constantly make yourself better


%2520(1).avif)















