8 Powerhouse Women Our Team Admires
Learn about the changemakers inspiring our team for Women’s History Month!
It’s Women’s History Month! Not only are we a team of women, but we also love to champion and support the amazing, creative, and impactful women in our communities. In celebration of Women’s History month, we’re shouting out 8 women who we think are making history before our eyes.
Jill Osur
Founder and CEO, Teneral Cellars
A former UC Berkeley softball player, Jill Osur still draws on her athletic background to hone her leadership style and overcome obstacles. Deeply moved to elevate women and inspire meaningful change, her values have guided her career—first as a savvy political fundraiser, then in marketing with Special Olympics Northern California & Nevada, and now, as an entrepreneur. Jill has helped launch numerous consumer product companies and ventures focused on “doing well by doing good.” Previously the co-founder and director of California-based winery group GoldLine Brands, Jill founded a digital winery, Teneral Cellars, in 2020. Teneral Cellars is driven by Jill’s belief that wine can be a conduit for change; a force for gender equity and social justice within the wine industry and our culture at large.
~
Only ten percent of winemakers are women, and a scant 0.1% of all winemakers are Black. In the wine industry at large, female sommeliers make only 70 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts earn! It’s statistics like these that inspire Teneral Cellars. Jill has made a promise to donate 10% of profits to causes that empower women and promote gender and racial equity, especially within the wine industry. Talk about history in the making!
Caroline Hill
Founder, 228 Accelerator
Caroline is a thought leader who lives, works, and designs at the intersection of education, innovation, and equity. Her work inspired the creation of equityXdesign, a powerful design framework that merges the values of equity work and innovation with the intentionality of design. Her latest venture, 228 Accelerator, catalyzes the redesign of the relationships that normalize mistreatment and oppression, builds bridges between the powerful and the powerless, and accelerates our journey to a more inclusive society.
~
With 900 + Learning Community members representing 335K + students, Caroline is helping redesign school systems, organizations, and communities to dismantle racism and inequality. 228 Accelerator is empowering a new generation of school “designers” to create schools that put equity at the center of their work. Caroline gives them the time, network, and experiences to create radically new and better ways of working together, learning together, and living together. We are endlessly inspired by Caroline’s contributions to the field of education and anti-racism work!
Ebony Andersen & Whitney Beatty
Co-Founders, Josephine & Billie’s
Ebony and Whitney are the co-founders of the first Black women owned cannabis shop in America, Josephine & Billie’s. Their speakeasy-inspired cannabis store is the first of its kind and provides a trip back to the “Teapads” in Black communities of the 20s and 30s where people would gather to enjoy jazz and cannabis while feeling connected, relaxed, valued, and safe.
~
For Ebony and Whitney, owning the first dispensary by and for women of color is about creating a community, not just a retail experience. As said on their site: “We love helping women of color learn about cannabis. From THC percentages, strain types, terpene profiles, there is no question not worth asking. In our space, we are affect-focused, an aim to help you heal, ease tension or uplift. Our M.O. is we got you, sis. We’re here to encourage self-care and joy, and to educate every woman that walks in the door, giving her a little more than she came in with.”
We love their style, mission, and everything they stand for. Ebony and Whitney are incredible entrepreneurs!
Stacy Ennis
Founder, Nonfiction Book School
Stacy is a best-selling author, coach, and speaker on a mission to help leaders clarify their ideas and harness their unique story to make an impact. She has ghostwritten for a Nobel Prize winner in medicine, been an executive editor of Sam’s Club’s Healthy Living Made Simple, trained leaders from Starbucks, The Boeing Company, Intuit, and more AND co wrote a bestselling book with Ron Price: Growing Influence: A Story of How to Lead with Character, Expertise, and Impact.
~
One of Stacy’s biggest goals is to help people utilize the power of writing to clarify their ideas, stand out in a crowd, and make an impact. She’s been referred to as a “book whisperer” because of her ability to help people translate their ideas and stories into a compelling book. With Nonfiction Book School, Stacy teaches people how to write the nonfiction book of their dreams and transition from industry expert to thought leader.
Jazmin Alvarez
Founder and CEO, Pretty Well Beauty
Jazmin is a clean beauty advocate, social activist, and Founder and CEO of Pretty Well Beauty. This company was born out of her love for clean beauty and wanting to offer people an experience that felt inclusive, streamlined, and that makes them feel good about their decision to take better care of themselves. Jazmin’s career started in fashion, where she worked as a photo producer for various brands, including Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. She was an editor at Conde Nast, and the producer and casting director behind the Fenty beauty digital launch in 2017. For Jazmin, fashion and beauty are very closely related. Her mission is to offer up a space where everybody feels welcome and authentically included. She believes that beauty is the answer to the functional, approachable, clean, and sustainable questions that we've all been asking.
~
Pretty Well Beauty is here to clean up the noise and remove the guesswork of what is clean and what isn’t. They partner with brands that adhere to the strictest clean and sustainability standards. From the formulations, to the packaging and mission—every brand is trusted and every product is safe for you and the planet.
Misty Megia
Founder and CEO, Misty Megia LLC
Misty is the CEO and Founder of Misty Megia LLC where she directs high achieving individuals in public speaking techniques. She was named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor and earned a spot as “One to Watch” on the Top 100 Influencers In Accounting in 2020. With over 20 years experience in market strategy, project management, public speaking, corporate branding and channel marketing, we’d say she’s a leader in her field.
~
In the words of our very own Founder and CEO: “Misty is hands down one of the most positive and engaging trainers I know. Her background as an actor and director give her unparalleled expertise when it comes to teaching leaders the skills they need to create high caliber presentations that engage an audience and evoke emotions. Misty is a master at helping people unpack the most powerful parts of their story to take their speaking skillset to a new level.”
Our Digital Media & Design Manager, Allena Natchez Flemming, also took one of Misty’s courses: “Misty is very knowledgeable about the art of public speaking. In her class she taught a lot about public speaking and it was all about feeling empowered and thinking about the stuff you’ve been through that you could bring out through emotion in your speeches. Misty is full of energy and always smiling. It was all about how to bring yourself forward and how to figure out who you want people to see and how to live in your light.”
Ellen Hockley Harrison
Founder and CEO, Evergreen Activewear
Before switching her focus to Evergreen Activewear, Ellen worked with non-profits, couples, and corporations across the New York Metro area and destinations all across the globe to plan amazing, local, sustainable, and eco-friendly events. When she created Evergreen Activewear, she committed to starting a women-led company with passion and purpose. She brought together a team of badass women and mothers to bring what the market needed.
~
Evergreen Activewear was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic at the height of uncertainty. When Ellen couldn’t find any pieces that fit her changing body or provided the support she needed for her workouts, she created eco-friendly maternity activewear that helps women feel strong, empowered, and supported.