Courtney Hopper
Bio
Co-Owner/Operator at The Bradford Venue LLCAppears in 140 Episodes
No A-holes policy, and radical transparency with employees: Conversations with Sisters
Today Dana and Courtney unpack last week's episode (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) with 2021 CEO of the Year by Triangle Business Journal Anna Lynch, founder of Lynch Mykin...
Building a human-first culture, with CEO of the Year Anna Lynch
Lynch Mykins' Anna Lynch was named 2021 CEO of the Year by Triangle Business Journal. Today, she shares her journey from Iowa to Wyoming to Austin to Raleigh, being a ...
The masks we wear and why we need to keep failing: Conversations with Sisters
On last week's episode, Ablr CEO John Samuel opened up about the masks he wore while losing his vision. Today, Dana and Courtney discuss the masks they wear and why it...
TEDx speaker and Ablr CEO John Samuel on seeing his family for the first time, and his fear of judgment
When John Samuel realized he was losing his vision, he started to hide from others and from himself. He knew what was happening, but he didn't want to admit it. His jo...
Why accepting criticism sucks, and our personal Board of Directors: Conversations with Sisters
Courtney and Dana unpack last week's episode (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) with Abbie Nwaocha from For Her Empire. They talk about lying on their resumes (and who would b...
Building her empire one failure at a time, with Abbie Nwaocha
Abbie Nwaocha's career path started, as she puts it, "because my mom stopped sending me money." She was a Nigerian in Kenya, a place where she had no relatives and no...
Setting Goals for 2022
In today's episode, we reflect back on 2021 - it was a crazy and in many ways unexpected year. And we set our personal and professional goals for 2022.
The books we would write, and why we don't give a $h!t about our kids swearing: Conversations with Sisters
Courtney and Dana unpack last week's episode (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) with Inez Ribustello, author of Life After Windows and owner or Tarboro Brewing Company. They ...
Grief, Survivor's Guilt, and Life after 9/11, with Inez Ribustello
In September 2001, Inez Ribustello was the Beverage Director for Windows on the World, located on the 106th and 107th floors of the World Trade Center North Tower. Wh...
Eff-You Funds, Dreams of the Single Life, and Manifesting Fire: Conversation with Sisters
Courtney and Dana unpack last week's episode with publicist Melinda Jackson (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) and her unique approach to public relations, brand consulting, a...
Boundaries, Mental Health, and Manifestations with Melinda Jackson
When Melinda Jackson graduated from college, it was time to move to Los Angeles to get out of North Carolina and onto a bigger stage. But she knew no one, had no job, ...
Season three of life: all the nuts and cheese! Conversations with Sisters
Courtney and Dana unpack last week's episode with Jess Ekstrom (Apple Podcasts | Spotify), discussing the different seasons of their business and what it means to them...
Sophomore Syndrome and that Successful Feeling, with Jess Ekstrom
Jess Ekstrom started Headbands of Hope back in college, and the demand was more than she could have ever imagined. With the success of her first business comes expecta...
Ridiculous personal goals and unsuccessful attempts: Conversations with Sisters
On last week's episode, you heard Larry Long Jr talk about a personal goal that would mean he's made it professionally - golfing in 20 different states. Today, Courtne...
Making the scary leap to entrepreneurship, with Larry Long Jr
In December 2019, Larry Long Jr was comfortable. He had been successful in corporate sales, and even had a few speaking gigs on the side where he would tell the audien...
Are you an active participant in life, or just surviving today? Conversations with Sisters
When you think about your life, are you an active participant? Or is your life floating away without you - you're there, but you're not taking the oar or rowing in any...
Correcting course while getting crafty with Beth McMillian
Oh So Cute Design's Beth McMillan didn't think she had an artistic voice until she realized that people like art - whatever style it is - because it brings them some k...
Scary first hires, outsourcing laundry, and reality shows we'd go on: Conversations with Sisters
When you make it to the point where you need to hire your first employees, you've achieved a significant milestone in your business - one that can be completely terrif...
From Solopreneur Island to asking for help from her village, with Sugar Euphoria's Randi Smith
Having grown up in the Bahamas, Sugar Euphoria's Randi Smith knew what it was like to literally live on an island. And sometimes as an entrepreneur, she felt stuck on ...
Does taking investment mean losing control? Would we invest in other businesses? New Conversations with Sisters
After the conversation with Amie Thompson, Courtney and Dana ponder whether or not they would take investment from others in their businesses. It sounds great to have ...
The Natural Introvert's Guide to Being a CEO, with Amie Thompson
In 2017, Amie Thompson was in a spot in her career where she was working all the time and making great money...except that she never had an opportunity to actually spe...
What keeps you up at night & leaving an industry better than you found it: Conversations with Sisters
Does the fear of failure keep you up at night? How about the fear of being a bad boss? Have you ever wondered if you're leaving your industry in a better place than ...
When curiosity, creativity, and ethics determine your career path with Palm Sunday’s Lauren Jennings
Lauren Jennings dreamed of having her fashion designs in high-end brands, and after graduating from Parsons School of Design, she was on the right path. She found a jo...
Asking for help from your community, and learning through failure: Conversations with Sisters
On today's Conversations with Sisters, Courtney and Dana talk about learning through their failures, why it's so hard (but necessary) to ask for help from your communi...
Community and Authenticity; exposing the underbelly of hospitality with Jordan Kentris
Jordan Kentris has a successful invitation, stationery, and experience design company, and he was even named one of BizBash's Most Innovative People in Events 2020. B...
Askholes and Therapy Funds: Conversations with Sisters
On today's Conversations with Sisters, Courtney and Dana encourage everyone listening to not be askholes (tune in to find out what that means!), and whether they need ...
Adapting your passion, with Voiceover Superhero Bonnie Williams
Bonnie Williams dreamt of playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, but that never became reality. But, knowing Bonnie loved acting, a friend asked if she wou...
Why is giving and receiving feedback so hard? LIVE with Wedding for Real’s Megan Gillikin
No matter what ladder you're trying to climb, no matter what industry you're going to be at the top of, you have to be able to be a listener and hear constructive feed...