Alma Matters: With Riane Puno.

I think Stuart Weitzman and his career are both pretty self explanatory. But in case you don't know who he is, Stuart Weitzman is the iconic founder of the shoe empire aptly named after him, Stuart Weitzman. Despite the grand success that he's seen in his lifetime, he was one of the most unassuming men I've ever met. The conversation we were able to have was so incredibly candid and honest. He also has a little fun story about TSwift! Want a little summary of everything that we talked about? Look no further. 5 Things You Didn't Know About Stuart Weitzman1. He grew up wanting to work on Wall Street. He didn't study fashion in high school or college at all. Instead, he was a Finance major. 2. He spent a lot of his free time at college trying to game pinball machines with a friend. He probably played over 100 times - didn't pay once. 3. He was one of the founders of the University of Pennsylvania's alumni club, The Penn Club.4. He just switched from a Motorola flip phone to an

You know what the world needs more of? Women in power. More than that? Diverse women in power. Amina Belouizdad is a perfect example of that. She's from the United Arab Emirates, went to college in Canada, studied in China, got her MBA in Philadelphia and now works at one of the most disruptive companies today in Los Angeles. And she's such a freaking badass. Amina's dipped in her toes in a lot of different worlds, like real estate investment and consumer goods, and currently sits at the helm of The Private Suite as its Chief Commercial Officer. Hear her story and the nuggets of wisdom she has for aspiring entrepreneurs.Rate, review, subscribe, follow! Instagram: @myalmamatters

Alma Matters is back and better than ever! In Season 2, I find the value in sharing my own experience from college to switching my jobs THREE TIMES IN ONE YEAR to now being in a role that makes me happy. To start off the new season, actress Rebecca Rittenhouse, who most recently played Ainsley in Hulu's Four Weddings and a Funeral, is on the podcast to talk about her love for the romance languages and her life in the entertainment world. She's worked with Mindy Kaling, Quentin Tarantino and has a wealth of knowledge that anyone interested in the industry would benefit from. She is also one of the kindest souls I've met! No matter what you want to be or where you are in your career, you will love this conversation. Rate, review, subscribe, follow! Instagram: @myalmamatters

If you know me, you know I love food. And if you love food, you know that the number one destination on your phone has to be The Infatuation. It has saved me from plenty dire culinary situations ie. where to go when I want to splurge with the parents in town? The best place for a Friday night that doesn't have a 2 hour waitlist? All important things.Hillary Reinsberg is the incredible Editor-in-Chief of The Infatuation & Zagat (which they acquired) and has been curating the voice of the brand since she was the third person to join the team. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, where she founded Under The Button (!!!), Hillary went down the editor path and it has clearly served her well. Hear the rest of her story in the podcast. 

As someone who loves to cook, I know the struggles of having to buy pans on pans on pans to serve different purposes in the kitchen. Cue Great Jones, which came in with a nostalgic aesthetic, a homey feel and multipurpose pots and pans to save consumers some space and money.Maddy Moelis, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the company with her childhood friend Sierra Tishgart after realizing that quality cookware was difficult to find. Her experience at Wharton spearheaded a love for startups - her first job was at Warby Parker during its early days before she went on to do a long stint at Zola. It was there that she actually saw the price tags of registry cookware and thought there had to be an alternative for people who didn't want to skimp at Ikea or spend a fortune on a KitchenAid tool. Thus, Great Jones was born. Listen to the episode for the full story.

Peloton has completely changed the fitness industry, in part because of the revolutionary tech but also because of the amazing, celebrity-like instructors at the helm of it. One of those incredible faces is Emma Lovewell, one of my personal favorites and the guest on this week's podcast!Emma talks about her life beyond the bike - her college experiences, the struggles of being Asian and American but not quite fitting entirely into either group, the wealth disparities that made themselves apparent at different phases of her life and how she forged her own and followed her true passion. Deep, right? You don't want to miss this conversation. 

Social media has become an indispensable tool in today's society - and Courtney Spritzer knows that more than anyone. After graduating from NYU with a degree in Economics, she naturally thought she'd use her degree to make some bank $$ in finance. But it's hard to ignore the right side of the brain. After several stints in the banking world, Courtney connected with her co-founder Stephanie Cartin to dive into the creative world and create the social media marketing agency, Socialfly. Now, a book and a podcast later, she's an amazing example of a powerful female transforming her industry. Listen to the episode now.BTW: Don't forget to check out @Entreprenistas on Instagram for my social takeover! 

If you watch baseball, you definitely know who Ken Rosenthal is. Serving as a field reporter for FOX Sports and MLB network and a senior writer for The Athletic, he's established himself as one of the biggest faces in sports journalism with a distinct bowtie-laden look (there's a story behind that too). His achievements are lengthy and notable; he won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Reporter two years in a row (2015 and 2016) and has become a big Twitter authority in the baseball field with over 1 million followers.Listen to the episode to find out how he got his start through a connection at the school newspaper, his dad's parental push to get him out of the house and the road that led him to his position today. You'll 1000% love this episode. DISCLAIMER: Interview was done through Skype so audio isn't fabulous... Apologies!ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS AND LIKE ON FACEBOOK.Music: Purple Planet

Are you trying to break into the fashion industry? Do you want to know what it's like to be at the forefront of the decision making at a legacy retailer? Brooke Jaffe is an expert in the field, having gone from the editorial world at InStyle and Vogue to her decade-long role as Fashion Director at Bloomingdale's to her current career as an on-air fashion expert and brand consultant through her independent company, Brooke Jaffe Style. But of course, this journey starts with college, where Brooke studied English and Theater at the University of Pennsylvania. Listen to the pod to find out about how exactly she went from singing and acting in an auditorium to talking on the Today Show and Access Hollywood, the serendipitous connection that landed her her first job and the challenges in leaving Bloomingdale's to forge her own path. ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS AND LIKE ON FACEBOOK.Music: Purple Planet

Let's talk weddings. It was just New York Bridal Fashion Week so it's only natural that today's Alma Matters guest come from that exact industry! Jess Levin Conroy is the founder of Carats & Cake, the premier destination for aspiring brides and grooms looking to find the right people – from vendors to venues – to bring their dream celebrations to life. While she's immersed in the world of weddings now, Jess actually majored in Economics at Penn and went back to school at NYU's Stern School of Business thinking she'd be going into more of a finance or banking role. Of course, the best ideas come when you're not even looking for them and so in the middle of a lecture hall, the idea for Carats & Cake was born. Listen to the podcast to hear the rest. ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS AND LIKE ON FACEBOOK.Music: Purple Planet

Little Spoon is revolutionizing the baby food industry, a category that's been untapped for a long time. Everyone knows how tough it is to be a parent, and Little Spoon aims to make the lives of moms and dads in the world a little easier by offering a quick, convenient and nutritious solution.Lisa Barnett is one of the incredible faces behind the brand! She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and again from Wharton as an MBA student in 2016. Since then, she's been at powerhouse companies like BCG and Estée Lauder, immersed herself in the venture capital world (which landed her a spot in Forbes 30 under 30 in the venture capital category!) and is now spearheading Little Spoon in the startup space.ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS.Music: Purple Planet

A little late to the game but happy belated International Women's Day to all the badass beautiful women out there! What better way to celebrate the occasion than by showcasing a powerhouse female founded business?Rent the Runway has revolutionized the way people shop - or rather, don't. Founded by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss in 2009, the company has been growing rapidly, making the subscription model in fashion pretty indispensable. Behind the brand is a creative vision and a person executing it. Angie Hellman is that person for Rent the Runway. After graduating from Penn in 2008, she launched her marketing career, which led her to the founding team of Capsule as Head of Marketing and now, ultimately, VP of Brand & Product Marketing at RTR. Hear her story and celebrate women today and everyday! ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS.Music: Purple Planet

Who doesn't love a facial? Heyday has disrupted the beauty industry by offering "expert skincare with a human touch." It's a one-stop shop for all your skincare needs, ranging from personalized facials to knowledgeable experts to powerful products ready to tackle any skin type.The face behind the brand is Adam Ross, who graduated with his MBA from Wharton in 2006. While he started his career in the classic investment banking role, he grew interested in the beauty industry and ultimately founded Heyday. Enjoy this first live episode of Alma Matters!! Thank you to the Burrow and Heyday teams for making the event such a success!ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS.Music: Purple Planet

Michael Taormina has done it all. While his position now is Head of innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Group 1001, he's actually founded several companies (including Co-Founder of CommonBond!), acted as CFO and financial advisor for even more companies and still believes another company is there to be discovered. Graduating summa cum laude from Georgetown, he then went on to do a 6 year stint at JP Morgan before realizing that entrepreneurship was a passion. So what better place to go than Wharton? ;)ENJOY. RATE. REVIEW. SUBSCRIBE. FOLLOW ON INSTA @MYALMAMATTERS.Music: Purple Planet