The Innovators: Women Who Rock in Media, Entertainment, Technology, Non Profit and Beyond

Gwen Hammes, CEO Cro Metrics

🎧 New Episode Drop on The Innovators : Leading with Optimistic Realism — A Conversation with Gwen Hammes [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], CEO of Cro Metrics [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] Few leaders embody global perspective and grounded optimism quite like Gwen Hammes. From #Argentina to #Mexico City to the U.S., Gwen’s journey to CEO is anything but linear — and that’s exactly what makes her leadership so powerful. From Bombas [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] to Calendly [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], Mattel, Inc. [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] and non-profit clients, they're growing their ROI and removing the barriers to success. In this episode, we dive into: 🌎 How living across continents shaped her resilience and leadership style 💡 Why “optimistic realism” isn’t a contradiction — it’s a blueprint for leading through chaos 📉 What Cro Metrics got right about breaking away from the bloated agency model and with 15 years of A/B testing and analytics they can predict measurable outcomes of ads before they run! 🤖 Balancing behavioral science, human creativity, and AI to drive measurable growth and how AI is used as an "Imaginationl Accelerator" for her business and the brands she serves. 💪 Lessons on owning your voice as a woman leader in a still-biased industry - by doing a complete job - no shortcuts and leveraging that as your superpower. If you’ve ever wondered how to lead with both heart and data — this one’s for you. 🎙️ Listen now to hear Gwen’s refreshing take on leadership, growth, and the courage to rebuild what’s broken.

Oksana Kovalchuk, CEO of ANODA

🚀 From coding at 5 to leading ANODA today, Oksana Kovalchuck has always been ahead of the curve. At 16, she launched her first business. By her twenties, her app was featured onstage by Mark Zuckerberg at F8 — a defining moment that proved bold ideas can scale globally if they’re built with clarity, speed, and intention. But success didn’t come easy. The pandemic nearly wiped everything out. Instead of folding, Oksana doubled down on resilience, radical transparency, and design-driven execution — values that now define ANODA’s culture and client work. Some of her best leadership advice? ✅ Don’t put all your eggs in one client’s basket ✅ Hire well — and expect results ✅ Salary = well done work ✅ Respect enterprise clients just like you do startups ✅ Use detailed Figma flows to keep scope clear and clients confident Whether she’s working with Airbnb or an early-stage founder, Oksana believes great UX starts with solving chaos before it starts — because clarity isn’t just a deliverable, it’s a competitive advantage. 👏 Give her a follow. Or better yet — work with her.

Adrienne Garland, CEO She Leads Media

🚨 Let’s talk about badass leadership. 🚨 For over a decade, Adrienne Garland has been quietly (and powerfully) building something extraordinary: She Leads Media — a dynamic platform that supports, educates, and amplifies women founders through podcasts, conferences, and community. What started 11 years ago as a response to the glaring absence of women on leadership stages has evolved into a full-fledged movement — one that empowers women to lead, not just participate. ✨ She Leads LIVE is now one of NYC’s premier events for women entrepreneurs. It’s not just another conference — it’s a masterclass in relevance, honesty, and community. Adrienne’s secret? She listens. The content stays fresh because it’s built around the real, evolving needs of women building businesses in today’s world. 👩‍🏫 With experience in leadership roles at major companies — and now teaching at NYU and Rice — Adrienne knows the mindset shift women need isn’t about gaining permission. It’s about owning power without apology. What makes She Leads unique? It’s built on three pillars: 🔹 Community 🔹 Education 🔹 Amplification And that impact is real. Ask the founders who found their first clients, co-founders, or confidence on Adrienne’s stage. She also walks the talk. As a fierce advocate for whole-person leadership, Adrienne is building a future where business growth and personal wellbeing are not at odds — they’re intertwined. Adrienne, thanks for leading with purpose, clarity, and heart. You’re changing the game — and we’re all better for it. #SheLeads #WomenEntrepreneurs #Founders #Leadership #Community #WholePersonLeadership #AdrienneGarland

Arielle Lechner, CEO Newpo.io

🎙️ Her ideas on inner‑game vs. outer‑game, identity shifts, triple‑loop learning, and levels‑of‑creation have landed her on podcasts like Startup Success and The Business Owner’s Journey – where Arielle drills into how reframing failure as feedback enables founders to move faster and lead with confidence  . 🔑 Why Arielle’s a total badass: * Mastermind of experiments: reframes setbacks as launchpads 🚀 * Neural rewiring strategist: aligns mindset with ambition * Inner‑game maestro: elevates leadership from the inside out If you’re a CEO, founder, or exec ready to transform from exceptional to extraordinary, Arielle Lechner and NewPo are your secret weapon. 👉 Want to explore what’s possible? Check out NewPo.io or connect with Arielle directly — trust me, your next-level breakthroughs are waiting.

Dani Dufresne, CEO The Aux Co.

🎬 Behind the scenes, ahead of the curve. From film school in LA to the big agency world in NYC, Dani Dufresne [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] quickly became known as the fixer—the one who could cut through the chaos and deliver under pressure. Now, as the #Emmy-winning founder of The Auxiliary Co [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#]., she’s leading the charge in modern creative production—scaling big ideas without the big-agency bloat. Dani’s secret? A lean, agile model built around fractional creatives who allow companies to build better ideas that actually fit their needs and their budget. She’s also ahead of the curve on using AI—leveraging it not as a shortcut, but as a tool to get closer to the big idea faster. We recently sat down to talk about: ✅ Why adding folks outside of your comfort zone is essential to great work ✅ How to “produce at the speed of culture” ✅ The rise of fractional teams and how they’re reshaping the industry ✅ And why mentoring the next wave of creatives is part of her mission Dani is proof that massive impact doesn’t require massive overhead—just vision, clarity, and the right people on speed dial. If you’re building a brand and want to make it iconic, on time and under budget—she’s the one to know.