Asked By Ayana
Every week, blogger and freelance writer Ayana Lage chats with talented creatives about their career journeys and the twists they've faced along the way. Each episode feels like you're hanging out with two of your friends, so tune in for fun, illuminating conversation.
Episodes
67 episodes
Courtney White on succeeding as a blogger and attorney
This week's episode features Courtney White (@courthousecouture) to discuss how she balances her job as an attorney with her fashion blog. Courtney walks us through how she got through law sc...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 66
•
30:50
Julia Dzafic on growing her online presence and creating a cookbook
So excited to be joined by Julia Dzafic, the blogger behind @lemonstripes today! She's been blogging since 2010 and has a cookbook releasing next year. We discuss how she launched her blog and fou...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 65
•
28:44
Danielle Bayard Jackson shares her journey to friendship coaching & book writing
Danielle Bayard Jackson (@daniellebayardjackson) is on the show this week, and it's a delight! We discuss how she became a friendship coach, growing a social media audience, setting...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 64
•
28:42
Lauren Maffeo shares how to write a book while working a full-time job
This week's episode features Lauren Maffeo, an author and service designer for a government contracting firm (we discuss what that means). Lauren shares how she ended up in her career field and why she decided to write a book. She provide...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 63
•
33:07
Shannon Leyko on finding flexible work in motherhood
Shannon Leyko (@shannonleyko) is on the show today! She's an author and ghostwriter, previously served as Miss New York, and has three young children. Shannon has a fascinating career journey, and we discuss how becoming a mother changed ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 62
•
37:49
Megan Mensink on founding pre-loved jewelry brand Folklor
This week's episode is a treat! I'm joined by Megan Mensink, founder of Folklor (@_folk_lor), a Canadian pre-loved jewelry brand with a focus on sustainability. We discuss how Megan went from studyin...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 61
•
34:45
Katie Crenshaw on going viral, parenting, and sharing her life online
Katie Crenshaw (@katiemcrenshaw) is on the show today! She is a best-selling author, mental health advocate, and speaker. We talk about how she got her start blogging about motherhood, the chaot...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 60
•
25:35
Danielle Sinay on how she became a beauty editor at Glamour
If you're an aspiring writer, this is the episode for you. Danielle Sinay is an associate beauty editor at Glamour, and we discuss how she landed the role. Also discussed: her experience writing for TV, dealing with writer's block, why yo...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 59
•
31:47
Tanorria Askew shares her journey from a corporate job to personal chef
Tanorria Askew (@tanorriastable) is on the show today! She's a personal chef, food creative, public speaker, podcast host, and racial injustice change-maker based in Indianapolis. We discuss he...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 58
•
29:29
Chelsey Cox and Rachel Rector on starting an interior design firm
Asked by Ayana is back after a six month hiatus, and I'm kicking off the new episodes with a good one! Chelsey Cox and Rachel Rector are the brains behind Chinotto House (@chinottohousede...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 57
•
27:16
Laney Schwartz on developing recipes that make cooking less intimidating
I'm joined by Laney Schwartz (@lifeisbutadish) today! Laney has a fascinating story about how she became a successful food blogger. We talk about how she started blogging with her kids at home a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 56
•
30:28
Aubrey Johansen on competing on Chopped as a personal chef
Aubrey Johansen (@thatswhatsheeats) is on the show today! She's a personal chef to professional athletes and incredible recipe developer who recently competed on Chopped. We talk about it all ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 55
•
27:38
Gulin Cetin on becoming a content creator while a PhD candidate
This week, I'm joined by the fabulous Gulin Cetin (@coffeecupsandroses). She's one of the most creative people I follow online, and I loved getting to hear her story. We talk about how she b...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 54
•
27:30
Charlene Carruthers shares her path to becoming an award-winning filmmaker
Welcome back to the show! After a quick summer break, we’re back and better than ever with an incredible guest. Charlene Carruthers (@charlenecarruthers) is a feminist activist, author, and ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 53
•
25:44
Camile Lofters on leaving the classroom after 15 years of teaching
After a brief hiatus, the podcast is back — and I'm joined by Camile Lofters (@inliteralcolor) to discuss leaving the classroom after 15 years. Camile is a brilliant educator who is passionate a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 52
•
32:18
Erin Andersen on helping people leave toxic work cultures
One of my favorite parts of the show is learning about jobs I didn't know existed, and that's what this week's episode is all about! I'm chatting with Erin Andersen (@yourbrandnetworker) abo...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 51
•
28:56
Chloé Watts shares how she founded a successful digital strategy company
This week, I virtually hopped across the pond to chat with the one and only Chloé Watts. She's the founder and CEO of chloédigital, the premier business development and digital strategy membership for creators. It's been a huge help to my busin...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 50
•
24:50
Josie Bullard on dropping out of college to become a full-time content creator
Josie Bullard (@josie.bullard) is on the show today! She's one of the first influencers I ever followed, and she has so many insights to share. We talk about her dropping out of college to become...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 49
•
24:30
Tabitha Sewer on building a career as a full-time sewing content creator
Tabitha Sewer (@tabithasewer) is on the show today (and yes, that's her real last name). She's a fashion and sewing content creator who specializes in creating colorful, vibrant clothing. We discuss her career journey — going back to school aft...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 48
•
33:12
Jess Kirby talks leaving Instagram, drawing boundaries, and the future of blogging
I'm joined by the one-and-only Jess Kirby today, who's one of my absolute favorite bloggers to follow. We discuss how she got her start in the industry, her decision to walk away from Instagram in a few months, the boundaries she's drawn about ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 47
•
34:18
Marnely Murray talks becoming a pastry chef on Martha's Vineyard
I'm chatting with Marnely Murray (@marnely_murray), a professionally trained pastry chef, food writer, and the co-founder of a digital marketing agency! We discuss how she moved to New York from...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 46
•
34:50
Winter Dunn and Mikayla Bartholomew on telling Black stories through film
Today is the first ever episode with multiple guests, and it's a treat. I'm chatting with Winter Dunn and Mikayla Bartholomew about Dear Mama, a short film that centers Black family, loss and hip-hop. Winter directed the short, and Mikayla star...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 45
•
29:25
Courtney Caldwell on building B2B app ShearShare
I'm joined today by Courtney Caldwell, the co-founder and CMO of ShearShare. ShearShare — affectionately known as "HairBNB" — is an app that lets beauty professionals rent out their salon spaces, and it's available in more than 900 cities...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 44
•
25:46
Lizzetth Bellot on advancing her career while a single mom
Thrilled to introduce y'all to Lizzetth Bellot, the director of people operations at Light. Lizzetth has worked at companies like Curai, Dropbox, FireEye, and Facebook. She went back to school as a single mom to get her bachelor's and master's ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 43
•
35:49