Women's Money Wisdom

Episode 306: Beyond the Highlight Reel: The Real Stories of Women Founders with Veronica McGibney

• Melissa Joy, CFP® • Season 1 • Episode 306

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If you’ve ever looked at a successful woman and wondered how she really built it — you’re not alone. Behind every thriving business is a story that doesn’t always show up on social media.

In this episode, Melissa Joy, CFP®, talks with Veronica McGibney, creator of LeadHer Magazine, a new print and digital publication dedicated to sharing the real, behind-the-scenes journeys of female founders.

Veronica shares how a moment of clarity at a business retreat sparked the creation of Lead Her, and how that idea quickly grew into a platform spotlighting women’s honest experiences — from uncertainty and burnout to growth, resilience, and long-term vision. Together, Melissa and Veronica discuss why branding is more than marketing, how visibility impacts opportunity and funding, and why telling the full story matters for women building businesses today.

You’ll learn:

  • Why branding plays a critical role in both business growth and personal clarity
  • How moments of uncertainty can signal it’s time to pivot or reassess
  • What inspired the creation of Lead Her Magazine and its mission
  • The realities women founders face that often stay behind the scenes
  • Why visibility remains a challenge for women-led businesses
  • Practical ways founders manage time, priorities, and competing responsibilities

If you’re building something, considering a pivot, or looking for a more honest picture of what success really takes, this conversation offers insight and perspective.

Resources:

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. I'm Melissa Joy, a certified financial planner and the founder of Perl Planning. My goal is to help you streamline and organize your finances, navigate big money decisions with confidence, and be strategic in order to grow your wealth. As a woman, you work hard for your money, and I'm here to help you make the most of it. Now let's get into the show. Do you ever see women and people who are succeeding beyond belief and wonder how do they do it? I want to know their story. Well, today our guest, Veronica McGit McGibney, is going to give us the background and the details because she's created a project that is all about female founders. So Veronica is the founder herself of Hoodies and Wine, where she works closely with early stage founders to develop their brand message and tell their story. But more recently, she has founded and created a new magazine called Lead Her. And their inaugural publication is out right now as we speak. And she is spotlighting female founders telling their raw and real journeys, how they do it, but also like what it's like on the inside when you're not just looking at the Instagram reel. I'm so excited for this conversation. And Veronica, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Hi, hi, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited and anxious and nervous. And so if I do weird things with my hands, just bear with me.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, we're just being real, so I'll do the same. And um we met at a networking event, um, and you were telling your story about your new magazine. And I was just thrilled, first of all, to um hear from someone who had a vision and then like is doing it, creating it. You have a launch party coming up. You're um you're doing both a print publication as well as a digital publication. Um, and so kudos, first of all, congratulations on this new venture.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Thank you. Yes, I'm definitely somebody who, when I have a vision or an idea or a thought, I'm typically, you know, zero to a hundred and hit the ground running. And typically then the momentum, if there is some, will continue to carry the thought. And so um, that is really what has happened with the magazine, and the momentum's been absolutely phenomenal. So I'm just gonna keep going.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, you have a background in fashion merchandising and branding. Tell me a little bit about what you've done um to date and you know, kind of the work that you love before we start talking about the magazine.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I I definitely have this creative side. And through the fashion merchandising, you know, I just didn't really live in any big cities that cater to that, New York, LA. Um, and so getting into that was really tricky. I did do some international buying when I was in Okinawa, Japan. And so I got to really embrace that creative side. And then when I moved back to the states, re-finding my footing on, you know, what that path was going to look like moving forward, um, I found myself in sales for a little while. And that just was not for me. I needed to find something that fed my soul. And I'd always kind of done branding on the side for friends, for um, you know, people that I would meet. And so it really became imperative to me that it's so important to have a cohesive messaging, know your ICP, uh, your ideal customer profile, who you're talking to and why. And um, a lot of times, if you're doing that yourself, you're just too close to the project. And so it really helps to have that uh, you know, outside perspective to help give you that cohesion and clarity when you go to market, when you bring on your marketing person to bring that all together. And so both of those things tied in. I mean, it it was going well, but there was something still missing. And then I went on this business retreat to really dive deep, uh, answer the hard questions, and make sure that I was on the path that I wanted to be on, you know, if this is gonna be my life for the next however many, what's that gonna look like? And it was the last day, last question, last hour of this uh, you know, full day. So we got there day one, spent the night, day two. And so day two came about, and it really just, you know, I was it hadn't come to me quite yet until that last question. I was like, you know, it's okay. Other people are leaving with like, you know, this aha moment. And I'm like, it's okay. I've got tools that I can go home and sit on it and think. And then that last question, you know, it's like, you know, don't miss the last, you know, stay till the end, because that could be the moment when you have your aha moment and um it hit me like running into a brick wall. I mean, the idea just there was no ands, ifs, or buts. This was it. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is what I'm gonna do. And I knew it was gonna be for female founders. Um, and I came home and sat down and figured out all the things and announced it, and boom, we've just been go time since. So how long ago was that? August 15th, I believe, was when I got on LinkedIn and with the world that, hey, I'm doing a thing, you know. Um, and I think that the retreat was maybe June. So I spent maybe like a month, month and a half, but I was way too excited. Like I went home, I built the website, I researched, you know, names and you know, is this available? Is someone using this? Like, what's going on? So, and just you know, one thing after the next. And it just I couldn't keep it in, you know, it was something that like I figured this thing out and I was so excited to share it.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that. And I've had those moments myself, and we're gonna get into the project in a moment. But first, um, for those of you listening, I I love um thinking about branding and love building a brand for my business, Pearl Planning, or even the podcast, Women's Money Wisdom. But also, I think when you learn about branding, you realize how it can apply to yourself individually and personally as well, um, helping you to be a more true and authentic version of yourself and you know, know yourself so you can kind of explain yourself to others. So as you're listening, um, whether you are a founder or have some idea that you're waiting to get out into the world or um or not, you haven't hit that pivot moment. I think that um branding has so much value, whether it's in business or on the personal side.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. That's such a great point that and there can be crossover between your personal brand and your business brand. Um, there can be a lot of crossover, and it is more of a personal brand if your brand is just around your business, or there can be a whole separate entity, a whole nother persona that is your business. And so sometimes it's important to clarify, you know, those differences.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. Especially at the start of a new year. I also, you know, you described where you were sitting in your um, you know, kind of uh retreat and didn't have that aha or clarity. I've had so many moments in my business life where um there were there have been many moments of clarity, many moments where I can see far, far into the future where I want to build. But there's also been moments where I um haven't been able to see, and that's when I start to look for pivots, you know, like um the need to like really figure out, okay, what's next? Because when I don't see out 12 months, three years, five years, then um what you know, input is telling me is like, hey, you may need to shake things up because I've been on several pathways over my career. Um, and sometimes the things that served you in the past aren't gonna serve you in the future.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I think that's an amazing point because we're constantly growing, right? And changing, and circumstances in our life change and we grow as a person. Um, circumstances could be positive or negative, right? In our life, and that's gonna change our course of action and you know, where we want to be, where we thought we were gonna go, and how we thought we were gonna do it. So I think it's so imperative to always kind of reevaluate, you know, um, where am I at? What does this look like moving forward? And if you don't have those like visions, those thoughts of like, I can totally like see this becoming A, B, C, D, um, then yes, right. Maybe you need to shake things up.

SPEAKER_02:

And sometimes I need to muddle on that, but I just like really appreciate those moments of clarity, knowing that I haven't always had them as well. So I happen to be sitting in a business moment where I can see much further into the future and I'm really enthusiastic about it than I've had at points in the past. So you've got to appreciate those moments, but also, you know, like use um, you know, be curious if you aren't in that moment right now. Yes, absolutely. I love that. So let's talk about the Lead Her project. Um tell me a little bit about how your first issue, which has just come out, like it's brand new, baby newborn. Um, tell me a little bit about what came together. Yes, there it is.

SPEAKER_01:

This is my rough draft that I had sent to me, but um. Sorry, your question was.

SPEAKER_02:

So when you like had the aha, then you're like, okay, I'm going to do something. It's going to be like physical as well as digital. So it's kind of native to um uh the way we, you know, the glossy magazines that um we're we grew up with, as well as, you know, the digitally native world that we live in. Um, so what did you what came of this concept? You had the vision, and now what is it today?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I had the vision and it it is growing. So let's start with like, so the vision was like, I'm just gonna do a magazine. I want to get other female founders out there, I want our voices to be heard, and I want to tell the real stories. And I think that with social media, um, and I can tell, you know, when you start talking about a thing, you start seeing it more and more places. Yes. So I am seeing more and more people start to talk about their realities of what it really looks like, which is great. And I just in that moment was like, I am just so tired of trying to make it look easy, trying to pretend like I know it all, trying to pretend like, you know, it happened in the blink of an eye. Because I really think, you know, we see these social media accounts, and you're like, how come it worked for her? Oh, it looks like she just did it in a day. It looks so easy, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And that's not it. And it's hard. And then of course you do see people on social media who are like, late nights, early mornings. What does that mean? Like when, oh, okay, like nine o'clock at night or 1 a.m. or and it's not just like late, it's like exhausted late nights. It's like trying to keep your eyes open late nights. Um, it's late nights with if you have littles, they're still calling for you.

SPEAKER_02:

So you're still getting interrupted, or you know, and so and the hard moments of choosing between what your business needs and maybe what your family needs, because time is certainly a very scarce resource when it comes to starting something from scratch.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And then whether you have kids or not, right? So I just wanted to shine a light on that. And so it started very basic landing page, just so people could go somewhere and say, This is a thing. And you know, I was reaching out just with my branding. I had built a network of female founders, and so I just was like, you know, hey friend, do you want to be in my magazine? And I had no idea that people were gonna be like, hell yes, you know, I didn't know. I wasn't sure how other people would view it. I just knew that this was a passion project for me that had to come out, not knowing what would come from it. And it really didn't matter. It was something for you know for my soul. And so now it has gone from this idea one page landing page website to you know, asking friends if, hey, maybe you want to be in this thing, to now it has 150 people who are on the you know wait list for it to, you know, be announced, which when this airs, it will be available. Go grab a copy. And um I've uh we have about 40 women on a wait list who want to, you know, share their story. We are bringing on columnist because there are women who want to help write inspirational and helpful pieces for the magazine around like mental health or legal advice or um things like that. And you know, we're still I we're still growing beyond what I could even what I can even imagine. So that's where we're at.

SPEAKER_02:

How many people did you interview for the first issue?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh there are and ballpark is fine, yeah. Um, including cover story 13. Okay. Um we will be only having 10 moving forward just to keep, you know, because the more stuff you have in it, the more the magazine costs, right? And I don't know if people want to buy a hundred dollar magazine, so makes sense. Um, yeah, so we'll be we'll be keeping it to 10, but it just I was not prepared for the snowball when I was asking people, and so we featured a few more.

SPEAKER_02:

And then what were some of the stories that really spoke to you that you were like, oh my gosh, I never expected to have this conversation?

SPEAKER_01:

Huh, I don't um I there's definitely not just one story in any way, shape, or form, because this is I think the most beautiful thing about the magazine is everybody has a story, and everybody's story is different, and everybody's story has struggles and triumphs and gumption and losses. Like it's it's just there is absolutely not one story that I could pick that has spoken to me more than another. Um, they have all moved me in absolutely different ways.

SPEAKER_02:

That makes sense. I think like one of the commonalities for um business founders, I mean, you can't market a business with like this is really tough and I don't know if we're gonna make it. But so everybody, um, or most of the people that I talk to have those moments where they're just like, I'm not sure if this is gonna work, or oh, turns out like I have a ton of revenue, but my expenses are as much or more, or you know, all sorts of things that um, or you know, uh unbeknownst to me, like I have a bad medical diagnosis or loss, or so many different ways that um can kind of come up against um entrepreneurs and founders. Um, and you know, we just don't see that from the outside looking in. So sharing that like we're real people, just like everybody else, and I hope gives people the courage to consider trying things if they have an idea that they want to kind of get out into the world.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, uh, absolutely do. Like do there was this thing, so I do think people should try. Anytime someone says try to me, though, my my parents kind of raised me with this like, if you're going to like a baseball game and someone says, I'll try to be there, don't save a seat. Right. Because they're not gonna make it. Um, but very Midwestern, right? Like never like to say no. Right. But if someone says, Hey, I'll be there, save them a seat, because nine times out of ten, those people are gonna show up. So I think a a big thing is if and I understand like the concept, like if you're gonna like you want to start something, you should at least just do it. Whether it becomes a thing is another, like, that's where the word try, I think, comes in, but you should just do it. Like, I'm gonna do this, not I'm gonna try to do this. Just say, like, I'm gonna do it and do what you can, take the steps you need moving forward, and then reevaluate as you're going through. Is this the right path? And I've absolutely um had other ventures that I was like, I'm gonna do this, and I do it. And it's like, you know, as you're going through, it's kind of like something feels icky or not right or it's not flowing as it should. And so, you know, reevaluate at that point in time if you're on the right path.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, and not every venture has to be forever. I think that's something. Um, you know, some things have a moment in time where they're right. Um, I even thought about that with this podcast. Like, do I want to limit myself to marketing toward women? And the answer right now is yes. Um, but you know, like every not everything has to be forever. It's not a failure to have a great run um and then move on to something else. And these are some of the things, the conversations that oftentimes for a founder um or someone creating something new, you don't have the community to share and discuss with. So I think that's one of the great advantages of what you're doing is you're you're creating a community, but also like putting into print examples of all sorts of experiences.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Yes. And I mean, the vision for the magazine is to be more than that. I really want this to be more of an organization. And some of the pillars of the table is um, of course, no more no more highlight real is a pillar. Like we're here to share the real raw stories of what this looks like. Um, the other pillar is, you know, that we are building the table not for others to just sit around, but strong enough for others to stand on.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

And then the third pillar is. Is really, I believe people need and want to be heard and they need an organization that's going to advocate for them. And so those are really the pillars right now that are supporting the Leader magazine.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh I know one of the reasons that you founded the magazine is because there's a deficit when it comes to supporting and investing in women founded ventures. Can you tell me a little bit more about this state of affairs today and what you hope to change with your project?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. So I absolutely want to change the narrative around the 2% of funding that female founders uh get. And we only get 2% of that right now.

SPEAKER_02:

So this is like venture capital funding, is the easiest place to measure, right? But just correct most women who are starting businesses are doing what's called bootstrapping. They're using their own money, taking their own risks because we are but even though we are starting um a high percentage of new businesses, um, women typically do not receive a lot of the investment funds, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Which uh is ironic considering I I believe the statistic, and um don't quote me, but I believe the statistic is we do when we do get the funding, we um succeed 25% better than you know anyone else. So it's kind of like this math is not mathing. And so I I believe that it's visibility. Um, I had actually just heard a story over the weekend. Well, oh I had gone to an event um last week, uh, the grand opening of Bamboo Grand Rapids. Yes, yes, and there was a speaker who was talking about uh a woman in Detroit that she had been in business for like eight years, but nobody really knew of her. And I just we need to be seen and heard, and that was just more um, what's the word? More like confirmation around yes, uh around the fact that like this is is go time, you know, for the magazine, like this is where we're gonna be.

SPEAKER_02:

And so I agree, like um, as women, it's okay to ask. And as a community, as um a broader society, um, we there are rewards for investing in a diversity of entrepreneurial efforts, etc. Um, and so I think it's really um well, we're being well served by having this be part of your mission, Veronica. I have one last question since you've mentioned how important it is to get rid of the highlight reel and really, you know, talk about honestly how things are going. What would you as a founder of Leader um describe in terms of you know the the truth behind the you know, behind the curtain um of what some of the challenges have been and how you've overcome them?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. So for me, my challenges revolve more around the fact that I have little kids and um they still need mom.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And you know, I am I am married, and so and I I do also have a a 20-year-old son. So I have I have a wide range of children. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And complicated each in their own ways, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, absolutely. You know, the the 20-year-old calls and he's like, I got a flat or you know, something along those lines, and it's you know, on mom's on call, right? And so those are huge challenges for me right now. I typically work in chunks, right? My my youngest goes to school for a chunk of time, pick her up and you know, chunk of time a little later, navigating, you know, babysitters and school stuff and juggling all of those things, sports activities, um, still maintaining a home. Um yes, I have a husband. Yes, he is helpful and supportive. He also works a very physical job, you know, out in the elements in Michigan. Uh, he's a HVAC. So he is extremely exhausted when he gets home. And so I do like to do my best. My house is not uh tip top shape all the time. Oh my gosh. By any means.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm sure I could win that competition. But say I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know. Behind me currently, there's two coffee mugs and some water bottles, you know what I mean? It's just, but there are those moments where it helps me to clean. And I feel uh like that's something I can control, right? When things are chaotic, what can you control in those moments? Like sit down and think. And having a clean home and getting some of that stuff done is very helpful for me to kind of refocus and and recenter myself. But I would say that the biggest thing um it that has helped me since my time and life are a little bit chaotic is time blocking. And I mean, I will create a list on Monday of all the things that I hope or need to get done. And I I meet I have a business friend slash coach who's also has a business, and that's been imperative, by the way. So if you can get like an accountability partner, yes, and it it helps that that accountability partner is going through her own founder journey, so we kind of help each other. But we talk every Monday and we talk out all the things when we first started our journeys, like when I was building Hoodies and Wine, the branding company. You know, we'd have what are the three tasks we had we had heard this uh other podcast that had said, you know, just think of three. Five's usually too many. You'll you'll drowned if you you can't get all your tasks done, and like one or two is not enough. So three is supposedly the sweet spot. And so it was so cute to look back at our cute little books and what are three tasks you want to get done for the week. We were literally talking um a few Mondays back about how our lists are now 25 things. I'm like, yeah, three things that doesn't even make sense anymore. How cute was that when we were first starting? What three things? Um, but now I have like a task of 25 things, and then I break it down. Okay, which things am I gonna get done on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I separate everything, and then I break it down like even to hourly. I know it it sounds like a nut job thing. No, this sounds like how it's gotta be. That's great. Well, you know, it is for me. She does not like to have things written out hourly specifically, but her time, how she works, is different. And so for me, then I like to even know, like, you know, my daughter goes to school between eight and nine, so I'm I'm available to start working, you know, nine to ten, I'm getting this task done. 10 to 11 is this task, 11 to 12 is this task, and I gotta leave to go pick her up, and then we're coming home, we're doing lunch and we're getting situated, and then I can get probably this task, you know. And it does not always work out how I anticipated, but you know, you reevaluate the next thing. You're like, what didn't I get done? What's high priority?

SPEAKER_02:

What needs to and that I mean, that is the thing is um for many of us, it's there's not just one job description that requires this, but the ability to be flexible and triage and you know, shift priorities. And also, I I wish we were in a world where you could focus on a singular thing all at once for all day, but it just is not the way our world has been structured. Um that figuring out your work style where you can, you know, um navigate in such a chaotic um world is so important.

SPEAKER_01:

World environment. And honestly, I I have sat down where I've had like you know blocks where I'm like, I need these two or three hours to focus on this one specific task. And I actually get very stir crazy. Maybe it's because my life is so chaotic and so I'm so used to like bouncing around. But I almost like if I'm working on the same thing for too too long, I'm kind of like, oh, okay, you know, I need to stand, I need a reset. Set it aside and pick it up again later.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, where can people find the magazine? It's gonna be coming out quarterly. Um, but give us a little bit of a plug of of how to follow you and where to find you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yes, absolutely. So mostly on LinkedIn. Um, that's my foundation over there. I love LinkedIn too. And I am I'm building up some other platforms. So you can find it uh find me on TikTok and Instagram. So LinkedIn, just my name, Veronica McGibney. And TikTok. Instagram is Lead Her Magazine. And uh you can also just go to the website and uh get information, leadhermagazine.com. Perfect.

SPEAKER_02:

Congratulations. I can't wait to see where this project goes. Keep up the amazing work, Veronica, and thanks for making uh a little bit of time for us in such a chaotic moment in your life.

SPEAKER_01:

Well uh no, thank you for having me. This has been an absolute pleasure and uh wonderful conversation. And I've had a blast. Have me back. Well too.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm in.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. If you found value in this episode, the best way that you can support the podcast is to forward an episode to a friend or leave a review. Go to ProPlan.com and the podcast link to get all the resources and links mentioned. This presentation by Pro Planning is intended for general information purposes only. No portion of this presentation serves as the receipt of or substitute for personal investment advice from ProPlanning or any other investment professional of your choosing. Copies of Pro Planning's current rent and disclosure brochure and form CRS discussing our advisory services and fees are available upon request or on our website platform at ProPlan.com. The information that we share is meant to educate and inspire, not serve as personalized financial advice. Everyone's situation is unique, so be sure to consult with your own financial professional for guidance that fits your life. And just so you know, the opinions shared in this podcast are Melissa's own and those of our guests. They don't necessarily represent any organizations with which Melissa is affiliated. For more important disclosures, please go to our webpage at proplan.com.

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Melissa Joy, CFP

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