How Increased Audio Streaming is Forcing Innovation in the Digital Audio Space

My name is Audra Gold, and I am the CEO and co-founder of the ground-breaking online audio streaming platform, Vurbl. I started to build websites in college, where I became obsessed with the Internet. After college, I began my career as a product manager at a Silicon-Valley-based digital media company and have been hooked on startups ever since. I took my first Head of Product job for a startup about 12 years ago and have gone on to build products for seed stage companies through Series A, B, and beyond several times over. My primary motivation for taking on one of the hardest jobs in tech is the satisfaction I get from building great products and then watching millions of users enjoy them.

7 Must-have Tips to Keep You Healthy and Fit for the Unpredictable COVID Future

With a lack of certainty surrounding the future, being and feeling healthy may help bring the security that you need during these unpredictable times. When it comes to your health, there is a direct relationship between nutrition and physical activity that play an enormous part in physical, mental, and social well-being. As COVID-19 continues to impact almost every aspect of our lives, the uncertainty of the future may seem looming. Sometimes improvisation is necessary, and understanding how to stay healthy and fit can significantly help you manage your well-being during these times.

The Impact of Food and Fitness on Fertility: Discussion With Dr. Geraldine Ekpo

The topic of fertility is particularly relevant for current times when we are all trying to find our way in the midst of a pandemic and develop life plans within great uncertaintyIn a previous post I shared how I started my podcast, eat.plank.live in March 2020. In episode 7, I spoke with Dr. Geraldine Ekpo, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist. We spoke about the various forms of fertility treatments and the way fitness and food influence reproductive health. Going into this conversation, I considered my friends and how they were dealing with their unique reproductive journeys as COVID-19 is still changing so many aspects of our lives.

An Inside Look at My Salon's COVID-19 Journey

On March 19th, our state's governor ordered all personal care services to close their doors until further notice. As the owner of a hair salon and extension bar, I feared the thought of closing our doors and losing income but felt it was the right and responsible decision to assist our community in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Never in all my thoughts did I think we would remain closed for three months.

Codeword COVID-19: The New Resource for Domestic Violence Victims

In early March, stay-at-home orders were put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly people across the world were instructed to quarantine at home. For most people, inside the walls of their home is a place of security and solace. For others, home can be a dangerous place of abuse.In an instant, domestic violence victims around the world became isolated with their abusers causing domestic violence reports to increase by 35% in the United States, according to the World Health Organization. With social isolation and the stress of the unknown, the coronavirus pandemic started to breed dangerous situations at home where violence may have never previously shown its face. Domestic violence quickly became an epidemic within the pandemic.

Please Don't Let Me Buy Another Dress Again

Last week, I scrolled and clicked. I clicked some more and more. Scrolled, paused to answer a Facetime call from my mom, and then got right back to scrolling. I added a total of seven dresses into my Ann Taylor cart. And then I paused and asked myself the following three key questions...

What It's Like Having Four Generations Shelter In Place Under One Roof

I am a first-generation Mexican-American daughter of immigrants. Both of my parents were born in Mexico and eventually naturalized in Texas. I have been the first to hit many milestones in my family and life. I was the first to go to college, I was the first to go to grad school, I was the first in my family to enter the world of finance, I was even one of the first Latinas in my group at a Wall Street bank.

This Is My Truth: What You Need To Know About The Fear Around The Coronavirus

Now is actually a very exciting time to be alive. Fear and uncertainty might be taking over our world but I really do believe that underneath it all, this is a time of transformation for our planet.

Coronavirus Forced Me To Shut Down My Restaurant, But I Won't Let That Hold Me Back

On December 11, 2019, I opened my first New York City restaurant, The Banty Rooster, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. The road to opening had been long: I sold my first successful restaurant, Work & Class, in Denver in October 2016 and moved to New York City six months later. I knew virtually no one in the city, but I was determined to take what I'd learned and pursue my biggest dream.

6 Leadership Qualities Displayed by Women World Leaders During COVID-19

In recent weeks we have been seeing a string of articles praising the exemplary ways that women political leaders of various nations throughout the world have been handling the COVID-19 crisis. Some of these articles suggest, overtly or tacitly, that women are simply better leaders, period.

I'm Answering The World's Biggest Question: "How To Boost Your Immune System"

It's a scary time. I can't remember any other time when I felt this much panic in the world. But within this global fear, lies global union. We are all brought together by the need and hope to make it through this tumultuous period in our history. For the first time in a very long, we are all forced to be still and address our health and wellness in a very serious way.

A Song for the Ages and the Woman Who Wrote It: From the Cold War to COVID-19

I am unabashedly a woman in a man's world. I've never tried to play it like a man. And I've steered clear of being "femme" to get what I want. So maybe, on second thought, what I am is a bohemian, who is comfortable interacting in a man's world. The world I'm referring to is the music business. There have always been a few women who have somehow survived on talent and pluck. Or talent and destiny. To me, talent is a way of thinking, a way of looking at life. A woman needs to find her best talent and work it.

What is the Paycheck Protection Program?

Earlier this year, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security (CARES) Act was signed by President Trump in order to provide emergency assistance and healthcare response to individuals, families, and businesses that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Small Business Administration (SBA) was given the funding and authority to modify existing loan programs to assist small businesses nationwide.

Why I Sailed Myself to New York City to Work in a Hospital at the Epicenter of COVID-19

I had never worked in such a difficult environment; it was challenging to see a disease destroy patient's bodies and not have legitimate ways of treating them. As a nurse, I so deeply desire to help people and see them to recovery, something that has hardly been happening in the face of COVID-19.

The Healing Power Of Complaining: How To Complain Effectively

I've been talking about trauma and loss for a long time, so I want to talk about complaining. We are experiencing a loss of freedom, lack of connection and increased fear of economic fallout during this pandemic. We are not used to this kind of prevalent, lengthy. and collective grief in the air.

Using COVID-19 To Build Emotional Intelligence

COVID-19's impact on the world economy was virtually impossible to predict and fully prepare for. Governments balancing citizens' immediate health and safety vs. their financial needs resulted in emergency regulations that have hurt businesses world-wide. Today, the cannabis industry is considered essential, but as we entrepreneurs know, operating any business is a challenge. The entrepreneurial spirit burns brightly in tough times as we constantly look for ways to survive and improve our business while overcoming hardships

What It's Like To Operate An Essential Business During COVID-19

Our world has changed so much these past few months. But Fresh n' Lean, the pre-prepped organic meal delivery company I founded in 2010, has remained open during the coronavirus pandemic after being deemed an essential business. Operating amid the spread of COVID-19 has been a humbling, challenging and profound experience. We've ramped up our safety measures in order to protect employees.

Confronting Life And Death In The Digital Age

To be a female psychologist studying death and technology is to be totally out of your lane. In fact, if that describes you, we've probably already met. That's how few of us there are. But with coronavirus changing how we are all able to mourn, this specific expertise just got a lot more relevant.

I Live With PTSD Every Day: Here's How I've Learned To Increase Mental Resilience

What we are going through as a nation and a world is completely unprecedented in our lifetime. Other than finding reputable advice on COVID-19 from the CDC and WHO, we are all looking to one another for support to create a daily road map for this uncharted territory we are all traversing with high anxiety. Everyday, we are stuck wondering how we will get through this experience and questioning if we are making the right decisions or not. It is nervewracking. I know these feelings well, as I endured them for more than a year after the onset of PTSD back in 2016.

Women Can’t Be Fully Empowered If They’re Not Financially Empowered. Here’s Why.

Amidst a global pandemic and growing research which suggests women are severely affected by COVID-19, it's an opportunity to make big strides in our effort to address larger societal issues such as equality and justice, reproductive rights, poverty and domestic issues like financial abuse, as well as income security and retirement. It is estimated that 46% of women are "not too confident" or "not at all confident" about their ability to live comfortably after retirement, compared to only 31% of men who feel that way.

Canceling IVF And Navigating Infertility During The Pandemic

After more than two years, two doctors, countless negative pregnancy tests, one miscarriage, and one failed IUI treatment cycle, we are still waiting. Our plans have not become our reality. Now, our plans are indefinitely on hold because of a pandemic. A pandemic?! Now that's a curveball that not even a seasoned infertility warrior could have seen coming, especially one that was two weeks away from starting IVF.

How to Cultivate a Community and Embrace Positivity in Times of Crisis

Our brand all started because of our community. Each and every product and formula has been created alongside our co-creators. They help guide us to figure out what is missing from the market and help outline what people actually use. That's why our relationship with our community is so important to us at Alleyoop, they helped build our company in more ways than they may realize.

How To Budget During An Economic Crisis

Budgeting is already difficult enough when the stock market isn't fluctuating aggresively every other second. Amidst the continually unfolding economic tribulations due to the coronavirus pandemic, you may have to put in a little extra legwork to manage your finances than you did before.

It Was Never About The Toilet Paper: This Pandemic Is Triggering PTSD In Survivors Of Trauma

I close my computer screen, but the headlines remain etched in my mind like the voices of my father and mother when they told me I had to follow their beliefs, or I would not be saved when the fire rained down from heaven When I let in the onslaught of social media and voices of worried friends and neighbors, it brings me back to a frightening time. A time when I grew up with a looming dread of Armageddon. Listening to how people talk about the pandemic has triggered these memories.

Preparing For Miss USA From The Epicenter Of COVID-19

Back in January of this year — though it feels like a world away now — I won Miss New York USA. At that point, I was officially in the running to compete for the title of Miss USA and closer than ever to making one of my biggest dreams come true. The weeks following, I had an incredibly busy schedule. I would wake up at 6 AM and not get back to bed until 10 or 11 PM every single night, 7 days a week. Then, COVID-19 changed everything, with everything canceled and me being stuck inside my apartment, I had no choice but to adapt.

How Coronavirus Helped Me Take Back My Weekends

Since starting my entrepreneurship journey almost three years ago, running my own PR agency from all over the world, my weekends disappeared. I replaced brunch and lazy mornings with crafting media pitches, strategies, and research. Sure, I enjoyed my weekends and did fun things, but work was still a priority. When you are a business owner, the stakes are high, and taking a full day off (let alone two) seems wrong. There is always something more that can be done and life becomes an endless cycle of to-do lists. Then COVID-19 disrupted the world

How I'm Maintaining My Work-life Balance In Quarantine

The day I started writing this essay, I got in a spat with my husband while I was baking brownies with the kids. He didn't understand why I had doubled the recipe. Despite the fact that I announced this fact multiple times, because I wanted to make them thick like I did as a child. As soon as I poured the batter into the pan, he came in and said, "Oooh, that's going to be so thick! Shouldn't we split the batter into two pans?" I saw red; I lashed out on him telling him how dare he question my nostalgia brownies and why not just say, "Thank you for doing this with the kids and I can't wait to eat them"? He looked at me like I was crazy.

I Wrote The Book On Orgasmic Leadership: Here's How COVID-19 Is Changing That

"No time outs; no substitutions." My dad used that as a mantra to motivate us. Loosely translated? There is no quitting — period.

Why I'm Sick Of Getting Long-distance Relationship Advice During Coronavirus Isolation

And just like that, the United Kingdom was added to the travel ban due to the Coronavirus. "Could this year get any worse?" I mumbled over Skype...

How I Tackled Isolation and Loneliness in a Time of Social Distancing

Amidst a time of global turmoil, I had finally acknowledged the turbulence in my own life and confronted the truth about my own feelings on what I had been feeling for a long time now. I was down and lonely and needed change. The solution I found demanded creativity on my part and a little flexibility in approach, but I wasn't alone in doing this.