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There are brilliant women everywhere with something important to say — and almost nobody outside their circle knows who they are. How to become a thought leader isn't a mystery once you know how the doors actually open.

In this episode, Aimee Rickabus talks with Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson — author of 14 books, keynote speaker, executive coach, and founder of the Gateway Gathering & Pitch Fest — about getting your ideas out of your head and onto agents' desks, conference stages, and into the rooms where decisions get made.

Jacquelyn shares:
- How to find a literary agent, and how to land a book deal without one first
- What a query letter has to do in 30 seconds ("no AI" and "show me you know me")
- When you actually need a speaking agent, and what they want to see first
- The three lenses for deciding what's yours to share and what's someone else's story
- The lava bracelet trick she used to walk onto a stage of 2,000 people

Whether you're sitting on a book, a keynote, or an idea that won't leave you alone, this conversation will make "not ready yet" a lot harder to believe.

🎟️ The Gateway Gathering & Pitch Fest is October 6–8, 2026 (virtual). Get your ticket through Aimee's link and use promo code AIMEE: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Amr-bxdqj7Y_NssOg5hpaW3QiQh5V2kcsIVJEL5Zo-kl_IUJoiMZ~ApMB4a9_EFyg9oDBb1YQhSoh_hhXwRAchVZqQvgGfO1V4wsfaqDWyxWaUQ?promo=AIMEE

Affiliate link — The Manage Her® may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

🔗 CONNECT WITH JACQUELYN FLETCHER JOHNSON:
Website: https://jacquelynfletcherjohnson.com
The Gateway Project: https://www.gateway-project.com
Instagram: @jacquelynfletcherjohnson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynfletcherjohnson/

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The Manage Her® Podcast — hosted by Aimee Rickabus. Honest conversations on leadership, financial empowerment, motherhood, wellness, and career reinvention for ambitious women.

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© 2026 The Manage Her®. All rights reserved.

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What if the somebody who should invent that is you? Missy Kelly didn't set out to build a company — she just refused to let skateboard grip tape scratch up her house. Nine prototypes later, that slippery phone became a patented material used by Walmart, SpaceX, and the U.S. Navy.

In this episode, Aimee Rickabus talks with Missy Kelly, Co-Founder and CEO of CatTongue Grips and founder of Born for Impact, about how to turn an idea into a product with zero experience, how a small women-owned business gets into big box retail and government contracting, and the inner work of running a company without letting it become your identity.

Missy shares:
• The Verizon-store moment and the 18 months it took to get the material right
• How a Paralympian, a trucker named Earl, and a chicken coop steered the product
• The one question she asks every corporate buyer — and the wrap-dress pitch that landed Walmart
• What a WBENC certification does (and doesn't) do, and how to play the long game
• Why perfectionism is an outer symptom of feeling unworthy — and how to separate who you are from what you built

Whether you're sitting on a "someone should make this" idea or you own a small business and assume the Fortune 500 won't buy from you, this conversation will make you ask Missy's favorite question: why wouldn't they?

🔗 CONNECT WITH MISSY KELLY:
Instagram: @melissackelly
Website: https://missykelly.com/
CatTongue Grips: https://www.cattonguegrips.com/
Women Gone Wild: Leadership Edition (preorder): https://missykelly.com/women-gone-wild/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-kelly

———

The Manage Her® Podcast — hosted by Aimee Rickabus. Honest conversations on leadership, financial empowerment, motherhood, wellness, and career reinvention for ambitious women.

🎧 SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-manage-her/id1809208475
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03FuFRyzkaWhZkk5yxFePJ
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/91c217a5-4245-4b83-8d15-8edfdde06884/the-manage-her

📲 CONNECT WITH THE MANAGE HER®:
Website: https://www.themanageher.com
Instagram: @themanageher
TikTok: @themanageher
YouTube: @themanageher
LinkedIn: @themanageher

💗 If this episode resonated, follow the show, leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a woman who needs to hear it.

© 2026 The Manage Her®. All rights reserved.

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What does it take to build a business in a male-dominated industry when you never planned to start one? Que Alicea went from medical day spa owner to founder and CEO of an award-winning environmental consulting firm, without a big bank loan behind her.

In this Entrepreneur Spotlight episode, Aimee Rickabus talks with Que Alicea, founder and CEO of Q & A Consulting LLC in San Francisco, about the accidental path from skincare to industrial hygiene, and the relationships that turned a one-person contracting gig into a firm working on major construction and infrastructure projects around the Bay Area.

Que shares:
• How a disaster recovery job meant to fund her spa became an environmental firm
• What it's like when people talk to your male project manager before they talk to you
• The self-funded early days: rented equipment, lab fees, and net 30 turning into net 45
• Why women-owned business certification puts you on a shorter list, not a signed contract
• The best business advice she ever got: hire up

Whether you're a woman in a male-dominated field, building a business without a roadmap, or wondering if certification is worth it, this conversation is a reminder that the entrepreneur gets built along the way.

🔗 CONNECT WITH QUE ALICEA:
Instagram: @qaconsultingllc
Website: https://www.qaconsulting-llc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/q-a-consuting-llc/

———

The Manage Her® Podcast — hosted by Aimee Rickabus. Honest conversations on leadership, financial empowerment, motherhood, wellness, and career reinvention for ambitious women.

🎧 SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-manage-her/id1809208475
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03FuFRyzkaWhZkk5yxFePJ
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/91c217a5-4245-4b83-8d15-8edfdde06884/the-manage-her

📲 CONNECT WITH THE MANAGE HER®:
Website: https://www.themanageher.com
Instagram: @themanageher
TikTok: @themanageher
YouTube: @themanageher
LinkedIn: @themanageher

💗 If this episode resonated, follow the show, leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a woman who needs to hear it.

© 2026 The Manage Her®. All rights reserved.