A student's zip code should not decide their future. Penelope Barton built a school in 70 countries to prove it.

Penelope is the CEO of Crimson Global Academy and co-founder of Crimson Academies, a group of five schools serving students from age five through eighteen, online and in person. Last year her team ran 144,000 classes. Some of her students learn from boats, connected by satellite internet.

She grew up in rural New Zealand before the internet, where one teacher covered English, math, and science, and you got whoever you got. That is the problem she has spent six years dismantling.

We talk about how she scaled it: starting with two years of high school and one curriculum, then adding learning modes, ages, and countries as students asked for them. She places kids by ability, not age. Seven-year-olds are building apps. A venture capital firm is funding five of her seniors to launch real businesses before graduation. And she just opened a tuition-free school funded directly by the New Zealand government, which took three years of proving results first.

She also says something most founders will recognize: the hardest thing she manages is not scale or regulation. It is her own impatience.

Chapters:
🌏 03:11 Penelope Barton on growing up in rural New Zealand before the internet

🗺️ 05:22 A student's zip code should not dictate their outcome

🧩 10:45 Full-time, part-time, group class, or one to one

🪜 15:22 Scaling in very small steps toward something that looks huge

🧒 20:46 Seven-year-olds building apps and learning to pitch them

🔁 23:03 The hardest thing she manages is her own impatience

🏛️ 29:53 Three years of proven results before a government funded a free school

👂 42:09 You are never too big to run discovery calls

Links:
Website: https://www.crimsonglobalacademy.school/
Social: @crimsonglobalacademy

Reach out to Penelope Barton if you have a teacher in the family looking for something different, or if you run a school or a government trying to widen access to great teaching.

We're always seeking aligned sponsors.
⭐️ If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️

Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com

Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking.

As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.

One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.
Thank you so much!!

XO
Adrienne

• (03:11) - 🌏 Penelope Barton on growing up in rural New Zealand before the internet
• (05:22) - 🗺️ A student's zip code should not dictate their outcome
• (10:45) - 🧩 Full-time, part-time, group class, or one to one
• (15:22) - 🪜 Scaling in very small steps toward something that looks huge
• (20:46) - 🧒 Seven-year-olds building apps and learning to pitch them
• (23:03) - 🔁 The hardest thing she manages is her own impatience
• (29:53) - 🏛️ Three years of proven results before a government funded a free school
• (42:09) - 👂 You are never too big to run discovery calls

You are great at what you do. Your clients love you. And almost nobody knows you exist. That gap between your skill and your visibility is where revenue disappears. Diane Strand of JDS Productions, has spent 23 years building businesses in one of the most competitive industries in the world: entertainment production. She has worked on sets for General Hospital, Friends, and Walt Disney. She built JDS Productions into a seven-figure media company, launched over 100 actors and producers through her studio, and wrote the book on turning creative passion into profit (literally, it is called Creative Preneur).

In this episode, Diane breaks down why creativity is not a soft skill but a growth strategy, why action always comes before confidence, and how the same tools performers use on stage (improv, rehearsal, storytelling, stepping into the spotlight before you feel ready) are the exact tools that scale a business past the million dollar mark. She also challenges the money mindset that keeps women entrepreneurs stuck: stop building cash flow and start building wealth.

Chapters:
🎬 00:53 Meet Diane Strand: from General Hospital and Disney to a seven-figure media company

🎨 04:15 Why your creative passion is a real business asset

💡 08:40 The mindset shift most creatives never make about money

📣 13:02 Marketing you can actually learn, even if you think you're not a "marketer"

🌱 16:22 The DREAM framework for getting unstuck and moving forward

💪 21:47 Building through fear, self-doubt, and dyslexia

🤝 27:30 Lifting other creatives as you rise

✨ 34:10 One thing you can do today to move your business forward

Links:
Website: dianestrand.com
Social: @dianestrand

Reach out to Diane Strand to learn more about turning your creative passion into a profitable business and using the tools of the arts to leverage, market, and scale.

We're always seeking aligned sponsors.
⭐️ If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️

Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com

Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking.

As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.

One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.
Thank you so much!!

XO
Adrienne

• (00:53) - 🎬 Meet Diane Strand: from General Hospital and Disney to a seven-figure media company
• (04:15) - 🎨 Why your creative passion is a real business asset
• (08:40) - 💡 The mindset shift most creatives never make about money
• (13:02) - 📣 Marketing you can actually learn, even if you think you're not a "marketer"
• (16:22) - 🌱 The DREAM framework for getting unstuck and moving forward
• (21:47) - 💪 Building through fear, self-doubt, and dyslexia
• (27:30) - 🤝 Lifting other creatives as you rise
• (34:10) - ✨ One thing you can do today to move your business forward

You want to build the business. You also cannot afford to quit your job. For most women, that tension kills the idea before it starts. Toni Toomey refused to let it. She is a second-time founder who sold her first company in her twenties, a full-time AI professional, the primary breadwinner in her family, and the CEO of Hone - a premium postpartum apparel brand made from hormone-safe natural fibers. She bootstrapped her startup without a single dollar of venture capital because, as she puts it, the VC model funds just 2.5% of women founders, so she built her own path. In this episode, Toni shares how she identified a product gap that a male founder would likely miss, why she uses AI to compress days of operational work into hours without ever using it to write her content, and why community is replacing paid ads as the most effective growth strategy for early-stage founders. Toni also breaks down what to look for (and what to avoid) in the fabrics you wear every day and why the apparel industry's impact on women's health is a problem hiding in plain sight.

Chapters:
🎙️ 00:00 Meet Toni Toomey, founder of Hone and creator of Mom Built -a community for mom founders building for other moms.

🌱 03:25 Building a company without quitting a full-time job

🧰 04:43 What a first exit and the right mentors actually taught Toni

🤖 12:45 Where AI helps a solo founder, and where human connection wins

💸 18:59 Why so few women founders sell, and the case for small-check investing

🧪 23:45 The problem nobody else would solve: plastic in what we wear

🧵 33:18 How to read a fabric label and what to actually look for

📍 42:14 Inside Mom Built and where to find Toni

Links:
Website: wearhone.com and tonitoomey.com
Social: @toni.toomey and @wear.hone

Reach out to Toni Toomey to learn more about Hone's hormone-safe postpartum apparel, to join Mom Built, or to connect about building a company around a problem you actually live.

We're always seeking aligned sponsors.
⭐️ If you're interested in supporting our podcast - one episode or a season, reach out to Adrienne at Adrienne@sheleadsmedia.com.⭐️

Reach out to Adrienne: hello@sheleadsmedia.com

Visit our website: www.sheleadsmedia.com to learn about upcoming events or to work with me directly and get the clarity you’re seeking.

As a gesture of support for this podcast and sharing women's voices everywhere - I would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment and give our podcast a 5 Star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

By you taking this simple action, you are making a difference in sharing women's voices, thoughts and opinions.

One last thing - if you haven’t done so already, please hit the plus sign + to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.
Thank you so much!!

XO
Adrienne

• (00:00) - 🎙️ Meet Toni Toomey, founder of Hone and creator of Mom Built
• (03:25) - 🌱 Building a company without quitting the full-time job
• (04:43) - 🧰 What a first exit and the right mentors actually taught her
• (12:45) - 🤖 Where AI helps a solo founder, and where human connection wins
• (18:59) - 💸 Why so few women founders sell, and the case for small-check investing
• (23:45) - 🧪 The problem nobody else would solve: plastic in what we wear
• (33:18) - 🧵 How to read a fabric label and what to actually look for
• (42:14) - 📍 Inside Mom Built and where to find Toni