Inside Source

  Somewhere at the juxtaposition of stark, white lab coat and bold, beautiful art stands Dr. Lisa Cain, a professor of neuroscience, gross anatomy and cell biology, as well as a self-taught folk artist. This Mississippi native’s gifts are just as appreciated by her students at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston as the many art galleries and homes in which she’s featured. Inside Source sat down with Dr. Cain for a conversation about dreaming big, the art she sees in science, and her passion for empowering others.

While we’ve heard mixing business with friendship can be tricky, for Margaret Boyce and Jamey Gresham couldn’t imagine running their company with anyone else. Inside Source talks with the two founders of J. Lowery handbags and accessories about where they draw inspiration, the benefits of outside-the-box thinking, and the importance of communication and trust in both personal and professional relationships.

Mary Landrum Pyron has always followed her own path, including the one that lead her to being Mississippi’s only custom hatmaker, creating felt hats from scratch for customers all over the world. Inside Source went on location to talk to Mary Landrum in her studio about leaps of faith, growing her unique business, and why she loves creating wearable art.

You’ll likely find as many different definitions of the term “marketing” as individuals asked to define it. While it may still be a mystery to some, Erin Fults has built her career developing marketing and messaging strategies for her small business clients, enabling them to cut through the noise and confidently grow their businesses. She talks with Inside Source about the evolution of her own business, her unlikely career path, and helping companies get the most bang for their marketing bucks.

Women-owned Gay Jones & Kuhn PLLC is not your typical law firm. With a team of brilliant attorneys, you likely won’t be surprised to encounter some outside-the-box approaches to both the business and the culture of the workplace. Inside Source spoke with founding partners Mary Margaret Gay and Sarah Beth Jones about the evolution of their careers, the benefits of diverse perspectives, and why work-life balance is part of what makes a great lawyer.

The common thread of nearly every point in Gayle Benson’s career has been identifying a need and executing her impeccable vision to improve it. In her current role as a multi-business owner, including the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans, Mrs. Benson finds herself in a position with unlimited opportunities to impact her community. She spoke with Inside Source about making big decisions, “wins” and “losses,” and why you should never compromise on what’s important to you.

Tobey Houston and Robyn Pollack both took unlikely paths to starting CreateHealth, a boutique marketing agency specializing in tailoring a marketing strategy for every client. On paper, the experience and expertise of these two women may appear to be opposites, but these differences are what makes their partnership successful. Tobey and Robyn told Inside Source about the evolution of their company, marketing during a global pandemic, and how the various points of their careers prepared them for where they are today.

After a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Sajani Barot identified a need for virtual skin care consultation and founded The Skin Consult, connecting clients with skin care experts to deliver personal routines and highly curated products directly to the consumer. Inside Source spoke with Sajani about her passion for science and education, bringing a business from concept to reality, and the importance of self care.    

Laura Johns and Lauren Williams were already busy working moms before starting their podcast The Home and The Hustle, but that’s kind of the point. Boundaries and work-life balance don’t come easy for anyone, and they identified a need to talk about it with other working women. Inside Source sat down with these two women about their podcast passion project, what they love about it, and why they consider it self-care.

Anna Barker didn’t know she was interested in STEM until she’d almost completed college, but that didn’t stop her from becoming one of the founders of Glo, an innovative company that developed water-reactive light-up cubes. Inside Source talks with Anna about entrepreneurship, being a woman in STEM, and the idea that took her company all the way to Sesame Street.

After working in medical and research settings, audiologist Dr. Grace Sturdivant parlayed a passion for hearing health into OtoPro Technologies, a hearing conservation business that takes her all over the country as her clients’ own “hearing concierge.” Inside Source asked Grace about her career in STEM, hearing loss as a facet of our overall health, and why she loves being underestimated.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and The Source is going teal! Because of its vague, “silent” symptoms, ovarian cancer is often not diagnosed until its later stages. Dr. Mildred Ridgway is a Gynecologic Oncologist at University of Mississippi Medical Center and has dedicated her life to treating women with ovarian cancer and other gynecologic cancers. Inside Source talked with Dr. Ridgway about her career in medicine and why she chose GYN oncology as her specialty.

The Women’s Foundation of Mississippi plays an important role in advancing economic security for women. With an extensive career in nonprofit work and her valuable experience with fundraising, working with boards of directors, and day-to-day functionality of a foundation, Tracy DeVries is just as passionate about her work today as the day she started. She talks with #InsideSource about supporting women in the workplace, invisible labor, and how to measure success in a nonprofit.  

Lindsey Bell turned the age-old question of “what’s for dinner?” into a business that takes the guesswork out of feeding families. The Dinner Darling herself sits down with Inside Source to talk about being an entrepreneur in the age of social media, her struggles with imposter syndrome, and why it’s ok for working women to talk about the money side of our professions.

If you’ve spent any time on social media, chances are you’ve seen Nicole McLaughlin (or at least her well-manicured hands) on a recipe prep video. She talks with #InsideSource about the traditional to digital media transition, her hopes for the future generation of professional women, and what her kids think of her TikTok fame.

Small business owner Nancy King of Nandy’s Candy has been keeping Jackson, Mississippi in tasty treats for over 40 years. She, along with daughter Emmie, work hand-in-hand to grow and evolve their business while staying true to their traditional roots. They sat down with Inside Source to discuss their sweet successes, sour challenges, and what they’re still learning from one another.

Mandi Stanley has built a career doing what many people fear the very most in life and has grown accustomed to answering more than a few questions about it. Mississippi’s first Certified Public Speaker sits down with Inside Source to discuss how professional speaking became her job, growing an audience, and shares one of the best tips she’s ever heard.

Many of us have had our work environments turned upside down by things beyond our control, and working from home is a new reality. Nicole Brown, Learning & Engagement Specialist at Butler Snow, is making the work from home life work for her. Inside Source asked her about keeping her productivity up, staying motivated, and why taking care of yourself is more important now than ever.

Kellye Smith, a Team Leader and Resource Consultant for Ross & Yerger has a way of explaining the benefits of workplace policy manuals to those of us who may get lost or overwhelmed after the first sentence. She talks with #InsideSource about where businesses might be exposed to risk, how an employee’s needs change during their career, and why a thorough and accurate handbook goes way deeper than dress code and tardiness.

Employment attorney Lindsay Dowdle with Jones Walker LLP is a workplace policies and procedures master. She uses her expertise every day to help companies large and small develop frameworks to not only protect the businesses but cultivate an environment for employees to thrive. Inside Source talks with Lindsay about conducting annual evaluations, the importance of consistency, and enforcing it all.