Woman-led Stories

Olive Cooke, Kim Conyers and Sylvia Metta, Cauldron Collective

Trio of trans ‘cooking witches’ brew vegan flavor in authenticity of collective ingredients, not mere imitation

Something wickedly delicious has made its way to Kansas City, said Olive Cooke, Kim Conyers, and Sylvia Metta. Combining their passions for cooking and community, the trio founded a pop-up business centered on plant-based comfort food.  “A couple days before our first pop-up, it became so surreal that we were actually doing this; we even…

The City Girl Farm collaboration with WHITNEY MANNEY (WM)

How a pair of chicken footstools hatched into a yarn barnyard of sold-out flock-pleasers

What first hatched 11 years ago as a class project at Kansas State University has taken on a colorful and quirky life of its own, Sally Linville said.  “We ask people to think a lot about their names,” Linville, founder and creative director of The City Girl Farm, said of the surprisingly important (and often…

Heather Shelton and Tiffany Watts, Suite Tea

No glass ceiling over the glamp site: Women-led, Black-owned business opens luxury camping season

Kansas Citians no longer need to sacrifice a comfortable bed and running water to spend a night out in nature, said Tiffany Watts and Heather Shelton. Through glamping with Suite Tea, one can have the best of both worlds, the co-founders said.  “Our primary mission is to create an elevated, special experience for our guests….

CaRessa Hutchinson, ModRN Health

Rapid response, rapid scaling: Why the feds prescribed ModRN Health to meet nation’s indefinite demand for holistic virtual care

Kansas City-dispensed ModRN Health is scaling up and scrubbing in — working to help the U.S. government provide critical care on demand.  The virtual primary care solutions startup has entered into a two-year indefinite demand and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with the federal government — expanding its offerings beyond primary care and into critical care as…

Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Secret sauce called faith: How being Black, religion and mentors shaped Jy Maze, kept her startup from failing

The COVID-19 pandemic has not been the only hurdle for Maze Freight Solutions, said Jy Maze, and it certainly won’t be the last.  “People think because you’re a CEO of a company that everything is gravy. No one knows about the bloody knees from praying, the begging for money, nobody giving you a shot —…