Northeastern Next Podcast

A Side Hustle Trifecta feat. Ben Brakenwagon, Bella D’Ascoli and Ye Tian

On this special episode of Northeastern Next, meet three entrepreneurs with exciting side hustles! Our first guest, Ben Brakenwagon, transcends the typical entrepreneur convention through his own personal side hustle selling rock climbing equipment, his work at a tech startup, and everything in between. Following Ben, current Northeastern student Bella D'Ascoli celebrates the legacy of her late friend Samantha Hemphill by offering an opportunity to purchase Sam’s exemplary artwork, with all profits donated to a charitable foundation started by her family in her honor. Finally, meet our third guest, Ye Tian, the founder of Crafts Zone Studio. Tian has his very own brick and mortar craft studio in Brookline, MA where you can create personalized, one-of-a-kind gifts with your loved ones.  Learn about how he uses Northeastern’s vast alumni network to grow his business.  

Ledge Climbing: https://ledgeclimbing.com/ 

SamScribbler: https://samscribbler.com/ 

Crafts Zone Studio: https://www.crafts.zone/ 

See what Northeastern students have been up to and support their projects with HuskyStarter. 

Thirst Isn’t Complicated: Drink Simple feat. Kate Weiler

Meet Kate Weiler, CPS ‘13! Co-founder of the beverage company Drink Simple, she is a hardworking and motivated entrepreneur with a passion for nutrition and sustainability. Using Northeastern's IDEA program to build the framework of her business, Weiler launched the Drink Simple brand to critical acclaim. Learn about her entrepreneurial journey to bring maple water to the masses!

Drink Simple: https://bit.ly/3yVFXKc

Instagram: @drinksimple

See what Northeastern students have been up to and support their projects with HuskyStarter.

Diving into Entrepreneurship feat. Valerie Robert

Meet Valerie Robert, Khoury'23, CSSH'23! A Women Who Empower Innovator award winner in 2022, it's no secret that Valerie is an incredibly motivated individual—from holding a variety of leadership positions on campus to having aspirations of starting intersectional businesses, it's clear she is on a path towards success. Learn about her entrepreneurial journey and her post-graduation plans.

Instagram: @valerie.robert

Northeastern WISE: @northeasternwise

The Circuit: @thecircuited

See what Northeastern students have been up to and support their projects with HuskyStarter.

 

Who Runs the World? Girls!

This Northeastern Next bonus episode is the culmination of five women’s quest to change the way the world perceives their strength. During her co-op in Northeastern’s Advancement division, student athlete and aspiring journalist, Madison Neuner, AMD’24 examines ways in which women own their right to influence social change for themselves and others. From advocating in office spaces to cheering on the track, learn how these alumnae and students are paving the way to overcome disparities and biases in our communities and beyond.

• Ally Legend, AMD’14, Senior Director of Equality Engagement at Salesforce
• Michelle Satter, LA'74, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute
• Ahndraea Allen, AS'05, MS’09, Senior Training Specialist for Sales Academy UAE at Adidas
• Darrel Schreiner, MS’22, & Dominique Schreiner, MS’22, Co-Founders of CAKE DENIM

Dr. Kimberly Washington, AS'05: Black Women in Medicine

While TV medical dramas have ruled entertainment for decades, Dr. Washington, AS’05, was putting in the real work. She received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and was the first Black woman to be admitted into the residency program. From a private practice in Texas to a prestigious surgery fellowship in Oregon, Dr. Washington is a lifelong learner, now specializing in liver and pancreatic procedures. In this episode, she speaks about her experience as a Black woman in medicine—from her undergraduate days at Northeastern’s John D. O’Bryant African American Institute to the podcast she started with her two sisters called “The Drs. Washington.” Not only a healthcare hero, she is building a platform to mentor students, discuss medicine, and highlight African American physicians who are making an impact in the field. 

Check out The Drs. Washington Podcast

A Word From our Volunteers

Northeastern alumni can be found around the world—there over 275,000 people who are connected by one global university. Every day our alumni volunteers give their time and talent to make the Northeastern network even stronger. 

In this episode, Ilana Gensler, assistant director of alumni engagement, will speak with a few of our volunteers from San Francisco to Thailand. 

Volunteers: 

Rachel Rappe, DMSB’15, Chicago Community Volunteer, Young Alumni Advisory Board Member, Women Who Empower Mentor

Ezgi Kosereisoglu, E’14, Chicago Community Volunteer, Young Alumni Advisory Board Chair, NUCEAO President Emerita

Kim Tran, E’17, Alumni Co-op Mentor in San Francisco

Dave Wedge, AS’00, Northeastern Rugby Club Alumni President

Sureena Sachdev, DMSB’19, Alumni Community Leader in Thailand

 

Hear what volunteering is all about and why they give back.

Visit alumni.northeastern.edu/volunteer to learn more.

Karen McManus, MA'04: Author of "One of Us Is Lying"

“The Breakfast Club with murder” is how Karen McManus, MA’04, describes her first novel, "One of Us is Lying." Now with four books published and more on the way, this New York Times Bestselling author has made writing her full-time career. Karen started in PR and Marketing, but realized it was never too late to make a switch. In this episode she shares how a familiar '80s song inspired her writing and gives updates on the forthcoming TV adaptation of her first book.

Visit karenmcmanus.com and follow @writerkmc on Instagram 

This episode was recorded in collaboration with the Northeastern Women who Empower Initiative. 

 

Yewande Masi, CJ'09, and Glen Giovanucci, DMSB'83: Pivoting Your Business

Pandemic pivots became a priority for many entrepreneurs in early 2020, but a variety of factors can influence a product change. In this episode, you’ll hear from two business leaders: Yewande Masi, CJ’09, founder of Ornami skincare and Glen Giovanucci, DMSB’83, CEO at G-Form.

This episode features a pre-recorded interview from our virtual entrepreneurship event in November. It’s moderated by Katie Hemphill, MS'19, Associate Director of the McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network (VMN). This university wide resource pairs student, faculty, and alumni-owned ventures with experienced mentors to help with business challenges.

Ben Kneppers, E'07: Fighting Ocean Pollution

18 billion pounds of plastic enter our oceans each year, a harrowing fact that only accounts for a portion of our planet's pollution crisis. Northeastern innovators are tackling this problem to create sustainable solutions for cleaner oceans. Bureo, an emerging B-Corp, has created a program to recycle fishing nets into a NetPlus™ material, used in products by Patagonia and other partner companies. 

 

Join the conversation to fight plastic pollution with Ben Kneppers, E'07, co-founder and COO of Bureo Inc., and Maarten Eenkema van Dijk, E'14, MS'15, operations manager for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions.

This interview was recorded at a virtual event hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations. 

Ryan Drexler, AS'93: From the C-Suite

Successful CEOs are not born overnight. Ryan Drexler, AS’93, grew up as the shy kid and lacked confidence in public speaking, but like every Northeastern student, he focused on finding his career path. Ryan majored in theatre, a unique choice at the time, but one that brought him outside his comfort zone to develop essential leadership skills. Fast forward to the present, Ryan is now CEO and president of MusclePharm, a publicly traded sports nutrition company, and shares his advice on leading teams, overcoming challenges, and reaching the top.