The Step

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In each episode of “The Step” by POPSUGAR, bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones sits down with one inspiring woman to discuss what drives them to step forward for change. Be it witnessing injustice, fighting a harmful stereotype, or proving haters wrong, these women refuse to back down -- no matter what. Presented by SOREL Footwear.

Credits

Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Michelle Kinne
Briana Haynie
Sam Negrin

The Step

In each episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with one inspiring woman to uncover the step that created a ripple effect and led to her success. This step is that moment — whether it was a setback, a serendipitous encounter, a seemingly small win, or a piece of advice from someone unexpected — that changed each woman's course.

Sportscaster Ros Gold-Onwude on Authenticity & Success

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, we go live from WeWork in New York City with the quickly rising sportscasting star Rosalyn Gold-Onwude. Our host, celebrity stylist Kate Young, sits down with this former high-school basketball player, now on-camera basketball analyst, who just landed an international deal with Turner Sports and ESPN. The trajectory of her career is much more complex than you may think. Listen to Ros open up about having determination in the face of adversity, her personal setbacks, and how they helped shape the woman and sportscaster she has become today, plus her ultimate fangirl moment meeting Beyoncé!

Entertainment Journalist Catt Sadler on Demanding Your Worth

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with former E! News host Catt Sadler. After learning that her male counterpart was making double her salary, Catt made the bold move to leave her dream job and go create a path on her own terms. Catt walks us through how she ultimately made this tough decision, the outpouring of support she has received from women everywhere, and how she is navigating the major unknowns that are her new reality.

Model Mama Cax on Finding Beauty in Disability

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with model and disability-rights advocate Mama Cax. Growing up in Haiti, Mama Cax survived lung and bone cancer at the age of only 14 but was forced to amputate her right leg. After years of hiding her prosthetic, Mama Cax made the decision to go public with her disability, appearing on the cover of Teen Vogue and walking the runway at New York Fashion Week. Today, she’s using Instagram to change the way we see beauty and celebrate disability.

Actress Nina Dobrev on Perfection & Self Acceptance

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with actress Nina Dobrev. You might know Nina as the TV character Katherine Pierce on The Vampire Diaries or as Mia Jones on Degrassi: The Next Generation. This Bulgaria-born, Canada-raised actress rose to fame very young and has essentially grown up in Hollywood. Nina reveals her struggles with self-image, her pivot toward self-acceptance, and how she is finding a new voice as a producer on female-centric projects.

Tone It Up's Katrina & Karena on Fitness and Personal Power

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn, who created the fitness app and community that is Tone It Up. They are personal trainers, best friends, and business partners who met at the gym over a decade ago, a time when they say "fitness was very mean.” With Tone It Up, they wanted to change the way women supported women when it comes to body image and fitness. Katrina and Karena open up about the personal pivots that led them down this path and their survival techniques for managing friendship and business, plus the number one move that yields the best body-sculpting results.

Drybar Founder Alli Webb on Pain & Personal Growth

In this episode of The Step by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL, celebrity stylist Kate Young sits down with Alli Webb, founder of the wildly popular Drybar enterprise of blowout bars. Alli is one of those true self-made success stories. She started out as a hairstylist and stay-at-home mom giving blowouts to clients in their homes before betting it all on the first Drybar location in the midst of the recession of 2010. Drybar now has over 130 locations, and Alli finds herself balancing her professional success with her own private personal losses.

"The Step" by POPSUGAR, Season 2

“The Step” by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL Footwear, is a podcast for – and about – unstoppable women. And there’s no one more unstoppable than a woman who wants to inspire change. This season, we’re telling their powerful stories of women stepping up in their communities.

Jillian Mercado on Challenging Misconceptions and Embracing Your Superpower

In this episode of “The Step” by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL footwear, our host, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, sits down with model and activist Jillian Mercado, who happens to use a wheelchair. Together, they explore how her parents fostered her love of fashion and determination in the face of adversity, how our “otherness” can be one of our greatest strengths, and how she founded Black Disabled Creatives to help Black disasbled artists find jobs in 2020.

#BlackLivesMatter Co-creator Alicia Garza Says She Is An Organizer, Not an Activist

In this episode of “The Step” by POPSUGAR, presented by SOREL footwear, bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones talks with Alicia Garza, who is one of the founding members of the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors. It’s been seven years since Alicia first wrote the Facebook post that would inspire a hashtag, then a movement, and here, she discusses how movements take serious time, and how having thick skin, but a soft heart makes it easier. From how she sees herself as an organizer, rather than activist, to the lessons she’s still learning, to her love of tequila and workouts that drive emotion, Alicia and Luvvie cover it all.