Connection. Accountability. Growth.

About Foundress

The Foundress is a thriving membership community for ambitious female founders. We believe that when women invest in consistent community, accountability, as well as personal and professional growth, there are no limits to what they can achieve. We seek to create a community where women entrepreneurs are encouraged, validated, educated, and inspired to build the business of their dreams. Through regular monthly meetings, intentional mentorship, curated speakers, and tangible resources, the Foundress creates space for women to scale their success and expand their impact. Learn more and join us at foundress.co.

Rewriting The Rules For How Business Is Done

For every ambitious woman to have the validation and encouragement that she needs to succeed in business.

Hear It From Our Members

Member testimonials

“I actually had my eye on this group for the past couple of years and finally decided to join a couple months ago!! In my very short time as a member, I’ve already been blessed with countless connections and opportunities and I know that so much more is in store. Ladies, no matter where you’re at in career and life, I HIGHLY recommend you consider joining this amazing community!”

Erin Mornin

“We can’t put into words the feelings we have when we leave the Foundress meetings, but we will try. Not only motivated and excited, but rejuvenated with new ideas and filled with support and gratitude for new relationships and friendships. We learned so, so much yesterday and also had a ton of fun! Thank you for this insanely brilliant and beautiful community you have built.”

Shine Image Consulting

“It helps to be around like-minded women. There are so many times in life in general where we feel like we’re the only one struggling with certain things when in fact there is someone who has not only struggled with what we’re struggling with, but overcome it as well. Those relationships are invaluable and that’s what The Foundress has given us, community and connection.”

Jill Paterson & Mary From Girls Mentorship

Our Founders

Coley Arnold

Co-Foundress

As co-owner of Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market, I had to learn how to run a business as I went, there is no playbook or magic button to success. Trust me, I looked! As hard as it was, I am so thankful for my failures and struggles which have shaped me way more than my success. Having other creative women who I could turn to was priceless in growing our business. Competition with other women seems to run through our blood, but I have learned that when we can encourage and support each other, our success is limitless! Our hope for this space, is to encourage you, lift you up, and give you the resources and the community you need to push the boundaries of success!

Lindsey Holt

Co-Foundress

Ever wonder, how did I get here? Had you told me 10 years ago that I would be starting and running a quickly growing business I probably would have laughed at you. I had desires of starting a family and being a mother. I worked various jobs after college but they were a means to provide for basic needs. After having my first baby, I chose to stay at home and felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. Fast forward 6+ years and I could not have predicted all the joys, the highs, the lows, the struggles and the unexpected satisfaction that would come from starting and running a business. My time as a co-owner of Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market has taught me more than I could ever have imagined. I am fortunate to have an amazing group of women who have supported me in my unexpected business journey. While my days still include many failures, trials and successes both in business and at home, I could not do it without the encouragement of those around me. The Foundress is a place that will provide you with inspiration, accountability, education and encouragement to start something new, push you across the finish line or for you to encourage others to do the same.

Mentors

Meredith Smyth

Meredith Smyth is the founder of Smyth House, a Phoenix based Interior Design firm. After 15 years in Marketing, Meredith decided it was time to chase her passion for Interior Design and embarked on an entirely new journey. After spending more than a decade in Chicago, Meredith returned to her roots in Phoenix to pour back into the quickly growing community.

Today, nearly five years later, the company services clients throughout the Valley and across the country. From luxury new build and home renovations to furnishing and decor, Smyth House recognizes that every client is standing in front of something exciting and complex. They believe when confidence and trust come together with incredible design, people are inspired to push their own boundaries to discover potential beyond their imagination.

Alex Bradberry

Alexandra Bradberry is Founder of The Sparkle Bar, a one-of-a-kind makeup studio based in Scottsdale designed to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Driven by her love of makeup, the confidence it instills, and the business dynamic of the beauty industry which has led her on a mission to redefine the way people experience cosmetics. Today she is more passionate than ever about creating spaces where everyone can find their own beauty and feel confident in their own skin.

Jessica Wenger Mcphaul

Jessica got her start making costumes for a small youth theatre in Arizona when she was 16. A few years later, she moved to LA to attend fashion school and has been working steadily in film/tv ever since. Starting out as an assistant costume designer, she quickly progressed to costume designer for films and tv. Projects have taken her to Seattle, New Orleans, New Mexico, Texas and Washington DC.

Jessica has been in both the Costume Designers Guild and the Costumers Union for over a decade. Her work can also be seen on screens, in print, as well as digitally and she considers herself extremely lucky to be a part of the House Of Cards team that has received an Emmy Nomination and back to back Costume Designers Guild Award Nominations. Jessicas tenure in the film industry opened her eyes to just how terribly exclusive the fashion industry was. She was appalled at lack of representation of all women in products, advertisements, choices- so she new she could do better. With the help of a local fashion incubator in Arizona, Jessica was able to launch Naked Rebellion in six short months. Naked Rebellion is an inclusive lingerie line with 9 shades of nude- a nude shade for EVERY woman on earth.

Whitney Kroneberger

Whitney Kroneberger is a Life Coach for Entrepreneurs. She helps her clients manage their minds around essentialism and their own limits in order to architect a life and business rooted in joy. After a career in Talent Acquisition, helping non-profit Executives find the right fit for their team, and while finding massive success in the social selling industry, she discovered her purpose as a Speaker and Life Coach. She’s a proud Jesus-lovin’ momma to three and wife to her soulmate, Adam. She’s also a Colorado native, closet minimalist, silver lining enthusiast and adventure seeker.

Karen Mitchell

Karen Mitchell is a business owner and photographer of Élan Photographie Studio. Since 2008, it’s helped to shape who she is through the nuances of business. Karen’s work has been featured in publications such as DWELL and InStyle Magazine. She works with small companies, large corporations, and celebrities, all along the way wrestling through the learning of insuring a great experience, reliable services as she’s produced thousands of photos along the way for company’s marketing needs. She’s excited to incorporate some of her experience of being an extroverted sole business owner, and efficiencies learned to encourage a smoother juggle of personal and business life.

As a marketing arm of the photography company in 2017 Karen launched her lifestyle blog, Fortitude and Finn. This has expanded her reach to companies vastly and scaled her business in refreshing ways.

Karen’s work has been featured on/in: Vail Mag + Mountain Living Magazine + Hygge Life’s book Dwell, Gather, Be. She has worked in partnership with Parachute Home, The BROADMOOR Resort, BHLDN, Formulary 55, NUNA Stroller Company, and more.

Lauren Hansen

Lauren is the owner and photographer behind Be Peachie, a brand photography studio specializing in helping womxn led brands confidently market their businesses with fun, strategic images. She has taken her marketing degree and years of ad agency experience and brought them to the world of entrepreneurship, helping her clients create compelling content that builds trust and connection with their customers. When she’s not behind-the-camera you can find Lauren bounding around Disneyland (yes, she’s an annual pass holder #whatup). If you want to be her new BFF, try offering her chocolate chip cookies or bring her a Diet Coke (fountain, obviously.)

Mary Foran

Mary has her bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Wellness which led her to owning and operating her own gym; a seven year journey where she had the pleasure of meeting + working with hundreds of people ranging from the ages of 6 to 70. Within that setting, she not only coached people on their physical fitness but really got to be an overall support system for them in terms of their holistic health; eating right, stress management, sleeping habits, habit formation, goal setting etc… Her niche within the gym wound up being within the kid’s classes, from overall movement and play to sports specific training. After years of following her own personal growth and development journey, her combined skills led her to the work she does now, mentoring girls.

Jill Petersen

Jill has her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Communication and Mass Communication. This degree served her greatly in her career at lululemon as a Store Manager at the local level in Scottsdale for six years and a Regional Manager for the Southwest for nearly two. Both of these positions allotted her the opportunity to be on the leadership & development team where she was in charge of hiring and developing teams for stores locally as well as for the company, nationally. Her combined skills + a passion for wanting to help the younger version of herself lead her to the work she does now in mentoring girls.

Sarah Gilliland

Sarah is an attorney and creator of The Legal Shoppe, which provides service based businesses with easy to use contracts and legal templates. After a decade of hustling hard in business ownership and competing in the high stress legal field, Sarah had achieved the business success she thought she dreamed of, but at the expense of completely burning out. When burnout turned into a health scare, Sarah hit the reset button, and used her experiences to forge a path of growth, personal fulfillment, and revitalize her career to build a business that not only serves her clients, but also a lifestyle she truly loves.

Sarah is passionate about supporting women to create everything they could possibly want from life and business, and actively participates in several women’s entrepreneurial organizations.

Afiniki Maita

Ello! My full name is Afiniki but I go by Afi or Afi Like Taffy! I was born in West Africa, Nigeria, raised in North London, Highgate & i fell in love & married an American man & we’ve lived in Scottsdale for 15 years. I’m a Style Advisor, Wardrobe Consultant & a Style & Lifestyle Influencer. Crediting my international businessman Father for my love of fashion, watching him order bespoke suits from London at a young age grew my love of textures, patterns & style.

Judi Holler

Judi Holler is a keynote speaker, podcaster, best-selling author, and entrepreneur who imagines a world where the word regret has been eliminated from the conversation.

For the last decade, Judi has built an enterprise that includes a robust keynote speaking business, a top 13% podcast on iTunes, and a publishing arm that has created a line of personal development products that has gotten the attention of clients like Four Seasons, Ford Motor Company, Marriott, Bank of America, T-Mobile, The Boston Red Sox, The Ritz Carlton, and more.

Taylor Archer

Taylor is a serial entrepreneur and is obsessed with all things marketing. She has owned a clothing store on Arizona State University’s campus, a digital marketing agency, and in January of 2021 she launched her most recent business Rad + Rae, a small batch jewelry line that she scaled to over 6-figures in her first year. She is well versed in all things marketing including social media, influencer marketing, email strategy, digital advertising, programmatic advertising, PR, and SEO. She is seasoned on how to create successful campaigns that are impactful and aligned with a businesses values. From working with celebrities like Dr. Nassif from the E! TV show Botched to micro-brands, the recipe to success is the same and she is excited to share her expertise and industry knowledge.

Ashley Cooper

Ashley Cooper Design is a creative design studio helping you buy, sell or invest in real estate while we design your dream home. We have a national real estate team and guide our clients through the whole process of selling, purchasing, and designing their dream home by educating them to make empowering decisions and smart investments. We take a modern approach to where interior design & real estate meet. Ashley Cooper Design started back in 2013, when I was fresh out of my college studies of fashion and interior design. I had big dreams and a vision to simply bring people happiness through the beauty of my art and design. ACD Studio has since expanded from fashion illustration, graphic design, custom surface patterns to a full service interior design studio and national real estate team. Our mission is still the same with the additional core values of building community and empowering women through home ownership and home design.

Sara Chambers

She’s the lady behind Elly and Nora, calling the shots, directing the team, and making the magic.

She loves collaborating, community, and coffee. Alliteration is clearly her favorite literary device and she’s a fierce advocate for the Oxford comma. Before Sara founded Elly and Nora, she spent the greater part of her career helping non-profits, authors, and lifestyle brands in marketing, public relations, communications, and everything in between.

She loves good food, deep conversation, and the thrill of a perfect thrift store find. She’s an Enneagram 8 and knows that Heaven is filled with the best books.

She’s passionate about helping her clients achieve results that grow their income and ultimately their impact.