Show Notes
What does it take to walk away from 17 years of corporate security — stock options, healthcare, a VP title at Nike — and bet on yourself?
In this episode, Alexis sits down with Mel Strong, co-founder of Next Ventures, a health and wellness-focused venture fund. Mel's path has been anything but linear: first-grade teacher, journalist, marketing executive, interim CMO of Oura Ring, and now fund manager — and she's candid about every messy step it took to get there.
In this conversation:
Why women at the same income level as men weren't investing the same way — and what Mel did about it
The athlete mindset and using fear as a compass instead of a stop sign
Growing up as a caregiver to a sister with disabilities — and becoming a "mom" in 4th grade
What it was really like when her husband became unemployed and she became the Breadwinner
Her early investment in Oura Ring and what she saw before anyone else did
Why women are the chief medical officers of their families — and what that means for the future of health tech
The loneliness epidemic, human connection, and why community is the truest form of technology
Mel's story is a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and building wealth on your own terms.
🎙️ The Breadwinners Podcast — where ambitious mothers don't just earn a living, they're pioneering a new era.
📩 Join the Breadwinner community: wearethebreadwinners.substack.com
🌐 Next Ventures: nextventures.com | Substack: https://nextventures.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from The Breadwinners Podcast
*This is a replayed episode from an earlier conversation*
Leaking when you sneeze, jump rope or lunge for a ball on the tennis court is common. Dr. Sara Reardon wants every woman to stop accepting it as the price of having children - because it's not normal.
**This is a replay from a previous episode**
Everyone is calling everything a community right now. Marika Frumes has spent six years building the real thing, and she knows the difference.
In this episode, Alexis Contos sits down with Patrice Meagher, a 20-year Commercial Real Estate veteran turned Founder and CEO of MilkMate. After spending two decades leasing millions of square feet in Manhattan , Patrice realized that while we can fly to space, the most "innovative" solution for pumping at work was still a storage closet or a bathroom stall.