The Well Woman Show · 2026-05-13 · 47 min
How many times have I watched brilliant, capable women quietly talk themselves out of their own value, defaulting to structures that weren't built for them, avoiding the language of profit like it would somehow compromise their integrity, waiting for the right credential or the right moment to finally call themselves the expert they already are? It's a pattern that runs deeper than most of us realize and it's long overdue to name it out loud. My guest today is Vanessa Roanhorse, CEO of Roanhorse Consulting and Return on Indigenous Studios, a for-profit social enterprise rooted in Indigenous knowledge. A citizen of the Navajo Nation, she started her business in 2016 trying to close her own personal wealth gap. No financial background, no roadmap, just relationships and a willingness to keep asking why. Over the next decade, she evolved her firm into what she now calls an Indigenous ecosystem architecture firm, redesigning how institutions think about risk, building new capital mechanisms, and launching Return on Indigenous Studios to take community-centered businesses from idea to full capitalization. This conversation goes far beyond what Vanessa built.
359: Building a Culture of Mentoring That Sustains Women Leaders with Tamara Thorpe & Lisa Fain56 / 100
357: Feminist Economics and the Future of Care Work with Lucía Cirmi Obón
356: Almost Having It All with Dr. Corinne Low
355: Starting Before You’re Ready: Creative Courage and Reinvention with Giovanna Capone
354: Turning a Personal Challenge into Your Greatest Strength with Amanda Pascali