AccelerateHER

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Taushey Sias, Taushey's Vocal Lab

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Taushey Sias, Taushey's Vocal Lab

Taushey Sias is the CEO and Founder of Taushey’s Vocal Lab, a premier vocal coaching resource offering lessons to both aspiring and seasoned singers across diverse musical genres. Taushey brings a wealth of expertise to her one-on-one sessions, where she collaboratively explores each student's strengths and growth areas. Taushey's approach fosters an open and healing platform for students to express themselves confidently. Her mission is to instill self-belief, guiding individuals to trust their innate talents and hard work on the path to personal success. Keep reading to learn more about Taushey and her business in her cohort story.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Katherine Waddell, Faul Magic

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Katherine Waddell, Faul Magic

Katherine Waddell is the owner of and creative force behind Faul Magic. Faul Magic is a Denton-based brand that got its start crafting inclusive art with a cheerful aesthetic, but recently Katherine has pivoted their business to include Digital Marketing and Accessibility Consulting. A graduate of Dallas College, Kat launched Faul Magic in June 2022 to reshape narratives around invisible disabilities and neurodivergence. Originally envisioning a nerdy business wear line, the brand evolved to express Kat's experiences as a nerdy, queer, and neurodivergent individual through captivating art. Faul Magic challenges societal notions of laziness, embracing authenticity and creativity.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Consuelo Ligus, Yellow Rose Paint Party

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Consuelo Ligus, Yellow Rose Paint Party

Connie Ligus is the Chief Creative Officer and Owner of Yellow Rose Paint Party. Painting has been her lifelong joy, evolving from a personal retreat to Yellow Rose Paint Party – a mobile paint extravaganza rolling through Texas and beyond. She’s blending art, laughter, and (sometimes) a bit of spilled wine to create unforgettable moments. Balancing roles as a mom, wife, and independent business owner, she’s turned her passion into a company. Read on to learn more about Connie and Yellow Rose Paint Party in her Cohort story.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Ashlee Vail, Austyn Wyatt & Co.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Ashlee Vail, Austyn Wyatt & Co.

From her roots in Grenada to the flourishing food scene of Denton, Latoya's culinary adventure is a story of passion and perseverance. As the proud owner of a thriving food trailer Groovy Chicken and Waffles and T's Table Catering Services, she has transformed her love for cooking and baking into thriving businesses.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Latoya Jackson, Groovy Chicken & Waffles

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Latoya Jackson, Groovy Chicken & Waffles

From her roots in Grenada to the flourishing food scene of Denton, Latoya's culinary adventure is a story of passion and perseverance. As the proud owner of a thriving food trailer Groovy Chicken and Waffles and T's Table Catering Services, she has transformed her love for cooking and baking into thriving businesses.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Jen Johnson, Jen Johnson Consulting

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Jen Johnson, Jen Johnson Consulting

Jen Johnson, burnout consultant, uses her skills to assist non-profits, school districts, and businesses in the battle against burnout. She’s offering the support she wished she had during her time as an employee and a leader. Read more about Jen and her business in her cohort story.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Madison Newman, Found & Forged Design Co.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Madison Newman, Found & Forged Design Co.

Madison Newman is the founder and artist behind Found & Forged Design Co. and a self taught brand expert. She build brands that are handcrafted and intentionally created to showcase your businesses values, and unique offerings; building you a tribe of adoring fans, and increasing your profit. Read on to learn more about Madison and her business.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Christina Barrientos, Heartstone Creative

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Christina Barrientos, Heartstone Creative

Christina Barrientos is the owner and founder of Heartstone Creative. Heartstone Creative is the soft-skill training solution for young adults and entry level positions for small businesses. They’re closing the gap between long-time employees and entry level workers by providing scenario-based learning to help meet business expectations. Read on to learn more about Christina, her inspiration, and her business.

AccelerateHER Through The Years

AccelerateHER Through The Years

Stoke works to support and empower entrepreneurs, and one of the ways we are able to accomplish that goal is partnering with the Center for Women Entrepreneurs (CWE) at Texas Woman’s University. We offer the AccelerateHER incubator program in partnership with CWE. Administrators Heather Gregory, executive director of Stoke, and Tracy Irby, director of the Center for Women Entrepreneurs, selects a cohort of women business owners through an application and interview process and then equips them with education, tools, and resources to grow their businesses.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Anna Montes, La Catrina Creations

La Catrina Creations truly came into being from an entrepreneur’s spirit: Anna Montes was looking for something that she couldn’t find out in the world so she decided to make it herself. Starting with having an artistan make sarape stoles, La Catrina Creations has grown so much so that Anna needed to build a warehouse! You can learn more about Anna, her inspiration, and her work in her AccelerateHER cohort story.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Hannah McGinty, Hans Film and Photo, Modern Memoir

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Hannah McGinty, Hans Film and Photo, Modern Memoir

Hannah is a force of nature in her industry, and we’re so proud of her for winning the top prize in the first ever Denton Pitch Competition. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to quality shines in her work. Read more about Hannah below!

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Marcia Dunn, Math with Marcia

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Marcia Dunn, Math with Marcia

Marcia is the solution to your math problems! Or those that your family members in school or college might be facing. She helps simplify math and has developed a unique method of handling individual students’ ways of learning. Read more about the incredible and important work that she does in her AccelerateHER cohort story.

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Cindy Thurk, CM Promotions

AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Cindy Thurk, CM Promotions

Cindy Thurk is the founder and CEO of CM Promotions. She is a vibrant and supportive member of the third AccelerateHER incubator program, offered in partnership between Stoke and the Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Texas Woman’s University. The energy and expertise that she brings to the table is unmatched. Cindy spent some time answering questions about her work, process, and inspiration for our AccelerateHER Cohort Stories series. Read on!

5 Reasons to Apply For An Incubator Program (like AccelerateHER!)

5 Reasons to Apply For An Incubator Program (like AccelerateHER!)

Since 2020, each fall, Stoke and TWU team up to offer several women-owned businesses the opportunity to focus on developing their businesses through a five-month incubator program that provides hands-on workshops, resources, mentorship, and more. Weekly workshops are purposefully ordered so that each member of the cohort has a solid starting point in the program and can make specific goals for their personal and professional outcomes from the onset.