Hawaii WBE Feature: Friendship through WBEC-West

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here with Dr. Pamela Williamson, another episode of Women in Motion, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. And today’s episode is an exciting one because this is – we’re going to really dig into the impact of WBEC-West and friendship and community. And we have folks here, Pamela, that really encapsulate that.

Pamela Williamson : We do. I’m excited by this episode, and I know I probably say that about every episode that we do, but this one I’m excited about because one of the questions I get asked a lot is just what are one of the benefits? So, a lot of the benefits of being part of WBEC-West or any community of women is the connections that you make. And when I share some of the stories, people often look at me like, well, that just can’t be true. You cannot build that type of relationship with someone who might be a competitor. And I say it happens. And so, I think the two women that we have on today kind of encapsulate that being. And so I’m excited for both of them to be on. So, I’m going to start with you, Cora. So, Cora, can you kind of tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you to start your business, and anything else you think we should know before we kick off?

Cora Spearman-Chang: Well, sure. Aloha. My name is Cora Spearman Chang, and I’m the CEO and founder of Coradurables and Cora Spearman Hawaii, Hawaii’s only product-based certified B Corporation. And luckily, not only WBENC certified business, which we’re very proud of. We are all locally sourced and manufactured. We’re an heirloom fashion brand for people who aspire to a joyful, bright, vibrant, Hawaiian-kissed lifestyle, like, for men, women, and children. We’re sustainably manufactured and sourced all here in Hawaii. And basically, when you invest in Coradurables, you’re helping to support over 30 locally family-owned and women-led businesses. So we’re very, very excited about that. You can find Coradurables on your luxury cruise ships and luxury resorts, as well as Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, soon nationwide, but right now, in New York and online.

Pamela Williamson : Thanks, Cora. It’s – again, thank you for being here. And then, I also want to introduce Bernadette. And so, Bernadette is someone that you met actually at one of our conferences. So, Bernadette, can you talk a little bit about your background, what inspired you to start your business?

Bernadette Rivero: Sure. My name is Bernadette Rivero, and I am the president, executive producer, and co-founder of the Cortez Brothers, Inc., a production company based in Los Angeles, California. We film everything, and my primary clients are Fortune 500 brands, their advertising agencies, and film and television studios. You can find more about us on cortezbrothers.com.

Bernadette Rivero: What inspired me to get into the industry was starting to work in advertising when I was 14. I was working in a grocery store. My English teacher in high school at the time was horrified that I was up until 10 or 11 at night a few times a week and helped me get a job in a local in-house advertising agency. So, I’ve worked in content creation in one way or another for what feels like my whole life, and I’m lucky to get to do it on a daily basis for a lot of really great brands and entertainment studios.

Pamela Williamson : Thank you, bernadette. I think one of the biggest questions that I have before I pass it on to Lee is how important is it to have other women in business to connect with. Cora, I’ll throw that one to you.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Oh, it is paramount. You can’t – there is no better relationship that you can have than with another woman who’s going through the same thing. It’s like when moms bond at the playground or over their kids going to school together, or when it’s the same for the business owners, you know, because we’re basically birthing these, our figurative babies, which are our businesses, and we’re chatting over our labor pains and all the different things that go on. But it’s unique to find like minds and like hearts, you know. And so, for me, meeting Bernadette has been the best part of any cohort, any meeting, any conference that I’ve ever gone to because she is now my family; she is now my ohana.

Pamela Williamson : And Bernadette, what about you?

Bernadette Rivero: Oh, I feel the same way. I am so blessed and fortunate to have met Cora throughout the course of participating in WBENC and being a women business owner, and it’s because I remember how lonely it felt before that. There was a time when I – for a few years I was working as a journalist because, again, I’ve always worked in content creation and I’ve worked for CNN and NPR and The Weather Channel, and I was covering breaking news in a disaster zone. And there were hundreds of journalists gathered around an earthquake, you know, recovery zone. And I remember looking out and looking around and seeing hundreds of journalists, and I was one of only two women with a camera in her hands and thinking for the first time, oh, it’s a little lonely out here. This is weird.

Bernadette Rivero: And I really haven’t felt that since becoming involved with WBENC and then meeting Cora because I always have someone I can talk to now. There’s always someone who else who sort of shares the journey and knows the ins and outs and the ups and downs, and it’s been really great having someone who’s first and foremost, you know, a friend, but also a sounding board at the same time. And it’s – and I can’t – I can’t tell you which came first, the chicken or the egg in that case, but just having someone else out there who’s another women business owner, sort of on the same journey, although we’re in very different types of businesses, has been invaluable.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Yeah. No, I remember the first time we met at a WBENC conference. I must have looked like a crazy person, like running up to you after you and Suze Monroe had spoken and I was like, you are my tribe. You are my people.

Bernadette Rivero: All right. So from my point of view, you have to understand it was, you know, I had stepped off the stage, we were doing a discussion about, you know, working for Disney, I think. And out of the corner of my eye, I sense what I can only now describe as sort of a ball of tropical energy coming my way.

Cora Spearman-Chang: A hurricane.

Bernadette Rivero: Of color. There was just this explosion of color in an otherwise very staid conference room. And that was Cora, someone – the next thing I know, someone’s putting –

Cora Spearman-Chang: Chocolate.

Bernadette Rivero: Cookies. Chocolate-covered macadamia nut cookies in my hand, which is a great way to skip right to my heart, you know. But you never think going into a business conference situation. You’re going to come out with something so fun and joyful as a friendship.

Cora Spearman-Chang: A sisterhood. I mean, now – I mean, I just couldn’t imagine. I couldn’t imagine. It was the best thing. And for us to be able to talk about our ups and the ebbs and flows of business, you know, and it’s been for years now. Like, literally now, Bernadette is the godmother of my youngest daughter and so – and she’s flown out for the baptism and first communion and confirmation of her – of Zoe Dodd or Zoe as she calls her.

Cora Spearman-Chang: And oh, my goodness, it’s even – even when it comes to parenting. And I say, hey, you know, she’s getting straight A’s, but you know what she’s hanging out with a little bit of kolohe girls. And I was just like, get comadre on the phone. So I call up Bernadette and she’s like, let me speak to her. And then they will Zoom, you know, and my daughter go in her bedroom and just have FaceTime with Auntie Bernadette. And it’s definitely a community. It’s definitely a tribe. And as they say, it takes a village, you know.

Bernadette Rivero: Cora has taught me what the word ohana means, right? It really does mean family. My kids know her as Auntie Cora. And that’s how we extended our family across an entire ocean. I’m in Los Angeles, Cora is in Hawaii, but it feels like there’s no distance at all. So business, I’ve learned, doesn’t always just have to be business. A lot of times it’s life and friendship too, at the same time.

Lee Kantor: Now, Pamela, can you talk a little bit about things that WBEC-West does to kind of foster these types of relationships? Because this is special and it’s not common. And there has to be some things that you’re doing as the leader of the organization that allows this to foster and to grow.

Pamela Williamson : I think one of the biggest things that we do is we really push for authentic relationships, meaning we try to create experiences that allow people to show up as their authentic selves and build real relationships by getting to know each other in different states. And I don’t mean states like location, I mean states of who they are.

Pamela Williamson : And so, one of the things that we do is we have an event that’s just about connecting and cooking. So it’s not really about your business as much as it is about getting to know people’s likes and dislikes and how they interact with each other under different ways of being, different types of stressors and just really finding out who, for example, Cora is as a person, not just about her business. I think that’s the biggest thing that we do.

Cora Spearman-Chang: And I think that a lot of it is it’s always in a business when you look at a business, the trickle-down effect. It’s the management, it’s the leadership. And you, Dr. Williamson, are the epitome of sisterhood. And you lead with such grace. You lead with such kindness, such compassion. Like I said earlier, it’s like you’re a phone call or a text or an email away, and you always have our backs, and to me you’re extended family as well. And so it’s sort of the vibe that you’ve created throughout the entire network, you know, and I think that has a lot to do with who you are as a person and how you lead. And just kudos to you for that. I’m very grateful.

Bernadette Rivero: And echoing what – I didn’t mean to cut you off, but echoing what Cora said, it’s true. There’s very much an emphasis on stepping away from being business-oriented 24/7 and actually connecting with people on an authentic level. I struggle a lot with trying to keep a business facade on it at all times, and never talking about anything personal, and Cora has helped me open up and talk more about life, what it’s like being a mother, having kids, talking about where we’re from, what we’ve done, and it’s the sense of openness that I think that’s come under the leadership of Dr. Williamson that’s again trickled down throughout WBENC, you know, through WBEC-West specifically. There’s something special in those waters.

Lee Kantor: Now, Bernadette, can you share – you talked about how you met, you know, coming off the stage and being greeted by Cora? How did the relationship evolve after being – you know, when you met each other, it seems like very frenetic? But how did you kind of slow down and deepen the relationship and realize, hey, this is somebody that is going to be a part of my tribe?

Bernadette Rivero: We were locked in conversation, and I was also very distracted by the cookies. So I wanted to know more about Cora and we ended up walking together to lunch. I think there was a lunch session, you know, right as we were finishing, and I wanted to keep talking with her because she’s fascinating and it was just a really good conversation.

Bernadette Rivero: We sat together at the next session that came, at a big round table, and I saw some of her catalog pieces. I was looking through it. She was sharing, you know, sort of what her company did, because it’s one thing to say you have a fashion company, it’s another to actually see it in front of you. And little did I know that one of the models in the catalog would become my goddaughter one day. When I look back on it, all I can do is smile. You know, things are destined, I guess, for a reason.

Bernadette Rivero: And we had this amazing session where she’s very outspoken and she’s very confident and assured, and it’s hard not to be, you know, deeply involved in wanting to have some of that energy in your life because it’s so positive and it’s just glows. And then after that, Cora, I can’t remember when did we end – we ended up at a spa together somehow.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Yeah, well, that was at another conference.

Bernadette Rivero: Oh, another conference.

Cora Spearman-Chang: That was another WBENC conference. And, it was – we were so – we would always – WBENC would be our set meetup when we first started our relationship, when we first started meeting and greeting each other at these conferences. But we were at a spa, and that’s when you announced to me that you were pregnant with Evie, Evita. And I was just like, “Oh, my gosh.” You’re like, “No one knows yet.” I was like, “Oh, my gosh.” And so we were so excited that she was birthing this new baby and scaling her brand, and she was doing all this cool stuff. And it was like, “All right, when are you going to have this baby so that you can come to Hawaii?”

Cora Spearman-Chang: And that’s when we started having that conversation because actually, I had asked Bernadette to become an advisory board member of mine. And so, it was – I deeply valued her opinion on all things, you know, business and all things, you know, motherhood, you know, as well. We have – we’re both Midwesterns. So we both came up in the Midwest and now we live both on the West Coast. You know me a little more. But we bonded over several different things. We were both Rotary Youth Exchange students when we were young. And so coming out of the Midwest and becoming Rotary Youth Exchange students, it’s like its own little tribe, right, Bernadette?

Bernadette Rivero: That was what caught me off guard, I think, at the first WBENC conference that we had met, we continued the conversation and we ended up, I think, getting drinks in the lounge later that night.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Yeah.

Bernadette Rivero: And it was one of those conversations –

Cora Spearman-Chang: And Suze Monroe was with us.

Bernadette Rivero: Susan Monroe was there.

Cora Spearman-Chang: But she wanted us to be quiet because she was watching the game.

Bernadette Rivero: It was. It was a very sports-oriented night. But the minute I found out that Cora had had a rotary experience as well, because I had come through the Rotary International scholarship program and we’d sort of had that experience of going to another country and having to be an ambassador from the Midwest, and I couldn’t stop talking to her. There was just a lot that we had in common. And the conversations continue –

Cora Spearman-Chang: And full circle, full circle. Right now, your daughter is in Japan, where I was where I went to high school for Rotary. She’s there right now.

Bernadette Rivero: She is. She got there early this morning. And all of my fears about having my child in an, you know, 11-hour flight away totally allayed because Cora has been there. She did that. She spent a year in Japan. We spent a lot of time at the first WBENC event talking about that, your experiences. I’ve loved Cora’s insistence that it is natural to do business internationally, globally. Because what I hear from a lot of clients is it’s very hard to find companies that know how to work on a global stage. And Cora makes it seem so easy because she had the experience living and working in Japan. Speaks fluent Japanese. Her business operates across, again, oceans as if there’s absolutely no border or separation there at all. And it reminds me as a business owner, it’s okay to be okay with that fluidness of doing business globally. She makes it seem very glamorous.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Oh, I’m just a mirror. And Bernadette does the same exact thing, except across the borders on South America, throughout Europe, you know, shooting campaigns, major campaigns that my daughter’s, like, still ooh and ah about. We have it as a screensaver of L.O.L., you know, commercials and dolls that you’ve done. It’s just – you’re hashtag goals this and I’m ever proud of you. I will ever be your biggest cheerleader. And I am so grateful to WBENC for having met you like that definitely brought us together. And shout out to our niece Lam, who was insistent on me becoming WBENC certified.

Bernadette Rivero: May she rest in peace. I have lovely memories of being with our niece and she’s just, was, and is part of that longer overall circle, I think, of bonding and friendship that I’ve been lucky to find through WBENC.

Lee Kantor: Now, can both of you share some advice? Maybe for either the person that’s new to an organization or is thinking about joining an organization. But how do you kind of lean into an organization like you have and not just get involved from a business standpoint and have business objectives from being part of it, but also elevating the relationships within them and finding those special people that you can kind of bond with beyond your business and beyond the organization? Any advice?

Cora Spearman-Chang: My advice is always to show up as your authentic self. You know, be – let your freak flag fly, so to speak. You know, because it’s like your vibe will literally attract your tribe. And, you know, people who are into talking about, you know, Star Trek will invite their Trekkie vibe. You know, it’s be yourself. Be authentically you. And those who are for you will be for you and will gravitate towards you. And your relationship will have the solid foundation that is needed for any relationship to thrive, you know, because you’re being your authentic self.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Be vulnerable, you know. Be open. Be honest. You know, have integrity. You know, it’s all the bases – all of the, I think, key base points of what you would utilize in forming a business you also use in formulating your relationships, especially ones that you want to last the test of time. And you can only do that if you show up as your true self.

Bernadette Rivero: On my end, the advice would be you’re not coming in to look for contracts, you’re coming in to build relationships. Because any time you join an organization, you have to start by letting people know who you are and asking questions to find out who they are. And finding out that there are other business owners that have things in common with your business helps make yours stronger.

Bernadette Rivero: Finding out that there’s other businesses that are completely distinct from yours and are completely on different journeys, you’re still going to learn aspects that apply to growing your company. But the best part of all is finding people, humans with stories that you can exchange stories with along the way because that’s what helps you refine your message, refine who you are, refine how you do business, and build again relationships and structures along the way that help you become a better business owner.

Lee Kantor: Now, Bernadette, one of the things Cora did early on was invite you to be on her board of advisors, I believe, or on the board or one of her boards. Is that something that were you like, “Sure, I’m in,” or was this something that you had to think about? Because it seemed in the storytelling it seemed pretty fast. It happened early on in the relationship.

Bernadette Rivero: It was a game changer for me because I’d never been invited quite like that to be on a board of advisors. And it wasn’t that it was fast. It was after we’d had conversations about marketing and advertising, which is what I can drone on about for hours unless you put a drink or a cookie in my hand. And so I think she knew that I knew what I was talking about. So it was easy to create a bridge and an invitation for me to have an excuse to know more about her company but more importantly about her.

Bernadette Rivero: And I said yes because it caught me off guard, honestly, and I’ve never had the wherewithal to try that on my end. I don’t have an advisory board. I should. I think about it all the time because Cora puts them together with such finesse, with such ease and professionalism. But what it did on a practical level was make me become invested in her company. And because I already liked her as a person, wanted to see her succeed, seeing her company succeed was an extension of that.

Bernadette Rivero: Where it really deepened was throughout the pandemic because production globally shut down for several months, and I really did not know if my company was going to survive, if my industry was going to survive. What I knew was going to survive were my relationships, and I had time to dedicate to making sure her company was as strong as it could be. And that made me learn more about her company.

Bernadette Rivero: It’s been an ongoing journey to learn the roots, who her customers are, who her clients are, where to position her branding, what advice I can give, and the advice that I can’t give because there are other smarter people on her advisory board who succeed in areas I don’t have expertise in. And it made sort of like a fabric of sorts. It knitted us together both personally and professionally in a way that I find really rewarding, and it gives me a thrill every time her company succeeds.

Bernadette Rivero: Every time she accomplishes something, it’s been a brilliant journey to be on with her because I’m a part of that advisory board. So, I have skin in the game, so to speak. I would care about her as a friend anyway. I would care about her as an individual as she’s succeeding. But having a small piece to play in that makes it all that much sweeter when she does incredible things. She’s flying out to New York today to go talk to a luxury, you know, chain like that’s – she’s rolling out some incredible levels right now.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Oh, but I don’t do any of it alone, you know, and it’s your network is your net worth, you know, and, goodness gracious, if you looked at my net worth right now, it’s because I have a powerful network of a person like you, such as yourself, Bernadette, and such as Dr. Pamela Williamson. And to have you all in my corner, it literally makes me feel, in a lot of ways, invincible or like Teflon. You know, I walk in with a probably like a false sense of self, but it’s like authentically who I am. I’m talking and like, oh, I’m breakable, you know, until I get broken. It’s like, oh goodness, I still have a lot to learn.

Cora Spearman-Chang: WBENC, I can’t say enough great things. You know, it’s not about joining just to talk to the Macy’s and to the Target’s. You do do that. And I do know that those relationships can take years. Again, it’s a relationship for people to get to know you, get to know your business and eventually, you to penetrate those doors.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Like, I met Diana Pawn online through a WBENC panel that we had. And Diana convinced me to sign up for Macy’s, the workshop at Macy’s. And I just completed that. And now one of the meetings that I have when I fly to New York today is with Macy’s. So all of that and again, that goes back to the WBENC. And the first thing they ask you or one of the last things that they ask you is, “Are you WBENC certified with Macy’s?” And it’s like, “Yeah, I am,” you know, so WBENC is the glue that kind of, like, ties us all together, you know, or binds us all together.

Lee Kantor: Now, Bernadette, is there anything that you’d like to talk about? Any project or launch that’s happening?

Bernadette Rivero: Let’s see. What do we have? We are constantly in a state of filming and bidding on jobs and shooting commercials and campaigns. We just shot a second unit on a very big feature film that will be out, that I can’t speak about, I think by the end of the year through a large studio, and that was a very exciting process. We just wrapped a rebrand for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a newspaper, and that was exciting because coming full circle as someone who used to work in journalism to come back to help relaunch the image, the visual image of one of the oldest newspapers in the United States was a really fun deep dive. And as someone who used to live in Atlanta, getting to capture and film Atlanta from all its different, you know, corners and aspects and the people really filled my soul, working with, you know, the ad agency and one of our directors there, because my company represents directors. We work with directors who each film in a very different way, are artists at the end of the day. That was exciting.

Bernadette Rivero: And I just always love and look forward to projects that allow us to take someone’s idea that exists only on paper and bring it to life. Like Cora said, you know, hearing that her daughters have seen our L.O.L. Dolls commercial that we shot in Bulgaria and filled their lives with color and energy and excitement excites me. So those are some of the projects –

Cora Spearman-Chang: And you shot it underwater. That was amazing.

Bernadette Rivero: Yes. We filmed underwater because the only thing more fun than filming is when you get to dunk the whole cast and crew underwater at the same time.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Completely submerged.

Bernadette Rivero: Completely submerged. Yes.

Lee Kantor: So, Cora, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Cora Spearman-Chang: Well, we are – well, goodness gracious, I always welcome help, welcome any assistance, any support. Definitely, follow me, follow our brand on social media, on Coradorables, on Instagram and Twitter or X or whatever it’s called now, and as well as all the other platforms. But also support – I just got notified that I won 2024 small business champion with the National Retail Federation. And so, they’ll be flying me to DC next month, where I’ll meet with a lot of policymakers.

Cora Spearman-Chang: But last night, I happened to have been on a phone call with other female business owners and community activists, and they’re trying to push a Momnibus, as they call it, in regards to prenatal care as well as OB-GYN care and care for black women who are dying giving birth and throughout the birthing process. So that’s going to be a big mission that we’re going to be pushing on maternal health issues and advocacy within America, within our healthcare system. So definitely going to need our sisters of all races, creeds, etc. to help us to bring awareness to that and to push that bill forward as it makes its way through the Senate and the House.

Cora Spearman-Chang: So, definitely, advocating for female rights, female reproductive rights, and just the right to, you know, be able to do business and do business well and getting the support that we need in regards to financing, etc., you know, just all the different things that are being attacked with the Fearless Fund and with Hello Alice and being able to advocate for women just in general, just all of us need to pull together as a network and a consortium of like minds and like spirits to move the needle forward so that we can all do, make the world literally, without sounding trite, a better place.

Lee Kantor: Pamela, this must just fill you with pride, this conversation with two folks who met through your organization and through your community. And I’m sure this is just one of many that have, kind of, grown like this, but this just must make you beam.

Pamela Williamson : It does. You can’t even – I cannot even express how proud I am of them both, for all of their accomplishments, but also just the fact of the support that they give each other. And so, we know as an organization the value of having this type of relationship. We know it helps to lift you up. And that’s what we’re all about, lifting women up.

Lee Kantor: And the ripple effects that go beyond just their businesses, to their families, to their communities, it just keeps growing. The impact is real.

Pamela Williamson : The impact is real and the value of having a tribe is real. And so, I think that these two, their story definitely shows that.

Bernadette Rivero: I feel very lifted, so mission accomplished because I want to lift others, primarily Cora. But when I find other businesses that are women-owned, women-driven, that are giving opportunities to underrepresented voices, which is why my company is here in the first place. Right? That’s what is driving me. It’s not even a challenge. It’s an opportunity to lift others up as we’re being lifted ourselves.

Cora Spearman-Chang: It’s literally the fabric or the textile in which you make your business, Bernadette. It’s the voices and the amplification that you give other directors, young directors, specifically females who are starting in the industry and being able to highlight them and give them opportunities that they normally would not have access to is just who you are as a person. And, you know, I’m, like I said, honored to know you, let alone to make myself, you know, insert myself and be related to you by ohana, by hook or by crook.

Cora Spearman-Chang: You know, I’m just – I love you as a person. I love what you do with your business. And just it’s a testament to who you are. You know, it’s a testament to your spirit. And it’s a testament also to, you know, with me now, knowing your mom and your dad and how you were raised. So it’s definitely a legacy. And you do your legacy proud.

Lee Kantor: Now, before we wrap up, Cora, website, last time for ways to connect with you.

Cora Spearman-Chang: Ways to connect with me is at Coradorables and then my website is www.coradorables.com.

Lee Kantor: And Bernadette.

Bernadette Rivero: Best way to reach me is to go through our website, cortezbrothers.com, C-O-R-T-E-Z, Brothers dot com. We love having conversations with anyone who’s looking to film something anywhere around the globe. It’s what we love to do is put those together and film and make magic and make content together.

Lee Kantor: Well, Dr. Pamela, what a show.

Pamela Williamson : It was amazing. And I just – you know, I hope whoever is listening today, they walk away with just knowing that, you know, authentic, building authentic relationships is definitely one key to success.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor for Dr. Pamela Williamson. We’ll see you next time on Women In Motion.