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Friends Like Us


A Podcast featuring women of color with different views on hot topics. 

May 20, 2020

P.J. McGuire - as a child, P.J. McGuire dreamed of creating new products and selling them on television, much like the home shopping shows she watched while spending time with her grandmother. In 2016, she made that dream come true when she appeared on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) as a finalist for the HSN/Good Housekeeping “American Dreams” contest. She introduced her invention, the Wrapperoo®, a unique all-in-one T-Shirt Hair Towel & Protective Styling Cape, selling out the product on the first show. HSN customers loved the Wrapperoo so much that PJ was invited back to appear on the network a second time.

Before she came to realize her entrepreneurial dream, P.J., a native of Lima, Ohio who holds a degree in biological sciences from Ohio University, worked in the corporate sector in sales and management roles. In 2006, she founded her first independent business venture, Modet Inc., a professional development, business etiquette, and international protocol consulting firm. P.J. also developed the P-to-P Success Skills training program, which she taught to employees at Procter & Gamble, The Boston Consulting Group, Kraft Foods, Marriott, and Miller Coors, along with students from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, as well as numerous small businesses and individuals.

Fueled by her annoyance with the mess of her hair and beauty routine – and the final straw being the morning she ruined her favorite silk blouse with hair product – P.J. created the Wrapperoo in 2015 by cutting a towel and gluing on some Velcro. After tinkering with her idea for a single product that would be useful for multiple hair, skincare, makeup, and other grooming tasks, she secured a patent on her invention in 2017.

Today, the Wrapperoo is a favorite among a diverse customer base that includes natural hair and curly hair advocates, hair and beauty digital influencers, professional makeup artists, hair stylists, barbers, and DIYers. P.J. and her products have been featured on Good Housekeeping, ABC’s Good Morning America, MSN.com, Entrepreneur, Forbes.com, and WGN News, among others. 

After initially sourcing materials in China and beginning the process of moving her manufacturing operation there, changes to international trade agreements negatively impacted P.J.’s ability to create product, forcing her to rethink her entire supply chain in 2018. While turning to alternative materials sourcing and resuming production in Chicago with a small home-based sewing team, the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, slamming micro businesses like Wrapperoo especially hard. Pivoting once again, in March 2020 P.J. started home-sewing and donating protective face masks, using leftover Wrapperoo fabric and N99 filters she had on hand. She was spurred to action after hearing the anguished stories of her healthcare professional friends treating COVID-10 patients in Chicago-area hospitals. To meet soaring demand for both donated and for-sale masks, P.J. launched a “buy one, give one” sale that has generated donations of more than 1,000 high-quality, multifunctional, reusable masks to medical workers in the Chicago region.

Danielle “Diva” Williams -media personality, stage 4 lung cancer warrior as a non-smoker and a motivational speaker.

Danielle's "Divafied" stage presence captivates the audience. In 2013 Danielle stepped on stage at an open mic in Arizona and she never looked back. Audiences have embraced Danielle through her unique take on wearing wigs, being a Diva and her search for a  good man, the struggle is REAL!  Danielle brings an upbeat best girlfriend bubbly kind of fun to her stage performances. Audiences have taken notice of Danielle with performances in Arizona, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Ohio, Florida and California. Danielle has performed at some of the top comedy clubs including Funny Bone, Tempe Improv, Stand up Live, The Comedy Spot, Crack Ups Comedy Club, ACES comedy club, Stir Crazy and Rick Bronson's House of Comedy.  Danielle's stage presence, comic timing and enthusiastic energy has made her a popular comic among audiences.

Hear how Diva is beating cancer with a positive outlook, hiking, laughter, and dressing flawlessly for chemotherapy because she's single and there are hot, available doctors at the hospital. Check Diva Williams out online, she's making funny videos to inspire others battling cancer! Diva Danielle Williams:  https://www.youtube.com/user/DEntertainmentDIVA

Jenny Saldana is a writer, actress, and stand-up comedian and a Breast Cancer Rock STAR and all around hotness. She wrote, produced and starred in Happy Cancer Chick, a web series inspired by her own battle with breast cancer. She recently appeared in HBO’s High Maintenance.  Her video series, The Little Brown Girl Show can be found on Youtube and Facebook Live. 

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf