Jaclyn Johnson built her company, Create & Cultivate, from nothing - and later sold it for a $22 million exit!
But life changed completely when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025. The success she worked for left her burned out, depressed, and forced to start over.
What followed was a total reset. Divorce. Moving cities alone. Hiring a dating coach. Rebuilding her identity at 40…
Today, Jaclyn has successfully bought her original business back, has launched 2 more and continues her work as a longtime angel investor, having backed and championed female founders throughout her career. She reveals how she spots winning startups, why staying bootstrapped was her biggest business mistake, and how money changed the way people treated her.
This episode is about reinventing yourself and learning how to make money work for you.
Jaclyn Discusses:
Your Body Keeps the Receipts: How her breast cancer diagnosis made her realize health is her real wealth and what she wishes she’d understood earlier.
Reinventing Yourself: How she rebuilt her identity at 40 and how you can do the same when the life you’ve built no longer fits.
Angel Investing Wins: How she approaches angel investing, what she looks for in founders, and why one small check can change everything.
The Bootstrapping Mistake: Why staying lean for too long hurt her business and how raising capital could have changed everything.
Too In Your Masculine: How running a company rewired her approach to relationships and what she had to unlearn with a dating coach to feel secure again.
♡ 01. signature home scent ♡
I’m a candle girl through and through, and nothing touches Cayla Gray. The silver cup is so chic, completely unbranded, and just melts into your home aesthetic. It’s the one candle I buy over and over.
♡ 02. all-over glow ♡
This is the body oil. Full stop. Light, beautiful scent, sinks into your skin like a dream, and actually keeps you moisturized. I’ve tried everything — this is the winner.
♡ 03. instant polish ♡
My no-makeup, need-to-look-put-together hack especially for zoom calls.
♡ 04. elevated cooking moment ♡
I love to cook, and when a friend introduced me to this butter… game over. It turns every meal into a “why is this so good?” moment.
♡ 05. forever outerwear ♡
New York is freezing, and I wanted a forever camel coat. This one is polished, structured, and truly elevates anything you throw on under it and I love Anine!
♡ 06. everyday sparkle ♡
I’m obsessed with Dorsey - Alli Webb introduced me to it! Chic, lab-grown, timeless. I wear this necklace constantly and get stopped about it every time.
♡ 07. fully charged ♡
Zero explanation needed. This is my lifeline the second I step outside — especially with how much I’m on my phone.
♡ 08. clean beauty staple ♡
After my cancer diagnosis, I made the switch to clean beauty. This lipstick is my everyday go-to — the color, the texture, everything just works. (And yes, their freckle pen is iconic.)
♡ 09. phone but make it chic ♡
We are always on our phones and this wristlet is the chicest way to keep it nearby and also look amazing.
♡ 10. travel skin hero ♡
I travel constantly, and this little stone is my secret weapon for glowy, moisturized skin anywhere. Compact, clean, TSA-friendly — perfection.
♡ Hot, Smart, Rich Tips ♡
♡ Hot Hack ♡
Hot yoga has genuinely been transformative for me. I’m obsessed with Y7 and Sarah, their founder, is such a force. It’s part workout, part emotional reset, and I walk out feeling like a clearer, stronger version of myself every single time.
♡ Smart Hack ♡
Use Intro. Truly. Full disclosure: I’m on the app and an investor because I believe in it that much. You can tap thousands of experts you already know, admire, and follow, and actually pick their brain for 15, 30, even 60 minutes. I wish this existed when I was building my first company; it’s the shortcut I didn’t have but desperately needed.
♡ Rich Tip ♡
Diversify, Diversify, Diversify. My personal pillars: real estate, angel investing, and stocks. You can’t build long-term wealth by placing one big bet — spreading your investments is how you grow while protecting yourself on the downside.
♡ Favorite Part of the Conversation ♡
I really loved the parts of our conversation that focused on women and investing, and I would like to continue emphasizing that. We also touched on more personal and transformative topics, and Maggie had valuable contributions in those areas as well. Those moments were some of my favorite parts of the conversation.
♡ About The Guest ♡
Jaclyn Johnson - Founder & CEO of Create Cultivate and Cherub
Jaclyn Johnson is a serial entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, and community builder best known as the founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate, the influential media platform and nationwide conference series that champions women entrepreneurs by providing education, community, and opportunity. After launching her first company at 23 and selling it for a seven‑figure exit, she created Create & Cultivate to fill a gap in conversations around female leadership and career growth, scaling it into an eight‑figure business with events, digital media, and major brand partnerships that reach millions of women annually. A Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree and Ad Week Disruptor, Jaclyn also invests in and mentors early‑stage female founders through her venture platform Cherub and New Money Ventures, hosts the WorkParty podcast based on her career manifesto, and continues to shape the future of women‑led business through speaking, coaching, and community building.