Second Act Success Career Podcast: Career Transitions, Entrepreneurship, and Business Startup Advice for Women
Welcome to the Second Act Success Career Podcast, a top 2% globally ranked show designed for ambitious women ready to transition from employee to entrepreneur. This is your go-to resource for career inspiration, actionable advice, and proven strategies to help you navigate a career change, build your own business, and create a life you love.
✨ What You’ll Learn:
- How to craft your perfect exit strategy from your 9-to-5 and confidently transition into entrepreneurship.
- Marketing, business planning, and personal development tips to launch and grow a purpose-driven business.
- Real-life success stories of women who’ve turned their side hustle into thriving businesses.
- Insights on balancing career pivots, personal fulfillment, and family life as you build a flexible, abundant future.
Hosted by Shannon Russell, career transition and business coach, this podcast is your partner in navigating a second act in life. As an exit strategy expert, Shannon empowers women to leave unfulfilling jobs and create joyful, impactful businesses that align with their passions and experience. She is a former Television Producer turned franchise business owner, who is using her experience to help others make a change for the better in their lives.
🎧 Each week, tune in for:
- Practical advice on building your business with clarity and confidence.
- Expert interviews and motivational stories of career change success.
- Tips on marketing, productivity, and turning your business vision into reality.
🤔 Is this podcast for you?
- Are you dreaming of quitting your corporate job to start your own business?
- Do you want advice on marketing, personal branding, and entrepreneurial strategies?
- Are you ready to overcome fear and take the leap into your second act?
- Do you crave a flexible lifestyle that allows you to focus on your passions and family?
- Ready to become your own boss?
- Is it time to turn your side hustle into a full-time business?
If so, you’re in the right place!
🌟 Whether you're pivoting careers, starting a side hustle, or planning to leave your corporate job, the Second Act Success Career Podcast is here to help you thrive in your journey from employee to entrepreneur. Get inspired, take action, and produce your best life with Shannon by your side.
📅 New episodes every week. Subscribe now and start your journey to second act success today!
🔗 For more inspiration and resources, visit https://secondactsuccess.co/podcast.
Subscribe now and embark on a transformative journey towards career fulfillment and success!
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Second Act Success Career Podcast: Career Transitions, Entrepreneurship, and Business Startup Advice for Women
Launching a Network and Clothing Line: Cookie Zito’s Inspiring Second Act | Ep 180
Are you ready to turn your career into your own business and ask yourself, “Why not me?” In this episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast Episode #180, host Shannon Russell sits down with media powerhouse and entrepreneur Cookie Zito. Cookie shares her inspiring journey from MTV and Yahoo to launching the Christy Maz Network, a digital hub for women that combines fashion, media, and community.
Discover how Cookie transitioned from behind-the-scenes television producer to building her own brand, network, and clothing line—all while empowering women to follow their passions. From overcoming fears to navigating venture capital and creating a thriving sisterhood, Cookie’s story is a testament to resilience and vision.
Tune in to hear her advice on finding funding, balancing creativity with business strategy, and turning your career expertise into something that lights you up. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation packed with actionable insights for women ready to make their big leap into their second act!
Takeaways:
- Fear Is Part of the Journey—Do It Anyway.
- Leverage Your Career Experience.
- Bootstrap When You Can, Seek Funding When You Need It.
- Build a Business That Aligns With Your Values.
- Ask Yourself "Why Not Me?"
SHOW NOTES:
https://secondactsuccess.co/180
Connect with Cookie Zito:
https://christymaznetwork.com/
https://www.instagram.com/christymaznetwork/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookie-zito-2990176/
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Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - Launching a Network and Clothing Line: Cookie Zito’s Inspiring Second Act | Ep 180
Episode - #180
Host: Shannon Russell
Guest: Cookie Zito
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)
[00:00:00] Cookie Zito: I had just done so many of the same strategies at the same companies where I kind of was like, well, why not me? Like, why not me?
Like.
[00:00:08] Shannon Russell: Yeah. up.
[00:00:16] Cookie Zito: it was just that I questioned myself, why not me? Yeah.
just,
[00:00:22] Shannon Russell: Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the Second Act Success Career Podcast. I am your host, Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.
This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started.
Okay. All right.
[00:00:55] Shannon Russell: Welcome back to the show. This is Shannon Russell, your host of the Second [00:01:00] Act Success Career Podcast.
Have you ever looked at someone else who's pursuing their dreams? Finding success and thought to yourself, why not me?
Well, I know I have, and my guest today has two.
Her name is Cookie Zito and she is the founder of the Christy Maz network.
Cookie has worked for over 15 years in TV and digital media.
She has worked with brands like discovery plus rotten tomatoes, AOL, MTV, and others
as a woman in her forties. Cookie noticed a gap. There weren't enough shows or stylish age appropriate clothing that spoke to women like her. So she figured why not me? And she created the Christy Maz network, a premiere destination designed for, and by women over 40. Christy Maz network bridges, the worlds of lifestyle, content, and fashion with shoppable videos, giving women, the stories and the styles to suit their lives.
I asked Cookie to join me, to talk about what it's like to be a [00:02:00] female founder and create not just a brand,
but a whole experience for women.
Now She is creating a network online. To help women feel seen and never look at aging the same again. Let's get to it. This is my friend Cookie Zito.
Mhm.
[00:02:15] Shannon Russell: Cookie Zito, welcome to Second Act Success. This is such a treat. I'm so excited.
[00:02:21] Cookie Zito: Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to, and I
that you're doing. So, so you asked me to be on this podcast. It's so exciting. Thank you. Yeah,
[00:02:32] Shannon Russell: 23 or 24 years now at this point. So, so long.
[00:02:36] Cookie Zito: Sure I was your intern.
[00:02:38] Shannon Russell: It was so long ago, but we basically began our careers together and then we've taken pivots and now we're in different aspects of our careers. I know your story. I know everything about you, but I want you to talk to us, take us back to the beginning and tell me where your career began and what you wanted to do.
[00:02:56] Cookie Zito: I mean, I guess I have to say that my career began at [00:03:00] MTV. I was from Birmingham, Alabama, and I did an internship at MTV from school. I went to Auburn, from there I just fell in love. And I just knew going out there that I wanted to be a director. I had no idea what a director was, just like what I thought, I saw in the movies, I guess. And I went into the control room for the first time ever, and one of the, directors was in there, Joe DiMeo, was my first director that was in the hot seat. And I was like, what in the hell is this? No, it this is insane. I don't want to be a director. I love it.
It's amazing. But I just really knew that maybe I wanted to do more like producing and more like not live. Well, that didn't happen. The fear is the first lesson in fear and do it anyway. I think it just was like really overwhelmed, but the more I got in the control room, the more I loved the high energy of live television.
I got hired after my internship and I started doing like live [00:04:00] More of the live television stuff.
[00:04:01] Cookie Zito: Like I did like wilding out the lives Multicam we did like a live hit from cancun I did what else did we do shannon? What else? I mean, i'm it's so hard. I
[00:04:12] Shannon Russell: Okay. Oh,
[00:04:33] Cookie Zito: And so I really started getting into live television and that's where me and you kind of did parallel live
[00:04:39] Shannon Russell: yeah. [00:05:00]
[00:05:07] Cookie Zito: producer types that kept growing up getting older.
like Viacom world and then went there. And then my mom was sick and I. She had unfortunately passed and, I moved to LA and you were there. And you were in New York and you were in LA and you brought me to Yahoo. So that's really exciting. So, um, Yahoo
[00:05:53] Shannon Russell: that your first job in L. A.? Was that your first job in L. A.? Wow.
[00:05:57] Cookie Zito: You got me the first job in LA.
One of the [00:06:00] producers came in and was like, you have a music background. Maybe you could do the live music shows. And I was like, Cause I had loved anything that had a thread with music. And that's when I
[00:06:11] Shannon Russell: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:06:26] Cookie Zito: live television or like long form television shows because they were digital and trying to do long form and I knew both.
[00:07:00] we only have one spot for one thing.
[00:07:26] Cookie Zito: I couldn't find cute stuff that was affordable.
Like, you know, it was, I always make staple pieces, but they'd be like designer. And then you just, you know, if you're a working professional, you don't always want to like spend money on, and I was married at the time and my husband was like, you got to stop shopping.
[00:07:42] Shannon Russell: Yeah.
[00:07:43] Cookie Zito: was like, I was like, no, I don't know. And. I really wanted to find clothing, but then everything I would see, and I was 30 at the time, was like old and matronly if it wasn't trendy. You know, I love being trendy. I love being fashionable, but I also wanted some good staple [00:08:00] pieces that weren't like, you know, Christian Louboutin or Dior, which
those brands, but I just can't afford them all the time. And so I kind of really started like into that. And then when I was at the production company, I got to work at Voodoo, which was Walmart. And so we worked as like, we worked as like a counterpart to them. So I was like the creative executive for their unscripted. And I started seeing how products can drive the company because Walmart is products, but they wanted to
So there was like sales involved. So I kind of had already been on the product side and I just really loved fashion. So during COVID at that production company, one of the bosses I was talking to him and he had started , the company. And I was kind of like, [00:09:00] how did you do this? So I was curious, you know, it was really curious and I had a great two amazing female bosses
[00:09:07] Shannon Russell: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:09:28] Cookie Zito: I thought was going to be like a little like stylist boutique or something.
And it just morphed and then I was like, why not? And it felt like a really big thing to take on. But I'm here, and I'm doing it, and I'm super pumped. I combined fashion and media, , television shows, and you can watch, like a like to know it type of vibe. ,
[00:09:47] Shannon Russell: Um, Okay. [00:10:00] You And
[00:10:11] Cookie Zito: and Ritherspoon's crushing it. There's some women out there doing it, but a lot of it's not. I mean, a lot of it's scripted and I really wanted to have first unscripted. So I've given it a shot and I'm into my, this is my second year, but my first year of launching. So it took me a year just to get everything going. And this is my first year and I'm, I'm doing it.
[00:10:32] Shannon Russell: You're doing it and you are killing it. So it's Christy Mazz Network. Just to explain what Christy Mazz is, tell me how you came up with the name and really what. What listeners can find when they go to your website. Okay. [00:11:00] Okay.
[00:11:06] Cookie Zito: but they made it into somebody different or whatever. I like the idea. Of being able to talk to women at whatever life stage they're at as a person, especially with personal brands on social media and stuff. What you want at 40 and 50, especially clothing wise is not the same. your wants and needs are different, but your core values are the same. You still want something classy. You still want something affordable, especially if you have kids. A lot of women are feeling like, They do everything for the family and I'm sure they're tired. Right. And I wanted to give them a place where they could go and feel like, Oh, relief. I could buy something cute.
It's not too cheapy, but
too expensive. Like in that price point, it's amazing. I personally shopped for the clothes. Find them. I have a
[00:11:51] Shannon Russell: Okay. [00:12:00] Okay.
[00:12:13] Cookie Zito: at
[00:12:13] Shannon Russell: Um, Um,
[00:12:14] Cookie Zito: I always lean towards that. I've been raised in my career with really amazing, powerful women and men. And I come from a family of all women. I have two sisters and my mom. Which combines the name. My oldest sister is Christy and my mother was Marianne. So I took her initials MAZ and mashed them together and she passed away at 63 in 2009. so it's kind of like a little nod to her because she would love this idea,
[00:12:44] Shannon Russell: So special. Silence.
[00:12:51] Cookie Zito: Christy
every woman.
[00:12:53] Shannon Russell: Yeah, and Cookie, you and I went out and at 22 and 23 and I know what we were wearing [00:13:00] and that's not what we want to wear now in our 40s. And
[00:13:03] Cookie Zito: wear it, Shannon.
[00:13:05] Shannon Russell: exactly. Exactly. So I love that. You're thinking about the woman in all aspects, but she wants to watch her beauty, her fashion and combining it in this really awesome network that right now is solely digital, right?
streaming down the road. Right.
[00:13:42] Cookie Zito: I don't even know if a lot of people know what the blockchain is, but it's really, it's a kind of a cool technology. I mean, it's really cool technology. Where you're peer to peer and you can see the transactions. You can see there's like a ledger. There's a bunch of stuff that's like really cool. And I think like web three is [00:14:00] the future. I think blockchain is the future. , obviously cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, like things like that. So I want to be able to move in that kind of direction, especially with AI. Everything is AI, AI, AI. A lot of the, the website build. Are already having those things on their back end.
So I would rather do that. I have been streaming and linear my entire career. There's nothing against it. I guess to an extent, the television shows would be technically streaming, but they would be on the website. I want
heard a really great quote once that said the future is going to happen to you or with you. And it really, really, really resonated with me and it really wanted me to empower women to learn [00:15:00] and not be fearful. Yes, there are some things we need to be fearful of. We hear all these things in the news, but I really felt like with Christy Mad, I want to be of service.
[00:15:09] Cookie Zito: And so I'm trying to use like service journalism is like my main focus you're learning things. We're not taking a side or anything like that. We're just teaching.
[00:15:17] Shannon Russell: Yeah.
[00:15:18] Cookie Zito: you're kind of doing service journalism too.
Educating and you can do what you want with it.
You know, it's like, let's see what happens, but knowledge is power. And I really want women to see another side of things. The side that I'm learning and seeing, because not everything is horrible. So I
to be able to kind of shift that too, with the network.
[00:15:37] Shannon Russell: That is really brilliant. And I haven't heard a lot of people take that approach of not being fearful. When I'm talking with girlfriends or colleagues, we're all saying, Oh, we're really scared about what's happening and we want to go back to the way it was. I love that you're embracing it and wanting to learn yourself and then teach because that's how women can be empowered to create their own brands or businesses, or Take that [00:16:00] move, and being that lifelong learner.
[00:16:03] Cookie Zito: I think so. And like, even going back to the story about, The control room, it freaked me out. But then after I sat with it for a little while, I was like, Oh, let me go back in there and just see. And it ended up being like one of the best times of my life and my career. I think that change is definitely hard and you hear all these things.
I love the media, cause we're in it, but I also understand that there's a lot of. There's a lot of stuff that we're just being told. And you know, what's the other side of it? There's some really good things happening. You're hearing about all the bad actors in certain spaces, but there are people that are doing good.
[00:16:37] Cookie Zito: So let's focus on that too.
[00:16:39] Shannon Russell: Exactly. Well, let's talk about you making this leap. Like you leapt from a secure, I mean, yes, entertainment is not secure. We're constantly looking for our next roles and hopping from company to company. I've talked about that a lot here on the podcast, but you still were Pretty high up. You were working all the time.
What made [00:17:00] you decide that, you know, now was the time to leave that career, that aspect of your career set out on your own to create not only a business, but a network and a clothing line, like three really big things all at once and take that risk.
[00:17:14] Cookie Zito: I think there were so many moments. It's not like I just woke up and was like, I'm going to do this. During Covid, I was like, okay, I'm gonna go for try. Just like, let's see if I can just start this shop thing.
Let's see what happens. You know, I would like experiment here and there and do things, but I think what really happened is. One of the like last defining moments is I was working and I love to work. I'm going to be honest. Like I'm, I kind of love it. I think it's fun. , especially in creative, like being creative and having like show ideas and connecting people.
I think that's fun. I had just done so many of the same strategies at the same companies where I kind of was like, well, why not me? Like, why not me?
[00:17:59] Shannon Russell: Yeah. [00:18:00] up.
[00:18:06] Cookie Zito: what happens and then get to hire my people and get to do, always been very blessed to be able to work with people I love and like be able to hire who I want to hire and like do those types of things.
So don't get me wrong, but I think it was just that I questioned myself, why not me?
[00:18:23] Shannon Russell: Yeah.
[00:18:24] Cookie Zito: just, I'd always wanted to do it, but I was too scared, and I couldn't do it, didn't have the money, and all those types of things. And then I just was like, well to feel that way doing it over here too. So I think you're doing it for yourself.
And so I tried, but I've been learning a lot since
[00:18:43] Shannon Russell: Yeah, because you know, digital, you know, clothing, putting it all together and finding funding. Let's talk about that because it's easy to say, Oh, let's follow that dream. And then the admin aspect and the money aspect and all of the other pieces aside from the creative come [00:19:00] into play.
And that's the hard part, which I think can make a lot of people back up and not follow their dream. So you had a very big dream. And you need funding for it. So talk to me about the aspects that you're going through to find funding and get investors and all of that.
[00:19:19] Cookie Zito: Well, so I bootstrapped, I've done a lot of stuff out of pocket, but I do have an angel investor who invested in me a small amount. It's a big amount, but like a small amount compared to the big raise that I'm raising. But I had also come from the show world where I was pitching shows And part of that whole process that a lot of people don't know about is the selling part.
You have to sell the show to the network or you're at a network. And someone pitches a show and the network buys it. So I'd already kind of through my career Oh, I, I understand this, this part of it. , and working with brands and doing things like that. Like I always kind of knew that part, but raising [00:20:00] capital is key. different. It's nothing. It's not the same. It's totally different It's its own career sector in itself? And it's been really interesting to learn and I feel like I'm in this new finance and technology world
[00:20:15] Shannon Russell: Oh, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, very much.
[00:20:31] Cookie Zito: all women, but part of my mission now is to educate more women, especially. Older women, you've gone through your career, you've made money, you've had kids, you're whatever your life stage is, maybe you're getting divorced or the kids move out or whatever the stage is. this new perspective on finance and what are you doing in retirement?
What are you doing when you're, in between moments? Or I'm too old to do this, or I'm too old to do that. And I'm starting to see [00:21:00] that that's not true. That is what we've been taught a lot of times. And so for myself, I have been really trying to unpack that part.
And I've been really learning a lot from doing all of the venture capitalists or pitching to sponsors or looking for sponsorship opportunities and things like that. But it's been really eyeopening and educational for me to learn a new way about finances.
[00:21:24] Shannon Russell: You're a true female founder, right? Because I can say, Oh, I'm a female founder. I founded my business, but I didn't go out. And raise venture capital. Like that's a whole other aspect, that's what a true female founder does. had other women on the podcast that are talking about raising crazy amounts of money to come and make their dream come true.
And that's what you're doing. It's so impressive.
Yeah.
[00:21:50] Cookie Zito: Thank you. It's been very interesting journey. And you're right, like when you say it, I'm like, yeah, I'm doing that.
[00:21:56] Shannon Russell: Mm hmm.
[00:21:57] Cookie Zito: I'm having fun and I'm in a, I'm in a really great, [00:22:00] amazing group is what it's called, it's called Venture Crush , it's the Lowenstein Law Firm. There's a venture capitalist person there that you can ask. There's lawyers there that you can ask questions and then
basically, they mentor you. And then I've met So many amazing women. It actually inspired me to start a new, , show. It's not a show yet, but it's going to be a show soon, hopefully.
But right now it's an article called pitch, please, because I kept seeing all these women that have these great ideas that are like me bootstrapping or they've raised of dollars, but they're not at their full seed round yet. there was no distribution. So that made me really hunker down and be like, okay, I want Christy Mazz to be a distribution opportunity to help people who might. they made it past shark tank. Some people made it past the shark tank part, but then they
more promotion, you know? And it's like, where are you going to promote your brand? I want to make Christy Mazz a hub for women to promote [00:23:00] their brands too.
[00:23:01] Shannon Russell: And that helps you grow, right? To partner with someone who already has this great aspect. And then together you're promoting on both of your platforms. So why not? It's a win, win.
[00:23:11] Cookie Zito: not? Yeah. And it's fun. Here, people's product ideas. It's cool. And like, you won't know about things unless there was a place to go to learn about it.
Well, I love that you are pulling every aspect of your career together and your life, including your mom and your sisters and your family. It's all come together in this really incredible second act, network, this, this project. Do you feel like there's one thing that has kind of thread throughout your life to lead you to this moment?
[00:23:45] Cookie Zito: I think women empowering women and building a community and a sisterhood. I was raised by a single mother and I had two sisters and I've just always really [00:24:00] bonded with. Females. When you have like your best girlfriend or I've had friends that I haven't talked to in years.
And then I can call, out of the blue and it feels like we just picked back up. I like, love that so much. And I just feel like that is at the core, like the service that I want to do through Christie. Man, I was like, I want to build a community. I want to build like a place where women to feel. and heard and have fun and when you're stressed out a place to go to find answers or whatever you're looking for I think that the the main thread has been Women's sisterhood and empowering women with knowledge.
Whatever I'm learning, I teach them or whatever. I don't know. They're teaching me even just meeting those other women at the, in the pod group and then telling me about their product. I had no idea. It's fun to learn from that and then share it. I mean, I definitely don't know everything. , I'm not trying to be like a, an expert. I, I built this hub to have people like you, like experts come on and tell other people, [00:25:00] but there's just like a social community, you know, that's kind of like my vibe,
[00:25:05] Shannon Russell: It is your vibe and that's you to a tee. You've always been this friendly outspoken
woman who is friends with everyone and there's not competition and everyone feels like they're your friend and that's all showing in what you're creating to bring women together. And I love that, especially at our age.
it's really just so, so inspiring.
[00:25:28] Cookie Zito: it's also been a little bit challenging for me because everything right now is so singular brand, you know, like everything is the personal brand on Instagram or like the influencer, which is amazing. But I keep feeling it in my gut.
I keep praying about it and I keep focusing on it and I just feel like, yeah, I'm going to keep moving forward. Like it doesn't have to be the female spike TV, but spike was cool. Like it was like, you knew what you were getting when you went there, you know? But I want to make sure that this is like more than a personal brand. It's like, it's a community, like a [00:26:00] place where people to go.
[00:26:01] Shannon Russell: And you're the face of it. You're the face of it. So you can pop up on the social, there's, so much that you can do.
[00:26:09] Cookie Zito: did a local pop up shop in LA and it was so fun. And people got to see the clothes, watch some content. That's been amazing. But I have to admit it's really challenging for me to be the, like in front of the camera, the face show up on social. I've had a lot of people say, people want to know what you, who you are, who is behind Christina.
So I totally get that. But that's been work for me to do because I've always been behind the camera and love people who want to be in front of the camera and want to showcase all that stuff. So it's been very, and even this podcast, I was like, where do I look when I was talking to you?
And you're like, you've produced like a hundred of these, but not me. That's been very interesting. What about you? Like, do you, can I ask you this? You turning from behind the camera to on camera and you're so natural at it. Like, what is, what are some tips? Like, what, what's your secret?
[00:26:59] Shannon Russell: I feel the [00:27:00] same way as you actually, it's not easy. And I think I started the podcast as an audio only podcast. So that was easier, and I got my confidence that way and was still interviewing people like I always had. But then when I started doing more video and social media, it was just, all right, well, this is who I am.
And if you like me, then you can follow along, you know, and just kind of trying not to think about. All the insecurities and imposter syndrome, but yeah, it's not easy. And now when I speak on stages and stuff, that's still like gets me so nervous, but it's part of building that brand as well. So I think it's just something that maybe 15, 20 years ago, people who owned businesses didn't have to do, but now we really do because you want to connect with your ideal customer or client.
So.
, it's a work in progress. I think for both of us.
[00:27:53] Cookie Zito: great. You're doing great. Yeah. No, it's super, it's definitely interesting, but I would rather do it if people feel [00:28:00] more comfortable and they want to know about certain things. Like I'm, I would, I want to share that.
[00:28:04] Shannon Russell: You're so personable and so kind and just so much fun to be around that that'll show the more you're on camera too. And the more people will just.
Love Christie Mazz, like I do, so
[00:28:16] Cookie Zito: you. Thank you.
All right, it's time for our five fast Qs of the week. Here we go.
[00:28:25] Shannon Russell: Name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you.
[00:28:29] Cookie Zito: Self love. How to love myself. How to be okay with where I'm at.
[00:28:34] Shannon Russell: you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend?
[00:28:39] Cookie Zito: Depends. I'm going to say yes, if you are Thinking about it if you're thinking about it and it's in your head and you you keep wanting to do it then yes I would say yes do it. But if you're okay with where you're at You know, like just because I'm doing it or I want people to [00:29:00] grow doesn't mean everybody has to do it. entrepreneurship itself. It's not for everybody, but I do think that women will get more excited when they follow their passion. And that doesn't mean you have to make your passion your career necessarily. But I do think long story short, yes. If you've been thinking about it.
[00:29:21] Shannon Russell: Great answer. Great answer. what is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is about to start their second act? For
[00:29:28] Cookie Zito: get lots of sleep. like, It's hard to burn the candle on both ends and then have creative ideas and do meetings. And I think that sleep is one of my favorite things and one of my best friends.
So I would say, get your sleep
[00:29:44] Shannon Russell: What does the next act look like for you? We talked about it a little bit, but if you were visioning the future one year, five years from now, what is your next act?
[00:29:56] Cookie Zito: one year. I want to definitely have multiple television [00:30:00] shows, multiple pieces of clothing. On Christie MA network and I wanna do a popup shop, five years, same thing. I would, I would love to have this like expand out to be what women want and like, have solutions for people have , , VJs for lack of a better like maybe all the influencers in one place that's not like Instagram, but just like a place where you could go and promote things.
And, uh, a very fun. Fun spot for women to feel seen and heard and get advice and shop for looks that they love.
[00:30:30] Shannon Russell: It's going to happen. It's already happening. So it's exciting to think.
[00:30:35] Cookie Zito: I'm excited.
[00:30:36] Shannon Russell: So where can our audience connect with you?
[00:30:39] Cookie Zito: right now, since I'm bootstrapping, I'm on the web, it's christymaznetwork. com. It's C H R I S T Y M A Z network. com. And then I'm on Instagram, which is @thechristymaznetwork. then I have a LinkedIn too, that's just my own personal Cookie Zito on LinkedIn, but you can follow me there and hit me up or whatever you [00:31:00] want.
[00:31:00] Shannon Russell: Perfect. Yes. I'm going to link to everything in the show notes as well. And this was so inspiring. I know you're such a busy lady. I thank you for joining us here and sharing your story. Creating a network is not something that we've talked about yet here on the show.
So I'm so happy to have one of my dearest friends here to talk about it. So thank you.
[00:31:20] Cookie Zito: Thank you for having me and believing in me and just all of this, like, it's been great. I love what you're doing. Thank you for all your guidance and coaching and through my whole career. And now it makes sense that you've made this your career. So it's amazing. I would recommend you to anybody.
[00:31:36] Shannon Russell: You're so sweet. Thank you, my friend. Wishing you all the best, and I'm so excited to be watching and walking it through with you.
[00:31:44] Cookie Zito: Thank you.
[00:31:45] Speaker: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to Second Act Success. To view show notes from this episode, visit https://secondactsuccess.co. Before you [00:32:00] go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.
Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell and this is Second Act Success.