What if the spaces we live and work in could actually make us better? On this episode of Femme Force, we sit down with Balsam Madi, architect, urbanist, and founder of an international design practice spanning Dubai and Berlin.

Balsam shares her journey from architecture student to global entrepreneur, and how she designs beyond aesthetics; blending architecture, biophilic design, and intuition to create spaces that support wellbeing, creativity, and productivity. We talk about navigating a male-dominated industry, mentoring the next generation of women in design, and where architecture is headed as technology and sustainability reshape our cities. This conversation is a reminder that great design isn't just about buildings, it's about the lives lived inside them.

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What happens when the systems meant to protect you fail you instead? On this episode of Femme Force, we sit down with Elizabeth Mikotowicz, author of No Justice, Just Us, advocate, artist, and entrepreneur, whose story moves through domestic violence, addiction, incarceration, and now legislative advocacy. Elizabeth speaks candidly about surviving abuse, being failed and discredited by institutions meant to help her, and what she witnessed inside the federal prison system. We talk about the link between trauma and addiction, why survivors are so often disbelieved, and how she turned her story into a memoir and a mission for reform. This is a conversation about resilience, accountability, and what it means to reclaim your life after the unimaginable. This episode discusses domestic violence, trauma, addiction, and incarceration. Listener discretion is advised.

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In this episode of Femme Force, Rachael Paskvan sits down with Brianne Valentino, artist, muralist, photographer, and creative entrepreneur, to explore creativity, career pivots, healing through art, and building a life around passion and self-expression. Brianne shares how a career that began behind the camera, shooting weddings, automotive work, and travel photography, gave her a foundation in storytelling and perspective long before she picked up a paintbrush. After navigating two cancer diagnoses within her family in 2019, Brianne reevaluated her priorities and made the leap from photography to painting full-time, eventually building a thriving mural, fine art, and paint-and-sip business. Together, they discuss the emotional impact art has on our homes and workplaces, how photography and painting inform one another, and why creativity remains one of the most powerful tools for processing emotion and healing through difficult seasons. Brianne also shares advice for anyone who feels stuck creatively, afraid to pursue a passion, or convinced they are simply "not creative," along with what is next for her business and artistic vision.

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