Smart Women Big Deals

About Smart Women Big Deals

Behind every Big Deal is a story. Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman featuring honest conversations with extraordinary entrepreneurs, founders, business leaders, creators, health experts and people who have built remarkable lives. We go beyond the accomplishments to explore what happened before the success: the risks, failures, pivots, relationships and defining decisions that shaped who each guest became. The conversations span business and leadership, health and longevity, family and purpose, resilience and reinvention. Because success is never one moment. It is a lifetime of choices. Every episode ends with one question: What is the Smartest Big Deal you have ever made?

Publisher

Liza Kaufman

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Sept 2026

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 8 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Taste of Success: Vanya Filipovic on Wine, Hospitality and Building Vin Mon Lapin, Canada’s Best Restaurant

   Host Liza interviews Vanya Filipovic, award-winning sommelier and restaurateur, about creating unforgettable dining experiences and building Canada's best restaurant, Mon Lapin.

2. 

   14 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Your Best Face Forward: Dr. Trevor Born on Beauty, Aging and the Future of Aesthetics

   Host Liza interviews cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Trevor Born about achieving natural beauty and navigating the future of aesthetics.

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Nothing Happens by Accident: How Ines Di Santo Built a Global Couture Legacy

   Liza sits down with internationally celebrated bridal designer Ines Di Santo to explore how she built a global couture fashion house from humble beginnings.

4. 

   30 Sept 2026

   The Story Behind the Story: The Many Lives of Liza Kaufman

   Host Liza Kaufman and her daughter Alfee Kaufman explore Liza's diverse career path and life experiences, revealing unexpected turns and resilience.

5. 

   24 Sept 2026

   The Business of Unforgettable: Mindy Weiss on Creativity, Pressure and Making Dreams Come True

   03. Mindy Weiss has planned extraordinary celebrations for Justin and Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, the Kardashians and families around the world. But her real business isn’t celebrity...it’s trust. In this episode, Liza sits down with the legendary event planner to explore how a love of stationery became one of the world’s most recognized event-planning businesses. Mindy shares the creativity, pressure and problem-solving behind unforgettable weddings. After more than 35 years in business, sh...

6. 

   24 Sept 2026

   From Authenticity to Influence: How Katherine Garbarino Turned Being Herself Into a Business

   02. Katherine Garbarino never set out to become an influencer. She simply started sharing what she genuinely loved and built a powerful business by being entirely herself. In this episode, Liza sits down with the entrepreneur behind KGMTL, Girls Living Well and The GLW Shop to unpack how authentic recommendations became a trusted personal brand, an engaged wellness community and a growing portfolio of digital businesses. Katherine speaks candidly about entrepreneurship, online criticism, fina...

7. 

   23 Sept 2026

   The Original Investor: How Ruth Reffkin’s Belief Helped Robert Reffkin Build Compass

   01. Behind Robert Reffkin’s success is the woman who taught him to lead with resilience, kindness and purpose: his mother, Ruth Reffkin. In this episode, Liza sits down with Robert, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Compass International Holdings—the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States—and Ruth, an educator, entrepreneur and real estate leader whose philosophy is rooted in “mission before commission.” Together, they reveal the personal story behind Compass and explore ho...

8. 

   8 Sept 2026

   Smart Women Big Deals with Liza Kaufman: Official Trailer

   Success is the headline. Smart Women Big Deals is the story behind it. Hosted by Liza Kaufman, Smart Women Big Deals goes beyond the résumé and behind the success for candid, long-form conversations with extraordinary entrepreneurs, leaders, creators and change-makers. Through stories spanning business, leadership, reinvention, resilience, health, longevity, family and purpose, Liza uncovers the risks her guests took, the failures they rarely discuss, the relationships that shaped them and th...

Inside a recent episode

The Taste of Success: Vanya Filipovic on Wine, Hospitality and Building Vin Mon Lapin, Canada’s Best Restaurant

Published 21 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] You know, I've never felt like I had to elbow my way into the place that I currently hold. So it was a natural progression. And again, it all started from curiosity, you know, just really wanting to know the most about every little detail and scratch beyond the surface and try to get as deep as I could in this field. So it started with a great passion. Of course, I had the privilege of starting super young with my mom, you know, who was in that field as well. So I had sort of a base. But that's it, you know, asking questions every single day is how it all worked out. What fascinates you most about wine? […]

Who has been a guest on Smart Women Big Deals

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Vanya Filipovic
• Trevor Born
• Ines Di Santo
• Liza Kaufman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Smart Women Big Deals

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Smart Women Big Deals