Smart Women Big Deals

07. Vanya Filipovic has helped build some of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants. But ask the award-winning sommelier what makes a restaurant unforgettable, and she won’t begin with the food or wine... She’ll tell you it’s how you feel when you leave.
In this episode, Liza sits down with the restaurateur behind Joe Beef and Vin Papillon’s influential wine programs and the co-founder of Mon Lapin, named Canada’s best restaurant, and Rôtisserie La Lune.
Vanya shares how growing up in her parents’ restaurant shaped her instincts for hospitality, why she left the security of Joe Beef after 15 years and what it took to build an acclaimed restaurant with her husband, chef Marco Frappier, and their partners.
In this episode:
How Vanya helped shape Joe Beef and Montreal’s evolving restaurant culture
What separates a technically good wine from one with genuine “energy”
Why she helped champion natural wine—and now questions the usefulness of the label
The philosophy behind Mon Lapin and its rise to becoming Canada’s best restaurant
Why she hires for the “twinkly eye” rather than experience alone
How the pandemic nearly cost them everything—and ultimately strengthened the business
Why thoughtful hospitality depends on curiosity, memory and attention to detail
And, as always, Liza asks the question at the heart of every conversation: What is the Smartest Big Deal you have ever made?
ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success.
CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
Media and partnership inquiries: team@smartwomenbigdeals.com
New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.

06. Dr. Trevor Born has spent more than three decades renewing faces but his goal has never been to make someone look like a different person.
In this episode, Liza sits down with the cosmetic plastic surgeon she personally trusted with her own face for a candid conversation about beauty, aging and what actually works.
Known for his natural aesthetic and pioneering use of facial fat grafting, Dr. Born separates meaningful innovation from industry hype. From facelifts, Botox and fillers to lasers, exosomes and regenerative medicine, he explains why the most sophisticated aesthetic work begins with knowing what to change and what to leave alone.
In this episode:
Why natural-looking plastic surgery begins with balance, not transformation
How facial fat grafting changed modern approaches to aging and rejuvenation
What “deep-plane facelift” really means and what the marketing leaves out
The truth about Botox, fillers, CO2 lasers, PRP and exosomes
How rapid GLP-1 weight loss can affect facial volume and skin
Why social media, filters and online trends have transformed patient expectations
Where AI, genetics and regenerative medicine could take aesthetics next
And, as always, Liza asks the question at the heart of every conversation: What is the Smartest Big Deal you have ever made?
ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success.
CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
Media and partnership inquiries: team@smartwomenbigdeals.com
New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.

05. Ines Di Santo started with $10, a Singer sewing machine and one clear motivation: to build a better future for her daughter.
In this episode, Liza sits down with the internationally celebrated bridal designer to explore how ten rolls of fabric, ten handmade samples and an unwavering belief in her talent became a global couture fashion house.
Ines shares the risks behind her earliest collections, the Casa Loma fashion show everyone told her was impossible and the deeply personal approach that has earned generations of brides’ trust. Joined in business by her daughter, Veronica, she also reflects on creativity, family and why great design is not always about giving a woman what she asks for but understanding what she truly needs.
In this episode:
How Ines turned $10 and a Singer sewing machine into her first bridal collection
Why providing for her daughter became the driving force behind her ambition
The bold Casa Loma fashion show that helped establish her name
How her first collection sold out and filled her appointment book for the following year
Why earning a bride’s trust is at the heart of designing a custom wedding gown
How Ines and Veronica built a creative partnership across two generations
Why couture must continue evolving with modern, fashion-forward brides
And, as always, Liza asks the question at the heart of every conversation: What is the Smartest Big Deal you have ever made?
ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success.
CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
Media and partnership inquiries: team@smartwomenbigdeals.com
New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.

04. Before luxury real estate, there were management consulting, fashion photography, entrepreneurship, race cars and more than a few unexpected turns.
In this special episode, Liza Kaufman leaves the host’s chair and hands it to the person who knows her story best: her daughter and business partner, Alfee Kaufman.
Together, they trace Liza’s journey from a childhood in Peru and an abrupt move to Canada to a cancer diagnosis in her twenties, motherhood and an almost accidental entrance into real estate. It is a candid conversation about independence, resilience and learning to see reinvention as an opportunity rather than evidence that the plan went wrong.
In this episode:
How immigrating from Peru to Canada shaped Liza’s need for independence
The unexpected crisis that launched her management-consulting career at 21
Why she refused to let cancer become the defining story of her life
The businesses and professional experiments that came before real estate
How one course unexpectedly led to a career in luxury real estate
What it means to build Kaufman Group alongside her daughter
Why family has always mattered more than business
ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success.
CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
Media and partnership inquiries: team@smartwomenbigdeals.com
New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.

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, financial mistakes and why having an audience is not the same as having genuine influence.
In this episode:
How Katherine’s experience in retail and fashion shaped her entrepreneurial instincts
Why health and wellness became the unexpected catalyst for her online community
How consistency helped her build trust long before social media became a business model
What criticism taught her about confidence, identity and being misunderstood
The expensive lesson that changed how she approaches teams, money and growth
Why protecting her peace now matters more than accepting every profitable opportunity
And, as always, Liza asks the question at the heart of every conversation: What is the Smartest Big Deal you have ever made?
For Katherine, the answer began with the decision to put herself online.
ABOUT SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Smart Women Big Deals is a podcast hosted by Liza Kaufman, featuring candid conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention and the defining decisions behind extraordinary success.
CONNECT WITH SMART WOMEN BIG DEALS
Website: https://smartwomenbigdeals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwomenbigdeals
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartwomenbigdeals
Media and partnership inquiries: team@smartwomenbigdeals.com
New episodes every Wednesday. Follow Smart Women Big Deals wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversations.