Julianna Strout co-hosts this episode alongside Rachel Borock, owner of Catch a Buzz mobile bar and an official partner of the SRQ Women's Expo, and together they lay out an event built around what Strout calls beauty, business and self-care. The expo runs November 15 and 16, starting with a cocktail kickoff at Sage Auto Studio before moving into the main event at The Grove Ballroom, where 127 vendors are expected to draw roughly 400 attendees.
One detail sets the expo apart from a typical vendor show: free, certified childcare for single moms, staffed by 28 employees who work remotely and are paid $20 an hour plus a 20 percent commission. Strout describes the program as central to the expo's mission, not an afterthought, and says the model has caught the attention of the United Nations, which has met with her regarding a research grant tied to what she calls the mom cluster.
From Politics to Pageantry to Sarasota
Strout's own background is as compelling as the event itself. She was the youngest woman ever elected to a city commission seat in Florida, serving in Miami-Dade, and later announced a run for Boston City Council at the Boston Marathon bombing. She was also a first responder at the Surfside condo collapse, an experience that injured her back, and has served as executive director of Miss America Maine. Raised by a single father, she brings that lived experience directly into the expo's support for single moms.
Growing Beyond Sarasota
The SRQ Women's Expo is expanding into Orlando and Miami, with Strout treating the Sarasota event as the proof of concept for a larger multi-city model supporting women-run businesses.
Between the free childcare program, the United Nations conversations, and Strout's own path through politics and disaster response, this episode covers far more ground than a typical vendor-expo preview, making clear why the SRQ Women's Expo has outgrown its Sarasota roots. Co-host Rachel Borock's own stake in the event, through her Catch a Buzz partnership, adds an extra layer of firsthand perspective that a typical single-guest interview would not have captured.
What you'll take away
- The SRQ Women's Expo runs November 15 to 16, with a cocktail kickoff at Sage Auto Studio and the main event at The Grove Ballroom.
- The expo features 127 vendors and expects roughly 400 attendees.
- Strout provides free certified childcare for single moms, staffed by 28 remote employees paid $20 an hour plus commission.
- Strout has met with the United Nations about a research grant tied to the expo's childcare model.
- She was the youngest woman elected to a Florida city commission and served as a Surfside condo collapse first responder.
- The expo is expanding to Orlando and Miami.
Places mentioned: Sage Auto Studio, The Grove Ballroom