Martini Mondays Gives Local Women a Platform

Martini Mondays Gives Local Women a Platform

BY Kelsey Sheppard

Long before she was hosting Martini Mondays: Shakin' It UP with Ruby Martini & Magnolia Steele on WCOM, Kaylin—better known as Ruby Martini—was performing with a cabaret troupe up and down the East Coast. Decades later, that love of entertaining inspired her to create The Bottom Line Burlesque & Comedy Troupe, a nonprofit dedicated to building confidence through performance.

When the pandemic brought live shows to a halt and health challenges made returning to the stage more difficult, Ruby began exploring podcasting. A chance conversation led someone to suggest radio instead. With years of voice talent experience and radio already in her family, the idea clicked. She recruited performer Magnolia Steele, sent a proposal to WCOM, and Martini Mondays was born.

The weekly program serves as an "audio stage," inviting local women to share stories of creativity, resilience, and personal growth. Guests discuss everything from entrepreneurship and art to unexpected passions, while also selecting the music featured during their episode and providing commentary. Ruby and Magnolia weave humor throughout the conversations, creating the same welcoming atmosphere that defined their live variety shows.

For Ruby, the mission has always been the same: helping people become comfortable in their own skin.

"Our focus is on uplifting women in our community," she says. "We celebrate successes, but we also talk about roadblocks and how people overcome them." Whether through radio, dance instruction, or nonprofit performances, Ruby continues to prove that sometimes all someone needs is a stage—and the confidence to step onto it.