Becoming Your Best Version

Kim Hancher, has a blog, 1:1 services and a digital course dedicated to teaching women 50+ how to regain their unique style and dress their body type so that they get noticed and remembered at work and beyond.  She begins her coaching with having her clients set intentions about how they want to look and feel. She offers free tips via her website and social media.

Kim resides in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, twin daughters and white fluff ball, Bruno. She loves the color green, anything to do with healthy living (she’s also a certified Health Coach), vegetarian food and a great purse.

To learn more, visit the links below.

Katie Bramlett started WeShape with the intention of advocating for women to stop focusing on the number on the scale and instead put their energy and efforts towards a more meaningful intention such as movement, rest and a deeper connection with self. Her entire company is rooted in intention, movement, community and beliefs. Katie has a passion for bringing awareness to the toxic expectations placed on women in the fitness industry, as well as the often overshadowed, yet pivotal roles women play in business and entrepreneurship. Katie's goal is to create awareness through meaningful conversation and curiosity so that women can gain the support of men rather than gaining dominance. "It's all about leveling the playing field, not about overly shifting the power in the other direction." ~Katie

The WeShape program is based on self-acceptance. It includes support, like daily calls, a podcast and more. It is like having a personal trainer in your living room.

Katie's message is one of self-kindness. Her self-awareness has helped her recognize her inner critic and how it was harming her.

Learn more:

www.weshape.com

To get a two-week free trial, go to:

Melissa Giberson is a native New Yorker who identifies as a late bloomer, a highly sensitive introvert, and proud mama bear to two children. An occupational therapist and writer, she has published articles in Kveller, Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, and Highly Sensitive Refuge. She received an Honorable Mention in the Memoirs/Personal Essays category of the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition and her essay, “Art is the Antidote,” appears in the anthology, Art in The Time of Unbearable Crisis (June, 2022). Melissa’s debut book, Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife (She Writes Press) came out August, 2023, and has received much advance praise. It was named one of LQBTQ-Read's top books for Jewish American Heritage Month. Melissa is living her authentic life with her partner and their two cats. Together, they split their time between New Jersey and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

According to Melissa: "My motivation for writing Late Bloomer was born of the many times someone told me that my story was helpful to them. Early in my journey, women who were on the other side of their own journey showed up to help me and I want to do that for others as well. Writing a book enables me to reach more people. I hope readers come away from reading my book with the knowledge that they’re not alone – whether they’re just starting their journey or on the other side and hearing a story that resonates and validates their experience. I want people to know that there is an 'other' side."

Kym Wootton is 42 and living in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and two teenage boys. After 20 years in corporate America, she is taking a midlife gap year to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Wouldn't it be fun--and productive-- if we all did that? She spends her days geocaching with her sons, writing her fiction novel, going to hot yoga and discovering what she wants out of the rest of her life. Go, Kym!

Emmy Rousseau, Visionary Educator, is the founder of Trinity Transformations and the Holistic Healing Hub. She empowers changemakers, especially educators, to go from feeling flat to in flow, so that they can create the change in the world they were born to make. 

Emmy is passionate about helping others realize that putting themselves first is selfless, not selfish. She is here to help us see how filling ourselves up first helps us serve not only ourselves, but also the world best. She does that through a combination of movement and mindset.

Her accolades include: Bestselling author, Speaker Slam Certified Gold Inspirational Speaker and 2021 Grand Slam finalist. She co-created and co-hosted Amplifying Voices: Mental Well-th and the Never Give Up Summit. Emmy was the winner of the 2022 PARO Pitch competition, was awarded Top 3 in the She Did It! Pitch Fest, Top 100 in the 2022 Total Mom Pitch, and was a finalist for the Universal Women’s Network™ 2022 Women of Inspiration™ Awards. 

Emmy is a certified teacher of 22 years turned educational consultant, transformational speaker, activist, fitness instructor and co-author of the book, Our Yellow Brick Road: An Anthology of Humans Who Believe in the Impact of Storytelling (Life to Paper Publishing (2022).

Emmy loves speaking to educators and other changemakers at schools, conferences, summits, retreats, and on podcasts like this, to share her teachings and learnings. 

Emmy’s pillars in life and business are joy, gratitude and love. Learn more and follow Emmy:

Christine Jacobsen believes in the power of reinvention. Her first job was as a nurse at Sloan Kettering Institute in NYC.  Within a few years, she embraced her passion of performing and switched jobs to appear in the original Broadway production of “42nd Street.” She also appeared in several movies, including "Endless Love." However, despite eight years on stage, the unpredictable income of a performing artist inspired her next career change. Christine obtained a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling working the next two decades in public education.

Recently, Christine discovered she is a biracial woman. A DNA test revealed that her biological father was Black, which engaged her to write Dancing Around the Truth, the memoir chronicling how she adapted to her new ethnicity and misattributed parentage. Christine appears completely white, and has had to grapple with exploring her own racism and to continue to grow as a result of her DNA discovery. Her healing journey includes writing, sharing her experiences, dancing and being in nature.

She has been featured on multiple podcasts, YouTube videos, the Wall Street Journal, WLRN- The Public Storyteller and Insider.com regarding her DNA surprise. Her blog covers areas, such as racism and identity.

Award winning entrepreneur, Forbes contributing writer, and executive coach, Bonnie Marcus, M.Ed., assists professional women to successfully navigate the workplace and position and promote themselves to advance their careers. She is a leading expert in gendered ageism in the workplace. Her latest book, Not Done Yet! How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Their Workplace Power, shines a light on this issue and gives women the tools and the voice to defy ageist assumptions to stay marketable and keep their job. With 20+ years of sales and management experience, Bonnie’s extensive business background includes CEO of a ServiceMaster company and VP of Sales at Medical Staffing Network and two others national companies in the healthcare and software industries. She has held executive positions in startup companies and Fortune 500 companies. Bonnie started her corporate career at an entry-level position and worked her way up to the top of a national company. Her passion is now to help other women embrace their talent and ambition and step into their full potential and workplace power. Bonnie shares her message globally through speaking engagements, live and virtual workshops, blogging, and her popular podcast, Badass Women at Any Age. Bonnie’s first book, The Politics of Promotion: How High Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead, provides a roadmap for women to navigate the complexities of the workplace and position themselves for success. A certified coach, Bonnie has been honored by Global Gurus as one of the world’s top 30 coaches in 2015-2022. She has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 keynote speakers in 2018 by Databird Research Journal.

Bonnie received a BA from Connecticut College and a M.Ed. from New York University. Bonnie’s website is www.BonnieMarcusLeadership.com. She can be reached by email at Bonnie@BonnieMarcusLeadership.com and on Twitter and Instagram @selfpromote. Read her articles on Forbes at www.forbes.com/sites/bonniemarcus. Her podcast, Badass Women at Any Age is available on all podcast outlets. Learn more:

Elle Russ is a #1 bestselling author, world-renowned thyroid health expert and thought leader on confidence and self-esteem.  Elle has written for Entrepreneur and has been featured in Success, HuffPost, Podcasting Magazine, Mind Body Green, Prevention and more.

Elle is the author of the successful book, Confident As Fu*k, for which she offers a free online class and a longer class for a fee, as well. She also wrote The Paleo Thyroid Solution, a book which has helped thousands of people around the world reclaim their health, based on her own personal health challenges.  A second edition is being developed. She also shares her experience with thyroid issues, and solutions she found, in a free thyroid masterclass, as well as an ultimate thyroid masterclass. She is also a TV-Film writer and the screenwriter of the award-winning documentary film, Headhunt Revisited. She holds a degree in Philosophy from The University of California at Santa Cruz.

Elle has been coaching people all over the world in a variety of areas for over a decade.  She is also the host of The Elle Russ Show, a weekly show intended to inspire, motivate and educate. Elle has been podcasting for eight years with more than 500 guests and 20 million downloads.

MARSHA PARCOU is a businesswoman based in the Seychelles Islands, who is on a mission to empower women from all walks of life to grow through all forms of self-care. As the founder of Fasinasyon, she has created an inspiring complete packaged lifestyle brand that promotes a healthy and holistic approach to the body, mind and soul through a range of services: life coaching, beauty and skincare products.

Accredited by the Health Coach Institute, USA , she coaches using International Coach Federation (ICF) tools and exercises whilst delivering her own unique framework for transformation. She provides the support, structure and strategy to permit the beautiful journey of your personal growth.

She is also co-founder of Chatterbox Café located at Eden Plaza, the most instagrammable café, and by far the most well-established coffee shop brand and business on Mahe Island, Seychelles. Under her belt, she also has 10 years of experience in tourism marketing management having worked for Seychelles Tourism (then known as the Seychelles Tourism Board).

"Today, my mission in life is to empower as many women as I can to shine their truest light." says Marsha. "In 2022, I launched Fanm Fasinasyon (Fanm is the Seychellois Creole word for Woman) – a community for women to laugh, cry and grow together. I’m excited to see this blossom, and invite you to join! Remember that together, we are more resilient."

"Your life is an ever-unfolding story, not one that already has a predetermined ending," Marsha asserts. "Who you've always been and who you've been shaped to be does not have to be who you become."

Becoming a Fanm Fasinasyon, My Journey, available on Amazon, is her first biography/self-help book. It includes how she overcame her battle with obesity, the pain of her broken marriage, and challenges in business and in life.

Follow her Instagram pages:

@fasinasyon

@marshaparcou

@chatterboxsey

For more on the author and her services:

Melissa Kaplan lives in Washington, DC, where she works as an advocate on food security and hunger policy. She studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, earning a master’s degree in comparative politics with a focus on Europe. She has been a passionate student of history her entire life, particularly the World War II era, which helped inspire her to write her first novel, The Girl Who Tried to Change History (Bold Story Press 2023). Melissa is also an avid traveler who has visited over forty countries, enjoys yoga and barre classes, and is currently working on her second novel.

Beverley Glazer MA, CCC, ICCAC, is a psychotherapist, internationally certified addiction specialist, coach and founder of Reinvent Impossible Inc., a personal development company that educates, coaches and empowers adults 50+ who’ve experienced life transitions that left them feeling powerless, to get grounded and focused, and develop new possibilities built on their strengths. After 30 years in private practice, helping people through traditional therapy, she turned her attention to coaching, supporting and creating programs for women 50+, who’ve had an extreme wake-up call, to unlock their potential, renew possibilities and carve a clear pathway to the future with grace and ease. She’s a clinician, coach, speaker, educator, writer, entrepreneur, former talk-radio host and the originator of The Reinvention Formula TM, a surprisingly easy coaching system combining scientific knowledge with down-to-earth wisdom, which provides the tools and support to bounce back with resilience and move forward with grace and ease. Her podcast, “Aging with Purpose and Passion,” is aligned with her mission, that it is never too late to reinvent yourself and become who you’ve always imagined.

Learn more at the links below:

Lynn Crook is the author of “False Memories: The Deception That Silenced Millions.” She earned a BA in French, and an MEd in educational psychology at the University of Washington. She served as community educator and director for a sexual assault agency in southeastern Washington. In 1991, she sued her parents for damages after recovering memories of childhood sexual abuse by her father. Following a month-long trial in 1994, the judge ruled in her favor at a time when 85% of the popular press was telling us that adults’ accusations of childhood sexual abuse are false memories. She has presented at more than a dozen professional conferences in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and at the United Nations. She is the recipient of the Media Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She hopes that her book will encourage the public to respond with compassion to adults who find the courage to disclose childhood trauma. "If you don't come forward, you let them win," says Lynn.

Learn more at:

Ashley Tresoline is a personal chef who has shared her love of health and wellness through food for more than nine years. After living with multiple sclerosis for a decade plus, Ashley discovered the power of clean eating and knew she had to share it with her community. Her expertise has allowed her to educate all age levels, from 4-100, on the value of healthy, organic, seasonal food and its impact on overall health, both individually and in group settings.
As host of Food For Life, a new show on E360tv, Ashley captures the joy of food and how it is woven into our lives. She shares inspiring stories of wellness through food, tips & tricks in the kitchen, and delicious recipes to help you in your own food healing journey.  Ashley also is a regular guest on Mass Appeal, a local lifestyle talk show in Western Massachusetts. She has been featured on various media outlets such as Pioneer Valley Communities and The Rhode Show, and has been a contributing writer for Business West and Health Care News.
Ashley is an educator for Greenfield Community College, where her courses are sell-out successes. She is an active member of the community, running virtual workshops for local organizations, such as the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield.

The passion Ashley has for her craft is unparalleled and her clients can attest to her enthusiasm and dedication. She believes that health starts from the inside out.

Follow Ashley and learn more:

Instagram: @bellafoodie7

As a featured expert in media, Dawna Campbell is known as The Mind Whisperer combining her past knowledge as a Financial Advisor with her wisdom of the subconscious creation of money to increase your revenue 25% or more consistently. With more than 25 years of combined professional experience, Dawna empowers you to infinite prosperity for a life of happiness, prosperity and love.  She is a professional speaker sharing the stage with Sharon Lechter, Mark Victor Hansen, Lisa Nichols, Dr. Joe. Vitale and Bill Walsh.  She has been featured in more than 300 media outlets, including NBC, Yahoo Finance, ABC, Fox News, Roku TV and the Los Angeles Tribune. She is a monthly contributor to Best Holistic Life Magazine and Your Success E-Magazine, as well as being on the cover of Soeleish Magazine, Los Angeles.  Dawna also is the Lead Trainer at The Mentors Studio, with Michael Silvers (T. Harv Eker) and Mary Glorfield (Tony Robbins's EVP of 18 years).  Dawna shares her techniques during interactive workshops and maintains an international private practice. Her personal heart centered healing approach is to create a world that is a better place for all to live.

Jen Berlingo, MA, LPC, ATR (she/her) is a midlife coach, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado, a Nationally Registered Art Therapist, and a master-level Reiki practitioner. After two decades of midwifing hundreds of women through life’s major transitions and experiencing her own passage through a fiery midlife portal, she was inspired to write Midlife Emergence to accompany other women in traversing their midlife journeys. Jen is also a visual artist who creates custom pieces for collectors worldwide and exhibits her fluid, abstract art locally in her beloved town of Boulder, Colorado. There, among the sunny foothills, Jen can be found making bottomless bowls of popcorn and snuggling on the couch with her unconventional family, her coven of close friends, and her rescue cats, Jinx and Juju.

A born go-getter from early on, Samantha Tradelius always knew she was destined to do big things. Armed with her brokerage license and natural gift for being a connector, Samantha began her entrepreneurial journey co-founding Commercial Coverage Insurance Agency (CCIA) alongside her husband. From humble beginnings, the pair quickly turned CCIA into a wildly successful business, valued at an impressive eight figures.

Following her success with CCIA, Samantha knew it was time to lean into a passion that had inspired her from a very young age. She never stopped thinking about the stories her grandmother and hero, GG, would tell her about raising three children as a single mom in the 1950s. Samantha noticed that in all her grandmother's stories, her grandmother never mentioned anyone helping her…or asking for help. She knew that her grandmother had done everything she could to rub her nickels together to make everything possible for her children.

Inspired by this story, Samantha wanted to utilize her skills as a self-starter and born networker to create a non-profit that provided the much-valued support that many single mothers need. Not one to waste any time, Samantha established The Sparkle Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping single women throughout the Bay Area, the Inland Empire, and the cities of Los Angeles and Sacramento.

In just a few short years, The Sparkle Foundation has seen an unprecedented amount of success, thanks to Samantha’s sheer determination and passion for giving back to her local community. The Sparkle Foundations supports single mothers and children with an array of initiatives including enrichment scholarships for children, a Christmas holiday gift drive and back to school backpack drive.

In addition to The Sparkle Foundation, Samantha established SparkleBiz, which provides micro-loans for female-owned small businesses, and access to a large, connected network. Since its founding in 2016, The Sparkle Foundation has raised more than $1 million—with every dollar reinvested in the community.

Samantha wrote and self-published a book, Impact: Stories of Change Makers, Creators, and Everyday Women Doing Extraordinary Work and is also the host of growing weekly podcast, InspiHER’d.

Learn more at: 

LeAnn Austin lives in beautiful Georgia with her awesome husband and crazy dog Nutmeg.  She has four amazing sons, two incredible daughters-in-law, and two grand-doggies.  She enjoys mowing the lawn, eating smoked meat, walking anywhere, sharing insights on her podcast: Love Tidbits, playing pickleball, watching The Chosen, and spending time with family and friends.

Katherine King, a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a manner of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), has twenty years of experience providing individual, family, and group psychotherapeutic treatment for children, teens, and adults.  She has treated people with Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Grief and Loss, Attachment Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, Personality Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Addiction, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Eating Disorders, Bi-Polar Disorder and more. Katherine has led therapeutic groups on countless topics, including social skills, anger management, positive parenting, building self-esteem, communication skills, relaxation techniques, healthy relationships, life transitions, pursuing your passions, optimism and positivity, building tools for self-calming, setting and holding boundaries, being your most authentic self and many more. Katherine brings the culmination of her vast experience and expertise to every group session she teaches.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master of Clinical Social Work, Katherine King is currently licensed as an ACSW, LCSW in both Florida and North Carolina. She is also a Certified Art Healer.

In addition to treating clients in a private practice setting for ten years, Katherine worked for many years in a nonprofit setting treating children and teens. She has worked at a Hospice Children’s Program, at an inpatient hospital, as an elementary school therapist, and as an Emergency Room Patient Advocate at The Cleveland Clinic in Florida. Katherine served as an individual therapist to students and teachers directly affected by the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, and is currently working with students and teachers affected by the school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Katherine is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She volunteers teaching art therapy to residents at Transformation Village of Buncombe County. She manages a Question and Answer page at the nonprofit organization Arms Around Autism Spectrum Disorder.

For many years, Katherine was a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Management Team, which provides trauma and crisis intervention to first responders following disasters and other traumatic incidents. Katherine has been a Disaster First Responder, was part of the Disaster Action Team, and a Shelter Manager for the American Red Cross for over 10 years.

Katherine volunteered for several years as a Holiday Grief Camp Counselor for Hospice of the Treasure Coast, served on the Boards for the Port Saint Lucie, FL National Little League Association, and volunteered for many years for the March of Dimes, The Alzheimer’s Association, The American Heart Association and The American Cancer Society.

She and her Australian Shepherd, certified by Therapy Dog International, Inc., worked together as a team in diverse venues such as nursing homes, child welfare camps and weekly visits to the Autism Spectrum Disorders classroom at Palm Point Research School in Port Saint Lucie, FL. Perhaps most significantly, they spent many days assisting in Parkland, Florida immediately following the mass school shooting there.

She opened The Blue Blanket to change the narrative from mental illness to mind wellness.  She offers incredibly healing soul restoration retreats.

Website: theblueblanket.org

Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan, is the President of Educorp Consultants Corporation and Senior Innovation Advisor, Graduate School of Education, Education Entrepreneurship, University of Pennsylvania, and a former education industry entrepreneur. Dr. Kurshan has more than 40 years’ experience in education as a researcher, entrepreneur, developer, investor, and company executive.  She developed the first children’s software products for Microsoft, as well as award winning products for McGraw-Hill, Apple, CCC (Pearson), and others.

She is the author of several books, including Internet for Kids (Sybex); Exploring Creative Writer and Exploring Fine Artist (Addison-Wesley Longman); Understanding Computers Through Applications (Glencoe); Activities for Kids and Kids at Heart (Reston).  She has received numerous awards and recognitions including the WISE Prize, the King Bahrain UNESCO Prize, 2019 Most Influential Corporate Board Directors, 100 Edtech Influencers, and Laureate Tech Awards – Technology Benefiting Humanity.

Bobbi shares her journey, including obstacles, which can inspire listeners.  Her InnovateHERS website is rich with resources for entrepreneurs and those seeking leadership positions.  The site also invites readers to share their stories, which are highlighted on the site.

Becoming her best version has changed over time.  Most importantly, she takes time for herself, and does not sweat the small stuff.  

Follow her and learn more at the links below:

Twitter @bkurshan

Mary Beth O'Connor has been clean and sober since 1994. She also is in recovery from abuse and trauma. The details of her story can be found in her memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction, where she describes the child abuse that led her to use methamphetamine beginning at 17, the chaos of her 15-year addiction, and building an individual recovery plan that worked for her.

Mary Beth is a Director and Secretary for She Recovers Foundation and is a Director for LifeRing Secular Recovery. She regularly speaks on behalf of LifeRing, She Recovers, and multiple paths to recovery. She also develops relationships with organizations supportive of the multiple pathways approach, such as participating in San Francisco’s Methamphetamine Task Force, and working on joint projects with Women for Sobriety.

Mary Beth has had numerous essays and memoir writings published, such as in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Recovery Today.  Professionally, six years into her recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014, Mary Beth was appointed an Administrative Law Judge. She recently retired, so she could devote her time to her writing and recovery advocacy.

Her new book is From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.  From a junkie addicted to methamphetamines to a federal judge, Mary Beth’s memoir shares her inspiring journey from rock bottom to resilience as she forged a personal path to recovery from trauma and addiction. Within a week of being born, O’Connor was dropped off at a convent. When she was brought into her home, her mother focused on her own needs and desires, ignoring her young child. When she was nine years old, her stepfather kicked her in the stomach for spilling milk, beat her when she didn’t clean a plate to his satisfaction, and molested her when she was 12. A few months later, with her first sip of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill wine, her life changed. She felt euphoric and relaxed. So she got drunk as often as possible, adding pot, then pills, then acid. At 16, she found her drug of choice--methamphetamine. With her first snort, she felt that she experienced true joy for the first time. When this high was no longer sufficient, she turned to the needle and shot up. During the next 16 years, she descended into a severe meth addiction, working her way down the corporate ladder, destroying relationships, and shattering her physical and emotional well-being. At 32, she entered rehab, where she was ordered to submit to the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. As an atheist, turning her will and her life over to a higher power was not an option, and she refused to agree she was powerless. Told to comply or fail, she bravely created a new path that combined ideas from multiple programs and even incorporated some AA concepts. Clean and sober now for nearly three decades, she is proof that anyone can find their sober self, their best self, no matter how far they have fallen. Along with her inspiring story, she offers a comprehensive checklist of questions for readers to ask themselves, as they take the brave steps toward recovery, offering a powerful blueprint for personal change. To become her best version, she uses patience and prioritizing.

Learn more at the links below:

Angela Irwin is an international Life and Confidence Coach, TEDx speaker and the founder of Joyful Life Solutions, which specializes in helping women reprogram their self-acceptance to build lasting confidence, so that they can achieve their full potential.  Prior to that, Angela spent 15 years in the corporate medical device field, holding various positions in marketing, management and clinical education in the U.S., Australia and Europe.  

After a 30-year career in financial services and the not-for-profit sector, Monique Giroux took an early retirement at 55, traded in her business suit for hiking boots, and sold her home and possessions to pursue a slower paced, minimalist, nomadic life.  Monique made a commitment to herself in 2019 to live an anxiety free life by finding calm and peace of mind after an enlightening experience in Bali. Immersing herself in self-study and becoming a certified Forest Therapy Guide, Reiki Master, meditation, yoga nidra and restorative yoga teacher, Monique is now breathing deeply. She works with clients to help them slow down, and to connect with their inner voice and intuition through nature connection and energy healing.

Kizzy Kittrell Dogan, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of T&G Commercial Cleaning, LLC, Founder of Love Circle Inc, Author of Thirteen: Lessons for Every Teen Girl's Journey to Womanhood, Contributor to IamTeenStrong.com, Workshop Facilitator, and Keynote Speaker. Kizzy transforms and empowers teen girls to discover their purpose, passion, and superpowers as The Teen Girl Mentor.

Kizzy is a results-driven leader whose success is marked by steadiness, ethics, optimism, and fun. She has provided countless hours of business development and professional mentorship as a successful entrepreneur.

Kizzy proudly sits on the St. Margaret's Achievers Toastmasters International Executive Board and volunteers with the Youth Leadership Program. She advocates for second chances, is a conference and seminar enthusiast, pizza connoisseur, and lover of all things extravagant. Kizzy is hugely passionate about inspiring, motivating, and fostering the best qualities in everyone.

Kizzy is a native Washingtonian and a mother of three sons. Although she prides herself on being a loud sports mom, she equally enjoys driving her sons mad with her unapologetic partiality to girls.

Kizzy proudly sits on the St. Margaret's Achievers Toastmasters International Executive Board and volunteers with the Youth Leadership Program. She advocates for second chances, is a conference and seminar enthusiast, pizza connoisseur, and lover of all things extravagant. Kizzy is hugely passionate about inspiring, motivating, and fostering the best qualities in everyone.

Kizzy's messages are gold.  She preaches self-love.  She assures young women that we are empowered to not allow people to come into our spaces and misuse us.  We can choose.

To become her best version is a continuous process.  She works hard to control her thinking.  When she has negative thoughts, she declares her strength and power.  She believes in prayer and affirmation.  She also exercises to feel good about herself.  She surrounds herself with positive people.  Finally, she takes care to prepare for whatever she is called to do.

Social Media Handles:

LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook:  @IamKizzyDogan

Faigie Kobre (Faigie is Yiddish for bird) is an elementary school art teacher in Long Island, New York, who also works with women who love art but don't feel artistic. She helps them reignite their creativity through the medium of alcohol inks. She started her career as an early childhood educator (she got her masters in education in the 1980s) and then spent 25 years as a high-end portrait photographer. She conducted workshops on creativity and how to give kids are that feeds them.  While she loved helping children enhance their creativity, she switched careers in her 50s (after her children were grown) and loves teaching women how to tap into their untapped creativity.  Locally, she conducts art parties in her community, but her coaching and workshops are offered online as well.

Faigie constantly works on herself to become a better human being.  She works on her relationships.  She has six children, so she works on changing her way of dealing with each of her children, according to their needs and temperaments.  Any relationship requires you to give of one's self.  We are never finished, because there is so much to work on and to change.

Learn more about her work here:

Roxanne McCarty-O’Kane is a ghostwriter and writing mentor who works closely with aspiring authors to empower them to become the changemakers they dream to be through authorship. Storytelling has been Roxanne’s bread and butter since 2007 with a long career as a journalist for newspapers, magazines, and online publications before transferring her skillsets into non-fiction book creation. Her emphasis on connection to her authors and honoring the uniqueness of their stories has seen her recognized in:

2022

• Finalist Sunshine Coast Business Awards Creative Industries
• Finalist Australian Woman Small Business Champion Awards Sole Trader

2021

• WINNER Micro/Small Business Woman in the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network Awards.
• Australian Small Business Champion Awards Sole Trader Finalist.

2020

• Australian Small Business Champion Awards Sole Trader Finalist.
• Australian My Business Awards for Young Leader of the Year Finalist (one of only two female finalists).
• Australian My Business Awards for B2C Business of the Year Finalist.

2019

• Young Business Woman of the Year Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network Awards.
• Australian My Business Awards Young Leader of the Year Finalist.

When she isn’t in her writing cave, leading Ignite & Write workshops, or mentoring aspiring authors, Roxanne enjoys asserting her dominance in family games of Bananagrams, playing her guitar, and curling up in the hammock on the back deck with a good book.

Roxanne McCarty-O'Kane joined us on the podcast from Australia. Roxanne says:  "My first contact with newspapers was as a ‘paper girl,’ jumping on my bike with a totally stylish yellow PVC satchel slung over my shoulder delivering copies of The Evening Post to subscribers in the small town of Wainuiomata in New Zealand. Rain, hail, or shine, they always received their papers and being in the land of the long white cloud, it often meant arriving home from deliveries soaked-through. Fast forward to today and I am a qualified journalist who has written for a number of newspapers, magazines and e-zines and am what you would call a jack of all trades. I have had to decipher incredible tech-speak, political jargon and complex government documents to draw out the things that really matter to people and have covered everything from everyday news happenings to court proceedings, business stories, profile and entertainment, features that cover hard-hitting topics that can impact the wider community and had the privilege to chat with a number of high profile Australian and international celebrities."

Her Phoenix Phenomenon project showcases inspiring people's stories. She now focuses on authors' stories. Get help with your book by contacting Roxanne at the links or email below. She also does service work helping victims heal from sexual abuse, as part of the No More Fake Smiles organization.

Roxanne follows the premises of the seminal book, The Four Agreements, by Toltec shaman, Don Miguel Ruiz. She is mindful about her words, and she strives not to take things personally or make assumptions and always to do her best in any situation.

Roxanne has penned her own book, Ignite & Write, a resource for fellow authors.  Learn more and follow her work: https://www.roxannewriter.com.au/

Robin started her professional life as a biomedical scientist in the field of molecular physiology. Her work over nearly three decades contributed in major ways to our understanding of the control of the circulation in health and disease, relevant to disorders as varied as high blood pressure, heart failure and obesity. She was honored with many major national and international awards by her scientific peers and was an endowed professor at Cornell University. She is currently Professor Emerita at Cornell and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University.

Throughout this award-winning career, Robin’s passionate avocation was textile art, including spinning, natural dyeing, knitting and weaving. Eventually, the pull of art was irresistible, and she decided to close her research laboratories to devote her efforts completely to abstract painting. She is an alumna of multiple programs at The Penland School as well as numerous other online and in-person art courses.

Robin’s lyrical, process-driven work is rooted in eclectic curiosity and the material surprises she discovers working with her finely-developed visual vocabulary. Her debut exhibition opened at Calloway Fine Art in Georgetown, Washington, DC in Spring of 2021, where she continues to show. Robin is currently one of three finalists for the 2022 DC Mayor’s Arts Awards in the Emerging Creative category. This spring Davisson opened a unique new creative hub in Georgetown called StudioLab RD.

Visitors to StudioLab can browse available art, flip through her art library and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea on the studio’s sun-filled street level. Upstairs, guests can watch Davisson at work, from testing ideas in her sketchbook and prepping canvases, to mixing and applying paints and discerning the final touches on completed pieces. Davisson is accessible and available to chat with visitors and exchange ideas.  She often gives observers a chance to explore their creativity.  Her intention is to explore the creative process together. Salons, a creative-in-residence program and other offerings are also currently in the works.

Today, Robin follows her intuition.  She describes it as a combination of her history, her emotions and her intellect.  She recognizes that, for her, it took a lifetime to develop and follow her intuition.

You can learn more about her work here:

Vailes ("Joye") Shepperd is a captivating author.  There are few historical novels about the successful Black experience before, during and after slavery.  Because of a lack of documentation about the African American experience and culture during the early part of U.S. history, A Good Ending for Bad Memories (Bold Story Press, 2021), while fiction, is a true account of Black reality and culture in the U.S.  It is full of compelling characters and rich settings, and adds to an important narrative.  "Our history was not compiled and kept like others, but we all know stories that are important to know," Vailes relates.  Her book's characters bring to life multiple aspects of the American Black experience, and her readers, like me, are the beneficiaries of her shared work.

A Good Ending for Bad Memories is a richly sensual novel about a prosperous African American family before, during, and after slavery. It threads truth, folklore, legend and fact, in a captivating exploration of a family’s complex legacy. The plot frames their experiences and events in the United States, as well as in Mexico and Egypt.  Vailes brings her characters to life in a way I have not experienced, in recent memories.  She shares that her brother is a poet but, I believe, Vailes's work sometimes reads like poetry.

In 2018, Catherine Hand was one of two producers for Walt Disney’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved children’s classic A Wrinkle in Time. Catherine’s career in the entertainment business was launched working for the legendary writer/producer Norman Lear. She was the Associate Producer on Lear’s Emmy Nominated ABC TV special, I Love Liberty, and helped to create the national nonprofit, People for the American Way. Later, she served as a development executive at Zoetrope, Francis Coppola’s company where she worked on several projects, including Godfather III. Catherine has also worked for years in the public service sector. After having produced several large-scale events for national organizations, garnering a Gracie Award for best public affairs programming in 2009, Catherine was recruited by the Obama Administration where she was part of the core leadership team involved in communicating policy and political decisions impacting the federal workforce.

Catherine shares some beautiful life lessons in this episode. "Faith is for when things are going wrong," she shares. Her lifelong dream did not come to fruition until after she turned 60. But she did not give up. "We can't changes things...but we can stop fearing them," she counsels. "Thoughts are temporary," she says of her 3:00 am musings. "They are not permanent," and we can talk back to them. One of her takeaways from writing her book, Becoming a Warrior, is that "Have something worth fighting for...that is greater than yourself." And others can benefit from what you have learned. Catherine encourages us to become warriors in the universe to illuminate others.

She continues to develop new projects and enjoys coaching others to become warriors in their own lives. Her memoir, Becoming a Warrior is scheduled to be published by Bold Story Press on October 25, 2022.  It will be available everywhere.

"I read Madeleine L'Engle's award winning novel, A Wrinkle in Time, when I was ten years old and dreamt of one day making it into a movie. It would take five decades for my childhood dream to come true. My journey would include working alongside the television luminary Norman Lear in the creation of the nonprofit People For the American Way, and a 25 year-long conversation with author Madeleine L’Engle about her book. My memoir, Becoming a Warrior: My Journey to Bring A Wrinkle in Time to the Screen due to be released in October 2022 illustrates one woman’s persistence—through a demanding career in the entertainment industry, the sudden and unexpected death of my beloved husband, raising three young children on my own—and eventual success. In 2018, over fifty years after I first read A Wrinkle in Time, Walt Disney Studios released a major motion picture based on this beloved novel directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Jennifer Lee and starred Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha Raw and Storm Reid." -- Catherine Hand

“Catherine’s journey of over 50 years to have A Wrinkle In Time brought to the Silver Screen is simply extraordinary.  And the book’s impact upon her life is both compelling and inspirational.”

-- Alan Horn, Former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios - Motion Pictures

“No one I’ve known ever loved a book more than Catherine Hand loved A Wrinkle in Time. Her perseverance and journey to make the film is nothing short of inspiring.”

-- Norman Lear, award winning writer/producer

Trish Glowacki is a filmmaker, writer and songwriter. Her first musical, WARNING: Take Only As Directed, was adapted to the screen. The award-winning film has proven to be an innovative and effective tool for teaching teens, their educators, parents and guardians about the dangers of prescription medicine misuse. Trish launched glowmedia in 2016 and is making a series of short films, based on the Warning model, addressing a broad range of mental health issues.

In November 2011, Trish lost her 21-year old son, Charlie, after a five-year battle with anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Charlie died of an accidental Oxycontin overdose. In the wake of Charlie’s passing, the family searched for ways to both handle the incredible grief and honor their beloved son's memory. Trish, an accomplished musician and thespian, set out to write songs and a play about Charlie. In the process of writing and researching, she realized a larger vision for his legacy.

The growing opioid crisis had just started to reach a national consciousness. Overdoses have quadrupled since 1991 and the crisis has penetrated both rural and urban communities, crossing ethnic and socio-economic boundaries. Armed with a powerful story and an urgency to educate youth nationwide, Trish decided to adapt her play into a short film musical that could be used as a unique teaching resource. The goal was to produce a high-quality short film and disseminate it to as many middle and high school classrooms as possible.

Leveraging her extensive contacts in the music and film industries, Trish enlisted studio musicians, hired a film director and production company, and co-wrote the screenplay. The 26-minute film, Warning: Take Only as Directed, premiered in 2014 and soon after was added to Discovery Education, the nation’s largest provider of digital educational content. To date, the film has been viewed by over a million students nationwide. The film comes with free resource guides and lesson plans. These materials facilitate classroom conversation and enhance understanding of the film content.

The overwhelming success of this film inspired the Glowacki family to focus on other sensitive issues facing today’ s youth. In 2016, they created a 501c3 organization, the glowmedia project, and started fundraising for the development of a series of new films that, like Warning, seek to build awareness and reduce stigma around various challenges affecting teenagers. Three new short films, co-written by Trish and Andrea Hansell, Ph.D., a licensed clinical child and adolescent psychologist, were released in 2017. These films focus on eating disorders/body image, anxiety and depression, and LGBTQ+ topics. Similar to Warning: Take Only as Directed, these shorts integrate music, realistic characters and dialogue, and authentic storylines. They also come with educational materials, created by experts in the field.

The fifth film, addressing bipolar disorder, King of the World, was released in 2020. The pandemic brought new projects to a halt, but they were able to produce a documentary about the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of teens, Unimaginable, which will be released this fall.

With pandemic restrictions lifted, they were able to film their seventh short, addressing suicide prevention, There Can Be Light, in May. That film will premiere this fall in select cities in October (L.A. on 10/1 and Silver Spring, MD's American Film Institute on 10/12), and be released in early 2023.

Learn more:

Kathy Fritz is a board-certified master hormone coach who helps women in perimenopause and menopause experience relief from hormonal symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, moodiness, and insomnia. Her clients lose weight, rediscover their energy, feel sexy, and stop thinking they're losing their minds. Kathy's background in education gives her the expertise to individualize material so her clients can go from where they are to where they want to be.

According to Kathy:  "I help perimenopausal and menopausal women get relief from their hormonal symptoms like insomnia, weight gain, and hot flashes. I know there’s a lot of (mis)information out there about midlife, what’s normal, and what you can do about it. You don’t have the time to research your symptoms or go through months of trial and error trying to fix them. I’ve sifted through the evidence-based material so I can create individualized hormone-balancing plans, because every woman’s hormonal landscape is unique and shifting. I will help you make meaningful, sustainable changes that get you relief and help you maintain a new level of health."

She notes that the pill stops communication in one's body. She did her own research to help herself and uses what she learned to help others. She discovered her second calling. "I enjoy journeying with people and being able to support others to meet their own goals feels to me like meaningful work."

Menopause is the day that marks your last day of bleeding. But one can still move the needle even after menopause. Food, movement and lifestyle choices can help. Medication, which can have long term effects, does not have to be the answer, though bio-identical medication can be helpful.

She helps women move their bodies from glucose burners to fat burners. She helps women improve energy levels and sleep quality. Food, movement, essential oils/supplements and toxic burden relief are the four pillars upon which her work is built. Stress and external things that negatively affect our bodies also are examined.

She was surprised to discover that menopause and its attendant symptoms and effects can begin in one's mid-30s. Making changes early can positively impact one's life. Eliminating dairy can help some people, for instance. Her partnership with women have improved the lives of so many, nationwide.

What makes Kathy her best version? "I carve out self-care time every single day. It entails, for me, time in prayer, aromatherapy, and exercise. Practicing self-care makes me a better mother, person and coach."

https://kathyfritzcoaching.com/