Karly Polkosnik started blogging about everyday life as a pastime after high school.  Operating in truth on and off camera and excelling in leadership as a result of her high school experience,  Karly found that her authenticity combined with her love for helping others was a perfect combination for success as an influencer. Karly is the real, raw and relatable voice we wish we had when we were growing up. Karly went viral as a plus size body and sex positive content creator who started...

Trusting that life takes you in many different directions Emily Rogan has never been afraid of change and has pivoted throughout her life to many roles including stay-at-home mom, politician and CEO.   Emily’s non-linear journey led her to finding her passion in communication and health equity. Emily is a writer, editor, storyteller, communications expert and award-winning journalist. She's a vice president at 120/80 Marketing, an agency focused on digital health and healthcare, where she...

Growing up in a farming and agriculture community,  Irma Olguin Jr. never imagined a life and career in tech.  Taking the PSAT as a sophomore and being offered a scholarship to attend college  in Ohio completely changed the trajectory of Irma’s life.  Inspired by her own story of opportunity and life changing decisions, Irma has made it her life’s work to positively affect and change the lives of people from underserved communities through tech with Bitwise Industries.  The idea of Bitwise...

Sara Drescher fell in love with art at an early age and was blessed with parents who supported her love and study of art from grade school through college.  While working as an artist after college, Sara took time to develop her artistic voice and upon returning to grad school found the purpose that fuels her art today.  Sara is a Texas based painter who creates hyper realistic watercolors of ordinary objects with a hidden story. Currently her work centers on issues regarding double standards...

Growing up with the example of hardworking, successful and supportive parents, Karin Moore rose to success wherever she set her sights.  A motivated and unstoppable immigrant woman, Karin earned her engineering degree then pivoted with an MBA to a software career working over 20 years in some of the world's largest companies like Microsoft, Teradata and Optum.  In parallel with being a mom of two, Karin reached executive level roles where she was one of three women above the Senior Director...

As a young child, Kelly Sullivan Walden had the uncommon occurrence of tandem dreaming with her youngest sister. Recognizing that dreams are an untapped resource for self-discovery, Kelly took her childhood passion for interpreting dreams and turned it into a lifelong career. On a mission to help us have a better understanding of our dreams and what we can learn from them, Kelly has taken a deep dive into the study of the subconscious mind and its direct connection with our conscious life....

Sexually abused by a family member at a young age, Gemma ran away from home and lived on the streets until a charity helped her.  Married  at 17 and a young mother,  Gemma faced the unthinkable; the brutal murder of her 16 year old sister Sasha.  That horrific tragedy,  the ongoing trial,l and her recognition and research on sexual objectification led Gemma to found Yes Matters, an organization which supports victims of abuse, challenges gender stereotypes, and delivers training to...

Michelle Fishburne’s life turned upside down during the 2020 COVID spring when she lost her job and could not find another notwithstanding months of trying. At the end of July 2020, when the lease on her post-divorce house was up and her youngest was going off to college, Michelle found herself without a house, a spouse, a job, or a kid to take care of. That is what she did NOT have. What she DID have was a 2006 motorhome, tons of curiosity, and a lot of experiencing RVing all over the...

23 years old, on the verge of homelessness and feeling like the world was shrinking around her, Jennifer Sukalo was encouraged by her father and her therapist to take a hard look at herself and who she had become.  Choosing to put in the work to rediscover herself, she used her knowledge of behavioral transformation to find the swagger she had lost along the way.  Jennifer is a speaker, author, transformational expert, recovering perfectionist, lifelong learner, and the Chief Swagger Officer...

Growing up in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment, Sylvana Rochet learned to adapt to new spaces and places with ease and creativity.  Establishing a career in International Development, Sylvana traveled around the world and realized that poor leadership was a common issue in various sectors. Sylvana is an Executive Coach and People Advisor based in Silicon Valley. She guides founders and CXOs on how to manage their internal psychology and interpersonal dynamics so that they can lead...

As a young girl  Maria Lehman chose to leave her Girl Scouts troop and join the Boy Scouts because their projects interested her more.  Organizing and leading a stand-in outside the principal's office when she was in 3rd grade, it is evident that since childhood Maria has owned her badass power, trailblazing and following her own path every step of the way.  A civil engineer, Maria was recently named 2023 President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the nation's preeminent civil...

Andrea Mein DeWitt loved her job as a teacher. Inspired by the coaching element of teaching, she identified her desires and true calling.  At age 50, Andrea  took a leap of faith after 30 years in the classroom and pivoted careers to become a life coach. Known for her infectious energy, Andrea is an author, speaker, and life coach who teaches high-performing leaders and others to see and step into their authentic lives. She is the CEO of Andrea DeWitt Advisors, where she coaches...

Jenne Sharpe was living what she thought was a fairytale love story until she realized it wasn’t. After 6 years of isolation and an emotionally abusive marriage, a turning point came when she lost her father to cancer.  Ending her marriage and starting over, life became an experiment at 27.  Jenne started pole dancing lessons, traveling and  taking time to do some self discovery and  found her calling in the process.  Jenne found her passion in helping other women follow their intuition and...

Diane Armitage learned early in her career that she was the creator of her own success.  Diane took a leap of faith by quitting her full-time job, following her dreams and jumping into entrepreneurship.  She found success by focusing on living life with intention, purpose and actionable faith. 30 years ago Diane was a brand new entrepreneur who had absolutely no idea what she was doing but then came across what she calls “The Epic Switch” and everything changed. She's been nicknamed the...

After a nearly fatal head-on collision at the age of 18, Julia Nicholson began her healing journey and her adult life in search of approval and acceptance.  Realizing after 2 children and a 5 year marriage that her search needed to be within herself instead of outside, Julia began the process of healing with her trauma and putting herself first.  In this episode Julia Nicholson discusses the topic of grief through her own personal experiences of trauma and loss, and how she learned to move...

Marlene Wagman Geller always wanted to write.  Believing that success is not in succeeding but in trying, Marlene was determined to live out her dream of being a writer.   A teacher, Marlene was in Toronto, Canada, where she taught high school English and then moved to San Diego, California in 1986 to teach at a Tijuana San Diego border school which she says, “surviving that was badass enough.”  Her life changed in 2008 when she published her first book with Penguin, Once Again to Zelda: The...

When Dr. Elizabeth Klodas looked around her waiting room 15 years ago, she realized that ,although her patient’s numbers were perfect, their actual health was not.  Never afraid to ask questions, Dr. Elizabeth questioned her medical education, which taught her to prescribe medications, and took a deep dive into the root cause of cardiovascular diseases. Discovering that diet and nutrition are the main contributors to cardiovascular disease, she decided to do something about it.  Dr. Elizabeth...

Dr. Frieda Birnbaum  is no stranger to challenging the status quo and redefining the rules.  The daughter of holocaust survivors, Frieda was tasked with helping her parents navigate their immigration and assimilation to a different country and new life.  With an innate passion for helping others and a strong sense of purpose, Frieda has defied the cultural norms and expectations of every decade of her life and continues helping others do the same.  Frieda is a research psychologist and...

Answering the call that she heard at 7 years old, Nanci Smith always knew that she would pursue a career in law.  Early exposure to injustices around her, motivated Nanci to advocate for those who couldn’t advocate for themselves.  Nanci is a veteran divorce lawyer with over 30 years of litigation experience who is now a leading advocate for the collaborative divorce model and mindset. She is licensed to practice in Vermont and New York, and she teaches other lawyers about ethics, family law,...

Growing up, Jennifer Szpigiel always had an admiration for confident women.  As a young mom walking away from a career in marketing,  it became evident that her own lack of confidence was related to body image and the pressures of societal expectations.  Finding confidence through her own creativity and some deep healing work, Jennifer was determined to live by example by investing in herself and her  dream to help women find their confidence.  From a marketing career to a stay at home mom to...

Ashley Grottoli learned from her parent’s example that she had the power to control her fate.  Armed with tenacity and a hunger for knowledge Ashley chose to pivot from her life as an arts educator and dance choreographer to invest in herself.  With a brilliant idea that she knew deserved her time and focus,  Ashley took the leap of faith that would catapult her to success in an industry she knew very little about.  Today she is a multi award-winning fashion designer who recently showcased...

Growing up as a plus size athlete and dancer Pam Luk struggled to find active wear that fit properly. After becoming a mom she was determined to make an impact on diet culture and body positivity specifically for kids. Pam is the founder of Ember and Ace, an athletic wear brand for plus size kids. Growing up playing sports, she learned firsthand the importance of finding active wear that fits. After her career in project  management Pam wanted to ensure her daughter and other children can be...

Fueled by her mother and father’s encouragement and example, Kelly Mooney’s acute awareness of the importance of independence, self investing, creativity and humility led her to chart her own course in life.  With a passion for helping young women drive their careers with intention, get the opportunities they deserve, and the pay they deserve, Kelly is focused on being  part of the solution to the issues of inequity in the workplace. Kelly is the Founder and CEO of Equipt Women, a public...

Raised in the suburbs of New York, Marcia Seligson traded in her concert pianist ambitions to explore and pursue her passions for travel  and musical theater.   An introvert turned extrovert, Marcia credits her  work and experiences as a journalist, writer, and musical theater producer as the impetus for her transformation.  Marcia is a journalist, adventurer -- nine African safaris, chasing Mother Teresa around India, kissing a giraffe in Kenya --, author of eight published books and a...

Led by her belief that it is never too late to reinvent yourself, Dr. Zhu Shen pivoted from a successful career in biotech to a successful venture into filmmaking. Motivated by her son’s extraordinary talents and her husband’s life story, Zhu’s journey of triumph, heartbreak, and motherhood is fueled by a deep love for her family and her passion for helping others by sharing her stories.  Zhu is a biotech CEO turned award-winning filmmaker best known for two Oscar-qualified critically...