The Empowered Woman | Storytelling & Women Empowerment

In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Gelband , a sex therapist in New York City and the founder of Openly Health, a platform designed to help women navigate sexual health care across every stage of life. Michelle shares how her years working in OB-GYN settings revealed a major gap in conversations around sexual health, pain, pleasure, and intimacy, and how her own experience with endometriosi...

In this inspiring conversation, Lori Mayberry , Executive Director of Get Out the Vote PAC, shares her unexpected journey from working behind the scenes as an operations manager to becoming the public face of a growing political organization. Lori explains how the passing of her business partner and the organization's founder, Steve, pushed her into a leadership role that required her to learn fun...

In this episode, Cathy Derksen shares her unexpected journey from a career in medical genetics and financial planning to creating multi-author books that give women the opportunity to become published authors. Cathy explains how becoming an author herself in 2019 sparked a passion for helping women share their stories, wisdom, experiences, and lessons with the world. Through her multi-author books...

Victoria Wright is an author, speaker, and mentor who helps people challenge the limiting beliefs that keep them playing small so they can step into a more limitless life. In this episode, Victoria shares the deeply personal turning point that transformed her own life. After being unexpectedly demoted during a corporate reorganization, she experienced a profound crisis of identity and began confro...

Erin Barbossa , LCSW, is a grief coach and the founder of Lionflower Studio, where she helps women navigate grief and loss through creativity, connection, and self-trust. Erin's journey is anything but traditional. She began her career in television, working at NBC before spending four years working for Oprah, where she discovered the power of listening to women's stories. She later returned to sc...

In this episode, we're joined by Carrie Mayers and Samantha Mayers , a mother-daughter duo behind a corporate coaching company focused on transforming potential into performance. With Carrie bringing more than 30 years of experience in sales, client relationships, training, coaching, and consulting, and Samantha bringing her background in tech consulting and leadership development, they combine tw...

Suzanne Longstreet , known as the "Millionaire Activator," helps women break through limiting beliefs, build confidence, and unlock their potential for greater financial success. In this episode, Suzanne shares her inspiring journey from corporate HR to entrepreneurship, NLP coaching, and hypnotherapy. She opens up about the challenges she faced along the way, including self-doubt, past experience...

What if the key to navigating difficult workplace dynamics isn't becoming more confident, but understanding what's really driving the behavior of the people around you? In this thought-provoking episode, leadership coach and author James Dakin explores how insecure leadership impacts women and why so many talented women find themselves shrinking, second-guessing, or feeling powerless in profession...

In this episode, Susan Dabbar shares what it really takes to build businesses that last. With nearly four decades of entrepreneurial experience, seven companies founded, and five successful exits, she reflects on the lessons she's learned from designing nuclear submarines, launching businesses across multiple industries, living abroad, and even playing professional poker. She discusses identifying...

Today's Stage Thought explores why clarity is often more powerful than persuasion. Using a simple restaurant sign analogy, we unpack how the clearest message—not necessarily the one with the most credentials or the longest list of services—is the one people remember. If your audience can't quickly understand who you help, what problem you solve, and why you're different, even the strongest present...

In this first Stage Thoughts episode, I explore the difference between being a speaker and becoming a thought leader. While great speakers educate and inspire, thought leaders shift perspectives by giving people a new way to see familiar challenges. I share why your unique point of view—not the amount of content you create or the number of stages you stand on—is what ultimately makes people rememb...

Jenny Catalano , founder and CEO of Impact Events Collective, joins the show to share how she transformed years of corporate leadership experience into a mission-driven business focused on building stronger workplace cultures through community impact. After witnessing the gap between the values companies promote and what employees actually experience, Jenny created a unique approach that brings te...

Natasha Walstra , founder of Near Point Strategies, shares why LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for building authentic business relationships—not by chasing likes or becoming an influencer, but by creating meaningful conversations that lead to real opportunities. She shares her journey from struggling with cold calls in sales to discovering the power of relationship-based networking,...

Miranda Rocca-Circelli shares her inspiring journey from entrepreneur, educator, and mother to leadership coach, author, and founder of Empower U Leadership. Drawing on nearly two decades of leadership experience and her own healing journey, Miranda opens up about how becoming a parent prompted her to confront unresolved trauma, redefine her identity, and develop a deeper understanding of personal...

In this inspiring episode, entrepreneur, speaker, and messaging strategist Sonia Gomez shares her remarkable journey from surviving a life-altering health crisis to building a global online community that has reached hundreds of millions of people. Through powerful storytelling, Sonia reveals how some of life's greatest challenges can become the foundation for purpose-driven success. She discusses...

Tracy Doyle is a former CEO, resilience coach, and author whose remarkable journey from burnout to breakthrough has inspired countless women to reclaim their lives. In this heartfelt conversation, Tracy shares how growing up as a young caregiver in a family affected by addiction and mental illness shaped the beliefs that fueled her drive for success. After building an award-winning business and ac...

In this episode, Terranie Clarke , founder of The Heart Next Door, shares her remarkable journey from surviving a traumatic childbirth experience to building a mission-driven maternal health technology company. After facing life-threatening complications during the birth of her daughter, Terranie felt called to use her story to create change. What began as personal healing through writing evolved...

In this empowering episode, Jacquelyn Goldberg , VP of Global Sales at Unframe, shares her journey from venture-backed tech sales into the fast-moving world of AI. Jacquelyn opens up about navigating leadership in male-dominated industries, the importance of emotional intelligence in sales, and why women bring unique strengths to relationship-building and advocacy. She also reflects on the role me...

In this episode, mindfulness meditation instructor and high-performance coach Aaron Hendon explores the powerful connection between meditation, performance, and sustainable success. Aaron shares his journey from running a successful real estate business while silently battling constant anxiety and "Jaws music" in his chest, to discovering how mindfulness transformed both his personal life and prof...

In this episode, Bev Hampson , co-founder and CEO of Category 3 Media, unpacks the evolving world of podcast monetization and why women-led shows deserve a bigger spotlight in the advertising industry. Bev shares her journey from radio advertising to building a female-focused multimedia agency that helps podcasters turn their platforms into profitable businesses through sponsorships, affiliate par...

In this episode of The Empowered Woman, serial entrepreneur Paresa Noble shares the realities of building businesses, balancing motherhood, and following bold ideas even before feeling fully ready. Paresa opens up about her entrepreneurial journey—from selling anti-bullying bracelets in college and pursuing music, to navigating corporate America and eventually launching Nobler Media. She also shar...

In this episode, Lisa Simone Richards shares her bold transition from a 20-year career in public relations to building a purpose-driven product business. She opens up about navigating a shifting industry, facing imposter syndrome, and the pivotal moment that inspired her to create Pearl Spark Pages—a stationery brand designed to help women entrepreneurs build confidence from within. She also highl...

This episode features psychotherapist and author Kristine Jensen in a deep conversation about the hidden inner dialogue so many high-achieving women carry—especially the quiet but persistent voice of self-doubt. Drawing from over 40 years of clinical experience and her book Bruised, Not Broken: Healing the Shame of a Troubled Childhood, Kristine unpacks how these internal narratives are often root...

In this episode, Daniel Wakefield shares how powerful visuals and intentional personal branding can transform a business. As the founder of Top Tier Headshots, he opens up about his journey from high school science teacher to thriving commercial photographer, revealing how a passion for wildlife photography evolved into a business serving speakers, entrepreneurs, and executives. Daniel also highli...

In this episode, Julie Cole —co-founder of Mabel's Labels—shares the real, behind-the-scenes journey of building a product-based business from a basement startup to a category leader. What began as a simple solution to a frustrating everyday problem turned into a thriving company powered by innovation, word-of-mouth marketing, and a deep understanding of moms as consumers. Julie opens up about the...