Badass Women at Any Age

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...

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, tr...

G rowing 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...

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 na...

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...

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 cal...

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 ca...

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...

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."  H...

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...

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...

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 lice...

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...

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...

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. Aft...

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...

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 Mothe...

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...

After a terrible car accident left Lina Kennedy hopeless and broken, a prayer and a TV show promoting women business owners motivated her to find her way out of the dark.  Intrigued by a segment on sugaring, Lina was determined to explore and take the leap to building a business in skin care.  She turned her answered prayer into a multi-million dollar skin care company.  Lina Kennedy is the founde...

As a little girl, Elena Paweta was shy and afraid to speak up.  Finding herself in a teaching position and faced with the task of speaking publicly, Elena focused on honing her skills as a public speaker.  Over the years, this purposeful work coupled with her passion for helping people led her to her purpose, helping others strengthen their public speaking skills and to share their ideas openly an...

Living a life wrought with challenge and heartbreak, Ferlie Almonte chose to rise above it all and take control of her own destiny.  Making her mess her message, Ferlie has documented and shared her journey through breast cancer to help other women through their journeys. Ferlie lights up every stage with her gregarious personality and energy while delivering  inspirational edutainment.  She motiv...

As a shy girl growing up, Susanna wasn't used to listening or following her own intuition. Susanna worked her way up the corporate ladder and helped organizations work through conflict, develop strategic plans and inspire their employees to be their best selves as an organizational development consultant, executive coach and mediator.  Going through a divorce and making the decision to take a leap...

Being a good girl was a major part of Eileen Greene's upbringing.  What she recognized as she got older was that the messaging she had absorbed growing up was wrapped in negativity.  Recognizing that these internalized messages were completely contrary to the person she truly wanted to be, Eileen embarked on a journey that led her to unlocking her true self and in turn gave her the tools to help o...

Patricia 'Trisha' Ricketts  received a lifelong love of music, the written word, the visual arts, and healthy arguing from her Irish Catholic family of origin. She's been penning essays, short stories, poems, and novels for most of her life as she raised three wonderful children and has watched seven grandchildren growing. However, after receiving a scholarship to the University of Edinburgh in Cr...

Getting an early start working in marketing and PR, Esther Weinberg gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both fields. Working for media companies and reaching senior executive status at Disney in her early 30s, Esther found her true passion and purpose as a coach, helping companies scale, grow and succeed. Esther is a business growth accelerator that equips executives in high-growth indus...