Ignite Podcast

What separates thriving businesses from those that feel stuck? In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Cara Kirsch sits down with Jennifer DiMotta, Founder of Uprisors Growth Partners and uprisors.com , to discuss the strategies that help businesses unlock growth, improve profitability, and operate at their full potential. Jennifer shares how she works with business owners to identify hidden c...

Brooke Pauley is the CEO and Founder of Horsepower Today. She recognized a growing and widespread challenge across organizations: persistent labor shortages and operational inefficiencies. Driven to make an impact, she set out to build a professional services consulting firm designed to help businesses overcome these obstacles and operate with greater strength and clarity. Brooke’s...

Allison Beninato , CEO and Founder of  Inspire Collaborative Health Association , is on a mission to create a path for those seeking a more holistic approach to healthcare. After 24 years in conventional medicine and her own experience navigating a broken system Allison decided to take matters into her own hands. What began as a challenge to support a complex system with innovative solutions...

Dr. Kelsey Wright is the founder and principal of Wright Healthcare Advisors, a trailblazer in healthcare leadership and operational excellence. With over 15 years of experience driving innovation in clinical operations, digital health, and revenue cycle optimization, Kelsey brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for transforming the healthcare landscape. Beyond her professional achievements,...

Kim Goins, founder of the MillionHeir’s Club and a transformational performance coach, is redefining success on her own terms. After years of building businesses and creating wealth for others, Kim made the courageous decision to do it for herself and for women everywhere. Fiercely committed to empowering Black women, she shows up authentically every day, unapologetically embracing her greatness....

Jennifer Petersen is an Omaha-based attorney and founder of JRP Law, a firm dedicated to tackling the complex challenges of employment law. Her approach combines sharp legal expertise with mediation strategies, guided by her belief that  “the best defense is a good offense.”  Now in what she calls Act 3 of her life; Jennifer is fully focused on growing her business and investing her ener...

Alexis Lawson is a purpose-driven speaker, facilitator, and program leader with over 8 years of sobriety and nearly a decade of experience working at the intersection of recovery, reentry, youth development, and personal transformation. She is also a speaker at the 9th annual Ignite Women in Business & Insurance conference. Her work is rooted in lived experience overcoming addiction, inca...

AnnMarie Fereday is the Owner and Digital Strategist at Refine Digital Marketing, where she helps businesses grow by turning complex digital challenges into simple, effective strategies. AnnMarie is not only a digital expert. She is also a wife and mother who has built her career around caring for her family and creating balance in her life. For the past two years, she has been a key part of the I...

Libby Henry , Vice President of Sales at ParetoHealth—a leading captive management company—is not only a dynamic business leader but also a proud wife and mom to two hockey-loving daughters. In this episode, Libby opens up about the power of building strong female relationships rooted in authenticity and direct communication. Known for her intensity at work and her love of being playful when the m...

Liz Ring Carlson , Vice President of Corporate Communications at Ameritas, is also a Mindset and Leadership Coach and the founder of  Mom Boss Method , a platform dedicated to empowering working moms as they balance career and family. She’s currently writing a book that expands on this mission. Liz’s work is deeply personal, rooted in her passion for self-care, intentional leadership, and the...

Mandy Ryle’s mission is clear: to empower women to reclaim their vitality and independence. Through a unique, holistic approach that blends nervous system re-education, mindset cultivation, nutrition coaching, and exercise, Mandy helps her clients systematically unravel and overcome chronic pain issues. Her work goes beyond physical health—it’s about restoring confidence, resilience, and freedom....

Meet Molly Ducker, Employee Benefits Consultant at Gallagher in Omaha and the Emcee for the upcoming Ignite Conference in March 2026. Molly brings her signature style, grace, and wit to every stage, making her the perfect host for this inspiring event. Her values are simple yet powerful: kindness, integrity, and doing what you say you’ll do. Molly is passionate about learning from diverse perspect...

On this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome  Abby DiSanti , VP of HR at FNIC and a passionate advocate for women in business. Abby is the driving force behind an incredible partnership for the 2026 Ignite Women in Business & Insurance Conference. With courage and vision, she reached out to connect Ignite with  Village Roots , ensuring this Omaha-based nonprofit; and the families it se...

Do you have a friend or colleague who is your, “Hell Yes Girl”? If you don’t, you need one! Today on the Ignite Women in Business and Insurance podcast, we spoke with Katie Zulkoski, the co-founder of Zulkoski Weber in Lincoln, Nebraska. This small-town girl is far from small – she shows up in big ways, taking up space as she builds her confidence in the people she serves. She’s a wife, a momma, a...

Growing up with her Grandparents, Kristen Rivers has demonstrated grit and tenacity as she has worked tirelessly to change the trajectory of her life. Forced to face life as an adult while still a child herself, she was committed to staying out of the foster care system and remain independent. Today, Kristen is a thriving Senior leader with Pareto Health and is working to change the way employers...

What is a human centric leader? Someone who sees the whole person in the hopes of helping them find the best version of themself. In this episode of the Ignite podcast, we share how Tracy Ward, Chief Human Resource Officer with PartnerHero-Crescendo is doing just that – focusing on the people within her organization. Her behavioral health background helps her dive deep into understanding how peopl...

Happy New Year and welcome to Season #2 of the Ignite Women in Business podcast. In this episode, Cara shares some best practices in terms of reflecting on 2024 and leaning into your goals and dreams for 2025. What are you most proud of? What do you want to continue to focus on? What do you want to stop doing? What lessons did you learn. Take some time to write down (and it does not have to be per...

As women, we are trained / raised to play it safe. On today’s episode we have the privilege of speaking with Ling Shao, Found and CEO of SpectrumAi, which a digital health start-up that improves access to high quality care for children on the autism spectrum. SpectrumAi has created an intuitive interface for clinicians to easily capture objective data and leverages advanced analytics to drive...

Sara Hanke is a   Commercial Real Estate Agent with CARR. She helps healthcare professionals maximize their profitability through real estate. Sara is a wife, a mother, a real estate guru and an extroverted introvert. She grows her confidence through her marriage and friendships and brings that confidence to the work she does every single day. She is a Nebraska transplant from a small town in...

Emma Fox is the CEO of ePowered Companies. Her resume is impressive as she is an innovator, entrepreneur, mother and wife! She shares her story of standing in her own truth and taking a position on what she believes in, even while receiving pressure from those who may not share her beliefs. She grew up in England (but you won’t hear an English accent) and now lives in North Carolina with her husba...

In this episode of the Ignite podcast, we get to know Sara Dannen. Sara is an attorney, HR leader and all-around bad ass woman. As the Vice President of People & Culture at Vance Thompson she lives by the company guiding principles, including doing the Right Thing – always. Sara has taken an active role in understanding how she can show up as her authentic self, mastering her own course and be...

Ripple Effect – the continuing and spreading results of an event or action. In this episode of the Ignite podcast, we discuss how the Ripple Effect brings joy to our friend, Andrea Fredrickson. She is an author, coach, podcaster, speaker and entrepreneur. In addition to all of those things, she is my friend, confident and trusted partner. Andrea shares her passion of not making work suck and how s...

Meet Dr. Mary Trecek, Associate Research Director for LIMRA; a member association for the insurance industry. Passionate about education and her community, Mary brings her energy to everything she does. She is a member of the Ignite Women in Business and Insurance conference committee and learned about Ignite as an attendee. She is now heavily involved in organizing the fabulous event and we are s...

Creative problem solvers watch out! Our guest, Katie Kemerling will wow you with her ability to solve problems in a creative way. Katie is the co-founder of Two Hawks, which is a marketing consultancy that partners with business owners, executive leaders, management teams, and senior marketing and HR talent to align business talent, and integrated marketing strategies to achieve remarkable and rep...

Libby Henry is a regional Vice President of Sales with Pareto Health. In her role, she is responsible for supporting employee, benefit, brokers and consultants and helping their clients find better healthcare financing mechanisms. As a badass woman, she is constantly working to use her voice to make the world better. She is someone who raises her hand and is very clear about what she wants. Join u...