The Story Behind Her Success

The sand is in the hourglass and I am in the greatest race of my life.  -Mikey Hoag, Founder of Part the Cloud The woman you are about to meet knows what it’s like to lose both of her parents to Alzheimer’s. She and her five brothers and sisters feel like ticking time bombs, just waiting for the disease to come after them. Recruited to spearhead a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association in 2012...

I want people to remember Greta Bajrami: the girl who was an immigrant, a teenage parent, the woman who made it in an industry that not many women are welcomed into. That’s what fuels me every day. -Greta Bajrami, CEO & Founder, Golden Group Roofing Welcome to the inspiring story of a girl from war torn Albania who came to the United States when she was only 9 years old. Greta and her parents...

Imagine being in commercial real estate during a pandemic. Retail stores, restaurants, bars and businesses are closed. Pretty scary, don’t you think? Meet Ann Ehrhart. Her colleagues call her the “master distiller” because she is able to listen, process information, articulate goals, take action, and solve problems. These days, Ann is using her skills 24/7 as she and her business partner help thei...

The lesson to me is always: GET UP. Don’t be afraid to get back up on your feet and keep going. -Joyce Kulhawik Welcome back to part two of the story of a woman who has done so much with her life, we just couldn’t squeeze it all in one episode! Joyce Kulhawik is a force of nature. As a well-known arts & entertainment critic, she has interviewed just about every celebrity you can think of. But...

I come from a long line of working women. It wasn’t a matter of learning to have confidence, it was a matter of learning to work hard to get what one wanted and I knew that I would work hard to get whatever I wanted. -Joyce Kulhawik Joyce Kulhawik is a trailblazer for women in the arts. As the first full-time arts reporter/critic in the United States, she broke down barriers for women in televisio...

I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and I had a little baby inside of me. I had to be strong. You do what you’ve gotta do to get through the hard things. -Annie Montgomery Clausen Just imagine it: you are 34 years old, happily married with a successful career as a sales rep for Stryker Instruments. You love being a mom to daughter Quinn and are overjoyed to learn that you are expecting a sec...

My decision to pursue this career is because I feel that I learn from kids every single day. Sick children are amazing. They don’t act like they are sick. -Laurel Schnitman Meet Laurel Schnitman: wife, mother of two and certified child life specialist for Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. I didn’t have to go very far to find Laurel, because she lives right across the street! We settled...

The one thing that isn’t being talked about in the corona virus pandemic is that people are dying alone. And that’s not all: Covid-19 has changed the entire funeral service. -Debra Briss Wolfe The woman you are about to meet has spent nearly 30 years in the funeral business. In fact, it is fair to say that being of service to those who have died and those who are mourning is in her blood. Debra Br...

If you walk on the sidewalk outside our school you might see blood . -Sima Aleahmad Frightening words from Ms. Sima, an elementary school teacher in South Central, Los Angeles, one of the most violent school districts in the United States. But it is here in this place that Sima has chosen to work, spending 20 years empowering hearts and expanding the minds of underserved children. Sima says it is...

I learned that if you want to be in broadcasting, you’ve gotta be able to take tough criticism and not let it get you down. You’ve just got to take it, soak it up, cry at home and get to work and do your best . -Cassy Arsenault If you’ve ever wondered what would be like to work at Good Morning America and Nightline, this episode is for you. Born and raised in the little town of called Leominster,...

I’ve learned that you have to be persistent. You have to keep at it. You can’t let yourself down. You can’t let anybody else down, either. You just have to keep going no matter what. -Nancy Quill Words of wisdom from the most listened to woman in the city of Boston. Nancy Quill has been on the radio for 38 years. Hired at only 22 on a brand new station called Magic 106.7, WMJX, Nancy is still ther...

I had a lot of hopes and dreams, but I really didn’t have a voice growing up. I was shy. I was in the background. I had to figure out what I wanted to do in this world. -Natalie Martinez The Executive Director & Co-President of Strong Women Strong Girls has spent her entire career in the non-profit world. The youngest of three girls and the daughter of a military man and a nurturing mother who...

I’ve learned that you have to be grateful for everything you have in life and that some people have so much less. You have to help people whenever and wherever you can.   -Hannah Finn   She may only be 17 years old, but Hannah Finn is an old soul who lives her life with compassion and purpose. Her mission to help those less fortunate began three years ago when her mother, Claudia told her she need...

Taking care of three dealerships was hard enough for someone who didn’t know anything about the car business! -Suzanne Iovanna October 19, 2014 is a day Suzanne Iovanna will never forget because it was the day her husband Michael died in a car accident. It was also the day she became a single mom to teenagers Michael Jr and Alexandra, and the owner of Pride Motor Group in Lynn, Massachusetts. A Pe...

I had a trader pour tequila on my head because I wouldn’t kiss him in the middle of the trading floor. To react to that would have been career suicide on Wall Street in the 1990’s, so I laughed it off and grew some pretty thick skin. -Jill Fopiano Making her way in the financial world has been quite a ride for Jill Fopiano. She never really got used to being the only female at the table, but she a...

I never listened to my intuition. I did what I was expected to do. I made other people proud. That was how I lived my life . -Meredith Atwood Meredith Atwood remembers working very hard to get into law school, knowing all the while that being a lawyer was not what she was meant to do with her life. She did it anyway. The years flew by, she married her college sweetheart, had babies, and was making...

Nobody in the dressing room at Shear Madness knew that I was the co-producer. I just wanted to be a part of the cast and the camaraderie! -Marilyn Abrams This is the story of a woman who has not only used her creative talents as a singer and an actress, but has gone outside her skillset and comfort zone to produce and market a theatre production. Meet Marilyn Abrams, the co-creator and co-producer...

Walking into a book store is like being surrounded by friends. -Nandini Bajpai Meet a woman who wrote her first story in the second grade and has been writing them ever since! Born in New Delhi to a mother and father who encouraged both written expression AND the fine art of conversation around the dinner table, Nandini Bajpai has written 5 books for children and tweens. www.nandinibajpai.com . He...

We packed up our remote equipment and flew from Boston to Palm Springs, California to cover the 31st annual Palm Springs Film Festival   to talk to female directors about their craft. There was a time when there were virtually no women in director’s roles, but thankfully, times are changing and I was fortunate to meet and interview two female directors who are trailblazers in their field. First up...

Our stores are named after our grandmother, Isabel Harvey. She gave us lessons in confidence, on how to be strong and to do what your heart is telling you. She taught us to dream big. -Alexis & Kimberly Kissam When Alexis and Kimberly were growing up, they were blessed to have two strong female role models: their grandmother and their mother. The sudden death of their father placed their mom i...

When I see something I really want to do, I get obsessed. -Christie Lindor If you could use a role model in the business world, Christie Lindor may just be the woman to watch. www.christielindor.com . She’s been climbing the ladder as a consultant to blue chip companies like Deloitte, EY and IBM for nearly 20 years and her tireless work ethic is a direct result of her upbringing. Raised in Boston,...

Don’t let anyone tell you to get over your grief, to move on. Everyone grieves differently. -Molly Hanna Glidden The life lessons we learn from the sad times in our lives are just as important as the lessons we learn from joyful moments. Why? Because adversity is a great teacher. Meet Molly Hanna Glidden, author of the new book Reminiscing La Vie en Rose and A Family Broken: Surviving Traumatic Lo...

A lot of my life didn’t start until I was over 40. If you say “I”m too old” you are looking for an excuse NOT to do what you want. -Terri Trespicio Meet a woman whose life and career trajectory are living proof that getting gutsy will help you get to where you want to go. Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker coach, former Sirius radio host, stand-up comedian and a brand advisor. But...

This work matters to the core of my being. -Melissa M. MacDonnell, Founder & President/ Liberty Mutual Foundation You’ve probably seen the commercial on television a million times for Liberty Mutual (liberty liberty, liberty). But did you know that this Boston based insurance company founded in 1912 also has a philanthropic arm called the Liberty Mutual Foundation? Created by the company’s Vic...

There are some people who come out of the womb kicking and screaming and they are not gonna let anything stand in their way. I’m one of those people . -Dianne O’Connor Born a farmer’s daughter on a sheep ranch in Montana, Dianne lost both of her parents when she was young. She and her sister moved in with their grandmother and were raised on a poverty stricken Black Foot Indian reservation. Always...