The Story Behind Her Success

Sometimes the door you’re trying to push or kick open isn’t the door that’s designed for you .  -Maureen Weisner If your career needs an adjustment, I’ve got just the woman for you!  Meet Maureen Weisner, co-founder and managing partner of KICKSTART Your Transition www.kickstartyourtransition.com. A wife and mother of grown children, Maureen has been flexing her teaching muscles for a lifetime, he...

I thought I was broken. I thought there was something wrong with me . -Kimberly Plante This episode is going to make you angry and it might just make you cry. As the abused child of a young, single mother, Kimberly Plante grew up in constant fear. She lived in squalor in a home where cockroaches climbed the walls. She wore filthy clothes, had no friends, and was left alone at night to care for her...

Being a connector is my calling. This is the work that lights me up . -Valerie McSorley Valerie McSorley could claim the title of “super-connector” any day of the week. She’s been building her vast professional network for decades by producing live, major market industry events, developing businesses and creating strategic partnerships that endure the test of time. She’s currently the Senior Vice...

There is a massive under-investment in non-profits serving women and girls in this country. -Christina Gordon Meet Christina Gordon, Co-Founder & CEO of WFBoston. www.wfboston.org. She holds an undergraduate degree from Boston University and four master’s degrees: two from the prestigious Sloan School of Management at MIT and two more from Brandeis University. Raised by a single mom not...

I have always wanted to do something that has a lasting impact on the youth of this nation. Today I am doing what I am meant to do, using my gifts and talents. -Stacy A. Padula Young Adult and children’s book author Stacy A. Padula has written 13 books and every one of them has risen to #1 either as a New Release or Best Seller on Amazon since 2010. One of the most fascinating parts of this story...

Yes, it was like entering a man cave when I first got started, but now, I am a voice for women in finance and trading and I am empowered to bring women along with me .  -Samantha LaDuc Samantha LaDuc describes herself as a macro-to-micro analyst, educator, and trader of stocks, options, futures, crypto, commodities, currencies, and bonds.  www.laductrading.com.  Born and raised on a farm in upstat...

Don’t tapdance too loudly.  Under promise and over-deliver. That’s my advice .  -Andrea Hall Andrea Hall is living proof that our lives really do unfold like chapters in a book.  Her latest chapter finds her at the helm of a non-profit called Grateful Friends www.gratefulfriends.org where the mission is to provide financial support to adults undergoing cancer treatment.  But just how did she get h...

As an autistic parent, there is intense isolation and no matter how supportive your friends with typical children want to be, you need to have someone who understands your life. -Candice Hartford Candice Hartford is a NICU nurse with a heart of gold. She’s spent her career caring for critically ill newborns and their families, first in her native California and now in Boston at Mass General Brigha...

I’ve spent my adulthood working with the Greatest Generation.  My average client is 89 years old and they’ve taught me that even if you live 100 years, it is the blink of an eye.   -Erin DiCarlo Erin DiCarlo‘s career path has been inspired not only by her lifelong devotion to her grandparents Nanny and Da, but by the joy she gets from working with the elderly. A wife and mother of four, Erin is th...

If you tell me I can’t do something, I’m gonna do it 10 times better than you ever thought I could.  -Judy Briggs We’re on the road for this episode of The Story Behind Her Success, featuring the story of Judy Briggs, mother of 4 and franchise owner of 3 thriving synergistic businesses:  1-800-GOT-JUNK, Men in Kilts/Boston and MaidPro Metrowest.  Recorded in Judy’s offices in the little town of Ho...

Once upon a time, it was a grand event to go to the local movie theatre.     -Katherine Tallman   In this interview, we meet Katherine Tallman, a lifelong lover of cinema. She’s the Executive Director & CEO of the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts,  one of America’s most iconic movie theatres.  coolidge.org.  Originally built as a church in 1906, it was re-designed as an art...

When I was a teenager, I had one of those diaries with a little lock.  I kept it under my bed and I would pull it out and just start writing .  -Maggie Van Galen Do you love to write?  Meet Maggie Van Galen. Inspired by her father’s incredible ability to tell a story, this award-winning children’s book author and wordsmith has been writing since she could hold a pen.  Maggie grew up in a tiny town...

I don’t just make pretty dresses.  If I design a dress that doesn’t excite the woman who is wearing it, this is not good enough.  Every piece of art should excite you . -Anna Nieman Born in Belarus in the former USSR, Anna Nieman learned all about perseverance and hard work from her parents.  Her father was a messanger for the resistance during World War II. Captured by Stalin’s army at only 17, h...

I’m a businesswoman with old-fashioned values:  loyalty, tenacity, and a burning desire to be successful . – Cindy Stumpo Cindy Stumpo has been paving the way for women in construction for decades. At only 23 and just days away from giving birth to her daughter Samantha, Cindy was the only woman in the room when she sat for hours to take her general contractor’s exam and would sell her first...

Mental Illness affects everyone across all domains.  It doesn’t matter what your cultural background is, or your socio-economic background. It’s really an equal-opportunity illness that affects everyone . -Gemima St. Louis, Ph. D. A recent survey shows that 90% of Americans believe our country is experiencing a mental health crisis.  Fortunately, Gemima St. Louis is leading the way toward solving...

When we talk about people, it’s very easy to talk about the things we don’t do well. We easily go to our weaknesses. My job is to encourage people to think about their strengths and what makes them a leading product . -Joanna Dutra Today’s story is all about using our gifts, talents, and collective experience to create a new chapter in our lives. Joanna Dutra plays the piano and the violin. She si...

It’s hard to Innovate because It’s not a linear process, it’s often circuitous. So if you fail, pick yourself up and learn from it. You might go in a new direction . -Carrie Allen Having a great idea and acting on it, nurturing it into reality, and believing in its merit is a lot like finding buried treasure at the bottom of the ocean. If your idea works, the rewards are huge. Carrie Allen h...

I don’t need to be a big star.  I don’t have to be defined by how much money I’m making.  If I’m performing, that is success to me. – Francesca Amari Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with uber-talented cabaret singer Francesca Amari. Recorded in my rental car, in the parking lot of a hotel beside a highway in Thousand Palms, California, this interview is full of wisdom for anyone with a...

I am an honest singer. I screw up on stage, I own it.  I laugh at myself. I look at people when I sing, I don’t sing over them.  I’m just really human.   -Francesca Amari Our west coast swing continues with an interview that ended up taking place IN MY RENTAL CAR!  Francesca Amari is a fabulously talented cabaret singer, so when she agreed to be on the show, we made a plan to do the interview at a...

Style is your aura. It’s your energy . -Rosa Hu In the spotlight, creator & designer Rosa Hu.  Born in New York City and raised in Southern California, Rosa’s parents escaped communist China and settled in Taiwan.  When it was time to go to college, the two came to the United States and never left.  As a child, Rosa was obsessed with style and never wanted to do anything but fashion.  Armed wi...

I knew in the depths of my soul that all of this had a reason. I knew I was going to get to the other side . -Dawn Kohler Last week’s episode was incredibly powerful and so is part 2 of the story of Dawn Kohler, author of the memoir The Messages. www.dawnkohler.com. Now an in-demand executive coach who helps her clients re-awaken their purpose and their passion, Dawn is an incest survivor who has...

I raised myself. From a very early age, I knew in my heart I was on my own. Nobody was helping me. -Dawn Kohler What you are about to hear is Part 1 in a series about Dawn Kohler, author of the memoir The Messages. This story needs to be told, but it is also very difficult to hear. If you have children nearby, my strong suggestion is that this episode is not for their ears. Born and raised in San...

If I’m passionate about doing something, I’m not gonna let anybody roadblock me . -Christina Knight In the spotlight, a woman who doesn’t understand the word “no” and probably never will. Meet Christina Knight, Nurse Practitioner and co-founder of Dynamic Evolutions in Health & Beauty at www.dynamicevolutions.com. Together with business partner Dr. Edgar Ballenas, Christina is introducing pati...

Fashion never ends.  Fashion never sleeps.  -Daniela Corte Fueled by a passion for fashion and a love of espresso, Argentinian-born women’s clothing designer Daniela Corte wakes up at the crack of dawn ready to create her signature pieces. Voted Best Women’s Clothing Designer by Boston Magazine in 2021, Daniela has been making women feel elegant and beautiful in her clothes since 2000.  In this in...

I used to think that success meant a degree, living on your own, having a car, and your bills paid. My heart feels successful when I am teaching lifeguards how to save a human, when I’m teaching kids how to swim, or when I’m having dinner with the love of my life. That’s success to me. -Chelo Lundquist-Krag Chelo Lundquist-Kragg is an Aquatics Director, an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructo...