TrailBlazers Impact

Sharon Hirota, a native of the Big Island of Hawaii, was faced with a difficult decision. Her boss had resigned, she was chosen to replace him, and then he decided not to quit. She was at a crossroads. Should she go back to her old job or should she leave? She had been with the agency for 16 years. She had demonstrated her creativity. When her housing program needed a shot of creativity in decreas...

Dr. Jackson-Chapman revisits memories of growing up in the days of a vibrant, thriving Gary, Indiana; a steel-mill city devasted by the decline of manufacturing in the 1980s-90s and the disinvestment that followed. She reflects on her lessons-learned as a young parent determined to fully achieve her academic and professional dreams. She discusses the many women (and 2nd husband) who became the "wi...

Kent’s podcast is a gift for students of history! He was directly involved in the passage of the The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Kent gives us inside information on how the law actually was passed and what it is like to participate in the March on Washington...

One of our most powerful episodes to date, Janice Stewart describes seeing the 16th Street Church in Birmingham burning as she was headed to Sunday school. Sunday, September 15, 1963, at 10:22 a.m., the church became known around the world when a bomb exploded, killing four young girls attending Sunday School and injuring more than 20 other members of the congregation. In this episode of Trailblaz...

Brianna McDonald was bullied as a child, including being held under water in a lake by five girls, until it became so bad, her parents had to move to another town. It still affects her today as she struggles with the Imposter Syndrome. As President of Keiretsu Forum Northwest, a funder of women-owned businesses, she explains how company investment works and how women-owned companies can qualify fo...

JoAnn Yukimura explains her love of Kauai, her early years on the island, and her efforts to preserve and protect her island home. As Mayor and County Councilperson for Kauai, she learned to use her voice to influence policy including restrictions on development for setback and height limitations. One of her most signficant contributions was the development of public transportation which made it e...

Verna Jones-Rodwell shares her early start as a community organizer and advocate for affordable housing and community development where she worked to improve the living conditions of Baltimore's poorest families. At age 34 she launched her first campaign for political office seeking to represent her district in the Maryland House of Delegates. She talks about the lessons learned after losing that...

Sharon, Gail, and Nan, long-term friends on a retreat in Las Vegas, talk about a variety of subjects from growing up experiences to going to Maya Angelou's Black Tie birthday parties given by Oprah to just living life. Gail gives some great advice on choosing a marriage partner, surviving an abusive household, and being a young woman in today’s climate. If you liked what you heard, please hit the...

Having been to 100 countries and lived in 11 of them, Case Lane describes her experience as a foreign diplomat and global traveler. Educated in communications, political science, business, law and economics, her website,  readyentrepreneur.com , provides advice to people thinking of starting a business all the way to experienced entrepreneurs. As an author, she discusses her process of writing and...

Patzetta Trice recounts a childhood fueled by the leadership and sage advice her father shared with his daughters to include the values of "Faith, Family and Community". Living these values became her personal mission informing the professional and civic outcomes that led to the receipt of local, national and global awards. She shares her personal perspective on "success" as being that of "what sh...

In this episode, Marisa takes us on her journey that started with a career in healthcare and moved into launching a now very successful swimwear line, Hermoza Swim. With Colombian and Mexican parents, her family went from rags to riches through hard work, dedication and perseverance. Before starting the swimwear line, she worked for the non-profit, Rivers of Hope, owned by Chargers' quarterback Ph...

Raynette discovered she was the only female in her profession and shares her first-hand experience with the disparity in pay of women professors and the resulting changes, in part due to Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the advent of the birth control pill, and the changes brought about by the civil rights movement and the 60's and the relation to the current environment. She talks about jobs today in...

  Elsie is a woman icon in podcasting with 4 shows including She Podcasts! With a background in acting, she transitioned seamlessly into her new career and now works for Libsyn, a podcasting hosting company. She discusses her challenges with immigrating from El Salvador, especially dealing with the after effects of growing up in a country in distress. When she first came to the U.S., she was ridic...

Mildred Morgan Ball takes us through her incredible journey filled with many instances where she found herself as the "first and only.” Starting with her high school experience in the late 1940s, and continuing through an illustrious career of advocating for gender and racial equity in athletics and the performing arts. At the age of four, she experienced the formidable passing of her mother and w...

In a world that seems to be growing increasingly more dangerous by the day, Lisa Preston, a former hostage negotiator, provides important tools for parents about how to guard against potential child abusers and gives valuable advice about how to speak to your children about safety. Drawing from her background in the police department where she worked in vice, and crimes against children, she talks...

One life changing moment changed the way she looks at human rights. She believes every woman should give birth the way she feels most comfortable and there is no wrong way or one more spiritual than the other. She believe without the roadblocks she wouldn’t have grown. Three years after her divorce, while raising 4 children, she decided to further her education. One thing that was key for her was...

Working within a male-dominated industry, she discusses how she dealt with the challenge of fitting in. She talks about knowing your history so you know how to move forward in life and the importance of women knowing who they are and their purpose. She also gives advice on the key insurance coverages for businesses, especially business succession planning. If you liked what you heard, please hit t...

Anita talks about her personal battles to overcome recurring attacks of self-doubt fighting back the absence of self confidence born of her introverted personality but all the while recognizing her abilities to achieve each goal she established. Her career was fueled by mentors and personal cheerleaders helping her to elevate from nurse to hospital president to entrepreneur as she entered retireme...

Janice established the distinction between purpose and mission and what she wanted personally in childhood. She talks about how to wend your way through the corporate environment to survive. She shares her thoughts on dealing with attitudes and gives advice to young women today.  If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network! Please visit o...

Described as a serial entrepreneur who has created and sold several businesses, Penny talks about how to deal with the work-life balance when you have aging parents with health issues, a business that needs a new home, and a still-young marriage to keep alive. If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network! Please visit our website for more...

Penny shares the story of her globe-trotting life from England and Germany to Japan and back to America. She describes making the challenges associated with the transition between a variety of countries cultures.  She shares with us the experience of working with Professor W. Edwards Demming; the guru credited with the beginning of quality, productivity, and competitiveness. If you liked what you...

Emily shares her early childhood family trajedy of losing her father, a 1934 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who was subsequently "lost", along with his entire flight crew, in the infamous "Bermuda Triangle" towards the close of WWII; her early years of nursing at a time when "doctors were Kings" (and nurses their "subjects"); the social challenges of entering into an mixed race marriage in the...

Jocelyn’s journey to finding self is a journey shared by so many other women caught between the world of “low expectations of women” to her world of high expectations for herself.  She shares her-story of moving from a young “self”, replete with marital trials, a major medical diagnosis  and  marrying men “like my father”, to college grad at age 42 and climbing the ladder to Town Clerk.  If you li...

Tara describes the challenges and difficulties in being pregnant in high school and then being a teen mom. She is a role model for teens facing the same issues today. She credits her family for helping her raise her son who has become an attorney today.  She has a passion for traveling to 30 countries and talks about her first solo experience in traveling to Switzerland. Her professional career in...

Robin grew up in a dysfunctional family looking for love, craving attention. She shares what she learned did and didn't work. She went on to : lawyer, pilot, interview coach, author. She explains the process for writing, and publishing a novel. SHOP for her book, Fly Girl, on the trailblazersimpact.com website.   If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode...