Badass Women at Any Age

Through a series of life altering events, Lisa DeAngelis learned how to masterfully fuse work and passion in her life.  Recognizing that she could live the life she wanted based on the choices she made, gave Lisa the motivation, resilience, and power to show up as her most authentic self every step of the way.  Lisa is a holistic change practitioner.  She's an author, teacher, and speaker. She's passionate about building meaningful relationships and helping others live authentically. Her debut book, embracing the Unknown, Exploring the Pathways to Change, offers research, wisdom and inspirational stories, which will empower and support others in learning to navigate change in their own lives. Lisa's own unfolding journey has established her commitment to living with intention and purpose and helping others walk through the meaningful intersections of their lives. An avid traveler, singer, and lover of the arts, Lisa lives and works in New York City.   What You Will Hear in This Episode:   2:31 Lisa’s personal

Defying the notion that characters in novels need to be of a certain age to be popular, Stella Fosse is living her dream as a successful writer and advocate of erotica for older women.  Stella completed her career as a biotechnology writer in 2019 and became an advocate for the creative power of older women. She champions older women's creativity by leading imaginative workshops in seasoned romance erotica and memoir writing.  She writes sexy stories as a creative antidote to the gendered ageism that exists in our society.  Her 2019 book, Aphrodite’s Pen encourages ripe women to encourage erotic writing as a joyful practice.  She models this playful approach in her own fiction, including her novel, Brilliant, Charming Bastard and her story Collection, The Erotic Pandemic Ball.  Stella Blogs about topics of interest to women after midlife, including creativity, media representation, and finances. She draws from her background in biotechnology to write about older women's health and encourages guest blogs on he

After practicing law for over a dozen years, Joyce Shulman’s lifelong entrepreneurial spirit led her in a different direction.  Learning to use walking as a tool from a young age, Joyce, encouraged by her husband, turned her love of walking  into more than just a daily practice for herself.  An advocate for intentional walking, Joyce is the co-founder and CEO of 99 Walks and Jedi Fitness, two wellness brands that are rooted in the transformative power of an intentional walking practice.  A self-confessed idea junkie,  Joyce is an entrepreneur committed to building authentic communities. She is a frequent speaker, host of The Weekly Walk podcast, Veteran of the TEDx stage and author of the book Walk Your Way to Better.   Most importantly, Joyce says she's a joyful wanderer, and I'm so glad she wandered onto our show today,  What You Will Hear in This Episode:  1:20 Joyce’s personal story 4:50 Lessons learned on her entrepreneurial journey 7:56 Starting her own walking practice,  intention and their effects 1

Feeling the pressure of companies getting leaner during the pandemic, Nelly Sudri made the decision to leave her successful corporate career to pursue an MBA.  Finding that she enjoyed helping people more than crunching numbers, Nelly pivoted her focus to a masters program that centered around interpersonal dynamics and began working as a relationship coach. She grew her social media channels and created a course which replaced her corporate salary and found success doing what she truly loved, helping people.  Nelly is the star of Roku’s new original series ‘Match Me in Miami’. Nelly is the #1 Dating Coach for High-Value™ Women & Men and has the track record to support it. With over 900,000 followers on TikTok & Instagram combined, Nelly has become the top dating coach for High-Value™ singles around the world! Her dating advice videos have garnered over 20 million likes across social media and her content has transformed the love lives of millions of men and women.  Prior to starting her dating coachi

While taking a break from her career as a lifelong educator Merle Saferstein was offered a series of opportunities that led her to discover the importance of leaving her legacy.  Working with over 500 Holocaust survivors and having kept journals her entire life, Merle was inspired to help others leave their legacy through journaling.  She is a pioneer in the field of legacy journaling. She's a professional educator, speaker, author, and we can learn a lot from Merle's personal story and about the art of journaling. Merle has been journaling for 48 years and has amassed a collection of 380 journals, the majority of which are the basis for her Legacy Journal books, Living and Leaving My Legacy Volumes 1 and 2. After 26 years as a Holocaust educator, where she worked with hundreds of Holocaust survivors, helping them to leave their legacy, she retired and created Living and Leaving Your Legacy through classes, workshops, and lectures. She has guided thousands of people in Sacred Legacy work, writing for wellness

After losing her husband to a heart attack at the age of 46, Francine Russo began a 10 year quest to find a partner.  When history repeated itself and she lost her second husband, she followed the same pattern, omitting the mistakes she had made the first time around.  Combining what she learned from her experiences, career and love for relationships and psychology, Francine embarked on a journey to help people over 50 find love.  Francine Russo is the author of Love after 50 and They’re Your Parents, Too!  Armed with a PhD in English literature, she became a journalist focusing on psychology, relationships and social trends. And she’s made her mark. Having cut her teeth at the late lamented Village Voice, she’s gone on to write for virtually every publication from the Atlantic to The New York Times. She covered the Boomer beat at Time magazine for over a decade, and her cover stories have appeared on Parade and Scientific American and New York Magazine. A dynamic and polished presenter, she is in great deman

Growing up with a father who instilled in her the fact that girls can do anything boys can do, Helen Appleby put it to the test with great success.  Helen Appleby is a British New York-based Women’s Leadership expert, author, speaker and podcaster who has helped hundreds of women step into their power and write their own rules for success while also helping hundreds of men understand how to best support those women. Having seen firsthand the experiences women disproportionately face in their careers, Helen created the “Unwritten Rules” to empower women with tools to write their own rules, navigate their versions of success and achieve their potential. Prior to becoming a fulltime women's leadership expert, Helen was a global business leader for Glaskow Smith Kline, her career there and unilever.  She has lived and worked in Canada, The Uk, Dubia, Cypress, Malaysia and the United States.  Helen hosts the Unwritten Rules of Women’s  Leadership Podcast interviewing  female leaders on their experiences.  Helen al

After unsuccessfully searching for answers to her inexplicable physical ailments, Cari Kenzi came to the realization that her struggles were a manifestation of her own self invalidation and doubt.  Learning to truly honor and understand her value and self-worth, Cari began the process of healing and growing beyond her own imagined limitations by putting herself first and practicing self-love.  No stranger to adversity, as a survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing, she's experienced firsthand the power of resilience and the importance of a growth mindset. Cari Kenzie is an entrepreneur, success coach, and speaker who's dedicated to helping high achievers and organizations unlock their creativity, clarity and confidence. With her experience as a prior owner of a multi-million dollar marketing agency, Cari brings a unique perspective to her coaching and speaking engagements. Her approach is all about empowering her clients to push past their limits, find their voice and achieve their wildest dreams.  Cari has be

Karly Polkosnik started blogging about everyday life as a pastime after high school.  Operating in truth on and off camera and excelling in leadership as a result of her high school experience,  Karly found that her authenticity combined with her love for helping others was a perfect combination for success as an influencer. Karly is the real, raw and relatable voice we wish we had when we were growing up. Karly went viral as a plus size body and sex positive content creator who started making content after she was laid off from her nine to five corporate job. Realizing there was more to life than her job, Karly pressed the reset button and started fresh. Taking matters into her own hands she started sharing witty and relatable content on social media, forming a newly found path as an entrepreneur, being her own boss and making her own rules, even if it went against the grain.  As a woman of color and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community Karly inspires others through messages, preaching self-confidence, whether

Trusting that life takes you in many different directions Emily Rogan has never been afraid of change and has pivoted throughout her life to many roles including stay-at-home mom, politician and CEO.   Emily’s non-linear journey led her to finding her passion in communication and health equity. Emily is a writer, editor, storyteller, communications expert and award-winning journalist. She's a vice president at 120/80 Marketing, an agency focused on digital health and healthcare, where she works with some of the most innovative companies in the space. She also teaches at Columbia University's School of Engineering graduate program. Helping students improve their public speaking and build confidence as communicators. Early in her career she led communications at a large nonprofit organization,  worked for a national news magazine and freelanced as an editor, writer, and tutor coach. Emily earned her bachelor in English from Cornell University and her master in journalism from NYU.     What You Will Hear in This

Growing up in a farming and agriculture community,  Irma Olguin Jr. never imagined a life and career in tech.  Taking the PSAT as a sophomore and being offered a scholarship to attend college  in Ohio completely changed the trajectory of Irma’s life.  Inspired by her own story of opportunity and life changing decisions, Irma has made it her life’s work to positively affect and change the lives of people from underserved communities through tech with Bitwise Industries.  The idea of Bitwise was hatched in 2012 over a Red Bull (hers) and a gin and tonic (his) with her then IP attorney, Jake Soberal. Fueled by a series of aha moments, they decided they were in a unique position to build such a mechanism for progress.  At Bitwise, Irma oversees the screening and interviewing of all employment candidates and apprentices,  including that of Bitwise Workforce Training and Bitwise Technology Services. Her goal is to ensure Bitwise always remains faithful to its mission of strengthening Fresno’s tech industry and turn

Sara Drescher fell in love with art at an early age and was blessed with parents who supported her love and study of art from grade school through college.  While working as an artist after college, Sara took time to develop her artistic voice and upon returning to grad school found the purpose that fuels her art today.  Sara is a Texas based painter who creates hyper realistic watercolors of ordinary objects with a hidden story. Currently her work centers on issues regarding double standards and other obstacles that women face today, as well as issues surrounding sustainability in the environment.  Sara earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at Texas Tech University and her Bachelor Fine Arts degree at the University of North Texas. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professional artist and more than 10 years of experience leading popular workshops and ongoing art classes for adults. In 2021, Sara had a solo exhibit at the Museum of the Southwest titled, Reclaiming the Casserole. This exhibition wa

Growing up with the example of hardworking, successful and supportive parents, Karin Moore rose to success wherever she set her sights.  A motivated and unstoppable immigrant woman, Karin earned her engineering degree then pivoted with an MBA to a software career working over 20 years in some of the world's largest companies like Microsoft, Teradata and Optum.  In parallel with being a mom of two, Karin reached executive level roles where she was one of three women above the Senior Director role in a 1200 person team. At the height of her career Karin realized, however,  she was no longer learning.  This realization led her to question everything about leadership for women in STEM including the barriers and success strategies. Karin decided to quit her lucrative job, leaving behind a bunch of stock and a team that she loved, to pursue her PhD in Global Leadership and Change focused on improving the lives of girls and women in STEM.  She graduates in Spring of 2024 and her story is about rebuilding yourself wh

As a young child, Kelly Sullivan Walden had the uncommon occurrence of tandem dreaming with her youngest sister. Recognizing that dreams are an untapped resource for self-discovery, Kelly took her childhood passion for interpreting dreams and turned it into a lifelong career. On a mission to help us have a better understanding of our dreams and what we can learn from them, Kelly has taken a deep dive into the study of the subconscious mind and its direct connection with our conscious life. Kelly aka Dr. Dream is an award-winning, best-selling author of 10 books, dream expert, certified clinical hypnotherapist, inspirational speaker, and workshop facilitator. She also holds a Doctorate degree in Interfaith Studies. Her unique approach to dream work led to her being a consultant with thousands of individuals from Fortune 500 executives to celebrities to stay-at-home moms. She hosts the Kelly Sullivan Walden Show podcast and is the founder of Dreamwork Practitioner Training, an online professional development pr

Sexually abused by a family member at a young age, Gemma ran away from home and lived on the streets until a charity helped her.  Married  at 17 and a young mother,  Gemma faced the unthinkable; the brutal murder of her 16 year old sister Sasha.  That horrific tragedy,  the ongoing trial,l and her recognition and research on sexual objectification led Gemma to found Yes Matters, an organization which supports victims of abuse, challenges gender stereotypes, and delivers training to professionals.  She has made it her mission to change the world for the better by teaching society about the links between pornography, objectification, gender stereotypes, and male violence. Her unflappable and informed approach to delivering feminist messages have led her to become a valuable advisor to political movers and shakers. She's attended private meetings with politicians, including former Prime Minister David Cameron. Gemma was asked to present findings from her dissertation research on the impact of pornography on youn

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 have was a 2006 motorhome, tons of curiosity, and a lot of experiencing RVing all over the country. She combined all of these into a cross-country project, interviewing people about their lives during the pandemic. She RV’d 12,000 miles and interviewed hundreds of people. Now 100 of those 1st-person stories are being published by UNC Press and the Duke Center for Documentary Studies in “Who We Are Now: Stories of What Americans Lost and Found During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (March 2023). Michelle continues to be a full-time nomad, living and working in her motorhome, Airbnb’s, and the occasional house sitting gig. Her

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, transformational expert, recovering perfectionist, lifelong learner, and the Chief Swagger Officer at Swagger U.  Her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees are centered around behavioral change and her work as a global leadership consultant has reached nearly 50,000 leaders across levels, cultures, countries and industries. Her expertise in leadership and personal development have been highly sought after by companies around the world and her work in leadership development and coaching cancer survivors  to transform their circumstances from survival to spark for the rest of their lives laid the groundwork f

Growing 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 CXOs on how to manage their internal psychology and interpersonal dynamics so that they can lead from a place of clarity and courage. Since founding her practice 8 years ago, she’s coached over 200 leaders at companies like Slack, Apple, Netflix, and fast-growing startups in the US and Europe. Sylvana is a Techstars Mentor, startup advisor, and angel investor. As an international speaker, she’s given talks about how to give feedback that builds relationships, how to be a great leader, and how to leverage your mindset for success. Originally from France and Colombia, Sylvana is a political scientist by training who al

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 named 2023 President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the nation's preeminent civil engineering society. It was this organization that created the framework for the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law, which Maria was directly involved in.  She also serves as director of the US infrastructure for G H D, an international professional services firm, and vice chair of the President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Maria was elected to the National Academy of Construction just this past year. She attended New York State University at Buffalo where she was one of only six women out of 600 under

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 their authentic lives. She is the CEO of Andrea DeWitt Advisors, where she coaches heart-centered working professionals. Before stepping into coaching full time, Andrea worked as a full-time educator for almost 40 years. Despite the expectations of "staying in your lane" Andrea made the badass decision to totally switch up her career completely. Andrea is a no-excuse go getter, and spends her days empowering other women to achieve the same, regardless of their age.   What You Will Hear in This Episode:  2:14  Andrea’s personal journey 5:32  Andrea’s inspiration to cause the shift in careers 9:06  Defining a life wel