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We spent five years trying to have a baby and then decided to make the switch from baby making to family making – Jessica Fein

We’re back in my cozy living room for this episode of The Story Behind Her Success. I’m learning that when you’re sitting on a comfy couch with the fire going, the time you spend together feels more like a chat between friends and less like a formal interview. An author, marketing executive, and former opinion columnist for the Boston Globe, Jessica Fein’s book, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams and Broken Genes, will give you new reasons to believe in the resiliency of the human spirit. In Part One of this interview, Jessica tells the story of how she and her husband, Rob, spent five years trying to have a baby. When nothing worked, they turned to adoption, and were so overjoyed with their decision, they wondered why they hadn’t made it sooner. Over the next few years, the couple welcomed three beautiful babies into their home, all of whom were from Guatemala. It was baby heaven with Jonah, Dalia, and Theo for a while, until the little voice inside Jessica’s head got louder and louder. Call it a hunch, or mother’s intuition, but Jessica knew that something just wasn’t right with Dalia. As a toddler, she fell down a lot, and her speech was delayed. Repeated tests by early intervention experts showed that Dalia was on the lower end of normal, but as time went by, Jessica persisted. Finally, Dalia’s hearing was tested and showed moderate hearing loss. Now in kindergarten, Dalia had hearing aids, but continued falling down. Since she was adopted, doctors suggested that Dalia undergo genetic testing, and the result was devastating. Five-year-old Dalia was diagnosed with a degenerative, rare disease with no cure called MERFF, which impacts the ability of the body’s organs to function. MERFF is degenerative and has no cure. 2 children in 1 million will get this disease, and Dalia had yet another layer of the disease, making her 1 of only six known cases in the world. With this news, Jessica and her family began a journey filled with overwhelming fear, sorrow, and a belief that in life, we must find reasons to laugh in order to capture joy wherever we can. For a 21-minute story that will leave you breathless, just hit that download button. #rarediseases #motherhood #storytelling #adoption

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There were two flashes of white light at my feet, like quick fireworks, and then everything went black.  My brain knew that my right leg was beyond repair.  -Roseann Sdoia Materia

April 15, 2013: That’s the day the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon finish line.  This is the story of an innocent bystander who lost her right leg when the second bomb went off in front of the Forum Restaurant. Roseann Sdoia Materia’s life would be saved that day by three people who stepped into the smoke and mayhem to save her life:  college student Shores Salter, Boston police officer Shana Cottone, and Boston firefighter Mike Matteria risked their lives to help her, and their story is told in Roseann’s memoir:  Perfect Strangers:  Friendship, Strength and Recovery After Boston’s Worst Day.  Originally released as part of this series in 2018, the interview brings the listener into the events of that day, when brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev unleashed a terror attack using homemade pressure cooker bombs planted near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing three people and injuring 264.  Days later, the brothers would also kill MIT police officer Sean Collier. Treated by trauma surgeon Daniel King, MD at Mass General, Roseann explains how fortunate she was to have a doctor who had experienced treating soldiers wounded by IEDs during his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Beyond the details of what happened on that fateful day, Roseann’s story is a profile in courage as she struggled to accept the loss of her leg and a new reality as an amputee.  Says Roseann, “Courage is getting up every day and facing the world. Some days you have it and some days, you don’t. “  The founder of robostrong.com, she is an in-demand public speaker, an advocate for amputees everywhere, and a supporter of the many charities that have been born out of the bombings.  The friendships Roseann forged with those who rescued her remain strong. In fact, Roseann married firefighter Mike Materia!  For 23 minutes of strength, courage, community, and the resiliency of the human spirit, just hit that download button.  #bostonmarathonbombings #bostonmarathon #bostonstrong #massgeneralhospital#spauldingrehab 

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We are on a mission to inspire and empower children and families to discover, imagine, and grow together.  -ErinGallagher

The living room edition of the series continues with an interview with Erin Gallagher, a young mother of three who teamed up with a friend and neighbor to create the Children’s Museum of Franklin.  www.childrensmuseumfranklin.org.  What started as a dream in the summer of 2023 has become a reality, with the grand opening scheduled for the summer of 2025.  Consider this proof positive that if you want to get something done, give it to two busy moms!  Housed in a former AGWAY home and garden space, the state-of-the-art children’s museum will be overflowing with exhibits to engage and inspire children of all ages.  Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Erin says she found her confidence and purpose rowing crew on the river near her childhood home and later as a member of the crew team at Boston College.  A dedicated community leader, marketing and communications professional, and passionate advocate for children and families, Erin has combined her desire to create an inspiring space for children with her experiences in multiple industries, with the hope of connecting families throughout the region. In this interview, Erin shares her belief that having a vision is everything:  “Your creativity and your ability to envision what something could be like can be so powerful, and it can take you so far.”   For 23 minutes of empowerment, just hit that download button.  #childrensmuseum #education #community 

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Being a scientist is a way of looking at the world, and asking the question ‘why’ without your own pre-conceived notions. I’ve learned that it’s also a great way of doing business. -Julia Wrin Piper

How do you go from scientist to CEO? Meet Julia Wrin Piper. She’s got degrees in Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Evolutionary Biology from UC/Berkeley, the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, and Harvard University, and she’s using years of scientific training to forward the mission of Clover, a Boston-area fast casual chain specializing in local, seasonal sandwiches and bowls. www.cloverfoodlab.com. Clover’s mission is to significantly reduce carbon emissions through the creation of delicious, sustainably-sourced, plant-based fast food. Says Julia: “We take beautiful food that people are familiar with, and reinvent it with 100% locally sourced vegetarian ingredients. We want you to love your veggies so much, you dream about them.” Clover’s Cambridge-based culinary experts work directly with farmers in the region. Born and raised in California’s Bay Area, Julia’s mom is a virologist who was at the forefront of HIV research and continued to offer her scientific expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her father was a stay-at-home dad for many years before taking a job as an educator. Now a mother herself, Julia deeply appreciates the home she grew up in: “It was like no other. My mom was my role model, and having my father at home gave us a wonderful and very different perspective. What does the future look like for Clover under Julia’s leadership? Chances are, there will be a Clover near you as the company eyes expansion beyond Massachusetts. “Being a scientist is a way of looking at the world, asking the question ‘why’ without your own pre-conceived notions. I’ve learned that it’s also a great way of doing business. For 23 minutes with a woman who makes science yummy and fun, just hit that download button. #scientist #veggies #climatechange #STEM #local #carbonfootprint

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The Amalfi Coast is a dream place, and when I saw it for the first time, something shifted in me.  I knew I had to live there.   -Lauren Birmingham

Born into an Italian-American family of great chefs, Lauren Birmingham has an innate love of food and family.   As a child growing up in Cranston, Rhode Island, she spent hours swinging in a hammock under a cherry tree,  reading the classics.  This fascination with reading, combined with her passion for travel, inspired Lauren to explore Europe as an adult.  On a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast, she came around a corner in her Fiat 500 and couldn’t believe her eyes.   “Thecolor of the houses built into the mountains was like confetti.  They were the prettiest pink, blue, and yellow, and the color of the Tyrrhenian Sea was an unmatchable shade of blue. It’s a magical place, unlike any I’d ever seen in my life.”  From that moment, Lauren came back to Positano as often as she could,  running her PR business from a rented studio while developing her Cooking Vacations Italy culinary tour company.   cooking-vacations.com.  Along the way, she met and married an Italian race car driver named Rino Piscitelli.  At the top of her career,  she decided to write a cookbook that would include the recipes of 5-star Michelin Chef Andrea Migliaccio and become a 360-page labor of love.  Says Lauren:  “ It took years to travel around the Amalfi Coast and Capri, interviewing in Italian and then translating into English, plus the recipes had to be translated from metric to imperial.”  Aptly named It’s A Dream Place: Stories & Recipes of Food, Love & the Amalfi Coast, this interview with Lauren will set your compass toward the next flight to Italy!   #amalficoast #italy #food #michelinchef 

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Family comes first & chocolate comes second! – Cheryl Salto

We’re back in my cozy living room with the fireplace roaring for another edition of The Story Behind Her Success.  In the spotlight, a registered nurse and mother of two who makes chocolate treats all day long in her home kitchen, for special occasions.  Check out Cheryl Salto’s yummy chocolate delights here:   www.candyundercover2.com/shop.  Her entrepreneur story started back in 1998 with her original company, Candy Under Cover.  The small, home-based business took off like a rocket and Cheryl was able to sell it for a nice profit.   These days, she’s renamed the business Candy Under Cover 2 and word about her creations continues to spread far and wide. In 2024 she took home the gold medal in the Best of the West contest and even placed holiday orders from the Boston Celtics!   Although her husband kiddingly calls her Willy Wonka, Cheryl is determined to find a healthy balance between making chocolates, and savoring life. Says Cheryl:  “Family comes first, and chocolate comes second.”  Admittedly frugal, she explains in this interview that her initial investment in the business was small. “Some people want to go big.  I wanted to stay small.  It’s always been me, using my own pots and pans.  If anything costs me an arm and a leg, I’m not doing it.”   For down to earth advice about what matters most in this life, success as an entrepreneur and the sustaining power of faith, just hit that download button.   #chocolate #smallbusiness #homebusiness #entrepreneur #RN #faith

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This is a book about empowerment.  It’s about finding yourself within the rubble. -Sarah Elizabeth

Sarah grew up on a dirt road in rural Maine in a farmhouse built in 1770…an idyllic childhood until it completely disappeared when her parents divorced when she was in high school and her family as she knew it, fell apart.  “ As a young woman, the image of the white picket fence became a mission for me. I was convinced that I could build a life of control and stability.”

Sarah and her husband were both products of divorce, and were determined not to allow what happened to them happen to their children:  “ Our marriage didn’t work, but our family very much does.”

Sarah found herself saying yes to everything and only feeling valuable when she said yes to others.

It’s one thing to write a book, it’s another thing to put it out there for the world to read. The biggest source of joy is hearing from women who have read the book.  Women and men have said that they felt like they are no longer alone on their own journeys.

A divorce is the death of a family.  Originally, Sarah wanted to be an “author, an architect and a world traveler” but after her parent’s divorce, when her world was upside down, she decided to become an accountant.  A safe step, a solid future.

Once she started writing this book, “the words poured out of me”

I think motherhood broke me…in the most beautiful way. When you have children, you realize how NOT in control of your life you are.

Sarah would tell her younger self “just slow down. It will be okay. “

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What’s my definition of fear?  False Evidence Appearing Real.  -Anna Sabatino aka “Anna Sab”

Meet Anna Sabatino, wife, mother, life coach, driving instructor, entrepreneur, and all-around super-woman. It was Anna’s husband who nominated her as a guest on the show and she did not disappoint!  In this interview, we learn all about the long and winding road of life. For Anna, the twists and turns are there to help us find our purpose. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Anna grew up in a strict but faith-filled, loving home in Brighton, Massachusetts.  At only 20, she began working on the administrative side of a hugely successful sporting goods agency that represented New Balance Athletic shoes.  Thirty years later, her boss retired and closed the business, leaving Anna at a crossroads, so she put on her running shoes and started training for the New York and Boston marathons.  She also signed up for an Empowerment Workshop that ignited a new passion:  helping teenagers find their way.  Armed with her certification as an Empowerment Life Coach, she launched a coaching practice aimed at teens…and sadly, no one came.   Frustrated and feeling a little bit lost, she went for a run…and ran into an old friend who said:  “Get certified as a driving instructor.  Most of your clients will be teenagers anyway.”   Today, Anna is the owner of her own driving school, www.csdriving.com, and the CS stands for common sense. Whether she’s in the car or the classroom with her students, whom she proudly calls her “lovelies,”Anna is a guiding light when they need it the most.  Says Anna:  “ Most teens are terrified to drive.  I shift the way they think from negative to positive and give them confidence.  I tell them fear is really false evidence appearing real.”  What’s next for Anna?  A new book called Just Drive: Life Lessons from Behind the Wheel.  For 22 minutes, bound to keep your foot on the gas, and your eye on the horizon, just hit that download button.  #teens #lifecoach #drivinglessons #drive

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I found myself at the top of the ladder, took a deep breath, and realized that this wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. -Jennifer Gulbrand

In the spotlight, Jenn Gulbrand, a multi-talented woman who spent years following the path she thought she should be taking until, one day, she realized that her paycheck was feeding her family and not her soul. She flipped that script and is now a visionary leader who is dedicated to building heart-centered communities. Using her extensive knowledge of somatic healing, Jenn releases pent-up pain and trauma in the many women she works with, providing hope, connection, and, very often, a new lease on life. This new chapter started with a bold move: revealing her own painful truth in the pages of her first book, Embody Your Essence. Inspired by the many responses she received to her traumatic personal story, Jenn released She Breathes Soul Stories, featuring 22 stories bravely told by women in her community. Says Jenn: “Our stories do not define us. But they are what shaped us. We all carry shame, and it makes us feel broken. Shame affects how we feel about ourselves and how we show up in life. In my work, I help women take trauma and shame up and out of their bodies.” Jenn’s offerings include Reiki, chakra therapy, vibrational healing, EMDR, and more, which open up new pathways toward healing and hope. “I’m home now, says Jenn, doing the work I was meant to do. “ What’s next? A healing retreat to the Azores! Find out more: www.jenngulbrand.com. If you have trauma buried deep inside of you, step one toward your own healing starts with hitting that download button. #trauma #healing #thestorybehindhersuccess

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Rise and reset your mind. Today is a new day to start over. -Lisa Ponte

Meet Lisa Ponte. She’s on a mission to spread self-love and positive thinking through affirmation cards, positive vibe products, and her beautiful new line of Stacked with Love jewelry. www.lpvibes.com. The devoted mother of two, her career path has been one of reinvention, beginning with a 20-year career in finance and marketing and now as an entrepreneur. But it was a childhood trauma that left a mark on this exceptional woman, leaving her in need of positive vibes and a lot of love to help her heal. In this interview, Lisa shares the story of how she was bullied throughout middle school and was involved in a sexual relationship with an older boy at only 13. Overwhelmed by shame, she attempted suicide. Included in the book She Breathes Soul Stories by Jennifer Gulbrand www.jenngulbrand.com, you’ll hear her truth about halfway through this interview. The proud mother of two daughters, Lisa’s advice to parents of teens is focused on open communication and awareness. Says Lisa: “I give my girls 20-second hugs every day. The length of the hug is key because that’s how long it takes for our bodies to release the stress hormone known as cortisol. “ Now a compelling and memorable public speaker, Lisa shares her story with audiences large and small. “ Once you open up to other people and are authentic and vulnerable, there is a ripple effect, and they open up to you in return.” Lisa practices what she preaches: positive vibes. “I embrace obstacles because I know they are there for a reason and something better is waiting on the other end“ For 23 minutes of inspiration, just hit that download button. #affirmation #positivevibes #jewelry #truth #storytelling #thestorybehindhersuccess