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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, Massachusetts (also the home of Johnny Appleseeds), Cassy promised herself that someday, she’d fly away and live large in New York City. As luck would have it, she gained admission to New York University and before you know it, was interning for network TV. She got her start as a live producer for Lara Spencer on Good Morning America and then became an associate producer for Cynthia McFadden producing segments that ran the gamut from extreme bachelorette parties to an investigation into the case of poison leaching into the watersource used by military families at Camp Lejeune. Although she loved what she did, Cassy realized that if she was ever going to make the switch from working behind the camera to being the face in front of the camera, she’d better do it quick. After stints at small stations in Salinas/Monterey California and in Michigan where she was a member of the Problem Solvers Team at WXMI, Cassy made her way back home to Boston where she is now a freelance reporter for NBC 10 and the creator of an empowering video series called Bosstown which features boss ladies from every walk of life. The oldest of 4 children, Cassy credits her parents with instilling her unstoppable work ethic and sense of resiliency no matter what the obstacle may be: “When things are going bad, you just have to self talk and say: don’t quit. Keep going. You CAN do this.” At a time when members of the media are often accused of being vultures, Cassy subscribes to a more personal approach to her stories. “As a general assignment news reporter, I show up in people’s lives on their worst days. I’m inspired by their courage. I’m respectful of everyone I meet. I’m gonna give a good name to our industry. “  #womeninmedia  #storybehindhersuccess  #gma  #nightline

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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 there, doing what she loves every single day. And she’s really good at it. With number one ratings in her 10A-3P time slot, Nancy says it wasn’t long before she realized that being #1 is great, but staying #1 is hard work: “I’ve got to be on my game every day. I’ve got to do the best that I can to relate to people…to be real. I want them to know that I care, that I’m there for them.” A graduate of the University of Lowell with a degree in music education, Nancy is an accomplished singer, songwriter and musician. Radio is in her blood: she is the daughter of the late Doris and Joe Quill, owner and general manager of WRLM in Taunton, Massachusetts. In this interview, she recalls voicing her first commercial at about 4 years old, sitting on her father’s lap. She names her Dad as her lifelong mentor…a gentle giant who always had the best advice in any situation. It was Joe Quill’s diagnosis and eventual death due to Alzheimers Disease that sparked Nancy’s devotion to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association. At the end of the day, Nancy’s marriage and motherhood are what matter most to her. For a look into a humble and kind Boston radio legend’s life, this candid interview checks all of the boxes. #womeninradio #storybehindhersuccess

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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 was “her rock”, Natalie Martinez grew up in Mattapan not really knowing what she wanted to do with her life. Her career path was full of forks in the road, but there was one thing knew for sure: “I wanted to give back to the community. I want to see us all thrive.” With 18 years of experience in nonprofit management, she accepted the opportunity to step into a leadership role at Strong Women Strong Girls with open arms. An award-winning nonprofit launched in 2000 by Harvard undergraduate student Lindsay Hyde, the organization blossomed in Boston as a way of mentoring girls in grades 3-5 with a goal of helping them to develop skills for lifelong success. There is a reason why girls between the ages of 8-11 are the target for this curriculum. Research shows that a girl’s self-esteem peaks at about age 11 and if she doesn’t have a positive role model, her confidence and sense of self go down and girls in underserved communities are at especially high risk. Female students from area colleges served as role models within the original program model. By 2004, Strong Women Strong Girls was incorporated as a nonprofit and the organization expanded its footprint across the country. Today, Strong Women Strong Girls is thriving in Boston with 550 elementary school girls from 45 different community centers across the city and mentors from 7 area colleges. With corporate support from forward thinking companies, www.swsg.org is able to provide mentorship for its college students by introducing their Strong Leaders Network. The mother of three daughters, Natalie says her message to her girls is the same message she brings to Strong Women Strong Girls every day: “Your path may not be like everyone else’s, but there is something unique in you that you have to contribute to the planet.” In other words: little girl: you can do anything! #swsgboston #storybehindhersuccess #mentoring

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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 Periodontal Surgical Assistant and stay at home mom, Suzanne admits she knew nothing about how to run a large car dealership that includes Pride Hyundai, Pride Kia, and Pride Chevrolet www.pridemotorgroup. She spent a year settling her husband’s estate and then decided the best way to honor him was to dive into trying to run the family business. In this candid interview, Suzanne recalls attending meetings where she had no idea what people were talking about, so she’d go back to her office, close the door and start googling words. An invitation from Hyundai to begin training as a Dealer Principal in Korea was gratefully accepted, followed by joining a “NADA 20 Group” where dealers meet to learn from each other. Soon after, she enrolled at the National Automobile Dealers Association Academy in Tysons, Virginia for intensive instruction in automotive sales, service and finance, earning her NADA certification in 2017. The President of Pride Motor Group and a Dealer Principal for Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet, Suzanne is among a very small group of women car dealership owners in the United States and she is on a mission to promote women in her industry. “At the end of the day, my goal is to learn every single thing I possibly can. It’s kinda like a boxing match. Every time someone thinks, oh, she’s out, I come bouncing right back up again. I just want to prove to myself that I can do this.” #storybehindhersuccess #womencardealers #pridemotorgroup #kia #hyundai #chevrolet