Monthly Archives: December 2020

Teri Adler -144



I learned to be a great storyteller on TV and when I’m selling a house, I’m telling you the story of that house. Buyers want that emotion, that’s what sells. -Teri Adler

This is a story about reinvention. Meet Teri Adler, Principal of The Teri Adler Group and a Boston area residential real estate superstar. For the past twelve years, she has been a top broker for Pinnacle Residential Properties, including Broker of the Year, but her career path began with a very successful run as a reporter and news anchor on stations from the Cape to New Hampshire, to Hartford and finally, in Boston at WHDH and WBZ. Turns out, Teri has used her well-honed storytelling skills to sell houses and this interview reveals what it took to make the transition from one profession to the other. The mother of three daughters, including a special needs child, Teri speaks candidly about a decision she and her husband made regarding how they were going to raise their firstborn child: “Jeff and I decided we were not going to let Alexandra’s disability define her, our our family.” Her advice about multiple careers and what really matters in life are insightful and well worth your download. Says Teri: “Life is going to take you to places you never imagined and you have to bend and grow with it. There is no blueprint.” #reinvention #storybehindhersuccess #womeninmedia #realestate


Erica Horan -143



I felt like I had a higher calling. -Erica Horan

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a critical care nurse on a med-flight mission? Welcome to the story of Erica Horan: wife, mother of three, Air Force veteran and registered nurse for Boston MedFlight. Recorded in a hanger at Mansfield Airport, Erica explains that the mission of the non-profit is to take care of very sick people as quickly as possible. She comes to this work with a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment. Her career path began at 18 when she earned her EMT certification, to a degree in nursing, to becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force as a critical care nurse, to serving on the front lines in Afghanistan, to landing her dream job at Boston MedFlight. Twelve hour shifts are seldom slow for any Boston MedFlight’s 4 critical care teams and in this interview, Erica explains that every day is different and you just never know what you are going to get. A black belt karate champion with enough trophies to fill another hanger, this black belt credits her grandmother with teaching her to rely on the strength of her faith, and her karate instructor for teaching her about positive mindset, self-reliance and humility. “Get out of your comfort zone, says Erica. You only have one life, so go for it.” #BostonMedFlight #nursing


Carmen Fields -142



Lord, you don’t have to move my mountains, just give me the strength to climb. -Carmen Fields

She may have grown up in a segregated community outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, but Carmen Fields was surrounded by love and encouragement. The daughter of a teacher and a very well-known big band leader, she knew she wanted to write. That love of writing led to a 40 year career as a print and broadcast journalist, a media relations pro and a college professor. In this interview, Carmen and I settled in for a look back at a career that continues to inspire to this day. It was her mother who encouraged Carmen to come to Boston from Oklahoma saying: “You’ve never been East before, why don’t you go ahead to Boston, and just remember, you can always come home if it doesn’t work out.” Well, it did work out and Carmen has both passion and perseverance to thank for her success. As a black female reporter on the City Desk at the Boston Globe, there were neighborhoods she was afraid to go into during the Boston busing crisis. Yet, as Carmen says: “those old men in the newsroom with their cigars and off color jokes took me under their wing” and she continued to grow as a print journalist. Her career story includes her experience as a TV anchor, her stint as a press secretary to the Suffolk County District Attorney, her public relations roles at the United Way and National Grid her love of teaching at Boston University and her long running public affairs program on WHDH called Higher Ground. When it comes to the responsibilities of a journalist, Carmen Fields is clear: “I still look at journalism as the first draft of history. And I still look at journalist’s role as a responsibility to give the facts and some of the context and background and yes, even get both sides of the story.” For a look at a career worth emulating, hit that download button. #womeninmedia #storybehindhersuccess #journalism