Monthly Archives: August 2025

Karen Marinella Hall -319



People will tell you everything you need to know.  You just need to LISTEN to what they are saying. -Karen Marinella Hall

Out of the blue, I got an email from a fan of the show about this week’s guest…and I cannot wait for you to meet her.   Many news anchors are beautiful.  They can walk the walk and talk the talk, but there’s something missing behind the smile.  That’s not the case for Karen Marinella Hall.  During her tenure at WB 56 in Boston, she set herself apart from the rest with a genuine warmth and friendliness, coupled with a curiosity to get to the root of any story.  In this interview, Karen shares the details of her career trajectory, which began in radio at a small, family-owned station called WPLM in her hometown of historic Plymouth, Massachusetts.  When she applied for acceptance to Katherine Gibbs secretarial school, it was a high school teacher who recognized her talents as a communicator, urging Karen to fill out an application to Emerson College.  As the first person in her family to attend college, Karen understood that her parents could not pay for such a prestigious college, making the decision to attend Emerson step one in a career marked by determination, curiosity, and resiliency.   The wife of Boston news legend Jonathan Hall, Karen, is the proud mother of three sons and grew up in a close-knit Italian/Portuguese neighborhood where family, food, and hard work went hand-in-hand.   When her station, WB56 was sold, she took a bold chance and set out on her own, founding Marinella Hall Associates, www.marinellahall.com, where she shares her well-honed communications skills with C-suite executives.   Reflecting on the lessons of her career, Karen says: “I wish I wasn’t so insecure in my 20s and 30s.  I don’t think I grew out of that until I was in my 40s. God, I would have had so much more fun!”  For 24 minutes of expert storytelling, inspiration, and new chapters, just hit that download button. #corporatecommunications  #news #television Former news anchor & Principal, Marinella Hall Associates marinellahall.com


Halley Elwell -318



When something bad happens to you, how do you grieve it without getting stuck in suffering? -Halley Elwell

Imagine being 11 years old when your face suddenly begins to change. Tumors form on your jaw, and the diagnosis is an incurable condition called Neurofibromatosis. This is the story of singer/songwriter Halley Elwell www.halswellmusic.com. Raised off the grid in Maine by an artist mom, she was told to ignore what was happening to her face and to live her life. She runs free in the woods around her neighborhood, learns to sing old Irish songs, plays piano, and dives into community theatre. In this episode of The Story Behind Her Success, we learn how Halley held onto her light, despite adversity, to become an accomplished singer, songwriter, and advocate for those with facial differences. The secret ingredient? Creativity. Describing her voice, a Maine music critic said: “Imagine Rickie Lee Jones recording with Norah Jones and Natalie Merchant and you’ll have an idea of how Elwell’s music sounds.” Her latest album and podcast series have the same name: Spontaneous Mutation. Both artistic efforts explore the narratives around facial differences. In science, a spontaneous mutation is a genetic change with no known cause. Halley takes this concept one step further with words, voice, and heart: “When you have an incurable condition, you can’t be fixed. But there are different lenses to look through, and that has freed me.” For 25 minutes of inspiration (and the chance to hear Halley’s gorgeous voice), just hit that download button. Check out her podcast series here: spontaneousmutation.podbean.com.