Category Archives: Episodes

Donna DePrisco -180

December 3, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Jewelry is a symbol-an expression of our love for each other. Throughout my career as a jeweler, I have been blessed to witness this love every single day. -Donna DePrisco

Known as “Donna Diamonds” and “Boston’s Jeweler to the Stars” Donna DePrisco was born into the sparkling world of diamonds and gems. Her parents, Frank and Marie DePrisco opened the doors to their first showroom in Boston just after World War II and expanded to locations in Wellesley and Osterville as their reputation for treating customers like family continued to grow. Donna’s career path may surprise you and she tells her story in this up-close and personal interview, recorded in their Boston location inside the prestigious Jeweler’s Building with candor and humility. A classically trained pianist, Donna spent her early life in music and entertainment until it became “more jewelry and less show biz.” She’s a certified gemologist who has shared her knowledge as a diamond expert on radio and television and has been featured in magazines. Donna is also an expert witness in court cases involving diamonds and gems, and is an appraiser for the FBI. After decades of dedication as a member of the boards of Catholic Charities, the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Donna was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to the elite Board of Humanities and Preservation of the Arts.

Jean Kanokogi -179

November 24, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Success to me is my significance. How many people can I positively impact? -Jean Kanokogi

When you are the daughter of a trailblazer, the bar is set pretty high. For Jean Kanokogi, PhD, accomplishing great things while doing good in the world has been her mission. Jean is the daughter of Rusty Kanokogi, the Mother of Women’s Judo whose life is chronicled is a memoir written by mother and daughter called Get Up & Fight. In this inspiring interview, Jean tells her mother’s incredible story from scrappy street fighter to judo champion to fearless advocate for equal sports for women and girls. Jean watched her mother team up with Billy Jean King to help pass Title 1X legislation in 1972, and to ensure that women’s judo was included in the 1988 Olympic Games for the first time ever. A 5th degree black belt and judo champion herself, Jean holds a doctorate in psychology and is a Senior Special Agent for the U.S. Government . Her many assignments over the last 23 years have included being one of the lead investigators in the attacks on 9/11 and as the volunteer director of Mental Health and Peer Support Services for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. For a story about the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter, and the life lessons we learn from each another, hit that download button.

Edra Toth -178

November 18, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Freedom means the ability to be who you are, to say what you want to say, and to live the life you want to live without anybody telling you: you can’t, you can’t you can’t. – Edra Toth

Imagine what it must be like to live under the control of an oppressive Communist government. Now imagine that you are only 4 years old and your parents decide it’s time to escape, knowing that if you are caught, you may be killed. You travel by night and hide by day with very little to eat until you reach the safety of a neighboring country and then, receive asylum in the United States. Meet Edra Toth. She lived this story when she and her parents escaped Hungary in 1956. This interview is all about what happened next and the lessons she learned along the way. Oh, and by the way, Edra became a world renowned prima ballerina. Go ahead and hit that download button.
www.northeasternballet.org #ballet

Lily Isaacs -177

November 4, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Our main goal, in everything we do, is to bring hope to a hopeless world. -Lily Isaacs

We’re on the road this week, just outside of Nashville, Tennessee for an interview with Lily Isaacs, co-founder & matriarch of The Isaacs, a multi-award-winning family group whose music is described as Southern Gospel, Country, and Americana. Born in Germany after World War II, Lily is the child of holocaust survivors. Her parents were Polish Jews and in this interview, she describes in detail how they were forced from their homes and into the streets at gunpoint by the Nazis. After spending time in the Warsaw ghetto, Lily’s parents were jammed with other terrified Jews into train cars and delivered to concentration camps where most were gassed and those who survived nearly starved to death. A proud immigrant to the United States, Lily grew up in the Bronx, New York where she loved to sing and was a bit of a hippy. She and her singing partner Marie were only 19 when they landed a recording contract with Columbia Records. After spending a summer performing in little clubs in Greenwich Village, she met a musician from Kentucky named Joe Isaacs and married him. Inspired by an experience in a little country church in Ohio, Lily converted to Christianity and was temporarily disowned by her heartbroken parents. Joe and Lily had 3 children and in this interview, Lily describes the incredible musical talents of Ben, Sonya & Becky. Formed 35 years ago and still going strong, The Isaacs family band continues to pack audiences worldwide with their own brand of deeply moving, faith-based music. For an inspiring story of faith, perseverance and success in the music business, hit that download button!

Catherine Pisacane -176

October 28, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Success is when you help somebody on a path to a better tomorrow. – Catherine Pisacane

There is no shortage of women doing great things with their lives and Catherine Pisacane is proof of that. For her, success is not measured by fame or fortune, but rather, by the impact she makes on her community. After hearing a news story about 4 brothers who had been removed from their home by the police after it was discovered that they were being starved by their parents, Catherine noticed that each child had been given a stuffed animal by the police officer, as a way of comforting them. Catherine was inspired to do her own stuffed animal drive and after receiving thousands of stuffed animals, she donated them to fire and police departments, as well as social services. In 2003, Project Smile was born with a broad mission: dedicated to helping people in need. In 2020, she launched another initiative called Suites & Smiles which provides work attire for men of all ages and ethnic backgrounds who face barriers to getting a job because they don’t have the clothing they need to show up at a job interview. In this episode, Catherine gives advice to anyone who wants to create a non-profit. She also reflects on why doing what she does brings her so much joy, and what success really means.

Beth Veneto aka “Ginger Betty” -175

October 20, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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This is all about heart, it’s about passion, it’s about giving back. -Beth Veneto “Ginger Betty”

Beth Veneto calls her bakery Ginger Betty’s www.gingerbettys.com and the cookies she bakes are filled with love. One of 8 children raised in Quincy, Massachusetts, Beth’s cookie story began when she was about 10 years old, while baking gingerbread under the watchful eye of her big sister, Karen. For Beth, baking gingerbread cookies became a passion, not just at Christmas time, but all year long. In 1995, she decided to make her dream of opening her own bakery at delicious reality and Ginger Betty’s was opened on a little side street in North Quincy, MA. It wasn’t long before the smell of her soft, gingersnap cookies filled the air and loyal customers lined up for her yummy macaroons covered in M&M’s, brownies to die for and personalized gingerbread boys, girls, brides and grooms. A new, 5,000 square foot location was found and today, Ginger Betty and her team ship their products far and wide. A true patriotic, Beth created the Ginger Betty Foundation to support U.S. troops. She is the author of two children’s books: “Ginger Betty, the Gingerbread Girl” & “Ginger Betty’s Christmas.” In this interview, Beth shares her sweet philosophy about the importance of living your dreams, sharing cookies, and making friends.

Dallas Reed, MD -174

October 14, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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If I won the lottery, I would still come back and do this. To me, that’s success. – Dallas Reed, MD.

Dr. Dallas Reed loves what she’s doing with her life and it shows. In this interview, she reveals that a tragic loss early in her life shaped her decision to focus on women’s reproductive health and perinatal genetics. Raised in Plano, Texas in a bi-racial home, Dallas was always at the top of her class. She attended Dillard University as an undergrad and won a prestigious scholarship that enabled her to travel to London to attend King’s College. Dallas joined the Boston University School of Medicine Early School Selection Program and would go on to graduate from Boston University Medical School. These days, Dr. Reed is using all of her talents as the division Chief of Genetics in the pediatric department at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA where she is also the Director of Perinatal Genetics, an attending physician in the OB/GYN department, chair of several leadership positions within the hospital, and Assistant Professor of OB/GYN at Tufts Medical School. But what makes this interview very special, is Dr. Reed’s recent experience as the mother of baby boy born 13 weeks early and her devotion to the work being done by the March of Dimes around healthcare inequities for brown and black mothers and babies. For a look into the life a woman driven to do what she loves for the greater good, hit that download button.

Catharine Smith -173

October 7, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Success is the opportunity to elevate what other people are doing. -Catharine Smith

This week’s story is about a woman who has been leading others since she was in her 20’s. From her humble roots in the midwest to traveling to Argentina, Brazil and Uraguay on a Fulbright scholarship, Catharine Smith has always been focused on social action. The time she spent in these countries shaped her views about how economic cooperation can lead to better outcomes for all, especially women and families. The stories women in these countries shared with her are etched in her mind and have followed her on a career path that includes The Harvard Center for Primary Care and the Clinton Foundation, where Catharine was part of a team that worked with faith leaders in the south to create a deeper understanding of our nation’s opioid epidemic. These days, you’ll find Catharine leading the way as the Executive Director of The Termeer Foundation, one of the most influential foundations in the world. The Termeer Foundation is named after biotech genius, Henri Termeer, the Dutch biotechnology genius and CEO of Genzyme. Created in honor of Henri after his sudden death in 2017 by friends, colleagues and mentees, The Termeer Foundation continues Henri’s lifelong work around finding cures for rare diseases, patient centered care and continued mentoring of the next generation of biotech leaders.

Nancy Parshley -172

September 30, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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Success means doing something every day with purpose, that you love. The money is good, but that is such a small piece of it. If you love what you do, and you do it with purpose and you give it everything you have, that’s success. -Nancy Parshley

In this inspiring interview, we meet another woman who was nominated by a friend to be featured on the show. Nancy Parshley is the co-founder of Infinite Media. She and her husband have been running the very successful marketing and advertising company for 27 years. She’s a go-getter and she’s really good at what she does. But when her own hairline started to recede, she became self-conscious about it. Wigs came into her life and started taking up a lot of space in her head. Women started asking her about her very cool hairstyles and she soon became known as the Wig Whisperer. Today, she is the owner of Mane Attraction Wigs in the little town of Peabody, Massachusetts where she works one-on-one with women who have hair loss from alopecia, genetic dispositions like thinning hair and female pattern baldness, and as a result of chemotherapy. What she treasures most is the bond she forms with every person who comes into her store and the gratifying moments when she sees her customer’s self-esteem transformed when they try on the perfect wig. In this interview, Nancy shares her devotion to the LGBTQ community, explaining that her door is open wide to people in transition. Building her business during the pandemic has been difficult, but like so many entrepreneurs, Nancy has figured out a way to succeed in her mission to help her customers see themselves in a whole new way.

Lainey Dionne -171

September 25, 2021Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

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I hope to be successful in music and that doesn’t necessarily mean becoming famous. I just want to be able to be happy in what I’m doing, to make a living and to touch other people’s souls.
-Lainey Dionne

Talent is all around us, but only the very few achieve stardom. Meet singer/songwriter Lainey Dionne of Rhode Island. She’s a proud Berklee College grad with an interesting story about how she graduated from one of the most prestigious music schools in the world…in record time. To meet her is to be in the company of someone who lights up the room. But make no mistake about, her journey has not been sunshine and roses. She has known illness and adversity, too. What sets Lainey apart is her positive mindset. No matter what happens, she is driven to achieve. Lainey is the 2020 recipient of the Unsigned Only Competition in the Adult Contemporary category and has won 2nd place twice in the New England Songwriting competition. She has been nominated for Best Solo/Acoustic Act, Best Americana Act and Best College Act at the Worcester Music Awards and Best Breakthrough Act at the famous Rhode Island Motif Awards and has been a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Her latest album was recorded in Nashville and is called Self Titled. If you have a dream, Lainey’s story will ignite your passion to make it happen.

The Story Behind Her Success with Candy O'Terry

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