Category Archives: Episodes

Erica Horan -143

December 10, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:22 — 21.9MB) | Embed

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

Naomi Judd -141

November 19, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:43 — 26.8MB) | Embed

I’ve been through an alphabet of tragedies and trials and I’m still here. – Naomi Judd

Recorded on Naomi Judd’s 500 acre farm in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, this interview takes you through Naomi’s life, including the birth of daughter Wynonna on her high school graduation night, a job as a receptionist for The Fifth Dimension in Los Angeles, and a mountaintop home in Kentucky where there was no heat, no phone and no TV. While she studied to be a nurse, the family lived on welfare and Naomi traded her prized buck knife to buy Wynonna her first guitar. After receiving her nursing degree, Naomi moved the family to Nashville where she was the head nurse in an ICU. When she learned that the father of one of her patients was in the record business, Naomi got up the courage to hand him a homemade cassette tape of she and Wynonna singing. Brent Mayer was blown away by what he heard an arranged for an audition at RCA records. The Judds were signed to a record deal that would catapult them into country music history as the most commercially successful duo of the 1980’s with 25 singles, 14 number 1 songs, 8 CMA’s, 5 Grammy Awards, and 20 million + records sold. From Naomi’s songwriting technique to her determination to beat Hepatitis C, this interview is an essay in perseverance. For a deep dive into the soul of a country music icon, hit that download button and please, leave a review!

Jo Ann Simons -140

November 12, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:36 — 21.2MB) | Embed

In those first few days of his life, I realized that I wasn’t going to change anything about Jonathan, but I was going to change the world for him. -Jo Ann Simons

She remembers everything getting really quiet in the delivery room just moments after her son Jonathan was born. It was May, 1979 and Jo Ann Simons was 26 years old. Her pregnancy had been textbook…no surprises, until this moment. About 4 hours later, she and her husband heard the words: “your baby has Down syndrome.” At that time, services for families with disabled children were either minimal, or non-existent so Jo Ann Simons decided to change all that. Armed with a Masters in Social Work, she did not see a world that she wanted for her son, so she set out to build one for him and for others with developmental disabilities. If you ask her, she’ll tell you: “I didn’t choose this career, it chose me”. Now the President & CEO of Northeast Arc, Jo Ann is considered both a trailblazer and a champion to the 15,000 people in 190 communities her organization serves. Northeast Arc is leading the way in innovative ideas designed to help people with developmental disabilities become part of the communities where they live including the creation of a coffee shop called “Breaking Grounds” which serves as a training ground for people with disabilities who are interested in working in the food service industry. A few years ago, Jo Ann launched “Arc Tank” with a 1 million dollar donation and in 2020, she spearheaded her largest project to date: negotiating a lease for 26,000 square feet of highly visible space in the heart of the Liberty Tree Mall which will become the new home of The Linking Lives Center and Northeast Arc. A member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Commission on People with Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities and the Autism Commission, Jo Ann lives by the credo: “I want to leave this world a little better than I found it.” Download this inspiring story for a gigantic dose of grit, gratitude and wisdom. #storybehindhersuccess #northeastarc #disabilities

Holly Parker -139

October 30, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:07 — 22.5MB) | Embed

Dating is like real estate; the longer you’re on the market, the more people are going to wonder what’s wrong with you! -Holly Parker

Meet New York City real estate powerhouse Holly Parker. One of Manhattan’s most successful and experienced brokers, Holly is with Douglas Elliman, NYC’s premiere luxury residential brokerage. With nearly 8 billion in sales, this exceptional woman is a force to be reckoned with. Holly has been selling high-end properties for 20 years and along the way she has figured out that real estate is a lot like life, and life is a lot like real estate. In fact, there are a ton of similarities between an impulse buy of a house unseen and jumping into a marriage too quickly! After 7 years of marriage, Holly found herself “falling out of contract” and dreaded being a newly divorced woman who was “back on the market”. This experience inspired her to write her first book, aptly named: back on the market: A Realtor’s Guide to Love and Life. In this interview, Holly shares the pain of her divorce, the triumph of her second marriage, and the secrets to being a real estate superstar. Her story about welcoming twin sons into her life via surrogate is priceless, and her advice about how to overcome obstacles and what success means to her will inspire you. After all these years of selling real estate, Holly Parker has come to a simple realization: love is what makes a home. Get to know more about Holly and join me for an honest and entertaining 24 minutes by hitting that download button. #realtor #storybehindhersuccess #thehollyparkerteam

Jodi Hemmer -138

October 23, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:10 — 21.7MB) | Embed

Do you ever wonder if you’re too old to pursue your dreams? Today’s guest believes that age is just a number. Born and raised outside of Boston, Jodi had a real knack for acting as a child. She recalls joining hundreds of young girls and boys auditioning for a role in a traveling production of the Broadway smash “The King & I” starring Yul Brynner. Jodi was over the moon when she was offered a role and devastated when her parents told her that school must come first. Years went by and she nurtured her love of acting by playing the piano and appearing in community theatre. Jodi married and had three sons. As a young mom, she decided that having a business of her own would not only be exciting, but financially rewarding so she founded Nobscot Supply Company in 1998 and became certified as a Women Business Enterprise and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. Now a well known and respected supplier of disposable safety and cleaning items, Nobscot Supply Company www.nobscotonline.com has taken on greater responsibility during the Covid-19 pandemic. But it was her decision to finally scratch that acting itch that brings new meaning to this interview. Jodi’s “ah-ha” moment came when she started filling in as a fitness instructor at Longfellow Health Club in Natick, MA. and the performer deep inside was on full display. Jodi started taking courses at Boston Casting www.bostoncasting.com and began building up her acting portfolio. Today, she has dozens of commercials and film credits to her name. And if you happen to see a woman in your social feed playing the piano as part of the Piano in a Flash worldwide promotion, that’s Jodi Hemmer! She’s loving every minute of this new and exciting chapter in her life and has plenty of advice for anyone who wants to take a similar leap of faith. For an “I can do it” attitude adjustment, just hit that download button! #storybehindhersuccess #16LifeLessons #covid19 #reinvention

Sheila Duncan -137

October 15, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:20 — 20.9MB) | Embed

I knew nothing about children’s books, or children’s characters, or the entertainment industry, or anything. But I knew this was meant to be. -Sheila Duncan

It all started one day in 2006 when Sheila was spending time with her twelve year old niece, Kendra who had experienced a series of losses. First, her father passed away, then her grandmother “Nonnie” died of cancer, and finally, the family dog, Irish died as well. Through her tears, Kendra looked up at the TV and saw a telethon about children with cancer. She drew a picture of a small grey puppy and said: “His name’s “Trouble” and he’s gonna help kids having trouble in their lives”. Sheila remembers believing very deeply that something “divinely inspired” happened that day. The story line and the concept for the popular “Trouble The Dog” children’s book series was hatched and Sheila became the force that carried her niece’s compassion forward to the world. And it hasn’t been easy! In this interview, Sheila talks about what it takes to breathe life into an idea. With experience in the restaurant and the travel industries, she tapped into her inner-entrepreneur, figuring out how to break into the children’s book market with the first two books in the Trouble The Dog series, and then, how to manufacture a huggable plush toy by the same name, made in the USA. www.troublethedog.net. Throughout this interview, Sheila talks about the value of persistence, even when no one believes in your idea: “I listened to my intuition and to what the kids were saying to me. It was like there was a big foot in my back, propelling me forward. I just kept on going.” Trouble The Dog has given comfort to children in foster care who receive him as part of their therapy. He has traveled to Haiti after the earthquake, and to Newtown, Connecticut where he comforted children directly affected by the shootings at Sandy Hook. And it’s not just children who feel his love. Trouble has even helped wounded soldiers at Walter Reed cope with their injuries. With the upcoming release of a third book in the Trouble The Dog series, Sheila and Kendra’s mission to bring Trouble’s message to the world keeps on going. Says Sheila: “There’s something enchanting about this pup called Trouble. He comforts kids. Our next step is to bring Trouble to life on your TV screen as a meaningful cartoon series!” #hope #troublethedog

Crystal Gayle -136

October 8, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:27 — 21.0MB) | Embed

When I started out, I was very, very shy. I do not know how I even got on stage, because if I could have hidden behind the microphone stand, I would have. -Crystal Gayle

In this episode, we’re on Music Row in Nashville to meet country music icon, Crystal Gayle. As one of the first female singers to crossover from country music to pop, she is considered a trailblazer by many. Born in Paintsville, Kentucky, Crystal is the youngest of 8 children and the sister of country legend Loretta Lynn. In this interview, she walks us through a career that is filled with equal parts luck and hard work. While it was fortunate that Crystal had a sister who could open doors for her, she had to walk through them on her own, proving that she had her own unique style. Signed to Decca Records at only 19, it wasn’t long before she scored her first hit in 1970 with a single called “I’ve Cried the Blues Right Out of My Eyes.” Six years later, she released “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” for United Artists and that song changed the trajectory of her career reaching #1 on the country charts and #2 on the pop charts. Later that year, the song would win Crystal the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal and she would also become the first female country artist to go platinum. From that moment on, this shy singer with black hair that nearly touched the floor, was a superstar. A wife and mother of two grown children, Crystal opens up about what it was like to win the Grammy, the stories behind her songs “Talking In Your Sleep” and her duet with tour partner Eddie Rabbit called “You and I.” But what comes across in this very personal interview are Crystal’s combination of drive and humility. Determined to forge her own path, she admits she was scared to death. “If I could talk to my 19 year old self, I would tell her: Lighten up. Don’t worry so much. You don’t need to be perfect.“ For an honest look into the life of a country music legend, hit that download button. #countrymusic #inspiration #countrymusicsuccessstories

Kelley Tuthill -135

October 1, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:49 — 22.3MB) | Embed

When something lousy happens, like a breast cancer diagnosis, what are you going to do about it? You can wallow, and that’s okay, but then you need to fight like hell. -Kelly Tuthill

Meet Kelley Tuthill, an award-winning, well-known and respected journalist and former TV anchor with a girl next door charm. Diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer at only 36, she admits that she did wallow for a few hours, maybe even days, but then she fought for herself, for her young family, and for others just like her. 14 years later, she’s thriving with three daughters and a new chapter in her ever-evolving life having segued from television news to academia as the VP of Marketing & Communications at Regis College, a small Catholic college in Weston, MA. One of four girls, Kelley was raised in the seaside town of Hingham and recalls her father encouraging her to go all in for any dream she had. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, Kelley spent 20 years loving the news business. In this interview, she shares what it was like to be a young reporter in rural Pennsylvania, knowing no one, as well as what it was like to work her way home to Boston as a part of the award-winning, legendary line up at WCVB, News Center 5. A passionate advocate for women experiencing breast cancer, Kelley allowed cameras to follow her through her own diagnosis and treatment, co-authoring the book: You Can Do This! Surviving Breast Cancer Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Style. Eager to experience and savor all that life has to offer, she recently earned her PhD in Leadership from Regis College. As we kick off breast cancer awareness month, Kelley’s words of wisdom ring true: “Hope is everything.” #inspiringstories #breastcancer

Sarah Ripoli -134

September 14, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:40 — 20.3MB) | Embed

Everything in life is about mindset and outlook. If you shift your mindset and rise above, no matter what circumstances you are born into or what has happened to you, ultimately you will create your own path and future. -Sarah Ripoli

Imagine that you are six years old, and an only child. You are sitting next to your sleeping grandfather on a couch in your basement while your mother is upstairs, packing up her things. Within minutes, she is dead, shot by your father and your whole world is changed forever. Welcome to the life of Sarah Ripoli. Now a New York City based fashion blogger,
thescoopbysarahrip.com, Sarah is standing up and speaking her truth about domestic violence. Raised by her grandparents in her native New Jersey, she was surrounded by love and support. Sarah never wanted anyone to know what she had been through, so she kept her secret for 20 years. When she was 25, Sarah realized that she had to examine her past in order to create her future. She is the Co-Founder of Angel Energy, www.shopangelenergy.com, an e-commerce based fashion brand and a philanthropic movement to stop domestic violence. Sarah’s powerful message is filled with a belief that every person is put on earth for a purpose and her goal is to be a voice for children who have lost a parent to domestic violence. The coronavirus quarantine locked us all down, but for abusive relationships, the lockdown resulted in a drastic increase in incidences of domestic violence. The fact is: 1,000 women are killed every year by men they know. Angel Energy donates 25% of its proceeds to charities that serve as lifelines for women and families affected by domestic abuse. For a glimpse into a life path paved by resilience, hit that download button! #inspiringstories #resilience

Jo Jorgensen -133

September 7, 2020Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:30 — 22.1MB) | Embed

I would hope that the American people would look past my gender and just look at the ideas. I want to see freedom in my lifetime. I want to see people be able to make their own decisions. -Jo Jorgensen

Meet Dr. Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian candidate for President of the United States. In Boston as part of her whirlwind tour across America, Jo agreed to an exclusive interview with me. Born in Libertyville, Illinois, and raised in a nearby town with only one stop light, Jo had a libertarian mindset before she knew anything about the Libertarian Party. A graduate of Baylor University, Jo went on to Southern Methodist University for her MBA and earned her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University in 2002 where she is now a senior lecturer. The VP running mate for Harry Brown in the 1996 presidential campaign, Jo believes that “our government is too big, too bossy, too nosy and too intrusive. It’s time to put the decision making power back into the hands of the people.” In this interview, she explains what it means to be Libertarian, and answers my questions about key issues like: how to heal unrest in our country, what she would have done if she were president during the Coronavirus outbreak, her views on our criminal justice system, the police, her stance on decriminalizing drugs, healthcare, our military, prayer in schools, the IRS, the FDA, no-knock raids, and whether to send teachers and children back into the classroom. But it is Jo’s heartfelt answers about gender, motherhood, how she gets around obstacles, and her view on what success really means that give the listener a clear view of the contents of her character. With her supporters repurposing #imwithher Jo’s hope is that as a third party candidate, she will be able to debate President Trump and former Vice President Biden on a national stage so that voters can understand what she truly stands for. #letherspeak #letherdebate #JoJorgensen2020

The Story Behind Her Success with Candy O'Terry

What's your story?