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I used to think that success meant a degree, living on your own, having a car, and your bills paid. My heart feels successful when I am teaching lifeguards how to save a human, when I’m teaching kids how to swim, or when I’m having dinner with the love of my life. That’s success to me.
-Chelo Lundquist-Krag

Chelo Lundquist-Kragg is an Aquatics Director, an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, and a Lifeguard Trainer. We got to talking about our mutual love of swimming one day at the Longfellow Club in Natick, Massachusetts where she runs the swimming program. As a lifeguard trainer, Chelo turns teenagers into lifesavers with her unique “tree of lifeguarding” curriculum. When I mentioned that I host this podcast and radio series featuring women’s stories, she said: “I’ve got a story about my childhood, but I don’t really talk about it much.” That statement got my attention and just the other day, we sat down to record this very personal, very painful story which thankfully, has a happy ending. Born and raised in Lake County, California, Chelo’s birth mother was a drug dealer who gave birth to her brother in prison. Her father was a raging alcoholic and a child abuser. In this interview, Chelo recalls the first 6 years of her life in flashes, sharing the fact that her father beat her brother and sexually abused her repeatedly. It was a babysitter who stepped forward to report this abuse and both children were removed from the home by ambulance. Chelo and her brother ended up being adopted by a wonderful couple whose unconditional love healed their broken hearts. For a firsthand look inside the mind of a girl who rose like a phoenix to become a strong, kind, and capable young woman who is “right where she wants to be” just hit that download button. #adoption #americanredcross #childabuse #sexualabuse

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My jaw dropped when I learned what was happening to the manufacturing industry. I didn’t realize that everything had been off-shored. So in 2015, I made the commitment to buy only products made in the USA. -Dianna Huff

Born and raised in California, Dianna Huff had the kind of childhood that remains difficult to talk about to this day. She was fortunate to have an English teacher who told her she could write and a guidance counselor who insisted she apply to college. Fortunately, Dianna was admitted to a California state college under the EOP: Educational Opportunity Program based on her financial need. Now the President of Huff Industries, www.huffindustrialmarketing she is blazing a trail for women in the manufacturing industry and her focus is helping businesses that make their products in the United States www.keepitmadeusa.com. The pandemic launched a worldwide shipping crisis making Americans acutely aware that much of what we use every day is not made here. In fact, only 3% of clothing is made in the USA and what Dianna calls the “paying field” is not level. Manufacturers in the USA have a very hard time competing with products coming in from other countries for pennies on the dollar. Filled with inspiring stories of her life, this interview includes stories from Dianna about how her local library card and books saved her, giving her a window into a whole new world where she could imagine accomplishing great things. Says Dianna “Never, ever doubt yourself. If you can survive a terrible childhood or any kind of adversity, you can survive anything.” For more wisdom you can use, just hit that download button. #keepitmadeUSA #madeintheUSA #manufacturing #entreprenuer #womeninbusiness

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I’m sort of like the Oprah Winfrey of banking. I like to ask a thousand questions and figure out where everyone is going and how I can help. -Lisa Murray

Lisa Murray knows banking. She’s been involved in the industry since she graduated from the University of Connecticut and has been climbing the ladder to the top ever since. As the President of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, she represents the bank in an official capacity with civic, business, and community leaders across the state. You would think that job alone would monopolize all of her time, but wait, there’s more. Lisa is also the Director of Not for Profit & Professionals Banking, leads an initiative called Citizens Helping Citizens, and is a member of the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Education. Her personal commitment to charities large and small throughout the commonwealth is a reflection of her leadership style as a team player “I want to roll up my sleeves and dig in” says Lisa. “I want to be an advocate for others and always do the right thing.” This interview is full of wisdom from Lisa Murray, including this life lesson: “Don’t take yourself too seriously. I laugh at myself all the time and that helps to keep things in perspective. If you get too far in front of yourself, you miss the details. For a tutorial in the art of achieving AND giving back, just hit that download button. #citizensbank #banking #womeninfinance

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Music is my first language.  It’s the way I learned to express and process my feelings.
-Kala Farnham

Kala Farnham is a gifted musician, singer, and songwriter who grew up in a house full of music. Her parents were a successful folk duo who encouraged musical exploration and weren’t at all surprised when Kala started playing the piano at three. As she grew up, Kala added guitar, banjo, dulcimer, harp, and more. In this interview, she reveals being very shy and says that her early songwriting was “a messy, outpouring of emotion.”   As the Connecticut State Troubadour, Kala’s vision is to inspire her audiences through the transformative power of musical storytelling. She has garnered many awards including the 2020 Falcon Ridge Festival Emerging Artist Award and is the 2019 Rose Garden Performing Songwriter Contest winner.  Her advice to songwriters?  “Write what you are afraid to write about and tune into your gifts to find a way to transform and serve the lives around you.” For an up-close and personal interview with an emerging folk artist with a voice and a heart of gold, just hit that download button.  #folkmusic #singer #songwriter #connecticut

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As long as love infuses everything I do, I’m in the place I want to be. -Anita Silvey

Armed with a firm belief that children’s books change lives, Anita Silvey has spent her entire career in children’s literature as an editor, a literary critic, and as an author. Raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Anita recalls being one of those kids whose idea of heaven involved a cozy chair and a pile of books from the local library. The daughter of a college-educated teacher and the former head of communications during the World War II battle of Iwo Jima, Anita graduated from the University of Indiana with a degree in education and soon made her way to Boston in an old VW bug with her boyfriend and her cat. It wasn’t long before she landed a job in the children’s department at Houghton Mifflin where she would launch her legendary career as the fairy godmother of children’s literature. In this interview, Anita shares many stories about famous authors she has worked with as well as the mindset a great children’s book author or editor must have: “We have a very high memory of our childhood. We remember the feelings of our childhood, and inside us are all the layers of our lives. “ The author of many books including Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book, The Essential Guide to Children’s Books and Their Creators, 100 Best Books for Children, 500 Great Books for Teens and Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger, Anita Silvey is a national treasure. For a tutorial on how to make it in the world of children’s literature, just hit that download button. #childrensbooks #publishing #hougtonmifflin #library

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At the moment that it happened, when I could see into the eyes of that shark, and then it veered away, my first emotion was not fear. It was fascination and wonder. -Laura DeSisto

I’m always on the lookout for stories that will inspire and motivate you, and the story of Laura DeSisto checks all the boxes! Raised around the water every summer on Martha’s Vineyard, Laura begged her parents to let her see the movie Jaws and that experience instilled a lifelong fear of sharks in her. Flash forward to mid-life, when Laura fell into a depression. It was her girlfriends who encouraged her to go outside of her comfort zone and take scuba diving lessons. On her very first dive in the Bahamas, Laura came within two feet of an 8-foot-long shark, and that encounter created a seismic shift in her mindset, inspiring her to write the memoir Resurfacing: sisterhood, sharks & storms. A lifelong professional writer who got her start writing ad copy and then feature articles for magazines, Laura openly shares how becoming an empty-nester left her without a sense of purpose. She credits her mighty sisterhood of friends for picking her up and pushing her toward a brave and daring new chapter. Says Laura: “I think our best years are our later years and I want to keep doing things that scare me. Find what you love and it will make you come alive.” For 22 minutes of shark encounters and plenty of inspiration, just hit that download button! #sharks #scuba

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My books are like Nancy Drew for grownups. -PK Norton

Meet PK (Paula) Norton, murder mystery author extraordinaire. She spent most of her career in the insurance business, first as an agent and then as an insurance investigator, sniffing out fraud and looking for clues. Paula and her late husband loved to travel and over dinner, would concoct unique ways to kill people. Jack died of Parkinsons’ disease but before he passed, he urged Paula to finally press START on a writing career that flourishes to this day. The Amy Lynch Investigation series includes (6) books with the latest Avenging Madonna just published and available worldwide on Amazon. If you’ve got a secret talent, or a wish to do something you just haven’t had the time or the courage to explore, PK Norton’s story might just inspire you to throw caution to the wind, and give it a try. www.pknortonauthor.com. #murdermystery #author

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Pursue your dreams, even if someone says “you’re crazy”. Do it anyway! -Yolanda Cellucci

We’re on location for this episode in the penthouse of Yolanda Cellucci: a fashion icon with a passion for Swarovski crystals, feathers, fur, sequins, and every shade of white. Known as the Goddess of Glitz, she is the author of the book Beyond the Glitz & Glamour which chronicles the story of a girl who grew up at the end of an alleyway, across the street from a junkyard, in a humble home full of love where she was told she could accomplish anything. Married to Dan Cellucci for 65 years, Yolanda talks about how her late husband helped her make her dreams of bringing bridal, couture, a beauty salon, fitness, and events all under one roof by building her legendary destination: Yolanda’s of Waltham “where beautiful lifestyles begin” with his own hands, from the ground up. The mother of two and grandmother and great-grandmother of many, Miss Yolanda is an 88-year-old powerhouse with a heart of gold, who got her start in the 1970’s and 80’s, long before the glass ceiling had been broken. In this interview, she shares details of her personal life, including her pride in the successes of her daughters Sondra and Linda, and the tragic loss of Linda to esophageal cancer in 2018. If you are an entrepreneur, you’ll want to write down Yolanda’s pearls of wisdom about the importance of relationships: “be open-minded, be happy for other people and don’t be selfish” and that true success is measured “not by how long you have lived, but how you live.” Inspiring? You better believe it. #yolandacellucci #fashionista

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I’ve gone from creating something that millions of people around the world will want, to creating something that is individual to the woman who wears it. -Betsy Ferg Wood

In the spotlight, Betsy Ferg Wood. She spent much of her career focused on brand identity and product design where job #1 was to communicate the essence of major brands to consumers worldwide. She was living large…from New York, City to L.A, from London to Paris, working for Liz Claiborne, and was even a part of the legendary Barbie Team at Mattel. But at some point, Betsy felt like she needed to make a change and flex her artistic muscles a bit more independently. The daughter and grandchild of artists, she had that gene in spades and started creating story necklaces out of mementos, trinkets, treasures, buttons, and charms. It wasn’t long before Jewelry Bee Social www.jewelrybeesocial.com was born by taking recycled pieces and making them new again. To Betsy’s surprise, the connections her story necklaces have made bring a whole new shine to each unique creation. #jewelryBee #mementostrinketsandtreasures #storyjewelry #madeintn #storynecklaces #charmbraceletsonsteroids #tellyourstoryinjewelry

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Turning my pain into my passion. That’s what is most important to me. – Morgan Dzicek

Morgan Dzicek is a beautiful young woman who is loaded with talent. A singer, songwriter, violinist and former New England Patriots Cheerleader, Morgan has had the experience of singing the National Anthem and cheering for the Patriots as they won their 5th Super Bowl. But life has not been all sunshine and super bowls for this week’s guest. Raised on a farm in Northbridge, Massachusetts where her mother raised Morgan horses, she was diagnosed at 13 with a rare form of cancer in her eye. Hospitalized for long periods of time with multiple surgeries and 40 rounds of chemotherapy, she was granted a wish through the Make A Wish Foundation and was flown to Nashville to co-write and record an original song with Lari White called Every Step of the Way. Now cancer free, Morgan shares her story about leaning on God for strength, dancing her way through pain, and her passion for bringing the gift of music whenever and wherever she can.