Category Archives: Episodes

Betsy Ferg Wood: jewelrybeesocial.com -212

October 26, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:28 — 20.6MB) | Embed

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

Morgan Dzicek: Singer/Songwriter & Childhood Cancer Survivor -211

October 19, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:05 — 21.1MB) | Embed

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.

Tona Hines: Mother of Two, She Cancer Warrior -210

October 13, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:02 — 22.0MB) | Embed

I thank God that He has allowed me to be strong enough to endure this and to show my family and friends that I am a “she cancer warrior”. -Tona Hines

October is breast cancer awareness month and sadly, the statistics have not improved. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and this is a disease that affects the woman and her whole family. In this episode, we’re shining a spotlight on two-time breast cancer survivor Tona Hines. Diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at 40, this devoted mother of two
didn’t require any treatment beyond surgery the first time around. Ten years later, everything changed. Tona was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Her story would not be complete without the support she has received from The Ellie Fund, www.elliefund.org, a non-profit devoted to supporting patients, funding care and providing hope. Meredith Mendelson, Executive Director of the non-profit shares the story of Ellie Popkin for whom the charity is named, and it’s mission to serve 1200 patients per year by 2023. #mbc #breastcancer #elliefund

Bridget Snell: Co-Founder & Chief Editor, Living Crue Magazine -209

October 7, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:00 — 22.0MB) | Embed

I have MS. MS does not have me. I prefer to be Bridget the mother, the wife, the career driven woman. -Bridget Snell

In this episode, we meet Bridget Snell, co-founder of Waiting Room Media and Chief Editor of the company’s flagship print magazine, Living Crue. Diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2015, Bridget made a choice not to allow the disease to rule her life. When traditional medications failed to work, she dove into every medical journal and discovered HSCT, a stem cell transplant that is currently used to fight cancer in the United States, but is not approved for use on MS patients. Determined to receive the treatment, the mother of two daughters then 2 and 4 traveled to Mexico where she stayed for 30 days, emerging with a new lease on life. Four years later, Bridget is using 20+ years of print publishing experience to breathe life into a magazine that is a platform for women’s stories, raw and authentic. Co-Founded with Marci Bracken whom she met in the waiting room of a karate dojo, Living Crue is a reminder of the power of friendship and living proof that even in the toughest of times, you just can’t keep a good woman down. #livingcrue #publishing #empowerment

Nikki Shults: Executive Director of LBFEBoston.org -208

September 22, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:30 — 20.6MB) | Embed

What means the most to me is building community, finding safe spaces for the lonely and the elderly. -Nikki Shults

Nikki Shults grew up on a family compound in rural Connecticut. At the center of this compound, in the humble, makeshift home lived her grandmother whom she called “Meme”. This wise, matriarch of the family lived to be 95, surrounded by generations of the people she loved. It was on this compound where Nikki learned some of her first lessons about the elderly, community
and companionship. She would go on to pursue a BA in Gerontology and an MBA in Healthcare Management from Quinnipiac University. With only a wish to learn more about the world, she entered the Peace Corps, working in Ethiopia. It was there that she observed “you don’t need a lot to make you happy” and that what she had learned on her family compound about caring for the elderly was true in Ethiopia as well. Nikki could see that Ethiopians kept their elderly close, protecting them inside multigenerational family homes until the day they died. These days, you’ll find Nikki doing what she loves as the Executive Director of a charity called LBFE or Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly www.lbfeboston.org. She is devoted to intergenerational programming and the organization’s mission to build communities and friendships between the old and the young. In this interview, Nikki shares some startling statistics about loneliness, the long-term effects of the pandemic on our oldest populations, and the priceless gifts of wisdom she has learned along the way from the elderly. Says Nikki: they’ve taught me that the sooner you learn to be your most authentic self, the sooner you stop caring what everyone else thinks, that is when your life begins.” #elderly #companionship #lbfeboston #peacecorps

Kathleen Ralls, PhD -Educator, Athlete, Coach & Author -207

September 15, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:32 — 19.7MB) | Embed

If I can push my body to the limit physically, what can I do mentally in other parts of my life? -Kathleen Ralls, PhD

We’re back with another season of stories about women doing great things with their lives.
If you need a dose of get up and go, this episode is for you. Kathleen Ralls is a lifelong athlete who is also an award-winning educator, a high school sports coach and a Fullbright Scholar whose doctoral research on gender equity sports and voice empowerment brought her to 20 countries and 4 continents to gather crucial data from female athletes. In this interview, Kathleen shares her experiences working with and learning from girls in Ethiopia through the Girls Gotta Run Foundation. www.girlsgottarun.org. I asked here: what are the attributes at the heart of a champion female athlete? Why are athletes such great leaders? Where do they find their strength to bounce back after a loss? And what role does consistency play when it comes to performance both on the athletic field and in the workplace? Kathleen’s research into what makes female athletes tick is captured in her book: Take Her Word For It: Sports Cultivates World-Class Leaders. These days, you’ll find this exceptional woman sharing what she has learned in her own coaching practice centered on female empowerment and leadership training. www.kathleenralls.com. If you are an athlete, or the parent of a girl who is just starting her athletic journey, hit that download button. You’ll be glad you did. #title9 #leadership #empowerment

Jenn Abelson: Award-winning Investigative Reporter -206

September 8, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:30 — 20.6MB) | Embed

I’ve innately had this willingness, a fearlessness to challenge the people in charge and to not be afraid of power. -Jenn Abelson

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be an investigative reporter? In the spotlight, Jenn Abelson, reporter for The Washington Post and co-host of the new series, Broken Doors. www.washingtonpost/brokendoors. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Jenn went to Cornell University and spent time abroad, working in Israel during violent times when her family worried about her safety. In this interview, we get a bird’s eye view into the psyche of an investigative reporter who is not afraid to look into the darkest corners to find the truth. A former member of the Boston Globe’s elite Spotlight team, Jenn is also the co-author of a memoir by Chessy Prout called I Have A Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice and Hope. These days, you’ll find Jenn headfirst into the art of storytelling with her podcast series Broken Doors which examines no-knock warrants. Her decision to be a part of the show is no surprise: “I like to do things that make me feel a little bit uncomfortable and not always take the path everyone else is taking.” For a look inside the world of a gifted writer and major market investigative reporter, take the risk and hit that download button. #washingtonpost #investigativereporter #noknockwarrant

Sandy Goroff: Publicist & Fine Arts Photographer -205

June 22, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:27 — 21.5MB) | Embed

If they didn’t let me in the front door, I was going to climb up the cellar stairs. -Sandra Goroff

Sandy Goroff has spent 40 years shouting about her clients from the rooftops. In this interview, we turn the tables to talk about her incredible career as a publicist and photographer and the result is a tutorial on how to do it right. Sandy specializes in authors and their books, art, lifestyles, design and architecture, movies and museums. With plenty of chutzpah and little experience, she landed her first job as a publicist telling the story of Boston’s sidewalk artist known as “Sidewalk Sam”. Says Sandy: “The fact that I had no experience in the beginning of my career made me work and try that much harder.” Her next stop was the big time at Houghton Mifflin where she worked with A-listers like President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter, world-renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall, Hollywood celebrities and children’s book authors Maurice Sendak and Margret Rey of Curious George fame. Born with an eye and an ear for a great story, Sandy worked with unknowns whose stories were so compelling, she took them on against all odds, selling millions of books along the way. A true believer in the power of relationships, Sandy created connections with every major network show and producer so that her clients got the best exposure. Her favorite connection was formed in 1986 when she worked on a book by Steven Callahan called Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea. Today, the book is about to be launched as a documentary, with Sandy credited as Unit Publicist and Associate Producer of the movie. www.76days.net. On a mission to bring the stories of others into the spotlight, in this interview, we learn that Sandra Goroff has a powerful story of her own to tell. www.sandragoroff.com. #storybehindhersuccess #pubicity #PR

Elin Schran -204

June 16, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:19 — 20.4MB) | Embed

I don’t really believe in obstacles. If there’s a wall, you get on top of it and start dancing -Elin Schran

Meet Elin Schran, Founder of Joy Skate Productions: joyskateproductions.com. She’s passionate about making ice skating accessible to all and spends her days bringing specially designed camps and clinics to rinks that accommodate skaters of every age and every ability, including adaptive/therapeutic skating clinics. For this exceptional woman, ice skating= joy. You see,
Elin is the daughter of Olympic Figure Skating Champion Tenley Albright who was the five-time National Champion, two-time World Champion, Silver Medalist at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, Norway and the Gold Medalist at the Olympics in Cortina, Italy in 1956. In this interview, we hear Tenley’s inspiring story through her daughter’s loving eyes and learn that Elin was never pressured into figure skating. It’s just a sport she couldn’t resist. She loves the twirling, the precision, the feeling of freedom and act of flying through the air and it is this joy that she hopes to bring to others through Joy Skate Productions. Now a mother herself, Elin shares her experiences on the ice as a member of Dorothy Hamill’s Ice Capades, as the Founder of Boston Ice Theatre and co-founder of Frozen Frog Productions. She believes in manifesting your dreams and goals, which is something her mother taught her when she was growing up: “Put it out into the ether. Let it be, visualize it, and it’s going to happen.” In this episode, we come to know Elin as a woman who has spent her life on the ice, while shining her own light, crafting her own unique skating story. For 23 minutes of joy and inspiration on ice, just hit that download button! #joyskateproductions #storybehindhersuccess #figureskating

Diane Pickles -203

June 9, 2022Episodesthestorybehindhersuccess

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:00 — 21.1MB) | Embed

When you have a child with a heart defect, you live with fear every day. And yet, you have to live your life and you have to lean into hope. -Diane Pickles

Diane Pickles admits that a little voice inside her head thought something might be wrong with the unborn child she was carrying. The year was 1994 and she and her husband William had a healthy three year old son at home when an ultrasound revealed that their baby had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, meaning that he had half a heart. Doctors suggested a late term abortion, but that was not an option for the couple. Instead: they picked option 2: a series of experimental surgeries which up until then, had shown little success. Today, their son Jake is 27, making him one of the oldest patients with this heart defect in the world. Diane has made it her life’s mission to assist and educate heart families and to forward research that maps genomes which cause congenital heart defects. The Program Director of Project Singular at Additional Ventures, she has also worked tirelessly for the American Heart Association, was appointed to the board of the Directors of the American Board of Pediatrics, and was a key player in successfully passing legislation to end smoking in restaurants. In this interview, Diane opens her heart to talk about what it’s like to lovingly raise a child with only half a heart. Born and raised in faith, Diane follows her father’s 10 Guidelines for Life which he wrote on his 70th birthday. Her favorite is #10: Share your gifts, be heard, give back. Says Diane: I have always believed that if I can make this path easier for someone else, I’m gonna do it. For 23 minutes of inspiration, just hit that download button. #heartdefects #specialneedschildren #humangenomes

The Story Behind Her Success with Candy O'Terry

What's your story?