Episodes

breast cancer survivor & podcaster @erinomalleysfrequency I’m not afraid of death. Something came to take me, and I beat it with faith and love. I have a second lease on life. -ErinO’Malley This up close and personal interview with Boston broadcaster and podcaster Erin O’Malley www.erinomalleysfrequency.com gives you a birds-eye view into the life of a woman who leads with love. In part 1 of this interview, Erin shared the story of her early life in Pittsburgh, and her proclamation at 12 that s...

Wife, mom, podcaster, survivor erinomalleysfrequency.com I’ve always been an optimist who looks for the best in everyone and everything. -Erin My mission has always been to introduce you to women who inspire you to say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’ Today, I am sitting across from a woman whose positive attitude and infectious voice are woven into the fabric of Boston radio. For 20 years, we shared the same airwaves at different frequencies. She was on Mix 104.1 and I was on Magic 106.7, but ...

Philanthropist elliefund.org @elliefund Life is full of heartache and if you don’t have humor, it’s very hard. Have a belly laugh once a day! -Ruth “Chip” Spalding Twenty years ago, in the middle of 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 35 radiation treatments for stage 2 breast cancer, Ruth“Chip” Spalding opened the door to find a delivery of flowers. That single act of kindness took root inside of her, and bloomed into a legacy of hope. Chip began searching for a local non-profit that shared her passi...

YOLANDA CELLUCCI fashionista, philanthropist, trailblazer IN MEMORIAM Success is measured not by how long you have lived, but HOW you live. – Yolanda Cellucci I knew this day would come, but I dreaded it. Fashionista, philanthropist and trailblazer Yolanda Cellucci has died at 91. And as it turns out, one of her last full length interviews was with me, in November 2022. So, we’ve pulled this gem out of the archives for you this week, as a way of remembering and honoring a truly great human be...

wife, mother of 5, Fulbright Scholar @renee.minogue minogueforma.com It has been one of the highlights of my life, to travel through this beautiful state and meet incredible people. -ReneeMinogue Not so long ago, Renee’s husband Mike Minogue asked her to take a hike with him. By the time they got home, the couple had made up their minds that Mike would seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Massachusetts. minogueforma.com. The mother of five children between the ages of 14-25, Renee is...

Founder & CEO of Mom Bomb MomBomb.shop & MomBomb.org Women are underestimated. I sit in board rooms with capital investors and other decision makers and I know that there are women with better ideas, and still, they don’t get a chance. – Heather Roberts Welcome to the story of an entrepreneurial mother of 6 who made the discovery of her life during the most difficult time in her life. In the spotlight, Heather Roberts, Founder & CEO of Mom Bomb, MomBomb.shop, a social impact company that makes ...

Host of That Mom podcast thatmompodcast.com Guess what? Becoming a mom actually changes your brain. -Maria Wood Meet a working mom on a mission to help other moms create lives that align with the things that matter most to them. Maria Woods is the host of the all-new podcast series That Mom thatmompodcast.com. Born and Raised in the little town of Royalston, Massachusetts, she’s the daughter of an educator, and holds three degrees in cultural anthropology, law and business. In this interview, sh...

Founder of EMPOWER weareempower.org Here’s what my dad did for me after my mother died: He told me he loved me every single day. It wasn’t his job to teach me how to grieve. It was his job to love me. -Cara Belvin This episode features Cara Belvin, one of the first women to share her story on The Story Behind Her Success when we launched the show back in 2018. She’s the founder of a charity called EMPOWER, which creates community for children grieving the loss of a parent. Raised in Southington,...

Host of Carrigan & Company carriganandcompanypod.com I have appreciated every day and every minute of this big, huge career I’ve been blessed with. -Kim Carrigan This episode features a woman I have admired for many years, not only because she’s an award-winning news anchor but because she is savvy, smart, resilient, and kind. Kim Carrigan is an example of what I would call: grace under fire. Born and raised in Missouri, Kim got her start on television at her college TV station and later climb...

PPD survivor & outpatient therapist soleowellness.com When I finally sat down to write my postpartum depression story, the words just came pouring out. -Lindsey Disch In this latest episode, we meet Lindsey Disch, whose journey through Post Partum Depression or PPD casts a bright light on a condition many people still don’t understand. Profiled in a prominent women’s magazine, Lindsey’s “A Letter to My Daughter” essay caught my heart and my attention. https://www.pinkchairstorytellers.com/story...

American Bald Eagle Photographer @rocked_by_kindness A friend of mine is a birder, and she posted a picture of a bald eagle, and I messaged her and said, “Where did you take that picture? -Donna O’Kane You are about to hear one of my all-time favorite second chapter stories! After spending 40 years working for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Donna O’Kane decided to start photographing American Bald Eagles. The mother of three grown children, Donna is also a breast cancer survivor who spre...

radio pro, philanthropist, caregiver, docf.org By heart, and with closed eyes, I have a very vulnerable spot for the unhoused. -Sue Brady For millions of radio listeners in Boston, Sue Brady was that fun, friendly, relatable voice they heard on the air for years. In this episode, we get to know the deepest layers of a woman who will always love radio but has turned the page to discover a whole new passion as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Born and raised in Stoneham, Massachusetts, by an Army v...

Keep your eyes open and don’t be afraid of life. If you want to age gracefully, stay busy, positive, and connected. -Dede Ulbrich This week, we meet Dede Ulbrich, a beautiful 86-year-old woman whose secret to staying young is laughter, love, and connection. The granddaughter of former New Hampshire Governor Francis P. Murphy and founder of WMUR radio and television stations, Dede was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, where her big, Irish family believed in the glory of hard work and having fun...

You have to take care of yourself first in order to take care of others. -Carol McKean I’ve known Carol McKean for many years, and I’m so happy to introduce her to you. She’s a PR superstar with her own events company, carolmckeanevents.com, and is the creator of the popular fundraising concept known as “fund-a-need.” In this interview, Carol shares her life story, including the hard parts I didn’t know about. The story of her incredibly painful divorce is featured in the new Jan Fraser inspired...

I went into a contemplative period in my life and retreated to my cabin for 10 years. I couldn’t find the words to express how I was feeling, so I started picking up clay. -Renee Rhodes Welcome to the life of sculptor, Renee Rhodes. She’s worked in publishing and advertising, and even has a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Clinical Psychology, but in her 40s, Renee experienced “a dark night of the soul” and retreated into a cabin on her property, deep in the Connecticut woods. When she emerged,...

Mrs. Santa Says When I was growing up, I was that girl who was always singing into her hairbrush! -Candy O’Terry Welcome to the holiday edition of The Story Behind Her Success! For the next 23 minutes, I’ll share listener emails as well as three of the holiday songs I’ve recorded over the years. Whenever I interview a woman, I always ask her if she knew what she wanted to do with her life. For me, the answer to that question is simple: I just wanted to be a singer. My radio career was directly ...

In the beginning, I was usually the only woman in the room. That was great, because it was memorable, and it was also bad, because it was memorable. -Maureen Rystrom Meet a woman who is at the top of her game in a male-dominated field. As Partner & Vice President of Marketing at J. Calnan & Associates, jcalnan.com, Maureen Rystrom oversees the construction management company’s comprehensive marketing and communications initiatives. At a time when commercial messaging is often in your face, Maur...

I don’t do well with injustice. -Christine Anastos 10 years ago, environmental engineer Christine Anastos knew something was wrong with her health. When tests came back normal, her care team suggested Christine see a psychiatrist. Her answer? “There’s nothing wrong with my brain. I know my body well.” It wasn’t long before Christine was diagnosed with breast cancer. The suspected cause? Environmental hazards. The company Christine was working for as an environmental engineer had been dumping to...

Don’t expect people to be who they seem on the surface. – Dafna Krouk-Gordon In 1980, Dafna Krouk-Gordon founded her human resources agency in one room above a drug store, with just one employee. 45 years later, Toward Independent Living and Learning (www.tillinc.org) is thriving, with 1,000 employees throughout Massachusetts and into New Hampshire, and the noble goal of improving clients’ lives, one day at a time. Dafna is also the co-author of the book: Moving Out: A Family Guide to Residenti...

Our SOF warriors, or Special Operations Forces, are never really home. They are either deployed or in training for 9 months out of the year. As a spouse, you have to figure out how to connect through the distance and build your community where you are. -KaLea Lehman As a military spouse, this week’s guest understands what the words “service” and “sacrifice” really mean. Meet KaLea Lehman, Executive Director and Founder of the Military Special Operations Family Collaborative www.msofc.org, a non...

Let’s transform the classroom into a place where mistake-making is an opportunity to learn and children feel a sense of connection, value, and belonging. -Noel Foy aka Neuro Noel Meet neuroeducator, anxiety/executive function coach, and author, Noel Foy. She travels the country, sharing her skill set with children, parents, and teachers. Today, in any given classroom, about 30% of students are neurodiverse. “There are many brains in these classrooms, says Noel, including children with ADHD, aut...

There’s a stigma around the word “underwear”. You don’t talk about it until you don’t have it. -Catherine Maloy This week’s guest is a mom who saw a simple need for children in crisis and made it her mission to do something about it. Catherine Maloy is the Founder & Executive Director of a non-profit called Cocotree Kids www.cocotreekids.org. Let’s all agree: underwear is not glamorous, but it is fundamental. Without it, children may feel shamed, vulnerable, and excluded. Conceived during the p...

Facing an illness is very much like being a buoy: we have to rise up, we have to learn to float, and carry ourselves in the storm. While we’re staying afloat in the storm, we are also a beacon for others. -Lorna J. Brunelle There are lots of stories about the ties that bind mothers and daughters. When Lorna Brunelle’s mother, Wanda, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she turned heartbreak into hope by telling the story of her mother’s courage, character, wisdom and lifelong influence in ...

That little girl in the hayloft always wanted to be a writer. I’m the poster child for following your dreams in midlife because I didn’t write my first book until I was 55. -Hank Phillippi Ryan Imagine a 43-year career as an investigative reporter with 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards. Now imagine a brilliant midlife move, where all that experience manifests itself into writing mystery novels that are nail-biting thrillers. Welcome to the incredible story of Hank Phillippi Ryan. This que...