Episodes

Why isn’t there a better vodka out there so that people aren’t train wrecks the next day? VELO Vodka is the solution for a new generation of vodka drinkers. -Colleen & Riley Eyges We’ve had many entrepreneurs on the show, but never a mother/daughter duo! Meet Colleen and Riley Eyges, founders of VELO Vodka www.velovodka.com. A single mom for decades, Colleen raised her daughter to be strong and independent. Their chemistry in this interview reflects what makes their partnership work: “The secr...

You can be the best leader EVER, but who can do anything on their own? You need a village. -Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, PhD Welcome to the story of Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, a trailblazing Latina with a passion for social justice and for creating community. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she’s got a PhD in public policy and has proudly served as CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA) www.ibaboston.org for the past 20+ years. One of the largest and most successful Latina-led non-profits in our...

Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. I was never the most talented. I was never the smartest, but I was always willing to do the work. -Alison Quandt Westgate We’re on the road this week! This interview with Alison Quandt Westgate was recorded at the Costello Athletic Center at UMASS Lowell www.goriverhawks.com soon after the school’s student-athletes arrived back on campus. Known to her friends and colleagues as “Q” Alison is a former women’s ice hockey champion and goalie coach. Of...

As a 6-year-old, I remember deciding I’m not going to be fearful; I’m going to be furious. -Jodi Tolman When your childhood is fractured by emotional abuse and the threat of violence, it’s easy to lack confidence and lose your way as an adult. For Jodi Tolman, there have been plenty of mistakes and regrets, but there have also been incredible triumphs in her life. Her secret weapon? resiliency! Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jodi adored her mother and feared her father, who she de...

A concussion is a broken brain. And it doesn’t have to be just a hit to the head. It is an impact on your body that moves up to your brain. -Lynne Becker Welcome to part 2 of a concussion story every mom, dad, coach, caregiver, and healthcare professional needs to hear. The single mother of two, Lynne Becker’s daughters were both athletes, but when her daughter Natalie was hit at point-blank range with a soccer ball, she got the phone call no parent wants to receive. Natalie was knocked unconsc...

Listen to me. My daughter walks into walls. She sleeps 20 hours a day. -Lynne Becker Back in the day, if 2 athletes smashed into one another, coaches would keep them in the game. Not anymore. Traumatic brain injuries, known as TBI, are serious business, and if you doubt this fact, just listen to this interview with Lynne Becker. A biostatistician and epidemiologist with an MS in public health, Lynne has spent her entire career analyzing charts and graphs, looking for clues that lead to better m...

Be true to yourself. Know who you are as a person because people will try to break you. If you have a strong sense of self-esteem, you will be successful. -Megan McShane In the spotlight: Megan McShane. She spent 13 years working for global coaching sensation Tony Robbins and years later, developed the concept for Your Best Life Now www.yblnow.com with two business partners. Designed to bring together four key parts of a person’s life, Your Best Life Now is a results-driven, membership-based ma...

As a child, I tried to sign up for Little League, and they said, “No” you’re a girl. And I remember thinking: That’s not right. It hurt me in my heart. -Digit Murphy Margaret Pearl “Digit” Degidio Murphy admits that as a child, she cried when she couldn’t play baseball or ice hockey just because she was a girl. As she skated alone around local ponds in her hometown of Cranston, Rhode Island, Digit knew she could be a champion. A scrappy kid from the wrong side of the tracks, she decided to neve...

The doctor said, “You are going blind, and there is no cure.” My mom burst into tears, and I remember thinking, “This can’t be happening to me.” -Eavan O’Neill When she was only 13 years old, Eavan O’Neill started having trouble seeing the blackboard at school. A gifted athlete, she began missing the ball while playing lacrosse and soccer. One of her coaches suggested that she have her eyes checked. Unfortunately, glasses didn’t do much to solve the problem. Throughout her teens, Eavan’s eyesig...

I love what I do, and it’s a privilege and an honor to do it. I feel such a duty to report on things that happen in my community, in my backyard, in your backyard. -Maria Stephanos Maria Stephanos is a household name in Boston and beyond. This interview was taped in between newscasts at WCVB, Channel 5, www.wcvb.com where she anchors the 4:30, 6:00, 7:00, and 11:00 PM newscasts. And for good measure, Maria also anchors the 10:00 PM news on sister station MeTVBoston. A devoted mother, this high-...

School of Rock is the place for everyone who feels like they don’t have a place. All we care about is making great music together. -Stacey Ryan Meet Stacey Ryan, Chief Operating Officer of the School of Rock www.schoolofrock.com. With 65,000 students learning in 364 locations in 19 countries worldwide, she’s got her hands full of music lovers, and she likes it that way. Says Stacey: “Our teachers are all gigging musicians. We bring kids together in a room where they get to play instruments and ...

I’m missing the freak-out gene. It’s hard to rattle me. -Shannon Mulaire This week’s episode features the fascinating story of award-winning TV journalist Shannon Mulaire. She parlayed decades of experience in front of and behind cameras into the role of Director of PR and Media Relations at female-owned Nickerson, www.nickersoncos.com, a full-service branding, marketing, PR, and communications agency with offices in Boston and Miami. Born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Shannon started pl...

Lessons learned early last a lifetime. -Julie Beckham aka “Ms. Money” Not everyone thinks personal finance is a topic to sing about, but Julie Beckham has made a career out of it. Since April is Financial Literacy Month, we thought we’d invite her on to the show. Now the AVP/Financial Education Development & Strategy Officer at Rockland Trust Bank, Julie was tasked by the previous owner, Blue Hills Bank, with expanding its commitment to the community by finding a way to educate children about m...

Jane Does Well organically became a group of women talking about divorce and supporting each other. -Christina Pavlina This week’s guest was nominated by listeners twice, thanks to the support and community she has created for women going through divorce. Meet Christina Pavlina, co-founder & Executive Director of Jane Does Well, www.janedoeswell.org. Whether it is your choice or not, divorce is a heartache. If you’ve got children, the impact is even greater. Christina has walked this walk, and ...

Don’t worry about filling someone else’s shoes. Bring your own. -Monica Roberts Meet Monica Roberts, Senior Vice President & Executive Director of City Year Greater Boston www.cityyear.org. A lifelong resident of Boston, Monica was raised in a home full of faith, rules, and love. She credits her mother for advocating for her and her siblings, reminding them about the value of a strong education. In this interview, Monica shares the story of her father, the son of a sharecropper from Mississippi...

Poppies with Purpose is more than a shoe line. It is something that is going to bring courage, joy, and connection whether you have cancer or not. -Lisa Carlin When bad things happen, you have two choices: you can give up or give it all you’ve got. Lisa Carlin decided to use her breast cancer diagnosis as a catalyst for comfort through the creation of her shoe line, Poppies with Purpose www.poppieswithpurpose.com. At only 38, with two daughters, ages 3 and 5, at home, she was diagnosed with agg...

A lot of children believe that perfection is a goal. I help them understand that mistakes are part of the learning process. -Noel Foy In the spotlight, Noel Foy. Known as Neuro Noel, she got her start as a teacher and learning specialist before blazing a trail as a neuroeducator and anxiety coach. www.neuronoel.com. A graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in Education/Special Education and a Masters in American Studies, Noel began noticing that her own sons didn’t like school, but they loved l...

It’s fun to be a part of the best day of someone’s life. -Lindsey Leichthammer Meet event producer extraordinaire, Lindsey Leichthammer. www.lindseyleichthammer.com. She’s done everything from fluffing the bride’s dress to keeping the bridal party calm as Nana is being placed in an ambulance minutes before the wedding ceremony begins. She also knows what it’s like to be responsible for feeding hundreds of people in the middle of a field in Vermont, with no cell service. By the time you finish l...

We don’t tell anybody what to do. Every Wiley Scholar is an expert on their own life. -Judi Alperin King, Ph.D. What happens when a high school student has the desire, the motivation, and the grades to go to college, but lacks the support and the resources to make their life-changing goal a reality? Enter thewilynetwork.org. With a BA from Hamilton College, a Masters degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, Judi Alperin King is the Founder and Executive Direc...

I do love a good rush of adrenalin. I’m not gonna lie. -Sandy Lish For most of us, the word “crisis” is a negative, but not for Sandy Lish. She loves a good crisis because she knows how to solve it. Together with longtime colleague Wendy Spivak, Sandy co-founded The Castle Group thecastlegrp.com 27 years ago. Armed with a yin/yang skillset, the two started small, in a shared office space, with their desks facing each other and 3 initial clients: the Nellie Mae Foundation, Bank of Boston (precur...

The more inflammation you have in your body, the quicker you will age and the lower your quality of life will be. -Ann Doggett, DC This week’s guest is a trailblazer in the field of holistic healthcare. Meet Dr. Ann Doggett, founder of Whole Body Solutions in Braintree, Massachusetts www.wholebodysolutions.com. When Ann founded her practice back in 1989, her focus was chiropractic care, but as the years went by, she came to understand the power of alternative medicine. The mission of her wellne...

My wish, for you this Christmas? Time for gratitude, for love, for hope, and for planting seeds that bloom in 2024. -Candy O’Terry I’ve been looking forward to spending some time with you! Welcome to a very special holiday edition of The Story Behind Her Success. candyoterry.com/podcast. Gratitude is a powerful emotion and I’m always grateful to you for listening. This episode includes exclusive content including my answers to your email questions about the creation of the show, favorite interv...

Every child deserves to have a friend and our books create conversations and kindness. -Sherry Cerino Meet a lifelong nurse turned children’s author and publisher. Sherry Cerino is on a mission to educate young children about differences. Newly retired after 45 years of nursing at Boston’s top hospitals, Sherry went back to school to learn how to run a non-profit and created Ellasway, www.ellasway.com an acronym for Early Learning Leads to Acceptance. A collaboration of 35 authors from around ...

When you get rid of the things that are physically in the way, you have more time and more clarity, you can see what is next for you and it is life-changing. -Eileen Reed Years ago Eileen Reed was killing it in sales. Sure, there were plenty of financial benefits but she just wasn’t happy. Eileen wasn’t healthy, either. For the first time in her life, she was overweight, she was plagued by migraines and high blood pressure. At one point, she even thought she was having a heart attack. It was a ...