Episodes

School is the only normal thing for a child experiencing homelessness. – Cheryl Opper Great ideas are hatched in lots of places. For Cheryl Opper, the idea of founding School on Wheels, Massachusetts www.sowma.org happened back in 2004 at her kitchen table while reading an article about Agnes Stevens of Los Angeles who was the founder of the charity. Cheryl was looking for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe and what she found was a calling to make a difference in the lives of homeless children. The st...

I said to him: This is not going to be Nana’s Kindness Project. This is going to be Connor’s Kindness Project. -Sharon Marrama If you are looking for an uplifting story this holiday season, look no further. We talk a lot about “mother love” on this show, but what about the love a grandmother has for her grandchild? Meet Sharon Marrama, grandmother of 14-year-old Connor Wright, co-founders of Connor’s Kindness Project www.connorskindnessproject.com. Hatched during the pandemic, the original goal...

Success for me is determination. As long as you are alive, you don’t give up. You don’t quit. -Bracha Horovitz Born in 1952, just 6 years after the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel, Bracha’s name means “a blessing” in Hebrew. The daughter of a holocaust survivor whose entire family was killed at Auschwitz, Bracha grew up believing that in order to succeed, you must never look back. Raised in the idyllic town of Ein Kerem, just south of Jerusalem, she recalls a simple life, steeped in...

I don’t want my patients to leave my office feeling different. I want them to feel refreshed, an even better version of themselves. – Melissa Michelon, MD. They say “time is a thief” but is it possible to turn back the hands of time just enough to give yourself a boost of confidence? Dr. Melissa Michelson says: “Yes, you can!” A board-certified dermatologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, Melissa is a proud member of the elite team at the Boston Center for Facial Rejuvenatio...

I have always wanted to try something new, to put myself in situations where I was a little breathless, where there’s an itch to scratch, and where I ask myself: can I really succeed at this? -Connie Johnson Hambley After struggling with how to describe this week’s guest, I’ve landed on “Renaissance woman” not only because she is an expert in so many fields, but because she is prolific at everything she does. Born and raised on a dairy farm in upstate New York, Connie recalls a childhood where...

Once you have cancer, it becomes a part of your history, part of the fabric of your journey, part of your story. -Sue Tabb Welcome back to the story of award-winning broadcaster, columnist, PR & marketing pro, wife, mother, and 2-time breast cancer survivor, Sue Tabb. Recorded on a sunny day in my living room just a few hours after Sue got off the air at Magic 106.7, this interview was so inspiring, we just had to make it available to you in two parts. Raised in Westfield, Massachusetts, Sue wa...

Breast cancer is a club nobody wants to be in, but it’s not a bad club. It’s an empowering club. And when you get through it, you realize you are much more resilient than you think you are. -Sue Tabb According to the American Cancer Society: 1 in every 8 women will hear the words: you have breast cancer. The woman you are about to meet has heard those words two times in her life. Sue Tabb’s daughters were just little girls when she was first diagnosed with the disease and then, 12 years later ...

The doctor said: This is breast cancer. Buckle-up. – Melissa Dupuis October is breast cancer awareness month and although great strides have been made, the statistics remain the same. According to the American Cancer Society: 1 in every 8 women will hear the words “you have breast cancer”. This month, we’re supporting a local charity called The Ellie Fund, which focuses on making the day-to-day lives of breast cancer patients a little bit easier. elliefund.org. In the spotlight, Melissa Dupuis....

Focus on what you can control. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control the process. -Kelly Cantley How many women are leaders in commercial construction? The answer is: not enough! Meet Kelly Cantley, Senior Vice President of Bozzuto Construction Company www.bozzuto.com. Born and raised in the town of Bluff City, Tennessee, population 1500 by a trailblazing school teacher and a 36-year Army veteran, Kelly is blazing her own trail in a field where less than 10% of women are finding t...

There are so many parts to us and writing this book is a big part of me. But there’s a lot more to do and it makes me excited about life and getting out of bed every morning. -Christy Cashman Christy Cashman is an actress who has appeared in more than twenty movies including American Hustle, Joy, Ted 2, and Kettle of Fish. She’s written two children’s books, has her own production company, and is the founder of a teenage writing mentorship program called YouthINK www.christycashman.com. The wif...

Sometimes the door you’re trying to push or kick open isn’t the door that’s designed for you. -Maureen Weisner If your career needs an adjustment, I’ve got just the woman for you! Meet Maureen Weisner, co-founder and managing partner of KICKSTART Your Transition www.kickstartyourtransition.com. A wife and mother of grown children, Maureen has been flexing her teaching muscles for a lifetime, helping women and men understand that “sometimes, the job you want is not available, so you pivot and wh...

I thought I was broken. I thought there was something wrong with me. -Kimberly Plante This episode is going to make you angry and it might just make you cry. As the abused child of a young, single mother, Kimberly Plante grew up in constant fear. She lived in squalor in a home where cockroaches climbed the walls. She wore filthy clothes, had no friends, and was left alone at night to care for her little brother. She was beaten, burned on her scalp and arms with cigarette butts, and every day sh...

Being a connector is my calling. This is the work that lights me up. -Valerie McSorley Valerie McSorley could claim the title of “super-connector” any day of the week. She’s been building her vast professional network for decades by producing live, major market industry events, developing businesses and creating strategic partnerships that endure the test of time. She’s currently the Senior Vice President for Partner Success at livepro, a knowledge management system designed specifically for co...

There is a massive under-investment in non-profits serving women and girls in this country. -Christina Gordon Meet Christina Gordon, Co-Founder & CEO of WFBoston. www.wfboston.org. She holds an undergraduate degree from Boston University and four master’s degrees: two from the prestigious Sloan School of Management at MIT and two more from Brandeis University. Raised by a single mom not far from New York City, Christina is the daughter and grandchild of educators who was taught early in life t...

I have always wanted to do something that has a lasting impact on the youth of this nation. Today I am doing what I am meant to do, using my gifts and talents. -Stacy A. Padula Young Adult and children’s book author Stacy A. Padula has written 13 books and every one of them has risen to #1 either as a New Release or Best Seller on Amazon since 2010. One of the most fascinating parts of this story is that even though Stacy started planting the seeds of her series Montgomery Lake High in middle ...

Yes, it was like entering a man cave when I first got started, but now, I am a voice for women in finance and trading and I am empowered to bring women along with me. -Samantha LaDuc Samantha LaDuc describes herself as a macro-to-micro analyst, educator, and trader of stocks, options, futures, crypto, commodities, currencies, and bonds. www.laductrading.com. Born and raised on a farm in upstate New York by a single mom, this chapter in Sam’s career could not be further from her humble roots. Th...

Don’t tapdance too loudly. Under promise and over-deliver. That’s my advice. -Andrea Hall Andrea Hall is living proof that our lives really do unfold like chapters in a book. Her latest chapter finds her at the helm of a non-profit called Grateful Friends www.gratefulfriends.org where the mission is to provide financial support to adults undergoing cancer treatment. But just how did she get here? Andi was raised by a single mom in a great big Greek family in Brookline, MA. Armed with a degree i...

As an autistic parent, there is intense isolation and no matter how supportive your friends with typical children want to be, you need to have someone who understands your life. -Candice Hartford Candice Hartford is a NICU nurse with a heart of gold. She’s spent her career caring for critically ill newborns and their families, first in her native California and now in Boston at Mass General Brigham Hospital. She’s also the mother of twin boys who were born prematurely and later diagnosed with...

I’ve spent my adulthood working with the Greatest Generation. My average client is 89 years old and they’ve taught me that even if you live 100 years, it is the blink of an eye. -Erin DiCarlo Erin DiCarlo‘s career path has been inspired not only by her lifelong devotion to her grandparents Nanny and Da, but by the joy she gets from working with the elderly. A wife and mother of four, Erin is the Founder & President of Dovetail Companies which she created to address the vast needs of families de...

If you tell me I can’t do something, I’m gonna do it 10 times better than you ever thought I could. -Judy Briggs We’re on the road for this episode of The Story Behind Her Success, featuring the story of Judy Briggs, mother of 4 and franchise owner of 3 thriving synergistic businesses: 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Men in Kilts/Boston and MaidPro Metrowest. Recorded in Judy’s offices in the little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts which is famous for being the location of the starting line of the Boston Mara...

Once upon a time, it was a grand event to go to the local movie theatre. -Katherine Tallman In this interview, we meet Katherine Tallman, a lifelong lover of cinema. She’s the Executive Director & CEO of the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts, one of America’s most iconic movie theatres. coolidge.org. Originally built as a church in 1906, it was re-designed as an art deco movie palace in 1933 and after suffering hard times throughout the 1980s was purchased by a real estate mag...

When I was a teenager, I had one of those diaries with a little lock. I kept it under my bed and I would pull it out and just start writing. -Maggie Van Galen Do you love to write? Meet Maggie Van Galen. Inspired by her father’s incredible ability to tell a story, this award-winning children’s book author and wordsmith has been writing since she could hold a pen. Maggie grew up in a tiny town in Northern Michigan where “everyone knew your business before you even did it.” She went to Michigan S...

I don’t just make pretty dresses. If I design a dress that doesn’t excite the woman who is wearing it, this is not good enough. Every piece of art should excite you. -Anna Nieman Born in Belarus in the former USSR, Anna Nieman learned all about perseverance and hard work from her parents. Her father was a messanger for the resistance during World War II. Captured by Stalin’s army at only 17, he was sent to the gulag for 5 years. Always an artist with a deep love for nature, Anna spent her days ...

I’m a businesswoman with old-fashioned values: loyalty, tenacity, and a burning desire to be successful. – Cindy Stumpo Cindy Stumpo has been paving the way for women in construction for decades. At only 23 and just days away from giving birth to her daughter Samantha, Cindy was the only woman in the room when she sat for hours to take her general contractor’s exam and would sell her first million-dollar home at 24. In an industry dominated by men, Cindy is a role model for women in the trades ...