If ever a woman was at the forefront of an industry and a true trailblazer, it is retired Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz. While she chose to attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, she rose up the ranks in the wholly male dominated military of the USCG. Sandy served with distinction, traveled the world and led from the front for 40 years. Listen in to her awe-inspiring journey and the lessons learned that can be applied in the boardroom as well as on an icebreaker in Antarctica.

Life and careers are fluid and constantly changing. As changemakers, we pivot and adapt. That’s exactly what today’s CHANGEMAKERS spotlight Lisa Linkowsky has done so elegantly, moving from employee to entrepreneur.  

To look at Debbie, one would see a beautiful, composed and self-assured woman, with high-achieving in her bones. To look a bit deeper, one may see a vulnerable woman fighting to slay the mental bullies, well hidden from observers. Until, she drew a line in the sand and said “no more”. Now, she leads her clients to slay the mental bullies and bust the self-sabotaging behaviors that hold them back.

An entrepreneur at the ripe age of 11, Jolene tells a story of innovation, re-creation and resilience that has served her well. She is a “make lemonade out of lemons” kind of woman who makes change by shining the spotlight on other entrepreneurs and their accomplishments.  

A former private practicing employment lawyer, Sejal learned through her journey that she is more of a conflict resolution woman than a litigator. In short, she’s a positive changemaker in the sense that she guides companies and individuals to find common ground rather than to hammer it out in court.

Leaving the life of a private practicing lawyer behind to pursue an executive coaching business via The Lawyer’s Edge, Elise Holtzman draws from her own life and legal experiences to guide lawyers to identify opportunities and challenges to achieve professional and personal success. Listen in as Elise and Chief Changemaker Kimberly Rice discuss how to leverage the valuable intersection of mindset + action for maximum professional success and positive changemaking.

Emphatic changemakers have often triumphed over tragedies in their lives that propel them to uplift and inspire others to do likewise. Our latest guest Sari Barrowes began her life with no tangible prospects and has risen to be a global leader, earning an MBA from MIT Sloan, and transforming corporate professionals into high performers. She is the creator of the 5 Secrets To Leveling Up in Your Career bootcamp that helps people feel confident and teaches them how to become effective & highly skilled at doing their jobs, leading initiatives and getting results.  

Changemakers are characterized by their resilience, steadfastness and "never give up" attitude. Yet, experiencing trauma can knock anyone back on their heels. Through her own journey of recovering from post betrayal syndrome and intense study, Dr. Debi Silber discovered a predictable and proven process that moves willing individuals from betrayal to breakthrough. This process, coupled with many years of health, mindset and personal development training and coaching, enabled Debi to create a multi-pronged approach to help people heal from the trauma of betrayal.

Effectively moving through life with a “can do” attitude and growth mindset can be the difference between joy and misery. Research shows over and again that the more positive our mindset, the more likely we will be prosperous and fulfilled.  

Listen in as Mindful Matters CEO Nikki Gangemi and I discuss the steps everyone can take to live a “glass full” life, even in challenging times (especially in challenging times).

A true test of a changemaker is how well we can, in fact, adapt to and lead change. With formal training in improvisation (via The Second City Chicago Training Center) and background in organizational psychology, JD Gershbein’s career personifies that of a changemaker and positive change agent. While he has worn a number of professional hats, the constant theme has been and continues to be helping others connect, in a quickly changing world. Listen in to learn how JD has leveraged his Second City background with progressive strategies to leverage personal branding and social networking to meet real-world business challenges.