Empower Women Pod - The Encore

From Life Preservers to Swim Instructors: How to Support our Teens as They Navigate the Transition to College, was hosted by Pamela Willsey LICSW, PCC, and Vanessa Calagna, certified Wisdom Kids Coach. This event focused on how to support our teens as they transition to college. Pamela and Vanessa discussed how we, as parents, can shift our perspective from protecting our teens to raising resilient young adults who know how to swim in turbulent waters. 

Pamela Willsey is the founder of Willsey Connections (WC). She practices as a therapist and life coach for teenaged girls as they become young adult women. Her approach centers around the deeply held belief that success in life requires us to understand ourselves and others. She emphasizes the need to learn the skills necessary to manage our feelings and relationships. WC helps teenage girls develop the tools they need to meet the challenges they will face as they transition from adolescence to independent, self-assured confident women.

A former higher education professional, Vanessa Calagna, of Willey Connections, is also a certified Wisdom Kids Coach.  She launched TheKidzConnection with a  mission to help children ( Ages 8-11) shift their views to turn once limiting thoughts into supportive beliefs. When children have positive self-esteem and self-confidence, they believe in themselves which allows them to trust their own unique ability to handle life’s many difficult situations. They are also less likely to succumb to peer pressure and more willing to challenge themselves, rather than let fear or obstacles diminish their dreams.

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

We were very excited to have Stephanie Diamond, the Managing Director for Charitable Planning Strategies at Charles Schwab,  back again to host, Creating My Philanthropic Plan. Stephanie explained how to start planning for philanthropic giving and how to find the right charitable giving vehicle that is best for you. She has used her expertise to guide her clients, families and their wealth advisors in maximizing the impact of charitable giving. She helps clients define charitable giving goals, contribute assets tax-efficiently, review different giving vehicle options and construct charitable gifts with intention.

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

Thank you for joining us for our August 13th Empower Women event, Effective Communication; How to Listen & Talk in Regular Conversation. In this workshop, Jody Comins, MSW, Divorce & Family Mediator presented three types of listening skills- empathic listening, macro/micro aggression (verbal and non-verbal cues) and listening for listening.  Participants experienced verbal and non-verbal cues in exercises with other participants, learned about narcissistic conversationalism, how to listen and be heard in every day conversation, and worked on communication skills.

Jody Comins, MSW is a Divorce & Family Mediator and Collaborative Coach in the Greater Boston area. She is an adult child of divorce and uses her experience to create a child-centered practice at A Better Way: Divorce Mediation.  Jody is a court-approved facilitator for the required parenting classes in MA and is the creator of “Honor thy Children; Jewish Parenting through a Divorced Lens”. Her book, “Speaking Out; Voices of Adult Children of Divorce” was #1 in Parenting & Relationships and #1 in Single Parenting on Amazon.com.

Please enjoy this podcast interview with Jody Comins. 

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

On October 19, 2014, Suzanne’s life was changed forever. Her husband, Michael A. Iovanna was tragically killed in a car accident leaving her behind with their two children and his automotive dealership, Pride Motor Group. 

In the midst of her grief, she went back to work after being a stay at home mom for 18 years. Not knowing anything about owning an automotive dealership, she went to automotive school at age 51, determined to take over for her late husband. 

Suzanne’s story is one of determination and perseverance in the face of adversity.  Take a listen and please feel free to comment or reach out for questions for Suzzane. If you would like to reach directly to her, let us know and we can share her info with you.

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

We were extremely lucky to be joined by internet safety expert, Katie L. Greer for our June Empower Women Series event, Raising Digital Natives: What's New? What's Now? What's Next? Raising our children in this technology-driven world can be a daunting task - but it doesn’t have to be. With some information and good conversation, parents can help their kids have a safe and productive experience when it comes to technology, social media, gaming and more. Katie shared information about the latest apps, privacy settings, gaming, and how to help your family have a healthy experience when it comes to technology.

Katie L. Greer has provided nearly a decade of Internet/technology safety education to schools, law enforcement agencies, large corporations, community organizations and at national conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Her unique professional, educational and personal background has resulted in dynamic programs that appeal to all age groups.

You can also check Katie's feature "Spotlight" here: https://youtu.be/_0gbQutdNs0

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

For our May episode, we were joined by Maggi Alexander from The Philanthropic Initiative, (TPI).  TPI is a nonprofit philanthropic advisory firm that pioneered the field of strategic philanthropy advising and works around the globe to help donors achieve lasting social impact.  Women are controlling a growing share of our society’s wealth and influencing more and more philanthropy. Learn about how women are changing the face of philanthropy and making a deep impact on critical issues in their communities and around the world.  This conversation will help listeners better define the goals for philanthropy, uncover their deepest interests and passions, and begin the process of zeroing in on a focus and structure for their giving that provides both meaning and impact.  You will leave with a renewed sense of purpose and practical tools for getting from here to there.

Maggi Alexander is a Partner at TPI and directs TPI’s Center for Global Philanthropy. In this role, she supports individuals and families, foundations, and corporations in aligning their philanthropy with their values in ways that are more strategic. An entrepreneurial leader, Maggi has spent over 30 years focused on philanthropy to improve the quality of life for low-income children, families, and communities in the United States and over 30 countries worldwide.

Ellen Remmer (co-hosted the event) is a recognized leader in the field of strategic philanthropy. She is a Senior Partner at TPI and has been with them since 1993 and served as President and CEO of TPI from 2007-2012. Ellen has worked directly with dozens of family, corporate, and community foundations, helping them develop powerful strategies for social impact and strong governance structures and practices.

For nearly 30 years, TPI has served as a consultant and thought partner to ambitious donors and foundations that embrace innovative thinking in their efforts to find local, national, and global levers of change. TPI has helped a multitude of families focus their philanthropy on their values and interests, which often leads to the development of a philanthropic plan. TPI also helps with design, implementation, and evaluation of philanthropic strategies and initiatives, social issues research, administration and grant making, and donor education and foundation governance.

Website mentioned on podcast: https://investforbetter.org/about/

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

Thank you for joining us for our April Empower women event, The Gift Behind Your Money Story, hosted by Janet Stokes. Janet Stokes, is a CPA, ICF credentialed coach, meditation instructor, and owner of the Center for Redesigning Life. Janet’s coaching practice focuses on leadership and supporting women through major life transitions– career change as it relates to whole-life purpose, post-divorce, empty nest, and retirement living. Janet’s eclectic background includes 30+ years as a CPA, as well as extensive training in bioenergetics, neuroscience and coaching. Her training and experience allow a unique melding of mind, body, and spirit that support her clients in a holistic, sustainable process. Janet gave an extremely interest discussion on what is going on in your brain and body regarding your approach and feelings around money, as well as steps you can take to shift those feelings if they are no longer serving you.

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

Thank you for joining us for our March event, Why Almost Everyone Should Have a Living Trust As Part Of Their Estate Plan. Attorney Jennifer Lo, our host for the event, discussed the basics of estate planning. What does it really mean when someone says “estate plan”?  What is the difference between probate and non-probate asset?  How do trusts play an integral role in an estate plan to save estate taxes, streamline asset management, provide flexibility, and provide creditor protection for beneficiaries?

Jennifer Lo practices primarily in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, elder law, charitable planned giving, taxation, business formation, and non-profit law. Her estate planning practice consists of working with individuals and families to develop and implement estate plans to meet each client’s dispositional goals while minimizing estate taxes. As part of this practice, Jennifer advises clients on long-term care planning for elders and special needs trust planning for parents of children with disabilities, including nursing home care financing and Medicaid eligibility. Her estate and trust administration practice consists of representing and advising fiduciaries in all aspects of the probate process and assisting fiduciaries in satisfying their obligations and duties to beneficiaries and the court. Jennifer also represents beneficiaries in disputes with fiduciaries in various estate and trust matters.

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: Empower Women Events

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

Our Co-hosts for February's EWS Event, Stephanie Timmons, Karen Mariscal, and Christina Vidoli shared their expertise on this topic. Stephanie Timmons explained long-term care insurance and how it works. Karen Mariscal talked about estate planning for parents whose children are disabled and may need government benefits. Christina Vidoli talked about estate planning for elders who may need nursing home care.

During the interview, Karen and Christina expanded on some of the difficulties parents and children face navigating through the tough decisions along the way for anyone caring for a special needs family member. You can also listen to our past episode on LTC (long-term care insurance) to learn more about that aspect of funding for elder care. 

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: https://www.empower-women.com/events/

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women. 

To kick off our 2019 Empower Women Series hosted as Lauren Altieri who presented Resolution, Solution.  In this workshop, she explored the meaning of health and wellness with a focus on what that means for you.

Lauren Altieri PhD, RN and Functional Medicine Health Coach (Certification, Feb 2019) will be facilitating this workshop. Beyond her traditional education, she has taken courses in lifestyle medicine, mind-body medicine as well as healthy cooking, yoga and, mindfulness.  After working in a variety of roles in the traditional healthcare model Lauren is returning to her roots to help others attain their goals toward better health and wellness. She is skilled in motivational interviewing and helping others find their own best solutions. 

To RSVP or see our future EWS events please visit our website at this link: https://www.empower-women.com/events/

All EWS events are free to all the women and occur every second Tuesday of every month at noon in our offices unless specified. Join us and spread the word. Let's continue empowering women.