Freeman Means Business' Wonder Women in Business Podcast

Claudine Francois is a Health & Wellness Coach who helps successful women entrepreneurs achieve the same level of success in their health as they do in their business so they can break the cycle and live out their lives eating the foods they love, waking up full of energy, and loving their bodies. As a former CFO of a multi-national company, Claudine found herself in a constant state of stress, which led her into a cycle of over-indulging in what she later discovered to be harmful foods to her body, and reeling from the consequences (frequent headaches and migraines, sluggishness, inflammation, bloating, leaky gut and weight gain). She decided to take control of her life by leaving that job and starting her own business helping women entrepreneurs step into stress- and toxic-free lifestyles with her own practices, recipes (that taste amazing AND nourish the body) and lifestyle strategies. She is now happy to be the successful woman entrepreneur’s guide to food bliss and enjoying life again! Her website and blog (www.ingoodcleantaste.com) provides tips and recipes for healthy living that are full of flavor to help women feel vibrant, energetic and at their best.

In my 20+ years working in and around the research and advisory field, I’ve worked with and for an impressive list of companies and clients, In doing so, I’ve learned from some of the smartest leaders anyone could ever hope to know and witnessed first-hand the growth of a dynamic and fascinating industry.

I’ve also had the good fortune to work beside some great leaders and some fantastic mentors.  It is from these individuals that my passion for strengthening the roles women can play in each other’s success grew.  As women, not only are the demands on our professional lives extending but as our personal lives are continuing to flourish, I believe we need to move closer to a business culture that appropriately supports both.  We need to help each other get to a place where the work/family debate is behind us.​​

​In June of 2016, I was honored to be invited by the Obama White House to participate in the United State of Women, one of five thousand global advocates for women and girls. My summary report can be found here.

In November of 2017 and again in November of 2018, I was named one of Irish America Magazine's Business 100 honorees. ​

In August of 2018, I keynoted the IEEE's first Women's event in Tunisia. In September of 2018, I was invited to go back to Tunisia to give my first TEDx talk in Sfax, Tunisia. In March of 2019, I spoke at the ArabWIC (Women in Computing) conference in Rabat, Morocco on International Women's Day. In April of 2019, I was named to Irish Echo's Community Champions. ​

And in September of 2019, my first book was published.

You are welcome to review my professional credentials here.

Melanie Kiely is Sr. Counsel for T-Mobile's Engineering, Products and Information Technology organization’s and partners with her Technology clients in bringing the Un-carrier revolution to T-Mobile’s customers.  Her practice includes legal guidance for T-Mobile’s network deployment strategy involving thousands of cell sites, distributed antennas systems (DAS), and in-building facilities providing wireless coverage to T-Mobile’s 100+ million customers and propelling 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) into the future. She also focuses on commercial transactions involving software licenses, software as a service, cloud computing, data collection, privacy and cyber security and all aspects assisting the digitalization of T-Mobile’s systems. Melanie supports the business with acquisitions, integrations, and divestitures.

Additionally, Melanie was the Chairperson of the Women’s Leadership Network, an internal leadership organization that drives gender diversity at T-Mobile and empowers its 16,000 members across 53 Chapters nationwide reach for opportunity and thrive in their personal and professional lives. She also is a Board Member of Law360’s Telecommunications Editorial Advisory Board and advises the publication on trends in the telecommunications industry.  Prior to joining T-Mobile, Melanie served as Managing Attorney at American Tower Corporation and led an organization in the securitization of the company’s most valuable real estate tower assets. Melanie graduated with a J.D. from New England School of Law and a B.A. from Brandeis University, where she was a 3-sport varsity captain and recipient of the Max I. Silber award for being an outstanding student-athlete. She is a champion for diversity and advocate for gender and racial equality.

Wendy Steele understands the impact of generosity and has been encouraging philanthropy for most of her adult life.  In 2001, she launched and led an innovative pass-through foundation called Impact100 which empowers women to fund transformational grants to the communities it serves across five broad focus areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Family and Health & Wellness.

She continues to support, mentor and advise Impact 100 Chapters around the globe as her Impact100 Model has been replicated in many cities. By the end of 2019, Impact 100 organizations had given away just short of $80 million to worthy non-profits and it continues to expand at an accelerated pace.

Her work in philanthropy is also noted in several books including, The Transformative Power of Women’s Philanthropy; Women, Wealth and Giving; Women’s Giving Circles; and The Right Sisters – Modern Women Inventors.  PBS Television created an hour-long documentary entitled, Impact 100: Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities, which highlights the work of Impact100 Pensacola Bay Area, the world’s largest Impact100 organization.

In 2014, Wendy was awarded the Jefferson Award for Public Service for her work with Impact100. Considered the Nobel Prize for community service, this prestigious honor was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Samuel Beard to recognize individuals across the nation who improve communities through their service. In 2016, Wendy was named by Philanthropy Media as one of America’s Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers. She appeared on this list as Number 2, behind U2’s Bono, who holds the Number 1 spot.

Anne Post is an experienced lawyer and entrepreneur, with a celebrated litigation career spanning more than 20 years. Anne received her BA in Political Science – International Relations at the University of California at Berkeley and her JD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She began her career in a large Kansas City law firm before launching her own practice which she maintained for 17 years. During her legal career, Anne was repeatedly recognized by her peers as Best of the Bar.

In 2017, Anne made the jump into legal tech joining Xakia Technologies as Senior Vice President, North America. Anne brings to Xakia her passion for organization and efficiency, which translates to her heightened understanding of the needs of clients to achieve greater visibility and control over their legal function.

In 2018 Anne was appointed by then-Mayor Sly James to the board of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and now serves as Board Secretary. In her “spare” time Anne is the co-owner and Director of an elite boys soccer club serving the Kansas City metro area. Anne lives in Kansas City Missouri with her husband and two sons ages 16 and 13.

Rae Ritter is Director of Client Service and Marketing for LISI, a boutique digital marketing agency that primarily services law firms and lawyers. Rae provides digital marketing strategy and guidance, and she manages all aspects of the website design and development process from start to finish. With elevated client service as a car principle, she ensures that the websites are fully-optimized and draws on more than 15 years of experience in the legal marketing industry.

Previously, Rae was the Senior Marketing Technology Manager at Ballard Spahr LLP, a national firm with 15 offices and more than 500 attorneys. During her tenure, she successfully led a new website build and complete rebranding of all marketing collateral. Additionally, she was responsible for the firm’s external website, blogs, client relationships management (CRM) database, email marketing, and social media strategy. Prior to Ballard Spahr, Rae was Marketing Technology Project Manager at Dechert LLP, an international firm with nearly 1000 attorneys. She managed the firm’s CRM database and spent a year seconded to the firm’s European offices deploying CRM using techniques that was tailored to the culture and languages of those offices.

Rae has been an active member of Delaware Valley Law Firm Marketing Group and Legal Marketing Association for many years.  Currently, she serves as the Communications Co-Chair for the Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.  Rae is a frequent speaker in these groups, plus the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Association of Legal Administrators. She presents training and educational sessions for lawyers and legal marketers on the following topics:

David Ackert is the President of Ackert Inc. and business development mentor to thousands of high achievers in the professional services sector. Over the past two decades, David has developed and implemented revenue acceleration programs for hundreds of firms around the globe, many hailing from the top of the Am Law list and the Big Four. Widely recognized as a pioneer in business development innovation, David is the founder of the PipelinePlus suite of software products, which have won the Legal Marketing Association’s “Your Honor Award” in the US and Canada and are featured among NLJ’s “Technologies on the Rise.”

Meg Manke has years of experience in leading through transition. From major changes in highly-regulated industries to managing through $100M acquisition, Meg has refined skills in understanding people through change. Her studies in organizational psychology and mastery in leadership concepts ensure that your people are taken care of. Period.

Meg has a passion for helping others realize their full potential - breaking down social and personal barriers - changing their story. Her innate ability to recognize opportunity in weakness and present a strategic solution is unprecedented in today's business world.

Meg is a ranch kid from western South Dakota, where she still puts in a hard day's work on the family place. Ranch life gave her sticktoittiveness, passion for family and outdoors, and maybe a touch of stubbornness. Meg is an avid runner, an advocate of the well-rounded education of youth, and a major supporter of finding humor in all things.

Partnering with Dr. Rachel MK Headley at the Rose Group Int'l, they developed the critical, new (and practical) iX leadership framework which allows you to actually solve problems in your team, address generational issues, guide people through big changes, and accomplish your most ambitious goals.

Kelly Ferraro, founder and principal of KAF Communications, LLC, is a results-oriented corporate communications professional with over two decades of experience identifying and creating actionable communications plans in order to capitalize on a client's ever-evolving goals and strategies. She has worked across several industry verticals, which include financial services, fintech, medical technology and real estate. She has a keen understanding on how to position a client in front of the audiences that move the needle in their respective industries.