Emerson sits down with Deanna to share some stories. Deanna Rad (because her full last name was too hard to catch, and she’s also rad), was born and raised in the Chicago land area. She studied Business and Accounting at Harper college and eventually ran a small event planning business and offered personal training services. She homed her leadership skills and entrepreneurial acumen during her tenure as VP of Key Accounts and Business Operations for a transmission remanufacturing facility, where she simultaneously managed four other entities. In 2016, life took an unexpected turn and she needed to start over. Fueled by her enduring passion for fashion, she embarked on a new chapter and launched The Deanna Marie label in 2017; designing and producing three collections. In 2019 she ventured into podcasting. Additionally, she served as former head coach and founding partner of the Female Podcasters Network – growing to over 2000 members. Last, but not least, she was a nationally syndicated personality on a prominent NBC affiliate news slash talk radio station. 

Podcast: Label Free

Emerson sits down with Lesley to share some stories. She’s a certified Pilates teacher and mindset coach, founder of the first free online catalogue of Pilates exercise tutorials (OnlinePilatesClasses.com) and offer fitness business coaching in her private mastermind (ProfitablePilates.com). She’s traveled the world leading workshops and retreats; have trained hundreds of people to become teachers themselves; and has taught thousands of students. 

Websites:
OnlinePilatesClasses.com
ProfitablePilates.com

Podcast:
Be It Till You See It

Book:
Profitable Pilates: Everything But The Exercise 

Instagram:
Lesley.Logan

Emerson sits down with Elizabeth to share some stories. Six years ago, she was painting murals as a federal inmate, now she has had multiple art shows and launched an environmentally friendly clothing brand based on her art (clothing comes in plus sizes as well). Prison opened her eyes to the systemic racism, cruelty, corruption and inequality in this country. Now she tries to expose what she witnessed and endured to legislation. She’s in the editing stages of her memoir and is set to release a coloring book based on PTSD.

Instagram: Epm_art_11 
Clothing Brand: EPM Clothing

Emerson sits down with Will to share some stories. William (Will) Yeske is a combat veteran who served 11 years in the United States Army. He is a serial entrepreneur who brings significant expertise in marketing, IT, and project management. He currently runs and operates a marketing company, No Limits Marketing Group (NLMG), founded to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic. It uses a combination of modern marketing techniques coupled with a non-lethal targeting framework learned within the military to provide clients with winning strategies. Will was also a founding board member of a Veteran non-profit, Rally for the Troops (now part of Racing for Heroes), volunteered as a Community Engagement Director with WarriorWOD, and has worked on other veteran-based projects.

He is currently attending Columbia Business School while running current business projects, creating new possibilities for future endeavors, and parenting his two children alongside his partner, who is also a United States military veteran.

Instagram: @williamyeske
Read Article on Will and his book: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/12/19/paratroopers-afghan-war-book-helps-platoonmates-tell-their-story/
Book: Damn the Valley: 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 2/508 pir, 82nd Airborne in the Arghandab River Valley Afghanistan

Emerson sits down with Vicki to share some stories. Her journey into the realm of the spiritual and supernatural was initiated at birth. Her early years were spent in Queens, New York known for having more people passed on than alive, as well as having several Gothic cemeteries within walking distance of its communities. At the age of 15, she moved to Los Angeles, California taking her fertile imagination with her. After meeting her future husband, Ronald Bush, her new homeland became Las Vegas, Nevada. As a mother of two, her first published book in 2008, Winslow Willow the Woodland Fairy, took her love of fantasy and spun it into a heartwarming children's book. The progression to the young adult literary market took root in her novels that captured the haunting qualities of the Las Vegas desert surrounding her, but it was New York that called her home. Alex McKenna, the main character in the book series first published in 2019, is the embodiment of her Italian-American roots, memories of adolescent outsider status, and the strength it takes to live an authentic life. Vicki is a co-founder of Coffee House Tours, an events-based collaboration between local bookstores and coffee shops allowing authors to represent themselves and their works. Additionally, she is a frequent podcast literary guest and has a special relationship with The Center LGBTQIA+ Las Vegas where Alex McKenna has been an inspirational focus as a transgender Paranormal teen. Now starring in the short film Alex and Margret's Beginning, inspired by the book series, Vicki is an award winning short screenplay writer and Producer.

https://www.vickiannbush.com/
Instagram: vickiannbush
Books:
-Alex McKenna and the Geranium Deaths
-Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls
-Unthreaded
-Liminal Space

Emerson sits down with Shanti to share some stories. Shanti Hershenson’s first two novellas were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles, and eventually, turned into captivating tales.

She lives in California with her parents, sister, and furry friends. Besides writing, she enjoys skateboarding, Beyblading, free-running, falconry, and of course, reading. 

She writes in a variety of genres, including Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction, although she mostly sticks to Sci-Fi.

She advocates for anti-bullying, and you may find her at open mic-nights, performing her spoken word poem Needles & Thorns, which is about the struggle of bullying in middle schools. 

Please find her at:
https://www.shantihershenson.com/
Instagram: shantihershenon
TikTok: shantiwhowrites

Emerson sits down with Matt to share some stories. Matt and I decided to engage in some recreational activities and it might have been a bad idea. Matt is one of my best friends; he's a rocket scientist ( engineer), who lives in Brazil and truly lives life to the fullest. 

Emerson sits down with Matt to share some stories. Matt and I decided to engage in some recreational activities and it might have been a bad idea. Matt is one of my best friends; he's a rocket scientist ( engineer), who lives in Brazil and truly lives life to the fullest. 

Emerson sits down with Edward to share some stories. Newly published author of Cancer, Musical Theatre, & Other Chronic Illnesses, Edward is celebrating his 10 year cancer free anniversary of a rare, aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. 

You know what's not talked about in the cancer conversation? What happens to your life during and after treatment. Relationships, career, wants, needs... what happens to YOU. You can't go back, so you gotta forge forward; the ultimate transformation. Through his own personal story of insanity and indecencies, Edward talks about all things survival, and getting back on the horse - even if its a different horse.

Edward is the host of the "I Wanna Be a Rich Bitch" podcast. 

Among other things, Edward is an actor, a singer, songwriter, writer, and producer.

Please find him at:
https://www.edwardmiskie.com/author
Instagram: edwardmiskie
TikTok: edwardmiskie

Emerson sits down with Kristof to share some stories. Kristof is a disabled U.S. veteran, author, and award-winning journalist that’s sold more than 1300 copies of his debut book, “The Second Sun,” after going viral on TikTok in June and it is now a recommended reading in university classes studying literature. He has more than 1,000,000 views across his videos, and readers in over 50 countries on all six inhabited continents!

Please find him at:
Instagram: @kristofmorrow
https://www.kristofmorrow.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Sun-Volumes-II-ebook/dp/B0BW7GF5SY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VIT01V92GXSY&keywords=the+second+sun+kristof+morrow&qid=1707522647&sprefix=the+second+sun%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1
https://www.tiktok.com/@kristofmorrow