Lady Empire

Dr. Klara has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education at Montclair State University for over 20 years. As a Hungarian native, Dr. Klara has experienced some of the toughest sports training tactics out there, which has created a wealth of confidence within her.  She has received state and district awards, which included the New Jersey Outstanding College Teacher of The Year award as well as the Eastern District Outstanding Professional Award. Dr. Klara will discuss how she is working with athletes and performers from MSU to reduce and eliminate performance anxiety within their respective fields.

LinkedIn: Dr. Klara Gubacs-Collins Ed.D.

Dr. Klara Gubacs-Collins Bio:

Dr. Klara Gubacs-Collins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education. She has been teaching at MSU for 15 years and responsible for teaching up to 20 different sports to physical education majors, as well as a variety of theoretical courses. As a member and now Chair of the Department Curriculum Committee she was responsible for reorganizing the games education curriculum based on the Teaching Games For Understanding model. Prior to teaching at the college level, Dr. Gubacs-Collins taught K-12 physical education in Budapest, Hungary. Dr. Gubacs-Collins has received state and district awards, which included the New Jersey Outstanding College Teacher of The Year award as well as the Eastern District Outstanding Professional Award. She has also served as President of the New Jersey State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NJAHPERD). Dr. Gubacs-Collins' research has evolved through several phases. First, she has published articles and presented in several national and international conferences regarding the implementation of a Tactical Approach to Teaching Games in Physical Education, Sport Education and Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility. Within this area, most recently she developed the idea of a Socratic Gymnasium which is the combination of the above three methods in the teacher education setting. Her latest work has been published in The Physical Educator, one of the leading journals in the field of Physical Education Pedagogy.

Most recently, based on over 25 years of teaching experience, Dr. Gubacs-Collins has changed her focus to understanding the potential negative factors that inhibit teachers from implementing change. Among such inhibiting factors she hypothesized that limiting beliefs developed through life and work place anxieties may be significant contributors to practitioners' lack of actual performance. This research has led Dr. Gubacs-Collins to the study of Meridian Based Therapies such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and to Kinesiology Muscle Testing. To advance her studies Dr. Gubacs-Collins has received several certificates in the above-mentioned areas and is using her knowledge of the past many years to develop a research line and course of study in the effectiveness of Meridian Based Therapies and Kinesiology Muscle Testing. In addition, Dr. Gubacs-Collins is working with athletes and performers from MSU to reduce and eliminate performance anxiety in their respective fields. She, herself, also loves to perform and play sports and many of the sports she teaches she played and/or coached on a competitive level at one time or another. Her latest achievement was to complete a feat of winning the Ridgewood Country Club Golf Championship, a became the champion of all sports offered in this club; this was a first in the club’s history. She developed a blueprint for winning and to helps people in all areas of life at MSU become the “champion” they were meant to be.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

After launching J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey, Louise McGuane became the first modern whiskey bonder in Ireland in more than 50 years. The brand’s first offering in America, The Hanson, is a blend of Irish grain whiskeys sourced from different distilleries and it clocks in at 92 proof. McGuane has the only all-female Irish whiskey company in Ireland. Louise will discuss the challenges she has overcome as a female in the whiskey industry and how she’s turned her family farm into a whiskey phenomenon. 

https://www.jjcorry.com/
Instagram: @louisemcguane & @jjcorrywhiskey
Twitter: @lmcguane & @WhiskeyGate

Louise McGuane Bio:

Before founding J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey in 2015, Louise McGuane worked at LVMH, Diageo and Pernod Ricard in New York, London, Singapore and Paris. She is now based back on her family farm in Cooraclare, County Clare where she matures new make spirit in a purpose built bonded rackhouse and blends it with mature whiskey to create the brand’s signature style. Here, she speaks to Candice Tucker about the whiskey bonding process, the advantages of being a woman and the rising demand for Irish whiskey

"Of course, my experiences will be shared by all women who work in such industries, but I think it’s very powerful to be underestimated. Irish whiskey continues to be a mostly older male environment and most of them scoffed at me when I started the business, but I went on to launch the first ever design led luxury Irish whiskey and this year made Drinks International Top Ten bestselling Irish Whiskey list, so who’s scoffing now? When you are underestimated you can fly under the radar and achieve incredible things without anybody standing in your way as you are not perceived as a threat."

"I have built and am continuing to build the most comprehensive library of flavours of Irish whiskey in my rackhouse. We operate in a similar way to a perfumer: we build a whiskey by blending layers of flavours together. By ensuring I have styles of whiskey from multiple craft producers I have a really vibrant pool of flavours to pull from. This results in utterly unique whiskies and styles."

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Annie is a heptathlete competing in her first-ever Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. She was also a dual-sport, collegiate athlete, competing in both Soccer & Track and Field at Texas A&M. Annie placed first at the 2020 Olympic Trials, which allowed her to become one of three women representing the USA in the Heptathlon. Annie will discuss how she overcame many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and what she hopes to accomplish at the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

Instagram: @annie_kunz7

Annie Kunz Bio:

The heptathlon, which consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run, requires a variety of skills.

Kunz has always been a stellar athlete, but she has taken her game to new heights with a more dedicated nutrition program and mental coaching. She used the downtime of the pandemic to fine-tune those aspects of her training, along with sneaking into parks and fields to get in workouts at a time when many athletes were shut out of training.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Cat is a two-time Olympic medalist for the USA National Softball Team. She is also a former three-time National Player of the Year & four-time All-American at the University of Texas. In her 10-year career with Team USA, Osterman held a 59-4 record with 0.38 ERA. She struck out 832 batters in just 425.2 innings of work. Cat will discuss how she has trained for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and what she hopes to accomplish in her final Olympic Games.

https://www.catosterman.com/
Instagram & Twitter: @catosterman

Cat Osterman Bio:

Cat Osterman, a former three-time National Player of the Year, four-time All-American, and two-time Olympic medalist. She coached also served as assistant coach for the Texas State Bobcats in San Marcos, Texas, from 2015-20, after three seasons in a similar role for the St. Edwards Hilltoppers in Austin, Texas.

A native of Houston, Texas, Osterman helped to lead the University of Texas to three Women’s College World Series appearances in 2003, 2005 and 2006. She also became the only softball individual to win USA Softball’s National Player of the Year honors three times after earning the honor each of those seasons.

During her redshirt season of 2004, Osterman trained with the USA National Team as the only collegian and youngest member of the Olympic team that earned a gold medal in Athens. A three-time selection as Big 12 Conference Female Athlete of the Year (2003, 2005 and 2006), she still holds UT career records in victories (136), ERA (0.51), shutouts (85) and no-hitters (20), and she holds the NCAA record for career strikeout ratio per seven innings (14.35). She finished her UT career with a 136-25 overall record and is second all-time in NCAA Division I career strikeouts with 2,265. Osterman was a recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award in 2006, an honor presented to the top eight senior student-athletes in the country.

Osterman pitched for the USA National Team from 2001 to 2021, appearing in the 2004, 2008, and 2020 Olympics. Team USA took home the gold in 2004 and finished with the silver medal in 2008 and 2021 (2020 Olympics). In her 20-year career with Team USA, Osterman held a 74-5 record with 0.44 ERA. She struck out 1030 batters in just 519.0 innings of work.

Osterman completed her eighth and final season in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League in 2015. She played for the Rockford Thunder in 2007 and 2009 and the USSSA Pride for six seasons. Osterman led the Thunder to the league championship in 2009, earning MVP of the championship series. The very next season, she led the Pride to the 2010 championship. The team split the championship in 2012 but captured the title once again in 2013 and 2014.

Osterman was named to the All-NPF team six times and was named Diamond NPF Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2011 and NPF Pitcher of the Year in 2013 and 2014. In the final season of her professional career, Osterman went 15-4 for the Pride, the NPF’s regular season champions, with a 1.21 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 121.2 innings of work. In eight seasons in the NPF, Osterman captured four league titles.

On February 18, 2013, Osterman was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame alongside New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees, former Dallas Cowboys RB Walt Garrison, former NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal, and former Heisman Trophy winner from UT Ricky Williams.

Osterman added a second hall of fame to her resume in 2016 as she was enshrined in the World of Little League® Hall of Excellence, the highest honor Little League can bestow. She is the fourth female to be enshrined in the Little League Hall of Excellence, and the first to be recognized for a career in the sport of softball.

SSG Katie Ferencik is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, currently working as an Army Reservist. She also competed and won at the Arabian Sport Horse National Championships in North Carolina. Katie will discuss her time as a female in the U.S. Army and how she unexpectedly adopted 2 young girls that changed her entire life. 

LinkedIn: Katie Ferencik

Katie Ferencik Bio:

I love chaos – it’s an opportunity to create order! You see, problem solving is what I LIVE for, and to show just how much it means to me, I once rapped Vanilla Ice’s “If you got a problem, YO! I’ll solve it!” in an interview with four Executives and an HR rep (which I was subsequently hired for because they know commitment when they see it).

In 2020, I transferred from Computer Information Systems to Information Science and Technology at UArizona, where I met and fell in love with Data Science and the R programming language!

Prior to this, I've had a long and wonderful career in multiple fields, earning a wide range of knowledge and broad skill set to match. I’ve worked in the Energy sector and for the Army as a Technology Scout, researching new and emerging innovations for, taught myself web design about a decade ago when I spent obscene amounts of time in downtown Las Vegas and have gone from making fun of Squarespace and Wix to using them primarily for my clients.

People say I’m pretty funny, but really, it’s just that I love to laugh and share in the joy of others in nearly every moment of every day. Humor is vital to my life, as is excellent communication and holding firm to a set of values to guide me. I know it’s cliché, but it’s true that team synergy, a group that cares about and roots for each other both inside and outside of the office is what I’m looking for. I’m not interested in climbing a ladder unless I’m doing it with my team.

My husband and I unexpectedly fostered and adopted two young girls, and in that time, I’ve found that flexibility and putting them first is paramount to living a balanced life. I tend to incorporate my career into my life rather than having it be two separate things, and this seems to work really well because I do my best work in cycles.

I’m all about the results-oriented workflow which frees me up to use my time wisely. I can be very intense so have become good at knowing when I need to take a break and when I can harness the power, so whether it’s 3AM or 11PM, I’m meeting deadlines with excellent, high quality work.

I’ve been to War twice but deployed three times, won a National Championship (and everything else I competed in) as a professional athlete for the U.S. Army and was once asked to try out for the Army Marksmanship Team because I’m also a crack shot. I have been Time Magazine’s Person of the Year - twice, in fact - once in 2003, and then again in 2006, and I’m not above using emojis alongside the written word. I also volunteer much of my time and am a firm believer I was meant to serve.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Marcy Myles-Clark, MBA is an inspirational best-selling Author and Financial Entrepreneur. Marcy wrote "Praying Wife Healed Husband" to tell her and her husband Theirrien's "Tee" miraculous story of COVID-19 survival. Marcy will discuss how she hopes to be a beacon of light and a source of encouragement to others who may be facing similar challenges.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Wife-Healed-Husband-Experience/dp/1736554050
Instagram: @prayingwifehelps
LinkedIn: Marcy-Myles Clark

Marcy-Myles Clark Bio:

One Saturday, back in March, 56-year-old Theirrien “Tee” Clark felt tired and slept all day. He and his wife, Marcy Myles-Clark, thought it might have just been another busy week at work. Then, a cough developed; then a fever. Both Tee and Marcy were eventually diagnosed with COVID-19.

Marcy, who had a milder case, started to feel better. However, Tee’s condition continued to get worse. He went to Howard County General Hospital, where an X-ray showed he had COVID-19-related pneumonia. He was admitted, placed on a ventilator, and soon transferred to The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Tee spent a total of 28 days on a ventilator in an intensive care unit (ICU). Marcy says there were several tough moments during that time. Tee’s condition was so grave at one point, she was allowed to don protective gear to safely visit him in the hospital. Fortunately, he made it through. Marcy believes that a 100-plus person international prayer group she formed, called the “TC Prayer Warriors,” made all the difference in getting them through the ordeal.

Both during and after Tee’s ICU stay, a team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation physicians and psychologists provided intensive rehabilitation services to rebuild his muscles and improve his endurance, swallowing and voice — all of which were severely affected by COVID-19 —as well as help with anxiety that developed as a result of his illness.

After 46 days, Tee left the hospital on May 6. He lost 40 pounds and had muscle weakness, but both he and Marcy were happy and thankful they could still celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, which was the day before his hospital release. Marcy says his doctors called him a “walking miracle.”

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Rena is a proud sur-THRIVER® of Incest and Sexual Assault, TEDx Speaker, Podcaster, and spoke about her story on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She helps victims of sexual assault to find the courage and strength they need to live a healthy, productive life. Rena will discuss her personal journey and how victims of sexual assault can persevere after extreme trauma.

https://www.renaromano.com/
https://www.renaromano.com/sur-thriving-after-sexual-abuse-podcast/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4RoldUzHc&t=9s
Instagram & Twitter: @renaromano

Rena Romano Bio:

I used to look at my past as a negative as most people do who have experienced trauma. We are programed to focus on the negative, the crime, and that keeps us stuck in the shame of what was forced upon us. I was stuck for years because of the shame of my perpetrator’s crimes until one day I screamed the words; “I am tired of being ashamed of crimes I did not commit!”

I know that the years of child abuse played a massive role in my lack of self-esteem and self-worth. However, I was determined to heal those hidden wounds because I knew my story and my journey would help other survivors release the shame that they carry. We did not commit the crime; we must stop doing the time!

Survivor to sur-THRIVER®

That is when my journey of self-development reemerged, and I came to understand that counseling is extremely helpful but most often it is not enough to help us become the person we are meant to be. We must continue learning and growing into becoming our highest potential. Today as a TEDx Speaker, Keynote Speaker, and Speaking and TED/TEDx Coach I am honored to help others find their voice and live positively in their life.

My programs take an innovative approach that focuses on mindset success for 100% personal accountability. The THRIVE Perspective® philosophy is a solution-based approach that helps survivors focus on and be proud of their courage, strength, and tenacity to persevere during and after trauma.

I had the great privilege to share my story on “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” and honored that my TEDx Talk is being used in the United Kingdom for their ACE’s program and helping victims and survivors around the world.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Tahmina is a Seattle-based immigration attorney, podcaster, and activist. She is the founder of Watson Immigration Law and founder of the Washington Immigrant Defense Network, which funds and supports legal services for detained low-income immigrants. She is also the co-founder of Airport Lawyers, which provided critical services helping vulnerable people affected by the travel bans. Tahmina will discuss the differences in immigration activity between the Trump and Biden administrations. 

https://watsonimmigrationlaw.com/
Twitter: @tahminawatson
Podcast: Tahmina Talks

Tahmina Watson Bio:

Tahmina Watson obtained her law degree and graduated from Brunel University, London, England in 2000. She was Called to the Bar in 2002 (became a barrister) as a member of the Middle Temple Inn. After completing her pupillage (apprenticeship) from Bridewell Chambers in London in 2004, Tahmina continued as a practicing barrister, handling mainly criminal defense matters, before relocating to the United States in 2005. She was affiliated with Temple Court Chambers in London as a Door Tenant until recently.

Tahmina was admitted to the New York Bar in 2006.

Prior to founding Watson Immigration Law, Tahmina was a partner at White & Watson from July 2006 to December 2008 practicing exclusively in the area of U.S. Immigration and Naturalization law.  Before that, Tahmina externed with His Honor Judge Ricardo Martinez at the District Court of Western Washington in downtown Seattle.   She also interned for multiple terms at the Northwest Women’s Law Center (now known as Legal Voice).

Admissions and membership
Tahmina is admitted to practice law in Washington State and the State of New York.  She is also admitted to the federal court of Western District of Washington.  She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the King County Bar Association. Tahmina is currently an unregistered member of the Bar of England and Wales. Past memberships include the International Bar Association, The American Bar Association, King County Washington Women Lawyers and other minority bar associations. She continues to be a member of the Middle Temple in London, UK.

Adjunct Fellow
Tahmina is an Adjunct Fellow at The Niskanen Center, a Washington DC-based think tank. She advises on immigration policy issues.

Community Activities
Tahmina currently serves as Chair of the Response Committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA WA), a committee she helped create after the November 2016 election.  She currently serves on the Board of Trustee for the King County Bar Association.  In addition, Tahmina recently helped form a non-profit organization called WIDEN- Washington Immigrant Defense Network which combines skills of immigration and non-immigration lawyers to help indigent detainees.

Her other community activities include serving on the board of Point Hope, an organization that helps children. She is an active member of the pro bono community in Seattle, e.g., Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, One America etc..  Tahmina often provides free legal advice at local legal clinics.  Furthermore, she is an active supporter of Chaya, a Seattle based non-profit organization that assists battered women from a South Asian background.

She serves as Chair of the Legal Advisory Committee of the Global Entrepreneur in Residence Coalition. Tahmina is also a columnist with The Seattle Globalist.

She proudly served as the 2009-2010 President of the King County Washington Women Lawyers (KCWWL). 

Colleen is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Denver, working as the SVP of Business Development at ImmersiveWorlds. She not only founded Total Well-being, one of the nation’s leading providers of corporate well-being consulting, but has worked with corporate giants like Coors Brewing Company, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Boeing, and Keurig Green Mountain to name a few. Colleen will discuss her experiences throughout her 20 years in the wellness industry and what it means to be a boss-ass businesswoman. 

LinkedIn: Colleen Reilly 

Colleen Reilly Bio:

Colleen is a strategic consultant and advisor to Health Improvement Solutions and their clients. As a passionate advocate for positive lifestyle change for nearly 20 years, Colleen has become a sought-after expert, speaker and consultant to forward thinking leaders, companies, government agencies and higher education institutions.  She has an extensive background driving thought leadership, providing insights on employee health, productivity, engagement, efficiency and energy management. 

Colleen demonstrates drive and ability to strategically and creatively design, develop and implement transformational cultural change within organizations, specifically during her tenure with Nelnet, the leading student loan company.  As Director of Benefits and Well-being, she was able to reduce healthcare costs by 10 percent in the first two years and maintained a flat trend for the following 7 years.  Reilly’s experience also includes time at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, where she consulted with more than 60 Fortune 500 clients including but not limited to, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Walt Disney Company, Exxon Mobile and Astra Zeneca. Colleen also spent time leading the Health & Productivity department with Coors Brewing Company, saving nearly $16M over 5 years as well as being instrumental in earning Coors the 2002 Gold Well Workplace award, recognizing Coors as one of the healthiest workplaces in the United States.

Colleen Reilly holds a bachelor’s degree in Combined Science (Chemistry/Biology/Physics) from Santa Clara University and both a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science Management with an emphasis in sports and wellness management from the University of Denver. She is also a certified health coach, marathoner, avid cyclist and group fitness instructor and yoga guide.  She formerly served on the board of the Colorado Governor's Council for Physical Fitness and was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver, teaching a course titled, “Philosophy of Wellness.”  She is a Colorado native and lives in Denver with her husband and 3 children.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured! 

Michelle E. Dickinson is a passionate mental health advocate, a TED speaker, and a published author of a memoir entitled Breaking Into My Life. After years of being a child caregiver for her bipolar mother, Michelle embarked on her own healing journey of self-discovery. Michelle will discuss how important it is for companies and individuals to invest in mental health programs, and how to regain yourself after serious trauma.

www.careforyourpeople.com
Instagram: @michelledickinson71

Michelle Dickinson Bio:

42% of global employees have experienced a decline in mental health since the pandemic began – Harvard Business Review
1 in 3 Americans are dealing with depression or anxiety due to the pandemic - CDC
 More than 69%, of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home.- Forbes

Now is the time to do more to care for your people.

Most organizations already provide good Mental Health Benefits and an Employee Assistance Hotline. Yet, employees do not use them.

This is how I help you: I am the “bridge” that helps your people get comfortable with their brain health and be unashamed in reaching out for care.

I partner with leaders to normalize the mental health narrative in the workplace and prevent employee burnout by teaching resilience and mental well-being workshops. I help leaders gain the confidence to reach out and support their staff if they sense they may be suffering. I have empowered thousands of employees with my resiliency workshops throughout the pandemic.

I'm a Workplace Mental Health Strategist & Consultant and a TED Speaker and a published author of a memoir “Breaking Into My Life – Growing Up with a Bipolar Parent and My Battle to Reclaim Myself”. Because I’ve worked in the corporate space for over 19 years, suffered from depression myself, and spent my childhood and young adult life caring for my bipolar mother, I get it! I know first-hand what it is like to navigate a mental health imbalance. I'm the founder of Trifecta Mental Health LLC.

I also led a powerful Mental Health Employee Resource Group (ERG) in the corporate setting.

Together, let’s elevate compassion in your workplace.

Make sure to subscribe & review Lady Empire above for the opportunity to be featured!