Leading Women in Business

This episode

Business features Ally Kirkpatrick, writer, reader, and owner of the charming independent bookstore, Old Town Books, in Alexandria, VA. Listen to her inspiring story of opening a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the age of downloadable books. Among other endeavors, Ms. Kirkpatrick has developed the Emerging Writers Festival, a three-day event which connects readers to new writers and provides classes and workshops to emerging authors. In addition, Ms. Kirkpatrick gives back to her community by volunteering to help set up housing for Afghan refugees who have recently arrived in Northern Virginia. 

This episode features Marlo Watson Thomas, President/Chief Engagement Officer, and Founder of The Marlo Companies. Marlo shares her insight on developing strengths in conflict management, improving communication, and team development.  Her breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm will captivate you and leave you wanting to learn more! 

Season 2 kicks off with an introduction episode by Theodora Stringham and new co-host Crystal Kramer.  

Crystal Kramer is a principal attorney and Chair of Offit Kurman’s Landlord Representation Group.  Theodora Stringham is a principal attorney with practices in both Offit Kurman’s Real Estate and Labor and Employment groups.

Lindsay Anderson is a Senior Vice President, Legal, and Associate General Counsel with Comstock Holding Companies, Inc., a developer, operator and asset manager of mixed-use and transit-oriented properties in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Lindsay oversees, from a legal perspective, all commercial (office and retail) leasing for assets managed by CHCI and provides multi-level legal support to the Commercial and Residential Property Management, Asset Management, Construction, Development, Marketing and Accounting Teams. A major focus for Lindsay is the development of Reston Row, the next phase of Reston Station in Reston, Virginia. 

Karen Que is the founder of Scale The Limit, a mindful weight loss company, and author of the Sugar is the Devil Inspirational Cookbook. She is a businesswoman, lifelong entrepreneur, wife, and mother who knows first hand the importance of living a full life, which is why she broke away from the late-night and early day demands of corporate America to create an enriching life on her own terms. She now uses her years of corporate and entrepreneurial expertise to help other high-achieving women realize that they, too, can live a life of significance that doesn't require them to sacrifice themselves to achieve success and their dreams.

Parveen Pathan is the founder and CEO of TechAxis, an executive search firm headquartered in Northern Virginia, serving multiple sectors, including Healthcare, Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Manufacturing, Technology and more. TechAxis was ranked #105 out of 5000 companies by the annual Inc. 5000 DC Metro list for 2020, while Parveen herself was listed on the Women2Watch list by the WPO in 2019.

Becky Wang is an entrepreneur and owner of multiple businesses. Currently, she is focusing on Becky's Healthcare, a home healthcare business which provides in-home care for seniors and people with disabilities. These home care services help maintain a safe, healthy and supported environment for her clients.

Carmen Bississo, CIMA®, AIF®, CLTC, CAS®, CFS®, is the Director of Advanced Strategies at Cassaday and Company.  She is responsible for managing the Advanced Strategies Department, which closely monitors the ever changing insurance and annuity landscape, provides insurance and annuity policy reviews for our clients and assists with any related client needs.

From 2013 to 2016 Northern Virginia Magazine named Carmen a “Top Financial Professional”. Carmen is a summa cum laude graduate of the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where she received her Bachelor of Science in business with a concentration in risk management finance.

Dr. Ton is the Co-owner and Practice Manager of Optimal Dental in the Fairfax and Reston Virginia areas.  Under her leadership Optimal Dental has been voted one of the top three dental practices in the Northern Virginia area by Northern Virginia Living Magazine and Washingtonian Magazine.

Explore the experiences and contributions of business women across a variety of industries.