Organize Your Butterflies

Proclaimed as "an architect of great ideas" by host and YWCA USA CEO, Alejandra Y. Castillo, Melissa Bradley, co-founder of Ureeka – a platform designed to grow small businesses by providing unprecedented access to a collaborative community and other resources, joins us as our featured guest on this week's episode of Organize Your Butterflies. As small businesses work to restructure and remain sustainable during and after COVID-19, Melissa is working hard to ensure that communities can be served at scale now and for many years to come! You can follow Melissa's journey on Twitter @bradleyml and Ureeka @ureekacommunity.

This week's spotlight is on YWCA Delaware! CEO Stephanie Staats discusses all the ways YWCA Delaware is staying active in their community and working to improve the resources available to women and family in this small but mighty state. Make sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram.

Dr. Ariana Curtis is the first-ever Curator of the Latinx Studies program at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture and this episode's guest on our Stand Against Racism mini-series for Organize Your Butterflies. Dr. Curtis and host Alejandra Y. Castillo, YWCA USA CEO, chat about Dr. Curtis' role centering the Afro-Latinx experience in her collections, what Afro-Latinx representation looks like in the historically white museum community, and finding new ways to make museum collections accessible – especially in this new era of social distancing. To find out more about Ariana's work and current projects, be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram!

Michelle Kim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Awaken and this episode's guest for our Stand Against Racism mini-series for Organize Your Butterflies! As we continue to do the work of justice, we recognize how important it is to elevate the stories of those who are working at the ground-level and providing resources for those who are curious about building equitable, accepting, and compassionate spaces for all people. Michelle's work with Awaken provides these resources through workshops at companies and organizations of all sizes, and we are proud to feature her and her story, as she and her team work to build a more just world. To find out more about Michelle, be sure to follow her on Twitter and read up on her Medium articles!

On this episode of "Organize Your Butterflies," take a trip to America's heartland with this week's guest, Mayor of Topeka, Michelle de la Isla. In conversation with YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo, the two cover topics such as the importance of rural communities, civic engagement at the local level, and the Mayor's campaign to represent the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week's spotlight is on YWCA Northeast Kansas where they are led by CEO Kathleen Marker and are working to change the way that survivors of gender-based violence access care in their community.

Stop waiting on your life to begin! Episode 34 of Organize Your Butterflies focuses on how women can excel in shaping their futures now rather than later. Host Alejandra Y. Castillo is joined by Cecilia Muñoz, the VP of Public Interest Technology and Local Initiatives at New America and the Author of the forthcoming book, "More than Ready: Be Strong and Be You…and other lessons for women of color on the rise." They discuss how women of color often are not perceived as "ready" in the eyes of mainstream America, and how this misconception often leads to compensating by working really hard, as well as other strategies to cope with internal self-doubt. Join them as they gear up for the excellent moment of now! For more insight and how to purchase "More than Ready", follow Cecilia on Twitter @cecmunoz. This episode's spotlight is on YWCA Greenwich, where they are led by CEO Mary Lee Kiernan. At YWCA Greenwich, they are part of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and approaching the topic of gender with humility, respect, and inclusivity, no matter where someone is at in their journey. Follow along with their journey on Twitter @YWCA_Greenwich.

COVID-19 (coronavirus) has rapidly taken mainstage in the United States. As the country navigates the best management of virus, Alejandra Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA, chats with Dr. Meg Doherty, who is the Director at the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes at the World Health Organization. Dr. Doherty is a specialist on infectious diseases and epidemiology, and has the inside scoop on what you need to know about COVID-19 to keep you, your family, and your community safe. Dr. Doherty emphasizes the importance of social distancing, the integral role that young and healthy people must play to prevent the spread of the virus, and the deep sense of community that COVID-19 has instilled globally. Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, also joins us to discuss the impact COVID-19 has on the nonprofit sector in terms of fundraising, resources, and support. Tim and Alejandra also examine how the government, private corporations, and individuals can help nonprofits during this unusual time.

Due to the speed of innovation, business industries are constantly changing. To keep up, smart entrepreneurs need to understand how efficient internal operations should be aligned with up-to-date data and research. LaKisha Greenwade, the Founder and CEO of Wearable Tech Ventures, gives key advice about how impact data helps to grow businesses of all sizes and leads to financial success. During this vibrant conversation between host Alejandra Y. Castillo, YWCA USA CEO and LaKisha chat about how data keeps businesses relevant and informed, as well as what the landscape for wearable technologies looks like in the future.

In this age of technology, there are tools to improve every aspect of business operations. Jenelle S. Coy, Founder and Managing Partner of SPERO, and Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA, discuss the pathway to entrepreneurship, the value of taking risks, and how to grow from mistakes. Women entrepreneurs will learn how these resources and experiences can lead to a smooth running business in the areas of human resources, strategic planning, client management, budgeting and many more!

Growing up in a low-income community in Hartford, CT, this week's Organize Your Butterflies guest was inspired to build a better future for her community locally and nationally. Today, Virginia Kase is the CEO of the League of Women Voters, and believes that growing up without resources has taught her to work creatively to find solutions. In this discussion, Host Alejandra Y. Castillo and Virginia delve into how the past 100 years of women's work has been a down-payment on the future, and how important it is that every person (regardless of background) has the ability, the right, and the opportunity to participate in the shaping of this country. Episode 30's Spotlight is on YWCA Northern New Jersey (formerly, YWCA Bergen County), where they are fearlessly led by CEO Helen Archontou. Helen has worked tirelessly to ensure that the needs of the greater community are recognized and encompassed with this name change. At YWCA Northern New Jersey, they know that consistency is the best way to achieve the "synergy of greatness" and strive to accomplish this every day. For her hard work, Helen has been named as one of New Jersey's Most Powerful Women on Senator Loretta Weinberg's 2019 Women Power List. Congratulations Helen! For more on YWCA Northern NJ, follow along on Twitter @ywcannj and follow Helen @ywcannj_ceo!

The audience will roll up their sleeves and discover the genuine meaning behind their business brand. This episode will showcase the power of technology in business. Ronne Brown, CEO of Girl CEO Inc. and Tina Bonner, Founder and President of The Entrepreneurial Institute, chat about branding strategies in the areas of social media, digital/e-marketing, market research analytics, and press/media.