By Carissa and Tatiana
Welcome to the OWA Talks podcast from the Optical Women's Association! Our two hosts, Carissa and Tatiana, interview esteemed guests who connect, inspire and lead women in the optical industry.
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The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.
Sophia is contagiously happy, oh so colorful and calling her an eyewear enthusiast would be an understatement. In this episode, we discuss the importance of continued learning and being your authentic self, "It is important to invest in yourself and push yourself to greatness."
About the guest:
Sophia Pray is the Office Manager and head Optician at Huntley Eye Care, Transitions Change Agent, INVISION Brain Squad panelist and OWA Member. Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn or Instagram @FoxySofa.
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The True Value of a Healthy Workplace Culture: In this episode, OWA Talks is joined by Cheryl Moore, HR Director at GPN Technologies. Listen as we discuss the importance of a strong workplace culture with a seasoned HR expert. We’ll hear tips on how to positively impact the culture around you and what to do if you’re not happy about the current culture where you work.
About the guest:
Cheryl is the Director of Human Resources at GPN Technologies. She joined the company in 2012 and has worked in some aspect of the eyecare industry her entire career. Cheryl has held positions in almost every area of an optometric office, including front desk, pre-testing, office management, optical and insurance. She has also worked with optical software companies on the development of Practice Management Systems.
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Pushing Boundaries & Being Your Own Champion: Often times, women who are driven and successful tend to avoid highlighting their own accomplishments. In this episode, OWA Talks is joined Mary Jones, Senior Manager of Professional Business Development at Zyloware. Follow along as we discuss with Mary why it is so important to be your own champion and to highlight your own accomplishments.
About the guest:
Mary is an expert in the optical field. With over 20 years of experience in the optical industry, Mary’s journey is a testament to her passion and commitment to excellence.
Mary’s relentless pursuit of knowledge and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the business have played a crucial role in shaping the company's professional business development strategies. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving growth and fostering strong relationships with partners and clients. Mary's ability to combine strategic thinking with a personable approach has set her apart as a leader who truly cares about the success of her team and the satisfaction of her clients.
Mary’s ability to connect with people on a personal level has earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues and clients alike. She embodies the spirit of hospitality and warmth, making every interaction a pleasant and memorable experience.
Mary is a mom to three boys, one stepdaughter, and three Doodles. She is also a proud grandmother (AKA Boujee) to 1 ½ year old granddaughter Lilah. Mary’s hobbies include family, fitness, and outdoors.
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The secret to marketing your business is YOU! Hear from our guest in this episode on how to style your way to success.
About the guest: An award-winning licensed optician, Wendy is also an image consultant and optical sales trainer.
After a 10-year opticianry career, Wendy retired from the traditional brick and mortar optical shop and created a new mobile optical service; she launched Perceptions Eyewear in 1997 and never looked back!
Honored as a "Trailblazing Woman in Optical", Wendy designed the Spec Style system as her sales styling process to help her mobile eyewear boutique succeed. She went on to thrive by closing 99% of her eyewear styling consults and increasing multi-pair sales to 80%.
A serial entrepreneur, Wendy is the creative force behind Be Spectacular, a training company offering online courses and bespoke training for optical businesses world-wide.
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This month's visitors are three chairpersons from the Digital Marketing Committee, who provide us with insider knowledge on their committee's inner workings. Chair Kerri Ann Raimo, Vice-Chair Reagan Colpitts, and Associate Chair Kayla Ashlee detail how their committee serves the OWA by connecting authentically through digital channels, what members may not know, and how YOU can help improve the OWA's social presence. Our guests share how they stay on top of marketing trends, digital marketing tools they use, and what the OWA's social followers can look forward to. Additionally, we hear favorite stories they've told throughout their marketing careers and invaluable leadership advice.
About our guests:
Kerri Ann Raimo is the managing editor of Eyecare Business and Contact Lens Spectrum magazines published by BroadcastMed. She serves on the board of directors of the Optical Women’s Association (OWA) and as chair of the OWA’s Digital Marketing Committee.
Reagan Colpitts is the Senior Business Development Manager at Safilo spearheading go-to-market strategics for the North American Sales Team while also leading Buying Groups & Strategics Alliances in the USA.
With 15 years of leadership experience, she has dedicated the last 10 years in the optical industry and has held various roles including being a sales representative, business consultant and Regional Sales Manager.
In 2022 she was honored with the Most Influential Women in Optical designation through Vision Monday and most recently was awarded the Optical Women’s Leadership Scholarship in Spring of 2024. She currently volunteers as the co-vice chair on the Digital Marketing Committee with the Optical Women’s Association.
Kayla Ashlee is the CEO & founder of Spexy, an international optometric speaker, a certified optician, and an optometric renegade. Her direct and relatable approach to training has set her apart in the optical industry. Kayla took her knowledge of industry coaching and adapted it to reach any eyecare office that is hungry to grow by putting her training in an online video learning platform called Spexy® The result, she and her team train opticals how to give a sensational experience to their patients and it is transforming the patient relationship with their optical in a powerful way.
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In this episode, OWA Talks is joined by Barbara De Rigo of De Rigo Vision SPA. Listen as we discuss YALEA, an exciting De Rigo house brand, created and launched in collaboration with our guest, that promotes contemporary women and seeks to help enhance their personal growth and empowerment.
About the guest: Barbara De Rigo was born in Cortina d' Ampezzo and, after graduating as a Parliamentary Interpreter in Bologna, she moved to Milan where she studied Foreign Languages and Literature. Her professional career in the family business began in 1993 in Germany at the Group's first branch, and, as of 1994, continued at the Foreign Trade Department at the company headquarters in Longarone.
After eight years of commercial experience, her love for the various house brands saw her enter the Marketing sphere, where she worked, more specifically, with Police, Sting and Lozza - brands that thereafter became her passion and personal mission, dedicating herself exclusively to their strategy and development.
Over the years, Barbara personally followed numerous collaborations with celebrities and artists (George Clooney, Antonio Banderas, David Beckham, Michael Schumacher, Mika, Gabriel Batistuta, Neymar and Lewis Hamilton, and many Italian artists including Marco Mengoni, Fedez, Francesco Renga, Tommaso Paradiso and Leo Gassman, to name but a few), in addition to co-branding activities with fashion houses and prestigious brands (Disney, Maserati, Yamamay, Pininfarina, Cirque du Soleil, FILA and Philosophy).
She is also at the helm of the following corporate social and environmental responsibility projects, which she has followed with passion every step of the way: ‘Lookbeyond’ to mark Police’s 30th anniversary in support of Doctors Without Borders; the book and comic ‘IntereSTING’ on occasion of Sting's 30th anniversary in collaboration with charity S.O.S. Children's Villages; the collaboration between Sting and Save the Planet, the non-profit association that develops and promotes projects to safeguard the environment.
In 2018, on occasion of the company's 40th anniversary, the Fondazione De Rigo H.E.ART Onlus was founded, aimed at supporting young people so that they can enjoy inalienable rights to health and education, also stimulating the development of their individual personalities through artistic and cultural activities. Barbara is the President and passionately dedicates a great deal of time to this special project.
In 2020, Barbara became Chief Marketing Officer at De Rigo, assuming responsibility for the Group's entire Marketing and Communication structure.
In 2021 she contributes to the creation and launch of Yalea, the fourth and new company house brand. An important project intended to enrich the Group’s portfolio with a brand which aims to promote contemporary women by supporting their freedom of choice, encouraging their talent and rewarding their personal beauty. A brand which combines the cause of women globally and in a tangible way with virtuous projects dedicated to their empowerment.
Barbara tries to best reconcile her business tasks with her private life. She and her husband, Maurizio Dessolis - Executive Vice Ch
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Dr. Brianna Rhue talks with our co-hosts about scaling a business and everything along the journey. Going from an Optometrist to a woman in tech, building the 41st fastest growing company, to purchasing a practice and the hurdles to overcome. Hear how the patient / doctor relationship is so important in healthcare and when not understanding the business side, giving away our leverage. Understanding delegation, what your team wants and is looking for in a leader and how to bounce between it all as a wife, mom, business owner and entrepreneur. Learn how to go into exhibit halls and understand the value beyond the CE lectures.
About the guest: Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, FSLS, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona before earning her Doctorate of Optometry at Nova Southeastern University. She completed her residency at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami and is the owner of West Broward Eyecare in South Florida.
Dr. Rhue is passionate about healthcare technology, myopia management, specialty contact lens fits and practice management. She enjoys sharing her love for technology and myopia management through speaking engagements to help optometrists understand business, technology and new areas of care to help all parties involved.
Dr. Rhue is the co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens which made the INC 5000 list as the 41st fastest growing company in the US and TechifEYE. Outside the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, playing tennis, standing on her head in yoga and traveling.
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ClearVision Optical is a second-generation family-owned independent leader in the eyewear industry. Join us in this episode where we chat with not one, but three members of the Clear Vision family and discuss the values that have allowed the company to endure for 75 years.
About our guests:
David Friedfeld is President of ClearVision Optical, one of the largest family-owned eyewear distributors in North America. David provides vision and leadership to all areas within the ClearVision organization. Under his guidance, ClearVision has received countless honors and accolades from both the eyewear industry and the business community. David has appeared on several internet radio shows including The Growth Strategist, The CEO Show, and Power Hour and is a featured speaker at many industry-related events and functions. David has been a tremendous advocate for the implementation of 3D printing into the product development cycle at ClearVision. An avid new media follower, David strongly embraces new and innovative technology while remaining committed to meeting the needs of customers in today's ever-changing technological landscape. David loves reading and running and spending time with his wife Vicki and children Luke, Faith, Jake and Sam.
Mimi Friedfeld began her career with ClearVision Optical in 1968. Over the years, she managed the accounting and personnel departments and contributed to design of the company's fashionable eyewear products. She helped her beloved husband Fred Friedfeld, the company founder, grow the family-run business from a small regional wholesaler to one of today's most respected leading optical distribution companies. She is an icon in the industry and recognized for her leadership and mentorship with the OWA Pleiades Award in 2005. She's been an active member of the OWA since its inception. Mimi loves reading, art, theater, and spending time with all her children and grandchildren.
Liz Friedfeld leads ClearVision's business development department and responsible for growing strategic partnerships and optimizing lead generation. As a subject matter expert and CVO ambassador, Liz travels as a speaker on market trends, customer service excellence, and building a winning culture. Liz sits on the Board of the Optical Women Association co-chairing the Membership Committee. Under her stewardship, the OWA has seen a surge in membership with a record-breaking year in '23. Liz was recognized as One of the Most Influential Women in Optical and awarded an OWA Leadership Scholarship Award. Liz recently completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher training certification in January 2024 and loves traveling with her husband Eric and children Sophie, Daniel and Izzy.
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With a mother who worked as a nurse, Dr. Sukaromya, knew from a young age she wanted to help people. Listen to this episode of ‘OWA Talks’ to her about incredible passion to help people, patients, and the industry at large. She also shares her insights on owning her own practice, staffing shortages, navigating times of change and participating in optometric missions to Granada, El Salvador, and Mexico.
About our guest: Dr. Sarvitree Sukaromya has been practicing optometry in Kansas City, MO since 2006. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Rockhurst University, she completed her Doctorate of Optometry degree from the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry. She has experience in owning her own practice and has participated in optometric missions to Granada, El Salvador, and Mexico. For the past 14 years, she has been an Associate Optometrist for America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Three of those years she was an Area Doctor of the Kansas City Market with assigned Doctors to her. During that time, she maintained clinical care standards, provided supplemental training support when new equipment and electronic health records were implemented, and fostered effective communication amongst the Doctors and the staff for efficiency. Her areas of interest are primary eye care and contact lenses.
When not seeing patients, Dr. Sukaromya serves as the Communications Coordinator on the Missouri Optometric Association staff in Jefferson City, Missouri. She has been in this role since August 2023 encouraging Doctors of Optometry in private and corporate practice to advocate for the profession. She keeps association member Doctors informed of the latest on scope of practice discussions, upcoming continuing education events and highlighting member Doctors in their practices.
She was a recent graduate of the American Optometric Association Leadership Institute 2.0, November 2023. She was also a Featured Leader in Women of Optometry in an article Moving the Profession Forward, November 2023.
Dr. Sukaromya and her husband, Clifton, have two sons, Julian and Braxton, and the loving memory of their daughter, Olive. In her spare time, she likes getting her hands dirty in the garden and corralling her growing number of pets.
She is a member of the Optometric Society of Greater Kansas City, Missouri Optometric Association, American Optometric Association and as of this year 2024, the Optical Women's Association!
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It’s a new year and OWA Talks is kicking 2024 off with a bang by featuring a very special guest, newly inducted OWA President, Dr. Lorie Lippiatt! In this episode, Dr. Lippiatt shares her unique journey within the OWA, her inspiring vision for the OWA’s future during her term as President, and exciting musings she has on different career ‘stages.’
About our guest: Lorie Lippiatt, OD is a 1988 graduate of The Ohio State University, College of Optometry. She founded The Salem Eyecare Center, Inc. in 1989, and remained owner and President for 33 years before partnering with MyEyeDr. in 2021. Dr. Lippiatt was instrumental in the development of electronic medical records for optometrists and technology integration, lecturing nationally on these topics while consulting for numerous companies in the industry. Dr. Lippiatt joined the Optical Women's Association in 2004, and has been a board member since 2013, prior to her presidency in 2023. Dr. Lippiatt currently resides in Ohio and Florida, and enjoys optometry, greenhouse gardening, pickleball, and spending time with her dog, Betty Boop.
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The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.