OWA Talks Podcast

Use your drive and passion to create your successful career path through hard work and connections. In this podcast, Dr. Stewart shares her success tips and strategies for creating powerful connections that enable career success.  Dr. Stewart has successfully become a partner at Norwalk Eye Care and has been recognized as one of the Best Eye Doctors in Fairfield County where she specializes in sports and performance vision, dry eye management, multifocal contact lens fitting, and medical eye care. She also co-founded Performance 20/20 in Stamford, Connecticut.  In addition to her practice work, she serves as a consultant, is active in professional associations, is actively involved in the alumni board at the New England College of Optometry, and competes in triathlons, cycling, and weightlifting.

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

We are Nancy Gries and Julie Hawkins. We are 50+ year old ladies who
met at work two decades ago. Together we have over 50 years’ experience
in the optical industry. Over these years we have been honoured to call
our mentors and colleagues some of our closest friends. A few year’s ago
we both encountered experiences which left us feeling taken advantage of
and vulnerable. We both thought; we can either sit back and accept this
OR do something about it to not expose ourselves to this kind of mistrust
again. So, we ventured out and created our own brand called CotiVision
(COTI being the acronym for Chuckle On The Inside). We set out to create
a different approach to ready reading glasses, to break the old age
perception, and to create a unique and original collection guaranteed to
restore some fun into growing up!
Those 40+ years of age know the stigma around hitting this milestone and
needing to extend things at arm’s length to read small
print. Unfortunately, deteriorating eyesight is a consequence of age. 
Ready reading glasses are fundamental for most; however, they never
seem to be there when we need them. So was born our Coti Vision
necklace reading glasses, which are simply worn around the neck and
lifted when needed. Gone are the days of rummaging around to find
them left lying on the desk/counter, in the bottom of our handbag, or
perched on top of our head.  Worn around the neck, they are always at our
fingertips. Reading menus, packaging labels, mobile phone messages,
has never been more convenient.
There is an additional twist to this gem. The construction of the necklace
allows the reading glass element to be removed, so the necklace can be
worn on its own. There are additional chain choices offered separately
which offers even more colour and style options.
Growing old doesn’t have to mean being boring! Our approach to reading
glasses can be extended to the issues that face an aging population in
general. This lends itself to topics for a Podcast from hair, make-up, to
menopause, mental health, etc.
One of our prized mentors once said: “we have been gifted two ears and
one mouth, we need to remember to use them in that proportion”. Due
to our experiences and maturity, we have learned to “listen” to situations
and “hear’ with both ears, but we are not afraid to speak up with questions,
ask for clarification and advice. By using the gifts we have been given we
have become people who can be “counted on”. Being a person who can
be counted on builds trust, and this is the foundation for building strong
relationships. We aim to celebrate every day and approach life with a
sense of creativity and fun. We are “normal” middle aged ladies who feel
we have a story to tell and hope to inspire, educate and motivate others.
Here is to our cheeky slogan of “Raise your Glasses”!

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

What's going on at the schools and colleges of Optometry.?  All 23 Optometry Schools have gone through rapid adaptation during the pandemic to continue supporting their students' successful learning journey.  Committed faculty are to preparing the future of the profession while continuing to grow their skills as the profession continues to evolve.   Dr. Purcell believes that today's students are looking for flexibility, the ability to select different learning experiences and be part of inclusive learning environments that help all feel as they belong.  Graduates today are well prepared to enter into the profession and change the way that we see the world.  It is an exciting time for our industry and moving forward schools need to work on better diversity to serve their patients best.

Howard Purcell, O.D., F.A.A.O., Diplomate and FNAP has been President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry (NECO) since July 2018.  Before assuming his leadership role at NECO, he served as Senior Vice President at Essilor of America and Senior Director at Johnson and Johnson Vision Care.  A second generation graduate of the New England College of Optometry, Dr. Purcell also participated in a group optometric practice for eleven years with his father in Miami Beach, FL.

Beginning in June 1991, Dr. Purcell joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry.  During his career at the college, he was a principle in the development of the Department of Cornea and Contact Lenses.  Reaching the rank of Associate Professor, Dr. Purcell was responsible for both the didactic and clinical components of the program, serving as the Deputy Dean of the college. 

Dr. Purcell is a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies Section of the American Academy of Optometry

His energetic and enthusiastic style has made Dr. Purcell a popular lecturer internationally.  Purcell’s unique philosophies and practices have often attracted the media to focus attention on current optometric issues and research in the industry.

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

It's been said that women have the capability of multi-tasking far better than men; but when you're working full time, raising a child, and a pandemic strikes, is it possible to juggle it all?  In this podcast, we hear from Katie Lauver, a busy mom to a high-energy toddler and VP of Business Relations at GPN Technologies.  Katie has been working from home while raising her son both pre and post-pandemic.  Learn how she creates work/life balance and knows when to "close the office," in a time when so many of us feel the pull to keep working from our home desk, no matter what the hour.     

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month to honor women’s contributions in American history and this episode with Dr. Kate Hamm celebrates women while focusing on supporting women to help create a more equal and inclusive workplace. 

Dr, Hamm began analyzing various components contributing to the wage gap during optometry school and works to help women become better negotiators with the goal of shrinking the wage gap.  Becoming a better negotiator can help salary and promotion discussions become less awkward and sticky while allowing you to understand your worth and advocating for your worth during future discussions.  Reframing how you think about negotiation can create creative solutions and ways of preparing yourself for successful negotiations.  Additionally, mentoring can be a great way for women to support each other to understand blind spots and biases to assist you in gathering information so that you are prepared when these opportunities arise while helping to continue building your own network.

Dr. Kate Hamm OD serves as the Senior Manger of OD Engagement at Luxottica. She is a Kansas native and graduated from Kansas State University with a degree if Physical Sciences with minors in Physics and Biology. After graduation, Kate attended the University of Missouri- St. Louis College of Optometry where she found leadership roles, researched visual perception in dyslexia and advocated for optometrists on a national scale. At graduation in 2019, Kate was awarded the Raymond Meyers Leadership Award, COVD pediatric care award, and Optometry Scholars award. After optometry school, Kate spent time in Dallas working with Essilor of America as an intern with the Professional Development team. Then Kate joined a private practice in Wichita, KS where she saw patients for 2 years before joining Luxottica in her current role. Kate lives in Wichita, KS with her husband where she is usually watching football, connecting with her community, or finding new food to try.
 
You can connect with Dr. Hamm via Instagram @DrInstaHamm or listening to her Podcast Lunch Date with Rachel and Kate

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Meet Karen Giberson — President and CEO of the Accessories Council, Editor-in-Chief of AC Magazine, and EMMY Award winner! A genuine "retail insider", Karen has years of experience in communications, merchandising, marketing and public relations.  As President & CEO of the Accessories Council, a non-profit advocacy group, she represents a $50B+ industry of over 350 dynamic member companies in the fashion footwear, accessory, and jewelry markets.  Beyond current members, Karen works with hundreds of brands, retailers, licensees, talent, and industry support executives.

She is charged with being a voice for the industry and leads efforts to assist with legislative issues, sales, and awareness.  Her position gives her a unique perspective and, as a business partner vs client, she gets a realistic view of the opportunities and challenges these companies face.  She is action-oriented and works to maximize and resolve opportunities and challenges.

At the Accessories Council, Karen creates and oversees production of educational events, mentoring programs, the industry newsletter, charitable efforts, and fundraising galas. She advocates for policy, has testified in front of Congress and local governments, and has retained lobby groups to positively impact the accessories industry.  She is a prolific author and has been published in many trade papers.

Most notoriously, she runs the esteemed ACE Awards, one of the fashion industries' leading events. She established many other foundation events at the Council as well, including the Hall of Fame awards, The Elaine Gold Launchpad, the Accessories Innovation Committee, the Design Excellence Awards, B.A.B.E. (a women's networking event), and Retail/Wholesale "meet days", to name a few.

In January 2021, Karen relaunched Accessories Magazine, a quarterly publication that features the accessories, jewelry, and footwear industries.  Karen is a prolific author and major contributor to the publication.

Karen started her career in the executive training program at Macy's and there held a number of positions, including a two-year post in their jewelry-buying department. She then joined QVC where her career blossomed, culminating in a beloved position as director of event marketing.  She was also the director of accessories, footwear and intimate apparel and senior buyer of accessories, footwear, and intimate apparel. She created and launched the company's event marketing division, which created events such as "Shoes on Sale", "Extreme Shopping", and "Red Carpet Weekends".

She is an EMMY award-winning executive producer of "Avec Eric," a PBS broadcasted television show featuring star chef Eric Ripert that was named Outstanding Culinary Program in 2010. She was named one of Philadelphia's Most Fashionable Women 2012, Main Line Today's Power Women List in 2013, 2016 Accessories Council ACE Award Winner, and 2017 Mann Foundation Leading Lady Honoree.

Despite her fashion background, Karen is a grounded and down-to-earth individual! She can be found running Spartan Races, is a fitness enthusiast, and loves spending time with her family and friends.

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the No. 1 killer of women. It claims more women’s lives than all forms of cancer combined!  Learn how Go Red for Women, from the American Heart Association, educates, promotes awareness, and is positively impacting the health of women related to CVD.

Caroline Hickam, Director of Go Red for Women with the American Heart Association 

Caroline is the Director of Go Red for Women with the American Heart Association (AHA) in Baltimore, Maryland. She uses her personal survivor story and passion to foster relationships that benefit the mission of the AHA. Specifically, she works to improve the conditions of women who are impacted by cardiovascular diseases by advocating for women to listen to their bodies, make healthy lifestyle choices, and put themselves first. Caroline loves using her story and passion to connect with others, learn their passions, and work with each other to improve the communities we are a part of both small and large. Feeling personally connected to the work she does in the office and out empowers her to continue making positive changes.

Elizabeth Klunk, RN, BSN, CCM-R Senior Vice President of Medical Management

Liz is Senior Vice President of Medical Management at Versant Health, with more than 30 years of experience in acute hospital, healthcare payer, healthcare service delivery operations, and healthcare consulting & clinical outsource operations.  She is a Certified Case Manager and a Registered Nurse in three states; as well as an expert in regulatory and compliance, particularly when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid. She is a firm believer that annual eye exams are not only critical for vision and eye health, but overall health as well.

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Ever wonder how optical trade magazines ACTUALLY work? Join Dee Carroll, editor-in-chief of INVISION and longtime optical editor, for a no holds barred, fully transparent conversation on the behind-the-scenes nitty gritty on what gets in, what gets left on the editing floor … and why. She will address misconceptions about how trade magazines work, and how INVISION magazine – and the other optical trade magazines you know by name – function as a business, including the necessary role advertising plays. She’ll address frequently asked questions about the America’s Finest Optical Retailers contest and how the entire industry can get involved in it, what makes the cover, and how INVISION comes up with the stories it runs, as well as how listeners and readers can see their name in print. 

DEE BIO:

Deirdre (pronounced DARE-dree) Carroll started her career in magazines 20 years ago. For the last 15, Dee has worked exclusively in optical trade publishing, first as senior editor for Vision Monday magazine for nearly 11 years, and now as the Editor-in-Chief of INVISION, the magazine for the American eyecare professional, for the last 5. Named a Rising Star in Vision Monday’s Influential Woman At INVISION, she manages the monthly print magazine and its team, oversees the invisionmag.com website and the publication’s social media channels, as well as hosts an editorial podcast – In Vision with Dee Carroll — all with the single-minded goal of helping independent ECPs run of their businesses better. 

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

According to the 2020 McKinsey Women in the Workplace study, 865,000 women left the workforce last month, compared to only 216,000 men. Today, more than 1 in 4 women are contemplating downgrading their careers or exiting the workforce entirely.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the choices working women are having to make, America is at a turning point, where companies now risk losing not just women in general, but women in leadership positions and future female leaders, reversing years of progress towards gender diversity in our workforces.

How did we get here, and how can executive leaders create opportunity from crisis by purposely designing a more flexible and empathetic workplace in order to retain female staff, while also nurturing a culture in which women have equal opportunities to find their footing in today's climate?

David Friedfeld is President of ClearVision Optical, one of the largest family-owned eyewear distributors in North America. Based in Hauppauge, New York, ClearVision designs and distributes eyewear and sunwear for 12 distinctive brands.

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. He is also a featured speaker at many industry-related events and functions.

As an organization, ClearVision has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State for five years, most recently in 2020. CVO has also been recognized by New York SmartCEO as a 2016 Family Business Awards honoree. Additionally, Clearvision was recognized at the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer service, receiving 2 gold and 2 silver awards, and is also ranked as one of the top five suppliers in the U.S. by Jobson Research.

In his spare time, David enjoys reading and running. He and his wife, Vicki, live on Long Island and have four children — Jake, Sam, Faith, and Lucas. Connect with David on Twitter and Instagram @OpticalBuddy.

Like this episode? Please subscribe and share!
iTunes | Spotify | Overcast | iHeartRadio | Amazon

Connect with the OWA:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook