OWA Talks Podcast

2020 was a year of many unexpected twists and turns. At the start of the pandemic, many of us were left asking....what does this all mean? When will it end? Is life ever going back to normal? The lack of certainty day to day left us feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. And I knew I wanted to help. 

The 30in30 challenge was designed as a social networking outreach effort. To create new connections during an unprecedented time and to help those new connections navigate uncertainty and emerge on the other side with a greater sense of clarity and calm.

To get things going, I tapped 30 colleagues in my network and asked them to introduce me to 30 people in theirs who could benefit from professional support. Whether it was careers in transition, personal branding or strategic business questions and thought partnership - no problem was too big to tackle together. And the urgency was there to make an impact, fast. So the goal became 30 new connections in 30 days. 

What started as a relatively small outreach, became much larger than I could have imagined. And the result? Meaningful connections that yielded positivity in an otherwise uncertain time.

Holly has nearly 30 years of leadership experience building strong consumer brands with well-known global companies such as Luxottica, L’Oreal and the Gillette Company. Most recently, she served as CEO for Costa del Mar, a cult brand of performance sunglasses and was previously, President of Luxottica Wholesale North America. In addition to nearly a decade in the Optical Industry, she has deep leadership experience in the Beauty, Fashion, Luxury and Outdoor sectors.

She is a people and culture-first leader who is passionate about defining organizational purpose, galvanizing teams and developing next-gen leaders, especially women. She is also an active mentor, public speaker and non-profit board member.

Along with her husband and two (now teenage!) children, she resides in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

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Today, now more than ever, staying on top of current fashion + eyewear trends can give you an edge in your work in the eyewear industry. Join Erinn Morgan, Eyecare Business magazine's Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director, to get the quick lowdown on the season's three most enticing, on-trend, and saleable eyewear trends—plus the key fashion trends they align with. She'll also share a snapshot of recovery trends in the optical market plus tips and strategies for success in today's new world.

Erinn Morgan has been covering the business and fashion trends of the optical industry for over 20 years. With a B.A. in Fashion Merchandising from Philadelphia University and a Master's Degree in Journalism from Temple University, she got her start as the Managing Editor of Accessories magazine and quickly moved on to become the Founding Editor-in-Chief of FrameBuyer magazine, published by Eyecare Business and recipient of several FOLIO magazine awards. She was then brought on to 20/20 magazine as Editor-in-Chief overseeing the launch of 2020mag.com.

After several years at Jobson, she moved over to work as the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning SoHo Style, a cutting-edge magazine that focused on the culture and style of downtown New York City. Erinn is also the author of the book Picture Yourself Going Green, the founder of the fitness- and health-focused blog WomensMovement.com, and her written work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure, Outside magazine, Skiing, and Bike.

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The world is dealing with a pandemic and our nation is faced with yet another challenge creating division, anger and frustration. We witnessed a man, George Floyd, die on social media. His death was followed by rioting and looting across our nation. These events broke our hearts. Many felt the need to do something. Some marched in protest. Others expressed their feelings on social media.

I turned to create OWA's "Food for Thought: Where food breaks down barriers and brings us all to the table." My vision for this platform is to welcome everyone to the table to share and experience our differences in culture, heritage and family traditions through food. As we prepare our food with love to share and nourish one another, our healing can begin.

Dr. Beverly Bianes completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego, and in 1991 received her Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern California College of Optometry. She was the recipient of the Bernell Clinical Excellence award. Soon after graduation, she started a private practice in San Diego with her husband, Dr. John Pack and opened a second location two years later. Dr. Bianes was an active board member of the San Diego Optometric Society where she held the position of Professional Affairs for 5 years and was a member of Vision Source for 20 years. She is currently the Director of Charitable Outreach for Total Vision LLC, a private equity company that acquired their practices 2 years ago.

Dr. Bianes has a passion for giving back to both her local community as well as to communities abroad. She has participated in several medical mission trips to the Philippines and has provided free exams and glasses to the underserved in her local community. Her efforts have been recognized by community leaders such as Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and by organizations such as the South County Economic Development Council and the Military Employer Support League. She was featured in "20/20" magazine for providing free services and materials to homeless transitional adult youth. Dr. Bianes joined the OWA in 2019 and is the creator of the new virtual event series known as "Coffee Break…connecting one sip at a time." She is a member of American Optometric Association, the California Optometric Association, and the San Diego County Optometric Society.

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COVID-19 has forced the delivery of health care to change. The return to our clinics requires new rituals and a significant shift in our patient interactions. One of our major goals is to avoid infection and prevent the spread of infection, which requires minimal talking, covered faces, and short visits. How can we maintain our relationship with our patients? What is the value of our words, our facial expressions? These are the questions to be answered in this pandemic world of eye care.

Barbara Caffery, OD, PhD, FAAO, graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 1977. She currently serves as the President of the American Academy of Optometry and is on the Medical Advisory panel of the Sjogren’s Society of Canada. 

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If you are like every business owner, executive or sales person, when the lockdown happened you understood how important it was to be able to connect virtually to your patients and customers. Now virtual and digital communications are the norm. Connecting, networking and selling online will be the way of the future. What do you need to do to build a personal and business profile and where should you start?

Trudi Charest co-founded Marketing4ecps, a digital marketing agency focused on building digital advertising for optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmologists, in 2015. She is well known for designing, developing, and facilitating training and marketing programs for eyecare professionals across North America.

Trudi is a licensed optician with over 25 years of extensive eyecare experience. She also holds a Human Resource Management certificate from the University of Calgary. Her background includes corporate training in optical retail, territory management for Bausch & Lomb, clinical consulting with Optos, and the position of Vice President of Marketing & Training for Eye Recommend, one of Canada's leading optometric buying groups.

She is an international speaker, author, industry consultant, and business innovator.

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On today's episode, we sit down and chat with President and CEO of De Rigo REM, Alessandro Baronti. He walks us through what we should be doing now for our optical businesses and looks into the future and how to reopen. 

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Sandra and Stephanie interview Dr. Millicent Knight about all things optometry. We dive into her start into the field and talk a little bit about where things are going to go moving forward. 

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OWA Visionary Award Winner, Sheena Taff, stops by to share the new changes to expect at Vision Expo East. She goes over the new neighborhoods and gives us her best Vision Expo East tips! 

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