Smart Women Talk

How to Dig Yourself Out of Debt and Repair Your Credit Score with Howard Dvorkin, CPA

Join Howard and Katana as they discuss:

• Simple steps to take charge of your credit card debt now.
• Smart tips to improve your credit score.
• When filing bankruptcy may be your best option.

Howard S. Dvorkin, CPA, MBA, is one of the most highly regarded debt and credit experts in the United States. His success in the financial industry has allowed him to be interviewed by countless media outlets over the years, including The New York Times, Fortune, Entrepreneur, The American Banker, and Investor’s Business Daily. He has also appeared as a finance expert on programs, including CBS Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, The Early Show, Fox News, and CNN.

Howard has played an instrumental role in drafting both state and federal legislation, served as a former consultant to the Board of Directors for the Association of Credit Counseling Professionals, and was president of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies.

Howard’s latest book, Power Up: Taking Charge of Your Financial Destiny, provides consumers with the detailed tools they need to live debt-free and regain their financial freedom. It delivers practical prescriptions for dealing with the stresses of daily financial challenges and shows how to lay a solid financial foundation to build a secure, worry-free future. Howard’s first book, Credit Hell – How to Dig Out of Debt, detailed how to rise from the debt inferno, the basics of good credit, consumer rights, and the warning signs leading to credit problems. His passion for entrepreneurial enterprise is only matched by his dedication to giving back to the community.

Howard graduated from the University of Miami with a master’s degree in business administration and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from American University.

To learn more about Howard, visit www.howarddvorkin.com or debt.com.

Is Owning a Home the Right Choice for You in This Market? with Marla Pennington

Join Marla and Katana as they discuss:

• Renting vs. Buying in today's house market.
• Government and local programs to help first-time home buyers with down payments.
• Ways to pay off your home more quickly.

Marla Pennington worked in the corporate environment for about 20 years before she became an entrepreneur. In June 2007, she got her real estate license (right when the market began to tank). Her resolve was to remain positive, affiliate with a successful company, and grow a solid business. 
Her efforts paid off in a terrible real estate downturn. She is a past Director of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors and a lifetime member of the local Multi-Million Dollar Club. She is now the Director of Training for her company. She is also a member of the Coldwell Banker national Star Trainer network. 

Marla lives in Memphis with her blind rescue dog, Clark. She is currently in what she calls her 3rd Act and walks 4 miles daily, and she enjoys dancing, cooking, and traveling with her boyfriend, Don. 
To learn more about Marla, visit www.marlasellsmemphis.com.

Millionaire Success Secrets with Mike Gruley

Join Mike and Katana as they discuss:

• Why your current success may not leave you as happy as you expected.
• Habits you can develop to create more peace and time freedom.
• And simple action steps you implement immediately to truly shine.

Mike is a 35+ year entrepreneur who has successfully built businesses from start-up to national scale. 
Mike is a Certified EOS Implementer™ who works exclusively with privately-owned businesses whose owners and leaders are successful and growth-oriented but frustrated. Frustrated that their success has created complexity and chaos that is slowing or stalling their growth, limiting their profits, and generally making life less fun.

Having used EOS® in his own companies, Mike now assists teams with implementing a simple, proven, organizing framework that enables them to get team clarity and alignment and go from chaos to control – to running their business again, instead of it running them.

To learn more about Mike, visit eosworldwide.com/mike-gruley.
o learn more about The 10 Disciplines, visit the10disciplines.com.

The Power of Mindset in Creating Wealth with Joumana Kayrouz

Join Joumana and Katana as they discuss:

•  How to stay strong during adversity.
• Finding the courage to take a "Leap of Faith."
• The importance of knowing what you stand for - Your Why.

Joumana Kayrouz was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and emigrated to the United States in 1986 at the age of 22 with only $1000. She attended the prestigious Yale University, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Ethics, with a concentration in Medical Ethics. She later moved to Michigan to study law at Wayne State University School of Law and graduated in 1997 with a Juris Doctorate in law.

Today, Joumana Kayrouz is the founder and owner of the Michigan Center for Personal Injury and the Law Offices of Joumana Kayrouz PLLC and has been recognized as one of the largest personal injury law firms and the largest woman-owned law firm in Michigan.

Dubbed “Queen Of The Legal Ads,” Kayrouz’s face has appeared on the covers of over 750 buses, 250 billboards, and television. In 2014, Kayrouz signed what remains the single largest outdoor marketing campaign in Michigan advertising history.

To learn more about Joumana, visit www.yourrights.com.

Finding Your Super Power with ADHD with Alyssa Blackwell

Join Alyssa and Katana as they discuss:

• How to access the hidden super powers of ADHD.
• What makes ADHDers uniquely powerful.
• How to let go of the shame from being different.

Alyssa Blackwell is a highly-trained life and business coach with 6 years of experience, specializing in mindset work, ADHD, spirituality, and leadership. With a focus on empowering leaders and entrepreneurs to overcome challenges, discover their flow state, and find fulfillment through their unique strengths, Alyssa offers personalized strategies and tailored support for ADHD, embracing neurodiversity. Through the integration of spirituality and expert guidance in leadership development, Alyssa helps clients achieve personal and professional growth to reach their next level of success and happiness.

Learn more about Alyssa at Alyssablackwell.com.

Finding Your Voice with Mary Beth Orr

Join Mary Beth and Katana as they discuss:

• How to live your purpose.
• Why there is no greater benefit to your creativity and fulfillment than being brave, vulnerable, and authentic.
• How to balance ambition while experiencing true joy.

Mary Beth Orr is a classical hornist/folk vocalist who was recently a finalist for The American Prize. Currently 3rd Horn of the Grand Rapids Symphony, she has been first prize winner of the International Horn Competition of America, International Women’s Brass Conference, Sound Espressivo Music Competition, Golden Classical Music Awards, and Charleston International Solo Competition. She made her European premiere at the Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany ’21, and Carnegie Hall ‘22. As a featured performer for Vox Novus' Fifteen Minutes of Fame, she traveled to NYC to perform and record works commissioned specifically for her. Her current project is finishing her debut album with multi-Grammy-winning label PARMA Recordings.

Learn more about Mary Beth at www.marybethorr.org.

The 3-Step Strategy to Get Off Sugar...Even if You've Tried Everything with Nagina Abdullah

Join Nagina and Katana as they discuss:

• Why women have sugar cravings.
• The 3-step strategy to get off of sugar and no longer have sugar cravings.
• Simple alternatives for sweets that are delicious and satisfying.

Nagina Abdullah is a weight-loss coach for women in midlife and founder of the website MasalaBody.com. She teaches women to boost their metabolism, especially when what worked before, no longer works. She focuses on natural formulas to combine and time metabolism-boosting foods to reduce belly fat and overall weight gain in midlife. Nagina has a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and has helped over 1,500 midlife women successfully lose weight permanently and create a lifestyle change.

Learn more about Nagina at MasalaBody.com.

Ageless Aging: A Woman's Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan with Maddy Dychtwald

Join Maddy and Katana as they discuss:

• How to create a holistic action plan to thrive in the second half of life.
• Cutting-edge information on the impact of fitness, food, sleep, and hormones for living longer.
• The body’s role in the recipe for longevity.  

Recognized by Forbes as one of the top 50 female futurists globally, Maddy Dychtwald has spent nearly four decades exploring all aspects of the age wave and the new era of longevity and how it fundamentally transforms our lives. Maddy is an award-winning author, acclaimed public speaker, and thought leader on longevity and aging, health, wellness, and the new retirement. A successful entrepreneur, she is also the co-founder of Age Wave, the world’s leader in understanding and addressing the far-reaching impacts of longevity and our aging population.

To learn more about Maddy got to agewave.com.

Is it Time to Eat More Plants? 

Join Vicki and Katana as they discuss: 

• Why eating more plants is a good idea for your health.
• Which plant foods are most nutritious.
• Where to begin when trying to increase your plant consumption.    

Vicki Brett-Gach is a Master-Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Culinary Instructor, Certified Personal Chef, and author of The Plant-Based for Life Cookbook, published by Brooklyn Writer’s Press. She earned a Wellness Counseling Certificate through Cornell University, a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, and a Culinary Coaching Certificate through the Harvard Medical School and The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine. Vicki's recipes have been featured in several publications, including Forks Over Knives Magazine, Health Science, VegWorld Magazine, and Global Vegan Magazine. Vicki coaches individual clients transitioning to a plant-based diet and teaches a broad range of whole-food, plant-based cooking classes to groups of all sizes.  

Connect with Vicki through her popular recipe blog Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen at annarborvegankitchen.com.

The Food Controversy with Joanna Klein, Marla Pennington, and Colleen Kilpatrick

Join Joanna, Marla, Colleen, and Katana as they discuss:

• The ways our childhood eating habits influence our adult eating habits.
• How to navigate the world of dietary options.
• Food choices beyond pleasure or health.

Katana welcomes three vibrant friends, Marla Pennington, Joanna Klein, and Colleen Kilpatrick, who all agreed to share openly what they eat and why they eat that way.  Marla, for example, grew up on a farm with cows, hogs, and chickens and regularly eats steak and a glass of wine.  She also walks nearly 4 miles daily, following the steps of her mother, who is in her 80s and still walks daily (her mom recently married a man in his 70s!).  All have different experiences and relationships with food. You will enjoy hearing about their journeys.