Sylwia Ok is an award-winning Portrait Artist, Master Photographer, and Certified Professional Photographer, specializing in commercial and fine art portrait photography. For the last 9 years, she has been creating magazine quality images for other businesses as well as helping families with decorating their homes with people they loved. Her professional studio is located in Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park.

Marlene has worked with parents, teachers and children for 30 years, directed foster care and counseling programs, provided parent and teacher education in MA & FL. She also taught Child/Family/Teacher Relations at USFL for 8 years.

She holds a M.A. In Family Studies from Goddard College had the privilege of attending the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, as well as three years in a Ph.D program on public policy and child welfare. She is a mother and grandmother.

She is the author of If Only They Came with Instructions, as well as a series of books for first grade students and their families.

Storygenie comes from the Mythical Hamlet of Peekin, where The Great Poobah "wished" her into being! Storygenie is Peekin's official storyteller, poet, and general entertainer of children (and grownups, too!). She just LOVES words & rhymes, poems and songs, dancing and jokes, riddles and stories and more. Storygenie firmly and happily believes that: "POWER OVER WORDS empowers children throughout their lives - building language skills and literacy, personal expression in all forms, comprehension in all human interactions!

Joy Leitner has a widely varied background in several educational and professional disciplines. Her first job was as a professional singer in the Catholic Church at age 12. Her first formal teaching experience was teaching Business Basics to 6th graders at age 15. Her early education focus was in business, marketing and music. Ms. Leitner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Vocal Performance and a Master’s Degree in Community Music with an emphasis in education for arts organizations. Joy has performed professionally for over 25 years and taught voice and piano for 18 years. In addition to her formal education degrees, Joy holds a State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser License and A State Life Health and Variable Annuity. Her specialty is working with Seniors to educate them on the Medicare system and has done so for 10 years.

Joy Leitner has a widely varied background in several educational and professional disciplines. Her first job was as a professional singer in the Catholic Church at age 12. Her first formal teaching experience was teaching Business Basics to 6th graders at age 15. Her early education focus was in business, marketing and music. Ms. Leitner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Vocal Performance and a Master’s Degree in Community Music with an emphasis in education for arts organizations. Joy has performed professionally for over 25 years and taught voice and piano for 18 years. In addition to her formal education degrees, Joy holds a State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser License and A State Life Health and Variable Annuity. Her specialty is working with Seniors to educate them on the Medicare system and has done so for 10 years.

Maribeth Ditmars is an author, speaker, and blogger. Her writing journey began years ago when her 10-year old son, Chris, was diagnosed with leukemia and she kept a detailed journal. This eventually became her first book. Maribeth has also published a children’s book about cancer, and she has a brand-new book that was just released. It is a faith-based book about her family’s struggles with adversity and loss. She blogs about her life experiences in child-loss, grief, and addiction. With 16 years of recovery, Maribeth loves helping other women who are new in recovery. Maribeth also enjoys speaking and reminding others that laughter and tears are only a moment apart, but joy is eternal.

Mitch is the Executive Director of Finance at Excellence Performance, a business coaching, and personal development company. Coming from an immigrant family, a strong work ethic and a desire to make a difference were ingrained into who is he is today.

During his time in college, he earned two degrees with honors in accountancy and finance while building a sales team for a health and wellness company. He then graduated from the Excellence Performance Coaching Academy, a rigorous two-year coaching certification program.

Mitch began building his department from scratch at the age of 21 and since then has attracted and leads a team of experts in business strategy, taxation, financial investing, and more. He utilizes psychology and behavioral finance to make more impactful and permanent changes in his clients’ financial lives. In addition to his finance work, Mitch is a professional speaker and young adult coach helping people in their twenties discover their passions, move past the obstacles holding them back, and begin to live in purpose on purpose.

In today’s episode, he reveals the way he expedited reaching his goals and what he recommends for everyone who wants to fast track their success.

Stacey McKee is the Development Director for HOPE Family Services, Manatee County’s only certified domestic violence service provider. She is currently working on her MBA degree at Springfield College and is slated to graduate in December 2020. Stacey’s professional life can be described as the pursuit of a “mission”. Hope’s mission strikes a deeply personal cord with Stacey. After serving as a Board Member and volunteer for HOPE for a number of years, the opportunity to become a part of the team presented itself and she jumped at it. Stacey was moved by the empowerment-based programs and fully immersed herself into the movement. Stacey is a mother to a wonderful 11 year old boy Mason and a yellow Lab named Murphy.