The Story Behind Her Success

I’ve always been an optimist who looks for the best in everyone and everything.  -Erin 

Life is full of heartache and if you don’t have humor, it’s very hard.   Have a belly laugh once a day!  -Ruth “Chip” Spalding

Twenty years ago, in the middle of 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 35 radiation treatments for stage 2 breast cancer, Ruth“Chip” Spalding opened the door to find a delivery of flowers. That single act of kindness took root inside of her, and bloomed into a legacy of hope.  Chip began searching for a local non-profit that shared her passion for patient care and ended up connecting with The Ellie Fund elliefund.org.  Says Chip:   “I was just the fuel.  I provided the money.  The Ellie Fund was the engine.”   2,000 bouquets of flowers have been delivered to grateful breast cancer patients (includingme) and now, Chip is taking her act of kindness one step further by establishing the Ruth “Chip” Spalding Flower Endowment Fund which will ensure flowers are delivered to breast cancer patients even after Chip has left this earth.   Born and raised in Dedham, Massachusetts by kind-hearted, civic-minded parents, Chip spent her early career working for a congressman on Capital Hill.  The mother of two, she was diagnosed in her 50’s and recalls looking at herself in the mirror saying: “You have breast cancer and you are lucky they found it. Get on with it.”  How did breast cancer change this wise, no-nonsense woman?   “The blue became bluer, the green became greener, and I began practicing the 3 C’s:   anti-clutter, anti-complaining and cut to the chase.”   For 25 minutes of inspiration + wisdom + kindness, just hit that download button.   #breastcancer #kindness #hope #flowers

IN MEMORIAM

I knew this day would come, but I dreaded it.  Fashionista, philanthropist and trailblazer Yolanda Cellucci has died at 91.  And as it turns out, one of her last full length interviews was with me, in November 2022.  So, we’ve pulled this gem out of the archives for you this week, as a way of remembering and honoring a truly great human being.

Trust me when I tell you: she was in a league of her own.  I had the opportunity to interview Miss Yolanda multiple times through the course of my career, and every time I was in her presence, I was inspired.   Her success story is a lesson in what it takes to make your dreams a reality.   For starters, she had a passion for flash that included Swarovski crystal, feathers, sequins and fur, but behind the bling, Yolanda had plenty to say about life and how to live it.   The interview you are about to hear was recorded in her swanky Watertown penthouse.   I can still remember what she was wearing:  a fitted white pantsuit with rhinestones.  Her make-up and hair were done perfectly.  She had on big long eyelashes, and white boots to die for.  Beyond her stunning outfit, every single thing in Yolanda’s penthouse was white…even the baby grand piano.

Known as the “Goddess of Glitz” Yolanda had written the book Beyond the Glitz & Glamour which details her rise in the fashion industry.  As a young mother, she began building her empire by selling wigs out of the back of her car, with her daughters in the back seat.   A powerhouse with a heart of gold…Yolanda never had any doubt that she could do whatever she put her mind to.

From her early life in the little Italian-American village of Nonantum, Massachusetts to the creation of her iconic fashion experience: “Yolanda’s of Waltham where beautiful lifestyles begin” to her 65 year marriage to the love of her life, to being a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend to many and philanthropist extraordinaire, this episode is a bow to one of the best women you will ever get the chance to listen to.  To quote Miss Yolanda “pursue your dreams, even if someone says you are crazy.  Do it anyway. “   #fashion #entrepreneur #trailblazer #philanthropist 

Not so long ago, Renee’s husband Mike Minogue asked her to take a hike with him.   By the time they got home, the couple had made up their minds that Mike would seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Massachusetts.  minogueforma.com.  The mother of five children between the ages of 14-25, Renee is a hands on partner, joining him on the campaign trail each and everyday.  According to Renee, “Mike is there as a public servant with a purpose driven mindset.  He’s not a politician, he’s a businessman.  We are on a mission to serve.”  Born and raised in a tiny town in Wisconsin with “more cows than people”, Renee took a gap year after high school to live in Austria and learned to speak German.  After graduating from Notre Dame with a Fulbright scholarship to return again to Austria, Renee returned home early to care for her dying father.  She met Mike when she was as a young intern at GE where he was rising to the top with a focus on developing life saving medical devices.  A dynamic sales leader from the start, Renee helped to launch the first 3D ultrasound in the United States and remains a passionate advocate for educational opportunity.  She played a leading role in advancing the Federal Scholarship Tax credit through the Mike & Renee Minogue Foundation which sponsored the initiative. In this interview, Renee shares her commitment to faith and family, as well as her hopes for Mike’s candidacy in a traditionally Democratic state.  Says Renee:  “People are ready for an outsider.  He’s a guy who listens and learns.  To me, success is living with purpose.  It’s not money and it’s not fame, it is serving something greater than yourself.”  For 23 minutes of inspiration and a unique perspective into the role a spouse plays in their partner’s political campaign,  just hit that download button.  #womeninspiringwomen #politics #faith #family #federalscholarshiptaxcredit 

MomBomb.shop & MomBomb.org 

Guess what?  Becoming a mom actually changes your brain.   -Maria Wood

Meet a working mom on a mission to help other moms create lives that align with the things that matter most to them.  Maria Woods is the host of the all-new podcast series That Mom thatmompodcast.com.   Born and Raised in the little town of Royalston, Massachusetts, she’s the daughter of an educator, and holds three degrees in cultural anthropology, law and business.   In this interview, she shares the story behind the creation of her popular series, and the joy she gets from offering her audience knowledge they can use from the experts who appear on the show. Says Maria:  “Motherstoday are under pressure to do it all and there’s been no mention of the sacrifice that goes into it.”   Now the mother of two young children, Maria says she makes no apologies for the time she spends at work.  Why?  Because she loves her career in marketing. So, instead of telling her children “mommy has to go to work”  Maria has flipped the guilt script and says “mommy gets to go to work today and I’ll have lots to tell you when I get home.”  Prioritizing what really matters to you is the key to fulfillment as a parent, says Maria. “As moms, it’s hard to do everything and maybe sometimes, we can’t.  You have to give from a place of love, but you also have to give from a place of wanting to give, and that nuance makes modern motherhood so complicated.”   For 24 minutes of priceless mom wisdom, just hit that download button.  #motherhood #wisdom #workingmom #thestorybehindhersuccess

Here’s what my dad did for me after my mother died:  He told me he loved me every single day. It wasn’t his job to teach me how to grieve. It was his job to love me. -Cara Belvin

This episode features Cara Belvin, one of the first women to share her story on The Story Behind Her Success when we launched the show back in 2018.  She’s the founder of a charity called EMPOWER, which creates community for children grieving the loss of a parent.  Raised in Southington, Connecticut, Cara’s mother, Kit, died of breast cancer when she was only 37 years old, leaving a grieving husband and two young children.  Cara was only 9 years old when this life-changing experience happened to her, and in this interview, she explains that it was her father and a large extended family who surrounded her with love and support. The loss of our mothers early in our lives is what initially connected us.  We grew up about 10 miles apart in Connecticut, and if I had met her back then, I would have taken her by the hand and shown her the way.  My 18-year-old self would have reassured her that she would survive.    EMPOWER is Cara’s homage to her mother; originally created to connect girls with female mentors who have also experienced motherloss, EMPOWER now includes boys and nonbinary kids, connecting them to mentors who know firsthand how it feels to lose a parent. In this interview, we learn that Cara has raised 10 million dollars in 13 years .   What started as a bereavement program with only 7 girls in Boston is now a national non-profit that helped more than 1000 children in 2025.  This Father’s Day, we acknowledge the love of our fathers during the most difficult time of our lives.  “Grief is like a tattoo, says Cara, it will fade, but it’s not going anywhere.  I see the weight of the world on the shoulders of a lot of dads who are parenting alone after the loss of a partner.  I have a lot of empathy for them, because they look just like my dad.”  For 27 minutes of #fathersday inspiration, just hit that download button.  #womeninspiringwomen #motherloss #fatherloss #bereavement #children