TrailBlazers Impact

Are you taking the action to live the life you want to live? To balance your life and work whether you work from home or from the office? Our guest today coaches women to focus on what they want to do as they grow their business. Monika Moss-Gransberry is an entrepreneur, business coach, author, organizational consultant, and founder of MKM management consulting. For 30 years, she has dedicated her talents to transforming organizations and building the capacity of individuals in them. In this episode, Monika talks about the organizational work she does and how her business virtually pivoted during the pandemic. Listen in to learn the importance of getting a coach to help you navigate your life while scaling your business. You will also learn how to pivot to what you truly want to do during and after the pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

• How to plan a life that will sustain you after retiring from what you’re doing now
• Learn to prioritize yourself before anyone else and do what will make you enjoy life
• How to grow your business balance and be better in your personal life by getting a coach
• How to focus and pivot to what you really want to do during and after the pandemic
• Take small steps of treating yourself with care and grace to make a difference in your life

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

Elizabeth Hutt Pollard is the Secretary of Science and Innovation for the State of Oklahoma. She places a strategic emphasis on enabling science and innovation to impact health, commerce, and STEM education for the state. She’s also the executive chair of Applied Silver, a materials science health-tech company located in Silicon Valley addressing infection control and antibiotic stewardship. In this episode, Elizabeth shares her career journey in life technologies and the functions of the Oklahoma Pandemic Centre for Innovation and Excellence. Listen in to learn why you need a mentor to excel in your career and how to approach the right mentor or advisor for you. You will also learn what opportunities are available for you in the science and innovation industry.

Key Takeaways:

• How to raise capital for your tech innovation through storytelling and leveraging a network
• How to pick out the right people for your company in every one of its stages
• Why you should educate yourself in finance and commercialization to increase your chances of getting into a board
• The importance of having a mentor for personal growth and an advisor for professional growth
• How to purposefully create time for your physical and mental wellbeing as a woman

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

Do you want to read some fabulous books about women's empowerment? She chronicles women in various phases of life, from a variety of times in history, and women behind successful men. Marlene Wagman-Geller is the author of 10 books, half of which celebrate the empowerment of women. She’s also a high school English teacher in National City, California. Her husband told her, “Don’t quit your day job” when she posed her writing idea and, believe it or not, she is still writing and publishing these great books AND still teaching school. Absolutely amazing woman! Listen in to learn why it is important to keep making a difference as a woman even after life’s hard hits. You will also learn the importance of your self-worth and why you shouldn’t allow it to be defined by your job or lack thereof.

Key Takeaways:  

• How not to allow your self-esteem to be defined by your job
• Learn to keep your eyes on the prize even when things don’t seem to work at first
• How to venture out of your comfort zone and experience the opportunities that’ll open up

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

Gail Becker is the founder and CEO of CAULIPOWER, a food brand that uses the power of vegetables to make healthier and easier versions of food. The idea of CAULIPOWER was born out of the frustrations that Gail had on the gluten-free industry since she couldn’t find gluten-free foods for her two sons with Celiac disease. In this episode, Gail shares how she transitioned her career from corporate America to entrepreneur with no prior entrepreneurial experience. Listen in to learn why the current economic ecosystem is the best to start a business and be successful. You will also learn the value of utilizing your corporate skills in your business and having the courage to ask for help where you don’t know.

Key Takeaways:

• How to spot a pain point in the market and challenge yourself to come up with a solution
• How to define success as a business owner to go easy on yourself and avoid burnout
• Why you should take advantage of the current favorable economic ecosystem and start a business
• How to be confident in asking for what you don’t know to be a successful entrepreneur
• Learn to stick to your business mission and run with it
• How to be fearless and go after what you never thought you’d have the courage to pursue

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

Ep. 155 -

You will also learn how to embrace and cultivate your femininity away from your work and life responsibilities.

Key Takeaways:

• How to have the courage to choose a career that fulfills you and your dreams
• How to make work easier by dividing chores and responsibilities between spouses
• How to take care of yourself by cultivating your femininity
• The importance of financial literacy as early as your twenties to set you up for life
• Learn to save a small percentage of your earnings

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ . 

Lori Henkel is currently the Global Response Executive for Bank of America, supporting employees, clients, and communities during times of crisis. She has 24+ years of influential leadership experience, 15+ years of global HR experience, and a passion for building new teams and functions from design to execution. In this episode, Lori talks about her role in supporting Bank of America’s stakeholders, especially during the pandemic.

Listen in to learn the importance of creating a human connection with your employees and clients and supporting them at a personal level. You will also learn how to embrace and acknowledge change at the workplace whether positive and negative.

Key Takeaways:

• How to support employees get better in their fields and get satisfaction in what they do
• How to lead locally for clients, community, and employees as a business
• How to embrace and acknowledge the positives and negatives of change in the work environment
• How to create a human connection with your employees and clients as a leader during the pandemic
• Learn how to give yourself permission to manage your priorities without guilt
• Find a small activity that will help you take care of your mental wellness

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com 

Dr. Tiffany Manuel is the President and CEO of TheCaseMade, an organization dedicated to helping leaders powerfully and intentionally make the case for systems change. She works with hundreds of passionate social change leaders, changemakers, and innovators around the United States who are building better, stronger communities. In this episode, Tiffany explains the work she’s doing to address affordable housing in communities. Listen in to learn how to leverage data to make a good case against big issues affecting the community today. You will also learn how you can start changing the world by breaking dominant narratives.

Key Takeaways:

• How to take the necessary steps to change communities
• How to translate big issues for communities to understand and lean into them
• How to champion and bring other champions into the conversation of affordable housing as a leader
• Learn how to leverage data to make a good case against issues facing the community

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

Surprisingly, even in the 21st century, women still face inequality at the workplace. But did you know that the digital space is today giving women the opportunity to learn intellectual skills and own their online businesses? Suresh Sharma is a former GE executive turned successful entrepreneur. He’s a passionate entrepreneur, technologist, and co-founder of Open Range Capital Partners. He actively advises research faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta as ‘Entrepreneur-In-Residence’ to help commercialize their innovations. In this episode, Suresh talks about the power of technology in empowering women and the future of industrial innovation. Listen in to learn why you need to be genuine, open to learning, and adaptable, and align your focus to attract the interest of funding investors as a startup founder. You will also learn the importance of being knowledge accepting, traveling, and having the ability to communicate.

• How to go after your entrepreneurial dreams at any age and the benefits of it
• How we can use entrepreneurship to eliminate the state of inequality for women
• Why you need to look for established founders for your startup to attract investors
• How to transform your brick-and-mortar business by adding digital components and taking them online

Annamarie Pluhar - Have you ever thought about sharing housing with someone, especially if you are single? And how do you know you are going to be compatible? Annamarie Pluhar is a passionate advocate of shared housing which is a potential answer to housing unaffordability. She approaches her love of shared housing from 20 years of experience living in shared housing. She even wrote a book about it! In this episode, Annamarie talks about her work in organizational development and instructional design plus the benefits of sharing housing in today’s social and economic status. Listen in to learn how bigger projects are handled in an agile methodology to ensure their success. You will also learn the basic things you need to vet compatibility with someone you plan on sharing housing space with.

Key Takeaways:

• How to run huge projects in an agile manner to ensure their success
• The importance of having an accountability group when working on a personal project to help you stay accountable and consistent
• The social and financial benefits of shared housing, especially for retiring single people
• How to vet your possible housemate to gauge your compatibility before moving out

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ

How do you decide how much water to drink a day, how much Vitamin D should you take? Jerrica Dodd answers these questions and more! Jerrica Dodd is a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and leader. She has been a pharmacist for 20 years and recently transitioned into full-time entrepreneurship after a 17-year career in the pharmaceutical industry. She’s the founder of Your Pharmacy Advocate LLC, which exists to close the gap on medication risks allowing prescribers and patients to manage health better. In this episode, Dr. Jerrica talks about the importance of prioritizing health, especially during the pandemic.

Listen in to learn the importance of making behavioral and lifestyle changes for the betterment of your long-term health. You will also learn how to handle medication and to advocate for your health with your practitioner.

Key Takeaways:

• How to take control of your health to avoid chronic illnesses that lead to a worse covid prognosis
• How to mitigate physical and mental stress to protect your immune system
• How to advocate for your health by voicing your concerns and opinions with your practitioner
• How to collect data on the impact of your medication to have an objective conversation with your physician
• Have a list of your health information that you share with trusted people in case they might need to speak on your behalf

www.TrailBlazersImpact.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD4jDrEEvBVH1atmJ5VmZQ