TrailBlazers Impact

Judy Hoberman is the president of Selling in A Skirt and has over 25 years of experience working in male-dominated industries. She started at the bottom as a top producer, was also the owner of 3 different insurance companies, and has promoted women into positions that haven’t been there before. Nan and Donna met Judy as a coach with Powerful Professionals. We were impressed with her business strategy coaching skills and professionalism. In this episode, Judy shares her passion for empowering professional women and her techniques for becoming successful in sales and business as a woman. Listen in to learn how to identify your limiting beliefs, write them down, and replace them with positive thoughts that elevate you. You will also learn how to sell yourself instead of your business by connecting and building meaningful relationships with other entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways:

• How to come out hurtful things by identifying, writing down, and reversing your limiting beliefs
• How to use your feminine traits in your communications with different people in sales
• Don’t be afraid to tell something interesting about yourself as a salesperson
• The importance of having grace for yourself and your team when working remotely
• How to be focused, intentional, and connecting to build relationships and your business

Susan Davis is the founder of The Co-Creation Community and co-founder of The CoPassion Project. She mentors women over 55 who are artists, writers, and emerging entrepreneurs, helping them develop an online presence so that their creative endeavors and voices will be seen and heard. In this episode, Susan talks about the desires and concerns of women over 55 and how they can turn their lives around to live in abundance. Listen in to learn how to stop living a retired life and start living a reinspired life by turning your passion and purpose into a creative business. You will also learn why you need to shift your mindset from that of an employee to that of a business owner when you become an entrepreneur.

Key Takeaways:

• How to tap into your creativity and creative expressions that you put off in your younger years
• Why the foundation of starting a business over 55 should be based on your passion and purpose
• How to create a business with an entrepreneurial and co-creation mindset to find success
• The importance of having a community and a support team to help you build a successful business
• Embrace technology and have fun with it to learn it for the benefit of your business

Sharon Birkman Fink is the chairman and CEO of Birkman International; she is the second generation at the helm of the family-owned behavioral and occupational assessment company. Interviewer Jean Kelley is a leadership development practitioner; she and her associates work with students to find a college major and work with parents who are investing in their children's future. In this episode, Jean interviews Sharon on the history of Birkman assessments and her duties since she took over the company’s leadership from her father. Listen in to learn about the power of being an inclusive, humble, resilient, compassionate, and curious leader. You will also learn how the Birkman assessment can help you understand your personality and the kind of leader you are.

Key Takeaways:

• How to be an inclusive, humble, resilient, compassionate, and curious leader
• How the Birkman assessment and coaching can help you understand the kind of leader you are
• Start honoring your interpersonal needs like you do your physical needs for your wellbeing
• Why you need to be at least 21 years to get accurate results from the Birkman assessment
• Why good empathy and social skills are the right qualities of a good CEO

Barbara Brooks is the CEO and founder of SecondActWomen with an award-winning marketing career in shopping centers/mixed-use developments and media sales. Guadalupe Hirt is the co-founder of SecondActWomen, a pro-aging female advocate, speaker, author, and entrepreneur. SecondActWomen was founded in 2018 to combat gendered ageism as more women are being aged out of the corporate community and overlooked in entrepreneurial circles. In this episode, they share their experiences reentering the workforce as women over 40/50 and how it led to the birth of the Second Act Women.  Listen in to learn how to own your age as a 50+ woman, educate yourself, and appreciate the value you bring to the workforce. You will also learn the importance of daily self-care and reminding yourself of your worth and value at any age.

Key Takeaways:

• How to own your age and educate yourself to be ready for the workforce as a woman 50+
• The importance of having a friendship with your business partner to be successful
• Appreciate the value of the woman you are as you age, and don’t underestimate yourself
• Start taking care of yourself daily and do what you want on your terms
• Take an assessment of your soft and hard skills and consistently remind yourself of your worth

Marie Clarke is the Vice President of Global Programs at Women for Women International. She previously served as ActionAid USA’s Executive Director and a member of various global leadership bodies for the ActionAid International Federation. She has over twenty years of experience in global development, human rights, and economic justice. In this episode, Marie talks about the transformative programs they have at Women for Women that are transforming and empowering underprivileged women. Listen in to learn how Women for Women has socially and economically empowered women in deeply marginalized places. You will also learn how you can invest in transformative programs and sponsor women from deeply marginalized places.

Key Takeaways:

• How women can transform their communities by building meaningful working relationships
• How you can sponsor and support women from underprivileged countries with your solidarity
• Be part of building the world by getting involved and investing in transformative programs
• Consider welcoming women refugees into your community and engaging with organizations

Are the limiting beliefs you’re harboring for yourself what’s stopping you from living intentionally? Diane Forster explains how you can shift your mindset and start dreaming again. She shares how she’s helping her clients start living plus much more (note Career below). Diane is the model of online marketing and branding, and we provide links for many examples of what she has created. She is a TV star with her own channel, a podcaster, a coach, and much more. One of the most amazing women for today’s environment I have met!

In this episode, she talks about her billion women’s mission and how she’s doing it. Listen in to learn how to live intentionally focusing on positive thoughts rather than living up to the external circumstances. You will also learn how to build your worthiness muscle so you can become confident and fulfill the freedom and creative expression you crave as a woman over 50.

Key Takeaways:

• How to shift your mindset from harboring limiting beliefs and only focusing on positive thoughts
• How to stop living up to the external circumstances and decide to live intentionally
• How having a TV show can transform your career or business, plus how you can do it
• How to do things with an intention for your audience and brand
• Take today and start living towards your dreams intentionally figuring out what’s right for you

When it comes to being resilient and overcoming several adversities along the way, Robin Smith Roberson knows the journey all too well. She shares her story of resilience and how she overcomes each challenge to emerge a winner and an entrepreneur.

She is the managing director at North America for GetWilbur.com and the president of Livegenic, where her team is focused on providing claims engagement technology within the insurance industry. In this episode, Robin talks about her personal challenges and how they influenced her to become the entrepreneur she is today.

Listen in to learn the importance of having proof of business or a detailed business plan to present to investors and increase your chances of qualifying for funding. You will also learn how to show up as a female leader powerfully, confidently, and authentically in male-dominated scenarios.

Key Takeaways:

• How practicing gratitude can help you get through tough times and maintain a positive mindset
• How to maximize your time as an entrepreneur to build a successful business and have a life
• How to increase your chances of getting funded by presenting proof of business to investors
• The importance of having the confidence to just go for it and start to avoid regret
• How to powerfully, confidently, and authentically show up around men as a female leader
• The importance of having consistent deep belly breaths for better physical and mental clarity

Leslie Polizzotto is the co-founder and owner of The Doughnut Project, a hand-crafted gourmet doughnut shop in the West Village of Manhattan. She is a former litigation attorney and when the opportunity to help open a doughnut shop was presented, she took the leap, creating one of the leading doughnut brands in the United States. In this episode, Leslie shares how she has changed the course of her path unafraid and her experience starting a business later in life.

Listen in to learn about the right qualities of an entrepreneur and why you need to possess them to be successful. You will also learn how to work smart and choose the right social media platform for your business to help push your brand out there.

Key Takeaways:

• Why you should never give up on your dream or sit on a life path that you’re not happy with
• Manage your expectations by understanding that no one will care for your business as you do
• Why you need to be motivated, disciplined, competitive, and determined to succeed in business
• How to choose the right social media platform for your brand and be consistent with it
• How to find success working smart on your business while still taking care of yourself
• How to apply your acquired knowledge and abilities when starting a business later in life

Nadine Vogel is the CEO of Springboard Global Enterprises, which is home to Springboard Consulting, Disability Mama, The WIP Group and The Springboard Foundation, which is an affiliated charity. Springboard Consulting works with corporations around the world to mainstream people with disabilities in the global workforce, workplace, and marketplace. In this episode, Nadine explains how she became passionate about people with disabilities and started a business about them after a longstanding corporate career. Listen in to learn how to prepare your business with the right tools to welcome people with disabilities that arose from covid-19. You will also learn how to hire smart and trust your intuition to avoid making many mistakes as a new entrepreneur.

Key Takeaways:

• How to choose a business niche by being different, passionate, and an expert in it
• Evaluate your stronghold in corporate and apply it when you transition into business
• Learn to rely on your intuition to avoid making mistakes as a new entrepreneur
• How to hire, manage, and be accommodating to disabled employees within your business
• The power of having a strong and consistent team to help grow your business
• The importance of recognizing and accommodating mental health disabilities in the workplace

Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller are manufacturing leaders and experts in lean transformation. They have collaborated in establishing a business OPSisters and have recently published a book on the subject, called Steel Toes and Stilettos. In this episode, Shannon and Kathy explain the main elements of lean manufacturing/enterprise and their journey to creating a successful business as partners. Listen in to learn about lean manufacturing in creating an inclusive work environment that engages people during culture change. You will also learn the importance of knowing your worth and understanding your uniqueness to market your business.

Key Takeaways:

• How to use all of your talents and have a fulfilling career in lean manufacturing as a woman
• How to create a plan and learn all the processes required to quit your job and start a business
• Have the right network, resources, and a lot of help when starting a business
• The importance of staying true to yourself as a business partner and individually
• How to build relationships when undertaking the journey of starting a business