Two Gals and a Mic

This week, I sit down with Liz Luehder, a registered nurse and infomatics guru, who uses her "gift of gab" to spread love and light everywhere -- even in the grocery store's checkout line!

As an avid adventurer, a mom, and an eternal optimist, Liz's superpower is rooted in bringing people together. Believing anyone can be friends, Liz says, "the magic happens when the common thread is found." 

On this week's episode, I'm sitting down with Erika Lamberth, who is using her crisis communication skills to help organizations prepare for man-made and natural disasters. By approaching everything in life as an opportunity for growth, Erika thrives on helping people in their time of need while living with a life motto that reminds us that life is short, and we shouldn't ever say "I wonder what would have happened if..."

Erika finds balance through mentoring young adults, reconnecting with a family she didn't even know she had, and following her passion for public speaking, where she is on a mission to make it all the way to the Toastmasters International competition. 

You can follow Erika's journey on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikalamberth

With a heart for adventure, Tara Nyikos, PhD., is an Air Force Veteran who lives in the Colorado mountains and volunteers her time as the Denver Chapter lead for Patrol Base Abbate. 

Tara is a Cowboy Mounted Shooting National Champion who is not afraid to be vulnerable and explore new things in the pursuit of helping Veterans find connection and purpose.

Now she is using her experience and passion to create a lasting legacy where people will say, "Tara had a heart of service, and she served others well."

For more information on Patrol Base Abbate, or Tara's fundraising efforts for the 2024 program, visit: https://donate.pbabbate.org/fundraiser/5102016 

Katie Dahlheim is dedicated to helping resolve some of the food insecurity issues that plague South Carolina's Lowcountry. Almost a decade ago, she implemented The Lowcountry Blessing Box Project, which is a network of more than 400 anonymous food donation sites around the state, with the motto "Leave what you can, take what you need." 

In this week's episode, prepare to be inspired by this mom and practicing attorney who took an idea and made it blossom into a network that helps feed roughly 65,000 people per year. 

If you're interested in creating Blessing Boxes in your community, you can access Katie's step-by-step blueprint for establishing a network of free pantries in your neighborhood: Building a Kindness Army: The Passionate Fight against Food Insecurity 

CLICK HERE to learn more about The Lowcountry Blessing Box project. 

As an emergency dispatcher for the better part of 15 years, and suffering an unspeakable trauma while on the job, Erin McMicheal changed course and became an equine therapy instructor to help Veterans and military members who struggle with PTSD. 

Now, as the Self-directed Harm Prevention Specialist for the Washington National Guard, Erin uses her history and experience to help normalize mental health end encourage help-seeking behavior. 

Erin continues to practice empathy and is learning vulnerability as she uses her pain to fuel passion, which includes developing her 33-acre property, at the base of Mount Rainier, into a refuge and a place of healing. 

Karen Vasquez, a Navy Veteran and Veteran's healthcare aficionado, talks about what it looks like to be your own best advocate.

Despite battling sexual harassment and gender inequality during her time in the military, and then learning to live with an unexpected medical diagnosis that would prove to be life-changing, Karen found humor to be her best medicine. 

Now, as a comedienne and staunch advocate for women Veterans, Karen is sharing her story about learning to live with a chronic illness with the hope of helping others ask better questions and giving people permission to laugh at life's scary things. 

Connect with Karen on Instagram (@karenovasquez).

On this week's show, I sit down with Jamicka Edwards, who is a proud Army Veteran, published author and marathon runner.

For more than a decade, Jamicka has been on a quest to ensure everyone knows their purpose in life and know they matter. In 2014, she published You Matter, What would living in your purpose everyday look like? and created a follow-on book tour to help people discover their purpose and live in it every day. 

Jamicka is also an avid marathon runner who started running to heal from her divorce and rediscover herself. Now, with 6 marathons, 40 Half Marathons, a 50k, and the distance of running 42 miles in one day for her 42nd birthday under her belt, Jamicka is on a mission to take her passion to the 2024 Boston Marathon as a charity runner, raising funds for the NEWTON POLICE MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION!

If you'd like to support Jamicka on her Boston Marathon journey, check out her fundraising page!

On this week's episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Sydney Abbott, a 22-year-old Kentucky native, who is building roots in Montana as a fly fishing guide and instructor. 

Sydney shares her best advice on being a trailblazer and living a life with no regrets. With a balance of spontaneity and thoughtful consideration, Sydney talks about the choices that have led her to chase her dreams and pursue ambitious goals, including the path to becoming a pilot.  

So, how do you live a life without regret? Sydney's best advice is to acknowledge your fears, rely on family, and know that life is short and you only have one go-around to do the things you want to do! So...get after it! 

On this week's episode, Tricia Augeri shares her journey on navigating through two toxic relationships and turning the trauma of those events into triumph. 

Tricia is now on a journey to find herself and help other women embrace what they've been designed to do. With the knowledge of her God-given calling and passions, Tricia shares ways we can establish boundaries, not allow other people's thoughts or action define us, and live into who we are designed to be!

This week, I sat down with Air Force Veteran, Karen Cook, to chat about innovative and creative ways she uses art, volunteers and the Internet to help our nation's Heroes heal. 

With a background in humanitarian work, disaster response, and Veteran and Armed Forces programming, Karen is helping us all understand that taking chances is a necessary part of doing business. In our conversation, we discover that when we try those things that are calling to us - even if they seem interesting, or maybe even a little crazy, they often can blossom into opportunities larger and more impactful than we ever could have imagined!