This week on the Women STaRs Podcast, we have the pleasure of talking with Jenice Contreras, the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development. Jenice was born in Puerto Rico, is bilingual, bicultural and is proud of her heritage. Through her key involvement in CentroVilla25, an adaptive reuse of a vacant warehouse and office building, Jenice is a driving force around the neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, the most densely populated Hispanic enclave in the state of Ohio. She has many achievements to commend her, such as features from prominent publications like Crain’s, other awards and community involvements, as well as her advocacy for others and dedication to helping her community.

Listen to this fantastic episode and glean some stunning advice, great stories, and the inspiration you just might be missing in your life. Jenice shares with us the experience of being a young mother and raising children while building a career; how she learned to give herself grace; finding people in her she-tribe who fill her cup; and meaning it when she says “no.” You’ll not want to miss hearing about her greatest success that she’s currently going through: helping to strengthen the neighborhood she grew up in and making it more equitable.

If you’d like to contact Jenice, you can visit her profile on hbcenter.org.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Oftentimes women feel like they have to choose one or the other: if you want the career, you can’t have the family, if you want the family, you can’t have the career. And I think there are many stubborn women who refuse to believe that that is the case. And so, I challenged myself to do it all. It wasn’t perfect and it was very messy most days, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”

“Plan, but also give yourself the flexibility to know that life happens. Give yourself the grace to say, ‘Hey, that didn’t happen today, it’s okay and we will manage.’”

“Just to have the opportunity to play a leading role into creating something that’s transformational in a community, that’s going to live for generations to come, it’s pretty wild and pretty invigorating to me.”

“I spent a lot of time on things that are not important. I would go to evening meetings or weekend events. In retrospect, now that I don’t have a lot of time and I’m super busy, I would analyze how a meeting or event fulfills my personal or professional goals. And if I couldn’t answer that clearly, I would tell people to walk out of that meeting.”

On this week’s episode, we sat down with Sara Jo Smith, Vice President – Senior Relationship Manager, Institutional Real Estate Group, KeyBank. Beyond being successful in her career, Sara Jo is dedicated to using her voice, being involved in her community, and finding balance in all aspects of her life.

Our conversation with Sara Jo and her perspective on finding balance through her struggles and triumphs are inspiring and engaging. Tune in as she discusses working in a male-dominated field and being more boisterous to be seen, surrounding yourself with the right people, doing life with purpose,  and being more present to make fewer mistakes. There’s something for everyone in the wisdom she shares, such as her advice to serious people like herself: don’t be reckless, but try to have more fun. 

If you’d like to contact Sara Jo, you can reach out to her on Linkedin.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“I’m a huge proponent of self-care. I’m not an absolutely disciplined person when it comes to these things, but every day, I try to eat well, exercise, laugh, and get good sleep.”

“I remember sitting in my sophomore year English class and we were asked what was most important to us. Even at that age, my biggest goal was to achieve balance in life. I have a fulfilling career, a relationship with a partner that’s everything and more than I could have ever wanted, I have friends who are interesting and challenging, and I’m giving back to my community. My biggest triumph is curating a life that I’m proud of.”

“Task number one is to find something to do with the majority of your day that rings true to you.”

“I consider myself a cerebral person. I’m in my head a lot. And, as I’m going even through simple things, I’m like, ‘Am I giving this my all? Am I paying attention to this? Am I present?”

This week on Women Stars, we’re ecstatic to bring you a wonderful episode with Catherine Bosley, owner of CJB Productions LLC and award-winning journalist. Catherine worked for many years as a news anchor in Akron and Cleveland, earning her prestigious honors such as Associated Press Awards and Emmy Award nominations. She is also known for her battle with online humiliation after images of her were spread online, resulting in struggles both mentally and legally.

With accomplishments like a TedX talk, our conversation with Catherine was bound to be filled with great wisdom, and it surely is. Tune in as Catherine discusses overcoming her health issues with both heart disease and lung disease, facing the overwhelming and isolating struggle that is being humiliated online, and how she uses acronym like PACT (People, Abandon, Connect, This Too Shall Pass) to help herself and others get through hard times. She also discusses inspiring topics like taking back her own power through legal avenues after her online incident and learning to step aside from work to preserve her work/life balance.

If you’d like to get in touch with Catherine, you can find her on most social medias, or you can visit her website, catherinebosley.com, where you can also buy her book, Forever and For All to See. 

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“We need to be so cautious about what we do online and off. There is so little room for that ‘What was I thinking?’ moment before something becomes part of your forever and for all to see.”

“How many of you have gone through something and you feel like you’re never going to survive it? And you do. We’ve all been through those types of situations, and you survive it. And not only do you survive it, you’re stronger, you’re wiser, and you’re more equipped to help other people.”

“Be mindful that what think is just for the moment, it’s not just for the moment anymore.”

“Be very aware of the necessity to step aside, to set time aside…No more ‘one more thing’ when you’ve made a promise to spend time with your family or even yourself.”

This week, we’re excited to bring you a great episode with Erin Eurenius, Certified Elder Law Attorney and owner of her own firm, Erin C. Eurenius Attorney at Law. After her experiences with her grandmother having dementia and a stroke, and navigating guardianship and Medicaid, Erin left her career in accounting to help others. Erin helps seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families in elder law, estate planning, and special needs planning. She is also a dedicated community member, serving on boards for All Faiths Pantry, Padua Franciscan High School, and the Consortium Against Adult Abuse. 

Join us in enjoying Erin’s episode as she shares the struggles that inspired her passion for helping others through her law practice and so much more. From stories of her feisty grandma rearranging wet floor signs in her care facility to the flexibility and hard decisions that come along with owning a small business, Erin has an infectious personality and a lot of wonderful advice to share.

If you’d like to get in touch with Erin, you can reach her via email at [email protected], by phone at (440) 253-8800, or on Linkedin, Facebook, or Instagram.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“After I realize I’m in a mode where I’m trying to push through and it’s getting to a breaking point, that’s when I stop and listen to my mind and body and figure out what’s the next best thing.”

“Take a step back and say, ‘I may be going through a rough patch right now, but based on my history, I’m still going to do more good and do more things in the future.’ It’s hard to look at your achievements and remind yourself of that, but it’s appreciation for yourself.”

“I left a very toxic work environment when I initially became an attorney. One of the phrases they liked to use a lot was, ‘We’re a family.’ Now, years later, I know that’s one of the biggest red flags…One day I walked in and realized I couldn’t take it anymore. And a month later, I opened my own practice.”

“I work with a lot of senior clients, and a lot of times I have no idea what they did for work, because when they come through my door, they’re talking about their family, friends, and hobbies. They’re not talking about an award they won at work. And for me, it’s an everyday reminder that these people have been through a lifetime and their job is not what they focus on.”

On another great episode of the Women STaRs podcast, we have a wonderful conversation with Julie Cruz-Blair, the Executive Director of Leadership Lorain County. Julie is dedicated to giving back to her community and providing resources that help people reach their goals and thrive. She also serves on the Board for the Elyria YWCA as the Vice-Chair, is a member of the Elyria Sunrise, and is on the Board Development Committee for Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio.

Our episode with Julie is emotional, inspiring, and filled with humor. Join us as Julie discusses walking as a way to collect her thoughts, the importance and necessity of community, and even going through a divorce and being a single mom of three amazing kids. She dishes out great advice, such as getting over your FOMO and saying no when you need to recharge, or assessing people for who they are to determine who is a lesson and who is a blessing. She especially talks about the importance of family, blood or not, and even how your workplace should feel like a family as well. You won’t want to miss all of these great moments in our conversation—and so much more!

If you’d like to reach out to Julie, you can email her at [email protected], or call/text her at (440) 396-2394.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Family has always been important to me, and learning that family doesn’t always have to necessarily be blood, that was huge for me. When I was [going through a divorce], my sisters were there for me, and I knew they would always have my back.”

“Where I feel most celebrated is when all three of my children climb into my bed all at once and we talk…At a very young age, I was told I have endometriosis and I was not going to have children. So, my children, they are the best thing in my life. And watching them, after what we all went through, they are so open, so trusting, and so loving.”

“If anything, this pandemic has taught us that folks are very capable of getting what they need to get done, done…The whole mentality of 8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, that needs to be thrown out of the door.”

“You don’t have to accept every invite. You don’t have to say yes to every task. You need time to reenergize. Be okay with saying no.”

On this episode of Women STaRs, we have an inspiring conversation with Inez James, Supervisor at the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission. Beyond her career, she is also the President of the Lorain Club of The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, and she was also appointed by the Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, to serve as the first African American and first female to hold the Democrat Party seat on the Lorain County Board of Elections.

Join us as Inez gives moving advice and dives into everything from grief, to divorce, to giving back to the community and even more. Inez’s perspective on her struggles and triumphs contains valuable wisdom we all can gain from. She covers many topics, such as drawing on her support system while processing her father’s battle with AIDS, the power of forgiveness during her divorce, and so much more! Inez’s emphasis on community and living your truth is truly introspective and carries throughout the episode—listen in!

If you’d like to reach out to Inez, you can find her on Facebook under Inez James.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Community support is so important when going through trials…I learned how to listen and help other people dealing with grief because of how I was able to walk through my journey with support.”

“That’s the way I worked through my trauma: I got connected. I got involved.”

“When you serve others with the purest of heart and for the reason of the mission—besides it coming back to you in so many different ways, I get so much joy from doing that.”

“The power to forgive…knowing that you have it in you to do that, to truly forgive, I think that’s a big triumph. That has given me so freedom and liberty and has opened so many other doors.”

This week we have another great episode of the Women STaRs Podcast as we sit down with Elisha "Cam” Campbell, owner of The People’s Cafe. Cam is a veteran of the Air Force and served for 10 years before transitioning to civilian life. After a long journey of getting her degree amongst other life events, Cam started the People’s Café as a place for the community to gather and feel a sense of belonging and peace. The People’s Café was created with people of color in mind, who she noticed were not catered to by coffee shops and bookstores during her travels around the world.

Cam’s stories and advice about the transitions she’s faced and the triumphs she’s celebrated are not something you’ll want to miss.  She discusses the difficulty of going from the structure of military life back to the freedom of choice as a civilian, her journey to getting her Bachelors, opening up her relationships with family for the first time in her adult life, and so much more. Cam has great advice on putting the right things in perspective and embracing the fear you’ll face in life—being loud in what she wants and finding success in waking up before all 10 of her alarms are just some of the inspiring ways she powers through life.

If you’d like to contact Cam, you can find her on Instagram under @cam_iam_she or @the_pplz_cafe, or you can email her at [email protected].

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“I was looking at all the things I wish I had or all the things I wish I was doing, so I stated writing down what I did have and what I was doing. That helped me put things back in focus—that I really wasn’t in the bad space I thought I was.”

“I wish I had trusted myself sooner. I wasn’t very confident in what I was capable of; I knew I could do good things or be somebody, but I don’t think I had the strength to be loud about it.”

“Just being able to say, ‘I’m doing this,’ that’s success for me. Being able to get up and move, working limbs, sound mind, waking up to my alarm clock; that’s success for me.”

“Embrace the fear. Leaving the military, even transitioning to starting The People’s Cafe, I was scared. Even if you fail or if things don’t go the way you imagine them going, take that as a lesson and use that as your next goal. Acknowledge the fear and push through it; there’s nothing out there that can stop you except yourself.”

This week, we have a lovely conversation with Charlita Anderson-White, Lorain County Court Magistrate. The Detroit native is a woman of strong convictions, great stories, and a proud career. She has dedicated her entire career to public service, representing the underprivileged at the Legal Aid Society of Lorain County, assisting victims of crime as a Lorain County Assistant Prosecutor, and serving families and children as a Domestic and Juvenile Court Magistrate for 22 years. Charlita also currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana Wesleyan University. In addition, she is a former President of the Lorain County Bar Association and has won awards such as the YWCA Women of Achievement Award for her community service work.

Charlita is someone whose tenacity and outlook on life makes for great stories and even better advice. Join us on this episode as Charlita discusses topics like the personal experience that is having breast cancer, the discrimination she faced in law school, going after what she wants like a peacock, picking up the harmonica, and so much more. Above all, Charlita embraces the experiences that life has to offer and emphasizes being big and bold in going after what you want to achieve. You won’t want to miss this fantastic episode and advice we ALL could use—tune in!

If you’d like to get in touch with Charlita, you can find and message her under Charlita Anderson-White on Facebook.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“When somebody tells you can’t do something…you have to go around it. You have to say, ‘Whatever.’ …You’ve got to be the best trier ever.”

“One of the things I always try to challenge myself to do: Finish. You’ll always have these wishes—'I WISH I had done XYZ.’ You don’t want to be left with those kinds of things. Always keep yourself interested in something, and then finish it.”

“If you don’t do that thing you’ve been thinking about, years down the line, you’re going to wonder how to let it go. I’m not saying that you should have regrets, I’m saying that I wish I realized that what I was dropping would be so important to me as I got older.” 

“You have to make yourself big. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you are conceited or haughty. You know what you have in your toolbox. If you have to be the loudest, the most obnoxious, the most showy, like a peacock…you have to do that. You can find ways to be subtle about it, but peacocks are not subtle. If you want to be something, you have to toot your own horn.”

On our newest episode of Women STaRs, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Kathryn Kelley, Executive Director at Ohio Manufacturing Institute. Kathryn has served as executive director of the Ohio Manufacturing Institute since 2013, where she develops policies and programs to support manufacturing innovation and workforce needs. Currently, she is lead coordinator of Ohio State’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology program.

Our conversation with Kathryn is filled with great stories and even greater advice. Kathryn touches on many of her struggles and triumphs, including everything from using education as path to build her own life and support system, to finding success in building bridges between people who need to be connected. Kathryn’s perspective on coming at obstacles from all angles and to always keep moving is just one of the many pieces of wisdom that this conversation offers that you won’t want to miss. She even shares with us a tool she uses to uplift herself: keeping a compliment folder to buoy her spirit. 

Join us in enjoying this episode to learn more about what that folder entails, how she has overcome hardship and celebrated successes, and so much more!

If you’d like to get in contact with Kathryn, you can reach out by phone at (614) 256-3724 or email her at [email protected].

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“You never realize what amount of fortitude you have until it’s tested.”

“Part of being successful is sometimes you’re going to have missteps and mistakes. I really love this phrase from Emily DeRocco: ‘Proceed until apprehended.’”

“When something is hindering your path, and you have to find a way to get around it, get through it, find another route—the most important thing you can do is just keep moving. I had a boss who called me Scout because I’m always finding new routes to take.”

“I saw all these community leaders at the top of their game, and I noticed they weren’t trying to jostle with their position or put anybody else down. They were comfortable in their own skin…You have to find your own authenticity.”

On this episode of The Women STaRs Podcast, we had the wonderful opportunity to speak with comedian Natasha Pearl Hansen. Natasha began her career in 2006 and is now a successful performer with her own comedy special, "I Was Supposed To Get Married Today...", as well as headlining shows across the country. With humor focused on her own struggles, her family, and her relationships, Natasha’s witty humor and talent shine through in our conversation with her.

Beyond her work as a comedian, Natasha is also a podcaster and business owner. She runs the podcast Future Role Model, a platform where guests from all backgrounds share how their experiences and "failures" helped shape them into being the influencers they are today. In addition to her comedy and her podcast, Natasha is the founder of My Break-Up Registry – a community-driven platform that allows people to crowdfund their break-up or divorce.

Join us on this episode as Natasha gets into everything from finding new ways to empathize with those around you, the challenges you face as a woman in comedy, being your own best advocate and more! You won’t want to miss her stories about building her own start-up, passing out flyers to strangers in Germany, and her wisdom and advice as we enter a post-pandemic world.

If you’d like to get in contact with Natasha, find her as @NPHcomedy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or visit her website, nphcomedy.com. You can also check out My Breakup Registry, her comedy special, "I Was Supposed To Get Married Today...", on Amazon Prime, and her podcast, Future Role Model.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Balance is an ongoing obstacle for all of us, especially coming out of a time where the world was so quiet.”

“I wanted to re-enter life after the pandemic building something real instead of something that makes me look busy. Taking that pressure off of yourself, you start to understand success in a different way.”

“Ask questions. Figure out what your environment is, figure out your value in that environment, know your worth. Ask for the things you want. If you fake it until you make it too hard, no one knows what you desire.”

“You can’t have any shame in your game…It’s not a negative thing to be your biggest advocate.”