WV Uncommonplace : Uncommon Conversations

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In many ways, I believe I am just like any of the billions of people existing on this planet.

I have reinvented myself frequently over my professional career. After I graduated from The Citadel, I was employed in the Marketing Department at the corporate headquarters of Wendy’s International, in Dublin, Ohio. From there I switched to hospital administration for Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. After getting married, I became the Customer Service Manager for an academic publishing company in Santa Barbara, California. Subsequently, I was a police officer in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following a family move to Texas, I started my own consulting business and coached high school basketball in Houston. Each time I took on a new position, I had to develop new skills and faced different challenges. There was always a significant learning curve with each new job.

But my greatest challenge began in early 2012 when I was diagnosed with a rare form of melanoma that presented on the bottom of my foot. By the time the cancer was detected, it had metastasized to a lymph node in my groin. I was treated at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. I had two surgeries to remove the cancer, and after I healed, I was put on a weekly injection of Interferon to help keep the disease from returning.

The Interferon gave me severe flu-like symptoms for two - three days every week after each injection. I lost fifty pounds during my therapy, was constantly nauseous, fatigued and chilled, my ability to taste food significantly diminished, and my body continually ached. This misery went on for over 1,660 days!

One thing I learned during all my pain and suffering is that you have two choices. You can either succumb to the debilitating discomfort and misery, or you can learn to embrace it and use it to make you a stronger and better human being. I chose the latter.

Finally an episode with R-Say from the RSay Podcast and Skankbank podcast . He is truly a remarkable person and behind the scenes he is an editor , producer , and everything under the sun in podcasting .

Lauren Harris, a Philadelphia Native, graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a double major in Dramatic Arts (emphasis on Acting) and Spanish (fluent). She has studied at the Berridge Conservatory in Normandy, France,  The British American Dramatic Academy in London, England, and The Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA. Locally, she has studied with Margie Haber, Judy Kain, Annie Grindlay, Ivana Chubbuck Studios, Tyler Poelle and Lesly Kahn and is currently in the advanced level of Groundlings.

Lauren has portrayed numerous roles both on the stage and in film and television, and also wrote, produced, and co-starred in a feminist web-series titled It's A Girl Thing, that was highly regarded in over 14 international film festivals. Most recently, she made her directing debut with Defining Dodo, a short film meant to shine a light on Latinx/LGTBQ issues, and will be releasing a documentary on human trafficking in the Philadelphia area this fall.

She is also a board member of SheNYC, that works to produce female driven plays. Additionally, she co-hosts the modern comedic dating podcast, Damsels in the DMs. Lauren is a dog mom to a miniature poodle named Ernest "Ernie" Worthing, a self-proclaimed foodie, avid hiker, and can be found most days leaving LAX.

https://www.laurenelizabethharris.com

Downtown PKB is a catalyst to bring together like-minded, passionate people who are invested in the improvement of downtown. Downtown PKB is the place for you and your family to get involved, celebrate community, get inspired, savor the flavors, and live an active life. Downtown PKB is supported by private donations, grants, and event sponsorship revenue. To learn more about the benefits of becoming a Downtown Partner, click here. Do you want to join our movement?

Our Mission

To functionally enhance, revitalize and aesthetically improve downtown Parkersburg so as to better support existing commercial establishments, foster investment and entrepreneurial activities, create downtown living opportunities and promote tourism.  In accomplishing these things through Main Street’s Four-Point Approach (organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring), Downtown PKB will seek to preserve, grow and diversify Parkersburg’s central business district.

Our Vision

Downtown Parkersburg is thriving and vibrant, recognized across the region for its livability, business friendly infrastructure, organizations and amenities; and quality of life.

Jen Nash just wrote an awesome book called The Big Power of Tiny Connections which helps people get more out of life by encouraging them to embrace all the people they meet along the way. Jen is a corporate trainer specializing in Masterful Storytelling and an executive coach who works with High-Net-Worth Women who struggle with shame and guilt around their abundance. Jen Nash can be round at JenNash.com and her super fun book can be ordered anywhere. Try your local bookstore before ordering it off amazon. Support local!

Applebee’s Tuesday is a holiday for us and anyone who works with me . Stacey and I talk about Applebees and wy it is our tried and true restaurant anywhere in the US. Podcast Alert : check out Cognac Room https://linktr.ee/the_cognac_room_podcast

Aaron from I Had To Say It Podcast and I talk about his show and the concepts that go into his show .. then we dig deeper and talk about society . Podcast Alert : Check out Bet the House podcast https://linktr.ee/Betthehousepodcast

This Podcast discusses a variety of topics mostly related to Self Healing, making a comeback after set backs, a return to health/ happiness; and a source of ideas and compansionship as you are on yours! 

Follow me and come along for the ride!

Raquel is Jamaican-American, an experienced speaker, business strategist and tireless champion for fellow entrepreneurs. She is the Founder and visionary for Bunchful, and has created the organization on a foundation of giving. Bunchful is also the brand behind Ensom City TalentQuest, an exciting new platform for friendly talent competitions that offer a uniquely creative outlet for groups of all sizes, enabling a more inclusive culture, where group members have a platform for artistic and cultural self expression, particularly during the pandemic, where individuals feel increasingly isolated within enterprise organizations. Early successes at include securing clients like Amazon, launching TalentQuest globally within their organization. In congruence with Bunchful’s foundations of giving back, Raquel launched the BE Bunchful Awards to help shine the spotlight out and on those who give back meaningfully to their communities and the wider world.

Raquel graduated head of her high school class in Jamaica, W.I., and moved to New York where she studied Philosophy and English at Queens College, CUNY.

She was voted President of the Philosophy Club for two consecutive years, raised funds to support noted and national speakers, and started a Philosophy tutoring program for students. Raquel then left longer-term legacies by publishing, ‘Philia’, a journal on philosophical thoughts, and by establishing the school’s first Philosophy Library.

With almost 20 years in business, including operations and sales, Raquel started her career at Bear Stearns as a Relationship Manager, moving to other companies, including Aegis and Countrywide, and later took a leading role in an arts venture, setting up a cross cultural performing arts initiative, where cultures speak to each other. Through that venture, she collaborated with National Geographic as a key sponsor, while partnering with New York City institutions, namely the Brooklyn Museum, El Museo del Barrio, and LaGuardia Community Arts Center. Raquel worked at Heartland Global, where she rose to Territory Manager, before stepping down to focus on her own entrepreneurial venture with Bunchful.

Raquel Miller is a passionate speaker who engages her audience on entrepreneurship, on a lifestyle of giving and a range of topics for business ventures, speaking at universities, and on podcasts and business forums, as she recounts her journey with humor and a unique voice.

Raquel sits on the board of the New York chapter of The New Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) as the Director of Equity Inclusion & Diversity, and was previously a Capitol Hill Intern with a position on The House International Relations Committee. In her spare time, Raquel keeps abreast of philosophical concepts, and is an avid writer, poet and traveler, known by her personal motto, “Make a Difference, Now!” https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/bebunchful/?viewAsMember=true

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