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Wonder Woman in Business, Alice Draper

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Alice Draper

Alice is a writer and PR strategist from South Africa. She's written for HuffPost, Refinery29, VICE, and more. When she isn't running her publicity business or writing personal narratives, you can find her sharing freelance advice on social media.

You can find much of her work in Business Insider here.

Follow her on Instagram at @alicedraper.

Enjoy the podcast.

Alice Draper

Wonder Woman in Business, Caren McVicker

Caren McVicker

Born in Oklahoma, Caren lives in Vermont with her hubby, a rescue pup, and a barn cat turned happy house kitty. Caren is also a mom to two incredible humans and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Henderson House is her first novel. 

Caren’s career spans more than three decades as a communications professional with experience in public relations, technical writing, and social media consulting. Caren’s past clients include Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Frito-Lay, and Nabisco. Since moving to Vermont in 2014, she has consulted for The Artist Book Foundation, Southern Vermont Arts Center, and The Vermont Association of Realtors. Caren is an active member of her local community theater, The Dorset Players, with recent roles including Aunt Eller in Oklahoma and Ethel Banks in Barefoot in the Park . She is a member of The Dorset Church choir and serves as Vice Chair of Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s Foundation Board. When she is not writing, you can find her in the kitchen, in the garden, or out enjoying the beauty of Vermont with her rescue dog, June Bug. 

In her own words

Welcome to Act Three: My husband and I often talk about life having three acts. Act One opened at birth and ran into our early careers. Act Two opened not so much when we got married, but when we had children. Now, the curtain is rising on my Act Three. At fifty-seven, I am a debut novelist. And it started when my father was dying. I traveled from Vermont to Florida as often as I could while my dad was ill. During a November 2017 visit, we reminisced about our Memorial Day trips to Oklahoma. We would fly to Tulsa, pick up my grandma, drive to Bartlesville, pick up my Great Aunt Boo Boo, and head to the cemetery in Claremore. As a teenager, I was fascinated by these tiny, ancient sisters tottering around the headstones, arguing about what color plastic flowers to place on each grave. Both were born in Indian Territory in the late 1890s. One lost her husband early. The other was an old maid in her forties, living in a boarding house when she fell in love. They were as close and as different as only sisters can be. Reliving these visits with my father reawakened the inner voice of teenage me saying, “You should write about them.” On my way home that November, I got stuck at the Atlanta Airport. Settling in for a three-hour delay, I took out my laptop and began writing what would become the breakfast scene in Henderson House. I hadn’t written fiction since college. I gave up my dream of being a novelist when I was nineteen, taking the safe, steady-paycheck route, and changing my major to Public Relations. But that’s the beauty of Act Three; you don’t have to choose the well-lit path anymore. Act Three frees you to do something scary and unexpected, like writing a novel set in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Now, I have the honor of sharing this story with you and the privilege of writing the next story and the next. The curtain is up. My Act Three is underway. What will you do with yours? 

Enjoy the podcast.

Caren McVicker

Connect with Caren:

Henderson House a novel by Caren Simpson McVicker

me@carenmcvicker.com | 802-379-8921

carenmcvicker.com | Insta @carenwrites | FB @carensimpsonmcvickerwriter

Genres: Historical Fiction/General, Romance/Historical Fiction/American, Fiction/Family Life/Siblings Themes: Later-in-Life Romance, Sisters, Women’s Friendship

Publisher: Inkshares

Publishing Date: August 1, 2023

ISBN: 9781950301553

Contact: Noah Broyles, Deputy Publishing Director, noah@inkshares.com , 856-282-9736 

Henderson House

Click Here to Buy the Book on Amazon

"Like a love song to my Oklahoma roots. Henderson House offers a sweet window into a past when lives and loves moved to the gentle rhythm of small-town cafes, front porch swings, and old two-lane highways."

— Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

An enchanting boardinghouse tale of sisters, secrets, and later-in-life romance,Henderson Houseinvites you to pull up a rocking chair and lose yourself in the heartaches and hopes of 1940s Oklahoma.

In May 1941, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, hums with talk of spring flowers, fishing derbies, and the growing war in Europe. And for the Blackwell sisters, who reside in a quiet neighborhood boarding house, the winds of change are blowing.

Bessie Blackwell, copy room manager at Phillips Petroleum and faithful churchgoer, is the reluctant owner of a new pair of glasses. The young women in the office swear by Bessie's romantic advice, despite the fact she's a self-proclaimed spinster. Frank Davis, Henderson House’s newest tenant, throws that status into question with his gentle eyes and ready smile. But the scar on his forehead and rumors of divorce speak of a troubled past.

Bessie’s sister, Florence, a sales assistant at the men's clothing store downtown, knows all about troubled pasts. Her husband is dead, and it’s only with her sister's help that she’s able to raise Johnny. Life at Henderson House is luxurious compared to growing up in Cherokee Indian Territory, but Florence wants more for her boy than a rented room. When the flagship store in Tulsa offers her a management position, Florence sets her sights on the future and keeping the family together. And neither future nor family includes Frank Davis.

Mrs. Henderson, the landlady, cook, and adopted matriarch of the Blackwell clan, possesses an uncanny intuition about all her boarders. She knows true love when she sees it. But soon even her vision becomes clouded as Florence schemes to undermine her sister’s budding romance. In a desperate attempt to keep Bessie by her side, Florence exposes the sisters' darkest secret. A secret that will change their lives, and the lives of those they love, forever.


Wonder Woman in Business, Anne Gallagher

Anne Gallagher

Anne Gallagher is a Chicago-based writer, actor and communications professional. Anne is the executive director of the Luxury Law Alliance and a member of the editorial team for The Global Legal Post. She has spent her 30+ year career consulting, writing, training and creating strategy for business and legal organizations and professionals. As an actor, she has appeared in film and commercials and recently narrated the audio book Her Name Shall Remain Unforgotten, the story of a holocaust survivor whose mother was murdered at Auschwitz.

She recently completed the manuscript for her debut book, Two Weeks to $10 Million: A Memoir of Financial Infidelity, Fraud and Redemption (working title), which tells the story of how her marriage to a charismatic con man devolved into a true crime story rife with forged loans, mob hits and federal indictments and a criminal trial. “It’s important to tell our true stories,” she says. “No matter what has happened, we must move forward. Every life has meaningful pain and it can open us up to new understandings, opportunities and great new chapters in our lives.”

When she’s not working on her next book, Anne spends time with her two adult children and is an avid tennis player.

Connect with Anne:

Visit www.annegallagher.com for more information.

Enjoy the podcast.

Anne Gallagher

Wonder Woman in Business, Nori Jabba

Nori Jabba

Nori Jabba’s career spans 30 years in corporate real estate, community development, and affordable housing. In 2012, she started consulting to have more flexibility and time with her family. After several successful years and when her kids were grown, she decided to look for employed work again. Unexpectedly, she realized she'd lost her seat at the table when no one would hire her, despite relevant experience, a master's degree, credentials, and several awards, including Businesswoman of the Year from the Chamber of Commerce.

After multiple disappointments, she abandoned her job search and began a quest to better understand why job hunting was so challenging for middle-aged women. What she learned was eye-opening -- and too valuable not to share. Through her journey, she gained her seat back at the table, landing the job she was looking for in her field, and launching a new chapter in her life as a writer, professional speaker, and mentor.

In KEEPING YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE, Nori shares her eight-step journey of growth and transformation. Is ageism real? Yes. Was there something she needed to do differently? Yes. Did it work? Yes. 

Nori now works for a Bay Area city managing housing programs.She is the mother of three adult daughters and a rescued Doberman, “Nessa.” Her passions are writing, walking her dog while escaping into a great audiobook or podcast, and empowering women. 

CONNECT with Nori:

Email: norijabba@gmail.com 

Website: www.norijabba.com 

Book website: www.keepingyourseat.com 

Keeping Your Seat at the Table

If you are a woman over 40 and feel your confidence slipping, can't land a job despite your stellar experience and qualifications, or suddenly find yourself feeling ignored or dismissed, this book is for you. Or maybe you feel out of sync with today's younger workers and corporate culture and realize you are losing your seat at the table. KEEPING YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE is one woman's journey of regaining confidence and learning to leverage age and experience in her favor. With humor and vulnerability, she shares her story, lessons learned, and valuable insights from experts and other women.

Nori Jabba grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has had a career spanning over 30 years in corporate real estate and community development. She is passionate about mentoring women, including her three grown daughters, and loves writing to empower and inspire others. She lives in Redwood City, California. This is her first book.

BUY THE BOOK HERE
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Wonder Woman in Business, Michelle Johnston

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Michelle Johnston, PhD

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert who is the Clifton A. Morvant Distinguished Professor in Business at Loyola University New Orleans. Her first book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, is now an Amazon bestseller. She was recently named A Woman of the Year by CityBusiness and one of the most influential New Orleanians.

Michelle is a celebrated keynote speaker presenting at conferences and events nationwide. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from Louisiana State University and was named to the prestigious 100 Coaches Group, which consists of the top executive coaches worldwide.

For speaking engagements, media, and more, visit michellekjohnston.com

THE OLD LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF POWER, CONTROL, AND FEAR ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE OBSOLETE.


Authenticity, compassion, and alignment are the new paths to leadership success. A leader’s new power lies in their ability to connect.

Whether you’re the coach of a sports team, a nonprofit executive, the president of your family’s business, or leading a small organization or a Fortune 500 company, the secret sauce lies in your ability to connect.

While leaders might consciously understand that connection is important, they don’t necessarily know how or what to do. In The Seismic Shift in Leadership, author Dr. Michelle K. Johnston compiles her years of experience as an executive coach and business professor with the voices of eighteen leaders at large and small organizations across North America, South America, and Europe to empower you to project your authentic leadership style, to show compassion to your team, and to align yourself with your company.

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Enjoy the podcast

Michelle Johnston, PhD

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Wonder Woman in Business, Barbara Kaplan

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Barbara Kaplan

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Barbara Kaplan helps clients generate new revenue, earn client retention and loyalty, and distinguish their businesses in an increasingly commoditized and competitive marketplace. She brings to her consulting and coaching work over 20 years experience as a professional services marketer and 15 helping individual lawyers and law firms define, pursue and win the business they want. She is devoted to helping them make that skill second nature.

Barbara’s in-house experience includes senior-level marketing and business development roles at a global AmLaw 50 firm and a mid-Atlantic regional firm. At the latter, she initiated several firsts including a firm-wide marketing and public relations program, client visit/feedback initiative, lateral integration program, spokesperson training and cross-serving strategies that built business and new-found alliances among offices. 

Barbara’s personal approach and pragmatic perspective derive from her belief that giving people the tools to achieve what they want to achieve yields a confidence and level of skill that turns ideas into action.  

Current work focuses on:

  • Creating customized business development training and coaching programs to meet individual and firm-wide practice goals

  • Succession planning, including establishing future vision, determining strategies and goals, and developing action plans and benchmarks

  • Building enduring relationships in an increasingly disruptive economy

  • Personal branding to ensure uniqueness and longevity

  • Facilitating workshops and retreats on a variety of topics

Barbara is principal of BSK Strategies, a business development consulting practice helping professional services firms earn new and higher-value work, establish thought-leadership and promote competitive advantage. She works with firms of all types, sizes and styles, each with a unique culture and set of challenges. She also teaches the ins-and-outs of client development and networking skills building at the law school level to help students approach future employers with a marketing mindset at the ready. 

Barbara received her MBA in marketing from Northwestern University’s J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Earlier in her career, she pursued her love of French by earning a certificate in French studies from the Universite of Poitiers in Poitiers, France, and a master’s in French language and literature from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. 

Barbara lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Enjoy the podcast.

Barbara Kaplan

Connect with Barbara

Barbara S. Kaplan, BSK Strategies

Win and Keep the Business You Really Want

484.431.7068 | Website | LinkedIn 

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