In her own words, Mona Hoffman “jumped off the cliff” in February of 2004 resigning from a successful corporate career to seek a new and more fulfilling livelihood. A born leader, Mona worked her way up the ranks of the office furniture industry and distinguished herself in a male dominated workplace. From product development and marketing, to eventually an executive level position as general manager of a business unit, Mona was never one to be satisfied with mediocrity. [Read more...]
Career Coach • Author • Speaker
Emily and Jessica Leung – Shoe Mavens
November 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
The Leung twins, Emily and Jessica grew up as a perfect pair so it makes great sense that this dynamic duo launched a designer shoe company which features glamorous footwear that is both chic and comfortable. These ladies speak my language – show me the shoes!
In college, Emily was on a pre-med track and even took the MCAT exam before changing to a Business major. Jessica studied Mass Communications and Fashion and both sisters ended up with jobs in their respective industries that made them solvent but left them wanting more.
Hey Lady Shoes was an idea that kept coming back to them repeatedly, like fate prodding them into action. “We had to do this, there were too many signs to ignore.” according to Emily. This calling stemmed from a series of not so well-heeled events and a magic instant when the sisters had their collective aha moment. Seasoned runners, both ladies endured their share of bodily injuries but none more excruciating than from an extended evening in uncomfortable high heels. These shoe addicts realized they were not alone in their quest for a comfortable and stylish heel but Jessica’s wedding shoe trauma propelled the twins into action. [Read more...]
Leslie Belcher and Shelley Harper – Accessoreez Artisans
November 8, 2010 By 4 Comments
Leslie Belcher and her sister, Shelley Harper turned adversity into prosperity and inspiration. When life dealt them a series of events beyond their control they came together to start anew and recreate careers in which they could thrive.
At 45 and 47 respectively at the time, the girls had to reinvent themselves in order to move forward and begin again. Out of the ashes, they are now following their passion and playing to their strengths with a dream business that taps their creativity and touches the lives of many in a positive way. [Read more...]
Melanie Monteiro, Author and Dog Safety Expert
October 25, 2010 By 10 Comments
Melanie Monteiro, a native of Los Angeles, launched her career in the advertising world as a copywriter. Learning the ropes in an ad agency, she created her own freelance business five years later and became known as a go-to workhorse in the industry. She was sought after by major ad agencies with name brand accounts and for the past 15 years of her career has rarely lacked a project.
Dogs always played a big part in her life but little did Melanie know that her love of dogs would lead to a new career opportunity. She has always had dogs in her family but things changed dramatically when she and her husband, Mark adopted Taiga, a Labrador they would foster as a puppy as part of the Canine Companions for Independence service dog organization. The plan was for Mark and Melanie to raise Taiga as a puppy and train her in the basics before she would undergo the intense service dog training and be partnered with a special needs human being. [Read more...]
Liz Williams, Founder and Director – Southern Food and Beverage Museum
October 18, 2010 By 1 Comment
Fascinated by the way the lure of nutmeg and peppercorns motivated the exploration of the world, Liz Williams was lucky to be born into a family of Sicilian heritage in New Orleans. She grew up eating in two great food traditions. At 60 years of age, Liz now looks back at the variety of careers she has in her repertoire and is thriving in yet another new role as Founder and Director of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. [Read more...]
Grace Chon, Modern Pet Photography
October 11, 2010 By 4 Comments
A self proclaimed crazy dog lady, Grace Chon grew up wanting to be a Veterinarian. She majored in Biology as an undergraduate and volunteered in animal hospitals to really test drive the profession before committing to vet school. Her Korean immigrant parents were auguring for medical school so Grace could be a physician for humans instead of animals but in the end Grace surprised everybody and opted for art school and earned a Masters of Fine Arts.
Jo Laurie, Interior Design
August 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Quintessential Jill-of-all-trades, Jo Laurie has experienced many career changes in her life. As a young student in her native England, Jo was pushed into the empirical sciences in school and specialized early on in chemistry, physics, and math. She is dyslexic and these disciplines were meant to help her focus on her strengths with numbers and equations.
Jo was successful in the sciences and in the British system under Margaret Thatcher; she was paid to attend university (free tuition plus a stipend) and earned a BSc (Hons), a degree with honors in Psychology. While Jo was stimulated intellectually, she yearned for a more creative outlet. So she left England and headed to New York City to reinvent herself and test-drive a new world. [Read more...]
Candace Alper, Name Your Tune
August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It all began for Candace Alper when she was on maternity leave. In Canada, new moms are able to take up to a year off which has led to a growing number of mompreneurs in the country. Having a year to herself and her new baby, Candace was able to take the time to think about her life and her career. With an infant daughter, she started singing the songs all moms know and love but she would incorporate Hannah’s name to personalize the tunes.
Before long – “If You’re Happy and You Know It” became “If You’re Hannah and You Know It” and the idea of Name Your Tune was born. Candace’s husband, Eric works in the music industry and he supported the idea of the new business venture and also brought significant skills and expertise to the table. From the beginning, the focus has been on making music fun for children and parents alike. By customizing songs with a child’s name, this wife and husband team have been able to take classic children’s songs to a new place. [Read more...]
Janet Sanders, The Diabetes Coach
July 5, 2010 By 6 Comments
Janet Sanders went to law school because she wanted to exercise her philanthropic muscles. After reading an article in Time magazine about a parent/child support center, she aspired to open a similar facility in her native Philadelphia. By pursuing a law degree, Janet thought she would gain the skill set and professional competencies necessary to realize her dream. She did in fact hone these transferable skills, but her career went in a different direction than she had planned. [Read more...]
Alicia Sable Hunt, Founder & President of Sable’s Foods
June 21, 2010 By 2 Comments
Alicia Sable Hunt, known to all as Sable, grew up in the Hamptons in the 1980’s during the height of materialism, big money, and a recreational drug culture that was rampant in this affluent east coast community. She benefitted from the very strong grounding of a religious household and ended up in nursing school, an anomaly in her group of friends, most of whom pursued high profile and high paying corporate careers. Sable attributes her passion for helping people to her mother who instilled strong values in her at a young age.
A Nurse in the Kitchen
Always comfortable in her own skin when working with patients, Sable experienced a variety of settings in the medical field from bedside nursing to intensive care, and outpatient clinics. But, she developed a love for oncology care working with cancer patients. With 15+ years under her belt as an oncology nurse, Sable understood the immense struggle of those fighting cancer and the nutritional challenges they uniquely face. Proper nutrition is paramount during cancer treatment but many patients suffer from loss of appetite and taste preventing them from receiving the nourishment they need. Sable feels strongly that patients should be able to thrive while continuing with their daily lives during cancer treatment and recovery. Championing the cause in 2006, she stepped into her kitchen and began baking up a solution, and Sable’s Foods was born. [Read more...]
