Brave Girls with Tracy Imm

SHOW NOTES Transcript Bio  Dionne Joyner-Weems is an extraordinary global brand builder, dynamic storyteller, and passionate changemaker who has garnered a reputation for her unparalleled energy and ability to turn challenges into solutions and moments into movements across industries. She is the Chief Energy Officer of Audacity Group LLC, a global brand and marketing agency dedicated to storytelling for social impact, and the founder of #MyBmore Project, a social enterprise and movement amplifying authentic Baltimore voices to inspire change and connection. A proud Baltimore native, Dionne recently published her new book, That Part! What Some Know But Won't Tell You About Motherhood, a raw and reflective journey through her experiences as a wife and mother of three beautiful sons.        

SHOW NOTES Transcript About Dr. Toni Boulware Stackhouse & Life Matters Wellness With over 25 years of trauma-focused community experience and two Maryland locations, Dr. Stackhouse is a leading advocate for equitable mental health care. Learn more at Lifematterswellness.com Contact Life Matters Wellness 66 Painters Mill Rd., Suite #204 Owings Mills, MD 21117 Phone: 410-650-9919 Email: matters4life@gmail.com Website: https://www.lifematterswellness.com/  

SHOW NOTES Transcript  

SHOW NOTES Transcript AND Jan Percival's bio+social media links  

SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript    

Show Notes Show Transcript Linda Foy Bio  

Show Notes Show Transcript Dr. Toni Draper's Bio CEO and Publisher, The AFRO-American Newspapers Dr. Frances Murphy Draper is CEO and Publisher of The AFRO-American Newspapers, the nation's longest-running Black-owned family newspaper. A fourth-generation publisher from Baltimore, she continues the legacy of founder John H. Murphy Sr. She holds degrees from Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Baltimore, Loyola University Maryland, and United Theological Seminary. A former pastor for over 20 years, she now leads The AFRO's digital expansion, including the AFRO Digital Billboard Network and Afro Table newsletter. Her many honors include NNPA's "Publisher of the Year," the Maryland Senate's First Citizen Award, and an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins in 2025. She chairs Word in Black, serves as first vice chair of the NNPA, and is on the board of Associated Black Charities. Dr. Draper is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She and her husband, Andre, have been married for over 50 years. They have four children, twelve grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.  

SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Christina Royster's bio    

Show Notes Episode transcript Kimberly Prescott is the founder and President of Prescott HR, Inc. Prescott HR is an outsourced Human Resources firm that provides ongoing strategic and tactical HR support to small- to mid-sized businesses. Her primary area of expertise is Human Resources/Employment Law Compliance and Employee Relations. She brings over 20 years of progressive corporate HR leadership experience with firms such as Giant Food, Whole Foods and Allegis Group (TEKsystems and Aerotek). She has earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM- SCP) designations. Kimberly has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to the business community by being named by The Daily Record as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women in 2023, the 2022 Howard County Chamber of Commerce's Businessperson of the Year and a 2019 I-95 Magazine Woman of Influence. In addition to being a member of Leadership Howard County Class of 2018, she is a member of Leadership Maryland Class of 2023. She is also actively involved in the community, including several leadership roles: Downtown Columbia Partnership Board of Directors, Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of Howard County, Chair of the Labor and Employment subcommittee for the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Howard County Board Secretary, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Board Member and Board Member of The 3rd. She is also an active member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's Labor and Employment Committee.   Kimberly's websiteprescotthr.com Facebookfacebook.com/Prescotthr Twittertwitter.com/Prescotthr Instagraminstagram.com/Prescotthr YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@prescotthr   LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyprescottshrmscp/

Show Notes Episode transcript Bio: Patrice Bullock is the Executive Director of Bailey's Heart and Soul Foundation, an organization she founded following the untimely passing of her 16-year-old son, Bailey, from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in May 2021. Bailey was a vibrant athlete involved in football, basketball, and track. His unexpected death highlighted the critical need for immediate response measures during cardiac emergencies. instagram.com+2wmar2news.com+2baltimoretimes-online.com+2baltimoretimes-online.com+2baileysheartandsoul.org+2wmar2news.com+2 In her role, Patrice has been instrumental in raising awareness about SCA and advocating for widespread CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training. Under her leadership, the foundation has successfully organized community events, such as golf scrambles and 5K runs, to fund AED placements in schools and public areas, aiming to enhance emergency preparedness. wbaltv.com A significant achievement of Patrice's advocacy is the enactment of the "Bailey Bullock Act" in Maryland, which mandates that all public and private middle and high schools develop cardiac emergency response plans. This legislation ensures that educational institutions are equipped to handle cardiac emergencies effectively, potentially saving countless lives. newsroom.heart.org+2baltimoretimes-online.com+2wmar2news.com+2 Through her unwavering dedication, Patrice Bullock has transformed personal tragedy into a mission of public safety, making substantial strides in community health education and legislative reform to prevent future SCA incidents. For more insight into Patrice's work and the foundation's initiatives, you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/3xDKYMJ9tNg

Show Notes Episode transcript Bianca Wise's Bio

Show Notes Episode transcript Website https://www.intersectconsultllc.com/ Bio:  Dr. Erin Watley is a teacher and facilitator whose work focuses on highlighting accessible ways to disrupt systems of oppression, encouraging intercultural dialogue, and practicing community building. Dr. Watley is an Associate Professor in the Communication & Cinema department at McDaniel College. She is also the owner of Intersect Consulting LLC, through which she does DEIJ workshops, evaluation, and media curation for organizations outside of academia. Intersect Consulting More traditional DEIJ consulting often comes in the form of theory heavy presentations, assessments, standardized trainings & best practices. These can be important tools, but their emphasis often neglects the need to practice DEIJ skills that extend past the workplace. www.intersectconsultllc.com

SHOW NOTES Episode transcript Bio Giselle W. Climpson is a Consultant, Digital Creator & Founder of Giselle Avenue, a dynamic media brand shaping the future of storytelling, digital innovation, and empowerment. With over a decade in the industry, she is a media trailblazer, amplifying voices and crafting narratives that inspire impact. Rooted in honoring the magic of Divine Feminine Energy, she leads with creativity, authenticity, and purpose—helping brands and individuals find their voice, and be heard. Giselle's Social Media Instagram: @‌GoddessGiselle_ - https://www.instagram.com/goddessgiselle_/?hl=en LinkedIn: Giselle W. Climpson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/giselleclimpson/ Link to Giselle's Linktree/Podcast: https://linktr.ee/GoddessGiselle_

Show Notes Episode transcript Bio: Amanda Miller Littlejohn is a nationally recognized executive coach, journalist, mental health advocate, and thought leader in personal branding and leadership development. As the founder of Package Your Genius Academy, Amanda has spent over a decade helping high achievers uncover their purpose and amplify their visibility. Amanda's newest book, The Rest Revolution: How to Reclaim Your Rhythm and Conquer Burnout When Overworking Has Become the Norm, offers timely insights into the importance of rest, renewal, and resilience in today's fast-paced world.     Amanda Miller Littlejohn Journalist and Contributing Columnist   www.amandamillerlittlejohn.com

Show notes Episode transcript

Today's podcast guest, Nicole Lynn Lewis is truly a BRAVE GIRL living her purpose where she is reducing poverty one family at a time. In 2003, Nicole graduated from the College of William & Mary as a teen mother who had overcome homelessness and a drug-infested environment to achieve the impossible. She's a nationally known author and speaker on topics such as teen pregnancy and parenting, youth development, goal achievement and self empowerment. After several years in the workforce honing her skills in communications and nonprofit management and learning about the needs of teen parents across the country, Nicole founded Generation Hope in Washington, D.C. in 2010. The 501c3 provides mentoring, resources and services to teen parents to become college graduates and help their children enter kindergarten at higher levels of school readiness. It's truly a two-generation solution to poverty.  Named a CNN Hero in 2014, Nicole has used her skills in social entrepreneurship to launch an organization that is making a real difference. Fewer than 2% of teen mothers earn a college degree before age 30, but since 2010, Generation Hope has helped almost 200 teen parents in college, provided more than $600,000 in tuition assistance, and celebrated 76 college degrees. Their Scholars' graduation rate is almost double the graduation rate of low-income college students and almost nine times the graduation rate of single mothers nationwide. All of their 2018 graduates were living above the poverty line within six months of graduation. 92% were employed full-time and 30% were enrolled in graduate school. This is quite a legacy to say the least. I know that you will enjoy hearing from Nicole about her work leading Generation Hope and how connected she is to the teen parents that she serves. I encourage you to check out her organization and consider how you can support her work either as a volunteer or donor. 

Today's podcast guest, Becky Briggs is an expert in both the art and the science of gifting and she shares her thoughts on researching the perfect gift and ensuring the gift makes an impact with the receiver. A master networker and community business leader, Becky left her corporate career to follow her passion. Her boutique gift business, Our Gift Biz, is known for simplifying the process of gift giving for her clients that lack the time to locate and wrap meaningful gifts. I love that Becky and her team are sensitive to the conservation of our planet and work to use sustainable packaging. Her company also often works with artists to create personalized gifts and she finds that her clients are often searching for something personable, unique and memorable. I love her philosophy of personalization and how she is serving the world in this special way.  Becky also shares her personal story of becoming the guardian of her brother's children when he passed away and how this shaped her life. She talks about how much joy this has brought to her life and how it inspires her to be creative and brave with both her clients and her family. 

I'm so grateful that I was able to interview California native and leading independent book publisher, Brooke Warner, for the Brave Girl podcast. Before she launched her own ventures, Brooke was the executive editor of Seal Press, one of the most enduring feminist publishing houses. She currently sits on the boards of the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Bay Area Book Festival, and the National Association of Memoir Writers. We both share a love of books, writing and the life of a creative and we talk about all of this on today's episode. In addition to Brooke's publishing role at She Writes Press and SparkPress, she writes a monthly column for Publishers Weekly and is the president of Warner Coaching where she mentors and coaches authors. You'll want to check out her website to see how her publishing model works and merges the best of the traditional publishing model with new and innovative strategies for first time writers and emerging creatives. With more than 32,000 members and more than 350 groups, She Writes is the world's largest online social community for women writers at every stage of their writing lives, working in every genre and representing every generation.  In addition to her publishing work, Brooke has also written several books and her most recent book, Write On, Sister is now available on Amazon and I highly recommend it. I also recommend Brooke's weekly podcast Write-Minded that she co-hosts with Grant Faulkner of NaNoWriMo, a community for writers. Each episode features a pep talk, a green-light moment and a writing action. You will also want to watch her TEDx video, Green Light Revolution: Your Creative Life on Your Terms that she talks about on the show.  I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did creating it!

Meet Michelle Mazur, a fellow podcaster, author, teacher and the founder of Communication Rebel based in Seattle, Washington. She tells her unique Brave Girl story on today's episode and how she came to do the work she does today as well as why she is so obsessed with Duran Duran. Michelle talks about why we all need a 3 word rebellion and how a captivating message makes everything you do in your business more powerful, including calling in the right clients.  Her podcast, Rebel Rising is chock full of advice on creating a clear and captivating messages. Michelle has a Ph.D. in Communication but sees herself as a researcher at heart. Her superpower is helping her clients figure out what makes them and their message unique. You will want to get a copy of her new book, 3 Word Rebellion to learn step by step how to create your movement. Accelerate Your Speaking is Michelle's online course that you may want to check out if you are interested in a framework for your signature talk. We also chat about how to overcome your imposter syndrome before you hit the stage. 

Today's Brave Girl is Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, a licensed social worker and creativity coach in New York City that has also appeared as a SAG actress on the daytime soap opera, A Guiding Light and done stand up comedy! Bridgit's energy is contagious and it comes across in the interview as she shares her story and what she's focused on teaching the rest of us. She's an expert in "voice dialogue" and she explains how she uses this framework in her private practice and to even help her with auditions. Bridgit shares with us what voice dialogue is and how it can be used on your personal transformational development path. She is an active workshop presenter and teaches social workers, nurses, coaches, body workers, mental health practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists and others.  We also talk about how so many of our beliefs and habits are formed in our subconscious before the age of 7 (or even in utero) and why we need to interrupt the patterns and pay attention to our self-talk. Bridgit's book, The Final Eighth is scheduled for release next year. She coined this term as she watched her talented, energetic and motivated clients stall in front of their finish line, for no good reason. The final eighth refers to the transformational process of taking the steps necessary to complete a project, finish a goal, realize a dream, love yourself and flourish. I love that Bridgit has uncovered this phenomenon and that she's put it into a book form for high achievers to better understand what makes them stop.