She Spark Podcast: Empowering Women | Igniting Change

Margaret Colwell is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Human Factors Psychology with a minor in Aviation Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She aims to apply psychological principles to improve safety practices within aviation operations. She is dedicated to enhancing operational efficiency and safety protocols by combining research experience with practical applications, particularly in air traffic control (ATC) and human factors. Margaret actively seeks opportunities to utilize her academic background, practical skills, and genuine passion for aviation in a full-time role focused on Human Factors or Aviation Safety. 

Sasha began her career as a professional dancer traveling the world dancing for major cruise lines and was represented by a top talent agency in Los Angeles. When she met her future husband, she decided to finish college and not only marry him, but also marry her passions that consumed her life: dance, fitness, and health. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education and a Minor in Dance. She is a registered 200hr yoga teacher and a personal trainer and has coached competitive dance for over 18 years. Together, Sasha and Ben envisioned a place that would allow their talents to flourish and their desire to impact as many people as possible while maintaining the balance of their little family (Lela & Eldon), so...The Movement Studio was born. Learn more about The Movement Studio at https://www.themovementstudiopv.com/

Melea Banaszak is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as their Capacity Building Coordinator with the Wrapped In Love Diaper Bank (Prescott Valley). With a degree in Public Health, Psychology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), she has sought to support communities from an intersectional viewpoint. Passionate about women’s health issues, Melea has been an advocate for gender equality for many years and has worked with the United Nations Foundation Organization, Girl Up, and her college’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention Education. In her role with the diaper bank, she has initiated and continued to expand the period product campaign, providing schools and homeless liaisons with much-needed feminine hygiene products. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, exploring the outdoors, yoga, and curling up with a good book. Connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/meleabanaszak or learn more about Wrapped In Love Diaper Bank at www.wrappedinlovediaperbank.org.

Nancy Roberts is a Lieutenant at the Prescott Valley Police Department in Northern Arizona. With over 18 years of experience, Nancy has held various positions, including patrol officer, crime prevention officer, Corporal, and Patrol Sergeant. She has received multiple life-saving awards, including the AZWIN Taking Time Award, and was vital in obtaining the agency's first-ever accreditation through ALEAPS. Nancy is an Accredited Command Executive through AACOP and has completed the FBI LEEDA Trilogy. She has a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership in Criminal Justice and is pursuing her master's in the same area. Nancy and her partner have a blended family of six children and enjoy coaching basketball, bowling, and camping. Learn more at https://www.prescottvalley-az.gov/1337/Police-Department

Melyssa Munday is a busy mom of five and a mentor for virtual assistant moms. She is obsessed with helping moms work from home and build a successful business or side hustle as a virtual assistant. She creates content that is simple, actionable, and easy to consume. Melyssa loves smooth-writing purple pens and to-do lists. In her spare time, she drives her kids to sports and volunteers, raising money for Prescott High School. Learn more at http://melyssamunday.com/

Amanda has over 15 years of education experience and a Master's of Education from Ohio State University. She is launching Yavapai Exploration and Science (YES!) in Prescott. YES! inspires curiosity and appreciation for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) through programs, workshops, and events. Amanda aims to create opportunities for all ages to explore the natural world, unlock creativity, and embrace lifelong learning. Her background includes teaching at the primary level and various administrative roles. Her passion for education extends to her hobbies, such as mountain biking, traveling, and camping with her family. Through YES!, Amanda envisions making STEAM education accessible and inclusive for everyone through hands-on experiments, interactive exhibits, or community outreach initiatives. Amanda is also the 2024 Prescott Woman STEAM Award Winner. Learn more about YES! at https://www.instagram.com/yes_prescott/

Missy Sikora is the Director of the Yavapai Family Advocacy Center (YFAC). As Director of YFAC, she serves as the county Children’s Justice Coordinator. Previously, she was a Supervisor for the Arizona Department of Child Safety in Prescott. Prior experience includes 15 years as a school teacher in Phoenix, four years as an intake counselor for the Durango Juvenile Detention Center, and three years as an intake counselor for the Phoenix Children’s Crisis Nursery. Missy serves on the Board of Directors for the Yavapai CASA for Kids Foundation and is co-chair for the Yavapai County Multi-Disciplinary Task Force Responding to Human Trafficking. She is a Yavapai County Child Fatality Review Team member and the Yavapai County Overdose Fatality Review Team. Missy holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Counseling & Human Services and is also a Certified Public Management Program graduate from Arizona State University. Learn more about YFAC at https://yfac.org/

Lori is a retired school nurse, and Barbara is a retired private practice Prescott psychologist. Both volunteer for Braver Angels, a non-profit, grassroots, non-partisan national organization promoting civil discourse. Learn more about Braver Angels at braverangels.org Take a Braver Angels workshop at OLLI at the Yavapai College Campus https://www.yc.edu/v6/lifelong-learning/olli.html For more info reach out to Barbara at bswainestes@braverangels.org

Today, Leslie Zann and I are talking about being fearless through courage. Leslie Zann is a sought-after keynote speaker with a unique talent for helping people overcome their “limiting beliefs” to create positive change in all areas of their lives.  She has presented live to over a hundred thousand people worldwide and helped thousands more through her online courses.  The National Speaker’s Association awarded her the highest honor of CSP (Certified Speaking Professional).  Leslie was a spokesperson for KPBS Public Television on air for a decade.  Her latest book is the Amazon #1 Bestseller Outrageous Achievement. She is s currently working on her next book, Inspired Retired. How To Live Your Best Life at Any Age.  Leslie moved to Prescott in 2022 to be closer to her mom. She loves living in Prescott and, when not working, enjoys skeet shooting, hiking, and the local music scene. Learn more about Leslie at lesliezann.com

Carissa Maxwell is the owner/Designated Broker of Glow Realty, a boutique real estate brokerage focused on giving high-touch service and connecting/supporting our local communities. The Glow brand reflects what draws people to Northern Arizona- "They want to be outside and are seeking a lifestyle around that." "This is the future of real estate. Building business relationships around the lifestyle that people move here to experience...that is what our community wants to get behind." Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/GlowREAZ/

Dr. Emilie is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist in Prescott.  Her healing journey has inspired her profession, where she’s focused on mental health, women's hormones, cardiometabolic health, and weight loss.  Emilie is also a new mom, and in her postpartum year, she realized how underserved postpartum parents are, and how postpartum is the best time for us to get our best health and body, ever.  She is also a published author and is about to release her first book called POST: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Postpartum Self-Care Plan in Pregnancy.  Emilie’s goal is to get it into the hands of every pregnant and postpartum woman in the world, so they can be empowered to take control of their postpartum experience and focus on what matters: their health, and their relationship with their new little one.   Visit: https://www.sanoswellness.com/ The Six Essential Steps to Postpartum Self-Care: https://sanoswellness.lpages.co/postpartum-support/ 

Halle Ann Fernandez is a 22-year-old Prescott resident, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., who is a self-proclaimed "Arizona Transplant". Halle is an accelerated Master’s student at Prescott College studying Critical Psychology in the undergraduate program and Outdoor Education Leadership in the Graduate program. When she moved across the country to pursue higher education at Prescott College, she quickly fell in love with the community. She began to immerse herself in service work with local non-profits such as the Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank and the Western Heritage Center.  Halle is an Education Specialist for GEM Environmental and a Challenge Course Facilitator at Camp Way. She has held the titles of Miss Prescott 2022, Miss Granite Mountain 2023, and Miss Peoria 2024 in the Miss America Organization. As Miss Peoria, Halle uses her platform to share her community service initiative, ‘LNT For You & Me,’ where she teaches young children through high schoolers socioemotional skills like empathy, compassion, and boundary setting through Leave No Trace practices. She also uses her platform in the Miss AZ Org. to encourage adolescents and young women to shine in their individuality and authenticity regardless of what others think.

Katee Norris has been working at Prescott Area Shelter Services since 2012. She stepped into this role through the AmeriCorps Program as a VISTA, and after two years of service, she became the Director of Programs. Katee makes sure the shelter runs smoothly, and that the guests have a clean and safe environment, feel cared for, and are treated with kindness. She ensures we have volunteers to support the guests through meals, advocacy, and empowerment as the volunteer coordinator, and she dedicates endless amounts of time to writing grants, planning fundraisers, and creating new programs and expansions to better support the guests. Katee also became a Registered Nurse and works at a hospital in Flagstaff as an RN, BSN. Katee takes her experience at both the shelter and the hospital and learns from them to better serve and help people in need, no matter what situation they are in. Learn more at https://prescottshelters.org/

Today we chat with columnist, self-care guru, and podcaster Brittany Tatum-Flores about self-clarity. Brittany Tatum-Flores (or Britt) is the owner of The Practice of Self-care and has been a contributing columnist for The Daily Courier for the last five years, her contributions primarily discuss self-care, the importance of self-care and generally, how to manifest more love and positivity into your life, to create a life you don't want to escape from with poor habits! The Good Advice podcast The Practice of Self-care website Prescott Woman Magazine - Self-Care Corner

After visiting her first Overland Expo in 2014, Lauren said, "This will be my life." Later that same year, Lauren turned wrenches and drilled holes at AT Overland Equipment here in Prescott, the only woman in a shop of men. Three years of gearing people up for their adventures encouraged Lauren to embark on her own. In 2017, Lauren set off on 6 magical months of solo travel through Mexico, immersing herself in the culture and becoming fluent in Spanish. Commonly referred to as "Lolo'', some of her travel/adventure accomplishments include having open water and advanced diving certifications, as well as being a 52 Hike Challenge Finisher (47 hikes of which she did in Arizona). Lolo has been to the top of Humphrey's Peak and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon backpacking from Rim to Rim, Coyote and Buckskin Gulch, Havasupai, and more. Lolo also did advocate work with the Coconino Forest Service while a Comprehensive River Management Plan was being developed for Fossil Creek. Some of Lolo's craziest adventure moments include surviving a 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City, a Tropical Storm in the Mexican Costa Maya, and a little accident with her foot in a smoldering campfire! Lauren firmly believes that prices cannot be put on experiences and that just about anything is worth trying once. Lolo has an insatiable thirst to know the world, the people in it and the stories that go along with the people in those places because she sure has her own!

Heather was in the fashion industry for over a decade working with photographers and producing shoots. While it may seem glamorous (yes, sometimes it was exciting and fun!), it was demanding and took all of her energy. Heather found Pilates and it was truly her saving grace. Because of the impact Pilates had on Heather's life, she was determined to one day leave fashion behind and become a Pilates instructor to really give to others something she finds so transforming. Flash forward to 2020 when Soar Pilates was born - out of a deep desire to create something that was attainable for the everyday person and would change their lives for the better. Heather adores every client that walks in their door (truly, the community is amazing) and she couldn’t be happier to be a part of such an amazing team of women that she is proud to call her instructors - she learns from each of them every day. For more information visit https://www.soarpilates.com/

Midwesterner, Anne-Marie made Prescott home 20 years ago and made a name for herself as a licensed insurance representative/office manager. Anne-Marie then founded and became the Owner/Editor of Maitre’D Magazine, a dining and culinary guide well-known across Northern Arizona. Her savvy sales and marketing skills led her to B2B sales in telecommunications with Sparklight Business. Now celebrating seven years with Sparklight, Anne-Marie uses her expertise in creating and maintaining long-term business relationships on a local level. Anne-Marie shows community support as an avid volunteer of many nonprofits including, Arizona Community Foundation Yavapai County, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona. Her passions are clean eating, dance, hiking, peopling, and her favorite, cooking. She believes “there are things you do because they feel right. It may be the real reason we are here: To love each other, to enjoy others’ cooking and say it was good”.

Hilary Dartt loves great adventures, whether she’s writing, reading, or living them. The author of nine women’s fiction novels, Hilary lives in Arizona’s high desert with her husband, their three children, her Weimaraner, and running partner, Leia, a failed barn cat, and a flock of chickens. She loves camping, exploring in the Jeep, and dance parties with her kids. Learn more at https://hilarydartt.com/

Throughout Heather's career, she has had the great pleasure of traveling all over the country, working in many industries and with creatives of all kinds. From restaurants and breweries to the outdoors and sustainable living to music and local bands, to travel and farms. Now here in Prescott, Arizona, she has expanded into her own business, DeSousa Creative, and works with local businesses and musicians including Prescott Center for the Arts and Prescott Downtown Partnership.  What draws Heather to marketing and photography is sharing the story and passion behind the project and then connecting it to a community that is inspired in the same way. For more info visit: https://www.desousacreative.com/

Sarah Haynes is the founder of Pixel Parfait, which provides graphic design, web design & online marketing services to small-medium size businesses around the country. Sarah has been in the design & marketing field for over a decade and specializes in helping businesses and individuals develop their brands.  Sarah has a passion for designing full branding identities and helping companies refresh their branding through fresh, clean, and cohesive design pieces. Outside of her office, Sarah can be found spending time with her two young daughters and husband, traveling, hiking, swimming, and loving the amazing scenery that Arizona offers.  Sarah is also known to enjoy true crime, reading, and personal arts and crafts projects in her free time.   To contact Sarah, please email designer@pixelparfait.graphics or visit https://www.pixelparfait.graphics/ Instagram Accounts for Graphic Designers: https://www.instagram.com/brand.brief/ https://www.instagram.com/theglowandgrowclub/ https://www.instagram.com/lets.brief/