Women in the Arena

Meet Dr. Derashay Zorn, a remarkable woman who overcame incredible odds to achieve her dreams. At just 22 years old, she was a single mother of three young children with only an 8th-grade education. Despite the challenges she faced, she refused to let her circumstances define her.Determined to create a better life for herself and her children, she made the decision to pursue her GED. She took it one class at a time, juggling her studies with the demands of motherhood and working multiple jobs to make ends meet. But she never gave up.Over time, Dr. Zorn continued to push herself to new heights. She earned her associate's degree, then her bachelor's, and eventually her master's. And that wasn't enough for her - she went on to earn her PhD, becoming an expert in her field.But her journey didn't end there. Dr. Zorn went on to start several thriving businesses, using her knowledge and expertise to make a positive impact in her community and beyond. She is a shining example of what's possible when you have the courage to dream big and the determination to make those dreams a reality.Today, Dr. Zorn is an inspiration to many - not just for what she's accomplished, but for the way she's accomplished it. She never let her circumstances hold her back, and she never lost sight of what was important to her. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, hard work, and perseverance.https://www.derashayzorn.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

This week we get a rare and intimate look into the life of Julia Gordon, Commissioner of HUD, advocate and world changer.  I speak to Julia about how she has defined her career on her terms, identifying what matters most and not compromising on those things she holds precious.  We speak about her journey, the insecurities she feels (spoiler: it's the same ones you feel) and THAT phone call from the White House. https://www.hud.gov/about/leadership/Julia_Gordon Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Today I get to catch up with my friend Sarah and find out what she's been up to since the last time she was on the show.  Side note; if you missed that episode, I'll paste it here.  Go check it out if you want to learn how to walk in heels without pain:https://womeninthearena.net/episodes/unburden-yourself-from-other-peoples-expectations-with-sarah-bohdanova/Sarah is back this time to give us some sneak peeks into her new course about dating.  Not only is this great advice for dating, it's great advise for life.  https://thefemininityprojectinc.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Have you found your voice?  Not the voice you think you need to be, not the labels you wear and not who you have assimilated to be...but who you were born to be? If you haven't, then this week's guest can be your guide.  Dethra Giles is a four time TEDx speaker, a Top 100 HR Influencer and CEO of ExecuPrep.   But her purpose in life to help others, especially women, find their voice and use it on purpose.  Dethra coaches high level executives on how to not only take up space, but command it.  Listen to our conversation today and be ready to takes notes...she is sharing some winning strategies with us to help guide you to who you were meant to be. https://www.dethragiles.org/    Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Amy Birks has always felt that she here to do more; more life, more joy and more fulfillment. In order to get that, she faced her greatest fears and took a risk on herself.  She has created an award winning business that teaches other people to get more of what they want out of life.  As Amy says, "there is more to life to working hard, not experiencing joy on a regular basis then dying".  She has a better way, and today she is going to share some of her secrets on how to hack your life to see fear as opportunity to fuel you for the best life has to offer.  https://www.amybirks.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Katanya Smith is a lawyer, advocate, published author, entrepreneur, and a former corporate executive. After almost 20 years in the financial services sector, including seven plus years in various senior leadership and executive roles, Katanya became one of the many Black women who joined the Great Resignation. Katanya is quick to clarify that she is not a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert. Nonetheless, as a former corporate executive she has been an intended beneficiary of DE&I work and has strong ideas about what is working, what is not working, and what we are not talking about but should be. Also, Katanya’s experience as an employment lawyer has allowed her to see, firsthand, how the system fails minoritized workers who bring claims of discrimination, sexual harassment or retaliation.https://www.linkedin.com/in/katanya-smith-moore-a8110012a/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Jenn was like many of us- on the career fast track to climb the corporate ladder.  Then at 26 a life changing event occurred that forced her to rethink everything- she had a massive stroke that caused her to have to relearn everything she knew.   Today I speak with her about that event and how it changed her life's focus and what's really important.https://www.rewireinc.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Sarah Olea makes things happen.  She connects people to the right opportunities at the right time to create magic.  She makes it look easy...but it is anything but.  Fueled with the pride of the ability of making something out of nothing, she drove everything she had- her business, finances, relationships, health- to the breaking point.  After everything she had achieved, what she thought she wanted wasn't what she had built.  The fast track LA/NYC lifestyle with high profile clients wasn't what she wanted at all-it made her feel empty because she had to give everything away to achieve it.  She made the decision to walk away and create something new and find her true self in the process.  https://www.identityamplified.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

How many of you have felt drained by your life, your job and everything in it?  Did everything feel joyless at that point, although everyone around you thought you had it all?  What if everything you worked for wasn't what you wanted at all?What would happen if you just stopped and quit?  That's exactly what this week's guest did.  Nada Buhendi had been working her entire life for things she didn't want, provided her no joy and worse...left her feeling empty.  She finally had enough and declared her independence in the most dramatic way...she sent her boss a text that said  she was done.  Her act of independence was the first action she had ever taken without thinking, she felt in her soul it was the right thing to do.  Today's conversation with Nada is her journey from that dramatic defining moment of enough, through her trial and error of self discovery and how she built a business from the ground up to help others just like her.  https://www.nadabuhendi.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Elizabeth Rowe is a lot of things, talented, intelligent, performer and an unexpected social justice advocate.  As the principle flutist with the Boston Symphony, she performs at the highest levels all over the world; however, she was not paid the same as her male counterparts.  Elizabeth made the gut wrenching decision to file a lawsuit against her employer because it was simply something she could not ignore.  In the middle of what was the most difficult season of her life, a surprising passion ignited in her that had nothing to do with music.  She discovered her voice and a passion to assist others in their own personal journeys.  What started out as the worst thing imaginable turned out to be one of the greatest gifts of her life.https://iamelizabethrowe.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Kara Forney is a successful business executive, entrepreneur, founder of The Bump.com and mother of two boys.   As a mother, she realized that her experience as a "boy mom" didn't always fit in societies' narrative.  In 2022, fueled by her desire to shed light on all of the varying experiences of raising boys, she created and published Boy Moms: Collective Tales of Mothers and Sons.  This is a collection of essays by moms and their stories of the joys, challenges and significance of raising the next generation of men.   Join us for our conversation about being mothers, our different experiences and our hope for our son's futures.  https://www.boymoms.org/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Laurel Mintz didn't start out as a disruptor.  She did what many of us have done; she did the things that were expected.  Laurel attended one of the most prestigious law schools in the country...and hated it.  She didn't really want to be an attorney, but had no idea what else to do.  Then fate stepped in.  Her father became ill and Laurel needed to step in and run his company.  It was then that she discovered her passion of being an entrepreneur.  Laurel created her first company and hasn't looked back since, all because she was brave enough to walk away from something that didn't serve her.  Laurel's passion hasn't stopped there; with the creation of Fabric VC, she has created a fund to help hopeful female, BIPOC and Queer entrepreneurs chase their dreams.  Not only is she providing capital, she is disrupting an industry that desperately needs change.  https://www.elevatemybrand.com/ https://www.fabricvc.com/   Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

What role do you play in your life?  Are you stuck in the drama triangle? Do you feel as if your life does not look like what you want?  If you answered yes to any of these question and want to be the Queen Bee in your life, then join Kimberly and I  as we talk about: Being stuck in the drama triangle and playing either the hero, victim or villain role and how you get out of itDo you know that want something different but don't know what it is?  Figure out what you don't want and do the oppositeImposter Syndrome giving you a run for your money?  Find out how much you are really worthHave pen in hand and be ready to take notes because you don't want to miss a moment of wisdom that Kimberly has to share with us!https://crownyourself.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Dr. Duana Welch believes that relationships, especially the right ones, are too important to leave up to chance.  Approaching your love life with a proven scientific method is much more likely to have a successful outcome.  Dr. Welch has written the book with this approach; Love Factually, 10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do.   This week she shares some of the methods that she has used herself to attract the right relationship in her life.  While she approaches this topic with humor, Dr. Welch is very serious about helping you find the right relationship that will lead to a lifetime commitment. http://www.lovesciencemedia.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

When I met Sherea, I knew I was meeting a rare person.  She is intelligent, kind and goes out of her way to see those that others would prefer to ignore.  As Sherea says, she takes care of those that make us feel uncomfortable; those that been systematically  marginalized over generations and have had the game rigged against them.  She points out that they are people deserving of respect and kindness and they could be any one of us.  When you hear her story, you can't help but be inspired.  Be sure to hear through to the end so you can learn how you can help.  https://www.thiswomanswords.co/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  Katy and Gwen think that it's really the desire to be included.  Katy Flannery and Gwen Burlingame are the founders behind Beckon Ice Cream, whose journey started with a simple idea; Katy just wanted to enjoy ice cream with her family without getting ill.  What they discovered along the way in building their brand was so much more than ice cream; they discovered an entire community of female entrepreneurs that have been under represented and denied access to venture capital.  While they forged their own trail into entrepreneurship,  the decided that they needed to leave a path behind them for others to follow.   While their product may be ice cream, their mission is to create space for more women at the table and opportunity for women like them to chase their owns dreams.  https://beckonicecream.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

We all have those moments in life that change us forever.  Some of them are of our own choosing, but then there are some that are chosen for us.  This typically far more often than we'd like.  It's in these moments and our responses that shape our destiny.  Our guest this week has made changing her life from circumstances that have been handed to her an art form.  Suha Zehl has reinvented herself many times, and somehow each version is better than the last.  Her latest life changing pivotal moment?  Finding her voice and using it to lift up the next generation of women.   Join me this week as we learn more about Suha's remarkable life and how she has created her destiny.  Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

For our 2 year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to invite two of my friends to interview me.  Nothing is off limits!  Be sure to listen to hear some provocative, vulnerable and funny questions as Suha and Mike take turns with me in the hotseat!  Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Lou Featherstone is on a mission.  Her mission is to encourage all women everywhere to love themselves as they are and live life out loud.  And for once put yourself as a priority to chase those big crazy dreams or maybe just spend time alone with yourself to remember who you are.  Lou is so serious about this mission, she is going on a cross country tour to meet other women along the way and create connections like never before. But of course, she's going to do it her way with all of her colorful clothing and her vintage Bluebird RV named Susie. Be sure to check out her social page on Instagram @luinluland.  Better yet, come and meet her on one of her stops along the way.  The self love revolution tour kicks off in Scottsdale with yours truly on July 2nd!  https://www.luinluland.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Being a woman comes with all of these unwritten cultural rules that we are expected to follow, especially if you are a mom.  But who made these rules and why do we have to follow them?  What would happen if we didn't?  Marquita Wright is that rule breaker that decided that these old tired rules did not suit her and decided to do something crazy.  She decided that being a mom while pursuing her passions made her a better, happier mom.  One of her greatest passions is world travel and she wasn't afraid to do that with babies, twin babies at that.  It is her passion for culture that is enriching her children's lives by teaching them how to appreciate people that are different and learning from them along the way.   Marquita doesn't stop there; she is teaching other parents how to travel with even the youngest of travelers.  So break the rules, do what you love and don't step back because you are a mom.https://marquitastravels.com/ Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net ***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women: Joan Jett Dolly Parton Viola Davis Ina Garten Maybe you can help me get there****Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!