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Submitted by Douglas Newsom on 19 April 2021

Headlined Guests

Guest Biography:

The Divorce Lawyers’ Guide How to Keep the Spark Alive When Living, Working, and Parenting Together. Chris and Ashley Bruce will discuss how they divide and conquer their roles as parents and working in a law business together. Ashley is in charge of household logistics and Chris is in charge of business logistics.  When it comes to the business, Ashley deals with most of the initial client interactions and keeping relationships with the clients who work with other lawyers, and Chris deals primarily with managing the legal work and assisting our lawyers. This show focuses on their views on parenting, business, and personal intimacy.

Guest Category: Legal, Kids & Family, Love & Relationships
Guest Biography:

Dr. Kiley Hanish is dedicated to helping people through transformational growth and healing after loss. After suffering the stillbirth and loss of her first child Norbert, Kiley co-created the Emmy-nominated film Return to Zero to break the silence and stigma around pregnancy and infant loss for parents around the world. The film’s success and critical acclaim led to her non-profit organization Return to Zero: HOPE, where she advocates for and guides bereaved families in reclaiming their purpose, meaning, and healing after their tragic loss. Kiley currently works with private clients to empower them to grow and heal through life’s challenges.

 
Guest Category: Mental Health, Personal Development
Guest Occupation: Inspirational Coach
Guest Biography:

Chris Atley is a small town girl from Canada living her dream in California. Chris says she is on a personal development journey that started after losing her Dad in 2006. Chris was feeling pretty overwhelmed, depressed and downright angry to be honest. Chris later begun a spiritual path and became a Silver lining to such a tremendous loss. Chris and her family moved to Southern California where she was running her coaching business, after leaving her lucrative career in the Insurance industry, Chris had spent tons of time and resources to grow her business and felt their was something off. Chris had figured out it was her spiritual mindset and decided to do a transformation growth and earned 10X her income per month...

Guest Category: Business, Health & Lifestyle, Self Help, Society and Culture, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: DC Attorney General
Guest Biography:

Karl A. Racine was sworn in as the District of Columbia’s first elected Attorney General in 2015 and was reelected to a second term in 2018. Attorney General Racine is honored to serve again and will use the next four years to expand work on priorities, including preserving affordable housing, employing evidence-based juvenile justice reforms, cracking down on slumlords, holding unscrupulous employers accountable for wage theft, and protecting consumers from scams and abusive business practices. He is also committed to making investments in new efforts to protect seniors and other vulnerable residents, interrupt violence in the District, address childhood trauma, and more.

Through his work as president-elect of the bi-partisan National Association of Attorneys General and as Chair Emeritus of the Democratic Attorneys General Association's Executive Committee, Attorney General Racine also speaks out for D.C. autonomy at the national level and pushes back against federal government policies that harm District residents.

Attorney General Racine draws on over 25 years of legal and leadership experience in his work on behalf of District residents. Over the course of his career, he has worked at the D.C. Public Defender Service, where he represented District residents who could not afford a lawyer, served as Associate White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton, and worked on criminal cases and complex civil litigation at private firms. While in private practice, he was elected managing partner of his firm, Venable LLP, and became the first African-American managing partner of a top-100 American law firm.

Born in Haiti, Attorney General Racine came to the District at the age of three. He attended D.C. public schools, including Murch Elementary, Deal Junior High, and Wilson High, and graduated from St. John’s College High School. He earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was captain of the basketball team, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he volunteered in a legal clinic supporting the rights of migrant farm workers. His commitment to equal justice was inspired by his parents, who fled authoritarian rule in Haiti to start a better life in the United States, and by the lawyers of the Civil Rights Movement, who used the law to make positive social change.

Outside of his official role, Attorney General Racine remains involved with a variety of causes, including youth literacy and mentoring. He lives in Ward 1.

Guest Category: History, Kids & Family, Politics & Government, Self Help, Variety
Guest Occupation: Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Florida Women Veterans
Guest Biography:

Deloris (Dee) Quaranta is the Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Florida Women Veterans (NFWV) She retired from the US Air Force after 20 years of service and that career has taken her around the world.

After retirement, she continued traveling with her family in support of the military. This gave her a first-hand account of what it is like as a retiree in the civilian world as well as a spouse who had to root up and move, yet again. After returning home to Jacksonville and working for the state of Florida as a Local Veterans Employment Representative, she was able to understand some of the challenges veterans face, especially women. Answering to the call, she founded the Northeast Florida Women Veterans, Inc, in 2011.

As a lifetime volunteer, Dee believes that every talent and ability is given by God. She started “Our Father’s House Ministries” in Naples Italy which resulted in countless homeless Africans having a place to live. She worked many hours supporting the Oklahoma City bombing crisis. She has shouldered the full responsibility of military chaplaincy during deployments and has ministered from the barrios to the capital. Since returning to Jacksonville, Dee has given countless hours to volunteer efforts such as raising funds for the American Cancer Society, serving on the National Congress of Black Women Board of Directors, Northeast Florida Veterans Council member, On-call Director for Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc., guest soloist at several city events, and hosting annual “Pretty in Pink” events to encourage breast cancer survivors and many more causes. Dee is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America and has chosen to give back by making a difference in her community wherever needed. She is also a member of St. Matthews Baptist Church and choir.

Guest Category: Education, History, Military, News, Self Help, Society and Culture
Guest Occupation: Inspirational Speaker, TEDx Talker, Author and Founder of the Love Your Life To Death Movement
Guest Biography:

Inspirational Speaker, TEDx Talker, Author and Founder of the "Love Your Life To Death Movement"

Yvonne Heath is married to her best friend Geordie, has three amazing children and is loving life in beautiful Muskoka, Canada.

She has been a registered nurse since 1988, working in ten different hospitals in the US and Canada in many areas including emergency, intensive care, chemotherapy and hospice.

Yvonne became disheartened by our society’s reluctance to talk about, plan and prepare for grief and how it causes excessive suffering in life and at the end of life. She suffered too, not knowing how to do it differently.

So, in 2015, she took a leap of faith, left her nursing career and blazed a new trail. She shares her message with heart and humour as an Inspirational Speaker, with her book "Love Your Life to Death", online program, as a television and radio host and through social media.

Her TEDx Talk—Transforming Grief, by Just Showing Up—was launched in May 2019. She is sharing her message globally and helping great organizations along the way.

Yvonne leads the I Just Showed Up movement.

Have you ever said these things or felt this way, when someone was in crisis? Divorce, diagnosis, mental health issues, job loss, trauma, the death of a loved oneits all grief! Are you fearful you might do or say the wrong thing, so you avoid? Listen to her interview...
 

Facebook @loveyourlifetodeath

Facebook @ijustshowedup

Twitter @_lyltd_

Twitter @ijustshowedup

Instagram @loveyourlifetodeath

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeaORJcUnA3VX80NcFjU6bA

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-heath-a7835595/

Guest Category: Education, Kids & Family, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture
Guest Occupation: Writer, Editor, Fashion Stylist, Creative Media Services, former Rocky Mountain News society columnist
Guest Biography:

Former Rocky Mountain News society columnist

Bio taken from LinkedIn Profile:

I majored in journalism at the University of Florida in Gainesville and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in fashion design from the International Fine Arts College in Miami, Florida. I have extensive experience working in journalism, fashion, and media and public relations. As founder and president of Clear Creativity, I specialize in three specific areas. I write and edit copy and produce editorial projects for lifestyle magazines, newspapers and online media sites. I produce contemporary, cutting-edge fashion shows and additional events for both non-profit and private clients. And I promote clients’ businesses through public and media relations and marketing strategies. 

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, News, Society and Culture, TV & Film, Variety
Guest Occupation: Strategic Business Futurist, concentrating on relationship aspects of the future
Guest Biography:

BIOGRAPHY copied directly from: https://www.hermangroup.com/joyce_bio.html

Joyce Gioia is a Strategic Business Futurist concentrating on relationship aspects of the future. This arena includes workforce and workplace trends, as well as consumer, education, and business-to-business trends. Joyce is President of The Herman Group, a firm serving a wide range corporate, trade association and governmental clients on an international basis. Through consulting, speaking and training, Joyce helps clients position themselves for success in the future. Joyce has served clients on six continents and in 43 states.

Focusing on what will be most valuable for her clients and audiences, Joyce tailors her messages to what is most needed with an emphasis on take-home value, practical tactics and strategies that can be put to work right away.

To reach an even wider audience, Joyce has co-authored five books with her partner Roger Herman. These books are focused on what employers must do to attract, optimize, and hold onto their best employees. Joyce approaches Human Resources from an Internal Marketing perspective, taking external marketing concepts and strategies and applying them within the organization.

A respected professional speaker and trainer, Joyce has earned the designations Certified Management Consultant, the highest certification granted by The Institute of Management Consultants, and a Certified Speaking Professional, the highest certification granted by The National Speakers Association. She is also a Founding Member of the Association of Professional Futurists as well as being an active Professional Member of the National Speakers Association and The World Future Society. Joyce contributed a regular column to The Future Magazine, as well as Sky, Delta Airlines' award-winning in-flight magazine.

Joyce Gioia holds a bachelor's degree in languages and communications from The University of Denver and a masters in Business Administration (specializing in Marketing) from Fordham University. She also holds masters degrees in Theology and Counseling from The New Seminary. Joyce's career includes a wide variety of industries and fields, including hard goods, soft goods, wholesale, retail, and direct marketing. At the age of 28, she was the youngest magazine publisher in the country, publishing The Complete Buyers Guide to Stereo/Hi-Fi Equipment for Service Communications Ltd.

Often quoted in the national media, like Industry Week, The Christian Science Monitor, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio, Joyce is recognized as one who not only knows what's coming, but can communicate that future very effectively. She has also appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows and was featured in an episode of New Attitudes on the Lifetime Cable Network.

Joyce is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the East, and the International Who's Who of Business Executives.

 

Guest Category: Business, Investing and Finance, Marketing, Management, Education, Philosophy, Personal Development, Self Help, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Owner/Creative Director of 'Ask Aunt V- from the garden to the table - to the Community'
Guest Biography:

Veronica Porter was born and raised in Naperville when it was still considered a small farm town.  She caught the end of an era when you grew, gathered and prepared your own food.  It was a time that you learned from your elders, explored with your friends, and followed in the footsteps of time worn traditions. 

 

Veronica brings these values to modern times and shares her experiences by educating and strategizing for healthy, organic, heirloom gardening, farm to table food integrity, cooking, preservation and living life in a responsible, sustainable manner.  She is a third generation organic farmer, chef, and food educator for home and garden.

 

"My passion is to create community in all I do, from growing a garden, to preparing a meal, to educating, gathering and enjoying life's harvest."  Veronica Porter, Ask Aunt V 2014.

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Self Help, Society and Culture, Variety
Guest Occupation: Anthropologist, CEO of Hydration Foundation, co- author 'Quench 5 Days to Hydration'
Guest Biography:

Named Real World Scholar, Gina researches, consults, and speaks on hydration strategies for health and agriculture. She founded Hydration Foundation.org to work with organizations, scientists and clinicians to promote optimal hydration for people, plants and soils. Her work advances structured water science, publicizing breakthrough findings of Dr. Gerald Pollack, renowned for his identification of the fourth phase of water. She convened the first ever TEDxNewYorkSalon event on structured water, featuring Dr. Pollack. Her own TEDxtalk, How to Grow Water: It's Not Only Blue, It's Green, identifies plants in hydration strategies around the globe.

She is co-author of QUENCH: A Five-Day Plan with Dr. Dana Cohen, MD and featured in the New York Times, O Magazine, NPR among others and is now in 6 languages. A breakthrough book with over 50 recipes, QUENCH shares the science of structured water, the newly identified phase of water with global implications. Her first book, The Art of Family: Rituals and Imagination was a Starbuck’s selection.
 

With a chorus of respected doctors and scientists, on Febraury 15-March 15, 2020 she launches the first ever, online HYDRATION SUMMIT, https://hydrationfoundation.org/hydration-solution-summit-2/ free to the public, it places hydration as the most potent, simple and effective health intervention we have. She is the originator of the You Tube Series: DOCTORS TALK HYDRATION. Her initiatives through the Hydration Foundation have accelerated research and practices in health and soil regeneration.

Among fav initiatives at the Hydration Foundation is our POP UP WATER MUSEUM: The Movement of Water, education through the artistry of Maxi Cohen; and Hydration Oasis at Ideal School, NYC. The Hydration Foundation is known for pilot projects which quickly turn into standard best practices.
Her chapter The Role of Hydration in Health and Wealth, A New Global Agenda, ed., D. Ayton-Shenker, serves as Policy Advising for UN SDGs, with Appendix on Agricultural Application of Structured Water.

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Science, Self Help, Variety
Guest Biography:

From Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Guest Category: Entertainment, News, Politics & Government
Guest Occupation: Talk Show host
Guest Biography:

Hosts a popular morning talk show on AM 710 KNUS. Peter Boyles began his radio career as a traffic reporter in the early 1970s,

https://710knus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/peterboyles710/
https://twitter.com/peterboyles710

Guest Category: Entertainment, News, Politics & Government, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Founder, owner, and operator of Shooters Grill
Guest Biography:

PRO-TRUMP, PRO-GUNS, PRO-CONSTITUTION, PRO-ENERGY, PRO-LIFE, PRO-COLORADO, PRO-AMERICA. HEADING TO CONGRESS TO HELP PRESIDENT TRUMP BUILD THE WALL, DRAIN THE SWAMP, AND TELL ALL THE LEFT-WING LUNATICS WE DON’T WANT SOCIALISM, WE WANT OUR FREEDOM!

Partial Biography below taken from: https://laurenforcolorado.com/about

Lauren Boebert is a Coloradoan living on the Western Slope who believes in personal freedom, citizen rights, and upholding the Constitution of the United States. She is the founder, owner, and operator of Shooters Grill, a restaurant that earned national notoriety for staff that proudly open carry as they serve their customers. She gained additional recognition in September 2019 by attending presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s rally to tell him directly: “Hell, no, you won’t take our guns.” When Colorado’s liberal state government voted for the state to join the National Popular Vote Compact and hand our votes for President of the United States to California, Lauren became the second-largest signature gatherer (over 229,000 signatures were gathered statewide), insuring that voters would have the opportunity to repeal NPV this fall. If repealed, it will be the first time since the 1930’s that a law was repealed via citizen petition. Lauren is active in her church and has spent years counseling at-risk women at the local jail, encouraging them to become self-sufficient and productive members of society who do not depend on government assistance. She is an avid supporter of President Trump and his policies to Make America Great Again.

Donate to: https://secure.anedot.com/lauren-boebert-for-congress/donate

Guest Category: Business, News, Philosophy, Politics & Government, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: American actor, film director, producer, cinematographer, screenwriter, and TV host.
Guest Biography:

Today we are asking the question: in your lifetime what cosmic desire are you playing out? My guest is Sean Christopher Ali Stone who has been a spiritual seeker all his life, studying meditation and global religious traditions since his father took him to India, Nepal and Tibet at 10 years of age.  A student of history at Princeton University and Oxford, he is a published poet and has previously written the non-fiction history book New World Order.  As a media personality, he has hosted the interview program Buzzsaw on Gaia as well as the news show Watching the Hawks for RT.  He has acted in films such as JFK, The Door, Savages, and Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece.  He is the director of films such as Greystone Park and the documentaries Fight Against Time:  Oliver Stone’s Alexander; A Century of War; Hollywood, D.C. and MetaHuman.  He is accessible on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Guest Category: Earth & Space, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, News, Paranormal, Physics & Metaphysics, Self Help, Spiritual, Theory & Conspiracy
Guest Occupation: Former El Paso County Sheriff investigator, owner of Rocky Mountain Computer Forensics
Guest Biography:

Mark Pfoff

INFORMATION / BIOGRAPHY taken from: http://markpfoff.com/

 

Consultant

Mark Pfoff is owner of Rocky Mountain Computer Forensics which provides consulting for civil and criminal cases throughout the United States.  He has worked on projects from New York to Alaska. RMCF uses specialized software to examine computers, cell phones and cell phone records.

Mark is a court qualified expert in computer forensics, cell phone forensics, and cell phone technology. He is also an expert in police procedures and investigations; to include interviewing and interrogation techniques, proper digital evidence collection, and methods to obtain best digital evidence.

RMCF's mission statement:

"Provide forensic examinations of digital evidence using best practices; provide accurate and detailed reports of our findings; and provide expert courtroom testimony"

http://rmcomputerforensics.com/

Cattle Rancher

Mark has a herd of Black and Red Angus cattle in Eastern Colorado.  His cattle graze in open pastures during the summer and are fed a combination of hay and grain during the winter. His herd expands every spring with the addition of calves. Mark's herd has grown to over 50 with more calves on the way.

http://markpfoff.com/cattle-rancher/

School Board Member

Mark was the longest serving school board member for Lewis-Palmer School District 38 since term limits were enacted.  He was elected three times serving 12 years. He served twice as President and held every position during his tenure.  Lewis-Palmer is a high-achieving school district with one of the highest on-time graduation rates in the state of Colorado.

During his tenure the school district maintained a balanced budget, increased reserves, and was ranked as one of the top ten school districts in Colorado.

He completed his fourth and final term in December of 2019.

Guest Category: Earth & Space, Plant & Animals, Education, News, Politics & Government, Society and Culture
Guest Occupation: Director, author and investor of Passion Maps
Guest Biography:

Peter Wallman is the author of best selling “The Wisdom of Passion” and inventor of Passion Mapping™ which enables individuals, pairs and groups to connect with their deepest essence and to generate clarity about what is most important and fulfilling for them. He is a world leader in techniques to discover, ignite and direct passion in people and organizations.

He has facilitated projects in many different Organizational Development situations including leadership development, team building, innovation, coaching and OD strategy. He has led Passion Mapping™ Retreats for one of the world’s leading consulting firms for senior executives of diverse geographical locations and cultural backgrounds. As principal facilitator of Passion Maps™, he personally trains and accredits practitioners. Peter also leads retreats designed to unleash the collective genius of leaders. 

Peter worked in multiple roles and industries before focusing on the power of passion for improving organizational performance. One of these roles was 10 years serving as CEO of an international investment bank. 

Guest Category: Business, Education, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture, Spiritual, Variety
Guest Occupation: Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University.
Guest Biography:

Matthew Fienup, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University. He teaches courses in Econometrics and Environmental Economics in the Masters of Quantitative Economics program.

His specialties are applied econometric analysis, the economics of land use, and environmental markets. Matthew is a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecasting Survey. He is also the Chair of the Fox Canyon Water Market Group and was recently chosen by Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency to serve as exchange administrator for an innovative, first of its kind water market pilot program.

Matthew returned to school to pursue his PhD after running a small business in Ventura County for more than a decade. His other specialties include California Natural History, technical rock climbing and photography. Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the Brooks Institute of Photography and has spent more than 15 years working as a professional climbing guide.

Matthew completed his doctorate in environmental economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.

Guest Category: History, Kids & Family, Politics & Government, Self Help, Variety
Guest Occupation: puppeteer, actor
Guest Biography:

Bill Barretta began performing with The Jim Henson Company in 1991 and has become one of the core Muppet performers.

Originally from Philadelphia Pa, Barretta was trained at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City under the late, great Sanford Meisner and has appeared in several films and television shows such as, Murder in the

First, Born to Be Wild, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, (which he also co-wrote and received a Saturn Award), Nightmares and Dreamscapes and more recently, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Barretta began his career with The Jim Henson Company, landing the character of Earl Sinclair on the ABC hit television series Dinosaurs. From there, he transitioned to supporting and then ultimately featured roles, making his film debut as a principal performer playing Clueless Morgan in Muppet Treasure Island.

Barretta soon developed several new characters on the ABC series Muppets Tonight, including Pepé the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama and Bobo the Bear, to name a few.

Along with having his own Muppet creations, Barretta is honored to have taken over several of Jim Henson’s roles: Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth and Mahna Mahna.

In addition, Barretta has served as coordinator, co-producer and executive producer for many Muppet projects over the last twenty-six years, including It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, Muppets Letters to Santa, The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, the most recent ABC Primetime series The Muppets, and the highly successful live shows, The Muppets Take The Hollywood Bowl, and The O2 Arena.

Barretta has directed, produced and written countless projects for the Muppets over the last twenty-six years including commercials for, UL, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut, Subway, Lipton, Toyota, PAM and an abundance of Social Media content.

Barretta also recently co-starred with Melissa McCarthy as private-eye Phil Philips in the “The Happytime Murders”.

…Oh, and he’s a nice Italian boy.

 

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, Kids & Family, TV & Film, Variety
Guest Occupation: Spiritual counselor
Guest Biography:

Basic Spirituality 101

Keynote Speaker
Spiritually-based Counseling
Workshop Facilitator

Pat Robertson Rice offers you spiritual counseling services that will allow you to obtain the missing piece of information you need to come to terms with any issue you face, decide on a proper course of action, and finally move forward in your life. Helping others move through the most difficult times in their lives is my spiritual commitment. Help is just a phone call away!

Guest Category: Courses & Training, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Spiritual, Access Consciousness
Guest Occupation: Inventor of the Sports Bra Memoir-Unleash the Girls!
Guest Biography:

Lisa Z. Lindahl is an artist, entrepreneur, and women’s health advocate. She invented the sports bra in 1977 and patented a medical garment for breast cancer survivors in 2000. She has a BS in education from the University of Vermont, a Masters of Arts in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University in California and is a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies’ Program of Advanced Initiations. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

Unleash The Girls

The Unlikely Story Of How One Woman Pioneered A

Revolutionary Industry --And Helped Level The Playing

Field In Business & Sports For Millions Of Girls & Women

““The sports bra was and is more than a piece of sporting equipment, it has become a symbol and a vehicle for women and girls to propel themselves forward without inhibition towards the future that they are creating. Prior to its inception, the concept of women running, jumping, lifting, competing, basically moving dynamically, caused reticence. NOW, WE RUN AND MOVE in every athletic space and then some. To say I don’t think about my sports bra anymore is to say that I am FREE to accomplish and go after anything I want. I am EMPOWERED TO EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY!”

-- Brandi Chastain, American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster 

“The introduction of the sports bra did more than improve athletic performance. It represented a revolution in ready-to-wear clothing, and for many women athletes – past, present, and future – it actually made sports possible.”

--Smithsonian Museum of American History Archivist Cathy Keen

As an aspiring artist, part-time secretary, and part-time undergrad student at the age of 28, Lisa Z. Lindahl, a person with Epilepsy, was an unlikely candidate to create a sports garment that would reshape the athletic landscape and become a 19 billion-dollar annual industry. Her new book reveals the amazing story behind the creation of the sports bra, an entrepreneurial victory that has landed her in The National Inventors Hall of Fame (the induction ceremony is May, 2020).

Unleash the Girls:  The Untold Story of the Invention of the Sports Bra and How it Changed The World (and Me) takes us back to 1977 when women, whether they wanted to go to the gym, compete in sports, or jog (as Lisa did), had no protection against bouncing, chafing, sweaty breasts. After casually talking to her sister about the need for such a bra, she went to her good friend, Polly, who later became an award-winning Muppets costume designer, about the need for an athletic bra. Lisa was determined to set out to find a better way to protect her body.

Lisa’s story takes us through the many challenges, ups and downs, and successes of launching a business by women for women in an era and an industry dominated by men. She not only shares “learn from my mistakes” advice, she also provides encouragement to anyone looking to turn an idea into a business.  Lisa’s story is brutally honest and reveals how she navigated – and sometimes fell into – the many pitfalls faced by female entrepreneurs in an industry that had ignored the needs of women.

What Lisa initially thought might be a small mail-order business took off like wild fire across the country.  She was suddenly thrust into a competitive business world dominated by men.  Her only formal business education consisted of a one-year program at the Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. She didn’t even drive a car (due to her Epilepsy).  She certainly seemed an unlikely candidate to become a successful business story and an agent of change.

Lisa is available to discuss:

  • How the first sports bra was crafted out of a men’s jock strap – and how it evolved.
  • How her invention revolutionized not only women’s athletics, but Feminism..
  • How she managed a company with millions in annual revenue, while living with Epilepsy.
  • How she lost control of the company she founded – and gained it back.
  • How women and entrepreneurs can help other women succeed in business.
  • How an idea can be worth millions --but only if you act on it.
  • How to handle the constant anxiety and stress of dealing with the unknowns of an expanding business in a changing marketplace.
  • Knowing when it’s time to sell your company.
  • How/why a bra serves as a feminist icon
  • Partnerships: the good, the bad -- and the ugly?

“Women’s stories need to be told – their true stories, not the fairy tales or fame-glam stereotypes or strident melodramas still too prevalent today,” writes Lisa.  “In these times more than ever, the real stories of real women need to be told by the women who lived them. My story about inventing the sports bra is one such story.”

The 1970s saw women coming into their own, working hard to create new roles at home and in sports, culture, politics, and business. It was also the start of the fitness revolution. At this unique intersection of feminism and athleticism, Lisa’s game-changing entrepreneurial journey began.

She invented the “Jogbra” 43 years ago, the first sports bra. It was the right product at the right time, throwing Lisa into a high-stakes world of business and power – a world for which she was not fully prepared.

Unleash the Girls is the improbable story of how she used her powers of creativity to solve a vexing problem and ended up leveling the playing field for girls and women across the globe – literally, unleashing the girls.

 

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Self Help, Sports & Recreation, Variety