Felicia Knight is the president of The Knight Canney Group, a strategic consultancy based in Portland, Maine. Previously, Knight worked in Washington, DC, where for five years she served as Director of Communications for the National Endowment for the Arts, and for the prior five years as Director of Communications for United States Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine. Before that, Felicia Knight enjoyed a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist in Maine.
When Felicia found out a new male coworker was earning so much more than she was for the same job, she marched down to her boss to ask why. He responded that this coworker had a family to support, and Felicia took that and didn’t push back. She saw the question as answered.
Sometime in her early 40’s, Felicia realized that she was a bonafide adult. At this point she could use the powers of yes and no. It was time for her to make the decisions for herself.
Felicia tries really hard not to micromanage. It was hard for her to delegate, but once she did – it was life changing. She does have a low tolerance for missed deadlines and no attention to detail.
Felicia is excited about a new enterprise called The Portland Science Center, which they are handling media and PR for, and is a very popular science museum in a great part of town.
Listening is Felicia’s strongest practice. She also tries to see from others’ point of view.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Pay Attention. Life goes by very quickly and the average life is made-up of many small moments. Pay attention during that camping trip or that ordinary family dinner, and appreciate what is in front of you.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.” ~ Felicia Knight
Sandy Weiner, founder of Last First Date, is devoted to helping women achieve healthy, off the charts love in the second half of life. An internationally known TEDx speaker, dating coach, speaker, and workshop leader, Sandy specializes in helping women communicate effectively, set clear boundaries in relationships, and value themselves. She believes that a woman of value attracts her best partner. Sandy has contributed hundreds of articles to several prestigious publications, including the Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and The Good Men Project, and she is the dating expert at Better After 50. She is also the host of Last First Date Radio, an acclaimed show about attracting and sustaining healthy relationships in midlife.
Sandy had the opportunity to do a TED Talk after discussing her love for TED Talks with a friend, but she was petrified of public speaking. She hired a speech coach and was able to deliver the speech with phenomenal affect. Sandy had to make the choice to play it small or be amazing.
Sandy looked to the future of her marriage, realized that she would be alone with her husband, once the kids were older, and moved out. This was a thought that she was not looking forward to, and the more time they spent apart, the more their differences surfaced.
Sandy teaches her clients to be their own coach. She says “It’s not about powering over, it’s about powering with.” Sandy believes that empowering to change is much more powerful than shaming into change.
She is re-launching Find Love Online After 40, a pre-recorded course that helps women learn how to find love online, successfully.
Having and accountability partner has been greatly beneficial for Sandy. They meet a couple of times a week and set small goals, then discuss their success or what they plan to do if they didn’t succeed.
Get more support! She tried to do it all, and lost herself. Self-care is so important, and it is essential to delegate, even at home.
“Strive not to be a success, but rather be a value.”
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourlastfirstdate/
Amber Lambke is the president of the Somerset Grist Mill, LLC and its Maine Grains label, which is carried by specialty food stores and used by fine restaurants and bakeries throughout Northeastern US. She is also the executive director of the Maine Grain Alliance. Amber has worked with local business leaders and community members to successfully bring the cultivation and processing of heritage grains back to Skowhegan, Maine, which is a driving force behind Maine’s sustainable foods movement. Her efforts through the Maine Grain Alliance have generated a broader understanding and appreciation of the nutritional and economic value of heritage grains and oats, as well as their exceptional flavor. The alliance’s Kneading Conference, co-founded by Amber, now draws thousands of attendees from across North America each year and has spawned similar conferences across the country.
Amber began to volunteer with an organization called, Main Street, from 2005-2007. Her mindset was focused on recruiting someone to start a business to help her town. Amber never considered that someone would be her.
Amber’s wake up call was recognizing the power of a project to unite people around a common cause. Leadership has been her biggest wake up call.
Amber leads by example. She likes to engage in a task with her eyes wide open in order to see who else could do it before they realize it, so she can bring more to the table.
Maine Grains is now 3 years into their launch and is recognizing the increasing demand for their rolled oats. New equipment has been purchased from Germany and Amber is excited to start upping their production to reach out to new businesses.
Amber always tries to keep her own thoughts in check and saying the right things to herself to be stronger.
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change” by Stephen R. Covey
Amber would tell her younger self to trust her instincts earlier. She always had a vision in business, and she didn’t know where it came from. Amber believes that everyone has intuition about where their life is headed.
“You need to have an affection for place, and people and animals; and you need to have an affection for hard work and the soil and all of the things that come together to make a successful and productive life.”
From: “It All Turns on Affection” by Wendell Berry
Kristie Kennedy is a motivational speaker, a personal development coach and an established author. Kristie has a rich treasury of insight and knowledge for women who are challenged in three areas: self-worth, self-starting and self-growth. She is a visionary leader, who serves as women’s beauty, business, brilliance and body image speaker with a passion for empowering individuals to live magnificently in the face of adversity.
Kristie is an artist at heart and didn’t know she could use those skills to be expressive and was often held back by her own fear. In college, she was afraid to contribute to class discussions for fear of being wrong and realized that her professor was enabling her fear and holding her back.
This year has been a year of transformation for Kristie, which is pivotal for her role as an entrepreneurial leader. After being terminated unexpectedly from her spa career, she realized that she was worth so much more than what she was working for.
Kristie leads from within. She builds herself up with affirmations from her book so that she can be strong form the inside out. Kristie is also a firm believer in doing unto others as they would do unto you.
Kristie is pumped about her new online radio show, Massive Momentum. Her show talks about small steps with massive power and how effective you can be once you overcome your fears.
Journaling has been therapeutic for Kristie, ever since middle school. She journals everything internally and externally, and finds peace in it.
“Aim for Greatness: See it, Say it and Soar!” by Kristie Kennedy
“The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur” by Mary Kay Ash
“Dear Kristie, one day you are going to wake up and realize that all of your pain was a divine oyster housing a pearl of unrevealed power.”
“Success doesn’t come to you; you go to it.” Marva Collins
John Lee Dumas is the founder & host of Entrepreneur on Fire, a top ranked business Podcast where he interviews today's most inspiring Entrepreneurs 7 days a week.
An army veteran and dabbler of professions, he felt unfulfilled in his career until he hit upon his mission – to inspire and motivate would-be and newbie entrepreneurs, to keep going and to find success through all the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial roller coaster.
When John first had the idea of the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast, it was just an idea. He had no clue how to start, nor did he have any background experience. John found someone in a place where he wanted to be, Jamie Tardy. He asked her for mentorship but also made sure to ask how he could add value.
John sees a lot of women hold themselves back from within. In the military, he saw many females shy away from command, but he could not understand why, and knows he would have obeyed their orders. If you know you can deliver, you can create the results people want, that’s all they care about.
John has found that women are quicker at finding their voice as an entrepreneur than men; and that while some women might struggle, they often feel more comfortable being themselves.
Throughout 2015, John has been hard at work on The Freedom Journal, which can help you set and accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days.
“Try not to become a person of success but a person of value.”
John’s main leadership practice is focusing on his morning ritual. Making sure he takes care of himself and then he can take care of fire nation the rest of the day. Focus on yourself first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhB3l1gCz2E
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Nellie Akalp is a serial entrepreneur, small business expert, speaker and author. She is the founder and CEO of CorpNet.com - an online legal document filing service - where she helps entrepreneurs start, grow and maintain a business. Nellie shares her expert tips with readers at Forbes, Entrepreneur and Mashable and is a regular guest expert on the Fox Small Business Center. Nellie has presented a workshop at Small Biz Expo and sat down with members of Girls in Tech, General Assembly, and more, to inspire and motivate others to make their business dreams a reality.
Nellie started her first business straight out of law school and right at the start of the Internet. The business took right off, as there was not a lot of competition. In 2005, the company was sold for a large sum of cash. Nellie took time off to focus more on being a mom. After her non-compete clause ran out, she realized she was too young, bored and passionate to take early retirement. So, Nellie jumped back into the game and started CorpNet in 2009, at the height of the recession. She was bombarded by competition and felt out of place with the new social media world we were in. After Nellie’s quick success in the past, she suffered from a false sense of being able to do the same thing again. Nellie had to adapt to a new way of doing things, and rethink her approach.
Nellie is very public about her panic attacks, even writing about them on The Huffington Post. A year ago she went to an Intuit convention and listened to Ariana Huffington speak publicly about her panic attack. Nellie realized she was not alone, and wanted to share her experiences.
Nellie is not your typical CEO. She expects a ton from her team, but she is very ‘all for one, one for all’. A great big company is a result of the sum of its parts.
CorpNet is updating their CRM software into a new, more engaging platform for their clients and employees.
Nellie has an open door policy where any of the employees can talk to her about what is going on. There should be a balance between keeping your clients and your employees happy. Nellie always makes sure her employees are thriving in a positive environment. She focuses on the positive rather than the negative.
“Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life” by Teri Hatcher
“Make the impossible your reality and it will ultimately become your reality.”
Sara Millman is an independent filmmaker and writer whose work has been screened and distributed on five continents. She envisioned backHer to enable fellow artists, activists, and entrepreneurs to grow budgets, while at the same time to support women who are rising from poverty and oppression. Sara has devoted much of her life to actively caring for people and animals. Social and economic justice has been a factor in her life from the start and Sara is especially passionate about creating and growing the backHer Rise Together Fund.
Click to tweet: .@filmworks7 is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead www.womentakingthelead.com/087
Sara’s film was the closing night film at a London film festival. As she was sitting in the limo that was provided, she suddenly felt super anxious about the upcoming events. Throughout her whole life, Sara wanted to be seen, but now that all eyes were going to be on her, she began second-guessing her decisions. Being at these fancy parties and being treated like royalty while not being able to afford a cup of tea, Sara struggled with a prince and pauper sentiment, still feeling like an outsider who did not deserve to be there.
In school, a science teacher ridiculed Sara for her veganism after her refusal to dissect frogs. Inside a closet, the science teacher came in and shoved dead kittens in her face. Sitting in the closet that day, a powerful knowing came over her and she left. Sara suddenly knew she did not have to go through that.
Sara seeks the leader in others; she tries to always live and work in a state of empowerment. It’s about encouragement of self-empowerment and leadership in everyone.
BackHer is a crowdfunding platform for women to fund their projects and ideas, while also helping underserved women. BackHer supports organizations that help women who are rising out of poverty and oppression. Their goal is to use crowdfunding to help women reach the next step while helping women in need get an education and the help they need.
Sara focuses on compassion; putting heart before ego. She tries to become more aware of the interactions she has with each person every day. Each of us deserves to be treated with respect.
Ted Talks
Why Do Ambitious Women Have Flat Heads? by Dame Stephanie Shirley
How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them by Vernā Myers
Greenlight yourself. Don’t try to be part of the mold that doesn’t have room for you.
“If you manage to stay on your path in life, you will always be at the perfect place.” ~ Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu
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Christie Mims is the Founder and CEO of The Revolutionary Club, the number one destination for smart women who are unwilling to settle for anything less than career happiness. Compassionate, caring, and a little kick-ass, Christie is here to make sure that you love what you do (note: life is too short not to love what you do). A certified professional coach and recovering consultant with a background in working for Fortune 500 companies, Christie has been there, done that, and worn those uncomfortable shoes. She has dispensed career advice for Forbes, LearnVest, Brazen Careerist, Yahoo! and many more; and she can be seen speaking at the University of VA, The Daily Muse, Women for Hire, The US Army, and at a variety of other organizations.
Christie says we treat our jobs as Disney treats love. That is not really the case, though. Your career is something that is going to span 50+ years. When you enjoy your work, you tend to live a healthier and longer life. The more we invest in our careers, the happier we are in our careers.
Fear holds people back. Fear of failure, of not liking your new choice of career. Most people let the fear seep in and talk ourselves out of this big change. Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck than to make a change.
The best way to conquer your fears is to find a sense of community. Once you know that others feel the same and you get to talk about your fears and feel normal about it, it can help you face your fears. Also, get expert support and a plan. If you knew the answers, you would do it. So, let someone guide you towards getting over your fears.
When you find your passion, you are reconnecting with who you really are, which we tend to cover up by our safe jobs. When you stop following everyone else, it is a revolution. It can feel like you are shaking up your life. The revolution club is a space where people can talk honestly about their careers. She believes that if we can change the talk about work, we can change people’s lives.
After taking this program, students have said they found their passion or asked their boss for a raise. People said they have never felt better in their careers. There is no better time to be thinking about your career. The economy is finally getting better. Companies are changing their structures to allow for more freedom.
After a change in the way she thought and a career shift, one of Christie’s students is now an environmental engineer and she says she would never have had the courage to do it without the course. She did not believe it was possible. Another student is going to make more money in his own business than he is now and has a year of work already lined up.
Anna Lenhart is the founder of the Next Generation of Service, an online alternative career center that encourages recent graduates to start their career with a Year of Service. Anna graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. Using her Fulbright Grant, she studied sustainable waste management practices in Namibian townships. She has since staked a role in the San Diego community as a Salesforce and technology consultant, working primarily with non-profits and start-up companies. Anna is also an ambassador for the Franklin Project. She loves surfing, rock climbing, and camping; and has visited 23/53 of the United States National Parks.
Anna tried working with universities for funding. After the realization that it was too difficult working with universities for funding, they had to revert to traditional ways. Anna felt uncomfortable asking for donations and often came across as timid. Once she spoke to other non-profit founders, she had to change the way she approached donors and kicked up her confidence.
With Anna’s unique skill set, she often gets offered full-time jobs with large salaries while she is doing freelance work. She makes sure to carefully examine her current situation before turning down a job offer. As a result, others often question her about those decisions once they learn she has turned down those large salaries.
Anna has different methods depending on what/whom she is leading. She leads her construction engineering differently. In not-for-profit, she looks for very specific people that “get it”. Skill set is not as important as the passion people hold for the project you are working on. The key is to surround yourself with the right people.
Recently, they collaborated with the Positive Impact Podcast to hold an upcoming week long summit featuring successful individuals who got their start with a year of service.
Anna finds that she has a tendency to blurt out what she is saying, so she is trying hard to listen to everyone and hear what they really have to say.
Anna wishes she knew when she was younger that relationships are actually the most important things you have. She wishes she had been less of a jerk as she has a competitive nature that often came between friends.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pool of what you really love, it won’t lead you astray.” - Rumi
Next Generation of Service: http://ngsmovement.org/
Franklin Project: http://www.franklinproject.org/
Journey to Social Entrepreneurship (Upcoming Online Summit): http://journeytosocialentrepreneurship.com/