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The Happier Hour
The Happier Hour is a weekly live show hosted by Kathleen Butler Smith, and joined by a team of co-hosts. The one hour show features interviews with women from around the world sharing thought-provoking stories about their lives and how they were able to discover their next steps.
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Who Was Your First Crush?
The Happier Hour
Ann Moses
Former Editor of "Tiger Beat"
Ann began her career in journalism early – as a reporter for her Junior High School to the city newspaper “Teen Page,” in the Anaheim Bulletin. By the time she was in college, she was co-editor of the college newspaper and did freelance writing for a Southern California weekly music newspaper called Rhythm n News.
At age 19, Ann was hired as a feature editor at Tiger Beat magazine. She covered the teen idols of the 60s and 70s from the Monkees, to Bobby Sherman, to David Cassidy.
She also wrote a weekly column for the British music newspaper the New Musical Express called “Ann Moses Hollywood Calling.” During this time she also did interviews for NME of many stars who were not teen idols, such as Andy Williams, Nancy Sinatra, Tina Turner, James Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Osmonds, and The Carpenters. On her 21st birthday in 1968, Ann was named Editor of Tiger Beat.
She edited Tiger Beat until her resignation in 1972.
She is now the author of her best - selling memoir
“MEOW! my Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols”.
Thanksgiving Tips &Tricks
Melissa McNamara
Morphmom Daily 's Culinary Queen
"Sweet Melissa's" Thanksgiving Day Picks:
APPS:
Pamela Salzman's Raw Brussels Sprout Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Food Network's Potatoes Au Gratin
Epicurious' Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream
What's Gabby Cooking's Best Mashed Potatoes recipes
TURKEY:
Half-Baked Harvest's Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Pan Gravy
&
DESSERT
GOT FLOUR?
The Happier Hour
Jennifer Lapidus
Founder of Carolina Ground Flour Mill
&
Author of "Southern Ground"
RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]
Jennifer Lapidus is transforming bakery offerings across the southern United States with intensely flavorful flour, made from grains grown and cold stone-milled in the heart of the South at Carolina Ground Flour Mill. While delivering extraordinary taste, texture, and story, cold stone-milled flour also allows bakers to move away from industrial commodity flours to create sustainable and artisanal products. Jennifer is bridging the gap between local farmers and bakers. Now, in her latest cookbook, “Southern Ground: RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]" Jennifer celebrates the incredible work of bakers all over the South Serving instruction and insight into how to use and enjoy these flavor-forward flours of geographic distinction,
Jennifer has been featured in Peter Reinhart's book "Whole Grain Breads", The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Splendid Table, Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Saveur, Taste of the South, and numerous other local publications. Jennifer sits on the board of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and is co-organizer of the Asheville Bread Festival.
Everyone is Part of the Party!
The Happier Hour
Laura Taylor
Founder of Mingle Mocktails
Laura Taylor, a high performing software executive, mother of two teenagers and happily married wife of over 20 years, found herself drinking too much- turning to alcohol to relieve the stress of balancing a family, career, and appearances of an ‘ideal’ lifestyle while feeling broken inside. With hard work and support of those around her, Laura quit drinking and got sober 5 years ago. While re-entering social situations, she found that her only option was bland seltzer, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and left out. Inspired by successful female entrepreneurs including Sara Blakeley and Tory Burch, who granted Laura an honorary Tory Burch Fellowship, Laura set out on a mission to remove the stigma associated with sobriety. In 2017, Mingle Mocktails was born, providing a healthy and delicious solution.
Laura set out to craft her beverage from only the purest ingredients. The booze-free beverage is low- calorie, low-sugar and made from natural botanical ingredients, for a refreshing alternative anywhere, anytime. As a result of Laura’s hard work and dedication, Mingle Mocktails is available on her website, regional supermarkets, Amazon, as well as Whole Foods! The beverage is available in five flavors (Blood Orange Elderflower Mimosa, Cucumber Melon Mojito, Blackberry
The Art of Forgiveness..
The Happier Hour
Denise Gaffney & Dr. Veronica Ruelas
Co-Founders of Forgivity
The lack of forgiveness fluency manifests in mental and physical health challenges, staggering suicide rates, increased cultural division and malignant widespread hatred. It's a silent epidemic and a generational problem in our world. Denice and Veronica decided to do something about it and founded Forgivity, a healing movement using a modern approach to the age old wisdom of forgiveness. We believe that Forgiveness is one of the most fundamental needs of a human life.
After a highly successful 20-year career on Wall Street, where Denise brokered international billion-dollar deals, she shifted gears and obtained a certification in Energy Leadership Coaching. Denise supports leaders in moving beyond what they imagined as possible for their own performance and success.
Dr. Veronica Ruelas is an entrepreneur, doctor, author, speaker, certified yoga and meditation practitioner and philanthropist. For the past 20 years she ran a successful optometric practice, founded the non-profit ThirdEyeVision Foundation which brought free eye care and the founder and CEO of AshramChic.
How To Look Your Best..
The Happier Hour
Shaye Strager
Celebrity Stylist & Image Consultant
While New York City provided 2 decades worth of fashion experience, it is her return to the South that has given Shaye Strager a stylish playing field for her discerning eye. For most of her career, Strager advised Manhattan clients, from celebrities to CEOs, on the fine art of styling and reported on trends as an authority for national television audiences on CBS and ABC News platforms. As a former spokesperson for the jewelry industry, she rallied designers and the media with baubles and bijou.
Today, Shaye has transformed her career into a multi-city affair. She styles an impressive group of power players in various industries, keeping CEOS, executives and individuals visually on-message. On a broader scale, Shaye has written corporate dress codes for both luxury brands and smaller private firms. Her influence helps clients stay focused on gaining trust and credibility with their wardrobe choices whether in person, online or on their social media feeds.
Shaye’s mission? To educate and and empower her clients to make confident wardrobe choices; helping to identify their personal style and maintain it with updates that fit their budgets. For more information on Shaye and her fashionable practice, visit ShayeStrager.com
What's Your Story...
The Happier Hour
Laurie Gelman
Best-Selling Author
From talk shows and music shows to parenting shows and news, Laurie Gelman has a wide range of media talents. She now adds best selling author to the list with her brutal take on room parenting in both "Class Mom" , "You’ve Been Volunteered" and “Yoga Pant Nation: A Novel” Her most recent novel, "Smells Like Tween Spirit" was just released!
She began her career in Canada, then went on to co-host several shows in both Canada and the U.S. including the groundbreaking show Breakfast Time with Tom Bergeron for the f/X network. Laurie spent two years as a correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, and, later, The Early Show on CBS. She was a contributing editor for the now defunct Cookie Magazine and a blogger for babycenter.com. More importantly, she was the class mom at her daughters' school for 5 years. She considers this the toughest job she has ever had. Laurie is married to Michael Gelman, Executive Producer of ABC's Live with Kelly and Ryan and is the mother of two beautiful girls.
The Gift of Giving...
The Happier Hour
Christina Sharkey Geist
Founder of Boombox
Author and Co-Founder of True Geist
After taking four years off when her kids were toddlers, Christina Geist started two small businesses and sold her first children’s book, "Buddy's Bedtime Battery", to Random House right around her 40th birthday. Her 2nd release "Sorry Grown-Ups, You Can't Go To School!" debuted at #4 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Her latest novel, "Buddy's New Buddy" will release this July!
In addition to publishing, Christina has spent the past 6 years as co-owner of a boutique branding firm, True Geist, and using that income as the seed capital, she in turn created her own brand, Boombox Gifts, an online boutique for personalized memory boxes co-created by family and friends. Boombox Gifts has been featured in numerous media outlets including, O Magazine, Today , Martha Stewart Weddings and USA Today , just to name a few!
Geist's early career spans news producing, public relations, marketing, brand and design strategy positions at large agencies like Arnold Worldwide and Interbrand, in house at Johnson & Johnson and inside growing startups. She lives in New York with her husband (and Ridgewood High School prom date), Sunday TODAY and Morning Joe host Willie Geist, and their kids, Lucie and George.
Twisted Family Values...
The Happier Hour
Victoria Chickering
Best Selling Author
Essayist & Lyricist
VC Chickering is the author of two hysterical novels published by St. Martin's Press: the four-generation dysfunctional family journey, TWISTED FAMILY VALUES; and the hilarious/scandalous suburban romp, NOOKIETOWN. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmo, and BUST magazines; Grown & Flown and Robot Butt sites; as well as the anthologies, “Mom’s Don’t Have Time To,” "A Girls Guide to Taking over the World," and "The BUST Guide to the New Girl Order."
Victoria has written on-air creative for Comedy Central, MTV, Lifetime, and Oxygen networks, as well as Discovery, NickMom, and Google. She was thrilled to have been named the Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month for July, 2019 and is currently at work on a delightful historical romance about two friends traveling on Eurail passes in the summer of 1988.
Chickering lives with her family in New Jersey where she writes and performs witty original songs for her band, Tori Erstwhile and The Montys
Chickering lives with her family in New Jersey where she writes and performs witty original songs for her band, Tori Erstwhile and The Montys (found on the band’s YouTube channel). Visit vcchickering.com for entertaining links and follow her on Insta/Fb/Twitter @VCChickering.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold...
The Happier Hour
Jenny Reinhardt
New Jersey Artist
Jenny Flexner Reinhardt is a quickly emerging New Jersey artist who has had 7 solo exhibitions in the last three years, including My Sunny Disposition, Drive Like Your Kids Live Here!, Everything Must Go!, The Price of Sugar, Palimpsests, Not Your Average, and See You at the Movies. A selection of group shows includes Deadlocked and Loaded, Go Figure, and Rise. Jenny earned her Masters's Degree in Traditional Figure Painting, Cum Laude, from the New York Academy of Art, and soon thereafter received an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant and an NYAA Merit Scholarship. Her BA is in English Literature from the University of Michigan. She currently works in a 2-story light-filled studio in the vibrant Valley Arts District of Orange, NJ.
“All that glitters is not gold” partly describes Jenny’s overarching artistic choices. As a contemporary woman, dazzled and subsumed by the trappings of contemporary culture, Jenny artistically marries the happy with the sad, the bright with the dark. Jenny’s art travels back and forth from the blinding distractions of the material here-and-now to the bliss of an abstract metaphysical experience. Jenny likes to hide ghostly clues within the glittering façade of “prettiness”. Supported by a strong foundation in traditional figure painting, Jenny now experiments with painting, collage, printmaking, and abstraction, and collage on plexiglass, LED-backlit lightboxes.
Raising Kids...
The Happier Hour
Melinda Wenner Moyer
Award Winning Editor, Author & Journalist
Melinda Wenner Moyer is a contributing editor at Scientific Americanmagazine and a regular contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post, and other national magazines and newspapers. She is a faculty member in the Science, Health & Environmental Reporting program at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Her first book, How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, was published in July 2021 by J.P. Putnam’s Sons. Excerpts have been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Parents magazine, and the book is being translated into seven languages.
Melinda was the recipient of the 2019 Bricker Award for Science Writing in Medicine, and her work was featured in the 2020 Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. She was also awarded a 2018 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellowship. Moyer’s work has won first place prizes in the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, the Folio Eddie Awards and the Annual Writing Awards of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. It has also been shortlisted for a James Beard Journalism Award, a National Academy of Sciences Communication Award and a National Magazine Award. She has a master’s in Science, Health & Environmental Reporting from NYU and a background in cell and molecular biology.
Got Sweets?
The Happier Hour
Elizabeth Schmitt
Owner & Board Stylist ATL Boards
Elizabeth Schmitt had a passion for food, entertaining and styling. She decided to take those hobbies and create a business based upon everything she loved, and ATL Boards was born! A former New Yorker, Elizabeth has lived in Florida, Connecticut and Paris before finally settling down in Atlanta, Georgia with her family and business.
ATL Boards is a Candy Charcuterie (aka candy board) company in Atlanta, GA. They sources the most unique candy from around the world to bring you the most fun and delicious custom created candy boards. They have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), the Atlantan, and Simply Buckhead.
What's Your Story?
The Happier Hour
Caytha Jentis
Award winning Writer
Playwright, Director & Producer
Caytha Jentis has written, directed and produced feature films, an online series, and an award-winning stage play that has been turned into a musical. She has several projects in various stages of development, and has an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and a BS in TV/Film from Syracuse University.
She began her career as a literary agent in New York and was profiled by the Writers Guild and Screenwriter Magazine. She is a member of the Writers Guild, Film Fatales and the Producers Guild.
Caytha's online comedy series , The Other F Word, streamed on Amazon and was one of its top series four months in a row. It now streams on The Girlfriend, AARP Gen X platform. It features: Steve Guttenberg, Judy Gold, Alysia Reiner and Gilbert Gottfried.
Caytha has also written 5 films, including, Bad Parents, which she also produced and directed, and currently streams on HBO, Hulu and Starz. It had previously streamed on Netflix and made the Redbox and iTunes top 20 comedy lists. The cast includes: Janeane Garofalo, Cheri Oteri, Christopher Titus and Kristen Johnston. She also wrote, And Then Came Love, a romantic comedy feature which now streams on Amazon. Its cast includes: Vanessa Williams, Eartha Kitt, Anna Camp and Ben Vereen. Her short film, April Showers, is currently doing the festival circuit.
Caytha received the NJ Playwrights Competition for her play, It’s All About the Kids and her new work Sex Work/Sex Play has been selected to be part of the Emerging Artists Spring New Works Series.
As a producer, Caytha produces films, storytelling events and The Gold Standard Arts Festival, the only festival to celebrate emerging and established older artists. Her website is www.foxmeadowfilms.com
How To Get Run Over By A Truck
The Happier Hour
Katie McKenna
Best Selling Author
Professional Speaker & Leadership Coach
On a sunny morning bike ride in Brooklyn, 24-year-old Katie McKenna was forever changed when she was run over by an 18-wheeler. Being crushed under a massive semi wasn't something Katie should have survived. After 10 hours of emergency surgery, she woke to find herself in a body and a life that would never be the same.
What began as a journal entry on a borrowed laptop during her extended hospital stay, became the best-selling memoir, How to Get Run Over by a Truck. Katie now travels the country, speaking to a vast array of audiences on how to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles with resilience, hope, humor and gratitude. As a professional coach, Katie has made it her mission to use her life experience, insights and passion to inspire and support others. Through one-on-one coaching, she gives clients the tools to tap into your grit, personal courage, and joy to overcome challenges big and small.
Her story inspires others to see how kindness can change the course of a person’s life, to delight in the beauty of the everyday, and to see the strength that lives within themselves.
Katie’s work has been featured in Health Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, Reader's Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the Daily Mail as well as many other publications. Katie has spoken at Fortune 500 companies, and Hospitals, Medical Schools ,Conferences and Universities across the country. Most recently, Ellen DeGeneres and the writers of the award winning Broadway musical “Come from Away” have teamed up with Warner Brothers to develop a 1 hour drama based on Katie’s story.
Making The Invisible... Visible
The Happier Hour
Megan McDowell
Founder of Heatworks
Speaker & Therapist & Activist
Megan McDowell is a licensed therapist and the founder of Heartworks, a non for profit acts of kindness group. She is an enthusiastic leader that sparked a movement focused on conscious giving and self-awareness in honor of the kindness shown to her sister Maryanne after her brother-in-law, John Farrell, was killed on September 11, 2001. Her story is a motivational tale of turning a horrible tragedy into an incredible movement.
Heartworks is a local grassroots community of women committed to replicating and sustaining the palpable kindness of others by helping local families dealing with grief, illness and tragedy. Inspired by the mutual healing that takes place through receiving and giving, they offer hope to those in a true time of need.
Her story is known internationally, and has reached over 2 million viewers on Mike Rowe's hit show " Returning The Favor"!
What's Next
The Happier Hour
JJ Ramberg
Founder of Goodpods & DogDog.org
Former MSNBC Anchor
JJ Ramberg is an entrepreneur, television host, public speaker, podcast host, entrepreneur, best-selling author and mom.
She is the founder of Goodpods - the podcast player where you can follow friends, groups and influencers to see what they're listening to.
JJ is also the co-founder of DogDog.org, the search engine that supports shelter dogs each time you do a search. To date, they have raised more than $7 million to help dogs in need.
JJ has been honored for her work by organizations including the American Women’s Business Association, Self Magazine, The Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Executives, Small Business Influencers and the New York Enterprise Report. JJ was recently named to Inc Magazine's Female Founders 100 and Goodpods was listed as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies.
Before Goodpods, JJ anchored the show Your Business on MSNBC for over a decade. She is also author of two books: The bestseller It’s Your Business and the children’s book The Startup Club.
Create A New Beginning
The Happier Hour
Kim Sleeman
Executive Director of The Warehouse NJ
After spending years volunteering with various organizations including The Peace Corps, Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills and Bridges Outreach in Summit NJ,, Kim realized her passion was helping others in need. Kim refused to believe that her most impactful experiences were behind her and wanted to create a non-profit where she could wake up every day and be proud of the work she was doing. And she did just that! Kim founded The Warehouse NJ in June 2019 to help families and individuals transition from homelessness into new permanent housing.
The Warehouse NJ started very organically: Kim began collecting gently used furniture and storing it in her garage. Two and half years later Kim now operates out of a packed shared warehouse space in Orange NJ. She works closely with over 15 service agencies, providing each of her clients with furniture and household items helping to turn empty apartments into homes.
Kim’s clients come from all different circumstances, including those facing mental and/or physical challenges, victims of domestic abuse and victims of fire and flood. Kim also helps refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Guatemala, and El Salvador relocating for the first time.
Speed of Passion
The Happier Hour
Yolanda Rabun
Modern-Day Renaissance Woman
Yolanda Rabun is a daughter, wife, mother, professional actor, motivational speaker, political scientist, a community activist for youth, corporate attorney, corporate executive, singer- songwriter, national recording and touring artist, theatre and music producer, music entrepreneur, and "not done." Often referred to as a multi-hyphenateor modern-day Renaissance woman
Yolanda serves as Senior Counsel and Corporate Executive with IBM Corporation’s IBM Research business. Triangle Business Journal awarded Yolanda the Top 40 under 40 Leadership Award and Women in Business Award. Yolanda also earned the Durham Chamber of Commerce Connector Award while serving on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce. In 2021, Yolanda serves on the United Arts Council – Raleigh and Wake County Board of Directors. She is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Corporate Counsel Women of Color, and admitted to full legal practice in New York and Georgia.
Yolanda is also a chart-topping national jazz recording artist, an award-winning professional equity actor, and recognized by President Obama as the recipient of the President’s Call to Service Award. Along with numerous acting accolades, she has three solo albums and has topped several charts, including the U.K. Soul Top 30 chart. Yolanda has opened for and performed with such iconic Grammy award-winning artists as Jennifer Holiday, Stephanie Mills, Howard Hewitt, Clay Aiken, Ron Isley, and the Isley Brothers, and R&B singers Will Downing, KEM, and the world-renowned iconic drummer, Sheila E. Yolanda Rabun is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Grammys), a registered BMI songwriter and a publisher with both BMI and ASCAP.
Everything Has Its Place
The Happier Hour
Gabriela Mekler
Co-Founder of MUMI
As a former elementary school teacher, Gabriela Mekler knows a thing or two about organizing and keeping things tidy. The Mexican-born NYU graduate with a double major in Education and Psychology and a master's degree in School Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, uncovered her true calling during a family vacation with her best friend and current business partner, Maribel Moreno. While unpacking their luggage, they both discovered they shared a common obsession for keeping everything in its place.
That moment sparked the 2014 foundation of mumi, a company born with a simple yet monumental mission: to share with the world the liberating feeling of being well organized by offering products that deliver an efficient and practical way to stay organized at home, school, the office or when travelling.
The company built its reputation with its packing cubes, a product that is still today a central part of their brand and one of their bestsellers. Both Gabriela and Maribel feed their love and passion for mumi through their customers, seeing how engaged their followers are online and how much they connect with the brand once they enter the “mumi world.”
Today, they get orders from every continent, having leveraged on the power of social media to reach unexpected audiences around the world.
Secret Wisdom
The Happier Hour
Sarah Brokaw
Best Selling Author & Licensed Therapist
Podcast Host
Sarah graduated from Duke University, earned a Masters in Social Work from New York University, and received her License in Clinical Social Work in both New York and California. But, she didn’t stop there. Sarah also received specialized training in working with families and couples from the esteemed Ackerman Institute, and finished a postgraduate program at Fielding University for Executive Coaching. Additionally, Sarah is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and has completed the National Institute for Psychotherapies psychoanalytic training. She also recently completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy as well as specialized instruction in TRM (Trauma Resiliency Model), a mind-body approach for treating affairs and trauma.
Sarah’s professional experience includes therapy for latency-aged children at Four Winds Hospital and group therapy for individuals who either worked in the World Trade Center or were nearby during the 9/11 attacks.
Sarah is the author of the best selling book "Fortytude" which explores the core values that allow us to make the best of our forties. Inspired by the remarkable women Sarah met while researching Fortytude, she launched a discussion series called Wise Women of LA in which women of diverse backgrounds could meet, share and support each other in achieving their professional and personal goals. Sarah also created a podcast series called Shared Secrets in which men and women with wisdom to share graciously let us in on their secrets
Who Doesn't Love a Top Ten List?
The Happier Hour
Katie Daryl
TV Host and Executive Producer of "Top Ten Revealed"
The Greatest and Most Iconic Songs, Bands and Musicians
Katie Daryl has 15+ years of industry experience MTV, VH1, TMZ, HDNet, CBS, REELZ, AXS TV and Anheuser Busch. She also hosts & produces a variety of AXS TV’s digital programs including Music High 5, At Home and Social, Rock & Tell, and Stranded. Weekly Katie Daryl finds herself interviewing the best of the best for her show "Top Ten Revealed", from the rock star world such as Nancy Wilson, Mick Fleetwood, Alice Cooper, Finneas, Jason Mraz, Lady A, Carnie Wilson and more!
Katie Daryl started her broadcasting career as a part time radio DJ at the age of 15. In 2000, after being crowned Fiesta Bowl Princess, Katie was hired by MTV. She then became the co-host of The Mark Cuban Show for two seasons on UPN/CBS Dallas.
After pitching Mark Cuban a music TV show concept, Katie joined the HDNet team as host, producer and creator of True Music which aired weekly from 2002-2007. Concurrently, Katie produced and hosted over 250 episodes of Deadline! for HDNet. She has also worked with VH1 as a contributing music expert on a variety of their countdown themed shows and she toured with Dale Earnhardt Jr. hosting Budweiser’s One Night Stand parties.
In 2007 Katie helped with the launch of TMZ on TV as a producer & VO talent. She was responsible for daily radio call ins and live flash cam needs for national affiliates.
Branding & Marketing & Social Media
Oh My!
The Happier Hour
Lizzy de la Peña
Founder of The Millennials Collective
How do you increase your social media following?
How do you brand yourself?
How important is a website?
What are the three top marketing tips?
Although Lizzy began her career in advertising at JWT, her true passion was to transition to creative event production. Approximately 9 years ago, that is exactly what she did. Lizzy founded @millennialscollective, an event production company, in her NYC apartment and has never turned back!
The Millennials Collective is a boutique branding, design, and event house that specializes in sleek designs, impactful events, and organic connections that produce growth- exactly what we all need! Lizzy graduated with a BFA in fine art and art history and spent a year in Italy studying design...and the rest is history!
It's "Bow" Time
The Happier Hour
Lindie Royall & Becca Grider
Co-Founders of The Little Poppy Co.
In a short walk home, a brand new bow was lost, and Little Poppy Co. was born.
Started in 2015 by two Utah mothers, Lindie Royall and Becca Grider , Little Poppy Co. has exponentially grown into a multimillion-dollar company. As with most morphmoms, the partners found something missing in the market...and filled that gap. As mothers with young children, they realized the not only the desire for bows, but the realization they they were also lost all too frequently. They joined forces and created the ORIGINAL bow subscription service that offers stylish bows to surprise buyers( and children) every month.
Just Enough...
The Happier Hour
Liz Lange
CEO & Creative Director of Figue
Founder of Liz Lange Maternity
In 1997, Liz Lange pioneered "maternity chic" by creating stylish, body conscious clothes for pregnant women. Working alone out of a one-room office, she created Liz Lange Maternity, changing the face of maternity fashions and revolutionizing the category. A decade later it was one of the largest maternity apparel brands in the world and in 2007, after dressing every major pregnant celebrity, including including Cate Blanchett, Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, , Kate Winslet, and Reese Witherspoon, and opening multiple flagship Liz Lange boutiques and forging major licensing deals with Nike and Target, Liz sold the brand.
Liz is the also the author of "Liz Lange's Maternity Style: How to look Fabulous during the Most Fashion-Challenged Time" published by Random House.
In 2010 Liz' first women's ready to wear collection launched on HSN, Completely Me™ by Liz Lange.
In December 2020, Lange acquired Figue, a popular dress brand, of which she is now the CEO and Creative Director.
Lange is also the star of the popular Sony podcast, "The Just Enough Family."
Liz has been recognized with many awards including Crain's Rising Star Award, Crain's 40 under 40, Time Magazine's "most powerful entrepreneur's". In addition to all of her fashion press coverage, Liz has also been profiled in major business publications including the WSJ and Harvard Business Review. Liz has appeared on Oprah, CNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg
Liz is actively involved in many charities and was a spokesperson for cervical cancer awareness. She spends most of her time these days running Figue as its CEO and Creative Director, and also investing in other consumer facing brands.
She lives in NYC, East Hampton and Palm Beach with her husband, her two college aged children and her two dogs.
When Oprah Loves Your Dress...
The Happier Hour
Jean Marie Clarke
Founder PAX PHILOMENA
Jean Marie Clarke, founder of PAX PHILOMENA, is on a mission to share her life-long love and passion for beautiful textiles through this transnational clothing line. A quintessential citizen of the world, Jean Marie was born in Calcutta, India to Anglo-Indian parents, whose families had been living in India for five generations. She emigrated with her family to America at a young age as a British citizen and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona.
As the daughter of immigrants, she could not afford to buy clothes deemed “fashionable,” so she tailored and sewed her own clothing from original fabrics. Earning a scholarship to Princeton University, Jean Marie felt a calling to study art history, focusing on Italian Renaissance studies. She studied abroad in Rome, learned Italian, and fell in love with the sense of aesthetics that permeates the Italian culture.
After graduation, she met Antonio Ratti the owner of Ratti SPA Textile Mill in Como, Italy. Impressed with her passion for textiles, Ratti hired her to work from his Como office designing and selling printed fabrics for the American luxury home furnishings market. For the last two decades, Jean Marie has travelled the world representing European textile mills. However, always feeling a calling to India, she has finally stepped foot back on Indian soil and has created PAX PHILOMENA to combine her love of India and Italy with her passion for beauty, color, design, and comfort in clothing.
As part of Jean Marie's mission, a portion of all PAX PHILOMENA proceeds go to Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity who continue to serve others and spread peace in America, India, and throughout the world.
A Renaissance Woman
The Happier Hour
Eugenia Foxworth
Founder Foxworth Realty
Podcast Host "The Foxworth Theory"
The journey of renaissance woman Eugenia Foxworth has many milestones – scholar, fashionista, art curator, flight attendant, real estate business owner and organizational president, scholarship committee executive and, most recently, podcast host.
After a brief stint as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines, Eugenia decided to follow her love for fine art and fashion. She first opened a Mexican clothing boutique in midtown Manhattan. Soon thereafter, she launched Foxworth Art Gallery, on the east side of the NYC. While simultaneously living out her passion for art, fashion and culture, Eugenia experienced a flood in her gallery. After many failed attempts at finding a new location with her broker, she decided to take matters into her own hands and obtain a real estate license so she could find her perfect place without having to rely upon others.
In 2008, Foxworth Realty opened its doors. She has since been honored as a “Woman of Excellence” by the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce and highlighted by Real Estate Agent Advisor as “One of the Phenomenal Women in Real Estate”. On May 1st, 2021 she took on a new title as the President of FIABCI-USA. She is the first African-American to be elected to this position.
Eugenia Foxworth can add yet another milestone along her journey – podcast host for "The Foxworth Theory", a new series that will cover, of course, art, fashion and culture.
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Helping Mamas
The Happier Hour
Jamie Lackey
Founder & CEO Helping Mamas
After nearly 20 years as a social worker, Jamie Lackey saw first-hand that the mothers she served couldn’t afford the basic necessities to care for their babies and children. The statistics remain staggering – one in three women in Georgia can’t afford diapers. So, in 2014, she took a leap and founded Helping Mamas, with a mission to collect and donate baby supplies to organizations who serve women and children in need in Georgia.
Lackey successfully raised $100,000 in financial and $50,000 in in-kind donations in the first year alone and has worked tirelessly to grow the organization to include over 150 partner agencies across the state serving over 55,000 families to distribute over 1,000,000 essential baby items such as diapers, clothing, baby wipes, strollers and car seats.
In her role as CEO, Lackey oversees and manages volunteers, corporate groups and partnerships; prepares grants and works with an active board of directors; and handles the day-to-day operations to move the agency forward.
She is the recipient of the United Way of Metro Atlanta’s first annual Spark award, which recognizes a local nonprofit organization with the most innovative strategy to impacting poverty.
Jamie received a Master's in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. Lackey is a working mother of two and resides in Snellville, GA.
Who Didn't Have a crush on David Cassidy?
The Happier Hour
Robyn Hadden
Actress, CSEP, Realtor & Founder RKH Management, LLC
Personal Assistant Michael Crawford & David Cassidy
Robyn Hadden, CSEP, started working in show business at the age of six. After graduating from college, she began her professional career at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino as a production assistant during the installation of the largest show at that time, EFX. After sitting next to the show’s star at a table read, she was hand picked to be Michael Crawford’s personal assistant. She continued this role with his successor, David Cassidy. She continued working with David as he opened two additional shows and toured the United States and United Kingdom.
Robyn earned her Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) designation from the International Live Events Association in 2000, then received her Master’s Degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2005. David Cassidy left Las Vegas and Robyn accepted a position at UNLV a year later as the event manager before serving as the Director of Alumni & College Relations at the UNLV College of Hospitality.
40 years old, divorced and single, Robyn followed her dream of becoming a mother. Her OB/GYN recommended a fertility clinic where she became a "Single Mother By Choice" (SMBC) through IVF and an anonymous donor. She became a mother to Jack in 2011. Late in December 2013, she met the love of her life, and she and Jack moved back to her hometown in October 2014 to join Scott and his son, Jordan in Ohio. Robyn continued her events management career as the Associate Director of Special Events at The Ohio State University.
At 50, she started her own company, RKH Management LLC, and just passed the Florida Real Estate License Sales Associates exam. She is currently working with a successful real estate team as their business manager.
Really Famous
The Happier Hour
Kara Mayer Robinson
TV Host and Producer Really Famous
Kara Mayer Robinson is a celebrity interviewer, TV talk show host, and host and producer of the TV and film talent-interview show Really Famous.
Kara interviews A-listers including Spike Lee, Tony Goldwyn, Mayim Bialik, Dennis Quaid, Talia Shire, Mike Rowe and Padma Lakshmi for television, podcasts, digital media, print and live events. The conversations are intended to reveal who the guests really are and how they really feel, in order to get to know the real person behind the fame.
Really Famous is available across a multitude of audio and video platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, IGTV and Facebook Video.
Kara is also an esteemed journalist (The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Emmy, Travel + Leisure, etc.) and Columbia University-trained psychotherapist.
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It's All About The Arts!
The Happier Hour
Fran Kirmser
Tony Award Winning Producer, Dancer & Author
Fran Kirmser is Two-Time Tony Award Winning Broadway Producer, fundraiser, former Dancer, and co-Author of the book A Life In Dance. Fran has her finger on the pulse of live performing arts and entertainment in New York City.
Her award-winning and fan-favorite productions include the rock musical HAIR, sports plays LOMBARDI and MAGIC/BIRD, and play revivals WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS starring Al Pacino. She’s helped produce the work of hundreds of artists throughout her 25-year career and has worked in Development at major institutions such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Martha Graham Dance Company.
An entrepreneur and single Mom, she has run her own company for over two decades while raising a daughter. Fran’s passion is teaching young artists the business side of the arts and has done so at universities in half of our 50 states including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, University of California, Wayne State University, University of Hawaii, Alvin Ailey/Fordham and Columbia University among others.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
The Happier Hour
Sabina Carr
CEO of the San Antonio Botanical Garden
Sabina Carr is the chief executive officer for the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Sabina joined the San Antonio Botanical Garden in the fall of 2019 after an extensive national search. She arrived at a significant juncture for the public garden that had just transitioned to privatization in January 2019. Sabina directs all operations for the 38-acre public garden located in the heart of San Antonio’s cultural corridor, and under her leadership oversees fundraising, education, marketing, business administration and horticultural efforts with an annual visitation of 170,000 and a membership household base of over 11,000, doubled from 5,000 households during her tenure.
The Botanical Garden recently completed a successful $40M capital campaign that transformed the garden with stunning new gardens, facilities and amenities, including a culinary garden, an outdoor teaching kitchen, family adventure garden, and new state-of-the-art event and education center. Sabina has activated these new spaces with expanded hours, new events such as the Sips & Sunset in the Garden series, new art exhibitions including the world debut of Frida Kahlo Oasis and Origami in the Garden², and horticulture exhibitions such as Wildflowers in the Garden & Orchid Weekend. This activation has attracted more earned revenue and served to broaden audiences while connecting more people to the importance of plants in our lives.
She is Past President of the Board of the American Public Gardens Association, a national network of over 600 member gardens and over 9,000 individual members in 14 countries. Prior to joining the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Sabina was Vice President, Marketing for the Atlanta Botanical Garden where she helped lead the garden’s impressive growth over 15 years by quadrupling three key areas: annual operating budget, annual visitation and household membership. Before her career in public gardens, Sabina worked in New York City and held marketing positions with American Express, Conde Nast, and Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising. She holds a B.A, in English Literature from Southern Methodist.
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Paying It Forward
The Happier Hour
Simone Gordon
Founder of The Black Fairy Godmother Foundation
Simone Gordon, affectionately known as The Black Fairy Godmother, has been featured on almost every T.V. talk show and news outlet you can think of, from "The Kelly Clarkson Show" to "Good Morning America". And yet, the New Jersey native remains humble as the face of a network of 'guardian angels' who come to the rescue of thousands of women-led families living in abject poverty and experiencing domestic violence. Her motivation for helping women in crisis is deeply personal.
Simone desperately sought out resources to help take care of herself and her nonverbal, autistic son. Frustrated by the lack of available aid in her state, her motherly instincts kicked in, and she got creative. In countless Facebook groups, Simone unabashedly petitioned for help to secure food, diapers, and formula for her son. Humbly she encountered kind-hearted strangers, who she regards as guardian angels, offering emergency assistance in her time of need. However, the support and generosity didn't stop there; Simone was even able to return to school due to a guardian angel paying her unpaid tuition bill.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Simone knew that her hardship could be the equivalent of someone else's point of no return. She felt compelled to pay it forward and began to research the various socio-economic conditions that disproportionately impact African Americans. Alarmed by the statistics, she sprang into action, creating a platform to help families in adverse situations, the mantra of her mission: "Women and children first." She began with a social media platform that ultimately evolved into The Black Fairy Godmother Foundation.
Today, a growing legion of international supporters, within the Black Fairy Godmother Network all agree, Black Fairy Godmother is a name perfectly befitting of a woman who remains a vigilant lifeline to many. The Black Fairy Godmother Foundation has been the recipient of a number of grants from various organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Tony Burch/Upworthy Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Foundation, and the Grapevine Foundation, Benevity (partnership with Google).
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Calling The Shots
The Happier Hour
Joy Taylor
Radio Personality & Podcast Host
Television Host at Fox Sports 1
Joy Taylor co-hosts THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD, which airs weekdays on FS1, as well as the popular "Maybe I'm Crazy" Podcast. Taylor joined FOX Sports in March 2016 for the launch of SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED and served as the moderator on the debate show until July 2018.
Prior to joining FOX Sports, Taylor spent the previous five years in Miami radio, including a successful three-year stint at 790 AM The Ticket, where she was co-host for the station’s top-rated morning-drive program, "Zaslow and Joy Show," after starting with the station as the show’s executive producer. Taylor also served as the host of "Thursday Night Live" and "Fantasy Football Today" on CBSSports.com.
A Pittsburgh native and the younger sister of former Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor, she attended Barry University and earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcasting. While at Barry, she hosted her own radio show, "The Noise," and served as station manager for WBRY Radio.
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"The Bone Code"
The Happier Hour
Dr. Kathy Reichs
New York Times Best-Selling Author
Producer of the hit Fox TV series "Bones"
Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead catapulted her to fame when it became both a New York Times and international bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Her latest novel, The Bone Code, is Kathy’s twentieth entry in her series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. In addition, Kathy co-authored The Virals young adult series with her son.
Kathy was also a producer of the hit Fox TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels.
From teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab, as a forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her mesmerizing forensic thrillers. For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Dr. Reichs has traveled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide, and helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala. As part of her work at JPAC (Formerly CILHI) she aided in the identification of war dead from World War II, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Reichs also assisted in the recovery of remains at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Dr. Reichs is one of only 100 forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, and is currently a member of the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada. She is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
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Oh Baby!
The Happier Hour
Fiona Sahakian
Founder of Posh Peanut
Fiona Sahakian founded Posh Peanut Children’s Boutique in the beginning of 2011 and it all began because of a genuine love for children, children’s clothing and an inventive excitement needing to be fulfilled. Fiona had been a successful hairstylist in Los Angeles CA for 12 years before fully committing her focus to growing her brand. Fiona decided it was time to begin a new chapter in her life and left her job as a hairstylist so she could fully immerse herself into the future of Posh Peanut.
Fiona initially launched Posh Peanut with children's clothing &accessories on Etsy.com and was soon kicked off the platform due to the brand’s outstanding success. She then created PoshPeanut.com, which is now available on Amazon, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue- becoming the number one baby brand and searched brand at Saks Fifth Avenue after Chanel.
They’ve built a huge following around the world and have solidified themselves as a favorite among celebrities including Chrissy Teigen, Kylie Jenner, Kate Hudson, Gabrielle Union, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria and more!
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"Is Your Partner Sports-Obsessed?"
The Happier Hour
Ernestine Sclafani Bayless
Bestselling Author
"Balls: How To Keep Your Relationship Alive
When You Live With A Sports Obsessed Guy."
Ernestine Sclafani Bayless enjoys spending free time shopping, going to concert, the movies, and the theatre: pretty much anything other than watching sports. When she started dating and then married Skip Bayless, one of the most influential figures in sports media, something had to give. And it did.
Ernestine's Amazon bestselling book explains just how to keep a relationship alive - and still going strong - while learning how to coexist with Skip's "other woman"- who she's come to know , live with and put a name to: sports.
For nearly three decades Ernestine built a reputation in the world of public relations by using chutzpah and charm to help other people and brands share their stories. Now it's her turn, with her literary debut of "Balls: How To Keep Your Relationship Alive When you Live With A Sports Obsessed Guy."
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"It ain't over until you say it's over"
The Happier Hour
Lesley Jane Seymour
Founder of Covey Club
&
Media Entrepreneur
Lesley Jane Seymour is a media entrepreneur and founder of CoveyClub a new club for life-long learners launched in February 2018 (Covey is a small flock of birds). CoveyClub allows women 40+ to bond over issues of interest and concern through webinars (Coffee & Conversation) or topics in the CoveyClub blog which is written and produced by the best journalists around the world. CoveyClub also weekly podcasts with women reinventing themselves (The Reinvent Yourself Podcast) and an app (CoveyConnect) where women can connect and talk with each other about similar interests.
From 2008-2016, Lesley served as Editor-In-Chief of More Magazine, the leading lifestyle magazine for women over forty with a readership of 1.5 million. She was also the Editor-in- Chief and Social Media Director of More.com, which attracted over 12 million monthly page views and 600,000 unique visitors. Before taking over More, Lesley served as the Editor-in- Chief for Marie Claire, Redbook, YM, and Beauty Director of Glamour, and copywriter and senior editor at Vogue.
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Everyone is Part of the Party!
The Happier Hour
Laura Taylor
Founder of Mingle Mocktails
Laura Taylor, a high performing software executive, mother of two teenagers and happily married wife of over 20 years, found herself drinking too much- turning to alcohol to relieve the stress of balancing a family, career, and appearances of an ‘ideal’ lifestyle while feeling broken inside. With hard work and support of those around her, Laura quit drinking and got sober 5 years ago. While re-entering social situations, she found that her only option was bland seltzer, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and left out. Inspired by successful female entrepreneurs including Sara Blakeley and Tory Burch, who granted Laura an honorary Tory Burch Fellowship, Laura set out on a mission to remove the stigma associated with sobriety. In 2017, Mingle Mocktails was born, providing a healthy and delicious solution.
Laura set out to craft her beverage from only the purest ingredients. The booze-free beverage is low- calorie, low-sugar and made from natural botanical ingredients, for a refreshing alternative anywhere, anytime. As a result of Laura’s hard work and dedication, Mingle Mocktails is available on her website, regional supermarkets, Amazon, as well as Whole Foods! The beverage is available in five flavors (Blood Orange Elderflower Mimosa, Cucumber Melon Mojito, Blackberry
Got Flour?
The Happier Hour
Jennifer Lapidus
Founder of Carolina Ground Flour Mill
&
Author of "Southern Ground"
RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]
Jennifer Lapidus is transforming bakery offerings across the southern United States with intensely flavorful flour, made from grains grown and cold stone-milled in the heart of the South at Carolina Ground Flour Mill. While delivering extraordinary taste, texture, and story, cold stone-milled flour also allows bakers to move away from industrial commodity flours to create sustainable and artisanal products. Jennifer is bridging the gap between local farmers and bakers. Now, in her latest cookbook, “Southern Ground: RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]" Jennifer celebrates the incredible work of bakers all over the South Serving instruction and insight into how to use and enjoy these flavor-forward flours of geographic distinction,
Jennifer has been featured in Peter Reinhart's book "Whole Grain Breads", The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Splendid Table, Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Saveur, Taste of the South, and numerous other local publications. Jennifer sits on the board of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and is co-organizer of the Asheville Bread Festival.
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School's Out...Now What?
The Happier Hour
Meg Ragland
President and Co-Founder of Plum Print
It was an overflowing art drawer in Meg Ragland’s Brooklyn kitchen that helped give rise to the formation of Plum Print. Her daughter (now 15) and twin boys (10) were prolific preschool artists. So Ragland teamed up with her cousin, who had the same “creative clutter” storage issue in Manhattan, to cofound Plum Print in 2012.
Plum Print takes the overwhelming piles of artwork that children create and turn them into elegant coffee table books. The company was founded in New York and moved their headquarters to Asheville, North Carolina in 2013. The company was profitable in just 10 months and has customers in all 50 states and around the globe. Plum Print has gained national media attention, appearing in magazines such as Parents, Good Housekeeping and Real Simple, and numerous blogs, including Gywneth Paltrow’s GOOP, and Cool Mom Picks, Plum Print has also been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC World News and CNBC’s Power Pitch.
Before launching Plum Print, Meg was the health director at Family Circle magazine. A seasoned editor and writer, Meg has been published in Glamour, Self, Fitness, Health, Marie Claire, Child, and the Boston Globe. She regularly appeared on morning television discussing health, nutrition, fitness, psychology and parenting issues. She’s the author of Get A Freelance Life, mediabistro.com's Insider Guide to Freelance Writing.
How To Move Mountains!
The Happier Hour
Kara Richardson Whitely
Plus-Size Author, Public Speaker and Adventurer.
Against all odds, Kara took on Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, three times, conquered her fears and shared her incredible journey in her autobiography, "Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds and The Weight of Being".
The story is so inspirational that it is coming to the big screen and being made into a major motion picture by Amazon Studios. Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) is not only producing the film but starring in it as well.
Kara has been featured in The New York Times and on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS' The Talk and countless other media outlets. She is an influencer for L.L. Bean and a contributor for Backpacker. She helps brands achieve authentic growth by connecting with the untapped market of the 67 percent of women who are size 12 and above.
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Time to Travel!
The Happier Hour
Stephanie Linnartz
President of Marriott International, Inc.
Stephanie Linnartz is the president of Marriott International, Inc., the world’s largest hospitality company with more than 7,600 properties across 133 countries and territories and 30 brands. It also has the travel industry’s largest customer-loyalty program, Marriott BonvoyTM, which has more than 147 million members, and some of the most iconic brands in travel, including The Ritz-Carlton®, St. Regis® Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Sheraton®, W® Hotels Worldwide, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, Westin®, Renaissance® Hotels, and Le Méridien®.
Before her appointment as president in February 2021, Ms. Linnartz was Group President Consumer Operations, Technology and Emerging Businesses. Ms. Linnartz joined Marriott in 1997 as a financial analyst. Over the years, she worked in various roles within operations, finance, revenue management, sales, marketing, brand management, distribution, technology and digital. Under her leadership, the company launched a new home rental offering, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, and has expanded its consumer offerings to include travel categories beyond hotels, such as tours and activities, dining and transportation.
HBO...GO!
The Happier Hour
Nora Francescani Skinner
Senior Vice President, Drama Series HBO
Nora Francescani Skinner has worked as Senior Vice President, Drama Series at HBO since September 2015. While at HBO, she has been the point executive on Brad Inglesby’s MARE OF EASTTOWN starring Kate Winslet, Jesse Armstrong’s SUCCESSION, Damon Lindelof’s WATCHMEN, Richard Price’s THE OUTSIDER, Damon Lindelof’s THE LEFTOVERSand (upcoming) Mike White’s THE WHITE LOTUS, and Hagai Levi’s SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE starring Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, among others.
Prior to HBO, Skinner was the Executive Vice President of Production and Development at Indian Paintbrush, a New York and Los Angeles-based production and financing company (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Labor Day). Before joining Indian Paintbrush, Skinner was the Senior Vice President of Development at Scott Rudin Productions in New York, where she worked on The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moneyball, Revolutionary Road, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Julie & Julia, among other film, television and theater projects. In addition to working on the Tribeca Film Festival, Skinner served as the Director of Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Theatrical Productions and the Co-Managing Director of their Tribeca Theater Festival.
Film credits: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl (Executive Producer), directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Jesse Andrews, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Executive Producer), directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Eric Roth, The Reader (Associate Producer), directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, Doubt (Associate Producer), written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, starring Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
Artists For Change
The Happier Hour
Julia Verdin
Producer, Director and Writer
As a Director/Writer Julia Verdin’s credits include the feature film “ Angie: Lost Girls” starring Olivia D'Abo, Dylan Sprayberry, Anthony Montgomery and MC Lite. Julia also directed the award-winning short film “Lost Girls”and narrative short "Brown" about foster youth.
Julia is passionate about making social issue driven films as a writer/ director and using the power of film to shed light on important social and humanitarian issues. She has also created/directed short promos for non-profits and a short doc on Child trafficking.
Julia transitioned to directing from a successful producing career. She has produced 36 films, including theatrical releases “Merchant of Venice” with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, “Stander” with Thomas Jane and Deborah Unger, and “2 Jacks” with Sienna Miller, Danny and Jack Huston and Jacqueline Bisset, which played in many major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Venice, AFI, Montreal and London film festivals.