Each week, Aspire spotlights a woman business leader who is betting on herself and winning. They are among Central Ohio's most powerful women entrepreneurs, business owners, and allies with a stellar track record of community economic results, job creation, business scale and social impact. As we applaud them, we encourage you to learn from them, follow them and engage with them- we are stronger together.
June 9, 2026: Kimberly A. Shoemaker
HER WHY — From Accountant to CEO
Kimberly Shoemaker was not the founder of Acloché. She built something harder to create than a company: the credibility, the competence, and the trust that earned her the right to lead one.
She joined Acloché in 1999 as a Senior Accountant and spent 11 years learning the company from the inside out. Finance. Accounting. IT. Operations. Every function. Every connection between them. She was not working her way up a ladder. She was building a map of how the entire organization worked so that when the time came, she would know exactly how to lead it.
“By intentionally learning every aspect of the business and how each function connects,
I was able to grow and serve in senior leadership roles across finance, accounting, IT, and operations. That hands-on experience ultimately prepared me to lead the
company when I was appointed CEO in 2010.”
In 2010, the Acloché Board of Directors appointed her CEO. She became the steward of a company founded in 1968 by George and Betty Lou Ruch, a family business with more than four decades of legacy behind it and a community of people whose livelihoods depended on the decisions she would make.
She has been making them with discipline, integrity, and care ever since.
WHAT FUELS HER
Kimberly Shoemaker is fueled by impact and legacy. The Sheryl Sandberg quote she carries is not aspirational. It is operational. She measures her leadership by what continues to thrive when she is not in the room.
“True leadership is measured by impact and legacy, not control. It emphasizes developing
others, building confidence and capability in your team, and creating systems and
culture that continue to thrive even when you step away.”
After 15 years as CEO, she has had plenty of opportunities to test that philosophy. The average non-management tenure at Acloché is 10 years. The average management team tenure is 15 years. That is not a human resources statistic. That is proof that she has built a culture worth staying in.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
Acloché LLC was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1968. When Kimberly Shoemaker took the helm in 2010, she inherited a company with a half-century of history and a responsibility to carry it forward without losing what made it exceptional.
She has done exactly that. Today Acloché supports 1,400-plus client partnerships, places thousands of workers annually across all 88 Ohio counties, and extends human resources consulting and direct recruitment services nationwide. Average annual revenue is 20 million dollars. The company is WBENC WBE, SBA WOSB, NWBOC WBE, and State of Ohio and City of Columbus WBE certified.
The recognition has followed the results. Acloché has held the Consumers’ Choice Award for Columbus Employment Agency every year from 2013 through 2026, a recognition voted by the community, not selected by a committee. It earned the BBB Torch Award for Ethics in both 2017 and 2023. And it has been named to Columbus CEO Best of Business every year from 2022 through 2025.
58 years. 1,400+ clients. Thousands of workers placed annually.
One CEO who has led with integrity for 15 years.
Her leadership superpower: knowing how every part of a company works and using that understanding to build a culture where the right people are empowered to do their best work, with or without her in the room.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Kimberly Shoemaker joined Acloché as a Senior Accountant. She had no expectation, no plan, and no roadmap to the CEO office. What she had was curiosity and the willingness to do the work.
“What I’m most proud of is the journey itself. I joined Acloché in 1999 as a Senior Accountant and certainly never expected that I would one day be running the company.”
That journey is not just a personal story. It is a message to every woman in a supporting role who has been told that the top is not for her. Kimberly Shoemaker built her way there one function at a time, without a title that announced where she was headed. She just kept learning, kept showing up, and let the results speak.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Leading a workforce solutions organization means navigating a labor market that never stands still. Talent is tight. Client expectations shift with economic cycles. Competition for candidates is constant and unrelenting.
“We manage this by investing heavily in relationships with clients, candidates, and our community partners, using data to anticipate trends, and diversifying our talent pipelines. Staying adaptable, transparent, and people-focused has been key to sustaining growth in this market.”
The consistency of Acloché’s results across 58 years and multiple economic cycles is the proof point. This company has survived recessions, pandemics, and every labor market disruption in between. That kind of durability does not happen by accident. It happens because the leadership never loses sight of the people.
For the Aspire woman navigating uncertainty in her business: Kimberly Shoemaker has led a 58-year-old company through every kind of disruption the economy can produce. Her answer is always the same. Stay people-focused. Stay adaptable. Never stop building the relationship.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Kimberly Shoemaker is building Acloché for its next chapter, expanding the footprint into more key industries and building workforce solutions that go beyond traditional staffing.
“My goal is to grow Acloché’s footprint by becoming a trusted partner in more key industries while continuing to expand our workforce solutions beyond traditional staffing. Ultimately, success means sustainable growth, strong community impact, and being known for integrity and results.”
Integrity and results. That is not a marketing tagline. After 58 years and 15 years of her leadership, it is a track record. The next five years are about extending that track record into new markets and new industries without ever losing the culture that built it.
New industries. Expanded solutions. Same culture. Same standard. Always people first.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Acloché’s slogan is three words: We Know People. It is not marketing language. It is the operating philosophy of an organization that has placed thousands of workers in jobs that fit them, year after year, for 58 years.
“We do our best work by truly understanding people and matching the right talent to a complementary team through relationships, not just transactions. We are proud of the trust we have built with our clients and employees over the past 58 years.”
Commitment to integrity, accountability, collaboration, and long-term partnerships. Those four values are not aspirational at Acloché. They are the reason clients have
stayed for decades and why the average internal team member has been with the company for 10 to 15 years.
For the Aspire woman building client relationships or a team culture: Kimberly Shoemaker has been doing this for 15 years inside a company that has been doing it for 58. The secret is not a strategy. It is a standard. Do right by people, consistently, and the results follow.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Kimberly Shoemaker has been in rooms where she did not have all the answers. She has learned what to do in those rooms.
“You don’t need all the answers to lead effectively. Trust your instincts, stay curious, and never underestimate the power of perseverance. Many of Acloché’s successes have been the result of simply not giving up when things got hard. A great leader surrounds herself with great people, empowers them to do what they do best, and remembers that saying ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out’ is a strength, not a weakness.”
That last line is one of the most honest things a CEO can say. And one of the most powerful.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Kimberly Shoemaker points to a book that reframed how she thinks about what leadership actually requires.
Good to Great by Jim Collins changed how she understands the relationship between leadership and organizational performance. Not charisma. Not ego. Disciplined decision-making, getting the right people in the right seats, and building something that outlasts any single leader.
“It reinforced the importance of long-term thinking and aligning values with performance.”
For a CEO who inherited a 42-year-old company and has led it for 15 more, that framing is not just applicable. It is personal. Kimberly Shoemaker did not build Acloché from scratch. She built it forward. And Good to Great gave her the language for exactly what that requires.
June 2, 2026: Bridget Murphy
HER WHY — Creating Opportunity Through Connection
Bridget Murphy began her career at Disney and Fox Digital Media, where she learned firsthand how powerful the right partnership can be in accelerating growth, expanding audiences, and creating lasting brand impact.
What stood out to her was not the marketing itself. It was the connections behind it. The relationships, collaborations, and strategic alliances that helped brands reach people in more authentic and meaningful ways.
“To create opportunity through connection.”
She founded Envision Promotions with a simple belief: growth happens faster when brands work together.
WHAT FUELS HER
Bridget Murphy is not fueled by revenue targets or client counts. She is fueled by people.
“I’m most proud of my people. My family, my friends, and the community I’ve built around me.
They keep me grounded, make me laugh, and aren’t afraid to call me out or tell me to get out of my own way, which I absolutely need. That kind of support, honesty, and energy is everything.”
That community is not separate from her business philosophy. It is the foundation of it. The Amy Poehler quote she carries says everything about how she leads: find your people, invest in them deeply, and watch everything change.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
Envision Promotions is a women-owned growth and acquisition company built on a simple belief: the right partnerships create opportunities that brands cannot create alone.
Bridget Murphy has helped both iconic brands and emerging companies accelerate growth through strategic partnerships. From global household names like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Disney to innovative challenger brands looking to expand their reach, she has built a reputation for connecting the right brands, audiences, and opportunities to drive measurable results.
The company designs and executes collaborative growth programs that help brands acquire customers, build awareness, generate content, increase engagement, and create meaningful connections with consumers. Envision serves as the strategic connector behind hundreds of successful collaborations, helping brands unlock new audiences through partnership marketing, influencer programs, retail activations, licensing relationships, and co-marketing initiatives.
22 years. Women-owned and women-run. Hundreds of successful brand collaborations.
One belief: growth happens faster when brands work together.
Her business superpower: seeing the partnership that nobody else sees yet and
building it before anyone else realizes it was possible.
She has also shared that expertise on public stages, speaking at Techstars Startup Week Columbus on brand partnerships and business development, and hosting a podcast focused on partnerships with impact.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Bridget Murphy has worked with some of the most recognized brands in the world and helped countless emerging brands accelerate their growth through strategic partnerships.
Yet when asked what she is most proud of, her answer has little to do with client lists, campaigns, or business milestones.
“The relationships I’ve built along the way. My family, friends, clients, partners, and team.
Success means very little if you don’t have great people to share it with.”
For Bridget, business has always been about people first. The partnerships, opportunities, and results are important, but the trust, relationships, and community built along the way are what matter most.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Bridget Murphy’s biggest challenge has been herself. She will tell you that directly.
“Honestly, myself. Learning to trust my instincts, move faster, and not overthink decisions
has been one of the biggest challenges. The more I’ve leaned into confidence and clarity, the more everything else has started to fall into place.”
That kind of self-awareness is rare at any level of leadership and even rarer when someone admits it this plainly. Overthinking is one of the most common ways talented founders slow themselves down. Bridget identified it, named it, and is actively working through it. That is what growth looks like in practice.
For the Aspire woman who overthinks every decision: Bridget Murphy has built a 22-year company with Fortune 500 clients while navigating the same internal battles you are fighting right now. The answer is not to wait until you feel certain. The answer is to trust your instincts and move.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Bridget Murphy is building with intention.
“My goal is to build a company that creates lasting value for our clients, partners, and team. I want Envision to be stronger, more scalable, and positioned for whatever opportunities the future brings.”
Her focus is on growing a business that creates opportunity, develops future leaders, and helps brands grow through meaningful partnerships. Every step is designed to strengthen the foundation, expand the impact, and create value that extends far beyond any one person.
Build boldly. Lead generously. Create opportunities that last.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Envision Promotions helps brands grow through strategic partnerships.
“We’ve built our reputation by listening carefully, focusing on quality over volume, and creating partnerships that generate real value for everyone involved.”
Whether working with global brands or emerging companies, Envision connects the right partners, audiences, and opportunities to drive growth that neither brand could achieve alone.
For Bridget, the formula is simple: lead with relationships, create value generously, and focus on building connections that help everyone grow. Because the best partnerships do not simply grow brands. They create opportunities.
For the Aspire woman building a brand or seeking growth partners: Bridget Murphy has spent 22 years proving that the most powerful growth strategy is not the loudest one. It is the most intentional one. Find the right partner. Build the right connection. Everything else follows.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Bridget Murphy has thought carefully about what drives success, and her answer is simple.
“The biggest shift for me was realizing success isn’t built alone. It’s built with the right people around you. When you surround yourself with people who challenge you, champion you, and help you grow, everything accelerates. That impact extends far beyond business. It influences your family, your community, and the opportunities you create for others.”
Find your people. Invest in those relationships. Let them challenge you to become better.
THE BOOKS THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Bridget Murphy does not point to one book. She points to four, each one shaping a different dimension of how she thinks and builds.
The Element by Ken Robinson gave her a framework for understanding where natural talent meets passion, and what happens when organizations and individuals finally align with what they are actually built for.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell reinforced something she had already been living: that extraordinary success is not luck. It is the product of preparation, timing, and the willingness to put in the work before anyone is watching.
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson changed how she thinks about daily decisions, the compounding power of small consistent actions, and why the gap between success and failure is almost never dramatic.
"UP! by Kelly Mooney reminded me that optimism is not a soft skill. It is a strategic advantage. And that the energy you bring to a room is as important as anything else you bring.”
Four books. One founder. A philosophy built from the best of all of them.
HER WHY — Purpose, Freedom, and Legacy
Sandra Moody Gresham grew up watching entrepreneurship modeled before her. She understood early what most people take decades to discover: that owning your time is one of the most powerful forms of freedom a person can build.
When she became a mother, that conviction became a mission. She wanted to be intentionally present for her children while creating financial independence that answered to no one but her own vision. Entrepreneurship was not just a career path. It was a declaration of what mattered most.
“Entrepreneurship afforded me the opportunity to create time flexibility,
to intentionally parent my children, and to create financial independence.”
She founded Dehan Enterprises Insurance and Financial Services LLC and spent 28 years building a practice that protects what families and organizations have worked their entire lives to create. Along the way, she also built something harder to measure but equally important: a legacy of mentorship, education, and economic empowerment that runs through dozens of careers and three African American women-owned financial services companies she helped bring to life.
WHAT FUELS HER
Sandra Moody Gresham is fueled by two things that most people treat as separate: faith and purpose. For her they have always been the same.
“God is my partner and He’s got me.”
That conviction has carried her through 28 years of building, serving, and leading. It is the foundation of how she shows up for clients navigating some of the most vulnerable decisions of their financial lives. It is the foundation of how she shows up in the classroom at Franklin University, where for 20 years she has been introducing students to the insurance industry and regularly ranking in the top percentile of student evaluations.
When you know your purpose and trust the source of your strength, everything else becomes a question of consistency. Sandra has been consistent for 28 years.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
Sandra Moody Gresham carries four professional designations: MBA, LUTCF (Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow), CLTC (Certified in Long-Term Care), and CPIA (Certified Professional Insurance Agent). That combination represents decades of specialized expertise across life, health, and risk management, and signals to clients that they are working with someone who has done the work.
Over 28 years, Dehan Enterprises has protected hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, insured priceless lives, and created and fostered economic stability across generations of families and organizations. The client base spans small business owners, nonprofits, families, and public entities, which means Sandra has sat across the table from nearly every kind of stakeholder a financial professional can serve.
28 years. Hundreds of millions in assets protected.
Hundreds of students and young professionals mentored.
Three African American women-owned financial services firms fostered.
Her financial services superpower: consultive selling rooted in education. She does not just sell products. She builds understanding, confidence, and long-term relationships that create generational financial impact.
In addition to her practice, Sandra has spent 20 years as an Adjunct Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at Franklin University, earning the 2015 Franklin University Teaching Excellence Award for her extraordinary commitment to student success. She has educated and mentored hundreds of students and young professionals, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the industry she has spent her entire career building.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Sandra Moody Gresham has protected assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She has been recognized for teaching excellence. She has built a 28-year practice from the ground up. What she points to when asked about pride is none of that.
“I am most proud of the work I’ve done to foster the growth of at least
three African American women-owned financial services companies and the many
professionals I have mentored and supported over the years.
They are all savvy business leaders and continuing to thrive financially and in service.”
Three companies. Dozens of careers. A network of financial service professionals who are thriving because Sandra Moody Gresham decided their success was worth investing in. That is the legacy she has built, quietly and consistently, alongside everything else.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
In 28 years of building a financial services practice, the challenge that has required the most patience is also the one that matters most to the industry’s future: finding and developing the next generation of insurance professionals.
“Our industry offers all the benefits and lifestyle that most employees seek,
however it requires diligence and patience to excel.
We’ve had success working with high school and college interns
to acclimate them to the industry.”
That investment in young people is both a business strategy and a personal conviction. Sandra has spent her career proving that the insurance industry can be a vehicle for financial freedom and generational wealth. Now she is making sure the next generation knows it too.
For the Aspire woman who leads in a field where talent is hard to find: Sandra Moody Gresham’s answer is to go earlier. Meet students where they are. Build the pipeline before you need it. That patience has paid dividends for 28 years.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Sandra Moody Gresham is approaching one of the most intentional transitions in business: the exit she has been building toward for 28 years.
“My goals over the next five years are to have transitioned the business to future leadership.
Other goals include becoming a director of a public company,
completing two books of family member biographies, growing my nonprofit
The B Fund, and traveling more with my grandchildren.”
This is not a woman winding down. This is a woman who has spent nearly three decades building something strong enough to stand without her, so she can redirect her energy toward the next chapter of impact. Public company board. Published family histories. A nonprofit growing. Grandchildren experiencing the world. That is a five-year vision built on everything she has already proven she can do.
Legacy. Leadership transition. Board aspirations. A nonprofit growing. Grandchildren seeing the world.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Dehan Enterprises does not transact insurance. It builds understanding.
“We pride ourselves on educating our clients while offering them the best financial products to assist them in achieving their goals. This approach allows them to develop confidence in their decisions and for us to build long-term relationships, which create future opportunities for financial growth for all parties.”
That consultive approach, grounded in education rather than sales pressure, is what has kept clients coming back for 28 years and what has built the multi-generational relationships that define the practice. When clients understand what they are buying and why, they trust the person who helped them understand it. That trust is Sandra’s greatest asset and she has earned it one conversation at a time.
For the Aspire woman building client relationships: Sandra Moody Gresham’s practice is a masterclass in the power of education as a sales strategy. When you lead with knowledge, you build trust that outlasts any product or market condition.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Sandra Moody Gresham has been refining this principle for 28 years and she means every word of it.
“Always perform in excellence and commit to continuous personal growth and development.”
Those are not abstract aspirations. They are the daily standard she has held herself to across a career that spans a financial services practice, a university classroom, a nonprofit, and a growing pipeline of young professionals whose careers she has helped shape. Excellence is not a ceiling. It is a floor. And the learning never stops.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Sandra Moody Gresham turns to Napoleon Hill when she needs to remember why clarity of purpose matters above everything else. Outwitting the Devil is not a conventional business book. It is a conversation about the forces that keep people from becoming who they were meant to be, and what it takes to resist them.
“This book reminded me of why it’s important to know what I want to be, do and have, and to not drift.”
Know what you want. Commit to it. Refuse to drift. After 28 years of building, mentoring, teaching, and serving, that discipline is exactly what Sandra Moody Gresham has practiced every single day.
May 19, 2026: Gretchen Bonasera
HER WHY — WHY SHE BUILT THIS
Gretchen Bonasera has always believed in the power of intentional space. She did not set out to open a bar. She set out to build a place where people could exhale. The bourbon world has long skewed male, and private clubs have often felt exclusive in the wrong ways. Gretchen saw both of those things and chose to do something different.
"I wanted to create something that felt intentional, welcoming, and elevated —
but also real. A place where people can connect, celebrate, and exhale."
At 80 East and 114 West, the bourbon and cocktails are the vehicle. The real purpose is belonging. That conviction has driven every decision from the first pour to the third location now in development.
WHAT FUELS HER — THE FIRE BEHIND THE WORK
Gretchen Bonasera does not measure success by the size of the pour list. She measures it by what happens between the glasses.
"In an industry that can often feel transactional, we have created something intentional."
Seeing members connect, celebrate milestones, and build genuine friendships and partnerships within the walls of Good Night Brands is what keeps her at the table. The journey has not been linear, and it has not been easy. But Gretchen has stayed committed to building something that reflects who she is and what she believes in.
HER POWER PLAY — WHAT SHE HAS BUILT
In four years, Gretchen Bonasera has built one of central Ohio's most distinctive hospitality concepts from the ground up. Good Night Brands, the parent company of 80 East and 114 West, operates two members-only bourbon and cocktail clubs, with a third location now under contract in the West Lane Avenue shopping district of Upper Arlington.
80 East opened in 2022 inside a restored 1904 home in Powell, growing from an intimate 1,300 square feet to a 5,000-square-foot destination complete with cathedral ceilings, a wall of bourbon under hand-crafted wooden arches, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a ravine. In 2024, 114 West brought the concept to Plain City, occupying the historic third floor of a building originally built by Masons in the 1860s, complete with a hidden elevator entrance and a 35-foot bar lined with exposed brick.
Two locations. A third under contract. $50,000+ in auction packages donated to kid-centric charities
since 2022. A team of 10. And a membership community built on belonging, not exclusivity.
Her leadership superpower: creating elevated hospitality that is genuinely inclusive and proving that a woman-founded concept can redefine what a private club looks and feels like.
WHAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF
The clubs are stunning. The memberships are coveted. But when Gretchen talks about what she is most proud of, she does not reach for accolades. She reaches for the moments.
"People don't just come for a drink. They are here to feel something.
They build relationships here, celebrate milestones,
and become part of a community that feels genuine."
The human connection is what matters most.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Leadership is a weight that does not clock out. As founder, the decisions do not stop, the accountability does not pause, and the responsibility is constant. Gretchen carries it steadily because she has learned what it actually takes.
"As a founder, you don't always have the luxury of certainty. You have to move forward anyway."
She stays anchored in vision, gathers the best information available, and resists the urge to be harder on herself than the situation demands. At the same time, she is actively building leaders within her team, working to be clear on priorities and modeling what it means to lead with intention. Whether the challenge is financial, operational, or relational, her formula is consistent: clarity, confidence, and a willingness to own the outcome.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Gretchen Bonasera is not scaling for the sake of a growth chart. She is expanding because she has built something worth bringing to more communities.
"Growth for us isn't about scale for the sake of it. It's about bringing this level of
intentional hospitality to new spaces and new members."
Over the next five years, Good Night Brands will expand into new markets while protecting everything that makes the existing clubs feel the way they do. Simultaneously, Gretchen is deepening the experience inside current locations, enhancing programming, strengthening member connections, and continuing to raise the bar on what hospitality can look and feel like.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Good Night Brands does not run bars. It builds communities. Every design choice, every cocktail, every staff interaction is calibrated to one outcome: making the person who walks through the door feel like they belong there.
"What we do best is redefine what a bourbon and cocktail space can feel like.
Elevated but not intimidating. Refined but still warm and welcoming."
For the Aspire woman who has ever walked into a room and wondered if she was welcome: Gretchen Bonasera built the room that answers yes, then gave it a wall of rare bourbon and a 35-foot bar to match.
Nearly 30 years of hospitality experience informs every decision at Good Night Brands. This is not a concept built on trends. It is built on trust, craft, and the deeply held belief that the best experiences are the ones that make you want to stay.
HER ADVICE — TO WOMEN STEPPING INTO THEIR POWER
Gretchen Bonasera does not soften what it takes. She names it directly, and then she names what makes it worth it.
"Find your passion and then find your grit. Find something you love to do that makes you want to
wake up in the morning, and then buckle up because you have to take the bad times with the good."
Her second piece of wisdom is as practical as it is powerful: never be afraid to ask. Not asking is always a no. And if the answer is no, find a different way to ask the question.
For the Aspire woman in business: the ask is the action. Gretchen Bonasera built two clubs and a third on the way by never letting a closed door be the final word.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is not a traditional business book. That is exactly why it works for Gretchen Bonasera.
"Tony's punk rock attitude is the perfect backdrop for his passion both as a
culinarian and for the people in the restaurant industry."
For a founder who has spent nearly three decades in hospitality, Bourdain's unfiltered love for craft and for the people who make it possible is not just inspiring. It is a mirror. Good Night Brands runs on that same energy: real, relentless, and deeply human.
May 12, 2026: Shannon TL Isom, MBA
HER WHY — From Medicine to Movement
Shannon TL Isom was on a path to become a doctor. She had the degree from Spelman College, the post-baccalaureate studies at Ohio State, the MD candidacy at Wright State University School of Medicine. The science was there. The training was in motion.
Then she looked more carefully at what her patients actually needed and realized the diagnosis she was meant to treat was not in the body. It was in the conditions surrounding it.
“I was on a path toward medicine because I wanted to heal people. What I realized is that the conditions people are living in, housing, poverty, systemic neglect, were the diagnosis I actually needed to treat. You can’t prescribe or program your way out of structural harm. That’s what pulled me toward this work.”
She pivoted. She earned an MBA specialized in health administration from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business and spent the next two decades building organizations that treat the root cause, not the symptom.
“The gift I thought I was supposed to use in one way turned out to be
exactly the right tool for a different kind of healing.”
WHAT FUELS HER
Shannon TL Isom believes her gifts were made for social justice work. That is not a lane she stepped into. It is the thread that runs through everything she is.
“I believe my gifts were made for social justice work. That’s not a lane I stepped into.
It’s the thread that runs through everything I am.”
What keeps her moving through the hardest days is returning to purpose. The work is bigger than any single barrier. And leading through hard things is exactly what she was built to do.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
Shannon TL Isom came to Community Shelter Board in 2023 as President and CEO, stepping into leadership of one of the most complex and consequential systems in Central Ohio. CSB is the United Funding Agency that leads the coordinated response to homelessness across Franklin County, overseeing a collaborative network of 16 nonprofits delivering shelter, housing, street outreach, prevention, diversion, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and supportive services.
The scale is significant. CSB operates on an annual budget of 82.1 million dollars. In FY25 alone the system served more than 20,000 clients across 15,300 households and 4,265 people through its full continuum of care. Over the past ten years, the CSB system of care has housed more than 30,000 people in Franklin County.
$82.1M budget. 20,000+ clients served in FY25. 30,000+ people housed over 10 years.
One system she now leads.
Her leadership superpower: bringing her full self, her scientific mind, her lived experience,
her values and her voice, into every hard conversation and
every policy fight because that is what the people she serves deserve.
Before CSB, Shannon spent nine years as President and CEO of YWCA Dayton, where she grew the operational budget by 196 percent and secured the first one million dollar state biennial appropriation for the Ohio Council of YWCAs. She received a National Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2021, a Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice in 2022, and was named Dayton Business Journal’s Regional Leader of the Year and Business of the Year in 2020. She has served as a TEDx coach, a board member for the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, and a national advisory member for KeyBank and First Financial Bank.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Shannon Isom does not measure her pride in budget growth or award plaques. She measures it in the capacity to show up.
“I’m most proud of my capacity to show up and lead in hard spaces. The kind of work that
demands everything you have because the human condition depends on it.”
Showing up consistently, fully, and without shrinking in the spaces where the stakes are highest. That is the standard she holds herself to. And the 30,000 people housed over the last decade are the measure of what that standard makes possible.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
The obstacles in Shannon’s work never stop coming. Funding shifts. Policy changes. Systemic resistance. Leading a coordinated response to homelessness means operating in a landscape of constant pressure with no finish line in sight.
“My biggest challenge has been staying anchored to the vision when the obstacles feel relentless. What keeps me moving is returning to purpose. I remind myself that the work is bigger than any single barrier, and that leading through hard things is exactly what I was built to do.”
She does not manage these challenges by avoiding them. She manages them by being exactly who she is in the middle of them. That is the practice she has built her entire career on.
For the Aspire woman navigating relentless resistance in her work: Shannon TL Isom leads an 82 million dollar system through some of the most complex challenges in public policy. Her answer is always the same. Return to purpose. Lead through it. Show up.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Shannon Isom does not want to simply manage the response to homelessness in Central Ohio. She wants to shift how the entire region thinks about it.
“I want to be the person who shifts how this region thinks about homelessness and housing. That means positioning CSB as a thought partner, not just a funder, and building the kind of policy influence that moves legislation at the state and federal level.”
That is not incremental ambition. That is a woman who came from medicine to social justice work because she understood that systems, not symptoms, are where change happens. Now she is going after the systems.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Community Shelter Board funds the best programs and backs them up with the best data. As a United Funding Agency, that is the standard. Not just investing in solutions but holding them accountable to outcomes.
“CSB has built a system that the region trusts because we’ve earned that trust through results.”
The results speak. More than 30,000 people housed in ten years. A coordinated network of 16 nonprofits operating as a single system rather than a fragmented set of resources. An 82 million dollar portfolio deployed with precision and accountability. Shannon inherited a strong foundation and she is building something more ambitious on top of it.
For the Aspire woman leading a mission-driven organization: Shannon TL Isom’s approach is a masterclass in systems thinking. You do not create lasting change by treating one person at a time. You build the infrastructure that makes change possible at scale.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Shannon TL Isom does not traffic in passive wisdom. When she says to thine own self be true, she means it as a daily discipline.
“For me, that’s not a passive idea. It’s a daily decision. Early in my career I learned that the cost of contorting yourself to fit rooms that weren’t built for you is too high, and the people you’re supposed to serve pay the price when you do. Leading authentically means I bring my full self into every hard conversation, every policy fight, every room. My perspective, my lived experience, my values. All of it comes with me. The clarity that comes with that is non-negotiable, and honestly, it’s the thing that makes me most effective.”
Do not contort yourself to fit the room. Bring yourself into it. That is the work.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER
Shannon TL Isom does not point to a business framework or a leadership manual. She points to a book her mother gave her.
Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature, edited by Abraham Chapman, is the foundation of how she shows up. Not because it taught her a strategy. Because it centered her.
“It reminded me who I do this for, whose stories matter, and why community is not just a word I use but a practice I live. That book is the foundation of how I show up.”
Her mother gave it to her. That alone makes it sacred. Everything else it did for her work is a bonus.
May 5, 2026: Monica Dominic, MCM
HER WHY — From Building Within to Owning It All
Monica Dominic did not set out to become a business owner. She set out to build something meaningful. And for nearly 15 years, she did exactly that, growing an IT division from less than 500,000 dollars in annual revenue to approximately 15 million dollars, brick by brick, client by client, alongside her business partner, Monty Ragland.
The more she built, the more she realized she could not walk away from it. When the opportunity to acquire PSI presented itself in 2022, the question was never really whether to do it.
“It became less about why and more about why not.”
She leaped. And the company she had spent 15 years building became the company she now owns. That full-circle moment is not just a business story. It is a masterclass in what happens when you bet on yourself consistently, long before anyone is watching.
WHAT FUELS HER
Monica Dominic is fueled by the discomfort of staying still. Every chapter of her career has been built on a single conviction: growth does not come from waiting until you feel ready. It comes from moving anyway.
“This became my mantra when I realized staying stuck was far more dangerous than failing.
Everything I’ve built has come from being willing to move before I felt ready,
and trusting that the next step would reveal itself.”
She also created Ferocious Ambition, a platform and a book, to carry that message further than one company could. Because what she has learned about leading, building, and growing is too important to keep inside the walls of PSI.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
PSI was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1992 as a one-person startup. By the time Monica Dominic joined nearly 15 years ago, it was already a functioning firm. What she did next is the story.
She focused entirely on the IT division. At the time it was generating less than 500,000 dollars annually. Over 8 to 10 years, she and Monty grew that segment to approximately 15 million dollars. That growth led directly to the 2022 acquisition, a succession of ownership from founder Keith Stevens to the senior leadership team who had earned it.
Today PSI supports between 120 and 140 employees and consultants, serves clients that include a large Central Ohio university and a global retailer headquartered in Columbus, and has expanded its client base to include organizations represented on the Forbes Global 2000. PSI holds a 60 percent ratio of diverse contractors placed with clients, a figure that reflects a deliberate and consistent commitment to inclusion that goes beyond a mission statement.
$500K to $15M. 140 employees. Forbes Global 2000 clients. 30+ years of PSI history now in her hands.
Her business superpower: building trust so deep inside an organization that when ownership becomes available, there is no question about who should take the reins.
In 2025, PSI was recognized on the Columbus Smart 50 list. Monica was appointed to the board of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce in 2024. She is a national and international speaker, regularly invited to keynote conferences across the country. And she wrote the book, literally. Ferocious Ambition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Two moments define Monica Dominic’s pride in this journey and neither of them is a revenue number.
“Becoming an owner of the company I helped build is something
I will always be proud of. It represents years of commitment, growth,
and betting on myself in a way not everyone is willing to do.”
The second moment was holding her book in her hands for the first time. Ferocious Ambition is not just a publication. It is the physical proof that she did the work, went through the hard things, and came out the other side with something to give back. That is the moment that told her she had become the leader she was building toward.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
The weight of leadership is not abstract for Monica Dominic. It is 140 names. One hundred and forty people who rely on PSI for their livelihood, their careers, and their families. She carries that with her every day.
“Knowing that over 130 employees and consultants rely on the business for their livelihood is something I carry with me every day. I manage these challenges by staying deeply connected to a strong network of partners, advisors, and peers. I am never afraid to ask questions, lean on experts, and continuously learn.”
On the operational side, managing cash flow, client payment terms, and financial stability is a constant focus. Her answer is not to pretend those pressures do not exist. It is to build the relationships and the knowledge base that allow her to navigate them without going it alone.
For the Aspire woman carrying the weight of her team: you are not supposed to have all the answers. Monica Dominic leads one of Columbus’s most respected IT firms and she still picks up the phone to ask for help. That is not weakness. That is how it is done.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Monica Dominic is not done growing PSI. The goal is 20 million dollars in revenue and a footprint that extends well beyond Ohio.
Over the next five years PSI is actively expanding into Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky. The strategy is straightforward: wherever clients need trusted expertise, PSI will be positioned to deliver it.
$20M target. Five-state expansion. One standard: wherever you need us, we will be there.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
PSI has been ranked as a top vendor among dozens of firms by some of its largest enterprise clients. That ranking is not the result of a marketing strategy. It is the result of a philosophy: quality over volume, every single time.
“We don’t just place consultants. We support them, advocate for them, and treat them like part of our own team. That level of care shows up in the results we deliver.”
PSI Gives, the firm’s community initiative, closes the office quarterly for team service days and has extended that invitation to contractors as well. Monica believes that community service is not a benefit or a perk. It is a requirement of showing up as a business that actually belongs to the community it serves.
For the Aspire woman building a team culture: the way you treat the people who work for you is the product. Monica Dominic has built a 140-person organization where that principle runs from the top down, and the results speak for themselves.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Monica Dominic has one message for every woman who is waiting for the right moment to show up fully.
“You do not have to be perfect and you do not have to fit a mold. The moment I stopped trying to tone myself down and started showing up fully as who I am is when everything changed. Be unapologetically yourself and expect failure along the way. Growth comes from leaning into the hard moments, learning from them, and continuing to move forward with confidence.”
Fail fast. Fail forward. Fail often. Go forward. Live ferociously.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Monica Dominic points to two books and one of them she wrote herself.
Heart Boss reinforced what she had been building toward all along: that authenticity and ambition are not in conflict. That you can build something powerful without losing who you are in the process. It challenged the hustle-at-all-costs mindset and gave her language for the kind of leader she was already becoming.
Then she wrote Ferocious Ambition. And that changed everything.
“Writing my own book was one of the most transformative experiences of my career. It forced me to work through the hard things, reflect deeply, and ultimately live out the message I now share with others: growth comes from going through it, not around it.”
Ferocious Ambition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart. It is the book she needed and could not find, so she built it herself. That is Monica Dominic in one sentence.
April 28, 2026: Amy Klaben, JD
HER WHY — The Problem She Refused to Accept
Amy Klaben has spent her entire career asking one question: why do some children get to flourish and others never get the chance?
The answer, she learned through decades of work in real estate law and nonprofit leadership, is largely geography. Where a child grows up determines the schools they attend, the neighbors they learn from, the jobs they can reach, and the future they can imagine. And in Columbus, Ohio, that geography has been shaped by redlining, denied credit, and decades of policies that kept low-wage families locked in under-resourced neighborhoods.
“According to McKinsey research, it will take people who are Black 700 years to reach economic parity with White people in Central Ohio if policies don’t change. This is wrong. We need to create a community where everyone can flourish.”
In 2016, she decided to build the solution herself. What began as Move to Prosper, a pilot initiative through Ohio State’s City and Regional Planning Program, became Families Flourish. A three-year program that does what no other organization in the country is doing: combining monthly life coaching, career and financial support, and rental assistance in higher-resourced neighborhoods so that low-wage working families and their children can break the cycle of generational poverty.
WHAT FUELS HER
The stories keep Amy Klaben going. A mother who increased her income by 58 percent. A child who moved from an unsafe neighborhood to a school where she discovered what she was capable of. A family who, at the end of the three-year program, stayed in their apartment and took on market-rate rent on their own.
“I believe that all children have potential. They just don’t have the opportunity.”
That belief has driven every chapter of her career. From changing domestic violence laws as a young attorney at Porter Wright. To building Homeport from 800 affordable apartments to 2,200 units across 32 communities over 16.5 years. To co-founding Families Flourish and creating a model so effective that Governor Mike DeWine included it in his state budget.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
Families Flourish is unique in the nation. There is no other program in the United States doing what Amy Klaben and her co-founders built: a three-year holistic program that combines monthly life coaching, career advancement support, financial literacy programming, and rental assistance in higher-opportunity neighborhoods for low-wage working families.
Since becoming an independent 501(c)(3) in July 2022, the organization has welcomed 120 families representing 331 individuals. The data tells the rest of the story. During the pilot program, participant mothers increased their incomes by an average of 58 percent, equivalent to 17,000 dollars. Credit scores rose by more than 100 points. More than 90 percent of families with school-age children reported good or very good adjustments to their new schools. Eight of ten pilot families remained in their apartments at market-rate rent when the program concluded.
331 individuals served. 58% average income increase. 100+ point credit score gains. One of a kind in the nation.
Her leadership superpower: building something from nothing by leaping before the net appears
and trusting that the mission is strong enough to hold the weight of the vision.
The recognition has followed the results. 2025 Columbus Monthly and Columbus CEO Inspiring Women honoree. 2024 Columbus Business First Women of Influence awardee. NBC4 Remarkable Woman for 2023, joining women from across the nation at a national recognition event in Los Angeles. In September 2025, Families Flourish announced its first affiliate in the Miami Valley area around Dayton, marking the beginning of a statewide expansion.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
Amy Klaben has led two major nonprofit organizations, transforming one and co-founding the other, changed housing law in Ohio, and created a program with national implications. What she is most proud of is none of that.
“I am so proud of the women and youth who are succeeding in school,
their careers, have better physical and mental health, and are
creating better lives for themselves and their families. The stories keep me going.”
The team she has built is a close second. Passionate, talented, volunteer, board, staff, and coaches who see the vision and want to make a difference. That kind of alignment around a mission is rare. Amy has built it twice.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
The hardest thing about building Families Flourish is also the most fundamental: getting people to believe that investing in families works. In a funding environment that is skeptical of long-term commitments and favors quick outcomes, Amy has to tell the story of generational change to donors who may never see the full arc of what she is building.
“Our biggest challenge is sharing our story and our data with more people
to show them that if you invest in families, they can flourish.”
Her answer is the data. The 58 percent income increase. The 100-point credit score gains. The mothers who stayed in their apartments at market rate. The children thriving in schools that were never supposed to be accessible to them. She lets the results speak and trusts that the right people will hear them.
For the Aspire woman who leads a mission-driven organization: Amy Klaben’s work is a masterclass in building credibility through outcomes. You don’t convince donors with passion alone. You convince them with proof.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Amy Klaben is not finished. She is just getting started with the expansion.
Over the next five years, her goal is to establish at least three more Families Flourish affiliates across the state of Ohio, building on the Dayton launch announced in September 2025. Locally, she is focused on raising enough funding annually to welcome three new groups of 16 families each year, which will also require growing the network of partnering landlords who make the program possible.
Three more affiliates. Three new family groups per year. One mission expanding statewide.
The promise Families Flourish makes to every family it admits is that it will not run out of funding while they are in the program. That promise requires 995,000 dollars raised before each new group begins. Amy and her team raised it. Every time.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Families Flourish does what most housing programs do not: it addresses the whole person. Not just the roof. The life coaching focuses on financial literacy, career advancement, health and wellness, and quality education for children. The rental support places families in higher-opportunity neighborhoods with better schools, safer streets, and neighbors of every career background.
“Our program allows low-wage families to access higher-opportunity neighborhoods.
We are also helping Central Ohio embrace mixed-income housing.
Employers and their workplaces benefit when children grow up in a diverse environment.”
The model creates ripple effects in every direction. Families share what they are learning with their extended families. Neighborhoods benefit from the diversity Families Flourish brings. Employers benefit from a workforce shaped by opportunity, not limitation.
For the Aspire woman who believes business can be a force for change: Amy Klaben built a model that proves investment in people is the highest-return investment you can make. The data is there. The families are proof.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Amy Klaben has changed laws, built organizations, and co-created a program that no one else in the country had the courage to try. Her advice to women who want to do the same is direct.
“Leadership is hard, and you need to believe in yourself while surrounding yourself with people who you respect, admire, and have talents and knowledge that you don’t have.
You have to take risks to do important work. If something doesn’t work out, pivot and things will work out.”
Leap. Trust the net. It will appear.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Amy Klaben runs Families Flourish on the Entrepreneurial Operating System. The book that got her there is Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, recommended by two nonprofit leaders she admires deeply.
“I knew many of the items in the framework but it put it all together in a manner that makes sense
and can be followed. Our team has used it for two-plus years and we keep improving
how we implement it. I couldn’t recommend it more.”
A nonprofit leader running her organization on an entrepreneurial operating system. That is Amy Klaben in one sentence.
April 21, 2026: Lucretia Williams
HER WHY — Why She Built This
Lucretia Williams did not start Distinct Event Planning because the industry needed another event company. She started it because she saw something the industry was getting wrong.
Events were being executed. But they weren’t being experienced. People were showing up, sitting through programming, and leaving without ever feeling like they mattered. She wanted to change that.
“I wanted to create moments where people feel seen, valued, and connected. Not just another name on a registration list.”
That gap became a business. That business became a 28-year legacy built on one principle: impact over logistics. And a mantra that says everything about how she operates: Do it afraid.
HER POWER PLAY — What She Has Built
In 28 years, Lucretia Williams has built Distinct Event Planning into one of the most credentialed and recognized event firms in Ohio. DEP is the only event planning and design company in the state of Ohio to hold five certifications simultaneously: NMSDC, WBENC, State of Ohio MBE, State of Ohio WBE, and SBA WOSB. That is not a small achievement. Those certifications reflect years of compliance, standards, and credibility that most firms never reach.
Her client roster tells the rest of the story. Victoria’s Secret and Co. NiSource. The NBA. Hennessy. A New York-based firm that needed a Columbus partner on four months’ notice and trusted Lucretia to deliver a world-class conference without missing a beat. She has been featured in Essence magazine and on television as an event planning expert and has produced 150-plus events ranging from intimate executive gatherings to conferences serving 400 or more attendees.
Beyond the corporate work, Lucretia and her team have raised millions of dollars for nonprofits through the events they produce. That is not a line item. That is a legacy. Every culturally inclusive experience she designs for a nonprofit client has a dollar figure attached to the lives it supports.
28 years. 100+ corporate clients. 150+ events. 50,000+ attendees. Millions raised for nonprofits.
Her event planning superpower: designing culturally inclusive, full-attendee-journey experiences that make every person in the room feel like a VIP. Not just an attendee. A person.
She is also an international speaker and educator, touring conferences and summits to share her expertise with the next generation of event professionals. She has spoken at The Creative Growth Summit, Creative at Heart, and the EmpoWEred Planners Conference, and has been featured as a guest industry expert on 10TV News. The Ohio State Fisher College of Business recognized her in their Featured Founder series as an example of what OSU-bred entrepreneurship looks like when it fully takes root.
And in 2017, she founded the EmpoWEred Planners Society, a platform built to develop and connect event planning professionals across the industry. She didn’t just build a business. She built an ecosystem that elevates everyone around her.
WHAT FUELS HER — The Standard Behind the Work
Lucretia Williams has been doing this for 28 years and she still shows up to every event like it is her first. The reason is simple: the work is not about logistics. It has never been about logistics.
“It’s about impact. Helping organizations bring their vision to life in a way that people never forget.”
That standard has kept her in business through recessions, a pandemic, and every industry shift in between. When the experience is the product, excellence is not optional. It is the only offering.
WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF
She could point to the Fortune 500 clients. The five certifications. The Essence feature. But when Lucretia Williams talks about what she is most proud of, she points to something more fundamental.
“I’m most proud that I kept going, even in seasons where it would have been easier to pause or pivot. I’ve stayed true to my standard of excellence while growing and evolving as a CEO.”
Staying true to a standard for 28 years is harder than building a company. It means saying no to work that doesn’t fit, investing in a team even when margins are tight, and holding the line on quality when it would be easier to cut corners. That consistency is what a 99 percent satisfaction rate is built on.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
The hardest thing Lucretia Williams has had to learn as a founder is also the most universal: you cannot build a scalable company while doing everything yourself.
“I’ve had to learn how to trust my team, delegate effectively, and step fully into my role as CEO. Not just the doer. Growth requires letting go, and that’s a lesson I’m still mastering.”
The willingness to name that openly, and keep working on it, is what separates a founder from a CEO. Lucretia is doing both simultaneously and doing it in front of her team, which is its own kind of leadership.
For the Aspire woman building a team and struggling to let go. You are not alone in this. The shift from doer to CEO is one of the hardest transitions in business. Lucretia Williams is 28 years in and still doing the work.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Distinct Event Planning is not staying in the Midwest. Lucretia has set her sights on building the firm into a nationally recognized event planning and design company, expanding into larger multi-day conferences and destination experiences.
Midwest to national. Conferences to destinations. Infrastructure that scales without sacrificing excellence.
The foundation is already in place. The certifications are there. The client relationships are there. The reputation is there. Now comes the build.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Distinct Event Planning does not plan events. It designs experiences. The difference is everything.
“We focus on the full attendee journey; from the moment they register to the moment they leave. We design culturally inclusive, high-impact events that not only look beautiful but create connection, engagement, and lasting impressions.”
That is a fundamentally different product from what most event firms offer. Anyone can book a venue and hire vendors. What DEP delivers is an intentional emotional arc that guests feel from start to finish. That is why clients call Lucretia first. And why they call her back.
For the Aspire woman planning her next corporate event or leadership summit: experience is the differentiator. Lucretia Williams has spent 28 years proving that the way people feel when they leave is the only metric that matters.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Lucretia Williams has said this clearly and she means every word of it.
“You don’t need permission to take up space. I learned that waiting to feel ready will keep you stuck. Growth comes from moving anyway. Once I stopped second-guessing myself and started trusting my voice, everything changed in how I lead and how I show up.”
Do it afraid. That is not just a quote on her graphic. It is how she has run a business for 28 years.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Lucretia Williams does not recommend hustle culture books. She recommends the one that told her to stop hustling and start leading with intention.
Grace Over Grind by Shae Bynes shifted everything about how she views success and how she runs Distinct Event Planning. It challenged the assumption that burnout is the price of ambition and replaced it with something more sustainable.
“It reminded me that I don’t have to operate from burnout or constant hustle to be successful. There’s power in alignment, clarity, and intentional growth.”
Impact. Peace. Purpose. And performance. Not instead of each other. All at once. That is the CEO she has become.
April 14, 2026: Elizabeth Blount McCormick
HER WHY — How a Family Legacy Became Her Own Mission
Elizabeth Blount McCormick did not set out to run a travel company. She set out to bet on herself.
In 2006, with a career in corporate retail behind her and a global perspective shaped by working in San Francisco, Miami, and New Jersey for brands like Gap and Bono’s Edun label, she returned to Columbus when her family needed her. Her mother was winding down the family travel business. The question was simple: would Elizabeth take the reins?
“At that moment I really wanted to take a chance on myself and be an entrepreneur.”
She did. And she has never looked back. What began as a family commitment became a shared mission, built alongside her sister, to honor a legacy while transforming it into something built for the future.
WHAT FUELS HER - The Responsibility Behind the Ambition
What drives Elizabeth Blount McCormick is not just growth. It is what that growth represents.
“I’m driven by the idea that we can redefine what leadership looks like, especially as a Black woman in business, and prove that you can scale, lead, and win at the highest levels without compromising who you are.”
For Black women business owners, the stakes are personal. She has faced the misconceptions directly, the quiet doubts from others about whether a Black, women-owned firm can compete at the national level. Her answer has been consistent and unambiguous. She works harder. And Uniglobe delivers.
HER POWER PLAY - What She Has Built
Uniglobe Travel Designers is not just a travel agency. It is one of the first Uniglobe franchises ever established in the United States, founded in 1981 and now carrying more than 42 years of history. Under Elizabeth’s leadership since 2006, the company has more than tripled its revenue, grown to approximately 40 employees, and reached annual revenue of 29 million dollars.
The recognition has followed the results. In 2022, Columbus CEO Magazine named her CEO of the Year. Columbus Business First honored her as a Forty Under 40 winner. She received the 2016 NAWBO Columbus Visionary Award, the 2016 SBA Minority Small Business Champion designation, the Smart 50 Award, the Family Business Reinvention Award from the Conway Center for Family Business, and a Tuck Executive Education scholarship to Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Spelman College, one of the most prestigious historically Black colleges for women in the country.
42 years of history. $29 million in annual revenue.
One Black, women-owned firm reshaping what national travel management looks like.
Her leadership superpower: building trust so deep that national organizations across healthcare, education, and the public sector choose her firm not just for what it delivers, but for what it represents.
THE MOMENT THAT SHAPED HER LEADERSHIP
There was no playbook for what Elizabeth faced when COVID-19 shut down the travel industry overnight. Every client. Every booking. Every contract. Everything her team had built stopped.
“I had to make decisions quickly, communicate with clarity, and lead with both strength and empathy. That experience taught me that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about showing up consistently, making tough calls, and taking care of your people even in uncertainty.”
She didn’t just survive it. She discovered something in herself during those months that she had not fully seen before: a level of grit and gumption that reset her understanding of what she was capable of.
WHAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF
Elizabeth Blount McCormick has sustained a family business through the single most disruptive event in modern travel history, expanded it nationally, and maintained the relationships and values her mother built. That is a rare combination of resilience, discipline, and loyalty.
“I’m most proud of sustaining and growing a family business while navigating industry disruption, economic uncertainty, and the evolving needs of our clients. Above all, I’m proud that our work continues to support our clients’ missions and create opportunities for our team.”
The national GPO contracts she holds in healthcare, education, and the public sector are a statement. They reflect trust earned over decades and credibility that speaks for itself.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
The pandemic tested every part of Uniglobe Travel Designers. It tested the business model, the client relationships, the team culture, and Elizabeth personally.
She stayed transparent with her team. She made disciplined decisions. She leaned on trusted advisors. And she held the company together through a period when most small travel firms did not make it to the other side.
“Those experiences strengthened my resilience and shaped me into a more grounded and determined leader.”
For the Aspire woman navigating a crisis in her business: Elizabeth Blount McCormick is proof that the moments that almost break you are the ones that define your leadership ceiling. You find out who you are when there is no script to follow.
HER 5 - YEAR VISION
Elizabeth Blount McCormick is preparing for her next chapter, and it is bigger than Uniglobe.
Over the next five years, her goal is to successfully sell the business and transition out of daily operations while ensuring the legacy and clients remain well supported. Then she is redirecting her energy toward mentoring, investing in, and creating opportunities for Black women in business and leadership.
Impact. Ownership. Opening doors for others.
She has spent nearly two decades proving that a Black, women-owned firm can compete at the highest level. Now she wants to use everything she has learned to make that path easier for the women behind her.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Uniglobe Travel Designers excels at earning and maintaining national GPO contracts with complex organizations across healthcare, education, and the public sector. That is not a small achievement. Those contracts require credibility, consistency, and a service model that can perform at scale.
“We are not just participating in the industry. We are helping reshape it.”
The work is about more than travel logistics. It is about building a company that delivers real value while also creating space for diverse leadership at the highest levels of a traditionally homogenous industry.
For the Aspire woman building in a space where she is underrepresented: Elizabeth Blount McCormick has been in that room. She didn’t wait for an invitation. She earned the contract, delivered the results, and let the work speak for itself.
HER ADVISE - To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Elizabeth Blount McCormick does not have time for hesitation. And she doesn’t want you to either.
“Trust yourself sooner. Don’t wait for validation, permission, or perfect timing. Those things rarely come. Your voice, your instincts, and your perspective are your advantage. Step into the room like you belong there, because you do. Don’t shrink to make others comfortable.”
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Elizabeth Blount McCormick points to a book she has returned to throughout her leadership journey.
Good to Great by Jim Collins reinforced something she already believed but needed to see articulated clearly: that building a great company is about disciplined leadership, having the right people in the right seats, and creating something that outlasts any one individual.
“It shifted my perspective from simply growing the business to creating a sustainable organization grounded in purpose, strong culture, and long-term value.”
That shift is visible in everything she has built. Uniglobe Travel Designers is not just a company that survived. It is a company built to endure.
April 7, 2026: Elizabeth Martinez
HER WHY — Why She Built This
Elizabeth Martinez was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and grew up understanding early what it means to need someone in your corner. That understanding became her life’s work.
For 23 years, she has shown up for the young people of Central Ohio through Big Brothers Big Sisters. She joined as a Hispanic Mentoring Manager in 2003, rose through every level of the organization, and in 2016 stepped into the role of President and CEO.
Her leadership philosophy was not shaped by a single defining moment. It was forged over decades of showing up, navigating hard decisions, and staying grounded when the path was unclear.
“Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about staying grounded in your vision, being thoughtful in your choices, and remaining committed to purpose and impact.”
That mission extends beyond BBBS. As a Certified Executive Coach, Elizabeth works with executives and professionals, helping them gain clarity, step into their power, and expand their impact. Two platforms. One purpose.
WHAT FULLS HER - The Engine Behind the Work
Ask Elizabeth Martinez what keeps her going and she will not point to a title or a recognition. She will point to purpose.
“What fuels me every day is the knowledge that I am part of something bigger than myself. Our work is about creating systems that empower young people, strengthen families, and uplift entire communities.”
Her coaching work adds another dimension to that fuel. Every executive she guides, every leader she helps step into their power, is one more person who carries that impact forward. That sense of purpose keeps her energized and focused even on the hardest days.
HER POWER PLAY - What She Has Built
Under Elizabeth’s leadership, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio has grown into the largest BBBS agency in Ohio, spanning 15 counties and serving more than 4,000 children annually. It is one of the ten largest BBBS agencies in the entire country.
In 2020, Columbus Business First named her among Central Ohio’s most admired executives as a C-Suite honoree. In 2021, Columbus CEO Magazine awarded her CEO of the Year in the small nonprofit category. In 2022, the National Diversity Council recognized her as one of the top Latino leaders in the country. She was named Woman of the Year by the Ohio Diversity Council and honored as a 2023 Smart 50 recipient.
23 years. 15 counties. 4,000+ children. One unwavering mission.
Her leadership superpower: seeing potential in people before they can see it in themselves and building the systems, relationships, and cultures that allow that potential to become reality.
She also completed the Young Americans Leadership Program at Harvard Business School and holds a BA in Psychology from Ohio Christian University. The combination reflects both her strategic thinking and her deep commitment to understanding people.
WHAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF
Awards and rankings tell part of the story. What Elizabeth holds closest is harder to measure but impossible to miss.
“I’m most proud of helping people see their own potential more clearly and supporting them as they build the confidence to pursue the life and work they truly want.”
That shows up in a child who discovers what they are capable of through a mentoring relationship. It shows up in an executive who finally steps into the leader they always knew they could be. For Elizabeth, the work is always the same: illuminate the potential that was already there.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Leading one of the largest nonprofits in Ohio means operating in a landscape of constant change. Shifting funding environments. Evolving community needs. The ongoing challenge of proving impact in a sector that is too often under-resourced.
When the pandemic arrived in 2020, Elizabeth moved quickly. She deployed virtual mentoring, trained Bigs to create safe spaces for difficult conversations, and made the
call to reopen Camp Oty’Okwa with protocols built from scratch. She didn’t wait for the path to clear. She built it.
“Every challenge affords the chance to unearth an opportunity.”
For the Aspire woman navigating uncertainty: Elizabeth Martinez’s leadership is a masterclass in staying mission-focused when everything around you is in motion. The mission doesn’t change. Your response to the circumstances does.
HER 5 - YEAR VISION
Elizabeth is focused on growth that doesn’t compromise depth. Over the next five years, her goal is to expand BBBS Central Ohio’s reach, build stronger systems, and scale her coaching practice to support more leaders navigating transitions.
Expand the reach. Deepen the impact. Develop the next generation of leaders.
For Elizabeth, scaling is not just a business objective. It is a moral one. Every new county reached means more
children with someone in their corner. Every executive coached means one more leader who pays it forward.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio excels at what most organizations only aspire to: making people feel genuinely seen. Through one-to-one mentoring, leadership development at Camp Oty’Okwa, and capacity building through MENTOR Central Ohio, the organization meets young people where they are and walks with them toward where they could be.
“This is not charity. This is long-term, systemic change. True social impact work. We are unlocking potential and building structures that empower young people, strengthen families, and transform communities.”
The relationships cultivated at BBBS are intentional, lasting, and life-changing. Elizabeth believes in young people before they fully believe in themselves. That is not a program model. That is a philosophy that runs through everything her organization does.
For the Aspire woman who leads teams, organizations, or communities: the most powerful thing you can do is help someone else see what you already see in them. That is leadership. That is what Elizabeth Martinez has built a career on.
HER ADVICE — To Women Stepping Into Their Power
Elizabeth Martinez does not soften this message for anyone.
“Stop waiting to feel ready. Growth comes when you step in before you feel fully prepared. Use your voice, even if it shakes. Sit at the table, even if you feel out of place. True power is not about being the loudest. It is about knowing who you are, staying grounded in your values, and using your influence to open doors for others.”
Surround yourself with people who challenge and support you. Step in. Show up. Open the door for the woman behind you.
THE BOOKS THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Elizabeth doesn’t point to one book. She points to three, each one shaping a different dimension of how she leads.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown taught her that authenticity and vulnerability are not liabilities. They are the foundation of every genuine connection she builds with clients, colleagues, and the young people she serves.
Good to Great by Jim Collins reshaped her thinking about long-term success. The discipline of focus, the courage of the right decisions, and the patience that sustained excellence requires.
“Start with Why reinforced the power of purpose in driving both personal fulfillment and business impact, helping me align everything we do with a deeper sense of mission.”
Three books. Three lenses. One leader who reads to build, not just to learn.
March 31, 2026: Tami Chapek, PCC
HER WHY — WHY SHE BUILT THIS
The first time Tami Chapek became a manager, she did everything wrong.
She micromanaged. She controlled. She assumed that because she had been rewarded for doing excellent work, everyone on her team should do things exactly her way. It took direct feedback, the kind that stings, for her to realize that her intention of elevating the team was producing the opposite effect.
“I realized that I needed to be more mindful of others and know that my strengths are not theirs. By inspiring myself and others to lean into strengths, we could all be better and more successful in our roles.”
That moment of reckoning didn’t defeat her. It redirected her. She became obsessed with learning how to lead well. Not just how to manage output, but how to genuinely unlock the people around her. That obsession became a career. And in 2017, it became WeInspireWe.
HER POWER PLAY — WHAT SHE BUILT
Tami Chapek is an award-winning leadership coach, a Forbes Contributor, and one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Columbus for 2024. She holds her Professional Certified Coach credentials through the ICF, is a Certified Professional Coach and Master Practitioner for the Energy Leadership Index through iPEC, and is a Certified Diversity Coach. It is a rare combination that reflects both the rigor and the range of her expertise.
Her client list reads like a Fortune 500 roll call: Google, Novartis, Fifth Third Bank, American Electric Power, Uber, Medtronic, and more. She has spent 8.5 years building WeInspireWe into a full-service leadership development firm offering 1:1 executive coaching, team coaching, leadership training, keynote presentations, and strategic support.
Nearly 9 years. Hundreds of leaders transformed. One proprietary framework changing how organizations develop talent. Her coaching superpower: helping leaders stop performing the role they think they should play and start owning the authentic leader they already are.
In 2024, she published her first book: Leadership reDEFYned: Defy the Ordinary to Unleash Your Potential. It is a framework-driven guide for individuals, teams, and organizations ready to stop reaching for status quo and start building something extraordinary.
WHAT SHE IS MOST PROUD OF
Every year on July 28th, Tami Chapek’s heart swells. It is the anniversary of WeInspireWe. For nearly nine years, that date has marked another year of showing up for leaders who needed someone in their corner.
“In this nearly 9 years of business, we’ve touched hundreds if not thousands of lives. Knowing that we’ve even helped 1 person to be the very best version of themselves is extremely rewarding and well worth the effort.”
The book is a close second. Leadership reDEFYned is not just a publication. It is the physical embodiment of everything she has built, learned, and believed about leadership. It is her framework in the world, doing the work without her in the room.
Her Biggest Challenge & How She Navigates It
The hardest tension in Tami’s business is one every founder eventually faces: working on the business versus working in it. As WeInspireWe has grown, stepping back from the day-to-day coaching work has meant trading personal satisfaction for organizational momentum. The coaching work fills her up most. The scaling work is what moves the company forward.
“I’m still trying to find that balance between operations, business development, and scaling with coaching and facilitation. I regularly assess this balance and work with other small business owners to learn where I can make shifts.”
The fact that she names this tension openly, and continues to work through it with the same curiosity she brings to her clients, is exactly the kind of authentic leadership she teaches.
For the Aspire woman scaling her business: the hardest part of growing is often letting go of the part you love most. Tami Chapek is proof that you can build a bigger business without losing the reason you built it.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
The foundation is solid. Now Tami is ready to scale.
Over the next five years, WeInspireWe is aiming to double, if not triple, in size. The goal is to serve more leaders at every level and deepen its work as an extension of clients’ HR and learning and development teams. It is not just about more clients. It is about bigger impact, delivered through a model built for maximum ROI.
Double in size. Triple the impact. Serve every leader who is ready to reDEFY the ordinary.
What Her Business Does Best
WeInspireWe doesn’t offer a cookie-cutter coaching program. Every engagement, whether 1:1 coaching, team facilitation, or organizational training, is customized to meet clients exactly where they are and accelerate from there.
“We are great at supporting individuals to be not just good but excellent leaders that make a positive and lasting impact on those they lead.”
At the center of everything is the Leadership reDEFYned™ framework, a proprietary approach rooted in authentic, strengths-based leadership. It is not about becoming someone else’s version of a great leader. It is about understanding who you already are and building from there.
For the Aspire woman who leads people: your unique set of strengths, skills, experiences, and values belongs only to you. No one has your exact make-up. That is not a limitation. That is your competitive advantage.
HER ADVICE
Tami Chapek doesn’t soften this one.
“Know that the unique set of strengths, skills, experiences, and values that you have is unique to you and you alone. No one has your exact make-up, and that makes you powerful. Know that. Own that. Believe that. You have so much to offer the world. Be brave and make your mark.”
And then, with everything she has built as proof: inspire 1 person. Watch the ripple.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Ask Tami Chapek which book changed her business and she will give you an author, not a title.
Brené Brown’s entire body of work is the intellectual and emotional foundation of everything WeInspireWe has built. Daring Greatly, The Gifts of Imperfection, Dare to Lead. Brown’s research on vulnerability, shame, and authentic leadership didn’t just change how Tami thinks. It gave her the language and the framework to build Leadership reDEFYned.
“Her stance on vulnerability as a strength shifted my perspective and encouraged me to build out our framework, which is based in authentic, strengths-based leadership.”
For Tami, vulnerability is not a soft skill. It is the foundation of every great leader she has ever coached. And Brené Brown is the reason she can say that with research behind her.
March 24, 2026: Jeanna Hondel, PE
HER WHY — WHY SHE BUILT THIS
Jeanna Hondel built Ascension Construction Solutions in 2017, but the decision was made long before she filed the paperwork. It was made every time she walked into a room and didn’t see herself reflected in it.
As a Black woman in construction, which is an industry where her presence was the exception, not the rule, she spent years excelling in spaces that were never designed with her in mind. She mastered the technical work. She rose through the ranks. And the entire time, she carried a quiet, growing conviction that something had to change.
“I wanted something that I hadn’t had, and that was a place that you felt like you belonged. I wanted a place where I fit in.”
So she built it. Not just a firm but a culture. A workplace where inclusivity, opportunity, and belonging are not aspirations on a wall. They are the daily operating standard.
Her mission was never just to build structures. It was to build the people who build them — and to prove that a different kind of company was possible.
WHAT FUELS HER
Ask Jeanna Hondel what keeps her going and she will not point to a revenue target or a growth projection. She will point to her people.
“What fuels my ambition is deeply rooted in our people, our team, our clients, and the communities we serve.”
That desire to build what she never had, so that others always would, is the engine that drives Ascension Construction Solutions forward every single day. It is not a corporate value. It is a personal promise.
HER POWER PLAY — WHAT SHE BUILT
What Jeanna has built in eight years is nothing short of remarkable. Ascension Construction Solutions is a 100% woman-owned firm with MBE, DBE, EDGE, and LEDE certifications, serving education, municipal infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, parks and recreation, and commercial construction across Ohio and beyond.
In 2023, the U.S. Small Business Administration named her Ohio’s Small Business Person of the Year. Columbus Business First recognized her as a Woman of Influence and named Ascension to its Fast 50 list, one of the 50 fastest-growing private companies in the Columbus Region. In 2019, ACS was honored as the Top Female Business Enterprise by Ohio MBE.
From three employees to 60. From one city contract to a $400 million project portfolio.
Her leadership superpower: building great people who build great things and proving that a woman-owned, minority-certified firm can compete and win at the highest level of the construction industry.
WHAT SHE IS MOST PROUD OF
The awards are meaningful. The Fast 50 ranking is remarkable. But when Jeanna Hondel talks about what she is most proud of, she does not reach for a trophy. She reaches for a headcount.
“My favorite part of the business is that 60 people trust me and this company to provide a career for them and give them the capability to provide for their families.”
Sixty people. Sixty families. Sixty reasons to show up every single day. That is the metric that matters most to Jeanna and it is the one no industry award can fully capture.
Her Biggest Challenge & How She Navigates It
As one of the few women, and even fewer Black women, leading a construction firm at this level, Jeanna Hondel has had to earn her seat at every table she has ever sat at. Access to capital. Proving her firm’s capabilities in a competitive market. Navigating an industry that was not built with her in mind.
Her answer has never been to wait for the door to open. It has been to knock repeatedly, confidently, and without apology.
“Managing challenges as a CEO comes down to one thing for me: people. I surround myself with the right team, lean on trusted partners, and never stop learning.”
For the Aspire woman navigating a space that wasn’t built for her: the door may not open on its own. Knock anyway. Jeanna Hondel knocked and then she built the building.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Jeanna is not managing a business. She is building a movement.
Over the next five years, Ascension Construction Solutions will expand its footprint across new markets, deepen its community impact, and continue growing its team in a way that stays true to the culture of inclusion and empowerment that has defined the company from day one.
People. Purpose. Relentless Growth.
Those are not buzzwords for Jeanna. They are the architecture of everything Ascension is building next.
What Her Business Does Best
Ascension Construction Solutions brings boots-on-the-ground expertise to every project it touches. The firm was built by people who rose through the ranks and who understand the nuances of planning and construction because they lived them.
“This is not an individual sport. Our work takes collaboration and is about so much more than construction. It’s about proving that a different kind of company is possible — one that delivers excellence and leads with heart.”
That philosophy is the operating system of the entire organization. Ascension doesn’t just build structures. It builds the people inside them and redefines what it looks like to lead with purpose in an industry long overdue for it.
For the Aspire woman in business: representation in construction is still rare. Jeanna Hondel is proof that it is possible and that when women lead in spaces that weren’t built for them, they don’t just compete. They transform the industry.
HER ADVICE
When asked what she would tell women just beginning to claim their place, Jeanna Hondel doesn’t hesitate.
“You belong here, even when the room doesn’t look like you. Don’t wait for someone to hand it to you, just go for it. Don’t be afraid to take up space. Don’t lose touch with the passion that drives you. And finally, lift as you climb.”
Lift as you climb. Four words that capture everything Ascension Construction Solutions was built to be and everything Jeanna Hondel continues to prove is possible.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Jeanna doesn’t just read business books. She deploys them.
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman gave her something rare in entrepreneurship: a clear, practical system for building a stronger and more focused organization. The Entrepreneurial Operating System outlined in the book helped her align her team, sharpen her vision, and execute with the kind of confidence that comes from having a real framework — not just a plan.
“It’s a must-read for any business owner serious about taking their company to the next level.”
She didn’t just read it. She used it to catapult Ascension forward. That is the difference between a leader who collects ideas and a leader who builds with them.
March 17, 2026: Cary Hanosek
HER WHY — Why She Built This
For the woman building a business, managing a growing portfolio, or navigating a major financial transition, the complexity of money can be paralyzing. Cary Hanosek built her practice to change that.
With 26 years at Merrill Lynch, Cary has spent her career doing one thing with extraordinary consistency: meeting people in the most emotionally charged moments of their financial lives and making the path forward clear.
“My ‘why’ is grounded in guiding people through complex decisions and the emotions that come up around the topic of money.”
That is not a mission statement. It is a daily practice and it is why clients call her first when life changes.
HER POWER PLAY
Cary is a Certified Financial Planner®, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor. This is a rare combination of designations that reflects both the depth and the range of her expertise. She leads The Atlas Wealth Management Group of Merrill Lynch, a practice that has earned the Forbes
“Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams” recognition three consecutive years running.
Three years. Three rankings. The same standard, honored every time.
Her CFP® superpower: simplifying complex financial decisions to create peace of mind so that her clients can stop managing their money anxiety and start living their lives.
Beyond the practice, Cary is a founding member of Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) Columbus, a former Chair of the YWCA Columbus Endowment Board, and a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization. She doesn’t just advise women on wealth; she builds the institutions that create it.
WHAT SHE IS MOST PROUD OF
Industry awards come every year. What Cary holds closest is something no ranking can quantify.
“Clients call us first when life changes, and we walk with them through every transition.”
Divorce. Inheritance. Retirement. The sale of a business. The loss of a partner. These are the moments that define whether a wealth advisor is truly trusted or simply hired.
For Cary’s clients, she is trusted
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Cary is not building a practice for today’s market. She is building one for the next generation of it.
The goal: grow nationally, adapt thoughtfully as technology transforms financial services, and build a competitive moat around the team’s financial planning process and advisory capabilities.
Grow. Adapt. Lead.
But through every evolution, one thing stays fixed: the trust and human connection that define the work. For Cary, those are not soft values — they are the foundation of everything.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
The Atlas Wealth Management Group excels at financial planning for people with complex financial lives such as business owners, multi-generational families, individuals navigating major transitions, and nonprofits with significant endowments.
What sets them apart is not what they know. It is how they work.
“We avoid jargon, focus on efficiency, and listen far more than we talk.”
The goal is always the same: simplify complexity so that clients can spend more time on what matters most — their families, their passions, the causes closest to their hearts. Wealth management, in Cary’s practice, is not the destination. It is the vehicle.
For the Aspire woman building a business or navigating a transition: complexity is not your enemy. Confusion is. The right advisor eliminates one so you can face the other with confidence.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
When Cary recommends a book, she doesn’t reach for a textbook or a strategy guide. She reaches for a mirror.
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is the book she returns to again and again. It is the one she most often presses into the hands of clients. It is not about portfolio construction or market timing. It is about the way people actually think and feel about money, told through short real-life stories, without a single line of jargon.
“I have read it many times and have learned different lessons from it each time.”
That is the mark of a great book and the mark of a great advisor. You don’t stop learning. You just keep going deeper.
March 10, 2026: Lisa Gutierrez
HER WHY — Why She Built This
Lisa Gutierrez didn’t start Dos Hermanos to open a restaurant. She started it because she believed hospitality could mean something more — a genuine, nourishing connection between people, food, and community.
Fourteen years later, that belief is the business. And the business is still growing.
WHAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF
Lisa is most proud of building something that scales — profitably, sustainably, and with purpose. Dos Hermanos has grown into an enterprise that doesn’t just generate revenue; it generates opportunity.
That growth has given her the platform to give back through mentorship and community collaboration — investing in the same community that has supported Dos Hermanos for over a decade.
And then there are the moments that stop you in your tracks. Lisa has been invited to the White House and to the residence of the Vice President of the United States — on behalf of Dos Hermanos. That recognition doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when the work speaks loudly enough that the world has no choice but to listen.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Running a food and hospitality business in one of the most cash-intensive, margin-thin industries in the world is not for the faint of heart. The challenge was never the vision. It was the fuel.
Finding affordable capital while keeping cash flow healthy is a tension that never fully resolved, it just gets managed. Lisa's approach is disarmingly clear: know what you don't know and hire for it. She surrounds herself with experienced industry professionals who strengthen every corner of the business she isn't standing in.
That kind of self-awareness is rare. In founders, it is a competitive advanvantage.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Three words define what Lisa is building toward:
Grow. Scale. Sell.
Dos Hermanos was built with intention from the beginning — and the exit is part of the plan. For Lisa, that is not an ending. It is the ultimate proof that what she built was real, was valuable, and was worth betting on.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
What makes Dos Hermanos exceptional is not just what it serves — it is what it stands for. Through every season of growth, the mission has never drifted, never been diluted, never been negotiated away for convenience.
“Nourishing lives. Strengthening community. Honoring heritage. Hospitality, in every way.”
That is the standard everything gets measured against. Every menu. Every event. Every decision. The mission is not a tagline — it is the operating system.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Lisa didn’t point to a business manual or a leadership framework. She pointed to a memoir.
GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso is the story of a woman who built something real by refusing to follow someone else’s map. For Lisa, it wasn’t a how-to — it was a permission slip. Permission to trust her instincts, ignore the conventional playbook, and build Dos Hermanos the way she always knew it should be built.
Some founders read to learn the rules. Lisa read to confirm she was right to break them.
March 3, 2026: E. Gayle Saunders
HER WHY — Why She Built This
Gayle Saunders built The Saunders PR Group into a national, multi-million dollar powerhouse agency with a singular purpose: to amplify voices that deserve to be heard. She didn’t stop there. She also founded The SASSEE Foundation to invest in the next generation of women leaders — because for Gayle, building a business and building a community were never separate goals.
Her dual mission is rooted in a belief she has carried her entire career: that Black and brown creatives deserve more than access — they deserve the whole room. A space to grow, build wealth, soar as professionals, and make a lasting impact through their work. The Saunders PR Group and The SASSEE Foundation are that space, made real.
WHAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF
Ask Gayle what she’s most proud of, and the answer is immediate: the people. Every time she watches someone step into their potential — or sees a campaign her team led actually change outcomes in the community — that, she says, is the reward.
Her work with CelebrateOne’s Real People, Real Stories campaign helped reduce infant deaths in Columbus. Her leadership on the LinkUS mobility campaign helped move an entire city forward. For Gayle, that is what impact looks like — not impressions, but lives.
HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE & HOW SHE NAVIGATES IT
Gayle is candid about the realities of building and sustaining a competitive firm. The biggest challenge, she says plainly, is access — specifically, access to the financial resources necessary to grow and maintain a sharp competitive edge in a demanding industry.
She doesn’t offer a tidy solution. “I won’t pretend I have it figured out,” she says. “It is a constant battle.” But what Gayle does have is the one thing that outlasts any obstacle: faith. Through faith and perseverance, she and her team keep moving forward — and as she puts it, that forward motion is everything.
HER 5-YEAR VISION
Gayle’s vision for the next five years comes down to two words she chose deliberately: Sustainability. Innovation.
The Saunders PR Group was not built for a moment — it was built for a movement. Her goal is a firm that endures, evolves, and continues to open doors for the next generation of Black and brown creative professionals.
WHAT HER BUSINESS DOES BEST
The Saunders PR Group excels at media relations, reputation management, crisis communication, and campaign development and activation. But what Gayle believes truly sets her firm apart is simpler than any service list: a commitment to work that matters.
Her team doesn’t manage messages — they shape narratives that move communities. The CelebrateOne campaign. The LinkUS campaign. That is the standard, and for The Saunders PR Group, there is no other kind of work worth doing.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED HER BUSINESS
Some books change a business. The ones Gayle carries changed something deeper.
Expect to Win by Carla Harris reinforced a truth she had always known — that mindset, authenticity, and focus are the bedrock of every great leader. And long before she built a national agency, a small book gifted by her sister planted a seed that never stopped growing: As a Man Thinketh. Its message is simple and unshakeable. We have complete control over how we think — and how we think shapes everything we build.
For Gayle, that is not philosophy. It is practice. It is how she navigates every challenge, frames every obstacle, and leads her team forward — with intention, clarity, and an unshakeable belief in the power of the mind to determine outcomes.