#52PhenomenalWomen

May 22, 2019
3 min

Chasing light and staying grounded – Meet Amanda 37 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Amanda: In her own words – ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “I distinctly remember the sound of the metal gate latching behind me as I walked out of the White House for the last time. Four years had gone by as quickly as the motorcade that I had become accustomed to riding in as one of the official White House photographers assigned to document former First Lady Michelle Obama. Twenty countries, countless cities and so many lessons learned. When you’ve worked hard and done we

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Ties that bind – Meet Jackie 36 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

May 15, 2019
2 min

Ties that bind – Meet Jackie 36 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Jackie (aka my Mom): It’s Mother’s Day week, and I can think of no one more phenomenal than my own mother. Much of my creative side comes from her constant craving to learn new things and to share the beauty of handmade gifts of the heart with others. -Amy In her own words “As far back as I can remember family and quilting/sewing have always gone hand in hand. ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 Some of my earliest memories are of my mother stitching away on her old Singer tread

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When your stylist just gets you – Meet Holly 35 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

May 8, 2019
3 min

When your stylist just gets you – Meet Holly 35 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Holly: In her own words “At the age of nine, my dear mother allowed me to do her hair and make up for a night out with my dad. At eleven, I was taking her shopping and making her feel great. I spent my pre and post teen years flitting around make up counters, shoe departments and endless racks of clothes with my mother parked in the nearest chair. She did not enjoy shopping but she supported my passion for it with her endless hours in malls and by repeating often, ‘if o

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You gotta bee-lieve! Meet Heather 34 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

May 1, 2019
3 min

You gotta bee-lieve! Meet Heather 34 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Heather: In her own words “In a world where gender stereotypes can prevent women from pursuing careers where they will thrive and succeed, I have found that coaching girls in a team environment can show them opportunities and experiences that they would not otherwise know. ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 I have coached girls in soccer, softball, cross country and track. Sports are obviously great exercise and improve mental health. They also teach life lessons that are jus

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Telling a different story, my own – Meet Barbara 33 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Apr 24, 2019
3 min

Telling a different story, my own – Meet Barbara 33 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Barbara: In her own words… “For a long time now I’ve held a lot of different jobs simultaneously – actor, teacher, coach, director, and now artistic director. The common thread in all these jobs is storytelling, which I’m clearly passionate about. I have always loved the transformative power of stories, and the way my body and voice could change to embody different characters. Later I took delight in helping other people be better and clearer storytellers, whether tha

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Following her passion for fashion – Meet Bhavana 32 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Apr 17, 2019
2 min

Following her passion for fashion – Meet Bhavana 32 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Bhavana: In her own words: “I grew up in a family that revolved around healthcare. My father is a physician and it was only natural that I too wanted to follow in his footsteps. I dreamed about being a doctor but I was also very talented in art. Drawing and designing were ingrained in my DNA and that is what really brought me joy. As I became older, and it was time to make a career choice, I decided to continue the path of fulfilling my father’s dream of becoming a d

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The Beautiful Garden of Life… Meet Kathleen 31 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Apr 10, 2019
3 min

The Beautiful Garden of Life… Meet Kathleen 31 of 52 Phenomenal Women

The Beautiful Garden of Life…Why Planting Seeds of Kindness Produces Lifelong Blooms Meet Kathleen: In her own words… “Since I was a little girl, I have viewed my life as one big, exquisite garden filled with the people I’ve encountered throughout my experiences. As a child, playing among the oversized lilac bushes framing my suburban backyard, I’ve loved being around flowers. Their sweet fragrance and bright colors always brought me an overwhelming sense of tranquility, joy

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New Shoes- Meet Michelle 30 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Apr 3, 2019
3 min

New Shoes- Meet Michelle 30 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Michelle: In her own words… ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “I spent more than three decades persuading corporations that redesigning and renovating their office environments would result in happier employees, increased productivity, a stronger bottom line, and a more positive corporate culture. Sometimes it worked. But while I was busy extolling the virtues of ergonomic seating and the benefits of collaborative spaces, something else was happening right under my sales and

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Sharing the light – Meet Amy 29 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Mar 27, 2019
2 min

Sharing the light – Meet Amy 29 of 52 Phenomenal Women

I am Amy – © Colin B Photography 2019 29 weeks ago I began a journey that has become the 52 Phenomenal Women Project. During this time, I have met so many fabulous women and I have been honored to share their incredible stories. I love what our community of readers and supporters has become along the way. We are lifting each other up while supporting the efforts @dfscentral each week. To date we have raised over $2100. What a wonderful accomplishment! ©Colin B Photography 201

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To thine own self be true – Meet Isabel 28 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Mar 20, 2019
3 min

To thine own self be true – Meet Isabel 28 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Isabel – In her own words… ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “The most important knowledge you can obtain in life is knowledge of Self. I have been on a journey to understand the true essence of myself over the last 4 years. I felt a stirring within me and in my gut; I knew I was on the cusp of change for my life. On the surface my life was on track, a mother, wife, and entrepreneur, my life was perfect. That was true in many aspects, however, like many other women, there wa

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Balancing Act – Meet Heidi 27 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Mar 13, 2019
3 min

Balancing Act – Meet Heidi 27 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Heidi: In her own words ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “In spring of 2012, the Tribune was re-imagining our Sunday lifestyles section and one of the ideas was to have it open with a singular voice – a columnist who would welcome readers each week and keep up a running dialogue of sorts. My editor called me in his office one day and asked if I was interested in being that voice. At the time, I was a year into my divorce. My kids were 3 and 7. I was navigating a full-time job

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“The bravest journeys are never taken alone” – Meet Amanda 26 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Mar 6, 2019
2 min

“The bravest journeys are never taken alone” – Meet Amanda 26 of 52 Phenomenal Women

©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 Meet Amanda: In her own words “Minutes after the birth of my first child via emergency c-section, I felt the unnerving sensation of my body losing blood quickly. After trying everything, the doctor said, “I have to make a choice: save your life or save your uterus. I will always choose to save you.” I was hemorrhaging because my placenta had fused itself to my uterus—a rare condition called placenta accreta, affecting 0.04% of pregnancies. It resul

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A modern-day Cupid – Meet Bela 25 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Feb 27, 2019
3 min

A modern-day Cupid – Meet Bela 25 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Bela: In her own words ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “I grew up in a loving family with educated parents who immigrated from Bombay, and one younger brother. If you’ve ever seen the beginning of the film, the Namesake, their beginnings were pretty similar ☺. My Dad – who was a chemist for a big corporation – was also always an entrepreneur at heart, and became a minority (10%) partner in a chemicals/coatings business when I was in Junior High. After I graduated from the U

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How to EM-Power others – Meet Emma 24 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Feb 20, 2019
3 min

How to EM-Power others – Meet Emma 24 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Emma: In her own words: “When I was eight years old, I published my first magazine. Dedicated to my love of horses, I named it Pegasus. ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 At first, it was merely a cute childhood project. I wrote the articles by hand and cut out the pictures from horse posters. But soon I started typing and began printing the articles myself. I found out how to download fonts from the create text boxes on Microsoft Word. I cancelled playdates if I was on deadlin

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Inhale… Exhale… Meet Eileen 23 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Feb 13, 2019
2 min

Inhale… Exhale… Meet Eileen 23 of 52 Phenomenal Women

©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 Meet Eileen: In her own words “After many years as a corporate Buyer at Fortune 500 companies including Bristol Myers, Nestle and Time Magazine, I became a “wife, teacher and mom”. In 2012, the sudden and unexpected death of my husband made me stop, meditate and listen to the whispers of learning a new skill and help people through my kind of pain. Or any pain for that matter. I completed training as a yoga instructor and returned to teaching high

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Follow your path – Meet Jenn 22 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Feb 6, 2019
2 min

Follow your path – Meet Jenn 22 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Follow Your Path – Meet Jenn: In her own words “I loved art from the time I was a little girl. Give me a piece of paper and a new set of crayons and I was very happy. Throughout high school, college and grad school, art was my path. The journey may have wavered in different styles (photography, advertising, art education) but the path always remained consistent – art. Teaching art for 15 years was my greatest joy. I was very fortunate to have a school that treated the arts wi

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“We all shine on…” – Meet Terri 21 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Jan 30, 2019
4 min

“We all shine on…” – Meet Terri 21 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Terri, who became Chicago’s first female morning drive on air personality in 1981. For more than 40 years, Terri Hemmert has been playing “Chicago’s Finest Rock” as a disc jockey on WXRT. I recently had the incredible opportunity to interview this broadcasting pioneer who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2010. Amy: What made you want to be a DJ? Terri: I saw a picture of Ringo Starr being interviewed by Jim Stagg, a DJ. I was in high school, this is 1965. I t

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“Sometimes a warrior has to…” – Meet Laura 20 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Jan 23, 2019
3 min

“Sometimes a warrior has to…” – Meet Laura 20 of 52 Phenomenal Women

“Sometimes a warrior has to let down their shield in order to discover true strength within.” Meet Laura: (@lauramsavage) In her own words: ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “December 20, 2017, I suffered a possible career ending injury. During a performance of Newsies at the Marriott Theatre I was dancing my usual track which included a tumbling sequence on top of and then off of a table. I don’t know what was different about that dismount. I did not fall, but when I landed it fel

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Young, Scrappy, and Human – Meet Maureen 19 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Amy Boyle

Jan 16, 2019
3 min

Young, Scrappy, and Human – Meet Maureen 19 of 52 Phenomenal Women

Meet Maureen: @momo_sanderson In her own words: ©Amy Boyle Photography 2019 “I am slowly but surely shifting from being described as “fresh out of college” to “a young professional.” Exciting? Yes. A bit daunting? Absolutely. My 20s, as I have heard time and time again, will be the period of the most change in my life; the time for me to “not throw away my shot.” As soon as I took off my graduation cap with my diploma in hand, that has already proven to be true. All I knew

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“The nation doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are.” – Meet Flo 18

Amy Boyle

Jan 9, 2019
2 min

“The nation doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are.” – Meet Flo 18

The nation doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are. St. Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein) Meet Flo (@flomerkldeutsch): In her own words ©Amy Boyle Photography “I never thought there was a place of leadership for me in the Catholic Church. Growing up in the ‘70s, I couldn’t be an Altar Server because of my gender, but I remember our young priest giving me a tour of the sacristy. It was like peeking through a slightly ajar door to glimpse mystery, but only for a mo

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