Meet Virginia: In her own words - "People often focus on the newness of innovation, especially in the business world. But I’m more interested in the transformative power of reinvention. Reinvention is how we stay current both personally and professionally. It’s about understanding changing culture, embracing the art of the pivot, and finding creative solutions to meet evolving needs. I’ve reinvented my career a few times over the years, all within the same industry – public relations. Without internships under my belt, I got a foot in the door of an agency by taking a job as a secretary determined to prove I was as good a writer and creative problem solver as I was a typist. It worked. With a few more pivots over a 25 year career, today I’m the CEO of Current Global, a midsized PR agency that I essentially built from the ground up over the past 14 years, of course with a lot of help and inspiration from amazing colleagues and mentors. When asked for career advice, I always tell women to chart their own path. Businesses often have a prescribed promotion track, with only so much room at the top, so it is critical that you reinvent what may be a standard job description into one that plays to your strengths, taps into your past successes (and failures), creates new opportunities and offers value to the organization. At Current Global, we’re constantly reinventing how we can help clients own the moment through an innate understanding of how customer demands, culture and story choreography converge to build relevant human connections that influencer behavior and drive impactful results. Never has the importance of reinvention been more relevant than in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest around racial disparities. Today we are counseling clients on how to refine their role in the world, recover from impact, and return to profitability while doing right by society. Personally, I’m invested in reinventing education opportunities for at-risk youth in Chicago through my work on the board of the Ryan Banks Academy. The education disparities in our city are appalling – your zip code should not determine your access to a good education – and lie at the center of systemic racism, poverty, unemployment, violence and more. Our vision is to establish an immersive and innovative education experience centered on a unique boarding school model that marries advanced STEAM curriculum with social-emotional learning in a safe environment. It’s no small task, but if we can reinvent education opportunities to give every student in Chicago access to a stable and safe educational environment where they can flourish, then we can truly change lives and change the world. Are you ready to reinvent yourself, your career, your business? Don’t wait for a profound event or major milestone to serve as a catalyst, and don’t feel like you have to start from scratch. Commit to making a change (big or small) and watch the positive transformation begin." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Laura. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 46 of 52.2. Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Laura: In her own words - "Since 2016, I have been a grassroots organizer and activist who has been resisting the agenda of the Trump administration and helping progressive Democrats get elected as one of the co-founders and co-leaders of Indivisible Evanston. As I write this, we’re just about 100 days away from the 2020 presidential election -- and our chance to remove Trump from office, save our democracy and continue the fight to make this a better country for all. The morning after the 2016 election, I woke up feeling horrified and outraged by the outcome and frightened not only for my children’s future, but that of our country and planet. And I regretted not doing more to help Hillary Clinton win. Like many women, I was galvanized by the first Women’s March on Washington to channel my outrage into something productive and impactful. It was both cathartic and empowering to march through the streets of D.C. (and up to the White House!) chanting: “this is what democracy looks like!” But it was just a start. Shortly thereafter, I discovered the Indivisible Guide, an online document that went viral in late 2016 with a blueprint for peacefully but effectively resisting Trump and the GOP. Modeled on the Tea Party’s strategy, the guide spawned a massive, progressive “Indivisible” resistance and activism movement across the country. Indivisible Evanston is now one of 5000 local chapters nationwide. Indivisible is one of several grassroots resistance groups that sprung up in the wake of the 2016 election. These groups have made a significant impact on both the inability of the GOP to pass major legislation and helped the Democrats win back the House in 2018’s “Blue Wave.” This year, we are working hard to keep that House majority, take back the Senate, and win the White House as part of the Indivisible Chicago Alliance’s 2020 Three States - One Mission strategy. In the almost four years since the 2016 election, my personal life has also evolved significantly. Some changes were anticipated, like turning 50 and my twins going off to college. Others have been unexpected, like getting divorced, closing my jewelry business and doing this work full time. And now, everyone’s lives have changed drastically due to the coronavirus pandemic and the thousands of lives lost and altered forever by COVID-19. The pandemic has also changed how we vote and the ways that organizers like me can reach voters. Normally, Indivisible and campaigns would be engaged in lots of in-person activities in the months leading up to the election, like canvassing, rallies and registering voters. Now, we are limited to doing this virtually, and contacting voters by phone calls, texts, and mail to get out the vote. One of our group’s favorite projects is sending handwritten postcards to voters in Wisconsin and Michigan with Postcards to Swing States, a nationwide campaign sending 13 million cards to voters in ten states. Our goal was to write 100,000 postcards by October, and we’re already well over that amount! Four years ago, it would’ve been hard to believe that both my life and this country have changed so much. Four months ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine that we all need to wear face masks and stay “socially distanced” from each other to stay safe. Or that the simple act of going to the polls and voting in person could be potentially deadly. I am grateful to have the experience and the opportunity to work with incredible people to help protect and get out the vote (by mail!) for what will be the most important election in our times. Most of all, what gets me out of bed every day is the thought of waking up on the morning of November 4, 2020 with a big smile on my face and the knowledge that I was one small part of making that happen." Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. -President Barack Obama *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Laura. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 45 of 52.2. Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Bonnie: In her own words - "The year I turned 25, I crossed the abyss, or encountered a series of intense, life changing challenges. I ended a six year marriage, developed a life threatening reaction to a toxic workplace, and was left with a lifelong autoimmune illness. To top it all off, I was attacked by 3 men and held up at knife point. I saw the curved, serrated hunting knife coming at my face in slow motion as I pepper sprayed my attackers, blocked with both arms, and got a series of defensive wounds. Luckily a car came down the block and they scattered, giving me time to get in my apartment gate and lock it behind me. I called 911, but the attackers escaped and were never caught. I moved to a new place, my hands and arms swathed in gauze, but couldn’t manage more than basic existence. My physical wounds healed fairly fast, but it took a lot longer to heal emotionally. For months I’d replay the attack in my sleep, waking to a jolt of adrenaline. I was always looking over my shoulder, avoided going out at night, and I was hard on myself for not accomplishing more. One day I shared my assault with a neighbor, and she said “Be gentle on yourself. It takes time to get past something like that. You can’t rush it.” Giving myself that permission made a world of difference. Fast forward 28 years. I’ve been happily married 20 years and raised a son and daughter who are creative, smart, and egalitarian. I’m the VP of Dug Production Sound, Inc, working on shows all over the world. I own 2 successful blogs: ChiILMama.com and ChiILLiveShows.com, and have been a theatre critic for 12 years, averaging 25+ shows a month. I’ve donated countless hours and given away thousands of tickets to Chicagoans so they can enjoy theatre without economic barriers. Then March 2020 comes and I’m back at the abyss again, but this time the world is with me, with Covid-19 breathing down its neck. We are all learning how to sit with the pain and losses and take the time to regroup, heal and recover. With death tolls and illness still spiking, record unemployment numbers, and rampant idiocy, things are grim. When I start to get in a funk, I remember one of my favorite quotes from Anne Lamott, “A hundred years from now? All new people.” I miss live theatre and music deeply, but without nightly shows to review, I am reinventing myself again, editing and shopping around 4 novels I'd back burnered. Quarantine gave me the gift of time. The pandemic is an amplifier. The rich are getting richer by magnitudes, the vulnerable are more so, economically... physically... mentally… Yet, positive change has been amplified too. We’re making strides reducing systemic racism and police violence, tearing down offensive relics, and shaking up the status quo. Here’s to interconnectedness and individuality, storytelling and artmaking. I can’t wait to see what’s next." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Bonnie. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 44 of 52.2. Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Ann: In her own words - "I started in the toy industry over 24 years ago. After college, I took at job at the toy company BRIO mostly because you were able to wear whatever you wanted and at 22 that seemed like a really nice perk! In my early years at BRIO, we would present our retailers "Good Toy Workshops" trainings about the importance of play in a child's development...& I was hooked. Knowing the difference that play makes in all aspects of a child's development transformed my view of the industry and my place in it. For many years I worked behind the scenes in the industry until in 2010 I started *play as a way to bring my years of experience to my own neighborhood. To create a fun, community-minded shop for the whole family and a place where all children can come inside and feel at home. Since then, we've expanded to make sure that we're spreading the gospel of play throughout the city. A few years ago I started thinking of all of Chicago's families that didn't have access to toys and books and how I had access to provide these playthings. From this, *play Every Day, our charitable arm, was born in 2019. Since then we've donated almost 500 playthings to children across Chicago. My passion is the power of play. My mission is to spread this message to parents and caregivers. My vision is a more playful world." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Ann. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 43 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Erin: In her own words - "An empty theatre, an empty stadium – these have always been happy places for me. In truth, empty is not quite accurate, as I’m surrounded by the people who actually work in these spaces. It’s the behind-the-scenes, the “empty” before the audience arrives, that I have always loved. I can quite honestly date it back to high school, working on theater productions for our drama club – painting sets, sourcing props, adjusting costumes. Looking back, it’s what ultimately guided me to my work as a television producer. I have always loved what I do, but it took me a long time to realize that, at the most basic level, I am a storyteller. It is difficult to describe how I do what I do - the big picture and the nuance, the perfect visual, the right phrase – it is hard work, but I love what it takes to get stories to the audience. At the end of a long day, I often don’t feel like I’ve “worked” at all. The last big shoot I produced before the country locked down – or more specifically, before professional sports and theaters shut down – was with a long-time, arts-focused client. We were in Houston working with the national tour of Come From Away, a musical telling the story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, when dozens of planes were diverted there on the morning of September 11, 2001. Yes, a musical about 9/11. It is a remarkably uplifting story set in the darkest of times. We are again in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, this time courtesy of coronavirus. The global pandemic has shut down our economy, closed our borders, and shuttered so many of the traditional avenues we use to convey stories. How do we capture stories for a captive-at-home audience when sports, television and stage production are not considered safe? The stories are still there to be told, the audience is still there to watch… and not just because we’re supposed to be staying at home. Thus the short answer is – we think of new ways to tell them. We take technology invented for distance meetings, for remote learning, and turn it into a new vehicle for storytelling – the Zoom recital, the livestream of a favorite play, today’s commentary added to shows and games past. We face a long road back to capturing stories in person, whether those you see on traditional screens, on the playing field or on stage. For now, theaters and stadiums remain empty; production remains dark. So for now, I will look for a new happy place as we continue to look for new ways to tell the stories that really matter." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Erin. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 42 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Allie: In her own words - "I was the kind of five year old that picked flowers during a soccer game instead of actually playing the game. I preferred to paint seashells and draw sunsets. I kept my anti-sports lifestyle until sophomore year of high school, when I started photographing Texas football for my school’s yearbook. And then I fell in love. I covered almost every game my junior and senior years of high school, and then once I got to Northwestern, I joined The Daily Northwestern’s photo team and started covering Big Ten football. I photographed over 15 games in six states in my four years at Northwestern. As a journalist, there’s a certain kind of rush you get after ending an incredible interview — I got that same feeling on the sidelines. I interned at Tampa Bay Times as a photojournalist, where I learned that my love for sports photography wasn’t exclusive to football — I loved baseball, too. I photographed over 25 Tampa Bay Rays games in six months. I don’t call myself a sports photographer because I still love every kind of photography, especially storytelling. But sports photography holds a special place in my heart. Nothing beats that sideline rush, press box food and late nights leaving a stadium. I’m patiently waiting for sports to safely resume. Until then, you can find me telling the stories of Texas, my home state." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Allie. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 41 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Tamara: In her own words - "For many years I had been pondering, “What am I supposed to do with my life?” The answer came at 4:30 a.m. on July 25, 2017, the reassuring voice of God whispered to me, “Do the cakes first!” When you think of cakes the first thing that comes to mind is a delicious sweet treat. While I do make the best cakes on Earth, CAKES became my manifesto. Silver Spoon Desserts was born in August 2017. I prepared my business plan and started baking! Everything lined up with my calling. Giant doors began to open. My grandson asked me “Mom, why are you baking so many cakes?” I answered “Because it’s the way out! Success came my way. I entered and won three business plan pitch competitions from $2,500, then $10,000, and finally $25,000. Winning the prizes boosted my confidence and set me on a blazing path of success. I am on a mission to transform, enrich, and empower the lives of women -especially single mothers. We are transforming the “silver spoon” from a symbol of privilege to a symbol of inspiration, prosperity and freedom for all! C+A+K+E=S Live. Because life is the richest, most delicious cake on Earth. Then imagine the magic. Add your own silver spoon, especially when there are none to be found. The big “aha”: you create the spoon, the opportunity, the promise, the hope. The silver spoon is inside you. It always has been. It took Courage to see the silver spoon. I had to create courage when courage is scarce. The courage to create, to make a difference, to lend a hand to those in need, to believe when no one else around me believed. Courage meant having faith in myself. This was the only way up and out. Then I took massive Action. I connected with people. I shared my vision and dreams. I lived my values and let the world see them every moment and with every decision I make. I never stopped taking action. I made plans and executed them. You see, I was no longer dreaming, I was doing. I brought Kindness with me. Kindness comes from love — love for what I do and the people I am doing it for. Kindness is light in a world sometimes dark. I put 100% Effort behind everything I do. I am all in for my family, my employees, and for every single mother on planet Earth that needs a way up and out. I am my own best advocate. This is my remarkable responsibility. Lastly, I accepted all my current and future Success with grace. I am humble, grateful, and generous in sharing of all that I have achieved. Because life tastes good!" *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Tamara. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 40 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Lucy (@lucy_brummett) - https://lucybrummett.com/ #phenomenal_friday 6/12/20 Instagram takeover with Lucy (@lucy_brummett) - What a nice addition to our weekly #52PWP blog features. Drop us a line if you'd like to participate - It's so important to stick together during these difficult times. #phenomenal_friday with @amyboylephoto

Meet Hillary: In her own words - “When my mother and I immigrated from Venezuela, I knew we arrived here to form a better life– escaping from a country where there was no true freedom of speech and where our friends and family were getting their voices stripped away. I knew that here in the U.S, I was going to receive a better education, greater opportunities, and as they say, “live the American dream.” I have always felt like I immigrated here for a purpose, as if I could use my words for change. Seeing the oppression that was taking place back home in my country and witnessing the oppression and struggles that communities of color here in the U.S also have to go through, I knew that there was something that I had to do. Those thoughts were the ones that ignited my passion for journalism. I want to be able to tell peoples stories, their struggles, and be able to give communities of color the voice that they need without having a language barrier. I began the publication of La DePaulia at the start of 2020 alongside mentors and colleagues at DePaul to do exactly that: give communities of color a voice. As more and more Spanish language publications shut-down throughout the U.S, I wanted to be able to inform the Latinx community in their own native language and give them back the voice that they deserve. As a journalist, our job is to give a voice to the people without there being an obstacle. We need to tell peoples stories, as small as they may seem. I do not want my voice being shut down, nor do I want the voices of those from my community being shut down. This is who I am: I am a woman, a Latina, and a journalist. I want to show other younger girls that it is possible to achieve their dreams, it is possible to take on leadership roles, and to always love your flaws. There were always people around me who told me that I would not make it in the industry; I know that I still have a lot to learn as a young journalist, but I am proud of being able to build a publication as an undergrad that has given a platform to the Latinx community not only at DePaul, but also around the Chicago area. Now more than ever, there is a need for our communities to be informed with truthful information and not only read, but also learn from each other’s experiences and stories. I will never take my freedom of speech for granted and as a bilingual reporter, I want to break barriers and fight to continue sharing diverse stories. Stories that will make people feel emotions– connecting them to one another even if they’re located in different parts of the world. I am unafraid to bring the truth forward and I hope that just like I built La DePaulia at DePaul University, I also continue building others around me and show the world the power that communities of color have.” *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Hillary. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 39 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

Meet Sue: In her own words... "Finding Joy in every moment has always been my reward in this life. At 80 I lost my husband of 57 years to COVID-19 after a brave battle. Through the grace of God, my son and his family were there to share this life changing event. The next day, we packed up and moved me from my home for the past 27 years in Fishers IN, to their home in Chicago. My neighbor, a realtor, agreed to list my house. It sold in 2 days! My life has been based on my faith in God, who has chosen many wonderful paths for me to follow. Volunteering for 35 years at my local hospital in its Gift Shop and buying its products has given me great joy. Give and you shall receive is also a motto of mine. I have given many hours in making blankets for the needy through my church, which allowed me to utilize my artistic abilities. Gardening is another rewarding joy. From the planting stage in the warmth of spring, to the brilliant blooms of summer and the careful end in the fall, it makes each day a new surprise full of happiness. My love for a wonderful family is perhaps my greatest joy, and I thank God daily for them and all of the great friends who are a part of my life. I now have a beautiful studio apartment with my Chicago Kiddos and am starting a new chapter of fun and giving back. I will begin to volunteer in a local flower shop to continue my life of finding joy in all that I do. What you make of your life is up to you, so find joy each day of your life and give thanks." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Sue. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 38 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!

5/29 Instagram takeover with Megan Murphy founder of the Kindness Rocks Project - What a nice addition to our weekly #52PWP blog features. Drop us a line if you'd like to participate - It's so important to stick together during these difficult times. #phenomenal_friday.

Meet Tanya: In her own words... "I am pretty sure I am the poster child for looking beyond what is and imagining what could be. You see, I grew up in a podunk neighborhood with an abusive and alcoholic step-father. Mom filed a restraining order and walked away from the marriage. The struggle to keep our household afloat was real. There were days when we had no electricity, no heat, and we ate sugar sandwiches (that's pretty poor). If I paid attention to how grim things always looked, I would be having pity parties on the “regular”. Instead, I kept thinking about how things could be better. I was the first in my family to attend college. There were no college savings or even a scholarship to cover expenses. I had three credit cards in rotation and borrowed from one to pay the minimum balance on the other, semester after semester. I was also put on academic probation because dealing with the stress of undergraduate life felt insurmountable. Giving up was not an option so I had a tape recording of affirmations constantly playing inside my mind “…You can. You can have better. You can do better. You will succeed”. On graduation day, I walked across the stage with a huge smile (and over $10,000 in credit card debt). When I graduated with a degree in Computer Science, I looked forward to sitting alone in a corner and coding in various machine languages. One of the things I enjoyed most was creating solutions to business problems through code. The debt was paid off in three years and as destiny would have it, I found myself in a lucrative field before anyone knew it would be. There’s a lot more I could say about the downside in my life’s journey, but why focus on that? The glass is refillable! Everyone and I do mean EVERYONE, is presented with opportunities that can help them grow, turn a corner, forge a new path, or get to the finish line! Sometimes the journey has bumps in the road, but that doesn’t define who you are. You are an overcomer. You were made to win. You have the power to succeed! And when you’ve done all that you can do, just stand and look in the bleachers. Family, friends, loved ones, and peers are there for you. They are cheering you on and they want the best for you! You are not alone! Change the tape that plays in your head. Don’t let a setback keep you in the back. Be at the table with a sound voice. Own your actions and hold yourself accountable for being the best version of you. It is possible to have the life you want. See it in your mind and work towards achieving it. And when those tough moments come, feel the feeling and push through it! Don’t give up. You deserve the best and it’s yet to come. When I’m not drowning in my full-time work, you will find me on Instagram at @ttaylor2u2 or blogging about my travel, food, or life experiences at www.travelsandtreasures.com." *** Please follow along on instagram as well and learn more about Tanya. 52 Phenomenal Women is now in its second year! This is week 37 of 52.2 Participants in this project will be supporting the efforts of Dress for Success Worldwide – Central. We are all stronger together and it is my sincere hope that we will be inspired by each other’s stories. Now is the time to celebrate as well as encourage one another. Tell your story!