Power to Change Stories

By Shelby Thomas

In 2014, during what would become the most impactful dive of my life, I watched a 100-year-old star coral colony die in just three days. That massive, vibrant reef structure turned grey and lifeless before my eyes. I knew I had to act.

As a marine scientist, I'd worked on dozens of restoration projects, but I kept seeing the same problem: most initiatives were just disaster responses funded by companies checking legal boxes, with minimal follow-up or community connection. I believed restoration should be proactive, not reactive – and people needed to feel personally connected to these underwater ecosystems they'd never see.

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By Angelique Albert

It has never been a straight path, but every step of my journey has led me to this moment. I’ve worked in criminal justice, the gaming industry, served in philanthropy, and built a career as an award-winning artist. Each experience taught me something about leadership, resilience, and systems change.

When I became CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund, I saw an opportunity to bring it all together. I led a strategic transformation for our organization - rebranding, refining our mission, and bringing in new partnerships with leading philanthropists and brands.

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By Lauren Ashtyn

When I began losing my hair, I learned quickly that women’s hair loss was not treated with the same seriousness as men’s. For men, it was “normal.” For women, it was dismissed as vanity. But I knew it was about identity, confidence, and dignity, not just appearance. That’s why I’ve fought to reframe the conversation, building a team that guides women on how to get covered with insurance to ensure they can access solutions without financial strain.

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By Sandy Sternbach

Returning to the dating world in your 40s and above can seem like too much work, but it can be one of the most rewarding chapters in your life. Women of all ages are in a unique position to achieve their romantic relationship goal, which was previously thought to be only in romance novels or fairytales. There are many silver linings for your next chapter and ways to improve your dating process.

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By Sarah Cathrine Molema

Co-founding Deaftronics was never just about launching a product, it was about creating access, dignity, and connection where there was none.

In Botswana and across many developing regions, people with hearing loss face an invisible barrier. Standard hearing aids rely on expensive, hard-to-find batteries. Many go unused. The result? Missed school, lost job opportunities, and silence where there should be sound.

I knew that couldn’t continue.

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By Natalie West

I was leaving a meeting with a U.S.-based manufacturer when he asked what sizes I offered. I said, “Extra small through extra large.” His response? “I can’t believe you’re encouraging women to be fat and out of shape.”

In that instant, I knew I couldn’t work with someone whose views were not only discriminatory but fundamentally opposed to my values.

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By Kristen Coe

June 7, 2025 marked 10 years since we lost our son Hunter to suicide.

Our family’s “party of six” became a “party of five”, and that sense of ruptured identity was immediate
and profoundly dislocating.  Looking back – filled with its “what ifs” – was painful; looking forward – into the occluded unknown – was nearly paralyzing. 

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By Marley Peters

I have always believed in the power of a good story. From the first time I picked up a pen, I knew stories could do more than entertain. They could connect, inspire, and create change.

That belief carried me into the world of public relations, where every day is fast, loud, and sometimes chaotic. But for me, it is where stories meet strategy. As Co-Founder and Campaign Director of Don’t Be A Little Pitch, I get to build campaigns that do more than sell. They spark connection, provoke thought, and shift how people see the world.

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By Jessica Fabus Cheng

When my cousin tripped over an inaccessible sidewalk outside a medical office and prematurely became a wheelchair user, something in me shifted. As a young healthcare practitioner, I was used to advocating inside hospital walls, but witnessing that moment made me realize that systemic barriers outside those walls could be just as devastating. I knew then that speaking up wasn’t optional—it was necessary.

That moment lit the fire behind Accessibility in Action, the platform I built to reframe how brands and businesses view accessibility: not as charity, but as a smart, human-centered strategy. I launched Turnkey Accessibility—a free training to help brands easily embed inclusion into their digital presence—and began using every tool I had to push the message wider.

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By Tansley Stearns

It has always been my dream to lead a credit union. As not-for-profit institutions, credit unions were created to improve lives and foster financial stability— especially in communities where traditional banks often fall short. When I returned to my home state of Michigan as president and CEO of Community Financial Credit Union, I was determined to address the economic pain I saw firsthand in my community.

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By Anna Fishbeyn

The moment I became a mother, expectations bombarded me: be the perfect mom, wife, and woman, all while looking good doing it. I saw how deeply gender inequity was embedded in our culture, not just in the workplace but in parenting, beauty standards, and social value.

At the playground, I noticed something striking: dads introduced themselves with job titles. “I’m a lawyer.” “I’m a doctor.” Moms said, “I’m a stay-at-home mom” or “working mom.” Our identities were swallowed by motherhood, while men’s remained intact. That was my catalyst.

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By Amber Duncan

When a bankruptcy attorney looked me in the eye and said, “I’ll see you back here again,” something shifted in me. I was humiliated, broke, and a mother of five—but at that moment, I became dangerous. I thought, The hell you will, and walked out of that office with a mission: to make sure no one else would be spoken to like that again.

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By Pauline Rogers

For decades, I’ve been known as a steady, boots-on-the-ground advocate for formerly incarcerated people in Mississippi. My comfort zone was local jails, prisons, and reentry housing—places where I could touch lives up close. But over the past year, I realized that to truly create sustainable change, I had to shift not only systems but also myself.

I began saying yes to arenas that once felt unfamiliar—national policy roundtables, university panels, even Zoom conferences where I wasn’t the oldest but often the only voice with lived experience leading the conversation. It was uncomfortable at first. I was used to doing the work, not explaining it in soundbites or theory. But I embraced it because I knew our stories needed to be heard where decisions are made.

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By Melissa Morris

In both my professional functions as an adjunct professor and a marketing manager at my family business, I have always been proactive and initiated changes meant to improve the quality of life for other people. I pride myself as a professor on my ability to engage students in a collaborative environment that seeks to maximize participation among students. I strive to make my classroom a safe zone where students are free to express their thoughts and ideas, engage in discussions, and collaborate on different projects. This has improved not only their learning experience but also helped them gain collaboration and communication skills.

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By Janie Blouin Grondin

The first time I truly understood the power of subtle biases was before a major presentation to a group of C-level executives. As I walked in, one of them greeted me with, "Ah, it's always a pleasure to have the beautiful Janie here to present her recommendations!"

Before I could react, my then-boss immediately interjected: "Her name is not ‘the beautiful Janie’—it’s Janie."

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By Kasey Kelly

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the strength, determination, and achievements of women throughout history. It’s also a time to reflect on how we can uplift and support one another.

As a military spouse, I know firsthand the challenges that come with this life. Frequent relocations stall career growth, create employment gaps, and make it difficult to build professional networks. Many of us find ourselves stationed in rural areas with limited job opportunities, making career advancement even harder. Military spouses face an unemployment rate nearly three times higher than civilians and are often underemployed in roles that don’t match their skills or education.

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By Chelsea Haskins

Working in a male-dominated industry presents challenges, but I’ve used them as fuel to lead, advocate, and drive meaningful change. As a woman in cannabis, my commitment to expanding safe access, advancing policy reform, and amplifying operators' voices has shaped my career. I’ve helped push the industry forward by increasing business opportunities, advocate for fair regulations, and created pathways for sustainable growth.

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By Dinah Chapman

From the moment I became a mom, everything shifted. While on maternity leave with my first son, Cash, I started what I thought would be a small side hustle—Little Trouble. It quickly grew from a side project into a business that replaced my corporate salary. 

In corporate America, I saw pressure to give everything to a company, often at the expense of personal well-being. ​​Leaving corporate America (and physical America) was a necessary shift to recalibrate and scale a purpose-driven brand with the flexibility I was looking for while also raising two kids.

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By Narmin Jarrous

I’ve never been someone capable of complacency - whether that’s because I live in chronic pain and refuse to tolerate one iota more of discomfort is yet to be determined. What I do know is that complacency has no place in my life, career, or the cannabis industry. 

When I first entered this space, I saw far too much stagnation. Licensing regulations that didn’t make sense, social equity plans that rang hollow, and marketing strategies that catered to one very particular type of man. Today’s cannabis industry wasn’t built for people like me; women, especially women of color, weren’t considered. That needed to change. 

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By Tricia Symbersma

Gratitude opens doors. For me, it led to becoming a HeartMath® Certified Trainer and, ultimately, to HeartWorks. I discovered it is not about mending something that is broken, it's more about encountering and reconnecting with the energy already present in all of us. This realization is what I regard as HeartWorks, where science, art, and mindfulness, foster a new way for people to experience daily alignment and personal growth.

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