Jennasis Speaks: The Transformative Power of Women's Stories

We wanted to wish our founder and visionary, Jennifer Malcolm, a happy birthday today! Thank you for creating a space for women to share their stories and begin to heal. On this week's episode, we celebrate you and the Jennasis Speaks Movement with a little help from some special guests! Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Erin Longmoon had a tumultuous childhood filled with multiple types of abuse. She has since become the ancestral abuse breaker for her family and strives to change the narrative for her daughter. This week, Erin shares her story in hopes of showing others that healing takes a lifetime, but it is the most meaningful journey one can take. 

 Elya Starek always had a feeling of worry in her life, but nothing that she couldn't manage on her own. The global pandemic in 2020 was the start to a downward spiral for her, and she eventually realized that professional help and medication was needed to feel “normal” again. However, it wasn't until she began feeling better that she realized just how bad her anxiety had been all along. This week, Elya shares her mental health struggles in hopes of showing others that there is no shame in getting help.

Kathy Romito built a beautiful, prosperous career that, from the outside, gave the world the perception that she was doing well. What many didn't know is that behind that professional mask, was a woman who felt broken and traumatized from her childhood experiences. On this week's episode, Kathy shares her journey to exposing her personal pain. She reminds us that when you take small steps throughout your life,  there is a path to finding healing and recovery.

Do not let anyone tell you what you are capable of. Do not let anyone limit you. Listen to our guest, Katie Novak, who went from an average student to a superstar educator because of one strong voice in her life who breathed belief into her, helping her understand she was much more than just average. She was unique, capable, strong, and carried a purpose and a message that this world needs. Learn how to breathe belief into this next generation, empowering them to run with their own identities and messages

Vickie Hogan was a single mom focusing on raising her son, Elec, when the worst news imaginable comes: She has breast cancer. Facing this diagnosis not only once, but three times has helped Vickie grow into the warrior woman she is today. On this week's episode, Vickie shares how she embraced the fear, accepted support, and advocated for herself in the midst of battling cancer.

Susie Liberatore is the Founder and Art Director of Visions2images Creative Services. For the last decade she has personally been instrumental in bridging the gap between the global digital market and neighborhood locations for some of the biggest brands around.Exponential growth is possible for even a single location with the right professional branding techniques and Susie's signature strategies. Stand out from your competitors and bring your visions to life, while watching your sales skyrocket.

Megan Gargano is a native of Cleveland, Ohio where she co-founded a nonprofit dance company and school, The Movement Project in 2009, whose mission is to challenge perspectives, evoke social change and bridge communities through the power of movement. In 2012, Megan received her BFA in Performance and Choreography from Ohio University School of Dance, as well as furthered her studies at the Laban Centre's summer intensive in Greenwich, London. In 2021 The Movement Project relocated to a newly renovated studio in Fairview Park where they offer year round programming for professional and youth dancers.In 2012, Megan and her husband Anthony purchased a farmhouse in Richfield Ohio where they enjoy their time outside with their boxer dog Penny Lane. In 2018, Megan and Anthony were expecting their first child Luna Serafine, but sadly their daughter was born still on June 18th, 2019. Through their grief and love for their daughter, they worked with Cleveland Clinic Akron General to build The Butterfly Suite, a space designed to support families suffering the loss of a baby. The Butterfly Suite officially opened April 29th, 2022. During the process of building the suite, Megan and Anthony welcomed to the world their baby boy Arlo on October 15, 2020.

Season 4 kicks off with a homecoming of sorts! Founder, Jennifer Malcolm, explains the direction of season 4, coming back home to the heart of the Jennasis movement. Jenn is interviewed by Amy Stack, former podcast guest and production assistant, and shares the heart behind the interviews that make up Jennasis Speaks, Season 4. We are returning to our roots: to give women a place to share their stories, be vulnerable, continue the healing process, and be a spark that fan the flames of growth in other women. Jenn also shares about her vision to continue working with the Jennasis Speaks audience apart from the podcast, creating growth and accountability opportunities in the very near future. Listen in as Jenn and Amy discuss what  this season's guests have to share about things such as infant loss, anxiety, overcoming sexual abuse, surviving diagnoses, and overcoming expectations. 

From a young age, Gina Nicola knew she was different. In third grade, she realized she liked girls and not boys. Then when she was 12, her younger brother was born with Down's Syndrome. Gina is now his guardian. Gina was always guided by external validation and what success traditionally looked like on paper, but she realized she wasn't living her most authentic life.Today, Gina is the Founder & CEO of Gina Nicola Enterprises, a peak performance consultancy firm that coaches professionals into becoming the best version of themselves. She shares her story and her guiding principles with us on Jennasis Speaks.

For Chinetha Hall, surviving COVID-19 wasn't enough. It became her mission to educate and empower the youth in Northeast Ohio to become allies in stopping the spread of this virus. Chinetha drew inspiration from her experience and from her non-profit organization, Hasani Management Inc., and self-published a children's book called Everybody Needs a Mask.Through her own personal struggles, she has always found ways to give back to the less fortunate, less educated, and less empowered in her community. She is continuously motivated by those who surround her with love and support so that she never has to stop giving back.

Artist Hilary Gent knows the heartache of losing a child to miscarriage. Every time she hoped, every time she grieved.But her healing didn't truly begin until she had a creative vision about a painting technique that let her share her sorrow through her work.  Hilary shares her journey with Jennifer Malcom on the next Jennasis Speaks podcast.  

A college athlete and lifelong lover of sports and fitness, Jessica Vaiana was on her way to medical school to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, when she was invited to intern at Train 4 The Game at the University of Texas. She fell in love with the training program and realized that more than anything in life, she just wanted to help others reach their full potential - especially women. Jessica's philosophy is that working moms, female athletes, and women of all ages, have the ability to be great and be in charge of their own lives when they push themselves out of their comfort zone.Jessica hopes to encourage women from all walks of life to put themselves first, physically and mentally. Jessica wants nothing more than for her clients to walk out of their training sessions energized, confident, and ready to take on whatever life throws at them.

As CEO of crisis nursery  Providence House, Natalie Leek knows firsthand about the differences between poor parenting and parenting while poor. She believes many of the moms who turn to Providence House for help are doing their absolute best against incredible odds:They're parenting while living in poverty. They're parenting solo. And they're parenting without the safety net of family and friends that many parents take for granted. And they're parenting in hopes they can keep their children out of the foster care system. Natalie is a leader in a national movement to remake child welfare by putting more emphasis and resources toward keeping families together. She joins Jennifer Malcolm, CEO of Jennasis Speaks, to talk about Providence House's mission and the goal of preserving families. 

Carrie Hudson was 17 when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her illness was her first step in her journey to living an authentic life.For Carrie, living authentically means being the same person whether you're behind closed doors or standing in front of open doors. It means living with integrity. It means accepting struggles as another step in the journey. It means having the courage to love ourselves so we can love others. Now a minister and life coach, Carrie will share her journey on the next episode of Jennasis Speaks hosted by Jennifer Malcolm. 

From the start, Jesi Arter knew she was meant to be with the man who became her husband and father of her child. Their connection was immediate and intense. Their married life in a small Pennsylvania town was very happy. But five months after Jesi became a mother, she became a widow when her husband committed suicide. Since then, she has forged a new path as a single mom, head of household and advocate for women who lose their parters to suicide. 

One way or another, all of us were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But for many people, the pandemic added mental health issues to the many challenges posed.  Arian May understands what those challenges were like. As the advancement officer for OhioGuidestone, she's dedicated to breaking down the stigma that might keep people from seeking help or providing support. Join Arian and Jennifer Malcolm for the next episode of Jennasis Speaks podcast as they talk about breaking down barriers to mental health. 

When Gail Stumphauzer lost her 29-year-old daughter Margeau to the effects of an eating disorder, she lost the drive that carried her through a successful social services career.  She couldn't stop thinking about how her daughter struggled with her demons. Margeau was haunted by feelings of inadequacy that kept her from seeing her strengths.Gail decided to turn her grief into action by creating “ Free to Be” dedicated to Margeau's memory. “Free to Be” encourages women to accept themselves for the strong women they are and help other women to do the same.Gail joins Jennifer Malcom on the next Jennasis Speaks podcast to talk about growing through grief and empowering others. 

When Dr. Thea Wilson sees a family in trouble, she doesn't see a child without hope or a parent without skills. She sees people who need help to heal so they can show what they can do. She sees people who need to know that no one can put a roof on their ceiling. Dr. Wilson and her team at Step Forward serve more than 2,000 children enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start. She brings more than 40 years of early childhood development as a teacher and as an educator teaching others. Join Dr. Wilson and Jennifer Malcolm for the Jennasis Speaks podcast as they talk about parents and children persevering and achieving goals.

Rhetta Rowland's first act was becoming sober after a serious, sudden illness. Her second act was realizing she wanted more for her life than surviving successive layoffs in her career as a marketing executive.She found her third act in the stars.That third act got its start with a chance meeting with an astrologer. What she learned about herself and astrology sparked her interest.When her corporate job was eliminated in 2014, Rhetta leaped into her third act. She now combines her deep knowledge of astrology and coaching skills to help others find their own third act.

Dr. Mirriam Knight-Wilson is doing something she's never done before: She's taking a break.It's a huge step for a woman driven by a need to get things done.Over the past seven years, Mirriam married and moved to the United States from South Africa, earned her doctorate in psychology, was a professor at the Los Angeles-based Chicago School of Professional Psychologists, became a certified transformational  coach and a therapist, while serving as co-pastor of Liberation Church with her husband and leading a popular women's ministry. Amid the busyness of her days, Mirriam realized she had something in common with women in her ministry. Like them, she was exhausted. She had emotional wounds that she needed to heal before she could heal others. Mirriam joins Jennifer Malcolm for Jennasis Speaks to talk about stepping back and taking time to refresh and reset. It's an important lesson for any woman who needs a moment to rediscover their strength.

After decades of addictive behavior, first with food and then with alcohol, Kelly Ayen hit bottom with a vengeance: Enter a rigorous rehabilitation program and obtain sobriety, or be subject to a restraining order that would keep her from her young children. She chose sobriety. In her journey, she also found a passion for helping other women who, like her, turned to addictive behaviors to mask a deep lack of self worth. Kelly’s story is about a woman who fought her way back and found a new way of living.

Darlene Campagna was a college student enjoying a night out on the town with friends when her group inadvertently ran into an angry crowd infuriated after being locked out of a concert. For 15 minutes that felt like forever, the crowd took its frustration out on Darlene and her friends, terrorizing them before they were able to escape.It’s been decades, but Darlene still remembers how her life changed in an instant. Her story is about triumphing over trauma to tap inner strength, achieve life goals, and help other women to do the same.

On this episode of the Jennasis Speaks podcast, I check back in with a few of our past guests, Amy Stack and Laura Steinbrink. We discuss how our episodes have impacted each of us, what we’ve learned and how we continue our healing journey.

Madonna Savage-Phillips suspected there’d  be a price to pay for telling her 12 siblings that until she was 7, their mother stood by while their father molested her. She worried her siblings might not believe her and would reject her.  She feared her parents wouldn’t acknowledge the abuse. But she never suspected the price meant learning she wasn’t the only victim.Her story shattered her large family into two factions. One faction—brothers molested by their mother and sisters molested by their father—validated her experience and helped her to heal. The other faction ostracized her. The rift remains.  Madonna’s story is about overcoming fear, enduring loss, learning to heal and living in joy and in peace. Her story is one of several that Jennasis Speaks shares in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

For years, Susan Warner Taylor felt that something about her was off kilter. It was as if some shadow in her past hovered over her present. For decades, Susan struggled to understand the shadow. She finally forced the shadow into the light when she asked he mother this question: “Did Grandpa do something to me?”Susan was stunned by the answer. Susan learned her grandfather abused her mother and her mother’s four sisters.  Susan later discovered her grandfather had attempted or had been able to abuse more than 25 members of Susan’s extended family.Hauntingly, some of those cousins’ told stories that echoed the flashbacks Susan began to have after learning about her grandfather. The ones who were abused all remembered their grandfather saying he loved them in a special way. They remembered their grandfather taking them to his cellar to show them that special way. They remembered being told that special way needed to be their secret.This week Susan joins Jennifer Malcolm on for the Jennasis Speaks podcast to share her story of revelation, recovery and how sharing stories can heal.

Lauren Brill had it all. Talented, smart and beautiful, she carved a successful career as a television sportscaster, thriving in a male-dominated industry. She also had a secret only her family knew: As a teenager, two strangers drugged her and sexually assaulted her. For more than a decade, Lauren carried her secret. Then, motivated by a desire to help other women carrying similar secrets, she told her story in an open letter posted on the ABC website. Stunned by the response, Lauren launched an online platform where people post their own unsealed letters, share their own painful truths, and find community. Lauren joins Jennifer Malcolm for this week’s episode of Jennasis Speaks to talk about creating an online community where sharing open letters encourages strength and compassion.

April marks the 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Jennasis Speaks founder and podcast host Jennifer Malcolm discusses what this month represents for women everywhere, including sharing her own personal story with sexual assault. Each week throughout April, Jennifer will also be highlighting stories from different women about their own experiences with sexual assault, abuse, and harrassment. In fact, it was hearing these stories that allowed Jennifer to feel safe and empowered enough to share her own story for the first time publicly in 2020. Jennifer will also be sharing sexual assault statistics, resources for sexual assault prevention, and resources for survivors and their loved ones.

If nothing else, Ashlee Ammons knows how to power her way through life’s pivots and over hurdles. Consider this:Despite zero technology experience, Ashlee and her mother Kerry Schrader successfully launched startup Mixtroz, an event software company. They raised more than $1 million in pre-seed funding, joining the prestigious list of top Black females raising funds.Even as they were launching Mixtroz, Ashlee and her mother overcame mental health and physical health challenges.They persevered even as the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the event industry by pivoting to a virtual-only business model.On this episode, Ashlee joins Jennifer Malcolm to discuss entrepreneurship, taking risks, making change, and overcoming the odds.

When it comes to making transitions, Marsha Friedman has walked the talk. From divorce and single parenthood to losing a job and facing financial stress, to losing a spouse and a best friend within months, Marsha has been there, done that. Through it all, Marsha tapped her superpower - the resilience that enabled her to survive, and more than that, to thrive. She has drawn on her personal experiences to create a path for others to follow as they work through change, manage transitions and regain their personal and professional passion. On this episode of the Jennasis Speaks podcast, Marsha joins Jennifer Malcolm to share her story and her strategies. 

Paula Williams knows shame takes many forms. There’s the shame she was made to feel as she sat in a dark confessional booth. She disclosed her “wrongdoing” in a whisper. She hoped for empathy and absolution; she received a scolding. There also is shame about her family, which hid turmoil behind a peaceful facade. She believes shame flourishes in secrecy and fear of judgment. She also believes shame weighs us down. She wanted to use art to help others break free of their shame. The result: The SHAMEBOOTH experience. For the past five years, she and her team of Shame Dames set up shop on city street corners, offering passersby a chance to step into the booth to share and subsequently shed their shame. Paula joins Jennifer Malcolm on Jennasis Speaks to discuss the SHAMEBOOTH, what she’s learned, and what comes next.

Ben and Candace Curtis’ passion for feeding families started with a news story about a middle-class family that had to choose between buying food and paying their bills. The Curtises wondered if there were families in their own community who faced food insecurity. Find out what they learned and how that information sparked the Ben Curtis Family Foundation, which works to ensure children who rely on subsidized school meals don’t go hungry when school’s out. Candace Curtis shares her story of finding a problem and the passion to solve it.

Traci Fisher, CEO of The Wellness Coach, believes we can command respect by embracing our authentic selves. That's how we teach people how they should treat us. For the past 20 years, she has used that approach to help leaders achieve their full potential, drawing on life experiences that include graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point and her military career as a helicopter pilot. Fisher joins Jennifer Malcolm for this week’s episode of the Jennasis Speaks podcast. Be sure to listen and learn how embracing who you are can help you become the person you want to be.

The pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on families. In some cases, for their protection, we held our families at arms length. In others, we had a chance to hold them closer than usual.For Nellie Calanni, however, the pandemic simply reinforced what she learned as the firstborn first-generation American in a tight-knit Italian family: Family comes first. Nellie shares her story with Jennifer Malcolm on this episode of the Jennasis Speaks podcast.

Lela Morgan wanted to be a chef before she knew what that job entailed. Growing up in Jamaica, she reveled in fresh finds—fruits and vegetables that she transformed into great family meals. Coming to America, she stayed true to her passion even while working a variety of administrative jobs. Not even a pandemic that forced her to close her most recent culinary venture has stopped her from pursuing her passion. She’s simply found another way to honor her dream by creating a cookbook of her favorite recipes.

Elizabeth “Liz” Hanna does not take “No” for an answer. “No” was not the answer when she decided to pursue her childhood dream of studying the Middle East and living in Lebanon, her great-grandparents homeland. She persevered, tapping her creativity to find a way. There were roadblocks such as finding, being accepted, and being able to afford an academic program that fulfilled her desire to live in the Middle East, State Department travel warnings that make universities reluctant to support her goal and COVID. She’s bringing that same determination to her new dream: Helping women in the Middle East, Mediterranean, and West and South Asia regions to break away from excessive use of plastic surgery to enhance their appearance by developing a cosmetic line.In this episode we cover:Defending your dreams and your truth PerseveranceEmpowerment

Here’s what struck Denisha Parker when she started practicing yoga as a way to decompress: She was one of the only women of color in her daily classes. As she progressed on her yoga journey and became an instructor, she continued to wonder why. This past year, Denisha decided to stop wondering and step up to make a change. In a year marred by pandemic pressures and a high-intensity focus on racial issues, Denisha was determined to bring the balm of movement and mindfulness to women of color and other members of diverse communities. The result: Yoganisha, a yoga practice where all are welcome.

Sarah Chahy believed in keeping her options open. She relished new and interesting opportunities, always thinking there would be time enough for experiences such as starting a family. Keeping her options open worked for Sarah until she realized it was likely that for her, it looked as if time was running out. She shut the door on old goals, grieved, and then she set new ones.Sarah’s story is one woman’s literal and figurative journey to let go, move on and find new roads as a solo traveler.

Raised in an Amish community in rural Ohio, Laura Geideman believed she had to work her way to Heaven. She feared death. Every night, she would wonder if she’d done enough to deserve God’s love. So she was elated when her older sister shared the gift of salvation – the gift of a relationship with a loving God.But her joy was short-lived. Her parents and then the Amish community to which her family belonged made it clear she and her sister had a choice – accept the Amish faith, or leave, and be shunned by their family and the community. At age 18, Laura knew she had to leave to find her spiritual home. Laura’s story is about finding the courage and strength to leave the place you know for the place where you will find what you need.

Jennifer Malcolm begins Season 2 by continuing to share about her past. Jennifer adopted a perfectionist mentality at a young age and grappled with it throughout her teenage years and early adulthood. She is passionate about empowering women to unleash the warrior within, and she continues to be transparent about her journey. If you are inspired by Jennifer’s work, she wants you to know that she has traveled a difficult path. She truly believes that life gives us all second chances and that beauty can rise from ashes.

Jennifer Malcolm is a powerhouse in the business community who has won several awards for her professional achievements. She is a strong force to be reckoned with and always has a smile on her face with a demeanor that displays love, care, friendship, and support to those close to her. Little did anyone know that she was carrying a secret that she had been hiding for years. Jennifer was assaulted sexually and buried her secret, continuing to be a strong and influential leader. In this episode, Jennifer shares her story of date rape and how it has affected her life. In sharing her story, we learn the alarming statistics of sexual assault and broaden our understanding of how women are affected and how often sexual assault goes unreported.

Losing their lively, lovable 3-year-old son 20 years ago to an unexpected illness changed everything for Christi and Mark Tripodi. Their grief seemed overwhelming and endless, particularly during the holiday season. Struggling to keep going, the Tripodis sought counseling. They found that people with limited means had few resources to help them work through the heavy burden grief brings.Driven by their experience, and to honor their little boy, the Tripodis in 2003 launched the non-profit organization Cornerstone of Hope. Since then, Cornerstone has served more than 37,000 grieving children, teens, adults, and families.Christi shares her and Mark’s personal journey through grief to providing guidance is a tribute to the little boy they lost.

On this special Thanksgiving episode, Jennifer Malcolm sits down with the "wind in her sails", husband Chad Malcolm. It's all about family, love, growth, and the future of happiness. Hear how their story began, how it's grown, and his perspective on supporting Jennifer's path in creating a women's movement.

Wendy Ladley’s oncologist looks forward to her appointments with him for an unlikely reason: Wendy always makes him laugh.  That’s no small accomplishment,  given that Wendy’s illness is no laughing matter. She is among the 6 percent of women breast cancer patients who have metastatic breast cancer (MCB) when they are first diagnosed. There is no cure.Wendy knows the odds are against her. By the time her cancer was diagnosed, it had spread to her liver and her bones. She knows she will be in treatment for the rest of her life. But she also believes she has been blessed with the gift of joy. That joy lets her find the humor in her situation and the strength to confront her illness with hope. That joy helps her to share her experience, drawing women’s attention to MBC and encouraging the medical industry to support MCB research. Wendy shares her story about the power of joy as she joins Jennifer Malcolm for today's Jennasis Speaks podcast.

Jennifer Malcolm has been on a voyage for over ten years with a dream in her heart to empower, encourage, and equip women. Join her on this podcast as she shares the why behind the Jennasis Speaks Movement and her desire to activate women into collective vulnerability through compassionate listening and unconditional love.Her hope is that through vulnerability and community, women will join arms to create a global movement of walking in the fullness of who we're meant to be. Our painful pasts do not dictate our futures, but rather create a platform for voice, beauty, and authority.She invites each of you to become a beacon of light to brightly shine hope, healing, courage, and much, much more.

Over the past 15 years, Betsy Muller has helped countless clients identify their fears and discomfort, using Emotional Freedom Techniques to help clients confront their fears and move on to calm, peace, and happiness. In 2017, Betsy relied on her skills to help her through a life-changing challenge: Helping her husband recover from a serious cardiac arrest and related brain injury. Join Betsy and Jennifer Malcolm for the next Jennasis Speaks podcast as Betsy talks about her very personal experience and how she works with others to help them heal their emotional wounds.

Rebekah Chilcote has always believed she is a child of God. Her faith led her to provide art therapy for Zimbabwean children dying of AIDS. Faith continued to carry her as she provided art therapy for other children living in desperate circumstancesShe has worked with homeless children in Cleveland, children in the West Bank living through poverty, war, and trauma, children in Zimbabwe living with AIDS and other severe illnesses, and children at the end of life in Uganda.Her faith carried her as time and again she was witness to so much suffering. Where faith might while she may not understand why such suffering happens, she that helping and loving children living with trauma was Being witnessed to so much suffering challenged her faith. But the most serious challenge to Rebekah’s faith came when she realized she is gay and that she had to reconcile her faith and her sexuality to have a full, authentic life. Rebekah shares that reconciliation, when she joins Jennifer Malcolm on the Jennasis, Speaks podcast.

Laura Steinbrink grew up with an unanswered question and a secret. She wanted to know why her birth parents gave her up for adoption. And then there was her secret — that as a child, she was sexually abused. She started to learn the reason behind her adoption at age 17; thirty years later she found the strength to reveal the sexual abuse. Over time, she built what she thinks of as her toolbox — tactics that kept her strong and safe while she found answers and brought secrets to light. Laura  joins Jennifer Malcolm, President, and CEO of Jennasis Speaks, to share her experience moving past secrets to success.

Five years ago this past September, Mary Ann Stropkay’s life was upended by a sudden loss when her husband Eric collapsed and died at the couple’s home at age 51. Tragically, Mary Ann and her teenage children were unwilling witnesses to the aftermath of Eric’s death, a traumatic experience that made Mary Ann’s walk through widowhood even more painful. Mary Ann joins Jennifer Malcolm to share the challenges she continues to encounter, from facing her own grief to helping her children with their loss to coping with the social isolation widowhood often brings.

From all appearances, Shelley Cull had it all and did it all, and then some: She’s a business startup dynamo, obtained her business degree at age 50, and raised a family. But Shelley saw herself through the lens of her mother’s constant criticisms of her appearance, attire, and abilities. Shelley’s self-image reflected the flaws her mother perceived. Once she decided to reject the distorted self-image, however, Shelley tapped her strategic business sense to find solutions, reject her mother’s influence, and create a new reflection.