Passion Over Product

Darlene began working at a mental health center shortly after graduation, and quickly realized that this type of work was something she felt called to do. Darlene is the Executive Director of Greenhouse 17, a Kentucky advocacy agency and shelter with a focus on providing resources for victims of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. For over 15 years, Darlene has worked with survivors to ensure their safety and help them regain strength and stability.

From an early age, Connie Milligan experienced strong compassion for the distressed and misunderstood. Her positive outlook and passion for social justice prompted her to use her talents to stick up for people who needed a voice. Witnessing the impact of her work, Connie decided to start Spectrum Transformation, a company of her own where she could continue to use her compassion to help the people who needed it most.

As a life-long swimmer himself, William Kolb believes strongly in the transformative and therapeutic power of swimming. He wanted to create a low pressure environment that allowed people to pursue their individual goals, while also celebrating accomplishments together during group sessions. As a result, Central Adult Learn-To-Swim has become one of the largest programs of its kind nationally, advocating for even more resources accessible for local and national communities.

After experiencing frustration dealing with health challenges and doctors who couldn’t give her the answers she needed, Linda realized something needed to be done. She found that so many people are told there isn’t anything medicine can do, and as a result they end up feeling disconnected from their bodies. Linda’s enzyme and herbal work with The Healthy Zone aims to give people control back, and her gift for understanding energy helps bring people back to themselves.

As a friend, teammate, and coach, Colleen saw a need in her community for better health and wellness education and wanted to open up a dialogue that could help others build up sustainable, healthy habits. Colleen’s purpose-based approach celebrates the process, the simple everyday choices and strategies that make optimal wellness attainable and intentional. In this episode, she shares how she overcame personal obstacles and translated her experiences into inspiration for helping others.

Holistic care has been a long-time priority for Lauren Higdon as a massage therapist, yoga instructor, and owner of Centered. She began attending yoga classes as a way to help herself recover from past trauma and cope after divorce. After having discovered the therapeutic value of yoga, she wanted to create for others an atmosphere that emphasized mental and physical strategies to facilitate healing. She discusses how her journey as a business owner has allowed her to help bring balance to people’s lives.

After a traumatic event when she was younger, El Hoffman started Luvia with the mission of providing a sanctuary for women who were suffering and seeking someone of whom to turn. Knowing that the lack of information and resources often hindered the healing process, El wanted to create a safe space in Luvia and she has helped to inspire change and reinstate control in women’s lives.

Always driven toward service and a passion for organizing at a young age Emily was able to turn that drive and passion into a business she loves, which supports local nonprofits and the communities she serves through not just decluttering others' homes, but through changing their lives.

Vanessa didn't grow up thinking she would become a business owner, but her experience in business development and working with women and minority owned business gave her the skills and inspiration to devote her work to minority-owned business certifications. Vanessa prides herself on making opportunities possible for her clients and connections through her work and her network that she has established.

Keeping in mind her roots, Samantha Fore decided to come back home to Kentucky after studying marketing and management in Boston. She began learning to cook traditional Sri Lankan food from her mother and found herself emerging onto the growing Lexington culinary scene after sharing her meals with friends. The positive response encouraged her to start Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, a combination of traditional Sri-Lankan and Southern flavors. Samantha aims to bring people together and bring representation to her heritage by providing an authentic, positive business experience.

From her philanthropic work with many local nonprofits, such as the Lexington Young Professionals Association and the Alzheimer’s Association allows her the ability to honor her grandmother and herself everyday her work. This is her story on how she became involved with her community and found her passion for nonprofit work.

From her beginnings as a swimmer and engineer to a digital marketer to falling in love with LinkedIn, Christina's why runs deep in who she is and what she believes is right and wrong. From her dealings with her own existential crisis, domestic violence, and buddhism, she has come to understand through all of life's reflections why she gets up every morning to do what she does: to help people.

Passion Over Product is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. In this episode, we introduce you to what's to come.