THE TAPESTRY

Tracy Taris, a licensed marriage and family therapist, experienced her own personal demons as she battled doubt, fear and anxiety which stemmed from negative childhood internal and external influences and voices. As the eldest of six children, Tracy was given a daunting amount of responsibility over her siblings that motivated her to become outspoken. Being a non-conformist caused her to be labeled as “evil.” As an adult, she also endured a family tragedy that brought up a deep fear of early death. Determined to break free and help others, Tracy earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology while learning to identify and eliminate personal confusion and chaos caused by negative messages. She discovered healing through Jesus Christ's love and guidance. In her therapy practice, she offers healing techniques to her clients struggling with psychological and relational suffering.

Xavier Henderson, MEd, is the co-founder and chief development officer of For Oak Cliff, which works liberate Oak Cliff from systemic oppression. Xavier is tied to the neighborhood being born in raised in South Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove. Previously, Xavier was a Teach For America corps member and taught at a school on the same street where he grew up in South Oak Cliff. He was drawn to education because of his experience with limited resources in his community and as a Dallas public school student. While teaching, Xavier got a closer look at the barriers families faced in accessing resources, inspiring him to co-found For Oak Cliff. He works to ensure resources are accessible to the predominantly Black neighborhood he grew up in and still calls home. He received a master's in education from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor's in communication studies from the University of North Texas.

At the age of 23 Danielle was hit by a drunk driver and sustained a life-altering injury to her brain. The medical world said there was no hope of recovery & told her to accept this life as her “new normal”. Although her body was physically impaired, her spirit was strong, she refused to believe their diagnoses. Her mind was determined to recover… and she did! Through the power of what she refers to as ‘Mind Control,' she attracted the mindset, techniques, and exact quantum healing technologies needed to fully recover. She has since built an international business, authored an e-book called Mind Control and shares her life-altering experience with countless people around the globe.

On a quest to help mainstream America acknowledge and embrace the Hispanic media market, Margie Aguilar founded and is the current company lead of ISP Creative, a video production and full-service creative content house in Irving Texas. With Margie at the helm, ISP Creative has become a driving force in the industry and recently nationally recognized as US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Small Businessperson of the Year. Margie is an energetic, visionary centric leader who looks through a lens of opportunity and leads with an expansive mindset. Margie has a vision to see people and projects at their next level! Through Margie's leadership, she helped expand Ulta's definition of beauty with its DEI campaign, Driven to be Different, an all-encompassing campaign highlighting that anything is possible when dare to show up in our own unique and different way. She transformed DFW H100, a Latina nonprofit in North Texas, elevating it to a more sustainable and inclusive brand. Margie stands out by truly “SEEING” the opportunity that success brings with her team, clients, and community. Margie is motivated by uplifting women, living by the mantra, “MY WIN IS HER WIN” she is promoting women's empowerment and influence, and serves on boards and committees that build women in prestigious organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Women's Business Council Southwest and Young Women's Preparatory Network and The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber. Margie is a DOUBLE Dallas Business Journal's Business Awardee, for community advocacy and a woman in business if the year, a living legend awardee and in 2021, Margie was honored with the United States President's Volunteer Service Award. Margie's company's mission is “Capturing the Spirit of Being Seen, and 24 years later, she still challenges everyone around her to remember it's not about us, it's about the people around us. We see you.

Dr. Jill Waggoner holds a Medical Degree and a Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has certifications in both Preventive Medicine and Wellness Coordination from the prestigious Cooper Institute. Dr. Waggoner is a residency trained, board certified Family Practice Physician, with nearly 30 years of experience. She has studied Functional and Integrative medicine for the past 15 years; an approach that seeks to find the cause of disease and uses multiple healing modalities to help patients obtain optimal health. Most recently she received a certification in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. She has dedicated her life to teaching her patients how to flourish and embrace better living through better health. Dr. Waggoner has authored eight books, the latest of which is Maddie on a Mission, a children's book. She has also served as a national medical expert for both television and radio for NBC, ABC and Fox affiliates, and has been selected as D Magazine's Best Doctor for five consecutive years. Her most rewarding accomplishment is that of wife to her husband Mark, and mother to her two daughters Jillian and Uriah. Dr. Jill Waggoner is dedicated to the cause of giving individuals the tools needed to step beyond the traditional approach of early detection of disease, to the futuristic reality of prevention of disease! Her personal mission is to diminish suffering, foster healing, and prevent disease through connection, compassion, enlightenment, education, and love.

Sherri Mixon has served as the Executive Director of T.R. Hoover Community Development Corporation since 1998. Mixon grew up in the Ideal-Bonton-Bexar St. area of South Dallas, within walking distance of the T.R. Hoover Multipurpose Center, and still resides in the same neighborhood today. As a child she fought against the ills that plagued her community alongside her mother, Jacqueline. She marched and led protests to help keep the streets of South Dallas a place where citizens could be proud to live. After graduating from South Dallas' Lincoln High School and matriculating to Prairie View A&M University, she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, and returned home to assist her mother, caring for those in need while continuing to create programs and events that would help dissipate abhorrent issues persisting in the community. This work ultimately led to the formation of T.R. Hoover CDC. Sherri was chosen by the community to head T.R. Hoover. While only in her 20s she embarked upon one of the largest transformations in South Dallas, building over 55 new homes, repairing over 100 senior citizen's homes in The Ideal Neighborhood, the construction of a new multipurpose center, and the development of a retail plan for a business corridor. “Ms. Sherri,” as she is affectionately known, is an experienced community organizer whose family has worked in this neighborhood for over 100 years. She is a developer with experience in operating and managing community development projects. She has an extensive background in grant writing, financial management, and program development and is hands-on with not only the execution of programs and services at T.R. Hoover, but is also a key facilitator. Ms. Mixon continues to serve on several city appointed boards including the Grand Park South TIF Board, the South Dallas Council for the Fair & Equitable Treatment of Women, and the South Dallas Transportation Fair Park Committee, and collaborates with a number of surrounding neighborhood organizations. She seeks to drive the change that is needed in our communities through problem-solving, innovation, and exchange of ideas between change agents. She is currently the driving force behind the creation of T.R. Hoover CDC 's Hoover Tech facility. Hoover Tech is the first Tech Resource Center in South Dallas for all of South Dallas, ensuring residents have access to equitable technology-based opportunities in the workforce, education, and other community resources. 

Bemnet Meshesha, serves as Vice President of Community, Culture & Equity at Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. She oversees the development and implementation of equitable strategy, practices, and policies. She also leads the organization in creating people-centric organizational culture and strengthening their community engagement. Although based in Dallas, Bemnet is an Ethiopian immigrant and that lens remains central to her advocacy in understanding nuanced experiences of people of color and its intersection in navigating inequities within systems and interpersonal connections. Bemnet also serves on a few boards-- Social Venture Partners, Deep Vellum, Harmony CDC and co-chairs the sponsoring committee for the Urban League affiliate. And when she's not working on these amazing initiatives, she is busy catching flights traveling to the next destination with a beach! Dr. Y. “Falami” Devoe also known as “Dr. Falami” is a Holistic Human Development Strategist, Public Speaker, Educator, Poet and Self-Care Ritualist. She is passionate about centering the voices of Black women and curates' intentional spaces for authentic dialogue, self-reflection, and community building. Dr. Falami specializes in community conversations with higher education institutions, public school systems, and nonprofits. She has facilitated training for hundreds of participants across the United States focusing on self and collective care, leading from within, and mindfulness. Dr. Falami is a Self- Care Ritualist and integrates meditation, sound healing and reiki practices into her a private well-being practice, Holistic Alchemy. She received her PhD from the Graduate School of Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.   Being a curious and creative learner sets Valerie Hope apart as a leadership coach and professional speaker. For more than two decades, Valerie has been called to inspire and activate global leaders to become more conscious, connected, and creative.  After traveling to more than 30 countries and living with 400+ host families, she's learned that life is the best teacher and that we humans are the star pupils

Tilde Guajardo is an entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, global mentor, author, investor, and a proud Army Veteran. Tilde is powerful woman full of faith, hope and love, no longer shackled by anger, fear or shame. She didn't know it for a long time, but all of her experiences were helping her cultivate a teachable strategy to inspire anyone to become enthusiastic about change, to find their Divine identity, purpose, and power. She's been doing it for over 20 years in various capacities. Today, she helps women, conscious businesses and organizations rethink how to integrate Spirituality into their everyday lives or culture, so they can thrive. She created The Divine Quotient™, which is a practical and repeatable methodology, to inspire change, growth, and happiness, even amid chaos. Cessilye Smith is the founder and CEO of Abide Women's Health Services, which exists to improve birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care. Through her leadership, Abide is on the map as a breakthrough maternal justice organization, a recognized Perinatal Safe Spot, Accredited Easy Access Clinic through Commonsense Childbirth Inc., and future birth center Shelly has served churches and denominations, worked in church planting and consulted with businesses to grow people and teams for the past twenty years. She holds a Masters degree in Theology and Christian Leadership from Fuller Seminary. She served students with disabilities and began her career as a Speech Pathologist. Shelly developed and launched a Training and Development arm for best-selling author Laurie Beth Jones.  Shelly has authored, created and developed brand programs for Training, Coaching and Building Teams. She consults with coaches, trainers and organizations throughout the US and International. Her mission is to teach, promote and release the feminine voice of God in herself and others.

Kimberly O'Neil is an award-winning professor, executive leader, and social good expert. She was the youngest serving African American woman City Manager in the United States. As a veteran senior government and nonprofit executive, Kimberly has used her voice to impact policy decisions while lobbying in New York City and on Capitol Hill. She now works within the social sector and leads Giving Blueprint, a consulting company with a mission to impact social change through the development of strategic partnerships and growth plans within the social sector. In addition to being a sought-after thought leader, strategist, and speaker, Kimberly is a published author and professor who was honored as the 2017 Outstanding Associate Faculty of the Year for Collin College. She is the founding director of Power in Action, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and a founding member of HERitage Giving Fund, the first Black giving circle in Texas. Leah Frazier is a 2-Time Emmy Award-Winning and 10-Time ADDY Award-Winning entrepreneur and was recognized by DCEO Magazine as one of Dallas' most powerful business leaders in 2022. She is an attorney turned marketing and communications guru, who unapologetically left the practice of law to pursue her entrepreneurial ventures. In 2020, Leah was recognized by Dallas Innovates as one of the Future 50 Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth for tech, innovation and disruption and also as a winner of the 2020 “Inno on Fire” award from American Inno's North Texas Innomedia outlet, for her service to the startup, small business and entrepreneurial community. Just recently, Leah was named as one of the “top 10inspiring black women in the marketing and communications industry to follow” by Top Rank Marketing, and also as the 2021 Black Women in Media Trailblazer Award in the Media category. Leah has built a multi-faceted empire as an award-winning journalist, publicist, media personality, digital marketing expert, and in-demand consultant to notable brands. She is also a proud adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas and at Texas Wesleyan University Jasmin Brand is an award-winning marketer and serial entrepreneur who's built a solid reputation as an out-of-the-box strategist and expert at the business of innovation and community building. In spring 2022, Jasmin was named as the first Director of Innovation for the Frisco Economic Development Corporation where she is responsible for the creation of jobs through tech-focused business attraction and crafting a strategy for the city's innovation ecosystem. In 2009, Jasmin was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and launched her first company - a creative agency (known today as The Start) that specialized in producing culturally rich content and experiential events. In 2017, she got her official introduction to the North Texas startup scene with an opportunity to lead one of the region's first platforms created for the startup community. In 2019, she founded Her Texas, a tech enabled membership platform on a mission to increase community and capital for women that do business in Texas. Her Texas membership officially goes live statewide in Spring 2023

Dr. Esteria Miller is a motivating, dynamic speaker, counselor and health care professional with a story like no other. Her professional (and personal) experiences have focused largely on counseling, training, support and development of community engagement, nonprofit management, and health information technology.  She has pursued vocational and ministry activities with a strong sense of mission and calling. She has had the great fortune to play numerous roles in the nonprofit field: as a Counselor, Mental Health advocate, Principal Investigator, community navigator, grant reviewer, program director, board president, board member and community liaison. She is currently writing her first book, to be published and released within the coming year. Her life's work reflects the lyrics of the familiar hymn “If I can help somebody, then my living shall not be in vain”. Her vision statement is, “Now Also When I Am Old and Gray Headed, O God, Forsake Me Not; Until I Have Showed Your Strength Unto This Generation, and Your Power to Every One That Is to Come” (Psalm 71:18). “I once was bound but now I'm free” sums it up for this mom, widow who bloomed in the darkness, ordained minister of the Gospel, and Coach/mentor to many – a few of the hats Ingra wears. While being freed from religious bondage, Ingra's purpose was made crystal clear. Create receptive insight, God said. Ingra's M. O. is to divinely whet appetites and increase expectations of believers who feel stifled by the religious expectations of others, encouraging them to explore the Kingdom of God freely and expansively through her budding business endeavor, Slingshot U. Freedom to be and to have abundant life right here on earth IS possible and it looks as different as we all do. There's a Master Plan for each of us. Thana is a former teen mother and the Founder/CEO of Viola's House. Viola's House is a Maternity Home for teen mothers who are homeless and facing an unplanned pregnancy. Thana is also the founder of the Baby Benefit Boutique. The BBB currently has over 5,000 visits a month from mothers in the community that take pregnancy and parenting classes. In return for taking classes, mothers receive vouchers to shop in the beautiful boutique. Thana has found her greatest joy in serving homeless teen mothers as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Thana has three adult daughters and currently resides in Dallas, TX.

Oni K. Blair joined the ACLU of Texas in June 2021 as executive director, leading the organization forward through a particularly challenging environment with attacks on voting, reproductive, and LGBTQ rights, among other issues. Oni comes to the ACLU of Texas after serving as executive director of LINK Houston, a non-profit organization advocating for robust and equitable transportation for all Houstonians. She helped shape a $7 billion transit plan to increase equitable bus access; compelled the mayor to fix Houston's dangerous intersections and launch a zero-fatality safety campaign; aligned advocates of affordable housing and transportation; and won $51.5 million for communities of color adversely impacted by highway expansion. Before her work at LINK Houston, Oni was a Foreign Service Officer (U.S. diplomat) with the U.S. Department of State. At the State Department's headquarters in Washington, DC, she directed a human rights office and worked as a special assistant to the U.S. Deputy Secretary. She also served at the U.S. embassies in Jordan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Oni has led teams to impact policies and advance rights at the local, national, and international levels. Oni is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the Truman National Security Project, and a 2021-2022 non-resident fellow of Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the Harvard Kennedy School. Oni earned her bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government

A Rhode Island native, Ann was born in West Warwick and spent high school working as a Marsha Jordan Girl, modeling for the Jordan Marsh department store at the Warwick Mall. She majored in English at the University of Rhode Island, where she fell in love with Shakespeare, Willa Cather, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.   In seventh grade, she read a book called How To Become An Airline Stewardess that fueled her desire to see the world. And that's just what she did when she graduated from URI—she went to work for TWA as a flight attendant.   She wrote her first novel, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, on international flights and on the Train to the Plane, which was the subway out to JFK. It was published in 1987. Since then, she's published in The New York Times, The Paris Review, O, Bon Appetit, Tin House, The Atlantic Monthly, Real Simple, and other wonderful places; and has won two Pushcart Prizes, two Best American Food Writing Awards, Best American Spiritual Writing and Travel Writing Awards, and a Boston Public Library Literary Light Award. Ann is also a part of the Miami Book Fair this November. 

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book “Adnan's Story” and Executive Producer of the HBO documentary series “The Case Against Adnan Syed.” Rabia is also co-producer and co-host of podcasts, Undisclosed – the most popular wrongful conviction podcast in the world that has helped exonerate a dozen defendants – The 45th Nighty Night, and The Hidden Djinn. Rabia is a 2021 Aspen Institute/ADL Civil Society Fellow and was previously a 2016 Aspen Ideas Scholar and on the Vanguard Board at the Aspen Institute. She is a Fellow of the Truman National Security Project, a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and a former Board member of the ACLU of Connecticut and Maryland. Rabia is the recipient of the Truman National Security Project's 2015 Harry S. Truman Award for Communications & Media Influence, is a 2015 Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrant, and is the recipient of the 2015 Healing & Hope award by the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. She is currently a founding board member of the Inter-Jewish Muslim Alliance, and the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, both of which focus on building Muslim-Jewish coalitions around pressing policy issues, and educating across communities to break barriers. Rabia received her Juris Doctorate from the George Mason School of Law and practiced immigration and civil rights law for over a decade before moving into the CVE policy sphere. Her practice focus was asylum and family immigration, and civil rights defense of Muslim immigrants against federal law enforcement agencies. Rabia's second book, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom, a memoir on food, fat, and family is due to be published in November 2022 by Algonquin Books. Rabia is also a part of the Miami Book Fair in November. Visit their website for details.

Thrity Umrigar is the best-selling author of the novels Bombay Time, The Space Between Us, If Today Be Sweet, The Weight of Heaven, The World We Found, The Story Hour, Everybody's Son and The Secrets Between Us. Her new novel, Honor, is an Indie Next List Pick for January 2022. Umrigar is also the author of the memoir, First Darling of the Morning and three children's picture books, When I Carried You in My Belly, Sugar in Milk and Binny's Diwali. Her books have been translated into several languages and published in over fifteen countries. She is a Distinguished University Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Thrity is the winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Lambda Literary award and the Seth Rosenberg prize. She is also the recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard. Thrity was born in Bombay, India and came to the U.S. when she was 21. As a Parsi child attending a Catholic school in a predominantly Hindu country, she had the kind of schizophrenic and cosmopolitan childhood that has served her well in her life as a writer. Accused by teachers and parents alike of being a daydreaming, head-in-the-clouds child, she grew up lost in the fictional worlds created by Steinbeck, Hemingway, Woolf and Faulkner. She would emerge long enough from these books to create her own fictional and poetic worlds. Encouraged by her practical-minded parents to get an undergraduate degree in business, Thrity survived business school by creating a drama club and writing, directing, and acting in plays. Her first short stories, essays and poems were published in national magazines and newspapers in India at age fifteen. After earning a M.A. in journalism in the U.S., Thrity worked for several years as an award-winning reporter, columnist, and magazine writer. She also earned a Ph.D. in English. In 1999, Thrity won a one-year Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University, which is given to mid-career journalists. While at Harvard, Thrity wrote her first novel, Bombay Time. In 2002 she accepted a teaching position at Case Western Reserve University, where she was recently named a Distinguished University Professor of English. Her articles have been published in national publications such as The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. Thirty is also a part of the Miami Book Fair in November. Visit their website for details. 

Omolola is a biomedical informatician and writer. Biomedical informatics is a relatively new and exciting field that studies how to effectively acquire, store, communicate and transform biomedical data, information and knowledge to produce insights that can be acted upon to improve human health. The professional society for US-based informaticians is the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). Omolola is an elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics. Her research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and telehealth can be used to improve healthcare in medically underserved and under-resourced settings. Even though she was drawn to math and science at an early age, Omolola was always a voracious reader; her mother taught African and African-American literature at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and so there were hundreds of intriguing books jammed into bookshelves around her house. Bored with her Enid Blyton collection, at age ten, she switched to reading James Baldwin, Flora Nwapa, Richard Wright, & similar authors. Although she was too young to understand much of what she was reading, the books opened up fascinating new worlds and fostered an unquenchable curiosity about different people and places. Omolola was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. She now lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband. Her short story, “Area Boy Rescue” was a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Studzinski Literary Award. It appears in the collection, New Writing from Africa 2009. Her short story, “Jollof Rice and Revolutions” appeared in Ploughshares in 2017 and was named to the list of “Other Distinguished Stories of 2017” in The Best American Short Stories 2018. In September 2022, her first book, a novel in stories, “Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions” was published in North America by Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. It will also be published by Trapeze Books, an imprint of Hachette's Orion, in the United Kingdom and much of the Commonwealth. Omolola is also a part of the Miami Book Fair in November. Visit their website for details. 

Jacinda Townsend grew up in Southcentral Kentucky and left for Harvard at the age of sixteen. It was there that she took her first creative writing classes; while at Duke Law School, she cross-registered in the English department, where she took her next few formative writing workshops. After four years of being first a broadcast journalist and then an antitrust lawyer in New York City, Jacinda went to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she received her MFA before going on to spend a year as a Fulbright fellow to Côte d'Ivoire. During her Fulbright year, on a layover in Morocco, Jacinda discovered the city of Marrakech and fell in love. Later that same year, on a trip to Northern Mali, she also first witnessed modern-day slavery: that incident inspired the research that eventually took her to Mauritania, where she met with escaped slaves and anti-slavery activists and began the work that would become her newly published novel, Mother Country (Graywolf, 2022).  Mother Country is told in the voices of an American woman struggling with infertility who kidnaps a young Moroccan girl, and the young mother, escaped from Mauritanian slavery, who loses her. Jacinda recently finished work on a third novel, James Loves Ruth. James Loves Ruth is told in the voices of Ruth Hurley, who changed her identity and moved across the country after her father was killed by police in the late eighties, and James Hurley, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, who spends the novel uncovering the truth about his wife. Excerpts from the novel have appeared in Auburn Avenue, Copper Nickel, and Transition. Jacinda has taught in MFA programs across the country, and is mom to two magnificent children who amaze her daily. Jacinda is also a part of the Miami Book Fair in November. Visit their website for details. 

Ann Leary is the New York Times bestselling author of a memoir and four novels including The Good House. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages, and she has written for The New York Times, Ploughshares, NPR, Redbook, and Real Simple, among other publications. Her essay, “Rallying to Keep the Game Alive,” was adapted for Prime Video's television series, Modern Love. She lives with her husband in New York. Visit her online at AnnLeary.com.

Anuradha Bhowmik is a Bangladeshi American poet and writer from South Jersey who currently lives and works in Philadelphia. She is a 2022 Kundiman Fellow and a 2018 AWP Intro Journals Project Winner in Poetry. Her poetry and prose have appeared in POETRY, The Sun, Copper Nickel, Pleiades, Indiana Review, and elsewhere. She earned her MFA from Virginia Tech, and she has received awards from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Frost Place, among others. Her new book, Brown Girl Chromatography is the winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize.    

Derecka Purnell, Anuradha Bhowmik, Rabia Chaudry, Tajja Isen, Jacinda Townsend are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in downtown Miami for Miami Book Fair 2022, the nation's largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They, along with Patti Smith, Tia Williams, Sandra Cisneros, Lisa Genova are so looking forward to sharing their work, thoughts and new ideas with everyone in person, and streamed Live From the Fair, from Sunday, November 13 through Sunday, Nov. 20. Please visit miamibookfair for more information, for follow MBF at @miamibookfair #miamibookfair2021  As a voice actor, writer, and newly appointed editor in chief of Catapult magazine, Tajja Isen is no stranger to the power and function of language—how words can be loaded or empty, insightful or incendiary, manipulated or manipulative. In her daily life and in the world around her, Isen has traced a pattern that, by now, should feel familiar to many of us: that the progressive language of inclusion is often used in an attempt to rebrand institutions whose actions often show the opposite. She calls this diversionary tactic “lip service.” In her debut essay collection, SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS: Essays on Lip Service (One Signal Publishers; Hardcover; On Sale April 19, 2022;), Tajja Isen articulates the absurdity of living in a world that has grown fluent in the language of social justice but doesn't always follow through. 

Cheryl Wattley graduated from Smith College, cum laude, with high honors in Sociology. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Boston University College of Law.   Wattley then went into private litigation practice, where her work included white-collar criminal defense, civil rights litigation, federal and state criminal defense, and post-conviction proceedings. In 1995, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton for a federal judgeship. Wattley is the author of a "A Step Toward Brown v. Board of Education: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and Her Fight to End Segregation” published in October 2014, and winner of the 2015 Oklahoma Book Award, Non-Fiction category. Professor Wattley also authored “Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher: How A ‘Skinny Little Girl' Took on the University of Oklahoma and Helped Pave the Road to Brown v. Board of Education” in 2010.  Professor Wattley continues to work with Centurion Ministries, a non-profit organization based in Princeton, New Jersey, devoted to the vindication and liberation of persons wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. 

Founding Member and President of Artstillery, Ilknur Ozgur has an Master's degree in Theatre, Communications and Public Relations. She is a Chicago native and almost considers herself a Texan after 7 years of residency. For over 6 years she worked with Blue Man group with the Company Management Team. While working at the Goodman Theater, she felt unlucky to have worked with Brian Dennehy and fortunate to have created a friendship with the late Arthur Miller. In partnership she helped create Urban Theater Co. which worked primarily in urban Chicago neighborhoods producing new works. During this time, she was able to produce Imitation Haitian for the New York Fringe Festival. Since arriving to Dallas, she became a cofounder of Dead White Zombies and now serves as a company manager. 

Dr. Michelle Forbes is obsessed with integrating personal experience and life history into current perspectives to create a sustainable and equitable future for all. She bravely embarked on her educational and career journey to become a physician with two preschool children in tow and enough resilience to move mountains. Her medical education and training include an MD from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and residency at Children's Health in Dallas. Furthering her passion of strong leadership in healthcare, she holds a Certificate of Physician Leadership from Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas and commencement from Stagen Leadership Academy. She has amassed decades of experience practicing pediatric medicine, leading physician focused and community-based organizations and providing medical consulting for numerous healthcare companies including Veradigm, RxTruePrice, Surescripts, and McKesson. Because she believes supportive relationships are vital to physician and patient success, she currently holds multiple leadership roles pursuing this value daily. She is Chief Medical Officer of Plano-based Catalyst Health Network, a clinically integrated healthcare organization supporting primary care physicians and their patients, as well as Medical Director of Catalyst Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to quality primary care in traditionally overlooked and underserved neighborhoods. A strong believer in walking the path together, she relishes and seeks out opportunities to collaborate and create with like-minded individuals and organizations in pursuit of creating higher ground for our collective communities.

A South Dallas native, Diane Ragsdale is a founder of South Dallas/Fair Park Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) which was founded in 1986 and has been the Managing Director of ICDC since 2004. Under her leadership the South Dallas/Fair Park Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) continues its mission of building lives and revitalizing neighborhoods with several ongoing initiatives. These initiatives include building over 250 homes, providing much needed home ownership opportunities; purchasing and revitalizing a retail center; introducing low-income inner-city youth to the possibilities of business ownership as a viable career option; building an office complex for commercial and retail development; creating a business incubator center to support the growth of new and existing businesses; building a health care facility and the development of a partnership with Dallas College to provide work training programs from the South Dallas Training Center located on ICDC's campus. Ms. Ragsdale's journey as a childhood activist, an organizer, a City Plan Commission member, Registered Nurse, Dallas City Council member and founder and Director of the community-based nonprofit, South Dallas/ Fair Park Inner-city Community Development Corporation have all continued to provide her with knowledge and valuable experiences that will move the struggle for justice forward. Ms. Ragsdale's work and her witness are reinforced by her fervent belief that there are many blessings in serving the community. She is driven by the Biblical admonition, “whatsoever you do unto the least of these” and by the directive from the prophet Micah to Do Justice.

Dr. Deborah Houk is a mother, wife, and board-certified Internal Medicine Physician currently in Naples, FL but from Dallas, TX. She completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees at Stanford University, went on to achieve her MD at George Washington University, then finished her training with internal medicine residency at Yale. In addition to medicine and family, Dr. Houk's passions include optimizing life experiences and helping others develop into their best selves through mindfulness, mentorship, and coaching. Dr. Houk works as a hospitalist at Physician's Regional Medical Center and is an executive committee member of Naples Heart Rhythm Specialists.

Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership and learning coach, consultant, and professional speaker, best known for inspiring individuals and organizations to lead with intention and increase their personal and professional impact. Katie is passionate about helping people around the world learn to lead and lead to learn by connecting purpose, process, and practice to achieve higher levels of performance. Her book. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, based on the work of Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino, is an international #1 Amazon best seller. Learn more at KBJAnderson.com and LearningtoLeadLeadingtoLearn.com. 

Kim Crowder, Founder & CEO of Kim Crowder Consulting, is one of the country's leading Anti-Racism, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Speakers, Coaches, Trainers, and Consultants. Kim and her teamwork across industries serving U.S. and international markets, from retailers to insurers to governmental agencies and the social sector. From Adobe to Good Catch Foods to Target, the American Library Association, Receipt-Bank, HarperCollins Publishers, and on, Kim and her team provide leaders and companies actionable tools to move initiatives forward long term. Kim has been named by Forbes as one of the “Top Anti-Racism Educators Companies Need Now,” A Top 10 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Expert by All American, and Top Influential African American Business Women To Follow by LinkedIn. She is also a member of the MIT Technology Review Global Panel and For(bes) The Culture. She has been featured for her expertise by The New York Times, Business Insider, Cheddar News, The Tammi Mac Late Show, CBS, NBC, FOX, Katie Couric Media, regularly by Forbes, on Hubspot's podcast, The Growth Show, Workology, and As Told By Nomads.

She's back providing another episode of knowledge. In this episode, Dr. Booker-Drew shares 12 lessons she learned early in her leadership journey. Dr. Froswa' Booker-Drew has an impressive resume of experiences and accomplishments that make her the perfect person to write on leadership, building relationships, philanthropy, faith and community development. She has built a diverse network of individuals and organizations around the world. Froswa' has more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, training, nonprofit management, education, and social services. Dr. Froswa; is the author of four books, an adjunct professor at Tulane University, research affiliate at Antioch University and a columnist for Texas Metro News. To learn more about her work, visit drfroswabooker.com.

Bemnet is passionate about justice and equity. A nonprofit professional, experienced in creating impactful programs, managing philanthropic dollars and creating sustainable communities. She loves traveling, working with young people and being a policy junkie. Bemnet is a respected speaker and researcher on Black experiences and her work can be found in national publications and the British Journal of Social Work. Bemnet is proud of her community work, most notably her role as the first Black Immigrant President of the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals and as a founding member of HERitage Giving Circle. Bemnet received her bachelor's and master's at Dallas Baptist University and University of Texas at Arlington respectively, joining other social workers and community practitioners. Although born in Ethiopia, Bemnet has lived in Dallas, Texas for most of her life. In this episode, we discuss the role of mentors, learning from your past, and the importance of equity focused work.

Vicki Meek, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized artist who has exhibited widely. Meek is in the permanent collections of the African American Museum in Dallas, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana, Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Serie Art Project in Austin and Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut. She was awarded three public arts commissions with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Art Program and was co-artist on the largest public art project in Dallas, the Dallas Convention Center Public Art Project. Vicki Meek has been awarded a number of grants and honors including National Endowment for the Arts NFRIG Grant, Dallas Observer MasterMind Award, Dallas Museum of Art Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant, Texas Black Filmmakers Mission Award, Women of Visionary Influence Mentor Award, Dallas Women's Foundation Maura Award, nominated for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, the African American Museum at Dallas A. Maceo Smith Award for Cultural Achievement and was selected as the 2021 Texas Artist of the Year by Art League of Houston. Meek was an adjunct faculty member for UMass Arts Extension Program in Amherst, Massachusetts where she taught a course in Cultural Equity in the Arts. With over 40+ years of arts administrative experience that includes working as a senior program administrator for a state arts agency, a local arts agency and running a non-profit visual arts center, after 20 years, Vicki Meek retired in March 2016 as the Manager of the South Dallas Cultural Center in Dallas. Vicki Meek currently spends time as Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of USEKRA: Center for Creative Investigation, a non-profit retreat for creatives in Costa Rica founded by internationally acclaimed performance artist Elia Arce. She is also Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's at-large appointment to the Arts and Culture Commission and the Public Art Committee. Meek is represented by Talley Dunn Gallery in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Albert L. Reyes is President and CEO of Buckner International, a non-profit international ministry that serves orphans, vulnerable children, families, and seniors. He is the sixth President and CEO of the 143-year-old organization based in Dallas, Texas. He previously served as President of Buckner International and President of Buckner Children and Family Services. Prior to his service at Buckner, Reyes was president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio. Reyes also has served as pastor of three churches and was involved in numerous roles within the Baptist General Convention of Texas, serving as its President in 2005. He serves as Vice President of the Baptist World Alliance representing Baptists in the United States of America. Reyes received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Angelo State University, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Andrews University and completed post-doctoral study at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, England. He is the author of The Jesus Agenda: Becoming an Agent of Redemption (Believers Press, 2015) and Hope Now: Peace, Healing, and Justice when the Kingdom comes near (Iron Stream Books, 2019). Reyes and his wife Belinda have three adult sons and are members of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.

Dr. Froswa' Booker-Drew is the host of the Tapestry podcast and the President and CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, LLC providing consulting and training to companies and organizations in leadership, DEI, community and partnership development as well as CSR/philanthropic efforts. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Tulane University in the MPA program, a research affiliate at Antioch University, columnist for Texas Metro News and the author of 4 books including Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy, recently published by Baylor University Press. Ten things I wish I knew by my 30s 1. The importance of establishing credit and finances 2. Time flies so make wise decisions…each decision is building a foundation 3. What you focus on, you'll get more of 4. Realize when it's time to leave a job, friendship or relationship 5. Expecting others to be something they are not 6. Love isn't enough 7. No regrets…just lessons you learn from 8. A closed fist can't get anything in it—be open to possibilities 9. Learn to give AND receive 10. Investing in your career is great but if you only build one area and fail to invest in the others, you are like the fencers I saw in high school—well developed on one side but weak and atrophied on the other—how are you building relationships, spiritually and emotionally, etc. You are more than what you do 11. Bonus: Build an emotional vocabulary—

Dr. Halima Leak Francis (She/Her) is the Founding Director and Professor of Practice of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement Public Administration Program. Nationally accomplished, her career spanning more than 20 years has focused on strengthening capacity and equitable practices within nonprofits, philanthropy, higher education, and civic sector leadership. A dedicated community volunteer, she prioritizes advancing systematic equity and inclusion by supporting organizations that are committed to the same. Dr. Leak Francis holds a B.A. in English from Hampton University, an M.A in Sociology of Education and a PhD in Higher Education Administration from New York University.

Lorraine is an attorney and dedicated servant leader who has served in various capacities at federal, state, and local levels to help shape legislation and policy for the benefit of working people. While serving as a state legislator, Lorraine has been a tireless advocate on the issues that matter most including healthcare, education, economic opportunity, and justice reform, all while battling the pandemic and serving her constituents. For Over a Decade she has helped organize voter protection efforts, trained attorneys in election law, and played an important role in Major election law litigation efforts that led to court ordered Texas redistricting maps as well as stopped Texas from implementing Voter ID as drafted. In Her free time, Lorraine has served fellow Texans in a Variety of capacities including service in Public Boards, and mentoring up and coming community organizers. Lorraine earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas A&M University School of Law with an intellectual Property Concentration. Prior to Law School, Lorraine graduated from the University of North Texas where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

With over 14 years of thought leadership experience, Michelle Williams is a social impact and innovation strategist, empowering corporations and non-profit organizations to better define, execute and implement their impact, philanthropic and equity-centered goals. Michelle owns CODE 214, a social impact consulting firm dedicated to helping corporations and non-profit solidify their serviced based footprint. She is currently the Executive Director of Fintech In Action, a coalition of action-oriented corporations and individuals accelerating progress and inclusion of Black Professionals within the Industry. Prior to FIA, Michelle served as the Executive Director for the Dallas Entrepreneur Center ( The DEC Network), a non-profit organization, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start, build and grow their businesses through education, mentorship, advocacy and access to an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Overseeing The DEC Network's Southern Sector expansion, Michelle fundraised over $2.5 million and launched a cross-sector initiative across three strategic locations and oversaw a collaborative of the City of Dallas and 60+ business service Organizations.

Christine is a Business Growth Architect who guides small business owners to get from 0 to 8-Figures in Record Time, drawing from her experiences as an Attorney, Strategic Adviser, Serial Entrepreneur and C-Suite executive in 10 businesses, a professionally- licensed 100-Ton boat captain, while also helping Hundreds of clients on 5 continents to do the same. As a survivor of two category 5 hurricanes in two weeks being trapped alone in a wind coffin for almost 24 hours, and surviving the aftermath for months without electricity, running water and telecoms, Christine shares resilience and leadership strategies that helped her weather the storms in Life and Business, and with Her book, The Resilient Leader: Life-Changing Strategies to Overcome Today's Turmoil and Tomorrow's Uncertainty, available for Pre-Order.

After Completing her PhD. Leslie was hired as a staff psychologist for the Department Of Justice, in New York City and quickly became the Chief of Forensics. Leslie went on to become the Chief Psychologist and during the Clinton Presidency, which was strongly supportive of hiring women to assume government leadership positions. Her experience includes the Federal Witness Protection Program, interviewing, court-ordered psychological assessments, testifying. Leslie currently maintains an active practice working in many diverse settings including Department of State Employees and a consulting group focusing on improving employee morale within Fortune 500 companies.

Karen Mangia is a WSJ Best Selling Author and one of the most sought after thought leaders in the world, sharing her thought leadership with over 10,000 organizations during her career. She is the author of four books: Success From Anywhere: Create Your Own Future of Work from the Inside Out (Wiley), Working from Home: Making the New Normal Work for You (Wiley), Listen Up! How to Tune in to customers and Turn Down the Noise (Wiley) and also Success with Less (Marie Press Street). A prolific blogger and sought-after media interview, she has been featured in Forbes and regularly contributes to Thrive Global, Authority Magazine and ZDNet.

Rachel Currie Triska is a passionate, forward-thinking leader who finds joy in listening to and building consensus with diverse partners. Well known for her advocacy in areas of justice and equity, Rachel was recently named Champion for the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas. In 2021, She became Vice President, External Affairs for CitySquare, the most comprehensive and effective poverty fighting organization in Dallas.

Michele Bobadilla is an educator, advocate, and mentor who uses her voice and seat at the table to serve as a catalyst for change. Her outreach and community engagement partnerships have been recognized as transforming the North Texas educational landscape for first- and second- generation students and their families. Michele is a distinguished state and national Latina educational leader in the student access and success space. She holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and English with a secondary teacher certification; a master's degree in elementary education with a bilingual/ESL endorsement; a CMBA in business; and was awarded a D.Litt. (hc) for her life's work in higher education. Michele served as chair of the USHCCF University Partnerships Initiative; appointed as a Board of Director to the USHCC Educational Fund; chairs a recognized THECB P-16; is a Texas delegate appointee to the CHCI Education Advisory Council; and is a member of the HSF Regional Advisory Board. She was honored as the National LULAC Woman of the year; Immigrant Journey Advocacy Award Honoree; Latino Leaders Maestro Award Honoree; H100 Latina Living Legend; USHCC Outstanding Education Leadership Award; Governor Rick Perry's Outstanding Woman in Texas Government Award; SWRCB Martha Salmon Leadership Award. Currently, Michele serves as Assistant provost for Hispanic Student Success and as Senior Associate Vice President for Outreach Services and Community Engagement.

In 2015, Meme Styles founded MEASURE to promote the use of evidence-based projects and tools to tell real-life stories behind the numbers. As a catalyst for systems change, MEASURE has grown to a fully operational nonprofit social enterprise that provides free data support to Powerful Black and Brown-led communities. So far the organization has provided over 3000 free data support hours to Black and Brown - led organizations. They are also responsible for strategic partnerships with the University of Texas, Texas Southern University and more with a goal of disrupting traditional research in exchange for Black and Brown-led lived-experience protocols. Jameila "Meme" Styles is an AARO Fellow, past- Chairwoman of Miss Juneteenth, SXSW Innovative Nonprofit Of the Year, Austin Police Chief's Award of Excellence recipient, Austin 40 under 40 WINNER 2019, past-Chairwoman of African TV5 (AFTV5) and the Austin Black Chambers 2017 Community Leader of the Year and a current MIT fellow solving for anti-racist technology. Mrs. Styles holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications, Masters Of Public Administration with a concentration on National Security, was certified in Performance Measurement through George Washington University College of Professional Studies and has a certification in Diversity, Equity + Inclusion from Cornell. She is also the wife of a US Veteran and the mother of 4.

Aimee Cunningham is the President and CEO of The Boone Family Foundation and a highly experienced principal in the progressive movement with significant fundraising, strategic planning, and management expertise. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Aimee worked as a campus organizer for the Feminist Majority Foundation for three years before returning to Texas to work for a variety of progressive causes and campaigns. From 2011 to 2012, Aimee served as the Vice President of Development for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, where she led the affiliate's fundraising efforts through a significant merger and in the face of major government funding cuts. In 2015, Aimee received the Robbie & Tom Ausley Leadership Award from Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas in recognition of her work on behalf of Planned Parenthood and its patients in Texas. Over the last 20 years, Aimee has led work on the politics and policies that impact women and families, particularly around access to sexual and reproductive health care. Aimee is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; from 2019 to 2021, she served as the Chair of the Board. the Chair of the Board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Aimee has also founded several organizations designed to empower women to engage in politics and to fight for the right of all people to access affordable, high quality healthcare. Aimee has also served on the boards of a number of national progressive organizations, including the Center for Reproductive Rights, and EMILY's List. Today, Aimee leads The Boone Family Foundation in charting its mission to create equity for women and girls; to drive innovation and justice for students in public schools; and to steward and create accessible green spaces.

Dr. Kay Taylor Oliver is an educator and writer; she delivers a powerful message on developing and sustaining meaningful relationships for children and adults. Her presentation style is full of new and relevant information given in simple sound bites that are easily applied to everyday living. Her moto is, Rise Above Expected Limitations. Kay Taylor Oliver has served as Executive Director for Professional Development for Detroit Public Schools; Associate Superintendent for Philadelphia Public Schools; and Associate Professor in the College of Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University; a Master of Science from the University of Detroit; and a Doctor of Education from Wayne State University. Kay served as president of the Board of Directors for the George Washington Carver Museum in Phoenix, Arizona; on the National Advisory Boards for Michigan State University's College of Education; and on “The Learning Classroom” presented by Mort Crim Communications and Stanford University. Kay has served as president of The Phoenix Chapter of the Links, Incorporated; she is a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; a Lifetime member of the NAACP; Founder of the H. LeBaron Taylor $10,000 Scholarship distributed biennially to a student who has overcome difficulties; and she is a member of the African American Women's Giving Circle, a philanthropic organization dedicated to providing grants to minority startup businesses. Kay is also a Board Member of the Be Kind People Project, an organization designed to provide students with comprehensive programming using a positive approach to social, emotional, and academic learning and she is a Board Member of the Arizona Theatre Company. Kay is a founding member of the National Staff Development Council's Coaching for Results. She is the author of Teacher Behavior in the Context of a Continuum of Teacher Improvement; Through Their Eyes: A Strategic Response to the National Achievement Gap; Princess Aisha and the Cave of Judgment; Princess Aisha and the Arrow of Truth; and Winter's Love. 

Creating a Personal Network for Transformation June Holley has been weaving networks - and helping other learn to weave networks – for over 40 years. Much that she learned is included in The Network Weaver Handbook, 400 pages of simple activities and resources for Network Weavers. She also created www.networkweaver.com, a site with many free resources and a blog authored by over 40 network weavers. She also writes at https://medium.com/@juneholley. She is currently writing a book called Transformation: co-creating a world that is good for all of us. In addition, she is convening people from around the world to develop an ecosystem to support transformation. 

Branding a Business and Your Life Bio: Stylishly overcoming adversities is nothing new for Jasmin Brand. As an award-winning marketer, serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Her Texas, the first statewide organization and platform for women that live, work and do business in the state of Texas, Jasmin's journey towards success has not been a perfect one. However, her ability to continuously rise above life's obstacles and fail forward has equipped her with the big wins, bold ideas and innovative tools needed to help other businesswomen build sustainable brands in challenging times too. Jasmin is also the co-founder of The Start, a creative agency specializing in culturally rich content and experiential events. She brings close to a decade of executive experience in tech-driven, marketing strategy and digital publishing. Passionate about creating opportunities for others, Jasmin's community service includes: Executive Board: Southern Methodist University, Dedman College; Vice President, Executive Board: 24HourDallas; Board of Directors: Per Scholas Some of Jasmin's professional accolades include: Minority Business Leader of the Year Award presented by the Dallas Business Journal; First recipient of the Young Professional Leadership; ATHENA Award presented by the Dallas Regional Chamber and KPMG; Techweek 100 Talent Cultivator Award; Best of the Best in PR/Marketing by Examiner.com; 10 Texas Women To Watch In Media, Houston Urban Media Jasmin recently released her first book, Pretty Girls Have Options: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Hot Brand in Unpredictable Times; a modern blueprint to personal branding for professional women.

Curious, adventurous, intuitive. Sandy Stamato is not afraid to go out on a limb, because if you are a “limb dweller” like she is, where you live your most fulfilling life. A limb dweller is someone who marches to the beat of an entirely different drum. By forging her own path and not prescribing to the norm, Sandy knows what an amazing perspective can be gained from this sometimes lonely, but more often exhilarating outlook. A heart-centered transition and business coach, Sandy has firsthand experience feeling like she wasn't the typical, corporate 9-5 woman. In her 20s, she learned that as a limb dweller, of course she didn't fit in. This knowledge was the foundation for her success both in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur. Sandy's coaching offers a haven for finding clarity, possibility, hope, and vision. If you have ever had that longing in your chest asking “what if?” then Sandy is the guide for you.

Angela Owen hails from East Texas, where at an early age she discovered a love for being the center of attention.  For decades she has shared her spotlight with her husband, children and grandchildren…now enough is enough! On stage Angela delivers endless opinonation, fearless sass and irreverent reflection.  When not on stage she enjoys trophy wife activities like brunch, nails and tattoos. Angela Owen produces Deep Fried Comedy at The State Fair of Texas and performs at Dallas comedy clubs: The Addison Improv, Hyenas, Four Day Weekend East, The Plano House of Comedy, The Backdoor and The Comedy Arena.

Leah Frazier is a 2-Time Emmy Award-Winning and 10-Time ADDY Award-Winning entrepreneur and was recognized as one of Dallas' most successful women for 2015. She is a multi-licensed attorney turned marketing and communications guru, who unapologetically left the practice of law to pursue her entrepreneurial ventures. In 2020, Leah was recognized by Dallas Innovates as one of the Future 50 Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth for tech, innovation and disruption and as a winner of the 2020 “Inno on Fire” award from American Inno's North Texas Inno media outlet, for her service to the startup, small business and entrepreneurial community. Just recently, Leah was named as one of the “top 10 inspiring black women in the marketing and communications industry to follow” by Top Rank Marketing, and also as the 2021 Black Women in Media Trailblazer Award in the Media category. Leah has built a multi-faceted empire as an award-winning journalist, publicist, media personality, digital marketing expert, and in-demand consultant to notable brands. Leah is the CEO and proud owner of Think Three Media – an award-winning creative marketing and communications agency focused in the areas of content marketing, social media marketing, communications, and public relations services for brands spanning the industries of fashion, beauty, fintech, public speaking, the performing arts, food, lifestyle, and more. The company's podcast, PR Yourself with Leah Frazier® teaches PR tips and tricks to small businesses, and ranks in the top 5% of podcasts in the world. Leah's work has been featured and mentioned in Forbes, Vogue.com, NBC, CW, CBS Local, Chase TV, Fox TV, Good Morning Texas, Haute Living Magazine, D Magazine, CEO Blog Nation, and many other outlets as an expert in PR and entrepreneurship. Leah has cultivated top-tier partnerships with Toyota, the Dallas Mavericks, Belk, Cantu Beauty, Marshall's, Via Spiga, Vogue, Brahmin, Neiman Marcus, Warner Bros., Shoedazzle, Yosi Samra Shoes, and more. Leah co-authored her first book in 2018, The Success Factor, which reached #1 as a Best Seller for Women and Business reads, and was also awarded an African-American Literary Award. Her second co-authored title, Promise: A Global Women's Devotional became a best seller in 2020 as well. She recently released her first eBook, Lessons from the Bottom: Losing One's Self to Gain Success earlier this year, and is working on her signature PR Yourself ® book to be released in early 2022.

I'm an entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, global mentor, author, investor, and a proud Army Veteran. Early on in life, I almost called it quits. Fueled by childhood trauma and flashbacks, I reached a breaking point and considered ending my life. Had I done so, I would've become another statistic. Another young Hispanic woman fallen victim, due to child sexual abuse. But I didn't, instead one day I cried out to God for help, and He answered my simple prayer in a miraculous way. Since that day, I've never had another flashback again, and I seized the opportunity to transform myself into the new woman I could now imagine. A powerful woman full of faith, hope and love, no longer shackled by anger, fear or shame. I didn't know it at that time, but I was cultivating a teachable strategy to inspire anyone to become enthusiastic about change, to find their Divine identity, purpose, and power. I've been doing it for over 20 years in various capacities. Today, I help women, conscious businesses and organizations rethink how to integrate Spirituality into their everyday lives or culture, so they can thrive. I created The Divine Quotient™, which is a practical and repeatable methodology, to inspire change, growth, and happiness, even amid chaos. In my off time, I'm planning my next travel adventure, out in nature, exercising, reading, writing, finding foodie places, local coffee shops, watching Netflix or funny TikTok videos, enjoying time with my family and friends or planning how to change the world.