“When you learn to manage your mind, you can do anything!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about being authentic, showing up as myself, and sharing that with people. I love showing people how to use their own authenticity in business. It’s what I believe to be the secret to success. Overcoming all the limiting beliefs that are keeping people from showing up as their authentic self! I’m also passionate about meditation and learning. It’s how we keep a balanced life filled with purpose and excitement. I’m currently working on helping entrepreneurs build and scale their businesses so they can help their people in powerful ways!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in the DC-metro area. I was one of a handful of Jewish kids and struggled with feeling like I didn’t fit in. I went to Syracuse for my undergrad education and NYU for grad school. I studied social work and have always wanted to help others. I burnt out quickly in social work and broke into the fitness world. I started my first business at age 24, as a private 1:1 trainer. In 2010, I opened my first yoga studio, and opened my second in 2014. All of these experiences have led me to where I am today, helping others with their businesses.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: The most valuable thing I have learned is the power of your thoughts. How they create every result you have. That when you learn to manage your mind, you can do anything!
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism is standing for women’s rights and women leaders. Showing up as an example for other women.
MORE FROM RACHEL: I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia, with my two kids and three stepkids and my amazing husband.
“I feel we live in a world where people have become very egocentric, not necessarily because we want to be, but because social media feeds into it and says it’s okay.”
“As a child in elementary school, my mother was told I would never go to college because I wasn’t smart enough.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about so many things. Besides being passionate about being a Christian woman of faith, wife for 24 years to the love of my life, and mom of three pretty great kids, I have always loved my 20+ year career as a speech language pathologist.
In my field, I feel rewarded when I can help improve the communication skills of others to help them succeed in whatever situation they find themselves. Be it interviews, customer service, presentations, conflicts, leadership skills, or personal relationships, we all need to be able to communicate our best selves in each situation and more.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up on Long Island in a family that embodied both the Italian and Jewish cultures. Growing up was always about food and family and getting together with extended relatives whenever humanly possible. Yes, it was always loud with many people speaking at the same time! I also come from a family of 3 electricians that believe in hard work to get any job done. Heck, I could have been an electrician if I wanted. Growing up in not only a tight-knit family, but also a Christian home, is the basis of how I formed my strength in my family, faith, and wanting to help people.
As a child in elementary school, my mother was told I would never go to college because I wasn’t smart enough. I always struggled with reading, so I guess that’s how they made that determination. Something I always found joy in was singing…so much so that I took private lessons, sang in many groups and, proving the elementary schools wrong, was a vocal performance major in college. In my sophomore year of college, I was introduced to speech pathology by a professor teaching phonetics. She opened up a whole new world to me that I didn’t even know existed. While I loved singing, I disliked the competitive cutthroat nature of it all. When I realized many singers required speech pathologists to help with their vocal health, that was it, this is what I wanted to do.
While in graduate school, I worked with elementary school children as a speech therapist within the Florida school system. During that time, I found that I enjoyed helping children succeed with their speech and language skills, giving them the tools they needed to communicate with others to help them be social, interactive, and connect with their peers and adults. After receiving my master’s degree in 1998, I moved back to NY as an ASHA and NY state certified speech pathologist working with preschool/elementary level children.
Years later, I began working with teenagers and young adults who were also diagnosed as needing to improve their communication skills. I loved working with them even more. I saw how obtaining the communication skills improved every area of their lives, especially when it came to their work situations where these skills were imperative to their success outside the classroom.
Fast forward 10 years, 3 kids, and the explosion of technology and social media…I found that it wasn’t just my students who were diagnosed that required help with their communication skills; it was everyone all around me! From my children’s friends to the salesperson at the car dealership, from the cashier at the fast food restaurants to the hostess at an expensive steakhouse where you spend $500 for a dinner; they all exhibited difficulty with communicating in a way that acknowledged the people around them. I thought I was the only one who thought communication skills had become a bigger problem and that social media had desensitized people on how to understand and use interpersonal communication skills. Then, there it was on the news; something that confirmed and validated everything I was thinking and feeling, LinkedIn had completed a study identifying communication skills as the #1 skills gap in the work environment across America. It was clear that people were no longer aware of how important these skills are in order to succeed professionally and personally. It was clear I was onto something and knew, with my skills as a speech pathologist, I had to help others improve the art of great communication skills.
I decided to work on developing specific classes targeting communication skills and situations where you would need to have great communication for a specific purpose. I pitched my classes to a professional development administrator of a local college and they contracted me to instruct my classes to staff (administrators and professors) monthly for approximately a year. This propelled my husband to push me to open my own business, Antonetti Communications & Speech Consulting, PLLC. I now go to post-secondary trade schools to help them prepare for interviews, communicating with bosses, coworkers, and customers. To bring it full circle, my husband, who is in the electrical industry, had a connection with a trade school called the Electrical Training Center. They became my first trade school client and I have now been working with them for approximately 2 years. I have also worked at a few medical trade schools and have provided one-on-one coaching to help prepare for interviews. Additionally, I host a weekly podcast called “The Digital Divide,” where I record short episodes that provide communication tips. Currently, given the new world we live in, I am working on an online course to make it accessible to everyone.
While I continue to work part-time with my students who have been diagnosed with a deficit in their communication skills, I am excited about building my business. I want to build help and inspire those who want to transform their communication skills so they may be successful in all facets of life.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I feel we live in a world where people have become very egocentric, not necessarily because we want to be, but because social media feeds into it and says it’s okay. I want people to have the ability to truly connect with one another by being present when with others, having the ability to relate, built trust, have empathy, have compassion, and being able to genuinely listen to one another without judgement. I could go on and on about all the things I would love to help improve, but ultimately, it’s about being able to build long lasting trusting relationships, be that professionally or personally. For me, the key to that is by embodying the understanding and use of effective communication while keeping the other person in mind.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: To me, it means that, as a woman, I have the opportunity to succeed professionally and personally without oppression or judgment from others based on my gender. It means that I am given the same opportunities and am respected, not because I am a woman, because I am able to the job just as well or better than the next guy.
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*Note: Woman Wednesday is a part of our blog. Each Woman Wednesday post will feature a woman who would like to share information in the hopes of inspiring and motivating other women. Comments are welcome below.
Q and A with Alison W., Virginia Beach, Virginia
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about helping women feel beautiful in their own skin. I am the owner of Wanderlust Dream Hair, and I sell hair toppers for women with thinning hair, women with hair loss due to medical conditions, and women who just want that extra volume! I have always had fine, thin hair and tried everything to make it appear thicker: hair extensions, volumizing spray, et cetera, but nothing really worked for me because traditional hair extensions do not address thinning on the top of your head. I also started medical treatment for chronic migraines that created even more hair loss, so I was motivated to find a solution. Then I discovered toppers! Toppers clip to the top of your existing hair and create the appearance of thicker, fuller hair.
Body image is such a big issue for a lot of women. Most of us don’t realize that those celebrity hairstyles we covet are just wigs, toppers, or extensions. Hollywood paints a false picture of what a naturally beautiful woman looks like.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My younger years were volatile. I was born with a limb difference (Poland syndrome), which means I only have two fingers on my right hand. So, confidence was a big issue for me growing up. Add thin hair to that, and you have a recipe for a wallflower. My mom was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away when I was 13. I remember when she brought home her first wig from the wig bank. She hated it. It was hot and because it was made for someone else, it never fit her comfortably. She was embarrassed to leave the house somedays because of how she looked. I really wish that we had known about toppers back then. I think she would have loved them. My mom is a big part of my “why” when it comes to my business.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Something valuable I learned from a young age, due to my limb difference, is that sometimes you have to find your own way. You have to figure out how to do things yourself and not try to imitate someone else’s process because it might not work for you. I think this idea is helpful in life and in business. Comparison is the thief of joy. We are resilient, and it is amazing what we can do when we let go of traditional mindsets about how to do things and figure out what works for us. I’ve also learned to laugh at myself more. I started taking improv/comedy classes a couple of years ago. Being on stage is one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done. It has also boosted my confidence in general. The first rule of improv is to make your partner look good, which means saying yes to whatever they say. So, if they tell you that you are an alien, you are an alien. I’ve learned a lot about teamwork and confidence doing improv. I highly recommend improv; it is so good for the soul.
Pictured: Before and after of one of Alison’s clients using her Wanderlust Dream Hair topper. Hair topper is shown on the right.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism is a word that has always had a bit of a negative connotation to me. I am more of an egalitarian; meaning in my marriage, we share all of the responsibilities. There is no such thing as woman’s work or man’s work. My husband is the better cook anyway! And I can lay a tile floor. I love busting through those gender expectations. I am definitely not anti-man, but I am definitely pro-woman! I think it is important for women to support other women. Yes, we have disadvantages in the workplace. Yes, we are not always treated equally. So, I think it is important to support and encourage each other as women instead of tearing each other down. We women can be super competitive, but I want to cheer on my competition. I want us all to win.
*Note: Woman Wednesday is a part of our blog. Each Woman Wednesday post will feature a woman who would like to share information in the hopes of inspiring and motivating other women. Comments are welcome below.
Q and A with Chloe, Sydney, Australia
“You’ve got one life and you get to take responsibility for it and make it what you want.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: It might sound a little cliche, but I am incredibly passionate about helping others see what is possible and go for it! So many of us, including me a few years back, have been conditioned to feel and stay stuck in our health, careers, travel, following our dreams; that’s got to change. And so I tied that in with my passion for the past 9 years of business strategy, from supporting my corporate clients through to now in business utilizing unique and free strategies to have female health coaches go from zero to fully booked out using organic and free marketing methods. ️
So now, with the two combined, I help health coaches get more clients so they can help others change habits that are holding them back from living their best life and coolest job ever! And the best part, I’ve been able to travel and work 10-15 hours per week to make such an awesome impact! And this is what I stress as important as well, to establish balance right from the get-go. And because my 1-1 spots are filled, I decided to focus the rest of this year on bringing the very same Passion to Prosperity blueprint that had me go from zero to fully booked out as health coach to more certified health coaches in more affordable ways. I’m so excited!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I moved around a lot as a kid and it makes me wonder if that created a lot of resilience in moving schools, leaving friends behind, and starting again. Resilience has been essential for me in the past few years to really go for my dreams, fall on my face, and get back up.
Family life was awesome, we are such a tight family–with me, my sister, and my parents. We had to be close since we truly relied on each other with moving so often. Our parents really pushed us to finish school and go to university, an opportunity they didn’t really get to make the most of. So, both my sister and I studied psychology; we’ve always been so fascinated with human behavior.
I think I would be on a different trajectory if I hadn’t gone to university. I wonder if I would have been called back in coaching and mentoring others or if I would have seen that as an opportunity for me. Now, I run a successful business in mentoring people who are leading the change in health and wellness and helping people to experience life fully. I couldn’t ask for better work if I tried!
Q: What is something valuable you’ve learned that you’d like others to know?
A: I dreamed about leaving a legacy for a long time. I had no idea what kind of legacy, but I was always waiting for something to happen (like winning the lotto without entering…). And after I was locked up in a cell for nearly a day in a very dangerous situation (for a visa issue), it got me thinking very clearly that I was responsible for my life completely and only I could decide and create my own legacy.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism for me is about having a dream and going for it unapologetically and without permission–you’ve got one life and you get to take responsibility for it and make it what you want.
People will probably read that and think, “Yeah, but I have to look after the kids,” or “I have to pay the bills,” or “I can’t afford it,” or “I’m not allowed,” or something else, and ultimately, we are responsible to put our family and safety first, but if you got to 90 years old and looked back on your life, would you be proud? Would your kids be proud and inspired? Or would you wish you had done something differently?
In my coaching career, I’ve met so many people who feel stuck because of responsibility, others who they’ve given their power to say no and as a result, they’ve put their lives on hold, resenting and regretting not going for their dreams sooner. You don’t want to have a terrifying experience like getting locked in a cell to be the deciding factor on you taking charge and doing something with your life–TRUST ME!
So, I know what’s important for me is to look back and have left a legacy, to have made an impact on people’s lives in the most positive sense, to have shown my kids what they dream is possible and to go for it, and to have actively chosen to figure out how to have everything I need in terms of money, fulfilment, relationships, passion, and just life in general.
*Note: Woman Wednesday is a part of our blog. Each Woman Wednesday post will feature a woman who would like to share information in the hopes of inspiring and motivating other women. Comments are welcome below.
Q and A with Alison, Queensland, Australia
“So, if you want to make it anywhere in this world with happiness and contentment, you need to be your own best friend and get to a level of self-awareness that supports your lifestyle and personal expectations.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am a clarity and success coach and mindfulness consultant. I am passionate about people finding their happiness, purpose, and fulfillment in this world by creating conscious businesses. Being an intuitive empath, it is natural for me to feel into what is required to support people while shining a light on the areas of growth and service required with ease and support to bring comfort and kindness.
I have a background in corporate and government strategic leadership and management in the UK and New Zealand and although it was fulfilling for a time, I was always outgrowing the projects and teams and organizations. My values and boundaries were always getting stretched and compromised, and I never felt comfortable in these environments for long. As you can imagine, it was in direct conflict with my empathic nature. Yet, my business brain loved the strategic improvement aspects.
The catalyst to quit the corporate world to launch my own coaching business came following the birth of my first child. When I announced that I was pregnant, I was met with negativity and views which contradicted how I envisioned my motherhood journey would be. Eventually, I chose to ignore these opinions and lived mindfully during my first year as a new mum. It was exactly how I envisioned it would be.
I wanted to take what I had learned about mindfulness during my maternity leave and turn it into a fulfilling business to help others. Combining all my coaching, business, and strategic experience, supporting other intuitive empaths not cut out for organizations that didn’t fit their ideals.
I am currently working on so much. I always have projects on the go. However, I am most excited about the recent launch of my newest group coaching program which follows on from my Conscious Creation Business Accelerator, a 12-week Business Building group program, which leads into The Accelerator MasterCircle, my 6-month advanced and exclusive program for my Accelerator graduates.
Q: What is something valuable you’ve learned that you’d like others to know?
A: There is immense power in owning your story and being able to accept your pathway and being vulnerable to others. Through this process, you will regain all the control and personal power, respect, and admiration you seek. Although none of that matters if you do not first truly honor, respect, know, like and trust yourself.
So, if you want to make it anywhere in this world with happiness and contentment, you need to be your own best friend and get to a level of self-awareness that supports your lifestyle and personal expectations.
Quality of life is born from within initially, as success is a feeling, it does not come from outside in the initial instances.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A. I grew up in the UK in Hertfordshire, and in the main, I had a great life. However, my personal journey to success wasn’t straightforward, when I reflect upon it now. I had chosen to leave university before I received my degree as I didn’t really know who I was or what I wanted to do and I wasn’t invested enough in the formal education system at the time. I had a lot of life to experience and a lot of growing to do.
Soon after starting my chosen career, I fell quite ill and was, not long after, diagnosed with viral Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A debilitating illness which meant that my immune system was so weak I was bed-ridden for months. This took its toll on my journey to finding my purpose; however, looking back this became a big part of who I am because even then, I refused to be limited by the limits of my physical form and I did as much work on my mindset and emotions as possible to manage my rehabilitation. As a result, I managed to make a full recovery—even though it took the best part of 5 years of my life.
While working as a business manager in the UK, I experienced work-related stress after government restructures saw my entire team’s roles at risk, which in part, began my drive for authentic, conscious living after disagreeing with the fundamentals of the change. It was a really challenging time, trying to stand up for what I believed in, while consciously role modeling the behaviors that I believed would protect and support our people adequately. Looking back, I can see how this also shaped my pathway to my ‘Purpose’ and made me the person I am today, able to stand strong for what I believe in and actively guide others to find their same personal power within to build their own authentic lives, consciously create, and believe in what they want from life.
Without any of these experiences, and a whole heap of others, I would not be where I am today, so no matter how turbulent or challenging, I am grateful for those lessons and experiences because today I am living the life I only ever once dreamed of.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Honoring our unique abilities as women and appreciating what we bring to the table. I am not an anti-male or only pro-women. I believe we are equal and each has skill sets that are needed and required. Working as teams we will succeed in more ways.
The same with women working together in more ways—we will succeed more than when we compete. So, feminism is support, connection, and collaboration. Rising as one.
Connect with me! I’d love to chat with you!
Alison Callan is a Global Clarity & Success Coach, a mindfulness consultant, speaker and Co-Author of the #1 best-selling book ‘You Are Meant For More.’
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