We Are, So You Can

In this powerful kickoff to our Leadership Summit series, we sit down with author, publisher, and founder of Brightheaded Publishing, Kelly Morgan. After a predatory publisher tried to sabotage her debut, Kelly didn’t quit—she built something better. Now, she’s on a mission to help others share their stories without compromise.

From earning two graduate degrees as a solo parent to leaving a corporate healthcare career and launching ...

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats

Katrina Carrasquillo didn’t plan to become a teacher—but the classroom had other ideas. What started as a detour became a five-decade legacy of igniting minds, raising expectations, and loving students into their highest potential.

From ESL in the Philippines to high school Shakespeare in the States, Katrina’s story is one of fierce passion, ...

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Was it perfect? Was it exactly how I imagined it? No. It was none of those things, but it was something I challenged myself to do and something I enjoyed doing along the way, and in the end, isn't that what we all want to do with our lives- challenge ourselves to be a bit better or more daring or to grow in some way and to enjoy the journey?

This episode takes a...

"You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.” – Michelle Obama

How you choose to look at things matters. Take Krista for example. There was a period in her life when she was spending serious time job hunting, and day after day, application after application, and was getting ...

“I will not stay, not ever again — in a room or conversation or relationship or institution that requires me to abandon myself.”  — Glennon Doyle

Sometimes, you start something because you're good at it, sometimes, because it's the only sold option presented to you, or maybe it's what everyone else says is awesome so it's what you do because you can. Sometimes, you walk that road for a long time, and wh...

"Nothing can dim the light which shines from within." – Maya Angelou

Sometimes what you know you were destined for doesn't always match up with your dreams of doing it. Cori has always had a passion for helping people, it's what inspired her to become a nurse, but life threw her a curveball and she was diagnosed with a disease that made her legally blind.

While she did go down for a bit, never count Cori out! Cori...

"When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are all tools God uses to show us the way." – Paul Coelho

From a young age, words flowed easily for Heidy De La Cruz, it was in her blood. However, it didn't occur to her that she could be a writer, so her professional career took a different path and she became a medical coding a...

“Life is about finding yourself, embracing your strengths and weaknesses, and being true to who you are.” — Oprah Winfrey

A chance internship led to a career in public policy. So, young and ambitious, she worked on The Hill, in the federal government. But then change called, so she came back to LA and worked for LA County. But there was a problem, what do you do, when you're well-established but have limited growth opportunitie...

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." – Thomas Edison

Run to failure, because that's where you grow. Learn real quick that your body is a temple and you better take care of it. Mistakes can lead to accidental genius. If you don't spend your life living to work, then find a way to make work, work for you!

Whether it's her first job, find...

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."   -Dorothea Lange

Sometimes, you just know you were meant to help people. Anouk is the type of person you just tell things to, you don't know why, but you do, so it's quite fitting she found her way into social work.

She took her passion for documentary-style photography, and added in social work + different therapy techniques in order ...

"All problems become smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them." – William F. Halsey

As a child, Uche noticed her mother had a problem, but instead of just watching her mother try to figure things out, Uche became determined to be the solution. On today's episode, we learn about the grit and determination Uche had to right a wrong and how that lead her to become an engineer, but she didn't stop at ca...