We are so proud to introduce you to this year’s Influential Women of Cincinnati. These women are using their unique talents and abilities to make our region a better place. Whether it’s starting nonprofits, creating new communities, or feeding and caring for the less fortunate, these women are making a difference.
Q. WHAT’S THE SHORT VERSION OF YOUR STORY?
A. I was born in Cincinnati and graduated from the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati. I began my career in consumer market knowledge at Procter & Gamble where I led brands like CoverGirl, Pampers and Always. After the birth of my adopted son, I took a role leading Brand Marketing and Creative at UC Health.
Q. WHAT WAS THE SPARK FOR THE WISe WELLNESS GUILD?
A. I noticed that women in corporate and health care leadership roles were burning out at a rapid rate, and I suspected there was more to the story than “bad management” and toxic work environments. After completing over 500 interviews, I discovered that in the pursuit of self-actualization and career achievement, women were placing their basic wellness on the back burner.
Q. WHAT DOES THE WISe WELLNESS GUILD DO?
A. We advance women through whole-self wellness, helping them to achieve peak performance and avoid burnout. By integrating occupational and financial wellness with other areas of wellness like mental, physical and nutritional, WISe supports companies in their pursuit to advance women through employee, client and consumer strategies. In an effort to most effectively serve wellness consumers, we recently launched the WISe Wellness Marketplace, providing access to discover a curated col- lection of vetted wellness products and services.
Q. WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU OVERCOME RECENTLY?
A. When I left my job at UC Health in November of 2019, the plan was to create a brick-and-mortar space for WISe. The pandemic forced us to pivot and become a virtual platform, but I look at that as being the biggest gift because we were able to scale and connect with corporations such as Fifth Third, Paycor, The Christ Hospital, and The Wellness Experience by Kroger in a meaningful way.
Q. HOW IS WISe GIVING BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY?
A. We are amplifying women and minority-owned businesses, because we believe that the key to healthier communities is through supporting women. We’ve also created a support network that allows corporations to invest in small businesses through programming and leveraging their goods and services.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT CINCINNATI?
A. People will always be my favorite part about this city. We are experiencing such an incredible renaissance! I love having a community that embraces creativity, celebrates diversity and supports progressive and innovative ideas through programming and leveraging their goods and services.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE DREAMS AND PLANS TO MAKE CINCINNATI A BETTER PLACE?
A. My hope is that WISe can continue to be a connector between corporations and small businesses to solve complex health and wellness challenges. In the future, I would like to lead a social impact fund to support the growth of female health and wellness entrepreneurship in the region.