Inspiring Lives Magazine’s core mission and vision is to provide opportunities for networking, professional development, and personal growth. At our core, we support and inspire women to express themselves authentically through the work they do while linking passion to purpose. We also strive to provide the tools, knowledge, and network to help women lead, start, and grow their business in a way that integrates core feminine values like connection, collaboration, inspiration, and motivation.
The Empowering Women Events are our chance to honor those women who exude all of these aspects in business and in their lives. This year, we had 24 nominees for the award, and among those stellar women, five were voted the winners for our Empowering Women in Business awards.
Winners
Dr. Heidi Brocke
As a toxic relationship awareness and healing specialist, Dr. Heidi Brocke has turned her past into her passion as she provides hope, healing, and freedom to those whose lives have been affected by toxic relationships and emotional abuse. A 1997 graduate as a doctor of chiropractic, Dr. Heidi has served in healthcare for over 22 years. She uses her life experience and her education to be the person she needed when she herself was trapped in the darkness of an unhealthy relationship.
Sharise Nance
Sharise Nance (the Compassion Fatigue Lady) is a licensed clinical social worker, certified clinical trauma professional, compassion fatigue specialist, adjunct professor, award-winning entrepreneur, and author. In addition to running her private practice, HandinHand Counseling Services, Nance also dedicates her efforts to VitaminCHealing, an organization designed to promote life balance, satisfaction, and fulfillment among those throughout the helping profession and beyond. With considerable experience speaking at keynotes, workshops, and seminars for young professionals, she helps professionals, caregivers, entrepreneurs, women, parents, and adolescents across the country by equipping them with the tools to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout to live happy, fulfilled lives and careers.
Tracey Osborne
Tracey Osborne has a passion for encouraging women to be the best that they can be by modeling self-compassion. She has demonstrated selflessness in her efforts to enhance the professional aspirations of others. She consistently provides opportunities for aspiring authors and motivational speakers to share their stories in a safe environment. Osborne is a certified volunteer crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line and the CEO of Daring Woman, a social impact organization that harnesses the power of media to help women find their voice and become unstoppable.
Samantha Roth
Samantha Roth is a sophomore Dean’s List student at Point Park University where she majors in acting. She is involved in several college clubs, including Strong Women/Strong Girls, for which she was a nominee for the SWSG award, and Copa Theater Club. She is also a member of Point Park singers. Roth also enjoys acting in local theater, dancing, singing, playing piano, modeling, and participating in pageants.
Roth is Capital City Elite Miss. Her pageant titles allow her to speak to organizations about Crown CARES, an anti-bullying platform. She also promotes the Next Generation of The Global Sisterhood as the ambassador, encouraging young women worldwide to volunteer in their communities.
Dr. Christina Tarantola
Dr. Christina Tarantola is an award-winning coach, best-selling author, and creator of the Quantum Queen Transformation Program. She helps spiritually-driven, ambitious women transform so they can embody their inner Quantum Queen and accelerate the path to their big vision.
Dr. Christina blends hypnotherapy, EFT, femininity, energy work, and aligned strategy to help you release blocks that are holding you back so you can own your power and confidence and live a life that matches your heart and soul.
Over the past 7 years, Dr. Christina has helped hundreds of women through her workshops, retreats, videos, and books to release the struggle, step into their power, and claim the life they deserve.
Additional Nominees
Autumn Adamiak
Autumn Adamiak is a chemical, mechanical, and nuclear engineer who transitioned to ownership of Club Pilates Wexford. She loves helping her clients achieve mind and body transformations through Pilates, while gaining fulfillment from empowering others to find their self-confidence.
Anna Marie Mindicino
Anna Marie Mindicino actively makes her community a brighter, smarter place through teaching music and art at Bottle Tree Creative Arts House, a creative arts learning center that she opened in 2012. She also founded Do Good. Period., a nonprofit to uplift women and promote dignity by providing menstrual products to those in need in 2017.
Tarra Flores Sloan
Tarra Flores Sloan is a California realtor, most recently voted best of the best realtor, three time #1 bestselling author and cofounder Heart Entrepreneurs Association. Sloan has been featured in various media and bestselling books and is a recipient of awards for her work empowering women.
Kiera (KC) Kaluhiokalani
KC Kaluhiokalani is the owner of urbanfitco, a woman-centric boutique in Sewickley, Pa. She uses her store as a vehicle for female empowerment, self-love, and body-positive thinking through different projects, blogs/vlogs, and interactive workshops. In her free time, she also sits on the board of Explore Sewickley to give back to the community that has supported her.
Toshua Jarrett
Toshua Jarrett is the chief development officer at Veterans Leadership Program, a nonprofit that empowers veterans to navigate the transitions of life, and has been paramount in the growth and impact of the organization. Straight out of college, Jarrett enlisted in the United States Army and served as a combat medic until 2013.
Ta’lor Pinkston
Ta’lor Pinkston embodies self-love and female empowerment. She is a self-love activist, coach, inspirational speaker, and body-positive model. She meets women where they are on their journey of self-love and encourages them to do the work so they can fully love themselves. When she is not at work, she is speaking at workshops, interacting with women, and uplifting them.
Svava Brooks
Svava Brooks is a survivor of child sexual abuse and the cofounder of a nationwide child sexual abuse prevention and education organization in Iceland called “Blátt áfram.” She is also a certified instructor and facilitator for Darkness to Light Stewards of Children, certified crisis intervention specialist, certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, BellaNet Teen support group facilitator, Certified TRE® Provider, and Abuse Survivor Coach.
Shelly Hutchison
As a registered nurse, Shelly Hutchison learned about the incredible effects marijuana had on reducing and even eliminating seizures in patients. Later, after assisting her mother and then herself to live more comfortably through the medical marijuana program, she began her own company Medical Marijuana Specialists, to help others.
Patricia Oberst
Patricia Oberst is a former respiratory therapist and clinical liaison who served 35 years in the healthcare industry. After starting her own business, Oberst quickly rose to the top 2% in Rodan + Fields with her mantra: freedom, flexibility, fun, finances, and family. Today, she touches thousands of women in the USA, Canada, and Australia.
Molly Mahoney
Molly Mahoney teaches how to get your message out using Facebook Live videos. This helps entrepreneurs around the world increase their impact and income. In addition, Mahoney runs an open-mic night where singers can come to sing Broadway show tunes and practice their art, building their confidence and growing relationships with others who love the same thing.
Meg Huwar
Meg Huwar is the principal of Brand Accelerator, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based outsource marketing firm and runs the podcast Marketing Monday’s with Meg. She also supports The Education Partnership nonprofit, which provides school supplies to underprivileged students. She is a member of their board of directors, helping them create the first ever teacher recognition event.
Marimba Milliones
Marimba Milliones is the president and CEO of Hill Community Development Corporation. The Hill CDC works in partnership with residents and stakeholders to create, promote, and implement strategies and programs that connect plans, policies, and people to drive compelling community development opportunities in the Greater Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mandi Pryor
Mandi Pryor owns MP Marketing and PR, helping her clients with marketing solutions, campaigns, digital marketing, and more. She is also the executive producer and host for the TV show Spotlight on Pittsburgh, which provides a unique look at the people of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the surrounding region.
Jackie Hooper
Jackie Hooper has combined her love of music and making people happy by entertaining regularly, along with her duo partner, at hundreds of nursing homes and retirement communities in and around the Pittsburgh area. Music has a way of bringing back memories to those who may have forgotten them, and it also brings happiness.
Farah Zulaikha
Farah Zulaikha is a role model and modern cultural/fashion icon. She is a United Nations Ambassador for the National Council of Women of The United States and a delegate to the UN for the United Nations Association, an award-winning humanitarian, top model, writer, biomedical researcher, TV host, and classically trained violinist.
Elizabeth Craig
Exploring her vision of female liberation, empowerment, and complete self-acceptance, Elizabeth Craig created a brand that not only encourages women to embrace their own struggles in these things, but also to push their own boundaries and challenge traditional ideas of womanhood. Her creativity and dynamic talents have brought life to her true passions: women and photography.
Cassie Brkich
Cassie Brkich is the owner of Brkich Design Group, which helps indie businesses grow and thrive. In addition to logo design and web development, she also specializes in small business marketing consulting. She is a founder of Underground Beaver, which hosts monthly events to attract visitors and support local merchants, and is a co-founder of Beaver County BookFest.
Andrea Williams
Andrea Williams shares her powerful story to inspire women to break free of counterfeit living, so they can truly start living. She has created an amazing organization dedicated to women worldwide so they can grow their business on a budget.
Laurean Kile
Laurean Kile is passionate about helping individuals unlock the foundation keys to creating a business and life that is more than they ever imagined. She is the founder of Launch Collective EXPO, an event to help wealth creators grow. She is also the host of the free Launch Collective Mastermind, with chapters in Pittsburgh, Pa., Orlando, Fla., and online nationwide.
