The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022.pdf

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VOL-02 | ISSUE-10 | 2022
Admired Women
Leaders
The Most
in Business, 2022
Founder & President
Door to Success
Leaders that
We Need Today
Womanhood
Unlocking the POTENTIAL of
WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD

Choosing
to Thrive
s a business leader, you will be forced to adapt to
Athe changing times to be relevant in your business.
You must embrace reality and conﬁdently make the
best even in a crisis by staying alert and recognizing the
opportunity. As the saying goes, “Seek, and you shall ﬁnd.
Ask, and you will be given. Knock the door, and it will be
opened,” making crisis an opportunity to deliver something
remarkable by tapping into your fullest potential. The world
is full of possibilities; however, one should look at the
problems from several angles while staying objective.
Society’s progress is measured by the degree to which
women have progressed. If you educate a woman, then you
educate a generation. The participation of women leaders in
the business demonstrates women empowerment adding to
better representation of women as a sign of progressive
gender equality globally. It is one of the most critical
sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
Gender equality is a prerequisite for promoting an inclusive
society, fostering sustainable development, and building
solid businesses. Promoting a culture of freedom where
everyone can be just themselves and contribute according to
their best capacities should be encouraged by business
leaders. Achieving sustainable gender equality needs the
engagement of men and women, boys and girls. It is
everyone’s responsibility to create an all-inclusive culture
where everyone is celebrated, appreciated, encouraged, and
pushed to achieve their best for themselves, business, and
society.
Editor’s Desk

Women leaders need to be pragmatic and take clever
actions to ensure extraordinary business perfor-
mance, promoting a client and employee-centric
culture to intact clients’ trust. They have a knack for
instilling transformational change by encouraging
everyone to deliver exceptional performance and
admirable leadership abilities.
In this edition of “The 10 Most Admired Women
Leaders in Business 2022,” Insights success
celebrates leaders who believe in their incredible
capacity to make a difference in the business world
by utilizing their inherent potential.
Explore similar stories of strong women leadership
in various business fields that are redefining the
business world’s terminology. Have a quick rundown
of the articles written by the in-house editorial team.
Have a good read!
sharad@insightssuccess.com
Sharad Chitalkar

A R T I C L E S
30
Door to Success
Leaders that
We Need Today
46
Womanhood
Unlocking the POTENTIAL of
WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD
C O N T E N T S
C O V E R
S T O R Y
08

26
18
32 Heather Ripley
Helping Businesses Stay Ahead of the Curve
36
Karina Tiwana
An Ardent Legal Professional
Exemplifying Passionate Leadership
42
Sherry Blinkhorn
52
48
22 Dervilla Lannon
An Ambitious, People-Oriented Leader
An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and
a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill
Ruthie Staalsen
An Avid Designer Creating Spaces that
are Collected, not Decorated
Tessa White
A Passionate, Remarkable, and
Committed HR Executive
Diana Jenner Redeﬁning the Beauty Industry
Daria Dubinina Building the Next-generation FinTech Products
Tracy Lamourie
56
An Admired Trailblazer Empowering
the World for Better

sales@insightssuccess.com
February, 2022
Editor-in-Chief
Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Technical Head
Technical Specialist Digital Marketing Manager
Research Analyst
Database Management Technology Consultant
Pooja M Bansal
Managing Editor
Jenny Fernandes
Sourabh More
Executive Editor
Sharad Chitalkar
Assistant Editors
Visualizer
David King
Art & Design Director
Sonia
Associate Designer
Kshitij S Peter Collins
John Matthew
Sales Executives
David, Martin
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Saurabh
Jacob Smile
Aditya Marry D'Souza
SME-SMO Executive
Atul Dhoran Frank Adams
Circulation Manager
Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes
Shyam Sonawane
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Anish Miller

Brief
Company Name
Daria Dubinina
CEO and Co-founder
Crassula White Label solutions build PSP, Banking, FX
products.
Ripley PR is an award-winning, global public relations agency.
Crassula
crassula.io
Verkada brings the ease of use that consumer security solutions
provide, to the levels of scale and protection that businesses
and organizations require.
Featured Person
Verkada
verkada.com
Orchids Retreat Beauty
& Wellbeing Clinic
orchidsretreat.co.uk
Ripley PR
ripleypr.com
Dervilla Lannon
Vice President
of People
Diana Jenner
Managing Director
Heather Ripley
CEO & Founder
An award winning boutique Beauty Salon with one goal in
mind: the wellbeing of clients.
Admired Women
The Most
in Business, 2022
Leaders
Ruthie Staalsen Interiors helps you create relaxed, collected
interiors, with a global influence.
LaunchX gives students the skills and mindset to start real
companies. Its signature summer program prepares high school
students for real world success through entrepreneurship.
Accelerating business by helping companies design effective
people strategies and increase workforce engagement.
Blinkhorn Real Estat implements innovative technologies and
offers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance
the listings services.
Lamourie Media Inc. builds your brand with effective public
and media relations.
ALE USA Inc.
al-enterprise.com
LaunchX: High School
Entrepreneurship Programs
launchx.com
Ruthie Staalsen Interiors
(RSI)
ruthiestaalsen.com
Blinkhorn Real Estate LTD
blinkhornrealestate.com
The Job Doctor
thejobdoctor.com
Lamourie Media Inc.
lamouriemedia.com
Karina Tiwana
General Counsel
Vice President and
Corporate Secretary
Laurie Stach
Founder and President
Ruthie Staalsen
Owner &
Professional Trainer
Sherry Blinkhorn
Broker/Owner
Tessa White
CEO
Tracy Lamourie
Founder and
Managing Director
Infinera is a global supplier of innovative networking solutions.

Daria
Dubinina
Daria
Dubinina
Building the Next-generation FinTech Products
Daria Dubinina
CEO and Co-founder
Crassula
February 2022 | 18 | insightssuccess.com

omen have made enormous strides in the
Wfinance sector. Their contributions in the space
are strengthening the financial-services industry
and helping businesses stay ahead of challenges. One such
woman shaping the future of finance is Daria Dubinina.
Before diving into entrepreneurship, Daria's journey has
been full of discoveries and industry research. She has been
working in the FinTech and payments field for five years,
doing e-commerce and online payments. This allowed her
to get to know the FinTech industry and strengthened her
desire to learn and develop in FinTech.
Daria has dedicated more than nine years to mastering
payments, e-commerce, and business development. As a
leading strategist and entrepreneur, she has also led major
partnership deals with top international companies. Today
she is the CEO and Co-founder of Crassula.
Let's unveil more about Daria's journey and how Crassula is
delivering the world-class products.
Putting Accumulated Knowledge into Action
Crassula's story began when Daria met Alex Novozhenov
and Vlad Nikolayev. They all are co-founders of Crassula.
The decision to found Crassula was a natural progression of
the desire to put the accumulated knowledge into action.
They started with a simple idea to provide fast and easy
core technology for launching FinTechs. And today
Crassula White Label solutions are trusted by the industry
leaders. The company allows users to build their PSP,
Banking, FX products in days and provides access to world-
class products to over 5 million users.
Allowing Companies to Create their Products and
Services
Crassula White Label software provides the technical
infrastructure for the FinTech companies that allows
creating their services and products. With Crassula,
companies can concentrate on building their businesses
without spending years and huge budgets developing their
solutions. Also, this approach reduces the risks when testing
a business idea; now the company can begin to implement
its idea on Crassula's platform, attract customers and enter
the market.
Crassula allows its clients to launch their crypto banks and
wallets, accepting crypto payments. Using its solutions,
clients can start their crypto business in days.
The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business, 2022

Helping Companies Bring their Ideas to Life
Daria is playing a crucial role in supporting the launch,
growth and development of FinTechs around the world
through Crassula. Firstly, Crassula helps FinTech
companies to bring their ideas to life quickly and save their
budgets. It also creates a whole infrastructure of solutions
and products, a kind of tech hub, stimulating the creation of
new products and services development.
"We also do a lot of R&D and there is a clear trend of
FinTech penetration into most tech industries. Social media,
retail, gaming, and other industries are developing FinTech
components. Thus, our solutions are also becoming more
global, which allows us to develop the global market,"
Daria notes.
Creating Most Effective Products for Customers
Further Daria mentions that Crassula researches and tests
the latest technological advances to create the most
effective products for its customers. Today, the Crassula
platform offers 3 main products: Core Banking System,
Crypto Banking System, and PSP.
Core Banking System provides ledgers with IBANs, card
management system, KYC onboarding and verification
module, AML financial monitoring module, SWIFT &
SEPA transfers, Currency exchange, and more.
Crypto Banking product allows Crassula's clients to launch
their crypto projects, manage and open accounts with
unique crypto addresses, exchange fiat to crypto, make
crypto transfers, invest in crypto, issue cards for private and
business clients.
PSP is helping create a global payment gateway attributed
with alternative payment methods, anti-fraud, risk
management, merchant integration, smart routing, and
virtual currencies, enabling payment companies to make
online payments secure and smart for merchants and
payers.
Encouraging Out of the Box Thinking in Team
Members
Stating the importance of culture Daria states that the most
“We are constantly
developing,
growing and
improving.”

important value for Crassula is its team. For its community,
one of the key principles is called "Freedom And
Responsibility". It does not control every minute of working
time, giving its teammates freedom to create whenever they
want, but expects responsibility of finishing the projects on
time and with the highest quality. It created its product with
the ability to think out of the box and tries to encourage this
skill in its team.
As a CEO, Daria tries to motivate Crassula's community, be
a role model, share her experience and stimulate creativity
in the area of responsibility of Crassula's teammates.
Daria believes that the basis for building a team is to work
with the best. To cooperate with the best professionals from
around the world, Crassula developed remote working
practices even before the pandemic. So, when COVID-19
flipped the workplaces upside-down, Crassula had already
embraced a remote work model before hiring professionals
online began to get popular. This approach enabled the team
to double in size in 2021. Currently, Crassula is a technical
hub bringing together professionals from all over the world.
Its dream team is working remotely from Latvia, the UK,
Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.
Keeping Pace with World Trends and Availing Edge
We asked Daria her opinion on the next big significant
change in the FinTech space, to which she says, "Pandemic,
lockdown, and society changes led to radical changes in
technology. Technologies today are developing rapidly as
never before, and the FinTech industry is growing as well.
Online banking is becoming a transforming tool in finance.
And it's not just about the cashless economy. Digital
banking offers more innovative services and products,
improves security and transparency. It is important to
mention white labelling as one of the main trends. White
Label FinTech solutions allow the market to develop faster,
and the businesses to launch their own solutions, minimize
risks and costs.”
According to Daria, one of the most important financial
innovations and one of the main trends is crypto. Trends
such as robotic process automation and voice-enabled
payments cannot be ignored. No one could even imagine
how quickly it could evolve when online banking has just
started. Big data projects are still an important trend, as
people create an incredible amount of data every second.
Crassula is at the cutting edge of technology development,
and it is going to work to let its products keep pace with
world trends and possibly lead them.
Looking Forward to Working on New Solutions
Looking backward, Daria sees a lot of amazing clients,
successful projects, and collaborations. Therefore, she is
looking forward to working on new solutions for Crassula's
clients, to new integrations, nominations, and
collaborations.
Being Open to New Opportunities
In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, Daria says,
"Building your own business is one of the most hard yet
exciting journey. This is a chance to give rise to new trends
that may one day change the world. Therefore, you should
be open to new opportunities, work hard, and develop your
networking skills. You should always take care of yourself,
of your team and keep moving to the new goals.”

To attain the financial independence for financing a
summer trip to France, Dervilla Lannon learnt the
importance of working for inspirational leaders
when she spent six years working at her father's meat
processing plant in Ireland. Her father set the standard that
exemplified what an inspirational leader should be with his
work ethic and an unparalleled focus on his team and
customers worldwide.
When Dervilla met Filip Kaliszan, the CEO of Verkada, she
noticed that he exhibited similar traits as her father - an
incredible work ethic and relentless passion for high-quality
products, customers, and his team; she decided to join the
company.
Dervilla Lannon became the Vice President of People at
Verkada in November 2020. She feels very fortunate to
marry her two main passions- people and philanthropy - in
her role. As VP of People, Dervilla is excited to play a part
in ensuring that employee satisfaction, engagement, and
overall employee experiences are elevated. Dervilla says
that Verkada's employees are incredible and working
alongside them is an honor.
The Professional Widespread
Dervilla studied law as an undergraduate at Trinity College
in Dublin and qualified as a lawyer specializing in asset
management/corporate securities law. This role allowed her
to interact with clients across the globe, which she greatly
enjoyed. The hours, primarily servicing global clients
across different time zones, were demanding to say the
least.
In 2009, Dervilla was asked to move to London to acquire
two asset management companies. The situation of the
global financial crisis taught her to be resilient and maintain
a positive attitude in what seemed like adversity. Over the
next ten years, Dervilla worked in London, Dublin, and San
Francisco, and for that, she is truly grateful. The amazing
experience of living and working in different countries
helped Dervilla understand different markets, customer
needs, and cultures, which is helpful in her current role as
Verkada expands both within the US and internationally.
In her current role at Verkada, it is awesome for her to see
Verkada's employees enjoy similar experiences by leverag-
ing its internal mobility policy to relocate to its offices in
London, Sydney, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Austin, and
Scottsdale.
Dervilla Lannon฀
An Ambitious, People-Oriented Leader
Verkada is
the leader
in cloud-managed
enterprise building
security, enabling over
9,700 organizations
worldwide to protect
their people, assets,
and privacy.

Dervilla Lannon
Vice President of People
Verkada

During Dervilla's time at BlackRock, the
company grew significantly, both organically
and inorganically, which she feels prepared
her well for her current role at Verkada,
which is in a hyper-growth phase. She
learned that change is the only constant, and
to be truly successful, and you have to
embrace it. Dervilla was fortunate to be
selected to participate in the Women's
Leadership Forum and had BlackRock's CFO
as her sponsor. BlackRock's CFO was
instrumental in her transition from the legal
department to the financial technology
business.
Initially, Dervilla questioned her ability to
work in technology when her background
was in law, and to this day, she struggles to
keep up with the basic employee tech stack.
After almost five years surrounded by
incredible technologists and security
professionals, Dervilla realizes that you don't
need a traditional technology background to
impact a technology company positively.
Soon after, she joined Verkada, and COVID-
19 forced people to work remotely.
Onboarding remotely into a new sector
during an unprecedented time was not easy.
However, Dervilla was overwhelmed by the
support from leadership and acts of kindness
shown to her. She knew she had made the
right decision when she received gifts with
thoughtful notes from Filip and constant
check-ins from her then-boss (the CFO of
Verkada).
Realizing Pain Points of Customers
Dervilla states that when Verkada entered the
physical security space, it quickly realized
that a major pain point for customers was that
they had different devices that didn't
communicate with each other. So as their
organizations implemented more security
products, it became more difficult to manage
them.
Verkada set out to ease this pain by creating a
software solution that provides access from
anywhere, on any device, to all of its

customers' security cameras,
access control, environmental
sensors, Alarms, and Guest
Check-in systems. Verkada calls
this solution "Command," and it
ensures its users cannot only
monitor with ease but also
leverage different products to
gain more insights and mini-
mize blind spots.
Protecting People and Assets
with Security Products
Verkada is a leading physical
security platform that protects
people and assets. Designed
with simplicity in mind,
Verkada's five product lines -
video security cameras, access
control, environmental sensors,
alarms, and visitor management
- provide seamless visibility
through an integrated secure
cloud-based software platform.
On a personal level, Dervilla
knew Verkada was the right
place for her when several
solutions engineers and
members of the product and executive team installed
Verkada's security products at her house, making her feel
safer. Further, Verkada also equipped her parents' home in
Ireland. She was onsite for the installation, and it gave
Dervilla and her parents a great sense of comfort that
Verkada's security products are protecting them.
Innovating and Developing Awesome Products
Dervilla is focused on building a strong People function.
With the mission of making Verkada an amazing place to
work to continue to attract, retain and motivate world-class
talent, which will, in turn, continue to innovate and develop
awesome products, which are critical to the physical
security ecosystem.
Ensuring Safer and Smarter Enterprise Buildings
Verkada brings the ease of use that consumer security
solutions providers to the levels of scale and protection that
businesses and organizations require. By building high-end
hardware on an intuitive, cloud-based software platform,
modern enterprises can run safer, smarter buildings across
all their locations.
Setting Higher Ambitions
Dervilla envisions herself being at Verkada for a long time.
Life has taught her to set her ambitions high, so her goal is
to help Verkada scale beyond its one thousand employees to
tens of thousands of employees around the globe, which is a
magnet for the most talented people in their respective
fields. After Verkada, she envisions herself focusing her
time on enhancing the experience for cancer patients and
sick children in hospitals in Ireland, two causes close to her
heart.

Diana Jenner
Redefining the Beauty Industry
Everyone deserves to feel great about the way they
look. It was this belief that led Diana Jenner to
found Orchids Retreat.
Diana turned her passion for beauty into a boutique Beauty
Salon that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of its clients.
From starting her career by working in a Spa to running an
award-winning salon, she has come a long way. At Orchids,
she creates tailored programs to suit each client's individual
needs of Chemical Peels, Mesotherapy, and Customised
Facials to promote and maintain healthy skin.
Inspired by her urge to take beauty industry to the new
heights, we at Insights Success caught up with Diana to
learn more about her journey and Orchids Retreat.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Orchids Retreat.
What challenges did you overcome to reach where you
are today?
My career in the beauty industry began working in a Spa at
the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas whilst attending University
Nevada Las Vegas. I always wanted to own my own
business, and as a lifelong passion for beauty, I wanted to
have my own salon.
My Dad told me that I couldn't go to beauty school as I
needed a formal education not just to learn a trade skill; he
wouldn't even let me attend an evening massage course
whilst at university. Instead, I got a job in the spa whilst
studying at UNLV to gain hands-on experience. Fast
forward a few years, and I moved to England to be near my
Mom. In Europe they offer Beauty Therapy courses that
teach you a variety of skills, so I enrolled in every course
possible. For a year, I attended holistic, beauty and
advanced courses full-time during the day as well as
evening and weekends, so I completed three years of
courses in one year.
Now it was time to gain some experience in the industry. I
started my own business called Orchids Hideaway and set
up a treatment room in my bedroom at home. This
expanded to a two bed house with one room just for salon
use; while building up my own clientele, I was working in a
salon and managing a bar and restaurant to make ends meet.
I then took a job with Virgin Atlantic to see the world and
visit spas and salons around the globe. In 2008, I gave up
my wings and bought my first salon on the top floor of a
hair salon. I was enjoying training and sharing my passion
as I grew the team, so I gained my teaching qualification
from Greenwich University to enable me to teach beauty.
Teaching, running a salon, and growing a family proved to
be too much to juggle, so the next chapter was to be a
solopreneur.
I kept a treatment room on the coast and took up a
residency at the Soho Hotel in London, which gave me the
opportunity to host seasonal skincare events for beauty
magazines, bloggers and treat celebrity clientele. It was a
fantastic experience, and I'm so grateful to Kit Kemp for the
opportunity.
The pandemic proved difficult for many, but with grit and
motivation, I was determined to swim upstream and provide
wellbeing for the community. Last summer, I opened a six-
treatment room beauty and wellbeing clinic. And, we now
have a team of twelve to offer beauty, holistic, wellbeing
and advanced aesthetic services.
Tell us something more about Orchids Retreat, its
mission and vision.
Orchids Retreat's mission is to help others put their best
face forward. To educate our team and clients about how to
care and maintain a healthy body and glowing skin all year

“ “
We offer affordable,
safe and painless
treatments for
people of all ages
and only use
industry-approved,
state-of-the-art
technologies.
Diana Jenner,
Founder and CEO
Orchids Retreat

round. We pride ourselves in offering a high standard of
treatments, customer service and client care.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the
Aesthetic Facials niche through your expertise in the
market.
With over 20 years of experience in the Beauty Industry, I
still have the same motto - put your best face forward.
Healthy glowing skin naturally is about looking after your
skin. We're only given one body in this life and you've got
to look after it. As one of the first UK Brand Ambassadors
for Dermalogica and an Advanced Skin Expert, I created
the Youth Boost facial along with a trio of others to focus
on clients' specific skincare needs. We use Dermalogica
Professional Skincare, mesotherapy, micro-needling and
Bio Therapeutics technology to design bespoke facials for
each client.
If given a chance, what change would you like to bring
in the Body Massage industry?
I think teaching therapists how to save their hands and look
after their body's is crucial to a lifelong career in this
industry. At Orchids Retreat, we welcome apprenticeships
and college students to join our team as junior therapists. I
host monthly masterclasses for our whole team to further
develop their skill set and am amazed how many do not
know hands free or trigger point techniques that can be used
to save their hands from repetitive strain. I believe the
industry should offer this training as part of therapists initial
course content.
What, according to you, could be the next big change in
Skin Therapy industry? How is Orchids Retreat
preparing to be a part of that change?
I think the next big change in the industry will be people
trying to undo the effects of having too many fillers and
enhanced treatments. Advanced aesthetics are a growing
market, but it is important to maintain standards. I think it's
also vital for professionals to only recommend what is
needed and advise when to put the brakes on and educate
their clients about the need to look after the canvas not just
continue to plump out the lines artificially. You can't turn
back the clock you have to look after your skin.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run
and what are your future goals for Orchids Retreat?
I have so many goals and aspirations!
During the pandemic, I obtained a distinction in an
aromatherapy course and used my years of product
ingredient knowledge to create my signature scent and
formulate my own bodycare range to help clients refresh,
relax and restore at home. I would like to be a household
name one day and to advance Aurum D to being stocked
and sold in high end retail stores, not just at Orchids
Retreat.
The British Association of Beauty Therapy and
Cosmetology asked me to help the government write the
guidelines for our industry to be covid compliant. I was
delighted to help the Department of Business and Industry
Strategy (BEIS) and to share my knowledge and experience
with others in this sector I set up Signature D coaching and
consulting.
Going forward, I would like to share my passion and
combine features from all three companies to franchise
Orchids Retreat around the United Kingdom and launch our
Beauty and Wellbeing Clinics globally. Offering a 'Beauty
Business in a Box' with advanced coaching, policies,
procedures, business set up, marketing materials and
ongoing support.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the business sector?
Just go for it! You'll never be completely ready; there is no
such thing as failure, just lessons learnt. I learn new lessons
every day, and it helps us all to grow, develop and blossom.

Leaders
that We Need
Today
Door to Success

Life is a struggle that revolves around personal
and professional challenges. And, when you
are struggling, seeking advice from genuine
friends always helps you. But instead of following
people and their advice, create your own opportunities
that help you find your own path. Because fate is by
far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never
know where it will take you. But the real question is
there an alternative to all of this? While everyone
speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss
the solution through this article.
Our lives are connected to technology and social
media, as they play a key role in today’s modern
world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact
that the vision to bring change in the lives of the
people and transform the world is possible with
technology. But, promoting compassion and well-
being among the people is also equally important.
Understandably, everyone wants to create their
identity and influence the world. But developing
leaders just for the sake of business output and profits
will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we
don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like
today.
We want leaders who can get the best out of their
team, which is possible only without the fear of
judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and
help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all
people need, and leaders can bring that hope through
these sources. For example, if any employee knows
that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and
there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that
person.
Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to
help those who feel down and try to bring the best out
of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized
for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently.
As an organization and as people, we should develop
compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the
world.
It is only with this approach we can make it possible
to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better
world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in
today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion
and well-being among the people. Now that we have
got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next
question is, how do you recognize that you need help?
Most of us today are too busy making a living. We
exist only within our daily routine, as we are
preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many
aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career,
household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too
late to realize that you are already struggling –
emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our
body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our
actual/real life.
There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of
yourself can be overlooked against all the professional
pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to
care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and
mental health.
Before you extend your compassion and authentic
care for people, you must first practice self-care.
Why? Because you can never give what you do not
have.
Below are things that can help you in practicing self-
care:
Ÿ Start your day doing things you love the most and
boost your mood.
Ÿ Be grateful for things you have, no matter how
small or big it might be.
Ÿ Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise
regularly
Ÿ Do activities and interactions add value to your life
There are much more things that you can discover
yourself to practice self-care. After following all the
things, you will appreciate your life, even more,
resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of
mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know
yourself better – see a better version of yourself and
attract positivity in your life.

Heather Ripley
Helping Businesses Stay Ahead of the Curve
hat was it that made your competitor position
Witself as an industry leader? It was likely a PR
agency that helped it gain a competitive edge.
Well, your business can make it too. What it needs is an
agency that can create results-driven branding for your
business and help you compete successfully. This is exactly
what Ripley PR brings to the table. Spearheading the
operations of the company is Heather Ripley, an
accomplished PR executive and its founder and CEO.
Heather combines business management, solid analytical
skills, and creative B2B public relations strategies to deliver
measurable results for your brand.
Inspired by her passion for serving clients, we at Insights
Success got into conversation with Heather to learn more
about her journey and how her rare combination of
creativity and analytical thinking is helping businesses
thrive.
leader until your current position at Ripley PR. What
challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you
are today?
In 1996, I worked for a department store’s buying office and
fell in love with ad copywriting. My career over the years
evolved into public relations and marketing. In 2009, I was
managing PR and marketing for a large franchisor,
Clockwork Home Services. While there, I secured a spot for
our three franchise brands, One Hour Heating & Air
Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister
Sparky, on The Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.
That appearance helped our CEO position the company for
acquisition, and he sold the brands for more than $180
million. I then entered the agency world and worked in
senior management for two different agencies before
moving back to my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee and
starting Ripley PR in 2013.
Within 45 days of starting Ripley PR, I had secured my first
three retainer clients. Within six months, I had hired my
first full-time employee.
Now, Ripley PR is a global public relations agency that has
been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top

Heather Ripley
CEO and Founder
Ripley PR

Franchise PR Agency four years in a row and was honored
by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies in 2021.
Through our hard work, we have cemented ourselves as one
of the top PR agencies in the country for the home service
industry and skilled trades. I also published a book for the
home services industry last year, entitled “Next Level
Now,” which is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Tell us something more about Ripley PR, its mission and
vision.
My team really loves what we do. We only succeed when
our clients succeed. It’s not about gathering awards for
Ripley PR, but how best to ensure that we successfully
advocate for our clients.
At Ripley, you don’t just get one person to help you
increase your company’s visibility; you get an entire team
of specialists. Our experts can help you create content, pitch
story ideas to the media, and show you the best way to
become an expert in your industry.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the PR
niche through your expertise in the market.
We pride ourselves on our knowledge of the home services
industry and the world of franchising. Those are two of our
nicheindustries that we serve. During the time I spent at
Clockwork Home Services, I came to realize that the home
services industry was underserved in the public relations
ﬁeld. Many home services business owners don’t
understand the power of PR or feel they don’t need public
relations until their business is larger or has a crisis. Ripley
PR’s success in driving growth for home service companies
and adding value to a franchise system illustrates how
important public relations is to these industries. Our goal is
to help home services and franchises dominate in their
service areas.
“Success to us is
all about you. It’s not
about placing another award in
our ofﬁce. It’s about your success in clear,
easy-to-understand, concise numbers.”

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
The ability of the average person to influence the reputation
of service companies through review sites like Google or
Yelp is a perfect example of why an agency like Ripley PR
is useful to this industry. While we do rely on tried-and-true
earned media outreach strategies, we employ world-class
systems like media databases and workflow management
platforms to help us provide measurable results for our
clients. In addition to using technology ourselves, we also
represent several tech and SaaS companies operating both
in and outside the home service industry. Journalists are
hungry for more news about innovation, so we lean into and
leverage the stories behind our clients’ own tech
advancements to keep their brands top of mind.
to the sales and marketing industry?
I’d like to show smaller businesses who want to double or
triple in size how public relations can help them grow.
Many smaller companies think they don’t need PR because
they either aren’t big enough or they aren’t going through a
crisis. But public relations can work for any size
organization. If you’ve ever wondered why your top
competitor was quoted as an expert on your local news, the
chances are it wasn’t just luck. The owner probably hired a
PR agency. A public relations agency can help any size
business become known as the thought-leaders in their
field.
the public relations industry? How is Ripley PR
preparing to be a part of that change?
Social media will continue to grow and evolve. While
social media has had a share of bad publicity lately, it’s still
a medium that journalists follow. So, in order to stay
relevant and top of mind for those delivering the news,
companies will need to stay active on social media. In
addition to legacy media, non-traditional media is becoming
increasingly popular. Influencers, podcasters, YouTubers
and others will continue to impact more of our decision-
making on media outreach.
and what are your future goals for Ripley PR?
Ripley PR has clients across the U.S., as well as
internationally. We will continue to evolve, improve and
grow as an agency and deliver results for our clients, no
matter where they are based. We provide our clients with
detailed reports that help us determine what is working and
what is not, and we make the necessary adjustments to
improve results.
Four years ago, I started another division of Ripley PR
called Orange Orchard. This agency division is committed
to using what we’ve learned at Ripley to advocate for
organizations that are providing eco- and animal-friendly
products and services. I would like to see Orange Orchard
be a global force for good in the world.
If you believe in yourself and you are willing to work
harder than ever before, you can be successful. When I
started Ripley PR, I had my knowledge of the industry and
my business acumen to fall back on, but I experienced a lot
of challenges and was determined to remain resilient. If you
believe you have a unique talent or product to offer the
world, take a chance and showcase what makes you special.

Karina Tiwana
An Ardent Legal Professional
Exemplifying Passionate Leadership
t takes dedication and laser focus to find success, not
Ito mention rolled-up sleeves and dirt under your finger
nails”, states an ardent leader, Karina Tiwana. As the
General Counsel, Vice President and Corporate
Secretary of ALE USA – the U.S. entity name of Alcatel-
Lucent Enterprise - Tiwana has been an integral part of the
success of the company. Her passion for the business side
of law and sheer dedication has led Tiwana to where she is
today.
After spending almost 15 years at Alcatel-Lucent, first as a
Contract Manager for five years, Tiwana moved up through
the ranks of the legal department, where she landed a
corporate counsel position supporting the most innovative
business divisions of the company. Eventually, became a
primary legal resource to one of these divisions, the
Enterprise division, in 2006. Thereafter, she was tapped to
support one of the highest revenue-producing divisions in
the company. She did that up until 2014 when she was
invited to support the planned divestiture of the Enterprise
division as General Counsel in the United States. Tiwana
would be charged with building a department to support all
the legal needs of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the new
stand-alone company, in North America. This was no small
feat but, she said, “many talented and professional people
carried my torch.”
Reflecting on the experience, Tiwana recognizes she’s
grateful for the men and women along her path that buoyed
her up when she felt she might be drowning. Helping a new
company be born is a daunting task. The Enterprise
Business Division, turned Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise,
contains a close-knit group with many employees boasting
long tenures with the company.
Let’s know more about Tiwana and her contribution to the
industry through an interview conducted between her and
Insights Success.
As a business leader, what is your opinion on the impact
of the current pandemic on the telecommunications
industry?
The pandemic’s impact on people, in some cases, has been
horrifying and deadly. I will in no way minimize my
feelings of empathy toward families that have lost loved
ones and those who have fallen ill from the virus. And, of
course, to parents trying to cope with both at-home working
and at-home teaching of children ripped from schools and
their friends. This at-home working and teaching has
created an increase in the need for tools like the Alcatel-
Lucent Enterprise Rainbow Unified Communication
Platform, as well as infrastructure solutions, such as the
company’s OmniAccess Stellar wireless LAN and the
OmniSwitch network switches that make everything
connect to support the increased communication needs
spawned by the crisis. In this way, many telecom industry
segments are reaping the benefits of the “new normal”. It’s
a shift from in-office to home working and from in-person
school to home school. Even events and what used to be
live entertainment have gone online as we all try to cope
with the restrictions required to keep all of us safe through
the pandemic. I hear through news reports that many
companies will continue the work-from-home options in
some form or other so, it looks like the need for telecom
industry tools, solutions and infrastructure is going to
continue to grow.
What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to
align their offerings with newer technological
developments, especially when it comes to Digital
Transformation?
I think that when it comes to digital transformation,
businesses that align their offerings to advances in
technology further drive the evolution. Technology
“
“

continues to be instrumental in our lives and the growth of
business. In particular, I think, as a strategy, aligning
business infrastructure with Cloud technology builds a
mindset that pushes innovation, agility and problem-
solving. Our company’s Cloud technology products and
services have helped our customers push beyond digital
transformation plans and overcome the challenges of
working through a pandemic. It’s clear to me that Cloud
delivers the benefit of scale and adapts to opportunities,
while being reliable and secure. It just makes sense to me
how flexible technology enables businesses to adapt the
work environment, ensure efficient operations and manage
costs.
How do you bring your General Counsel skills in
establishing strategic direction and delivering results
globally?
I do this in many ways, but one of my greatest pleasures in
the recent past has been contributing legal advice to our
team of women and men that have created the Diversity and
Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ESG) under our
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. With the
executive sponsorship of Rukmini Glanard, our Executive
Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Services and
Marketing, the ESG hosted our second global online
summit to highlight that diversity and equality are life
issues and, definitely, a business issue impacting financial
results. An equal world in business results in an enabled and
better world for business. We need all of our minds and all
of our hands, as a company, to compete and succeed.
Diversity and inclusion – across gender, ethnicity, age,
religion, etc. – enable a better, balanced environment for
economies and communities to thrive.
In what ways have you contributed to the community?
In my community, as a woman Veteran, I am very active in
our American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. This
“American Legion Family” provides support to local
Veterans, their families and the general community where
Veterans live and work. One example of a recent project in
2020, we recognized the needs of so many children in our
community around Christmas time. We sponsored, locally,
Toys for Tots supported by the United States Marine Corps
Reserve. We served over 300 children and all of them
received gifts and a food donation for their families.
Supporting this kind of “all-volunteer” community event
brings me great joy because I saw the power of giving in
action. College students, home for the holidays, stood
alongside their Parents, Grandmothers and Grandfathers to
participate in the toy and food distribution portion of the
event. I strongly believe in the empowerment provided by
serving a cause much greater than yourself. I get this
empowerment through working within our American
Legion Family. I currently serve on the Executive Board as
Sergeant-at-Arms and have served in the past as Post
Commander. At the time I served as Commander, I was the
very first woman everto serve as Commander in the Post’s
77-year history.Today, I’m proud to say, as other notable
“first women” leaders are saying more and more, “I may
have been the first, but I won’t be the last.”
If given a chance, what change would you bring in
providing growth opportunities to Women?
I am very lucky to have been given the chance at Alcatel-
Lucent Enterprise to effect real change in my role as
General Counsel at ALE USA. I hired student interns in
2014 as a creative way to augment my staff. We showed so
much success with training and utilizing student interns in
our legal department that it inspired the company to adopt
an Internship Program and now, many departments are
hiring student interns. In fact, a recent hire is going to
supplement our global CSR endeavors. She will be
graduating from college soon with a degree in Ethnic
Studies. I think these internship programs are vital to
creating opportunities and success for everyone, especially
Step-up
and lead
from the
front.
‘‘
‘‘

for women. In my case, all of my interns moved on to
become practicing lawyers and have secured positions in
law ﬁrms. I’m very proud of all of them.
As an established business leader, what would be your
advice for the budding women entrepreneurs?
Make sure you know a good lawyer! Not a shameless plug.
No, seriously, it’s very important to build a strong network
of diversely talented individuals that can be asked for the
help you need along the way. Be yourself because your
authentic self is your best face. Have a clear picture of what
your authentic self is. Remember, there will be roadblocks
on your journey to success and some may be related to your
gender, your age or any number of things but the
roadblocks are just hills to climb and there are plenty of
people to give you a helpful push so you can keep going.
Leverage your mentors and allies. These are your friends,
your classmates, your teachers, your family, your
colleagues, and your professional network. They will help
you navigate. But, above all, do what you love. Do it a lot.
If you do what you love and you do it a lot, you will get
really good at it. If you get good at it, you will likely make
money at it and you will be wealthy. Wealth is not money
alone. Wealth includes not only professional success but
also self-fulﬁllment and realizing your dreams.
Karina Tiwana,
General Counsel,
Vice President, and
Corporate Secretary,
ALE USA Inc.

Ruthie Staalsen
Owner
Ruthie Staalsen Interiors (RSI)

An Avid Designer Creating Spaces that
are Collected, not Decorated
Known for her exquisite taste, superior sense of
style, and infectious personality, Ruthie Staalsen
of Ruthie Staalsen Interiors is a prominent name
in the interior design space.
Born and raised in South Africa, Ruthie has lived all over
the world. She creates homes that have a relaxed, collected
look and adds a global flair to her designs. Her knack for
utilizing existing pieces within a space to create something
completely new makes her a preferred choice among her
clientele.
Besides, she has also co-authored the book, Behind Her
Brand, which depicts what life is like as a female entrepre-
neur, mother, and wife, and how to best integrate these
aspects to create a balanced business and fulfilling life.
Inspired by her passion for designing spaces, we at Insights
Success caught up with Ruthie to learn more about her
journey as a business leader.
Below are the highlights of the Interview:
leader until your current position at Ruthie Staalsen
Interiors. What challenges do you have to overcome to
reach where you are today?
I’m the oldest of 3 kids and carried the role of leader as a
kid and still do. I was born and raised in South Africa and
traveled the world in my childhood. Leadership has always
been part of my DNA, and I think living in different
countries all my life, made me a better leader because I
learned to adjust to hardships and certainly learned about
being flexible. That being said, I’m a very driven person
and one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to learn is how to
take time to relax. Being that my business relies a lot on
me, it is hard for me to shut work off. I learned the hard
way and have now hired people to help me do the things
I’m not so good at. This relieves me to do the things that I
love, and that brings me more joy and time to relax.
Tell us something more about your company, its mission,
and its vision.
We are a Dallas based boutique design firm focussing on
residential design. We do everything from walk through
consultations to full-service design projects. Again, because
of our travels, I watched my mom set up home each time
we were in a new country. She always surrounded us with
the things that were important to us and created a home
around those things. Our mission at RSI is to always give
our clients a home they enjoy being in, one that welcomes
them home and makes them spend time with family and
friends. We want the homes we create to be practical,
functional, and beautiful. We create a “feeling” that not just
anybody can create.
Interiors niche through your expertise in the market?
I am a part of the Interior Design Society and keep as
involved as I can. I believe that when you have good
relationships with others in the same industry, you can add
your knowledge and experience to others and, interns learn
from others, making our businesses stronger together. I’m
not afraid of making changes to our company if things are
not working as they should. Change is hard but can
sometimes lead you in a more positive direction.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
We have a positive and fun vibe here at RSI, and we hire
people with that same energy. We love employees that have
a lot of experience, however, the most important thing to
me is their attitude, character, and “can do” spirit. Every-
thing else can be learned, but these characteristics are
crucial additions to my business model.

almost every sector. How are you leveraging technologi-
cal advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
We are incredibly active on social media platforms and use
them to educate and inspire our existing clients and our
future clients. We do before and after videos of our install
days and document our behind-the-scenes happenings with
our remodels and full home makeovers.
the Interiors industry? How is your company preparing
to be a part of that change?
Travel takes up so much time and although we love to
travel, we often can't take time away from our ongoing
clients. I see more and more virtual events, showroom
tours, etc. happening (especially since Covid) so that we
can still attend while being in our office. The only problem
is the energy and comradery that goes along with in-person
events is irreplaceable and needed in this lonely career. We
work alone a lot as designers preparing design plans, doing
office paperwork, etc. Being with others that motivate and
encourage us is very important. I certainly don’t want in-
person events to go away.
and what are your future goals for your company?
I would love to have a unique line with lighting, rug, or
furniture company. I believe my international flair could
God is the
giver of gifts, it
is up to me to
use those gifts
to serve Him.
February 2022 | 44 |

really be a benefit. So many companies need to revamp
their outdated showrooms and products to keep them in line
with their competition. Promoting other companies through
my social media is one of the things I do naturally so
putting these two things together only makes sense.
Another goal of mine is to have a Jewelry line made with
bamboo, wood, string, metal, and other fun textures similar
to the textures I use in my designs.
My future goals are to be able to donate more money to my
favorite charities. I started this business with that very goal
in mind and want to continue doing so more than ever.
who aspire to venture into the Interiors sector?
Though this industry is a fun one to be in, think about it
seriously. There are lot of clients to please and loads of
balls in the air to juggle constantly. When you first start,
you are solo doing all the things a business needs. Hiring
people comes later and those first few years are HARD. I
would also say that if you are not good at working with
others or are not a problem solver, this industry is not for
you. You need thick skin to be an entrepreneur in general,
also being a marriage Counselor is definitely in your job
description 90% of the time.
| insightssuccess.com

Unlocking the of
POTENTIAL
for
WOMEN WELFARE
of the WORLD

There is a tremendous amount of potential in every
living entity. Untapped potential should be trapped
for the welfare of the world. Where women are
empowered that place flourishes in abundance. Empowered
women leads to the prosperity of families, societies, nations
and the world. Deep down, every person likes to live with
dignity by contributing something to the world according to
one’s capabilities and potential. Therefore, that potential
should be nurtured in everyone and especially in the girls
and women. Nothing can dim the light in every person that
shines from within. All girls and women has to do is to be
aware of their own inner potential and they can contribute
to any field of their choice.
The world is currently going through the unprecedented
times due to the ongoing pandemic. This is certainly
challenging time for many people but some exceptional
women leaders see the positive opportunity even in such
unprecedented time and actually that is the hallmark of
good women leadership. Exceptional women leaders are
always aware and they understand that the unprecedented
times always call for unprecedented actions, innovative,
thoughtful, and win-win solutions. The world may be filled
with lot of negativity due to inevitable challenges and
causes, but exceptional women leaders call upon their inner
light and they use such unprecedented time to develop and
nourish their skillsets so that they can be an instrument of
positive contribution to the world in the coming times. Now
more than ever, women and girls need to call on their inner
light to utilize the toughest times to tune into their
conscience, learn new things by using virtual platforms and
make themselves competent.
In the difficult times of pandemic it is essential for women
leaders to be detached from the negativity around
themselves. Unless and until one is detached from the
negativity, it is very difficult to focus on the positive and to
make the most out of that positive. Exceptional women
leaders prefer to be courageous to confront issues more
diligently and deal with people with empathy and due
consideration. Exceptional women leaders choose to think
deliberately and act on the conclusion of logical, rational,
analytical, systematic, and cognitive-intensive thought
process. That is really the most important part of
exceptional women leadership. Leaders are supposed to
think deliberately and act on the basis of logical conclusion
for delivering the efficient results.
Educating and empowering a girl child creates a ripple
effect and it creates a positive influence in the community.
Empowered women invest time and energy in creating the
stronger next generations. The future leaders of tomorrow
can be more talented, dynamic, and competent to deliver
maximum contribution for the welfare of the world if they
are raised by the empowered women. Empowering women
is beneficial in so many ways and their contribution play a
very important role in creating the genuinely exemplary
future leaders.
Gender equality is beneficial for the whole world.
Promoting gender equality is not just responsibility of
women leaders or women issue but it is a societal issue and
everyone should support in promoting the purpose of
gender equality. United nations is again and again
promoting the empowerment of women. That’s very crucial.
The greater number of women in every field is a sign of
growth and evolved culture. The empowered women are
boon to the world. That is the reason ‘Gender Equality’ is
one of the most important sustainable development goals.
Empowering women is essential for the sustainable
development of the world. Empowered women become
great asset for businesses, families, societies, communities,
nations, and that is ultimately beneficial for whole world.
There are plenty of fields where women have opportunities
and they can contribute immensely. The world is in
desperate need of genuinely exemplary women leaders to
make a difference through businesses, science, research,
technology etc. Women can become the leaders in the field
of businesses, science, research, technology and in any
choice of their field if they are willing to be bold and
courageous enough to pursue their career in such fields
relentlessly. They have the potential to make a difference in
the choice of field they go and therefore women should not
shy away from utilizing their best capabilities and they
should deny the world of their valuable contribution.
Empowered women are the secret weapon of creating a
positive change in the society and the world at large.
Empowering and enhancing women and investing in them
unlocks a tremendous potential for the world. Empowered
women are the most important weapon and resource in the
fight against the global poverty. The untapped resource of
women has the tremendous potential and that should be
recognized by the people in the world especially by the
people who have the opportunity to create awareness
related to this.
The empowered women have the potential to significantly
improve livelihoods, productivity, economic outputs, and
the overall human life itself. The basic longing to live with
dignity, the fundamental desire to have control of one’s
lives and one’s future and to be part of determining the
course of our communities and our nations are very much
universal in the empowered women. These longings burn in
the women and girls, and with these longings they can be a
great dynamic force in the world to be an agent of change
and make a significant contribution for the welfare of the
world with their talents, skills, and abilities and that will
lead to the ultimate welfare of the world.
Womanhood

Sherry Blinkhorn
Broker/Owner
Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd

Sherry
Blinkhorn
An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and
a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill
t is easy to say be the change you want, but it is quite
Idifficult to really understand the struggle one goes
through to change oneself. We hear stories about
people who have achieved success and paved their way to
the top of their field, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Numerous factors drive one to make desired changes to be
the change they want.
In our search to find such a persona, driven to adapt to
change, we came across Sherry Blinkhorn, who perfectly
fits the definition of 'be the change you want.' Currently,
Sherry passionately leads her venture, Blinkhorn Real
Estate Ltd., with her dedication to being the best of the
best.
The Thorns and The Roses
Sherry's journey hasn’t been an easy one. She came up
through the foster care system and went through many
challenges in her life, but she made some conscious
decisions that would change her life for the good after her
children were born.
Sherry began her professional journey as a commercial and
residential property manager in her initial years then in
1998 she pursued getting her salesperson’s license. She
began to achieve one milestone after the other by utilizing
her extensive knowledge and experience to accumulate
record-breaking sales. It resulted in her receiving national
recognition in 2002 and 2003 and in 2004 she received the
'Platinum Award' for her sales achievement, placing her in
the top 5% in Canada's total sales volume with Royal
LePage National Franchise.
Subsequently, embarking on the success, Sherry's
adaptability to change led her to the quest of incepting her
independent real estate firm, in 2005, Blinkhorn Real Estate
Ltd., and she has never looked backed since. She sowed the
seeds of efforts and dedication, forming a team with like-
minded colleagues that reaped her and her firm the fruit of
gaining a solid reputation for providing exceptional services
and supporting many non-profit charitable organizations.
Adding Different Ingredients to the Recipe of Success
Plunging forward in her path of success, she says the
learning process never stops. Sherry holds a diploma in
adult psychology, social work, and counselling skills. Being
amply trained in the mental health field, she understands
how stressful it can be to buy or sell a house.
Sherry has fostered an environment where she puts people
first and encourages her colleagues to do the same. She’s
created a caring and natural positive atmosphere in her
workspace. She knows how crucial it is and is humbled to
be part of the most significant transaction of one's life and is
overjoyed to help it to become a reality. “We don’t see
ourselves as good salespeople – we are good Realtors;
there is a big difference,” says Sherry.
Sherry has focused her work approach around her buyers
and sellers making them the utmost priority. It was vital to

her to create a familial workspace which gives a feeling of
comfort and smoothens the work process. She truly cares
about her clients and understands their real estate needs,
which is why she implies a friendly and professional
atmosphere in her unique way. She has sculpted a value-
driven team that strives and implements effective marketing
strategies with honesty and hard work.
Cherishing The Victories
The amount of hard work and dedication Sherry puts in her
work is commendable in itself. Her work ethic has set an
example, and her efforts have been acknowledged with
numerous awards, including the ‘Community Mentor
Award’ from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County. She
also received the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Year
award at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce Gala in
2012. Sherry is the first female to receive this honor since
its inception in 1991.
Her achievements don’t stop there and go further; in 2018,
Sherry received the ‘Volunteer Vision Award’ from the
Nova Scotia Mental Health Foundation. The following year
she was also recognized with the ‘Women in Business
Award’ at the Chamber Business Achievements Gala. Aside
from awards, Sherry was featured in 2020 in the
International ‘Top Agent Magazine’ and her life story in the
Nova Scotia ‘At Home Magazine’.
Leveraging Technology to Provide Upscale Services
At Blinkhorn Real Estate, Sherry has created a work culture
driven by values to make client's lives easier and delivers
high-quality products. The company implements innovative
technologies and offers virtual reality tours and drone
videography to enhance the listings services. They do their
best to ensure that clients get the best prices for buyers and
sellers by through their experience and expertise.
Above and Beyond for the Community
The journey that Sherry embarked on has been a challenge
in itself, she’s worked hard to forge her path to be at the
position she is today. Her experiences have all contributed
to finding transparency in her life. She has been a
passionate advocate for the mentally ill for years. She was
also the public relations director for the Canadian Cancer
Society, Pictou, volunteered for years on the Palliative Care
unit and made it part of her life to give back to her
community.
Sherry has built Blinkhorn Real Estate from the ground up
and contributed to many community organizations in
various ways along the way including sponsoring sports
teams and is routinely involved with multiple non-profits
and other organizations across the county.
The Guiding Flame
Unfolding the pages of Sherry's life, it is crystal clear that
despite hurdles she’s faced, she always has come out on top.
She always empowers, inspires, and encourages a TEAM
environment at her work. She ensures an ambiance of
professionalism, integrity, and superior client service. She
leads with a positive attitude, high ethical values, and hard
work and says she will persist in doing the same into the
future.
Last but not least, Sherry has asserted herself in a firm spot
being a leader in the field of real estate. She is an
inspiration to numerous people and continues to change
many lives. Her compassion, dedication, and her drive to
change have made her a successful businesswoman. She is
truly an example of taking charge of her own life and being
the change, she wants.
Blinkhorn Real Estate is
dedicated to selling your
home or nding you that
dream home creating the
best possible experience
throughout the entire real
estate transaction.
Professionally we serve,
personally we care!
‘‘
‘‘

Tessa Whe
A Passionate฀ Remarkable฀and Committed HR Executive
hen life throws challenges at you, it’s up to you;
Wyou either live with it or rise like a phoenix.
Tessa White decided to conquer every hurdle
along her way, beat every odd, and rise. Today, she is a
successful entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and an acclaimed
career expert helping others find their peace and purpose.
Tessa is the Founder of The Job Doctor, where she put all
her enriching, hard-earned experience. Through her
company, she is moving employee performance from
average to extraordinary and building strong company
leaders with highly engaged employees.
Inspired by her passion for filling in the puzzle pieces of
talent in order to create cohesive teams, we at Insights
Success had a conversation with Tessa to learn more about
her journey.
leader until your current position at The Job Doctor.
What challenges you have to overcome to reach where
you are today?
I started my journey as a single parent, just past the age of
30, when I found myself a mother of three, and now
responsible for caring for three children, making a house
payment, without a college degree or formal training in any
particular career. In one of the most fortuitous happenings
in my life, I ended up working with legendary Stephen R.
Covey and his company, where I learned success principles
that still guide me today. If you fast forward twenty years, I
became the head of human resources within Fortune 50
company and in fast-growing publicly traded companies.
I left at the height of my career as head of Human
Resources at Vivint Solar to pursue business on my terms. I
first led out helping women find their footing—especially
those who may have been impacted by divorce or
unanticipated life events.
A year later, when the pandemic hit, I was locked in my
house and had to re-imagine a business model, and The Job
Doctor was born. I realized I could help both men and
women reclaim their workplace satisfaction and come to the
other side of the corporate fence, showing people how to
navigate their careers. Within one year, I have almost
1,000,000 followers across multiple social platforms, and I
have made guest appearances on GMA, The Doctors, as
well as listed as one of the top entrepreneurs to watch in
2022 by USA Today and Disruptor Magazine.
Tell us something more about The Job Doctor, its
mission, and vision.
My goal is to help people get the job, get the pay, and get
the confidence they need to pursue the career that brings
them fulfillment. Having sat on the company side, I know
how people rise or fall in companies, and my goal is to
educate about how to win in the workplace and create
frictionless growth.
“
“
฀Never give up฀

Tessa White
Chief Executive Oﬃcer,
Founder
The Job Doctor

HR niche through your expertise in the market.
You always hope you are making a difference, and for me,
it’s the 200 emails I get each day from people who are
either seeking help or have used my principles to help
improve their work-life. Sometimes I get to see up close
and personal a client gets the big promotion, or take the step
away from work to commit to a living dream in another
facet of life. Seeing a former sex trafficking victim find a
career is just one example of many that I have.
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Technology made my business scalable. I use a CRM, and
several plugins, in order to fulfill client rent-my-brain
sessions and deliver small group masterclass mentoring.
While I thought I would be overbuilding when I first
started, the day we turned on my website, I began getting
orders. It has allowed me to serve people across the world,
not just in my own community.
And social media, especially TikTok, which I had always
thought was a forum for teenage pranks and dance-offs
have connected me to executives, writers, new college
graduates, and so many other individuals who enrich my
life and my business.
to the HR industry?
I’d like to move from human resources to HUMANE
resources, where employees aren’t a cog in the machine but
instead a whole person, with needs, emotions, and a life
outside of work. When we see employees instead as people,
it makes a huge difference.
HR industry? How is The Job Doctor preparing to be a
part of that change?
Businesses are not responding fast enough to the changing
needs of today’s workforce. Millennials and Gen Z are not
our parent’s generation where long term benefits like
pensions or 401k, or life insurance were needed. Today’s
workforce cares about mental health, not long-term
disability, and variable pay that rewards immediately for
performance rather than annual increases.
The employers who respond to the flexibility requirements,
a more immediate reward system for excellence, and the
pain points around getting basic needs like housing and
transportation secured, will have access to previously
untapped workers and will win the hearts and minds of the
most talented people.
and what are your future goals for The Job Doctor?
Some people have just a job. Some have a fulfilling career,
and a few lucky others, like myself, have a calling. I want
to change people's lives and create the means to have a
good life and provide for their families. I see the realization
of a dream to help hundreds of thousands of people through
a show similar to Home Makeover, where I take individuals
and in 24 hours, do a makeover on their resume and their
interview to help them improve their lives.
Even if you don’t know what to do next, do something
every single day to create energy. When you take action
every single day, it WILL move you forward. You don’t
have to see the whole vision at once. You only need to
know what the next FIRST step is.

Tracy Lamourie
Founder &
Managing Director
Lamourie Media Inc.
Photographer- Dave Gruggen, gruggenphotography.com

Tracy Lamourie
An Admired Trailblazer Empowering
the World for Better
he power of media is very impactful. It can drive
Tseveral transformative changes that are essential for
humankind. The voice that media can give a person
holds the significant potential to amplify essential
messages. Being a long-time advocate on a myriad of
critical worldwide issues, Tracy Lamourie is passionate
about being a voice for those who most need one.
As the Founder & Managing Director of Lamourie
Media Inc., Tracy has been at the forefront in getting major
media attention to help people. She is an award-winning
international publicist working across borders and
industries, from major entertainment projects to small
businesses.
Let us unveil her impacting journey.
The Immense Rise
Tracy garnered various skillset that ultimately led her to
start a business helping other entrepreneurs and creatives
build their global brands and reputations for thought
leadership as a young advocate for causes she cared about.
With no financial resources, no formal backing - nothing
more than an internet connection and an old computer in the
apartment she rented at the time - and a whole lot of self-
belief and willingness to put the work in.
Tracy started working as a freelancer, which quickly led to
her first company Lamourie PR, with her husband and
business partner, Dave Parkinson. In 2020, they
incorporated Lamourie Media. She mentions that in the
early days. The biggest challenge was climbing that
mountain to prove herself without the five-year degree
behind her name, without thousands of dollars to spend in
advertising.
After spending all those years of conducting business,
COVID hit, and about 80 percent of Tracy's contracts
relating to entertainment, events, and travel were grounded
- so she had to pivot to find new clients who needed their
messages amplified. She managed to do that very
successfully to the point that the last two years have been
her best yet from a financial and business growth
perspective - even though most of the travel is still
grounded!
Build YOUR Brand
In essence, Lamourie Media amplifies the incredible things
its clients across industries from the creative to the
entrepreneurial to experts of all kinds - are doing and give
them a global presence. In terms of values, this truly is a
company that grew out of its founders' values, from
learning to write that first press release that led to a 19-year
campaign that ultimately freed an innocent man from death
row. This experience taught Tracy the value of media
attention and how difficult it is for some to make their
voices heard without help. She asserts, "Though today we
are a for-profit business, we still make the choices about
whom we will represent and what kind of messaging we will
put into the world with our values at the forefront."
“
“
Don't Dream It, Be It

Becoming a Strong Voice
As the recent winner of the Women of Inspiration award in
Media, Tracy heard many affecting words from women she
worked with. These women come from all backgrounds,
levels of education, and cultures - thanking Tracy for the
difference she has made in their lives and businesses by
giving them a voice.
Cherishing this remarkable achievement, Tracy says, "I
think we have been successful in what we set out to do.
Elevate And Celebrate what these incredible people are
doing and sharing it with the world. I've also heard from
many women who tell me that my career trajectory over the
last decade, watching me create this company, and seeing
the success I am having with it has inspired them to find
their own confidence to put their passions forward and
work to create lives for themselves out of those passions!"
Keeping Up with Technology
Like most industries, the way Tracy does public and media
relations has been changing faster than many can keep up.
She believes that technology is the name of the game, from
new social platforms to services that connect people with
thousands of media contacts and beyond. Keeping up on all
that is available can seem like a job in itself but ultimately
makes your processes more accessible.
Setting Up For the Next Change
Tracy mentions that the media industry is changing, and it
is starting to reach a significant milestone. However, it
needs to do more work - continued diverse voices and
experiences need to reach the public. Those in the positions
of privilege need to continue to do the work to level the
playing field.
Tracy states that the world will continue to see the effects of
people creating their media and effective forms of
expression with the evolution of blogs and podcasts and
social platforms like clubhouse. It will get more effective,
allowing people to reach their growing audiences and
mainstream media responding to and often taking cues from
that.
What Lies Ahead
Tracy looks forward to the world opening up for travel
again to see herself traveling again.
She says, "I am blessed that I can do most of my work from
anywhere and after two years of being mostly locked down
travel-wise in cold Canada. I'm looking forward to more
trips back to Malta in the Mediterranean: one of her
favorite destinations for business and pleasure. She gives a
huge shout-out to the incredible BE hotel that I feel like is
my second home!)."
Tracy wants to visit the world that aligns with her business.
She intends to continue pursuing her and her clients' goals
with the relentless passion that has got her this far!
Bequeathing Excellence
Tracy advises upcoming entrepreneurs aspiring to venture
to start their entrepreneurial journey to "Don't Dream It, Be
It." It is one of her favorite inspirational quotes from the
Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022.pdf

The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022.pdf

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