Megan Harris, Managing Partner, at SYZYGY, North America, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Megan is a digital native, global business citizen, and travel brand digital expert, who brings a unique perspective to her role as a Managing Partner. At SYZYGY, she manages operations and business growth for the digital agency, which offers creative, technology, and media services to major brands including Avis Budget Group.

On the show, Megan discussed her journey in global digital marketing. As a Millennial leader, she shared her insights on what it takes to lead: vision, empathy, and delegation. Megan's philosophy: You always have to "be brave, be bold and be yourself,” showing your authenticity at all times. She shared personal stories including a period in her life when she felt “stuck" and what her prescription was to move forward and to achieve her goals. Megan was candid about how you can find your voice and how you must "say what you mean" in business. She also believes in the power of  planning, and as the plan changes, always trust your intuition.

A little more about Megan Harris … Prior to joining SYZYGY, Megan was the business director and a member of the senior leadership team of Razorfish’s London office, running the full-service media offerings in EMEA. Clients included Starwood Resorts, Holland America Lines, Tourism of New Zealand, Ralph Lauren, and Mondelez. She spoke frequently at digital marketing and advertising symposia across Europe.

You can connect with Megan on LinkedIn, and Twitter @SYZYGY_NY

Kia Weatherspoon, founder of Determined by Design, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Kia was a dancer turned soldier who then fell in love with interior design. Kia has ten years of diverse experience in hospitality design and management, high-end residential and multi-family design with a splash of architectural sales. Kia founded her company, Determined by Design in 2012 to begin creating spaces that eclipse current design trends.

On the show, Kia discussed personal stories including when she first discovered the meaning of space. When living in the Middle East (just after 911) with 14 other women soldiers, she needed a reprieve to let out a flood of emotions. She took her issued troop sheets that were meant for her cot and hung them around her with string to create three sheet walls instead. Kia left active duty and has been creating spaces ever since.

Kia also shared fond memories of her education at Moore College of Art and Design and how she was surrounded by women leaders and “the most visually talented women.” It was at Moore that she first recognized her true talent for design. Kia also mentioned her work (and favorite project) with Room to Rebloom, which is a non-profit that creates healing home environments for survivors of domestic violence. Kia worked with the organization to take women and children through the design process creating interior spaces that can really impact a person's life.

A little more about Kia Weatherspoon… Kia believes in service-based leadership, demonstrated through active involvement with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Her company, Determined by Design, uses a unique process that engages future patrons and neighbors in the design process through social media and technology.

A little about our sponsor, Moore College of Art and Design... Moore College of Art & Design educates students for careers in art and design. Founded in 1848, Moore is the nation's first and only women's visual arts college for undergraduates. The College's career-focused environment and professionally active faculty form a dynamic community in the heart of Philadelphia's cultural district, surrounded by world-class museums. The College offers ten Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees for women and four coeducational graduate programs. In addition, Moore provides many valuable opportunities in the arts through The Galleries at Moore, Continuing Education Certificate programs for professional adults, the acclaimed Young Artists Workshop, The Art Shop and the Sculpture Park.  For more information about Moore, visit www.moore.edu

You can connect with Kia on LinkedIn and Twitter @KiaWeatherspoon.  You can connect with Moore College of Art & Design on Twitter @MooreCollegeArt

Peter Shankman, author, corporate keynote speaker and founder of Shankminds, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Peter is recognized as the perfect example of what happens when you merge the power of pure creativity with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), then add in a dose of adventure, and make it work to your advantage. Peter is regarded as a "worldwide connector” and also known for his radical new ways of thinking about ADHD.

On the show, Peter shares his journey, which he describes as “always a fast state of motion" and some of the difficulties he had when he was growing up. Fast forward to today and he is helping people with ADHD to recognize it's a gift and not a curse. Peter shares recent initiatives including the launch of his podcast, Faster Than Normal (FTN), and his new book which will be published in 2017. Peter offers advice on how to stay focused, make the right choices and why you need to spread your energy in all of the right places. For Peter, every day is busy, but the time you carve out for your activities shows their importance. He also shares his thoughts on relationships and what it means to be a true friend.

A little more about Peter Shankman … Peter is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) in 2008, which in under a year became the number one website for thousands of journalists on deadline to connect with experts and sources for their stories around the globe. In June of 2010, less than three years after Peter started HARO, it was acquired by Vocus, Inc.

You can connect with Peter on LinkedIn, Twitter @PeterShankman and Facebook

Winnie Sun, founding partner and managing director of Sun Group Wealth Partners, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. With more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, Winnie has been selected as Investment News' Twenty Women to Watch. She is frequently featured as a “top advisor” speaker at national events, is a contributor to Forbes, Fox Business, CNBC broadcast, and CBS News. She is also considered the most social advisor on social media.

On the show, Winnie shares her best practices on Twitter and how she builds business relationships through her participation. She got started on Twitter knowing that “like attracts like.” Her advice to professionals is "you have to start out identifying 10 of your closest friends." You also have to be present, share methodically and strategically. But, most of all, you have to be human and treat others the way you want to be treated. If you can text then you can tweet.  Winnie also discusses how tweet chats are a great way to meet people, grow your community and to learn. Some of her favorite social media tools include the Buffer app, Jukebox..com for evergreen content and Twitter lists.

A little more about Winnie Sun … Winnie has a weekly tweet chat (#WinnieSun) and she is also a podcaster. On her show, Renegade Millionaire Show Winne interviews entrepreneurs, high profile CEOs, and the nation's top trailblazers in business and entertainment.  As an independent advisor, Winnie is called upon to educate large corporate and nonprofit groups on planning strategies. She has been honored with invitations to the Barron’s Winner’s Circle for Top Women Financial Advisors beginning in 2006 to the present and has been coined "The Wealth Whisperer" by OC Metro Magazine's 40 under 40.

You can connect with Winnie on LinkedIn and Twitter @SunGroupWP

Caren Merrick, the founder and CEO of Pocket Mentor joins host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Caren was a partner at Bibury Partners, an angel investment and advisory firm. Earlier in her career she was co-founder and EVP of webMethods, leading the company to the most successful software IPO in 2000. Caren grew the company to 1,100 employees and $200m in revenue, which eventually led to its acquisition by SoftwareAG in 2007 for $540million.

On the show, Caren discusses her career journey and how she has served on different boards. According to The Gender Diversity Index, in 2015, of the 842 active companies on the Fortune 1,000 list, women held 18.8% of board seats. This is an increase from 17.7% in 2014. If you compare these stats to the 14.6% of board seats that were held by women in 2011, you can see the numbers are rising, but not high enough. According to Caren, too few women see themselves as participants in the boardroom and they aren’t stepping up by taking risks or taking on new projects. Lastly, Caren discusses her thoughts on reinvention and why it’s so important for professionals to invest in self-discovery. Professionals should know that change can be uncomfortable and you can’t force it.

A little more about Caren Merrick … Caren serves on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages and operates the $800m Washington Ronald Reagan National and Dulles International airports, serving over 40 million passengers a year. The Authority also manages the development of the $6B Dulles Corridor Silver Line Metrorail project. The boards on which she serves provide governance and oversight across multiple industries with a combined value of $10b.

You can connect with Caren on LinkedIn and Twitter @CDMerrick

Trina Felber, founder and CEO of a natural skincare line, Primal Life Organics, joined host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Trina discovered during her first pregnancy that all her high-end skincare products were loaded with toxic ingredients that could hurt her and her growing baby. Knowing your skin is the largest organ in the body and the body’s first line of defense, Trina began a quest in 2007 for organic and all-natural skincare products that were safe to use during pregnancy. She was shocked to learn there were none. At that point, Trina decided to transition from her career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) to an entrepreneur, launching her natural skincare products business.

On the show, Trina shared the importance of giving your skin the right nutrients and why it’s important to read product labels carefully. According to Trina, if you feed your skin what it needs, it will function. Unfortunately, consumers are not aware of the toxins and harmful effects of many skincare products. Trina also discusses her favorite products from clay / charcoal toothpaste, which actually whitens your teeth, to apple cider vinegar. She challenges listeners to take the 30-day Apple Cider Vinegar Challenge. At the end of the show, Trina offers listeners a discount for a Primal Organics product starter package.

A little more about Trina Felber … Trina spent 22 years as a nurse, practicing for seven years as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Her nursing career started in the Burn Intensive Care Unit at St. V's in Toledo Ohio, where she learned how the skin protects you and, at the same time, the damage chemicals can cause. She believes that chemical free skincare is a choice and she's created her skincare line so to improve her health and the health of those who use her products.

You can connect with Trina on LinkedIn and Twitter @PrimalLifeOrg

Michelle Bacharach, Co-Founder and CEO of FINDMINE, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Michelle's retail tech company, FINDMINE, is an enterprise SaaS startup positioned to make retail more efficient and shopping more delightful. Michelle, who started in entertainment, transitioned to retail tech experiencing a number of interesting stories that highlight the challenges of starting a tech company in New York.

On the show, Michelle discusses how she wanted to figure out and define a different consumer experience. With people asking millions of questions about the products they want to purchase, retailers were not equipped to answer everything. Michelle launched her platform, FINDMINE, to help tailor and customize the consumer shopping experience answering their questions and using machine learning to scale product curation. Michelle also discusses what it takes to create a winning team describing her own experience as working with people who are really passionate and can “pull themselves out of the weeds.” Michelle offers advice to startup founders including her “don’t die” strategy and how "keeping a life" will prevent diminishing returns.

A little more about Michelle Bacharach …  Michelle has a strong background in strategy and product management, with heavy agile experience. She is also currently the senior admissions consultant with The MBA Exchange. Prior to launching FINDMINE, Michelle was Director, Project Management at Univision.com & Entertainment.

You can connect with Michelle on LinkedIn and Twitter @mymeeshell

Aly Saxe, founder and CEO of Iris PR Software, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide.  Aly's journey in public relations has led her from PR pro to PR agency owner to building software for agencies and in-house teams. Chaotic systems and a lack of visibility into her team’s performance pushed Aly to create a tech platform to cure the headaches of PR agency management.

On the show, Aly discussed her approach to problem-solving especially as a woman in tech. Because you have to be flexible and agile and keep up with the pace of change, Aly shares her favorite resources. She also offers her insights on the importance of integration in an organization and the best way to break down silos between departments including marketing, PR, sales and other areas within a company. Because these barriers separate talent, businesses miss out on increased productivity, ideation, innovation and a better experience for customers.

A little more about Aly Saxe …  In 2007, Aly founded Ubiquity PR to provide strategic PR services to funded, high-growth B2B tech companies. Ubiquity PR created award-winning PR campaigns for companies like Infusionsoft, Firehost, SocialWhirled, and LeadMD.

You can connect with Aly on LinkedIn and Twitter @Aly_Saxe

Samantha Paxson, Chief Marketing Officer at CO-OP Financial Services joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Samantha is the chief architect and marketing technologist who leads the development of her company's go to market corporate strategy for product development, credit, sales, business development, and marketing.

On the show, Samantha discusses her journey, transitioning from PR and marketing agency work to a position in Financial Services. She shares how she was “ignorant enough not to have any fears” often raising her hand to get involved in new responsibilities. For her, “passionate ignorance has no limitations.” Samantha believes this was the secret to getting recognized early on. At CO-OP Financial Services, she was promoted to Vice President by the age of 30. Samantha's ability to collaborate with others and to build trust with her team helped her to advance more quickly. She also discusses the importance of understanding what’s going on in a company that's larger than your own role, and what it means to be a problem solver beyond your own department.

A little more about Samantha Paxson … Samantha is a brand and corporate strategist, intraprenuer, product experience consultant, design thinker, behavioral analyst and corporate problem solver. She is the founder of THINK by CO-OP, an innovation content platform empowering the evolution of mission-driven financial services.

You can connect with Samantha on LinkedIn

Shannon Bloemker, founder and CEO of Glasshouse.com, joins Host Deirdre Breakenridge on Women Worldwide. Shannon has extensive experience in residential design, construction management, cost control, green building, and home maintenance. After having learned the value of good property management during her years as a strategist and co-owner of Five Ten Capital, Shannon founded Glasshouse in 2015 to bring the benefits of preventative maintenance to the single-family owner-occupied market.

On the show, Shannon discussed how a circuitous path took her from working 80-hour weeks on Wall Street to 80 hours weekly as an entrepreneur and owner of her start-up company.  With a passion for sustainability, she created Glasshouse to help homeowners sustain their biggest investments in life … their homes. Shannon shared the challenges of marketing to niche audiences and building strong partnerships. Social media, PR and relationship building and trade shows have been instrumental in increasing company awareness and thought leadership. Shannon also offered her advice to other entrepreneurs on problem-solving, delegating responsibilities and how to keep your priorities top of mind.

A little more about Shannon Bloemker …  Shannon earned her Master’s Degree from Harvard in Environmental Science & Sustainability after changing careers from the Mortgage-backed Securities Industry at Salomon Brothers and Franklin Templeton Funds. She also managed six high-end residential construction projects for investment, each of which required a yearlong process of design, value engineering, strategic planning, and oversight.

You can connect with Shannon on LinkedIn and Twitter @shannonbloemker