The Story Behind Her Success
Women from every walk of life reveal how they got to where they are today, sharing their wisdom and the lessons they have learned along the way.
Episodes
October 9, 2025 • 23 mins
There’s a difference between doing what you’re good at and doing what you love. -Dayla Arabella Santurri
In this week’s episode of The Story Behind Her Success, I welcome longtime friend Dayla Arabella Santurri into my living room for a masterclass in reinvention, fearlessness, and the power of “yes”. From running the iconic Scullers Jazz Club to producing live events worldwide, she’s built a career around creating unforgettable ...
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October 2, 2025 • 24 mins
Radical is the Latin term for “root”. Years ago, the radical mastectomy was developed, with the belief that if the surgeon dug deeper into a woman’s chest, they could get to the root of the cancer. -Judy Pearson
Not so long ago, cancer was the “C” word and no one talked about breast cancer, especially women who emerged from their brutal treatments disfigured and disabled. In her new book, Radical Sisters, best-selling author and b...
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September 25, 2025 • 24 mins
I’ve always wanted to keep people company and make them laugh. I want to hear what people are going through, because chances are, I’ve already gone through the same thing. -Kendra Petrone
Meet a talented young woman who is part of the only all-female morning show on the radio in Boston. The legendary Magic 106.7/WMJX www.magic1067.com has been a female-driven radio station for decades, but it wasn’t until 2025 that the station ann...
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September 17, 2025 • 22 mins
Nobody ever says, “I can’t wait to go to a nursing home.” Instead, they say, “keep me at home for as long as possible,” and that’s exactly what we do. -Meg Hogan
Growing old is hard, right? Now imagine how difficult it is for a senior citizen who doesn’t have the means to take care of themselves. How about a person with disabilities whose family needs help caring for them? And what about the exhausted caregiver who just needs a li...
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September 11, 2025 • 22 mins
Enjoy this beautiful life you’ve been given. Don’t ever take it for granted. -Melissa Dupuis
It’s been two years since Melissa Dupuis shared her story on this series, and what a couple of years it has been. At only 38, this wellness enthusiast, Pilates instructor, and former professional ballet dancer was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Her little girl, Sage, was only one year old at the time, and although Melissa and h...
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September 5, 2025 • 21 mins
There are no bad experiences, just the ones you don’t learn from. If you don’t learn from bad experiences, you will make the same mistakes over and over and over again.
-Gwen Borden & Amy Goober
This week’s story features a mother and daughter who have written a love story, filled with priceless advice for us all. The book, entitled My Mother Always Says: 25 Lessons for Finding the Silver Lining, explores the life and times of 94-...
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August 28, 2025 • 24 mins
People will tell you everything you need to know. You just need to LISTEN to what they are saying. -Karen Marinella Hall
Out of the blue, I got an email from a fan of the show about this week’s guest…and I cannot wait for you to meet her. Many news anchors are beautiful. They can walk the walk and talk the talk, but there’s something missing behind the smile. That’s not the case for Karen Marinella Hall. During her tenure at...
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August 20, 2025 • 25 mins
When something bad happens to you, how do you grieve it without getting stuck in suffering? -Halley Elwell
Imagine being 11 years old when your face suddenly begins to change. Tumors form on your jaw, and the diagnosis is an incurable condition called Neurofibromatosis. This is the story of singer/songwriter Halley Elwell www.halswellmusic.com. Raised off the grid in Maine by an artist mom, she was told to ignore what was happenin...
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July 31, 2025 • 23 mins
It’s very easy to focus on fixing your failures. But how do you take what is successful and keep building on that? The answer is: focus on what you do well and make it even better. -Zenobia Moochhala
Meet entrepreneurial superstar Zenobia Moochalla. Born in Mumbai, India, Zenobia came to the United States at 20 to attend Brandeis University and is one of the original co-founders of www.care.com, the world’s largest and most succ...
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July 24, 2025 • 22 mins
Every week, I have access to astronauts, researchers, and scientists as a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and it’s beyond a dream come true. -Pat Monteith
Pat Monteith remembers hearing John F. Kennedy tell the nation that we would send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s. On that day, the president’s words shaped her lifelong fascination with space. Decades and many different careers later, Pat is a NASA Solar System Amba...
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July 16, 2025 • 22 mins
I was in my 20s when I read the book: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, and I remember saying to myself: I’m gonna do that. -Carol Conway Bulman
Carol Conway Bulman is the proud daughter of real estate legend Jack Conway, but becoming CEO and Chairman of his real estate empire wasn’t handed to her. In this up-close and personal interview, Carol shares her father’s success story as well as her own rise to the top with this life lesson: “...
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July 10, 2025 • 25 mins
When we first moved to Nashville, we lived in a pitiful apartment, and Wynonna, Ashley, and I slept in one bed. All we had to eat was bologna and crackers. -Naomi Judd
The story you are about to hear is a piece of country music history because it is the final full-length interview featuring country music superstar Naomi Judd. Sadly, Naomi took her own life on April 30, 2022, after a long history of mental illness, but her legacy a...
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July 3, 2025 • 23 mins
There is something about facing down your biggest fears that really changes you on an elemental level. -Laura DeSisto
Happy 4th of July weekend, everyone! This week’s success story is a listener favorite…and perfect to listen to in the car on your way to the beach. You may have heard that it’s the 50th anniversary of the movie that made a lot of people afraid to go into the ocean at all. JAWS was released in the summer of 1975 and...
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June 20, 2025 • 26 mins
There are no shortcuts in life. It is going to take time to find success. Do it anyway. -Christy Cashman
Welcome to the story of Christy Cashman, a listener favorite on The Story Behind Her Success. This interview launched about two years ago, and when I lost my voice due to acute laryngitis, I had to put recording new shows on hold and went to my library to find the most popular shows to listen to. Christy Cashman is an actress ...
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June 12, 2025 • 23 mins
When I was serving in Afghanistan, it was always mission first. You have to get the “scared” out of your mind. I told myself that God put me here for a reason. -Erica Horan
By popular demand, we’re reissuing a handful of our most popular interviews. Meet Boston Medflight www.bostonmedflight.org nurse and US Air Force veteran, Erica Horan. Recorded 5 years ago in a hangar at a municipal airport just outside of Boston, this intervie...
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June 4, 2025 • 25 mins
We all have “favorite places”, and for this week’s guest, it is the island of Nantucket. Julie Gerstenblatt has been spending her summers there since she was just a child. Accessible by air or by ferry, Nantucket is located 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Steeped in history, Nantucket was once the whaling capital of the world, and even today, it seems frozen in time. Rooted in the story of the Great Fire of 1846, Julie’s his...
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May 30, 2025 • 24 mins
Success isn’t grades, money, or status. It’s fulfillment, joy, and kindness that come together to allow you to live your best life. - Colleen Esposito
Welcome back to part 2 of my interview with my daughter, Colleen Esposito, co-author of Nelson’s Garden and our follow-up children’s book, Nelson’s Garden & the Free Little Flower Stand. It’s been a joy to ask my daughter the same kinds of questions I ask every woman who is a gue...
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May 22, 2025 • 25 mins
Getting a book published is not for the faint of heart. It’s kind of heartbreaking because you have this book you’ve poured your heart and soul into, and you’re hoping readers will love it, too. -Colleen Esposito
I’ve wanted to introduce my daughter, Colleen, to you for the longest time, and here she is! Recorded from the window seat in her home just outside of Boston, part 1 of this interview focuses on the process of writing o...
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May 15, 2025 • 22 mins
They always say, you can’t choose your sister, but I would choose mine. - Linda Wong Chu
If you are ever visiting the Boston area and you need a hot tip for the best Chinese food around, the family-owned Kowloon is the place to go! We’re on the road to Saugus, Massachusetts, for this episode, and you better believe there will be a takeout bag of Kowloon delishiousness beside me in the passenger seat! Purchased by William & Madelin...
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May 8, 2025 • 22 mins
A good outfit can make you feel confident. Uncommon Threads is a non-profit that boosts the self-esteem of low-income women through the power of clothes. We focus on dignity and respect. -Susan Kanoff
Meet Susan Kanoff, style blogger, influencer, and Founder of uncommonthreads.org. A life-long fashionista with a heart of gold, she has spent her career helping women feel better about themselves with an innovative “outside-in, ins...
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