The Story Behind Her Success

I don’t do well with injustice.  -Christine Anastos

10 years ago, environmental engineer Christine Anastos knew something was wrong with her health.  When tests came back normal, her care team suggested Christine see a psychiatrist.   Her answer?  “There’s nothing wrong with my brain.  I know my body well.”    It wasn’t long before Christine was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The suspected cause?   Environmental hazards.   The comp...

Don’t expect people to be who they seem on the surface. – Dafna Krouk-Gordon

In 1980, Dafna Krouk-Gordon founded her human resources agency in one room above a drug store, with just one employee. 45 years later, Toward Independent Living and Learning (www.tillinc.org) is thriving, with 1,000 employees throughout Massachusetts and into New Hampshire, and the noble goal of improving clients’ lives, one day at a time. Dafn...

Our SOF warriors, or Special Operations Forces, are never really home.  They are either deployed or in training for 9 months out of the year. As a spouse, you have to figure out how to connect through the distance and build your community where you are.  -KaLea Lehman

As a military spouse, this week’s guest understands what the words “service” and “sacrifice” really mean.   Meet KaLea Lehman, Executive Director and Founder of the M...

Let’s transform the classroom into a place where mistake-making is an opportunity to learn and children feel a sense of connection, value, and belonging. -Noel Foy aka Neuro Noel

Meet neuroeducator, anxiety/executive function coach, and author, Noel Foy. She travels the country, sharing her skill set with children, parents, and teachers. Today, in any given classroom, about 30% of students are neurodiverse. “There are many brains i...

There’s a stigma around the word “underwear”. You don’t talk about it until you don’t have it. -Catherine Maloy

This week’s guest is a mom who saw a simple need for children in crisis and made it her mission to do something about it. Catherine Maloy is the Founder & Executive Director of a non-profit called Cocotree Kids www.cocotreekids.org. Let’s all agree: underwear is not glamorous, but it is fundamental. Without it, childr...

Facing an illness is very much like being a buoy:  we have to rise up, we have to learn to float, and carry ourselves in the storm.  While we’re staying afloat in the storm, we are also a beacon for others. -Lorna J. Brunelle

There are lots of stories about the ties that bind mothers and daughters.  When Lorna Brunelle’s mother, Wanda, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she turned heartbreak into hope by telling the story of...

That little girl in the hayloft always wanted to be a writer. I’m the poster child for following your dreams in midlife because I didn’t write my first book until I was 55. -Hank Phillippi Ryan

Imagine a 43-year career as an investigative reporter with 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards. Now imagine a brilliant midlife move, where all that experience manifests itself into writing mystery novels that are nail-biting thrillers. ...

When the scariest thing happens and you get through it, you realize that you’re stronger than you ever thought you could be. -Jenna McCarthy

Making that appointment to schedule her first mammogram was on Jenna McCarthy’s mind for a while. At 41, she just wanted to get it over with and “check that box.” What she didn’t expect was what happened next. In this up-close and personal interview, Jenna shares her diagnosis with DCIS, or du...

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 e...

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 br...

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 anno...

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 lit...

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 he...

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 ...

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 ...

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 happening...

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 succe...

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 Ambas...