From Part-Time Receptionist to Business Owner — at 24
As a woman business owner, for me freedom means my success is in my hands. I am not limited by where I started from, misconceptions about my abilit...
An Honest Conversation About Female Body Hair
If you’ve read my account about going 30 days without showering, then you know I’m not shy about topics usually dubbed as “gross” or “cri...
An Unusual Gathering
By Treta Sellers, Scuba Instructor I am returning to my life after a magical week in beautiful Belize. Why was I there, especially during a pa...
CEO on How Women Are Expected to Be Expert Jugglers
Jen Earle has always been passionate about women and service. During her undergraduate years at the University of Notre Dame, Earle began volunteering at a shel
Make the Ups and Downs of 2020 Part of Your Story
The year 2020 has been one that the majority of us have never experienced. Full of ups and downs, highs and lows, both professionally and personally. Home-schoo
Connecting and Thriving in 2021
I taught my young niece some marketing skills when she called me to try and sell me cookies one year. She asked me, "Aunt Patty, would you like to buy some Girl
Embracing Female Ambition by Ending Burnout Culture
For the first 10 years of my professional career, I reminded myself daily that I was a triple minority. Young. Black. Female. I was a triple minority, so expect
The Challenge and Opportunity of a Post-Pandemic World
No one could have predicted a year quite as tumultuous as this one, yet our society has been on a path of more frequent, accelerating disruption for the past 25
Youth Programs Are the Bridge to Leadership Roles
I was 7 years old when my dad became disabled. Growing up with a father who was a kidney patient meant my brother and I spent most of our childhood in hospitals
Finding Your Dream Through Mentorship
I grew up in a small hometown in north central Ohio. As a Girl Scout, I learned the vital importance of being courageous. In high school, I boldly mailed a lett
Unlocking Your Superpowers
Personal inventory is the key to unlocking superpowers — even if it is difficult at times. It is time to unlock all your innate talents and amazing abilities th
Prepare for Better Things by Setting Goals
The truth is that things only become better when you change your perspective or seek ways to make them better. According to Dictionary.com, the verb definition
Lost as a Teen, Found as a Motivational Speaker
I waited for Mom to come back. Not unlike the reaction most of us had to COVID-19 and sheltering in place when it first occurred, we waited for "normal" to retu
Mission Possible: Empowering Individuals to Be Their Best Selves
In November of 2019, I sat down with our managers full of hope and promise about the year ahead. It was the end of a profitable year that had been full of posit
Dress for Success the Sustainable Way
In a world of waste, particularly when it comes to fashion, I am passionate about bringing more focus and value to sustainability. I’m Ashley Adkisson, founder
Jetsetting to Impact: Entrepreneurship That Gives Back
My entrepreneurial journey has taught me so many important life lessons. The most important lesson to date is that while it’s critical to map out a plan for
It’s All Greek to This Sorority Wear CEO
When Allie Anderson started her first business in 2013, she was a recent college graduate, newly married, and an expectant mother. Adding to all of these new pa
Cafe Without Walls: Building an Online Business
By Renate A. Moore, Owner, LadyRen's Bakery & Books As I prepare to move from 2020 into 2021, I've been reflecting on some of the challenges and op...
Listen for the Whisper: Finding Clarity During COVID
Mid-March wiped out my business for the foreseeable future. As a keynote speaker, I travel to conferences and speak on topics to elevate women in leadership and
This Woman Launched Her Granola Start-Up at 61
I didn’t realize I was taking the first step to being a business owner when I began making Pat’s Granola for my school-age son back in 1992. I...
No Matter Your Age, How to Find What's Next
I recently had a conversation with a young woman, a recent college graduate, who was furloughed from her first job. Yes, she was disappointed — s...
What Comes Next: Relationships and Empathy Drive the Future for Business in 2021
As this extraordinary year winds down, we cannot help but think about how it has reshaped our lives. From the way we do business to how we learn an...
This High School-Aged CEO Is Making a Big and Sustainable Impact
For Anna Welsh, the 15-year-old founder and CEO of littlebags.bigimpact, her love affair with creating and innovating was apparent when she was just 6 years old
A Lifetime of Lessons from a Gold Award Girl Scout Project
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a Girl Scout. From Brownies to earning my Gold Award to the lifetime membership my mom, Barbara Greene [Edit...
Worth the Sacrifice
To honor American independence and July 4, CircleAround is collaborating all month long with NAWBO (the National Association of Women Business Owne...
Breaking Out of the Box
Freedom is defined as the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Extending Grace to Myself
“You don’t manage time — you manage yourself in relation to time.” Growing up in a small town with two hard-working parents, four siblings, a full list of chore
Freedom? Let Me Spell It Out for You
Paying It Forward
Responding to Failure — and Thriving
Freedom of Choice
Freedom to Fly
To honor American independence and July 4, CircleAround is collaborating all month long with NAWBO (the National Association of Women Bus...
Making My Own Rules
When my mother was a teenager in the 1950s, she was told the only reason to go to college was to find a husband.
Shedding the Mask of Perfection
Liberty to Move 10,000 Miles to a New Home
Honoring My Grandfather’s Legacy
Judged on Merit, Not by Gender
Freedom as a woman in business means being judged on merit and not by my gender.
Free to Pursue My Dreams, with No Guardrails
African-American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress Erykah Badu once said, “I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my [expletive]...
Freedom of Choice — Just Like Great-Grandma Had
Freedom is the presence of choice, and the ability to create and forge a life different from the circumstances we were born into. My great-grandmot...
Dusting Myself Off After Being Knocked Down
Freedom. What a magnificent word. I’m Bobbi Jeen Olson, a proud American woman who appreciates the sacrifices of those who came before me,...
Ignoring Glass Ceilings
Freedom has allowed me to ignore glass ceilings and unconscious biases to build a successful wealth-management firm.
They Can’t Take Away Your Education
My parents are from Sagua La Grande, Cuba. My parents married in 1956 and immigrated to the United States in 1959. I was born in 1963. I am a first...
To Stay on Track, Loosen the Grip
At 15, I had a crash course in freedom. I got sick. I died. But I wasn't ready. So I came back.
The Ability to Choose My Own Path
I strive to live my life by design, not by default. As the owner of a small business, I have found the freedom to conduct my life according to the...
Syrian Immigrant Standing Tall, Like a Tree
“If you live, live free, or die like the trees standing up.” — Mohammed Darwish
Honoring My Grandparents' Triumph
As an immigrant, I understand the hardships of learning a new language and the challenges of assimilating into a foreign culture.
Women Business Owners: Resiliency in the Time of COVID-19
It’s been over four months since COVID-19 changed business in America. The “normal” that we had all grown accustomed to came to a stop. COVID...
