Ilise Litwin: Real Talk on Mental Health from the Fiery Redhead

Women's Journal Staff on November 14, 2024

Ilise Litwin isn’t your typical mental health advocate. With her vibrant red hair and an approach that stands out, she’s inspiring a shift in how we talk about mental well-being. As the host of the “Wide Open Spaces” podcast, Litwin is on a mission to break down stigmas and encourage people to embrace their unique mental landscapes.

Breaking the Mold: A Different Perspective on Mental Health

“I am different from other people,” Litwin often says. It’s not just a statement—it’s the core of who she is. Litwin’s take on mental health is refreshingly bold in a world where going along with the crowd is common. She believes true understanding comes from stepping outside the norm and challenging what most people take for granted.

Litwin’s journey into mental health advocacy didn’t start with her podcast. With a decade as a Recreational Therapist in psychiatric facilities, she gained invaluable insights into the human mind. But her real perspective was shaped by her own struggles—surviving malignant melanoma at 26, facing a divorce with a young child, and losing loved ones. These experiences profoundly deepened her view on life and mental health.

The COVID-19 Catalyst: Finding Purpose in Isolation

For Litwin, the pandemic wasn’t just a crisis; it was a wake-up call. Forced into isolation like everyone else, she realized she had a message to share. “Covid made me realize that I have a gift that I wanted to share with the world,” Litwin says. “The message that we all struggle, but there are so many ways that we can cope.”

This realization led to the birth of her podcast, Wide Open Spaces with Ilise. The premise is simple but powerful: we all have empty spaces within ourselves that we can fill with positive, healthy elements to boost our mental health. Litwin’s approach is deeply personal, and she’s unafraid to share her own experiences to connect with listeners on a genuine level.

Beyond the Comfort Zone: Litwin’s Call for Personal Growth

At the core of Litwin’s philosophy is a challenge: step out of your comfort zone. She encourages her audience to look at their lives more deeply, promoting the idea of personal growth and evolution. “Individuals get stuck so easily in their daily routines that life becomes colorless,” she notes. Her mission? To help people bring vibrancy back into their lives.

This message resonates with those who feel trapped in everyday routines. Litwin believes that mental health isn’t just about managing symptoms; it’s about thriving and finding purpose. She urges her audience to explore new sides of themselves and rediscover the color in life.

Redefining Mental Health for a New Generation

Litwin’s vision is to see mental health conversations become a part of everyday life, not just reserved for clinical settings. Through her podcast, public speaking, and writing, she empowers people to take control of their growth, self-acceptance, and resilience. For her, mental health is a journey, not a destination.

Her relatable approach makes her an accessible figure, inspiring listeners to confront their own inner spaces with courage and curiosity.

A Message of Hope and Empowerment

Litwin’s approach and energy bring a breath of fresh air to a field often led by clinical voices. She reminds us that seeking help is a brave step toward growth. “Through work, understanding, and possibly seeking professional help, they can lead a healthy life,” Litwin says, emphasizing that no one is broken.

As mental health becomes a bigger part of global conversations, voices like Litwin’s are crucial. She brings not just hope but also practical insights for those finding their way. Her message is simple: embrace your unique self, challenge your perspective, and fill your life with color.

Ilise Litwin, the Fiery Redhead, is more than a mental health advocate; she’s a catalyst for change, pushing boundaries and encouraging others to do the same. In a world that can feel overwhelming, her message of self-discovery and empowerment is a beacon, guiding people toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Published by: Khy Talara

How Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine and HuCapital Are Empowering Future Leaders

Women's Journal Staff on November 14, 2024

By: Maria Williams

Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine, founder and CEO of HuCapital, is on a mission to reshape the future of work. As the head of HuCapital, Juju leads a professional network and AI-powered career and business advice platform that helps provide thousands of NextGen industry leaders and founders with essential resources. This includes Huey, an AI career and business advisor trained on original and credibly sourced online content, ensuring actionable advice and strategies. Additionally, the platform features Kinnected, a tool that recommends niche career organizations aligned with users’ professional interests, and a range of curated events designed to enhance the community’s networking and skill development. Through these innovative offerings, Juju empowers professionals and entrepreneurs to navigate the challenges of the modern workforce while fostering a thriving yet supportive environment for growth and collaboration.

HuCapital: A New Approach to Career and Business Growth

HuCapital isn’t just a networking platform—it’s an ecosystem designed to offer comprehensive career and business development support. It is a professional network and AI-powered career and business advice platform dedicated to supporting the growth of industry leaders and founders. It also provides essential resources and tools to help professionals navigate the job market.

Additionally, HuCapital hosts curated events designed to enhance networking and skill-building among its members, along with access to a wide array of resources such as multimedia content, podcasts, newsletters, and workshops aimed at fostering dynamic professional growth.

Through tools like HueyAI, an AI-powered career and business advisor that offers personalized advice and strategies based on credible online content, and Kinnected, a networking tool that connects users to niche organizations aligned with their career interests, HuCapital helps users find career-aligned networks and gain strategic advice.

In addition, the platform offers a wide array of resources, including original multimedia content, podcasts, newsletters, and events, both virtual and in-person, to foster professional growth.

At the core of HuCapital’s mission is addressing the economic displacement many workers face due to AI’s rapid transformation of industries. By equipping displaced workers and companies with future-proof skills and fostering a strong community, Juju helps ensure that NexGen leaders and founders are prepared for an AI-focused workforce.

“We are on a mission to redesign the Future of Work,” Juju emphasizes, “by bridging global knowledge and wealth gaps.”

How Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine and Hue Capital Are Empowering Future Leaders

Photo Courtesy: Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine / HuCapital

Juju Fontaine: A Founder with Unfinished Business

JuJu is a founder, career and product strategist, content creator, and speaker dedicated to a personal mission of creating happier, healthier, and wealthier individuals around the globe. With over ten years of experience, she focuses on creating content and participating in speaking engagements that address career transitions into business and tech roles, community building, startups, AI, the future of work, and digital health. Juju’s work aims to inspire and equip others to navigate their professional journeys effectively.

Juju’s drive stems from a deep desire to eliminate career frustration. Her journey began long before founding HuCapital. After spending a decade in healthcare, Juju dedicated herself to helping others advance their careers. As a 2x founder, she launched MilleniVision, a career events platform, in 2018 to provide young professionals with career development resources.

Unfortunately, the pandemic forced MilleniVision to close, but Juju’s entrepreneurial spirit remained strong. Determined to create a more lasting impact, she pivoted to a tech-focused platform and birthed HuCapital in 2021, building on her earlier successes.

Juju’s journey is compelling because she can turn setbacks into opportunities. She leveraged her experience, saw the growing potential of AI, and doubled down on her mission to create spaces where professionals could confidently build relationships, acquire tools, and navigate the shifting professional landscape.

Photo Courtesy: Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine / HuCapital

Milestones and Triumphs

Under Juju’s leadership, HuCapital has achieved notable milestones relatively quickly. The platform has cultivated a thriving online and in-person community of thousands of professionals, facilitated numerous conversations with its AI tool, HueyAI, and held successful events, including the high-profile Winning Women NYC Summit. These accomplishments demonstrate Juju’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections and driving career growth through innovation.

Overcoming Challenges With Resilience

Like many entrepreneurs, Juju faced significant challenges. One of the toughest moments came in 2021 when she had to close down MilleniVision. She realized that while virtual events were successful, they lacked the impact she sought. She reimagined her approach, understanding that people needed more than just events—they needed tools and guidance to navigate career changes and business challenges.

This realization fueled her decision to create HuCapital’s AI-driven platform, enabling her to scale the advice and support she provided to a broader audience one-on-one.

Balancing her vision for HuCapital with a full-time job was another challenge. Juju’s commitment to her community led her to quit her six-figure job and focus entirely on building HuCapital, betting on herself and her mission.

Looking to the Future

Juju Fontaine sees HuCapital evolving into a social, professional network that connects individuals and facilitates genuine online and IRL relationships, as well as professional development. With AI at its core, HuCapital is positioned to become the go-to platform for NexGen leaders and founders seeking career advice, community, and business growth in a rapidly changing world. Juju’s vision is clear: “Our goal is to become a leading online platform for professionals in the coming five years.”

Published By: Aize Perez

Ekaterina Durova’s Journey to Create Katya Young Studios

Womens Journal Staff 3 on November 14, 2024

By: Kelly Brown

Ekaterina Durova’s success story is an inspiring journey from accounting to aesthetic cosmetology, showing how passion and a drive for self-improvement can turn dreams into reality. Today, she is the founder of Katya Young Studios in New York, a unique space where clients receive facial treatments and reconnect with their inner harmony. Yet her path to success was far from easy.

Ekaterina was born in the small town of Otradny in the Samara region, in a family where art was a part of daily life. From an early age, she showed aptitude for both sciences and creativity. Studying in a math-focused class, she also took violin and piano lessons. Her mother, an artist, instilled in her a keen sense of beauty and aesthetics, which laid the foundation for her future career.

Her youth was marked not only by academic success but also by a strong desire for self-expression. Ekaterina participated in musical and art competitions, standing out as a versatile individual, and her name frequently appeared on the town’s honor roll.

After school, Ekaterina unexpectedly decided to study accounting. She enrolled at the Samara Institute of the Russian State University of Trade and Economics, where she earned a degree in accounting and auditing. However, her creative nature couldn’t stay confined to numbers. Soon, she became active in student life, editing the student newspaper, hosting events, and even working as a television presenter.

Her work in media on channels M1 and Terra REN TV gave her significant experience communicating with audiences. She learned to engage with people, understand their needs, and convey information in an interesting, accessible way—skills that later became essential in her work with clients in the cosmetology field.

Ekaterina’s immersion in the world of massage and aesthetic cosmetology began with courses on lymphatic drainage techniques and skincare. However, her true revelation came with buccal massage, an innovative technique that works on the facial muscles from within, promoting relaxation and rejuvenation. She studied this technique in Russia, the U.S., the U.K., and other countries, gaining knowledge from leading experts.

Opening Katya Young Studios in New York was the natural next step in her professional growth. At the studio, Ekaterina realized her dream of creating a space where beauty merges with health care, and facial treatments become rituals of restoration and harmony.

Katya Young Studios: A Place for Inner and Outer Beauty

Today, Katya Young Studios is more than just a cosmetic salon; it’s a place where each client can find inner peace and confidence. Ekaterina developed a unique approach, blending traditional methods with innovative techniques. Buccal massage, the studio’s signature treatment, has gained recognition for its aesthetic and health benefits.

Clients of Katya Young Studios come not only for visible results but also to feel in harmony with themselves. Ekaterina and her team create a comfortable, cozy atmosphere where each procedure is an individual journey to beauty and well-being.

Ekaterina continues to learn and improve, attending master classes and training worldwide—France, Singapore, and the U.S. Her commitment to staying current with the latest trends keeps her at the forefront of the industry. She believes success doesn’t mean standing still but constant growth, a mindset she passes on to her clients.

Beyond work, Ekaterina lives an active lifestyle. She’s passionate about weightlifting, has competed, and won several medals. Sports are a source of discipline and inner strength for her, which is also reflected in her professional work. Ekaterina is unafraid of new challenges—she surfs and snowboards, enjoying the movement and connection with nature.

Ekaterina also continues to love music, playing the violin to express her emotions and relieve stress.

Ekaterina Durova is a woman who shows by example that anything is possible with determination and passion. She has journeyed from accountant and television host to international expert in aesthetic cosmetology, and her story inspires many.

Katya Young Studios is the result of her hard work, talent, and drive for constant improvement. Every day, the studio attracts new clients, each of whom leaves with an enhanced appearance and a sense of inner balance and harmony.

Published by: Martin De Juan

Dr. Cathy L. Howard: A Visionary in Entertainment and Talent

Women's Journal Staff on November 14, 2024

Dr. Cathy L. Howard, a visionary leader and CEO of aCHANGE Universe Studios, is redefining the entertainment industry with a groundbreaking mission: discovering and elevating “Ordinary People with Extraordinary Talents.” As a studio founded on empowerment, creativity, and inclusivity, aCHANGE Universe Studios provides opportunities for aspiring talents from all walks of life. Rooted in Dr. Cathy’s personal journey, the studio’s mission reflects her own experiences, including her early dreams of acting and her determination to support those with unrealized potential. Having grown up in East St. Louis, Illinois, Dr. Cathy was surrounded by influential figures like Tina Turner, who visited her family home and, later in life, visionary director Reginald Hudlin. These connections profoundly impacted her and solidified her belief in the power of storytelling and artistry.

aCHANGE Universe Studios offers a wide array of platforms and services, uniting film, television, music, digital media, and arts education under one roof. From its digital streaming networks, such as TACTV and POCKO Channel, to its in-depth talent development programs, the studio emphasizes holistic growth for each individual. One of its most innovative programs is PCAS University, which is dedicated to fostering the next generation of actors, singers, dancers, and artists. With a curriculum designed by Dr. Cathy herself, PCAS University provides aspiring talents with acting, modeling, and more skills, setting them on a clear path to industry success. Additionally, entities like Autumn Tytus Arts & Production Studios, TM Star Entertainment, and Open Door Entertainment Studios offer talent training, production, and casting services, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for growth in entertainment.

Dr. Cathy L. Howard: A Visionary in Entertainment and Talent

Under Dr. Cathy’s leadership, aCHANGE Universe Studios is more than an entertainment company; it is a transformative movement. As a pastor, Dr. Cathy brings a unique perspective, integrating spiritual growth with artistic training to nurture well-rounded individuals. This philosophy is reflected in initiatives like the Unheard Voice of Apostolic Leaders platform, which uses dramatic interpretation to convey messages of faith. Furthermore, the studio’s emphasis on diversity in casting and storytelling ensures a more inclusive entertainment landscape, creating space for voices often underrepresented in mainstream media.

With upcoming projects such as Race to Stardom, a television series titled Pressure Cooker with Dr. Cathy, and aCHANGE World: The Movie, Dr. Cathy is set to bring fresh perspectives and undiscovered talents to audiences worldwide. Each production aligns with her vision of providing an authentic platform for talents who would otherwise remain unseen. Through advertising, subscriptions, and educational programs, aCHANGE Universe Studios is projected to significantly impact the entertainment market, supporting community transformation and growth.

Dr. Cathy L. Howard’s life story and accomplishments illustrate her commitment to the arts and her dedication to helping others realize their full potential. aCHANGE Universe Studios stands as a testament to her lifelong connection to creativity, and with a vibrant roster of programs and projects, it continues to reshape the entertainment industry. Aspiring actors, singers, and artists who partner with aCHANGE Universe Studios can look forward to a supportive, innovative environment where their dreams can finally take center stage.

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Cathy L. Howard

For more information about aCHANGE Universe Studios and its many entities, visit:

www.acunistudios.com

www.pockochannel.com

www.tactv1.com

www.pcasuniversity.com

Email: info@acunistudios.com

Media contact: 6786513664

Published by: Nelly Chavez

Brandi Trego: Empowering Lives with Holistic Wellness

Women's Journal Staff on November 14, 2024

What Drives the Shift Toward Holistic Wellness?

In an age where wellness trends dominate headlines, Brandi Trego embodies the values of holistic health. Her journey goes beyond personal transformation, representing a movement that addresses wellness—physical, emotional, and mental.

For more than 20 years, Brandi thrived as a registered nurse, witnessing the limitations of traditional healthcare. She recognized a gap between treating symptoms and achieving long-term health. This realization drove her to transition into holistic coaching, where she integrates her medical expertise with a naturopathic approach. Today, she guides clients through personalized wellness journeys prioritizing prevention, self-care, and balance.

Brandi’s approach connects with those frustrated by quick fixes and fleeting trends. She empowers individuals to take charge of their health, shifting focus from external solutions to inner strength. “I empower my clients to take control of their health,” she shares, adding that her methods help them “achieve whole-body wellness and not just a quick fix.” Her work inspires clients to create a ripple effect—improving their lives and encouraging others to pursue similar paths.

How Does Integrity Shape Wellness Coaching?

Brandi builds trust by prioritizing transparency and ethical practices. In a field often met with skepticism, she reassures clients that their well-being comes before profit. “I’m honestly for the people; I’m not for the paycheck,” she says, addressing the challenges of building trust in the wellness industry. Her focus on integrity sets her apart in a competitive wellness market.

Rather than focusing on transactions, Brandi cultivates long-term relationships with her clients. She listens to their needs, ensuring her guidance makes a lasting impact. “I aim to build lasting relationships,” she emphasizes. “I don’t plan on ever being a one-and-done with a customer.”

What Role Does Community Play in Holistic Wellness?

Brandi envisions wellness as a shared journey. She encourages her clients to share their experiences, fostering a supportive community that amplifies the message of holistic health. This environment promotes accountability and motivates others to prioritize their well-being.

Social media plays a vital role in Brandi’s outreach. She shares educational content, personal stories, and wellness tips to engage a broader audience while staying true to her values. She keeps her services innovative and relevant by attending industry events and staying informed about the latest trends.

Looking ahead, Brandi plans to expand her impact through workshops, retreats, and wellness events. These gatherings will connect people, emphasizing emotional and mental health alongside physical wellness. “While many people focus on just the physical aspects of wellness, emotional and mental well-being play an essential role in total wellness,” she notes. Her holistic perspective underscores that true wellness involves achieving a balanced mind, body, and spirit.

The Future of Empowered Wellness

Brandi Trego’s journey showcases her unique combination of professional expertise, personal transformation, and a genuine commitment to helping others. Her dedication to empowering individuals and advancing holistic wellness distinguishes her in health coaching, Network Marketing, and naturopathic wellness.

Brandi continues to create meaningful, lasting impacts through personalized coaching, high-quality supplement recommendations, and community-building efforts. Her story is a testament to the power of integrity, transparency, and human connection in transforming lives.

To learn more about Brandi Trego, visit her on Facebook or reach her at empowervitality.life@gmail.com. Her mission is to guide those ready to take charge of their health and live a balanced life.

*Disclaimer: Testimonials in this article reflect personal experiences and aren’t guaranteed. Results vary based on effort, experience, and commitment. Use your judgment.

Published by: Martin De Juan