r(E)volutionary Woman

Today, Tes talks with Valerie Bennis. Valerie is an award winning aromatherapist who created the Essence of Vali line of therapeutic products. She recently started a new chapter with the launch of her company, Fragrant Notes, a lifestyle blog for women over 50. Her mission is to inspire women to love and appreciate ALL that they are through all the phases of their life with purpose, self-care, passion and creativity.

To learn more about Valerie Bennis:
For Fragrant Notes:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefragrantnote
Website: www.fragrantnotes.com

For Essence of Vali:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essenceofvali
Website: www.essenceofvali.com

Today, Tes speaks with Chef Liz Thompson. Liz, a native New Yorker, started her first career in Advertising and Product Management after receiving her MBA in Marketing and Finance from Fordham University before she switched gears and attended the French Culinary Institute to become a pastry chef which has been her career path for the last 25 years. She worked in restaurants in New York for a few years before moving to Los Angeles to do an internship with Michelle Richard at restaurant Citrus.

After that, Liz did a quick stint with Food & Wines from France doing wine and food pairings, worked at Tryst Restaurant then moved to Checkers Hotel, a 5-star hotel, as pastry chef, for 5 years. She then went out on her own and opened “The Pig, Memphis Style BBQ” in West L.A. and Universal City Walk as co-owner which received accolades in The New York Times, Newsweek, Bon Appetit, Gourmet and was named “Best BBQ in Los Angeles” by Los Angeles Magazine 3 years in a row.

Liz then taught pastry and restaurant management at The Art Institute of California for 4 years
before moving on to Recipe Formulation and New Product Development, which has become her
passion. She loves to hyper focus on one ingredient and create countless different recipes
which allows her head to spin out creatively which is another area of her expertise.

Baking with Herbs
Liz is passionate about Baking with the natural flavor of fresh herbs from her garden which creates a unique taste experience. She takes any of her recipes, be it pastry or custards and infuses them through sugars, dairy and simple syrups to even make cocktails.

Imagine going into your garden and grabbing a handful of fresh basil, lemongrass, lavender and
even rose petals to transform your already fabulous crème brulee, into something even more
fabulous. The same goes for ice cream, cookies, chocolates and of course cocktails. How about
a Rose Petal and Lime Cosmopolitan in a glass rimmed with Rose Sugar?

Dive into the world of Baking with Herbs with us that has been in existence going back 2000
years ago to the Spice Trade when herbs were more valuable than gold. You will learn which
ingredient in to infuse depending on recipe, be it heavy cream, sugar or butter and the
differences in the methods of doing so.

We will create the following simple recipes that will awaken both your sense of taste and smell!

To learn more about Chef Liz Thompson:
IG: Realdesserts
FB: Chef Liz Thompson
Website: https://www.lizthompsonmarketing.com/

My guest today is Ewa Kuc. Ewa was born and raised in Poland. In 2007, after obtaining a master’s degree in Childhood Development with a specialization in Mass Media Education, she left Poland to become an AuPair in California, where she has settled, married and had her two daughters.

In 2012 she opened her first business, Ewa Samples Photography, recently rebranded into May The Art Be With You.

In January of 2022, Ewa joined Acton Academy, a network of independent owners of nontraditional schools and has since become the co-founder of Soaring – an Acton Academy – a non-profit private school in Morgan Hill, California.

She also hosts an annual event for kids, Children’s Business Fair, where for one day kids can become entrepreneurs and sell their products and services in person to the public.

Ewa is certified:
– Therapeutic Art Life Coach
– Life Story Coach.

She’s in the process of obtaining a license for Be Body Positive Facilitator Training and Mindfulness Life Coaching certification.

Her next life goal is to become a Body Image Life Coach for pre-teens, teens, and moms!

To learn more about Ewa:
IG: @ewa_samples
FB for Soaring Acton Academy: https://www.facebook.com/SoaringActonAcademy
FB for Morgan Hill Children’s Business Fair: https://www.facebook.com/MHChildrensBusinessFair
FB for May The Art Be With You: https://www.facebook.com/MaytheartbewithyouEwaSamples

Today, Tes speaks with Cheryl Thomas. Cheryl is the founding Director of Global Rights for Women. Since 1993, Cheryl has worked with partners around the world to promote women’s human rights and achieve effective legal reform to end gender based violence She has participated in the drafting of new laws on violence against women and girls, and trained legal and community professionals to enforce such laws in dozens of countries. She has worked closely with the United Nations to develop model standards on legal reform on gender based violence. Cheryl has participated in numerous UN Expert Group Meetings on violence against women including in 2008 when she co-chaired the meeting to draft UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women. In 2011, she was recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of 150 “Women Who Shake the World”. In 2021, the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) awarded her Arabella Babb Mansfield Award for her professional achievements for women in the law.

Today, Tes talks with Kim L. Hunt. Kim is a lifelong learner who continues to hone and invest her passion in organizational leadership, Black and LGBTQ+ liberation and storytelling. For over 25 years Ms. Hunt has used her platforms in storytelling, public speaking and civic engagement to curate brave, inclusive spaces for social change. She is currently the executive director of the Pride Action Tank (PAT), a project of AIDS Foundation Chicago, where she also serves as the senior director of Policy & Advocacy Operations. PAT is a multi-issue project incubator and think tank that focuses on action that leads to improved opportunities and outcomes for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups. Kim was previously the executive director of Affinity Community Services, a 25-year-old social justice organization that focuses on Black LGBTQ+ people. Prior to her work in LGBTQ+ communities, Kim’s work focused on urban planning and community and economic development. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and being named a Crain’s Chicago Notable LGBTQ Executive. She serves on the boards of Brave Space Alliance and One Roof Chicago, the OUT at CHM Planning Committee, the advisory boards of OTV and Wille’s Warriors. She is a founding co-host of OUTSpoken LGBTQ Storytelling, a monthly show in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, and a published author. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Iowa State University, a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master’s in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago. Kim lives in Chicago with her wife and has three adult children and a dog.

To learn more about Kim Hunt:
Twitter: @chikimhunt62
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.l.hunt.14/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-l-hunt-7028674/

Photo credit: Rebecca Parrish of Interchange Productions

When one asks Pilar how she sees herself within the context of the community, she will immediately respond, “I am a Mother, a Sister, a Healer. I am a soldier on the front lines who creates safe spaces for my people to heal and grow.” As a Veteran of the United States Navy where she served as an Operations Specialist, her love of details and process, systems and strategy led her to the social service aspect of the human/health sciences.

For seven years Pilar worked for the Chicago Department of Public health/CDC
as an Infectious Disease Community Epidemiologist. Desiring to have a more hands on healing impact within the community, the next decade took Pilar on a magical journey through entrepreneurship; opening a healing shop featured on ABC7’s 190 North and HGTV which led to her being selected to represent Dove Soap in the international “Real Women, Real Beauty” Campaign.

Her signature Gele, or headwrap, was so inspiring to women across the globe that a movement was formed launching Gele Day, an annual celebration of Healing for women of color, which led to the launching of Pilar’s non-profit organization, Wrap Your beYOUty Movement (WYBM). Now in its 10thYear, WYBM is committed to unearthing the most innovative and creative ways to address the current state of violence in Chicago and is committed to addressing the many forms of trauma that adversely impact the south and west sides of Chicago – especially as a result of the pandemic.

Through Ancient indigenous artforms and healing practices, WYBM assists the women of the
community in their journey to better engaging their children and their men. By facilitating safe spaces for Black people to share experiences, learn and build, healing takes place in the most profound way. WYBM empowers Black people to take what they learn back to their respective families, with an emphasis on training their own children.

Pilar is also a former Arts Vendor for Chicago Public Schools, a 2021 Chicago Peace Fellow and Associate Director at Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Greater
Chicago (TRHT).

To learn more about Pilar Audain:
Facebook: TRinigyal Pilar Audain
IG: Pilar Sango Queen