r(E)volutionary Woman

Today, Tes talks with Sara Knizhnik. Sara holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She served as a university-level English-as-a-Second-Language Instructor at various universities in the Chicago area for 17 years before becoming first a volunteer, part-time gun violence prevention (GVP) advocate with Moms Demand Action and then a full-time, professional GVP advocate with the Newtown Action Alliance (NAA). Sara is the Director of Community Engagement for NAA, a national gun violence prevention (GVP) organization founded in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, CT in December 2012. Sara is also one of the Principals and founders of Purpose Storytellers, a clever public affairs firm dedicated to helping nonprofits get to the next level of policy influence and thought leadership. Sara spends her time, as both a professional and a volunteer, educating the public about how they can become active in the movements in support of gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform. She is also a Vernon Township Trustee. Sara lives in Vernon Hills, Illinois with her husband and two children.

To learn more about Sara Knizhnik:
Follow Me Everywhere via Linktree – Please click here.

Today, Tes talks with Ilina Ewen. Ilina has been called many things. She is a writer, marketing and brand strategist, communicator, advocate, and ally for equity and representation. With over 25 years of marketing and communications experience in the corporate, government, and non-profit sectors, Ilina specializes in translating consumer insights into profitable ideas.

In 2003, Ilina started her own consulting firm helping clients identify their brand and create effective communications and marketing strategies. In addition to her firm, she has worked as a communications and brand strategist, Chief of Staff to the former First Lady of North Carolina, and Communications Director for several organizations. Ilina currently serves as the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Samet, a commercial construction management company in the Southeastern United States.

Working Mothers Magazine named Ilina one of the top working mom bloggers in America. She uses her voice literally and figuratively as a public speaker and writer and has been known as an “accidental activist” who dedicates her time and talent to advocate for myriad issues. Specifically, she works towards social justice, community building, child and family resources, and women’s rights.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ilina loved to travel. Nowadays her spare time is spent watching mindless, guilty pleasure TV shows or reading. Yet no matter the climate, Ilina is driven by food. She loves to cook, eat, travel, and read all things food-related. She has two teenage sons and has been married for 21 years.

Today, Tes talks with Anthea Neri-Best. Anthea is an actress, singer, and human empowerment ambassador who appears as Kailani on TruTV’s Tacoma FD, NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mr. Mayor and as a chef and judge on Yummy TV’s HMExpress. She can also be seen in numerous commercials and heard in many video games. Throughout her career, Anthea has performed at Carnegie Hall, Dodgers’ Stadium, the Staples Center, and Lincoln Center; and she was a top-four finalist on GMA7’s Pinoy Pop Superstar. In addition, she has appeared in Here Lies Love, Oliver!, Mamma Mia!, and the off-Broadway musical, Disenchanted.

To learn more about Anthea Neri Best:
IG|Twitter|Tiktok|FB: @officialanthea

To find out more about FaceOn movie and how to support it:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/faceonmovie#updates/33473

Today, Tes talks with Andrea Couture. Andrea is an author and mother of three children. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Embracing What Remains is Andrea’s first memoir and book. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, children, and her dog.

To learn more about Andrea Couture:
Facebook: Andrea M Couture, Author
Instagram: @author.andrea.couture
Twitter: acouture22
To learn more about Andrea’s book:
Amazon book: https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-What-Remains-Andrea-Couture/dp/0578928264/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Today, Tes talks with LaTasha Y. Benn. LaTasha is the founder of Love Your Beauty, LLC, a Beauty + Fitness brand. She began her professional beauty journey in 2005 in Chicago, IL, where she started doing makeup for friends and family. Since then, LaTasha has received training from celebrity makeup artists, as well as worked for MAC Cosmetics, Benefit Cosmetics and Laura Mercier. She has grown her makeup career by doing makeup for theatre productions, weddings and fashion shows, and obtained her Esthetician License in 2013. Once licensed, she started to offer skin care services in addition to her makeup services. After a successful career in Chicago, LaTasha packed up her tools and took her skills down south to Tampa, FL.
Formally known as LYBartistry, LaTasha has rebranded her business to Love Your Beauty, LLC, a Beauty & Wellness brand, in which she has expanded her services and now offers makeup services, skincare consultations, fitness products & apparel, and promotes self-care & mental wellness. LaTasha took her passion for fitness, wellness and beauty and made it her business, while shifting her focus from external beauty to internal beauty.
To learn more about LaTasha:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
IG: @loveyourbeauty_llc
Facebook: @loveyourbeautyllc

Today, Tes talks with Jen Kramer. Jen is a graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism management. Jen has spent more than 25 years in the private sector working for Fortune 500 companies and in the public sector, coordinating large-scale events for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events – working on the Taste of Chicago, the Chicago Marathon, and the White Sox and Blackhawk ticker-tape parades to name a few.
Jen was most recently the Director of Operations for both Chicago Ideas and the WNDR Museum, located in Chicago’s West Loop. Additionally, Jen was the Director of University Events at DePaul University and the Director of Special Events at Navy Pier, tasked with re-imagining the Pier’s entertainment appeal as part of the largest redesign since Navy Pier’s re-opening in 1995.
Jen additionally teaches coursework on Special Events as an adjunct professor at DePaul University. Jen is the past president and largest personal fundraiser of Special Olympics Chicago, a board she’s served on since 2002. She grew up in a family where service above self was taught at a very young age, and looks for ongoing ways to make a difference in her community, and in Chicago.

To learn more about Jen Kramer and Year of Love Project
IG: @jkramerica or @yearofloveproject
FB: facebook.com/jen.kramer