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|  Woman of the Month
MAY 2010 Shay Olivarria Shay Olivarria is a motivational speaker, financial literacy coach, former foster care youth, and author of 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money and Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook. As an ambassador for financial freedom, Shay travels all over the country to educate people on responsible financial decisions.
Shay’s passion for motivational coaching was ignited seven years ago when she began outreach efforts for the San Diego Community College District. She advised students on the college process and has continued to reach out to youth on a number of levels. Shay is dedicated to community activism and specializes in mentoring gang-involved and at-risk youth, and has been able to channel her life experience into her professional and entrepreneurial efforts. Shay explains, “Aging out of foster care made it clear to me that I needed to take responsibility for my future. I started reading books, attending seminars, and piecing as much information as I could together. After working with students in truancy and mentoring programs, it became apparent that these kids needed the same help and encouragement that I needed.”
She has partnered with several community organizations including Independent Lens, Orangewood Children’s Foundation, Upward Bound- Boyle Heights, Promise House of Dallas, Texas, Los Angeles Urban League, San Diego Urban League Young Professionals, and the Latino Student Business Association of the University of Southern California to motivate and encourage youth. Through these workshops, speaking engagements and partnership events Shay has spread motivation, encouragement, and financial tips to hundreds of students across the country.
Shay earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (Anthropology major, Business Management minor) from California State University – Dominguez Hills. Shay has written for The South LA Report, Prominence Magazine, The Voluptua Project, and Square Rootz. She is currently teaching a personal finance class at Riverside Community College and finishing her third book about personal finance for foster and transitioning youth.
For more information on Shay go to www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com
Woman of the Month July 2010 Andrea Wiley Prooducer of the movie, SoulMate Andrea Wiley has enjoyed successful careers in both the corporate and entertainment industries. As an award-winning television writer and producer in Hollywood, she has amassed a body of work that includes numerous high profile network comedy series including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," starring Will Smith, "The Parent 'Hood," "The Jamie Foxx Show," "The Steve Harvey Show,” "Malcolm and Eddie” and most recently, “The Parkers,” starring Mo'Nique on which she served as co-executive producer. The long-running sitcom ranked #1 in African-American households beginning in its first season and garnered seven NAACP Image Award nominations, including two for Outstanding Comedy.
Wiley came to television in 1993, following a successful career as an Electrical Engineer at such Fortune 500 companies as IBM, Procter & Gamble and Digital Equipment Corporation. Her big break in television came with an unexpected phone call at her home from legendary producer Norman Lear, offering her a staff writing position on his CBS comedy series "704 Hauser.” The experience of working under Lear's tutelage would serve to jettison her career forward.
Also a documentary filmmaker, Wiley has written, produced and directed three short documentary films and the award winning, feature length documentary, "Soulmate." "Soulmate" explores the national phenomenon that 42.3% of black women have never been married and according to recent U.S. statistics, 70% of all black women are now single. The film takes an intimate look at the lives of accomplished, professional Black women who are finding purpose while single and offers practical advice from some of the nation's leading Christian leaders. “Soulmate” also profiles Black women who married after age 40 and shares their journeys to the altar. A grass roots movement has been ignited across the country as home and church screenings are serving as intimate platforms for much needed discussion between the sexes. “Soulmate” has received top honors at numerous film festivals including Best Documentary at the Hollywood Black Film Festival, Best Feature Film and Audience Choice Award at the African American Women In Film Festival in New York City and Best Documentary in the San Francisco Christian Film Festival. It was also voted Best Documentary among Black films in 2006 by acclaimed film critic Kam Williams. As a result, Wiley has been featured on both Christian and mainstream television networks and nationally syndicated radio shows -- from CBN and The Word Network, to “The Michael Baisden Show” and “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.”
“My hope and prayer, always, is that ‘Soulmate' will serve as a change agent in the lives of those who see it,” says Andrea Wiley, the film's writer-producer-director. “ I hope the testimonies of women in this film will inspire people to examine their spiritual lives, move beyond the traps that singleness sometimes creates for those who wish to be married and find wholeness in an intimate relationship with God.”
Following the production of her first documentary, Wiley formed her own Los Angeles-based production company, Clean Heart Productions, a Christian based, multi-media company.
“My company's mission is to be a change agent in popular culture by lifting up Christ in a relevant, relatable and irresistible way, in the media.” says Wiley.
Wiley has been a guest speaker at several churches across the country and has served as a speaker/panelist for a number of professional organizations including; The Hollywood Black Film Festival, The Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), The Southern California Gospel Announcers Guild, and Nashville 's Conscious Music Conference. She has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Gospel Today, Essence Magazine, Today's Black Woman, The Baltimore Sun Times, The Atlanta Voice, Rolling Out, Savoy and L.A. Focus , to name a few. She is a columnist for Hope For Women's Magazine.
Born in Jamaica , West Indies, Wiley was raised in Brooklyn , New York and graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. A member of the Writer's Guild of America West, she has served on the boards of St. James School Toddler Center and Just Lovin' Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing music curriculums back into the public school system. Wiley currently serves on the boards of Radical Impact Inc. and The Women's Global Resource Development Initiative. Wiley lives in Los Angeles with her husband Roland, an architect, and their two sons, Roland III and Randall. Clean Heart Productions
1-888-SOULFILM
Woman of the Month August 2010 Dr Lisa A Lewis Lewis Healing Institute In June of 2003, Dr. Lisa A. Lewis reached a lifelong goal. She received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) from Bastyr University’s four-year program in Seattle, Washington. Bastyr University is recognized worldwide as a leader in the education and scientific study of natural medicine. The program included all the basic, clinical, and preceptor experiences. Dr. Lewis also holds a Master of Acupuncture and a Chinese Herbal Medicine Certificate received from Bastyr University. Dr. Lewis has also completed post-doctorate studies in the United States and abroad. In addition to her medical training, Dr. Lewis earned a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, New Jersey and a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology and Physiology from Rutgers University. Dr. Lewis also has over a decade of experience working in the scientific and pharmaceutical industries, during which time she has worked and consulted with many major Pharmaceutical companies such as: Parke-Davis/Warner Lambert, Hoffman La-Roche, Johnson and Johnson, Bristol Myers-Squibb, and Merck and Company. Dr. Lewis worked in many capacities such as Research and Development, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Project Management, etc. By studying and working with both Conventional and Natural Medicines, she is uniquely qualified to understand both prevention and disease processes, as well as be a significant trailblazer in the future of medicine: Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Lewis is dedicated to leading the movement and understanding of Natural Medicine and how it can be used to help heal our communities. She has held several leadership roles, even as a medical student, to spearhead the movement. At Bastyr University she was the Student Representative for Public Affairs Department, Student Representative of the Board of Trustees, Student Participant of Bastyr University's first TV Commercial, Administrative Team Leader on the Student Council, Co-Founder/President of BAAA (Bastyr African / African American Association), Class Representative of Student Council, Bastyr University Mentor, and Performance Artist: Singer/Vocalist and /or MC for many Bastyr Events and Fund-Raisers. Dr. Lewis has contributed to the national and global political agenda of Natural Medicine, lobbying and working to gain licensure in many states including California, Washington DC, Maryland, New York, Virginia, etc. She also worked diligently with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians to keep the Natural Medicine agenda of improving Health Care at the forefront of our National and State Senators and Representatives. Ensuring that they understand how Natural Medicine can improve the quality of care, reduce overall medical costs, and prevent disease. Dr. Lewis also Attended the First Annual International Conference on Traditional Medicine Practice in Ghana, West Africa. She spoke with many government health care officials, researchers, medical practitioners, herbalists, traditionalists, and herbal medicine manufacturers. She also visited many clinics, hospitals and villages, treated patients and studied African Herbology. Dr. Lewis is dedicated to continuing her education and educating the community. She is a member of the California Association of Naturopathic Doctors, the Maryland Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She has received additional certifications to enhance the range of services offered to her patients. She has Certifications as a Blood Type Diet Specialist, Reiki Practitioner, Craniosacral Practitioner, and NADA Certification using Acupuncture to treat people with all types of addictions. Prior to practicing in California, Dr. Lewis founded the Lewis Healing Institute in Washington, DC and Maryland and successfully treated patients and educated the community for almost a decade. Dr. Lewis and the Lewis Healing Institute has partnered with Arbor Vitae Wellness Center located at: 1821 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 501, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (Phone 310-492-5557). More information regarding the Lewis Healing Institute can be found at www.NatureDrs.com. Dr. Lewis lectures on all topics related to Natural Medicine, health, wellness and living a joyful life. Dr. Lewis has appeared on numerous television shows and documentaries, Local and National News telecasts, and has written many articles for magazines and websites. Dr. Lewis has developed in-depth programs designed to treat many chronic diseases that plague our communities. She has developed a comprehensive treatment programs including: Stress Management, Weight Loss/Obesity, Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Woman’s Health Issues, Men’s Health Issues, Hormone Imbalance, Skin Disorders, Digestive Disorder’s and many more. She has worked to solve many of the problems that Western Medicine does not directly address. To help her patients treat and cure disease as opposed to treating symptoms and placing a band-aide on the problem with drugs and surgery. By offering a range of services, including homeopathy, botanical medicine, nutritional counseling, detoxification, and acupuncture, Dr. Lewis provides each individual a personal health remedy designed to treat their specific, individual needs.
 
Woman of the Month October 2010 
Crystal Wright is a self-help author, educator, motivational speaker and advisor to professional makeup artists, hair stylists and fashion stylists. She is an internationally recognized expert on the subject of career building and marketing for beauty professionals and regularly appears as a guest speaker and educator at fashion and beauty trade shows, and events.
Crystal Wright was born on January 13, 1958 in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Tacoma, Washington and attended both Seattle University and the University of Washington after high school. After being cajoled into applying for a summer internship position at Xerox Corporation she won the assignment against a field of over 50 students. The internship ended with an offer for full-time employment. Five years as an account executive at Xerox would teach her everything she needed to know to become an agent for professional makeup, hair and fashion stylists in Hollywood.
Pursued for advice by a number of young hopefuls, Crystal set out to write a 16-page manual that would guide aspiring stylists in developing the right tools, skills and professionalism necessary to establish a successful career behind-the-scenes in entertainment, fashion and beauty. Four hundred pages later, Crystal Wright's Hair, Makeup & Styling Career Guide, now in it’s 5th edition, is used as a textbook for the fashion styling courses at The Fashion Institute of Technology, F.I.D.M, the Int’l Academy of Design, Miami Int’l University, George Brown College, and the new Fashion Styling Program designed by Crystal Wright at California State University Los Angeles that begins March 2010. Professional Makeup and Hair Schools such as Makeup Designory, and Downey Adult school have incorporated it and Crystal’s two and three day “Portfolio Building and Marketing Workshops” into their curriculum as a finishing program prior to graduation.
In the summer of 2008 with the worsening recession, a succession of corporate bankruptcies which drove many of her longtime clients out of business, and thousands of dollars of unpaid invoices, Wright took these events as a sign that this season of artist representation and management was over. It became clear that it was time to turn up the heat on her longtime passion of educating, motivating and teaching others how to create success professionally and personally.
Little did she know that God had more in store when on March 8, 2009 she was given a vision for a book and audio program that would refocus a person’s attention on identifying and maintaining 100 percent in their lives. The book and accompanying audio titled 30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT: CHANGING YOUR LIFE 30 DAYS AT A TIME were completed just three short months later on June 9, 2009.
30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT begs the question: How would your life be different if you were striving to live at 100%? The program challenges you to complete the sentence, “I am 100 percent when,” in eight different areas of your life, and suggests that by focusing on changing only 1 or 2 things every 30 days, you can start to take your power back in month one, gain momentum in month two, and begin to achieve again in month 3 by eliminating the excuses that keep us enslaved to mediocrity and a life half lived.
30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT challenges you to identify and manage yourself to your own 100%, and insists that by eliminating bad habits, choosing to do something new, and refusing to take no for an answer from anyone, including yourself, you can begin to achieve again or for the first time in your life.
Wright’s attention is on those who are disheartened with the state of our world, and the economy; feel threatened by the prospect of losing, or have already lost their jobs, and are wondering how their families got so out of control. In many cases they have taken pay cuts, or they are faced with the challenge of taking on the additional responsibility of helping out family members, and friends who have lost their livelihood, homes and more.
“While we can't change what has happened,” says Wright, “I know from experience that by taking responsibility for our choices, and changing our actions, attitudes and habits, we can rise above our immediate circumstances, change course, excel and thrive 30 days at a time.”
Wright knows that by changing only one or two things every 30 days, expecting God's power and favor in your life, you can reclaim your power, reinvent yourself, and step into the life you choose.
“I would never have thought that in the midst of my own personal chaos, when it looked like everything in my life was falling apart, that God would give me 30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT: CHANGING YOUR LIFE 30 DAYS AT A TIME so that I could learn and help others to Focus again, gain Momentum, and finally, begin to Achieve”.
Wright credits her grandmother with giving her the guidance, wisdom, self-confidence, and the necessary commitment to excellence to pursue her dreams. "She was the most important influence in my life," says Wright. "Her advice to me, was ‘that I should go to school so I could get an education, get good grades so that I could go to ANY college I wanted, and play sports so I would be competitive.' With those tools, she believed that I could do anything I set my mind to."
Today Wright publishes CrystalWrightLive.com a website portal for the freelance makeup, hair and fashion styling community, produces a national portfolio building and marketing workshop, bi-annually updates her flagship venture, Crystal Wright's Hair, Makeup & Styling Career Guide, and has just put the finishing touches on a 30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT workshop that will launch in the Spring of 2011.
An excerpt of her book, 30 DAYS AT 100 PERCENT and several audio clips are available through the links provided below: 30 Days at 100 Percent Look Inside the Book 30 Days at 100 Percent Prologue, Intro and Welcome. 30 Days at 100 Percent Welcome Back, Focus, Achievement, Goals
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