Freeman Means Business' Wonder Women in Business Podcast

Valerie Tyson

In 2018, Tyson founded the marketing agency, Strategic Playground where she served as the Chief Executive Officer and converted into Unrivaled Group in 2021. She is a proven brand strategy expert who has worked with several Fortune 1000 companies, sports leagues, teams, professional athletes, entertainment properties, including the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and the Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers.

Prior to starting her own agency, Tyson served as Vice President of Digital at IMG, Vice President of Marketing & Digital Performance at BRANDTHINK and Director of Client Services at Tocquigny.

Now, Valerie Tyson serves as Unrivaled Group’s Head of Strategy, overseeing the development, communication, and execution of strategic initiatives of the consultancy and clients.

Lisa V. Sellers, PhD, CEO of Vector Laboratories, is an accomplished leader and mentor in life sciences with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Sellers drives expansion and business strategies for Vector Laboratories, a trusted reagent and critical component manufacturing partner that empowers biopharma, life science tools and diagnostics companies to accelerate their ability to provide value to their customers. Sellers has a stellar track record of spearheading successful business strategies based on unmet market opportunities, while prioritizing the development of a people-first work environment. This winning combination has created unstoppable forward momentum at Vector Laboratories.

Before joining Vector Laboratories, Sellers provided consulting services for numerous life science companies to guide them in accelerating product development and commercialization to enter new markets. Sellers has served in executive and senior management roles in marketing, sales, and specific product lines for companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, 10x Genomics, Life Technologies, and Applied Biosystems, among others.

While Sellers has earned notable success as a top life science industry expert, she has always believed in the importance of giving back.

Sellers serves as an Advisory Board Member with the LEAD Scholars Program at Santa Clara University, a board member with Notre Dame Belmont High School, and an Advisory Board Member, Master of Biotechnology at San Jose State University. She has a personal passion for coaching professionals to navigate job choices in STEM to achieve their potential and to provide the utmost in career fulfillment. As such, Sellers has been a speaker at ISPE, Navigating Your Career Amidst Uncertainty in Dec 2020; Women in Product, SF Bay Area, for Go-to Market Series in May 2019; and was featured in CMO.com, Best Leadership Advice I Ever Received publication in Feb 2019. Sellers was also named A Women of Influence in 2022 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Sellers earned a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder and a BS in Chemistry, ACS Certified from Santa Clara University.

Sara Burke was the Founder of The City Studio Dance Center in St. Louis, Missouri which she founded in 1986. Sara is a choreographer, dancer, dance instructor, photographer,painter, author and arts diversity consultant. Sara consults for local dance companies and works with young dancers helping them start Company's. Sara relishes her role as “mentor”. One of her most important and impactful accomplishments was to learn Dunham Technique from the legendary Katherine Dunham. She studied with Miss Dunham in East St. Louis in the 1970's and danced with the Dunham Company. Sara's experiences studying and dancing the Dunham Technique changed her life and she has been committed to promoting diversity through the Arts even since. Her experience was life changing. She danced with artists who could not eat or sleep where they performed. Sara never forgets to use her voice at every turn.

Serena's journey is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, serving as a beacon of hope for those grappling with self-limiting beliefs. Her life began in the shadow of witness protection and unfolded in the tumultuous landscape of foster care, where she navigated the treacherous waters of nine different homes. The challenges she faced led her down a path of teenage addiction and homelessness, culminating in the heart-wrenching tragedy of her husband's suicide. Despite these harrowing trials, Serena's story is one of triumphant ascent.

What truly sets Serena apart is her unwavering strength, resilience, and authenticity. Her career spanning over two decades in the corporate world is a testament to her unyielding determination. She weathered setbacks, repeatedly climbing back to executive leadership roles within Fortune 500 companies. In 2013, she boldly carved her own path by founding Pulse Marketing Inc., a venture that has since flourished into an award-winning marketing and advertising agency. Serena's agency excels in creating content that forges meaningful connections between people and brands, utilizing purposeful graphics, thought-provoking web designs, and heart-touching advertising campaigns.

Beyond her entrepreneurial acumen, Serena has penned her compelling life story in a memoir titled "Exposed: You Can't Heal When You Hide." In this raw narrative, she delves into her experiences with assault, addiction, homelessness, infidelity, mental health challenges, and, ultimately, profound healing. Her memoir is a powerful testament to the human capacity for resilience and growth.

Serena's story resonates deeply with audiences, offering a thought-provoking reminder that challenges can be confronted with passion and purpose. She has dedicated her life to personally and professionally empowering others, demonstrating that self-limiting beliefs can be shattered and replaced with unwavering self compassion. Serena's journey is a living testament to the power of the human spirit and inspires all who encounter it.

Susan E. Frankel, Esq. is an attorney whose career spans over 25 years in law and management, with surprising twists and turns that required her to pivot on more than one occasion. A consummate planner in her younger years, Susan pushed out of her comfort zone to reinvent herself, learning that the old saying “Man (woman) plans, God laughs” are words to live by. She is passionate about supporting and guiding other women both professionally and personally, especially those in midlife confronting the inevitable changes in their physical and mental well-being. She is proud to be a speaker and author on the topic, including a chapter in an upcoming anthology for empowering women.

Susan is currently Associate General Counsel at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York. She earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has a Masters of Law in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago. Susan is the proud mother of two beautiful young women, and she and her husband live in Warwick, New York with their beloved pitbull rescue and french bulldogs.

Rachel Diamant co-founded EmendoBio and serves as Chief Business Officer. Rachel is responsible for EmendoBio’s IP strategy, which she designed to generate an extensive patent portfolio to cover various novel aspects of the technology and products while also expertly navigating the IP space. In her role as CBO, Rachel also builds EmendoBio’s pipeline of clinical programs and the academic and industrial collaborations and partnerships for the pre/clinical development of EmendoBio’s selected indications and genomic targets. Rachel has extensive experience in constructing IP strategy that is designed to serve business objectives based on careful competitive landscaping to reduce risks and maximize value. In the private market, Rachel has been a consultant for numerous biotechnology and medical device companies and accumulated extensive expertise in IP mining, strategic portfolio design and hands-on portfolio management. Rachel holds an MSc in Neurobiology from the Weizmann Institute of Science and a Biotechnology Engineering degree from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

Megan Miller is an International Best-Selling Author, TedX Speaker, Intentional Living Expert, & host of Attention to Intention podcast. Megan is dedicated to offering high performing go-getting professionals simple, daily micro-steps for putting attention to intention so they can stop sleepwalking through life and start living with inspiration and fulfillment.

Alice is a writer and PR strategist from South Africa. She's written for HuffPost, Refinery29, VICE, and more. When she isn't running her publicity business or writing personal narratives, you can find her sharing freelance advice on social media. Follow her on Instagram at@alicedraper.

Born in Oklahoma, Caren lives in Vermont with her hubby, a rescue pup, and a barn cat turned happy house kitty. Caren is also a mom to two incredible humans and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Henderson House is her first novel.

Caren’s career spans more than three decades as a communications professional with experience in public relations, technical writing, and social media consulting. Caren’s past clients include Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Frito-Lay, and Nabisco. Since moving to Vermont in 2014, she has consulted for The Artist Book Foundation, Southern Vermont Arts Center, and The Vermont Association of Realtors. Caren is an active member of her local community theater, The Dorset Players, with recent roles including Aunt Eller in Oklahoma and Ethel Banks in Barefoot in the Park . She is a member of The Dorset Church choir and serves as Vice Chair of Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s Foundation Board. When she is not writing, you can find her in the kitchen, in the garden, or out enjoying the beauty of Vermont with her rescue dog, June Bug.