Living The Authentic Life

Special Guest Mely Cruz is @allthingsmely…an entrepreneur, writer, content creator, influencer, model, philanthropist, breast cancer advocate, mom, wife and heartfelt friend. Mely shares her courageous journey as an immigrant leaving her business, family and comforts of her home country to build a new life in the United States with her husband. As an inspiring business woman balancing motherhood and her brand, she utilizes her passions for writing, beauty, fashion, travel and motherhood to inspire each of us to keep living our best life. The vulnerability of publicly sharing her breast cancer journey enabled her followers to see even deeper into her beautiful soul, which shines even brighter amidst the challenges of overcoming such adversity. Her loving heart brings me to tears almost every time we share with one another. Tune in to see why she stands out as such a positive influence for so many and why we have come to love her so deeply.

We Are All About Craft Beer, Fine Spirits, and Hand Rolled Cigars!!! Cigar Reviews: Tatuaje l'atelier Onyx Bold Nicaragua Beer Tasting: Schilling Beer Co. "Jakobus" German-Style Pilsner (Littleton, NH) Beer Tasting: Clown Shoes Beer "Mad Perf Sesh" Dry-Hopped Session IPA (Boston, MA) Beer Tasting: Lone Pint Brewery "El Cuero" White Stout (Magnolia, TX) Spirit Tasting: Pasote Tequila Anejo

Melissa is the founder of Melissa Sugulas Style, a premiere fashion consultancy with concierge-level personal styling services for women & men. Melissa has an incredible eye for fashion with a goal to inspire women everywhere to make every day an occasion. We talk about all our favorite classic styles & current trends from women wearing men's sport watches to dressing yourself out of your mood to the best fall basics & where to get them.

Our fabulous guest is Cherise Esparza who is a Cyber Security Expert and Co-Founder of SecurityGate.io. We talk through our shared loves of fashion, family, cars and rediscovering our purpose. Cherise shares her incredible journey from finding her career path early developing software for publicly traded companies as a teenager, to developing the platform used by risk managers & executives at the world's largest critical infrastructure organizations, to being listed on the Forbes Next 1000 list.

This week we’re kicking off the Fall 2023 Living The Authentic Life Podcast Series with special guest, the honorable Jacquie Baly. Jacquie is a former Greater Houston Partnership vice president who now works in public & media relations—in addition to serving as adjunct professor at the University of Houston and advising Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on higher education initiatives. Jacquie’s community service only augments her accomplishments. One of her favorite community endeavors includes chairing the American Cancer Society’s 2023 Cattle Baron’s Ball with former podcast guest, Lara Bell. Join us in celebrating Houston power women who are out there making a difference in our community and beyond.🌎

Earlene joins us to share her journey as a philanthropist, author, world-traveler and her most cherished roles-as a wife and mother. With an upcoming 30 year wedding anniversary, we dive in on common relationship issues in today's society and how she overcame them. Earlene said it best, "You can have a 1000 reasons to leave, but you only need one reason to stay."

Stephanie von Stein is The Innovative Luxury Consultant & CEO of von Fab Group With over 20 years of experience in luxury retail and business, Stephanie has established herself as a trusted advisor with an incredible eye for luxury. Stephanie shares her incredible story from her years working in luxury retail with Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue to launching her own luxury consulting business, von Fab Group, at 50. With a heart for creating meaningful change in our community & a passion for advocating for domestic violence survivors through her work with AVDA, Stephanie's light shines through all she does.

Deejay's mission is to create a safe space for people to enjoy dance and the Contessa has been having an absolute blast training with him as her partner for Houston's upcoming APAHA Dancing with the Stars event. Join us for a fabulous episode as Deejay shares his journey following a dream of professional dance from Virginia to NYC to LA and around the world, finally landing in Houston. From dancing as a performer on a cruise ship to dancing through a health scare while stuck in a hospital in Ibiza, Deejay's positive energy and exceptional commitment to his craft is truly special.

Ashley shares her story as a pioneer of fashion blogging as we connect on how fashion brings people together and get Ashley's expert packing tips for fashionistas. We discuss it all—from her difficult health battle with arthritis to becoming a mother and expanding her brand.

Khara Breeden, founder & CEO of Texas Forensic Nurses joins us and shares her incredible story of identifying and following her purpose, becoming a nurse, forming The Forensic Center, now in its fourth year. We discuss living out her dream, earning her doctorate and opening a completely new set of health services for victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking. She shares the eye-opening experiences treating victims 24/7 in their community-based victim service center that provides confidential & free medical forensic exams, adult forensic interviews, legal support, counseling & advocacy to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse and elder maltreatment.