SheEO Lead-In

Rebecca Jones is joined this week by the Vice President and Co-Founder of the California Sibling Leadership Network and the Founder of the Natalie Project, Julie Neward. Neward, a councilwoman with the California State Council of Developmental Disabilities, is also a retail real estate management team leader. In the United States, 9 out of every 10 people living with a disability are assaulted in their lifetime. That statistic is devastating to all, but particularly so to Neward. Julie has worked tirelessly to bring justice for her own sister, Natalie, who was let down by a system meant to protect her. Neward’s experiences within the disabled care system has lit a fire of passion in her life, as she experienced first hand the lack of accountability and transparency that is required when incidents like this occur. Through networking and connection making, Julie has been able to begin the push for legislation that would make accountability and transparency by entities who receive any funding for disabilities a requirement, not a suggestion. Julie encourages people to become educated on the communities in our society, as you never know when these issues may touch your own life. Neward encourages young women to build the community around them by figuring out what story they want to tell and finding those who can connect with them. She says that balance is key, as advocacy is tiring work.

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In this week’s episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by the Athletic Director from the University of Saint Katherine, Alyssa Ramos. Growing up an athlete herself, Ramos quickly found her passion and purpose in her job at Saint Katherine. As a woman in a predominantly male field, Ramos understands that any difficulties she may face are opportunities for success. When asked for one word to describe herself, Ramos says she is driven and that that is what has helped her push the envelope in her career. Ramos measures success by ensuring that her sports programs are focusing on developing their players as a whole person, not just as athletes. At Saint Katherine, they focus on winning championships, becoming good human beings, and developing spiritual formations. Ramos acknowledges that she has had immense room for growth in her career, and recognizes the importance of having compassion and trust in the workplace. Ramos places importance on communicating clearly with those around her and on meeting them where they’re at. When asked to give advice for young women following in her footsteps, Ramos encourages young women to have a strong sense of identity and that you need to truly know yourself if you want to lead.


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In this week’s episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by the CEO and President of V&A Consulting Engineers, Inc, Debra Kaye. After becoming the majority owner of her firm in 2019, one of Kaye’s major goals as a leader is to provide her employees a healthy and sustainable work environment, where they are able to provide for their families and enjoy the work that they do. Growing up a tomboy, Kaye explains how she developed her competitive and determined nature. When asked to pick a word to describe herself with, Kaye chose two: genuine and tenacious. She takes pride in being straightforward and transparent in her worklife. Citing her mother as an inspiration for career balance, Kaye gauges her own success on a similar note - family can still come first with a rewarding career. Kaye is especially passionate about encouraging all individuals in her industry, especially women, and she makes it a personal priority to make sure individuals do not get left behind in her firm. When asked if she has any advice for young women, Kaye encourages to know your worth and not be afraid to ask for it. Being told “no” is not the end of the world and there are different ways to get things done.

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This week, Rebecca Jones is joined by Alisa Vialpando, the President of Hunsaker & Associates. Originally from Wyoming, Vialpando tells us the in’s and out’s of her experiences growing up and how she came to relocate to the West Coast. When asked how she measures success, Vialpando explains that she takes stock of the happiness of those closest to her. She is able to find balance through maintaining her mental milestones and keeping her children happy and balanced. Vialpando cites her parents as being some of her biggest influencers, saying that they taught her to work hard, do the right thing, respect others, and to be honest with herself. She has been lucky enough to experience many impactful work relationships that have shown her the value of work culture and friendship. When asked for parting words for young women following in her footsteps, Vialpando says that effort is always required if you want to make a difference and that success is earned. She ends by telling young women to enjoy the journey.

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In this week’s episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by Jaks Cunningham, founder of the Anderson Group. With over 16 years of business development experience, Cunningham recounts to us how her experiences have led her to where she is today. A self described adventurer, Cunningham remembers staking her claim on living on the West Coast when she was just a young girl with a love for Disneyland. Her experiences with dual citizenship have allowed her unique perspectives and has given her the grit to appreciate differences. One of Cunningham’s biggest life lessons has been to not let other people’s irrational fears hold you back. A natural conduit for connection, Cunningham has always had a knack for networking. While she recognizes that success may look different to everyone, her success is found through connecting people and letting the magic unravel on its own.

When asked to give advice to young women following in her footsteps, Cunningham encourages girls to be gentle with the power you acquire. It’s natural to be afraid of change, but ask yourself if it is fear or excitement. The most powerful tool a woman can have is to truly know and accept all aspects of herself.

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In this episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by the Chairwoman of Rincon Economic Development Corp and Founder of both Native Beauty and Founder of EC Gallery, Ruth-Ann Thorn. Growing up locally, Thorn has found her passion in creating opportunities for her community. Thorn explains how the challenges that she faced growing up led her to the right path. She explains the meaning of the yayawish and how it defines her. A derivative of beauty, yayawish means that as individuals we understand that we are on a temporal plain and not living in fear, as every day is a gift. To Thorn, success looks like a tree. When she is fruitful, the fruit is for those around her to take sustenance from. When her business is doing well, she knows she is creating opportunities for those around her. Thorn is a firm believer that the more you push your brain, the easier you will be able to surmount your fears. She says that when you plant a seed, you cannot continue to dig it up to see success - you just have to have faith that you are growing. Ruth-Ann encourages young women to not allow the voice in your head to dictate who you are and to try to stay off of social media.


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In this week’s episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by the owner of Ascend Coffee Roasters and Old California Coffee House & Eatery, Erin Nenow. Starting off her coffee career at Old Cal Coffee when she was 21, Nenow always knew that she wanted to be a business owner and entrepreneur. She enjoys that her job brings her joy and that she is able to have structured weeks. The women trade stories about hard work and experiences, and Nenow goes in depth about how much the pandemic has impacted our local small businesses. This experience, she says, has given her a newfound appreciation for the love and support that is given from local communities - and vice versa. Describing herself as resilient, Nenow says that this trait has helped her in her successes and taught her to not shy away from things that scare her. When asked to give advice to younger girls, Nenow encourages girls to pay your dues and know that you can always do anything that you want to do.

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This week Rebecca Jones is joined by Marie Vaudry, the founder of Gleam In Your Eye. After dealing with her own mother’s Alzeimer’s diagnosis, Vaudry recognized the lack of tools available for loved ones going through dementia. Thus, Gleam In Your Eye was born. A subscription based program, Gleam In Your Eye provides monthly activity boxes for members that include a multitude of sensory games and activities to engage the mind. Hailing from Montréal, Vaudry says she has always been an entrepreneur. As a young child, she created a newspaper for her school and launched a recycling program. She describes herself as ambitious and tenacious with a heart for helping people. She measures success through the smiles and memories of customers - knowing that she is providing a better quality of life and more time with loved ones. When it comes to barriers in her industry, Vaudy claims a general lack of education regarding dementia. Vaudy encourages young women to follow projects that come from your heart, to not be afraid to ask for help, and to be bold when talking about your ideas.

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In this cheerful episode, Rebecca Jones is joined by the owner of Cycle Bar, Kelly Weier. Following an injury, Weier was looking for a way to channel her energy into a low impact activity. Weier describes herself as being inherently curious about people and their pasts. She was able to combine her passions for sales, fitness, and community to create an impactful safe haven - where individuals are able to wrestle with their burdens and move forward in their season of life. Growing up, Kelly’s parents always convinced her to work hard and to not take life too seriously. She credits her father for showing her the glass half full mentality. Weier encourages herself and others to not confuse speed bumps for mountains and to keep showing up for yourself. When asked to give advice to young girls, she says to sit in your discomfort, learn discipline, and talk yourself through your struggles.

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Rebecca Jones is joined by Isabella Knack, the owner of Dallmann Confections. Growing up with a family of pastry chefs allowed Knack to experience the intricacies of taste and cooking from an early age. However, it wasn’t until after college that she discovered her true passion for chocolate and fell in love with the concept of creating art through it. Knack describes herself as tenacious, stating that she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. To her, success is providing a safe and fun work environment, providing for her family, and ensuring that her children are happy. While balancing work and home life can be difficult at times, Knack does her best to consciously take time to herself throughout the day to meditate. When asked for any words of advice for young women, Knack encourages girls to never let fear get in your way, learn as much as you can, and surround yourself with people you can learn from. She says you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

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