Women of Chispa defining their spark toward life, challenges, and the pursuit of joy.
Better known as Dee Dee Huey by her family and friends is not your average girl. Full of adventure and passion; yes… adventure: she bungee jumped off of Bloukrans Bridge in the Western Cape of South Africa and swam with the shark in Cape Town. Yet, her heart shreds to pieces at the thought of other…
Beth Burns: Investment Management Consultant, a Passionate Business Owner of The (er) Factor, Caring Daughter, Sister, Niece and Compassionate Friend. What have you overcome? I had a stroke in March 2015. I was not supposed to have a stroke. It was not supposed to happen to me, but it did. I, like many of my friends,…
Sarah Meece: Wife, Mother, Former Educator, Award Recipient of the Milken National Educator of the Year, Author, Speaker, and Motivator. What have you overcome? Death of my mother when I was only 13: Thankfully I had a family who taught me about Jesus. Divorce: Horrific divorce leaving me as the mother of a three year old son. Attempted Murder:…
Felicia Mahone: First Breast Cancer Survivor in Her Family in Twenty Years + Hero in Pink “Don’t settle or believe you have to be treated badly for having breast cancer. Stand up for yourself. Once you get diagnosed with cancer, you’re never the same. You value your life in a new way, and so you have…
Renee Israel: Co-Founder & Mama Pop, Doc Popcorn What have you overcome? In my mid-30s, I had a rather traumatic and unexpected break-up with my live-in “thought-I-would-marry” boyfriend. I almost can’t remember the six months that followed because I just went through the bare minimum motions necessary to get through a workday and merely exist. During…
Laura Posada: Mom, Attorney, Certified Master Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Family Health + Fitness Activist, TV Personality, and a Philanthropic Icon. What have you overcome? The toughest challenge I have ever overcome was getting the news when my son was 10 days old that he was born with the condition called Craniosynostosis. I was holding…
Liza Talusan: Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Cousin, Friend, Doctoral Student, Facilitator + Warrior What have you overcome? “Over the past few years, I have whispered to God, “Isn’t that enough? Haven’t you tested me enough, God?” My family story has been filled with cancer. Just a year after I married my husband, my mother-in-law was…
Dr. Sandra Bishnoi: Lecturer and Research Scientist at Rice University, plus Mother of Two Children and Hero in Pink What have you overcomed? “I say my ‘new reality’ instead of ‘new normal’ because there’s nothing normal about chronic illness. Knowing that you’re going to die from a disease you have no control over—there’s nothing normal about that.…
Ginalisa Monterroso: Mother, Fighter, and Founder and President of Medicaid Advisory Group What have you overcome? “Twenty years ago, my daughter Tara was born with Down syndrome. The happiness I felt after giving birth was quickly taken away by doctors who encouraged me to give Tara up for adoption. They promised if I kept her, we would…
Allison Diaz, grown from a mix of Georgia Red Clay and Canadian dust, a southern girl with a heart for God, her family, and big dreams, is a warrior for Jesus, her husband, and her family. What have you overcome? “We live on the northwest corner on the ninth floor of a high-rise condo building.…
