Category Archives: Women of Influence

Episode 5: Juggling Motherhood and Entrepreneurship, with Dr. Katherine Collier



Dr. Katherine Collier is the owner and founder of Spectrum Dental and Quest Dental. One of the benefits of her career has been that it has enabled her to give back to her community as much as she has been able to. Earlier in her career, Katherine did medical mission trips to Central America and since then she has set up scholarships at 2 colleges. She has also started programs to deal with issues, outside of dentistry like a fatherhood program and a leadership program for boys. It is very important to her to feel like she has contributed to society. She is most proud of her daughters. She raised them by herself which was the biggest challenge of her life, by far. They have turned out to be amazing, caring, accomplished, strong women.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why Katherine is most proud of her daughters
  • How Katherine found what she needed to become a dentist
  • The challenges Katherine found in the early days of running her business and the strategies and resources she used to overcome them
  • Juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship
  • Learning at a young age that money is freedom and how Katherine taught that to her daughters
  • Financial lessons that Katherine learned from her father at an early age
  • The defining moments of Katherine’s life
  • How Katherine was prepared financially when her husband died suddenly
  • What retirement will look like for Katherine
  • The scholarships Katherine has set up

Ways to contact Katherine:


Episode 4: Don’t Whine About Being a Woman and Just Do It, with Christine Tieri



Christine Tieri has a passion for problem solving and a quest for continuous improvement. She works with business, brands, communities, and individuals to help build their path to success. As the only Certified Brand Strategist in New England, Christine is driven to discover her clients’ unique position, help them put a stake in the ground, and build programs to support their company goals. As a Certified Brand Strategist, she talks and understands C-suite issues and thinks operationally, strategically and holistically about building her clients’ businesses.

In addition to the many creative awards bestowed upon her agency, Christine has also been named Business Person of the Year by her local Chamber of Commerce and one of Central Massachusetts Outstanding Women In Business by the Worcester Business Journal. Christine is a sought-after speaker on the topics of brand, integrated marketing, and ideation. She is an expert facilitator of workshops that help companies solve business challenges with creativity. She is the author of the blog BrandStanza.com little ditties that build big brands.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Christine’s passion for renovation
  • What it means to be a Certified Brand Strategist
  • What you need for a strong brand
  • The lessons Christine learned about managing money by growing up in a family of entrepreneurs
  • The challenges that Christine has faced throughout the life of her business
  • How Christine was drawn out of interior design and into advertising
  • Why and how Christine started her own agency
  • Resources Christine uses to stay competitive
  • The financial ramifications of eternal optimism
  • How Christine saves her money
  • The impact Christine’s mom had on her life

Ways to contact Christine:


Episode 3: The Myth of the Rich Doctor, with Dr. Vicki Rackner



Dr. Vicki Rackner M.D. is a physician who has made many financial mistakes who now works full time to help physicians build wealth. She had a career as a surgeon in private practice and had a clinical, faculty appointment at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is currently writing and working on a book called “Myth of the Rich Doctor”

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Vicki’s life journey in and out of her career as a surgeon and into her consulting business
  • The myth of the rich doctor and why it’s so hard for a lot of doctors (especially women) to make money
  • In general, why do women get paid less than men?
  • Why we need to rethink our relationship with money
  • The effect of the Affordable Care Act on physicians
  • Who do you turn to for financial planning? Who can you trust?
  • Dumb doctor deals: why doctors tend to make bad investments
  • How your financial security impacts every part of your personal and professional life
  • Spenders vs. Savers
  • The ethics of being a physician and how it relates to money
  • What physicians need to learn about running a business
  • Why women falsely believe they can either serve or make a profit when they can really do both
  • Breaking through the silence of the taboo of money

Ways to contact Vicki:


Episode 2: You Can Turn Any Weakness Into A Strength, with Linda Kaplan Thaler



Linda Kaplan Thaler is responsible for some of America’s most famous, relevant, and touching advertising campaigns, including the Aflac duck and the daring “Yes, Yes, Yes” for Clairol Herbal Essences. She has authored and composed jingles that are among the industry’s gold standard, including “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid,” and “Kodak Moments.” Linda served as Chairman of Publicis Kaplan Thaler, a fully integrated advertising agency that was the U.S. flagship within the Publicis Worldwide Network with a blue-chip client roster. Linda was also CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the Kaplan Thaler Group, founded in 1997 and grew from a fledgling startup to a company with over a billion dollars in billings. Linda has worked on several political campaigns, including the presidential runs for Clinton/Gore in 1992 and Hillary Clinton in 2008. Today, Linda is a world-renowned motivational speaker, author, and president of Kaplan Thaler Productions. She is also the author of four bestselling books, most recently “Grit to Great.”

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What Linda’s life was like growing up and how to led into her career
  • The Grit Factor: what is it and how do you get it?
  • Turning any weakness into a strength
  • Linda’s book “Grit to Great”
  • Why she started her agency in her 40s, right after having her children
  • Some of the lessons Linda learned after starting her agency
  • Why it’s so important to create deadlines for yourself and rewarding yourself for hitting those deadlines
  • How Linda created the AFLAC Duck and the financial risk that campaign had
  • Intuition and gut: how Linda’s has helped her achieve success
  • What Linda learned from her mother when diagnosed with breast cancer
  • What Linda would tell her 30-year-old self
  • Why we need to retire the word retirement

Ways to contact Christine:


Episode 1: Making Sacrifices vs. Making Choices, with Dr. Linda Barrasse



Dr. Linda Barrasse, MD, is a cardiologist and a partner in Great Valley Cardiology, Scranton, PA. She is one of the senior partners in the practice. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of Cardiology. She is a member of the Medical Alumni Council of the University of Scranton where she was a summa cum laude graduate in 1977. She is also a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, PA and did her internship, residency and fellowship in Thomas Jefferson Hospital through 1985. She has volunteered at many community organizations as a board member and helped to raise funds for a variety of associations, with special emphasis on organ donation. To that end, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Gift of Life and on the Governor’s Committee for Organ Donation. She has been known to be on a basketball court in full court dress for the purpose of raising funds for the organ donation cause.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why Linda went into cardiology when many women go into different medical fields
  • Linda’s physical care routine
  • Dealing with running a family while being an on-call physician
  • Sacrifices vs. choices
  • How to maintain and nurture reliable babysitters (or other helpers)
  • What Linda learned about money growing up
  • Why Linda doesn’t think she will ever be completely retired and what her “next phase” would look like
  • The influence Linda’s grandma had on her life
  • Why Linda wouldn’t change a thing about her life and career