She Talks
FEATURING
ANNE CHOW
Magazine
AUGUST 2025
5 SIPS & SNACKS
FOR GIRL’S NIGHT
VOL 2 | ISSUE 8
First woman CEO of AT&T
Business & first woman of
color CEO in AT&T’s entire
nearly 150 year history
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CONTRIBUTORS
Editor-in-Chief
DR. JULIE DUCHARME
Cover Layout and
Magazine Design
DR. JOSHUA DUCHARME
Contributing Writers
DR. JULIE DUCHARME
KAREN PERKS
ABIGAIL DUCHARME
SARAH E. MCARTHUR
CATHY DOMONEY
WENDY WATSON
KRIS MILLER
SHELBY JO LONG
MAMIE LAMELY
KAREN WEAVER
TIA CRISTY
Table of
Contents
The Complex Dance Between Joy, Happiness,
and Grief
By Karen Perks
How Trauma-Informed Leadership Begins at
Home
By Cathy Domoney
11
Be the Thunder: The Power of Aligned
Presence
By Mamie-Jean Lamley
Leading Bigger Through
Inclusion, Culture, and Courage
By Dr. Julie Ducharme
16
24
Anne Chow
FEATURE
Unlocking Your Money DNA: How Your
Financial Foundation Shapes Your Future
By Kris Miller
30
When Women Rise: The Power of Story
34
Backpacks, Business Plans, and Burnt Toast:
The Back-to-School Balancing Act of
Mompreneurs
38
By Dr. Julie Ducharme
By Karen Weaver
MiKare Health: Putting Patients in Control of
Their Own Health Story
By Karen Perks
48
Embrace the Debate: How Female Leaders Can Use
Constructive Conflict to Spark Innovation and
Empower Culture
By Shelby Jo Long
43
Sip Happens: Easy Bites & Sassy Sips for a Girl’s
Night In
By She Talks Team
54
The Recovery You Don’t See: Leaving, Healing, and
Loving Again
By Wendy Watson
61
Stress, Support, and Showing Up: How Teens and
Parents Can Navigate Anxiety Together
By Abigail Ducharme
68
Youth Ambassador
As Summer Ends: How to Prep Kids for Back-to-
School While Still Practicing Self-Care
By Tia Cristy
72
FROM THE EDITOR
Founder, Lead and Empower Her She Talks
Dear She Talks Family,
August is here—and for many of us, that means back-to-school madness,
juggling carpool schedules, reorganizing our lives (again), and trying to
remember where we left the iced coffee we never finished. Sound familiar?
That’s why this issue of She Talks Magazine is packed with the perfect
blend of inspiration, joy, and let’s-be-real moments to help you move
through the month with a little more ease, a lot more laughter, and a whole
lot of sisterhood.
We’re thrilled to feature Anne Chow, former CEO of AT&T Business, as our
August spotlight. Her story of leading with authenticity and courage in the
corporate world is nothing short of phenomenal. Anne is a force, and her
insights on leadership, inclusion, and resilience will leave you both
empowered and ready to take your next bold step.
Inside these pages, you’ll also find powerful reflections from our She Talks
contributors—real women sharing real-life stories about grief, health,
leadership, alignment, and how to chase joy even when life feels messy.
And because we believe empowerment doesn’t have to be all serious
business, we’ve included a few humorous gems on the beautifully chaotic
journey of being a mompreneur (yes, we see you, messy bun and all).
Feeling snacky? Don’t miss our collection of easy, energizing drink and
snack recipes to keep you fueled through everything from Zoom meetings
to soccer practice.
This month is about transitions, realignment, and remembering that
success doesn’t always look like a perfectly color-coded calendar.
Sometimes, it looks like getting through the day with grace, grit, and maybe
a few gummy bears in your purse.
We’re honored to be part of your journey and community. Here’s to
showing up fully, loving boldly, and leading with heart.
THE COMPLEX
Dance
BETWEEN JOY,
HAPPINESS, AND GRIEF
BY KAREN PERKS
What We Show vs. What We Feel
There’s that kind of smile that doesn’t quite reach
the eyes. I’ve worn it more times than I can count,
that quiet mask we slip on to tell the world, “I’m
fine,” when we’re anything but. In a culture that
rewards resilience and rushes grief, we learn to
perform wellness even as we quietly break inside.
Behind my own smile, I’ve stood at my daughter
Mikayla’s bedside through countless seizures - her
body overwhelmed, lost in the noise of clinical
uncertainty. I smiled for her, for myself, and for
those who didn’t know what to do with my sorrow.
That smile was not a lie, it was survival. This is a
reflection on the nuanced space where joy,
happiness and grief collide, and how we often
confuse one for the other.
Defining the Concepts
We live in a world obsessed with being happy. It’s
stitched into advertising slogans, baked into
Instagram captions, and sold as the end goal of
every product and program. Smile more. Be
grateful. Manifest joy. And don’t get me wrong,
gratitude is powerful. Positivity has its place. But
when happiness becomes a performance, a metric,
a way to prove you’re okay... it
starts to feel more like a trap
than a gift.
Joy, though, is something else. It
lives beneath the surface. It isn’t
about a moment going right, it’s
about meaning rising from the
mess. I’ve felt joy, it didn’t cancel
the fear or fatigue, but it
anchored me. It reminded me
that even in pain, something
beautiful could still take root.
SHE TALKS | 7
The
Emotional
Masking
of Grief
Grief is the master of disguise. It can look like
competence, like humour, like determination. For
me, it often looked like a woman who had it all
together, making phone calls, coordinating
doctors, holding the family steady. People called
me strong. Few saw the quiet unravelling
underneath. That’s what we don’t talk about, how
grief becomes invisible when we get too good at
hiding it.
And yet, in some moments, joy sneaks in like light
through a crack. At my mum’s funeral, someone
told a story that made the whole room erupt in
laughter. It was pure, unfiltered, and for a
moment, we all breathed differently. That laugh
wasn’t a betrayal of our grief, it was a tribute to
her spirit.
The Paradox of Coexisting Emotions
We’re taught to think of feelings as linear: you’re
sad, then you heal. You’re broken, then you mend.
But real life doesn’t move in straight lines. I’ve
cried while reading bedtime stories. I’ve smiled in
waiting rooms. I’ve laughed during heartbreak.
One of the most powerful depictions of this comes
from the film Inside Out. Emotions are personified
with Joy trying desperately to keep things light,
Sadness being treated like a nuisance. But the
truth that emerges is profound: Sadness isn’t the
enemy. She’s necessary. She brings empathy,
connection, truth. Joy learns to step aside and in
that, healing begins.
That’s what I’ve come to believe: our emotional
lives aren’t about choosing one feeling over
another. They’re about honouring the chorus and
letting each voice speak, even when they seem to
contradict.
SHE TALKS | 8
The Cost of Emotional Suppression
There’s a high cost to pretending. The more I
performed happiness, the less people
checked in. Eventually, even I stopped asking
myself what I was really feeling. My grief
didn’t disappear it just sank deeper, showing
up as fatigue, as tension in my shoulders, as
silence when I needed words.
And then there’s the ache of invisible grief
when you’re surrounded by people yet feel
profoundly alone. Because they see the smile.
They hear the laugh. And they think you’re
okay. And maybe that’s what hurts most being
unseen in plain sight.
Healing Through Authenticity
Sometimes, we keep chasing happiness not
because it’s close but because slowing down
would force us to feel what we’ve been
avoiding. The sadness. The loneliness. The
grief we never gave enough time.
Stillness is terrifying when you’ve built your
life around momentum. If we stop chasing, we
might have to admit we’re lost. So, we keep
going smiling, performing, ticking boxes
hoping the feeling will eventually catch up.
But real happiness doesn’t come from the
chase. It comes from the pause.
SHE TALKS | 9
When Joy Is Real and Still Includes Grief
I’ve laughed with Mikayla on days filled with uncertainty. I’ve seen friends dance barefoot at
memorials, crying and celebrating in the same breath. That is joy - not the absence of grief, but its
cohabitant. Its shadow and its light.
Grief changed how I see the world. It made ordinary moments sacred. The warmth of sunlight on skin.
A familiar voice on the phone. The quiet exhale when you realize you’ve made it through the day.
These aren’t small things anymore they are everything.
I’m not grateful for the grief. But I am grateful for how it widened my heart. For how it deepened my
empathy. For how it taught me to stay present even in pain.
The Truth We Carry
Joy is not the opposite of sorrow. And happiness
isn’t proof of healing. Both can exist while the
ache still lingers. Our smiles might hide parts of
us but sometimes they also hold the whole story,
stitched together with grief, laughter, memory,
and love.
Maybe the goal isn’t to be whole in the way we
once were. Maybe it’s to carry the truth, all of it,
and still move forward with tenderness. I no
longer believe happiness is a destination. It’s not
something you earn by being productive or
positive. It’s something that flows, in and out,
when you start living in alignment with your truth.
We don’t need to chase happiness to prove we’re
whole. Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is
stop running... and listen.
Healing didn’t come when the crises ended, it
came when I allowed myself to feel them fully.
To say, “I’m not okay,” and trust that it didn’t
make me weak. I had to unlearn the idea that
being strong meant being silent.
When I began telling the truth to myself and to
others something shifted. People met me
there. Conversations became softer, deeper,
more honest. Vulnerability stopped being
something to avoid, it became the bridge to
connection. And joy? It started returning in
new ways. Not as a reward for being okay, but
as a companion to all that was still tender.
Because beneath the noise, we might just find a
quiet kind of joy, the kind that doesn’t need to be
chased at all.
mikare.health
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mikare-health
https://www.instagram.com/mikare_health
SHE TALKS | 10
HOW TRAUMA-INFORMED
LEADERSHIP BEGINS AT HOME
BY CATHY DOMONEY
s a mother of five, a trauma-informed
consultant to high-level
professionals, and the founder of The
Backyard Peace Project, I know
firsthand what it means to hold space
for healing, both at home and in the
workplace, and within ourselves.
That means choosing presence in the
middle of the pressure. Choosing to
lead not just with ambition, but with
alignment. And knowing that
parenting, when done consciously, is
one of the most sacred and effective
trauma-prevention strategies we
have.
For over two decades, I’ve worked intimately with parents
and leaders to transform hidden trauma into clarity,
power, and purpose. I’ve come to understand that peace
in the world starts with peace within, and that the most
radical legacy work we can do is to become the most
connected version of ourselves.
SHE TALKS | 11
My life changed after the birth of my fifth child,
when I almost didn’t survive. In that moment, I
knew my time here wasn’t infinite. I felt a deep
calling to surrender fully to the mission within
me, to help others break free from their pain and
rise into their brilliance.
Soon after, my first client literally knocked on my
door and refused to leave until I agreed to work
with her teenage son, who had lost his will to live.
Supporting his transformation was one of the
most sacred and affirming experiences of my life.
I knew then that I was being divinely guided, and
I’ve followed that calling ever since.
A Turning Point
SHE TALKS | 12
My days are full. I rise early and begin with quiet time, correspondence, and reading. Once the house
stirs, I direct the “operation school run” for my five neurodiverse children, then prioritize my physical and
mental strength with a workout and walk with the dogs.
After that, I dive into deep work with my private clients, influential leaders, high-level professionals, and
changemakers, who are ready to dissolve the internal barriers that are silently sabotaging their lives and
legacies.
A Day in My World
Even in the busiest seasons, I protect space for
nothingness. Whether it’s a moment in nature, a nap,
meditation, or journaling, this non-structured time
allows inspiration to drop in. It’s often when I
receive my most aligned creative downloads and
next steps.
After school, our home comes alive again. We cook
together, debrief from the day, prep for tomorrow,
and connect before turning in early with an evening
meditation. It’s not always seamless, but it is
intentional.
SHE TALKS | 13
Our children learn from how we show up. When we
model that they are worthy of our time, our full
presence, our respect, and our love, we help build
the foundation of their self-worth.
And let me be clear, I am by no means a perfect
parent. I have made, and will continue to make,
mistakes. What matters is that I make my children
part of that conversation. I take ownership, apologize
when needed, and invite repair. Not only does this
validate their experience, it also gives them
permission to be themselves; perfectly imperfect,
just like the rest of us.
That vulnerability creates safety. It teaches them
that they don’t need to perform or people-please to
be loved. They just need to be real.
I’ve learned that the quality of our presence matters
far more than the quantity. It’s the sacred, everyday
moments, the ones that seem small, that build trust,
connection, and emotional resilience.
I create intentional “Date Vouchers” with each of my
children, one-on-one time where they choose the
activity and I bring my undivided attention. Whether
it’s a beach walk, ice cream date, or movie night,
these moments matter.
I also invite them into daily life, folding laundry,
walking the dogs, cooking dinner, which becomes the
backdrop for organic, important conversations
without pressure.
At bedtime, I ask for their top three highlights of the
day. It’s a gentle, powerful way to understand what’s
alive in their hearts.
Sunday is sacred in our home. I rarely work that day.
It’s our reset. We play games, walk the dogs, and sit in
the sun. We let the world slow down and simply be
together.
This is what regulation looks like. And when we’re
regulated, our children borrow that peace. That’s
true leadership.
What I Know About
Connection
SHE TALKS | 14
And perhaps most importantly, I’ve done the
inner work to meet myself. I’ve healed the parts
of me that once felt unworthy, over-responsible,
or invisible. That’s why I can now guide others,
because I’ve walked the fire, not just studied the
flames.
The women I work with often ask how to balance their
big work in the world with their role as mothers. My
answer? Integration and boundaries.
Clear boundaries like kindness, respect, empathy, and
integrity are non-negotiable in my home and in my
practice. I hold my children and my clients in the
same sacred space of high expectation and deep
compassion.
I’ve also learned that each of my children needs
something slightly different from me. They are each
completely unique. While my core values remain the
same, I stay flexible in my approach to meet them
where they are.
Leading While Parenting -
and Parenting While Leading
Redefining Success
To me, success is when our family reflects on the
day and can say that we showed up with love,
compassion, truth, and grace, even when nobody
was watching.
In business, success is when a client who came to
me burned out, disconnected, or overwhelmed
leaves feeling powerful, peaceful, and
profoundly free.
In life, success is being able to hold both
softness and strength in the same breath.
My Message to Women
Reading This
You are not selfish for needing space.
You are not failing for feeling tired.
You are not a bad mother for being ambitious.
Your children don’t need you to be perfect. They
need you to be present, real, and safe to be
around.
You are allowed to hold massive success and
radical self-care in the same hand.
You are allowed to lead powerfully and love
deeply.
You are allowed to be a masterpiece and a work
in progress all at once.
This is the new model of womanhood. This is
peace in motion. This is a true legacy.
Connect with Cathy
https://linktr.ee/cathydomoney
Be the
Thunder:
The Power
of Aligned
Presence
By Mamie-Jean Lamley
Inspired by the words of Satyen Raja
You don't have to shout to be powerful. You don't
have to prove your worth to take up space. You don't
have to overexplain, overwork, or overcompensate to
be a leader.
This world rewards noise, but it's not the noise that
transforms us. It's the energy behind it. Thunder
doesn't ask for permission to roar loud. It rolls in
because lightning already struck, and moves through
the ground, through the bones, through the room.
That's the power of aligned presence. It's not
something we see. It lands. It vibrates. It leaves no
doubt.
You don't become thunder by performing. You
become it by returning to the truth you've always
known, and letting that truth do the talking.
"When you walk in your worth, even
your silence becomes thunder."
- Satyen Raja
SHE TALKS | 16
Think about it. You've likely witnessed it
before: someone walks into the room and
speaks with few words, and shifts the
atmosphere. The leader who doesn't
dominate the room, yet every eye turns when
they stand, the entrepreneur who builds a
movement, not by force, but by fierce
alignment.
They don't chase applause. They carry clarity,
and that clarity moves mountains, and that is
the thunder of self-worth.
Silence, when rooted in alignment, is not a
form of submission. It's restraint. It's
reverence. It's readiness.
There is a difference between being silenced
and being sovereign. One comes from fear.
The other comes from mastery. When your
silence is intentional, it's not absence, it's
presence amplified. You become the calm
before the shift. The grounded stillness that
signals change is here. Your energy vibrates
through the room. People feel it in their
bones before you speak.
Silence Doesn't Mean
Weakness
Thunder, Like Your Presence is
Power
SHE TALKS | 17
What makes thunder thunder is not the noise.
It's the energy behind it. It is a result of
lightning striking its truth. It's nature's
unapologetic exhale.
When you walk in your worth, your actions
echo long after you've left the room. Your
boundaries speak for you. Your posture
commands respect. Your energy leads before
you speak. You no longer lead to gain
approval.
You lead to create impact. You lead people to
feel. You stop trying to impress. You choose
to embody, and this is alignment in motion.
1. Own what you stand for
Your power begins with clarity, and aligning
your stand with your values. When you can't
define your stand, the world will impose
theirs on you. Root yourself so deeply in your
truth that no opinion can sway you. Speak
with purpose and move with conviction.
Stand so firmly that confusion can't shake
you. If you don't know your values, here's a
quick tool to help you get clear:
https://codebreakerglobal.com/crackyourcod
e?code=EmpowerYou
2. Walk in integrity
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Do what aligns with your values, even when
no one is watching. Integrity builds trust
before you say a word. It's the force your
energy carries into every room. When your
actions and your words match, people feel
safe following your lead.
The Echo of Alignment
How to Walk in Your Worth
Start by being the lightning.
You become the energy. You become the
light. You become the power. Lightning strikes
first. It moves like an aligned decision. It
flashes with clarity and carries the spark of
truth you no longer deny. It cuts through
silence. It pierces the atmosphere. It signals
change the moment it arrives.
Then comes the thunder.
The power of invisible energy follows the
moment you choose truth. Alignment then
echoes through every space you touch. Your
thunder is not about raising your voice; it
shows up when you strike truth and stand in
it. Unshaken. Unapologetic, and this is what it
means to walk in your worth.
Channel the Charge: Six Moves
to Become the Thunder
3. Release the need to be understood
You are not here to explain yourself to everyone.
Some will never understand, and that's not your
responsibility. Your job is to live what's real. Let your
alignment speak louder than any defense. Let your
silence say what arguments never will.
4. Protect your peace
Don't perform, you are here to be present. Your
energy is sacred, not for public consumption. Peace is
not passive. Peace is power under control. Guard it.
Move from it. Let stillness say what noise never can.
5. Trust the resonance
You don't need everyone to understand your
frequency. You only need to stay true to it. The right
people will feel you. The aligned ones will rise to meet
you. Let your presence filter what no longer serves
you.
6. Stop trying to be thunder - Be it!
You don't become thunder by shouting. You
become it by standing fully in who you are.
Unedited. Unbothered. Unshakable. Stand
tall.
Take Your Stand - Own the
Storm
You don't have to raise your voice to raise the
vibration of a room. You don't have to explain
your power to make it real. You are the storm
that shifts atmospheres simply by walking in
the truth of who you are.
Be the lightning.
Strike with clarity. Lead with alignment.
Speak with purpose.
Move with conviction.
Then let the thunder follow.
Let your boundaries echo.
Let your presence ripple.
Let your silence remind the world that your
worth no longer waits for permission.
You don't chase applause.
You don't hustle for approval.
You lead because your life is the message.
And when you walk in your worth,
You don't just speak power.
You become it.
You are the thunder.
And we hear you now.
Connect with Mamie
https://www.facebook.com/mamie.lamley
https:/www.linkedin.com/in/mamielamley
https:/www.instagram.com/mamielamley
https:/www.tiktok.com/@mjlamley
https:/www.i3empowermentsolutions.com
SHE TALKS | 19
A story of healing from traumatic experiences
By Sarah E. McArthur
RISING
with the Waves