Christie Ruffino is the President and Founder of the Dynamic Professional Women’s Network, Inc., which is an industry exclusive networking organization designed to help women create partnerships with each other to generate ideas, alliances, and revenues within a structured referral generating format.

Five years since its conception, more than 1200 members have joined DPWN in Illinois and Wisconsin, recognizing it as a driving force behind the success and profitability for many of its members’ businesses. This accomplishment along with other philanthropic efforts inspired a nomination and following honor as one of the most Influential Women in Business of 2009 by the Business Ledger and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and in 2010 with an Entrepreneurial Excellence Award by the Business Ledger.

Today Christie is looking to expand her impact by working more closely with business professionals who want to build more business, provide more value and manifest a more prosperous life as a John Maxwell Certified Coach.

Christie L. Ruffino
Dynamic Professional Women’s Network, Inc.
info@dpwomen.com
www.dpwomen.com
630-336-3773 Cell

My Blessings in Disguise

The story of one woman’s journey to create a future that provides financial independence and joy for herself and her children while also providing a valuable networking resource for other women called the Dynamic Professional Women’s Network, Inc.

Take advantage of this opportunity to become an author by participating in our Overcoming Mediocrity Volume II book project.

Michelle is the Best-Selling Author of the book “Winning in Life Now…How to Break Through to a Happier You!” She has been endorsed by and worked for some of the most influential, successful motivational teachers and authors in the industry, including Zig Ziglar.

Michelle Prince has embraced personal development, goal-setting and the desire to improve her life since the age of 18. Michelle has taken that knowledge to transform not only her own life, but the lives of millions of people who want to break through to a life of greatness.

Aside from being an author, Michelle is a sought after motivational speaker, one-on-one mentor and radio show host on the “Winning In Life Now Radio Show.” She owns her own company, Prince Performance Group, as well as her own publishing company, Performance Publishing. Michelle is a Zig Ziglar Motivational Speaker and shares her talent across the country representing the Ziglar organization. She has hosted Ziglar’s Success 2.0 LIVE webcasts and has been featured on SIRIUS Satellite Radio as well as several syndicated radio shows around the country.

Michelle’s style is one that can see your greatness and help you manifest that into action. She will help you to reach higher and go farther with her support and encouragement along the way.

Michelle Prince
Prince Performance Group
Info@PrincePerformance.com
http://www.MichellePrince.com
972-529-9743

Know Where You’re Going

It is hard to hit success in life if you’ve never defined what success means to you. Defining your goals based on your passions in life is critical to long-term success and happiness. Michelle Prince shares valuable tips on how to determine your passion / purpose to set the foundation for true joy and fulfillment in life.

Deborah Battersby, known as the Success Accelerator, is a business & performance coach. Using NLP and pattern recognition to solve the “individual success puzzle”, Deb helps her clients put the right elements together for faster, easier results.

Award-winning achievement is not new to Deb or her clients and why some, like Dr. Sam Hazledine, of MedRecruit, Ernst & Young 2012 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, call her his “secret weapon.”

An avid puzzle geek and mystery buff, Deb is intrigued with problem-solving and clue gathering. “What makes some people succeed while others fail?” presented a puzzle that initiated a 12 year quest resulting in the emMatrix Coaching Model ™ which allows Battersby to take behavioral transformation and human potential to new heights

As an RRI master trainer Tony Robbins has trusted his VIPs and personal guests to Deb for 15 years. Her coaching methods have helped thousands create fast, effective changes to accelerate success without working any harder.

Deborah Battersby
Success Matrix
deb@SuccessMatrix.com
www.deborahbattersby.com
630-830-0064

Waking Up Happy

Deborah poses the question: “Do you wake up happy?” Are you one of those people who, like me, assume that happiness is what happens after you get EVERYTHING else handled? If you don’t wake up happy or hadn’t even thought about the possibility as a reality for your life, then this message can help get you on your happiness track. If you do wake up happy, then you may discover more ways to spread the magic that others receive from just being in the presence of happiness. Either way you’ll learn some simple ways to take charge of your happiness and not have to wait for it to show up. Happy Trails!!

Since taking over as CEO in 1993, Maureen Beal has seen the organization, started by her grandfather, enjoy steady growth. She plays a vital, hands-on role; maintaining that the company should “never be so large as to lose sight of the personal connection we have with our family of agents and drivers, and of course, our customers.” While National Van Lines has recently become an employee-owned company, Maureen remains at the helm and continues to support woman-owned and diversity initiatives.

Maureen serves on the Board of Directors of the American Moving and Storage Association. Having served as Chairman of The American Cancer Society Board of DuPage County, IL, she is an advocate for women’s health issues. Actively involved in community service, Maureen is the past Chairman of the Board of Aspire, an organization that works with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Currently, Maureen is a Trustee for Benedictine University, Board President of the Executives Breakfast Club of Oak Brook and Board Chairman of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital.

Recognized for her expertise in employee retention and sound business practices; Maureen regularly speaks at industry conventions and is frequently invited to share her approach to management as a conference speaker/panelist.

Maureen Beal
National Van Lines, Inc.
ceo@nationalvanlines.com
www.nationalvanlines.com
708-450-2900

The Leadership Journey – Not Always What You Expect

Maureen tells the story of her personal journey from switchboard operator to CEO of one of the largest woman-owned companies in Illinois – a position she never imagined holding as she was growing up, the youngest of three siblings and the only daughter. And, even though National Van Lines was a family-owned business, Maureen believes that some of the most significant leadership lessons came from her experience when she took a job outside the business. Now that National Van Lines is an employee-owned company, Maureen finds herself “Leading from the Heart.”

I took my first photography class in 1976 while in the 7th grade. It laid the foundation for my love of capturing photos and the evolution of what I see through a lens today. I was surprisingly recognized for my 1998 photos of the newly erected *Petronis Towers in Kuala Lumpar Malaysia and *Mui Wo, a Buddhist sanctuary in Hong Kong, China. Four of the photos were published in the National Library of Congress in 1999. “It’s wonderful when your work gets recognized and published. However other pieces do not. Nevertheless, all of my photography is very personal and sentimental to me.”

My work as a photojournalist 2000 to 2003 for *Examiner Publications in the Tri Village area opened up a comfort zone to “getting the shot” and doing whatever it takes to get it. It definitely added confidence and fine tuning to my work. I primarily covered writing and photographing for news sections that included features and human interest, school beat, entertainment, and historical columns including a weekly photo opinion column. I also photographed special events, local government, board and village meetings and anything that was community and locally related. My travels have inspired my work by exposing me to new material in many areas of the world. Although these places were already captured on film they gave me the challenge of creating a new twist to the art of storytelling through photography. In 2010, I was accepted into the Elmhurst Art Guild and am preparing to exhibit my art in the spring art show. I have been fortunate to have been reimbursed for my photographs by: designers, musicians, dancers, actors, families, expectant moms, graduates, fashion shows, private gardens, athletes, and to catalog artists collections.

Audrey Lowe-DeFrancesco
Audrey Lowe Photography
Adancerz2@aol.com
http://adancerz2.wix.com/audreylowephoto
630-830-0437

Graduation to Successes

A true story of breaking away from a negative place to flourish and set an example for my two daughters.

Alaire was born on July 7th in a small town north of Jackson Tennessee and is an only child.  Growing up, her mother’s parents and family were very important to her and lived out two lessons she has carries with her as she walks through life.  First, everyone is precious so we should treat them as we would like to be treated.  Second, God allows things in our life for a purpose, gratefully accept them, and learn from them.

She has lived in Glen Ellyn for 25 years and feels blessed to be a soccer mom of 4 precious children.  One of them, Danielle, married Justin in March 2013.  Alaire’s focus in raising her children was to create a team spirit, encourage them to follow their passions, live with a grateful attitude, always show respect to others and to have fun in life.   She believes it is crucial to stay active and take care of your body since it allows you to do everything else in your life.  She loves walking, biking, golfing, skiing, music and anytime she gets to dance…that’s the best!!

For her, leadership starts with integrity and a servant’s heart.  She carried this into her role as a Girl Scout leader, as a discussion group leader for MOPS and Friday Morning Moms at her church, Glen Ellyn Bible Church and as a mom.  As a leader, she understands the importance of continuing to learn from others who have been successful at developing themselves with business skills and relationships skills beyond her experience.

She and her husband, Randy, have co-owned ArborVIEW Sunrooms since 1999.  ArborVIEW specializes in sunrooms, room additions, screen porches, porch conversions, decks, patios and replacement windows for the home and business.  They carry an incredible 3 season window that out performs any single pane glass window for a 3 season room(not heated or cooled regularly). Their clients love this window so much that they will invest the extra expense of a full trench foundation(required by some villages) to have them in their new 3 season room. ArborVIEW featured these incredible windows in the sunrooms of several  Premium Homes during the Luxury Home Tours.

Alaire has partnered with other real estate investors on two multi-family properties.  She plans to use the skills she has learned as an investor, as well as the network of investors she has created, to locate and offer housing to those who have so faithfully served our country and their families.

Volunteering to serve others, especially military families, is very important to her.  She feels it is an honor to serve our military heroes and their families by showing gratitude, providing comfort, resources and education through Operation Welcome You Home (WelcomeYouHome.org) and Operation Support Our Troops (OSOTAmerica.org).  We can never say thank you enough!!

As this book is being assembled, she is starting a new venture called You Are Precious which gives people the opportunity to ‘give from the heart’. They will provide products to communicate appreciation to others when they are given as gifts or are donated to those who deserve to be told how precious they are.  The items will be a reminder to the recipient that someone believes they are precious.

Alaire S. Merritt
ArborVIEW Sunrooms
You Are Precious
servingourheroes@gmail.com
Info@Arbor-VIEW.com
RememberYouArePrecious@gmail.com
www.YouArePrecious.net
www.Arbor-VIEW.com
www.WomenContractorsConnection.com
630-557-9737

Always remember, to someone…….YOU mean the world

You know the saying “you never know who’s gonna’ be behind that door”?  Well, for me, walking thru that door changed my life!  My story is how one man and his vision of how we can lead effective and purposeful lives did just that for me.

Many of us have experienced hardships, disappointments, pain, broken hearts and I am no different.   It is what we choose to do with those feelings and experiences that define us.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the heart that holds on and my story invites you into that tunnel and how I came to find the light!

Carrie Steuer is a former Federal Agent with the EPA, with her environmental skills hardly at work as a stay-at-home mom, wife, professional bra fitter, author, one-time songwriter and occasional recycler. She is Essential Bodywear’s first Two Star Director.

Featured as one of six “Moms who made money from Direct Sales” in Family Circle’s October, 2011 issue, Carrie’s career sales of $750,000+ is the company’s top producer and is on track to exceed her personal sales goal of $1 million. An annual top performer in personal sales, recruiting and team building, she has expanded her horizons to include sales coaching and mentoring. As result, she manages the largest, highest producing, award winning team in the company 8 years in a row.

Carrie is passionate about women’s health and making a difference in their lives in both product and opportunity. She has participated in a variety of fundraisers and has been invited as a guest speaker at various hospitals, health care events, career conferences, team meetings, training calls and image consulting. She is also ELITE Leadership Certified with the DSWA.

Carrie enjoys spending time with her family and is a music and art enthusiast. Her other hobbies include nocturnal bike riding, competitive “rock, paper, scissors” tournaments, dialing for dinner reservations and secretly dancing to techno music in her Hello Kitty pajamas.

Carrie Steuer
carrie@carriesteuer.com
www.carriesteuer.com
312-515-5819

My “lopsided” blueprint of balancing motherhood and career.

A career woman’s journey and her unexpected decision to be a stay-at-home mom. Forgoing her corporate career and transition to motherhood, and finding a way of re-inventing herself in the process. Her path to understanding the age-old adage of “motherhood is the hardest job in the world” and discovering a loophole that lets her balance both her need for a rewarding career and the desire to be a stay-at-home mom.

Dr. Cosgrove graduated from National University of Health Sciences (formally National College of Chiropractic). She recently completed a three year post-doctorial degree to become a Board Certified Chiropractic Internist, specializing in the diagnosis, conservative treatment and management of acute and chronic internal disorders as well as musculoskeletal conditions. Having the status of a D.A.B.C.I (Diplomate, American Board Chiopractic Internists), will provide Dr. Cosgrove advanced training and knowledge allowing her to offer patients a comprehensive, integrative approach to their health care needs and concerns.

Patients will receive individualized treatment plans with a strong emphasis on active patient participation. Dr. Cosgrove feels that when a patient is active in his/her care they are more likely to be compliant which leads patients to shorter recovery periods and the ability to return to their activities and daily lives in a more reasonable amount of time.

Dr. Christine Cosgrove
Center for Alternative Primary Care
drcosgrove99@yahoo.com
www.alternativeprimarycare.com
630-351-4362

Can’t Hold a Good Woman Down

Despite being told I was not good enough, despite my struggles in school, I had great
parents who made me believe otherwise and encouraged me to pursue my career as
a Chiropractic Physician. Now my passion and goal is to help others and give
them the tools to achieve optimal health. It’s our personal responsibility to
take care of ourselves: not the drug companies and not the “sick”
care insurance companies (aka health care insurance).

Edie Gibson, BSDH, MSc, is, above all, an unapologetic believer in Jesus Christ, a wife, and mother to her greatest blessing Makaila. She is a charismatic, knowledge-wealthy trainer with a mission and passion to affect CHANGE by empowering women to “put on Christ” and wear their faith with passion! She incorporates real world experiences and humor into all her programs, making difficult subjects fun, empowering, and thought provoking. She owned an independent dental hygiene practice, called About Face Dental Hygiene, in Crested Butte, CO until spinal surgery ended her clinical career.

Currently, Edie is a Clinical Trainer/Advisor for The Implant Consortium, a Corporate Trainer for Balancing Life’s Issues, Inc. and an independent speaking professional. She is a Regional Assimilation Coach for Celebrate Recovery. Edie is pursuing her MS in Psychology and training to be a Licensed Addictions Counselor. She is the Volunteer Coordinator for CASA, Voices for Children and, along with her husband Chris, runs a Christ-centered transitional living facility for men recovering from addictions called The New Adams House. Edie also served on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Practical Hygiene, is a Thought Leader for Hu-Friedy, a Key Opinion Leader for Crown Seating and PDT Inc. and published author.

Edie Gibson
Casual Christian No More-IHS, LLC
Edie@EdieGibson.com
www.EdieGibson.com
www.IHSEmpowermentGroup.com
970-596-4458

Overcoming Spiritual Mediocrity

Mediocrity has many faces. I was a Casual Christian for many years, living a mediocre spiritual life. This is the story of my walk with God that led me to a spiritually full and abundant life! If you are a Casual Christian, my prayer for you is that you too embrace your faith, step out and overcome spiritual mediocrity, and walk proudly with God!