"The only way you become more empathetic is by practicing it, by being exposed to it, and putting yourself out there.”

On a sunny winter morning a few weeks ago, we met with author, consultant, and life coach Quanita Roberson at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Though we hadn’t met before, we fell into deep topics quickly – touching on race, wisdom, and much more. While we walked around the museum, we learned about her path to healing, the leadership workshop she facilitates (called Fire and Water), and the book she wrote over the course of a decade (called “The InnerGround Railroad”). 

I met Rebecca by responding to a call for volunteers at the Wavepool Gallery back in March – even as strangers, we easily slid into an exchange of expression, direction and trust as we brought her vision to life for TLACUĀ PAHTIĀ. Across the two shows I’ve had the honor of helping her install, we’ve shared intimate words of wisdom, encouragement and vulnerability. These rich moments were embedded in the materials we lay on the ground as ephemeral offerings – an ode to the beauty of sacred communication over time on Earth. 

Coming back to interview her for Women of Cincy was a full circle moment. Nothing can be done to recreate the beautiful conversations we’ve had over the last nine months, but this feature was an opportunity to capture something that could be easily shared with the world; a chance for others to get a glimpse of the perspective Rebecca brings to the community. 

We met at her studio and worked on an experimental mixed media art piece while chatting. As we intuitively played with her selection of colored wood shavings, our hearts opened organically.

The 2023 Election Day is just around the corner! On November 7, Cincinatians will elect nine city council members to serve two-year terms. In addition to city council members, voters will decide who serves on the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education, whether or not to legalize recreational cannabis use and enshrine reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution, and several other critical issues and levies. To put it mildly, this is an important election, with lasting effects on our community. To view a sample ballot, click here.

Election season has arrived! There are many choices on your ballot – from city council candidates, to issues, levies, and more it can be overwhelming. If you live in the Cincinnati Public School District, you will also be tasked with electing a new school board this election cycle. Not exactly sure what a school board does? Have no fear! Our Women of Cincy Residents have taken the time to break it all down for you. Happy reading and forget to VOTE on or before November 7. Find your polling place here.

Pam Remmel is a self-proclaimed “typical Westsider” – born and raised in Delhi, she never dreamed of leaving the west side of Cincinnati, and married “an Elder boy” with the same vision. They raised their children here, and play with grandchildren here, and now co-own the brewery that sits at the center of it all: West Side Brewing. We joined her there to chat about crocheting, good beer and memory, specifically that of her late mother. Pam was nominated for Women of Cincy by a stranger, who bought a blanket created by Pam’s mother. It’s the story behind this blanket that brings us here today.

The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati campus sits in a suburban neighborhood about 25 minutes from where I grew up and now live – something I didn’t know until Shabana Shakir-Ahmed suggested we meet there. During the time we spent talking and touring the center, I learned there was a lot Shabana and I shared, and even more that I did not know about the Muslim religion and the center.

Like me, Shabana is a mother of three, spent time at the University of Chicago, and is active in the Cincinnati non-profit scene. But unlike me, she battles harsh and unfair misconceptions about who she is – a Muslim woman. Shabana opened up about how she’s working to combat Islamophobia by living authentically and sharing her faith. 

I met Julia Lipovsky at the studio she co-owns with her partner in Northside, and it looked exactly how I imagined it would: neatly organized, brightly colored, and sprinkled with sentimental mementos with unironic mise en place. We sat down on a red leather couch next to the old hair shoppe windows, sharing vulnerable tears in memory of loved ones who continue to influence the work she produces today, and discussed the importance of making time for play in a world that tends to be too serious. 

Her energy is comforting and inviting. With an infectious smile and aura that sings in warm colors, Julia kindly gave me a hug of hope and a spark of inspiration for the days to come.

There is only one way to summarize Ms. Renee Mahaffey Harris: A Powerhouse. While her office at the Center for Closing the Health Gap in Clifton is fashionable and cozy, it’s hard not to notice the accolades that cover the shelves and cabinets. She is the recipient of a UC Health Humanitarian Award, MLK Humanitarian Award, Business Courier’s Women Who Mean Business Award, and countless others. A picture of her standing with Dr. Cornel West adorns a corner. A lifetime of serving others has not gone unnoticed. After completing this interview, I mentioned Ms. Mahaffey Harris to several people who turned out to have connections with her, and all said the same thing: “Isn’t she amazing?” 

Along Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge sits a charming gray house that, more often than not, is bustling with activity. In this building, countless conversations have occurred between neighbors and friends over steaming hot cups of coffee, cocoa, and tea. This is the home of Community Happens Here, a local nonprofit on a mission to connect people. Its founder, Ruth Anne Wolfe, spoke with us about how Community Happens Here started, the power of conversation, and why she’s adamant about saying, “Hello.”

Cincinnati Pride began in April 1973 as a small gathering of celebration, support, and visibility. Over the years, it has changed and transformed and is now a staple of the Cincinnati summer. More than 100,000 people gathered downtown, and we joined the festivities on Saturday, June 24, to speak to just a few in the eager crowd waiting for the parade to begin. With increasing rollbacks on protections for the LGBTQ+ and queer communities, we knew it was necessary to highlight why Pride is as important now as it was 50 years ago.

In every interview, we ask, “Who is an influential woman in your life?” Perhaps predictably, many choose their mothers. In fact, a common addition to that answer is, “I know everyone says their mother,” or, “It’s an obvious answer…” And while “my mom” is an often-heard response, it is one that is still wholly unique to each person. Every story of mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends, mentors, caretakers is unique – just as every person has their own shape in our lives. 

It’s a gloomy day in Over-the-Rhine, but as soon as I step through the doors of the OTR Community Housing (OTRCH) office, I am greeted with nothing but warmth. With big windows, bright colors, and a smile from the folks at the front desk, I instantly feel welcome. There are people coming in and out with a kind of familiarity one might have with their favorite coffee shop. Everyone knows each other by name, and as its own namesake suggests, the only thing that comes to mind is the word “community.” 

Cincinnati native, world-traveled musician and “Goddess of the Blues,” Cheryl Renee is the kind of gal you’d want to have in your band. Not only is she an incredible pianist and singer, but she’s humble, spunky and self-sufficient. Cheryl has toured the world and continues to keep herself busy in Cincinnati’s music scene. But she doesn’t need the applause – she can often be seen shooing away the enthusiastic clapping and cheers after every set. No, there isn’t a need to remind her how good she is – she already knows. (But we’ll continue to be fan girls in the audience anyway).

Women of Cincy sat down with Dr. Whitney Gaskins in the cutting-edge new Digital Futures building at the University of Cincinnati. With research labs, drone rooms, and contemporary architecture as the backdrop for our conversation, it was impossible to not be inspired and uplifted by all the hard work and advocacy Dr. Gaskins pours into her work every day, making sure everyone has a fair shot at a career in STEM.

Sitting grounded in the place where she made roots and blossomed, Ewaniki “Niki” Moore-Hawkins talked with us about her history at the African American Culture & Resource Center at the University of Cincinnati and about launching act 2 of her life during the height of the pandemic.

Late last summer, we met up with entrepreneur, former technology manager, and nonprofit leader Robin Walker at her business space in Springdale. In two adjacent storefronts in a shopping plaza, Walker runs a suite of organizations: one a technology support company (Technology Tailor Made) and one a nonprofit that aims to build careers in technology for minority youth (Camp BYOC). That nonprofit started as a short summer program for a handful of teenagers – as “Build Your Own Computer Camp” – and has expanded to become a wider range of programs including coding, multimedia, and robotics. 

On a beautiful autumn morning at the Mariemont Concourse, Women of Cincy sat down with Abiyah, a multi-genre singer, songwriter, recording artist, and musical muse. For more than 20 years, Abiyah has been engaging fans in Cincinnati and around the globe with her boundary-blurring musical styles of floetry, hip-hop, beatbox, indie-rock, and more. Listening to her music has been described as “like getting blitzed by Maya Angelou and Chuck D at the same time!” Meet Abiyah, a woman with a deep, distinctive laugh, who laughs often, and who will be rocking the musical scene in Cincinnati for years to come.

On one of the few non-muggy days this summer, I walked through the bright and bustling streets of Westwood to my neighborhood arcade, Wondercade. It’s a well-worn path. My kids and I make the trip often to this cherished piece of our community. This time, though, I wouldn’t be trying to beat my high score on Pac-Man or Q*bert. I was there to talk with Leslie Mattie Rich, Wondercade owner, life-long Westwood resident, and incredible creator of community. As the sounds of joy spilled in from outside the party room where we sat, Leslie shared her passion, and gift, for making space and place for the people around her.

Talking to Kelly Collette is so easy. From the moment I met her, it felt like I’d known her as a friend for years. She is the person you spend a Friday night with on the couch with a glass of wine, talking until 3 a.m. She is a warm, comforting presence wrapped in a mischievous smile, and finished off with a joke.

Kelly has toured comedy clubs and performed on stages across the country. She has headlined festivals, worked with the Cincinnati Reds, and opened for sold-out crowds. We met on a sunny afternoon in the middle of a buzzing Findlay Market – grills were smoking meat while families ate at nearby tables. Our conversation – filled with laughs and jokes – spanned from Kelly’s earliest days of open mic nights to the moments she said, “Oh, I’ve made it.”

You can see Kelly perform live at Sam Adams Taproom on October 6 along with fellow comedians Karinne Turnbow, Gretchen Schultz, and Ossia Dwyer! All ticket proceeds go toward Women of Cincy.

On a sunny day in June, I was excited to sit down and talk with Priyanka Desirazu. She came highly recommended to Women of Cincy: biomedical engineer, STEM mentor, race car driver, chef, swimmer, world traveler. She is empowering young women to take up STEM education and STEM careers. Priyanka recently won the ‘Leader of Impact’ Award from the Entrepreneurs of Success organization. She is a speaker at events such as Girl Start: Women in STEM Series, STEMlytical, STEM 4 Everyone, and HerSTEM.

It only takes a few milliseconds to feel the sparking energy that radiates from Cynthia Lockhart—it’s the kind of glittering comfort you want to bottle up and drink when you’re having a low day. She exudes confidence through a contagious smile, fabulous wardrobe, and lively charisma; her words travel with passion and leave a residual feeling of encouragement.

Women of Cincy sat down with Brittney Kane, co-founder and executive director of Foreverland Farm to learn about her journey with this sanctuary for farm animals. Foreverland Farm’s mission is to provide a permanent, safe home and daily care for the most vulnerable animals, including those abandoned, abused, neglected, and slaughter-bound, while sharing their stories of survival and perseverance to create a more compassionate community.

Brittney’s love and admiration of the animals was front and center throughout our conversation and visit to the farm. She knows each of her 90 animals at the sanctuary intimately and cares deeply about providing them safety and peace to live out their days. Her compassion for these animals knows no bounds.

Cincinnati kicked off Pride Parade 2022 this past Saturday, June 25 in downtown Cincinnati. Thousands of people cheered, danced, and embraced – celebrating love in all forms. We asked local Pride goers to tell us what Pride is to them and why it’s important to celebrate publicly.

Sitting in Kate Hanisian’s office in the Y.M.C.A. on Elm Street, there are whiteboards covered with diagrams and Post-Its. There’s Play Doh on her desk. Her office is curated for creativity, for collaboration, for bringing people together, for problem solving. And that’s exactly what we talked about.

It’s a beautiful spring day, and I’m sitting at one of the picnic tables at Washington Park. The birds are chirping, music is in the air, and in the middle of everything, I find myself happy to sit down with…my gynecologist. While this may sound unusual, it’s actually the start of a very fun, light-hearted conversation with Dr. Shwetha Manoharan, a gynecologist with a devoted clientele, as evidenced in Cincinnati moms’ groups on Facebook.

Dr. Manoharan is a busy professional woman with young children of her own and a full schedule of patient visits. However, she was able to break away for a quick moment to talk to us about being a doctor, where she draws her strength from, and why you shouldn’t feel guilty about saying “no.”

If you look up the word “driven” in the dictionary, odds are you’ll find a photo of Monique Gilliam next to it. The vision she has for her life is clear and focused, and her work ethic is something to be admired.

Since our last sit down with Monique back in 2019, she’s taken on new career and social ventures, including joining the Cohear team as a Community Organizer in March 2021. With less than a year under her belt, she was promoted to Director of Organizing and she’s relishing in this moment. At Cohear, Monique feels valued, supported, and seen. She couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the work they’re doing and she’s eager to see where this journey will take them next.

Sitting in Cohear’s office, with her youngest son happily crawling around at her feet, Nia Baucke spoke with us about her passion for the work she gets to do through Cohear. Nia worked in the social good space throughout her career. While these experiences gave Nia a chance to contribute to her community, she knew something was missing from that work: the voice of people most affected by the issues she and her colleagues were trying to solve. Now with Cohear, Nia spends time talking with Everyday Experts and helping them find actionable solutions to the issues they face day-in and day-out.

After moving to Cincinnati, Jessica Moore was on a mission to make a life for herself in her new city. After years of grinding away in just about every job in the food and beverage service industry, she didn’t know she’d find her calling in an organization like Cohear. Jessica now works as a Community Organizer, building and tapping into a vast network of Everyday Experts who help to create real change.

Nikita Anderson is a straight shooter – unafraid to tell it like it is. She gets it from her mom. It’s a quality that has served her well in her work with Cohear over the past 4 years, first as an everyday expert and now as Director of Community. Nikita knows the power of sharing personal stories to foster connection and change, and she is incredibly proud of the work her team and their partners are doing to engage previously unsung voices. Cohear helps organizations and decision makers leverage real world experiences to improve their policies and better serve their communities, one focus group at a time.

The best way to describe Annie Ruth is as a bright ray of sunlight on a foggy, hazy day. When she walks into a room, her spirit is a reminder of hope and positivity. She brings her authentic self forward and hopes to inspire others to do the same. Not only is Annie a talented artist and educator, but she's full of compassion and wisdom, and her enthusiasm for life is truly contagious. Even after many difficult obstacles in her path, she’s living proof that strength and determination can move mountains.