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Monique Gilliam on Intention, Relatability, and Turning Action into Results

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.

Nia Baucke on Creating Policy by Listening

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.

Jessica Moore on Relationship-Building to Create Lasting Change

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.

Outreach + Advocacy, Sponsored ContentMichaela RawsthornApril 22, 2022Everyday Expert, Features

Sitting with the Uncertainty: A Conversation with Dr. Ashley Solomon

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist; that's my foundation, professionally at least. I'm also a wife and mom to four young kids: My daughter is almost six months old now and then [my other children are] two, five, and seven.

My professional background is specialized in the treatment of eating disorders; that’s where my dissertation research and all my clinical administrative experience was. I went to grad school at Xavier, and did the doctoral program in clinical psychology there. I love that work. I did it for almost 10 years following graduate school, and I never ever thought I would stop doing that – well, I haven't really stopped doing that work.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Christine Fisher on Managing a Start-Up Through COVID-19

We talked with Christine in late April about what it’s like to manage a company through a crisis (or two) with two young boys, a husband, and a dog in her immediate space. With characteristic candor and compassion, we learned not only about the struggles she and her colleagues are facing, but she talks first-hand about the struggles of the families, teachers, and school systems who are Possip users.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Rachel DesRochers on Guilt

You have everything inside of you to do whatever you feel like you're put on this earth to do, but you have to start. You have to take that first step; you have to try. You have to break away from the fear, which is terribly hard because you're going to fail. You're going to be laden with guilt because you've messed something up, or you've mixed up days and you've missed something. Or, you could not.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Katie Taylor on Building the Right Team

Katie Taylor knew right away that she needed to surround herself with the right people if her business, Untold Content, was going to survive the early stages of growth – as her family grew, too. We sat down with Katie at Iris Book Cafe in O.T.R. not long after the start of the school year to talk about how she built her team, how she finds the right fit, and how they’ve grown together over the past three years.

A Closer Look: ‘Women Breaking Boundaries’ at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Women Breaking Boundaries is a new exhibit exploring the role of women in art and art history at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The exhibit is a part of a larger initiative called Power of Her, a collaboration of organizations across the greater Cincinnati region united to activate and amplify women’s voices in the arts.

The exhibition was curated by the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Dr. Ainsley M. Cameron. We caught up with Dr. Cameron in the October edition of Community Mix to learn more about the motivation behind Women Breaking Boundaries, the women featured, and Dr. Cameron’s own connection to the exhibit.

Arts + Culture, Sponsored Content, History, November 2019Brittany BarkerOctober 28, 2019Community Mix

This is Entrepreneurship: Sew Valley’s Rosie Kovacs

The name “Rosie” just insists on optimism, and Rosie Kovacs was aptly named, for sure. She embodies entrepreneurial determination and a pure force of will to create opportunities and get things done. The C.E.O. of Sew Valley co-founded the nonprofit company in 2017, alongside C.O.O. Shailah Maynard, with the goal of bringing resources to apparel designers and entrepreneurs. The journey, of course, was anything but predictable. She shared with us the ups and downs of stepping away from her and life partner, Hayes’, venture, Brush Factory; the good, the bad, and the ugly that is the fashion industry; and more.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Sherry Sims on Mentorship

Sherry Sims went looking for a mentor early in her career. She was ready to grow and make moves, but she struggled to find someone who could help guide her.

Ainsley Cameron on the Cincinnati Art Museum’s ‘Women Breaking Boundaries’ Exhibit

The Cincinnati Art Museum champions the work of female artists – whether they’re well-known or they slipped through the historical cracks. For more than 100 years the Cincinnati Art Museum has been bringing in groundbreaking work created by women, and the tally for female artists they represent has only grown since Dr. Ainsley M. Cameron, curator of South Asian Art, Islamic Art, and Antiquities, joined the team.

Arts + Culture, October 2019, Sponsored ContentBrittany BarkerOctober 3, 2019Community Mix

This Is Entrepreneurship: Postwell’s Jess Kerr

Some entrepreneurs have everything planned out, and when the time comes, they’re ready. As we sit in a tiny Oakley duplex surrounded by stacks of pads, perineal sprays, sitz, and more, Jess Kerr tells us she was not one of those entrepreneurs.

The postwell journey started with a moment of frustration on behalf of a friend struggling through postpartum recovery. What came next can only be explained through the perfect storm of a viral internet story, a stack of plain white boxes, and a woman determined to solve a problem.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Cloverleaf’s Kirsten Moorefield

Kirsten Moorefield never intended to start a tech company. Yet here she is, the co-founder and C.O.O. of Cloverleaf, an H.R. tech platform that allows individuals and employees to be their best selves both at work and at home. She sat down with us at Rhinegeist Brewery – back where it all began in 2015 – to chat about her journey as a tech entrepreneur; the many, many challenges along the way; finding her support network; and what it means to be a female leader in this space.

This Is Entrepreneurship: Originalitees’ Khisha Asubuhi

My favorite people are those who tell it like it is, and Khisha Asubuhi is no exception. At 5’11’’, she’s fierce inside and out, but she’s as real as it gets, and you find yourself instantly at home chatting with her. We sat down with the owner of Originalitees just a few weeks after the company celebrated 10 years in business to chat about Khisha’s journey of entrepreneurship, dreams for the future, and being more than “just a T-shirt shop.”

This is Entrepreneurship: Catherine Manabat and Julia Petiprin of Homemaker’s Bar

Neon lights. Bright stripes. Smashed fine china. Every detail of Homemaker’s Bar draws you in and tells a story. We sat down with co-owners Catherine Manabat and Julia Petiprin approximately one month after the bar’s opening to chat about what it’s like to be a woman in the hospitality industry, the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and how two L.A. ladies ended up falling in love with Cincinnati.

‘Be okay with not being okay’: Allie McLaughlin on Mental Health, Addiction, and Cincinnati Renewed Wellness

The co-founder of Cincinnati Renewed Wellness has a lot of letters behind her name – L.P.C.C. stands for “Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor”; L.I.C.D.C. means “Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor” – but McLaughlin’s dreams and approach to wellness go far beyond our traditional expectations in the world of mental health.

Eisha Armstrong: Building a Community of Women in Product

Five minutes on the phone with Eisha Armstrong, partner and co-founder of Vecteris, a startup product management consultancy, and I feel at ease. “When people talk about product management,” she tells me, “they talk about the intersection of technology, user experience, and business acumen.” But Armstrong and her triple-threat cohort of female founders believe there’s more to it than that. In a city bubbling over with potential and promise in the world of tech, this is a conversation that we should all be having.

Entrepreneurship, Sponsored Content, October 2018Kiersten WonesOctober 29, 2018

Details2Decor: Powerful Women Changing the Game

Form a successful collaboration with other powerful women and change the game – phenomenally.

Lauren Morris: Redefining the Rules of Financial Planning

Lauren Morris of Retirement Plan Advisors is not your typical financial planner. Instead of figuring out how to quickly make someone lots of money, Morris listens and connects with her clients. She figures out what drives, motivates, and inspires them, then works with them to create a purpose for their money.

Sponsored Content, October 2018Kiersten WonesOctober 9, 2018Community Mix

A Letter from Rachel Kramer, Founder of the National Women’s History Month Festival

I hope that everyone will show up and support the incredible array of artistry that will gather for a month. It is my hope that this will generate more collaboration, more events, and more opportunities to continue to celebrate the rich artistry of women during the other 11 months of the year.

Sponsored Content, Arts + Culture, Outreach + AdvocacyRachel KramerFebruary 27, 2018