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WE ROAR
LEADING WOMEN SHARE THEIR STORIES
BLAZING TRAILS
ANNUAL 2026 EDITION
ELYCE ARONS
FROM FARM GIRL TO FASHION ICON, ELYCE ARONS HAS ACHIEVED HER DREAMS THROUGH DETERMINATION, POSITIVITY AND A SPLASH OF SERENDIPITY.
MEET THE RECIPIENT OF THE WOMEN WHO ROAR TRAILBLAZER AWARD
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2026 IMPORTANT DATES AND OPPORTUNITIES
JOIN US FOR MENTORING Engage elementary and middle school young women in Sarasota, Manatee, and Desoto Counties in a program designed to help them imagine careers and the tools they need to succeed through mentorship, soft skills training, and hands-on workshops.
JOIN US TO SHARE YOUR WISDOM The Women Who Roar program is heading to the Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market for a special interactive pop-up! We invite you to visit our booth to learn how you can be a part of SRQ Magazine’s Women Who Roar program.
JOIN US TO SHARE YOUR SUPPORT Join the SRQ MEDIA Women Who Roar team for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Together, we’ll celebrate courage, honor hope, and raise funds for lifesaving research and support programs.
JOIN US FOR THE AWARDS LUNCHEON Secure your spot at SRQ Magazine’s 11th Annual Women Who Roar Leadership Awards Luncheon! Celebrate the newest Leadership Circle inductees, build meaningful connections and walk away with fresh inspiration to fuel your journey.
FOR MORE INFO, VISIT SRQMAG.COM/ENGAGEWWR
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RECIPE FOR AN UNCOMMON FASHION ENTREPRENEUR: Start with a Midwest childhood far from the hustle of Seventh Avenue, add the inspiration of a 1970s girlboss TV show and the transformative power of a sister-like friendship. Finish off the whole thing with liberal doses of grit, grace and a sprinkle of serendipity. No MBA, no fancy fashion school. No New York connections. Atypical? Absolutely. But Elyce Arons, the 2026 SRQ Trailblazer Honoree, recognized for pursuing her dreams in spite of the odds, is the least “typical” entrepreneur you’ve ever met. The co-founder of Kate Spade and CEO of Frances Valentine, Elyce builds iconic brands leading with passion, gut instinct, innate kindness and an insurmountable optimism that laughs at challenges. From a young woman wrangling steers to a fashion mogul rocking kitten heels, bringing her special mix of joyful possibility to whatever she touches, Elyce is in a category by herself and proof that authenticity beats business-as-usual every time. Three major influences early in life inspired Elyce’s path, not least of which was her down-to-earth childhood. she grew up on an Angus cattle farm in Kansas as the youngest of four daughters born to Dana and Lou Cox. Her parents instilled in their children an entrepreneurial spirit and the reality that hard work was nonnegotiable. She says, “Growing up on a farm teaches one a lot of responsibility because it is 24/7. On Christmas morning, we’d get up to open our presents and my mother would say, ‘Go feed the cattle first. They don’t know it’s Christmas.’ It was always, take care of your chores first, and then you can have fun. The cattle could get out at 2 o’clock in the morning and dad would wake us up saying, ‘Get your horses saddled. We’ve got to get the cattle off the wheat.’ An irrigation pipe would burst and we’d have to go out and put a new pipe in. It was always something. Turns out, almost everything I needed to know about business I learned on a farm.” While responsibility was necessary, Elyce’s mother Lou inspired her daughters to dream big despite the odds. A creative powerhouse, she worked as an illustrator for local retailers and newspapers in Wichita and designed costumes for local community theatre. She also happened to be a fabulous cook, and once her children left the nest, Lou flew to New York, enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America and interned for the legendary Le Bernardin before returning to the farm and starting a new career from scratch. Elyce says, “She decided to turn the whole first floor of our farmhouse into a restaurant. It’s in the middle of nowhere, 25 minutes from Wichita, some of it on dirt roads. It looked like a farmhouse on the outside, but inside, it was very beautiful with antiques and Persian rugs because my mother’s taste is exquisite. It was a huge success and I watched her do that from nothing. She had an idea and she did it.” When Elyce was 8 years old, she discovered a vision of her career path watching TV. The 1970s were a time of huge change, particularly for women and nothing captured the essence of that era better than The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a CBS sitcom featuring actress Moore as Mary Richards, an unmarried, independent woman focused on her associate producer career on a news show in Minneapolis. Women aspired to be like Mary, and little girls idolized her. Elyce decided she was going to be Mary Richards when she grew up. She says, “When I was a young girl in the 1970s, women couldn’t go and open their own bank account or get a credit card without their father or their husband’s permission. When I think back about the fact that I was living during those times, it’s just insane. Mary became this icon to me, and I think all women of our generation, by showing that you can be single, move to a big city, and make it in a man’s career because she did it.”
ROAROFAN ENTREPRENE INTERVIEWED AND WRITTEN BY ASHLEY GRANT
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Trailblazer Award Recipient From farm girl to fashion icon, Elyce Arons has achieved her dreams through determination, positivity and a splash of serendipity.
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ROAR OF AN ENTREPRENEUR But perhaps the most impactful factor in Elyce’s life was friendship. Specifically, a sister-like friendship with Kate Brosnahan, a young student she met on her first day of college at the University of Kansas. In many ways, they were polar opposites. Kate was brunette, preppy and a “citified” girl, the product of private catholic schools and social niceties, compared to blonde Elyce, a selfdescribed homebody who sported trendy styles she gleaned from fashion magazines, who could also brand a steer, drive a tractor and once brought a freezer-full of beef from home to their college apartment. But they had more in common than they realized. A
After temping and working various jobs, Elyce secured a position at J.G. Hook, then Girbaud, both iconic fashion houses in the ’80s and ’90s. Kate went to Mademoiselle Magazine as an accessories editor and Andy dove into advertising. The trio worked their way up the corporate ladder. It was exhilarating but stressful, and the shine of their coveted jobs soon wore off. Elyce says, “The glamorous world of fashion was not always so glamorous. I was probably 23 or 24 working the 9-to-6 at J.G. Hook and not always happy because as an assistant, you’re working for somebody and being told what to do every second of the day. People in the
Right: Now 63-years-old, fashion icon Elyce Arons feels that she is in “the best time of her life.” Photo by Adam Ward.
“the glamorous world of fashion was not always glamorous. i was probably 23 or 24, working the 9-6 at J.G. Hook and not always happy.” — Elyce Arons dry and sometimes absurd sense of humor, affinity for pulling pranks on each other and getting into sitcom-worthy escapades—in particular, one painfully unfortunate incident involving poison ivy and another featuring an exploding hot dog stand. Ultimately, it was the discovery that they shared a deep admiration for Mary Richards and her independent journey, in which they recognized a kindred spirit. Elyce says, “We had both been inspired by Mary to dream bigger.” Together, they navigated the maze of managing financial aid and working to pay for college. The girls transferred to Arizona State University, where they met Kate’s future husband, Andy Spade, and the three friends formed a tight-knit three musketeers friendship which would be the foundation for their future business. Post-college, Elyce, Kate and Andy made it to New York City. The trio experienced the joys of starting out in what could be a rough city with the ’80s requisite experiences of pinching pennies to make rent, cramming several roommates into shoebox-sized flats in sketchy neighborhoods, walking over broken needles and crack pipes on the way to work and stuffing steel wool in the holes in apartment walls to keep the rats out. But there were also free concerts in the park, happy hour buffets and the excitement of being in the most vibrant city where anything could happen and typically did. And Elyce adored it. She says, “I fell in love with New York. It was just like the top of the world and everyone was so chic and fascinating and beautiful.”
fashion industry aren’t always the nicest people or their reputations are not that nice. I just remember going home one night thinking, ‘My God, I’m going to have to do this the rest of my life to support myself. This is life. This is what it is.’ The reality struck me at that point.” Elyce craved independence, and to truly have that, she would need to create it. She says, “Katy and I had always talked about having a business together when we were in college. We didn’t know what it was going to be. We kind of thought, ‘We’ll open a store and have certain designers that we love, vintage plus modern.’ But we had no money and we had no experience aside from bartending and waiting tables and that kind of thing.” Kate was feeling the same frustrations as Elyce. She decided to leave Mademoiselle, take a breather and figure out what to do next. Elyce remembers, “Katy felt something was missing in the handbag market. There were really beautiful expensive European bags with a lot of hardware, and then there was the canvas L.L.Bean bag. There wasn’t a whole lot in between. Katy’s taste level was so good. She knew what was missing and that there was a need for a product that was luxury but accessible and functional. It also needed to serve a purpose in women’s lives and have that chic, simple appeal to it.” So, in 1993, Elyce, Kate Brosnahan, Andy Spade and their partner Pamela Bell started Kate Spade, combining Kate’s first name with Andy’s last, and a brand was born. They
started with the Sam bag, a simple, boxy nylon tote with clean, classic lines, with a label on the outside rather than inside the bag, a design detail that was revolutionary at the time. Elyce remembers, “I saw the first samples and said I am so in.” Andy withdrew $35K from his 401K to fund production, with each partner contributing to ongoing costs as the company grew. The Sam bag quickly became the “it” accessory of the ’90s. It was an aspirational design with an accessible price point and perfect for women on a limited budget who wanted to carry something beautiful and practical. Early on, they realized they had to assign each member of the team a specific area of focus. Elyce says, “We all were good at different things. At the beginning we were all kind of doing everything, falling all over each other and getting into arguments about different ways to get the same task done. So we decided to divide and conquer. Katy would take design, Pamela would take production, and I would take sales and marketing. And it ended up really working well because we tried not to second-guess the other person. I think what motivated us a lot was just to not lose our shirts the whole process. And that’s when
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it took off. We worked 24/7 for years. I mean, honestly, there wasn’t a moment to catch our breath the whole time. It was crazy.” Kate Spade was an outlier in the fashion world, with its founder’s Midwest sensibility and work ethic, grassroots funding, unconventional approach and not least the friendship between the partners. Elyce says, “We were so close. We felt like family. I knew we were going to be together forever, no matter what, as best friends. So our friendship was always the rock that kept everything else going. I think part of that is we respected each other. There was a lot of loyalty among the four of us to really keep it going. It was all trust and loyalty and respect, and that’s what it comes down to with a lot of humor mixed in. You have to laugh at things all the time.” The company grew exponentially, expanding internationally and growing their product offerings and staff while preserving the family-vibe at the office. Elyce and her partners were adamant that anyone involved in the brand had a certain sensibility, not fashion know-how necessarily, but instead kindness. There was a huge focus on the type of people they wanted to work on their team. Elyce says, “We took out a ‘want-ad’ IMAGE S COURTESY OF ELYCE ARONS.
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in the back of Women’s Wear Daily and the very last sentence was “must be polite.” It was intentional. I hate the word intentional now because AI uses it so much, but it was really there for a reason. We wanted people to know that this is the kind of company we’re running.” To underscore the point, they gave their staff copies of Emily Post’s Etiquette, the authoritative book on manners, underscoring the principles of consideration, respect and honesty. Elyce says of Etiquette, “I love it. I grew up with it. I still have one at my house here. It’s something we did because you have to pick the right people to fill those roles. They have to be good managers and they have to know their business but they have to do it all in a way that really nurtures the staff and the company.” Kate Spade expanded internationally and into licensing, and the momentum just seemed to grow. They received Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in 1996 and 1998, and the fashion world was buzzing with excitement about this bright new design house. But the crowning moment of personal achievement for Elyce and Kate happened a couple of years into their business when they received a call from Mary Tyler Moore’s
manager who said Mary wanted to come by and look at their handbags. Elyce and Kate were able to share with Mary how much her example impacted them and how she had inspired their journey and success. In 2006, after all the hard work and hustle, the team decided to sell the company and focus on raising their families. Elyce says, “I remember when we sold Kate Spade, I was like, ‘Yay, we never have to work!’ She spent the summer with her children, but when she dropped them off at school in September, she thought, “I don’t know where to go. I’d never not worked a day in my life. I didn’t have an office to go to. Nobody was waiting for me. No job. Nothing. I didn’t really know what to do with myself.” So she decided to throw her energy into volunteering for her children’s school. She ran events, became the president of the Parents Association and Chair of the school board. She notes, “I got really involved, which was terrific and so rewarding. I’d never worked for a nonprofit before, and it was a whole different kind of thing. I learned patience and listening to other people’s ideas and worked with amazing people from all different walks of life. I learned so much.” But Elyce and Kate soon realized they missed fashion. They wanted to create. So, in 2013, they started talking about starting another company, just the two of them. Elyce remembers, “Andy had started his own branding agency. Pamela had started her own company. So, they gave us their blessings and said, ‘We know how much you guys love working together. Just do it.’ And Katy really only ever wanted to design accessories. She loved shoes and handbags. That’s all she ever wanted to do.” So they launched Frances Valentine, an accessory business, in 2016. Then the unthinkable happened. In 2018, Kate died by suicide. The noise surrounding her death was deafening as the media turned the tragedy into a spectacle. Elyce was consumed by grief over losing her best friend and bewildered about how this could happen. She says, “It was a shock to me as it was to the rest of the world. Honestly, the first thing her husband and I said was, ‘My God, she said she would never do anything like this. She told us all the time, ‘I would never do that.’ I haven’t had depression myself, but people who suffer with depression experience the depths that you can sink to. I can’t rationalize it. I can’t explain it to anybody because I don’t know. I think she was alone and lost hope in a moment.”
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ROAR OF AN ENTREPRENEUR Elyce struggled to process the shock and grief. She decided that the best way to face the darkness was to focus on celebrating Kate’s life instead of the circumstances of her death. She decided to put all the good things she remembered about Kate down on paper. It wasn’t easy. Elyce says, “It took me a while to even get to a point where I could write about it because so many emotions would come flooding back. But I tried to look at all the positive things her life brought to everybody and to shine a light on her legacy and who she really was. She was a
for so long and to still have that same feeling about them all those years later is the luckiest thing in the world.” The book was cathartic for Elyce, and after publishing it, she learned it also provided comfort for scores of others. “It helped me with my grief a lot and when I went to book signings, women would come up to me and say, ‘My gosh, I lost my best friend that way or I lost my sister that way,’ and we would hug. That made me feel less alone, and I think the book gave them hope to reflect on all of the good times
“it took me a while to even get to a point where i could write about it because so many emotions would come flooding back.” — Elyce Arons on Kate Spade’s unexpected death private person, but she was the funniest person I’ve ever met in my life. We played pranks on each other all the time and had a blast together. I wanted to show that person I knew, not just the creative design person that everybody knew, but the real person,the loyal, wonderful, funny friend I knew from the time we met when we were 18 years old until we were 55 and all of the different periods of friendship we went through.” We Might Just Make It After All, a tribute to Elyce’s best friend and business partner, is a poignant, funny and kismet-laden coming of age story about the road to success. Elyce paid homage to the Mary Tyler Moore Show with the eponymous title, referencing the sitcom’s theme song of hope and optimism. It is a delicious must-read magical memory tour through a special era in New York with descriptions so on point you feel the rumble of the subways below your feet, the smell of street vendors, the buzz of excitement in the air and the faint sounds of Fine Young Cannibals in the background. Elyce notes, “A lot of people love the book because it was about New York in the ’90s. It was gritty and full of opportunity and just crazy fun. Others love the part about entrepreneurship and starting two businesses together as friends and how we did it. But I think the most important thing for me is the best friendship. And I think that’s what people walk away from this book with is, ‘My gosh, I have a best friend like that and I should really call them and tell them I love them today.’ Because those friendships are extremely special in our lives. To know someone
and joy that person brought in life and to concentrate on those things instead of that one moment in time when they were lost. So it has really helped me get through the whole thing, focus on the good things in life and what we can do today to make it better for so many other people,” she says. On top of losing her best friend, Elyce still had a new business to run, and trying to hold up the fort without a founder presented additional challenges to the new start-up. “Losing Katy was a huge setback because we had to readjust everything,” Elyce says. They did not have a designer and they had a lot of decisions to make to keep the company running. She continues, “All these things were coming at us. But we decided that we were just going to do it. Our team was made up of all female employees and we got it together and we did it together.” And in their efforts to pick up the pieces after tragedy, Elyce and her team created a renewed focus and expanded their offerings. “After we lost Katy, I wanted to do something as a tribute to her that wasn’t a handbag. We had been huge vintage shoppers. So we remade two of her favorite vintage pieces. One was a caftan that she’d worn on every vacation we’d ever taken together and the other was this embroidered floral sweater that she wore backwards all the time and looked adorable. So we remade those two pieces and we called it the Love, Katy collection. Of course, it sold out immediately. We reordered it and it sold out again and again and again, and people started asking for all of the vintage pieces that we had collected over the years that we
were using in our campaigns. Our inspiration comes from mostly mid-century pieces from the ’50s, the ’60s and the ’70s. So, we started making swing coats and cigarette pants and sweaters and jackets and skirts. Cut to 18 months later, and we had a full apparel collection all based on vintage,” Elyce says. In a world that can feel increasingly monochrome, techno grey, Frances Valentine embodies the colorful, optimistic spirit of possibility and hope. The clothing and accessories are unapologetically happy. Classic silhouettes with effervescent jewel colors garnished with flowers, saucy cutouts and whimsical trims feel like a reclaiming of joy with sprinkles on top. And as with everything else she does, this quality is intentional for Elyce, creating something in the world that makes women feel good in uncertain times. Her motto is “Wear what makes you happy.” She says, “It is so rewarding. Everywhere I go, the brand just resonates with people so much. There’s so much craziness and chaos going on in the world that we see all around us. I just think it’s happy and I think if you can dress that way, it changes your whole day.” With no formal art or fashion training, Elyce says she creates with an intuitive sense for what shapes and colors work. She says, “It’s really all instinct. It’s what we love. For me, the quality has to be there because we want things to last in people’s closets. The design is already classic. So, you’re not going to say, ‘What was I thinking?’ when you look back at something two years from now. Katy used to say, ‘If you’re not on trend, you’re never off trend,’ so we follow our own drum, make what we love and we don’t really follow trends. Of course the color palettes in prints and the fabrications we’re looking at are going to be similar to what’s happening in the market because that’s what all of the fabric houses are doing. But we have our pink that we always use and we have our green that we always use. So there are things that we know that are traditionally Francis Valentine that we’ll always have.” Elyce says the joyful quality of her brand is reflected throughout the company. “There’s a real optimism in our team here and they help make it all happen. It can’t just be in a print or a piece of a dress. It’s got to be across the board in the people who are talking to you and the marketing campaign and our social media. It’s the ethos that you live by. And we choose joy; we choose to be happy and to solve problems in a really nice way and not get upset about things.
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ROAR OF AN ENTREPRENEUR I have been lucky twice in my life to work with a team of people who are magnificent. I’m knocking on wood. I feel so lucky to work with the team I work with here today because our old financial advisor said, ‘You better be careful because lightning doesn’t strike twice.’ I feel like it has because I’ve gotten lucky again in working with this group of people. So it’s just just good things all the time which is really, really nice. I feel like if you give good you get good,” she says. In addition to the hard work and perseverance Elyce has invested in her goals, there have been many serendipities on her path, and she believes she has two very special invisible partners cheering her on. She says, “I feel like I have angels around me because opportunities just come to us. We don’t even have to search them out.” As was the case when The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision) recently called and said they would love to partner with Frances Valentine. Elyce asked if they had reached out because of her book title referencing the Mary Tyler Moore theme song. Nope, they hadn’t even
closet, Dr. Levine called her again and asked if she could come and pick up all Mary’s clothes and store them during his move. Of course, Elyce agreed, and drove out with someone from her office to pack up all the items when Dr. Levine walked in the room and gave her a huge surprise. She says, “We’re packing up the clothes and he walks up with an envelope and says, ‘I can’t give this to you for good, but I’m giving it to you for safekeeping.’ Can you imagine what was in that envelope? It’s the hat she threw up in the air on the show. Yeah, I have the hat. It’s right here. Isn’t that fantastic?” And then something magical happened. Frances Valentine started talking about how they could support MTM Vision and decided to design a whole collection around Mary Richards, recreating all the iconic pieces from her shows with 20% of the net sales from the collection going to benefit MTM Vision helping advance research and advocacy to end vision loss from diabetic retinal disease. Elyce says, “We’re doing her peacoats, the hat, we’re doing a whole bunch of Mary pieces.
“i’m up in her closet and i didn’t even want to touch anything because i’m thinking the oil on my fingers is going to wreck her clothing.” — Elyce Arons on visiting Mary Tyler Moore’s closet. seen the book. Total kismet. But the story just gets better. Dr. S. Robert Levine, Mary Tyler Moore’s husband and CEO of MTM Vision, started the foundation in his late wife’s honor to help prevent vision loss in people with diabetes, something Moore suffered from. He invited Elyce and the Frances Valentine team to his Connecticut farm before he put it on the market. Elyce remembers, “He said, ‘you have to see Mary’s closet before we auction off all the stuff and we sell the farm.’ So, she packed her creative team into a van and drove out to the farm where Dr. Levine gave them a full tour of the house. And when they reached Mary’s closet, the holy grail for Elyce, she says, “I’m up in her closet and I didn’t even want to touch anything because I’m thinking the oil on my fingers is going to wreck her clothing and he reaches over my shoulder, pulls out a dress and says, ‘Try this on and try this on and try this on.’ So, I got to try on all of Mary’s clothes, which was just a pinch-me moment.” A bigger “pinch-me” moment was just around the corner for Elyce. Two weeks after she had full run of Mary Tyler Moore’s
She wore turtlenecks all the time. She wore plaid. We’re doing these beautiful wool plaid jackets, and then we’re working on the spring collection right now. But I’m so excited about it because it just came to us out of the blue. They said, ‘We called you because we loved what you were doing and it reminded us of Mary.’ How crazy is that?” Another synchronicity happened when Elyce was attending a conference in Sea Island, Georgia, and a woman let her know that the daughter of iconic photographer Slim Aarons, famous for his photos capturing the mid-20th century jet set, was looking for her. Elyce says, “So this woman connected us and I talked to Mary Aarons on the phone. She said, ‘I just got the rights to my father’s name and I would love nothing more than to do a collaboration with Francis Valentine because it feels more like my father’s style than anybody else’s.’ So now we’re working on a Slim Aaron’s collaboration for next summer. It’s another dream come true. I think Mary and Katy are up there making things happen for us and
that they’re still really involved.” Elyce says she is relishing this era of her life and has a word of encouragement for women who think it’s too late to achieve your dreams. She says, “It’s so easy to get caught in that cycle of ‘I’m too old’ or ‘there’s nothing for me, I’m not valued, I don’t know what I could do.’ It’s hard because you’re looking at a menu of a gajillion things you could do and it’s like going to a Greek diner hungry. Do you have the lobster thermidor? Or do you have the eggs benedict? What do you feel like? And having to go after one of those with such force, it scares people. It’s a lot because you feel like you’re committing to this one thing and thinking do I want this the rest of my life kind of thing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. There was a guy named Earl Nightingale who was an executive coach way back before they even had executive coaches. His mantra was, ‘We become what we think about.’ So if you think about something all the time and your mind is constantly working on how you go about doing it, you can become that thing. Think about what you want to do, even if it’s in a small way, and have confidence in what you already know because, especially if you’re a mom, you know more than most men do about anything because you’re a multitasker. So, you’ve already got one leg up on a lot of people. Just have confidence in your dream and figure out the ways to get there. If you can’t jump over the mountain, go around the mountain. There are ways to get anything done and so many ways to research, whether it’s a product or a service you’re providing, so you can see what’s out there already. Do it better. Offer more than they do.” After a lifetime of reaching for the stars, Elyce notes her dreams have come true and she made it after all. She says, “This is the best time in my life. I’m 63 years old. I feel free. I feel like I am experienced. I don’t know everything, but I learn every day. I think women of our age have this opportunity for this right now to be the most productive time in our lives and it’s terrific. My kids are adults. I’m through a bunch of different things that plagued me in my 40s and 50s. Now I am free and it’s my time. I love it and I’m enjoying every minute of it.” SHE ROARS JOIN US ELYCE ARONS WILL BE RECOGNIZED AT THE SRQ WOMEN WHO ROAR LEADERSHIP AND
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9/11/26 1:32 PM
STEPHANIE BRONZINO REALTOR® | KELLER WILLIAMS COASTAL LIVING III
WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? My story of success began with the courage to start over. As a first-generation American, I was raised by immigrant parents who taught me that opportunity is something you honor through hard work. When I relocated to Florida, I rebuilt my career in a new community without an established network. That experience taught me that success isn’t defined only by what you achieve, but by the trust you earn, the relationships you build, and the impact you make. Today, I measure success not only by how far I’ve come, but by how I can help others move forward, too. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? The ability to bring clarity and confidence to moments of uncertainty has become one of the most important strengths I bring to both my work and leadership. I learned early in my career that leadership isn’t always about having the loudest voice. Often, it is about listening closely, remaining steady, and helping someone see a path forward. That perspective guides the way I mentor new real estate agents as they build their businesses and find confidence in their own abilities. I believe the best leaders help others recognize what they are capable of and give them the tools and encouragement to succeed on their own. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” My secret sauce is the combination of strategy, intuition, and consistency. I listen closely, read the room, anticipate what people need, and bring clarity when things feel complicated. People remember how you show up for them, especially when the stakes are high. I believe trust is earned in those moments, and that trust has become the foundation of both my business and my leadership. DESCRIBE YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS: Trust yourself. Work hard. Keep becoming. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR the people I love, the opportunities I’ve been given, and the chance to keep growing while making a difference in the lives of others. MY WORK & IMPACT Real estate, to me, has never been simply about buying or selling a home. It is about understanding what that decision represents for the person making it. Serving Sarasota and Manatee counties, I have built my business around thoughtful strategy, strong communication, and an unwavering commitment to my clients. I am honored to have been recognized as a Five Star Professional for three consecutive years, 2024, 2025, and 2026. My background in education continues through mentoring new agents. Whether serving a client or supporting a colleague, my goal remains the same: create confidence, provide clarity, and deliver results.
“Success is not only what you build, but who you become and who you lift along the way.” KELLER WILLIAMS COASTAL LIVING III 2001 Siesta Drive, Suite 202, Sarasota, FL 34239 | 586.489.3791 sbronzino@kw.com | Instagram: sbronzino_realtor gulfcoasthomessearch.com/team/stephanie-bronzino/
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9/15/26 11:58 AM
ERIN BROSIOUS
HARDBALL LAW - KALLINS, LITTLE & BROSIOUS WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? My story of success is really a story of being willing to begin again. I spent over a decade as a public-school teacher before making the decision to pursue a completely different path in law. Starting over was intimidating, but it taught me that the years behind you are never wasted—they become part of what you bring with you. Teaching gave me patience, empathy and the ability to meet people where they are. Law gave me another way to advocate for people when they need someone in their corner. Today, as an attorney and business owner, I define success less by titles and more by whether the work I do makes a meaningful difference in someone else’s life.
“A lit tle grit, a lot of grace, and just enough Namaste.”
WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? My greatest strength is my willingness to take the lead. When I see something that needs to be done, I don’t wait for someone else to step forward—I take initiative, bring people together, and work toward a solution. Throughout my career, from education to law and now as a business owner, I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about having the loudest voice in the room. It’s about being willing to take responsibility, make difficult decisions, and help others move forward with you. I strive to lead with grace while remaining decisive and action-oriented. I believe good leaders don’t simply identify what could be better; they step up and help make it better. HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? Becoming a mother has changed the way I think about success, leadership and the example I want to set. I want my child to grow up knowing that they are never confined to one path or one definition of who they should be. She will watch me balance family, career and building a business, and I hope what she ultimately sees is that meaningful things require hard work, courage and sometimes a willingness to take a completely new direction. She motivates me to work hard, but she also reminds me why being present, compassionate and intentional matters just as much. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Yoga. It keeps me grounded, clears my mind and reminds me that strength requires balance. DESCRIBE YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS: Stay curious, keep learning, embrace growth. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR my family, the people who have believed in me, and the opportunity to do work that matters. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. As a partner at HardBall Law, I have the privilege of advocating for people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We built our firm around something simple: people deserve to feel heard, informed and genuinely cared for while receiving strong legal representation. That same philosophy guides my firm’s involvement in our community. From supporting local schools and teachers to sponsoring youth and community initiatives, I believe a business should invest in the community that invests in it. My years as an educator taught me the power of showing up for people, and that lesson continues to shape how I practice law.
KALLINS, LITTLE & BROSIOUS - HARDBALL LAW 433 8th Ave West, Palmetto, FL, 34210 941.807.7555 | HardBallLaw.com Facebook: HardBallLaw
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9/15/26 11:59 AM
TERRI KLAUBER
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | MICHAEL’S ON EAST
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I have always believed that leadership begins with caring for people. Whether through philanthropy, community involvement, mentoring, or simply creating meaningful connections, my life has centered around bringing people together and helping others feel seen, supported, and valued. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside many remarkable organizations throughout the Sarasota community, particularly in areas involving children, families, healthcare, education, and the arts. Much of my work has focused on relationship-building, fundraising, advocacy, and helping create opportunities that make a lasting impact. I’m deeply inspired by the power of community and by the idea that small acts of kindness and consistency can truly change lives. I also believe leadership does not always happen from a podium—often it happens quietly, through showing up, listening, encouraging others, and helping people move forward. Family has always been at the center of my life and values. Some of my greatest joy comes from being a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and mentor. Those relationships have shaped the way I approach both life and leadership—with empathy, gratitude, optimism, and a strong sense of responsibility to give back. SHARE THE SINGLE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR WHICH YOU ARE MOST PROUD? I am especially proud of the work my husband Michael and I have done supporting organizations that improve the lives of children and families in our region. Watching programs grow, seeing communities rally together around important causes, and knowing that our efforts have helped provide hope and opportunity to others has been deeply fulfilling. HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE? As a mother and grandmother, I’ve also become deeply aware of how much influence we have through example. The values we model— kindness, resilience, generosity, integrity, and grace under pressure—often leave the greatest impact. Professionally and within the community, I try to lead with warmth and authenticity. I believe people respond most strongly to sincerity and to those who genuinely care about others. That perspective has influenced everything from fundraising and volunteer work to mentoring relationships and community partnerships. Life has also taught me gratitude. Even difficult experiences can become opportunities for growth, perspective, and deeper understanding. Those experiences have ultimately strengthened both my sense of purpose and my commitment to helping others. WHAT MOVIE OR TV CHARACTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN REAL LIFE AND WHY? I would probably choose someone like Mary Poppins. she balances grace with strength and brings joy wherever she goes—qualities I deeply admire and aspire to reflect in my own life.
“Trust yourself more. Don’t spend so much time worrying about trying to please everyone.” MICHAEL’S ON EAST 1212 S. East Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34239 941.366.0007 | bestfood.com Instagram: @michaels.on.east
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9/15/26 12:00 PM
SALLY DAISOMONT
VP-COMMERCIAL LOAN OFFICER | LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK
“If you happen to see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? My greatest strength is building trusted relationships. I listen carefully, understand each person’s goals, and connect them with practical financial solutions. Throughout more than three decades in banking, I have used this strength to grow portfolios, lead teams, support local businesses, and strengthen community partnerships across SarasotaManatee while creating lasting results for everyone involved. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Focus on solutions, work around obstacles. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR the opportunity to serve others, support my community, and help people move confidently toward their goals, both professionally and personally. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. I help business owners achieve their financial goals through personal guidance, relationship management, and listening to their needs and providing viable financing options for their businesses. I try to help the community by participating with local organizations. I am currently on the board of the Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida and have previously participated with The Players of Sarasota, The United Way, Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota, and several local chambers and business groups.
SALLY DAISOMONT
TRACY WOLFE
TRACY WOLFE
VP-TREASURY MANAGEMENT SALES OFFICER | LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK
“Your reputation is earned one relationship at a time.” WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? People bank with people. That belief has guided my 25-year career in community banking. My greatest strength is building trusted relationships through a concierge-style approach to treasury management. I believe every business is different, so I take the time to understand each client’s goals before recommending the treasury products and services that best fit their unique needs. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Service beyond expectations earns client loyalty. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR every opportunity that has challenged me, strengthened me, and shaped the leader I am today. I truly believe there’s no greater reward than earning someone’s trust and knowing you’ve made a difference. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. I believe community banking is about making a difference. It’s helping local businesses grow, supporting the organizations that strengthen our community, and working together to make our communities even stronger. When businesses thrive, our communities thrive.
LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK 6230 University Pkwy, Ste. 101 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240 | Sally Daisomont: 941.209.4565 | Tracy Wolfe: 941.465.1022
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9/15/26 12:01 PM
MAUREEN E. O’NELL
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | SUNCOAST HUMANE SOCIETY WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? Dynamic decision-making guided by vision. Concretely, you can see it in the animal welfare campus we built. The greater community was in critical need for myriad services to address unfulfilled support for pets and the people who love them. The dilapidated shelter and rudimentary clinic didn’t meet the growing needs of an expanding population, more animals at risk statewide and a means to promote the humananimal bond through lifetime learning and engagement. The advancement from a small rundown shelter to a future leaning human-animal bond institution required dynamism in thought and action. What we built can be viewed in bricks and mortar. What has been created is fluid, expansive and designed for possibilities.
“Show up every single day for what you love.”
HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? Bearing witness to suffering. If we pay attention, we see there is much to be done. This has created in me an unrelenting drive to do something to make our world better with purposeful and sustainable solutions. Animal suffering is a human problem. It is ours to fix. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Tenacity. There will always be obstacles, but there will also always be heroes. Keep going. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. We are responsible for this world. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR kindness. I am perpetually looking at the big picture and putting effort into solving complex problems. What takes my breath away are the warm and gentle, often tiny acts of kindness people bestow on each other, a child, an animal. They are done not for others to see but for the recipient to feel. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. Founded in 1971, Suncoast Humane Society is a nonprofit, no-kill animal welfare organization dedicated to helping pets and people live happier, healthier lives together. Serving as a regional resource across Southwest Florida, we provide lifesaving sheltering, adoption, foster care, behavioral enrichment, high-quality, low-cost preventative veterinary services, spay/neuter programs, pet food assistance, humane education, pet therapy and compassionate end-of-life support. Through our three pillars of Sheltering, Prevention, and Community Outreach, we reduce pet overpopulation, keep pets and families together, and build stronger, more compassionate communities. Together, we help animals walk into bright new futures. No matter what, love them all.
SUNCOAST HUMANE SOCIETY 2620 Worth Ave. Englewood, FL 34224 EIN# 23-7174193
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9/15/26 12:02 PM
“I had to stop believing I could solve every problem JENNIFER LOCKWOOD FOUNDER + BOARD MEMBER | ORENDA HEALTH & WELLNESS by working longer hours.” WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? I am a builder; drawn to the problems other people avoid. Give me a complicated challenge, a mission worth pursuing, and a folding card table, and I will build something that lasts. Ravin Consultants started that way in 2017, followed by Orenda Health & Wellness less than a year later. I had seen too many organizations with extraordinary missions struggle because they lacked the structure to sustain them, and I built both with that lesson in mind. HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? Working in healthcare taught me how the system works. Becoming a patient taught me how it feels. My own health challenges showed me how frustrating it is when there is no quick answer, and how much of our health exists outside a prescription bottle. That experience shaped Orenda’s approach to listen first, look at the whole person, and help people become active participants in their own health. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” People. That is my secret sauce. I see potential in people and then refuse to let them play small. I want the people around me to grow, take ownership, and eventually become better at things than I am. I also want them to have a life. You should be able to build an incredible career and still show up for the people you love. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. See what’s possible. Then build it. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR my two boys, the people I get to work alongside, and the fact that I’m still excited about what’s ahead.
ORENDA HEALTH & WELLNESS 1961 Floyd St STE C | Sarasota, FL 34239 | 941.424.0388 | orendahealth.org Instagram: orenda_health_wellness | Facebook: orendahealthfl
COURTENAY SMITH
FOUNDER + OWNER | SHACK YOGA + FITNESS
“Success, to me, is building somet hing t hat grows wit hout losing t he hear t of why you star ted.”
WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? My story really started with a love of yoga. I began practicing in 2008, teaching in 2011, and opened the original Yoga Shack in Sarasota in 2012—quite literally, in a little tin shack. I didn’t have a grand plan. I just knew how yoga made me feel, and I wanted to create a place where other people could experience that same sense of connection and belonging. Fourteen years later, SHACK has grown in ways I never could have imagined—and so has my life. I became a mother of two along the way, and motherhood has probably changed my definition of success more than anything. I still love to dream big, create and grow, but I’ve learned that success isn’t doing everything perfectly. It’s building something I’m proud of, being present for the people I love, and giving myself permission to let that balance look different in different seasons. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. SHACK yoga + fitness is a Sarasota-born yoga and fitness community with studios in Downtown Sarasota and Waterside Place, and our next location coming to Hyde Park Village in Tampa. We offer heated yoga, sculpt, strength and restorative practices, but SHACK has always been about more than a workout. I want our studios to feel welcoming, fun and full of energy—a place where people can challenge themselves, connect with others, slow down when they need to, and leave feeling a little better than when they walked in. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Staying curious. I still practice. I still teach. I still learn. I pay attention to what is changing in wellness and fitness, but I’m equally interested in the traditions and philosophy that made me fall in love with yoga in the first place.
SHACK YOGA + FITNESS Waterside Lakewood Ranch 1561 Lakefront Dr. Suite 210, FL, 34240
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Downtown Sarasota 514 Central Ave., FL, 34236 941.203.5146 shackyogafitness.com
Facebook: SHACK yoga + fitness instagram: the.shack.life
9/15/26 12:03 PM
LAURIE MCCRACKEN
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | BABY FOX ACADEMY
“I built Baby Fox to make a difference for t he children in front of me. I found my voice so I could make a difference for t he children I may never meet.” WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? I never set out to become a business owner or an advocate. I was a teacher who believed childhood should be magical—and that the people entrusted with children’s earliest years should be valued like the professionals they are. I opened Baby Fox Academy in my home with four children and a big idea about what early learning should be. Ten years later, my definition of success has changed. It isn’t how big Baby Fox grows; it’s how much good I can do with what I’ve built. Today, I use my experience, platform and voice to fight for children, families and the early childhood professionals who make every other workforce possible. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? Passion. And I’m not very good at being quiet about things that matter. I’ve learned that when you pair lived experience with the courage to speak up, people listen. I’ve spent more than 30 years in education—as a teacher, early learning provider, director and business owner—and now I bring that experience into rooms where decisions are made. I advocate for early childhood education as what it truly is: workforce infrastructure. We are the workforce behind the workforce, while also building the brains, skills and humans who become every other workforce that follows. My goal isn’t just to have a seat at the table. It’s to make sure our entire profession has one. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” A big heart, a loud voice and absolutely no fear of asking, “Why not?”
BABY FOX ACADEMY OF FLORIDA 7041 Professional Pkwy E., Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240 | 941.359.(FOXY) BabyFoxAcademy.com | Facebook: BabyFoxAcademy
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