Empowering
Women and Businesses!
Dear Readers,
The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.” So in today's world, women are making striking remarks in every sector. This is our honour to represent in front of you the latest magazine issue “The 10 Fearless Business Women Leaders of 2022”, in which we will be discussing a few distinguished business women leaders who are encouraging others to make their dreams come true.
In the business world, women are representing their leadership qualities with authentic style that no one can deny their impact on the growth of an organisation. They are not only portraying their unique management skills but also helping other women to showcase their leadership qualities fearlessly. Moreover, many organisations are ready to work under fearless women leaders as they are able to take some bold decisions for the welfare of the organisation.
In order to represent success stories of fearless women leaders, our magazine 'The USA Leaders' has conducted a survey and featured business women who are creating a benchmark with their distinctive leadership and management skills. These women have broken various records of success in their fields and emerged as epitome of business persona to inspire others to step into the field and take efforts. Moreover, our featured women leaders have broken every barrier regarding gender, race, etc to advocate human rights at international level.
In the cover story we have featured Melissa Durkin (CEO of Hickory Recovery Network) is a highly skilled expert who has helped start-up businesses create essential policies, procedures, staffing, and growth strategies. She has a sound track record of achievements in sales, management, and marketing and is a results-oriented, high-energy company development professional.
Elsewhere in the magazine, we have featured Monica Eaton-Cardone, Cathy Ross, Kimberly Smith, Ellen Voie, Wendy Greenland, Katie Jones, Lisa Love, Lauren Nolan, Jennifer Leonardo, etc.
We wish you a perceptive reading!
Trupti Munde Project Editor
CREATIVE
Melissa Durkin
M e l i s s a Melissa
D u r k i n Durkin
Transforming Rehabilitation for an Addiction-Free World
EEEverything is acceptable in moderation, but addiction can be fatal. Once addiction develops, it is incredibly challenging to stop using that substance because the body needs it to function steadily. As awareness of substance abuse has grown concurrently, many rehabilitation centers have emerged, each offering a different approach to overcoming addiction. However, the people operating the programs make a tremendous impact while addressing delicate issues like addiction. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are required during this situation to use empathy, problem-solving, and social skills to generate solutions, create lasting relationships, and stand out from the competition. They also help with enhancing communication abilities and closing the underlying gaps.
Similarly, Hickory Recovery Network ’s Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Durkin plays a significant role in the executive team. According to Melissa, addiction is a chronic, progressive illness that affects a
person’s bodily, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Hickory Recovery Network offers clients evidence-based practices, specialized clinical and medical treatment plans, a variety of therapeutic modalities, medicationassisted treatment (if required), and personalized discharge planning in these principles. The network offers inpatient and intensive outpatient services for persons with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
Vast Experience
Melissa is a highly skilled expert who has helped start-up businesses create essential policies, procedures, staffing, and growth strategies. She has a sound track record of achievements in sales, management, and marketing and is a results-oriented, high-energy company development professional. Her key assets include effective teamwork, great leadership, and superb communication abilities.
Furthermore, Melissa has ten years of progressive experience and skill in managing telemarketers, outside/field agents, and inside sales personnel. Additionally, she displayed marketing and business management expertise in the areas of developing new products and programs, generating income, and streamlining processes. As a result, she is skilled in hiring, training, budgeting, coaching, compliance, and data analytics. She also has expertise with the CRMs SalesForce, Talisma, KIPU, and Campusvue.
“Hickory Recovery has developed a clientcentered, strength-based program that incorporates the most recent findings in drug and alcohol addiction treatment.”
NETWORK
Recovery doesn’t have to be an unpleasant or challenging process. Therefore, Hickory Recovery developed a client-centered, strengthbased program that incorporates the most recent findings in drug and alcohol addiction treatment. The network believes in “Rehabilitation for Your Loved Ones”. Its top priorities are the guests’ privacy, comfort, and safety. Its goal is to provide adults who are battling drug addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions with high-quality, innovative rehab care.
Hickory Recovery makes sure that the family of the client is updated from time to time. It provides a variety of treatments, including group therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to receive support during the essential beginning phase of recovery. Clients engage in a range of conventional and alternative therapies during detoxification and prolonged rehabilitation programs. Its committed staff assists clients with everything from healthy eating and exercise to identifying the cause of the addiction.
Treatment Team
Each Hickory Treatment Center has a skilled and knowledgeable team to match the wide range of services and treatment options offered. The Hickory Recovery Network and Centers are dedicated to assisting those in recovery, and its staff members range from doctors and therapists to nutritionists and other support staff.
The network comprises therapists, physicians, addictionologists, clinicians, and other medical professionals with a focus on offering the best rehab care for alcohol and drug addiction. Additionally, the treatment staff collaborates with its clients, providing the tools needed to recover control of their lives and rid themselves of addiction. Once drug rehab treatment is finished, the residential treatment center’s team concentrates on giving each client a successful relapse prevention and aftercare plan there.
The Right Detox Treatment
Those overcoming drug and alcohol addiction can receive detox treatment from Hickory Recovery. The body gets rid of harmful chemicals during detoxification. Clients must regain their health and wellness through a specialized detox treatment center to continue sobriety and clean living. The medical staff and therapists at Hickory advocate medical detox to help control cravings and withdrawal symptoms in people who have long-term substance use disorders or severe addictions.
Hickory Recovery can help to ease the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. For instance, a client may experience severe withdrawal symptoms if they have an alcohol or drug use issue. But with the right medication, they can significantly increase their chances of making a full recovery and have less discomfort while going through detox. Clients can focus on their therapy and self-care.
“Hickory Recovery Network's mission is to provide highquality, innovative rehab treatment to adults struggling with alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders.”
“Hickory Recovery network comprises therapists, physicians, addictionologists, clinicians, and other medical professionals with a focus on offering the best rehab care for alcohol and drug addiction.”
Outpatient vs. Residential Treatment
The specialized residential treatment program at Hickory offers innovative clinical care in a welcoming environment. The clinics, which may be found all around Indiana, help adult men and women who are addicted or whose addiction is compounded by co-occurring mental illness. Each client is an individual who comes to Hickory Recovery Network and Centers with their own experiences and needs.
For each client, the team develops thorough assessments and original, personalized treatment regimens. It employs a holistic approach and places a strong emphasis on the mind-body link to assist clients in building a real and purposeful life of recovery. It is crucial to ensure each client is at ease and given the proper attention because the work of recuperation can be challenging. The bathrooms and showers in the rooms are nicely outfitted for comfort and convenience.
Some of the residential facilities include:
• The residence is wide and well-
appointed, with plenty of room for recreation and relaxation
• Beautiful landscaping provides a tranquil setting for your recuperation. The clients can use a fully stocked gym any time of day
• Every day, the kitchen crew prepares wholesome, tasty meals
Hickory Recovery strongly advises detoxification and residential treatment programs because it offers the highest chance of preventing relapse. Clients gain new routines and abilities that can aid in their maintenance of a clean lifestyle during detox. Living on the opulent campus, eating wholesome meals, and having constant access to counseling and medical care are all included in residential treatment.
Depending on the extent of the substance dependence, clients may benefit from a shorter plan. After initial detox, outpatient treatment can aid clients in maintaining sobriety and focusing on creating a new life. For underlying emotional and mental issues, the network typically suggests residential treatment, which may
involve dual diagnosis therapy. A client may feel that sobriety and a clean lifestyle are out of reach if they have attempted to stop using drugs or alcohol on their own. They can, however, get the direction required to combat cravings and reclaim control of their lives with the aid of compassionate staff members and a safe, controlled atmosphere.
Individual therapy
One of the pillars of Hickory’s treatment plan is individual counseling. Each client is assigned a primary therapist, who works with them to create a plan of care that is specific to their need. Every client will meet with their primary therapist for at least two individual sessions each week.
The treatment program for each client includes:
• Individual entrance examination and assessment
• Consultation with a private psychiatric provider
• Specific nursing evaluations
• Individual medical evaluations and ongoing treatment, including medication
ADVOCATING FOR MORE DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Cathy Ross, the Co-founder and President of Fraud.net , has a commanding leadership style and inspiring entrepreneurial spirit that defines the strengths that women leaders can bring to businesses of any size.
Women leaders bring not only technical know-how, but also the ability to develop relationships, collaborate, inspire, and communicate both horizontally and vertically throughout the organization. Empowering women in business and entrepreneurship is one of the most vital avenues for growth in organizations and society as a whole. Cathy Ross is not only evidence of this empowerment, but is also a champion of the mission.
You can do anything!
Raised near Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Cathy's first dream was to be an astronaut. She was blessed with a grandmother that made her believe that she can do anything. Plus, she was inspired by teachers who made learning fun and helped shape her career path. Initially, she worked in finance and investments and eventually started working with an e-commerce company—MotherNature. This was the turning point in her career.
Cathy's experience from the receiving side of digital payments highlighted the fraud rates and gaps in the online payment infrastructure. The team realized that there was not enough visibility into fraud attacks and fraud data. The team sold this e-commerce company and ventured into an overlooked niche in the market with the founding of Fraud.net
Cathy Ros s
Fraud.net provides the most advanced infrastructure for real-time, enterprise-strength fraud management. Their unique collective intelligence network offers a proactive measure against fraudsters to identify and stop them. Fraud.net's world-class AI models play a vital role in fraud prevention that will continue to advance as models get increasingly sophisticated.
‘
I feel that as a leader, women bring di erent skill sets, perspectives, and relationship-building attributes to technology companies, which drives better results.
We sat down with Cathy to discuss her leadership, unrelenting drive, and efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. During our chat, she also elaborated on women in leadership and how she is working towards achieving social equality.
How has the role of women leadership changed over the years?
Concerning technology companies, I think the role of women in leadership has evolved in conjunction with the evolution towards a knowledge economy. Technology advancements have transformed the dynamics of work. We have pivoted from a top-down, hierarchical structure to a more matrixed, collaborative, and learning organization. The change has benefited women, with its focus on creativity, openness, and building relationships horizontally across the organization, instead of the traditional male-dominated workplace.
Would you elaborate on how you're ensuring workforce diversity at Fraud.net?
We are strong believers in the power of diversity. Not just in terms of gender, but a diverse work environment comes with its own set of benefits. Different frames of reference and life experiences bring out the best in everyone and usually lead to the best business outcomes. There are also studies out there demonstrating that diverse and inclusive company cultures are more innovative, resilient, and nimble in responding to market changes, and I am a big proponent of that.
Considering the pandemic, can you share your leadership approach?
I believe my role is to keep everyone on the team inspired, focused, and productive. In doing so, I ensure that everyone is rowing in the same direction. Nothing can eat away at morale faster than when people feel an organization is adrift, not heading in a coherent direction. This can happen when executives are not providing sufficient leadership, including communications and consistent actions regarding the company's vision and direction.
What measures are you undertaking to ensure women's empowerment at Fraud.net?
It starts with your Talent strategy and programs to recruit, mentor, train, and promote women in the organization. We
embrace the entrepreneurial culture, which means allowing employees to take risks and try new roles. Nothing is more empowering, and the depth of experience is invaluable. A variety of experiences has played a vital role in my career, and I think it also applies to most women, trying new roles, branching out to new industries.
From your experiences, what is that one piece of advice you would like to share?
I strongly believe that empowerment is also about accepting mistakes. I certainly have made my share during my career. There is no greater learning experience and better path to innovation. We are constantly striving to bring innovations to market, and with it come errors. For women in leadership roles, it is crucial to accept that is part of the process. People need to trust that their leaders will have their back when they try innovations or new ways of working that it will not backfire on them.
What is your favorite thing about being a woman leader?
The best part of my job is inspiring my colleagues. Whether it is passing on feedback from clients; discussing new market opportunities; or highlighting innovative projects our talented teams are working on. I have found that communicating this type of information is inspiring to teams, and likewise inspiring to me.
What does feminism mean to you?
For me, feminism is about building empowerment in women, whatever life choices they make, and valuing their contributions. It is an ethos of accepting women in various roles across our society. One should recognize the value and contributions of a stay-at-home-mom as much as a female CEO.
Lastly, what are your expectations for the year 2021?
The pandemic has triggered a massive amount of fraud of all shapes and sizes. Consequently, it drove enterprises to devote more resources to fraud detection and prevention. In the post-COVID era, I'm not envisioning a decrease in the amount of fraud. It is unfortunate for those businesses impacted, but we see no slowdown in activity as we continue helping clients with this “new normal” in fraud.
Ellen recommends: Any book by Mary Kelly, but the “Five Minute Leadership Guide” is one of her favorites.
CEO AND
PRESIDENT
ELLEN VOIE ELLEN
Bending Gender Norms with a Contemporary Approach
The supply chain industry has been transformed in
recent years. Part of the transformation is the inclusion of more women leading the business sector who bring unique business ideologies and strategies. As pioneers in a traditionally male-dominated work environment, women are now leading large trucking companies towards success due to their significant participation.
Thriving as an epitome of a successful businesswoman, Ellen Voie ( CEO and President of Women In Trucking ) has advocated for gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. Ellen established Women In Trucking Association as a non-profit organization in March 2007. As a confident and visionary leader, she has profoundly contributed to the organization's growth by spearheading the group's mission.
Women In Trucking was established to encourage women's employment in the trucking industry, address obstacles that prevented their success in the industry, and celebrate the success of its members. It is the only organization focused on advancing all women in the transportation industry. While most of its competitors focus on professional drivers or trucking companies, the Women In Trucking Association represents both.
Mirror Review recently had the opportunity to indulge in a conversation with Ellen. She spoke about the various aspects of leadership, highlighted her journey of entrepreneurship and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the marketplace. Here are some snippets from the intriguing conversation.
Which exclusivities distinguish Women In Trucking from its competitors?
We are both a trade and professional organization. Unlike most trucking industry associations, our mission focuses on gender equity. We represent different groups, such as drivers, maintenance technicians, safety professionals, managers, and CEOs. Our membership is in twelve countries, and about fifteen percent of our members are men who join because they believe in our mission.
Our primary goal is to remove obstacles for all women in the trucking industry. For instance, unconscious bias in hiring and promoting, learning, and imposter syndrome tendencies—in female CEOs. As safety is a priority for drivers, we work with truck stops on safety and security and partner with truck manufacturers on truck cab design, ergonomics, and safety. We also have several publications for our corporate members, such as an anti-harassment employment guide and a recruiting and retention publication, ensuring best practices. Currently, we are working on a Diversity and Inclusion index.
How did you start your journey with Women In Trucking?
During the initial phases of the organization, I had to work hard to prove our viability and influential capability. When I founded the organization, there was only one employee, and I continued to work for a trucking company to maintain an income. More recently, I hired an association to manage the daily operations of the organization. Altogether, we manage all aspects of the non-profit—from communication to membership services, renewals, and resources.
As we grew, I hired people who could preside over tasks that I wasn't interested in doing or disliked. While most non-profits struggle to make it through during their initial years, we accumulated 500 members in our first year, which pivoted our success. Presently, we have over a dozen team members specializing in areas such as membership, social media, technology, strategy, and more. I can focus on working with the board of directors and continue outreach through speaking events, presentations, and writing.
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THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY HAS MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, FROM DRIVING TRUCKS, FIXING TRUCKS, SELLING OR BUYING OR OWNING TRUCKS TO MARKETING OR OTHER ROLES. THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT CAREER OPTIONS IN TRUCKING!
What are your roles and responsibilities as the CEO?
Being the founder, I am also the face of the organization, and my passion is the reason many people want to be a part of our movement. Over the years, I have become a more confident leader. My "hands-off" leadership style has served us well in our fourteen years, as we are a virtual organization with team members located all over the United States.
As a visionary, my leadership style reflects my desire to envision a better work environment in the future. My team helps me accomplish my visions. I depend on them to suggest ways to bring changes in the industry as I am not a detail-oriented person. When I hire someone, I provide them ample autonomy and allow them the liberty to schedule their work. Time off is not monitored as each person is responsible for the timely completion of projects and activities.
What are some of your notable achievements throughout your entrepreneurial journey?
In 2012, I was honored by the White House as a Transportation Innovators Champion of Change. I was awarded the Frank W. Babbitt award from the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association in 2014—an annual recognition given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to the trucking industry and association as a whole. I have also been the recipient of the Skinner Humanitarian award which is presented annually to a trucking advocate in my state.
In 2015, I received the “Distinguished Alumna of the Year” award from my alma mater and was also named one of Supply & Demand Chain Executives magazine's “2016 Pros to Know,” which honors select supply chain executives who are leading initiatives to help their clients, companies, or the supply chain community at large to prepare for the significant challenges in the year ahead.
I received a series of recognition in 2019. Of these, being named the “Cinderella to CEO of the Year”—which recognizes women who have overcome obstacles to change businesses, communities, and industries for the better—was the notable one. In 2021, I was appointed to a two-year term on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.
What were the impacts of COVID-19 on your organization?
The pandemic had a positive impact on our organization as
it highlighted the importance of the trucking industry and the stability of jobs. Professional drivers were considered essential workers delivering products for consumers, while other businesses were shutting down and sending workers home. As women were more adversely affected by the pandemic, our focus is to encourage women's employment in the trucking industry, from cab to boardroom, which has become even more vital due to the pandemic.
What are the upcoming services lined up for the future?
Our new 'Driver Ambassador' program focuses on raising awareness for the WIT mission, promoting career opportunities women have in trucking with a hands-on mobile learning environment.
Additionally, we are creating chapters to expand our influence into more local and regional groups that can continue the association's work. Our annual conference attracts women and men on international levels who attend to educate themselves on advancing more significant participation of women in their companies.
What would be your piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Any woman entering a male-dominated industry must work hard to prove herself. Once she has established her credibility, she will be seriously considered for advanced opportunities. We can all be leaders!
Monica Eaton-Cardone A Trailblazer inspiring the Next Generation of Female Leaders
The role of women in leadership positions has significantly changed over the years. Women have stepped up and begun establishing a place for themselves in leadership roles in a way that we did not see in the past. Today, it is becoming more common to see women occupying high-profile leadership positions in the business.
Sharing her views on the causes behind this change, Monica Eaton-Cardone ( Founder and COO of Chargebacks911 ) says, “ I think the main catalyst for this change is that we've had trailblazers who increase the visibility of women, but still turn around and offer a hand to uplift the next generation of female leaders to ensure that the door doesn't close behind them .”
Monica is a prime example of such a game-changing woman leader who is inspiring the next generation of female leaders. She began working at an early age but always had it as a goal to do something that would allow her to direct her own destiny. She launched and sold her first business—which was a company aimed at supplying furniture for resorts—when she was still a teenager.
Later, while pursuing interior designing in college, Monica took a job under a man named Blair—who inspired the approach she has taken to leadership since. When she founded Chargebacks911 in 2011, it was the first specialized chargeback management service on the market. There were some providers that helped merchants by providing alert services, however, no one was addressing the issue head-on. Chargebacks911 created a strategy for a fully-managed chargeback solution aimed at fighting
illegitimate disputes and preventing future chargebacks.
In an interview with Mirror Review, Monica shed light upon how she led the company towards being one of the pioneers in the industry, as well as her views on women leadership, women empowerment, and feminism. Here are some of the snippets from the conversation.
How did Chargebacks911 manage to cope with the COVID-19 induced changes?
At Chargebacks911, the collaboration between team members, as well as between different departments, is a key component of our workflow. So, I was concerned about the majority of staff suddenly pivoting to remote work. However, we managed the situation very well. Our teams were able to work remotely with no issues. It also helped that we had adaptable contingency plans already in place for emergency situations. We might have made those plans with a weather event like a hurricane in mind, but we were able to adapt to them with no problem.
Being a new-age leader, how do you encourage creativity within the team?
I have always tried to maintain a close role in shaping the direction of the company. I want to remain a part of the development process for new products and services. At the same time, it is equally important to know when to step back and allow the team members to take the lead. I want to empower my employees by giving them the space to experiment
e best approach to leadership is to allow room for people to experiment, and occasionally, even to fail. at's how we learn the best way to move forward. ‘
with their ideas and making them feel they are supported in doing so. Even though we are no longer a fresh start-up tech company, I want to maintain that same dynamism and mentality.
How do you foster the female empowerment within your organization?
I am a big proponent of mentorship. As I alluded to earlier, I think the key to carving out space for women in leadership is for those who have already managed to find success to then lend a hand and uplift those who come next. We are looking to make this more of a focus within our company, as well as externally. Presently, I am
looking for ways in which I can collaborate with other female leaders in the payments space to connect mentors and mentees. I want to facilitate conversations and make it easier for those with valuable insight to offer advice.
What is your favorite thing about being a woman leader?
I love the sense of purpose that comes along with my role as a woman in leadership. While I am certainly not the first woman to carve out a place for myself in payments and finance, the industry does remain an overwhelmingly male-dominated field. So, just by existing as a woman in a position of leadership, I have already taken a step forward. I enjoy being in a position where I can build a business from the ground-up and showcase to others that, if I can accomplish this, then they can do it too.
What are your views on feminism?
I have always been a bit hesitant to label myself as a feminist. I believe that, as women in a highlycompetitive, male-dominated industry, it is important to foster solidarity and to create opportunities for one another. To me, practical feminism should be about how we build relationships that can accomplish it.
Moving forward, what are your expectations for the year 2021?
It's been fascinating to see the pace at which consumer habits changed over the last year. Shoppers had been slowly warming up to options like clickand-collect and curbside pickup for several years. In 2020, however, the need to maintain social distancing bolstered the adoption. Click-and-collect retail, or BOPIS (buy online pick up in store) purchases in the US more than doubled last year compared to 2019.
While some consumers will be happy to go back to brick-and-mortar shopping, I think 2020 pushed us over the tipping point. Going forward, we should expect shopping channels that blend digital elements with the in-store experience to be the norm, rather than the exception.
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