COVER STORIES

ARTICLE BY NATALIE SINISGALLI & PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO

I frequently hear people say they’re “just not creative”. As if you are either born with it, or you’re not. If you count yourself in the “not” camp, I have news for you. Creativity is within all of us. Like many things in life, it’s something you can practice and grow. There are many benefits to doing so. Creative thinking is how we reach new outcomes, how problems get solved, and where opportunities begin.Continue reading

COVER PHOTO BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY

The mission of the Northeast Kidney Foundation is to improve the quality of life of those affected by kidney disease and related conditions, to increase organ donation and to empower those we serve to be effective voices for better healthcare at the local, state and federal levels.Continue reading

The Educator
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Malcolm X

The Unexpected Outcome
Dr. Shanelle R. Benson Reid never expected to be a teacher. However, she was told early on that she should be an educator, but she had no interest. She spent a great deal of time tutoring in high school and she liked helping classmates, though, she hated working on specific content. “That being said, success feels gratifying” so she worked hard in all of her classes: early mornings, late nights, whatever it took and she did very well. Please understand, school did not come easy to Dr. Benson Reid but she was committed.Continue reading

PHOTOS BY DAN DOYLE & MARK KNOPP

I jumped out of my 3rd floor office window! I saw my body flailing toward the pavement below. Then I looked up at my computer and spreadsheets.
Suffocating. I felt like I was suffocating, dying inside.

Why couldn’t I just be happy?
Why did I keep imagining I was leaping out of my office window? All of my unemployed college friends congratulated me on landing a well-paid 9-5.
My boss was amazing.Continue reading

PHOTOS BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY

We all know, there’s a story behind every beautiful face and sometimes people endure trauma which would break others. Only the strong survive! Those of us who find the strength to rise above, find a way to use the experiences we survived to be our driving force to success and as a foundation to help others. Karen Mungenast is an inspiring woman, who rose above the darkness she experienced and is a woman on the top of her game. She has it all. She is a successful travelling Information Technology (IT) executive. She’s a mom. She’s a survivor.Continue reading

PHOTOS BY TELLIER STUDIOS

City of Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens’s story leading up to her lifelong journey as a public servant begins with how she was raised. She had a mother who believed that when God blesses you, you have to give back. Her mother also believed that one has to give to return on their blessings which can be considered an investment. One has to decide and strive to really be all in and be the best person that they can be for the people around them.Continue reading

PHOTOS BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY

Last fall, Rochester native Toni Natalie published her memoir, The Program: Inside the Mind of Keith Raniere and the Rise and Fall of NXIVM. In it, she shared her harrowing story of living with and – the relentless pursuit from the man that the world would one day come to know as Vanguard, the leader of the sex cult, NXIVM.Continue reading

PHOTOS BY MARISA NICODEMUS

Sherry Hale has been an innovator from the start. Her father, and his father before him, were both businessmen and entrepreneurs. Sherry found that she had that same, innate capability that would eventually drive her to excel and succeed in the business realm herself. From the onset of adolescence, she was motivated to learn how to use a computer, so she taught herself. She also felt a magnetic pull to the beauty industry, completing her cosmetology license after high school.
Continue reading

PHOTOS BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY

Rochester Woman Online recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a question and answer session with the truly beautiful and inspiring Jennifer Johnson. Here is what she had to say, and boy was it amazing.Continue reading