Leadership
FOUNDERS:
Tanya Paluso and Novalena Betancourt
Tanya Paluso’s journey as a wellness expert began in 2006 when she studied with internationally renowned holistic health practitioners at Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Simultaneously, she formed the non-profit Play 4 Life, Inc. to impact children’s health by introducing yoga, cooking and nutrition in inner-city schools. Drawing from her education at Integrative Nutrition as well as her on-going yoga practice, she began to use techniques to heal traumatic leg and back injuries as well as digestive issues. As a full-time health counselor since 2007, Tanya has reached the lives of hundreds of people, leading individual and group sessions and corporate workshops throughout the country. More recently, Tanya has combined her business savvy skills with holistic health healing to launch the company Women 4 Wellness in January 2009, which hosts seminars to empower women around the world to lead healthy, purposeful and prosperous lives. In addition, Tanya is the event planner for ABRA’s monthly social mixer and she teaches Business Office Administration part time at UEI College. She is currently writing a book on creating partnership, and writes articles for Rancho Magazine.
Novalena Betancourt is a personal development trainer for individual and teams. She co-authored the book Strategies for Success with Jack Canfield and Marie Diamond of the Secret. After being a host on Jammin’ Z90 radio, she created The Novalena Show – Waking Up Women World Wide. She recently wrote the book The Total Female Package, an inspirational guidebook to bring awareness to every woman’s value and self-worth. She became a partner of Defining Moments Publishing, Inc. in 2009 to empower people to get their stories and vision out to the world. Her background includes a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics and Computer Information Systems at the University of California at Davis and Masters of Science in Executive Leadership at the University of San Diego. Novalena loves pilates and walking, and is a tri-athlete and purple belt in Shaolin Kenpo Karate.
TRIBE LEADERS:
San Diego, North County Tribe: Anna Allen
Anna Allen specializes in marketing, finance, and non-profit fundraising — in developing strategic solutions and partnerships that birth successful alliances. She has implemented marketing and financial repair strategies for domestic and international organizations in a variety of industries: health and wellness, resort and leisure, fashion, gaming, energy resources and real property. As the Managing Partner for Homeland Energy Ventures, she funded and managed public security offerings and developed multiple oil and gas wells in Oklahoma, Texas, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
She was a key Consultant for Money Centers of America (MCA) promoting technology innovation within the Gaming & Entertainment industry within the U.S. and South America. For two years, Anna presented at the Miami International Fashion Week and other fashion events; unveiling women’s artisan groups from developing South American countries to fashion designers, so that they employ indigenous women from shelters and abuse/rehab centers.
Anna is currently Partner & CFO of Kasny Recon, Inc., distributing Shea Touch personal care products, raw Shea butter, and private label manufacturing. Kasny Recon supports social and economic sustainability in Chad by employing over 300 women to harvest and manufacture Shea butter; and helping families in India by harvesting Ayurvedic herbs as well. Anna is deeply committed to helping others in need and has lent her considerable talents to chair the Ladies Auxiliary, Hab-a-Heart’s annual fundraising luncheon from 2003 through 2005; raising over $100k per event for the Palm Beach Habilitation Centers disabled clients. Anna is now an active member of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club in California and a sponsor of Global Action for Children.
Vancouver, Canada Tribe: Kelsey Grant and Natalie Sisson
Kelsey Grant loves people. Her formal studies in Sociology, Gender, Sexuality and Personal Development inspired a recent move to Vancouver where she’s an active leadership and self expression coach. Inspired by the possibility of a world where everyone is in love with their lives Kelsey Co-founded All iN Coaching and Consulting. All iN focuses on providing visionary tools, time management structures and active coaching to cause each client to produce results in any area of their life.
Kelsey is currently the Leadership Director and Lead Trainer with Elite Living International. Inside of this company she inspires people to create the lives of their dreams and actively supports the achievement of each and every goal, dream and ambition every client has through interactive LifeMap coaching. She loves participating inside a business team who are focused on contribution, fun, excitement and exploration. What really fires her up is being a driving force for communities around the world to create for themselves spaces of inspiration, contribution and cohesiveness while inspiring others to step into their true greatness.
Kelsey is fiercely passionate about dance, music and performance art, and is the Artistic Director and Producer of Sundown to Sunset Cabaret Burlesque. Kelsey is a sought after personal development and relationship coach, musician and choreographer. She can be reached at kelsey@allincoaching.com or 778-319-7571
Natalie Sisson is a Kiwi entrepreneur and adventurer. She’s passionate about getting more women into business and so founded WomanzWorld.com late last year as ‘The Ultimate Resource for Female Entrepreneurs’.
WomanzWorld.com features a regular blog with insight, intelligence and inspiration for female entrepreneurs. She writes from her own perspective and experiences as Co-founder of ConnectionPoint Systems, where she’s a Product Evangelist for FundRazr – a Facebook application that empowers social commerce. She also covers a variety of business topics and offers up savvy solutions to challenges we all face as entrepreneurs and adds a touch of humour, style and sparkle.
Womanzworld.com also features interviews of amazing female entrepreneurs who are just starting out through to being super successful. What’s more is a key resource section that features top books and blogs to read, websites to visit, organizations that cater just to women in business and tools that help business owners time and money.
Natalie intends to grow WomanzWorld into a fantastic online business, offering a variety of bespoke products and services to help women entrepreneurs shine with entrepreneurial excellence.
With over 9 years experience in marketing, communications and business development, Natalie also is a keen strategist and social media enthusiast. She’s also a tad competitive and holds the World Record in Dragon Boating across the English Channel and is a World Champion Beach Ultimate Frisbee player.
You can find Natalie and WomanzWorld on Twitter (@nataliesisson & @womanzworld).
Chicago Tribe: Amber Sawhill
The signs of Amber Sawhill’s entrepreneurial spirit showed up early: in her first two years as a Girl Scout, while in Red Oak, Iowa, she zoomed to the top of her troop in cookie sales.
Today, along with her husband, Patrick, Amber is a respected business leader who helps train people to develop online shopping portals. They share a passion for empowering others, a pursuit that was often stymied for over a decade as they built strong careers in the staffing industry.
Amber was a top performer as a corporate headhunter and Patrick worked on the agency side. Early on in their career, they sought an alternative and developed it via www.BeLegendary.biz, their Internet-based firm. Through their company, the Sawhills offer a welcome alternative to the often-disheartening process of jumping from one job to another amid company downsizings, relocations or outright dissolutions.
And because of her background in Nutrition/Corporate Training and her commitment to combating the health pandemic, Amber in 2007 was enlisted to help bring the National College of Exercise Professionals to Chicago.
The mother of three amazing children (Logan, Lauren and Mia), Amber loves life, to laugh, and acknowledges that she is “ridiculously competitive.” Her husband’s off-beat and comedic persona does nothing to mask that fact that he mirrors and magnifies all of those characteristics in his wife. The couple met at the University of Iowa, where Amber earned her Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sports Management as Patrick honed his skills for pratfalls, practical jokes and other forms of physical humor.
Her fitness focus notwithstanding, Amber readily admits to one overwhelming weakness: a soft spot for Girl Scout cookies, especially Carmel Delights, and the budding entrepreneurs who sell them.
New York Tribe: Michelle Csonka
Michelle Csonka is a New Yorker who is committed to having people know who they really are and helping them reach their full potential. She is a life coach, Reiki healer, and Kundalini Yoga instructor, She also works as a Spanish teacher and has an inspirational T-shirt company. Michelle has led national empowerment calls to teach people how to cause effective leadership in teams. She is known as the woman with the calm, soothing voice that powerfully calls you out in a second. She is an inspirational leader.