Women of Denver Magazine: Summer 2018

CONNECTING & INSPIRING WOMEN
Featuring
WHY I STARTED WOMEN OF DENVER
How we began and where we're headed
WOMEN CAN'T WAIT 39 YEARS FOR EQUAL PAY
From The Women's
Foundation of Colorado
WOMEN OF DENVER QUARTERLY
SUMMER 2018
INVISIBLE WOUNDS
The aftermath of surviving
a mass shooting
TheWomenOfDenver.com

Letter Fromthe Founder
I believe our superpowers lie within our greatest struggles and fears. In
my 2016 TEDx I shared my personal story of feeling a connection to
Batman because he used his fear of bats to become strong enough to run
with the likes of Wonder Woman and Superman, natural heroes with
magical capabilities.
In this issue, we highlight several women whose challenges were a
catalyst for creativity and are now changing the world through their
ideas. As you read these stories, consider how the struggles you face can
be used to power your journey, inspire others, or solve unique problems.
You might find that within your greatest fear lies a superpower that only
you can wield.
Krystal Covington
CONNECT @KRYSTALGOLEAD
2 thewomenofdenver.com

2018 SUMMER QUARTERLY
Editorial Contributors
Joce Blake
Anjela Jackson
Saralyn Ward
Bree Weber
Heather Tix
Krystal Covington
Lisa Christie
Phylecia Jones
Haylee Powers
Susan Golicic, PhD, CPIC,
Stephen Glitzer, CHWC
Copy Editor
Ali Correll
4. The Business of Community: Offering Moms What They Need Most
7. The Healing Power of Creativity
9. Energize Your Life: 3 Simple Ways to Boost Your Energy Every Day
10. Together On the Climb: The Journey of Bold Betties
Publisher & Layout Designer
Krystal Covington
Cover Photographer
Lynn Clark
Magazine Committee
Chairperson: Lynn Clark
Susan Golicic
Teddi Ann Barry, Esq.
Angela Jackson
Shauna Armitage
Cyndi Stewart
Janiece Rendon
Tracy Revell
Social Media
facebook.com/Womenofdenver
twitter.com/womenofdenver
instagram.com/thewomenofdenver
Subscriptions
Order an individual issue for $7.99 or join our annual
subscription for $27.
Visit WODMag.com to subscribe.
14. Earn Your Worth: Tips from Local Leaders
16. Why I Started Women of Denver
20. Women Can't Wait 39 Years for Equal Pay
24. How to Manage Your Money in 2 Hours or Less Each Month
26. Upcoming WOD Events
28. WOD Impact Member Spotlight: Victoria Wolf, Victoria's Gluten Free Kitchen
31. How I Support HER Career
32. Invisible Wounds: The Aftermath of Surviving a Mass Shooting
34. 5 Ways to Improve Your Spiritual Wellness
36. Review: Fiction Author Ausma Khan
37. Managing Perceptions: An Interactive Branding Guide
38. Business Tools at the Denver Public Library
Advertising
For advertising inquiries contact
Krystal@TheWomenofDenver.com or call
720-515-3078.
thewomenofdenver.com 3

The Business of Community
The Denver Company Offering Moms What They Need Most
Written by Saralyn Ward, lifestyle writer, host of a parenting segment on Colorado?s
Everyday Show, and founder of The Mama Sagas. TheMamaSagas.com
There is nothing like the moment you hear your child cry for the first time: you shed tears of disbelief, your body trembles with exhaustion
and elation, your heart overflows with a love you never knew existed until this very moment. You hear her first cry and it stirs something
within the depths of your soul: it's as if you?ve known that cry your entire life. It?s like the aunties and grandmothers and great grandmothers
that came before you are suddenly present. In that moment you are life itself: the miracle of birth connects you to a force more powerful
than you can comprehend. All at once your future is laid in front of you while you feel your roots deepen like never before. In that exact
moment, your priorities shift. Your reality sharpens. Your worry compounds. Your identity expands.
If you are lucky, they put the baby on your chest. Somehow, she already knows who you are. Somehow, she already knows to nurse. You feel
her sigh as she settles into your breast. Somehow, she already knows she is home. A couple days later, they say that you are free to leave.
You buckle her in and wonder if you are doing it right. You look both ways 9 times before pulling out of the parking lot. You drive home slow
? like, below the speed limit slow. You get home, take her out, and think, where do I put her? What do we do now?
4 thewomenofdenver.com
Jennifer Olson

The whirlwind starts. There are family and doctor appointments and
feedings every 2-3 hours. There are explosions of poop and vomit
and an umbilical cord that falls off. There is bleeding ? a lot of
bleeding ? and probably stitches too. There is pain, and sometimes
stress, as you try to figure out breastfeeding. There is very little
sleep. There are moments of bliss peppered into days of exhaustion
and anxiety. There are mood shifts, and there is crying - from
everyone. It gets hard. You realize,
despite all your preparation, you have no
effing clue what you are doing. You
silently plead, Where are those aunties
now? Where is my village?
The modern postpartum period is a
unique and challenging time in a
woman?s life. At first, there is a revolving door
of visitors. But eventually, the visiting stops,
her partner goes back to work, and she is
suddenly alone with her baby: still trying to
find a routine, still healing, still trying to
familiarize herself with the quirks of this new
housemate and the shift in her own identity. A
new, unexpected isolation descends. She has been catapulted from
the reality she knew into the brave new world of motherhood, where
the stakes are high, the rules change every day, no plan is executed
exactly as intended, and where ? rumor has it ? she will instinctively
know what to do.
But what happens when she doesn?t?
?Women used to have generations of knowledge passed down to
them, but we have lost a lot of that. The words ?isolated?and ?lonely?
are two of the words that I hear almost every postpartum group.?
Allison Schneider, co-founder of the mama ?hood, is no stranger to
the challenges new moms face.
?People have been having babies for millenia. [At the mama ?hood]
we like to take an anthropological approach. So we talk a lot about
what we would have done back in the cave. Back then, we would
have had other moms around. We would have had support, so it's
ingrained in us as a species that we do need help. We do need a
community.
Motherhood is a
huge task that
you have no
practice with,
and you can?t
practice for.
?Now, the way we live is in divided family units with everybody in
their own separate abodes with their own four walls. You don?t have
somebody to [immediately] ask, is this normal? Am I doing this
right? Motherhood is a huge task that you have no
practice with, and you can?t practice for. You have
no idea how it?s going to go or feel no matter how
much you read. You need somebody else to ask
?Did this suck this much for you? Because I feel
like this is so much harder than anyone told me it
would be.?And it feels so much better to hear
somebody to say, ?Oh yeah, girl. It?s so hard and it
really sucked.?And also for them to say, ?But I
promise it gets better. And then it?s gonna get
hard again, and then it will get better.?
Community is the antidote to isolation, and the mama ?hood has
figured out the business of community. Parents around the Denver
metro area swear by their services: they offer everything from
birthing classes to lactation support groups, babywearing class and
playgroups to family-centered yoga and a fully stocked boutique. As
a result, the mama ?hood is quickly becoming a pillar of the Front
Range parenting community.
?It?s really interesting,? says Schneider, ?We have grown 100% by
word of mouth. We?ve tried print marketing, we?ve sponsored events,
we?ve done all sorts of stuff. But we ask people how they heard of us
and 95% say word of mouth.?
When they founded the mama ?hood in 2012, Allison and her
partners Linda Appel Lipsius and Amanda Ogden, RN, IBCLC, set out
to help families find joy, community and support from conception
and beyond. ?There was nowhere to meet other moms in Denver.
There is a really great doula network here, but there was no place
other than the hospital to go be around other moms and meet people.
The mama ?hood?s rapport with parents is no surprise because theirs
isn?t just any run-of-the-mill postpartum support. The mama ?hood?s
biggest draw is the collaborative, expert-guided advice they provide
in a judgment-free, inclusive and welcoming environment.
thewomenofdenver.com 5

Their approach makes them an anomaly in a sea of unsolicited and
often biased parenting advice. ?We want to meet the mom where
they are. If mama comes in and it?s a disaster and everything?s
falling apart we meet her there. If she comes in and everything is
going ok except ?This baby isn?t sleeping and I?m gonna lose my mind
because I haven?t slept through the night in 6 months,?we are going
to figure out what is the best thing that?s going to work at her house,
for what her family structure looks like, and we?re not going to tell
her one way or the other is better.?
Schneider explains that the mama ?hood wants to help women learn
to trust what they feel is right for their baby. ?We like to figure out
how motherhood is going to work for you and your crazy life. What
do you want to do? We are going to help you find the best plan to
support whatever that is. So if you decide you don?t want to
breastfeed, that it?s too hard, we are going to make that transition
the easiest thing that it can be for you.
including triage support through the Boob Hotline, in-house support,
Skype consultations, courier service for breast pumps and products,
and most recently, online video classes for parents and caregivers.
?We are trying to expand in a way that allows this non-judgmental,
very anthropological approach to reach more people. We want to
make it really easy for parents to make all of this crazy stuff work
because you don?t know what you?re doing. Nobody knows what
they?re doing.?
And that?s certainly true: no parent really knows what they are doing.
But maybe parenting isn?t actually about knowing what to do. Maybe
it?s more about knowing where to go ? to find your community, to
gain support, to explore solutions. Lucky for Denver, the mama ?hood
is open, waiting for you with open arms.
?Around here, breastfeeding isn?t so precious. We have moms who
come to postpartum group who are embarrassed that they formula
feed their kid. So what we started to drive home with moms is that
it?s not the type of food that matters, it?s the place. You have to
feed the kid so get the kid some food. What?s more important is that
they need to be on your body and they want to be close to you.
That?s just as important as what you are putting in their body. Yes,
they might not get all those amazing pathogens, but who cares?
They need you. Who cares how [they get fed] as long as they have a
parent who feels sane and supported. They need a parent who is
present and loving and that?s all they need.?
As the mama ?hood?s business grows, their loyal community of
empowered parents has requested ancillary support, and a way to
share their unique blend of support and solutions with a broader
population of moms.
The company has expanded their reach through several offerings
6 thewomenofdenver.com

THE HEALING POWER
Written by Heather Lynn, Denver freelance writer and model
It?s a warm afternoon when Darlene and I meet up to discuss her
recent clothing line. We sip hot coffee in her backyard, our fingers
warmed by the hot liquid while steam circles our nostrils.
Darlene and I first met a year ago when I walked for her at a local
fashion show. Denver has become a unique mecca for fashion in the
West. The Rocky Mountain city has become populated with
entrepreneurs, marijuana connoisseurs, and captivating artists. So,
someone like Darlene, who 20 years ago could not have earned a
living working in the fashion industry here, is now earning a living
and giving back to her community.
of Creativity
Darlene gives me the rundown of her history. After working in New
York, she taught in Los Angeles, and was then offered a position at
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) here in Denver.
A huge focus of Darlene?s life revolves around her students, and it is
a large part of why she decided to become more closely involved in
local fashion shows; to help open doors for students, sparking
creativity and artistic design for what is hopefully many years to
come.
Giving back to the community has certainly paid off in some
surprising and exciting ways. Recently, Darlene was approached by
Facebook Watch, an on-demand video watching service that hopes to
rival Netflix and Hulu.
thewomenofdenver.com 7

Von Miller, one of the most popular outside linebackers in football
today, hosts Von Miller?s Studio 58, a show where Von and his
sidekicks find themselves in funny and out of character scenarios.
When the show approached Darlene, they were looking for an
environment that was creative, fun, and unique in how it highlighted
the young athlete. It also benefited
her students, who competed
against Von and his entourage in a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
?I had bought a box of used saris from India before the accident. The
box was sitting at my house unopened for a long time.? Darlene
further explains her beliefs about sustainable fashion that all her
students learn. ?We may not always be able to purchase organic,
fair-trade cotton for projects, but we can incorporate at least one
thing that creates less impact on our
environment. This was my goal when I
first bought the box of saris, though it sat
there for weeks, untouched.?
But these exciting experiences
have come after a long, tiring, and
heartbreaking year. Tragically, last
July, Darlene?s son was involved in
a horrific car accident that almost
claimed his life and that of his
father.
When she received the call the
weekend of July 4th, Darlene?s life
came to an abrupt halt. Her
11-year-old-son was airlifted to
the nearest pediatric intensive
care unit while his father was
rushed to an ICU at another
nearby hospital.
?When I had finally gotten to the
Cr eativity
r equir es
the cour age
to let go
of cer tainties.
hospital after 6 hours of driving, the pediatric hospital where my son
was at did not know where his dad was. Each hospital was focused
on saving their respective lives, not keeping track of the other.?
The box of colorful garbs, traditionally
wrapped around Indian women, were
bright, tattered, and mis-sharpened. Yet
amid the chaos of her new reality, they
were brought back to life.
?Your dress actually came to me in a
dream,? Darlene informs me. ?Initially the
skirt was going be short, but when I met
you and I saw the sari against your eyes,
that?s when it became long.?
Erich Fromm, a German psychologist, once said that
?Creativity requires the courage to let go of
certainties.? Perhaps it is just this, the courage to let
go of knowing how life would adjust after her son?s
injuries, that gave Darlene the strength to create. Or
perhaps it was that her mind needed to explore new
channels and avenues within itself.
Regardless, creativity was a gift among the wreckage.
Her voice quivers as she remembers in vivid detail the pain of that
day, ?It?s taken single motherhood to a whole new level for me. He
couldn?t do the most basic things on his own anymore. It was almost
like having a newborn again. He needed me physically and
emotionally. I wasn?t sleeping because I was listening for him. I had
to be strong for us both.?
Photographer: Evan Jenson
Designer: Dr. Darlene C. Ritz
Hair: Alyssia Nava
Make-Up: Erica Baca
Models: Heather Lynn & Audrey Jackson
And that?s exactly when Darlene?s mind began adapting to its own
stress, figuring out how to heal its own pain.
8 thewomenofdenver.com

ENERGIZE
YOUR LIFE!
3 Simple Ways to Boost Your
Energy Every Day
Written by Jess Bonasso, Burnout Rescue Coach, Author, and
Speaker RadiantSelfCare.com
often. As you eliminate unnecessary activities and commitments
from your schedule, you?ll free up more time to refuel and recharge.
As a high-reaching woman in business how many days of the week
do you wake up feeling exhausted? Like many women in the
workforce, you?ve probably experienced days and sometimes even
weeks where you felt exhausted, drained and tired. After all, it
requires a lot of energy to rock it in business, come to your family?s
rescue, and save the world each day!
In fact, in a CDC study done in 2013 found that 16% of women age
18 to 44 reported they felt ?very tired,? ?exhausted,? or otherwise
worn out most days, compared with 9% of men in the same age
range. Although 16 percent may not seem like a lot, if fatigue is left
unaddressed, it can eventually lead to physical, mental, or emotional
burnout that can wipe you out and take away the superpowers that
allow you to succeed.
To help you reclaim your energy, here are 3 simple ways you can
boost your energy every day:
1. Learn how to set boundaries like a badass.
One of the biggest reasons for not having enough energy is that
there?s often ?not enough time? in the day to get everything done.
Let?s face it, sister. You control what you say yes and no to in your
life! If you don?t have enough time, it?s because you?re not setting
good boundaries with yourself and others. To address this, only say
yes to others when it?s a ?hell yes!? and say yes to yourself more
2. Manage your energy.
Although time and task management is important for staying
focused and productive, learning how to manage your energy is far
more important. For example, if your day and week are full of energy
draining activities with minimal energy fueling activities or breaks
scattered throughout, you need to begin balancing energy fueling
and energy draining activities in your calendar to get your mojo back!
3. Fuel your body, mind, and spirit.
To keep from sacrificing your soul, sanity, and health, it?s also
important to make sure you do at least one thing every day to fuel
your body, mind, and spirit. For example, getting enough rest, eating
at regular intervals, moving your body, and drinking enough water
are great ways to fuel your body! You can feed your mind with
regular intervals of downtime, relaxation and personal development
and you can fuel your spirit with activities that inspire and delight
you such as spending time with your family, hanging out with your
girlfriends, being creative, or just having good old-fashioned fun!
That?s it! With a little practice, you?ll be back to being the badass
wonder woman that you are in no time.
Reference: Psychology Today
thewomenofdenver.com 9

Together on the Cl imb
THE JOURNEY OF BOLD BETTIES
Written by Joce Blake
Did you know many women feel completely unrestricted
when they immerse themselves in the wilderness?
According to REI?s 2017 National Study on Women and the Outdoors,
nearly three-quarters of women feel they are under more pressure to
conform to social norms. It explains why women see the outdoors as
a way to escape those pressures and why 72% of women say they
feel liberated when they venture out.
Changing the face of adventure one woman at a time, Bold Betties
serves as a community of wild women exploring the outdoors
together.
Much like Women of Denver, the organization began as a Colorado
Meetup group. These women come from all walks of life - all shapes,
colors, ages, and skill sets, from various stages of life. They share
one characteristic: hunger. Whether that be for adventure,
exploration or transformation, these women thrived off of the
commanding force they each owned.
The larger mission of Bold Betties is to help change the face of
adventure by getting more women outside and providing them with
the inspiration, gear, apparel and planning to make that happen. In
such an alluring state, this mission is both ideal and impactful. There
is a large misconception that to be outdoors means that you have to
be dangling from an upright peak or banish your love for wearing
lipstick and heels. By eliminating the intimidation factor, making it
affordable, providing a community of adventuresses and using
technology to get women away from the screens and into the
outdoors, this platform made by women for all women is designed to
ignite your inner daredevil.
Women of Denver interviewed Founder and CEO, Niki Koubourlis, and
she made us realize some of the best views come from the hardest
climbs.
10 thewomenofdenver.com

Your beginnings started with an accelerator program. markets.
What did you learn that helped your founding team
succeed in expanding nationally?
Women-led startups sometimes struggle to get funding.
Did your team receive startup funding? If so, what would
Koubourlis: When Bold Betties entered the Boomtown Tech you say was the top strategy that helped you achieve
Accelerator, we were in business for a little over a year and had a your financial goal?
completely different business model. At that time, it was more of an
eCommerce play and the model was more ?Rent the Runway meets Koubourlis: We have raised approximately $1 Million in funding
REI.? Our community was around since before I launched the thus far. $750k of that came in our first Seed Round that we closed
business, and we were regularly going
in March 2017. We are currently
on adventures within the community,
working on our next round. It is indeed
but we weren?t monetizing that aspect
difficult as a woman to raise capital.
of the business.
It?s a ?game? that was not designed by
or for us, and most of the players are
At Boomtown, we had the opportunity
not women. While this was true for a
to conduct thorough customer
long time when it came to upper
research. That allowed us to take a
management in the corporate world,
step back and really understand where
we now have laws and protections in
we were truly adding value for the
place to help even that playing field.
audience we wanted to serve. It
That isn?t the case when it comes to
became abundantly clear our audience
startup financing, so discrimination is
really wanted the community and
still a major issue. Although in this
experiences. The friendships and
world, it?s not called discrimination.
connections they were making with
the other women were adding a lot of
value for them. It was so much easier to
form those bonds over the active
experiences we were providing as
opposed to social events where they
normally might meet other women.
Once we realized that, we began focusing on
the community and the experiences then the
Chapter model we have today emerged. We
first expanded to five Chapters within
Colorado, and now we have 39 Chapters in 21 states and two
countries (U.S. and Canada). The experimental mindset they instilled
was a huge takeaway from Boomtown. They taught us to constantly
examine the assumptions that were critical to our success and then
to deliberately test those assumptions, almost in an effort to ?break?
the business. Once we started launching Chapters outside of
Colorado, we applied this mindset religiously by choosing locations
in hopes of learning if certain assumptions held true in different
As a woman who has always
operated in male-dominated
environments ... I always
believed that I could simply
work harder, educate myself
more, and earn more
credentials to accomplish
my goals.
It?s called ?pattern recognition? or
?unconscious bias.? Same thing.
As a woman who has always operated in
male-dominated environments and didn?t
come from a well-connected family, I always
believed that I could simply work harder,
educate myself more, and earn more
credentials to accomplish my goals. Initially, I
tried with fundraising, but the sad truth is
that this is one of those things in life that
truly does come down to who you know,
particularly if you are a woman and you are in the early stages with
your startup. As a man, you will have better luck convincing
strangers to invest in you. As a woman, you and your co-founders are
better off mining your networks for potential investors. This will
likely change if more women become angel investors, but that isn?t
happening quickly.
Celeste Van Rooyen

Each of our investors came through personal
networks and the bigger checks came from those
several degrees removed, meaning distant
connections or connections of connections of
connections. We spent a lot of time meeting with
angels in Colorado and California and I met a lot of
smart and interesting people that way. But
ultimately our time was better spent mining our
networks. We are certainly employing that strategy
with this next round we are raising. I am hopeful
that our increased traction will make the task easier
this time around.
What's the story behind the name "Bold
Betties"?
Koubourlis: I often joke that I chose Bold Betties as the name
because it sounded better than Crazy Bitches! Truthfully though,
crazy bitches was never under
consideration as a name.
I had to pick a name very early on,
far earlier than I was comfortable.
It became an urgent matter when I
wanted to start working on a
website and had to pick a domain
name, and also when I wanted to
launch a Meetup group. All of those
things were happening at the same
time, around the end of March 2014.
I wanted to make it easier
for women to explore and
adventure together.
be something that tells people what the company is or does. It was
critical to capture this was for women only and that it was for
adventurous women in particular. So I started with two columns in a
spreadsheet. One column listed synonyms for adventurous and the
other, synonyms for women. After I had my lists completed, I was
kind of doing a visual matching exercise, pairing words from each
column together and trying them out.
As soon as the combination of ?Bold?
and ?Betties? rolled off my tongue, I
got chills. I purchased the domain
name within 5 minutes. It just felt
right. Of all the decisions I have made
in building this business, this is one I
have never second-guessed.
Can you share a story or
moment that made you proud to be part of the
All I really knew at that stage was the problem I was wanting to
organization?
solve. I wanted to make it easier for women to explore and adventure
together. I never considered myself a creative person before. In fact,
I am extremely analytical and left-brained. In my former career, I was Koubourlis: There are countless! At Bold Betties, we are building a
a ?numbers? person and spent most of my time in Microsoft Excel (so company that has the opportunity to positively impact women?s lives.
much so one of my sisters actually calls me ?Spreadsheet? as a Whenever I see evidence of the good we are doing in the world, that
nickname). So naturally, when it came time to pick a name for Bold makes me incredibly proud. I love seeing and hearing women share
Betties, I opened up a new workbook in Microsoft Excel.
what Bold Betties has meant to them.
I had no branding background to draw from. I knew the name should
12 thewomenofdenver.com

Five Rings Financial has been helping Middle Americans for the last thirty-six years achieve
their financial goals built on safe money principles. We at Five Rings Financial believe that
America has an education problem that has stopped Middle America from becoming
financially independent simply because we were not taught fundamental money principles.
We have the largest team of female Financial Service leaders in the nation and the fastest
growing Financial Service Company in the nation we pride ourselves on changing lives,
changing generations of lives and intend to change the financial culture of Middle America.
We have trademarked" Wine, Women, and Wealth" financial seminars AND the National
Award winning money workshop, ?Money 101". We invite you to help us change America.
You may access one of our workshops, available to all in Colorado at www.taxfree4me.com
and www.fiveringsfinancial.com/education. Follow the events and time zone for the next
workshop near you.
Feel free to contact Rudy Garcia E.V.P. or Kym Colvin E.V.P. listed on this page.
Welcome Home!
Fam ily First Agency
Rudy and Kym
303-349-6706
303-514-7186
Taxfree4m e.com

Earn Your
WORTH
If you're in the cycle of being underpaid, these tips can
help you increase your pay and finally earn your worth.
Don't be Afraid to Self-Promote
The inability to take credit when it is due is something
we can definitely improve on! I've seen a tendency in
women, as knee-jerk reaction, to spread the credit
around to others even if she was truly responsible for
a win. This humble response can feel like the right
thing to do in the moment, however this can lessen
her impact on or importance to a team, paving the
way to be overlooked for a promotion or raise.
10 thewomenofdenver.com
Chelley Canales, Corporate Relations Manager
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

Work with Your Manager
Focus on Value
Remember that a raise is based on ?value?
not ?want or need.? Prepare in advance,
document the value you bring to your position
and the organization, demonstrate how you
go above and beyond in terms of additional
responsibilities, and research the market
value for your position. Once you have those
details gathered, schedule the conversation
at an opportune time (not during a tight
deadline or at the end of a busy day), give
advanced notice about the agenda, anticipate
objections, create accountability by seeking
support, role play if needed, give yourself a
big boost of confidence, and then celebrate!
Aimee Cohen, CEOat Woman UP!
Speaker, Executive Career Coach, Author
"If you?re already in
the job role, it?s an
uphill battle. One
approach is to be
truthful and convey
your desire for
upward mobility in
salary and to
advance your career
by jointly
developing a plan
with your manager.
Identify and track
your major contributions and accomplishments and quantify with specifics on how you were
able to cut costs, increase revenue, or implement systems for efficiencies."
Paula McClain, Inclusion Marketing Strategist
USTA Colorado,
DON'T APOLOGIZE
WHEN ASKING FOR
WHAT YOU WANT
Don't Let Your Inner Critic Stop You
"Start the conversation! So many women hold back being their own inner critic instead of taking
action. Similar to applying for new jobs, promotions or a change, we think we need to check all
the boxes before making moves."
Natalie Foote, Senior Operations Manager, Agent Care
Zillow Group
thewomenofdenver.com 15

WOD emblem
provided by Ann
Kaemingk of Front
Range Cutting
WHY I STARTED
WOMEN OF DENVER
How Women of Denver began and where we?re headed
by CEO & Founder, Krystal Covington
I remember like it was yesterday.
I left my condo carrying bags of event
supplies and headed on my way to Fluid
Coffee Bar in Uptown where I would soon be
hosting the first Women of Denver meeting.
I walked in and began setting up the room,
nervously rearranging chairs to make sure the
experience would be perfect for my arriving
guests. I then proceeded to order enough
pastries, fruit, and cheese to feed 40 people.
Each new arrival could probably sense my
apprehension as I tried my best to appear
calm in my greeting. I couldn?t believe people
showed up. There were five attendees in total,
seven if you count my husband and my dad.
The event was called Sunday Morning Coffee
and Conversation, and the topic was about
our limiting beliefs, or the stories we believe
that hold us back from achieving our goals.
The ladies went home with new ideas for
tackling their inner critics, one attendee went
home with a lifetime supply of pastries and
cheese, and I went home knowing for the first
time what my true calling might be.
I?d been in the city for only a year, having
moved to Denver from Detroit where I worked
in affordable housing helping to fund, build,
and market apartment communities in the
Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
program and volunteered with One Brick
Detroit helping to coordinate and inspire
volunteers supporting a number of nonprofits.
16 thewomenofdenver.com

Being an introvert (INTJ for the MBTI nerds out there) made it
challenging to meet people, and after numerous failed experiences
with other groups it made sense to take ownership of the journey
and build the network I wanted to see in
my life.
The format of facilitated discussions,
workshops, and mastermind sessions
makes it easy for someone like me to
join in, meet others easily, and
feel comfortable being open and
authentic, so I created the
atmosphere that makes me feel
most at home.
It all added up to this.
Nowhere in my life plan did I ever
state that I wanted to be the
founder of a women?s network, producer
of a TV and podcast show, and publisher of
a magazine, but apparently I?ve been training for this job all my life.
From my college job hosting developmental seminars for freshman at
the ?Student Success Center,? to my administrative role planning
everything from corporate retreats to high-end parties, and my
internal communications job where I hosted a weekly show
interviewing company executives and sharing updates on the
company, my life has offered me an obvious pathway to succeeding
in building this business.
But my training began even earlier with the mentorship provided by
my parents, Roy and Arethia.
My father was a factory boiler operator by day, and an avid artist by
night. Several walls of our home were decorated with canvas
paintings he personally produced. One of the major lessons he
instilled in me was to always embrace art and to never be afraid to
express myself. His passion for traveling and meeting new people
taught me to always seek new moments to grow and learn from
others. Any conversation can be a lesson and every experience is an
essential part of the journey.
I do find it powerful
to look back and
realize that every
experience has led
to arriving here.
On Sunday's nearly every week I'd dress up in a suit just like my
mother and sit in the second pew of the church we attended. Mom
was no regular attendee; she took on
the role of handling the church
accounting after each service, so we
had a job to do. After the offering was
passed we'd scurry back to the office
along with another church leader and
begin counting the money. I took the job
of rolling coins and I watched as my
mom handled the cash and calculations.
Mom taught me how a community
leader should look and behave and led me to value
volunteering. I also learned how important money
is even when the work being done is as personal
and spiritual as church service.
Both of my parents pushed me to be a leader to
my three sisters as well as an example in our
small community. Because of them, I took my role
of oldest child extremely seriously and became consumed with the
idea of being a role model. I was the kid staying after school to help
grade papers and wash the board (yes, we still had chalk in
elementary), and participated in educational summer programs for
math, science, and leadership.
While I don?t believe that our pathways are predestined, I do find it
powerful to look back and realize that every experience has led to
arriving here and that something I never imagined could be part of
my story may very well be part of my legacy.
Why Women of Denver?
When I first moved to the city I came without a job. I?d spend hours
each morning submitting job applications and have the entire
afternoon after to roam the city. Since the 16th Street mall was
short walking distance, I?d spend much of my time there and on
Larimer Square, watching people pass and blogging for my family
and friends back home.
thewomenofdenver.com 17

Fascinated with the Humans of New York series, I was determined to
create my own version of their project in Denver and feature people I
met on Denver?s car-free strip. The trouble was, I was way too
nervous walking up to strangers to go far with the idea.
Instead, I started a blog titled ?The Women of Denver,? and began
talking with women about what it means to be a leader. The first
interviews were simply three acquaintances I?d met since moving to
the city whom I felt were positive role models. Two video experts
from work helped me film the project in my home and I edited the
videos myself. After that, I was hooked on the idea of building a
platform for women and began educating myself on all things related
to content creation.
Adding cash to the equation.
Women of Denver's mission of helping women earn their worth
certainly didn't come out of nowhere.
As a college student I launched an
Ebay brand that auctioned lace front
wigs. I began the company selling the
wigs sight unseen as custom orders,
and as the company began to profit I
started purchasing and holding
inventory based on the top selling
units. My father was my first investor,
providing $1,000 to purchase my
first big inventory, and I was able to
double his money in a matter of months.
Eventually the vendors selling the wigs to me began selling directly
on Ebay themselves, undercutting my profits and forcing me to sell
my remaining inventory at a loss. I was bankrupt. Had I known more
about business, I would have been aware of the need to follow and
research the industry and could have better planned for the massive
transition the industry experienced.
After receiving my undergraduate degree I turned to the professional
world to build my resume and start earning an adult salary, but in
2008 that was harder than I imagined.
18 thewomenofdenver.com
Desperate to find and keep a job I took the first offer for each new
role without asking for additional pay or benefits. After realizing how
underpaid I was, I tried three years in a row to renegotiate a salary
and each time was unable to succeed in standing my ground. It
wasn't until a few years after moving to Denver that I would finally
try and succeed thanks to a female manager who understood my
plight.
Having struggled to earn my worth as both an entrepreneur and a
corporate employee, I realize how necessary it is to have access to
education to better understand the business world and how to
navigate.
Many membership organizations are structured for either
entrepreneurs or corporate career women, but what my experience
has taught me is that in today's market we often find ourselves
spending time on both ends of the spectrum. I believe it's needed for
us to have experience and understanding of both, in order to build a
network that can help us succeed in an entrepreneurial path or
help us find jobs when we need one.
As a woman, I believe
the ability to truly
understand business at
every level and the
many ways that money
is acquired is essential
for our freedom.
As a woman, I believe the ability to truly
understand business at every level and the
many ways that money is acquired is
essential for our freedom. We can't be
trapped in a circumstance if we understand
the keys to financial freedom in any
environment.
But while earning our worth financially is
the goal, we can't fight for ourselves if we
don't know how valuable we are. Professional development has no
impact without personal growth.
I knew the steps to negotiating my pay, but failed repeatedly
because I didn't believe in my own value and couldn't project
confidence when sitting in the negotiating chair. Women of Denver
seeks to provide coaching to help women succeed by not only
knowing the steps, but believing they are worth the investment.
Hashtagitude, Ryan Kane

The road ahead.
Although I feel like I?ve been at this for a decade, it?s been only a few years
since this journey began. Through the successes and learning lessons what
I?ve identified is that there?s truly a need for networks where women can
authentically discuss what they need, and find camaraderie in others who can
help them in achieving their objectives.
Denver already had a strong business networking community and a list of
incredible nonprofits serving the mission of helping women progress before
we came along. What we offer is something a bit in the middle. WOD aspires
to be the connector, helping to link Denver women to the resources available
and to build a true support network for all women to get the personal and
professional development they need to earn their worth as business women,
whether in corporate roles or as business owners.
Our official mission is to connect and inspire 100,000 women through our
educational events and progressive thought-leadership, so they can acquire
the knowledge and confidence to earn their worth.
As we move into the coming years, we?ll be empowering more leaders to host
meetings under our brand, becoming a more powerful voice for women in the
community, and creating new and innovative tools to help women network
and connect to local resources.
I?m proud to be the founder of this community and to be able to say that I
have already connected thousands of women through this platform and
inspired the same number through the empowering thought-leadership
Women of Denver has provided. To say I?m grateful to all of our supporters
would be an understatement.
The generosity of the women who have made WOD possible is unbelievable.
There are numerous women who have shared consultations with me offering
advice to support the growth of this program and who have dedicated their
hours to helping me fill in the gaps of my business while I worked a full-time
job. There?s no greater gift than the time and support they have offered.
As we grow this platform I continue to look to you, our community, to help
steer our organization, so we continue to provide timely resources to help you
thrive. Thanks for being part of the Women of Denver journey!
Learn more at
TheWomenofDenver.com
WOMEN OF DENVER
PHILOSOPHIES
- Referrals don't often come from a
one-time meeting passing business cards
and telling people what you do. Real
business connections take time to grow
and require demonstrating trustworthiness
and mutual support. That's why Women of
Denver is focused on long-term
connections and collaborative partners.
- Experiential learning is important for
long-term retention of new information.
That's why Women of Denver workshops
and events incorporate activities that
make knowledge actionable.
- Building connections requires us to go
deeper -- past the surface level of "What
do you do?" That's why we cultivate a
culture that prioritizes deeper
conversations that go beyond the obvious,
so we can quickly build trust and begin
truly supporting each other.

Written by Lisa Christie, Sr. Director of
Communications, The Women?s Foundation of
Colorado
On Equal Pay Day, little girls accompanied by their
mothers gathered around a podium at a press
conference where legislators introduced two new bills
that would accelerate the closing of Colorado?s gender
pay gap.
On the girls?shirts were the ages they would be when
Colorado is projected to reach equal pay. The youngest?s
read 40.
The latest research from the Institute for Women?s
Policy Research (IWPR) funded by The Women?s
Foundation of Colorado (WFCO) shows the gender pay
gap is not expected to close until 2057.
While it has narrowed for some Colorado women since
the last report from IWPR in 2015, there is a significant
distance to go to achieve equal pay for all women.
Colorado women aged 16 and older who work full-time,
year-round earn 86.0 cents on every dollar earned by
men who also work full-time, year-round. This is an
increase from 80.0 cents on the dollar in 2015.
WOMEN CAN'T WAIT
39 YEARS
FOR EQUAL PAY
20 thewomenofdenver.com

While this is progress, substantial pay disparities between racial and
ethnic groups persist. IWPR reports that Hispanic women earn just
53.5 cents for every dollar earned by white men (the highest
earners) and black women earn 63.1 cents.
?These trends are troubling
because Colorado women and
girls of every background and
identity deserve the opportunity to
prosper,? said Lauren Y. Casteel,
president and CEOof The
Women?s Foundation.
?While our state thrives
economically, Hispanic women,
one of the fastest growing populations in Colorado, fall further
behind and that negatively affects the futures of their families, their
communities, our workforce, and our entire state.?
Equal pay for equal work is a win-win situation. IWPR reported in
If Colorado achieved
pay equity, an
additional $9.2 billion
would be added to the
state?s economy.
2015 that if Colorado achieved pay equity, an additional $9.2 billion
would be added to the state?s economy. The findings reinforce the
essential work of The Women?s Foundation and its WAGES (Women
Achieving Greater Economic Security) work. With the partnership of
23 grantees from around the state and the support of WFCO?s
communities of giving, WAGES focuses on
programs and policies that boost and
maintain economic gains for women and
their families.
On Equal Pay Day, WFCOdeclared support
for the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and
announced that sports icon and equal pay
activist Billie Jean King will be the special
guest at its 2018 Annual Luncheon.
Women can?t wait another 39 years for
equal pay.
Come together with WFCOand 3,000 other champions for women?s
advancement and help raise critical funds to create change for
Colorado women and their families. Tickets, tables, and sponsorships
are available now at www.wfco.org.

IRINA VLADA, PCC
CERTIFIED WOMEN'S CONFIDENCE COACH
?I believe that self-love is the answer to every challenge in life.?
Originally from a small town in the Soviet Union, Irina moved to America when she
was 19, with only $200 and speaking little English. Now bilingual, she has three
degrees from multiple institutions and a professional coaching certification. As a
foreigner so far from home, Irina?s life experiences have taught her how to
embrace challenges and fall in love with her story.
Irina created a coaching practice that focuses on empowering women by giving
them the tools to embrace their individuality and find their personal truths. By
teaching women how become confident, she has given numerous women the
ability to identify self-limiting beliefs and manifest the highest vision of
themselves.
Follow Irina on Instagram & Facebook: @IrinaVladaCoaching
Schedule a complimentary session at www.IrinaVladaCoaching.com
MEG SEBASTIAN EVANS
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Meg Sebastian Interior Design is the only design firm in Denver specializing in
residential interior design and staging for homeowners and realtors. Meg started
the firm after working in New York City, Chicago, Vail, and her hometown of Grand
Rapids, MI. With a degree from the New York School of Interior Design and vast
experience with several designers, her projects have traveled across the world.
Meg has the experience to help you with your interior design projects, from paint
color consultations and staging your home to sell, to furniture placement, or
kitchen and bath renovations.
Facebook: @MegSebastianInteriorDesignLLC
Instagram: @megsebastianid \ Twitter: @4friendsdesign
www.megsebastianinteriordesign.com and www.4friendsdesign.com
POWER WOMEN OF DENVER

TEDDI ANN BARRY, ESQ.
FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY AND MEDIATOR
Teddi Ann is a woman for others, a child advocate, a family law attorney
and mediator throughout Colorado. With offices in Cherry Creek, Castle
Rock, Thornton, Avon and Steamboat, Teddi Ann has a successful and
forward-thinking practice focused on client empowerment and resolution.
Her results-driven approach to divorce leads to more creative ideas for
settlement and child-centered parenting plans with strong advocacy and
transparency during the family law process. She has vast knowledge and
experience with high-end asset marital estates, and has developed a
professional team to serve your best interests during a most difficult time.
Twitter: @TeddiAnnBarryPC, \ LinkedIn: TeddiAnnBarryEsq.,
www.DivorceInColorado.com \ www.UnifiedDivorce.org
KRYSTAL COVINGTON, MBA
MARKETING CONSULTANT
Krystal Covington, MBA, is a business marketing consultant with over 10
years of progressive experience in the field of communications. Her diverse
background offers experience in several industries including real estate,
finance, grocery, retail, membership organizations, consulting and tech.
Krystal has presented a TEDx Talk, contributes to Forbes, and has been
featured in numerous media outlets including the Denver Business Journal.
Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @KrystalGoLead
To learn more visit www.krystalcovington.com
POWER WOMEN OF DENVER
thewomenofdenver.com 23

From unexpected medical bills, home repairs, car breakdowns, and the
running list of emergencies that we never seem to be prepared for, it
can always feel as if you are three steps behind your finances instead
of being ahead.
According to a survey by Bankrate, many other Americans are in the
same position. 57% can barely afford to cover a $500 emergency and
only 39% of Americans would be able to cover the same cost from
their savings account. With so much pressure to be great with money
and to have our dollars stretched more and more each day, it is easy
for many to lose confidence and choose avoidance when it comes to
money.
By establishing the easy-to-follow 1st & 15th money management
system, you can banish the stress of money management, eliminate
unnecessary spending, have more savings, and avoid increasing debt.
Follow these three simple steps and you will be ahead of your money
in two hours or less each month.
Written by Phylecia Jones, Budgetologist &
Solopreneur Money Management Expert
keepupwithmrsjones.com
14 thewomenofdenver.com

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY
in 2 Hours or Less Each Month
Circle the 1st and 15th day of each month on your calendar
Systems and processes are not just for big business! They are the lifeblood of being effective
and efficient with money management. That is why it must be on your calendar! Every 1st and
15th of the month, schedule one hour, between 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. and look at the overall status
1.of your money.
Evaluate how much went out and what came in last month
2.
When controllable expenses eat away at your bank account each month, it is easy to
become frustrated. Analyze monthly subscriptions, review unexplained charges, and look at
the small expenses that add up. If you are not sure where to start, begin with your meals
and entertainment. The occasional happy hour with friends, $5 download, or quick trip to
your favorite superstore adds up fast!
3.
Look ahead and plan the current month?s expenses
Stop making up imaginary budgeting items and plan for what you are actually going to spend money on! Estimate how
much of your money will go toward expenses, savings, debt repayment and track the amount of money coming into
your bank account for the current month. This simple step of planning the future with your finances gives you more
control on where your money is going.
In the end, it may seem as though managing money requires a degree in finance, but it really takes a few simple steps
to stay ahead. Are you willing to take those small steps? If you find yourself pushing your money management duties
to another day, you will be in the situation that many Americans are facing right now: unable to handle small financial
emergencies and entering into debt to stay afloat each month. Having a plan to manage your finances monthly will
help control unnecessary spending, avoid increasing debt, and put more money in your savings account. The 1st & 15th
system will put you on track to financial success and instantly set you apart from the rest.
thewomenofdenver.com 15

UPCOMING WOD EVENTS
Wednesday, June 13 from 6-8 p.m. Strategic Mastermind Session
Led by Krystal Covington, MBA
Sometimes we just need someone new to put things into perspective and help us find a solution we hadn't come up with yet. Come with an
idea or a problem you'd like to solve with the group, or join us as a solution provider to support others.
Thursday, June 21 from 6-8 p.m. The Brand of You: Igniting Your Presence, Purpose and Profile as a Thought Leader
Led by Kami Guildner, Founder of Extraordinary Women Radio TM and Extraordinary Women Connect TM
You will determine your personal Thought Leader Brand Type, so that you can develop a content strategy to share YOU with the world!
Kami will give you real world tips on how to play a bigger game and up-level what you?re putting out into the world, so you are seen, heard
and making an impact leading the change you desire.
Wednesday, July 11 from 6-8 p.m. Badassery in the Boardroom
Led by Krystal Covington and featuring Olivia Omega, Wallace Marketing Group and Amy Collette, Positively Powered
When was the last time you stopped to celebrate your wins? Badassery in the Boardroom is a community space where women gather to
share success stories, build each other up, and share resources to take the next step.
Thursday, July 19 from 6-8 p.m. Top 10 Hot Topics of Business
Led by Noreen Wilson, Operation Hope
Does having ?Good? credit matter anymore? How do you account for the money flowing through your business? How do you handle the
roadblocks and detours on your journey to being an entrepreneur?
Learn the answers to these questions and get started with building a solid foundation for your small enterprise.
26 thewomenofdenver.com

REGISTER FOR UPCOMING EVENTS WODEVENTS.ORG
Thursday, August 2 from noon to 1 p.m. Rise With Purpose: Leading With All You Are
Led by Lori Heisler, Greater Good Institute
Change has to come through intentional efforts and the only way to create change in is for us to rise and become the leaders we want to
see. This training will help you develop your leadership philosophy by unveiling the beliefs, behaviors, and practices you're operating by.
Wednesday, August 8 from 6-8 p.m. Strategic Mastermind Session
Led by Krystal Covington, MBA
Sometimes we just need someone new to put things into perspective and help us find a solution we hadn't come up with yet. Come with an
idea or a problem you'd like to solve with the group, or join us as a solution provider to support others.
Thursday, August 16 from 6-8 p.m. Learn How the Experts Leverage LinkedIn
Led by Karen Albert, Behind Your Curtain
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for business, but getting the most out of it takes planning. In this workshop you'll
learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile to get more exposure, attract job recruiters, and garner more
leads for your business.
Thursday, September 6 from noon to 1 p.m. A Simple Marketing Strategy for Boosting
Revenues
Led by Shauna Armitage, Making Moxie
Most business owners know what tools are out there to manage their business marketing, but knowing how
to use them effectively can still be a challenge. In this program we'll discuss how to market effectively, and
build a community of brand advocates that buy from you again and again.
Thursday, September 8 from 5-8 p.m. Women of Denver Quarterly Networking Party
Led by Krystal Covington, MBA
Get inspired, build new connections, and learn from local experts at the Women of Denver quarterly
networking party. Our event starts with open networking, then we come together for a special guest speaker
making a powerful impact, a panel of local experts, and activities that bring our learning to life.
Ryan Kane, Hashtagitude

With the growth in popularity of specialty diets like Gluten Free, Victoria and her
Whusband Rich, have made a name for themselves as an artisan baking company in a
wildly growing niche. With their combined background in the food and marketing
industries, they?ve been able to create a brand that attracts raving fans, and
develop a product line that has seen triple digit numbers in growth every year since
their launch. Despite the tremendous growth of Victoria's Gluten-Free Kitchen
(formerly, The Gluten Free Explorer), it wasn?t an overnight success. Victoria talks about how they
got their start, the biggest challenges they faced, and what they learned along the way ? plus a
sneak peak at what?s coming down the pipeline this year.
WOD IMPACT MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
VICTORIA WOLF, CEO & FOUNDER
OF VICTORIA'S GLUTEN-FREE KITCHEN
Written by Bree Weber, content writer, publishing expert,
and founder of Pig Pilots. fly.pigpilots.com
What was your original inspiration for launching Victoria's Gluten-Free Kitchen?
In March of 2007 I went gluten-free, and my body was so happy! It was a tough couple years at
first, but I learned to adapt. In 2010 I went dairy-free, and my body loved me again. I was
managing the lifestyle well by cooking much of what I ate, but in order to satisfy my cravings for
pizza and bread, I purchased gluten-free (GF) products from the store - Udi?s and other brands -
hoping to get back some of what I lost.
Rich and I met in 2013, and he had been cooking since he was nine ? same as me. He loved food
and had been in the food industry in varying roles for most of his career. He had an appreciation
for good food, and also wanted to support my gluten- and dairy-free lifestyle. He saw it as the
ultimate cooking challenge, but was certain he did not want to give up the foods he loved,
especially pizza. I felt the same way, however the options available at the time (pre-made crusts,
mixes, etc) were nothing like the pizza I remembered.
Rich tried all the available options and his resounding opinion was ?yuck? to put it mildly ? not
dissimilar from mine. He suggested we make our own. I had been GF for six years without getting
into baking and I was not interested. I was just discovering my passion for food and did not have
much confidence in my ability and the prospect of creating a pizza crust ? something I knew
nothing about ? scared me to my core. Rich kept saying, but it's pizza! And, because he knows me
well enough to know when and how to push me to be more than I think I can, I agreed.
28 thewomenofdenver.com
Ryan Kane, Hashtagitude

I had never baked before, so I had a lot to learn. I loved it and was a commitment to always strive to be better than I am is the power
completely hooked after my first few attempts. I kept making pizza behind our growth.
after pizza, and after about six months we felt we had a good pizza
crust, and knew it was time to share it with others. We served it to Success and giving to others is what drives me. My favorite way to
our non-gluten-free friends and they all were blown away with the it, give to others is through food, and this has brought us much success.
saying they would have never known it was GF. That?s when we knew We love to feed people and that has opened many doors for us.
we had something special, and decided to start the company. Once, the owner of a local brand said we are always ?feeding the
masses? at our demos. We believe he meant this as a dig, but we
The Gluten Free Explorer, now Victoria's Gluten-Free Kitchen, was took it as a compliment. Everyone who is not GF now knows someone
originally a company I started in 2012
in their life who is GF and when they taste our product
with the intent to write a GF travel book. I
and like it, they will tell their friends. It?s a simple
never did write the book, but I already had
approach, which works so well. Having a product
the name, website, and company. We
people love helps too!
decided to re-brand it as a product
company.
What's been the biggest challenge you've
faced in building and growing your brand?
What did you learn about getting
Money. Everything else can be figured out. I feel the
started with a food product? Did
hardest aspect of growing any business is financing it.
you take classes or find a mentor?
It takes a considerable amount of money to grow a
Rich and I both had years of home cooking
food company and for the first couple years or more,
experience and were always learning
there is hardly any profit and rarely money for your
more; it was our hobby. Having a good
own salary. You work you butt off for years, invest
palate helped, but we wanted to learn
your savings, and got into a bit of debt, with promise
further, so we enrolled in the Escoffier
and hope, and if you do everything
Online Cook School. We learned
smart and with a good heart, it will
techniques and skills, which certainly My strong aversion to fail ure pay off later on.
helped us on our journey.
coupl ed with a commitment to
I am a huge P!nk fan and one of her
I also read many baking books, blogs,
songs, Wild Hearts Can?t Be Broken,
articles, etc. to learn all I could about al ways strive to be better completely sums up my world. It?s an
GF baking. I was driven to learn
inspiring song about pushing past
everything that was available to create than I amis the power behind innumerable obstacles and coming
the best GF pizza and bread I could. It
out of impossible situations, because
became an obsession for me and I our growth.
the passion that fuels your dreams is
loved it!
far greater than the pain of the
battle to get there.
What is it about your product, approach, or team that
made you successful when so many others fail?
Resilience, persistence, and tenacity for are the ingredients of my
success. Rich?s years of experience in the food industry and my 26
years in marketing were a huge asset in the beginning, and still help
us to this day. The food industry is very difficult, and it?s expensive to
bring products to market. My strong aversion to failure coupled with
The lyrics may seem a little dramatic, but when you own a business,
it really can feel like a battle much of the time. My inner fortitude
and many motivational P!nk songs keep me moving forward.
Anita Roach

What is the #1 piece of advice you would give to someone
who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Check your gut first. Make sure you have the drive and passion (and
intestinal fortitude) to keep going when things get tough, because
they will. If the passion is there, then go for it.
Knowing your ?why? is critical. If you can?t explain why you are doing
what you are doing, then how will anyone truly understand or
connect to you? My why is an
unrelenting drive to make the
lives of the GF more inclusive
and delicious. There is nothing
better than making people
happy with my food.
What mindset or
perspective is important
for success in the food
industry?
Consumers want brands who
relate to them, who ?get them.?
I have preached this marketing
philosophy for 26 years, and
really see it coming to fruition with Victoria's Gluten-Free Kitchen.
Resilience, persistence, and tenacity are critical as is an unwavering
belief in yourself and your product.
What kind of growth and progress has your company
seen since your launch?
We stared in a very small commercial kitchen on December 22,
2014, producing 24 pizza crusts from a product line of two, which I
thought was so many! Now we have 12 products in our line and
produce over 2,000 pieces per week. We are planning to move to
our fourth kitchen later this year as we expand again. This time next
year, we will be producing more than 10 times that amount, probably
much more.
Currently, we are still self-distributed, and are in over 70 restaurant
locations including all Etai?s Café?s, TAGBurger Bar, Oskar Blues,
Crave Real Burger, Old Major and more. We are in 46 grocery stores
in four states, and are projected to add 100 more stores by the end
of 2018, including Natural Grocers, Lucky?s Market, Alfalfa?s, Mondo
Market, Colorado Local Foods Market, and Hy-Vee in Iowa
What are your plans for the future? What new
advancements will you make in your
product mix and distribution?
We plan to add more ready-to-eat gluten and dairy
free convenience foods.
Our focus is foods that are currently not
represented in the market. I plan to work on
expanding our dairy-free offerings including
dressings and sauces as well as additional bread
flavors.
By the end of the year we should be working with
major distributors, and represented by a national
grocery broker. This is the year we really break
out!
Do you think being in Denver gave you any advantage?
Are there resources here in Denver that were of value for
your business?
Yes, a huge advantage. Denver and especially Boulder are where
many, many new brands have been born in the last 10 plus years.
There is considerable support here in all areas: manufacturing,
branding, sales, etc. And, the amazing food scene has fueled our
growth in food service and restaurant relationships. It would have
been harder to grow like we have in another geographic area, I
believe.
In 2016 our revenues increased 565% over 2015; in 2017 they were
120% over 2016 and this year we project 163% increase over 2017.
Ryan Kane, Hashtagitude
BECOMEA MEMBER AT
JOINWOD.COM
30 thewomenofdenver.com

HOW I SUPPORT Her Career
Life for an entrepreneur can be challenging.
There are so many demands. In the beginning
stages, you?re often chief cook and bottle
washer. If I see her stressed, I?ll ask if there?s
anything I can do to help. Sometimes I?ll simply
go over to rub her shoulders. Most of the time,
she has everything under control. I just want her
to know that I?m there if she needs me.
- Eric L. Lipsey, President, VENTRE
- Teresa Lipsey, Editor-n-Chief of
VENTREMagazine, Ceo of TL Designs
I help her see the value of her worth and what
she has to offer and then structure her offer in
the marketplace to effectively monetize on that
value. My wife has such a giving heart, so I
balance her generosity with strategies to
overcome the difficult conversations of what to
charge clients.
- Shawn Wallace, Monetization
Consultant - Wallace Marketing
Group
- Olivia Omega Wallace, Branding
Strategist - Wallace Marketing Group
When my introverted wife began growing as an
influencer, I started supporting her by teaching her
the skills I had acquired during my broadcast
career. I would provide insights, techniques, and
principles I learned to her videos, stage
presentations, and workshops. Now she is better
than I ever was!
- Bennie S Covington, Director of Talent
and Organizational Development at
Scrum Alliance
- Krystal Covington, Founder and CEOof
Women of Denver

INVISIBLE WOUNDS
She intentionally set her alarm to wake up to ?Good Day,? a song from the
hip-hop band Nappy Roots. Part of the chorus is: ?Ain?t nobody gotta cry to
today, cause ain?t nobody gonna die today. Save that drama for another day.
Hey! We?re gonna have a good day.?
Sherrie Lawson got up, got ready, put on her four-inch Kenneth Cole suede
wedges, slung her Michael Kors bag over her shoulder and headed out the
door to get to an 8 a.m. meeting her program manager had called. ?It was a
beautiful day weather-wise. It was gorgeous. It was probably 80-degrees
that day; the sun was out. It was just a
really nice day,? Lawson said.
She ?was in a really good place? on the
morning of September 16, 2015. She
loved living in Washington, D.C. and
owned her own home in Ward 7. She was
finishing up her doctorate degree while
working with the Navy and was a
contractor for a software engineering
company. In addition to all that, she was
an elected official as an Advisory
Neighborhood Commissioner and had traveled to over 25 countries.
She arrived on base at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard. Her clearance got
her through the front gate, but not without a little flirting from the guard as
he checked her I.D. Then she walked hurriedly through the yard to get to
Building 197 where the meeting was being held.
Determined to get her Pumpkin Spiced Latte and Greek yogurt before the
meeting started, Lawson rushed past Mike Ridgell, the security guard, who
sat in the hallway everyday.
?I had made it a point a couple months before that I?m going to speak to
Mike when I go in. And that particular morning I was rushing so I didn?t
speak to him.?
She saw him out of the corner of her eye, and didn?t give it a second
thought. Little did she know that that was the last time she would ever walk
by him.
A few minutes after the meeting started, around 8:17 a.m., the program
manager heard a strange sound and asked the group, ?Was that gun fire??
The steel, glass and metal building often echoed the sounds of people
setting up tables and chairs in the cafeteria and auditoriums nearby. The
others didn?t think much of it and went back to the meeting. Then a second
round of noise rang out and this time no one thought it was just the clang of
moving furniture. The program manager and another one of Lawson?s
colleagues went to check it out.
She remained in the conference room until the team lead
decided this might be something serious. She wanted to
go to her office to gather her things. Lawson decided to do
the same.
?I got to my desk and right at that time a group of people
were running. They were running by us and they were
frantic,? Lawson said. Then one of them shouted five
words that would change her life forever: ?There?s a
shooter. Get out!?
They walk among us everyday but you can?t tell who they
are just by looking at them. They may be your barista, your mail carrier,
your neighbor. They are the survivors of mass tragedy.
The Washington Navy Yard shooting occurred on September 16, 2013,
when a lone gunman, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, fatally shot 12 people and
injured three others. It was the second-deadliest mass murder on a U.S.
military base.
Although Lawson made it out of Building 197 safe, she did not make it out
unharmed. The shooters in these mass tragedies do not wreak havoc for just
one day. They create a tremendous amount of collateral damage.
Later that week, Lawson and her coworkers were told to come back to the
building to get their laptops. She made an attempt to resume her normal
routine and took the bus to the scene where 12 people were killed. ?I
couldn?t get off in front of Navy Yard. I couldn?t do it. I got there and I
became very emotional and I just stayed on and finally got off in front of the
Marine barracks, which was a couple blocks away and just broke down in
the middle of the sidewalk. That was the first time I really felt the gravity of
what happened,? Lawson said.
32 thewomenofdenver.com

The Aftermath of Surviving a Mass Shooting
Written by Angela Jackson Angela, former Vice President of the Colorado Association of Black Journalists
and Executive Board member of the Denver Press Club.
There are no physical scars to mark the internal war she wages since then.
?I was having nightmares every night, when I was able to sleep. And they
were very dark nightmares.? She often cried on the way to work, had panic
attacks, was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, severe
anxiety, and depression, and has spent lots of money on the six therapists
she?s had since the shooting.
Life as she knew it vanished and thoughts of suicide crept in. She thought to
herself, ?If I have to live like this the rest of my life, I don?t want to do it,?
Lawson said.
San Bernardino, CA
Alicia Cuello also knows the effects of surviving a mass tragedy.
The Women of Denver member was 70 yards
from the San Bernardino, CA shooting on
December 2, 2015. At the time of the attack, it
was recorded as the second deadliest terrorist
attack on American soil.
Cuello was a senior business partner with her
company. She was in the city with her senior
vice president of human resources. Ironically,
they were there to investigate ?an employee
who had dressed up in fatigues and shot his
coworker in the face with a Nerf gun? at the
time the shooting started.
Although she was not in direct line of fire, or
even in the same building as the attack, she was significantly impacted.
?When we got out of lockdown, we were escorted to our cars with
bomb-sniffing dogs; there were bombs in our parking lot. We were put in
our cars and we were told to drive home. And they made us drive past the
conference room where the bodies were,? Cuello said. At that point her
company called and basically said ?Get on a flight. We need you to come
back in to the office tomorrow. You?ve got deadlines to meet.?
Once the dust settled she started thinking about how companies could
handle situations like this better. She asked herself: Where were the
mishaps that happened with me and what can an organization do better?
What can be done to protect employees?
She sat down with a business coach and an HR professional and they
encouraged her to share her insights on how to better manage employee
relations during these times of trauma. All of her notes and research
evolved into a presentation she has shared at Human Resources
conferences around the country.
They walk among us
everyday but you can?t
tell who they are just
by looking at them.
They may be your
barista, your mail
carrier, your
neighbor. They are the
survivors of mass
tragedy.
The Red Cross became aware of the work Cuello was doing and decided to
partner with her to take her program and develop it to become more leader
focused. It will soon be presented all over
Denver.
Lawson has also figured out a way to take an
unfortunate situation and turn her life toward
positive things. Although the pain and trauma
will never go away, Lawson made a choice to
press on.
She had to ask herself: ??Are you going to stay in
your apartment closed off or are you going to
live??I made a choice for myself and I said, I
have to live.?
She is now the Director of Development at The
Rebels Project (TRP). TRP is a nonprofit founded by survivors of the 1999
shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, COto provide support for
those who experience similar trauma to that which she experienced in the
Navy Yard on that fateful day.
Lawson is currently a lecturer at University of Colorado, Denver and lives
with her cat Jax.
When Cuello returned to Denver, her insurance company and her employer
didn?t believe she had PTSD because she wasn?t in the room with the
shooters. She got stuck in a workman?s compensation gray area. ?I didn?t
work for 10 months. A lot of it had to do with just decompressing and
figuring out what to do,? Cuello said.
If you are interested in getting more information about The Rebel Project,
please go to: therebelsproject.org. To learn more about Alicia Cuello visit
UnderlyingCommunications.com.
thewomenofdenver.com 33

5
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
Written by Susan Golicic, PhD, CPIC, Holistic Life Coach and Stephen Glitzer, CHWC, Holistic Life Coach, Chef
Uninhibitedwellness.com
This magazine has showcased several people with the desire to make an impact and change the world ? to improve the treatment of others, to
increase equity for women, to challenge current policies, to help give everyone a chance at a beautiful, happy life. But the first step to
changing the world is to start with yourself! If you strive to be the best you can be and then share that with others, a ripple effect is produced.
Your best self is rooted in your personal wellness. Wellness is comprised of seven dimensions ? spiritual, intellectual, occupational, emotional,
physical, sexual, and social. While all of these are interrelated and impact each other, you can work to improve each area individually. In this
quarter?s article we?ll start with spiritual wellness ? the core of who you are, what you believe, and your purpose in this world. It is from here
that your true impact will grow and your wellness will blossom.
Here are five things you can do to further develop your spiritual wellness.
Start a routine practice.
Develop a daily practice that brings you closer to the power you believe in (God, Buddha, Allah, The Universe, Mother Earth). If you
don?t already, add prayer, meditation, or journaling to your morning and/or evening routine. Go to yoga or a church/temple service
weekly. These types of routines will become part of you and your spirit, enhancing whatever you already do for your spirituality.
Get outside more.
Get outside more. We are inherently connected to the earth and all that encompasses nature. When
we spend time outside and are surrounded by nature, our body relaxes, our breathing deepens and
our minds calm. This helps us get in touch with our inner nature and authentic self. So get out
among the trees, streams, grass, flowers, rocks, and sand more frequently; you may discover some
interesting insights about yourself and what you want for your life!
Volunteer.
Volunteer your time to a cause you believe in. If you struggle with finding the ?right? one for you, consider starting a new organization
that serves those you want to help. Offering a piece of yourself to others through service demonstrates your values and beliefs and is
the foundation to living spiritually. Volunteering is selfish generosity - it has the power to make you feel good while helping others
feel better.
34 thewomenofdenver.com

Play regularly.
Allowing yourself to be joyful and playful in your interactions is important, and it?s even more important to find time for whatever
you find the most joy in! Whether hiking, cycling, connecting with new people, or dancing, intentionally make time every week to do
something that excites you at your core. Your spirit soars most in those moments, so be sure to find your ?spiritual recreation?!
Go a retreat or mission.
Have you ever participated in a sweat lodge, visited a sacred place (like Machu Picchu), or gone on an
adventure trip where the purpose was to spend time focusing on yourself, your intentions, and your
spirituality? There are numerous providers that can help you find a good location/experience match for your
values. For those in Colorado, here are some local possibilities:
https://www.colorado.com/articles/6-spiritual-attractions-colorado
It?s too often we take our spirituality ? our connection with the human spirit ? for granted. It?s important to note that not everyone considers
themselves to be ?spiritual?. Wherever you are on the spectrum these steps can help one become more centered, thoughtful, compassionate,
and understanding. Nurturing the mind, body, soul connection can lead to one?s own enlightenment (spiritual or not) as engaging in these
activities allows one to see the truth of what is valuable in life. May it be an inspired one!
WODSwagShop.com
thewomenofdenver.com 35

Review
FICTION AUTHOR
AUSMA KHAN
Written by Bree Weber, content writer, publishing expert, and
founder of Pig Pilots. Learn more at fly.pigpilots.com.
?The only defense against the ignorance of men is the brilliance of
powerful women.? While this quote summarizes one of her books, the
sentiment can be easily applied to the writer, herself, Ausma Zehanat
Khan.
Khan?s background and achievements are
brilliant, to say the least. She received her Ph.D.
in international human rights law, served as
Editor-In-Chief of Muslim Girl Magazine (the
first magazine to address a target audience of
young Muslim women), and taught as an
adjunct law professor in the U.S. and Canada.
She?s also the award-winning author of nine
fiction books (and counting).
Khan found that she didn?t see a lot of stories
with characters that looked like her. This was
before the days of #diversebooks and publishing
panels on diversity. The stories that she did find with Muslim
characters, she couldn?t quite identify with, because they were told
from an outside perspective, one that didn?t always paint a complete
picture of the beauty and richness found in the Muslim culture. While
she had the opportunity to research and write in an academic
setting, Khan yearned to share her own perspective ? one that is bold
and forthright.
As a lifelong writer, Khan was compelled to create complex, real
characters that grapple with the myths and stereotypes that modern
Muslims experience on a daily basis. She creates fictional worlds
that are not unlike reality; worlds in which our
modern wars are exposed and hate crimes
examined, but also where flawed characters
embark on their own journey of self-discovery,
taking the readers along with them. In Khan?s
fantasy and mystery works, she explores the taboo
constructs of jihadist ideology, Islamophobia, and
the ?us vs them? mentality. She also dives into the
foundation of the very perspectives she seeks to
disrupt; her work expresses that only by
understanding how and why individuals make
decisions that seem adverse to logic, can ?they? be
humanized.
We all know about the power of language and
storytelling, but Khan uses her books to create another kind of
power. She believes in fighting injustice with fiction: with compelling
characters that highlight and celebrate minority communities, and
with settings that clearly depict the global human rights conditions
that often receive one-sided coverage in the media. While her writing
is very personal ? she draws on her own experiences, background,
and beliefs ? it is also quite universal, because every chapter is an
opportunity to scrutinize the nature of human behavior.
36 thewomenofdenver.com

MANAGING
PERCEPTIONS
an interactive branding guide
Created by Haylee Powers, Brand Strategist and Designer, Bad Bitch Branding.
Learn more at badbitchbranding.com
Personal branding is when you intentionally craft and control the messages you convey to others. To create a consistent brand when
interacting with employers, clients and customers it?s helpful to start with a list of tone words to define how you want to be perceived.
These tone words can be used as a guideline for making public choices that might impact the way your brand is viewed by others. For
example, before posting a new photo on social media, you can review your tone words to make sure it?s consistent with the perception you
want others to have of you.
To get started with setting the tone for your brand, circle five words below that most closely reflect the way you want others to view you.
APPROACHABLE
EMPOWERING
LUXURY
SOFT
ARTISTIC
ENERGETIC
MASCULINE
SOULFUL
BOHEMIAN
EXOTIC
MINIMAL
STRONG
BOLD
FEMININE
NATURAL
TRADITIONAL
BRAVE
FORMAL
ORGANIC
TRUSTWORTHY
BRIGHT
FRIENDLY
POLISHED
URBAN
CALM
FUN
PROGRESSIVE
VIBRANT
CASUAL
FUNKY
QUIET
VINTAGE
COMFORTABLE
GLAMOROUS
QUIRKY
WARM
CONFIDENT
GRAPHIC
REFINED
WELCOMING
CONTEMPORARY
HAND-MADE
RELATABLE
WHIMSICAL
CREATIVE
HAPPY
RELAXED
WHOLESOME
CULTURED
HOPEFUL
ROMANTIC
DIVERSE
INDUSTRIAL
RUSTIC
ECLECTIC
INSPIRING
SIMPLE
EDGY
INTELLECTUAL
SMART
thewomenofdenver.com 37

BUSINESS TOOLS AT THE
The Denver Publ ic Library
Written by Krystal Covington, MBA, Founder of Women of Denver
LIBRARY
As an entrepreneur on the rise it can be challenging to stay afloat, especially in
the first few years. Luckily, the Denver Public Library offers dynamic resources
and training programs to help companies grow and scale.
I sat down with Amanda Armstrong, Business Reference Collection Specialist
at the Central Branch to learn more about the tools and education being
provided at the library. The following are my top mentions.
3D Printing
The Denver community can explore 3D printing and other
creative technologies in ideaLABs, the library?s makerspaces.
During open lab time at the SM Energy ideaLAB at Central
Library and at the Montbello Branch Library ideaLAB, you can
get help designing a 3D object from scratch in free online
software, then submit it for printing on 3D printers and see
your creation in real life! People have 3D printed personalized
phone cases, replacement parts for household appliances, and
prototypes for new inventions.
AUDIO VISUAL PRODUCTION TOOLS
Access to production tools can be a barrier to entry for those
wanting to expand their business through multi-media content.
The Denver Public Library offers resources such as a studio
with lighting, green screen, video camera equipment, audio
tools and software tools for editing and production. With these
tools that future podcast or video training course can be on its
way in no time.
WEB DEVELOPMENT TRAINING
Whether you're designing your own business website, or
brushing up on skills that help you better service customers,
the library's web training is an essential tool. Develop your
skills in Wordpress, HTML, CSS, Javascript and more.

MARKET RESEARCH
Knowing your industry and your customers is key for success
in business, but getting access to that knowledge can be a
burden. The DPL business librarians can help you find the
resources you need to understand your business, the trends
you should know about, and resources and templates that can
make your life easier.
CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHICS
If you're in the process of building your marketing strategy,
customer personas, or just want to get a solid leads list, the
library's database offers excellent tools for getting the
information you need.
The "Best Customer" database offers details including buying
habits, interests, addresses, phone numbers and more.
Last fall I met a gentleman who is starting a custom lighting business
and was taking one of the local small business development classes.
After going through the normal BizBoost demonstration of our industry
and market research tools he asked if I could help him buy a CNC
machine here in Denver.
I told him about the people at Makerspaces, where instead of
purchasing a machine that will cost upwards of $20,000, he can
utilize a CNC machine along with other useful equipment for only $50
monthly dues. At the end of the session he told me how words couldn't
express how thankful he was for my help. It meant so much because I
know what it means to save overhead as a business owner. It's
transformational.
Amanda Armstrong
Business Reference Collection Specialist
Schedule your BizBoost appointment
DenverLibrary.org/ BizBoost

Women of Denver
757 E20th Ave STE370 #232
Denver, CO80205
www.TheWomenofDenver.com
JOIN WOMEN OF DENVER
Women of Denver (WOD) is the most diverse and
active women's organization in Denver. With over
50 events per year our dynamic network helps
women increase their business knowledge, build
leadership skills, and connect with other powerful
and inspiring women throughout the metro area.
WOD?s social enterprise mission is to connect
and inspire 100,000 women through educational
events and progressive thought-leadership, so
they can acquire the knowledge and confidence
to earn their worth.
OUR PROGRAMMING
- Interactive Workshops
- Facilitated Networking Experiences
- Mastermind Strategy Sessions
OUTCOMES
- Connect with impact-driven women
- Hone your leadership capabilities
- Build your business acumen
JoinWOD.com
or learn more at TheWomenOfDenver.com