Polished Podcast: Refining The Details Of Life

Suzanne Taylor is serving as the City Director for Polished Fort Worth. She works as an associate attorney at Pope, Hardwicke, Christie, Schell, Kelly & Taplett, LLP practicing Estate Planning, Probate & Trust law. She spends most of her day drafting Wills and Trusts and meeting with clients on how to best plan for their future. Through her work and specifically meeting with young parents planning for their children’s future, she saw a theme in conversations about how the role of women is continuing to evolve and become more complex. Suzanne recognized the crucial importance of clinging to scripture, wise counsel, and the need for accountability as she and others pursue being Godly women during this transitional life stage in their careers and families. Through this desire, the Lord continued to open doors, bring other women into this pursuit, and challenge her with helping bring a ministry to Fort Worth for young professional women to learn how to be bolder in their faith and scripturally approach th

In episode 34 you'll join us at our October 2017 Polished North Dallas Luncheon. Today's guest is Melissa Wickham. Melissa serves on the Polished Board of Directors as the Special Events Chair. Naturally, we are excited to introduce you to her! Her education was in finance and leadership studies and she has spent 19 years in the business world, specifically in financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing and wholesale distribution. She currently serves as the Director of Finance, Assistant Controller at Interstate Batteries, where she has worked for over 10 years. Melissa serves on numerous boards and loves to travel. Her resume is stacked with experience and we get to glean from her wisdom at our next luncheon. If only we had time at a lunch to have her sing to us, as she has been singing her whole life.

Join our September 2017 Ft. Worth luncheon for a fascinating panel including Katey McFarlan Hellman, Kara Stout, and Samantha Stewart. Hosted by Suzanne Taylor, you won't want to miss this insightful group of ladies who are rocking their businesses. 

As Erica navigates her personal and professional journey, she asks God daily for one thing: "Lord, please use me as a tool to build your kingdom, leading me to the people, communities, and businesses that I can serve in your name." Erica's winding road to professional "success" is evidence that God can use you in the most unexpected and amazing ways, when you just say "yes" to every assignment he presents.  Erica spent the first 10 years of her career in the financial industry, including investments, commercial banking, and loan underwriting. In 2007, God transitioned her into the public sector, where she led the Ex-Offender Reentry Division for the City of Dallas, for nearly 5 years. In 2013, she blended her private sector and public sector experience, as the Business Retention & Expansion Manager, for the Cedar Hill Economic Development Corporation. There she supported the needs of Cedar Hill businesses, ranging from importing and exporting, commercial real estate, workforce, organizational structure, t

Amy Collins is the CEO & Co-Founder of RoRo’s Baking Company, located right here in Dallas, TX. They have a team of 8 female bakers who hand make thousands of Cinnamon rolls daily. All of their rolls are sold frozen in specialty grocery stores throughout Texas, surrounding states, and online. Haven't tried RoRo's yet? GET TO SHOPPING! You can thank us later. With a big dream and lot’s of determination, RoRo’s has grown to gain national exposure.  Loved by Oprah & Good Morning America, RoRo’s has stayed true to where they started by preserving the art of handmade rolls made famous by Amy's grandmother. When Amy isn't busy growing her company, she can often be found wondering the aisles of Central Market, at Orange Theory, or working on her 1950’s fixer upper in Richardson.  Amy is married to her Nashville college sweetheart, and they just celebrated 7 years of marriage! Amy and her hubby are completely obsessed with their two fur babies: Golden Retriever, Finnley, and Weimaraner, Tucker.  One of Amy's

Sabrina Martinez Harrison, 35 years old from Laredo, TX is an ambitious business-woman who balances career, ministry, and family. Sabrina takes pride in being a wife and mom first. Sabrina is the co-owner, marketing director, and interior designer of Mint Dentistry, founder of Equipped by Faith Ministries and executive director of the Keep Smiling Promise and Mint Gear. Sabrina has been integral in the success of many major initiatives at Mint Enterprises and Camila Rose Interior Design Firm. Sabrina graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in International Business. She continued her studies and earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M International University and 2 years later, a Master’s certification degree in Educational Leadership. Sabrina has great passion for giving back through philanthropic endeavors making a difference in the lives of hurting people around the world. Alongside her husband, Field Harrison, Sabrina works

Haley Robison is the chief executive officer at Kammok, an outdoor gear company based in Austin, Texas. Kammok designs performance gear for elevated camping, and their team is on mission to get people outside! Prior to joining the Kammok team, Haley worked as a curriculum designer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she designed and implemented “Career Design,” a new career methodology to help incoming MBAs assess their personal and professional priorities. She also spent three years as a consultant at Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm, advising clients on a wide range of strategic issues. An outdoor enthusiast, Haley completed the three-month National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in 2011 and has also led climbing and backpacking expeditions focused on personal leadership for high school students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and a joint master’s degree in Business Administration and Education from Stanford

Listen in as our Executive Director, Kat Armstrong, interviews our August 2017 Polished Dallas luncheon guest, Dawn Stephens. Dawn graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics, from Rice University with a Master’s of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, and from the University of Georgia with a Juris Doctorate (say what?!) After working for a few years as an Associate for Needle & Rosenberg, she joined Texas Instruments as Patent Counsel. Then she took on the role as Corporate Administrator for a booming church plant, One Community Church, where she managed staff and volunteers in several departments.   While the seed for Dawn’s ministry passion was planted during the years she spent in Sunday School, her passion became more evident as she began serving in capacities more aligned with her gift/skill mix. The joy that she found in serving was inexpressible. As a single woman living away from home, her life changed dramatically through the community that she found in min

Heather Humphrey brings over 30 years of team leadership, information services and financial experience within the homebuilding industry to her role as Chief Financial Officer for David Weekley Homes. Humphrey joined Weekley in 1993 and during her tenure has also served as the Company's Chief Information Officer leveraging technology to increase operational efficiencies. As CFO, Humphrey manages the capital structure of the company to meet current needs and support future growth. She is responsible for a variety of strategic initiatives, financial planning and reporting, controlling cash flow, management reporting, and record keeping.  Prior to her career with David Weekley, Heather was a successful consulting manager with Kenneth Leventhal & Company, a national accounting firm specializing in real estate.  Heather is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the University of Redlands in California, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with Computer Science

Morgan Eseke is passionate about helping all ages of women experience a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ and to fall in love with God’s Word. She writes regularly about faith, relationships, and career at morganeseke.com. In 2009, Morgan founded CoffeeTalk in Norman, Oklahoma, a multigenerational mentorship ministry focused on providing biblical wisdom and leadership development for all ages of women— from middle schoolers to moms. She and her husband, David, live in Dallas, TX and are active members of Watermark Community Church. They mentor pre-married couples through “Merge” and Morgan cares for grieving teens through a ministry called Shift. When she is not writing, shopping, or at a cycling class, Morgan works as a marketing professional and organizational health consultant at Credera, a management-consulting firm. Her current passion project is working alongside pro-life leaders to help launch The Life Center, a world-class museum and center of influence on life issues opening in 2023.

Jenifer Sarver has nearly two decades of experience in media relations, crisis communications, speechwriting, coalition building, and media and presentation skills training. Her career has spanned the corporate, nonprofit and political worlds, helping clients develop messages that will resonate with their core audiences and create strategies for effectively delivering those messages through the appropriate channels. In 2014, she launched Sarver Strategies, a communications consultancy, focused on training and storytelling, helping clients develop a narrative that effectively conveys their core values, and then preparing them to effectively deliver that message.

Jensy earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'Em!).  Her professional journey has been a bit non-traditional as she spent time in business risk consulting and internal audit when she stumbled upon a very interesting career – forensic accounting and fraud investigations – and loves it!  Jensy is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and is currently the Director of Internal Fraud for Capital One’s Financial Services division in Plano.  One of Jensy’s passions is teaching and she’s had the opportunity to be both an adjunct and full-time professor at UT Dallas (Go Comets!).  She also has a passion for equipping and empowering young women (which is why she LOVES Polished!).  She has been a formal (and informal) mentor to many, led book clubs and topical studies, and spoken on panels/events for a college campus ministry that she and her husband are avid supporters of

Lauren King is a 20-something, Jesus-loving, born and raised Texan. Lauren is the director of Polished North Dallas and desires for all women to believe they are fully known and unconditionally loved. Because of her personal battle with anxiety, she is passionate about helping others know and feel true peace, satisfaction and joy, only found in Christ. Lauren graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. As a marketing professional, she gets to strategically and creatively tell brand stories and positively impact audiences. Lauren loves getting to know people, spending time outdoors, sporting events (Hook 'Em!), writing, and dark chocolate. You can usually find her in Dallas checking out a new restaurant, walking her dog on the Katy Trail, or taking a spin class. Lauren is a member at Watermark Community Church and has been involved with FCA, YoungLife, The Austin Stone Institute, 2nd Saturday, and D-Group.

In episode 20, we get to sit in on our April 2017 Polished Austin Dinner Event. During this event, we get to list to a panel of women social entrepreneurs in Austin, moderated by Austin Woman's Melinda Garvey!

In episode 19, we listen in to Rocio Lopez at our June 2017 Polished Dallas luncheon.  Rocio works at Buckner International, a global, social service-based non-profit headquartered in Dallas, Texas. She leads and facilitates operations for international programs that serve some of the most vulnerable children and families in Latin America and Africa. Rocio graduated from Baylor University with her undergraduate degree in International Business and Marketing and will complete her MBA in December of 2016. Polished had Rocio at hello. For the past 4 years, she has loved leading with and serving some of the smartest, most talented and accomplished women of Dallas. Connecting with these women to share life and how faith plays into different areas of it makes her heart happy. Her story is a gamut of interesting twists and unexpected, sometimes painful turns. She strives to navigate life through desperate dependence on Jesus and great community - making what lies behind Doors B or Doors C much sweeter. Rocio is a se

In episode 18, we listen in to our May 2017 Polished Houston Luncheon featuring Angie Gillikin.  Angie is a Manager in the Career Readiness Department at Houston ISD. She focuses on high school CTE programming and developing business partnerships to support CTE programs; with a goal to expose students to careers and opportunities in their CTE pathways. In her role, she organizes Houston ISD's annual When I Grow Up Career Expo and bi-monthly Chamber meetings with active business partners. Angie is passionate about #equippingeducation and as a teacher used her 16 years of previous corporate experience to apply the "real world" in her CTE classrooms while also applying core academics resulting in students with both technical application and employability skills in addition to applied academics.  Angie is active in the Houston community, and is completing her 13th year as a volunteer with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where she's a Vice Chairman and Captain on two committees. She is also the Houston Chapter Di

In Episode 17, we get to join in on the April 2017 Polished Ft. Worth Business Leader panel. Featuring three incredible women, Melissa Kates, Zena Jackson, and Karen Williams. We hope that listening in on the wisdom of these ladies will encourage and inspire you. As an advocate, Melissa Kates has an extensive history as an attorney representing school districts as general counsel and as board counsel. Prior to joining Duncanville ISD, she helped Underwood Law Firm establish its DFW presence in 2013. Melissa is currently working towards her master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, but remains passionate about her career and serving others. Zena Jackson is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus. She is capably entrusted with the campus’ academic culture and focuses on collaboration, innovation, and excellence in teaching and learning. She has previously served 28 years at North Lake College and also was the i

In episode 16, we get to hear from Tiffany Fulcher at our April 2017 Polished Dallas luncheon.Tiffany is the ultimate mompreneur, speaker, and business coach. She is devoted to encouraging women to build profitable businesses while leading purposeful lives. She is the CEO and founder of Tiffany Fulcher Enterprise and Momspace - an online business community created to educate, train, and inspire entrepreneurial moms and their kids. As a mompreneur, Tiffany dedicates her time to encouraging other women to live out their passions and desires while utilizing their God-given gifts. She believes we all have a right to greatness if we just reach down deep enough within, we will find that it's always been right there. Tiffany is inspired by her family, her husband Fred, 2 daughters Sydnei and Symone and son Trey. Today's episode is sponsored by MINT Dentistry. MINT is staffed with the most highly trained cosmetic dentists imaginable. And we equip them with the absolute finest materials. So our veneers, crowns, implan

In episode 15, we hear from Hallie Graves. Hallie is a 30-year-old, energetic Jesus follower living the single gal life in Austin, Texas. She is the director of Polished Austin and is passionate about encouraging women to live the fullest, most free lives that Jesus has called them to live. As a lawyer and passion-collector, Hallie’s advocated for budding entrepreneurs and Fortune 50 companies and for children and families in child protection cases. Hallie is obsessed with Broadway shows, La Croix fancy waters (all flavors), hummus, red wine, group fitness classes, and her people, and she can almost always be found somewhere around Town Lake. Hallie’s a member of the Austin Stone Community Church (downtown AM!) and has degrees in voice, physics, and law. Today's episode is sponsored by MINT Dentistry. MINT is staffed with the most highly trained cosmetic dentists imaginable. And we equip them with the absolute finest materials. So our veneers, crowns, implants, even fillings are of the absolute ultimate quali