Polished Podcast: Refining The Details Of Life

In the latest episode, Kat chats with Jen Smith about co-founding a non-profit consulting business with her husband, building a community and Polished Austin. In a world where loneliness feels all too common, Jen’s story about building friendships and loving others is so encouraging.  Jen Smith is the President and Co-Founder of Taft Advisory Group, a consulting company based in Austin that works with social enterprise, business as mission, and non-profit organizations. Jen is originally from Arlington, Texas and attended Texas A&M University where she received a degree in Marketing and International Business. Since college, Jen has had a variety of careers that have led her to where she is today. She worked in the White House for several years after graduation, then worked in non-profits and development events, and eventually moved into the field of education. After receiving her Masters in International Education from Harvard, she moved back to Texas to be closer to family and friends and started her co

In our latest episode, Kat talks with Nikki Lawrence about how a community of faith can support us through big changes in our lives and some practical tips about how we can reconcile our reality with our dreams when our lives don’t look exactly like we planned. Nikki Lawrence is a connector by nature. Her warm personality leaves little room for anyone to be a stranger too long. This trait has fueled her pastime and helped Nikki charm audiences as a Mistress of Ceremony at women’s conferences, races and fundraisers all across the DFW Metroplex. By day, Nikki is a Director of Sales for a Fortune 500 Company with a nationwide sales team of over 30 people. She has been with her company for over 15 years and held a plethora of Sales and Marketing roles along the way.   Among her passions is the desire to see women from every walk of life reach their full potential. When she can combine her love for hosting and/or developing people with like causes, she is in her happy place. Nikki lives in North Dallas and serves

In our latest episode, Kat chats with Polished Houston’s Chelsea Holden as she shares about navigating through immense loss, finding Polished Houston at just the right time and trusting God for guidance in her relationship with her husband.  Chelsea Holden is a real estate agent, wife, daughter, sister, auntie, dog-mom, and friend...and loves making others feel as comfortable as possible in any situation. In fact, she's never really met a stranger.  She's an advocate for all things local including local musicians, coffee shops, retail stores, and mom & pop shops. 'I believe we should strive to support our local businesses whenever possible. It's hard work being an entrepreneur and shopping local is an easy way for anyone to give back to our communities.'  Chelsea grew up in McAllen, TX and has lived in Houston since 2008. She and her husband, Ronnie, currently live in Spring with their two pups, Mack & Marley and spend their time going to see live music, traveling around Texas to music festivals in th

We switched things up in our latest episode and our Regional Director, Feceleia Benton, & Director of Development, Lindsay Benedetto put Kat Armstrong in the hot seat to talk all things about her first book, No More Holding Back, before it’s released next week! Not only does Kat share about her book, but Lindsay and Feleceia, both of whom are already knee deep in the book, share a little about what Kat’s message spoke to them. Plus, we have included a FIRST listen to chapter 6 of No More Holding Back exclusive to our listeners in this episode as well. We aren’t kidding. You will not want to miss this episode! Local to DFW? RSVP today to join us for our Polished Give Back event celebrating the launch of Kat Armstrong's first book, No More Holding Back. 

In the latest episode, Kat’s conversation with the one and only Dr. Cynthia Mickens Ross is one you won’t want to miss. Let us tell you. Dr. Cynthia Mickens Ross is the real deal. Sometimes we just need to hear from someone who is a little further along in life then we are and she is absolutely that person. No matter where you are in life, you will benefit from the wisdom shared in this episode.  Dr. Cynthia Mickens Ross is a Speaker, Author, Coach, and Teacher. Dr. Mickens Ross is the Senior Pastor of Path~Way to Life Center of Hope Church in Hutchins, Texas. She is also the creator and instructor of the Path~Way to Purpose® course. The copyrighted Path~Way to Purpose® course is specifically designed to coach women and men to discover and activate the greatness within. Dr. Mickens Ross recently authored her first book Path~Way to Purpose® Stories of Victory. For over 25 years, through her obedience to God, Dr. Cynthia Mickens Ross has endeavored to be a community servant advocating for children, the elderly,

Today’s episode covers some of the topics that you, our Polished Podcast listeners, have told us you care about most! Mentorship, growing as a professional, and contributing to a healthy workplace environment all come up in our conversation with Monica Johnson—author, advocate, speaker, entrepreneur and coach. On today’s episode, Monica shares about growing up in multiple homes, experiencing numerous abuses, and reclaiming her identity as an adult. “What you can do,” she says, “is take the things that have happened and cultivate them to become a something greater for the greater good.” Monica has been cultivating herself and those around her to become something for the greater good for decades now. A business professional at the Fortune 100 company UPS for the past 27 years, Monica has expertise in cost, taxation, and operational management. She is the founder of the non-profit organization That Girl is S.M.A.R.T. (Successful. Magnificent. Authentic. Resourceful. Talented)—”a purpose-driven organization focus

In this week’s episode, Kat chats with Polished Houston’s Kelsey Aldinger about their mutual love for the ennegram, why Kelsey and her best friend started the Craving Connection podcast and a difficult season Kelsey recently went through. Kelsey’s work as a speech language pathologist takes her from a private practice in Cinco Ranch working with pediatrics to home health all around Houston working with octogenarians. She serves a variety of patients treating speech, language, cognition, and swallowing disorders. She is also the co-host of the Craving Connection podcast, a weekly conversation between herself and longtime friend that helps women feel a part of a community that sheds the weight of isolation and loneliness through their thoughtful and trivial conversations. Kelsey is married to her husband Luke and spends her time being entertained by her two cats and one dog, watching all things Bravo, reading, and bringing friends together around charcuterie boards.

Does talking about money totally freak you out? Us too. You can take a deep breath though. In our latest episode, Kat’s conversation with Julia Lorenz-Olson helps remove some of the pressure we feel with managing money and Julia gives some super practical financial tips for young professional women. Julia also shares about working with her husband and her experience with postpartum anxiety. Julia is a Swiss/Texan who was practically raised on the stage. Now, she adores using those talents to empower and inspire others to take charge of their own financial destiny through her company The Art of Finance. Spending several years in the mortgage industry gave her number-crunching confidence and a unique insight into investing. She’s also a self-professed foodie, budget-wizard, yogi, a vintage-clothing collector and has owned several of her own successful businesses. Her excitement for teaching people, especially other young women, about financial matters is matched only by her passion for figuring out who this Jes

In this week’s episode, Kat and Nkem Okafor talk about what it means to bring your voice and full self to the table, even when you feel alone. Nkem also shares about her love of traveling and her passion for healthcare. Nkem Okafor is a senior healthcare executive with experience in strategy, business development, program management, hospital operations, and consulting. She is the System Vice President of Strategy & Planning at Methodist Health System, a $1.5 billion, 9 hospital system in DFW. She oversees system-wide strategies and business planning, leads growth activities, and guides analysis for the company’s decision-making. She’s led numerous development projects, totaling over $160 million. Nkem was named one of the Top 15 Business Women of Dallas by the National Diversity Council. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Leadership Dallas alumni, and member of National Association of Health Services Executives. She’s engaged in the community and serves on boards for City S

Are you searching for purpose in your current season of life? Do you ever feel like your life looks totally different than you expected it to? In the latest episode, Kat and Polished’s very own Director of Development, Lindsay Benedetto, dive deep into Lindsay’s story and how our callings can look different throughout our lives. Kat and Lindsay also discuss all things enneagram (any other threes out there?) and Lindsay’s work with Polished.  With Lindsay’s humor, wit and authenticity, you will feel like you are right there with Lindsay and Kat as they drop truth bombs and encourage you no matter where you are in your life. Lindsay is a coach’s wife, mom, and is passionate about serving her peers through Polished. With a bachelor’s degree in writing and a minor in theology, Lindsay loves that she gets to combine her skills with her work in a meaningful way. It is her greatest joy to share the stories of those impacted by Polished with others. Lindsay and her husband Tony live in Dallas, TX, with their 4 little

In the latest episode of the Polished podcast, Kat’s discussion with Michelle Attar gets vulnerable as Michelle talks about her decision not to have children, her husband’s struggle with mental health and her desire to step in and be the person that takes care of him for a season. Has your career ever taken an unexpected turn? Michelle’s certainly did when her career took a 180 degree turn at a crucial time in her career. She knows that life presents challenges, but special relationships provide support in the journey. Michelle shares a ton of wisdom about what that turning point looked like for her career. Michelle is the Pastor of Adult Ministries at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas. Her passion is personally encouraging and creating environments for people to take the next step on their journey with Jesus. Michelle also currently serves as the Vice President of Polished’s Board of Directors and one of the chapter advisors for Polished North Dallas.

Are you an innovator? How about a creative, storyteller, or activist? Do you make your way to South by Southwest every year, or lead discussions in your community or church, or practice law in order to ensure liberty and justice for all? Have you ever experienced trauma, or does your work bring you into contact with traumatized people? If you check any or all of those boxes, you’re going to love this week’s Polished Podcast episode with Meagan T. Harding. And if this description doesn’t quite sound like you, give the episode a listen anyway. Meagan’s joy, wisdom, and zeal for the wellbeing of others will inspire you. As a Senior Attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, Meagan practices law in order to correct systemic issues on a large scale. As a Founding Chief Community Curator, Meagan develops cohorts for Rosa Rebelion, a platform for creative activism by and for women of color recently featured at South by Southwest, where Rosa Rebelion presented REBEL + REST—a resistance conversation, workshop, rejuve

In this week's episode, you'll get to listen to an exclusive interview between our Executive Director, Kat Armstrong and Hallie Graves as they discuss some of Hallie's bold career moves, Polished Austin and all things foster care. Hallie is a single, 30-something who wears many hats including lawyer, speaker, writer and foster mama. Hallie loves encouraging people to live fully in light of the grace and freedom of Jesus and to use every ounce of all they've been given in this life. She also loves advocating for kids and families in tough situations. Connect with Hallie and follow her journey on instagram! 

As the Manager for Corporate Engagement and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH), Aracely P. Muñoz leads the efforts focused on CMNH corporate fundraising for Children’s Health for more than 50 corporate partner brands in Dallas, Plano, and surrounding areas, raising more than 3.3 million dollars annually. Her role is to partner with corporate partners and like-minded individuals to elevate Children's Health as a cause of choice within the community. Aracely also leads the multicultural efforts for the Foundation, which includes collaborating with Hispanic/Latino leaders and influencers, through engagement, cause-marketing, and B2B initiatives. Aracely joined Children’s Health in August of 2017 after working 11 years in Corporate Philanthropy and in the non-profit sector. Prior to working at Alcon, Novartis, Aracely worked for Buckner International as the director for organizational effectiveness.  Aracely serves on the board for Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas, which gives college s

When Caren Kelleher was thirteen, she had her first startup idea: a Beatles-themed restaurant called The Octopus’ Garden. It was such a good idea that the band’s lawyers threatened to sue her over it, which only went to further her interest in the music business.   Today, Caren is the founder and president of Gold Rush Vinyl, a new record manufacturing company that helps musicians take advantage of the renewed demand for vinyl. Once thought a dying format, vinyl has become a$1B industry once again, but one that has seen little innovation since the 1970s. Caren’s team recently launched a new state-of-the-art plant here in Austin to deliver high-quality records at a fraction of the time most plants can.   Before starting Gold Rush, Caren was Head of Music Apps at Google, where she also launched Google’s own music service, Google Play. She started her career at Paste magazine and is also a former band manager, work that helped her see the vinyl opportunity. Caren holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B

Elyse Munselle grew up in Richardson, TX, but has lived in the great city of Austin for eight years. After graduating from Texas A&M  University with a BA in Finance, she moved to Austin to work as a financial fraud analyst. She has since moved into commercial lending and currently works as the Director of Underwriting at a start-up, Able Lending. She has been involved with Polished Austin since its inception and is honored to be serving as director alongside Jen. She loves being an advocate for women in business and encouraging women in their career and faith. In her free time, Elyse volunteers with 1 Dog 1 Hour and spends time exploring the ever-expanding list of new Austin restaurants with dog-friendly patios with her chocolate lab, Livy. Elyse loves traveling, listening to live music, loving rescue animals, drinking red wine, playing with her nieces and nephews, and being outside in the Texas heat, preferably by a lake with friends.

Psyche Terry was born on the south side of Chicago to a teen mom. Due to a lack of resources, her parents gave custody to Psyche’s great aunt. Based on the statistics of the community, Psyche was expected to be pregnant by 16, unwed, and working multiple low paying jobs to make ends meet. Her high school counselor told her that she would likely not go to college. Psyche recognized patterns of bad habits and decisions early in life and was inspired and motivated to live her life differently. She earned a high school internship that led to a 12-year career at Whirlpool Corporation. It took Psyche only 3 years to graduate from Western Michigan University’s Hayworth College of Business and despite failing the entrance exam 3 times, she later graduated 2nd in her class from UNLV’s College of Business EMBA. Psyche Terry is now blazing trails in the retail world as the Founder and CEO of UI Global Brands, a lifestyle brand that includes the Inspire PsycheTerry and Urban Hydration naturally inspired skincare, haircar

Natalie is the CEO and founder of StudioHop. She was born in Dallas and raised in Austin with her 3 siblings on Lake Austin. Natalie met her now husband Ryan in high school, and they have been married for 5 years and work quite literally side-by-side at their software company they co-founded. She graduated from Southern Methodist University with degrees in journalism and Spanish and currently lives in Dallas on the Katy Trail with her husband and their “Shichon” Annabelle. Natalie has a passion for fitness, health and wellness, cooking and has a consistently strong case of wanderlust.

Jennifer Paine currently serves as Director of Business Transformation Solutions—Operations within Southwest Airlines’ Corporate Delivery Department. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for providing Southwest’s Operational Departments with the appropriate solutions to meet their business needs, most of which utilize technology. Jennifer joined Southwest in 2007 as Senior Manager, Enterprise Insights. Once the AirTran acquisition was announced, she moved to Senior Manager, AirTran Integration/Multi-Fleet and led the Technology integration of Southwest Airlines’ and AirTran Airways’ operational capabilities. In 2012, Jennifer was promoted to Director, Airport Ops and NOC and Multi-Fleet. In this role, she supported the Technology needs of Ground Ops and NOC and led the Team to support the 737-800, evolve the existing 737-700’s, and support Flag Operations, a project that allowed Southwest to fly outside of the continental United States to Puerto Rico. In her current role, Jennifer is leading the organization

Judy is a photographer, writer, friend, daughter, wife and mama. She loves helping people capture beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.  When she doesn't have a camera in her hand, you can find her reading or spending time with family and friends.  On the enneagram chart Judy is a #7 with a strong #8 wing for the things she's passionate about.  Judy definitely not the loudest person in the room, but she love having tons of friends to share life with!