Bay Area Women In Business | Dr. Kerry Lindell

I must confess that as I type this, I find the urge to sit up straighter at my desk and exercise better posture. =)

Why, you might wonder? Well, today I am honored to feature Dr. Kerry Lindell, founder of Lindell Chiropractic in this month’s “Bay Area Women in Business” profile!

Dr. Lindell is a trusted Bay Area - based chiropractor with extensive (over 30 years) experience. She has been named Local Businessperson of the Year in Mountain View twice and her commitment to providing the best care for every one of her clients, undoubtedly, is what contributed to not only the success of her practice, but also to the stellar reputation she has built among her clientele.

One of the things that I personally found so interesting about Dr. Lindell is that while her work is centered around spinal care, sports injuries, etc. this amazing business woman is also pretty fearless when it comes to facing activities that would send someone like me running for the hills! I will let her elaborate on it below, but basically, while most of us shy away from activities like bungee jumping and swimming with sharks, she is the daredevil who seeks after the thrill of activities like this gusto!

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Can you share a little bit about you and your business? 

I grew up in Los Altos, California and studied Biology at UCLA. Towards the end of college, I was suffering with severe pain in my shoulder blade. I was not able to focus on my studies and needed to get some help. My parents flew me home so I could see a chiropractor. After the first treatment, I felt so much better. She treated me again the next day and I improved even more. Not only did I get significant relief from my pain, but I also realized then and there that I wanted to become a chiropractor.

I went to Palmer Chiropractic College West, graduated in 1990 and have been in practice for almost 32 years. I specialize in proper spinal alignment, posture correction, sports injuries and neurology. I am also having huge success with the latest technology challed Shockwave Therapy which is a regenerative treatment for acute and chronic injuries. You can visit www.lindellchiropractic.com to find out more about me and my services.

What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?  

I absolutely love being a Chiropractor and can't imagine doing anything else! What I enjoy the most about what I do is getting to know my patients and being able to improve their quality of life. I have developed treatment protocols to help my patients restore normal posture, relieve pain, improve range of motion and function, and recover and rehabilitate after an accident or injury.

The greatest challenge has always been dealing with insurance companies. Need I say more?

Knowing what you know now about your career, what would you tell your 18 year old self?  
I would tell myself to trust my gut, listen to my heart, and follow my intuition. It worked for me when I was 22 and it still works to this day.

Who inspires you and why?  
My twenty year old twins inspire me to be the best role model possible as a mother, doctor of chiropractic and business owner.

A fun or surprising fact about yourself?  
I am somewhat of a dare devil or thrill seeker. I have tried bungee jumping, skydiving, hang gliding, paragliding, parasailing, balloon riding, helicopter riding, flying trapeze, motorcycle riding, surfing, horseback riding, shooting, E biking, ziplining with monkeys and scuba diving with sharks in South Africa, waterfall/cliff jumping and Spartan Obstacle Course Racing.

If you could meet anyone in history (living or not), who would it be and why?

I'd like to meet the fabulous British actress, Dame Maggie Smith.  Since I am currently watching Downton Abbey for the second time, she has been on my mind lately. It turns out we both have Scottish mothers and she reminds me of my mother as they have very similar mannerisms. She has had an extremely prolific acting career since the 50's and is currently working at 87 yrs. old. I am sure she could tell some funny and fascinating stories.

Freya Krishnan | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

No joke, one of the very first things I ever shared with Freya was that I simply could not take a selfie to save my life. (Yes, I am still somehow a photographer!) Freya was holding a workshop I attended dedicated to helping people like me see that a good selfie is indeed possible and can be used for fun social media marketing. I am less afraid of selfies now because of her! =)

Sometime later, I had the privilege to help Freya update her own headshots. This driven and creative woman does phenomenal work helping others as a Visibility and Confidence Coach as well as an entrepreneur and mentor. I am so proud to share with you all not only some of her images from her photoshoot with me, but also a bit more about Freya and her story that led to where she is today and shapes who she continues to grow into for the future.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Images | Heartbox Photography

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“I have always been a huge advocate for women and small businesses. As a Visibility + Confidence Coach, my mission is to empower women in business so that they can be seen as their most authentic and confident selves. I run workshops and group programs that teach on how to increase visibility, expand networks, and become more confident in the process.

I have been an entrepreneur for about 15+ years now, but it feels like I have been one for most of my life. I was born and raised in the Philippines. Growing up, my parents always ran some form of small business. They made sure that their kids helped out in all their ventures, and though none of us siblings ended up going into business school, in their own way our parents taught us motivation, resilience and work ethic. And they most definitely instilled the entrepreneur mindset in me.

I migrated to the United States at 17 to study Computer Science…that is a long story. I somehow found my way back into entrepreneurship because I needed to find fulfillment and an opportunity to practice creativity that my grey cubicle could not provide.”

My passion is to help other women succeed by leading by example and showing them that they are capable of ANYTHING they set their minds to.

The challenge for me is finding balance in everything that I do. Being a hybrid entrepreneur, I have to juggle my day job as a Project Manager with my other businesses. It's a lot to manage but I always make sure I have fun and set aside time for self-care.”

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?

”Have a long term vision, learn how to set goals and surround yourself with people who know where they are going and are going to challenge you to be a better version of yourself.”

A fun or surprising fact about yourself?

“I secretly want to be a food photographer/stylist. I do love food and I love to travel. So almost every trip I go, I try to go on a food walking tour or have a list of restaurants that I want to try. My whole family is this way. I guess we were raised as foodies and wanderers! I also love to cook and consider it a relaxing and creative outlet to work on a new recipe or prepare a meal for guests.”

Lisa Riggs | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

“It’s making a difference in the world that prevents me from ever giving up.”

-Deborah Meier

It is my honor to share with you all this month more about the CEO, Founder, and woman behind the Bay Area-based company, Spirit Sox USA.

Phenomenal women are everywhere and Lisa Riggs is no exception. She comes from a long line of entrepreneurs (her grandfather started his own jam and jelly company!) and is the first in her family to move from food-industry based entrepreneurship to socks! Spirit Sox USA helps fuel fundraisers for organizations in various industries and non-profits, both locally and nationally.

She has also been featured as a podcast guest on Blue Roads Education Group, School Zone Podcast, and Enterprise Podcast Network. In addition to being affectionately known as the “Sock Queen”, Lisa is also a proud mother, wife, and loyal Bay Area fan of both the 49ers and Giants!

Image | Heartbox Photography

Hair & Makeup | Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte of Beautiful One Makeup Artistry

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“I founded Spirit Sox USA about 5 years ago. We are a certified woman owned company that customizes socks uniquely for each customer. My true goal is to make the world a better place 1 sock at a time and that's why I do what I do and donate 5% of my profits to helping underserved communities.

On a personal note, I've been married almost 25 years and am enjoying empty nest more than I expected with my husband! My son, Mitchell, is 20 and attends UCI, majoring in Chemistry with a goal of saving the planet with chemistry. My daughter, Kayla, is 19 and will be a sophomore at Cornell, studying communications and already an editor for the Cornell Sun and blog writer for the Women's Network. We love our animals! Our 2 rescue dogs, Tucker and Callie, our 30 year old box turtle, Henry, and our 5 fantail goldfish! In my spare time I love to exercise, enjoy the outdoors, go to the beach and read. My happy place is swimming with the sea turtles in Maui!”

What has your journey looked like personally/professionally to get to where you are now?

“I had to grow a lot personally in order to grow professionally. I'm a perfectionist and perfectionists do not like to fail. Do you know the % of startups that fail? 90%. So my personal growth which included confidence in myself and my abiilites as well as overcoming, or even embracing, the fear of failure. I have to admit Google search is my friend - it's amazing what I have been able to teach myself from full Photoshop skills to how to build a business!”

What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?

“Honestly, my favorite part of my job is helping my customers improve their community or area of the world. Who would think a pair of socks can make the world a better place?!

But time after time, I've seen my customers raise money with their sock fundraisers to fight teen suicide, support Down Syndrome, raise awareness for mental health, fund cancer reasearch on so on."

My main challenge is being a one woman show, not because I'm a woman, but because I wear so many hats. I did get funding to start this company so I truly have built it from the ground up. As we've grown, I've been able to hire contractors to take on roles in the company but I just never seem to have enough time to get it all done.”

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?

“My 18 year old self always focused on the negatives about myself rather than the positives. Thankfully I when I went to college I found both my indepence and the start of my self confidence. So if I could talk to her now I'd say: Be kinder to yourself. Enjoy the moment. Have confidence in YOU.”

What do you appreciate most about your life now/what are you most proud of?

“My family 100%. I am so proud of my kids for their intelligence, their accomplishments and most importantly for the genuinely good humans that they are. I'm also very proud of my husband and I who have our 25th anniversary approaching and worked our tails off to create a loving and happy household for our family. As we all know it's not always easy, but it sure is worth it.”

Who inspires you and why?

“My dad has always been my biggest inspiration. He's so smart and confident but also one of the kindest, most thoughtful people you will ever meet. He's run and sold multiple companies so he is tough in the boardroom but a softy with babies and dogs and his grandchildren, too! I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My grandfather started his own jam and jelly company. My dad started a strawberry company. And as the 1st female entrepreneur I took us out of food and into socks!”

A fun or surprising fact about yourself?

“Fun fact: I have a 30 year old box turtle named Henry. He is my sidekick and I love him dearly! Also, I am a sports nut! Die hard 49er and Giants fan. We've had season tickets to the Niners for 31 years and I rarely miss a game!”

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

“Honestly, I think I'd like to meet Oprah. She has overcome so many barriers and failures to be the household name that she is while always retaining her class and her authenticity. She is someone women of all ages and colors can look to as a role model.”

Andrea Lacy | A Celebration of Black Excellence

It is always a wonderful surprise when situations that seem to be happy accidents end up yielding the most pleasant of results.

After baking brownies as a thank you gift for a friend many years ago, Andrea later realized she had transposed the brownie recipe without knowing she was dyslexic at the time. These results, in addition to hard work, perseverance, and limitless vision over the years is what catapulted Andrea Lacy, owner/founder of Bay Area-based company Luv’s Brownies, into the inspirational success she is today. (You can read more about her story here) Not only has her company’s desserts become an award-winning Bay Area favorite, but Luv’s Brownies has also earned national recognition from shows that include Good Morning America, The Montell Williams Show, CBS New York, just to name a few!

Andrea is a firm believer in generously giving back to her community and in addition to being a successful entrepreneur, she has also established The Andrea R. Lacy Grit Award Scholarship, which is awarded to student applicants on the path to pursuing higher education or vocational training.

It is my honor to share with you all the latest feature in the Celebration of Black Excellence Series, Andrea Lacy!

Tell us a bit more about your background - where are you from, what inspired you to choose your specific area of education and eventual career?

“I was born in San Franciso. My family moved to the peninsula when I was elementary school and I went to Mills High School in Millbrae.”

What are you most proud of in your life and why?

“I am most proud of my son Mateo-Sebastian. His youthfulness and zest for life gives me hope for the next generation.” 

What is something most people might now know about you?

“I’m frugal. I know how to stretch a dollar.”

Can you tell me about someone who has had a huge influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?

“My son has had a huge influence over my life. He has taught me to have patience.” 

What is the best advice you've ever received?

“Best advice I received was from my father. Hard work always pays off.”

Who/what inspires you and why?

“My inspiration comes from watching other Black Americans thrive.”

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

“I would like to meet Oprah, Marcus Lemonis, Tyler Perry. All of them show tenacity and are willing to always give back. They have used their platforms to enlighten and educate others.” 

What does it "honoring and celebrating black excellence" mean to you personally?

“Black Excellence means bringing more voices to the table. The richness of our culture is unmatched. Most people don’t know the slave trade was huge. Brazil got more slaves than the United States. The African diaspora should be discussed more in school. Our Black history month shouldn’t be just a month.” 

A Journey of Learning & The Importance of Cheerleaders

“My journey was that of learning. I was always a very curious being, always looking for opportunities to learn more… about everything. This has really allowed me the courage to start my own entrepreneurial journey. I was never alone on that journey. I was surrounded with people who love me and they were my biggest supporters and cheer leaders.”

-Karmen Reed

Image | Heartbox Photography

Hair & Makeup | Kat Tinney

Jeannette | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women | 2020

Did I mention I get to work with awesome women who are doing awesome things in their field and community? :)

Jeannette Marsala is an estate planning attorney and owner of Marsala Law Firm here in San Jose. Prior to embarking on her journey as an attorney, she was a medical dispatcher and also worked with special needs adults with developmental disabilities. This San Jose native has a deep passion for helping families and it is evident by not only her work as an attorney but as a volunteer in her community.

It is always an honor to work with other women who are leading the way in serving others with the gifts and skills they have been given. Thank you, Jeannette, for allowing me to capture just a glimpse of who you are in these photos!

Images | Heartbox Photography

Hair/makeup | Becky Lau

Melanie | 2019 | A Celebration of Phenomenal Women

I think with anything that seems intimidating and unknown, it’s much more common to avoid it entirely and somehow hope it will turn out just fine. This includes planning and truly knowing where your financial house stands - whether it’s sand or cement.

I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie awhile back and we immediately connected over our common love/slight obsession with our dogs. In conversation over all things pet-related, I also learned that she is a financial advisor with Financial Perspectives based here in the Bay Area. It is evident that she has a true passion to help educate people make sound financial decisions, especially women. Historically, when it came to personal finances, women seemed to come in second in many aspects, whether it was how much we earned compared to our male counterparts or even when it came to having the tools and knowledge to make the decisions best for retirement, college education planning for kids, etc. Her work encourages women to take a much more active role and to allow education help ease the fears of the unknown when it comes to personal finances.

As someone who advocates for all things that help women continually move forward, it is an honor to share with you all these final images from Melanie’s photoshoot with Heartbox Photography!

Images | Heartbox Photography

Hair & makeup | Beautiful One Makeup Artistry

“Personal finance knowledge is sorely lacking for everyone, and having the ability to share my knowledge and be a part of someone reaching their financial goals gives me great satisfaction.

My journey to the woman I am today has been a constant discovery, which is what I love best, because I have a deep desire to continue to learn.”

-Melanie Pelayo, Financial Advisor

What do you appreciate most about your life now?

“I know I have the skills within me to accomplish what I want to do if I set my mind to it.

I’m grateful to have my family around me and their support no matter what, and appreciate the sacrifices my parents made to help me become the person I am today.”

Festive Not Frazzled - Tips for Surviving the Holidays!

One of my awesome clients, Sarah Moore, is the owner and founder of Hey Presto! Personal Concierge and seeing as how the holidays are right around the corner, I HIGHLY recommend not only taking advantage of the services she provides, whether the tasks small or huge, but also utilizing the tips she has so kindly shared as a guest for today’s blog post below!

Image by Heartbox Photography

Tips for Surviving the Holidays

- by Sarah Moore, Owner & Founder

Hey Presto! Personal Concierge

Remember being a child, when the holiday season held so much magic? Fast forward to adulthood, and these days the magic is more fleeting, and it certainly doesn’t happen with a wave of a wand.  If only.

The holidays can present a dizzying array of demands: holiday cards, decorating, meal planning, hosting, travel arrangements, gift shopping, wrapping, social functions, and that’s after we take care of our everyday, year-round tasks like feeding the family and keeping up with the laundry.  Consider also that Thanksgiving falls late this year, leaving only the blink of an eye before Christmas arrives.  If the very thought of all that makes you feel frazzled and not festive, here are some tips to consider for a smoother approach to the holidays, allowing you to stop and smell the Christmas trees along the way.

Edit your to-do list. When you look back on the holidays will your memories be so different because you bought the cookies rather than baked them yourself?  Because you hosted a potluck rather than a dinner party? Or because you didn’t have new sheets on your guest bed?  Ask yourself whether the additional workload will make a tangible difference to your memories (and your sanity).

Get Help! Discuss at home how to share the workload and talk to family about realistic expectations.  If you have kids then enlist their help with appropriate tasks.   They can help ready the house for visitors, brainstorm gift ideas, and let’s face it, Grandma will appreciate the meaningful effort a child has taken to wrap a gift, even if it doesn't look perfect.  Shared activities like gift wrapping can make for fond memories, and have the added bonus of helping the kids focus on giving rather than receiving.

Take time for yourself. Holiday obligations can be important but be sure to balance them with some time for yourself.  It can be as small as a walk around the block.  A bubble bath with some holiday music.  A movie and a glass of wine.  Self care is key and will give you the bandwidth to handle the stress.  Take a mindful moment to reflect on what the holidays mean to you.

Start early & be proactive.  Start small.  From the tiny acorn grows the mighty oak. Wrap your gifts as you buy them.   Batch cook in October or November and freeze ahead.  Take a few minutes to consider your festive clothing.  Decisions are way easier without time pressure.

Keep your plans focused. A good example of this is decorating.  Focus on the front door and the tree, and if you can manage it, one other focal point.  If you can’t, who’s really going to remember?  Oh, and remember, take Instagram with a pinch of salt, life is real, people!

May your holidays be intentional, free of drama, and with a healthy sprinkle of magic!

Hey Presto Concierge Services provides personal concierge services to individuals and small businesses in the Bay Area.  We offer ‘Holiday Elf’ packages, where you can get help where you need it most, including wrapping, decorating, errand running, shopping.  Post holiday clean up?  We’ve got you covered too. Call 408-465-9009 for more info. www.heyprestoconcierge.com.

Thuy, 2018 | Glamour and Contemporary Portraits | Fremont, CA

“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her own imperfection. To me, that is the essence of true beauty.”

-Steve Maraboli

Thuy is the founder/owner of 923 Design here in the Bay Area. She is a designer, a creative, a boss lady, a hustling mother who took the leap into her dream and never turned back.

In short, she is awesome and I am so proud to share with you all some of my favorite images from her photoshoot with Heartbox Photography, with hair/makeup by Miranda Villanueva of Love and Artistry.

Here’s to the women bosses out there representing the Bay Area. :)

Happy Friday!