Come celebrate the new monthly VERVE with us at our Reinvention & Launch party. June 29 from 5-7:30 at Coleman Place, third floor of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce building. Wine, apps, music and plenty of sass. Please RSVP by June 25 to susan@vervemag.com, or give us a call at 828-697-1414.

We're excited to have such a talented mix of panelists for our upcoming VERVE discussion series (there's still time to register, the first session is June 10 -- click here to download details). Meet our all-star lineup:

Meridith Elliott Powell is a certified coach, speaker and business development expert. As founder of MRP Profit Strategies, she helps clients become more productive by increasing their networking, sales and service skills. Her new book, 42 Rules to Turn Your Prospects Into Customers, will be published this summer.

 

Jaki Brendle has planned and executed successful media programs for national, regional and local businesses for over 20 years. She was previously sales manager for WLOS and WSPA TV and a media director for two regional advertising agencies. She is the owner and operator of J. Brendle Media, a strategic media planning and consulting service that works with clients in tourism, medicine, real estate development, fast food and other industries.

Jodi Grabowski is the wellness coordinator for Park Ridge Hospital. She has been with Park Ridge for more than ten years and was previously the hospital’s marketing coordinator. Before joining Park Ridge, she was a psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and body-image issues. Her latest wellness initiative with Park Ridge explores the work of Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones. Jodi is an avid cyclist and lives in Horse Shoe with her husband Bill and their four-year-old daughter, Jenna.

 

 

Reeta Wolfsohn is founder of the Financial Social Work discipline (www.financialsocialwork.com). She is a nationally known motivational speaker on the topic of money from a psychosocial perspective. Her work focuses on creating sustainable long-term financial behavioral change.

 

Johnnie Grant is owner and publisher of the Urban News. A native of Asheville, she was educated in the private and public school systems in Buncombe County. A graduate of A-B Tech’s School of Nursing, she was employed by Mission and St. Joseph's healthcare system and, later, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Inc. She is married to Robert Grant, Jr., and is the mother of two adult children.

 

Leah Noel is an Asheville native who began her career as an accountant in 1996. She gained extensive experience in the fields of manufacturing, cost accounting and public accounting as a senior auditor for two prominent local CPA firms. She has degrees from University of North Carolina at Asheville and Western Carolina University and became a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Information Technology Professional in 2005.

Leah McGrath has been a registered dietitian since 1996 and has degrees in speech communications and nutrition. She has worked as a dietitian for the US Army and the South Carolina Department of Public Health. In 2000, she became the corporate dietitian for Ingles Supermarkets in Asheville, where she now lives with her husband Tim Riddle. She is a regular guest on WLOS and WMYA 40, and she hosts a weekly radio show, the "Ingles Information Aisle," on WWNC 570AM (www.wwnc.com) on Saturday mornings.

 

Amy Smialowicz Fowler started her career raising money for hospice. After graduating summa cum laude from Mars Hill College in 2001, she took a position in the public relations and marketing department at CarePartners Health Services. In the past six years, she has been instrumental in CarePartners’ branding and advertising campaigns, as well as in getting patient success stories out to the public. She is a Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina board member and has served on both the Junior League of Asheville board and the executive committee of the Healthy Buncombe Coalition.

Gwen Wisler owns Asheville Profits, LLC. Through Asheville Profits, she provides consulting services for locally owned, established businesses. Her clients pay by providing time or in-kind contributions to the Western North Carolina nonprofit community. Wisler has served as CEO and president of numerous consumer products companies, including the home safety company First Alert, the backpack and travel gear seller Eastpak, and Coleman, the $800 million outdoor recreation company.

 

Nathaniel Jablecki is a family medicine physician who is also certified in sports medicine. Dr. Jablecki received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. He is on the associate medical staff at Pardee Hospital and is currently accepting new patients with Pardee Family Medicine Associates in Fletcher.

 

 

Mary Hart is an attorney with The Hart Law Group, P.C. Since 1991, she has represented clients in a variety of matters, including wills, trusts, estate and gift-tax planning. She attended Franklin Pierce Law Center and Davidson College, and she holds licenses to practice law in both North Carolina and Alaska. She serves on the boards of directors of the Land of Sky Estate Planning Council, the Asheville Strategic Alliance and the Altamont Theater.

 

Before she became a licensed counselor and life coach, Janet Slack was an environmental scientist. Now, she specializes in working with women, small business owners and “solopreneurs” on issues like balance, growth and success. She is co-author of the recent book How the Fierce Handle Fear.

 

 

Kristen Weaver is a native New Yorker who relocated to Brevard in 1992, where she graduated from Brevard College. She began her career in fitness at 18 and has since conducted courses in step aerobics, cycling and Zumba, among others.  She currently serves as Director of Association Wellness Advancement at the YMCA of Western North Carolina.  She likes to go snowboarding,  whitewater rafting and mountain biking, and she likes to play any and all sports.

Marilyn Ball is owner of 12Twelve Collaborative Marketing Solutions. She has extensive experience developing media and public relations campaigns, and she helps her clients make wise use of their marketing funds. She is also a business developer for Mountain BizWorks and teaches a class called Marketing for Small Business.

 

Karen Clerici has a B.S in Finance from Virginia Tech, an M.B.A from California State University Northridge and has been working with investments for over 20 years. A Financial Advisor with Webb Investment Services, she specializes in building a retirement strategy for families and business owners.  Karen lives in Asheville with her husband and son.

 

Amy Beasley is an attorney with Aceto Law Office, P.A. in Asheville, concentrating on estate planning, business, corporate and non-profit law. After a career in non-profit management and inspired by volunteer work as a mediator and Christian conciliator, Amy entered law school and graduated cum laude from Campbell University in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2009.

 

 

Sign up for our first-ever discussion series for VERVE-acious women, starting June 10.

Talk with experts in wellness, get smart about managing your money, and learn about new ways to market your business. In our final session, meet women who have reinvented their lives and hear their inspiring stories. Each session is 90 minutes. Attend all four, and join us at our VERVE networking party on June 29 for free! Click here to register or call us at 828-697-1414.

Reinvention is one of our favorite themes at VERVE. Now, it’s time for VERVE to reinvent itself. Starting July 1, we'll be publishing monthly. We'll also be rolling out a new look and a larger size.

We’ll still run the kinds of stories that our readers have told us over and over that they love: in-depth profiles of the smart, stylish women who make this area so interesting — women who make goat cheese, run for city council, write poetry, fly planes and otherwise lead remarkable lives. And, our pages will have the same top-notch design with beautiful, high-quality photography.

For two years, we’ve heard from readers that they love VERVE and want more. Starting in July, we’ll deliver just that — and in a format that we’re sure will be a smash hit.

See you in July!

Love,

Team VERVE