The editorial team has a special attachment to our new series, The Trailblazers: Rewriting the Narrative, because so many of us feel that media portrayals of women have been too one dimensional. Today, women are doing incredible things in all fields – from science and technology to finance, law, business, athletics and more. With the Trailblazers series, we hope to highlight and celebrate female role models, encourage more equal and just representation in the media, and help foster a more tight-knit community locally helping women find mentors, business partners, friends and more.
Lori Judd
Lori Judd and her incredible team of quality assistants and professional organizers are the “Connexion” that you’ve been waiting for. Whether you’re looking for someone to organize your home, manage your move, or stay on top of day-to-day errands, Lori and her team have got you covered. Read more>>
Nefertiti Schell
My name is Nefertiti Schell, Queen as in the Queen turned Pharaoh Nefertiti. Although I have strong African roots, I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA with my immigrant West African mother and my two sisters. My mother did not have family in the States coming from Africa. Raising three daughters on her own, we all had to do our part to make her life a little easier. My mother’s drive to get up every day, without shedding a tear, to make something out of her faith inspired me to work hard for her. Her only ask she had for her kids were to get good grades and work hard for what we wanted. Read more>>
Sheri Long
Sugar and Spice began as a “teacher side hustle” in Ventura County, CA. After 25 years in education, my last four years I spent working beyond the confines of the classroom, assisting young adults, ages 16-22 that were working toward the completion of their high school diploma in an unconventional alternative program. While these young adults worked with their teachers, I worked with them beyond the classroom to obtain housing, job readiness skills, set up bank accounts, and acquire such basic needs as food and clothing. In doing so, what I soon came to realize is that the majority of these “kids” were former foster youth that had hit age eighteen, aged out of the system, and were left to their own devices to fend for themselves and become adults in an unknown world with little to no guidance or direction. Read more>>
Valerie Lozano
If you try something, you risk failure. If you don’t, you ensure it. I would much rather try than live with the “what if” in my head. I say go for it! I have taken many risks in my life, especially in my career. I remember when I was first planning to leave my full time job when I started my consulting business. I had a plan but still there was so much uncertainty of how I was going to bring in a salary being that I was just starting out. If you want it bad enough, you will figure it out and that’s what I did. Read more>>
Marissa Pretkus
Dane and I were both in the industry. I guess you can say we had a “life-altering” experience. Dane’s appendix ruptured on a graveyard shift, and almost lost his life. From that moment on, he told me he wanted to do something where he could spend more time with me. We got married after dating for seven years and found our inspiration on the island of Kauai. Shortly after we got back we bought our first Horse Trailer with our business partner Arturo and went to work. Dane spent countless hours creating and designing our first bar Penny. With a few lucky breaks and some incredible relationships, we ended up opening Horse Trailer Hideout in April of 2021. Read more>>
Sadie Fienberg
All in all, running my own business is awesome but, as with everything, there are pros and cons. Being my own boss allows me the freedom to control every aspect of my business, but it also brings some unpredictability. Being an entrepreneur means I have to handle a wide range of responsibilities. In a regular job, things like pay, benefits, and schedules are typically taken care of for you. Paving my own path as a business owner opened my eyes to the roadblocks and detours that come with being my own boss. However, the freedom and flexibility I’ve gained makes it all worth it. Read more>>
Marissa Hawkins
After working 7 years in corporate America in Pharmaceuticals. I decided to leave my secure job with good medical insurance, with 3 young kids in tow to step into the world of entrepreneurship all while my husband was building his real estate business. Read more>>
