263 episodes

Candy O’Terry is an award-winning interviewer who has spent the last 28 years featuring the stories of over 700 women from every walk. Along the way, she has learned that successful women think differently. They believe that roadblocks are opportunities and that our lives unfold in chapters. These are women who listen to their intuition and share a deep need to make a difference. As the creator and host of The Story Behind Her Success, Candy provides a weekly platform for these inspiring women to be heard around the world. No matter where you are in your journey, the wisdom and advice these women share will help you get to where you want to go. What’s your story?

The Story Behind Her Success Candy O'Terry

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 56 Ratings

Candy O’Terry is an award-winning interviewer who has spent the last 28 years featuring the stories of over 700 women from every walk. Along the way, she has learned that successful women think differently. They believe that roadblocks are opportunities and that our lives unfold in chapters. These are women who listen to their intuition and share a deep need to make a difference. As the creator and host of The Story Behind Her Success, Candy provides a weekly platform for these inspiring women to be heard around the world. No matter where you are in your journey, the wisdom and advice these women share will help you get to where you want to go. What’s your story?

    Lisa Carlin: Founder of Poppies with Purpose -263

    Lisa Carlin: Founder of Poppies with Purpose -263

    Poppies with Purpose is more than a shoe line. It is something that is going to bring courage, joy, and connection whether you have cancer or not. -Lisa Carlin



    When bad things happen, you have two choices: you can give up or give it all you’ve got. Lisa Carlin decided to use her breast cancer diagnosis as a catalyst for comfort through the creation of her shoe line, Poppies with Purpose www.poppieswithpurpose.com. At only 38, with two daughters, ages 3 and 5, at home, she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. Lisa’s road to survivorship included a double mastectomy, breast reconstruction, eight rounds of chemotherapy, and 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments. During this dark time in her life, she discovered a worn pair of pink ballet flats in the back of her closet. Slipping them on one morning before her treatment, Lisa discovered that these simple pink shoes gave her a dose of bravery. Today, Poppies with Purpose is thriving with three shoe colors: pink for breast cancer, blue for colorectal cancer, and tangerine for kidney cancer and leukemia, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting researcHERS, a group that supports grants to female cancer scientists. Lisa also handpicks local charities to support including Runway for Recovery. Every detail of Lisa’s brand is inspired by love. The duster bag that holds each pair of shoes was inspired by her beloved grandmother’s poppy-patterned house coat, and inside every pair of shoes is a reminder to “live each day with a pop of color.” When I asked Lisa how she got through her diagnosis, she said, “It was baby steps. Just a little bit every day is gonna get you to where you want to go. The key is to surround yourself with people who lift you up.” The next time you need a gift for a newly diagnosed friend, think of Lisa and Poppies with Purpose. For 24 minutes of inspiration, hit that download button. #breastcancer #colorectalcancer #kidneycancer #leukemia #survivorship #entrepreneurship

    • 24 min
    Noel Foy -262

    Noel Foy -262

    A lot of children believe that perfection is a goal. I help them understand that mistakes are part of the learning process. -Noel Foy



    In the spotlight, Noel Foy. Known as Neuro Noel, she got her start as a teacher and learning specialist before blazing a trail as a neuroeducator and anxiety coach. www.neuronoel.com. A graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in Education/Special Education and a Masters in American Studies, Noel began noticing that her own sons didn’t like school, but they loved learning. She started attending conferences focused on how the brain works and discovered that she could transform key neuroscience findings into practical ways to reduce the impact of stress on children. The result was transformative. Noel started creating her neuroeducator tool kit by recognizing that if a child’s brain is in a state of anxiety, anger, frustration, or boredom, they disengage from learning. This choice hijacks the brain causing stress, which in turn, hijacks executive function. In her practice, Noel teaches kids that the human brain grows and changes. This neuroplasticity enables the brain to be re-wired. Children are relieved when she explains: “Do you know that your brain gets smarter and stronger when you correct mistakes?” In this interview, Neuro Noel provides clues for parents who believe their children might need help with anxiety. Avoidance, rigidity, catastrophic thinking, and a sense of hopeless permanence are four red flags to look for. The author of two award-winning books called ABC Worry Free and Are You A Bird Like Me? Noel admits she was an anxious child herself and that she finds healing by helping kids who are just like she was. On a mission to spread awareness about anxiety, executive function, and how to use neuroscience in school and beyond, Noel is due to release a third book this year entitled 15 Minute Focus, geared toward teachers, parents, and counselors. For a tutorial on how you can begin to understand and help your anxious child, just hit that download button. #neuroscience #neuroeducator #teacher #parenting #socialandemotionallearning #executivefunction #anxietyawareness

    • 23 min
    Lindsey Leichthammer -261

    Lindsey Leichthammer -261

    It’s fun to be a part of the best day of someone’s life. -Lindsey Leichthammer



    Meet event producer extraordinaire, Lindsey Leichthammer. www.lindseyleichthammer.com. She’s done everything from fluffing the bride’s dress to keeping the bridal party calm as Nana is being placed in an ambulance minutes before the wedding ceremony begins. She also knows what it’s like to be responsible for feeding hundreds of people in the middle of a field in Vermont, with no cell service. By the time you finish listening, you will know for sure that an event producer needs nerves of steel AND a sense of humor. Fortunately, Lindsey has both in spades. Born and raised in the seaside town of Marshfield, Massachusetts, Lindsey enjoyed the love and support of her parents, and the devotion of her older brother, Taylor. Ten years her senior, he instilled confidence in his little sister early on. At 16, Lindsey became a banquet server, offering up bacon-wrapped scallops and dirty martinis at a high-end steakhouse on the beach. In this interview, she recalls loving the excitement of a wedding reception and knew that her career would somehow involve the wedding industry. A graduate of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, Lindsey majored in Business and minored in Event Management and Marketing. From curating 12-person dinner parties for fussy VIPs to lavish farm-to-table weddings in fields to 3000+ festivals, this young woman has done it all! Now at the helm of her own company called Lindsey Leichthammer Events, she is passionate about delivering unique experiences for her clients. A true believer in tackling any of life’s obstacle head-on, Lindsey says: “The only way out is through. There’s nowhere else to go but on the other side.” For a quick-witted, yet fact-filled look into the wedding industry, just hit that download button. @lindslovesevents @candyoterry #weddings #Vermont #events

    • 22 min
    Judi Alperin King, Ph.D.-260

    Judi Alperin King, Ph.D.-260

    We don’t tell anybody what to do. Every Wiley Scholar is an expert on their own life.

    -Judi Alperin King, Ph.D.



    What happens when a high school student has the desire, the motivation, and the grades to go to college, but lacks the support and the resources to make their life-changing goal a reality?  Enter thewilynetwork.org.  With a BA from Hamilton College, a Masters degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, Judi Alperin King is the Founder and Executive Director of the Massachusetts-based non-profit.  Her vast skillset includes work as a psychologist for 30 years where she focused on children facing serious emotional and behavioral problems. Judi climbed the ladder in her field, developing a keen understanding of what it means to create a sense of community for those in need.  This experience helped her shape the Wiley Network which re-trains clinicians as coaches, providing wrap-around support services that nurture Wiley Scholars from matriculation to graduation,  with weekly meetings, advice, guidance, and a listening ear.  In this interview, Judi explains that colleges are not set up to support the needs of students who don’t have “family privilege“.   Says Judi: ” Our scholars are on their own, living below the poverty level.  Of course, someone loves them, but that parent or guardian, for whatever reason, cannot help them make their college dream come true.”   At its core, the organization honors the scholar as the heart of the mission.  To date, 62 students have graduated from college and there are now 78 scholars on 15 different campuses in the Boston area.   Raised by parents who valued contributing to the greater good, Judi likes to ask the question:  “Who did you help today?”  Her advice to a teenage girl in foster care who wants to go to college but has no one to guide her?  In the words of Mr. Rogers:  “Look for the helpers” and reach out to the Wiley Network.  We’ll be there for you.” #college #education #thewileynetwork #thestorybehindhersuccess.  

    • 23 min
    Sandy Lish, Principal & Co-Founder of The Castle Group -259

    Sandy Lish, Principal & Co-Founder of The Castle Group -259

    I do love a good rush of adrenalin. I’m not gonna lie.  -Sandy Lish



    For most of us, the word “crisis” is a negative,  but not for Sandy Lish. She loves a good crisis because she knows how to solve it.   Together with longtime colleague Wendy Spivak, Sandy co-founded The Castle Group thecastlegrp.com 27 years ago.  Armed with a yin/yang skillset, the two started small, in a shared office space, with their desks facing each other and 3 initial clients:  the Nellie Mae Foundation, Bank of Boston (precursor to Bank of America), and The Street, an online financial services publication.  With steady growth year after year, the company is thriving with specialties in PR, events, marketing, public affairs, social/digital, and crisis management and was named a Forbes Best PR Agency.  Based in Boston with offices in Atlanta and Maui, Sandy and Wendy have built a company culture rooted in trust, authenticity, and a deep commitment to civic engagement. It’s no wonder then, that this PR Maven is the recipient of many awards, including the Boston Business Journal Power 50.  Born and raised in Brookline, MA,  Sandy’s family struggled to keep their home in the upscale enclave known as Chestnut Hill when her father declared bankruptcy. Determined to keep the family solvent, Sandy and her mother both worked three jobs.  In this interview, Sandy reveals her natural born competitive edge and her lifelong ability to be resilient during adversity.   At only 14 she found herself unsupervised and instead of doing her homework, she became an income earner, scooping ice cream, working in a supermarket, at a local pharmacy, and as a waitress. After failing to graduate with her high school class, she opted to get her GED instead.  A first-generation college graduate of UMASS Amherst, Sandy is the proud mother of two who firmly believes “it’s a good thing for a son and a daughter to watch their mother run a business.”   For a tutorial on chutspah, resourcefulness, overcoming obstacles, and thriving under pressure, just hit that download button. #thecastlegrp #PR #marketing 

    • 24 min
    Ann M. Doggett, DC wholebodysolutions.com -258

    Ann M. Doggett, DC wholebodysolutions.com -258

    The more inflammation you have in your body, the quicker you will age and the lower your quality of life will be. -Ann Doggett, DC



    This week’s guest is a trailblazer in the field of holistic healthcare. Meet Dr. Ann Doggett, founder of Whole Body Solutions in Braintree, Massachusetts www.wholebodysolutions.com. When Ann founded her practice back in 1989, her focus was chiropractic care, but as the years went by, she came to understand the power of alternative medicine. The mission of her wellness practice is to heal the body from the inside out, using natural remedies including nutrition counseling, acupuncture, chiropractic services, brain integration for learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, concussion, and PTSD as well as body sculpting, treatments for long COVID, incontinence and sexual health. Her mantra? To help sick people get well, and healthy people stay healthy. The mother of two, Ann holds a doctorate of chiropractic from the New York Chiropractic College and a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport as well as certifications in nutrition response testing, practical herbal therapy, and bioenergetic medicine. The youngest of 8 children with 6 older brothers, Ann was raised in Dorchester, MA. The daughter of a Boston police officer, she credits her very strong mother as her role model as well as her older brothers who always protected her and had her best interests at heart. In this interview, Dr. Ann shares a wealth of knowledge including warnings about sugar intake and processed foods, plus her strong belief that inflammation is at the root of most illnesses. Says Ann: “Health is a mosaic, a reflection of our genetics coupled with stress factors. My goal is to address the entire individual. Emotional losses can also affect our energy. If you are out of balance in your life, your body will tell you. “ For a deep dive into whole body solutions for the new year, just hit that download button. #health #wellness #chiropractic #nutrition #longcovid #acupuncture #alternativemedicine #learningdisabilities #brainintegration

    • 23 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
56 Ratings

56 Ratings

PaigeBPodcasting ,

Amazing, Inspiring Stories!

I can’t say enough good things about this podcast. Each episode gives voice to another incredible woman’s story. Candy has that rare talent when it comes to interviewers to go deep and allow these women to open up and their stories to flourish. It’s a must listen!

ruhppy2 ,

So inspiring!

We always see others successes and try to compare ourselves with other’s best against our worst and wonder why we struggle to believe we can do it too. I admire how Candy goes deep into her conversations to ask thoughtful and challenging questions that make each episode lively and engaging while helping us see the truth that we all go through ups and downs in our journeys.

Liz Cape Cod ,

Candy’s podcast

Candy’s podcast gives so many amazing women the perfect platform to share their stories. Love to listen to so many inspiring stories!

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

This American Life
This American Life
Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Wishbone Production
The Viall Files
Nick Viall
Shawn Ryan Show
Shawn Ryan | Cumulus Podcast Network
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher