I’m Speaking: Stories of Standing Up and Finding Our Voices

To celebrate the inauguration of our country's first female, multi-racial Vice President Kamala Harris, the Passionistas Project Women's Equality Exchange presents an evening of stories called I’m Speaking. The virtual event will be held on Sunday, January 17 at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Voiceover actress Grey DeLisle Griffin (the voice of Vicky from “The Fairly Odd Parents,” Azula from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and Daphne Blake from “Scooby-Doo”) will headline a lineup of five women with very diverse backgrounds who will share their personal stories of how they spoke up and found their voices. The event will conclude with a roundtable discussion with the presenters moderated by Karen Herman. The Passionistas Project co-founders Amy and Nancy Harrington will host.

Tickets are $10 and upgrades will be available ranging from $25 to $60 for tickets to the event plus Passionistas Project merchandise.  Donations to Every. Last. One. and Girls Inc. are encouraged.

To purchase tickets, visit http://bit.ly/imspeakingevent.

Rounding out the list of storytellers are:

Helen Torres is the CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), where she leads one of the nation’s most influential Latina organizations. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI), a program that prepares adult Latinas for their next level of civic participation. HLI has resulted in more than 180 Latinas being appointed to state and local commissions, and over 200 Latinas serving on nonprofit boards to improve local communities. Helen is also responsible for the founding and implementation of the HOPE Binational Fellowship, an executive leadership program for outstanding Latina professionals from the United States and Mexico who, through increased competence in national and global economic and security issues, are in a position to make urgent and long-lasting improvements in the lives of Latinas in the western hemisphere.

Punam Saxena holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Education. She is a mother of 4 college-aged children and has spent 20 years volunteering in her children’s school in their classrooms and working with their administrators. She has implemented several processes that have benefited all children at the school. She is currently the host of the podcast edu-Me which focuses on bridging the gap and fostering a stronger relationship between parents and schools by empowering parents to become partners in the school. She also holds weekly edu-Nars and works one-on-one or in small groups as a parenting coach. Punam is currently an author in the making writing an education book and a memoir.

Lisa Brooks is a Registered Nurse with a background in Informatics, Health Information Systems and Managed Care. She spent the first 6 years of her nursing career as a hospice nurse in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City. Her nurse-peers turned to her as the go-to for technical help when health information systems were still new. This started her down the path towards a career in health technology. Lisa spent the last decade of her career implementing technology for healthcare companies and writing as a hobby on the side. This year she launched her health technology writing business, Writing the Future of Health, that combines her passions. She is on a mission to help everyone cross the digital health divide.

Kim Roxie is the Founder & CEO of LAMIK Beauty, a clean beauty brand for multicultural women. After opening her own brick and mortar makeup shop at age 21, in Houston, TX on a $500 investment, Kim ran that store for 14 years and was the youngest African-American woman to have her products carried in a major department store. In 2019, Roxie pivoted her business and launched LAMIK as an e-commerce beauty company. In 2020, Roxie secured a partnership with an augmented reality company to launch an innovative tech-enabled website that allows consumers to digitally try on cosmetics.

Becky Yamamoto is a comedian, writer and actor. She is the creator and writer of the web-series “Uninspired.” You've seen her in commercials, on stage doing stand up and maybe in your living room when we watch the Real Housewives together. LA born and raised with a stint in NY and back to LA again, she's the All Asian American girl next door who's having a solo karaoke party.

As a media company that emboldens women to follow their passions, The Passionistas Project works diligently to create opportunities for all women’s voices to be heard. By gathering passionate women who are experts in their fields to speak on a variety of topics related to women’s equality, their Equality Exchange brings together a unique and powerful group to help attendees gain the knowledge and tools they need to band together to create equal rights for all women.

“We held our first annual Passionistas Project Women’s Equality Summit in August 2020 and were thrilled with the response we received but we knew there was more work to be done. So, we decided to keep the conversation going by diving deeper into the issues of equality discussed at the Summit,” said Nancy Harrington, Co-Founder of The Passionistas Project. The Equality Exchange will host ongoing events focused on a topic pertinent to equality for all women including women with disabilities, Indigenous women, the LGBTQIA+ community, financial equity, Black women and more.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will be made to Girls Inc and Every. Last. One an organization dedicated to ending the damage caused by cruel and negligent treatment arising from American immigration policy. Girls Inc.'s comprehensive approach to whole girl development equips girls to navigate gender, economic and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated and independent.

“I'm Speaking: Stories of Standing Up and Finding Our Voices” will be held virtually on Sunday, January 17 at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Tickets are $10. Donations to Every. Last. One. and Girls Inc. are encouraged. To purchase tickets, visit http://bit.ly/imspeakingevent.

ABOUT THE PASSIONISTAS 

Sisters Amy and Nancy Harrington have been inspired by the new women’s movement and decided to use their skills as celebrity interviewers to tell a different kind of story through The Passionistas Project Podcast, the annual Passionistas Project Women's Equality Summit and their monthly Passionistas Project Equality Exchange events. Where many media companies reserve their platform for the elite, Amy and Nancy are talking to amazing women who don't often get an opportunity to share their stories yet are making a huge difference by choosing unique paths. From the founder of a successful ice cream company to a volcano scientist running for office to an artist who makes sculptures using melted down nuclear weapons, Amy and Nancy shine a light on the positive stories of women. They have conducted over 1,400 interviews including more than 60 one-on-one oral histories for The Interviews for the Television Academy — including in-depth conversations with actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Danny DeVito, Ed O’Neill and Charlotte Rae, former CBS president Nina Tassler and esteemed television directors Beth McCarthy Miller and Pamela Fryman. They were handpicked by OWN to be part of an intimate digital press corps covering “Oprah’s Lifeclass” during Winfrey’s tour of the U.S. and Toronto.  For more information go to https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/about.

ABOUT EVERY. LAST. ONE.

Every. Last. One. is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the damage caused by cruel and negligent treatment arising from American immigration policy. Their work is wide-ranging and evolves to meet the needs of children and families whose lives are dramatically shaped by our country’s constantly shifting immigration policies.

ABOUT GIRLS INC.

Girls Inc.'s comprehensive approach to whole girl development equips girls to navigate gender, economic and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated and independent.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Amy & Nancy Harrington

Co-Founders The Passionistas Project info@thepassionistasproject.com

818-434-4383

818-406-9077