Ackerman: Molly Hamill. Springstead: Heather Hazzan. Thomas: Jessica MorrisyTHE MONEY
WHISPERER
SHANNON MCL AY
Founder and CEO of the
Financial GymTHE MOMENT IT CLICKED: “When
I was a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch,
we required people to have $250,000 in
assets to qualify as a client. I was also
doing pro bono work for acquaintances
with issues like student debt. Where
else could I refer these people who
didn’t have a lot of money? We’ve got so
many options to get physically healthy.
But if people want to get financially
healthy, where do they turn? So I cre-
ated a place where you could meet with
a financial trainer for what amounts to
a gym membership.”
BEST ADVICE: “Remember the value
of your social network. Within two
years of starting my business, I went
through everything I owned, includ-
ing my 401(k). I was just about to quit,
and then I got my first investor: my for-
mer boss. When we met for coffee,
I had no idea I was going to ask him for
money. I still have the envelope he sent
the check in.”
PAYING IT FORWARD: “What moti-
vates me every day is making sure
financial health is available for anyone.
It’s a transformative experience.”THE
FOOD FIXER
NOREEN SPRINGSTEAD
Executive director of
WhyHunger, a nonprofit
working to end hungerTHE SPARK: “Forty million Americans
are struggling with hunger, but it can
seem like an invisible problem. There is
so much shame in asking for help. The
truth is, flawed policies are to blame.
After talking to our partner organiza-
tions, our team realized that hunger is
about fair wages more than food scar-
city. Many people who rely on food aid
are working, but they’re simply not
earning enough to make ends meet.”
SHAKING THINGS UP: “About seven
years ago, we helped form an alliance
called Closing the Hunger Gap to
address the injustice at the heart of the
issue. We’re bringing food banks and
soup kitchens together to do things dif-
ferently. I call it pathways out of poverty:
not just handing someone food but sit-
ting down with them and asking, ‘ What
are you struggling with? How can we
help?’ We’re working with food banks
to give them the courage to say we need
to talk about ending hunger, not about
measuring success in the number of
people fed and dollars raised.”
THOUGHT PROVOKER: “The secret
sauce is having a passion for what you
do. Keep driving at it. View your goal as
achievable, but know that it’s a process.
Recently, I’ve seen more people gravi-
tating to the idea that hunger is totally
solvable and that we need to look at the
root causes. That makes me hopeful,
especially as all these other movements
spring up. Zero hunger is possible, and
our work to build a deeply connected
social movement will get us there.”THE
MATERNAL
MAVEN
LATHAM THOMAS
Founder of Mama Glow,
a global maternal
health companyTURNING PASSION INTO PURPOSE:
“As a doula, I founded Mama Glow to
provide hand-holding to women along
the entire reproductive continuum
from menstruation through birth to
new motherhood—incorporating yoga,
lifestyle coaching, mindfulness and
self-care techniques. I want birth to be
safe for all women and to educate the
next generation of birth workers who
will lead the maternal health movement.
I opened our women’s space, Circle by
Mama Glow, in Brooklyn last year, to
create a place for women to learn, con-
nect, and reclaim self-care.”
WORDS TO GROW ON: “Anything
we desire takes patience, faith, and an
ideal environment for growth. Createcommunity as you build your brand.
Energetically and spiritually mother
yourself, using the tools of self-care as
a pathway to empowerment.”
WHAT KEEPS HER COMMITTED:
“Ultim ately, we are striving to democ-
ratize birth and postpartum support
so that every person who would like to
work with a doula has access to one.”THE LEVELER
OF PLAYING
FIELDS
KATHRYN ACKERMAN,
M.D., M.P.H.
Medical director of the Female
Athlete Program at Boston
Children’s Hospital and team
doctor for USRowingWATERSHED REALIZATION: “In the
late 1990s, I took a leave of absence
from medical school to train for the U.S.
rowing team. Friends were overtrain-
ing, getting stress fractures, develop-
ing eating disorders, and struggling
with depression and anxiety. Yet
they received little formal guidance.
Talented athletes were marginalized,
and I knew there was a better way.
I started digging and quickly learned
that the lack of resources partially
stemmed from a lack of scientific
knowledge and coach awareness about
female athletes. So when I returned to
school, I had a new focus.”
THE OBSTACLES: “I’ve been told that
women don’t contribute as much to
the revenue of sports organizations or
media outlets, so they don’t deserve as
much funding or coverage. But women
are half the population. And we gain
confidence and life skills through sports.
I’ll continue to advocate for their fair
allocation of resources and attention.”
HER BET ON THE FUTURE: “My goal is
for women to have more resources and
evidence-based information to help
them achieve their athletic and per-
sonal potential. Seeing female athletes,
sports scientists, and clinicians knock
down barriers and use their platforms
to help other women makes me hopeful
for the future.”