SNOWDEN IS THE WOMEN’S WEDNESDAYS SPEAKER ON JUNE 15, 2016!

 

Join us at this year’s Women’s Wednesdays series, presented by Bozard Lincoln, for Cocktails, Connections & Inspiration – every Wednesday night this June at The Treasury on the Plaza in downtown St. Augustine, Florida!

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW!

 

Meet Snowden…

 

Snowden McFall, professional speaker, trainer, and author, is a 30 year entrepreneur & owner of Fired Up Professional Speaking.  A business expert who speaks on motivation, stress management, productivity and employee engagement, Snowden has authored and co-authored 6 books, including Fired Up!, which has sold over 65,000 copies. Her newest book is Stress Express: 15 Instant Stress Relievers and she is currently writing one on productivity.

Snowden received her BA from Vassar College and her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Brown University.

Growing up with alcoholic parents, public humiliation was Snowden’s biggest fear. In spite of that, she began speaking professionally 20 years ago and has since Fired Up! thousands.  She does keynote presentations, custom trainings and executive coaching for clients like Pepsico, Fidelity National Financial, Vistakon, small businesses and professional associations.

As co- founder of the non-profit group “Success for Women Entrepreneurs” in NH, Snowden’s volunteer work led to national media attention. The Small Business Administration named her National Women in Business Advocate of the Year which led to a White House ceremony & Congressional luncheon in her honor.

Snowden has appeared on 320 radio shows, CNN Financial News, The Home Shopping Network and Bloomberg Television.  Featured in Success Magazine, Investors Business Daily and Foxnews.com as an expert on burnout.

In the North Florida area, Snowden has been named a Small Business Leader of the Year by the Professional Women’s Council and is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville. She received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama and was named a Woman of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal.

 

 

You are a highly sought after motivational speaker and stress expert – and your mission of inspiring people to take action in their lives fits so perfectly with She Is Fierce’s mission.  Can you share some of the best success stories of people you’ve worked with and mentored?

 

One is Dana Stallings, owner of now 3 businesses.  I was an Athena Powerlink mentor for Dana, and at the time, she was working through challenges with her franchise business, Kilwins Chocolates at the Town Center in Jacksonville. She also owned Little Britches child care center and both were co-owned with her husband. We were able to help delineate  key roles for each spouse, maximize visibility and PR within the franchise structure, work on long-term planning and marketing.  Just a few years ago, Dana opened Jax Kitchen, where she not only hosts ice cream socials for corporate groups, but she also rents cooking space to small manufacturers of homemade food items.  All 3 companies are truly thriving.

 

Another is Lou Ann Hill-Davis, who relocated here and was working as a professional organizer.  She had some family issues, and we worked together to get clarity about what truly brought her joy. She wanted to create a way to help others think more positively. She launched LiveinFlip Flops.com, which is a successful business with flip flop key chains, calendars, and inspirational gifts for individual clients, companies and cruise lines.

 

 

In the past, you’ve shared your experience growing up in a home with alcoholic parents and deeply fearing humiliation… and yet, you went on to conquer one of the biggest fears out there – public speaking – in a BIG way.  How did you go from fearing humiliation to becoming a public speaker and author?

 

With a great deal of work on myself.  After a few disastrous personal relationships, I took several personal growth workshops, got into therapy and support groups, developed a spiritual practice that I still use to this day. I still meditate and work on myself daily.  I took speech courses, joined National Speakers Association and took many, many classes there.

I still don’t like public humiliation- who does?  But it is not a paralyzing force in my life.  I think we can all do better when we face our fears and overcome them. With God’s grace and our own willingness, I believe we can overcome anything.

 

You were honored by the White House for your non-profit work… can you share a little about what you did to receive the honor?  And what it was like to be honored at the White House! 

 

I helped co-found a non-profit group in New Hampshire called Success for Women Entrepreneurs. At that time, there was very little support for women business owners, and it was very difficult to get financing and help.  We started this organization to help women get into business and stay in business, with education, networking and on-going support. I served as President of the organization for several years, and my ad agency donated all the marketing, newsletters, etc.  That led to me being named National Women in Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration.  There were 7 advocates of different kinds, one for veterans, one for the disabled, etc.  Now they call them Champions. We were all honored at a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House and a Congressional Luncheon.  It was surreal.  Had my father in law not videotaped it, I might not have believed it.  My congressman was amazing.  He sat with me at the luncheon and entered a page into the Congressional Record lauding me. I was deeply humbled and honored. I still am.

 

 

You have a powerful message of authenticity – what does that word mean to you? 

It means truly being yourself, and being true to yourself, living life according to your values and not trying to be like everyone else.  We live in a world of falseness- false eyelashes, false body parts, false statements and illusions. Somehow we have been made to feel that we aren’t good enough as we are. That simply is not true. I believe each of us has unique, rare and wonderful gifts, and when we own them and share them with others, we bless the world.

 

Your books have sold more than 65,000 copies around the world!  What is the core message that you hope those many thousands of people have received from your work?

That they can make their dreams come true, regardless of your background, circumstances, challenges and issues.  I believe that when you do what you love, your natural Fired Up! enthusiasm comes present and it ignites the flames of others.  It’s contagious.  By living your dreams, sharing your gifts, you lift the world.

 

 

You’ve been honored so many times for your entrepreneurial skills and for the businesses you’ve created – what do you think are the characteristics that help women entrepreneurs thrive in their professional and personal lives?

 

Women are gifted with strong emotional intelligence, which enables them to have empathy and compassion when working with others.  They are natural collaborators and prefer peace to conflict, which means they find ways to compromise and create win-win situations.  I also believe women entrepreneurs are courageous- it takes guts to risk it all on a business. Women have tenacity, strength, and passion- all of which are necessary to succeed.

 

 

SNOWDEN IS THE WOMEN’S WEDNESDAYS SPEAKER ON JUNE 15, 2016!

 

Join us at this year’s Women’s Wednesdays series, presented by Bozard Lincoln, for Cocktails, Connections & Inspiration – every Wednesday night this June at The Treasury on the Plaza in downtown St. Augustine, Florida!

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW!

 

Here is our full Women’s Wednesdays line-up:

 

JUNE 1 – Donna Orender, Former WNBA President & Generation W Founder

JUNE 8 – Stephanie Nickolich, The “Millionista Mentor” Global Entrepreneur & Coach

JUNE 15 – Snowden McFall, Founder of Fired Up! & Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

JUNE 22 – Brenda Jackson, NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Novelist

JUNE 29 – Cindy Chaconas, Cancer Survivor & Founder of Pink Up The Pace!