Letter From the Publisher
ON
February 3, I told our team that I wanted to get “a whole bunch” of amazing women to pose for a photo on our cover. I wanted
to feel less alone as I continued to move our “little moms group” towards a respected media company. I wanted us to be surrounded by other women who had dared to do something scary. I started making a mental list, and I thought that if we could even just get 20 of them to pose for a photo, that would be incredible. Maybe other women would see that they could take risks and stand strong while they build their future and be inspired. On February 8, we sent an email that would take on a life of its own. We invited 118 women and on February 22, shockingly, 104 women found babysitters, moved meetings, ran back and forth to the Maryland State House in between votes, and dropped everything to be in the same room at the same time to have a photo taken and tell a tiny part of their story. Many had yet to learn why they were there and had never heard of Annapolis Moms Media, but they came anyway, and the energy was palpable. There was excited laughter, some tears, and an overwhelming positive buzz in the air. We share their words with you today. A special thank you goes to the Annapolis Moms Media Team; this was a beast! We never could have pulled this off without the incredible effort of our volunteers led by Sarah Amyot, Sam Burdette, Samantha Zarnes, Skyelar Hall, Lin Twitty, Jennifer Lee, Tiffany Schall, Lissy Kerr, Meredith Minor, Maria Abreu and Jess Wakefield of Stellar Staging. Debra Saltz, owner of BD Provisions provided the most amazing coffee that fueled us all day. This project never would have happened without Danielle Lawrance of DANIE Photography and Liz Thibodeau of Thibodeau Media. If you need the best for a project of this magnitude, these are your people, and they work beautifully together. This was a major production and without this incredible team, it would not have happened. This photo is, by no means, a complete group. There are thousands of local women who deserve to be celebrated and who deserve a public voice. But this was the beginning of a movement … and we are just getting started building more connections and uplifting as many women and small businesses as we can!
Photo courtesy of DANIE Photography
“What would I tell my younger self?” That was one of the questions we asked the female leaders on our cover to answer. I would tell my younger self, “You are not too much. Be yourself, always. You come with incredible ideas and (while it is sometimes hard to harness) enough energy to light a small city. There are those who will be excited to watch you fail, and others who will cheer you on and help you achieve your goals. Ignore the mean ones and embrace your team of supporters.” I hope you feel inspired to take risks and lead unapologetically. Here’s to all of you, the Women at The Helm, who are brave every day!
Lisa Peri, MSW, Founder & Publisher
SPRING 2024 | 3
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