Interview with bestselling anthology author Gillian Lichota, who contributed the chapter titled "Butterfly" to Volume III Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood.

Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood can be found on Amazon or any online book retailer.

Gillian Lichota is the founder and CEO of the iRise Above Foundation, a nonprofit US based organization dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and supporting young women to cultivate an outstanding quality of life during and after breast cancer. She is also a mother, marine biologist, mountain climber, adventure travel enthusiast, and breast cancer Thriver. For two decades Gillian specialized in Arctic marine science, advancing scientific understanding of ocean and coastal systems, climate and global change, and improving society’s ability to plan and respond. Now she’s committed to challenging her dire breast cancer prognosis, and helping others to do the same with theirs.

Gillian was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, and again in 2017. Facing imminent death revealed profound truths about living. Like a phoenix, Gillian has risen from the ashes of her incurable illness stronger, wiser, and more aligned with her purpose and passion. Ardent about living an intentional, authentic life, Gillian is devoted to self-healing and supporting others to rise in the face of unimaginable adversity, so they too can live their best lives. Through her leadership with the iRise Above Foundation, Gillian helps provide young women with targeted, age-appropriate, and integrated health and wellness resources, tools, and strategies that enable them to rise above the residual effects of breast cancer, so they can heal and live well—ultimately improving their quality of life and long-term survivorship.

Originally from Canada, Gillian continues to summit mountains where she finds the strength to confront her fears, and the inspiration to continue her path of healing and transformation. The mountains stand as silent witnesses to her life journey, offering solace and a reminder that even amidst the greatest challenges, there is a place where she can find clarity and peace—and rise above.

You can learn more about Gillian’s story and the iRise Above Foundation at www.iriseabovefoundation.org.

Follow on:

Instagram – @iRise_Above and @gillian.lichota
Facebook – @IRiseAboveFoundation
YouTube – @iRiseAboveFoundation
Email – glichota@iriseabovefoundation.org

See more about The Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies and Soul Speak Press at www.soulspeakpress.com

Find out more about Jessica Buchanan:

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast.

Interview with bestselling anthology author Jessica "Jess" Greenwood, who contributed the chapter titled "Flying with the Birds" to Volume III Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood.

Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood can be found on Amazon or any online book retailer.

Jess began her career as a clinical genetic counselor working with families trying to conceive and those whose pregnancy may be impacted by a genetic condition. This direct-care experience continues to fuel the empathy and humanity she brings to her work. After eight years, Jess took advantage of a fortuitous opportunity for continuing education in digital health communication and began working with Dr. Zeev Neuwirth, creator and host of the award-winning Creating a New Healthcare podcast. Currently, she serves as the Director of Marketing and Operations for Zeev Neuwirth Health. A jack-of- all-trades, Jess’s role includes ghostwriting, copyediting, marketing, and managing all aspects of promotion for speaking events, the podcast, and his books. Jess has been instrumental in the publication of two Amazon best- selling books with Dr. Neuwirth, Reframe Healthcare and Beyond the Walls. Personally, Jess has authored several blog series including “A Year of Defiance” and “Chronicles of Alien Development,” both available on Medium, and her latest endeavor, “The Joy Luck Club,” an exploration of all things joy that has helped her process the loss of her mother and her husband’s tragic motorcycle accident. Jess has now added memoir to her ghostwriting services and is working with Soul Speak Press to offer that service to their authors. Connect with Jess on Instagram @jessgwrites and Substack at jessgwrites.substack.com.

See more about The Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies and Soul Speak Press at www.soulspeakpress.com

Find out more abo

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast.

Interview with bestselling anthology author Erin Uritis, who contributed the chapter titled "A Queer Working Mom’s Journey to Authenticity, Freedom, and Family" to Volume III Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood.

Deserts to Mountaintops: The Pilgrimage of Motherhood can be found on Amazon or any online book retailer.

Erin Uritus is CEO of Out & Equal, the premiere global organization working exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equity, inclusion, and belonging. A leading voice on inclusive leadership and organizational change, Erin has pushed the conversation on LGBTQ+ workplace equity from the adoption of inclusive policies towards what Out & Equal touts as the “business of belonging,” that is, the creation of optimal cultures in which everyone can participate, thrive, and grow in the workplace as their full and most authentic selves. In this role, she is one of the few openly bisexual and pansexual chief executives.

She draws on her extensive experience in the private sector. For eight years at Booz Allen, her client-facing work included supporting agencies such as the IRS, DoD, INS, DHS, and others as they navigated the challenges of modernization and restructuring post 9/11. Erin has also spent significant time living and working abroad, supporting changemakers across the globe, including more than a decade in West Africa and the Middle East. She is the co-author of a book about change management in government—published in both Arabic and English.

From her earliest roles supporting women journalists in the Senegal-based African Women’s Media Center and launching an anti-hate crime project in the wake of Matthew Shepard’s murder, impact-driven work with human systems has been a central, passionate, and relentless focus of Erin’s career.

She continues that commitment in both her professional life and her personal volunteer work—including at All Souls Church, Unitarian, in Washington, DC. Erin holds a masters in Organization Development (OD) from American University, and two masters certificates in change management and performance management from Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University, respectively. She is also an alum of the Stanford Graduate School of Business LGBTQ+ leadership program.

Erin and her two beautiful children live in the Washington, DC, area.

See more about The Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies and Soul Speak Press at www.soulspeakpress.com

Find out more about Jessica Buchanan: www.jessbuchanan.com

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast.