Sandi Klein's Conversations with Creative Women

Aryn Quinn has some tale to tell. She, like her mother and sister, is a domestic abuse survivor. As a young child, she watched her father brutally beat her mother - and was powerless to help. Aryn's helping now. The former model is the founder and CEO of EndAbuse4Good - a nonprofit aimed at preventing dating and domestic abuse against teens, women and children. Its goal is to make sure every student in the U.S. takes a class dedicated to preventing domestic abuse before it begins. Students learn about teen dating violence, self-esteem and the need to stay on track with their personal goals. This is a conversation you can't afford to miss.

Aileen Bordman grew up surrounded by beauty and art. Her mother Helen helped restore the gardens at Giverny, home of Claude Monet. Aileen's passion and first hand knowledge of the artist's life is evident in Monet's Palate, the 2008 documentary she wrote and produced after taking a sabbatical from her career on Wall Street. And now there is Monet's Palate Cookbook - The Artist & His Kitchen Garden at Giverny. Co-authored by Aileen, it recreates the artist's two-acre garden through detailed information about the vegetables he grew and the 60 recipes she created - inspired by his journals and extensive travels. You're in for a fascinating, first-hand conversation about the Father of Impressionism.

Hera Navassardian was 21 when she began modeling for Bob Mackie, Geoffrey Beene, Zandra Rhodes and other famous designers. During her 30+ years in the fashion business, Hera has also worked as a makeup artist and stylist. In 2007 she opened Klymaxx Unlimited, a boutique and transformation studio in Provincetown, Mass. for women AND men that includes the LGBT community. Hera's got plenty to share in this engaging conversation.

Lisa Fantino has been there...done that. She spent more than 20 years as an awarding winning reporter at New York City's two top all news radio stations; she's an attorney with an international, general practice; is the founder of Wanderlust Women Travel - a concierge travel company, and....is also an author. Amalfi Blue - Lost and Found in the South of Italy is her travel memoir, written after she packed up and moved there for love. Then there's Shrouded in Pompei, a political thriller. Lisa talks about it all in our conversation.

Attorney and social activist Dorchen Leidholdt is the Director of The Center for Battered Women's Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families in New York City, the largest program of its kind in the country serving domestic violence victims. Since the mid-70s, she's been a leader in the movement against violence against women and is the founder of The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. You won't want to miss this riveting and eye-opening conversation.

This week we revisit our Conversation with Lacey Schwartz. Lacey is the director and subject of Little White Lie, a riveting, powerful, emotional documentary that traces her upbringing as an only child in a white, Jewish family in upstate New York. However, it was during her freshman year in college that she learned the truth.  When confronted, her mother finally acknowledged having had an extra-marital affair...and that her biological father was in fact, black. Lacey, who is also the CEO of Truth Aid, a company that makes movies, produces multi-media content and performs educational outreach on social issues, makes for a fascinating conversation.

You're about to meet an extremely interesting woman. Lynne Friedman is a contemporary abstract and landscape artist whose work has been shown in numerous solo exhibitions. Her paintings hang in many corporate and private collections and in 2013, was selected by the U.S. Department of State "Art-in-Embassies Program" for our embassy in Djibouti, E. Africa and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Get this, Lynne also happens to be a licensed private investigator! Her assignments have taken her around the world. Listen in and hear how she 'marries' these two careers.

Nicole Bryl's mission? To make people look and feel their most beautiful whether they're walking the Red Carpet, posing for a fashion spread or making a television appearance. The celebrity make up artist has been doing just that for the last 30 years. Her client list includes Brooke Shields, Debra Messing, Naomi Watts, Melania and Ivanka Trump. She's created and developed her own product line - Nicole Bryl Artisanal Vitamin C Skin Care. Hear Nicole's personal and professional story.

The world needs more women like musician and social activist Sharon Katz. Born and raised during South Africa's apartheid regime, and inspired by by Nelson Mandela's release from prison, she made history of her own...bringing together 500 black, white, colored and Indian children to form the country's first ever multi-cultural and multi-lingual choir. She took that musical message all over South Africa, and what followed was Sharon Katz and The Peace Train. She continues to spread the message of peace and reconciliation through performances and workshops around the world - the story documented in the film, When Voices Meet.

Irish novelist Yvonne Cassidy loves to read and she loves to write. And for that we're grateful! The author of The Other Boy, What Might Have Been Me, and How Many Letters Are In Goodbye, she's working on book number 4. Even though she moved to New York City in 2011, Yvonne still writes feature and opinion pieces for Ireland's leading publications. She also leads the creative writing program at Manhattan's Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen - fostering the talent of homeless and marginalized writers. Enjoy this frank and fascinating conversation.

Get to know funny and talented Carol Tandava Henning, actress, stand up comedienne and now... belly dancer. Carol says belly dance lessons changed her life - helping her heal both physically and emotionally after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Through wit and humor, she describes that journey in her solo show Blood on the Veil, which explores the healing and transformative power of dance.

This week we revisit our conversation with Sabriye Tenberken - a woman who gives new meaning to activism and inspiration. Born in Cologne, Germany, she became blind at age 12. A trip to Tibet as a young adult was life-changing. Sabriye, along with Paul Kronenberg, founded Braille Without Borders, a world-wide organization that creates training programs and Braille book printing houses. The two are also the co-directors and co-founders of Kanthari, an international institute for social visionaries based in Kerala, South India.Sandi Klein's Conversations with Creative Women returns with an all new show next Tuesday.

This week we revisit our conversation with Wendy Crawford. On a summer day in 1984, while driving to the airport for her first international modeling gig, 19 year old Canadian Wendy Crawford was hit by a drunk driver. Wendy never walked again. As she struggled to come to terms with life as a quadriplegic, Wendy saw the need to develop a way to raise awareness of, and become an advocate for, women facing physical challenges. So, in 2002, she founded mobileWomen.org, an online magazine that provides information and a community for women in wheelchairs. Her story is one we all need to hear.

This week we revisit our conversation with Carla Kaplan, Professor of American Literature at Northeastern University. Carla introduces us to "Miss Anne", the collective term used to describe a group of white rebellious, romantic, risk taking women who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, but until now, mostly relegated to the sidelines. Seven years in the making, her book, Miss Anne in Harlem, brings their stories to light. They're fascinating and amazing. This is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Meet Queer-Mama-Sapien Pandora Scooter. She's been called the funniest atheist/Amerasian/dyke/spoken word artist you'll ever see and hear. Founder of Stand Up & Stand Out Productions, she's written a slew of one-woman shows. Her most recent, I Am Enough tackles suicide among LGBTQ youth. Pandora's working to bring that number to zero by exploring and exposing their pain, while building self-esteem and self-confidence. She's a real force of nature.