Wearing Many Crowns: Leading with Grace in Pageants and Practice
Release Date: 06/02/2025
The Inner Spark: Dr. Kirsten Guest on Reclaiming Joy, Boundaries & the Whole Self
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Kirsten Guest, a clinical holistic psychotherapist, resilience advocate, author, and founder of a boutique wellness practice devoted to helping high-achieving women reconnect with joy, boundaries, and their whole selves. After spending 23 years as a stay-at-home mother, Kirsten answered a quiet but undeniable call to begin her third act. She returned to graduate school, launched a private practice in New York City, and began blending traditional psychotherapy with integrative modalities including EMDR, mindfulness,...
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Power. Pleasure. Presence: Sarrah Rose on Reclaiming the Fire Within
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Sarrah Rose, a Tantra coach, intimacy expert, and founder and CEO of CEO on Fire, whose work is challenging women to reclaim power not through performance, but through presence. Raised in a deeply conservative environment that taught her to be quiet, contained, and compliant, Sarrah shares the path that led her from early marriage and spiritual suppression to embodiment, healing, and self-trust. Through yoga, Tantra, and formal training in India, she began to rebuild her relationship with her body and redefine what...
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Power in Every Step: Dr. Krista Archer on Walking Boldly
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Krista Archer, a board-certified podiatric surgeon, lifelong athlete, and founder of ARCH by Dr. Krista Archer, whose work is redefining what it means for women to move through the world with comfort, confidence, and power. From NCAA lacrosse captain to one of New York’s most sought-after foot and ankle surgeons, Dr. Archer has built a career at the intersection of precision medicine and aesthetic care. She shares how injury shaped her perspective, why foot health is far more than vanity, and how restoring mobility...
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The Fairy Godsister of Founders: Chevy Arnold on Championing Women, Building Ecosystems, and Rewriting Access
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Cheveryn “Chevy” Arnold, Managing Director of Private Equity and Entrepreneur Strategy at EY and a true champion for women founders. Known as the “Fairy Godsister” of entrepreneurship, Chevy has built a career creating access, opening doors, and ensuring women have the visibility, networks, and support they deserve. From investment banking to launching her own advisory firm to leading programs like Entrepreneur Of The Year and Winning Women, Chevy’s journey is rooted in purpose, grit, and a deep belief in the...
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The Power of Connection: Meg Williams on Breaking Barriers and Building Inclusive Growth
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Meg Williams, Executive Director of ACG Atlanta, one of the most dynamic chapters in a global network of middle-market leaders, to explore how connection, inclusion, and courage are reshaping finance. From church halls to boardrooms, Meg’s journey is one of reinvention and resilience. She shares how a background in ministry and hospitality became her superpower in the world of mergers and acquisitions, leading billion-dollar deal forums and building bridges in a field where women hold just 10% of senior private equity...
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Log Off to Lead: Emma Lembke on Gen Z’s Fight for a Safer Digital Future
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Emma Lembke in New York City, founder of LOG OFF, Director of GenZ Advocacy of the Sustainable Media Center, and co-founder of Design It For Us, to talk about Gen Z’s fight for a safer, more intentional digital world. At just 23, Emma has testified before the U.S. Senate and earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in digital advocacy. She shares how turning her own struggles with social media into purpose sparked a movement toward balance, boundaries, and awareness. This episode is a powerful reminder...
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Resilience in Motion: Marian Giacoman on Reinvention, Identity, and the Power of Style
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Marian Giacoman, stylist, content creator, and entrepreneur whose minimalist aesthetic is anchored in a deeper story of reinvention. From architecture studies and a Bolivia-inspired fashion line to fleeing political unrest and starting over in the U.S., Marian shares how she rebuilt without a blueprint, a network, or a guarantee and grew a community of women drawn to confidence, elegance, and intention. Sonya and Marian explore the spark that shaped her: parents who modeled grit and entrepreneurship, the discipline behind...
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The Voice of the Unheard: Jessica Velazquez on Building Equity in Cannabis
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Jessica Velazquez, CPA, CFE, Principal at BeachFleischman and founder of Indiva Advisors, the first Latina-led CPA firm dedicated to cannabis. From Big Four boardrooms to cannabis policy tables, Jessica has built a career at the intersection of finance, advocacy, and equity. She shares the spark that drew her into a taboo industry, the burn of proving herself in rooms not built for her, and the mission that fuels her fight for communities left behind. This is a story of courage, conviction, and creating pathways where...
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Guardian of the Game: Erin Hanson on Revolutionizing the Future of Football
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya welcomes Erin Hanson, Co-Founder and CEO of Guardian Sports, the family-run company behind the Guardian Cap. What started as a mother’s mission to protect her son on the football field is now mandated across the NFL, trusted by more than half a million athletes, and credited with reducing concussions in practice by nearly half. Sonya and Erin dive into the spark that launched Guardian, the resilience it took to face rejection and ridicule, and the conviction that kept her moving through years of uncertainty. Erin shares how faith,...
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Confidence Without Compromise: Tisha Thompson on Loving Yourself and Redefining the Beauty Industry
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya welcomes Tisha Thompson, the founder and CEO of LYS Beauty, the first Black owned clean cosmetics brand to launch at Sephora. With “Love Yourself” as its name and “Confidence Without Compromise” as its mission, LYS has become one of the fastest growing brands in Sephora’s ecosystem and a powerful reminder that beauty belongs to everyone. Together, Sonya and Tisha explore the spark that set her journey in motion, the courage it took to walk away from certainty to pursue her passion, and the resilience required to build in an...
info_outlineIn this episode of Spark Sessions, host Sonya Locke sits down with the remarkable Emmaline Farmer, Miss Georgia USA 2024 and a freshly minted Family Nurse Practitioner graduate from Emory University. From stethoscopes to sashes, Emmaline is rewriting the narrative of what it means to lead with both strength and softness, intelligence and elegance.
Together, Sonya and Emmaline dive into the roots that shaped her from growing up in small-town Georgia to discovering her calling in both service and self-expression and navigating the pressures of dual identities in healthcare and pageantry. They explore the stereotypes she’s breaking, the purpose she’s embodying, and the fire that fuels her daily.
From battling imposter syndrome to advocating for real legislative change, Emmaline opens up about the trials, the triumphs, and the moments that revealed her true power.
This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt the pressure to choose between passion and profession, and that the most powerful leaders wear more than one crown.