We Love When Women Win: Celebrating Our 5th Annual Women Making Waves Award 💪

Making waves? More like making tsunamis 🌊 It’s truly an honor to celebrate our 5th annual Women Making Waves Award. There’s nothing we enjoy more than highlighting women who are uplifting Birmingham through their continuous passion, hard work and selflessness. Each woman brings their own special qualities to the table and deserve to be recognized for their various contributions in business, wellness, media and more. 

---

There’s no better day than International Women’s Day to introduce you to this year’s Women Making Waves Award winners!

KAREN BROADWATER—President of Iron Tribe Fitness

Karen has been with Iron Tribe since its founding more than a decade ago! She started as a member and has climbed her way up the management ladder and now is President — leading multiple teams and massive franchise expansion. In an industry usually dominated by men, Karen has shown that females can (and should) have a voice. Her leadership approach is personal. She gets to know her coaches, managers and owners and ensures Iron Tribe is providing fulfilling careers. If you know Karen, you know her heart is big and her knowledge is vast. She has proved over and over again that she is among the best in the business. Karen is truly the best. In a business designed to change lives through business, she herself has changed the lives of her employees by believing in them. There are so many people in Birmingham who love this great woman!

YAZMIN CAVALE—

GLOW Co-Founder & CEO

Yazmin has built the GLOW app into the Uber of beauty over the past seven years. GLOW is an app that women use to book hair, makeup, spray tan, and lash appointments with a vetted beauty professional (“GlowPro”) that provides the beauty service at the client’s home, office, or hotel. GLOW has generated millions in sales since its inception, providing a career in beauty to hundreds of GlowPros and serving thousands of women in markets from Nashville to Birmingham to Atlanta to 30A and in between! GLOW has averaged 20% growth in revenue YoY.

MARY FEHR—Photographer

Mary is one of the most sought after photographers in the state of Alabama. She works commercially for magazines and print media, but her true passion lies in wedding photography. She has consistently showcased how love can radiate through her images of many peoples’ best day! She is currently launching a workshop titled “Y'All Workshop” which will focus on educating the wedding industry in showcasing inclusivity by highlighting several local LGBTQIA+ couples. She also helps host Birmingham Film Walk where artists working in film and media get together to network and create on a monthly basis. You can find her print work in magazines such as Stroll Crestline, Alabama Wedding, Southern Living, among many others. On top of that, several businesses around town such as ShuShop, The Pizitz, The Summit, aBasic Shop, Tucana Tiki, and many others are on her roster of recurring clients. Mary has cemented herself as a massive creative talent in the south. I am honored to know her and be inspired by her everyday. She not only makes waves, she rides them with the utmost kindness and passion. A supremely deserving nominee for this year's Women Making Waves!

BELINDA LYONS—

The UPS Store, Franchisee Owner

Belinda's story is inspiring, and her achievements would undoubtedly be a fitting tribute to her success in the print industry. Ten years ago, I met Belinda Lyons and her husband, Jerome Lyons when they opened their franchise of The UPS Store in Hueytown, AL. They hired me as a print consultant to teach, train and expose them to all things printing. Using my 40 plus years of industry knowledge, I am proud to say, I helped Belinda and Jerome build a print dynasty in Hueytown, AL. Unfortunately, one year after they opened, her husband passed away of a heart attack. Belinda’s resilience in the face of personal challenges, such as the loss of her husband, is commendable. She threw herself into her business, working tirelessly to secure her future and their legacy. I have always found it impressive to observe Belinda Lyons' journey and her significant contributions to the print industry. It's evident that her dedication, hard work, and passion have played a crucial role in establishing a successful print hub. Belinda has built lasting print relationships with mega churches, non-profits, colleges, and universities, as well as many corporate clients. Belinda’s love and desire to bring her clients dreams to reality has led her to make the decision to end her The UPS Store franchise contract. She will birth her third small female owned business brand, ProInked (Professionally Inked), opening for business on April 1, 2024, at 2910 Allison-Bonnett Memorial Dr #106, Hueytown, AL 35023. She will continue to grow her printing empire by showcasing not only her commitment to meeting her clients' needs, but providing exemplified customer care, while always exceeding expectations.

DR. ANGELICA ROHNER—

Owner of Dr. Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry

Dr. Angelica Rohner has been the Owner of Dr. Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry for 24 years, leading an all female team with the goal of helping young children maintain their healthy and happy smiles. Her growing list of titles include: Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and a mentor to students at local high schools and colleges who intern at her office to gain experience and advice on their careers. Dr. Rohner is also in the process of creating a nonprofit with the mission to donate dental hygiene kits to those in need, to teach healthy oral hygiene habits to community groups and schools, and to offer quarterly “free dental days” to improve access to kids in the Vestavia and Mountain Brook areas!

JULIE SEALS—

Cofounder & Co-CEO of Opulenza Designs

Julie Seals is truly a woman making waves! She is a trailblazer in the direct sales industry that has built a successful female-founded small business by prioritizing community over profits. While most companies would only care about the profit margin, she instead invests in women by helping them find their financial freedom. To her, that extra profit margin that most would never reinvest, she does with her heart-centered leadership. This humble woman has spent a decade in her office building the infrastructure for thousands of women instead of focusing on her own spotlight. THIS is why she deserves to be recognized as a Woman Making Waves.

JAMELLA STROUD—

Trauma Yoga Therapist/Thai Bodyworker

I've gotten to know Jamella through training with her at Meta Fitness Liberty Park. Originally, we were set up because I specifically requested someone who would "kick my ass." Jamella definitely puts me through the ringer at our sessions, but what has really been the highlight of spending a couple of hours a week with her is learning about her background, interests and drive to bring the benefits of yoga to Birmingham and Fairfield City Schools. This year alone she has impacted many young lives by teaching yoga techniques to elementary and middle schoolers through her "Exhale to Excel" program (which you can read about in the January 2024 issue of Birmingham Lifestyle). She is once again taking a group of women to Bali for a wellness retreat in September and recently graduated from her certification program in yoga therapy. She brings that somatic healing understanding to even the toughest workout sessions. I get to hear firsthand about how her teachings on nervous system regulation positively impact the lives of kids who often live in stressful and chaotic environments.

GINA TOLLESE—

DJ

Gina is Birmingham bred and born and has been elevating the city by storm by DJing amazing sets centered in historical African American music. She mixes Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B, and Motown classics with new wave, and modern techno. Gina has played at countless shows across the city and is always respectful and the picture of professionalism. She graduated from Ramsay High School, a beacon of the Birmingham City school district and is involved with the local Alchemy run crew. By day, Gina is an account manager at a tech company. I am nominating Gina because her music brings together all types of communities across Birmingham: Black White, young and old transecting normal community silos. Her sets showcase the power of music in community building and civic action. At her shows, people who would not normally meet, meet, mixing the city in ways it usually isn’t. She deserves this award for showing what’s possible for Birmingham and being a staple of the Birmingham music scene. By the way, she recently went viral on TikTok for this mix (https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0juoRqOQGS/). This sound has been used by the MLB, Fresh Market and countless others in their marketing!

KAYLEY WARD—

Photographer, Videographer, Owner of Fit4MomBirmingham

The individual I am nominating is Kayley Ward. What started as a way to help a friend in need in 2016, has blossomed into Sweet Home Studios, a thriving wedding photography/film business, averaging over 20 weddings a year. Kayley's education helps immensely, as she has both her undergraduate and masters degree in social work. Social work, at its core, is about helping people and communities through challenging moments in life. Planning a wedding and the stresses that come along with that are alignment with her core belief of helping people through those crucial moments in life. Additionally, she was presented an opportunity in 2022 to take ownership of Fit4Mom Birmingham. Fit4Mom is a fitness franchise offering pre and postnatal health, wellness, and fitness programs for every stage of motherhood. Fit4Mom meets daily in local parks and recreation centers in the Birmingham area helping moms build their village of support while meeting their health and wellness goals. Finally, in 2023, Kayley established Motherhood Wellness Collective. This collective’s aim is to create a community to empower mothers to seek out the help they need during their motherhood journey. The inaugural event was hosted in 2023, with 17 vendors and over 100 people attending. Kayley Ward is an incredible wife, mother, business owner, entrepreneur, and kind-hearted and genuine human. She has been making waves in the state of Alabama telling peoples’ love stories through photos and film and has helped fill a need for mothers in all stages of motherhood with Fit4Mom and Motherhood Wellness Collective. I cannot think of a more deserving person to be an honoree of the 5th annual Women Making Waves award.

SUZANNE WRIGHT—

Executive Director of Magic City Harvest

Suzanne came into Magic City Harvest in 2018 and created financial stability for the organization, growing our fund 10 times what it was when she entered. She has worked to provide healthy meals for the community and significantly increased the pounds of food we donate from 466,000 lbs in 2021 to 711,000 lbs in 2023. She has obtained funding for a new position, Assistant Director, as well as established the Junior Board and 3 new fundraisers for us. Suzanne is responsible for the new MCH logo, website and a new delivery truck. Overall, she has ushered Magic City Harvest into the next phase and allowed us to grow so that we can continue our mission of ending waste and ending hunger in Birmingham.