If you’re not sure quite where to look for inspiration, consider the woman standing right beside you. Perhaps it’s a sister, your friend, your wife, a colleague or, maybe, it’s the woman who does your hair. If you pay attention, you might find them doing extraordinary things. These five featured Women of Substance have made an impact on those around them simply by being themselves and by doing what they love. Recognize the woman of substance in your life, or better yet, be her. You never know who you’re inspiring.
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Skye Henry, right, nominated by Sarah Petryk
Skye was one of the first people I saw out in the world when salons were permitted to reopen last summer. I was so hesitant, because we still didn’t know a lot about COVID then. Skye let me know that she had extended her hours for people who wanted to be solo in her intimate Easton salon, The Beauty Exchange. She had figured out how to make sure people felt safe and supported as they made their way out into the world again. And to be honest, the simple gift of having my hair styled and being with another human again felt so incredibly precious, and is one of the early, post-shutdown memories I will cherish for years to come.
Over the years, while in the chair, Skye and I have had so many conversations about life and our businesses. Raising kids, marketing, anxiety, perfectionism, our upbringings, our deepest joys and fears and, even, what we hope for the world as we celebrate our differences—nothing is held back. She doesn’t shy away from hard conversations, and her vulnerability is truly a gift. When Skye does hair and makeup for weddings, I know that she helps people feel supported and looking fabulous on what can sometimes be a very stressful day. She also sits on the board at Metro Beauty Academy, helping to shape the future of so many young stylists.
It’s that kind of whole-person support and healing that her upcoming venture taps into. She is preparing to launch Herb & Board, a private supper club, where dishes are infused with cannabinoids, enhancing the health and wellness of the diners. I can’t wait to see where this incredible venture will take her. And in the meanwhile, I feel so thankful for our friendship and for the way she generously shows up with her whole self, every time I sit in her chair. Our conversations leave a lasting impression and I so often leave feeling like the best version of myself—recharged, renewed and thinking a little bit harder about how we walk through the world.
–Sarah Petryk
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Nadia Afzal, right, nominated by Huma Usmani
Nadia Afzal is a dentist practicing in Bethlehem but she is no ordinary dentist. She has been a trailblazer in promoting the connection of oral health to overall health. This passion has led her in pursuing and acquiring training and adequate credentials for her second practice in sleep wellness and airway health. She is working tirelessly to educate and bring awareness to the importance of oral health. She has been able to help many adults and children resolve issues regarding sleep, eating habits and so much more through her work. Nadia has also travelled all over the country acquiring training for frenectomies and lip-tie releases in order to aid oral health from the newborn stage onward.
Nadia has always been a strong advocate of community work. Amongst all of her other outstanding achievements, she has also been able to start a nonprofit organization that has been instrumental in helping many people with acute needs during the pandemic. Nadia lives in Allentown with her husband and three children and is a true woman of substance!
–Huma Usmani
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Suzie Bichowsky, left, nominated by Cindie Feldman
I met Suzie about six years ago when I was giving her a private cooking lesson, which turned into her asking me, ‘What would you do if you could do anything?’ I wasn’t used to anyone asking me questions like that, because my job was to make other people happy. I said, ‘This.’ And while we were laughing at her rendition of cooking a turkey burger by dropping it into a pan from midair, I realized she was as authentic as one could be.
She talked about her work in establishing a life coaching business as she, a public-school teacher, understood burnout and that life happens. She successfully did this, and added a podcast over the years. One day she walked in looking all svelte and it turns out she decided to get her yoga certification. I was unwilling to accept that yoga was amazing until she convinced me to come to one class of gentle yoga. When I left, I felt like I had the best massage ever and the tension was gone.
She recently let me know that she’s almost done with her training to become an officiant, her latest endeavor. I envision this woman who is quirky and funny and beautiful inside and out meeting a couple who are in love, and they will fall in love with her, as they do yoga during life coaching sessions, and then she performs their ceremony. And they will feel alive. Because even through remote teaching a reading class, COVID, a life coaching business, yoga and now her newest endeavor, Suzie is the definition of substance. A solid person who loves people in a deep way and makes them feel like they are worth something. I think that right now coming out of this pandemic, we need women like Suzie who light up a room and lives.
–Cindie Feldman
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Katherine Mann, seated at center, with her family; nominated by her husband, David Mann
Kathy is required to travel internationally due to her role at Olympus, is an active board member at the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, volunteers at the Hispanic Center, KidsPeace and our church, and always ensures to make time for our four daughters (my three adopted by her and our five-month-old) as well as everyone we know.
From leaving Boston at midnight to get back in time for a color run at school, to buying chicken dinners from Fresh Market for families at our church who are recovering from illness on an apparent weekly basis, to visiting KidsPeace weekly to help the undocumented children in temporary housing feel welcome and loved while waiting for their future to be decided (she moved to the U.S. from Ecuador with her parents when she was eight years old), to welcoming clients into the food pantry with coffee, a pastry and a smile, Kathy will always be present, always care more for others than herself and never let others know the everyday struggles she goes through herself.
Simply put, she truly knows everyone, loves everyone and will do whatever it takes to ensure that everyone else feels loved.
–David Mann
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Eman Jarrah, right, nominated by her sister, Diane Beasley
My sister, Eman Jarrah, is a true woman of substance. Eman, my younger brother, Chad, and I are all close in age, with only three years between us in total. Growing up, she has always been the quietest, but also the strongest—she was never afraid to do the right thing, even when it wasn’t the easiest choice. She acted as the voice of reason and good conscience during those long summers of our youth when freedom was plenty and common sense less so. I laugh when I think about the trouble we could have gotten into had Eman not been there to appeal to our better natures.
Eman continued to grow into a kind and thoughtful woman. She is intelligent, driven and has dedicated her life and career to helping others. She is a successful lawyer, serving as the Deputy Solicitor for Lehigh County for the last 14 years. It’s not a flashy job, and certainly less lucrative than a career in private practice, but it’s an important job, and not one that many could do. She has set an example that diligently working behind the scenes can have a substantial impact on our community. She has dedicated her career to making a difference in the Lehigh Valley, by counseling the agencies that provide much-needed services to older adults and individuals with mental health issues or an intellectual disabilities diagnosis. Due to the nature of her work, we never talk details, but I know she has seen many heartbreaking cases—cases that deal with abuse, neglect and exploitation of our most vulnerable citizens, cases that require strength, sensitivity and grace. It’s easy to become disillusioned when dealing with difficult situations regularly, but she always puts in the work, provides sound and fair counsel and treats everyone she meets with kindness, respect and dignity.
She does this every day, while balancing her home life with her wonderful husband, Dave, and two beautiful young children, Quinn and Emi. She also helps our elderly parents with their needs, and acts as a shoulder to lean on for my brother and me (and our very large extended family). She is a wonderful example of how being kind, fair and mindful of community needs, as both a public servant and a private citizen, can inspire us all to be better and do better.
–Diane Beasley
