a group of powerful women share their experiences in
Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Authenticity
In this compelling collection, a group of inspiring authors explore what it truly means to live and work with honesty and self-awareness. Through personal stories, they reflect on the challenges of embracing who they are, the risks they’ve taken, and the growth they’ve experienced along the way. The journey isn’t simple. These narratives are explored with depth, complexity, and nuance—qualities often missing from our clickbait world. Both the authors and readers come to understand that being genuine is not a destination—it’s a process, a journey shaped by our experiences, environments, and the cultures we navigate. The book also includes a bonus section examining how broader social and organizational influences shape our ability to show up fully and truthfully. If you’re looking to better understand yourself, communicate more openly, and live with greater alignment, these stories offer both insight and inspiration.
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Lessons in Authenticity
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- Bonus #2 – A pdf copy of the Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Letting Go Study Guide emailed to you.
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Meet the Authors
An authentic leader who builds high performing and fun-loving teams, Churni Bhattacharya is a leader in digital technology transformation. Interesting. Fun. Passionate. Energizing. Authentic. Get-stuff-done. These are a few words to describe Churni. Known in the industry for her authentic leadership and team building skills, Churni brings a unique perspective in managing transformation while creating an amazing culture.
With 30+ years of track record in delivering highly complex enterprise-level transformational programs, Churni is a master problem solver with a laser focus on simple and elegant design. Churni has a proven track record of realizing business strategies to build out the appropriate technology vision, strategy and roadmap. Churni is passionate about writing and speaking about authentic leadership. Being a champion of women all her life while she lived and worked in four different countries, Churni focuses on empowering women, especially in the field of technology and financial
services. Churni has spent her career in capital markets, commercial banking, mortgage banking, insurance, and wealth management, both as a management consultant as well as a senior technology leader.
Currently, Churni serves as the Chief Product Officer at the Fintech company Amplify, which is poised to disrupt the wealth management technology space.
Danielle Burch
Danielle Burch is a leader in the insurance and financial services industry with over 20
years of leadership experience. She has built high-performing teams, scaled operations,
and mentored many throughout her career. Danielle is passionate about helping others
lead with integrity, courage, and clarity—especially those balancing motherhood, leadership, and faith. As a Regional Vice President for a company that provides financial security to individuals and families, she strives to redefine success through alignment with God’s calling. Danielle lives in Illinois with her husband and two daughters. They love to travel and explore new foods.
Danielle Burch
Yalonda Brown is a heart-led leader, inclusion strategist, and purpose-driven speaker whose 20+ year career spans both the public and private sectors. She is the founder of Yalonda Brown LLC, where she equips leaders and organizations to lead with authenticity, build trust, and create cultures where people thrive. At the core of her work is a simple but powerful belief: we lead best when we lead boldly, heart forward.
Yalonda is the creator of the Heart-Led Framework, a human-centered approach that helps organizations, leaders, individuals, and young people — especially girls — show up authentically and lead with staying power. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and is a certified Child and Youth Care Practitioner.
Yalonda is also an accomplished author, contributing to award-winning anthologies, and
her insights have been featured in SHRM, DiversityQ, and Diversity Professional Magazine, and she serves on multiple boards advancing equity for women and girls.
Outside of her professional work, Yalonda finds joy in family, faith, travel, and creativity. She resides in Arizona with her husband, Vincent, and continues to inspire others to lead, live, and love with intention.
Dawn Kutza holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and currently teaches Professional Skills and Wellbeing classes at Indiana University, Bloomington. She has spent 25 years applying the principles of psychology to support whole-person growth and authentic living. In addition to teaching, she leads an annual cultural studies travel course on wellbeing in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Dawn creates spaces for deep connection as a certified facilitator of Keirsey Temperament, BlueEQ, and Speed of Trust. Integrating behavioral science with intuitive practices to help others thrive, she is the author of Creating Authentic Relationships: A Love Playbook for the Next Generation and leads workshops focused on self-discovery, empowerment, and flourishing.
Emigrating from Manila to LA as a child, Mylene Barizo never imagined a corporate career. Challenging cultural and family expectations, she rose to VP of HR at Enterprise Holdings and served as the Sr. Executive Director of HR to the CIO at The Boeing Company. Mylene led teams, innovations in HR, and built people strategies with executives. Find her blog, services, and projects focused on diversity and elevating women/BIPOC talent at www.leadership-ladder.com.
A proud UCLA Bruin, Mylene now calls Seattle home…when she isn’t exploring beautiful places on the planet and savoring fabulous food!
Dr. Sharon Ayd is a distinguished executive and Board Director with over 35 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She is renowned for her strategic vision and deep expertise in operations, research and development, clinical development, and regulatory affairs. Throughout her career, Dr. Ayd has successfully guided indication-agnostic development initiatives across small molecules, therapeutic proteins, biosimilars, and drug/device combination products. Her proficiency encompasses mergers and acquisitions, business development, and due diligence, all grounded in a comprehensive understanding of complex global regulations.
As the Founder and CEO of Ayd BioPharma Consulting Group, LLC, Dr. Ayd has served as a trusted advisor to life sciences companies, leading them from nonclinical phases through regulatory approval, product launch, and full lifecycle management. Her leadership has been instrumental in securing approximately 90 drug application approvals worldwide, resulting in significant global revenue generation.
Dr. Ayd’s executive leadership spans both large pharmaceutical organizations and innovative biotech startups. At Fresenius-Kabi (FRE:DAX), she managed the North American pipeline for sterile injectables valued at $2.5 billion. During her tenure at Hospira (HSP:NYSE), now Pfizer (PFE:NYSE), she served as Global Vice President, leading R&D-driven due diligence for major acquisitions such as Mayne Pharma Ltd. ($2 billion) and Orchid Pharmaceuticals ($1 billion) and establishing a new R&D center in India that integrated teams across four continents. Her startup experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer at Advanced Life Sciences (ADLS:NASDAQ) and Chief Scientific Officer at Pinnacle Biologics.
In addition to her corporate achievements, Dr. Ayd is deeply committed to education and governance. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, an adjunct Clinical Professor at The University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Pharmacy, and an Adjunct Professor of Science at Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Business and Science. She also serves as an Independent Board Director at Reglagene Holdings and as a member of the Drug Discovery Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board at The Ohio University’s Cancer Center.
Dr. Ayd holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Pharmacodynamics from The University of Illinois–Chicago, an MBA from Lewis University, and a BS in Chemistry and Biology from Northeastern Illinois University.
Dr. Sharon Ayd is a distinguished executive and Board Director with over 35 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She is renowned for her strategic vision and deep expertise in operations, research and development, clinical development, and regulatory affairs. Throughout her career, Dr. Ayd has successfully guided indication-agnostic development initiatives across small molecules, therapeutic proteins, biosimilars, and drug/device combination products. Her proficiency encompasses mergers and acquisitions, business development, and due diligence, all grounded in a comprehensive understanding of complex global regulations.
As the Founder and CEO of Ayd BioPharma Consulting Group, LLC, Dr. Ayd has served as a trusted advisor to life sciences companies, leading them from nonclinical phases through regulatory approval, product launch, and full lifecycle management. Her leadership has been instrumental in securing approximately 90 drug application approvals worldwide, resulting in significant global revenue generation.
Dr. Ayd’s executive leadership spans both large pharmaceutical organizations and innovative biotech startups. At Fresenius-Kabi (FRE:DAX), she managed the North American pipeline for sterile injectables valued at $2.5 billion. During her tenure at Hospira (HSP:NYSE), now Pfizer (PFE:NYSE), she served as Global Vice President, leading R&D-driven due diligence for major acquisitions such as Mayne Pharma Ltd. ($2 billion) and Orchid Pharmaceuticals ($1 billion) and establishing a new R&D center in India that integrated teams across four continents. Her startup experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer at Advanced Life Sciences (ADLS:NASDAQ) and Chief Scientific Officer at Pinnacle Biologics.
In addition to her corporate achievements, Dr. Ayd is deeply committed to education and governance. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, an adjunct Clinical Professor at The University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Pharmacy, and an Adjunct Professor of Science at Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Business and Science. She also serves as an Independent Board Director at Reglagene Holdings and as a member of the Drug Discovery Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board at The Ohio University’s Cancer Center.
Dr. Ayd holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Pharmacodynamics from The University of Illinois–Chicago, an MBA from Lewis University, and a BS in Chemistry and Biology from Northeastern Illinois University.
