Author: Finola Annibella

January Meeting: Liam Murphy – Teaching the Autism Community Trades

Finola Annibella

Liam Murphy, Director of Development

As Director of Development at TACT – Teaching the Autism Community Trades, Liam Murphy brings a heartfelt commitment to inclusion, education, and empowerment. Guided by a deep belief that everyone, regardless of background or ability, deserves the opportunity to thrive, Liam plays a key role in advancing TACT’s mission to provide skilled trades training and employment pathways for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Liam’s work is grounded in the transformative power of connection—between students, families, communities, and opportunity. His continued relationships with current donors have not only deepened TACT’s impact but have also helped expand the brand to new corporate donors and business leaders who share in the mission.

Under his leadership, TACT continues to grow as a beacon of hope for neurodiverse individuals and their families. More than just a school, TACT represents Liam’s dedication to building a more inclusive future where students are supported not just in learning, but in living empowered, fulfilling lives.

December Meeting: Christine Meek, Neurobics

Finola Annibella

Get ready to fire up your neurons with Neurobics — a lively, interactive session designed to boost focus, flexibility, and fun. Through simple mental and physical exercises, you’ll discover how to strengthen your brain, spark creativity, and stay sharp in a world that’s always changing. Uplifting and energizing, this session will inspire you to embrace challenges with curiosity and confidence—while walking away with practical tools to keep your mind active anywhere, anytime.

With a background in education, Christine brings a teacher’s heart and passion for learning to every endeavor. Transitioning from the classroom to community engagement just before COVID, she has embraced diverse career roles such as financial advisor, notary, and loan officer. Currently, she proudly serves as a Medicare broker, finding joy in educating and empowering seniors alongside their trusted professionals. Beyond her professional pursuits, she finds solace in travel, outdoor adventures like hiking and gardening, and the simple joys of spending time with her husband.

October Meeting: Emma Doyle, Leaders Coaching Their People

Finola Annibella
Emma Doyle (COACH EM), helps leaders COACH their people unleashing human potential.

Are you ready to tap into your full potential and achieve exceptional results? Look no further than Coach EM, your dynamic Energy Coach! With a background as an international high-performance tennis coach turned corporate coach, Emma specializes in helping managers and leaders coach their teams to harness their energy, ignite curiosity, and achieve high performance under pressure. She invites her clients to embrace a champion mindset and utilizes proven coaching tools to unleash their potential.

Emma is a multifaceted professional, serving as a coach, trainer, author, and sought-after keynote speaker around the world. She possesses the unique ability to transform motivation into activation, empowering individuals and organizations to exceed their goals. As a former D1 US college tennis player and a world team coach for Australia on 20 occasions, Emma draws upon her vast experience in international high-performance sports coaching to bring unparalleled insights to her corporate coaching practice.

Driven by a passion for excellence, Emma holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) qualification from the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is also a certified practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Emotional Intelligence, enabling her to deliver coaching experiences that address the holistic needs of her clients. Emma extends beyond coaching; she is also an Amazon best-selling author for her book titled “What Makes a Great Coach?” Drawing from her personal journey and professional expertise, Emma highlights the top 10 practices of the world’s best coaches. She firmly believes that these tools are the key skills needed in modern leadership today.

In addition to her accomplishments, Emma is the host of The Coaching Podcast, where she has conducted in-depth interviews with hundreds of expert sports and business coaches. Her podcast has become a go-to resource for those seeking valuable insights into coaching and leadership.

As a TEDx speaker, Emma delivered her talk titled “Unleashing Female Potential,” engaging audiences with her key coaching messages. Her clients often liken her to the real-life female version of Coach Ted Lasso, believing that it is more important to be curious than judgmental.

When Emma is coaching, you can find her indulging in her passions for golf, wine tasting, tennis, and pickleball, or exploring the breathtaking mountains where she resides in Denver, Colorado, and drinking the best coffee in the world in Melbourne, Australia.

September Meeting: Alecia Huck, A Catalyst for Big Wins

Finola Annibella

I’m Alecia Huck, a catalyst for big wins. My passion is tackling colossal problems and crafting strategies with gumption, bringing tears of joy and pride to even the stoic, because some tasks are too monumental to tackle alone.

I confront roadblocks, leading to celebrations that restore faith in humanity, whether in a championship game or a small victory with pride and pizza, shaping lives forever.

The journey demands separating reality from fantasy, confronting limitations with courage, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

August Meeting: CrossPurpose – Modeling a Different Way of Walking Out of Poverty

Finola Annibella

Jason Janz co-founded CrossPurpose in 2008, influenced greatly by spending his childhood and adolescence in poverty.  His passion for social entrepreneurship and serving the poor is satisfied through his role as CEO, where he builds our staff team, sets the organizational culture and raises funds.  When he is not working, Jason enjoys bike riding and hanging out with his family.

CrossPurpose means “a contrary aim.”  We wanted to model a different way, a more dignified and holistic way, of walking with our neighbors all the way out of poverty.

We approached this challenge holistically because while poverty shows its effects financially, the solution is often relational and spiritual.  This informed what is now the mission of CrossPurpose: “to abolish economic, relational, and spiritual poverty through career and community development.”

To this end, we doubled down on building social capital with our families and lived by the maxim, “There is no significant change without a significant relationship.”  For the last ten years, our weekly family dinners have been the place where lifelong friendships have been formed between our families, volunteers, donors, and staff.