ABOUT THE BOOK SERIES
The WordPOWER Book Series highlights the power words truly have. Everyone has a story and everyone has words that have impacted their lives.
WordPOWER, a new initiative by Fig Factor Media, brings together 12 authors and 12 powerful words to create 12 meaningful books. Each book is compiled of short anecdotes, personal messages, quotes, and unique thoughts that represent each WORD. Through this series you will see each word in the creative light of the author. Words have POWER and we invite you to dive into each book with an open mind to find out just how influential words can be.
THE AUTHORS
CAROLINA M. VEIRA
Carolina Veira is an authentic leader, financial strategist, and Diversity and Inclusion champion, with a passion for the advancement and empowerment of Hispanics, women, and other groups. Carolina is an award-winning professional and entrepreneur with a successful trajectory in creating community initiatives and strategic partnerships.
Carolina is the leader of The Hispanic Star Miami hub, steering the strategy, fundraising & development efforts of various initiatives benefiting the Hispanic Community. Carolina also serves as a Board Director of Deliver the Dream and the Latin American Business Association (LABA). She is also a contributing author of Hispanic Stars Rising: The New Face of Power, and Today’s Inspired Latina, Volume IX. Carolina believes our voices and our stories have unlimited power and need to be shared with the world, that is why she also hosts ¡HABLEMOS! Podcast: Conversations with talented humans who are leading with heart and passion.
Carolina earned a double Bachelor of Science degree from D’Youville College in Business and Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration. She is Ecuadorian-American currently residing in Miami. She enjoys tennis, the Buffalo Bills, and speaks three languages.
ERIN MINCKLEY
Erin Minckley is a Chicago-based creative. She is the author of Artists Who Thrive a book about resilience, relationships, and results for creative people. In 2012 Erin earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2016 she founded Relativity Textiles, a wallpaper brand that uses her drawings as the basis for her patterns. Infusing design with historical and cultural references, her business aims to broaden inclusivity throughout the interior design conversation. Erin paints murals and artwork in her spare time and is the single mother of two vivacious boys and one canine rascal.
GABRIELA HERNÁNDEZ-FRANCH
Gaby Hernández Franch is a first-generation college graduate and in her short career she has worked in various fields including education, financial services, and most recently marketing and publishing. Gaby joined Fig Factor Media, an international publishing house, and its sister company JJR Marketing in Dec 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. She loves the opportunity to help others share their amazing stories and support clients with their brands and projects. Most recently, Gaby was honored with a 30 Under 30 Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago in 2020 and 2021 for her professional accomplishments.
Gaby enjoys talking the stage as an MC for events and hosting the Author Central Podcast— FFM’s very own podcast. She is a contributing author for the book series: Today’s Inspired Young Latina and Hispanic Star Rising Vol. II. Gaby is passionate about traveling, learning about cultures and languages, has a deep love for music and the arts, and has been part of various musical ensembles playing violin and signing.
KYLIE KNUR
Author Kylie M. Knur is no stranger to resilience. She has been tested in her current role as an award-winning International Project Manager, as a decorated two-sport collegiate athlete, as a CrossFit competitor, and as a student of life. In this book, Kylie shares her thoughts, inspirations, and experiences around resilience.
LISA YUNKER WELZ
Lisa Welz is a freelance copywriter who loves her family and her grandpets, Montana, Nash, Frankie, and Doug. She is part of the JJR Marketing team, helps authors at Fig Factor Media, was a local journalist for 13 years, and before that, a stay-at-home mom, office manager for a commercial roofing company, and a bartender–which has come in handy during the pandemic. She has been married to the love of her life, Mike, for 31 years, and has three adult children who she adores–Eric, Tim, and Katie. Lisa would rather read books than watch TV, loves music, is addicted to coffee, loves to travel, and enjoys spending time with her girlfriends.
MARIA CASTRO
As the Comcast Regional External Affairs Manager since 2005, Maria identifies corporate giving opportunities for core focus areas of youth leadership, volunteerism, digital literacy, and workforce development. Born and raised in Chicago’s Pilsen community, her work has brought her back full-circle, allowing her to bring much-needed resources to that community as well as to other incredible Chicago-area nonprofits. She is also the Founder/CEO of Inspiration of #LovePurse, a nonprofit “putting love on the shoulders of women in need, one #LovePurse at a time.”
Maria’s favorite quote is “if you don’t have a seat at the table, bring your own chair and 5 others.” She serves on many boards, including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Chicago Chapter, Telemundo Chicago’s Action Board, and Women’s Business Development Center’s Advisory Council. She is a co-author of three books and serves as a panelist, moderator, MC, and speaker.
She has received numerous awards and acknowledgements including Negocios Now Who’s Who Hispanic Chicago, Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Catalyst Champion, and YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. In 2009 the City of Aurora proclaimed a Maria Castro Day in her honor.
Instagram: maria_castro803
Twitter: @castromaria803
LinkedIn: /in/maria-castro-a843325/
Facebook: /castromaria803
Email: maria@lovepurse.org
MARIE LAZZARA
Marie Lazzara is the Public Relations Manager with JJR Marketing, Inc. in Naperville, Illinois. She oversees duties such as conducting media relations on behalf of JJR and its clients, creating media placement pitches and story development and coordinating media outlet interviews with clients. Prior to her joining JJR in 2014, Lazzara has over 17 years-experience being a feature reporter for Illinois-based news media outlets such as Shaw Media, Daily Herald, Patch and Tribune Media Group. She has a bachelor’s in communications degree from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois and a master’s of journalism from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She resides in Addison, Illinois with her husband Loreto Vito Lazzara and two children David and Alessandra.
PERLA TAMEZ
Perla Elizabeth Tamez is a visionary serial entrepreneur and licensed speech language pathologist assistant. She is an advocate for being fearless—and she shares her story with others to empower and unlock potential! Perla is also an advocate for healthcare and children’s rights policies.
From childhood, Perla learned to run fiercely in the direction of her dreams. At 21, she founded her first outpatient pediatric clinic. Now, after creating 19 companies in 11 different industries, Perla has generated more than 9 digits of revenue in her businesses.
Perla combines her passion for business and philanthropy in her pediatric clinics and in her advocacy for children’s rights and health policies. This led her to join The Hispanic Star in 2020 as the Hub Director of the community operations centers, a team of American leaders who have impacted more than 400,000 families and distributed more than $ 7 million in household products.
To support organizations through education and strategic planning, Perla also founded the Love Soldiers Foundation with the mission of contributing to the well-being and quality of life of their communities.
RICARDO TRINIDAD
Author, speaker, and Telcom & Data CEO Ricardo Trinidad has been an entrepreneur as long as he can remember. Raised in a working-class family on Chicago’s South Side, his Puerto Rican father and Texan mother led by example through their daily hard work. Trinidad followed suit, “making” jobs for himself to earn extra money.
After completing high school and a few college courses, Trinidad’s path led to the tele-communications industry. Employed by an Edison, NJ-based telecom and data company, he was asked to open an office in Chicago. After a few years, Trinidad founded Telcom & Data in his Chicago apartment with $3,000 in savings.
His risk and tenacity paid off. The company grew quickly because of his industry knowledge, the relationships he had built in the field, and his collaborative leadership style.
Twenty-two years later and now headquartered in Milwaukee; Telcom & Data is one of the nation’s leading providers of traditional telecommunications equipment.
Trinidad is a sought-after speaker and trainer who particularly enjoys mentoring young people.
RON & SUE RESIGNO
Ron and Sue Rescigno have been happily married for over 32 years and have two wonderful children, Dominic and Jessica. In 1992, Sue Rescigno founded Rescigno’s Mailing Solutions and Ron joined the business in 1994 after being in Catholic education and administration for 23 years. In 2017, they established Rescigno’s Fundraising Professionals. Rescigno’s specializes in helping nonprofits communicate with their donors so they can raise more money for necessary programs that make our world a better place. Ron and Sue have helped raise millions of dollars and helped foster long-term relationships with donors through multi-channel, donor-focused fundraising strategies. Ron is also the author of “The Process-Driven Annual Fund” and both have served in numerous boards and have been active members of the community always trying to make new, positive changes in the world around them.
When it comes to adapting to change, Ron and Sue have done it and are very grateful for the changes that have come to their lives. Their desire to make it through the challenges have made them closer, stronger and more adaptable to the world around them. They are grateful to God for the love of their family and friends and the opportunities He has put before them.
TAMIKA LECHEÉ MORALES
Teacher, Actress, Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and President of The Autism Hero Project
CBS, Comcast Newsmakers, Fox News, Univision, Telemundo, and WGN9 – Chicago’s Very Own have featured this “Firessa.”
Tamika cherishes family and friendships and is fascinated by stories. She serves her community as a second-grade Dual Language teacher and as #LaPresidenta for The Autism Hero Project (AHP), a nonprofit dedicated to “Preparing kids with autism for the world and preparing the world for them.” AHP pays medical insurance for uninsured or underinsured children so they can access therapies to help them reach their full potential. AHP also works with organizations to make inclusive spaces.
As an actress, Tamika is passionate about promoting cultural awareness, invoking thought, and raising consciousness in the hearts and minds of audiences. Her acting career was the catalyst for sharing her life stories as a playwright and author. Her stories have been included in Today’s Inspired Latina Volume III: Life Stories of Success in the Face of Adversity and Hispanic Stars Rising: The New Face of Power. Her upcoming anthology For the Love of Autism will be out soon.
You can follow Tamika at tamikamorales.com and autismheroproject.org
YANETH MEDINA
Yaneth Medina serves as the President of Elgin for St Charles Bank & Trust Company, N.A, a Wintrust Community Bank. Yaneth has more than 25 years of experience in leadership, banking, relationship building, workplace culture, and coaching and mentoring. She wears many hats and serves on many internal committees, including business development, compliance, and employee recognition. She also sits on several corporate level committees.
Yaneth’s strong work ethic and integrity have helped her achieve in her career. She is also viewed by colleagues as a supportive member of the management team and she understands the value of promoting and inspiring a positive culture in which everyone can thrive.
She also dedicates her time to serving several organizations in the local area. Currently, she is the Vice President/Board Member for Centro De Informacion, a non-for-profit agency whose mission is to empower Hispanics with the ability to effectively integrate into our greater community through the facilitation of information, education, citizenship and well-being. Additionally, Yaneth serves as Chair/Board Member for the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce. Finally, Yaneth is also on the board & Finance Committee of Marklund, a non-for-profit organization that serves infants, children, teens and adults with serious and profound developmental disabilities and special healthcare needs.
Yaneth’s Award Recognitions:
Latina Style Magazine| Top 10 Corporate LATINA Executives of the year for 2019
Today’s Inspired Latina| Today’s Inspired Latina Woman of the Year for 2020
Illinois State Treasurer| Outstanding Commitment in Community Service for 2021
Yaneth’s family consists of her three wonderful boys, her parents, and her brother and sister. They have been her inspiration!
About Fig Factor Media
Fig Factor Media will ignite your career as an author and offer proven methods to transform your mission into a movement. We help you define your passion to serve others and elevate the community, as well as impact the next generation with your story. We believe writing is an extension of your soul. Contact Fig Factor Media today and start making your dream of authorship come true!