How many amazing moms do you know? My guess is that quite a few immediately popped into your head. These women are everywhere! Moms are moving full-steam ahead making changes that result in a better future for our children.
If you know a mom who is doing great things, email us to nominate her as a Main Street Mom on the Move! There are no requirements … just someone who you think should be recognized. And if she happens to be a mom who started her own business, be sure to nominate her in ourChoice Awards contest, which begins on February 4th!
Today we are featuring Emily Ward, Shannon Gough, and Lisa Conroy. Read below to see what makes them amazing women in our community!
Emily Ward
“We all have the power to change the world. All it takes is one simple thing, kindness,” said Emily Ward. Emily is a stay at home mom of McCartney(5), Sallie(4), Sawyer(2) and three fur-babies. She lives in Greensboro and founded the non-profit organization LINKS: Linking the Community through Kindness. An English project in High School involving Random Acts of Kindness inspired her to use the topic for speech in college. After her research was done on Random Acts of Kindness, Emily was convinced this was the way she could change the world and created LINKS: Linking the Campus through Kindness. LINKS was a week long event promoting Random Acts of Kindness throughout the campus. “It was amazing to see the impact the week had on the UNC Charlotte Campus,” said Ward.
After graduating as senior class president and woman of the year, Emily found herself immersed in the non-profit world and was hired to help create the Gardner-Webb Student YMCA. LINKS came back to life on the Gardner-Webb campus. A marriage and a move to Charlotte shelved the project, but it never left her mind. In December, Emily re-created the concept to LINKS: Linking the Community through Campus. The first event, Gifts for Kindness, was a huge success. Over 30 wrapped gifts were randomly handed out in Greensboro, and tears were shed by at least one mom. With three little ones at home, Emily is focused on one day events. However, her goal is to expand the foundation to include Linking the Campus through Kindness. The next event, Flowers for Kindness, will be held in February. For more information “LIKE” the LINKS Kindness Foundation on Facebook. www.facebook.com/LINKSKindness
Shannon Gough
There are only two things Shannon Gough loves more than spending time with her husband, Tracy, and her son, Graeme. She loves to cook and she loves to exercise. She’s found a way to do both and turn them into a career she absolutely loves. As the owner of Shannon’s Fit Lifeand co-owner of Shannon’s Selections with her partner, Jennifer Pool, she is able to teach her clients how to still enjoy the food they eat while getting and staying fit. She grew tired of the diet and fitness industry’s tendency to push pre-packaged, preservative packed meals and supplements, so she and Jennifer, who is one of Shannon’s fitness clients, decided to launch a line of healthy, flavorful vegetarian entrees and side dishes. They knew the commitment would be time consuming and stressful at times, but with the help their husbands, Shannon and Jennifer manage to keep their heads above water most days.
As a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Instructor, Shannon spends her days training individuals and teaching P90X classes, (yes she’s certified to do that too!) and her nights cooking the meals that are frozen and then packaged and transported to her studio in Lewisville. She’s learned over the last year that the key to doing it all is knowing that she can’tdo it all. She has learned clients will understand a canceled session when her son breaks his hand and her family will understand if dinner isn’t waiting every night when they get home from practice or work. She had no idea when she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Salem College in 2006 that she would end up using her degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies in such an unconventional manner, but she can’t imagine spending her days any other way!
Lisa Conroy
The world is filled with hard working moms who have dreams of their future. One of those moms is Lisa Conroy, a resident of Winston-Salem for 13 years. A true multitasker, she owns and operates a small cleaning company and helps her husband Kevin with his home renovations business, K&L contractors. She has been a co-leader for years helping young girls achieve their goals in scouting. Lisa and her family have a love for the outdoors. Camping, hiking, and fishing along with their 4our dogs are just some of the activities they enjoy. Doing all this, Lisa was still a mom with big dreams.
Recently, those dreams have come true for Lisa. As a young girl, Lisa and her mother had a love for antiques and an eye for special unique finds. Lisa has passed her love for these things along with her creativeness and decorating to her daughter Erin ( a Whimsical Women & WSCG artist) . With that said, Lisa’s dream of owning her own boutique has come true, with the love, support and encouragement from Kevin and Erin. They opened “The Sparrow’s Nest”, a vintage boutique with new, gently used findings, furntiure and Erin’s art work & jewelry. The Sparrow’s Nest is open Wed – Sat 11-5 and is located on 6253 Shallowford Rd. Lewisville, next to the coffee mill. Be sure to stop by!
