In this episode of Powered by Authenticity, I’mjoined by Dawne Hoeg, Founder and Executive Director of Stitch Buffalo — a remarkable organization dedicated to empowering refugee and immigrant women through textile arts, entrepreneurship, and meaningful community connection.

Dawne shares the story behind Stitch Buffalo’s founding andthe heart that fuels its mission: creating pathways to economic independence while honoring cultural identity and craftsmanship. What began as a simple desire to connect women through creativity has grown into a powerful model ofdignity, opportunity, and belonging.

We explore what authentic leadership looks like in action —leading with compassion, building community intentionally, and creating sustainable impact that reaches far beyond the studio walls.

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that when weinvest in people and honor their stories, creativity becomes more than art — it becomes empowerment.

Thank you, Dawne, for sharing your incredible journey infinding Stitch Buffalo.

To learn more about Stitch Buffalo and support theirmission, visit:
https://www.stitchbuffalo.org/

To learn more about Dawne:

Dawne Hoeg| LinkedIn

About Dawne:

Dawne Hoeg holds an MFA in Textile Design/Fiber from theUniversity of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Prior to founding Stitch Buffalo in 2014, she taught in the Textile and Fiber Arts Design Department at Buffalo State University and served as the handwork teacher at the Aurora Waldorf School. In 2024, she received a citation from Governor Kathy Hochul in honor of Women’s History Month, celebrating “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion." As the Executive Director of Stitch Buffalo, she has guided the organization from its start as a weekly embroidery class, held in borrowedcommunity rooms, to its current form as a comprehensive textile arts center.

Along the way, she has provided pathways to success for hundreds of refugee women artisans and established a vibrant community of diverse volunteers, students, and artists.

In this episode of Powered by Authenticity, I’m joined by Sarah Barnes-Humphrey — podcast host of Let’s Talk Supply Chain and Blended, industry advocate, entrepreneur, and author who has built a powerful platform centered on storytelling, inclusion, and creating space formeaningful conversations. With more than 25 years in supply chain and logistics, Sarah has evolved her career into media, advocacy, and community-building work that amplifies voices often underrepresented in industry spaces.

We talked about her journey into podcasting, how advocacynaturally became part of her work, and why creating environments where people feel seen, heard, and valued matters so much — something I know we both caredeeply about. That thread of connection and authenticity really runs throughout this conversation.

A meaningful part of our discussion centers on Sarah’s book,I Buried Her in a French Press. It’s an honest exploration ofconfidence, self-worth, and the ongoing process of rediscovering your voice — something many of us navigate throughout different seasons of life and leadership. The conversation around the book felt especially real and reflective, highlighting how storytelling helps people feel less alone and more empowered in their own journeys.

We also discussed her nonprofit initiative, the BlendedPledge, which helps increase diversity on industry stages by supporting speakers with travel funding and access to opportunity. It’s a powerful reminder that inclusion often requires intentional action — not just good intentions.

This is one of those conversations that leaves you thinking— about leadership, authenticity, advocacy, and the impact of simply creating space for real voices to be heard.

Thank you, Sarah, for such an engaging, fun episode of the show!

Links to find additional information on Sarah, and her work:

SarahBarnes-Humphrey | LinkedIn

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey – Sarah Barnes-HumphreyBuried Her in a French Press: A Memoir About Finding My Voice and the Power of Being Heard

Instagram- Sarah Barnes-Humphrey

Sarah’s Bio:

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey is a best-selling author,entrepreneur, and fierce advocate for self-worth and authentic leadership.

She’s best known as the founder and host of Let’s TalkSupply Chain™, one of the top 1% most downloaded podcasts globally — but her journey to becoming a voice in the industry didn’t come easily. After working in her family business for over a decade, Sarah lost her job, sold her house, and found herself at a personal and professional crossroads.

Instead of staying silent, she picked up a mic.

Since then, she’s built a powerful platform dedicated toamplifying voices that often go unheard — particularly women and underrepresented communities. Through her Women in Supply Chain™ series, Blended podcast, and nonprofit Blended Pledge, Sarah continues to create safespaces where vulnerability leads to real transformation.

Now, she’s sharing her personal story in a brand-new way —through her debut memoir and #1 Amazon Bestseller, I Buried Her in a French Press. The book is a raw, honest reflection on identity, loss, and finding your voice after you’ve lost it. It’s a story of self-worth, resilience, and learning that you are your best advocate.

Whether she’s on stage, behind the mic, or writing hertruth, Sarah is committed to helping others feel seen, heard, and empowered to tell their own story — unapologetically.

In this episode of Powered by Authenticity, Emilysits down with Tanya Maximova, founder of IngrediLens, to talk about how personal challenges, resilience, and emerging technology can come together to solve real-world problems.

IngrediLens is an AI-powered app designed to help peoplebetter understand what’s in their food by analyzing ingredient labels through image recognition and intelligent data processing. The goal is simple: make it easier for people to quickly identify allergens, sensitivities, or ingredientsthey may want to avoid — something that’s increasingly important when roughly 38% of people report some form of food allergy, intolerance, or ingredient-relatedconcern.

For Tanya, this wasn’t just a business idea. The app grewout of her own family’s experience trying to identify her husband’s food allergy — a process that highlighted just how difficult it can be to interpret ingredient lists and make confident food choices.

Beyond the technology, this conversation explores what ittakes to rebuild professionally, step into entrepreneurship, and bring a meaningful solution to market. Tanya shares candidly about persistence, adapting through change, and the mindset required to keep moving forward whenthe path isn’t always clear.

Emily also adds her own perspective navigating foodallergies, making this a practical discussion about transparency, innovation, and how AI can be used in ways that genuinely improve everyday life.

Thank you, Tanya, for sharing your journey, and for bringinga much-needed app into the world. Thank you for bringing forward a tool that will help everyone control their health and wellbeing. Be sure to sign-up for the mailing list and get on the waiting list so you know when the app is released!

Links to IngrediLens and Tanya:

TanyaMaximova, MBA | LinkedIn

IngrediLens

About Tanya:

Tanya Maximova is an Engineer and MBA with a passion tosolve complex problems, ambition to have an impact and commitment to bring ideas to life. With over 15 years ofglobal experience as Senior Delivery Lead in Digital transformation with a demonstrated historyof working in a broad selection of manufacturing, trade, service industries and financial institutions as well as cross-industry business transformations. Leading Projects and Programs ranging from Six Sigma quality improvement to ERP implementations, streamlining the Digital landscapeof businesses and increasing their profitability and efficiency. Through her career, she has developed expertise in large scale Business & Technological transformation, Operationalimprovement, Change Management, Organizational and Business Optimization.
Continuously searching for innovative technical solutions to everyday problems, she founded an AI Health Tech startup called IngrediLens (www.ingredilens.com).

It is an AI enabled mobile platform designed for individuals with food allergies, intolerances, and dietary restrictions, enabling them to discover new products and enjoy food with confidence. This was an opportunity to build something that makes a difference and empowers people who live with food restrictions and seems like the purpose-driven initiative she is always striving for. The role of a founder required her to go through several mindset shifts, has put to a test all her skills and knowledge, but also created a green field opportunity to start something of impact she truly cared about.