Category Archives: Leadership

2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipient

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Gratitude, Inspiration, Junior League of Nashville, Leadership, Success, Uncategorized by

2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipient for Outstanding Active Member of the Year

I’m so very honored to have been chosen as one of the 2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipients!

There are 3 categories of this honor given each year and the award I’ve received is the “Outstanding Active Member of the Year” Award. This annual award is presented to the Junior League of Nashville member who best exemplifies the purpose of JLN and is committed to promoting volunteerism and improving the community through effective action & leadership of trained volunteers.

This is icing on the cake to end a great League year, even in the midst of a global pandemic! The Junior League of Nashville is near and dear to my heart and I’m committed to the dual mission of serving the community and developing the leadership potential of women. I’m more than honored to be a recipient!

Dr. Carmen April

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2021 Junior League of Nashville Outstanding Active of the Year Paragon Award recipient, 2020 Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She served as one of the chairs of the Inaugural RiseUp! Women’s Summit presented by Junior League of Nashville in 2021. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

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RiseUp! Women’s Summit: Presented by Junior League of Nashville

Posted in Branding, Inspiration, Junior League of Nashville, Leadership, Motivation, Networking, Success, Uncategorized by

RiseUp! Women's Summit
Dr Carmen April Washington & Kristy Vanderford Brink
RiseUp! Women’s Summit Co-Chairs, Dr. Carmen April-Washington (R) & Kristy Vanderford-Brink (L)

I’m so pleased to announce the launch of the RiseUp! Women’s Summit: Presented by Junior League of Nashville! As one of the 2 chairs for this inaugural event, I am more than excited that registration is now LIVE, our speaker list is available and the schedule is set for Saturday January 30th, 2021!

This summit is sure to be a power-packed day of inspiring panels, workshops, and presentations designed to encourage and motivate women to kick off their 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

We have an amazing line-up of professional women who will interact with us on a variety of topics ranging from wealth creation & managing our personal finances to personal & professional development. We’re weaving a lot of “sweet” surprises into the day and can’t wait for all of you to experience them!

Always remember: Your life is an occasion, Rise up to it!

RiseUp! Women's Summit

www.jlnWomensSummit.com

Dr. Carmen April

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

It starts with 2 simple questions

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Inspiration, Leadership, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by

It starts with 2 simple questions

It starts with 2 questions

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates asks 2 major questions every time he’s facing an issue he is trying to address. They are “Who has dealt with this problem well? And what can we learn from them?”

“Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve tackled every big new problem the same way: by starting off with [those] two questions. I used this technique at Microsoft, and I still use it today,”

I love this approach because it’s similar to how I solve issues. I enjoy learning from others and people who have traveled a similar road before. I love podcasts, self-help books and documentaries for this very reason. It’s also why I created this blog many years ago…..I love sharing info that not only inspires me, but helps others along their journey as well.

Check out the entire CNBC article on Gates’ approach HERE.

Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

No Act of Kindness is too small

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Leadership, Uncategorized by

No Act of Kindness is Too Small

Pray For Nashville

“No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

          When the tornado blew through Nashville in the middle of the night/early morning of March 3rd, 2020 it left with it a path of destruction, unimaginable to any of us who went to sleep Monday night thinking Tuesday would be business as usual. I live about 10 minutes from where most of the damage in Nashville took place and, honestly, slept through it. I woke to tons of text messages from family and friends checking in to make sure we were safe. The news was non-stop that day with live coverage of all the destruction. Having been through a fire to my townhome the first year I lived in Nashville, I remember how good the residents of this city were to me and waited for direction on ways to help those affected by the tornado.

When the call came in for donations of toiletries and cleaning products to help those affected by the tornado, I went to one of my favorite dollar stores, Dollar General (headquartered in Goodlettsville – right outside of Nashville), to grab what I could to help! I filled my basket with as much as I could and donated them to a collection site in North Nashville, Lee Chapel AME Church.

Nashville Tornado Relief

 

Nashville Tornado Relief

 

Nashville Tornado Relief

 

 

I was able to get back to Lee Chapel AME Church with several other ladies from the Junior League of Nashville that Friday to sort toiletries, blankets, etc. It was amazing to see so many Nashvillians, who at the drop a dime, came out asking “What can I do?”, “What do you need” and “show me where you need me to help!” #NashvilleStrong

 

 

Nashville Food Project

 

The Nashville Food Project – I was already schedule to volunteer at the Nashville Food Project the Saturday following the tornado, but the need was a bit more urgent after the storm. My Hubby and a couple wonderful Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sisters were there as well and we prepped for 1,000 additional meals (in addition to the meals for their regular meal recipients) to support tornado relief.

 

 

 

I don’t think I’ve ever cracked so many eggs in all my life lol! I’m sure that French Toast Casserole was delicious!

Nashville Food Project

    I couldn’t restore the power to those without it like the NES crews did. Handling a chain-saw to cut down trees isn’t in my skill set either, but I did what I could to help those who needed it the most during such a trying time. Let us all remember that at any given time No act of kindness is ever too small.

Dr. Carmen April                Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Dr. Carmen April: 2020 Nashville Business Journal Woman Of Influence

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Dr. Carmen April: 2020 Nashville Business

Journal Woman Of Influence

Dr Carmen April Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence 2020

     ———————————–
  I’m honored to be among the 2020 Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award recipients. I’ve attended the recognition luncheon as a guest the past couple of years and am humbled to be one of those being recognized this year 🙏🏽
❐ Updated, full-length feature from the Nashville Business Journal 8/14/2020: https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/08/13/women-of-influence.html
————————————–
“The Nashville Business Journal is pleased to introduce you to 35 Nashville women making a difference.
From holding leadership roles at top companies to starting their own successful businesses to having a positive impact on the community, these are the female leaders making tomorrow’s history today.”
Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence
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Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Mr. Calvin April: Recipient of the 2020 Dorothy Love Coates Living Legend Award

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Uncategorized by

Mr. Calvin April: Recipient of the 2020 Dorothy

Love Coates Living Legend Award by The

American Gospel Quartet Convention

 

Mr Calvin April Pilgrim Wonders

 

I’m so proud of my Daddy and glad to be with him as he received the “Dorothy Love Coates Living Legend Award” by the American Gospel Quartet Convention on January 23rd, 2020!! My Dad, Mr. Calvin April, has been a writer, producer and singer for over 6 decades. He began his career when he was just a teenager with the Canton Spirituals, ventured into the R&B genre for a while, was signed to STAX records and even performed on Soul Train with Don Cornelius! When he returned to his gospel roots, most of his major hits came as the lead singer of gospel group, The Pilgrim Wonders. He wrote, produced and sang lead on hit, “The Time is Now”, a song that stayed on the Billboard Top 10 chart for 16 months! With 18 albums to his credit and a lifetime of ministering to others, this award is well deserved and our entire family couldn’t be more proud!

Mr Calvin April The Pilgrim Wonders

Mr Calvin April The Pilgrim Wonders

 

Dr. Carmen April          Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Junior League of Nashville presents Bought & Sold: Nashville’s Human Trafficking Problem

Posted in Leadership by

Junior League of Nashville presents Bought &

Sold: Nashville’s Human Trafficking Problem

and

how we can be part of the solution

 

 

Hi everyone!
I’m a member of the Junior League of Nashville’s Human Trafficking Awareness Committee and all month (January 2020) we’ve been presenting a full curriculum of trainings, education opportunities and documentary film screenings on the issue of Human Trafficking.
In partnership with some of our community partners, we are hosting a free, public event at the end of the month to candidly dig in to this issue – happening right here in our city. It would be impactful to have you join us, as influential community leaders, in this conversation.  Learn from local experts about how human trafficking impacts all of us, as community members, and understand more regarding the comprehensive efforts being made to combat human trafficking right here in Middle Tennessee.
The Junior League of Nashville and our partners want to help you learn more about this issue and be a part of the solution. Join us for an insightful program and interactive panel discussion shedding light on Nashville’s human trafficking problem and how our city is working to solve it.
Thursday, January 30th, 2020 at Junior League of Nashville (2202 Crestmoor Rd, Nashville, TN 37215)
5:30 pm  Registration & Networking
6:00 pm  Bought and Sold Program followed by Panel Discussion Featuring:
•Detective Jeff Rowe, Franklin Police Department
•Sarah Wolfson, Davidson County Asst. District Attorney
•Margie Quinn, End Slavery Tennessee
•Rick Stout, Special Agent with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
•Stacia Freeman, Founder of Epic Girl
•Human Trafficking Survivor
•Moderator: Dr. Nahed Artoul Zehr, President, Junior League of Nashville
For community RSVP’s, please contact Ashley Wood at ashley.wood@vumc.org  . For Junior League of Nashville member RSVP’s, please use Digital Cheetah.
Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a 2018 Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is also the creator and owner of Ann DeVeaux, an online fashion boutique donating a portion of its profits to feminine hygiene products for victims of sex trafficking and abuse. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Clara Brown – A Black Women Pioneer

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Theme for 2019, Uncategorized by

Clara Brown – A Black Woman Entrepreneur &

Pioneer

 

 

It’s February 2109 – Black History Month, but every month is Black History Month for me 🙂 It’s the amazing history of who I am! I came across the story of Ms Clara Brown recently in THIS article and wanted to share it. Clara Brown was born into slavery in Virginia in 1800, but when she had the opportunity to exit those horrendous limitations, she thrived as an entrepreneur!

 

No lie – I’m not really feeling this sentence in the beginning of the article referring to the slave master who owned Clara by saying…… “Smith was a kindly man and a devout Methodist; he took Clara and her mother to his church services” because you can’t be too kind when you’ve enslaved other human beings, but I found the story of this woman who overcame so many odds fascinating. I’m smart enough to read through the bullsh*t and still gather the significant historical info found in the article!

 

She was the 1st African-American woman resident of Denver, CO, is thought to be the first African -American involved in the Colorado Gold Rush, and opened a laundry shop. She used her earnings to eventually fund the construction of the St James Methodist Church in Denver. She also served as a midwife to pregnant women in the community. She further invested her earnings in gold mines and real estate. She also spent large amounts of money helping other African-Americans move out west and financed their transition with her own money.

 

The article also goes on to state this:

“A plaque commemorating the life of Clara Brown hangs at St. James Methodist Church in Central City, stating that her home had served as the first church in Central City. In 1930, a chair in the Central City Opera House was installed in her honor. Clara’s life and achievements were commemorated with a stained glass portrait of her in the Old Supreme Court Chambers of the state capitol in 1977.”

 

Clara Brown is considered “one of the 100 most influential women in the history of Colorado.” She was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2003, an opera was written about her life, called Gabriel’s Daughter. It debuted in Central City, Colorado.”

 

Check out the entire article on the story of Ms Clara Brown HERE

 

Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter and is a 2018 Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Timing Is Everything

Posted in Branding, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Theme for 2019 by

Timing is Everything

Dinner With Dr Carmen April

I’ve you head to my Instagram feed you will likely notice something different. I’ve changed my handle from @DinnerWithNerds to @DinnerWithDrCarmen ! I finally got around to changing my Instagram handle to more accurately reflect my life, my brand and some exciting things I’ve got coming down the pipeline :-). I started my Instagram account years ago as an adjunct to my online food blog when my blog was almost exclusively about food and restaurants in Nashville. Fast forward many years later….my blog is more of a lifestyle blog, the Design Your Story Empowerment events I’m planning are all about Women’s Empowerment and I’m getting back to interviewing successful women as inspiration for myself and others! Same content. New name 🙂

#TimingIsEverything

Dr. Carmen April             Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter and is a 2018 Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Life is like a balloon

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme for 2019 by

Life is Like a Balloon…..

Dr April Women's Empowerment

Life is like a balloon. If you never let yourself go, you’ll never know how high you can rise!

Relax, relate, release.

If you’re a type A personality like me you are a planner, an organizer and like things to go just as you’ve planned them. What I’ve learned over the years, though, is that sometimes you have to just “let go” and let life play out! Some of the most amazing things that I’ve experienced in my life came when I surrendered, “let go” and had faith that things are always working for my good!

Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter and is a 2018 Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Luncheon Series.