In the Limelight with Clarissa Burt

Detria Austin Everson is a nationally recognized servant leader, business strategist, and sought-after speaker whose work bridges leadership, organizational excellence, and social impact. Over two decades of executive experience across nonprofit, corporate, healthcare, and financial sectors, including the largest HUD counseling agency and the John Lewis Foundation, she is known for building sustainable institutions, strengthening governance, and leading mission-driven organizations toward measurable, lasting results. She is the author of the newly released “Serving is a Superpower” where she issues a call to action to remind us that transforming lives through service is the power of giving and receiving.

www.ServingisaSuperpower.com

James Sylvan Russell is a retired educator who served as Dean of Business and Computer Technology at Mt. Hood Community College. After retiring in 2001, he became a writer and advocate focused on caregiving and younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He has described himself as guided by the biblical words of Micah 6:8: to pursue justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.

His book’s complete title is Best Dad in the Galaxy: She Said It. It was published in 2026 by Intellect Publishing, LLC. The paperback is approximately 334 pages.

The story centers on James’s daughter, Lynne, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in her early 50s while raising three teenage sons. James and his wife, Karen, left their retirement community and moved closer so they could help care for Lynne and her boys.

Then the story becomes even more painful: Karen died of cancer about a year later. James was left grieving his wife while becoming Lynne’s principal caregiver. He also underwent cancer treatment himself during the caregiving years.

The title comes from a shirt Lynne gave him that read “Best Dad in the Galaxy.” According to James, he had previously been more of a loving but somewhat removed “provider.” Caring for Lynne transformed their relationship into the close, daily father-daughter bond he felt they had missed earlier in life.

Lynne lived with Alzheimer’s for roughly ten years and died in 2024. The account follows her decline through memory loss, COVID isolation, memory care, hospice and her final goodbye—when she squeezed her sons’ hands.

Listen as James and Carol, James' new partner recount their extraordinary love connection and how it's changed their lives.

 

Chad C. Betz is the author of An Authentic Success and a financial services professional with 30+ years of experience helping organizations and professionals navigate leadership, reinvention, performance, uncertainty, burnout, and long-term growth without relying on motivational clichés or unrealistic advice. Chad brings a practical, experience-driven perspective to these conversations, helping audiences understand the mindset patterns, sunkcost thinking, and societal pressures that keep smart people trapped on paths that no longer fit who they are. After confronting his own mid-career crisis and questioning why years of hard work still left him feeling unfulfilled, Chad developed a practical framework helping people redefine success, overcome self-limiting beliefs, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

Karen A. Herrera is the author of Perimenopause Clarity and a writer who believes that laughter is medicine, honesty is power, and that sharing our stories, especially the messy middle parts, can help others feel less alone. A 1997 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen has been writing off and on for years, but her lifelong “someday” dream of being an author didn’t fully move from intention to action until March of 2025. She hasn’t looked back.

 

Perimenopause Clarity is her first full book, born from her own search for answers during a confusing and often isolating phase of life. What started as a witty essay she was writing in her spare time, a career pivot in midlife caused her to reassess her own goals. What started as personal research quickly became a mission to help women navigate hormonal shifts with humor, hope, and a healthy dose of science. Her goal is simple: help women feel seen, supported, and empowered to take charge of their health and happiness.  https://karenaherrera.com/

Pilar Herreros

Founder of Mastering Serenity
Creator of the 5-Minute Relax Method

Pilar Herreros is the founder of Mastering Serenity and the creator of the 5-Minute Relax Method. She is a Certified Life Coach, Meditation and Reiki Master, one of Miami's early Pilates instructors, and an Amazon bestselling author in both English and Spanish.

Through her work, Pilar empowers individuals, leaders, and organizations to reduce stress, anxiety, and headaches—anytime, anywhere—while cultivating lasting serenity from within.

Her books became Amazon bestsellers on her 60th and 61st birthdays, a meaningful milestone she describes as a gift of gratitude—celebrating life and giving back for the many blessings she has received throughout her journey.

For the past five years, Pilar has partnered with Armour Dance Theatre, a Miami nonprofit with more than 70 years of community impact. Through its after-school mindfulness and well-being programs, she has supported educators and staff while helping bring calming practices to more than 400 children each month across Miami-Dade County.

Pilar welcomes collaborations with sponsors, businesses, and organizations that share her commitment to making well-being more accessible and helping people live healthier, calmer, and more fulfilling lives.

Kim was nine when her mother noticed she could locate lost items through thought alone—and quietly began testing her. As Kim grew, so did her intuition, and like her mother before her, she learned to keep what she knew hidden. ​Acceptance of her abilities and of herself came slowly. In college, Kim had a near-death experience when a blood clot traveled to her brain following a routine surgery, bringing her to the brink of death. In its wake, her intuitive abilities intensified, and she began to sense those who had passed—and, at times, connect with those on the threshold between life and death. ​By day, Kim built an impressive career in television, spending 23 years tuning in—checking her intuition, reading the energy in the room, and trusting the invisible cues that guided her decisions. Few people knew her secret.​ Her search for understanding led her deep into the worlds of energy, clairvoyance, reincarnation, and mediumship—subjects that, time and again, brought her face-to-face with God and the mystery of the afterlife. ​Then came a twist she never saw coming: her young son began showing signs of the same abilities. Determined to help him, she sought guidance, studied control techniques, and learned how to “turn down the volume” for them both. ​Along the way, she found a community of kindred spirits—teachers, skeptics, and believers—who encouraged her to write and share her story. Today, Kim insists that these experiences aren’t rare or exclusive. "Many people share my traits. And whether you believe or not, chances are something unexplained has already brushed against your life.” www.kimsbantle.com

Susan McKeown, APRN, CPS, is a graduate of St. Anselm College with a BS in Nursing and Northeastern University’s Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program. She worked with families as a nurse practitioner for over 40 years. Susan is a Certified Prevention Specialist, educating and advocating on issues of mental health and substance misuse. For the past 23 years she has co-facilitated a weekly support group for adults who have a loved one with substance issues. Susan and her husband, Patrick, have been married for 55 years and have conducted workshops with over 3,000 engaged couples for four decades on issues that affect married life. Together they have raised four children and are now blessed with two grandchildren. Susan is the author of two books: “Beyond the First Dance” and “Beyond the Tango."

Born with severe brain defects, Suzy was sentenced to a life of “nevers.” Her miraculous journey has led many experts to question existing medical textbooks. Predicting that she would never walk, talk, or function in society, she overcame all these obstacles with determination and perseverance. Her IQ score identified Suzy with severe intellectual disabilities, but she proceeded through infant stimulation, studies in public and specialized schools, and summer programs geared to the disabled community. Her achievements include winning medals during the Tournament of Champions, performing in a dance recital, celebrating a Bat Mitzvah, living independently, and working as a classroom assistant for the past twenty-three years. Her joy of life offers us hope while showing us that giving up is not a choice. This book is not just a tribute to Suzy but a roadmap for all parents experiencing the challenges of raising a child with disabilities and/or medical issues. Told with the hope that other parents will learn from her successes and failures, this is a story of the power of perseverance, courage, and love.  janemfischer.com 

 

Set in 1950s–60s Massachusetts, The Girl with the Black and Blue Doll is a raw and unforgettable coming-of-age memoir. Linda, a bright but neglected child, seeks refuge from her volatile home life by hiding under her bunk bed with her Betsy Wetsy — and inside her imagination. Raised on a three-generation family farm, Linda is "parentified" far too young and discouraged from dreaming beyond factory work. But when she steps into the world of education, the fire inside her begins to burn. Through determination, empathy, and unexpected friendships, Linda fights to escape the emotional shackles of her upbringing. Her transformation unfolds against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the Hippie Movement, and a culture finally beginning to question silence, shame, and survival.

Today, the result of Linda’s emotional neglect would be recognized as depression in the form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and her family is dysfunctional. Linda’s book is especially relevant to today’s Teen Mental Health Crisis under the influence of social media, especially TikTok.   www.LindaSummersea.com

Anette DeMattio - After surviving six cancer diagnoses, years of chronic pain, and some of life's greatest challenges, Anette noticed the same pattern everywhere: The strongest people were often the most disconnected from themselves. The caregivers. The leaders. The healthcare professionals. The parents. The survivors. People who had learned how to survive, but never how to stop surviving. That insight became the foundation for The Too Strong Movement™ and her international award-winning book, Too Strong For Your Own Good. Today, Anette helps people recognize the survival patterns they mistake for strength so they can move from Survival Strong to Soul Strong and reconnect to who they truly are.

anettedemattio.com

International Book Award Winner – Health: Cancer

International Book Award Finalist – Psychology/Mental Health

Independent Press Award – Distinguished Favorite Self-Help

#1 Amazon Bestseller — Health Psychology