E.J. Traynor, DMD, MS
Dr. E.J. Traynor attended Washington University in St. Louis Missouri for her undergraduate education and for dental school. After graduating dental school in 1991 she completed a hospital based general practice residency at Jewish Hospital/Barnes Hospital at the Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. Dr. Traynor then went on to specialize in Periodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There she completed a three year residency as the chief resident and received her certificate in Periodontics as well as a Masters in Science in 1995.
Dr. Traynor has been in private practice in Greenwich, Connecticut since 1999. When not fighting periodontal disease, Dr. Traynor enjoys spending time with her husband Gary, and their two children, Nicola and Andrew.
What inspires you?
It inspires me to make a difference in people’s lives. Gum disease increases the risk of many other dieses. My work can make a difference when treated.
Words to live by?
A passion for what you do and being a part of change is inspiring. Never stop learning,
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love the people that I work with, I love working with them. The patient connection is so important. Most of all the technique, attention to deal, and learning new surgical techniques.
How did you get involved in the industry?
When I was in dental school I was exposed to the specialty and I knew that I wanted to be involved. I wanted to be a surgeon and love the detail-oriented surgery. You have to be a perfectionist, focused, and pay attention to all the details.
What keeps you motivated?
Making a difference and saving teeth. I am doing what I love, so I always want to be good at it, learn new things, and stay on top it.
Sara Alter
Moment Consulting (MOM-ENTrepreneur) provides coaching services and resources to mom entrepreneurs in the early stages of business development. With the dual responsibilities of growing a business, and running a household, moms barely have enough time to finish a hot cup of coffee let alone learn the ins and outs of building a business!
How did you get involved in the industry?
When I started my previous business, Pretty Please Nail Polish, in 2010, I was very isolated as a female entrepreneur. Social media didn’t exist in the way it does to today, offering so many resources, business tips and other women owned business to connect with and be inspired by. It also wasn’t as commonplace for a woman to leave a career and a good salary to pursue “a dream”. As my business grew, women who knew of me, or my business, started to reach out for support and mentorship as they considered starting their own businesses. As a result, I organically started consulting for women owned start-ups in 2013. When I became a mom, my niche got more specific.
Today, women are starting a record number of businesses per year, but time constraints and limited entrepreneurial experience often hinder more moms from turning early-stage ideas into profitable brands. As a mother and entrepreneur, I understand the challenges that come with carving out time, resources, and energy to build a business and be a mom. But, I’m also a firm believer in the mental, and emotional benefits that come from having a career outside of your family. I want mothers to feel empowered to act on a business idea if that’s something they’re passionate about, and to have the resources, confidence, and guidance to build the business, and life, they want.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
When moms step away from a career or scale back to focus on their family, even if it’s by choice, that act is often accompanied by a loss of self and a lack of fulfillment. When I’m able to help women see the connection between their work experience, talents, and passions, however big their resume gap, they gain the confidence and the connection to move forward and build a business. That moment is truly inspiring and empowering.
Sarah Bamford
Born and raised in Greenwich, Sarah Bamford has built a name for herself in the community. She's provided communications support to leading non-profit organizations and business institutions. Sarah's a local volunteer and owns a rescue dog, home, and business in town. She's built strong networks in industries such as entertainment, fashion, and hospitality in key cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami and regularly travels internationally.
What inspires you?
I'm inspired by nature and its beauty, power, and constant evolution. I’m also deeply inspired by hard-working, honest, compassionate people, the type of person that values life, family, and community.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I am results-oriented. When I help my clients meet their goals through strategic communications it’s so rewarding! I also really enjoy teamwork and working with my clients to develop creative ideas.
How did you get involved in the industry?
After completing my bachelor's degree in Manhattan, I went on to work in the fashion industry and developed strong skills in networking through social media marketing and public relations. In 2009 I decided to continue my studies at New York University and realized my passion for leveraging a mix of Marketing and PR. Due to a client base that developed through word of mouth and support from colleagues, I created Hybrid Media in March of 2011.
What keeps you motivated?
I'm motivated by my competition! Being surrounded by talented professionals keeps me on my toes, there's a lot of talent in our area now and I like being networked into a community that is always striving to become better.
Dana Cifone
With over a decade of experience in hospitality, Dana Cifone owns up to her prestigious reputation. As one of Greenwich's leading ladies as a restauranteur, she is well-known in the community. As Director for Townhouse, Dana has taken her work and life experiences to conceptualize, design and execute a vision to create Townhouse. Dana can be seen daily, managing all of Townhouse’s operations, events and marketing.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU? People, I love listening to their stories, their accomplishments, their failures, their journeys. There is really something so special about having conversations with people.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY? I actually never wanted to do anything else. From a very young age I knew I wanted to be in hospitality. I would keep a notebook with me and write down my ideas for when I could open my own restaurant. When my brother and I were growing up we had dinner together every night as a family, which we still do today as much as we can, and whether it was at home, in a restaurant or when we traveled, I always had such a feeling of pageantry and elegance, even at the simplest of meals, just sitting around the table, talking, laughing, breaking bread - that I just knew I wanted to create that everyday.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED? The energy of my industry. This business provokes all the senses for me, and it lends me to dream, to plan, to do.
Asya Geller
Asya Geller was born in Moscow, Russia and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. She launched WERKZY in November 2020. She currently lives in Greenwich with her husband, Michael Geller, owner of Mike's Organic Delivery, and sons, Nathan, 4, and Charlie, 3.
WERKZY, where small business meets big talent, is the only website exclusively dedicated to small businesses searching for professional talent. Part time, full time, contract based or project based, you no longer need to scour multiple hiring sites, because WERKZY is your one stop shop!
Words to Live By: "The smartest thing I ever did was to hire my weakness." Sarah Blakley
What do you enjoy most about your work? – I am enjoying the opportunity to be a part of the change in the workforce that I feel is greatly needed and to partake in some of the difficult conversations about flexible and remote work. Creating options for other women to both have a passionate career and be a present parent is necessary. I love helping to redefine what success looks like and creating meaningful work opportunities for others.
What keeps you motivated? I am motivated every day by making meaningful connections between passionate small businesses and incredibly talented professionals. Knowing that pairing them together empowers both sides is what keeps me driven every day. Small businesses, the heart and soul of our communities and backbones or our economy, should have access to the best talent and simultaneously incredible talent should be empowered to find meaningful and impactful but also flexible jobs. I am newly invigorated by every match we make.
Abby Knott and Lindsay Hurty
Abby Knott and Lindsay Hurty originally met in the early years of momhood. As active mothers, small business owners and dedicated volunteers in the community, their friendship grew and they discovered that they shared a vision.
Best advice you ever received?
LH: When I was younger, my mom advised that when a difficult situation arises with someone you care about, have the hard conversation as soon as possible. Putting off hard conversations is like intentionally planting seeds of resentment, bitterness and disrespect. Hard conversations make space for greater possibility to bloom, while expressing respect.
AK: Yes! Totally agree with your mom. I’ve found in my own life that having a hard conversation can often bring you closer together.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Being privy to and part of so many meaningful conversations—having a seat and a voice in our Everwell CIRCLE, alongside women who care.
We dreamt of a community built on the premise of respect and acceptance and in celebration of joy and being thought-rich. And now we get to come together everyday with our growing Everwell CIRCLE through our digital events, conversations, workshops and courses as well as within our 3,000 sqft multi-purpose workspace in Darien. Everwell has created a platform for so many ideas and connections to come to life and this work makes us feel both alive and hopeful.
What keeps you motivated?
Our motivation really comes from a deeply rooted curiosity about womanhood and all its parts. We ask a lot of questions; we seek out answers; and we strive to support and inspire women with every choice we make for the Everwell CIRCLE. And we believe that within a safe community that values the growth of the whole woman, wherever one is on her path, that we give ourselves permission to live our truest selves. That dream motivates us.
Melissa Pulcini
Melissa Pulcini-Buttine has been practicing medicine for nearly 20 years. ELIVATE was founded to help patients feel and look better while also creating an enlightened space for learning and guiding others to live a more empowered way of life. When she’s not running a business and teaching, Melissa is busy being a mom to her three children and embodying what it means to live an ELIVATED lifestyle.
What inspires you?
Creating a MedSpa for people to feel, look and live their best has offered me a constant opportunity to interact with people in the community. I’m inspired by hearing their stories, understanding their needs, and helping them achieve their goals. What could be more rewarding than being a part of someone else’s journey to reaching their personal health goals and living their best life?
Best advice you ever received?
Don’t dance around the perimeter of the person you want to be. Dive deeply and fully into it.
Words to live by?
This life is yours alone to live, so stop asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.
What keeps you motivated?
I’m both a business owner and a mother of 3, so I have a lot of motivation to be successful. First, I get so much satisfaction from showing my kids the benefits of working hard, taking smart risks, and pursuing a purpose in life. What keeps me motivated day to day at ELIVATE is seeing results in my patients, and their reaction to those results. When you are able to witness first-hand how lives are being improved, whether it be from a self-esteem boost or physiological improvements, that’s all the motivation I need.