Grit & Gravitas

As we celebrate Women’s History Month and the week of International Women’s Day, Grit & Gravitas is marking the moment with a conversation about curiosity, courage, and the power of listening. Anne Deeter Gallaher and Anne Carnathan sit down with Ashley Walkowiak, Executive Director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women, who is leading the most comprehensive look at women’s issues in Pennsylvania in more than a generation.

Ashley’s path to this work is deeply personal. After surviving sexual violence as a teenager, it took years before she felt ready to disclose and begin processing her trauma. Over time, that experience helped shape her commitment to public service and to creating systems that better support victims and families.

She also shares a defining early moment in her career when curiosity pushed her out of her comfort zone. Her advice today reflects both her personal and professional journey: stay curious and listen well.

“It’s easy for us to take experiences and put them aside to get through the day instead of processing it, working on it, and integrating it into the fullness of who you are as a human being,” Ashley says.

Follow the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women on Facebook and Instagram: @pawomen.

In this episode of Grit & Gravitas, Anne & Anne sit down with Carolina Harvey, founder of Cure the Clutter and host on A&E’s Hoarders, for a conversation that goes far beyond tidy closets.

Carolina started her business in 2008 after becoming a mom of two and feeling called to serve her community. A mathematics major by training, she still looks at spaces like solvable problems. From downsizing families to overwhelmed professionals to messy churches and business offices, what sets Cure the Clutter apart is the listening, care, and compassion Carolina and her team bring to every client and space.

“My goal is to give you your time back. When you have a clean and organized space, then you’re getting to do what you want, not what you have to,” says Carolina.

Desperate for some organization in your life? Join us as we talk about Carolina’s five daily habits anyone can adopt to reduce clutter and regain control, including being one-task minded and scheduling your hardest work for when you are at your best.

If your home, office, or calendar feels heavier than it should, this conversation will deliver business vitamins and practical tips to make your life lighter.

In this episode of Grit & Gravitas, Anne & Anne tackle the question we often avoid: how do we plan for purpose, relevance, and meaning as our roles change?

Inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article, they explore what happens when titles fade, influence shifts, and the world moves on. When your business card disappears, what anchors your value? How do you stay intentional when your network, identity, and sense of being needed evolve?

The challenge for listeners: work backward. Define how you want your life to matter by starting at the end. What do you want your name to mean when it’s mentioned? What legacy are you building now?

This episode offers business vitamins for anyone navigating what comes next, at any age.

Five years ago, we recorded our first episode of Grit & Gravitas with a simple premise: progress starts when you do. That idea feels even more relevant in a culture obsessed with resolutions, trends, and arbitrary dates that supposedly predict when people will fail.

“New Year’s resolutions bug me, and Quitter's Day bugs me. I don’t want to wait for anything for today to be the day,” Anne Carnathan says.

In this episode, Anne Deeter Gallaher talks about returning to swimming by simply showing up—no research, no preparation, no audience. Anne Carnathan shares why she started personal training with a friend, both to make her workday less solitary and to support someone she cares about.

Anne Deeter Gallaher sums it up: “If you wanted to, you would. I finally got to the day where I wanted to.”

Today’s business vitamin is simple: whether it’s starting a workout, making a phone call, reaching out on LinkedIn, or launching a business, the hardest part is beginning. We can do hard things—and we should.

In this episode of Grit & Gravitas, Anne & Anne sit down with Leanne Via, Senior Loan Originator with Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, to talk about the human side of mortgages and why lending decisions shape far more than finances.

Leanne shares her unexpected path into the mortgage industry, how helping her own mother led to a 23-year career, and why every loan carries a family story. We discuss today’s housing realities, from rising interest rates and limited inventory to the increasing age of first-time homebuyers, and why “not now” does not have to mean “never.”

This conversation offers business vitamins for every season. Whether you are thinking about buying a home, building long-term wealth, navigating financial decisions, or exploring a new career path, there is something here for you. From owning versus renting to the power of trusted guidance and community, this episode is a reminder that the most important decisions are also deeply personal.

Because for Leanne, this work is simple. She gets to change lives every single day.

Some businesses begin with spreadsheets.

This one began with a birthday dream.

 

In this episode of Grit & Gravitas, we sit down with Lutricia Eberly, founder and owner of Complete Safaris, whose love of adventure and global roots transformed a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kenya into a purpose-driven business.

 

Lutricia shares how listening, learning, and surrounding herself with truth-tellers shaped her entrepreneurial journey and why building the right team matters before taking the leap. She also explores what makes travel truly meaningful: curiosity, connection, and thoughtful experiences that go beyond the destination.

 

With Complete Safaris, Lutricia makes extraordinary experiences feel effortless so clients can fully step into wonder. This episode is for the dreamers, and for anyone holding an idea that feels just a little bigger than practical. Whether it’s starting a business or taking the trip of a lifetime you can do it.

 

As we close out our final episode of 2025, we’re looking ahead to bold goals, fresh adventures, and big plans for 2026. Here’s to dreaming bigger, saying yes more often, and building lives filled with discovery.

Despair, no light ahead, feeling hopeless? In this Christmas episode, Toni Lynn Mark, Resource Development Director for The Salvation Army Harrisburg, shares her journey through a season of enduring to experiencing unexpected hope. “We get a deck of cards, and we have a hand to play. I have nothing but jokers. You only get to play the hand you have, and I have a hand I hate,” she says.
 
If you’ve ever felt like you’re in survival mode, your job is uncertain, the way forward isn't clear, or your spouse chooses another path that doesn't include you and the children, this episode is for you. With total authenticity, Toni explains how saying Yes to hard things, stepping into the unknown, and trusting in God's plan led her to discover there's strength in vulnerability.

Toni’s story is an invitation to sit with uncertainty and trust that showing up even when we feel empty is sometimes the holiest work we can do. 

In a special, 1-hour live edition, today's podcast is an alumni celebration for Anne & Anne as they take Grit & Gravitas on the road to their alma mater, Shippensburg University, and feature special guest and SHIP alum, Lee Adams Kuhn. "Love on Tour" is Lee's just-released fictional tale about the country music industry featuring love, lust, business, and betrayal! 

Broadcasting to a packed room of students, professors, deans, donors, and G&G fans, Anne, Anne, and Lee deliver business vitamins on setbacks, resilience, the writing process, surviving in country music, and finding your balcony people. "The heart of our podcast is connections and relationships," says Anne Deeter Gallaher, and this episode illustrates the power of connecting students with industry experts who can be their balcony people. Don’t miss this special bonus episode, complete with a Q&A!

What perception do you hope to leave?” asks Sara Elerman, Regional VP at Members 1st Federal Credit Union, as she joins Anne & Anne to share her leadership journey.

From arriving in the U.S. as a 17-year-old immigrant working in retail to becoming a respected regional leader, Sara’s story is defined by grace, accountability, and growth. Guided by mentors and fueled by a willingness to be coachable, the feedback she received, she says, “transformed my life, and my family’s.”

In Episode 102, Sara opens up about: the difference between work-life balance and work-life harmony; why showing up is the competitive advantage in a digital world; and why challenges are often where the magic happens.

If you’re starting out, navigating transition, or leading at any level, Sara’s story is a powerful reminder to show up, speak up, and lift others up.

Talking is easy. Listening takes intention. In this episode of Grit & Gravitas, Anne & Anne explore how emotional intelligence (EQ) fuels strong leadership and healthy workplaces. They unpack what it means to understand people, navigate conflict, and choose words that connect instead of divide.

From reading between the lines to balancing intellect with empathy, this conversation delivers business vitamins that every professional needs: practical wisdom, emotional awareness, and the reminder that growth begins when we truly listen. Because it’s not what happens to you that defines success, it’s how you respond.

“I’ll walk into anything, and I’m going to listen, and we’re going to find a way through it if that’s what we want to do," says Anne Carnathan.

Tune in for a grounded, insightful conversation on why listening isn’t a luxury at all, it’s leadership in action.