Don't Forget Your Sweater, Girl: Sister to Sister Secrets for Aging with Purpose and Humor

A professor and women's leadership expert, Dr. Marilou Ryder offers readers and audiences compelling research and tools to lead a more confident and empowered life.  An educator with over a decade of CEO experience leading large school districts, Dr. Ryder has been on the front line of the changing nature of women in the workplace. In Don't Forget Your Sweater, Girl: Sister to Sister Secrets for Aging with Purpose and Humor, Ryder uses personal stories from women to provide insight into aging and how women can stay relevant in their senior years.  Her new book, co-authored with her sister, Don't Forget Your Lipstick Girl, Sister to Sister Secrets for Gaining Confidence, Courage, and Power uses interviews and research to provide insight on how women can access their personal power to become more confident and influential both at work and in personal environments.
Marilou Ryder, a professor for the doctoral program at UMASS Global, is a passionate proponent of self-empowerment through evidence-based techniques. Through her writing, speaking, and research, she galvanizes others to summon their best selves to approach life's challenges by accessing their personal power. A sought-after engaging and humorous speaker, Ryder has been honored with numerous awards over her career.
Among the most prominent, she has been named a Top Ten Business Women of the Year, California Administrator of the Year, Johns Hopkins Administrator of the Year and most recently Brandman University Faculty of the Year. Jessica Thompson, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, was born in Syracuse, New York, and currently lives in Naples, Florida.  Jessica worked for twelve years as a buyer and merchandise manager for major department stores in Chicago and Boston.
She later transitioned to a career in the financial industry, working for a large Boston Bank as a Branch Manager and a Mortgage Loan Officer. While raising her two daughters, she developed her creative passions for fashion design and home decorating. When Jessica's daughters entered college, she fulfilled another lifelong love, that of sports. She began coaching field hockey and lacrosse for young girls in two public school districts and coached lacrosse and umpire field hockey. Jessica finds a true sense of reward from her latest career as her players enter college and play their sport in the NCAA.
Jessica is an avid female golfer with a handicap of 12.0 at 61 years old! She is proud that she had passed this down to her two daughters, who are better than her at golf. As an author Jessica is excited to share her new book, Don't Forget Your Sweater, Girl: Sister to Sister Secrets for Aging with Purpose and Humor.   In her latest book, Don't Forget Your Lipstick, Girl; Sister to Sister Secrets for Gaining Confidence, Courage, and Power, Jessica interviewed young women across the country, mapping the terrain of the gender divide.
Her interviews reveal an uncomfortable truth: although women may display self-confidence in their professional lives, they continue to struggle with sharing a seat at the table with men.  She co-presents with her sister on the topic of women and self-empowerment.