ABOUT THE SHOW
Her Bold Blueprint is a podcast exploring what it truly means to lead with courage, conviction, and purpose in today’s world.
At its core, the show centers on a simple belief: bold leadership is a choice. Through thoughtful conversations with women leaders who build, disrupt, and redefine success on their own terms, the podcast creates space to explore the ideas, experiences, and lessons shaping modern leadership.
From established executives to emerging voices, each episode goes beyond surface-level success to uncover the story behind the story — the pivotal decisions, unexpected challenges, personal growth, and defining moments that shape how women lead.
Hosted by Kate Slentz, Christi Ashby, Charissa Smith, and Karen Keene, Her Bold Blueprint highlights the voices of women across Central Florida who are charting their own paths, strengthening their communities, and creating a new blueprint for leadership.
Meet the Hosts
Karen Keene
Karen Keene is the Founder and Chief Strategic Advisor of ATHENA NextGen Orlando. Now in its 12th year, NextGen is the only leadership program of its kind, empowering professional women to level up through a masterclass series facilitated by a faculty of top female executives. To date, there are 550 alumnae of the program.
She led the initiative to establish an endowed scholarship at the UCF Foundation. The scholarship benefits female graduate students and is available to outstanding candidates at all colleges in the university system. To date, ATHENA has contributed $160,000 to the endowment.
Karen has 30 years of experience as the senior marketing executive and public policy expert for international and regional law firms. She has led multi-faceted teams in business development, strategic planning, branding, external affairs, and media relations.
Charissa Smith
Charissa Smith has been with Cogent Bank since December of 2020 and in the banking industry for over 20 years. She is a Senior Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager.
Charissa has a BA in International Business from Rollins College and an MBA from the University of Central Florida. Along with her service to the ATHENA Board as the Alumnae Director, she also serves as President on the board of Meals on Wheels, etc. in Sandford.
Meet the Hosts
Christi Ashby
Christi Ashby, CEO, Appeal Media & Events Group, is the editor and publisher of Orange Appeal, a magazine for women she founded in 2008 to create a sense of community and promote local women, their interests, and non-profit organizations. The company currently produces four signature women's events, including the Orlando Women's Conference, founded in 2010. She is celebrating 40 years as a publishing and media professional, having managed and operated more than 10 different national and regional publications. Christi has received numerous awards and recognition for her leadership and nonprofit contributions, but her greatest achievement is working alongside her daughter, Kate Slentz.
Kate Slentz
Kate Slentz is associate editor and publisher of Orange Appeal and Interior Appeal magazines and co-founder of the Orlando Women’s Conference. She helped her mother, Christi Ashby, launch Orange Appeal in 2008 and continued to assist with writing assignments while studying journalism at the University of Florida. She returned full-time after graduation, managing editorial, ad sales, photo shoots, events, social media, and more. She is an alumna (2015) of the ATHENA NextGen program and serves on several nonprofit committees, including National Philanthropy Day and Easterseals' A Pair to Remember. Kate is married to her high school sweetheart, Mike, and together they have two children, ages 6 and 9.
