BELLA Boss: March/April 2026 Women of Influence Issue
By Lynette Barbieri + Jennifer MacLellan
Success in business demands ambition, resolve, and a clear sense of purpose. In BELLA’s Women of Influence issue, we spotlight the women shaping their industries and communities through leadership, vision, and bold decision making. These entrepreneurs prove that influence is built through self-belief, meaningful impact, and the courage to take daring leaps of faith. If you are ready to reshape your career journey, let their stories inspire you to carve your own path to success.
Kelly Magnus Purcaro
Westwood, NJ
Greenspoon Marder LLP – Partner
GMLaw.com/attorneys/kelly-magnus-purcaro/
How have you empowered yourself to achieve your current level of success?
As a female attorney and litigation partner, I have empowered myself by confidently claiming my voice, cultivating leadership skills, and overcoming industry barriers through persistence and self‑advocacy. My success reflects a commitment to continuous growth, authenticity, and paving the way for others to follow.
What traits do you think make a woman influential?
The ability to communicate with clarity, build meaningful relationships, navigate complexity, and lead with purpose and integrity.
How can we teach women to stand in solidarity with one another?
Stand together. Speak up. Lift each other higher.
Solidarity over competition. Power multiplies when women support women.
We rise faster—and farther—when we stand united.
Collaboration is strength. Solidarity is power.
Kory Ann Ferro
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Senior Counsel, Greenspoon Marder LLP
GMLaw.com/attorneys/kory-ann-ferro/
How have you empowered yourself to achieve your current level of success?
I have empowered myself through diligence, hard work, and being true to myself. I have had the benefit of fantastic mentors from whom I have learned how I want to practice law and, sometimes, how I want to set myself apart. Although I have been told throughout my life that I am too loud or aggressive as a woman, I try to take such criticism to understand the societal preconceived notions that exist while not losing my voice.
What traits do you think make a woman influential?
I believe a woman is most influential when she does not break other women down to build herself up. It is of paramount importance that we understand that another woman’s success is not a commentary on our own and we should be supportive of one another. Other traits that make a woman influential include compassion, dedication, and integrity.
How can we teach women to stand in solidarity with one another?
We must lead by example and lend helping hands to other women in our personal or professional lives when we can. Be a mentor, assist an overwhelmed colleague so they can join a firm lunch, help on a carpool to soccer practice, be a listening ear. We all need help navigating this life and can all learn from each other’s successes and failures. I am extremely grateful for all the women who have helped me along the way.
Sonali Chaturvedi
Ashburn, Va
CEO, ShikSona Beauty
How have you empowered yourself to achieve your current level of success?
Starting up and running a mid-size IT company as CEO for 17 years gave me the know-how and confidence to launch my own beauty brand from the ground up. I also love finding innovative solutions to problems, which is what inspired me to build a line of easy-to-use and multifunctional products that make beauty routines quicker and simpler for busy women.
What traits do you think make women influential?
Influential women have a knack for picking up on how others are feeling, reading the room, and talking to people in a way that makes them feel understood. They keep their word and are always honest, which helps them earn people’s trust and respect.
How can we teach women to stand in solidarity with one another?
It's important to remind each other that women are even stronger and more influential when we come together. We need to also remember that one woman’s success doesn't take away from anyone else, and that there's room for all of us to shine. Instead of competing, we should focus on supporting one another, sharing advice, and cheering each other on.
Nancy Berger
NYC|Southampton|Boca Raton
Founder/Chief Connector, Start With a Good (SWAG)
How have you empowered yourself to achieve your current level of success?
I’ve empowered myself by continually choosing evolution over comfort. After more than 3 decades leading some of the most iconic media brands in the world, I could have stayed in a traditional lane. Instead, I stepped off the expected path and built something entirely my own — Start With A Good — rooted in connection, community, and business acceleration.
The turning point was recognizing that my greatest value wasn’t just in running brands. It was in building ecosystems. I’ve always had a deep instinct for spotting potential ...in people, in companies, in ideas ... and then creating the conditions for that potential to grow. Empowerment, for me, has meant trusting that instinct and having the courage to bet on it.
I’ve also learned that influence is less about position and more about consistency. When you show up prepared, follow through, and genuinely invest in other people’s success, trust compounds. Over time, that trust becomes opportunity, and opportunity becomes impact. The network I’ve built wasn’t accidental. It was nurtured with intention.
What traits do you think make a woman influential?
Influence today is grounded in credibility and generosity. The women who truly move industries forward are clear in their point of view, confident in their expertise, and generous with their access.
Authenticity matters, but so does action. Influential women don’t just speak well ... they build, they connect, they create momentum. They use their platforms to elevate others. They understand that power expands when it’s shared.
I also believe influence requires strategic empathy. The ability to read a room, understand what motivates people, and bring unlikely partners together is an underrated leadership skill. Being a connector and a catalyst ... seeing synergies others miss and acting on them... creates outsized results.
Confidence is important, but humility and curiosity sustain influence long term. The most powerful women I know are still learning, still asking questions, still evolving.
How can we teach women to stand in solidarity with one another?
We teach solidarity by operationalizing it.
It’s not just a sentiment, it’s behavior. Make the introduction. Recommend her for the board seat. Invite her into the room. Share the credit publicly. Invest in her company. Celebrate her wins without qualification.
When women see collaboration modeled at a high level, it reframes success as collective rather than competitive. Scarcity thinking disappears when access and opportunity are actively shared.
Community is not a “nice to have.” It is a growth strategy. When women collaborate, businesses grow faster, ideas get better, and the next generation witnesses what expansive leadership looks like.
Solidarity becomes culture when we practice it consistently.
Final Thought
Success becomes far more meaningful when it creates lift for others.
If we lead with generosity, act with intention, and use our influence to open doors, not just walk through them, we build something far bigger than individual achievement. We build networks that compound, communities that endure, and industries that reflect the power of women supporting women.
And that is where real influence lives.
Larissa Mejía-Ricart
Dominican Republic
Real Estate Leader + Entrepreneur
Instagram: @larymr
How has she empowered herself to achieve her current level of success?
Larissa empowered herself through fearless reinvention. She began her professional journey in education, shaping minds with patience and purpose, before boldly pivoting into real estate. With discipline, resilience, and unwavering integrity, she built a formidable presence in the Dominican Republic. Her success is rooted not only in ambition, but in staying true to her values while evolving with intention.
What traits make her influential?
Larissa embodies quiet power. She leads with integrity, moves with grace, and uplifts others through both her professional work and her personal commitments. Beyond business, her compassion is evident in her dedication to rescuing animals and giving them safety and second chances. Her influence comes from authenticity — she evolves without ever losing her essence.
How does she model solidarity among women?
Larissa leads by example. She shows that strength and softness can coexist, and that true influence is built through collaboration, generosity, and integrity. By supporting others, celebrating their growth, and remaining grounded in who she is, she reflects the kind of leadership that inspires women to stand together rather than compete.
