Why She’s Interesting: Phillips is a task master. As a life coach and founder of Reverse Women, she helps other women reverse stereotypes while empowering them to achieve their goals. She’s also a mother of two and the director of operations at marketing firm AMP Strategy.
Money Moves: Phillips worked as a vice president at FirstMerit for nine years. In May 2017, she attended the first annual Akron Women on Purpose event and left with a new calling. Inspired to provide a safe space for women, she started Lindsey’s Place, a monthly meetup in her living room where women could talk about life. That eventually evolved into Reverse Women. “I’m just so passionate about teaching women that you are not less than anyone else for any reason.”
Refugee Response: After leaving FirstMerit, Phillips also worked at World Relief Akron, a nonprofit ministry that serves refugees. The experience opened Phillips’ eyes to what’s possible when we reach out and help each other.
“I went from being surrounded by lots of money and conservative mindsets to picking up refugee families at the airport that had lived the last 15 years in a refugee camp.”
Group Work: Phillips became certified as a life coach in March 2019 to focus more on Reverse Women. During monthly meetups, she’d supply arts and crafts to get them focused and engaged while learning. When they switched to virtual meetups during the pandemic, Phillips sometimes hand-delivered items to members’ homes to maintain that energy. “I created a new Facebook group where we can interact during the week several times just to keep that engagement up, because you just lose touch.”
Focus Plan: The best advice Phillips ever received came from one of her bosses when she was a young operations manager. “Whatever you’re thinking about, is it going to matter a year from now? If the answer is no, you need to take your emotion out of it way quicker.”
Faith Restores: Phillips pulls motivation from her husband and their walk of faith in Christianity. “We believe we are called to seek relationship with all people and love intensely. I’m a fixer, a really good one, but with community, it’s listen first, sit in the problem and move towards action when you truly understand the problem — that is love.”
Interesting Fact:
In 2012, Phillips partnered with a friend to open La Hoot, a since-closed Akron bakery focused on cake pops.
