Catharine built a strong bipartisan record in the California State Assembly and now directs the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento. She has always focused on improving real situations and getting things done. She shares practical lessons on staying true to your values, navigating pressure from all sides, and why solution-driven leadership still matters.

This one is full of heart, clarity, and hard-won wisdom.

Faith is a comedian, a longtime voice on 101.7 KKIQ, and Livermore’s first person of color to serve as Poet Laureate. In our talk she shared her recipe for success, the quiet freedoms that changed how she shows up in the world, the steady belief her mother poured into her, and how comedy became her way of connecting rather than performing.

She also read from her new spoken-word collection, The Voice You Forgot You Had.

Today (August 6, 2026) is the official launch. From 12–2 PM at Prodigy Fitness in Pleasanton, Faith is releasing the book in partnership with Open Heart Kitchen. If you’re in the area, stop by and celebrate with her.

In the newest episode of Purple Inspiration, I sat down with Audrey Coleman, Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. Audrey has spent years stewarding Senator Bob Dole’s legacy of principled, bipartisan leadership — and she’s doing it with heart, humility, and real optimism.

We talk about:

• How to actually listen in a world that rewards hot takes

• Building relationships across differences (the Dole way)

• Why showing up in the same room still changes everything

• Staying authentic and “blooming where you’re planted”

• Practical ways to bring constructive optimism into today’s divided culture

This is the kind of conversation we need right now — solution-focused, honest, and purple through and through.

That is why Business for America’s “Together for 250” campaign is timely, inviting business and civic leaders to share something real about America, through our own voices.

Purpose, leadership, and connection aren’t just words. They are a way of life for me and they were for my grandfathers and grandmothers too.

When I worked in the U.S. Senate in the 1990’s, I saw people disagree sharply but still treat one another with respect. That experience shaped my belief that public life does not have to be bitter or reduced to a sound bite.

As the Host of the new Purple Inspiration Podcast, my mission is to bring people together, bridge divides and get people talking again—beyond the red and blue labels.

I heard a prayer on Hallow and it reminded me that America’s story has always been carried by people who came here with courage, faith, and the hope of something better—

“God, our Father. We thank you for the gift of this nation, and for the generations of immigrants who helped build it – people who arrived with courage, faith, and the hope of something better for their families and for those who would come after them.

As I listened, I remembered the stories of my grandfathers who fled Italy and Sicily—coming to this great nation to start a new life. They were the dreamers who labored in factory jobs to make enough money to feed their families. They wanted to leave their children an even better life than the one they had and the one they fled.

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My Mom and Dad worked hard their entire lives. My Mom quit high school to take care of her four brothers and little sister, since my grandmother held a factory job alongside my grandfather, to help support the family.

Many of the factory jobs they held are now taken over by technology. That’s not a bad thing.

My grandparents were the dreamers who set the path so we could follow their example to create an even better life—one filled with complicated innovations that lead to health care advances in medicine. My father-in-law was one of those innovators who left the world a better place and his family better off than he began. His inventions impacted billions of lives around the world.

And so goes the story of America—threads sewn in directions my grandparents could not possibly have imagined when they came here. Every generation changes the way the world works through a commitment to a better life.

That is what business, civic life, and the American promise are all about—freedom, self-government, equality under the law, religious liberty, free speech, voting rights, opportunity, dissent, civic duty, resilience, and the unfinished work of making those ideals real to impact more people.

We can build workplaces and communities where people feel seen, useful, and connected to a mission larger than themselves.

Believing in America is not just about cheering for the red, white, and blue. It is about honoring the real people who make this country tick every day—doers, dreamers, innovators, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, neighbors, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.

I guess for me and my family, “America at 250” is not just a catch phrase or a birthday party. It is our responsibility, as business leaders to remember who built this country, honor those building it now, and decide what we want to leave for the generations still to come.

Judy Lloyd is a California small business owner, communications professional and podcast host for the Purple Inspiration Podcast. She first served in civic life at age 25 as an appointee of the President of the United States and has had a strong sense of duty, country and purpose her entire life. She is a part of Business For America’s “Together for 250”, a non-partisan, business-led campaign that gives companies specific ways to lead, connect, and inspire during America’s 250th anniversary.

With over 40 years as a prosecutor in Contra Costa County, Mary has taken on violent repeat offenders while building intervention programs for youth and leading Get Vocal for Victims, which provides pro bono legal support to those who need it most.

Mary currently serves as Chair of the One-Hundred Club of Contra Costa County, a non-profit organization that provides immediate financial support for the spouses and children of police officers and firefighters who lose their lives as a direct result of physical injuries sustained in Contra Costa County in the line of duty.

Mary believes in law and order and is exemplary at what she does. Check it out.

served in prominent roles in our community.

My conversation with Elaine left me feeling genuinely hopeful. She shared how accessible art through 333 Arts can create real belonging in neighborhoods and why choosing collaboration over division is one of the strongest moves women leaders can make.

Her journey from crisis work to creative community building is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we lead with both heart and strategy.

Purple Inspiration Podcast spotlights bold women in policy, entrepreneurship, civic action & community healing who drive real change—beyond red & blue. 💜

An accomplished public servant, Fiona is the state’s primary banker. She has won 20 races and faces 16 candidates in the June 2nd primary for Lt. Governor. Realistically, only four are serious contenders. The “top two” vote getters advance to the general election on November 3rd.

Though California’s Lt. Governor is oftentimes considered a ceremonial role, the Lt. Governor plays a prominent role shaping policy for economic growth, higher education, and environmental policies. Their role is often behind-the-scenes—where the sausage is made on the executive level.

The race is heating up with special interest money flowing to people who lack experience and qualifications for this office.

I’ve known Fiona for some 20 years in her various roles as a San Francisco County Supervisor, Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Equalization, and as State Treasurer. She is a doer—accessible, smart, savvy, accomplished, and well respected.

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In this segment, I talk with her about these roles—and particuarly the role her office has played with small business growth, housing, and healthcare.

One important fact—Fiona Ma is also a leader who helps lift other women. We discuss her passion as the first woman of color and the first woman CPA to hold the role of California State Treasurer.

Take a listen and take a look at Fiona’s candidacy for Lt. Governor. Only a small number of voters have turned in their ballots for the June 2nd primary—so, if you are a Californian, take some time to study the candidates and cast your vote!

Helpful Links:

https://fionama.com/

https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/

Judy Lloyd is the CEO of Altamont Communications Strategies and the Host of the Purple Inspiration Podcast. Her passion for community, country and women running for office is contagious.

I was six years old and I remember going to a Drum Corps exhibition in Syracuse, NY with my parents. I remember my Aunt Carol crying when they did a song in honor of Jimmy. I remember all the years that my Aunt Lena missed her eldest son and the picture of him in uniform she had at her home.

Because of veterans like Jimmy, we enjoy the barbecue, a cold beer, chicken fried, freedom of speech, and so many other freedoms we take for granted.

I honor him today as well as those who also paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

We will never forget your service.

Here are a few things we share in common:

• We both worked for Congressional Leadership in different Houses of Congress. Lisa worked for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I worked for the U.S. Senate Majority Leader.

• Neither of us expected a career in the halls of government & politics, being from small towns in neighboring states. We both had offices in the U.S. Capitol Building itself. It’s an indescribable honor to be able to serve your country in these roles. Both of us had that opportunity.

• We both worked in domestic policy agencies in the Bush 43 Administration. Lisa worked for the U.S. Commerce Secretary and I worked for the U.S. Labor Secretary. Both agencies shape policy, promote economic growth and job creation, foster business and innovation, and set industry and workforce standards.

• We are both proud Italian American women who met on LinkedIn.

It’s important not to take that last part for granted – neither of us knew each other before we were on each other’s podcasts.

Neither of us expected careers anything like the ones we had. The honor to serve was paramount to service itself. Business relationships with the media, colleagues and Members of Congress, U.S. Senators and the Washington elite were things we never thought we’d have the chance to experience – but we did.

Lisa hosts The Friday Reporter podcast, which offers a platform for engaging conversations with journalists, communications experts and lobbyists.

Her Deciders Series is a new show that features the leaders who shape perception, move policy, and win when it matters. Not pundits or commentators – these are the operators driving some of the most critical strategies and outcomes in today’s Washington.

Lisa believes that a hot take today could fall completely flat tomorrow.

Taking a minute – or even a half a day – to pause and think about a response rather than immediately letting your fingers hit the keyboard is a good way to allow your brain to recover, engage, and cognitively reset. It also helps you to manage your mental fatigue.

The alternative? Stress out. Act now. Join the chorus causing the negative discourse in our country. Regret it later.

It’s pretty a pretty great philosophy.

You can be a part of the solution or a part of the problem.

As our election cycle continues and we start to digest information –

• Pause to seek out the source of the information.

• Be mindful that news will be fabricated with misinformation campaigns.

• Be wary of those posts from undocumented fake news only posted to get attention

• Heed Lisa’s advice on the upcoming elections.

• Make informed decisions.

Our country depends on it.

You’re going to enjoy this one.

Listen to my conversation with Lisa Camooso Miller here.

My mom was Josephine Cifonelli Biviano. She was proud of her Italian heritage, loved my father with her whole heart, and raised our family with compassion and discipline. She was very close to her brothers—Danny, Dickie, Paulie, and Sam—and especially close to her sister, Carol. She worked hard and enjoyed traveling with my dad, Frank Biviano. Family meant everything.

My mother-in-law was Lynne Dewar Lloyd. She grew up proud of her Irish and Scottish roots, and took trips with her grandchildren to San Franciso to shop or see a play. She loved sewing and made a spectacular wedding dress for daughter, Catie. She was absolutely devoted to her one true love, Jack Lloyd, a medical device entrepreneur who I wrote about earlier this week.

Both moms enjoyed each other’s company and especially that of their grandson, Michael Lloyd. Josephine would have just one grandson, while Lynne enjoyed watching 11 descendants of her own children grow up.

Josephine was a widow at the young age of 70. For some of you, 70 might not sound young—but in years to come, you’ll see what I mean. She lived another decade after Frank’s passing from a rare form of lymphoma. She would be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and pass in 2011—just 3.5 months from diagnosis to death.

When Michael flew out to Grandma Jo’s funeral, he was accompanied by Grandma Lynne, who helped him shape his thoughts for the eulogy that would follow at his grandma’s funeral. It wasn’t hard to write—he and Grandma Jo were die-hard New York Yankees fans who talked by phone for 30 minutes each week. I always admired Lynne being there to help Michael at this very difficult time.

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Lynne’s story was quite different. She became a widow just eight days ago and passed away the day before Mother’s Day. Like Josephine, her love of her husband was iron-clad and true. He cared for her through stroke and dementia, barely ever leaving her side. And at ages 89 and 88, I think it’s easy to say that they couldn’t live without one another, dying just seven days apart.

Both Josephine and Lynne were devout Catholics. I read recently that St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas proposed that whether you die as infants or elderly, you will rise in a perfected, youthful state, typically cited around 30–33 years old, and that resurrected bodies will be free from the defects of old age or any underdevelopment as a child. This reflection gives me comfort and is the measure of the stature and the fullness of Christ.

My wish on Mother’s Day for both these fabulous, courageous women is this just that.

We can never forget the mark our mothers leave, even after they leave.

That they are now healed, united, and living their best life up above, with the steady guidance and love of both their husbands. It’s how it should be and I believe how it is.

Judy Lloyd is the CEO of Altamont Communications Strategies and the Host of the Purple Inspiration Podcast. She has been a practicing Catholic her entire life; hoping one day to be good at it.

A medical device innovator, Jack started companies like Nellcor, Humphrey Instruments, and Alere Medical—start-ups that yielded the pulse oximeter (measuring oxygen saturation and heart rate—a staple in all medical offices and hospitals), the peripheral vision machine you look into at your ophthalmologist’s office, and point-of-care diagnostic tests.

His most recent venture at SafeinHome empowers independent living for adults with developmental disabilities through remote support staff and assistive technology. My husband, Tim Lloyd, really cherished working with Jack for so many years to make this vision a reality.

Jack was always quick-witted, coining sayings like “too clever by half” and “there’s a woman and a dog for every man”, which were among the many phrases he used to quip about the issues on any given day.

He found the political process quite silly most of the time, and we had many discussions about how Congress should work and the motivation Presidential candidates had for entering the ring.

Never one to believe that lawmaking needs to be like sausage-making, Jack always had a simple solution to passing budgets and laws that didn’t involve marathon filibusters or protracted, unnecessary discussions. He saw most political posturing as a waste of time—with the social media revolution only permitting poor behavior by those who favor the limelight over solutions to today’s problems.

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Whether it was teaching us how to cook—his way—or the proper way to load the dishwasher after a holiday meal for 40, Jack never let up. Not once. He was determined, methodical and ready to tackle any and every project he took on.

The things that stick out to me most recently are the special times he had with grandchildren and precious moments with his one true love, Lynne Lloyd.

Whether it was financial planning, engineering fast cars, who’s the most “bossy” in the Lloyd family, special relativity and time compression, or simply going through his wedding album memories, Jack thrived on having family around him and the chaos that ensued.

My father-in-law was an American original for sure. I will miss his lessons, his wittiness, and his compassion and loyalty to family greatly. 🙏 🩷

Judy Lloyd is a California-based public and government affairs strategist, CEO of Altamont Communications Strategies, and host of the Purple Inspiration Podcast.

Though I worked for the U.S. Senate Majority Leader in the U.S. Capitol at the time, I was not on the guest list to be in the U.S. House Chamber that day.

Senator Dole suggested that the Queen might like to see the spot in his office where the British started burning the U.S. Capitol in 1814. She declined.

I remember seeing her from across the room in the Capitol Rotunda — I journaled that she wore an incredible color I had never seen before. C-SPAN’s video captured the moment and the color perfectly.

Today, King Charles had the honor of being the second Royal to address the U.S. Congress - 37 years later. He was in the USA to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. His speech was eloquent, funny, charming and quite remarkable.

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The majesty of these events and the history of our two countries cannot be taken for granted. We must honor and respect these institutions — regardless of party, regardless of who is the King or the Queen, regardless of who is the President, and regardless of who holds the majority in Congress.

Thirty-seven years ago, we disagreed politely. Today’s politicians disagree like 12-year olds.

These moments should be memorialized as moments of great respect and great pride for both our countries.

Both President Trump and King Charles have had squirmishes with the media over issues both political and personal. But today, both men demonstrated praise and respect for one another.

Let’s try to get back to that. Let’s try harder to demonstrate that same respect and pride today as we did 37 years ago.

God Bless America! God Bless the United Kingdom!🙏🏼

1. What do you want to be when you grow up?

2. Are you living your best life?

Whether you’re 25 or 65, the same pressures show up — comparison, reinvention, money, confidence, purpose.

I’ve watched women who were just like me get pulled into the perfect trap.

• The perfect selfie.

• The perfect business post.

• The perfect outfit.

• The perfect makeup.

• The perfect lighting.

• The perfect life.

Women start measuring their lives against other women’s highlight reels.

It all looks great on social media — until you realize that everything’s not perfect.

So we do what we’ve been trained to do. We try to “fix it” by attending a conference, hearing the motivational speech, buying the book, meeting the famous actress—

And then — we go home to the same patterns, the same pace, and the same shrinking.

Wanna try something different?

A true relaunch happens when you put yourself in a room where women don’t just talk at you— they talk to you.

They’re available. They’re real. They’re in it with you. They’re not afraid to share life lessons — even when its messy.

That’s what happened for me at ReLaunch to a Rich Life Conference in Scottsdale last year.

When I arrived, I was thinking small. I had shrunk in a previous role. I looked steady on the outside, but in reality, I was off-balance on the inside.

I didn’t need another pep talk. I needed a relaunch — a recalibration, a way to see myself as who I wanted to be — not who I was at the time.

I invested time and money in myself — to become better.

Not because someone handed me a magic formula. I finally gave myself permission to be in the right room, at the right time, with the right women — to remove the mask and take myself seriously again.

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I Changed The Game

• I changed how I present myself. I show up with more clarity and confidence—less performing, more leading.

• I re-evaluated my relationship with money. I stopped treating my work like a favor—and started recognizing my value.

• I took a serious look at my relationships. I strengthened my family relationships, expanded my network, and opened the door to new conversations and new collaborations.

• I created opportunities.

  • I stopped waiting for things to fall in my lap.

  • I started a podcast designed to build consensus in a noisy world.

  • I did a complete revamp of my online presence and my business.

  • I found my footing and my passion again.

  • I committed to moving forward — not sliding to and fro.

Since then, I’ve proactively picked up speaking engagements, I’m well into podcasting, and I’m in the process of starting not one, but two very different books.

Do What Fuels You

I took a chance and invested in myself — the old me is not the new me.

Here’s my advice for you —

• Choose connection over comparison.

• Don’t attend every large women’s conference just to be there.

• Pick opportunities that fuel you and the sense of purpose you crave.

• Get in rooms that raise your standard — quietly, consistently, honestly.

• Invest in your next identity, not your old story.

Want to Join Me?

This year, I’m going back. I’d love for you to join me for the 2026 ReLaunch to a Rich Life LIVE event, September 17–19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Watch the video preview above for a feel of the experience.)

You’ll meet corporate executives, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, non-profit leaders, creatives, and women navigating career transitions.

So — quit apologizing and comparing and get ready to invest time in yourself.

I hope to see you in Scottdale!

You might think I’m paid to promote this conference — I’m not. This post is for you. Realize your potential and invest in yourself. If you have questions for me, post them in the chat.

https://purpleinspirationpodcast.com

#apapa #WNFoods #asianamerican #globalfood #womenleaders