Our Speakers
Discover their incredible stories
We are so excited to be announcing this years incredible cast for TWSS Naperville 2025! Made up of women from all over our community, our lineup of women have stories that will touch your hearts, leave you cracking up, and maybe even create some new connections.
We aim to include stories from all walks of life by women from the Naperville community. We are so proud of this years cast and are already looking forward to next years. If you are interested in sharing your story from the stage, we invite you to submit an interest form letting us know a little bit more about yourself and your story.
Megan Balderston
Megan Balderston is thrilled to be a part of She Said Naperville. A 25-year resident of Clarendon Hills, Megan has a long history of nonprofit leadership roles but now works in Development and Capital Savings at Panera Bread. She is a soloist and cantor at several area churches, and over the last decade has returned to community theater, with the Hinsdale Community Revue, Beverly Theatre Guild, Oak Lawn Theatre, and Westmont Performing Arts. She also sings with Hyde Park's Chicago Chorale. Thank you to Ellen and Lisa for their amazing leadership of this project, and my fellow cast members who have made it such a joy-filled experience. Love to my wonderful family and friends for their support.
Jennifer Richardson
Jennifer Richardson is a lifelong champion of helping women find peace and intentionality in their everyday lives. She's passionate about her career as an ADHD and Overwhelm Coach, with a mission to help tear down the shame barriers that keep women feeling stuck, disorganized, or unable to fully command their own hours. Jenn believes that humor, community, and caffeine are the holy trinity of survival during life's toughest seasons.
When she's not running her organization company, coaching, or community building, she loves football, feeding people, and spending time with her husband and daughter - creating memories, seeking adventure, and collecting stories.
Ada Cheng
An educator-turned storyteller, creator, and producer, Dr.
Ada
Cheng
has utilized storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, raise critical awareness, and build intimate communities. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories.
Dr.
Cheng
has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. She was named 2023-24 Lund-Gill Endowed Chair at Dominican University. She was one of the Illinois Humanities Public Humanities Award honorees in 2024. Her interests encompass academia, storytelling/performance, and advocacy,
Olivia Rosenberg
Olivia Rosenberg is currently a senior at North Central College where she is double majoring in communications and sociology. Her studies focus on the relationship between women in the workplace and their use of apologies. When she's not in school, she's either working at the Morton Arboretum or watching romantic comedies. She has always described herself as a storyteller from being onstage at a young age to now writing professionally. She'd like to thank her family and friends for all their love and support.
Autumn Geist
Autumn is a long time area resident, mom of 3 adult children and grandmother to Mila, who she refers to as her joy. When she isn’t bragging about Mila, by day she is in business development for staffing and recruiting and leads creative workshops at night with The Makery , founded in 2017. In May, she will wrap up her first elected official role and will be looking for anything but politics to tackle. She is also a professional speech coach specializing in helping individuals overcome the fear of speaking and master it. Delivering a TedTalk is on her bucket list and so is writing a tell all book. At her core, she is a connector and thrives on creating experiences whether at her table, chatting with friends on a couch with coffee, wine or whiskey. She loves to cook up a batch of gumbo and if you are her friend, there is always a seat at her table.
Arlene Santiago
Arlene is a Functional Movement and Mindset Expert, helping people break free from pain, stiffness, and limiting beliefs. Using a unique approach that blends mobility training, emotional healing, and mindset shifts, she empowers clients to move with ease and confidence. ' Arlene specializes in unlocking the body’s natural ability to heal, so people can regain strength, flexibility, and freedom in how they live and function. She believes that staying active should feel natural, not restrictive. Her mission is simple: to help others experience movement without limits.
Heather Martinez
Heather Martinez is an entrepreneur, non-profit director, and passionate women’s advocate. As a proud IVF mama, she has built a strong community in the infertility space, providing support and essential tools to help others navigate their own fertility journeys. Beyond her advocacy, Heather is dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses through strategic consulting, productivity coaching, and meaningful community impact. She is a mom to Eliza, Violet, and Adrian and is committed to showing them the power of giving back and making a difference in the world every day.
Beth Tomas
Beth Tomas is dedicated to helping young women reach their full potential. As the
founder of This Girls Story, a digital, girl-led magazine for teens who identify as girls,
Beth works with a national editorial team of girls who produce quarterly themed issues.
With over 10 years of experience as a Girl Scout Leader, Beth knows the impact of
fostering leadership in girls. Beth is also the proud mom of two adult children, one who
works in advocacy and one studying comic art in college. Beth lives in Wheaton, IL with
her two beloved cats. She enjoys gardening, crochet, nature, movies, and reading
fiction.
Nancy Mullen
Nancy Mullen is executive director of Youth Outlook, the first not-for-profit organization serving LGBTQ youth in Illinois. A transplant to the Midwest, Nancy holds an MSW degree from Syracuse University and is now in her 27th
year at Youth Outlook. Away from work, Nancy is 10 credits away from her pastry chef degree and published her first book, Urban Tidepool, in 2020. In the last few years Nancy has been able to tell stories for OUTSpoken, VoiceBox, and Outwords Journey and is very excited to be here for the first time with the She Said Project.
Are you excited to hear what stories our slate of speakers has to share? Join us on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 7:30pm at Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College for a one-night only experience like no other.
The contents, experiences, and opinions shared by the speakers in the show are their own and do not reflect the views of The She Said Project or That's What She Said Naperville LLC.
The She Said Project upholds that every woman has a right to be heard.