About Just Before We Go

---

- Cross Training and Writing for Renewal -

The Pivoting Entrepreneur

 Wednesday Jan. 28, 2026

Sarah Canney is a former English teacher who leveraged her love of writing and running to create Rise Run Retreat, one of the premier women’s running retreats in the US. 

A decade later, she has pivoted back to her writing roots and is building a community over on Substack with her weekly newsletter Out of Bounds where she explores life outside the lines. Sarah’s writing has appeared in multiple publications including Women’s Running Magazine, Runner’s World, Outside, The New York Times and the Washington Post. Sarah’s fiction was a semifinalist for the pilot filming of America’s Next Great Author and was long-listed for the Tall Poppy Writers fiction pitch contest. Sarah lives with her husband and three children in rural New Hampshire, where she is attempting to grow as many lupines as possible.

- Removing Plastics While  Fighting Cynicism -

The Imperfect Environmentalist

Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026

Sheila M. Morovati is the founder of two international nonprofit organizations, Crayon Collection and Habits of Waste and the author of Imperfect Environmentalist. With a degree in Sociology from UCLA, she leverages human behavior and social dynamics to create accessible and innovative climate solutions. Sheila’s impactful contributions include pioneering global legislation, notably the world’s first ban on single-use plastic straws and cutlery. She has fostered systemic change by targeting major corporations, giving everyday individuals the power to make better choices for the planet and inspiring meaningful activism. Her work has been credited with diverting billions of pieces of single-use plastic from the waste stream. She has been featured in People magazine, the LA Times, Buzzfeed, Forbes, Huffington Post, and has appeared on TV shows such as the Kelly Clarkson Show and CBS Sunday Morning. Sheila was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to the US in 1979. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

- Eve-of-the-Eve of the Lunar New Year -

The Spoiled Dog Winery and Sushi the Chicken

Wednesday Feb 25, 2026

Your hosts bundle up and hang outdoors sipping on a glass of a delicious, crisp pinot gris, eating freshly made fudge while chatting about how

each day is a good day to invite positive energy into our lives and trust the momentum of consistent effort. 

Shed. Shed. Shed.

Follow through even when things are new and challenging. 

Take the time you need to get there.

Show up.

Reject fear.

Trust connections. 

Embrace chickens.

Cheers!

https://www.spoileddogwinery.com/

- The Art of Illustrating, Surfing & Growing Kale -

The Playful Optimist

Wednesday March 11,  2026

Jing Jing Tsong is a New York Times best-selling picture book author and illustrator, amateur musician (cello and stand-up bass), and permanent grom (beginner surfer). Her most recent book, Fake Chinese Sounds, is a middle-grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American girl navigating identity, bullying, and the messy process of learning to be comfortable in her skin. Jing Jing's writing and artwork explores diversity and community using a collage of texture, pattern and color. Influenced by the principles of monoprint and traditional stone lithography, she layers colors and textures to create images that are engaging and compelling.  More than two dozen published books burst with her vibrant illustrations, including the Hawaiian Legends for Little Ones series, Aloha Zoo, A Small Bucket of Blessings, to name a few. Past projects have included the United State Postal Service Winter Fun Forever stamps and Lunar New Year posters for McDonald's.   Her books can be found online Jing and Mike Co. at bookshop.org.  When not playing music, growing kale or surfing, Jing Jing says, "I hope my explorations as an illustrator and writer nourish a more empathic world." 

- the Creative Thinking Power of Women - 

A Blissful Sip at Ott & Hunter's 

Wednesday March 25, 2026

 Join your hosts as they sit inside with a glass of cab franc, staring out at the Saratoga Passage contemplating the transition into spring and our own springing into action. 

Just two business minded women jawing about   

the possibility of doing things differently, inspiring each other and encouraging ourselves to ask for what we are worth. Because we are worth it!

Agreed? Good. Join us.

Find a beautiful spot, stare at the water, gaze at the trees, go for a walk or pour yourself a glass of something yummy and enjoy this short and sweet conversation. 

Cheers!

https://otthunter.com/