A vacation is a wonderful time to learn new things and enrich yourself. For Sweet Caribbean Cruise guests who are interested in networking on board, we’ve designed Sweet Sparks.

We’ll have the opportunity hear short talks by remarkable women, then dig deeper into the topics that spark us at a networking reception after their presentations.

We’ll have two 2-3 hour programs during our days at sea, each designed to energize you and connect you with women who share your passions.

Our Sweet Sparks 2009 line up:

DORIA BIDDLE
Sirius / XM Radio talk show host
Called “The Kevin Bacon of Lesbian Los Angeles,” Doria Biddle has written for MTV, Nickelodeon’s Rugrats, Disney’s Recess and was an editor at Teen Magazine where she learned all about boys and makeup.

Doria is a Northeasterner by birth and a West Coaster by choice. She graduated from a Quaker boarding school outside of Philadelphia and a women’s college outside of Boston before moving to West Hollywood. The only out lesbian Quaker on radio, Doria can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio’s The Frank DeCaro Show. Broadcast throughout the US and Canada, The Frank DeCaro Show has been called “three hours of complete nonsense.” Doria is a Scorpio. She loves football and Russian literature.

TANIA KATAN
Author, comedian and goofball
Tania Katan is a literary rock star. Don’t take her mother’s word for it, just ask Melissa Etheridge who said this of Tania’s award-winning memoir, “My One Night Stand With Cancer,” “This book rocks! It’s playful, passionate and downright beautiful.” Despite the word cancer in the title, Katan’s book is loaded with optimism, humor and naked ladies.

Please join Tania Katan on Sweet Caribbean Cruise as she reads from her groundbreaking memoir, “My One-Night Stand With Cancer.” Q & A and book signing will follow the reading. Also, because Tania’s readings feel more like a one-woman rock concert than a stuffy literary event; women have been known to throw their bras onstage (or podium), so please wear a bra, that can be taken off quickly, and enjoy Tania’s dynamic reading!

TAMMARA BILLIK
casting director, producer and entertainment consultant
Tammara Billik is an award winning casting director, producer and entertainment consultant with a show business career that spans over 25 years. She’s cast over 600 episodes of prime time television, including “Married… with Children,” “Grounded For Life,” “Samantha Who” and your favorite “Ellen.” Tammy has discovered and cast many of today’s stars as they were starting out, including Johnny Depp, Megan Fox, Pamela Anderson, Matt LeBlanc and many others.

Join Tammy as she discusses the secrets of Hollywood casting, including the real story of the famous “Coming Out” episode of “Ellen.” Find out how casting really works. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be her next great discovery!

AEFA MULHOLLAND
travel writer extraordinaire
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Aefa Mulholland has worked with the B.B.C., Irish national broadcaster R.T.E. and a plethora of print and online publications, including The Irish Times, The Miami Herald, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Advocate. She has been published or broadcast on four continents, writing or presenting on subjects from mule racing to the hazards of bingo to partying with The Pixies. 

Aefa is Editor at Large at The Out Traveler and is a frequent contributor to Curve, OUT, The Advocate, Outlooks, and a slew of other publications. She is currently finishing a travel memoir/humor book about learning how to become Scottish in Scottish-America.

VICTORIA PROCTOR
health and wellness expert
Victoria is the owner of Victoria’s Touch a Life, a Holistic Health, Fitness, and Mind-Body Wellness Practice in Catonsville, Maryland. Victoria is a sports and fitness fanatic and truly enjoys providing inspirational/motivational talks to women on living passionate and productive lives in order to achieve personal success and greatness. She was a 7-time All-American track star while in college and has not stopped running or working out! She continues to train her body and mind to compete in races from the 5K up to the marathon, even throwing in a Triathlon in 2007 for the mental challenge. Victoria gained expertise in the fields of science and medicine through her bachelor of science degree in psychology from Frostburg State, bachelor of science degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins University, and master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Maryland.

Today, Victoria combines her practical skills and knowledge as an exercise physiologist with her medical expertise and passion to
teach individuals about fitness, holistic health, and spiritual mind-body wellness. Victoria’s dynamic personality and stirring and
captivating presentations help women to understand and embrace their own health and wellness and to live their best, SWEETest life NOW! 

BARB ELGIN
relationship and dating expert
Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW (aka Coach Sappho), is a licensed clinical social worker, Certified Singles Coach, dating and relationship coach, with over 20 years of professional experience. She has received specialized training in singles, dating and relationship coaching with the Relationship Coaching Institute, as well as personal, corporate and business coach training with Coachville.

Barb earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Towson University. Ms. Elgin is a former board member of the Maryland Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, she is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, The Relationship Coaching Institite and The Executive Circle of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber’s Women’s Business Initiative. Barb is also an executive member of the Professional Matchmaker’s Association.

Barb is a nationally known lesbian dating and relationship expert. She supports clients from all over the U.S. using innovative methods such as telephone groups and tele-seminars and her current passion is growing her two social networks for single lesbians and lesbian couples. Barb writes for popular online lesbian sites and online dating sites such as Jane and Jane Magazine, Queercents and GetSteady. She is the National Lesbian Dating Expert for The Examiner. She’s been quoted and has written for many local gay and lesbian newspapers. Barb has spoken to audiences all over the U.S. and she’s been a frequent guest on traditional, internet and satellite radio programs such as The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius OutQ, HRC’s The Agenda, Blogtalkradio’s Sisterstalk and My Lesbian Radio’s Lesbian Lounge.

Barb gives back frequently to the community. Some of her primary passions over the past 25-30 years has been community work with the GLBT and Women’s Communities and mentoring master’s level social work graduates. You can learn more about her work by going to CoachSappho.com.

MICHELLE JACK
doctor of veterinary medicine
Dr. Michelle Jack grew up surrounded by pets, from cats and birds to lizards and mice — and always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. With an undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and a degree in veterinary medicine from the Ohio State University, Dr. Jack moved on to complete an internship in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery the following year. After finishing her training, she moved home to California and started working at Wilshire Animal Hospital in Santa Monica. In her eight years at Wilshire Animal Hospital, she’s served a large and devoted patient base that includes every species imaginable, and has become a sought-after expert in avian, small mammal (rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rodents), and reptile medicine.

In addition to maintaining her busy practice, Dr Jack serves as clinical instructor to veterinary students from Western University, and provides after hours exotic animal consultations to emergency clinics in the area. Dr. Jack is trained in fish anesthesia and surgery, rigid endoscopy, bird fracture repair, rabbit and rodent dentistry, emergency medicine of exotics and several ultrasound labs in cats, dogs, ferrets and rabbits.

She lives in Venice Beach with her girlfriend, their dog, and their three cats. In her free time she enjoys surfing, rollerblading and playing frisbee with her dog Maggie. She has appeared on Logo’s reality show “Curl Girls” and Animal Planet’s “Untamed and Uncut.” You can check out her video blog, “Ask Dr. Jack”, offering you helpful
veterinary advice on www.shewired.com. She is excited to bring her expertise as a veterinarian on board the upcoming Sweet Caribbean Cruise!

ERIN COTTOM
CIMA®, Financial Consultant
Erin relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2008. As a founding partner of The Cottom/Shakkottai Investment Group, she has advised families with high-level assets exclusively since 1996.

Erin has a reputation within the legal and tax advisory community for delivering first-class investment advice and risk mitigation strategies.

In 2002, Erin attended The Wharton School and achieved the exclusive designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) in conjunction with the Investment Management Consultants Association. The CIMA® designation indicates that a client is working with a professional who is top in the investment field and among an elite group of advisors that is uniquely qualified. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Dayton.

An Ohio native, Erin previously resided in Sarasota, Florida since 2004. She is the former President of Shaker Toastmasters, has served as First Vice President on the Board for Friends of the Selby Public Library and has been the Keynote speaker for Susan G. Komen’s Relay for Life. Erin is proactive in the communities she serves, is a consummate patron of the arts and a staunch supporter of medical related charities. Erin is an avid tennis player and recently completed her first stand-up comic routine.

D MAGRINI
Health Education Program Director
For 18 years, D Magrini has focused her skills and energy toward the goal of reducing health disparities and improving access to culturally sensitive care for underserved and vulnerable women. Magrini’s deep commitment to this community of women grew out of her early years of community-focused activism while she raised her children.

Ms. Magrini began her professional career in 1991 as a community health outreach and education specialist for vulnerable lesbians of color, and as a member of the Women’s Health Consultants Collective (from 1991 – 94) who trained third year medical students and seasoned providers how to conduct a sensitive well-woman exam respectful of the woman’s perspective.

Ms. Magrini also served as the program coordinator/liaison for the Women’s Health consultants program at Howard University. In this role she worked closely with medical school instructors to assure students’ learning goals were met and evidenced by evaluation. This position allowed Ms. Magrini to increase her administrative skills as program manager, while developing the more nuanced skill of matching the appropriate instructors with the appropriate student grouping to create a stimulating learning environment. She developed and honed her abilities to develop and communicate effective health promotion messages to a range of diverse audiences. In particular, Howard University allowed Ms. Magrini to work with a broad range of international students. During her time at Howard, she learned the critical importance of mutual listening and learning strategies, not only with respect to those providing care but also in forming ongoing respectful partnerships with vulnerable communities of women at increased risk for under-service and poor health.

Ms. Magrini joined Mautner Project as a health educator in 1994, and continued this work as the primary health educator at the Lesbian Services Program of Whitman Walker clinic in Washington, D.C. from 1997– 2006 and developed a range of successful strategies for getting different communities of women of color to participate in health promotion and early intervention programs. Notable among these efforts was the Avon and Komen-funded Breast Health Initiative where she assessed and refined outreach strategies based on the experiences of women with BHI.

Ms. Magrini rejoined Mautner Project as Health Education Program Director in 2006. She was the lead instructor/organizer of SHE Circle–the Spririt, Health, Education Circle for African American lesbian and bisexual women funded by the Centers for Disease Control. She is also the lead instructor/organizer of Mautner’s EDUcate (Eliminating Disparities for the Underserved) funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Ms. Magrini is an often-invited speaker on a national level addressing issues of cultural competency in medical environments for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Most recently Ms. Magrini served as an invited presenter at an AARP sponsored conference on health successful health interventions for aging African American Lesbians.

Magrini attended American University, and served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army.