Leah Humphries is an entrepreneur, creative innovator and advocate. As an entrepreneur and creative innovator, she is president and CEO of two companies, Apple Creative Group, a full-service creative firm, and MY HEART TIES®, a niche web-based company that designs and manufactures ostomy pouch covers. As an advocate, she uses her experience of physical and emotional pain to help women move beyond their bad experiences and reclaim their emotional, spiritual and physical lives.

I. PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Humphries founded Apple Creative Group (AppleCreativeGroup.com), a full-service creative firm that focuses on corporate identity, branding and marketing, in 2005. She has won numerous awards, including, four Addy awards in 2009, and the coveted Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women In Business award presented by Gov. Edward Rendell. Before launching Apple Creative, she was the lead creative director at Sunflower Design & Graphics, where she coordinated, designed and implemented diverse marketing and promotional strategies for a variety of industries.

Based on her personal experience with Crohn's disease and the debilitating effects of ileostomy surgery, Humphries launched My Heart Ties® in 2006. This niche web-based company, which designs and produces ostomy pouch covers made from luxurious and sensual materials, is changing women's lives by helping them reclaim their dignity and self-esteem. In 2007 My Heart Ties® received a patent as well as plenty of buzz from nationally acclaimed health organizations such as the Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, Hollister International and the United Ostomy Association of America. As many as one million men and women in North America have an ostomy; Humphries is dedicated to helping the women in that group reclaim their femininity and sexuality.

II. ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF WOMEN

Humphries' journey doesn't end there. A quote from a recent article about Humphries and My Heart Ties tells more of her story:

"At the age of 20, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease; twenty months later I underwent colon surgery. Why me, was my constant thought? As an art student I had always pictured myself as a free spirit and a creative soul who experienced only the beauty in life. Now I had to face the world with an ileostomy and my distorted perception of my body as broken and ugly."

"In 1994, I married to reinforce my need for safety which only resulted in loneliness, unfulfilled promises, and emotional and verbal abuse. I disappeared into the fabric of domestic life, losing touch with my dreams, my spirituality and self-esteem. In 2005, I ended that phase of my life and a courageous new me emerged from the ashes. Next an idea blossomed, followed by a product, a website and a mission!"

My Heart Ties® is not the only aspect of her drive to advocate for women in pain, in this case, emotional pain from a potentially embarrassing health condition. She regularly mentors women experiencing this type of surgery and is always available to talk to a worried patient on-line or via phone call.

Even though she was busy and fulfilled running two businesses and raising a family with her second husband, Humphries knew something was missing. She gradually realized that she could use the pain she's experienced in her life for a productive purpose: to help other women figure out how to reclaim the power within them so that they can move on to live fulfilling lives. She's reaching out to women who are still stuck in a place of pain, whether from physical illness or destructive relationships, by speaking and writing about her experiences. Her website, Pain2PowerPrinciple (Pain2PowerPrinciple.com), is one part of that mission.

III. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Humphries is an active member of the Erie, Pa. community. She serves as a board member for Gannon University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC Advisory Board, which is a state-wide network that assists existing and start-up companies at no cost; My Father's House of Erie, a non-profit, transitional home for homeless and abused women and their children; and an Erie faith-based non-profit called In His Image.

At My Father's House of Erie, Humphries designed and provided all the marketing materials, pro bono, which created a great deal of support for this budding organization.

Humphries was instrumental in sharing her creative gifts, also pro bono, with Grace Baptist Church in 2008. Humphries worked with the internal marketing team at Grace to help create a viral marketing campaign called…"who is grace." This campaign was meant to inform the community of the church's upcoming relocation and gain new members. To date the congregation has more then doubled, due in part to this phenomenally successful endeavor.

In addition to these efforts, Humphries also volunteered in 2008 to chair the 1st Annual Women in Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.) Conference. "She is one of the most high-energy, motivating and infectious women I've ever met. We were so fortunate to have her as the chairperson for the conference. She brings knowledge, energy, and passion to this community-wide annual program," said Gannon Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Educational Program Coordinator Jodie M. Gloekler, MBA.

The W.I.L.D. Conference showcases northwestern Pennsylvania entrepreneurs, national speakers, and community organizations while featuring woman-owned businesses as exhibitors who display merchandise, educational materials, and health oriented items. The Director of the SBDC Program, Debra Steiner, said, "She set the bar unbelievably high for this woman's conference and we couldn't have done this without her."

Humphries has now stepped up for a third consecutive year to continue her branding efforts for the W.I.L.D. Her work in this venue has always been pro bono in return for the exposure it offers her companies.

Most recently, Humphries had the opportunity to share her talents with nationally- known public speaker, publicist, and author Soni Dimond, of Soni Dimond Media, who she met through the W.I.L.D. Conference. Humphries revamped Dimond's corporate identity which helped Ms. Dimond launch her newest book Son of a Pitch™. This professional relationship with Dimond allowed Humphries to step outside her local area and onto the national stage.