Meet the Speaker | Dr. Laura Rehmer | Whole Health Chiropractic

Dr. Laura Rehmer

Whole Health Chiropractic

Dr. Rehmer received both her BS degree in Human Biology and her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City. While at Cleveland, Dr. Rehmer had the privilege of participating in clinical internships at the Cleveland Health Centers in both Overland Park, KS and Kansas City, MO.  In addition, Dr. Rehmer was chosen for an internship at the Kansas City Veterans Administration Hospital.  She has also gained extensive experience through her work in private practices in Sedalia, MO and Leawood, KS. She started Whole Health Chiropractic in Des Moines in 2018.  

Dr. Laura Rehmer believes that the road to true health and a long life begins in childhood.  Because of this, Dr. Rehmer has earned her CACCP through the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association with advanced training in Chiropractic care of pediatric cases, and is fully certified in the Webster Technique for perinatal care. She has also completed advanced training in upper cervical neurology in Barcelona, Spain. Tying these together, she has a special emphasis on working with children and adults with neurosensory integration disorders. 

Dr. Rehmer is the Vice President of the Iowa Chiropractic Society, a director of the board of the International Federation of Chiropractors and Organizations, a founder of the Scotland College of Chiropractic, a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association, the International Chiropractic Association, the American Business Women’s Association, and the Des Moines West Side Chamber. 

Dr. Rehmer uses a “whole person approach” with practice members at Whole Health Chiropractic. This approach to wellness means looking for underlying causes of any disturbance or disruption (which may or may not be causing symptoms at the time), and working directly with the nervous and brain to restore function and healing. 

In her free time, Dr. Rehmer is an independent mum of an amazing 3 and 4 year old.  She is an advocate for children in the DHS system, with a special passion for working with caretakers and children in a trauma-informed environment.

Dr. Rehmer is a Guest Speaker at our Practicing Physical Self-Care During the Workday Event this Thursday, March 7th from 11:30 am - 1 pm.

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Meet the Speaker | Annika Peick | Power Life

Annika Peick

Power Life

Annika Peick is the Marketing Director at Power Life, a boutique fitness studio with 8 locations spread between Des Moines and Kansas City. True to her style, she worked her way up the Power Life ladder. She started her journey as a member of the trade staff, then progressed to teacher, studio lead, and finally landed a promotion to her current title in the fall of 2016. Though she never “meant” to become a yogi, the physical and mental benefits the practice has brought into her life cannot be understated. She is honored to share her passion for yoga and fitness with the Des Moines community, both through teaching classes and through Power Life’s marketing platforms.

Annika is a Guest Speaker at our Practicing Physical Self-Care During the Workday Event this Thursday, March 7th from 11:30 am - 1 pm.

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Meet the Speaker | Abby Gillard | Select Physical Therapy

Abby Gillard

PT, DPT, CSMT, CSCS

Abby Gillard began her career in New York before moving to Des Moines in 2013. She currently serves as the Director of Clinical Excellence with Select Physical Therapy and practices out of the Downtown Des Moines location.  Her clinical interests include adult and adolescent sports medicine and orthopedics, as well as pelvic floor rehab. In 2018 she received her Spinal Manual Therapist certification (CSMT) through ISPI and Evidence in Motion. She is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Abby graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in Classical Archaeology. While at Dartmouth she played Division I soccer, and later had her first glimpse of Des Moines while coaching at Drake University in 2002.

Abby earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Columbia University in New York City in 2009, and was a 2009 recipient of the APTA’s Mary McMillan Scholarship.  She brings her own experience as an athlete into her physical therapy practice, and strives to help individuals of all ages manage injuries while continuing to work towards their goals. She is a runner and triathlete with marathon and Ironman experience, and enjoys all outdoor and team sports.

Abby is a Guest Speaker at our Practicing Physical Self-Care During the Workday Event this Thursday, March 7th from 11:30 am - 1 pm.

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Event Recap | Networking with Danny Beyer

On July 11, CREW Iowa and Iowa Women in Architecture co-hosted networking specialist, Danny Beyer. Through an interactive talk, Beyer emphasized how networking helps people accomplish more, but that many people (including himself once) dislike and fear networking. He shared how the traditional fears people have and mistakes people make when trying to network can be easily avoided with a few simple reminders and tips:

• What is networking?
  • Networking is building relationships, networks, and trust so you can support them and they can support you. As Beyer’s father told him, it is “talking to people, you idiot.”
• Tip One: Don’t talk about work. Ask great questions. Have great conversations.
  • Approximately 2/3rds of people don’t like their work which creates a potentially bad start to any conversation. Instead, ask questions such as “What’s your story?” “What do you do for fun?” or “What are you passionate about?”
• Tip Two: You have to be willing to tell people what you want.A lot of people suffer for being too nice or worry about being perceived as using other people.  You have to be able to ask people if they can help.
  • Remember, people want to help their friends.
• Tip Three: End your interactions, coffee dates, and meetings (informal or formal) with the question: “How can I help you?”  AND follow through.
  • This cements your relationship and opens doors for the future.
• Tricks for Remembering Names
  • Stop telling yourself you can’t remember names. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as you then stop trying to remember.
  • The easiest way to remember a name is to have a great conversation. (See Tip Two!)
• Tips for Women
  • Danny’s survey work addressed some of these concerns, but he doesn’t believe he is an authority on gender-specific advice. His tips and tricks are as gender neutral as possible. In general, he recommends: 1) Don’t be afraid to go to the table, 2) “Lean in,” and 3) Be confident.
• Networking with Age Differences
  • Have great conversations helps bridge the age gap. Mentorship can go both ways.

Submitted by Laura Kessel

Event Recap | Unhappy Hour

On Tuesday, April 4, members of Iowa Women in Architecture and the Polk County Women Attorneys gathered at Peace Tree Brewing for an 'Unhappy Hour' sponsored by Raker Rhodes Engineering. The event was in recognition of Equal Pay Day held every April to symbolize how far into the year women need to work to make what men did in the previous year.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer and Courts Architect/Project Manager Emily Gloe Donovan spoke about their professional experiences and the wage gap between men and women. Judge Bremer encouraged all of us to speak up and advocate what you believe is right. Don't wait for someone to ask for your opinion or to invite you to participate. If you believe change is needed, make it happen just as she did when her kids were young and she saw a dangerous situation at their school. Celeste put her kids on their bus, donned an orange vest, drove to the school and was there to direct traffic and safely guide all of the students through the parking lot when the bus arrived!

Emily Gloe Donovan remembers a night when she was just a few years out of school and working late at the office. A former male classmate turned colleague informed her that he recently saw her salary and that she would be shocked by how much less she was being paid than he. At the time, her response was understandably one of confusion, shock and frustration. Like many women who have faced similar situations, this knowledge prompted Emily to look elsewhere for employment. After years of experience, perspective and reflection, Emily's advice to the group is to ask the hard questions and have the difficult conversations instead of getting discouraged and walking away.  Read more about our speakers and their experiences HERE.

Written by Heidi Pollman

Unhappy Hour Speakers

Join us on April 4th for our Unhappy Hour.  A collabortative social event with Polk County Women Attorneys group, we'll have Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer and Courts Architect Emily Donovan speaking about the wage gap between men and women.

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Celeste F. Bremer
U. S. Magistrate Judge

U. S. Magistrate Judge Celeste F. Bremer was appointed to the bench in 1985. Prior to this, she was a prosecutor, a partner in a civil litigation firm, and in-house counsel for Deere & Company and Economy Forms Corporation.  Her caseload includes civil and criminal matters, along with mediation and court administration. 

She has served as liaison with the GSA and Administrative Office for the Courtson a major Repair and Alteration project for the Davenport U. S. Courthouse (AIA Citation awarded 2006), and has been involved with several major renovations of the Des Moines U. S. courthouse.  She was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts as a member of the Judicial Conference Space and Facilities Committee, which is responsible for the U. S. Courts Design Guide.  She has given presentations on court design at AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice seminars.

She teaches regularly at the Federal Judicial Center, trains mediators nationally and internationally, and has taught graduate classes in Organizational Leadership and law school classes at Drake University.  She has her doctorate in Adult Education from Drake University, and her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. 

Emily Gloe Donovan
Courts Architect, Southern District of Iowa

Emily Gloe Donovan is a graduate from Iowa State University where she received a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1993, studying a semester in Rome.  She is currently working as a US Courts Architect acting as a liaison between the Southern District of Iowa Federal Judges, and the GSA and design architects for the new Des Moines Federal Courthouse.  

Previously she has worked at several architecture firms including Substance Architecture, RDG Planning and Design, Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, often working on historic renovation/preservation projects such as the Randolph Hotel conversion, the Bergman Mansion, Hoyt Sherman Place Theater and the Salisbury House in Des Moines.  She also operated her own architecture business for three years while her kids were young, and renovated their entire 1880’s house in Sherman Hill with her husband.