Growing up, I attended a college preparatory school in New Orleans called The Isadore Newman School. Though I was not a very good student, except in Math and Science, the rigor of the program helped get me ready for the challenging life I set before myself. I credit my middle and high-school English instructors with teaching me how to write. This skill would be invaluable in writing and editing books and weekly ezines. So far, I have co-authored five business books, three that were business bestsellers. Moreover, The Herman Trend Alert    https://HermanTrendAlert.com  has been published weekly for over 20 years.

I founded my first company at the tender age of 14. It was called Jack & Jill Parties for Children. I trained other teenagers to tell stories in costume and character. My husband still remembers taking me to a party on the back of his scooter. I was dressed as KiKi, the Ballerina. In college, I worked in libraries, a job where I learned how to conduct research. Then when I graduated from the University of Denver with a BA in German and Minors in French and Mass Communications---at the age of 20---it was almost impossible to find a job. Gender bias was alive and well in the late 1960s in the United States. The only job I could find was working in an employment agency, which we called a "Personnel Recruiting Firm." I was the top producer for two years in a row until I got bored. Then I worked retail selling mattresses and other sleep-related products. From there, I was recruited to work in New York City for the world's largest manufacturer of bridal gowns, Alfred Angelo. I got married seven months later and continued to work for my boss at Angelo who had moved to Modern Bride Publications, the telemarketing arm of the bridal magazine. After I achieved the sales goals for their couture dress program in 10 weeks (something that had never been done before), I asked for a job in national advertising space sales and ran into a glass wall. However, I was successful in finding a job with Playgirl Magazine and it was as if I had found my niche. The advertising executives appreciated my well-researched style and I was successful. When I became pregnant with my second baby while getting an MBA, the magazine had a reduction in staff and because I was married, I was let go. The reasoning at the time was that I had a husband who would take care of me whereas the single women did not. I feel like this explanation is rambling, so I will jump to 1993 when I was at my first meeting of The National Speakers Association where I met my third husband, Roger Herman. At the time, I was an industry speaker and I was there with my mentor, Mikki Williams. My first professional speech was in May of that year and 26 years later, I am still speaking professionally. Along the way, Roger and I also wrote more than five books together, consulted together, and even spoke together.

As I surf the web, my unbounded curiosity for how the world works takes me down many rabbit holes. I crave adventure and new experiences; I think that is why I enjoy international travel so much. For me, it is always meeting people that makes the difference. I revel in learning new cultures and am looking forward to inspiring my students to do the same. (I will be Colorado State University's Clinical Professor of Leadership and Innovation aboard Semester at Sea for their Fall 2019 voyage.) I believe that we are here for two reasons: 1. To realize our full potential as individuals and 2. To provide love and support for each other. As I teach Leadership Teams around the world, I support them to live that "culture of caring" that makes everyone feel happy and supported.

I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. My father was a physician and my mother was a "physician's wife", not a homemaker. I seldom spent time with my father who was the major influence on my life. I was frustrated by my mother's alcoholism and a father who was "married" to his profession. In seventh grade, I translated a medical journal article for my father from French to English; it was about salicylates (aspirin products) causing internal bleeding in susceptible patients. I loved science and the opportunity to contribute to my father's work was a source of joy. In school, my favorite subjects were always Math and Science

I was fortunate enough to have had two role models: my father, Dr. Murrel H. Kaplan, a world-class gastroenterologist, and my late partner Roger E. Herman, founder of the Herman Group and creator of The Herman Trend Alert which is now read by over 29,000 people in 90 countries in four languages every week.

It's actually three organizations. The Herman Group is a consulting firm of futurists and management consultants, helping clients to create extraordinary corporate cultures. The Association of Professional Futurists (apf.org) is a 16-year old association of professionals who help clients think about their futures. The third organization is the Employer of Choice International, Inc. It recognizes the achievements of remarkable employers in creating employee-centric cultures.