DONNA’S BIOGRAPHY

Long Bio

Donna Cravotta is the Founder and CEO of Cravotta Media Group, Chief Storyteller + Positioning Architect, and creator of The Real 50 Over 50: The Wisdom Revolution—a visibility project featuring 175+ women over 50 redefining success in their Third Act.

For over 40 years, Donna has been gathering stories and creating content that bridges the gap between who you are and who needs to hear from you. Her work began in the 1980s at a 125-year-old law firm, where she learned to gather institutional stories and translate them into strategy. She launched her business in 2006 as a solo parent who needed to create a sustainable path without having to choose between her work and her son.

A few years ago, Donna hit pause and became her own client. What emerged was Tried & New, her proprietary methodology that walks accomplished entrepreneurial women through remembering who they already are. It’s not reinvention…it’s reclamation.

In the middle of redesigning her business, Donna realized that Forbes-style demographic celebrations excluded the incredible women she knew—including herself. On March 15, 2023, she launched The Real 50 Over 50. To date, she’s hosted over 140 interviews and 18 wisdom panels, and is consistently booked 4-5 months in advance. Listening to these stories every week validated what she learned in her own work: the most powerful theme is remembering.

Through strategic content strategies and AI-powered systems, Donna helps clients gather their wisdom, clarify their positioning, and build visibility that feels natural, not performative.

A proud Brooklyn native, Donna believes in collaboration over competition and building businesses that reflect who you are now, not who you were told to be.

Short Bio (Podcast Introduction)

Donna Cravotta is the Founder and CEO of Cravotta Media Group, Chief Storyteller + Positioning Architect, and creator of The Real 50 Over 50. With over 40 years of experience, she helps accomplished entrepreneurial women gather their wisdom, clarify their positioning, and build visibility through her Tried & New methodology.

SPEAKING / INTERVIEW TOPICS

Don’t Reinvent Yourself. Remember Who You Already Are.

Talk/Workshop/Interview

We’ve been sold a narrative: at 50+, you need to reinvent yourself to stay relevant. But reinvention is a construct that makes accomplished women feel like everything they’ve done for 30-40 years means nothing.

In this presentation, I share the framework behind my Tried & New methodology—a strategic approach that helps entrepreneurial women gather their wisdom, clarify their positioning, and build visibility that feels natural, not performative.

You’ll learn:

• Why the “reinvention” narrative triggers imposter syndrome in accomplished women

• How to gather and sort through what you already have (the Tried & New process)

• Strategies for reclaiming the parts of your story you’ve set aside

• How to position your earned wisdom as your competitive advantage

• Building a sustainable business model that reflects who you are now

Perfect for: Women entrepreneurs 50+, business associations, professional development groups

When Wisdom Meets AI: Sustainable Business Building for Women 50+

Talk/Workshop/Interview

Everyone is talking about AI, but most training assumes you have time to get lost in tools and tactics. I take a different approach: AI as a thought partner that works with your wisdom, not instead of it.

In this talk, I share how accomplished entrepreneurial women can use AI to build visibility systems without overwhelm. AI does not have wisdom. Gather your 30-40 years of earned wisdom and introduce it to AI.

You’ll learn:

• How to communicate with AI tools conversationally and ask better questions to get better results

• Training AI to capture your voice and story patterns (not sound like a robot)

• A select toolset that’s affordable, easy to use, and actually solves real problems

• What AI does well (and what it absolutely cannot do)

• How to use the time you get back strategically

Perfect for: Women entrepreneurs, small business owners, authors, speakers

After the Book Launch: Revitalize Your Book and Put It to Work for You

Talk/Workshop/Interview

This interactive presentation is specifically for nonfiction authors with a book published within the past three months to three years seeking to move past the launch and take their darling book off the shelf, dust it off, and put it to work.

We’ll explore what’s holding you and your book back, and I’ll share strategies on how to revitalize your passion, breathe new life into your book, and position it as the center of your marketing platform and the key to relationships, opportunities, and possibilities.

You’ll learn:

• How to Repurpose and Upcycle Book Content for Ongoing Visibility

• Using AI to Mine New Ideas

• Leveraging Your Book for Media/Speaking Engagements

• Your Book is the Key to Building Relationships

• Strategies for Gathering Book Reviews

• Book Relaunch and Ideas for Live and Virtual Events

I also speak on:

• The Wisdom Revolution: Insights from 175+ interviews with women over 50

• Intentional Visibility: Why small and mighty beats big and random

• AI Literacy for Business Owners: Practical tools without the overwhelm

• Digital PR Strategies: Getting featured without a publicist

• Substack for Thought Leaders: Building your owned platform

• LinkedIn Strategy: Content that connects with your ideal clients

• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): How to show up in AI-powered search

• Solo Parenting & Business: Momsulting beyond the empty nest

All topics can be delivered as talks, workshops, or interviews. Let’s discuss what your audience needs.

CERTIFICATIONS

PAST TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

• Frequent Podcast Guest on the topics of:
  • The Real 50 over 50: The Wisdom Revolution
  • Reinvention or Remembering?
  • After the Book Launch: Revitalize Your Book and
    Put It to Work for YOU
  • Storytelling and Story Gathering
  • Practical AI for Small Businesses
  • Social Media Strategies
  • Visibility Strategies
  • Digital PR
  • Content Strategy and Marketing
  • Relationship Marketing
  • Small Business
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Single Parenting

“Donna adds a unique touch to her presentations by skillfully connecting with her audience. She recently spoke at one of my humor writing group meetings, and the attendees were thoroughly impressed by her level of expertise in the subject she presented. Donna exudes a warm demeanor, fostering mutual respect and attendee participation.  If you seek professionalism and proficiency for your upcoming event, I highly recommend Donna with a rating of five stars and more!”

Gina Ramsey
Founder of Finding the Funny, Ink
Author of Burnt Gloveboxes: Embracing Life When it Goes Up in Flames

“To say that Donna is a wealth of knowledge would be a disservice and an understatement. I am so grateful to have Donna as a key mentor for our community of female founders, as she elegantly explains complex marketing subjects in a way that’s actionable and understandable to female leaders and business owners. Donna is giving, compassionate, and deeply cares about the women she surrounds herself with. Thank you for everything you do for our us and the Sohuis community!”

Jessica Korthuis
Founder/CEO
Sohuis

”Donna Cravotta and I met at a networking event for Women Entrepreneurs. Her insights and approach to social media resonated with me so much that I asked her to be a Social-PR guest speaker for the FastTrac program. For over 2 years she participated as a guest expert and wowed the crowd every time.”

Donna Russo
Former Program Manager
SUNY Levin Institute

“We engaged Donna to speak to our ASID chapter members. Most are not fans of social media, but Donna crafted a custom presentation, which was apparent and  offered an entirely new perspective. She focused on listening and relationship building, these are skills we all have, but she exhibited how we can use the tools we have always used to build our businesses in an entirely new way. Fresh, engaging, and she is funny too.”

Phyllis Harbinger, ASID, NCIDQ, CID
Certified Interior Designer and Author
President, ASID NY Metro Chapter 2014/2015
Design Concepts Interiors

“Over the years, we have had a LOT of speakers come and present on social media and PR strategies. Donna has become my go-to person for this. Her message is so simple and easy to follow and do, it make the “job” fun. And the results soon follow. I recommend you work with Donna if you ever get the chance.”

Stefan Doering
Founder
BEST Coaches, Inc