For someone who has come so far in her career, Magic 106.7's Candy O'Terry has not lost her sense of modesty. "I still think that my Dad is my biggest fan!"

Candy describes her transition into radio as one that occurred 'through the back door.' Looking back on her experience, she says, "Most people who make their living in radio have been imagining themselves as DJs since childhood – this wasn't the case for me. I was a singer and I have a degree in English!"

From 1984 to 1990, Candy sang for a cover band called 'Stage Unlimited.' "I loved it! I sang every song you could ever imagine, from 'Dress You Up' by Madonna to 'I'm So Excited' by the Pointer Sisters. We would perform Friday through Sunday, doing 36 songs per night. The experience really honed me as a person who is not only a good performer, but who can work the room as well." Candy then transitioned into singing commercial jingles. "As a lifetime singer, I was always entranced by radio. I started marketing myself to local advertising agencies, and soon enough I was doing ads for Colombo Slim Yogurt and Great Bear Spring Water."

Candy soon faced a difficult situation when she and her husband parted ways. "My children were very young, I wasn't even 30 yet, and I was in a position where I had to look at my inventory of skills. I realized that I could write, sing, I had jingles on the radio, I had been doing voiceovers and industrial narration, and so then I thought, 'Huh, maybe I should get a job at a radio station…because they have health insurance!" Candy jokes. "I had to get my FCC license, so I went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting for four months, and then in November 1990, I was sent out on three job interviews. One was for a temporary position at Magic 106.7. I started out as a secretary to the program director, and now I'm second in command!"

The one thing Candy is most proud of out of all her accomplishments at Magic is the creation of 'Exceptional Women,' a 30-minute segment that debuted in December 1992. "Our parent company, Greater Media, decided that they would like us to have two hours of locally produced public affairs programming, and everyone who works in radio sees this kind of thing as the red-haired step sister – nobody wants to produce it, prepare it, interview, edit, or anything," Candy jokes. "It was even less appealing to a lot of people because it was set to air at 6:30 on Sunday mornings. Luckily for me, this was the perfect place to start! My boss turned to me early on in my career and asked if I would like to try it, since nobody else wanted to, and that's where the general concept for the show was born. The writer in me was so jazzed to learn how to do background research and create questions!"

One story in particular has stuck with Candy over the years. "One day, I interviewed a young woman who was sent to me through United Way. She had this incredible story of heartache and hardship – she was a victim of incest and domestic abuse, and she was an advocate for other female victims. Among her many accomplishments were lobbying Beacon Hill to change the laws against stalking, and teaching at Harvard about how to identify the signs of incest and domestic abuse. After she left the room, I remember just sitting there and crying, thinking to myself, 'I have nothing to complain about.' That night, I kept picturing her as someone who had every single obstacle placed in front of her, and yet she was able to rise and shine despite it all. She inspired me so much, and it was because of my interview with this woman that I officially created the concept for 'Exceptional Women,' which would focus on women who were truly inspiring. I asked Gay Vernon to be my co-host and to help me learn to become a better interviewer. Our partnership began 17 years ago, and it just blossomed. We have interviewed over 400 women, and received 32 local and national awards." Seventeen of those awards are Gracie Allen awards, which are given to media outlets that portray positive and realistic portraits of women. This is a national record – Magic 106.7 has received more Gracie's than ABC, CBS, NBC, and Oxygen, to name a few networks.

Candy's immense success in radio did not come easily, especially at the beginning, when she had to balance her professional life with being a newly single parent. "I started nineteen years ago, when my children were seven and ten. I recall feeling incredibly guilty about missing things, but then I realized that it really takes a village to accomplish things. I decided to pull in the other people in my life that I love to help me, when I realized that not only do I love my children more than life itself, but lots of other people do, too. Even if I couldn't be there, there was always somebody at my son's baseball game, or at my daughter's swim meet. It may not have been me, but there was always a great cheerleader on the sidelines, and I always got the details when I got home. We always had what we called our sacred time, which is when we just got to be together and hang out, all three of us."

Candy has travelled a victorious road in her career, and has definitely noted what it takes to be successful. "The most important piece of advice that I can give is to leave your attitude at the door at all times. I see a lot of children and the way their parents deal with them, and I've noticed a change in the way that we are raising our children in this era. We need to love them, but we also need to give them what I call the 'cold water reality test.' They need to know how to deal with rejection with grace and dignity. They need to know that if you put a lot of effort into something, it usually works out, but sometimes it doesn't. Life isn't about how much you accomplish, it's about how you got to where you are."

"I see so many women entering into the broadcasting field, and they expect to be in the perfect job right away, and they are doing themselves an injustice. If you don't earn your stripes right away, or if you trip and fall, get up. Learn from your mistakes, because if you don't, you will never have an appreciation for how far you have come. You can cry a river, but that's the way life is. It hurts to fall down, but getting back up is when you start to learn."

We're glad to see that someone as brilliant as Candy has remained on her feet. Candy is currently Assistant Program Director at Magic 106.7. She co-hosts AFTERNOON DRIVE with Dan Justin, doing MAGIC BACKSTAGE, news, weather and Magic Real Time Traffic updates. She can be heard on Saturdays from 9-noon and on Sundays as co-host of the award winning program, EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN. EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN airs Sunday mornings at 7:30 on MAGIC 106.7 and again at 8:30AM on MAGIC 106.7 HD-2. Get more information about this fabulous program or listen to some of the shows at http://www.magic1067.com/inside-magic/programs/ew.aspx

For more Inspirational Women article or articles on different topics visit the Applaud Women Library.