The cheese board is my big treat at Christmas that I have to deny myself during the rest of year.

Women are not making it to the top. A hundred and ninety heads of state nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world thirteen per cent are women. In the corporate sector women at the top - C-level jobs board seats - tops out at fifteen sixteen per cent.

After every major conflict - World War I World War II Korea Vietnam the fall of the Soviet Union - what happened was that we ultimately hollowed out the force largely by doing deep across-the-board cuts.

The Obama administration believes in experts and blue-ribbon panels. They believe in creating new agencies and boards. They believe in all that but they just don't trust the entrepreneur's ability to grow her own business and to create jobs.

I grew up skateboarding it was fun. I didn't think about money I didn't know how much professional skateboarders made. I just knew that if I became a professional skateboarder I would achieve a lot and get to travel and do these great things.

I wanted to be looked at for the skateboarder that I was. I didn't want to be the 36-year-old skateboarder who's still holding on while owning a company at the same time. I wanted to make my mark and travel and accomplish a few things here and there and then get out.

My ideal travel companions are my surfboard wetsuit and guitar.

What does it mean to pre-board? Do you get on before you get on?

The 'Night Train' has already been a crazy ride for me. We flew around making TV appearances and stadium announcements all over the country fueled by little more than coffee and adrenaline... so many fans jumped on board with us and I couldn't be more thankful.

I take mentoring very seriously and I am on the board of an organization called Girls Write Now where we match teen girls and writing mentors because it changes their lives.