Every woman should attend a Smart Talk women’s lecture series. Being amongst other empowering women and learning from them is what breeds creativity in one’s mind.
Visit Smart Talk Women to see all of the amazing, inspirational, and successful women in the entire lecture series.
I’m thrilled to be attending the Smart Talk series with Diane Keaton on May 19, 2009 in Cincinnati. Single event (as opposed to the entire series) seats are still available here.
Grab your girlfriends and coworkers and meet me there! I’ll be the one in awe of Diane Keaton!
Certainly, you’ve heard of Twitter by now. It’s so fun! I’ve connected with so many people via Twitter. It’s totally addicting! Follow Supernatural Botanicals on Twitter for updates…on all things girly, of course!
Tony Robbins, the sensei of common sense and inspiration, has long been a favorite of mine. He makes you think deeper…and we all know how much I like big thinkers! In this clip, he discusses why we do what we do, and how we can do it better. I know it seems a bit campy….I can’t tell you the heat I’ve taken for my love of self-improvement books! There’s really a rhyme and reason to it all. It’s about growing, constantly growing, learning, and contributing to the world. It’s about challenging yourself, especially when times are rough. It’s about developing your emotional muscle. Take a look at this clip and judge for yourself. You’ll notice he high-fives my boy, Al Gore! …by the way, have you watched An Inconvenient Truth yet?
Quote: The human race is knowingly destroying the environment. We pretend there is nothing we can do about it, and that makes us all idiots. I am not going to make this a “green” point, so calm down. But couldn’t we just recycle as a bare-minimum effort to help the planet out a bit? Larry Winget, New York Times Bestselling Author, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It!
My friend Debba is a girl about town. She’s in the know of everything, from networking, social media, blogging, pod casting, fashion, business, all things Cincinnati, and of course, the founder/creator of Girlfriendology and Cincinnati Women Bloggers. Girlfriendology is a great website that celebrates friendships of girlfriends. Debba just went to LA and hung out with Brooke Burke, selected by Frito Lay to help launch A Woman’s World. Check out her home page for pictures and details. You’ll love Girlfriendology. There’s something for everyone there.
Great meeting yesterday with New Media Cincinnati. There are a handful of social media rockstars here in Cincinnati, and I’m standing next to one of them here. This is Daniel Johnson, Jr., or, as I call him, DJJ, and he founded New Media Cincinnati. Visit his site here.
What is New Media Cincinnati?It’s an informal meet up for people in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton areas involved with or who have an interest in new media (podcasting, video podcasting, blogging, micro-blogging, social networking, etc.)
If you are in our area, I highly suggest attending the next meeting if you are interested in networking with highly skilled, well-connected people in the industry.
Affectionately dubbed the “babe table” these ladies are a lot more than eye candy. Check them out to see why:
We simply can’t avoid it, most larger companies are exercising their right to slum it one day a week, also known as business casual day. I never could understand it, really. We can’t make the effort to look professional all five days a week? I guess I’ve grown to loathe the term so much because I’ve seen business casual so sorely abused. I’ve seen open-toed shoes in the office. I’ve seen sandals in the office. I’ve seen denim. I’ve seen khakis on women that were so short and so tight, it was neither casual nor comfortable…and certainly not acceptable for public viewing.
Personally, I’ve never bought into the notion of business casual. I love my power heels and skirts. I love a smart, tailored suit. I love beautiful, minimalistic jewelry to accessories with. Being polished and pulled together is a mind set that separates you from the, well, not so pulled together.
I once had a meeting that was business casual. Honest to goodness, a lady walked in with a denim button up shirt that had Budweiser embroidered on it accompanied by leggings and sandals. If you should dress for the kind of job you want, what kind of job do you think she wanted?
Conversely, you need to know how to do business-dress properly as well. I once knew a women who held an authoritative position who attempted to dress for success, however her wardrobe was so grossly dated and 80s, she may as well have just gone business casual. She still wore suit jackets that had shoulder pads, for the love of Liz Claiborne! Everything about her appearance screamed Golden Girls, right down to her gold rimmed totally 80s glasses to her bouffant hair style that looked to be a powdered wig. Her look aged her 20 years.
This isn’t rocket science, girlfriend. If you feel you absolutely need to go business casual, there is a right way to do it, and positively, there is a wrong way to do it. Lets discuss:
*Nothing too tight, such as khakis that you can’t breathe in. They make you look bigger than you are and show your panty lines…or even worse, cellulite.
*Nothing too short, such as skirts hitting you mid thigh or pants hitting you mid ankle. Capri pants are not even an option…don’t go there.
*Absolutely no leggings, ever. I’d like to tell you to never own a pair of leggings as they make your legs look like stuffed sausages and are horribly dated, but if you must, make sure it’s at home. Never wear a pair of leggings to the office, no matter how much you think you’ve accessorized them.
*No open-toed shoes…not even your favorite pair of peep toe pumps. I know, I know, I love an open toe pump as much as Christian Louboutin, but these must be reserved for after the office or the bedroom. They just have no place in the office. And be sure the dress shoes you wear are clean, free of scuff marks, and appropriate for business. No one wants to see your toes or even your perfect pedicure in the office.
*Your hose or socks should either match your dress/pants, or your shoes. You have two options here. That’s why dressing for success shouldn’t be so daunting. You have two choices here…either match your skirt or pants, or match your shoes. Very neutral nude hose will also work with a skirt (not pants), but be sure to find a very nude color to match your skin. That being said, never go to work with a bare leg even if you have a beautiful tan. It’s simply unprofessional.
Below are some good examples of business casual. You’ll notice, these pieces are mixed and matched to create several different outfits. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on your wardrobe, you just have to make smart choices. My personal outlook on it all is to stay classy, stay business-business every day. But if you do go business casual, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, if I was offered a huge promotion today, do I look the part?
I was recently pleasantly surprised to see I was honored to make the list of 101 Women Bloggers To Watch in 2009 by WE Magazine for Women. Thanks so much, WE Magazine, I truly appreciate your recognition!
Here are five great selections to give to yourself, or a friend this holiday season. Everyone loves a great read, and more so, everyone starts to think about ways to improve their life this time of year (think New Year’s resolutions!) Here are a few of my favorites. Extra points if you can turn someone on to the love of reading. One of these great books will get a non-book-reader headed in the right direction.
Quiet Mind by David Kundtz. More than a meditation book, Quiet Mind is a series of reflections that can illuminate every aspect of life. It offers readers guidance on using the moments between activities, which the author calls “stillpoints”. As opportunities to focus on becoming more fully awake to who they are. “These times are the ‘spaces in between’ the events of your life,” writes Kundtz, “spaces often lost, or worse, filled with anxiety. And these spaces in between are just waiting to bring you the calmness and clarity that an over-demanding schedule steals from you.” A welcome respite for anyone whose gear shift is perpetually in overdrive, Quiet Mind is an invitation to rest, find peace, awaken, and remember. It offers deceptively simple wisdom to help readers sharpen their senses and make room for life.
Instant Karma by Barbara Ann Kipfer. Help others. Help yourself. Be a better person, and make the world a better place. Using the wisdom of the East to instruct and inspire, INSTANT KARMA is a universe of things a reader can do, right now, to accumulate good karma. And, like pennies going into a piggy bank, each is a seemingly little thing-but feed the bank day after day and feel it grow richer and happier. Created by Barbara Ann Kipfer, the author whose books-including 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, 8,789 Words of Wisdom, and The Wish List-have 1.2 million copies in print, INSTANT KARMA is a compulsive, densely packed, chunky little book of 10,000 or so suggestions, wishes, thoughts, and the occasional heartening quotation.
It’s Up to You by Karen Casey. It’s Up to You invites readers to do three simple things: meditate, pay attention, and make choices to change their lives–for a few minutes each morning and evening, one principle a week for twelve weeks. As we reflect on Casey’s insight into the insidious ways we create misery or drama, try to impose will, and suffer needlessly, and as we follow her gentle prompts to make different choices, we begin to see that we can change just about anything in our lives by taking these small steps. Nothing could be simpler, and nothing could be more effective. Or as Karen Casey puts it, “Progress is guaranteed. Perfection isn’t expected.”
Easy Green Living by Renee Loux. We are what we eat, but we also are what we use to clean our homes, pamper our skin, and decorate our rooms, according to Renée Loux, accomplished raw food chef, award-winning author, and host of Fine Living TV’s Easy Being Green. In her new book, Easy Green Living, she applies her whole-foods philosophy to home, garden, and beauty routines. Renée Loux demonstrates that being green at home is easy, affordable, and better in every sense of the word. She discusses the daily choices we face that can keep the home, personal care, and beauty routines free of toxins. She exposes the dirt on cleaning products and common hazardous ingredients and reveals her recommendations for greener options, including her “Green Thumb Guides” for choosing non-toxic, eco-smart, and human-friendly products. Peppered with compelling and inspiring facts, Easy Green Living is full of “5 Step” lists, products and recipes for green cleaning, helpful charts, safer choices for every room, and inspirational advice so we can save the planet–one cleaning spritz at a time.
The Girls’ Guide To Building A Million-Dollar Business by Susan Wilson Solovic. Featuring interviews with daring, powerhouse women like Gayle Martz, President & CEO, Sherpa’s Pet Trading Company, and Taryn Rose of Taryn Rose International, Solovic offers frank advice and hard-won lessons including:
-Taking emotions out of the workplace.
-Make business decisions based on what is best for the company, not on your personal feelings.
-Thinking big and bold.
-Believe that you can be successful and be willing to announce your intentions to the world.
-Managing for growth.
-Hire the right people and discover the best ways to keep them.
-Never being afraid to take a chance.
-Boost profits by taking financial risks.
Inspiring and unflinching, The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business shows women that not only do they have the power to earn more money and control their financial destinies – they deserve to.
Every woman should attend a Smart Talk women’s lecture series. Being amongst other empowering women and learning from them is what breeds creativity in one’s mind.
