The phrase, “tough cookie” comes to mind when thinking of Lee Woodruff. After meeting Lee, there’s no denying her fighter spirit. Lee Woodruff was in Cincinnati with Smart Talk Connected Conversations to talk about her experiences over the last few years, and needless to say, this girl has had her fair share of hard knocks.
Lee’s life turned upside down when she received a call in 2006 that her news reporter husband, Bob Woodruff, (the one with the dreamy blue eyes) had been injured while covering the war while in Iraq. And we’re not just talking “injured”, Bob was thisclose to losing his life.
While her Bob lay in critical condition for days upon days, months, in fact, Lee watched in horror as her beautiful husband’s head swelled to the size of a rugby ball. She had no idea if he’d wake up again. Even then, she had no idea if he’d remember her or their children after he did wake up. Fighting back a tsunami of tears and emotion, Lee asked Bob’s doctor “will he still love me when he wakes up?” His doctor assured her “yes, he will!”
Through a long and grueling healing process, Bob Woodruff slowly reemerged to nearly 100% of his former glory. Physically, he looks unscathed. Bob is back on the news and looks as gorgeous as he once did. Lee says his only residual issues remain with word-finding abilities (for instance, he referred to a breast augmentation as a breast explosion.)
To endure what Bob did and to come back so strong was surely a gift from God, one that Lee clearly acknowledges. Lee’s faith is what helped carry her through. And really, when things are catastrophically bad, faith is all you have to cling on to. And cling she did.
To fully delve into Lee’s horrific turned joyous experiences, you can read her book, Perfectly Imperfect. Lee is not only an amazing speaker, but she’s also knows her way around the literary world. She also has an amazingly fun side to her as well. I promised her I’d include Flannel Nightgown video (see below.) The flannel nightgown stems from an incident one night when Bob threw her flannel nightgown over the balcony into the street! In no uncertain terms, Mr. Woodruff let it be known that he’s not on board with the comfy flannel look.
To read more about Lee, her work and her life’s experiences, visit her website at www.LeeWoodfuff.com
Seriously, how much fun can you have in one night? Smart Talk Connected Conversations brought Ann Compton to town last night and she nailed it! Literally, from the opening paragraph into her speech, I was captivated…we were all captivated. Ann has so many interesting stories, you could just talk to her for hours. And you can see by the pictures, she’s completely down to earth and sincere.
Ann has covered seven presidents for ABC News in a career that has taken her to the White House and Capital Hill. She is the national correspondent for ABC News Radio, based in Washington, D.C.
It’s overtly obvious that she’s an excellent speaker. She’s dynamic and she captures the audience instantly. Below are some notes I took during her speech. Everything she said was so interesting, I could barely take notes fast enough.
* She was the only broadcast reporter allowed to remain on board Air Force One during the dramatic hours when President Bush was unable to return to Washington.
* The Dalai Lama told President Obama that we needed for female leaders! (ed. note: Team Dalai Lama!)
* President Bush emailed her yesterday. He’s working on a book.
* Thanks to Google Map, she learned Bill Ayres …yes, this Bill Ayres, lives in her childhood home in Chicago.
* On Air Force One, everything, everything, has the Presidential Seal, from the seat belts, the drinking glasses to the razors in the bathroom.
* On 09/11, Air Force One landed in Louisiana …because they were out of gas, and only for that reason.
* The infamous potatoe/potato blunder made by Dan Quayle was, in part, not his fault. It was an error made by a teacher on a flash card that he was reading.
* The biggest news source right now…it’s YouTube, believe it or not.
* Ann’s only lukewarm on the notion of social media. She thinks it’s the dumbing-down of news, and at times, grossly inaccurate.
* On August 6, 1990, president George H. W. Bush sent her an apology note (on presidential stationary) saying he was sorry for being too snippy with her in an interview. He signed it with a smiley face!
* “Social media is fraught with error and bad judgement.”
* One of her favorite websites is the DrudgeReport.com.
* Ann still sees the good in on the spot reporting, however. For instance, reporters were not allowed to view Saddam Hussein being put to death. The reason we saw those images thereafter was due to camera phones of those who witnessed it.
* Ronald Regan threw great cocktail parties for the press.
* Ronald Regan called Ann in the hospital the day her daughter was born to send warm wishes. (Wow!)
* The speech writer for Obama is (surprisingly) only 27 years old.
* Ann goes directly to the White House every day for work, not ABC offices.
* Ann was offered a job her senior year of college. She says she has never applied for a job in her life.
* Jimmy Carter once referred to Ann as “the reporter with the large diamond ring.”
* Ann is married to Dr. William Hughes, and has four kids.
* Her children are the following: A doctor, a lawyer, a software designer, and a budding media exec.
* She was with president bush at the elementary school when 09/11 went down.
* She first sat down and cried about 09/11 when she got back and checked her email. The first email was from her son, stating his fraternity brother was on the 93rd floor of the World Trade Center.
Ann is truly an inspiration to all career girls, and women in general. She’s a fearless female leader who has earned her place at the top.
There’s still time to get last minute tickets for Smart Talk Connected Conversations featuring Ann Compton in Cincinnati tonight.
The Smart Talk series is for women who are serious about growing, learning, and becoming better leaders by learning from others who have blazed the trail…and Ms. Ann Compton is surely one of those women.
It’s truly an experience to be part of and is highly recommended. For more information on the Smart Talk show in Cincinnati, click here.
Since 1974, when she became the first female reporter to cover the White House on a fulltime basis, Ann Compton has traveled the world in the company of six presidents. From her award-winning coverage of 9/11 to her induction into the Journalism Hall of Fame, she has balanced her professional obligations with those of her own “first” family of four children. For unique insight into the Capitol stories behind the headlines, join the dynamic Ann Compton in Cincinnati on 02/25/2010.
…….Last night I had the amazing opportunity to work with Smart Talk Women to invite the adorable Miss Valerie Bertinelli to Cincinnati. And let me just say, we had so much fun! First, with the obvious….yes, she’s as cute and bubbly in person as she is on screen. She graciously and patiently signed her books and went on to speak about “taking your life back.” This girl is truly in her zone, her sweet spot, if you will. It’s hard to imagine that someone with everything that she has could have gotten lost along the way for so many years, but she did. Well, she’s found her groove and she is loving life. Happiness just oozes from her and it’s so great to see her (or anyone) who is in their sweet spot of life. Here’s what our girl, Barbara Cooper, er, Valerie, had to say:
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Without a doubt, the true love of her life is her son, Wolfie (Wolfgang Van Halen.) She delights in speaking about her son and his natural (okay, inherited) passion for music. She said that Wolfie, now 18, has chosen his path in life and that’s certainly music. He tours with his dad, Eddie Van Halen, playing bass.
Valerie on Eddie: They have a great relationship. In fact, she texted him yesterday (on his 55th birthday) to wish him a happy birthday. They have found common ground and both Eddie and Valerie are happy now. Val said when she went to give the “sex” talk with Wolfie, she deferred it to dad, Eddie. She then realized she sent her child to a rockstar for advice on sex! ha!
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On the bikini: Val says it was hard for her to believe, too. She weighed 122 pounds in this picture, and worked very, very hard for it. She said she’s about 10 pounds heavier now, but that was a goal, and, wow, did she nail it. She looks amazing. This is a 49 year old woman looking 22! You. Go. Girl.
Valerie on the weight: Emotional eating is what helped Val pack on more than 170 pounds. She said she was so embarrassed everywhere she went. She heard the whispers….”Is that Valerie Bertinelli? She’s so fat.” Years of being unhappy with herself is what got her to a place of being overweight.
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Flash forward: She lost 40 pounds and she’s running the Boston Marathon in April, a few days before she turns 50! Valerie says running is what has transformed her body. Did she like running? NO! But, she adjusted and is learning to love what it does for her body.
Valerie on boyfriend of 5 years, Tom Vitale: Val says Tom fell in love with her when she was 40 pounds heavier (we love him already.) Not only that, but Tom is a University of Cincinnati graduate! Love that! Tom is obviously her pillar. She even brought him on stage at one point, pointed at him and said “this is why sex is great!” They are very sweet together. He brought her a glass of champagne when she and I were talking, and she responded “thank you, baby!”
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Jalapeno Poppers: The root of all evil. When Val was at her heaviest, she and Jalapeno poppers were the best of friends. This was her go-to comfort food. She said she’d even put cheddar and sour cream poppers in the oven and mix them around …just to surprise herself with each bite. She hasn’t touched them in three years.
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Insight: Valerie on single parenting: “You have to love your kids more than you hate your ex.”
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Not only does Valerie write books, she’s an avid reader. Val has been doing book club with her girlfriends for 12 years!
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Is Valerie in the tech-loop: You bet! You can find her on Twitter @Wolfiesmom and her blog is ValerieBertinelli.com.
“We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and once in retrospection.” Anais Nin
Journaling is my thing. I started journaling when I seriously started working out, about six years ago. Initially, it was for tracking purposes only; Wednesday I do cardio, Thursday I do upper body, Friday I do lower body, etc. Then I realized how beneficial it was to record my meals. When you start keeping track of your caloric intake, it gives you a huge look inside yourself. When your skin is starting to look bad, you can look back and see what’s going on in your life. Are you eating too much junk food? Too many glasses of champagne? The answers are all right there, you just have to find them.
My journaling went one step further. It started innocently enough, just notating if I had a headache that day, noting any blemishes or anything strange happening. Not only did I get to know my body really well, I got to know my own mind better.
Why did I always seem to be super moody one day a month and very weepy? Why do I get a blemish about every third or fourth month right in the same place? Why did I feel like I could eat like an animal some days, while other days I’d barely take any calories in and felt great? Why was the libido through the roof on some days of the month? Well, the short answer is hormones. But I was never able to understand why my body was doing what it was until I started tracking it in my journal. It turns out, those problems happened the same day, month after month. It’s sort of like a science experiment. Guess, test, and revise.
You can also go one step further and write your feelings down. It’s really cool to reflect on old postings and say to yourself, this is where I was, then. This is what was happening in my life, good or bad, and this is how I dealt with it. As if it’s a guide saying, this is what worked in the past for me….this is what didn’t.
Journaling is definitely one of those things that you don’t “get” until you try it. It’s a huge gift to have that sort of insight, to reflect on yourself. Try to wrap your brain around it and get started. You’ll love it once you get going.
There are online journals, such as www.LiveJournal.com. I generally prefer to type over handwriting, but in this instance, I like writing things down. It just feels more cathartic somehow. I can appreciate a beautiful journal. I adore beautiful books and journals, and it’s always the perfect gift for me.
Check out the journal section next time you are at the bookstore and purchase your favorite one. Get into journaling. It’s like a window, looking inside yourself. It’s an easy and powerful way to accelerate your personal development.
If the best feeling in the world is what you’re after, then this is the move for you. Words cannot describe the pleasure one can ascertain from this move. It’s a glute stretch, but it also works into the hamstrings as well. This is a must-have stretch after cardio, where your legs take a beating. This stretch is so beneficial after running, working on the elliptical, doing step aerobics, doing Pilates or yoga, and strength training. The science behind it is that, after a workout, the muscles are full of blood and the natural tendency for the muscle is to compact itself tight. The reason we stretch before and after workouts is to elongate the muscle, stretching it just a bit more each time, to help define and tweak the muscle.
This stretch will really lengthen out glute and hamstring muscles, even calves if you flex your feet. This would absolutely rank towards the top of my favorite feelings in life….it’s that good! Make sure you are spending a minimum of five minutes on stretches at the beginning and end of workouts; 10 minutes is preferable. Don’t skip that process, it’s absolutely essential.
Keep an exercise journal to track your progress. You’ll be so glad you did down the line.
If there was a perfect time to create a vision board, today would be the day. The new year is open to anything you want to make it. It’s all about laws of attraction. Get connected and get focused on your goals.
