Your Next Chapter

Yes, today people love being labeled as a Creative. In the past creatives were a little odd, a little different … people such as painters, sculptors, writers, designers, and even architects. Now though being labeled a creative has expanded to include almost anyone who has unique ways of thinking such as creative thinkers, creative problem solvers, and even creative leaders. And frankly, don’t we n...

This week, I’m talking about hobbies …. actually, I’m going to do a series on hobbies in Extraordinary Women Magazine. Why? Hobbies are important to have. Hobbies are about trying on new things with absolutely no expectation of mastery … just fun.

It isn’t in your head. Women are like emotional sponges. You really do find it harder to switch roles without having the emotions from one role spill over into another. For example, if you’re a mother, your mother emotions naturally spill into your role at work or your emotions around work can affect how you interact with your partner or children. Time with yourself matters. It is time with yourse...

Today’s conversation is about making a house a home and does that even matter? Making a house a home is one of my favorite things to do. I should have been a designer. I love houses … all sorts of houses. When I was a young girl, I had a paper route. The fourth week of every month, I was out at night to collect the fees from subscribers. It was usually dark outside, and with lights on inside, I co...

As babies, we had no doubt that we’d master the art of walking, even though we only took tiny little steps to accomplish that feat. Why not give yourself the same amount of faith, acknowledge your tiny step of accomplishment and reinforce your belief and sense of knowing that you’ll get to where it is that you want to go. It’s the habit of trying every single day and consistently embracing the tin...

Because Fall is actually much more of a new year, new beginning shifts than January 1st ever is. Like every new year reset, this is when we ask ourselves the hard questions and my question this week is how can I feel happier? I want to feel happy. Not just a little happy, but I want my happiness cup to be overflowing.

Let’s Imagine a ballerina. En pointe is the classic ballet position when the ballerina is up on her toe shoes.  She appears weightless, floating and perfectly balanced, yet if you had the ability to zoom in and take a closer look at her feet, and every ballerina will tell you this, her toe shoes are actually vibrating, as she makes tiny, tiny adjustments second by second to maintain her balance. S...

But what connected ALL of the women was that they are hands down extraordinary. And ladies, so are you. We are a tribe of extraordinary women … whether you own a business, or your one thing is your family. Whether you are retired or just starting your professional career. So, if you hadn’t guessed it - the magazine’s new name is Extraordinary Women. Going forward, my focus will be this podcast and...

Today we are going to talk about my Parisian Attitude, and how it is an attitude or even a manifesto- that you can embrace wherever you live. Paris healed me. Paris helped me to see that it wasn’t too late for my dreams. It wasn’t too late for me to be happy. And it certainly wasn’t too late to learn to love myself again.

Today we are going to talk about comparisons, and how they can be used to help us learn and grow as we navigate this crazy journey, we call life. I intensely dislike comparisons and yet, I easily fall into comparing myself to others. Does this happen to you? I compare my work, my fitness (and I’m not even on the fit chart) the way I live, the way I invest, the way I think, you name it. I’d like to...

Our dreams are always about something WE want to accomplish for ourselves. This is what we think about when we lay in bed at night imagining our dreams. Your dreams are connected to YOUR purpose- the reason you are here on earth at this time. It’s WHY each and every one of you are here and your dreams honor the special and unique person that you are. When you think about it, dreams are a luxury.  ...

The difference between pretending and not being your real self might seem a little fuzzy, but it actually isn’t. You’re pretending to have courage. You’re pretending that you are super comfortable with the confident, curious, comfortable woman that already is inside you. Actually, if you dig deep, you’re actually not pretending …. she’s there, you just haven’t talked to her lately! That my dear la...

Dream Life Readiness? Woo- hoo!! We like happy, we like possibilities, we like hope. Maybe things have changed since covid but every single person I meet with shares that they are no longer willing to just make do …. settle for what is asked of them …. Or be comfortable with just an okay life or career. We want to stretch; we want to be happy in all parts of our lives and we don’t want to wait for...

I’ve had some big accomplishments this past year, I’m sure you have too, but I’m unsettled, a bit preoccupied all because I can’t figure out what’s next in my life. Are any of you feeling that same way? Pop into the FB group and share. It’s always great to know we’re not alone, especially when we’re struggling with something. Checking in with myself, I realized a big part of what I’m missing is my...

Remember Emeril Lagasse’s cooking show? He would go along with cooking something yummy and suddenly out of the blue he would yell BAM! And with his hand held high, he’d throw some spice into the dish. That BAM! Is sort of how life sometimes works. Everything is going along just fine – you’re moving forward on your BIG goals in life and…. Then BAM! You get hit by someone or something that takes you...

As you know, my passion and work are all about being real- but I’ve learned that you can’t be real unless you love the woman you are right now. Not the woman you will become when you lose the weight, eat healthier, save more money, find a fabulous partner…. you have to love and have compassion for who you are today or that future vision of what you want for yourself will never happen. But it’s not...

Those are your clues to identify what fun is for you- and it might be very different from what you expected! Maybe it’s trying out a new recipe, gardening, window shopping, playing with your children, watching a sunrise…. Remember though that to be truly fun- it must not have the desired outcome. Let yourself be in the moment as you do it and let everything else in your life get quiet.

Life IS sort of like a dance, isn’t it? There are slow parts …. when we maybe wonder what’s next or feel sort of stuck in the moment. We’re still moving but the music and our movements are slow and steady. Then there are the crazy, exciting parts when we are riding high and have no idea how or when our joy will end. We’re pumping our arms, hopping from move to move, and leaping around the room. Th...

It’s funny though because as we reflect back, we always remember the BIG changes in our lives! Those changes that in a moment shifted our lives in an entirely new direction. The birth of our first child, a divorce, a death, a new love, a move to another city or even country. These are the changes we remember but what about the little changes we made when we adjusted to life on almost on a daily or...

A Realista is … A woman who shows up in this crazy world, as her real and true self ALWAYS! She’s a woman who loves who she truly is and no longer wishes to pretend anything! Doesn’t this sound like you? This magazine will be just like your best friend. You’ll enjoy your time together, you’ll feel the comfort that you’re not alone in your quest to be the real you, and you’ll get all kinds of ideas...

Memorial Day is about remembering and hopefully, I’ve inspired you to think about not just those who you remember, but also how you want to be remembered. I encourage you to ask yourself, what is the legacy YOU want to create? This is what BE THE REAL YOU is all about. When we are our real and true selves, we naturally take the time to smile at someone regardless of their position. We want to show...

Today, I am starting this new, next chapter of food in my life. I am ready to end one chapter and start this new chapter. Honestly, though, it’s darn scary. Leaving an old chapter and starting a new, next chapter can feel sad. The old chapter is like a dear old friend, no matter how dysfunctional it has been in your life. It’s familiar and comfortable. I’m sure all this talk of creating new and ne...

As women, we especially seem to have many, many next chapters in our lives. The chapters of our lives, are to a great extent, in our control. We are the authors of our chapters. Some chapters are long, and others are short. Some are happy and some are sad. Starting the next chapter is almost always an option at any age.

So maybe because we have been given this “extra life” as Steven Johnson calls it, we need to give ourselves the space to figure out what we really want now. I say now, because whatever it is that you want to pursue, know that it is changeable. There are very few careers or passions that remain the same for any period of time. I’m learning, just like you, that those portals of time when you think y...

Staying Grounded When Going Through Change! Last Friday, I sort of freaked out when I stood in my new apartment and remembered all those boxes that will be coming from my large home into a much smaller apartment. I was totally confused and wondered what is inside all those boxes? I was feeling very low that night and seriously wondered if I should have stretched myself and purchased a larger apart...