As we gather around our Thanksgiving table with family this week I’ll make a space for my invisible guest. It’s a person no longer with me on Earth but still close by in spirit. My friend, Julie, who spent one of her last Thanksgivings alive by herself with her dog, Joe. She was too proud to tell anyone she had no plans, and I was an ocean away when I called to wish her Happy Thanksgiving and discovered she was alone eating takeout in her small New York studio apartment. Her voice, silenced at 46 from cancer, still echoes in
Read more →There may come a time when you realize the life or career you had may no longer be available to you. It may not continue to be in your best interest, or you just want to move in a new direction. But life never stands still enough to let you sit a spell and figure it out. Forward is your only option. You ask yourself: What direction am I headed? What’s my next step? What happens next is a combination of strategy and serendipity. You strive to make good things happen and then relax and let good things happen to you. Along
Read more →I talk frequently on the topic of “turning stumbling blocks into building blocks.” I have become a master re-builder of taking the debris life throws in your way and creating something new and worthwhile. People ask me for my insights, and I’ve managed to turn them into a second book coming out next week, Fearless Fabulous You! Lessons on Living Life on Your Terms. One of my first lessons- learned when I was quite young – was the importance of having strong self-esteem and valuing your self worth. Whatever happens in life, these need to be a firm foundation for believing
Read more →“You should be on ‘Oprah’!” people say to me when I tell my story. “You should be a keynote speaker at women’s events all over the country- like Oprah’s Life You Want Tour or Arianna’s Third Metric,” said a friend. “You’d be a much better speaker than who we are listening to right now,” she whispers in my ear at a local fundraising luncheon. “You should be another “Oprah” with your own show,” says a PR executive friend. I wish I could afford her services to help me; only her opinion was free. I am grateful for the vote of confidence and I
Read more →Summer is when everyone likes to let their hair down and bare their bodies. Off come the business suits and on go the bathing suits, shorts and sandals. Some people simply forgo bathing suits for birthday suits and drop their inhibitions along with their clothes. Nudity is receiving plenty of exposure these days. There are nudist-focused television reality shows, including TLC’s “Buying Naked,” VH1’s “Dating Naked,” and Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid.” http://nypost.com/2014/06/26/welcome-to-the-brave-nude-world-of-reality-tv/ Dov Charney, CEO of American Apparel, was relieved of his corporate duties for his corporeal naked dance video that went viral http://nypost.com/2014/06/20/american-apparel-ceo-stars-in-bizarre-naked-dancing-video/ Tennis stars Venus Williams and Tomas Berdych are photographed
Read more →I recently applied for a grant from a prestigious professional women’s organization dedicated to empowering women. My mission is to empower women and I am studying to train as a certified coach. The grant would have provided beneficial support to help me in my goal to help make a difference for others. I was rejected. But not dejected. Annoyed, yes. Giving up, no. Everyone experiences rejection. My first sort of rejection was the day I was born, the second baby of the new year. The first baby born received all the prizes. I received no prizes, and my parents lost out on
Read more →As many of you know I recently exchanged my Manhattan apartment of twenty-six years for a home in the country ninety miles north of the city. The move was a lesson in learning to let go. It was also a test of perseverance. Some time ago I lost a small diamond stud. It was never found, and I am convinced it lay somewhere in my apartment. As we packed, I repeated to my husband, David, “Be careful what you move or throw out. Maybe we’ll find the diamond.” It was a needle in the haystack thought given the amount of
Read more →My husband and I are packing up my one bedroom Manhattan rent stabilized apartment that I’ve lived in for twenty-six years. (Stop! If you live in New York City you may feel you’ve hit apartment pay dirt. My announcing I am giving up a rent stabilized Manhattan apartment is better than trolling the obituaries to see who has died.) We are only moving to our home in the country just 90 minutes away, and I fully expect to be in and out of the city on a regular basis. But, I can’t believe how many people are telling me “We
Read more →Americans aged 18 -64 are spending an average of 3.2 hours a day using social networks according to a recent study http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/online/social-networking-eats-up-3-hours-per-day-for-the-average-american-user-26049/ I find it unsettling that people are spending more time connected with each other online than in person. While I enjoy interacting with my friends on Facebook and have been reconnected with old acquaintances, I am starting to feel disconnected in other ways and have found myself exhibiting some unhealthy habits. Here are 10 signs you need may need an internet intervention: 1. Your iPad gets more attention in bed than your spouse. 2. Your meals become constant
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