Life As We Know It

I recently attended the funeral of a longtime business colleague who died too soon of cancer. It was billed as a Celebration of His Life. Many of my former staff attended, and it was good to see them albeit for such a somber occasion. At the church the priest talked of baptism and Jesus and moving on; he poured water a few times into an urn. A woman quoted Emily Dickenson, a favorite poet of the deceased. I love the line “Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me.” We popped up and down and sang

March Is Women’s History Month, celebrating our milestones throughout time and measuring up where we are now.  Radio commmentator Rush Limbaugh kicked off Women’s Month by denouncing women’s efforts to have contraception covered by health insurance. His remarks were ugly and shocking. Just when you think women are making progress, some loud mouth pundit speaks up and you have to ask, “Are we really making progress?” Most insurance policies cover Viagra. So men’s erections are covered by health insurance enabling them to have more sex. But women have to pay up to protect themselves or pay the price of an unwanted pregnancy. I just don’t

After dealing with an abnormally high level of stress and frustration in the past 60 days, in a fit of rage last weekend I shouted to my husband, “Maybe I am just better off dead! Take the life insurance money! Pay the bills and start over without me!” As usual, when I start a round of outbursts, the result of stress, menopause and heredity, he just looked up calmly and said “Sure.” And then went back to whatever he was doing. By Tuesday, I had calmed down but my right arm was swollen, lumpy red and painful. Given my breast cancer history, swollen, lumpy and rashy anything is not a good

I am all about looking forward rather than looking back. But in the last few months circumstances have caused me to reflect back on my life as I pack up substantial pieces of it in order to make room for new opportunities. I have lived life well and have had incredible successes and experiences along the way. I have also hit pitfalls and challenges that made me think, “What should and could I have done differently if I could live my life over?” I did not have a life mentor. I wish I had. A big sister or brother, a business

Remember the days of 9 to 5? My Dad would leave for work at 8:30 a.m. after kissing me good bye.  He would come home at 5:30 p.m. and spend time with me and my mother, who also worked full time. We’d rehash the day’s activities, watch the  news at 6 and then sit down for dinner. When did you last experience a 9 to 5 day? Or are you a 24/7 person? Today, with technology, work days for many have become 24/7. Companies promote their 24/7 accessibility. Employees are expected to respond to emails 24/7. I recently met with a PR agency owner who talked about

I am the “List Queen.” I start the day with a mental “to do list.” I end the day with a written “to do list.” I end each year writing in my new year’s diary with a “review list” of my accomplisments. I start each year, also my birthday, with a “new year’s resolution list.” I have three sets of “bucket lists” on file: 1) what I want to experience 2) Where I want to travel 3) What I want to achieve- all before I die. At work I have multiple lists: 1) a master media list with contacts around the country, 2)   an extensive food and beverage

My birthday is coming up January 1st. I use this end of the year time period to take stock of my life and where I stand.  This year as part of my focus on re-purposing your life at any age, I have also spoken and advised both young women starting out and older women starting over.  Here is what I have learned: Physical age may have a number tied to it but spiritual and emotional age should not. We can accomplish anything we want at any age if we choose too, and many people have. I spent my 20s building my career, my 30s building my business and reputation

A faceless snowman opened his Christmas gift and felt two lumps of coal. “What!? You are giving me two lumps of coal?” he exclaimed with disappointment to the giver. “Let me show you how to use them,” responded the giver.  And she placed the lumps of coal on the snowman’s empty face. “Wow! Now I can see!” said the snowman. “You did not need lumps of coal to see,” said the giver. “Vision  comes from within.” Do you have a blind spot that is impacting your vision? Lack of any vision is probably the #1 reason we fail to move forward. And

I just spent a delightful Thanksgiving with a combination of old friends and new acquaintances. It was like spending time with an adopted family since my blood and by-marriage families were scattered here and there. My mother likes to say”Good friends are the family you choose.” I agree with this. Some of my dear friends are family to me. At our Thanksgiving meal we were not a group to hold hands, say prayers, take time to talk about what we are thankful for, or embrace any spiritual traditions. Instead, we dove into our meal with gustatory pleasure, toasted each other and to life with great wine and shared alot

November is both the kindest and cruelest month. It is the kindest because I have alot of work projects, and it is the cruelist because me time escapes me. But back on track we are with a very recent observation and inspiration I want to share with you. I spoke on a panel at the Les Dames d’Escoffier International Conference in Atlanta November 5th on the subject of “Reinventing Your Career.” This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and I was honored to be on the panel with three other dynamic entrepreneurs from Atlanta. I spoke of “re-purposing

I have been reading alot of writings these days to gain perspective as to how other people, especially women, find balance and harmony in their work-play lives, handle stress, laugh off hormonal fluxes and flummoxing, and deal with the daily challenges of finding more time to spend doing the things you enjoy with less money to spend doing them. Ever since the economy has been in reverse it seems so has my income. It makes you wonder what the purpose is in working so much harder and getting so much less out of it. Ultimately, it is not just about the money. It is the basic question: What

Like most of the world I found out about the passing of Apple’s Steve Jobs on a device he created, my IPhone. And like so many, I researched his speeches and quotes, moved by the death of a great man who connected the world in so many ways. Beyond his technological accomplishments, I was touched by a man who was a visionary, a dreamer, an innovator, a doer, a fighter and a survivor- a man who spoke his mind, followed his intuition and never compromised. He faced both life and death head on and kept his head and heart intact. He had a vision and built a company only to have