My New Year’s Resolution for this year? To actually write a blog every week. Cheating already by sharing my LinkedIn blog but figure we can all use a little New Year: New You!
Thanks to all of you have been asking with interest where I’ve gone and when I’ll write again. As you’ll see from the picture below I’ve been enthralled with my little guy.
Our country’s unemployment rate is at a dire 9.1 percent. That means that 14 million Americans are out of work. In an effort to make a positive difference, I’ve decided to team up with Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers to help get Americans – and WORKS girls – back on their feet. If you’re unemployed and living in the LA area, then you’re invited to a Job Fair I’m hosting with Dr. Drew.
We have found ten amazing companies who are offering more than 100 jobs to people who live in or would consider relocating to the Southern California area. There are also some work-from-home positions available, too!
Applicants should go to LCTV.com and click on the ‘Submit your Resume’ bar on the right side of the page where details, categories of jobs offered and individual job descriptions reside. These companies are seriously looking for VIABLE applicants, and plan to meet them for face to face interviews in LA on November 30 and December 20 (work from home jobs work a little differently).
Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers is a daily talk Show, hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, airing every day at 3:00 and 3:30 pm on the CW network.
Long before I started to write in the self-help genre, I was an avid consumer. To this day (less six months and the birth of Harrison) at least three times a year I’d take a personal development day which pretty much consisted of me lying in my bed with a pile of books, my journal and a pen (…and the remote control to watch the Housewives as a little reminder that there are people more fucked up than I am). Needless to say my last year of personal development has been exclusively dedicated to What to Expect and Dr. Sears but after checking out the website of a conference I’m involved with, and reading about fellow speaker Gretchen Rubin, I picked up her book The Happiness Project.
I think we all pretty much pick up a self-help book with the hope of getting some kernel of information that turns our life around and stays with us beyond the point at which we put it back up on our bookshelf and 99.9% of the time…that doesn’t happen. But in this case there it was. Gretchen lamenting to her sister about not feeling legitimate. Her sister pointing out she’s done some very legitimate things including clerking for the Supreme Court and asking, “but do you feel legitimate?” To which Gretchen responded, “Not really”. And there it was. Gretchen’s sister’s response…
“So you probably never will. OK. Just don’t let that drive your decisions.”
I have no idea why the concept of just accepting a part of you that you don’t always like or embrace had NEVER occurred to me but this has literally changed my self-help-perpetual-growth-years-of-therapy sense of self.
Is there a part of you that you’ve spent years trying to change? What if you were to accept that part of you? Where would that focus and energy go? Would you feel relieved and/or are you so identified with the drive to change you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself in the face of releasing this fight to change? These are all questions I’ve been considering.
I’ve been so awestruck by the concept of self-acceptance that I haven’t gotten to the whole drive-your-decision side of the equation, but I’m hoping I get there by the time I get to hear Gretchen speak in person. I’ll let you know what she has to say or even better feel free to join me at the conference. In the meantime pick up her book—you won’t regret it.
I’m a big believer in business cards (…despite the fact that I was caught empty handed at Gayle King’s show yesterday). On one too many occasions I’ve met someone without a card whose name I swear to myself I will remember, only to come up blank days later and then the opportunity is lost. So when Minted, an online paper design company, asked that I be one of the judges for their recent Design Challenge, I was thrilled… and overwhelmed! There were SO many to choose from and they are all amazing! I was surprised to find that most of my faves were cards designed for and by men and not so surprised to find I love the cards designed for moms (yes, Rochelle, I would like to meet for margaritas). Here are a few of my faves and now I’d love you to help me pick. Which card should I select as the winner?
As promised, here’s a link to the Dr. Drew Lifechangers episode I worked on a few weeks back. I had the pleasure of working with a woman named Carolee who was literally living in her car in Phoenix in 100+ degree heat. While I’ve had my fair share of trailer park experiences, I’m a bit ashamed to say I was expecting to meet someone who I couldn’t identify with or relate to. I was waiting in a car for Carolee and the film crew to pull into the WalMart parking lot (where she lives) and watched as a white minivan pulled up – driven by a woman who, I would have bet my bottom dollar, was any other mom doing some shopping – only to realize this is the homeless woman I would be working with. I have the national unemployment numbers in my face on a regular basis, but for the first time it really hit me how many talented, intelligent, personable people are one paycheck away from living in their car. Carolee and I talked about a lot of during our time together and I was so struck by the fact that as women (not sure if this is true about men) a lot of us live with this deep-seated fear that we’ll be the shopping bag lady. The good news is by virtue of her willingness to reach out, as well as Dr. Drew’s generosity to rally the troops to support her, Carolee’s life has been turned around. I hope you enjoy.
After months of baby-induced abstaining, I’m back on the bottle. With a need to make my buzz as low calorie, flavorful and quick-hitting as possible, I’m all over tequila (probably because unlike most of my friends it wasn’t all over me during my college-drinking days). As a tequila sipper, I’ve been on a tequila tasting tour and time and time again, I come back to Patron. So you can imagine my delight upon walking into the Dr. Drew Lifechangers’ greenroom to set eyes on John Paul DeJoria, founder of Patron. I’ve met John Paul before and while I’ve long-admired his life story and philosophy, and have always greeted him with enthusiasm, this was prior to my tequila drinking days – so I think he may have been a little taken aback by my over-zealous, extremely knowledgeable and obviously authentic love of his product.
While my focus was on his tequila, John Paul, who has always been in the business of bettering lives, was quick to tell me about JP Selects, an online marketplace for products focusing on brands that pride themselves on the sustainability of their production and in the social causes they support. It’s via JP Selects that John Paul provided the woman we worked with on Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers with a year’s lease so she could move out of her car. I’ll share the link to the show with you next week, but in the mean time, check out JP Selects: http://www.jpselects.com
The more I learn about LinkedIn, the happier I am to be working with them. The latest and greatest in their repertoire of new tools? The addition of a volunteer work experience section on your profile. I’ve always been a big proponent of committing to a cause not only with the view to helping others, but also as a form of career advancement (yes, that’s strategic, not shameful). According to LinkedIn’s latest survey results, 89% of respondents had volunteer experience but only 45% include it on their resume. This is crazy low considering they also found that one out of every five hiring managers agree they have hired a candidate because of their volunteer work experience. Your volunteer experience counts and if you don’t include it in your profile, on your resume or when you’re negotiating for a promotion you’re not getting the credit you deserve.
Here are a couple of other reasons you want to get on the volunteer path:
Test-Drive Your Passion – A truism of career success is that passion correlates with talent and talent translates to reward (both financial and emotional). One of the safest ways of test-driving your passion as a career is to volunteer your talents. Not only do you get to try your hand at a repertoire of new skills and experiences in a low-risk forum, but you’ll also be showcasing these talents to a whole host of peers who may just happen to have the connections you need to get hired.
You Never Know Who You’re Going to Meet – The majority of career enhancing opportunities come through relationships and volunteering exposes you to people you wouldn’t encounter otherwise. And get this: volunteer relationships are particularly beneficial since many of the folks you interact with while volunteering are usually driven, conscientious professionals who can be a great referral. Volunteering offers a whole new world of qualified and valuable connections.
Get Noticed / Motivated – The most successful people in the world dedicate their efforts to a cause that extends beyond themselves and your boss and / or hiring manager are well aware of this. In this hyper-competitive world of work, volunteering not only provides you the opportunity to showcase your talents and experiences, but it also allows you to demonstrate compassion and commitment.
Add the new “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to your LinkedIn Profile now. In the new “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field, LinkedIn members can add volunteer positions, causes they care about, and organizations they support.
I’m heading out to L.A. to tape our first studio appearance on Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers. My sister-in-law thinks he’s the bomb. I’m excited to meet him in-person. I’ll let you know how it goes.
My new favorite indulgence between baby and groceries is to slip into a little diner close to Whole Foods, grab a coffee and read The NY Post (I know…it’s for entertainment purposes). So yesterday I’m sitting, minding my own business only to be interrupted by the sound of a familiar male voice talking louder than necessary and using names in my professional Rolodex. I look up to confirm that indeed this is someone I know…talking to someone I don’t…about something he shouldn’t. I stood up to walk out and make my presence known. His expression was priceless as is this reminder…be very careful about how loud you’re talking to whom and where. You never know who’s listening!
I was asked to share an average day in my life (no such thing, really) by my fellow Shape contributor and Beauty Blogger Polly Blitzer. Picked one of my more interesting days from last week…
2:35am
Haven’t used an alarm clock in the four months since my son was born. Instead, wake to the sound of Harrison’s hungry cry, pry open my eyes in disbelief (feels like 10 minutes and not 2 hours have gone by since the last time I rolled out of bed), pad into the kitchen, grab a pre-prepared bottle of Similac (he has a special kinda reflux and sadly refused the breast), feed him while trying not to catch his eye (the secret to keeping him from going from sleep to play mode). And then finally, hold my breath as I contort my body to lower him into his crib, praying to dear God he doesn’t wake up as I lay him down in the hopes of at least another 2 hours.
4:30am
Repeat with slight modification: while in kitchen fetching bottle, turn on coffee pot. He falls back to sleep yet again. Woohoo!
6:00am
Walk into the nursery to see the most beautiful eyes and gorgeous smile, fall more in love and decide yet again, it’s all worth it.
7:00am
Consume at least 3 more cups of heavily caffeinated Illy coffee, answer one-handed a few critical emails on my Blackberry, sing and act out three rounds of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, turn on the Today Show, pack Harrison into the Bugaboo and take a quick tour around the Great Lawn in Central Park.
9:00am
Nanny arrives and my work day officially begins. After a quick Fresh-product-filled shower, scan my “work” closet, grab a sapphire blue Catherine Malandrino jersey and pull my wet hair into a sleek ponytail. Smother Harrison with a ton of kisses and run out the door.
9:45am
Just like the alarm clock, I haven’t used my own blow-dryer since Harrison was born. My once-weekly treat to a blow out at Paul Lebreque has become a four times weekly necessity. Not only do I not have the free hands or energy, this 30 minute hit is the key to a good (hair…and everything else) day and bad. I need all the help I can get to detract from the bags under my eyes, and it’s the only time I have to myself on any given day. Plus, it’s only a block and a half away from the office.
10:15
Arrive at the office and check in with my team. Call the Today Show producer to discuss the segment I’m pre-taping later today. Do a quick phone interview for Shape magazine. Log onto my LinkedIn account and check the latest industry headlines. Take a quick look at our newsletter scheduled to go out at noon today.
11:30
Grab a cab to meet our Director of Sales and Marketing, Kimmy Scotti for lunch. She’s already sitting on the patio with our mutual friend and mentor Julie Cottineau at the Coffee Shop in Union Square. Julie’s a killer- branding queen at Virgin.
1:30
On the way back to the office check in with Jill and Erin who are waiting in our lobby (which just happens to share the back entrance of Henri Bendel) to introduce me to jewelry designer, and our recent Living the Dream, Miriam Merenfeld. I pick up a piece to wear to the taping (she generously offered to buy it for me).
2:00
While we’re walking down the stairs, a Bendel’s rep for an air-bronze product must have seen my translucent white legs from a mile away and came in for the kill. A very “dry” (as in I haven’t had a hit for at least 10 days) spray-tan-aholic I agree in a jiffy.
Made Erin participate as well – she was looking a little pale 
2:30
There’s no makeup for the Today taping and while I have my makeup bag upstairs in my office, I decide while I’m down here, I may as well have the artist at Nars get me ready for the show. I let her know what we’re up to and hearing “TV-ready” she interprets this to mean “mask.” Upon completion she hands me a mirror, I don’t recognize myself and make one last stop for some Mario Badescu makeup remover on the way out.
3:30
High tail it back up to the office. I’m greeted by my business partner’s Executive Assistant who gasps upon laying eyes on my freakishly garish face and follows me into the restroom when I proceed to take about ¾ of the makeup off my face…and still have enough eyeliner and foundation on to be HDTV-ready.
4:30
Taken up to the 6th floor studio by our producer. In the Green Room I switch from my Havianas to Pradas in what seems the right thing to do considering we’re talking about summer workplace dressing and I’m about to no-no the flip flop.
5:00
Taping is done and as we walk back down the hall we happen into what appears to be the wardrobe racks and dressing rooms for the SNL rehearsals. Catch a glimpse of Chris Katan. Jill and Erin are very glad they came along for the ride.
6:30
I’ve brought my flips because I now need to get from Rockefeller to the heart of Times Square to meet Dan Jinks and taking a cab at this time of day, in this part of town, would be a special kind of hell that makes walking in 100 degree humidity through throngs of tourists feel like sunshine. Dan is one of my favorite people in the world and our producer for the film adaptation of Girl on Top. He’s waiting for me in the lounge of the Millennium Hotel where he’s just finishing up his last meeting. After a glass of champagne (for me) and wine (for him), talk of the script and an update on Harrison, he’s off to dinner and I’m dying to see my son.
7:15
Call my beau Brian to let him know I’m 5 minutes away from the baseball diamond where he’s playing with his office team. He comes to meet me pushing Harrison in his stroller and my heart melts at the sight of them. Brain is going with the team for some Mexican food at Gabriella’s. Harrison and I decide we’d rather go home.
10:00
After a bath, book and cuddle we’re both done for another day. He passes out in his crib and I’m about 2.2 second behind him.
