Imagine leaving the United States for a grand adventure. Then learning what you really signed up for was more like a prison sentence where all your rights were revoked. This is what happened to Sheila Flaherty, a psychologist, who lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a year when…
An amazing thing happened, I made a mistake. And it was a doozy too. I set up my radio show incorrectly so my 30-minute show was abruptly ended in 15-minutes. It is so important to me to have the radio show go smoothly because any missteps will be forever accessible…
When I started my small business the first thing I did was join the local chamber. It was a great way for me to meet other business owners, learn about the city, connect to residents, and create a relationship with the city government. Being part of the chamber not only…
The other day a client of mine told me about a Facebook page, Delicious Dames Community Group, where she had been lurking for a few months. She finally had the courage to share her personal story about her eating disorder and weight loss. It was a big risk for her…
“I was 29 and wheezing going up stairs!” Danielle Girdano was morbidly obese, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and getting almost no physical activity. When Danielle realized that the XXL shirts and shorts were becoming too tight on her 5’4” frame she realized she needed to make a…
I watched a wonderful film the other day, Opening Our Eyes: Global Stores about the Power of One. The movie shows individuals all across the world and close to home who are making a difference. Whether they are opening orphanages and schools in Nepal, providing clean water in Peru, or…
Social Enterprise has much been on my mind lately. The concept is so foreign to the Wall Street “Greed is Good” I grew up with in the 1980’s. Social Enterprise is where for-profit business is blended with a non-profit giving back element. Sometimes it takes the form of a non-profit…
This spring I had the opportunity to see Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, twice. Once was at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. They had an enormous cast of twenty-eight with grand sets and heart-stopping special effects. It was powerful and moving. The second time I saw the production it was…
A few weeks ago I was invited to the Women’s Exchange in Winnetka to hear a talk by two documentary filmmakers. When I arrived I was surprised to find two young women, Sarah Moshman and Dana Michelle Cook, with a purpose. The goal of “The Empowerment Project” is to create…