What would happen if you married your passions?

I’ve just returned from a fabulous time in New York City and Columbus, Ohio.

I’ve been on the road for the past two weeks to attend Women on Fire tea parties. And, while in Columbus, I talked about 5 Powerful Ways to Kick Off  2011 on NPR’s All Sides With Ann Fisher (you can listen to the interview here.)   I also co-led with my best friend Jan Allen a transition session for members of outgoing Ohio Governor Ted Strictland’s senior staff.

All that meeting and talking about how to express your life’s potential reminded me of how powerful and inspiring it is when we combine — or marry — our passions, interests and skills.

Today I’m going to introduce you to a woman I’ve personally wanted to meet for a long time who has done just that.  She combined her various interests in a surprising way and founded one of the country’s leading ice cream companies!

But first…


My new “do” courtesy of celebrity hair stylist Jacob Neal

I’ve been so busy traveling that I hadn’t scheduled time for a haircut. So, I was running around like a shaggy dog when I remembered my former stylist in New York City Jacob Neal now operates a gorgeous salon in Columbus.

It was fabulous to reconnect with him and in no time at all he whipped up my great new short haircut.  I felt ready to take on the world!

Then, the coolest thing happened.  I went to see Women on Fire book co-author Patricia Wynn Brown perform at TedxWomen in Columbus.  (Tedx, by the way, was brought to Columbus by two terrific, inspiring women you should know, if you don’t — Ruth Milligan and Nancy Kramer.)

While attending, I met up with a woman I’ve been dying to meet who has inspired me for years: Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams!


How fun to finally meet rock star ice cream entrepreneur Jeni Britton Bauer at TedxWomen in Columbus!

As much as I would go to the end of the earth to eat her ice creams — with unusual combinations of flavors you might not associate with ice cream such as Salty Caramel, Wildberry Lavender, Thai Chili, Cocoa Zin, Riesling Pear, Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries — it is her story that intrigues me.

She grew up enthralled with the tastes and smells of the herbs and flowers in her grandmother’s extensive gardens.  At college she majored in art and worked in a French patisserie.  And, at age 22 she married her passions for flavors, textures, smells and the creativity of art and food and applied it to ice cream!

“At our company, all roads lead to ice cream,” she told women in Columbus.  “The memory associated with flavor is very strong. Flavor takes you to a feeling and a memory.”  Her ice cream, created from local ingredients, and more flavorful than sweet became Jeni’s vehicle to deliver pleasure!


Woman on Fire Jan Orosz first told me about Jeni’s Elderberry and Ohio Sweet Cream ice cream. Jeni brought it and two other ice creams as a treat for TedxColumbus attendees. YUM!

Jeni went on to describe her life as an entrepreneur, saying that she views herself first as a mother with two small children and then as a customer advocate.  Her office includes not only a desk and chair but a kitchen with a stove and refrigerator where she and a colleague test until perfection each and every flavor of ice cream.

Success is starting to come fast for Jeni with a new book about to hit the market and new cities and markets clamoring for her special ice creams.

Still “every single day we wake up fighting for our lives,”  she said, adding that the joy, however, supercedes the terrifying roller coaster that is often the life of a business owner.

When you think about your own life, what passions have you combined to create something new, exciting or rewarding?

And, if you’re working to figure out your next steps in your life, like Jeni, which of your talents, passions and interests could you combine to create your next great thing?

I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to share in the comments section below.

Until next week, take extra good care of yourself.

And, if you’re anywhere near Jeni’s Ice Cream, please treat yourself to a scoop of Banana Caramel Cashew or Raspberry Mascarpone or Cayenne Chocolate — and know you’re also celebrating the success of a woman’s courage to pursue her passions!

Much love,

Debbie

You go, girl!

Not sure who said it, but I love this quote:

“If you don’t travel, it’s like reading one page of a book.”

I am back home on Martha’s Vineyard after nearly two weeks on the road  (and two inspiring Women on Fire Tea Parties!) in New York City and Columbus, Ohio.  After being on the go, I feel so enriched from the Women on Fire I met and talked with.

Here are the phenomenal women who shared their aspirations at the tea party in Columbus hosted by Andrea Dowding and Jerry Browning:


Receiving support from fabulous women can move you forward!

I love to travel and I know many of you do, too.

These are five of my favorite strategies I use to get the most out of my business trips:

  • When I can, I stay with friends in the cities where I’m working because it gives me a sense of family and allows me to catch up with people I love. (Thank you for hosting me Holly Getty in NYC and Nancy Kramer in Columbus!)
  • I seek out what I can’t find anywhere else (on this trip Jeni’s for ice cream and the Polarity Center for bodywork in Columbus and the YELO napping/reflexology station for relaxation and Lee’s Art Shop for unique cards and gifts in NYC.)
  • I double my self-care and schedule manicures, pedicures, haircuts, massages and other treatments in between my meetings and events to bolster my energy and ease any weariness.
  • I pack a travel candle (I like The Naked Bee® beeswax brand because it’s small and burns so nicely) and bring along an inspirational book such as Marianne Williamson’s prayer book Illuminata.
  • And, my favorite strategy of all is that I meet as many Women on Fire as I can.  It energizes me to meet you in person and to hear what you are “on fire” about! It also gives me ideas about who I might connect with whom.

In New York, for instance, I met chef and entrepreneur Elizabeth Ann Foster who is launching MacHealthy’s, a soon-to-be franchise with a twist — healthy fast food!  I can’t wait to introduce her especially to the many Women on Fire moms who are frustrated to find quick and healthy eating options.

In Columbus, I met up with Kacy Cook, who has published three books in the past year, including an acclaimed children’s novel Nuts.  A brilliant writer and editor, Kacy is in her mid-50s as she experiences this astounding and exciting success.  (It is never too late to turn your long-held dreams into reality!)

There were many more Women on Fire I loved meeting these past two weeks, and I returned home energized, inspired and with many new ideas.

For those of you who travel:

  • What do you do to get the most out of your travel?
  • How do you take care of yourself when you are on the road?
  • What activities leave you feeling the most energized and inspired?

Please share on the blog with the hundreds of women who read The Spark! each week and would love to hear from you.

I wish you an absolutely terrific week ~

Love,

Debbie

PS  More snapshots from the Women on Fire Tea Party in Columbus!


Bobbie Celeste and Jerry Browning


Jenn Bajec, Susan Rosenberg and Connie Hieatt