Links That Light Us Up

29th Edition

Hello Woman on Fire!

After an amazing week in Naples, with more than 100 women at our annual Women on Fire  Retreat, we thought it was time to get back to bringing you our favorite links from across the web.

Extreme Bravery—The United State just honored 10 women from around the globe for their extraordinary acts of courage.

Women of Courage- Jewel Samadi AFP Getty ImagesJewel Samadi/AFP

Best Disney Re-Do—The unbelievably talented Annie Leibovitz has done it again, and this time she’s recreated some of our favorite Disney characters.

Disney Dream Photos by Annie LebovitzAnnie Leibovitz

Best Biz Advice—Following up can be the hardest line to walk when pitching to a potential client or partner. Find out how to master it here.

The Art of Following up from Inc. Minda Zetlin

Best Guilt-Free Bite—What could be better than healthy and delicious 100-calorie snacks?

31 100 calorie snacks from Greatist

Best New Tune—”True North” by Jillette Johnson has been on replay for the past week.

Best Custom Creation—Inspired by our very own Tandi Musuraca (her actual necklace pictured below), brevity will take your signature, drawing, or phrase and turn it into wearable art. SO chic!

Brevity jewlerybrevity.

Best Virtual Assistant—If a virtual assistant isn’t in your budget, try one of these 7 organizational apps to keep you in line and on task.

7 apps to organize your dayTeresa Lagerman

We hope these links light up the rest of your week, and we look forward to hearing what’s lighting you up lately! 🙂

xox

The Women on Fire team

Angels to each other

Hello from Paris!

This past week has been the long-awaited, much anticipated Women on Fire trip and Vision Day® in Paris.

It’s been magnificent and I hope you’ve seen the many posts about our trip on Facebook and Twitter.  We want to share as much of this magnificent adventure with you as possible.

It was a deeply touching week here in Paris – and I’ll tell you why.

You might think it was seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time …or eating at the Michelin 2-star Restaurant Helene Darroze … or learning to ride Segways and buzzing about the streets of Paris.


Paris by Segway! We had a blast zipping about Paris on Segways. The 11 Women on Fire from left to right: Susan Kruger Woodcock, Jill Dulitsky, Angela Ittu, Tandi Musuraca, Doni Belau, Debbie Phillips, Lisa Umberger Arundale, Michelle Whittaker, Kim Davis, Becky Adams and Jamie Eslinger

Or you might think it was shopping the fresh markets with a French chef. Then taking the ingredients back to his cooking school kitchen to learn how to whip up from appetizer-to-dessert (including cheese and wine) the most fabulous French meal.

Yes…

But no.  What was most deeply satisfying was something else.

The 11 women on this trip spent the week in Paris together sharing our dreams, our hopes, our challenges.  We listened to each other; comforted each other; cheered each other on.

That we could come together in this nurturing way was more touching and inspiring to me than anything else on this trip.

My best friend Jan Allen and I always say of each other, “as best friends, we take notes about life and share them each other.”

And, that is what happened when 11 women, most of whom did not even know each other before Paris, came together to share love, life, work, motherhood, dreams and goals.

More than one woman said to me over these past few days in Paris, “I had no idea how much I need the company of other women.”

So here in Paris, we laughed and cried and celebrated and turned our attention to next steps forward in our lives.

While you don’t have to fly to Paris for support like this (although I certainly would not stop you!).

Please know that sometimes it takes getting away in a purposeful and planned way to stop and take stock and breathe again.  And to be in the company of and to hear from other women to see the way forward.

So… 

What I would want for you are loving and caring women to spend time with regularly; women who cheer you on; women who accept you for you; women who celebrate how far you’ve come; and women who believe you and your dreams.

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” ~ Jane Howard (1935-1996)

With love to you from Paris ~