 GlamourByLBD Note: When I first met Julie B., the stylish and fun CEO of The Magic Fridge at the eWomen Conference, we were relaxing in the pool after a day of travel. The next morning, when I saw her in the hotel lobby, my eye was immediately drawn across a hotel lobby to her use of color, an integral part of Julie’s signature style. I asked her to write about how she uses her creative sense of style to project her image as an entrepreneur in a creative business. Remember, your signature style is reached when you dress for the life you want in the body you have.”
About a year ago, I made a discovery about myself when a simple and common question was asked in a slightly different way. It’s a great business strategy to work with your strengths, but instead of bluntly asking, “What are your strengths?”, this particular worksheet asked, “What are you frequently complimented on?”
I would never have listed my personal style as a business strength, especially since my business has nothing to do with fashion, but it is something I am often complimented on. I was just starting to get into business networking in a big way, and I started looking at how people dressed at networking functions. Everyone was working very hard to have their business stand out from the crowd, but at most of these functions, especially the co-ed ones, fashion seemed to be at the bottom of the priority list. I realized that by having interesting clothes and accessories, I might be able to stand out and be remembered in a positive way.
In one particular organization, we wear our business cards in badge holders clipped to lapels or on neck lanyards, so I often dress in colours to match my business card. I use a neutral metal necklace in place of the standard woven lanyard with promotional printing on it so as not to detract from the ensemble. For other groups, I have a plain silver-coloured magnetic nametag with my name printed in black in large letters, but not my company name. This emblazons my name in people’s memories and prompts the question, “What do you do?”, which starts the conversation for me.
Another strategy I use is to dress in neutrals with a standout necklace or earrings. I often network in denim trousers, a white or off-white shirt, grey blazer and a string of oversize bright orange beads - think giant orange gumballs against a white and gray background; of course they get noticed! I have a similar turquoise necklace, a string of shiny bright yellow-green buttons, artisan-made copper and glass earrings, and an African-look wooden necklace with flat wood discs the size of a digital camera, painted to look like ladybugs. When I show up as a return attendee at a networking group, I am often recognized, both consciously and subconsciously, by my outfits, or more accurately, the difference between how I dress and how everyone else dresses.
In embracing my love of fashion, and especially jewellery, I am able to enjoy networking in a way I never had before - it used to be my least favourite part of being a business owner. Now, choosing and wearing elegant and interesting clothing and accessories makes getting up at 6AM, eating rubber eggs and drinking tepid coffee almost tolerable.
Julie’s fabulous sense of style and her culinary treats can be found in Ottawa, CA or by visiting her website at www.themagicfridge.com.
Are you looking for your own signature style but can’t make it past the maze of your closet? Email me and lets change that!
 GlamourByLBD Note: The following article is a contributed article from Susan Wranick, the President of Susan L. Wranik Associates LLC. I had the pleasure to meeting Susan while attending the eWomen conference. She is an expert in the area of communication, making it her mission to Make Women’s Voices Be Heard. Look for her articles as an ongoing contributor to www.GlamourByLBD.com.
More on the hunter/gatherer paradigm.
Studies in early language development show that female children surpass male children in word acquisition, and that male children, given a limited vocabulary, are more inclined to express themselves physically. For example, if a child has a toy that a male child wants, he takes it. End of story. A female child, on the other hand, will use her words to negotiate a mutually agreeable playing schedule with her playmate. Ever watch them in action? Fascinating. Yet, the very language competence that places females at the head of the learning curve in early language development often works against them later in life in business.
Take the way women ask for a raise. Women ask, often supporting and justifying, conveying their appreciation - sometimes effusively. Men simply state their needs. Take it or leave it. Is it a gamble? Yes, but so is any communicative event. In business, and in dealing with men in particular, less is more. The more streamlined the discourse, the more easily it’s understood.
Perhaps the first foreign language we should teach is the one that divides men and women - and that instruction should begin early in life!
Susan Wranick, MS MA CCC-SLP is a Linguist/speech-language pathologist as well as a speaker and writer who focuses on giving voice to other people’s voices. Learn more about her company, Susan L. Wranik Associates, LLC at www.speakskill.com. Susan resides in Chevy Chase, MD.
GlamourByLBD Note: Women Don’t Ask (book pictured to the right) is currently on my nightstand. I highly commend it to your reading! Click here to learn more about Women Don’t Ask.
GlamourByLBD Note: GlamourByLBD Note: Julie’s Back with great ideas to get your school year afternoons off to a winning start. Check in with Julie Broczkowski and learn more about the Magic Fridge at www.themagicfridge.com Julie is very positive, stylish, creative and just a joy to be around! And we both believe that food should taste great and make you well, not sick!
 When the kids come scrambling through the door, loudly declaring that they are “starving” and can absolutely not wait until supper, here are a few quick ideas to have on hand…
Berry smoothies - buy frozen fruit or freeze your own in single-serving packets, and whiz it up with some milk and yogurt. Add some flax seed oil and protein powder to make a breakfast or occasional meal replacement.
Cream cheese roll-ups - Cream cheese spread on tortillas or thin pitas make a quick snack. Make your own flavoured cream cheese using cinnamon and sugar or a dip mix
Vegetables and fruit - a little dip can go a long way to getting some vegetation into your kids. Use yogurt or low-fat sour cream and low-salt, preservative-free mixes to ease your health-conscience. Make tiny fruit kebabs with toothpicks for a fun change.
Hot pizza dip - on a cool autumn afternoon, make this easy dip. A package of cream cheese spread on a glass pan, top with pizza sauce, your favourite toppings and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 min, and dip with chips or pita bread.
If lunches and after-school eating are a struggle, try some of these techniques to smooth the way…
1. Give kids choices - have several baskets with different lunch components, and let the kids choose one from each basket: for example, one for fruit, others for cereal bars, small treats, sandwich fillings, vegetables. Or have each child make a list of all “acceptable” foods that can be put in lunches. Update the list as tastes change.
2. If your child wants to buy lunch instead of brown-bagging, try putting them in charge of the cost. Give a set weekly amount, and let them either spend it on bought lunches or put it in their pocket if they take lunch from home.
3. A la Mary Poppins, try a “spoonful of sugar”… dips for fruit and veggies, a snack-size treat, compromising on bread or spreads if the sandwich fillings are healthy. Try adding food-processed carrots or zucchini to mayo-based sandwich fillings like tuna - if it’s small enough, they won’t pick it out, or maybe even not notice it!
4. Keep variety in lunches - always try new stuff, even if they haven’t liked it in the past.
5. Designate a cupboard and a fridge shelf as the snack zone and/or lunch zone. Kids will know to go there for after-school parent-approved food, and lunch-packing will be easier with everything in one or two places.
A couple of innovative lunchbox ideas:
Instead of sliced bread… make sandwiches with wraps or crackers, or even frozen waffles and hot dog buns. Frozen breads make for easier spreading and stay fresher.
Easy sliced apple idea that doesn’t go all brown in the lunchbox… Wedge an apple (you can get this extremely useful tool at kitchen stores or from The Pampered Chef). Remove the core but don’t take it all apart into the slices. Place it in a plastic bag or small bin and fill the hole with peanut butter or cream cheese and raisins. The spread and other pieces of apple will keep the cut parts from being exposed and going brown.
Recipe for a protein-filled snack bite to pack…
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey
Graham cracker crumbs
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the graham cracker crumbs. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in the crumbs and refrigerate. Makes 24.
GlamourByLBD Note: Meet my wonderful new friend, Julie Broczkowski and learn more about the Magic Fridge at www.themagicfridge.com Julie is very positive, stylish, creative and just a joy to be around! And we both believe that food should taste great and make you well, not sick!
Out of thousands of women at the eWomen Network conference in Dallas in August, it is truly a miracle that I connected with Laura Beth. On Wednesday night, we were two of only three (out of 3000+) women who were relaxing in the hotel’s hot tub. Of course, none of us had our business cards in the back pocket of our swimsuits, so what were the odds we’d stay in touch?
But we met again on Thursday morning, and Laura Beth mentioned that she was admiring some sculptures on the hotel grounds. I decided that was a sign, and asked her to join me that morning on my trip to the Nasher Sculpture Center, my only planned sightseeing in Dallas. We headed out a few hours later, and in the three hours we spent at the museum and lunch, the commonalities surfaced. Her sons live with the same medical condition as my husband, and she and I also have a lot of medical history in common. We hold like-minded views on health, nutrition, life-work balance, business and fashion….
We saw each other numerous times during the conference, and sat together during the moving final speaker, Lisa Nichols. Laura Beth patted my back as tears streamed down my face when Lisa’s words hit very close to my emotional bone a few times - I knew we were parting as friends that day, and that we would keep in touch. Out of all those thousands of women, we found each other.
One of the things we agreed most vehemently about was wellness. As LBD says, “Wellness is my signature style!” Good health radiates beyond clothes and accessories, and gives you a glow that no makeup can match. I am hurtling towards 40, but am often mistaken for someone who is years younger, and I chalk it up to three things: daily sunscreen, getting enough sleep and eating essential fatty acids (also known as EFAs).
EFAs are the healthy fats found in oily fish, flax seeds, nuts and avocados. They are called “essential” because our bodies can’t make them; we have to get them from foods. They calm inflammation in the body, which can show up as arthritis, colitis, skin conditions or heart disease. They support our immune systems and keep our brain function sharp. I use flax seed oil in my daily morning fruit-and-yogurt smoothie and eat at least two avocados a week. I snack on almonds and eat salmon whenever I cook my husband a burger or a chop (I don’t eat beef or pork anymore due to food allergies).
Here’s an EFA-packed recipe I invented recently. I poached the salmon in some chicken broth flavoured with Thai seasonings, then put it in the fridge overnight. This recipe would work well with any fish or seafood in place of the salmon.
Thai Avocado Salmon Salad
6-8 oz. poached salmon (2 medium fillets)
1 avocado, sliced
Chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. olive oil mayo
1 tbsp. sweet and spicy sauce of your choice (I used So!Go’s Tomato Lemongrass Jam)
Stir together the mayo and jam in bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, then drain the salmon and cut up the avocado and cilantro. Stir together and serve on a bed of lettuce or with grilled asparagus.
GlamourByLBD Note: The following article is a contributed article from Susan Wranick, the President of Susan L. Wranik Associates LLC. I had the pleasure to meeting Susan while attending the eWomen conference. She is an expert in the area of communication, making it her mission to Make Women’s Voices Be Heard. Look for her articles as an ongoing contributor to www.GlamourByLBD.com.
Communication is more than the sum of the words you use Every move you make says something about you. How you dress tells other people how you feel about them. Do you make them feel they’re not worth the effort? Chewing gum while speaking says you’re unclear about your priorities. Then again, perhaps making your point isn’t one of them. Limp handshake? Indecision. Did you know your grip speaks to the strength of your character? Business deals have been sealed over them - and jobs lost because of them. Manners are simply petty sacrifices that let others know you care about them and how they feel. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but it’s never too late to improve for the next time. And by the way, the plural of you is not you guys - it’s you. It’s the image that lingers after you leave the room that matters. People seldom remember what you say, but they remember how you make them feel. What is your image that lingers?
Communication - more than the sum of the words you use. Are you sure of the message you’re sending?
Susan Wranick, MS MA CCC-SLP is a Linguist/speech-language pathologist as well as a speaker and writer who focuses on giving voice to other people’s voices. Learn more about her company, Susan L. Wranik Associates, LLC at www.speakskill.com. Susan resides in Chevy Chase, MD.
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