new life.

I'm so excited about Love Affair in Atlanta.  It's here in less than a week!!!!

(If you still want a chance to be part of it there are only two seats left!!  Click here to get one.  Go to the registration tab on the Love Affair website)

Every time we have a Love Affair Workshop I come away from it with new friendships with women I never would have met any other way.  I love getting emails from women telling me how their life has changed for the better since they attended Love Affair.  I wish I could take the credit for that but  I teach with three other fantastic women... and then there are all of the women who attend Love Affair.  All of them arrive completely open to changing their life and business, open to sharing their fears, cares, worries, joys, mistakes, successes, excitement, enthusiasm, and hopes.  It's a week with tons of energy and lots of change for better lives and happier business.  I come off of the week with an adrenaline rush, new friends, and ideas to implement when I get back home.  (I sound like I'm an attendee!  It's true though!  Every time I get together with these women I come away having learned some really awesome things.)

To all of you Love Affair Atlanta '09 women!  I can't wait to see you.  We'll be together in less than a week.  WOHOO!!!!

 PS Women and Business will return after Love Affair! 

fun. LIFE.

having a plan.

Once again I have a great link and thoughts from my awesome insurance lady that wants to make sure I'm staying fit.

- Spend some quality time with family and/or friends
- Be active with family/friends – get outside, have your own family or community fun run, play Frisbee, catch, ride bikes, whatever you enjoy
- Be safe! For most of us, it will be hot outside.   If you're outdoors, remember to stay cool, hydrated, and wear sunscreen!
- No celebration is complete without the food! Here are some healthy recipes you can try if you'd like: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/healthy_4th_recipes.html

I do have to say that I have not been drinking enough water.  I think that's going to be my big push this week.

Last night we all gathered around the table and chatted about being a fit and healthy family....completely instigated by Emmett.  He has decided to start a fitness program with scouts.  As a family, we've decided to all get on board.   We have a plan to start walking as a family in the evenings, reading nutrition labels on waht we buy, eating a lot more fruits and veggies, playing basketball in our cul de sac, and finding ways to be active as a family.

Here's to being a fit and healthy family!

fit. LIFE.

great line up.

Thanks for checking in with Women and Business!  Make sure to check back next week.

We have a lot of fantastic women who are coming up:

Sarah Petty

Brianna Graham

Patience Salgado

Bambi Cantrell

Susan Stripling

and many others.

I can't wait!

learn. LIFE.

KAREN.

You are the winner.  By one day!  Laura gave you a run for your money. 

Karen posted 13 of the 16 days and Laura posted 12 of the 16 days!  

Karen, you win a $50 gift certificate to your fave place for summer fashion!

New contest for July:

Give your ideas (in the comments, of course) for healthy life choices...the person with the most days of suggestions will win a $50 gift certificate for an artist's day.  This means a fun day out for just you and this $50 gift certificate will go toward that date with yourself.

As moms...spouses...women...we want to be healthy so that we can hang around for as long as possible and be there for the people who count on us.  We also want to be healthy because it helps our energy, our moods, our days to go more smoothly, and we feel like we're doing the right thing.

Below are some ideas to help you prevent obesity in your home.  (from Carolina's Health Summer 2009):

Encourage activity.  Kids (and I would say we) need a minimum of an hour of daily physical activity.  Try family walks or encourage your family members to participate in a sport or volunteer in the community.

Make it a family affair.  Don't single out an overweight child or person; cook up nutritious meals for everyone and avoid buying junk food.

Limit TV, computer and video game time, and discourage eating in front of the TV.  Mindless snacking is a big source of extra calories.

Skip the force-feeding.  Don't force kids to clean their plate if they're not hungry.

Cut back on juice and other sugary beverages.  Drinking plain water, flavored water or seltzer can save hundreds of calories (and dollars).

Champion breakfast.  A healthy breakfast ramps up metabolism, gives kids energy and helps curb overeating later in the day.

Let there be snacks.  Fresh or dried fruit, nuts, low-fat yogurt and air popped popcorn can give kids a nutrient boost and prevent overeating.  But don't be too strict-let your child know that the occasional pizza run with friend is OK, too.

Be supportive.  Remind your family that you love them no matter what and that many of the celebrities they see on TV don't have realistic body types. 

You can check your body mass index (BMI) here.

healthy. LIFE.

***All images in this post are copyright Joy Thigpen unless otherwise noted***

NEXT WEEK: TBA

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

Make sure to check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

You are a wedding stylist, how is that different from being a wedding coordinator?

well, my team can actually provide all the regular planning and coordinating services, it's just that we take the aesthetics as seriously as the logistics.

What are the three most important things you do as a business woman?

follow my heart, surround myself with the right people, and work in my strengths

What are the three most important things you do as a mother?

1. listen to my kids

2.when i'm with them i'm as present as possible

3. try to be the kind of person i want them to become

When you are feeling overwhelmed with business, what’s the best thing you think you do as a mom?

get help. from my husband, my associates, my nanny, my family... we all need each other. i can't be everything to everyone all the time. i try to determine which hat i need to be wearing at the moment (work or mom) and delegate the rest.

I love your logo, what was the process you went through to create it and your style?

thanks! well, the logo actually came from a moment of self-employmentdespairturned hope when i saw a little old-school plane doing loops out of the corner of my eye. it felt like a promise of crazy good fun that was to come. that moment along with a pablo neruda quote: "i want to do with you what spring does to the cherry trees" gave rise to my little logo.

as for the creation of my style, i guess its just been a process of looking at good work and collecting the things i like in folders in my iphoto...slowly patterns start to emerge.

What are your three favorite creative tools and how do they help you to be inspired?

one i just hinted at is my iphoto. i just gather images i see from the internet (tool number two?) and file them away and put them back together again in new ways that inspire new palettes and projects and ideas.

What are you most proud of creatively?

well, there's a shoot I did in March that will actually be published this week, i think, on oncewed.com. it was the first time i really felt unleashed. i'll include a sneak peak. there were a lot of talented people involved from all over the country and it made me feel so alive. i loved the outcome and i loved that in the process i felt, "yes, this is exactly what i'm supposed to be doing."

What do you recommend women do who are just getting a small business started?

i'm sure there is a lot of good business advice out there but i have to seek them out. so i guess my first tip is to recognize when you need help, but my biggest piece of advise is to figure out what you love to do and do it well. eventually the money will come. i really believe that we were all put on the planet for specific tasks and that when we do what we were made to do God takes care of the rest. maybe not the best business advise but it makes me happy. and that's something!

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

really, just being a business woman is enough for me to be proud of. i still feel pressure around me that i should stay home with my kids because i'm a woman. its been a journey for me to realize, no wait, i don't have to be the parent while my husband works, we can actually both be parents and both work! simple, i know, but it was revolutionary for me. so i'm just proud of myself for stepping out and doing the work i love without feeling like i'm abandoning my kids.

What would you say is your best way of bringing in new clients aside from word of mouth?

good wedding blogs. i get a lot of my clients from being on once wed.

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

ooh, this is such a good topic. i don't know that i have five tips but i'll give my two cents. there is this great book called Boundaries, you could read that if you want. i just feel like boundaries are so important in finding balance....knowing when to stop working is as important as anything. there are seasons when we have to spend more time in certain areas but i think just trying to pursue balance is the best thing. if pursuing balance in your life is on your radar at all, its a good sign. after that, you just have to decide what's most important to you and make sure you live like it.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

remember that i have brittany now! (see below.) basically, delegate. i can only do so much and i don't have to feel bad about that. if it more than i can do it means that someone else needs to do it or it doesn't need to get done...at least not yet. its that simple. remembering that isn't always easy but life is so much better when i do.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

not a product/thing but, the best thing I've done is to hire someone to organize everything...my calendar, clients, events, everything. i'm just not gifted in those areas and when i tried to do it all, things weren't getting done as well as they should be AND i was going crazy. now brittany does all the things i'm terrible at and its cake for her! life is much better now.

What is your favorite thing about being a business woman?

my job. most days that i'm out working i find myself saying out loud, "man, i love my job!" and "I can't believe this is my life!" you can ask the people i work with. i love being surrounded by really beautiful things and excellent quality and creativity...its soexhilaratingfor me.

What is your favorite part of being a mom?

snuggling!

Are you married? If so, what is the best thing your husband does to help your business be successful?

yes. the best thing he does for my business is that he believes in me. he's the one that encouraged me most to give it a go in the first place.

What daily things do you do to keep the flames burning in your marriage?

wow. i wish i had a great answer here.... i think it'd be awesome if i intentionally did things here. but i'm still working on being kind to my husband daily. that goes a long way and is harder for me than i like to admit.

To see Joy's work:

Website

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