Entrepreneurial Stories

Lisa Bova’s Word for the Year-Freedom

February 3, 2014 By Debbie 1 Comment

I met Lisa Bova over 10 years ago back when she was a realtor and was very impressed with her. We have kept in touch over the years-I always enjoyed touching base with her. I am so excited where life is leading her now. I thought she would be an inspiration to you all so I asked Lisa to share her Word for the Year with you. I love what she wrote, I can totally relate. I think you will too. Enjoy!

From Lisa-

When Debbie asked me to write a blog on my word for the year, I knew exactly what the word would be-Freedom. I had been using this word for few months as my intention in my Amrit Series Yoga class. I was using it intentionally to mean freedom in my body, as I went through the series. One definition of freedom is “Ease and grace, as of movement; lack of effort”. Little did I know how this intention was going to take my life to whole new level and allow me to stretch into places I have never been. The qualities of ease and grace in my body translated to finding ease and grace in my life and how to create that in my life. It has made me realize what a powerful manifestor I am. The saying “watch out what you wish for” comes to mind.

I have been in the process for the past three and a half years recreating myself. After 27 years as a real estate broker and company owner I took some time off and then went back to school to be a health and wellness coach, learning about nutrition, diets and primary foods, those things that nourish us that aren’t food. I learned to think along the lines of relationships, career, spirituality and physical activity. Basically my goal is to help people incorporate mind, body and spirit into their lives, by looking at what is blocking them using my clairvoyant training to read their energy fields. With that said, by focusing on the intention of freedom for a while now, I have reached several things that are blocking me in my life from having freedom I now desire beyond just freedom in my body. I have been up close and personal with the fears and beliefs that have been holding me back. I also realize now that I can do any of this or make these changes without really embracing and getting more deeply in touch with my spiritual side. I know I need to create time in my life to meditate, keep myself grounded and clear of unwanted energies and connect to my source. I also need to focus on what is positive in my life instead of letting the negative self talk drive the bus.

Some of this things I have learned from my time with exploring freedom is:

1. Stop spending money on things I already know.

There was a class on how to be a light worker from an entrepreneurial stand point. It was very expensive and required travel which added to the expense. I told a friend about it and she said “you could probably teach that class” She’s right, I don’t need to look outside of myself to find answers or to use it as a excuse for not doing it perfectly and actually do it the way the way I should be doing it, that works for me! I have to stop looking outside myself for answers, because I know I have everything I need in me.

2. Accept discomfort as a reality for now.

When we expand or make changes in our life and allow freedom from our old beliefs and patterns to shift, it’s going be uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s even going to suck! It will pull you out of your comfort zone and will stretch you in ways you never through you could.

3. Be ok in the chaos.

My life is a little chaotic right now, which doesn’t sit well in my always have a plan, problem solving personality. Right now I have to be ok in the chaos of changing my life to create more freedom in it.

4. It’s ok to be me!

I have to let go of the pictures and ideas I have on what or how my life should look. Giving myself the flexibility to stumble, to redirect and learn how to stretch myself. I look at where I was last summer when I started a weekly commitment to my yoga series. I didn’t miss one session for 20 weeks. Each class was a lesson in freedom, breath and noticing where my mind wanted to take me, with the intention of always bringing it back into the pose.

I have moved from just wanting freedom in my body to a long list of where I want
to be free.

Freedom to feel.
Freedom to be fully in my body and accept where it is day to day.
Freedom to be vulnerable.
Freedom to risk.
Freedom to give and receive.
Freedom to love.
Freedom to hope.
Freedom to choose.
Freedom to believe.
Freedom to be happy.
Freedom to be at peace.
Freedom to completely realize my dreams and goals.
Freedom to fully engage in life.
Freedom to be an active and conscious participant.
Freedom to know my values and live them
Freedom to be me.

I hope I have inspired you to look at freedom and how you can express it in
your life and maybe some idea’s of how to deal with it with ease and grace, when it
comes knocking on your door. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on
freedom, what it means in your life, how you allow it in your life or maybe you
don’t and want to explore it more.

Lisa Bova

Lisa Bova is owner of Transformation Living and Wellness. She is an
intuitive, energy healer, certified holistic health and wellness coach who strives to
help people discover what is blocking them from achieving everything they
want from life. To see what Lisa is up to, check out her blog and website at
www.lisabova.com, “like” her on Facebook www.facebook.com/lisa-bova-coach or
follow her in twitter www.twitter.com/lisabova

2013 Word-Everyday Mindfulness

January 16, 2013 By Debbie 2 Comments

Kelli Lene Mindfulness Hi everyone! I am still collecting people’s words for 2013. I asked my good friend Kelli Lene to share her word with you-

Everyday Mindfulness

Like many of you I am contemplating what lessons I learned in 2012 and what my priorities are for 2013. This leads to the major challenge of identifying the one word that sums up my focus, both personal and professional, for the year. After much introspection and herbal tea, I have finally recognized the perfect word ( drum roll…..) 2013 is now officially the year of “Mindfulness”.

Mindfulness was originally associated with Zen Buddhism, now it’s intrical with all types of meditation used in psych, Yoga and other wellness practices. However, if you are anything like me, the idea of practicing meditation translates to a daytime nap. And I feel the same way about naps that I did at 5 – at my core I know I need it, but Maaaaaaaaaaama all the other kids are up and I’ve got things to do.

As you can imagine, my 20 year journey from corporate suit to a neuromuscular therapist has led me to become much more in touch with the components of mindfulness in my treatment room. My beloved yet spotty yoga practice has upgraded my awareness even more and brought those components into by personal arena. Now life has exposed to me some amazing women who walk the talk and (despite my best efforts) have been a good influence on me. So this is the year I am going to up the ante.

A semi official description of mindfulness comes from John Kabat-Zinn : “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally ” Mindfulness, like a lot of concepts, can be incredibly complicated and interpreted in a wide variety of ways. For me it means to spend a lot less time on auto-pilot. The trick is how to make it happen simply, consistently and meaningfully.

I approached this venture the same as I do any large project: research, determine goals, and plan specific steps. My plan is to focus on one facet a month, committing to making it a part of my everyday life. The twelve features are:

January: Breath work

February: Body Scanning

March: Meditation

April : Connection to Nature

May: Non- attachment

June: Openness to Experiences

July: Being Present

August: Connection to Myself

September: Acceptance

October: Non- judgment

November: Compassion

December: Connection to Others

Practicing these components will help bring me to the beauty of the present moment. And can’t we all do with a little more beauty in our lives? My wish for you and me is a year full of beautiful moments that we are mindful enough to recognize.

Here is Kelli’s bio-I love her story, she is a true Happy First Chick, she left the corporate world to pursue her passion-

Kelli Lene’ is the owner of Time Well Spent, a consulting and professional development company primarily serving the wellness industry. She has been involved in professional education since 1981 when she began her career as an adult educator specializing in customer service and client relations for the retail/ hospitality industries. Based on a need for personal fulfillment, she embarked on a new direction – as a massage therapist and spa technician. Eventually, due to her corporate background, she had the opportunity to merge the her two worlds – as a spa owner, consultant and eventually as a massage/spa program director.

Time Well Spent is a culmination of all these experiences. The company offers neuromuscular services, corporate wellness programs, special events, professional education and consultation. Since 1994 Time Well Spent has worked with schools, manufacturers, spas, and therapy centers. As an acknowledged industry expert she has participated in all aspects of professional development including publishing, curriculum development, trade shows, and workshops.

As a business owner, Kelli understands firsthand the difficulty of keeping so many balls in the air and still maintaining balance. Her main strategy has always been to have every branch of her business balance the others thru a shared vision –“That every moment invested with her…. is time well spent”

Kelli has a passion for her chosen career and is devoted to combining her experience in education with her love of wellness in order to contribute to her community. That is why she is currently working towards her next project – a personal and professional retreat called Spa Kamp.

(Kelli is also the ultimate Pinterest Chick (think I need to do a Pinterest Chick tee or cap?) -check it out- Kelli Lene Spa Kamp-she has incredible boards and ideas!))

Celebrate July & our Freedom!

July 1, 2012 By Debbie Leave a Comment

Happy July 1st, my friends! Where is this summer going? We just got back from the beach at 1 am last night (or I guess that is morning!). Had a wonderful time, after Sunday it was bright and sunny after the tropical storm Debby came through.

I love vacations, gets me recharged, energized! I love to shop and check out the trends and see what is fun and new. I always get new ideas too. So last night we got home and I was so excited and started pulling out fabric out of my fabricaholic stash to get ready to create today. Went to bed around 3 am, those of you that know me know that I am NOT a night person! But I love new ideas and get so wired I cannot sleep. Can’t wait to show you what I come up with.

I am reflecting on July, how we are so blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to do what we want to do. If we want to start a new business, we can! We can run with our ideas and share with others. I don’t take this for granted and am thankful to those who have fought for our country.

So, pursue and be happy and celebrate our country this week!

What are you thankful for and what are you pursuing?

ps-click on the ecard to share! 🙂

Earth Day Entrepreneur Jeweler Michael Choi

April 20, 2012 By Debbie Leave a Comment

XOvivo

Hi everyone!

I am going to start featuring some of my entrepreneurial friends on my blog. I have been planning on this for a long time. I have met so many incredible people through my business. Happy First is all about finding your passion and pursuing it. I hope to inspire you through my work and the work of others.

I thought with Earth Day coming up I would feature Michael Choi, as his line is created from using recycled materials and he is all about going green.

We have similar stories, as I was a CPA and decided to leave that field and pursue my passion for my love of fashion, and Michael was a successful engineer and decided to follow his dream in the artistic field of jewelry. Michael and his wife have two teenage sons close in our age to our sons.

So introducing my friend Michael-

My name is Michael Choi, a designer and maker of fashion jewelry at
XOvivo in Northern Virginia. Debbie, Happy First, and I met at the
AmericasMart-Atlanta in 2009. As soon as we met, we became friends. I
think that is because both of us carry positive energy… well…
Debbie is so sweet, who wouldn’t want to be her friend?

XO in XOvivo represents ‘extraordinary.’
Vivo means ‘of life.’
So… XOvivo means ‘extraordinary life.’

When you wear my jewelry, I want you to feel that you are an
extraordinary person living your own life. That is my goal. As part of
that, an awareness of the sustainability issues, and doing something
about it has become integral part of my workplace. From material
selection to shipping material, my team and I do everything that we
can to recycle, reuse, and repurpose. Being GREEN is becoming a way of
life, as opposed to, a marketing term to differentiate. And that is a
great progress.

I am an artist at heart, born to a painter and a fashion designer.
After an exciting career in engineering and high tech marketing, I
finally decided to follow my passion for arts. My wife introduced me
to jewelry making four years ago, and the rest was history. Looking
back, my past is evident in all of my work. My lifelong art training
and meditation help me visualize the essence of beauty, my business
and MBA training helps me design based on value, and my engineering
experience brings my designs to life. In just over three years, we
have been fortunate to have over 300 stores carry our lines in The
States. Currently with two full-time and one part-time employees, we
plan to continue building our American brand and growing our business.
I hope to pay off my credit card debt soon 🙂

I currently have two lines for women; XOcandy and XOgreen and a men’s
line, menzEGO. You can see them at www.xovivo.com. XOvivo jewelry
lines are bold, vibrant, and comfortable.

XOgreen radiates extraordinary energy of women through bold lines. I
use alternative metals to balance the boldness and the comfort of the
jewelry. A woman want to look beautiful, but she also wants to be
comfortable. I currently use aluminum with recycled content. It is
generally a stable metal with regards to allergies, I can finish in
both shiny and matte. When you put on XOgreen, the bold lines harness
the energy of nature and channel that into your beauty.

XOcandy radiates extraordinary vibrancy of women through colors. Hard
and soft resin are used to generate fun yet gracious look with an
ability to form curvatures and bold shapes. I am always researching
new material and I am so happy with this material that I import from
Italy. Extraordinary colors make you beautifully glow when you wear
XOcandy. The translucence adopts to the color of your skin, color of
clothes, and the light.

With menzEGO, we narrow the reach for a man in standing out in the
crowd confident yet approachable… artistic yet comfortable… edgy
yet calm… raw yet refined. The designs are inspired by my vision of
men’s code of life that I strive to live by. Materials include soft
resin, fine silver, recycled aluminum, exotic wood, and leather.

Spark and Hustle!

February 17, 2011 By Debbie Leave a Comment

Spark and Hustle

I just had the most amazing time with about 200 women (and a few brave men!) at Tory Johnson’s Spark and Hustle 3 day convention. Tory is an award winning business leader, New York Times best selling author, workplace contributor to Good Morning America, and a speaker. I knew I would enjoy her convention, but it way exceeded my expectations! My head is still spinning from all I have learned and experienced. Cindy Morrison (former Emmy-winning tv anchor and now author, speaker, and founder of socialvention) was instrumental in bringing this event to Tulsa-this is an 8 city tour and we were so lucky to get it here in Tulsa! Check out www.sparkandhustle.com and see if there is one in a city near you, I highly recommend it!

It was for anyone that has a business or business idea (a spark) and wants to hustle their business! I decided to go to learn new things, meet other business owners, and exchange ideas. I brought 5 business owner friends along. We all had the best time meeting new people and just soaking up the information. One thing we did that really helped was presenting our business to others at our table and have them give us new ideas. It was exciting to hear a completely fresh perspective!

In addition to Tory and Cindy we listened to inspiring speakers including Paula Marshall, CEO of Bama Companies, Kristine Sexter (an award winning speaker, consultant and columnist-such a go getter!), Marley Majcher, business owner and author of But are you making any money, Michelle Pippin, a small business coach (so many good ideas!), Simon Bailey (a dynamic motivational speaker), Jo Khalifa, owner of www.mojoroast.com (what an inspiring speaker!), Jeretta Nord, OSU professor and owner of www.acupofcappuccino.com, Shari Alexander, co-owner of the Expert Message Group (I really enjoyed her speech about public speaking and writing your own book) and Vivian Tenorio, owner of www.signatureflan.com . We also listened to some local business owners, many of whom I have wanted to meet.

I loved hearing about how these women had a dream and made it happen. They gave us nuts and bolts of what they did to succeed. It was so inspiring but it was more than a motivational seminar; we learned business concepts, we networked and exchanged ideas and helped one another in the sessions! I made so many good friends at this event. This is what Happy First is all about, encouraging others to pursue their passion! I soon will be writing some inspiring stories of entrepreneurs I know. If you have a story to share, please let me know through my contact form above. Also, if you want to go to Spark and Hustle, enter HOSTHAPPYFIRST under the discount code, and you will get 10% off of the convention price! I want us all to help one another in our journey to happiness, success and fulfillment.