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Lynn's Blog
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We've done quite a bit of media over the last few months, most recently last week and today. One thing we've discovered is that no shoot or show is EVER the same. It's kind of like having kids. The first one is born and she's a screamer. You (that would be I), tear your hair out trying to figure out how to stop her from crying. You finally discover that driving her around without ever stopping for red lights for about four hours starting at 2 a.m. quiets her. Then her brother comes along and guess what. He HATES being in the car and if you so much LOOK at the car when he's in your arms, HE starts yelling his brains out. So much for learning from experience.
Anyway, the number one lesson I think we've learned from our media experiences is BE PREPARED FOR ALMOST ANYTHING. Here's what I mean.
1. Today's NPR segment. We arrive at the studio and find we won't be in the same booth together. (NO one ever seems to know what to do with TWO of us.) Fortunately, we can see each other thro [...]
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This video is not directly associated with business although I will make the connection.
Since the day I let my hair go white, I noticed a not-at-all-subtle change in the way strangers treat me. Mostly, I'm ignored. Honestly. when Corey and I enter a room together, every single person walks up to talk to her first. In our youth centered culture, I know that if I want to make an impression, I have to do something to convince people that I still have a brain, can contribute to a conversation (or a business), and have something to offer that they might need (friendship?).
There is an invisible barrier between older people, particularly women, and younger generations. Why does this matter to you? Well, first off, you're women and if you're as fortunate as I, you will age. Regardless of how much work you have done on your face and/or body, you can't evade the basic progression of life. Secondly, from a business perspective, you may be completely unintentionally ignoring a huge mark [...]
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Most of you are way too young to remember the musical of this name, but when I first heard the title, I knew it would stick with me forever. It's applicable so often! And one of those times was this morning...
I broke.
A lot's been going right for us lately, but a lot's not been so hot. The final straw this a.m. was a partially missing blog. Yesterday, the center column started sprouting code like weeds after a rain while the right column was blank. Later in the afternoon, the code evaporated, but so did all the posts except one. I tried to find help, but no one was available. So I went to bed thinking when I woke up this a.m., I'd see our pretty little blog back to normal. Not! Code disease again. After once again fruitlessly trying to get help, I cracked. I cried to my husband, then I cried to Corey.
Got over it. But really, this incident was one of those wake-up calls I seem to require in order to STOP and take stock. When I do, I almost always recognize that there's someth [...]
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It's been almost two months since I've written a blog post here. I took seriously the fact that I had reached my original goal and so was "promoted" to blogger emeritus, but honestly, I didn't mean to entirely forsake my STS blog.
But strangely, it turned out to be more difficult for me to bop in and out once a month than it was to write a few times a week! Guess that's because there is so much happening, some of it wonderful, some of it not so great, that it's difficult to keep it brief and useful to you at the same time. So I took the easy way out and let it go.
But as I read the other bloggers entries and am inspired by them, I realize that I still want to contribute. So I'm just going to jump in here. These may not be the most insightful posts you'll read, but hopefully they'll contain a gem or two, making it worth your while to spend a few minutes skimming them.
My original coaching practice's business name was Bloom 'n Grow and boy have I been doing that since Celebrate [...]
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That's what Corey said as we threw our arms around fellow STSer Nicole Sherwin after already having met and thrown our arms around Nicole Dunn!The setting was the Eco Gift Festival in Santa Monica, CA. I'd been looking forward to the event for months, not so much because we had a booth and would be showcasing Celebrate Green!, but because I knew this was the opportunity to meet the two Nicoles.
I've been jealous of all of you New Yorkers who have been to parties and greeted each other like old friends. I'm no longer green with envy. I can guarantee you that the west coast STSers are incredible women who spread vitality and optimism (not to mention great looks) wherever they go. I can't speak for either Nicole, but I was blown away by how instantly we connected as if we'd known each other forever. It proves that you can tell a lot about people just by their online personas. I knew I was going to love these women.
As always, I have to thank Angela for bringing us together. Both [...]
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OK, I now know the true and literal meaning of "my head is spinning," because if mine could be, it would be. The last few weeks have been a blur, filled with so many exciting things that if I wanted to bore you to death with them all, I would, but I don't, so I won't. (See, I'm already in the holiday
mood!)Instead of dissecting everything, I'm taking a page from Alisa's book and will enumerate some of the lessons learned:
1. Memorizing is not for me. We've done three tapings for various TV and video segments. Every time I try to memorize what I'm supposed to say (even a four word sentence), I either fall apart completely, start giggling madly or totally forget to do whatever else I'm supposed to be doing at the same time. So instead of smiling, wrapping a gift, looking at the camera and saying something witty penned by someone who doesn't have to memorize the words, I end up staring at the ground, tying my hand to the package and mumbling something completely inane. Maybe with [...]
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We survived our first big TV gig. Thank god it was two hours of filming for two and a half minutes of programming. My daughter is a natural. She looks beautiful, speaks with passion, a smile lighting her face, rarely stumbles, knows just where to look. Me? I'm a writer. Well, you'll just have to judge for yourselves (hopefully a station near you will be carrying this piece on celebrating a green Christmas sometime in December--will let you know when we get the schedule).
We had a lot of fun decorating Corey's house with stuff from both our homes.
My favorite part of the shoot was when we got to demo our ideas like using fabric to wrap gifts (furoshiki) or making placemats from old holiday cards (we showed off ones I'd made when my kids were little, Corey still uses them on her table, 35 years later!).
We decorated the tree with little cookie cutters and inedible gingerbread cookies (we are NOT cooks), as well as baby spoons and a fabulous button garland I spent two days ma [...]
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Apropos of my last post (I know, I'm only supposed to do this once a month, but this is a goodie) (and by the way, thanks to everyone for your suggestions), yesterday Corey and I had a ball doing something we'd never done before. Mary Kay at Edmonds Bookshop, invited us to create a display with Celebrate Green! in one of her store windows. We became window dressers!
We tossed around a lot of ideas, but came up with something very simple for a theme:
Read Then Recycle
We turned our books into a variety of fanciful objects (a purse, table, candleholder etc.), to prove the point that there's more than one thing to do with a book after you've read it. Even while we were installing the window, we got lots of kudos. The window is fun, different and totally us.
If you happen to be in Edmonds, WA, stop by the Bookshop, say hi to Mary Kay and tell her you think our window is AWESOME! (Unfortunately, there is so much glare on the window it's hard to get a decent photo, but these will [...]
