I had to smile when I read about this app, as it was speaking directly to me (and to many of you too..). For all the chronically late, or those with a milder time adherence disorder, this is your app, ok? The iCukoo alarm clock app will have you donate to one of 5 select charities, when your total snoozing activity adds up to roughly about $1.26, at which point you get a text reminding you to donate at that time or postpone your donation to a future snoozing date.
Basically, every time you hit the snooze button, you’re committing to make a charitable donation…
My $0.05: Productivity and charity all in one app? For once, you can snooze and nobody loses…
As an outspoken (and pretty loud) gender equality advocate, I had to blab about this. Gender equality is not just about equal pay for equal work, or equitable treatment of men and women in the workplace, or even the fact we’re not just about our dresses, not even at the Oscars (#AskHerMore). It’s also about our shoes, and since we’re talking about shoes and gender equality in the same phrase, I’m all ears (and feet)…
There is now such a thing as gender-equal footwear, and while it may bring a smile to some of you, it just fills me with wonder as to what we’re able to do when it comes to gender equality.
The idea came to Nik Kacy, a former Google employee and now designer, when he couldn’t find shoes that weren’t designed by gender. So he created his own, the first ever gender-equal footwear line, offering styles that both men and women can wear in gender-neutral sizes too!
Draped Front Poplin Shirt – $69.90 – Photo credit: zara.com
There’s nothing like the simplicity of a white shirt for any occasion. This draped front poplin shirt from Zara is stunning in its impeccable, clean, simple style. Loving the clean crew neck cut contrasting with the sophisticated yet not-over-the-top draping in front. The long straight sleeves make this shirt an everyday essential with a touch of designer sparkle. A clean cut, must-have from the board room to a candlelit dinner. It’s $69.90 at Zara!
Now what would beautifully complement a simple, elegant white shirt like this one is a statement purse, like this Rebecca Minkoff “Amorous” satchel. Can you say flawless?
Serena Williams and her coach – Photo credit: http://2013.rolandgarros.com
I recently hired a coach to help me through some transitions in my life. Now for most independent, can-do-it-all-and-still-look-good, ambitious women out there, asking for help is already a stretch. Now, asking, looking, and paying for guided help, most times with perfect strangers only known through reputational guarantees or referrals, is a whole other ball game. Yet, what was considered pure luxury not too long ago, may prove to be a necessity today…
While many a successful athlete attributes their winning performance to the outstanding training of their coaches, most career and business people lack the same foundational support to their performance. Many wonder if a coach will really make any difference in their circumstances, or are even worth the expense. In my experience, here are 5 reasons why you should seriously consider hiring a coach, whatever your life or career station:
1. It’s an investment in yourself! How many times have you thought about splurging on a spa day, a nice manicure or that gorgeous pair of shoes that’s been calling your name (and credit card number), just in the past week? How about investing in re-committing to your life plan, or even finding out what it is and how to successfully reach your goals? That may pay off in way more spa days than you can imagine…
2. It helps you put yourself in perspective! One of the things a coach will help you do is take a hard, honest look at yourself. And it may sting at first…Through probing questions, and your own commitment to be as honest as you can, you will find yourself uncovering layers of yourself you may never have imagined existed. My coaching sessions made me understand I needed to set boundaries and stop relying on others for my own well-being, and it liberated me…
3. It will help you remove mental blocks! Our biggest obstacles are in our heads. By targeting your innermost convictions and ideas about yourself and the world around you, an effective coach will let you see your own mental blocks, and help you get past them. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you what you already knew all along…
4. It will help you make a plan! You’ve got to have a plan for success, or at least some faint roadmap of what success looks like to you. Success will require you to adopt new attitudes and thought patterns and ditch others. A powerful coach will provide you with tools to chart your own path. Something as basic as a daily calendar or a morning ritual schedule can change your entire life…
5. Last but not least, it will motivate you! We all need a boost, whether in life or at work. Success is not built alone! Effectively using a coach will remind you of why you started it all, what matters to you, and why you’re doing what you’re doing. And that’s the little extra motivation you may need to cross the finish line…
Have you used a coach before, or are considering doing so? Are you a coach yourself, and looking to provide advice? Chime in…
Zendaya Coleman at the Oscars 2015 – Photo credit: washingtonpost.com
If you’ve ever sported a hairstyle that’s raised one or more ahem…indelicate comments at work, you may have identified with Zendaya Coleman’s earlier blasting of E’s Fashion Police. As a recap, Fashion Police’s Giuliana Rancic referred to the beautiful Zendaya and her gorgeous dreadlocks at this year’s Oscars, stating she “must smell like patchouli oil…or weed”. Not the most delicate comment she could have made, even for the “spicy” fashion review show host, especially when the comments in question have a questionable racial undertone.
How about you? Have you had to face interesting, even racially tinged comments about your hair, especially your natural hair, in the workplace? How did you address, or rectify the situation? What would you advise other women of color in particular, and women sporting non-mainstream hairstyles in general, do when faced with these situations?
