Ann Quasman's WomanTalkLive A more conscious conversation

WTL Wrap-Up – “Love, Relationships and Money: How to Protect Yourself from Common Mistakes”

Ann and Leonard Raskin

It happens all the time.  Even the savviest woman can make some really common mistakes around finances when she enters a long-term committed relationship.

My guest last week, Leonard Raskin, the CEO of Raskin Global and Women Getting Wise on Wealth, has witnessed a lot of these mistakes in his years of counseling individuals and couples.  Thank goodness he shared some of these with us and what you can do to protect yourself so you don’t lose your financial identity; you don’t lose your career if you decide to stay at home to raise the kids; you don’t lose your future by not stashing away money for your own retirement dreams and goals; and, finally, in the event of a divorce, what you must do to protect yourself in the present and in the future.

Just because love comes into your life doesn’t mean you don’t have to look out for your best interests when it comes to finances.  Taking charge in this area with your partner can be the most empowering thing you ever do and can be a strong building block for your relationship.

If you missed the show or want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  Listen in and find out how you can stay smart with your money.

WTL Wrap-Up – “What Makes a Spirited Woman?”

Nancy Mills

My guest this past week is not only a Spirited Woman (I’m convinced if you look up the definition, her photo is right there), but also a woman who believes in the magic women have when they come together.  As the Founder of The Spirited Woman.com, a global empowerment community for women, Nancy Mills acts as a catalyst and a vehicle for women’s voices to be heard.

We talked about what a spirited woman is and some of the definitions we had received from our online communities when asked, “What is a Spirited Woman?”   Here are a few of the responses:

A spirited woman has fears, doubts and momentary lapses of sanity, but she moves forward anyway – with fun, fierce focus and conviction. 

A spirited woman is in harmony with the deep yearnings of her soul and spirit. 

Here’s just a few words that came to my mind: courageous, honest, authentic and one who definitely follows her heart. 

Nancy has worked with thousands of women over the years and knows that each of us is born spirited and have that spirit within us.  Even when we feel we’ve lost the spark, it is there for us to tap into.

If you missed the show or want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  Listen in and find out how you can let your Spirited Self flourish.

WTL Wrap-Up – “Frumpy to Fabulous: Five Fixes to Flaunting It”

Susan Bishop, Ann and Natalie Jobity

What do you wear to a show when you’re going to be interviewing a woman who is an image consultant?  THAT’S what my guest co-host, Susan Bishop, and I were worried about last week when we interviewed the Image Diva, Natalie Jobity of Elan Image Management.

Because Natalie is such a gracious woman, we didn’t have anything to worry about and were all ears to find out just what “frumpy” means, just what “fabulous” means, and even more importantly, how do you “flaunt it”.  Oh, and, what is “IT”?

What a relief to find out that we all don’t have to rush out and buy the latest trends  – especially when those trends don’t flatter us. – and, how we can incorporate something little – like a belt, a scarf, a purse or shoes – to  create our “IT” outfit.

And, the biggest confirmation Susan and I had from Natalie – if you don’t feel good about yourself, no matter what you’re wearing, you won’t be flaunting IT.

Natalie wrapped up the show with five tips to set you on your way from frumpy to fabulous.

If you missed the show or want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday or Thursday.  Listen in and find out how you step out and flaunt IT.

WTL Wrap-Up – “Giving Back: Make It a Family Affair”

Molly Shattuck

This past weekend, Molly Shattuck joined me in the studio.  She’s a woman on a mission.   Several missions, in fact.

Not only does Molly believe that living a vibrant life involves giving back, she’s a big believer in teaching kids to give back.  And her own family practices what she preaches and she wants to encourage other families to join in.

Besides the obvious benefits of helping the community and having a tangible impact on another individual’s life, family volunteering can be fun; it can be a real bonding experience for family, friends or colleagues; and, it can be a child’s first lesson in charity.

As the founder and leader of the United Way of Central Maryland’s Families Living  United program and the Healthy Food Ambassador for UWCM, Molly helps coordinate many activities such as the Stone Soup Gatherings and the Harvest Helper events – perfect events for the whole family to support.  In four Stone Soup Gatherings over the past year, more than 460 volunteers of all ages have fed 4,000+ hungry people in Baltimore more than 550 casseroles and 3,200 sandwiches.  It’s amazing what can get done in these two-hour events!

If you missed the show or want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday or Thursday.  Listen in and find out how you, your family and friends can come together for the good.

WTL Wrap-Up “The Company of Women – How Women are Influencing Change at Work”

by Susan Bishop, Guest Host on WomanTalk Live 05/05/12

Susan Bishop, Amy Connolly, Jodi Hume & Beth Terrence

Since before my 20s, I’ve longed for what I term the “Star Trek World.” For those of you familiar with that show – specifically Next Generation – you know exactly what I mean. For those of you who aren’t, Star Trek Next Generation painted an inspiring picture of what organizational culture could be – a space for creativity; time for reflection; care of self; acceptance and honoring of others – and, especially, acceptance and honoring of what we in the U.S. refer to as traditionally female traits: Empathy, Receiving, Openness and much more.

And just a HUGE SIDE NOTE HERE that Feminine/Masculine are just easy ways to categorize traits – yin/yang is another – and these traits are in ALL OF US – men and women. HISTORICALLY, though, “masculine” traits were thought to be the most effective for productivity, profit and success at work – and that the “feminine” side of each of us needed to be kept in check.

Anyway, this past Saturday night, I had the pleasure of interviewing three women who are making my Star Trek World a reality in the workplace: Amy Bloom Connolly, Jodi Hume and Beth Terrence. I’ve known each of these women for quite some time, so I knew going into the show that they were involved in amazing work that was transforming organizations and that their work was part of a larger effort and movement in our country to honor and even accentuate “feminine” traits in organizations for the purpose of greater effectiveness and success. From practices such as Talking Circles and Mindfulness and to concepts like Emotional Intelligence and Peace-Making, organizations everywhere are recognizing the value of the “female” side of the equation and making a shift to a wholly new way of leading and working together – one in which wholeness and humanity are highly honored and in which we can all be more fulfilled and engaged.

What I did not realize before the interview was how incredibly far organizations have come since I first became interested in this topic. When Amy Connolly gave her list of where Mindfulness is being taught and practiced in the working world, I nearly fell off my chair. If the U.S. Army has found value in reflection, receptivity, taking our time, then, well, my Star Trek World is more than well on its way to becoming a reality – it happening RIGHT NOW. In fact, when I asked directly, “Why now? What has made organizations finally open their eyes to the power of the “feminine?” Jodi Hume’s response further verified that this new thinking is not just some woo-woo idea being forwarded and adopted by “granola-y” experts in California, it’s everywhere because we now have the science to back it up. So while I went in thinking how difficult it might be for organizations to adopt practices such as those Beth Terrence shared (which as she stated are designed to enable wholeness and authenticity for individuals, as well as for the organization overall), I left understanding that, very soon, the only people on the fringe will those organizational leaders who refuse to budge from the old model.

I’m never going to do justice to all my three guests shared on Saturday’s show in this post – and I don’t want to slaughter what they said. I encourage anyone who missed the show to check out the podcast as soon as it goes up. If you’ve ever felt that there is something just not right about the way we work – if you’ve ever longed for a Star Trek World -  I think listening will leave you as inspired as I am. And if you are one of those people who knew it was already here, I think you’re going to be interested in some of the studies, books and resources mentioned on the show.

I’m starting this work week heartened by how open to change the world is. Anyone going to work today who thinks their organization is stuck in dysfunction can be assured that thought leaders like my guests are doing more than talking. They have taken action – perhaps action that’s coming soon to a workplace near you.