We Need Some SUNSHINE In All This Snow

As this project has become bigger than I ever anticipated, I have been coinciding my Facebook Page with the posts in this blog. As I mentioned in the first blog post, each day I want to introduce to the world someone in my circle who has made their passion a reality. Everyday on Facebook I post the person of the day and was hoping the next day to have an article up about each one. Falling behind a little I am just starting to catch up with the blog pieces.

As there is no rhyme or reason to what I am doing I am going to step out of order for a moment because in all this dreary cold, ice and snow we need some Sunshine.

The other day I was introduced to the Sunshine Brothers by a friend. Everyone knows one of the things that feeds MY soul is music. All music has a time and a place in my life, and I pride myself on finding new music before it becomes mainstream. I listen to all and everything and often when going out on a long run, I load up the ipod with everything ranging from Andrea Bocelli to ACDC. There comes a moment in every run where those songs fill the void of boredom, when my mind alone cannot carry me through those rough miles. So in perfect timing for my mega marathon training and the winter blues:

Enter Owen Plant, the lead singer of The Sunshine Brothers with his cool beat and summery vibe. Jamaican born and now residing in Santa Barbara,Mr. Plant is familiar with island living and an outdoorsy lifestyle. His music is best described as reggae-infused surfer/pop, and it gives me that feeling of floating around on a raft in the ocean with some kind of drink that has an umbrella coming out of it.

Though the majority of their shows are on the West coast, Owen is incidentally going to be on the East coast this Saturday January 22Nd. He will be doing a solo show in Cambridge, MA at Club Passim.

If you find yourself looking for something to do this weekend and have the desire to take a road trip, I promise this show will not disappoint. It will most likely be packed so get your tickets in advance. He will take all your winter blues and melt them away.

Falling Behind: A little Public Service Announcement

Thank you to all the people out there who have been following this blog as well as supporting my efforts. I appreciate your patience as this blog coincides with my Facebook Page. It is easy to post all these wonderful people, but not as easy to write a well deserved piece.

Life has had me busy, and in all fairness to those I am introducing to the world, I want to give each of their pieces all my love and attention. That being said, I apologize for getting behind and I am doing my best to catch up. So keep checking, this week I should be back on top.

Mwah!!!

Dee

The Grace List by Hattie Grace Elliot

I have not yet had the opportunity to meet this lady in person, but what I have heard about her is that she is full of energy and loves to be involved in great adventures. Hattie Grace Elliot is no stranger to traveling the world and meeting new people, she enjoys being a wealth of information as well as a resource to the people she meets.

As we all know the world of social networking has become an ever popular place, those who are a part of it love it and use it wisely, those not accustomed to it find it a waste of time. But what they do not realize is that, again, the success of others directly effects our individual success. The more people you know, the larger your network, the better your resources, the more opportunity is going to unveil itself to you. People are afraid to help others get ahead for fear that it is going to inhibit their personal growth. But Hattie knows in her core, that this is how people get out and meet people and it could lead to their next relationship, possibly their life partner.

Hattie is the founder of The Grace List, which she describes as "a multifaceted networking group that connects accomplished, attractive and adventurous singles " through events that she plans. These types of events include, sailing classes, cooking classes, wine and whiskey tastings as well as ski weekends and paintball trips.

Hattie has grown The Grace List to six cities around the country, New York, DC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Diego, which makes it easy to still attend events if you are traveling for business or find yourself relocating. There are events almost every week throughout the year and they are always packed. Though this is a membership club, the events are kept intimate and equal in numbers so those fearing they will be the odd man out, can rest assured you are on even ground.

To become a member of The Grace list you can easily fill out the information on their site and you will be contacted by a member of their team. Hattie and her team have a "first date" with each prospective member to start the vetting process, which gives it more of an intimate feel when you know each of your members personally. After that it is up to the members to log in to the site and select the events they would like to attend. This way you get to enjoy only the things you want to do.

We all know the Millionaire Matchmaker, Match.com, and many other types of dating / networking sites. They cost money, you have to do the work, vet the people out, find places to meet and set up the meetings. The Grace list is like one stop shopping, comfortable group of like-minded people who are out looking to learn something new, meet new people, date and possibly just enjoy trying a new place in a new city. Whether you get a date out of it, learn something new, make a business connection or even form a new friendship, this is the type of club you want to be a member because no matter what, you always leave with a prize.

xoxo

Dee

The Runner's Edge

My favorite way to start a day is to go for a morning run with someone. It doesn't matter where, with whom, how fast or how far, but that morning run is like coffee to me, I NEED IT. When I moved back to Long Island two years ago I was fortunate to be introduced to a great running store located in Farmingdale, NY,
"The Runner's Edge." As every runner knows a great store chock full of all the important running gear one could need is important. Over the course of time and participating in lots of local races I became better acquainted with the owner (Bob Cook) as well as the people who work there.


They invited me to join their team (they have both a running team and a triathlon team) and because of that I have a whole new running "family." As busy as Bob is, he finds time to be at almost every local race rooting on his team. He sponsors teams for almost every race in the area and enjoys coming to the after party to see them all receive their awards.
I still have some brain picking to do with Bob, I still want to know what it was that made him open this shop, and what he thinks has kept it so successful. My first thought would be the people that work there, they are extremely knowledgeable with every product the store carries and can help you with your every need. Plus every time you go to the store you feel like you know them because everyone is so friendly and goes out of their way to make sure you are getting all of what you need and great customer service to boot. The other part is that Bob himself is a big time runner and triathlete, so it may be that he saw a need for a shop that could offer a great mix of everything from apparel, to running shoes to nutrition needs and support.

I was so happy this summer when I was able to race for Bob as part of the Ocean to Sound mixed open relay team (in which we happened to take 1st Place), as well as race alongside his talented daughter Allison in the Tobay Triathlon.
Last year The Runner's Edge celebrated its 35Th Anniversary, I was glad to be a part of this celebration and I look forward to many more years with this team and many more celebrations. I cannot imagine being a member of a better team or having met the wonderful running partners and teammates I have formed relationships with. So I am grateful to Bob for being so wonderful and to The Runner's Edge for finding the best on Long Island and bringing us all together!

(Bob Cook and I at the Ocean to Sound Relay after party)

Need a Publicist? DMW Public Relations is Your Answer.

DMW Public Relations was started by Dana Wichard about five years ago. Dana was one of my first childhood friends and I knew when I met her we would be friends forever; she is a very loyal and traditional person. You can feel the sparkle of her personality as soon as she walks into a room. Which makes her great at her job since being a people person is what public relations is all about. A form of communication that is like an art to some people.

Dana and I come from the same school of "if you are doing what you love, and what you are meant to do, all the abundance in the world will follow." That being said, after working as an Account Manager on the publishing side of In Style Magazine in Los Angeles, Dana felt it was time to make a move in a different direction.

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs one could almost say it was in her blood to start her own business. But the real reason was that Dana realized there were companies that she loved and wanted to have the opportunity to collaborate with. Thus Dana built a full-service boutique public relations firm that specializes in small start up businesses.

Being the research "Queen Bee" that she is, she came across a lot of great start up companies and decided to go outside of what she loved (fashion publicity) to take on other types of business. On a trip to New York to meet a new client she coincidentally met two women, Yumi and Laurie who were starting an organic blanket company they named The BlanQuette. They loved her approach and though it was not a fashion company in so many words Dana had bills to pay, how can you turn down work when it falls into your lap? So off she went with them and got them press in media such as The Daily Candy, and ivillage. Then the green era started and Dana whole heatedly believes in doing what you can to keep our planet clean, out of this belief stemmed another client, Rume the reusable designer bags.

Dana has found that in the time she has started her business clients she never saw herself working with have been approaching her. She now has clients in the jewelery industry, the green industry, the fashion industry as well as animal clothing designer industry. Her passion is still in the fashion industry but she likes the way the business has turned and now she has a chance to be involved with many different ventures.

Dana is great at doing research, she is my go-to friend for just about any resource I need. She knows about every "in" trend going on. So if you have a PR question or you need to know how to market your business, there is no better resource then Dana.

If anyone out there needs someone to guide their business or get the word about their business out on the street, contact her, she works on both sides of the country so though she is LA based, she loves returning to her home town of New York.

xoxo

Dee

Daniel Seth Pagel: Photographer

To see something through someone else's eyes can only open your eyes wider. Everyday we are bombarded by millions of pictures, but how many of us really stop and think about the person who took that picture and put it together to be viewed by our eyes?

There are some photo's that tell a story, some that sell things, and some that cherish a moment. But then there is THE photo that strikes such an emotional cord, it grabs you like a set of hands and holds your gaze for what seems like an eternity. One that makes you think, or wonder, or shed a tear. One so moving, you wonder what the photographer was thinking while shooting or how they could capture something so alive?

I met Daniel not too long ago, but instantly I got a feeling of genuineness from him. Not knowing too much about his background I went on a search of his website and what I discovered from

the photographs he had posted was that his talent was more then just that of a photographer who could position a model and snap a photo, but that he could take the ordinary, like a fountain of water and turn it into one of those photo's that grabs you and holds your gaze. His talents have no boundaries. He prefers to do commercial shoots because it allows him to use his creativity but he is finding that he likes to shoot Boudoir more and more.

Having had the opportunity to work with Daniel on a recent photo shoot I realized, the things I see are not at all what turns out in the picture he takes. He has a way of making you feel so comfortable doing something that seems so unnatural. He made the whole experience so much fun that by the end of the shoot I was asking him if he had any ideas that he wanted to try. To me that shows a huge trust when you are willing to put yourself into the hands of someone you hardly know and allow them to use you as their canvas.

Daniel has 10 years of experience shooting everything from weddings, portraits, commercial, fashion, various models to his own personal projects. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY but has had the opportunity to travel all over the world shooting. When I asked him what his dream shoot would be his answer was that he would really like to shoot in some third world countries, compile his photographs into a book and sell the book donating the proceeds back to the countries. He has a great soul and his talent will indeed take him wherever he wants to go!

You can contact Daniel through his website

and make sure you do, especially with any photo shoot needs, but do it quick before I swipe him up on another assignment. :-) Incidentally, the credit for my profile photo on this blog is owed to Daniel.

-Dee

Artist: Antoinette Wysocki

Antoinette and I had the pleasure of meeting almost exactly 10 years ago to the day. In the time that I have known her I have watched her blossom into the amazing artist that she is. It has not been easy for her, no journey into your true self ever is. As Paulo Coelho writes in The Alchemist, "The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."

Antoinette has been involved in many ventures in her life, both in business as well as life experiences. All she has ever wanted to do was paint, and even when it was most difficult for her, she never gave up on that dream. I think all of what she has done has only richened her soul, thus really bringing to the surface the true artist she is. Her love and passion of what she does can be felt when you stand near one of her paintings.

She has had shows in San Francisco, New York, London, Hong Kong and many other cities around the world. She has also been involved in founding community art programs in Washington DC and in 2007 was nominated for Best Emerging Artist by GLADD in New York City.

Her most recent show was at The Blank Space , to which she was interviewed for I Heart Artists. One of the things I love is to watch Antoinette in action. There is something so beautiful about watching a true artist as they "perform" their work. Most artists I have come across like to work privately, not wanting to reveal their work till it is complete. Antoinette will sometimes invite people in to watch her process, and when you do, you realize it is like being at an opera, though to a different kind of music.

I enjoy visiting her home and her studio in Manhattan, the only problem is I want to take all of her work with me and everything is usually already sold.

Please watch the video of her at work and please contact her as she is someone everyone wants to know!!!

Our Success is Directly Related to the Success of Others.

Welcome to 2011, I have had this feeling for some time that BIG things are going to happen in 2011. However, entering into a New Year is like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice's world.

People think they need to have a list of resolutions, they have to have a gym membership lined up, they want to eat healthy, look better, make more money, sleep more, stress less, make big plans, the list goes on and on. But it is so much simpler if you ease into a new year with turtle steps at accomplishing those things you set up for yourself. It is easier to succeed and accomplish more when you set little goals, otherwise I fear we set ourselves up for failure.

I woke up this morning with a light bulb on in my head about a way to make 2011 more fun. Not only for me but for my friends and for everyone else out there who are looking to build their list of resources as well as their network.

My philosophy has always been that my Success is directly related to the Success of my family, friends and network. When someone sets good things in motion, the air from the spinning wheel can be felt by those standing around it. So that is my plan.

Each day I am going to introduce you to a person in my life who is making their passion a reality. These people have been great friends, great supporters, great entrepreneurs, innovators, inspiration and mentors in my world. I feel as though I have been selfish long enough (keeping them all to myself). So as my gift to you in 2011, I introduce you with great love, great respect and the intention for Success in every one's lives to the many people who have helped me live my life.

Go, Be, Do and Succeeeeed.

xoxo

Dee