Woman Wednesday: Natasha


Q and A with Natasha from Washington, USA

“You can be incredibly skilled or invest in learning the best strategies, but without the right mindset, you still won’t get the result.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m passionate about finding ways to play and making the most of my time every day. I love spending time being a mom to my three-year-old son, cooking, SCUBA diving, and my work supporting other entrepreneurs.

I help entrepreneurs tap into playfulness in their business to elevate what they sell and how they sell it, so they can create massive visibility, make consistent sales, and have a whole lot more fun! Some things I’m currently working on in my business that I’m excited about are launching a networking container that will include a retreat to a fabulous location. I’m also building out a new program for people who want to work with me in a group or short-term capacity. It’s amazing because it allows me to support more people by having an impact at multiple price points.

In my personal life, I’ve started taking harp lessons. It’s so much fun! This is my first time playing a musical instrument, it’s never too late to learn. Also, I love to travel! I’ve visited over 40 countries. My new ones this year were Costa Rica, Senegal, The Gambia, Cape Verde, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. My favorite things to do when I’m traveling are to wander the streets and make new friends, take food tours, and watch my son take in the world.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: As a kid, I always wanted to be a writer and a performer. I loved to sing, act and tell stories. So, it’s really perfect that now I get to do all of those things in my business, and teach other people how to grow their impact by telling their own stories. I really loved and excelled in school. And in my childhood, I always received the message that the path to success was to go to school and get a good job. So I did exactly that, went to a great school, and got a great job, but it didn’t make me feel successful or fulfilled. 

I knew I needed to do something different, but I didn’t grow up with many examples of entrepreneurship, especially successful black female entrepreneurs. That’s why supporting and guiding that community is so, so important to me. I want to share the knowledge I didn’t have and inspire more women to build something of their own.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: Mindset is greater than skill set. When it comes to growth and success, winning the inner game is crucial. I experienced this when I was transitioning from being an employee to an entrepreneur. I brought my employee mindset to building a business and it held me back for the longest time. But once I hired a mentor, he helped me rewire how I was thinking. Within six weeks, I made $20k in sales. And within a year, I had a six-figure business. 

You can be incredibly skilled or invest in learning the best strategies, but without the right mindset, you still won’t get the result. Those limiting beliefs will still hold you back, and you’ll get stuck at the same point, the same level of success, over and over again. If you want to have a breakthrough, you have to have a mindset shift first. I’ve seen it for myself and my clients, it always works this way. 

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A:
Feminism, to me, means having choice and opportunity. For women to have the ability to choose what feels aligned and right for them in every area of their life, without barriers to their happiness, success, or fulfillment. The choice to be a mom or not be a mother. The choice to work or not to work. The choice to be feminine or not feminine. The choice to follow a faith or not follow it.

And for those women to have every opportunity that’s afforded to men. The opportunity to grow, to be a leader, to flop and make mistakes, and to see themselves represented in their media. That’s what feminism looks like to me. 

MORE ABOUT NATASHA:

I’d love to share the mantra I live by, it’s been the mindset that’s made everything possible…

Be bold. Play first. Live Free.

Thank you for reading!

Woman Wednesday: Authors, Dee J. Stone


Q and A with Authors, Dee J. Stone 

“Don’t be afraid to put your work out there. It’s very daunting at first, but it’s so rewarding when people read your book and tell you how much they love it. What makes us feel good is when we get a message from a reader telling us how she had a pretty hard day and our book made her feel better.”

Q: Who are you?

A: We are Dee J. Stone, a pseudonym for two sisters who write and publish young adult and adult novels on Amazon. We’ve been doing this for over five years. Here is our Amazon author page.

Q: What got you interested in writing?

A: We were always creating stories since we were little kids, although we didn’t know that at the time. As young kids, we would sit with our dolls and play for hours, creating a story and running with it. When we were a little older, around middle school, we would draw comics and create stories that way. But we didn’t actually start writing until high school. We started off writing plays before moving onto novels.

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Pictured: Dee J. Stone’s most popular novel, Merman’s Kiss. Available for Kindle or paperback, click here. 

Q: Why did you choose self-publishing, and can you explain it?

A: Self-publishing is when you write and publish a book all on your own, without reaching out to an agent and/or publisher. A self-published author has to handle every aspect of the publishing process including providing a good cover that would catch readers’ attention, editing, proofreading, and marketing. Many authors hire other people to take care of the cover and editing, though marketing is usually on their shoulders. The reason we chose the self-publishing route was that we like the freedom to make our own choices when it comes to our books.

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Pictured: Dee J. Stone’s novel, Cruiser. Available for Kindle or paperback, click here. 

Q: Can you tell us about some of the books you have published? 

A: Sure! Our most popular books are a part of a paranormal romance series called Merman’s Kiss. Here is the link to the series. It follows the story of Cassie Price, who stumbles across a merman that has washed up on shore. The two of them become close and eventually fall in love.

Another series we have is a superhero series called Keepers of Justice. It’s about a school for kids with powers. Here is the link to the series. We also have a fairy-tale retelling series. We write in many genres, such as paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, and romance.

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Pictured: Book one of the series, Keepers of Justice. Available for Kindle or paperback, click here. 

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers? 

A: Don’t be afraid to put your work out there. It’s very daunting at first, but it’s so rewarding when people read your book and tell you how much they love it. What makes us feel good is when we get a message from a reader telling us how she had a pretty hard day and our book made her feel better. Another piece of advice would be to make sure you give your book to someone to read before publishing it. Someone who is not a family member or friend and can give you honest feedback. A writer constantly needs to learn from her mistakes. And another piece of advice? Try not to take bad reviews too seriously. Every book gets them, and they hurt really badly, but try to focus on the good reviews and continue writing.

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Pictured: Dee J. Stone’s Falling for the Genie, available via Kindle or paperback, click here. 

Q: Is there anything valuable you have learned throughout the writing/publishing process?

A: Stay true to who you are and what you believe in. Many writers feel like they need to change themselves in order to fit in and sell more books. If you want to sell, you may need to make some changes to your writing, but you shouldn’t have to compromise your beliefs. Readers will love your story if you write it well and touch their hearts.

Q: What would you like others to learn from your stories?

A: We believe in writing characters who respect one another. When we write romance novels, we try to portray sweet and kind guys/men who treat women with the utmost respect. There are so many books out there that have male characters who don’t treat their women very kindly, and that is not something we believe in. Hopefully, readers will walk away from our stories with a better understanding of how people should treat one another.

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Pictured: Chasing Sam, written by Dee J. Stone, available via Kindle or paperback, click here. 

Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Expanding on the previous question, we believe that feminism is about people respecting one another. No two people are created the same, and there will always be a difference of opinion or arguments. It’s how a person treats other people that matters. Feminism is not only about women feeling equal to men, but showing men how to treat women, and how women should treat one another as well. As the golden rule goes, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Check out our books, available on Amazon here.

Click here for our best selling book! 

 

Woman Wednesday: Keke


Q and A with Keke from Queens, NY

“There is one skill I value the most and that is asking for help.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about helping others by providing motivation, inspiration, and emotional support. I’ve always said that my purpose found me when I was a sophomore in college in 2012 when my grandmother was killed by a car.

My line of work involves helping individuals by providing direct care services and providing counseling.

I am currently working on planning my Self-Love Tour and building up a Sisterhood Community dedicated to self-love and self-care resources. I help women on a self-love and healing journey by providing coaching services, self-love brunches, retreats, and training sessions.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A:  I have been through a lot growing up. I’ve always felt feelings of abandonment and rejection due to not having an active father in my life.

I’ve always been self-driven to accomplish my goals. I have been able to complete undergrad at Mercy College in 2015 with a psychology degree and grad school at St. John’s University in 2017 with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

After my grandmother was killed in a car accident, I went through anxiety issues, times of hyperventilating, and felt guilty for not seeing her as much as I could’ve.

I had to learn how to regulate my emotions, and I learned early on to ask for support. I felt like I was always viewed as being the strong one and to finally allow myself to lean on support helped me through it all. Also, I felt led to go into the social science field after a few months after the accident. I finally made the decision even though I wasn’t sure, and now here I am ten years later operating with my gifts.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: I want others to know that it’s okay to not be okay. It’s important to process emotions and thoughts and learn the necessary skills to overcome them. Also, I would encourage others to stay encouraged and make use of asking for help. There is one skill I value the most and that is asking for help.

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A:
Great question. It means being able to be empowered and overcome the challenges society places on women.

MORE ABOUT KEKE: My favorite color is purple, and I love to sing.

Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect! Here: Linktr.ee/sisterhoodofhealing

Woman Wednesday: Jennifer


Q and A with Jennifer from Deer Park, NY

“[Change] can mean no longer fitting in where you fit in before. [Change] can mean judgment from friends and family, and [change] can mean it may get really hard before it gets simple.”


Q: What are you passionate about?

A: My name is Jenn Fasano Holgerson. I am the owner of JFC, a business consulting firm for female entrepreneurs. I own and operate Babes in Business Long Island, a networking organization that hosts events, workshops, retreats, and more for women in business. My passion is simple; it’s to show women that anything is possible in their lives.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: From my very first job experience all the way through my corporate career, and now in entrepreneurship, I have assisted women in not only looking and feeling confident and beautiful but also encouraging them to chase their desires and follow their own passions. I never went to college, but from the moment I graduated high school, I found myself in a leadership role. I always knew I was meant to lead people, but at a young age, I wasn’t quite sure where my strong desire to lead would take me. After having my second child in 2013, that high-demand career with long hours, travel, and rigid schedules started to just not work for me. Simultaneously, I stumbled across the network marketing industry and quickly saw I could follow my passion for leadership, which is what I recognize now as my entrepreneurial spirit. I actually got fired from my corporate job while building my side hustle in NWM, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me! It allowed me to follow my passions and help more people, all while being home with my kids and ultimately led me to where I am now.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: One thing I have learned is that change is good. Although it can be scary, we can never grow unless we change. And change can mean a lot of things. It can mean no longer fitting in where you fit in before. It can mean judgment from friends and family, and it can mean it may get really hard before it gets simple. But it’s all worth it if, in the end, you show up as the best version of yourself!

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism, to me, means being proud to be a leader and a woman. It means knowing that, as women, we are told to wear many hats, and we do, but it doesn’t mean we have to do it in angst. We can do it with pride and confidence. And do it on our own terms.

A fun fact about me: I ran the New York City Marathon in 2017.

https://www.babesinbusinessli.com

https://jennfasano.com

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Woman Wednesday: Apryl


Q and A with Apryl from Lake Forest, California

“I see so many people scared to embrace creativity, playfulness, or spontaneity. They fear embarrassment, humiliation, rejection, or failure. It is my wish to help people unplug from those fears…”


Q: What are you passionate about?



Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: I’ve been told that when you are creating something you are connected to divinity.

I see so many people scared to embrace creativity, playfulness, or spontaneity. They fear embarrassment, humiliation, rejection, or failure.

It is my wish to help people unplug from those fears and hold a safe space for them to have the experience and joy that comes with creating something, making art, making music, writing a book, or anything else creative.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: I can see this from a few different perspectives. I would like to think of feminism as being unapologetically myself, as a woman.

Loving myself unconditionally. Embracing what makes me a woman. Celebrating my body, my hormones, my emotions, my choices, what brings me peace, and what completes me.

Building communities with loving, wise, caring, nurturing women to heal and grow with.

I don’t see feminism as a way to tear down or exclude men, but I can see how some may interpret feminism that way.