When my dear friend Catherine asked me if I wanted to join her #BridgingTheGap campaign, I was intrigued. You see—my birthday is coming up really soon and even though for me age is a non-issue, I realize that for a lot of women and brands, it is.
This is something that I had the pleasure of talking about with Lee Woodruff, a journalist whose wise words I could listen to all day. Lee is the co-founder of Bob Woodruff Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting injured men and women in service. The idea for the foundation emerged after her husband, television journalist Bob Woodruff, sustained a brain injury while covering a war in Iraq.
Lee is my partner for #BridgingTheGap – and I am delighted to feature her on TheAmbitionista.com.
Clearly, she has seen and been through a lot. Still, she demonstrates an easy confidence that would never have made you guess her back story.
On top of that, Lee is a New York Times bestselling author of three books. Three! I need lessons from this incredible lady!
Source: News OK
As someone who’s got a very keen sense of herself, Lee doesn’t like to be put in a box at all. Then again, when you’re someone who plays multiple roles: writer, speaker, media trainer, co-founder, mother, and wife, it is hard to sum yourself up in one number or inaccurate stereotype.
Personally, I’m in awe of all that Lee has accomplished. How does she do it all? I mean, I’m right here, trying to put my life together, running off to appointments and events, but also stalking cats on Instagram in between…!
Lee likes to joke about her sartorial choices. Her outfits are pretty much what she would have worn a decade ago, except now, she wears more tailored and classy versions. But to tell you the truth, I think she’s more comfortable in her own skin than anyone else I’ve ever met. And style is always about what feels cozy and true to your tastes—not necessarily what’s on trend.
Which brings us to Lee’s favorite wardrobe pieces: denim and long sleeves. Being in her fierce 50’s, she claims that “her arms are not as toned no matter how hard she works out”, so longer sleeves are preferred. I know a lot of women share this sentiment, and frankly speaking, it’s not just women in midlife. I come from a more conservative background and in a lot of situations, more coverage is needed. So designers—pretty please design more gorgeous clothes with sleeves!
Finding common ground like this is exactly what made Lee and I realize how designers have sort of boxed us into rigid categories, age, size, and ethnicity included. But just because women are past the age of 40 doesn’t really mean they’re not as fashion-conscious anymore.
Everyone has style—it’s just a matter of providing more options.
PS: If you want to see who else is part of #BridgingTheGap – head over to Catherine’s blog
This blog post is created in partnership with eBay. However all thoughts and opinion are my own (as always.)
I am very busy (lol) and I am sure you are too. And one of the things that I truly feel has made a difference in my daily life (as someone who goes in and out of my apartment a lot – multiple times a day, usually wearing different outfits/accessories and even switching handbags) the one thing that has made a difference is having a “catchment” area to throw everything.
But you don’t have to lead the life of a busy blogger/businesswoman working in fashion to appreciate the beauty of a perfectly curated and organized area to put all your daily stuff into. I think anyone who leads an active life would.
So it’s Spring time again and it’s time to get organized. I’m a big eBay fan (I can probably bid in my sleep) and when they handed me a challenge an eBay $100 gift card to use towards Spring cleaning it was game on.
The thing about getting organized is making sure your catchment area is located in a place you naturally would ‘park’ all your things. For me this is usually the foot of my bed. And remember what I said about throwing stuff? I would just literally throw everything there. It was time for an upgrade.
I knew I wanted a) a tray + b) a couple of boxes or bowls. This would create a perfect designated space for my phone, keys, jewelry, pen(s) , notebook, some makeup and quick cleaning supplies (I am always getting my stuff dirty – don’t ask why). So armed with my eBay gift card I went to eBay’s very convenient Spring Headquarter page and started hunting.
I found my tray immediately and also scored a pretty mirrored box similar to this one in 10 minutes. You might take slightly longer – like I said I have been eBay-ing for a while now. I also bought another cute little container to store my business cards (I always seem to run out of them at events !). And after a few more minutes I found a darling stone bowl very similar to price and look of this one*.
What I bought on eBay.
So here’s my catchment area now – tadaa!
Isn’t this great? The trick is when you’re trying creating a gorgeous (and functional) catchment area is to make sure there is a complimentary color palette and that there is a balance of shapes.
And the best thing is all this was less than $100 dollars. And it makes my life much more orderly and organized. So if you haven’t been on eBay – do start exploring the site. It’s a great place to find affordable items. Whether it’s to create a beautiful table display or even to find items to organize your home with – you can find it easily on the eBay Spring headquarters page (or even eBay in general.) And if you’re already that amazing person who has her home perfectly organized – perhaps you can send an eBay gift card to someone who is need of… organizing.
Need some motivation? Read on for five bucket list ideas you need to try this fall.
Have a bucket list? Good! They are important, as we only get to ride once this crazy merry-go-round called life. It’s easy to get bogged down in the monotony of day-to-day schedule and lose your inspiration. If you haven’t written a bucket list, do so now, and refer to it often and always. Autumn is a great time to chip away at it, as we all want to get in as much as we can before we’re trapped indoors with the heat cranked to high.
1. Travel
Stop postponing that trip or trips you’ve wanted to go on for years. Your excuses not to travel will always be there, but the opportunity might not be. Pulling the trigger on this bucket list item will never be a mistake. And fall is a wonderful time to travel; you’ll likely experience nice weather in many places and you’ll get better rates than in the summer. Whether you do it solo or surround yourself with your favorite traveling buddies, traveling is simply good for the soul. Remember to take your journal as well as lots of photos. About that last part, though—don’t take so many pictures that you’re not living in the moment, okay?
2. Land the Job of Your Dreams
So this doesn’t sound like a bucket list item but it is when you’ve been slaving away at a job for years that you don’t enjoy. It might be time to take the leap. Of course, you need to assess the pros vs. the cons, and you obviously don’t want to make a huge life change if you’re the main breadwinner in your family and this decision could affect everyone. If you’re in a position to do it, however, take the chance. Open the wine and cheese shop you’ve envisioned your whole life. Become a personal trainer. Teach yoga! Find your passion and do it. Or if you’ve been longing to take a hiatus and are able to do so, fall is the perfect time to indulge.
3. Dress Up for Halloween
Have you been that person every year? The one who shows up in “street clothes” when ghosts, ghouls, and goblins abound? Don’t do it. It’s a downer to all who attend Halloween parties. This year, commit to finding Halloween costumes for you and your significant other or your whole family. The Tipsy Elves options are easy and sure to be a conversation starter—you’re not reinventing the Halloween wheel here.
4. Get Active
We’re not just talking about a jaunt on the elliptical or the hike you’ve done a thousand times. Think about signing up for an adventure race, go bungee jumping and/or zip lining, or climb a mountain. Fall is such a gorgeous time of year, so get out there and take advantage of the crisp air, comfortable temperatures, and changing leaves. Check out Cloud9Living to find some excellent fall adventures in your area.
5. Go Wine Tasting
Fall is an ideal time to go wine tasting, as this is the time of year that many vineyards have their harvest festivals. They often pair up with other vineyards nearby to offer food and wine pairings that will knock your socks off. You might live close enough to do a road trip but, if not, think about traveling to a place like Napa, Sonoma, the Oregon coast, Santa Barbara, or even France! While wine tasting is different at some vineyards, it typically consists of about six to eight pairings of red and white wines. Some places offer nibbles while others have restaurants on site. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to walk around the grounds or get a guided tour, as vineyards are often on land that will take your breath away.
Between the pumpkin spice-ification of all things, the stunning weather, and the opportunity to watch far too much football, fall is really hard to beat. If you’ve been letting your bucket list gather proverbial dust, this is a great time of year to change that.
Book bucket list + Pumpkin Spice Latte anyone?
