My Inspiration Lounge

Why My Inspiration Lounge is relaunching as Empower Lounge!

2011-04-26T18:41:53Z

Hello, hello! I'm so excited to share with you why I'm relaunching My Inspiration Lounge as Empower Lounge and our plan to expand locally!

Over two years ago, I launched My Inspiration Lounge with a mission to curate and deliver the best of the web in one place to help women pursue their passions. I went all out and covered every area imaginable because My Inspiration Lounge was truly a reflection of my own journey to reconnect with my passions and inspire other women to do the same.

When I moved to Austin, I saw a need to empower women locally so launched Austin Women Online to capture and centralize the amazing energy, events and organizations that are here to support women professionals and entrepreneurs. It took on a life of its own and has become a powerful local resource for both newcomers and natives alike to connect with like-minded women, share how they're creating change in their communities and find curated events and resources.

It was time to bring the best of both sites together! What has become abundantly clear to me is what women need right now. Especially when I consider your amazing feedback, topics that resonated with you, the power of local community and the facts: women are launching businesses at twice the rate as men, we now make up half the workforce and 47 million women are expected to enter the workforce for the first time in the next decade!

More than ever, ambitious women need easy access to everyday trailblazers who prove it can be done, a positive online home to find trusted inspiration, support and a platform where they can be heard! If women have the confidence, how-to knowledge and right support - they will move mountains!

This is what Empower Lounge is all about. You now have one powerful community dedicated to bringing you the very best career, life-balance inspiration, real-world advice, mentors and worthy events from around the world and in your community - all focused on helping you not only pursue your professional and personal dreams but achieve success beyond anything you imagined!

Take a sneak peek at the new Empower Lounge launching mid-May!

Join our team and empower women in your community!

Stay empowered daily on Facebook and Twitter.

I would like to thank YOU and two amazing women for their support:

My advisor, Jen Boulden - famous for her sassy green tips as co-founder of IdealBite, who is instrumental in helping me put together an action plan (yes, you have to do it!) for creating and building Empower Lounge into a successful online company dedicated to empowering millions of ambitious women around the world and in their communities!

Tracy Selingo, founder of Twisted Pinky and INK Engage, for her creative genius in moments when I really needed it!

I'm excited to welcome you very soon to your new online home, Empower Lounge!

Get ready for the My Inspiration Lounge relaunch!

2011-01-06T17:58:34Z

Inspired by your feedback, the Inspiration Lounge team is working like crazy behind the scenes to relaunch the site with more focus, inspiring stories, engaging content and community power to support each other locally in life and at work!

It's going to be exciting and can't thank you enough for all of your support and emails!

Make sure to sign up for the newsletter to stay connected about the new launch date, weigh-in on site design and opportunities to partner together.

Lots of inspiration coming your way soon!

10 lies you will hear before you pursue your dream

2011-01-04T19:58:34Z

Click to find this inspiring art on Etsy!

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~ Steve Jobs

I will never forget when I called a family member 13-years ago to tell them I boldly changed my career path from accounting to sales. The response: WHAT?! Are you crazy? Now you're a telemarketer?! Um. No. Actually I'm going to sell telephone systems. That didn't sound any better and thankfully, it didn't last either. The huge leap of faith I took led me to a very successful career selling online advertising. I would have never bet on that one.

Of course, gutsy and fearless come to mind when I look back at my unstoppable determination to inspire women around the world by launching My Inspiration Lounge! Maybe crazy is right! But this is what I know for sure - I've always had a camp of huge supporters and of course, naysayers and non-supporters. If I had listened to naysayers - I wouldn't be here right now trying to change the world!

For all you big dreamers, here's 10 lies you will hear before you pursue your dream by Marc and Angel Hack Life - useful tips/armor to inspire you to press on!

You will need all the armor you can get!

Keep it loose, keep it tight

2011-01-03T19:32:58Z

A rare performance by Amo Lees singing keep it loose, keep it tight live @ Abbey Road. The great Adele shared it on her blog after recently seeing Amos and falling in love with his music all over again. He makes it real easy to do so!

But sometimes,
We forget what we got,
Who we are.
Oh who are are not.
I think we gotta chance,
To make it right.
Keep it loose,
Keep it tight.
Keep it tight.

2011 resolutions: toss, dig deep, rewrite, rock it.

2010-12-30T21:41:35Z

A perfect reminder from Danielle at Whitehot Truth.

Hold on to your skirt because we're flying into 2011 - a new decade! There's a whole lotta inspiring wisdom flying around right now to help us reflect on 2010 and rock 2011!

Although these life-changing tips serve up some tough love questions, pinky promises and a "stop-doing" list! No pain, no gain - right?? And the pain might be that you need to toss those resolutions, dig deep and rewrite 2011.

Here's 3 gotta read posts to help you create big and ship it in 2011!

3 questions to ask yourself for the New Year

Mastin at The Daily Love shares 3 tough love questions Tony Robbins recently asked his audience to consider as we move in the New Year. #3 hits home - what new rituals are you willing to commit in 2011 to get the results you want?

Click here to read the full post at The Daily Love.

Embrace the (re) solution

Tracy at Twisted Pinky divulges the mother of all resolutions and to give you a hint - it has nothing to do with any of the resolutions you made last year, a fresh start or dieting!

Click here to read the full post at Twisted Pinky.

What's on your stop-doing list?

Dr. Lissa Rankin at Owning Pink fesses up that 2010 was a YES year for her and although magical things came from it, she longs for clear space to let the creative juices flow. She shares what's on her "stop-doing" list to set the intention right now.

Click here to read the full post at Owning Pink

How to find your true path

2010-12-30T15:23:06Z

Dianne had three never-married aunts who lived together their whole lives. (I think my girlfriends and I thought we would be doing this! We're all married with kids now...)They taught her that one person can make a difference - and that one person could be her.

Dianne also learned 5 life strategies from her aunts when growing up that she starts and ends her day with. Luckily, she's passing her collective wisdom on to us now.

Read on at The Women's Conference!

One-of-a-kind 2011 calendars

2010-12-26T20:51:34Z

One-of-a-kind 2011 calendars
If there's one little thing you do for you....invest in a calendar that lights up your space, inspires you to create big and helps you track all the good stuff happening in your life!

Check out these fun spots for inspiring 2011 calendars:

Etsy: I would take them all if I could.

Valentina Ramo: if you love owls or birds, this is it.

Linnea Design Calendars: Now passed on to Linnea's daughter, the traditon for creating cheery calendars continues.

SFMOMA: love the "Treehouses of the world" one.

Pinterest: Browse calendars that people around the world love and 'pinned'! Pinterest is one of my new favorite sites!

Shutterfly: Make your own filled with photos that inspire you! I just finished creating one and very impressed with their new calendar designs!

NPR's best books and music of 2010

2010-12-22T17:20:39Z

NPR is known for showcasing the undiscovered gems (much like My Inspiration Lounge) for music, stories and books. They've released their favorites for 2010. Here's a short list to get you inspired. For the full list, click here to read on at NPR!

Music....

50 favorite albums of 2010

5 songs The Current couldn't stop playing

Handpicked by NPR, hear their 12 favorite tunes for 2010

Books....

Little bundle of new: best book debuts of 2010

Weird and wonderful books: 2010 hidden gems

The year's most transporting books

Best books of 2010: the complete list

More top tunes and reads can be found at Best Films & Tunes and The Book Lounge.

Can't believe my eyes: Blue Christmas with Elvis Presley and Martina McBride

2010-12-20T13:01:25Z

Can't have Christmas without the King!

Not sure how the technical elves pulled this one off but it's so fun to see Elvis Presley singing Blue Christmas with Martina McBride!

For all the Christmas duets with Elvis Presley including Amy Grant, Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, LeAnne Rimes and more, click here for the Elvis Presley Christmas Duets album!

Inspiration Monday music videos help us kick our week off right and take our Monday's back! Music has a way of inspiring and lifting us up when we need it most!