Ra l e i g h , N o r t h C ar o lin a ( 919 ) 4 1 0 - 6 8 1 2 www . di a mo n d d iv am ag .c o m Happy New Year Ladies and welcome to 2016! I am so excited about what this year has planned for all of us Diamond Diva Women. Just like in years pass Diamond Diva Magazine is all about shinning a light on women doing great things in busine ss, their communities and in ministry. Throughout this last year many changes have taken place and the magazine has began to evolve into something that is amazining and ever changing for the good of all women pressing their way in business and in life. As always these women are business women, mothers, women of God and tru ly Diamond Diva’s to the fullest defintion of the word. Thank you for coming back with us for another year and for your continued support, it really means alot to us both. Renee & Martin Dawkins
Disclaimer: Diamond Diva Magazine is published monthly. Any reproduction of any part of this publication without written permission from the publisher prior to doing so. Diamond Diva Magazine does not accept responsibility for st atements made by individuals featured or advertisers. Comments concerning this publication should be submitted to the editor by email at info@ diamonddivamag.com Diamond Diva Magazine’s publisher, staff and other persons involved in the creation, production or delivery of the magazine (in whatever format) or it’s content, do not assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information provided in the magazine, nor shall they be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising out of the magazine.
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6 RE A SON S T O C E L E B R AT E M O TH E R’S DAY
I t m a y s e e m like ever y mo n t h t h e r e i s a n o t h er “Hallmark” h o l i d a y t h a t n e eds to be taken c a r e o f w i t h c ards, gifts and g o o d c h e e r . S pringtime not o n l y b r i n g s t h e Easter bunny, b u t o n h i s b u n ny-heeled trail come s M o t h e r ’ s Da y. H o we v e r , M o t h e r ’s Da y is o n e o f t hos e c e le b r a t ion s w e sh o uld t a k e t i m e o u t o f our busy lives t o r e c o g n i z e . A fter all, we all h a v e ( o r h a d ) a mother and wi tho u t h e r , w e w o uld n o t be he r e t o da y . S o i s i t r e a l l y t o o much to ask t h a t o n e v e r y s econd Sunday o f M a y , w e t a k e a few mom e n t s t o s t o p and honor our m o m s ? I f y o u a nswered “yes” t o t h is r h e t o r ic a l quest io n , t h e n I h a v e p u t together a list o f 6 r e a s o n s w hy you should ce l e b r a t e your mo m t h is Moth e r ’s D a y - it ’ s ba sed o n t h e w o r d ‘ m o t her’ and may j u s t m a k e y o u change your ans w e r .
M in M other i s for... Meal s Wh ether your mom was a culinary whiz that could make a mas terpi ece out of mayonnaise and wieners or one that thought mayonnaise on wieners was a mouthwatering lun ch, we hav e to s al ute her attempts. Making meals each day for a family is not an easy t a sk, es peci al l y i f Mom i s a working mom that spends all d a y “ earni ng the bacon” onl y to come home to picky kids that refuse to eat it. Aprons off to you, Mom and all those meal s you made out of love a n d e v en the ones you heat ed up i n the mi crowav e. O in Mother i s for... Oi ntments When you become a mother your bathroom cabinets and draw ers contain less beauty products (who has time) and is r epl aced wi th as s orted oi ntments and elixirs. My mother’s “magic cabinet” was always filed with all sorts of tubes,
bottl es and s wa bs th at c o u l d fix anything tha t a i l e d m e . Some of them w e r e s m e l l y , some were gooe y a n d o t h e r s were downrigh t d i s g u s t i n g , but I always felt b e t t e r a f t e r a dos e of mom’s h o m e re medy, a ki s s on the c h e e k an d a reas s uri ng wo rd. He re ’s to mom’s ointment s , e v e n i f i t i s jus t an anti bi otic c re am an d as pi ri n. T i n Mother i s for . . . Te ac h i n g Moms are the gre ate st te ac hers in the worl d . W e l e a r n from her a brand o f s k i l l s t h a t only a mom can p r o v i d e . S h e teaches us how to w al k , th e n run in a world th a t o n l y w a n t s to knock us down . S h e te ac hes us the art of n e g o t i a t i o n ( I never did like sh a r i n g ) h o w t o stand on our ow n f o r t h e f i r s t time (kindergarte n w a s s c a r y ) and how to face bad c i rc u mstances with b o l d n e s s a n d determination. T h a n k s m o m for the courage to f l o u ri sh ! H i n Mother i s for. . . He ari n g Moms hav e s upe rso n i c h e aring. They can d e t e r m i n e t h e difference betw e e n a c r y o f annoyance and o n e o f p a i n . Her hearing can p i c k u p t h e smallest rattle o f a c o o k i e j a r lid or the slowe s t c r e e k o f a door being snuck t h r o u g h l a t e at night. Her ea r s a r e i n t u n e to the giggles of f i r s t l o v e a n d to detect the h u s h e d c r y o f a broken heart . M o m s h e a r what we s ay a n d w h at w e don’t. Thanks mo m f o r a l l t h e times your “he a r i n g ” s a v e d us from stomac h a c h e s a n d heartache E i n Mother i s for . . . E te rn al The moment a b a b y i s p l a c e d i n a mother’s arm s, sh e i s e te rnally in love. It d o e s n ’ t m a t t e r what we l ook l i ke , o r sme l l l i k e , a mother’s love h o l d s f a s t . W e can be the brigh t e s t k i d i n t h e
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Vanessa D. Wood, was born in Tarboro North Carolina, but was raised in San Diego California. She is the wife to her loving husband Lawrence Wood, moth er to four handsome sons and grandm other to two adorable granddaughters. Her inspiration and driv ing force comes straight from the Lord and her faith is centered from her walk with Him. Having the honor to get to know more about Vanessa we learned that she is involved in service to many. She is a financial professional, and is a soon to be Se nior Marketing Director with World Financial Group. She is a retired nurse, once serve as the Director of Nursing at Kaplan University. Vanessa also served her country in the Navy and eventually co-founded, with her husband, Fan of the Feather Inc, an organization which provid es a safe and caring environment for homeless veterans in North San Diego County. She has be en running this organization for 7 years now. It is apparent that Vanessa’s greatest joy comes from helping and changing other’s lives. Be ing in the fi nancial world, coupled with helping h omeless vet erans, she has seen first-hand, how poor can bring financial ruin to many. Helping homeless veterans transition their lives to become independent, is a priceless reward. With her energetic smile, engaging personality, wisdom and drive, she he has assembled a great team of advisors to assist her in building leaders, changing lives, creating estates and helping people become financially independent and make peace with their money, “You will never be FREE, un less you have PEACE”, she says. The best advice she has been given came from her parents. At an early age, Vanessa was told she could accomplish anything she set her mind to, and she has held steadfast to that encour agement to this d ay. K nowing of the struggles and challenges the younger generation face, we asked Vanessa what advice she would give to young women, especially those who desire to go into business. Van essa’s answer was very clear and simple, “Find your passion, then, find your mentor-that person who has lived or i s living your dreams. They are the ones who can give you a clear picture, a positive direction, and accountability.” It is obvious to us, Vanessa is still on her quest to be all God has for her. She is still dreaming, still setting goals, and still looking for ways to help others. She remains an angel in the midst.
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6 REA SON S T O C E L E B R A T E M O TH E R’S DAY - c o n t . c l a s s , o r t h i n k t h a t glue makes a good appetizer to lunch. Mom is always there to chee r u s o n t o gr e atn e ss o r t o o f f er a kin d w o r d w h en w e s tumbl e and fal l on the road of l i fe. A mother’s l o ve i s b oundle ss a n d e t e r n a l. R i n Mo t h e r is f o r . . . Rig h t A s t e e n a g e r s w e always think our moms are so out-of-tune to life. We think their “ancie n t ” b r a n d o f w i s d o m i s r i d i c ulous and that we ourselves know it all. However, after we chase afte r o u r o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g , w e usually come back to realize that Mom was right (whether we admit it t o h e r o r n o t ) . S h e w a s r i g h t about the latest look not being quite right for us (blue hair did not su i t m y s k i n t o n e ) , s h e w a s r i g ht about needing to study hard, even though we wanted to spend the e x t r a t i m e w i th f r ie n ds a n d s he w a s r ig h t a bo ut t h e “ bad boy” breaki ng our heart. Thank you to al l yo u r ri gh t ne s s , m o m , a n d f or st ill bein g t h er e, w it h out the I-tol d-you-s o’s , once we fi gured i t out. L e t ’ s c e l e b r a t e o ur moms this Mother’s Day. Let’s appreciate her for all she’s done and a l l s h e h a s s e e n u s t h r o u g h . It’ s o n ly o n e d a y even t hough s he des erv es thi s and s o much more. Hap p y M o t h e r ’s Da y, Mo ms!
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How t o B e a F a s h i o n R e c e s sionista? How to Look Great When Mon e y’s T i g h t ! When money is tight, you’re spending less but you still want to look fabulous. How do you do it? Simple! Fit – Fabric – Information – Quality vs. Quantity Tip #1 - Fit - no matter what you spend, make sure it fits. If it doesn’t look like it was made for you....tailor it so it does! Even target t-shirts....if they don’t fit - fix ‘em, modify ‘em....tailor ‘em! Great fitting clothes - look great! You could have the most expensive, luxurious pieces and they will look frumpy, matronly and in-expensive if they don’t fit and flatter your body! Tip #2 - Fabric - nothing screams cheap more than spandex and scratchy polyester clothing. Cheap fabric also goes hand in hand with poor fit - cheap fabric puckers, clings, bunches, and accentuates all of the bad parts! Who wants that??? So how do you become a Recessionista? Tip #3 - It’s all about information - sales, coupons and discount stores. Basically the big retailers aren’t selling their stuff so it is going to the outlets and discount locations faster. Stores like Nordstrom Rack, Saks Fifth Avenue off Fifth, NM Last Call, TJ Maxx, etc. are getting flooded with more and more inventory and this is where you win! You get great merchandise for great prices. But yes it does take time to visit those stores and locations often to get the great deals. This is where online information comes into play. If you sign up for your favorite/local retailers and discount stores coupons and sales notifications you will know when to head to the stores. Retailers are offering aggressive discounts just to get you in the door. A great example of this is Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th. They have 40% off coupons OFTEN. which brings us to our final tip today.... Tip #4 - Quality vs. quantity - instead of buying 3 cheap (fabric/quality) sweaters buy one cashmere sweater at 40% off outlet prices. This is what being a Savvy Recessonista is all about! Now the most important garments to splurge on are 1. Pants, pants, pants - cheap pants are the WORST! 2. Sweaters - spending more on cashmere vs. an angora blend is smarter. It will last longer, wear better and most importantly look AND feel luxurious. And really who doesn’t want that? So my advice is to shop smart, spend wisely and buy deliberately!
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Divas on Fire 2 0 1 6 R a l e i g h E d i t i o n w a s A w e s o m e . H a v i n g t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o honor 17 very deservin g w o m e n A p r i l 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 w i l l g o d o w n a s o n e o f t h e b e s t s h o ws ever by D ia mond Di v a M ag azi n e . F ro m th e e n t e r t a in m e n t t o t h e a w e s o m e h o s t L a m on t “ LP” Pe ttiway this s h o w w a s j u s t a m a z i n g . T his event i s f o r wo m e n th at ve ry f e w p e o p le n o t ic e b u t t h e y a r e m a k in g c h an ges an d leavi ng a ma rk o n th e wo rl d . D iva s on Fi re c e l e b rate s th e F ab u lo u s Y O U , in e v e r y w o m a n w h o is p r o u d t o b e a Bus iness Owner! W e C E L E B R A T E t h e i r s t r e n g t h , p e r s e v e r a n c e a n d t e n a c i t y . T h i s show is for w omen who h ave a p art ti m e o r f u ll t im e b u s in e s s a n d h u s t lin g t o b u ild t h e ir Emp ir e. T his show i s al l ab o u t c e l e b rati n g t h e s u c c e s s e s a n d t h e r o a d t h e s e gr e a t w omen ar e on. Divas on F i r e i s n o t j u s t a n e v e n t , i t ’ s a M o v e m e n t o f I n s p i r a t i o n t h a t t r u ly touches lives in more w a y s t h e n a n y o n e c o u l d i m a g i n e . T his event i s NOT ab o u t m e i t’ s ab o u t W E !
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Ce l i b a c y an d As e x u alit y rel ati ons hi p. A SEXUA LITY A s exual i ty, a l ac k o f i n te r est in sex, is a n a t u r a l h u m a n v ari ati on though t to be e x perienced by abo u t 1 p e r c e n t of people. It is n o t t h e s a m e as a sudden dec l i n e i n s e x u a l interest or attra c t i o n , w h i c h may be linked t o s i d e e f f e c t s of certai n medic ati o n s o r i l l nes s .
CE LIB A C Y Traditionally, celibacy has me a n t c h o o sin g n o t t o ma r r y. T o d a y , m a n y people use it t o m e a n n o t h aving sex with a p a r t n e r , a n d sometimes no t e ve n m a s t u r ba t in g , fo r a c e r t a in p e r io d o f t ime. S o me p e ople c h o o s e c eliba cy in r e s p o n s e t o o u r cult ur e’ s o vere m p h a s i s o n s ex, as a break f r o m f e e lin g t h e pr essur e t o r e l a t e t o o t h e r s sexually all the t im e .
spirit uality feels more intense a n d c l ear. In partnered relationships, we may choose celibacy when w e want s ome di s tance or s olit ud e , or when we jus t don’t want to have sex for a while. Th is c an requi re careful commun icati on:
O n e w o m a n w ho grew tired o f a l w a y s h a v i n g to say yes or n o d e s c r i b e s h er experience w i th c e lib a c y :
I say to my lover, “I don’t feel like maki ng l ov e thi s month, and I may not next month.” Now, who does that? Is it o ka y? A m I al l owed? The l as t thing we were ever taught was that it was okay to try w h a t we want.
I ’ m e x p l o r i n g myself as a s e xu a l p e r so n , but in a d iff e r e n t w a y . M y sensitivity to m y b o d y i s h e i ghtened. I am m o r e a w a r e o f what arouses m y s e n s u a l i n t e r ests. I am free to b e m y s e lf . I ha ve mo r e ene r g y f o r w o r k a nd friends. My
S o me coupl es choos e cel i bacy t ogether. It can hel p couples break out of ol d s exual pa t t e rns , expand s ens ual /s exual focus beyond genital sex, a n d make us feel more s el fsuffic i ent and i ndependent— all of which can strengthen a
Reporti ng on h e r gro u n dbreaking 2008 s t u d y b a s e d on i nterv i ews with 102 ase x uals, Susan Sch e r r e r q u o t e s one woman who d o e s n ’ t f e e l sexual attractio n : “ I l o v e t h e human form and c a n r e g a r d individuals as w o r k s o f a r t and find people a e s t h e t i c a l l y pleasing, but I do n ’ t e v e r w a n t to come into se x u a l c o n t a c t wi th ev en the m o st be au ti f u l of peopl e.” Another woman f e e l s s e x u a l attracti on but no t th e i n c l i n a ti on to act on i t: “ I am se x u all y attracted to m e n bu t h ave no desire or nee d t o e n g a g e i n s exual or ev e n n o n - se x u al acti v i ty (cuddl i n g, h an d- h o l d i ng, etc.).” One woman des c ri be s h e r i de al relationship as “ t h e s a m e a s a ‘normal ’ rel at i o n sh i p, w i thout the sex. We w o u l d b e b e s t fri ends , compani o n s, bi gge st fans of each oth e r, partn e rs in financial, wor k , a n d s o c i a l areas of our liv e s . I a m v e r y phys i cal . I wou l d l i k e to be able to tackle m y l o v e r ( a s i n “I love him” not a s i n “ p e r s o n I am currently hav i n g s e x w i t h ” ) to the ground, ro l l aro u n d u ntil I pin him, the n p l a n t a k i s s on his nose, snu g g l e i n t o t h e crook of his a r m , a n d t a l k
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ab ou t s o m e r a n d o m t o pic . . . w it h o ut h i m getti ng an erecti on or entertai ni ng hopes tha t th i s w i l l l e ad t o t h e r e m o va l o f clo t h in g o r a ma rch to the bedroom.” T he A s e x u a l V is ibilit y a n d Ed uca t io n Network, known as A V EN , offers as exual peopl e a pl ac e to connec t a n d le a r n . Th e w ebsit e id en t ifies s ev eral as pects of as exual i ty: • U n like c e liba cy, w h ich is a ch o ice, as exual i ty i s a s exual ori entati on. • A s e x u a lit y is n o t a d ysfun ct io n , a nd there i s no need to fi nd a “caus e” or a “cure . ” • A s e x u a l p eo ple h a ve t h e sa me emoti onal needs as ev erybody el s e and are ju st as c a p ab l e o f f o r m in g in t ima t e r ela t io n sh ips. • A s e x u a ls ar e g en er a lly ver y d iffer ent from one another: s ome experi ence romanti c attract i on, so m e d o n ’t . S o me exper ien ce a r o u s al , s ome don’t. • Ma n y a s e x ua ls t a lk a bo ut h a vin g a “romance dri v e.” They need to be i nti mate w i th an o t he r sp e c ia l p e rso n ; it ’ s just t h a t t h e in ti macy they des i re i s n’t s exual . • It m a y b e mo r e d ifficult t o fin d someone who i s wi l l i ng to enter i nto a conv enti on al re l at i o n s h i p w i t h t h e knowledge that sex will not be involved, but remember, there are othe r p e o p l e wi th lo w o r n o s e x d r ive o ut t h er e a n d many peopl e who care more about l ov e and com pan i o ns hi p t h a n t h e y d o a bo ut sex.
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