Love In Business Investment & Evolution of Self In Your Biz When Does A Keynote Stop Being A Keynote?
How Big Lauren Raso Mind, Is Your ‘But’
Hat Trick Your Life
our Y s m r o f s n Tra e! Body & Lif
Volume 3 Issue 2 February 2014
about about Hat Trick (noun): 1. A sports metaphor for three achievements by a single player in a game. 2. A magic trick. We happily accept both deÞnitions. Hat Trick Magazine is a special project targeted at sharing spiritual and professional growth with likeminded people from around the world. We share strategies that truly will change your life, business and career (with a little help from some pro friends). WeÕve all been there: under/un/employed, in a bad situation, in transition, wondering what the options are and not knowing the skills we would need to get us there. We wonÕt lie to you. Coming out the other side isnÕt easy, but we can show you what we learned along to way and help you get the conÞdence to turn that leaf over and pursue that which is your destiny. Knowledge is power. Not everyone fancies themselves to be an entrepreneur but the truth is, even when seeking employment these days, pulling together your resumŽ requires some sly articulation to showcase your skills, be keyword-optimized and with a strong, personable presentation to get noticed. We feature inspirational people who have great careers, amazing businesses, tips and a host of amazing stories will inspire and amaze you. Our editors and contributors are some of the most connected in their industries and specialisms. Hat Trick Your Life! Take control of your lifestyle, your career, your dreams and your journey. WeÕll share what we know and we invite you to join us. If you or your business would like to be featured or simply would like to contribute a feature in an upcoming issue, please email us on content@hattrickmagazine.com 2 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Hat Trick Strategies cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited coverage made by our contributors including reviews, articles, manuscripts or photographs of products, services. While every care is taken, prices, details or availability of items are subject to change and we cannot accept responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit letters or correspondence received via email, social media or other communication. All advice is given in general terms or as a matter of opinion, for entertainment purposes only, and may not be exhaustive nor suitable for all situations. Always seek specialized professional advice, speciÞcally suited to you or your business needs. Absolutely no part of this magazine should be taken as medical, professional or other advice - always seek the advice of a qualiÞed practitioner.
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Editorial Team
Michelle Fitz Editor-In-Chief, Page Design Michelle is originally from Arkansas and the head of Hat Trick Strategies, a UK firm for Emerging Technologies, Business Change and Corporate Strategy. Her firm has served US and UK household names, government departments and a portfolio of business coaching clients, based globally. Michelle produces all page layout, custom graphics and ad designs for this publication. She holds professional qualifications in LEAN Six Sigma, PMI PMP, is a Practitioner in both PRINCE2 and MSP and is a leader in digital synergies linking content, the customer journey, social media and customer care words/SEO. 4
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Michael Hartley Associate Design Editor Michael is a British entrepreneur based in Manchester, England and is an expert in graphic design, digital artistry, branding and design management. He is a trained violinist, and brings a tremendous breath of creativity to projects. His firm, Michael Thomas Designs, are experts in brand research for target demographics, image and the production of a consistent brand identity for mid-sized companies. Michael understands how to get at the heart of a firm’s offerings and customer base and works closely with select web designers to implement a consistent look and feel across digital, print and online platforms.
Eleni Sofroniou Illustrator Eleni is an illustrator based in London and owns Fall Into London. She produces the majority of the illustrations which appear in Hat Trick Magazine (which compliment give our magazine its distinctive look and feel). She has previously created pieces for ELLE Magazine, Essex Style Magazine, and The Female Entrepreneur Association. As well as creating personalised illustration, Eleni's illustrations can be purchased from her website.
Andrea Sullenger Business & Tech Editor Andrea is a mix of “kick butt” sales / marketing coach and inspirational possible-i-tarian. She has been working with solo-entrepreneurs for the past 16 years, helping them build their own thriving transactional businesses all while creating streamlined and successful digital products to maximize and leverage their income streams. Andrea shares many of her strategies via Hat Trick Magazine, but to get the latest, subscribe to her list. Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •
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Editorial Team
Sandra Cunningham Career & Learning Editor Sandra contributes to the Careers column for the Financial Times and is the owner of Outside In Coaching and Communications, where she helps mid-career women make a successful transition from a soul-sucking, dead-end job to a meaningful and fulfilling career, while creating a lifestyle they can afford and enjoy. Sandra truly believes it’s possible to be wildly successful doing work you love whilst having the work/life balance most people can only dream of. Visit her website for free articles, resources and to sign up for your free e-booklet "21 Pointers to Sharpen Your Career Edge." 6
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Shalanda Turner Style Editor Shasie has a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering and works as a Project Engineer for a Specialty Chemicals company in Houston, Texas. When Shasie is not at work, she moonlights in the Fashion Industry. She is the creative voice behind the top Fashion Blog; Live Life in Style, Founder of Houston Fashion Bloggers, Style Editor for online media site FashionMingle.net, Fashion Brand Ambassador for Monarch Magazine, Owner of Shop Shasie’s Closet and Houston Fashion Examiner for Examiner.com.
Charlene SanJenko Wellness & Lifestyle Editor Charlene SanJenko is a serial entrepreneur with a successful lifestyle and fitness practice serving Canada. She is an accomplished figure competitor and has served her community in local government. As a social entrepreneur, she believes there is an intrinsic link between physical and emotional fitness, leadership and excellence. She is a thought leader whose emphasis is in helping transform ordinary ladies into “HIP”, High Impact Performance women. powHERhouse.com
Amanda Cook Brittany De Staedtler Beauty Editor Brittany is an entrepreneur and Amanda Cook is an awardowner ofCertified bath, beauty and skin winning Health Coach who brand helps women lookand & feel care Posh Brats naturallystore radiant! flagship Bathery, located in Macclesfield, England. She is an Through her and inadvocate foronline career progression person classes and workshops, for womenteaches from small Amanda her towns. clients to Being from the Southern she eat healthy whole foods,US, detox overcame what couldfeel have their beauty routines, good easily template in theirbeen skin, a and tap into their natural energy stores. predefined for her, but pursued a career and degrees in Cosmetic www.VintageAmanda.com Chemistry, leading to the successful career she has held to date. Brittany regularly shares simple beauty secrets you can make at home, as well as her thoughts and skills in business. Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •
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Editorial Team
Tanya Jackson Food, Home & Family Editor Tanya is the author of our popular Southern recipe column and the editor for our Food & Home section. She is married to a pastor, her high school sweetheart, and is a proud Southern mother and grandmother. Tanya has lived all over the US, but wherever she has lived, she has brought her love and curiosity for local foods and flavors. Tanya believes the best aspect of having cooked in the four corners of the US, was learning to cook what grows around us; because it is our families that make a difference in our lives and sharing our love and enjoyment of good food together goes hand-in-hand.
Karen Salmansohn Faith & Self Help Editor Karen is an ex-Senior VP, awardwinning ad writer/creative director (at age 27) who left her successful advertising career (having worked as a writer/creative director/ image consultant for numerous household names), to pursue her passion of writing. She owns notsalmon.com, is an Oprah columnist and a best selling author and book packager with over 1 million books sold. Some titles: How to Be Happy Dammit; Enough Dammit; The Bounce Back Book; – and many more. Journalists call Salmansohn “Deepak Chopra Meets Carrie Bradshaw”, merging empowering psychology/philosophy tips with edgy humor and stylish graphics.
Contibutors
Lorraine Hill Head of Global Planning
Michelle Holmes Business Contributor
Sorelle Amore Style Contributor
Mina Muirhead Health Editor, Lifestyle
Gina Hussar Lifestyle Contributor
Manuela Wahnon Lifestyle Contributor
Mellissa Mallaya Lifestyle Contributor
Dara Avenius Career & Learning
Suzanne Perry Faith & Self Help (Victim Support)
Katie Clifton Faith & Self Help (Christian)
Cherie DeBurger Home Contributor (Life & Family)
Sukh Pabial Career & Learning
Marina Berberyan Style Contributor
Lisa Wynter Style Contributor
Joey Phelps Cartoonist
Amber Hamilton Henson Associate Home Editor
Ann Pissard Graphic Artist
Michael Phelps Cartoonist
Kate Spencer Lifestyle & Wellness
Nathalie de Ahna Lifestyle & Wellness
Katie Geddes Business Contributor
16 From the Editor
14
Business & Tech Tips
30
The Investment & Evolution
30
of Self In Your Business Embody Your Sexy Geek
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What Do YOU Need to Hear?
Career & Learning
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How Decluttering Accidentally Helped Me Face my Fear When Does a Keynote Stop Being a Keynote Graphic Art by Ann
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Cover Story
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Faith & Self Help 56 58
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Style & Beauty Shasie’s Style Picks
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New York Fashion Week: Fall 2014 preview How to Heal Your Dry Skin From the Inside Out
64 72
Confessions of a Hollywood Stylist
Indique Tahitian Curl: Review
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Karen Salmansohn How Big is Your But?
Lil Nipper Snapper Cartoon
Lifestyle & Wellness
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Deprivation Doesn’t Work: Get Real and Keep it Doable
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7 Reasons Why Bananas are an Incredible Vitamin Cure Thinking Yourself Thinner Mystic Sisters
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Food, Home & Family
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Hungarian Mushroom Soup
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Pasta Pot
Reality of Romance
We Love Hearing From YOU: content@HatTrickMagazine.com
Inside every one of us is a gift which is not yet in existence. Go get them
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From the Editor
The Place of Love In Business It’s Valentines’ month and while it’s a wonderfully commercialised way to honour a special person in your life, I think it’s a jolly good month to chat about the place that love has, in business. What’s love anyway? Brand loyalty is at an all-time low. Investments in largescale projects are on hold. Many people on a career progression track are experiencing delays to their schedule. But that’s not to say there is NO brand loyalty, are NO projects, and NO promotions happening. To me, love (or something like it), is one of the basic building blocks of establishing credibility, like-ability for your branding, cultivating customer affinity toward your products, and MAINTAINING those warm fuzzies, as you go about doing the important work that makes you in business or on the career track you’re on today. Many of you will know that I’m American and live in the UK. When I came here 10 years ago, the “right way” to sound credible was to be “professional”, which typically meant being a “talking head” with an impressive vocabulary and fairly dry demeanour. That was, they said, how to build relationships in the most generic and universally accepted way possible. I remember back in 2004, having this style consultant who divided up the management consultants at my old firm (a medium sized public sector consultancy firm for which I was a permanent member of staff for several years) and gave us a list of ways to dress and speak for success (without showing too much of our personalities). The talking points: Don’t rock the boat, annunciate, be careful not to inject too much personality, they’re paying for a consultant so dress the part and talk the part. You’ll bring people through the process of change much easier 14 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
through “professional” engagement. Be more about the “methodology and terminology” than yourself. In my industry, management consultancy, we call what they were trying to train us to do “winning hearts and minds”. See that’s what we’re ALL trying to do. No matter what it is, to keep anything you have to get people to GENUINELY like, respect and want you. You can imagine the scene. We’re already in the UK with the whole stiff upper lip thing. Imagine THAT stereotypical personality trying to be “professional” by applying her advice. It was like Niles Crane from Frasier trying to “act casual”. I see it every single day and even instances where it’s rather needlessly carried over to a person’s PERSONAL LIFE! And YES many WERE engaging in the way they presented and spoke, but they were missing the most important part! The best, most successful consultants were the ones who brought a degree of charisma and electricity to a room. They were the ones that acted the part of the British consultant but applied it in such a way that every single person was proactively “present” in the discussion. These guys shined SO BRIGHTLY they shot up all ladders, signed deals, reached agreements and got things moving, effortlessly. They had moxie and self-belief in their subject matter but also, a healthy balance of approachability, which meant that regardless of the stiffness of the old chap across the table, a connection was made. They knew how to make people LOVE THEM.
And guess what? They also were pretty darn confident in themselves. See that’s the trick. It’s YOU first; then and only then will THEY buy it, too. Friends: that is how the game is played in your business or in your career. And if you’re smart, you’ll carry that through your whole life; not as an act and not as a bargaining chip, but as part of the dynamic you adopt as you live and interact with others in every capacity.
By MICHELLE FITZ, Editor-In-Chief
Michelle
Letter From the Editor, Michelle Fitz •
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Cover Story
Transform Your Body, Mind and Life With
Lauren Raso
Lauren Raso is an Australian super-science geek, living in London who is passionate about wellbeing, personal growth and experiencing the most out of life. She has hiked to the top of a live volcano, cared for baby capuchin monkeys in Bolivia, and slept in seventy metre high tree houses in a Laos rainforest.
By Dara Avenius 16 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Lauren Raso
She is a physiologist, which means she studies the body’s systems to understand why a client isn’t well and to help them achieve health, happiness, and energy. Informed by her personal experience with multiple illnesses and medications that weren’t healing her, her passion was born to help others in the same predicament.
1. Tell us a bit about you and what you do, and your qualifications and how you got into it all. This is your chance to plug your work shamelessly. I am an Australian born Health and Wellbeing Consultant, now based in London. My qualifications are in Physiology, which is the study of all the systems and how they function together. In addition I’ve completed a post-graduate qualification in Nutrition. I run private consulting, group programs, corporate wellbeing training, workshops and also do guest speaking. My mission is to teach and help people become their best physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self, by transforming their health, 18 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
lifestyle, relationships, mindset, career and confidence. My goal is to remove confusion around nutrition and lifestyle and facilitate change, growth and consciousness in individuals, community and society world-wide. My journey begin at the age of two when I was first diagnosed with asthma, followed by eczema, allergies, hay-fever, chronic sinusitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. I was taken from doctor to doctor, saw numerous specialists and had a couple of surgeries too. I reached a point where I was also suffering from depression, anxiety and PTSD. I was taking a bag of medications but still was not healing any of my illnesses. I realised that western traditional medicine alone and medications would not improve my health and began treating myself through nutrition, lifestyle and other practices.
2. What are some of the most consistent sources of stress and frustration you see from your clients? Inability to shift stubborn body fat and lose weight causes many clients frustration. Fatigue, lethargy, feeling sluggish and not having as much energy as they once had is another frequent concern. Experiencing digestive issues and feeling bloated after eating are common and many of my clients just put up with digestive issues daily. It is very common for me to work with someone who is experiencing poor health but it has become the norm for them. When we work together and they experiencing massive changes in their health, cognition and energy they inevitably recognise how terrible they felt on a daily basis.
3. How do you think people self-sabotage themselves when they try to make major life changes (such as losing weight) but don’t see results?
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about nutrition and lifestyle coming from out-dated sources and the media, which impacts people’s ability to achieve their health and wellbeing goals. This misinformation creates a foundation for failure that really impacts peoples’ results and creates a yo-yo weight cycle. Not setting quantifiable goals or tracking progress, is a way of selfsabotage. Saying I want to lose weight is not enough, setting a goal to deadlift 110kg is track-able. Or setting a goal to be in bed by 10pm every night can be tracked with a diary. When we track our progress we are able to see what is working, where we come across blocks or where we are most inspired towards hitting our targets.
“Counting calories, using a points-based system for food or eating low GI are incorrect and unhelpful strategies that will not result in lasting weight loss and health improvement for various reasons.”
People also self-sabotage unconsciously through limiting beliefs. The subconscious mind can be sabotaging our results without us knowing, based on lessons we learned and beliefs we build through past conditioning and experience, predominantly as a child. Addressing limiting beliefs is a must when making a big change in your life. Working with a health consultant is a great way to ensure you are getting quality information from an impartial, educated and credible source, whilst also addressing mindset and limiting beliefs. 20 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
4. What are the most common deficiencies you see in terms of eating right for losing weight? Some of the common deficiencies I see in people who are trying to lose weight, is not eating enough, as well as not eating enough fat. Both of these steps are vital for weight-loss and improving health. ‘Fat’ has been portrayed as the enemy, however, certain types of fat are not only safe but in fact absolutely essential for brain health and hormone creation. Counting calories, using a points-based system for food or eating low GI are incorrect and unhelpful strategies that will not result in lasting weight loss and health improvement for various reasons. Many people have underlying hormone imbalances, which impact their ability to lose weight as well as negatively affecting energy levels and sleep. Without addressing these imbalances it is difficult to achieve long lasting weight control.
5. Where have you travelled overseas and what are some of the tips and health lessons you’ve learned? I spent 10 months backpacking around all of South America. I have also travelled through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia and more recently through Europe. The biggest lesson from experiencing other cultures is the focus on food and family. Eating with family, friends and community. It doesn’t matter what continent you are on, food brings people together. The best tip for travelling is drinking a lot of bottled water and ensuring you are hydrated.
6. What is the mind-body connection you’ve found in reaching goals? Transform Your Body, Mind and Life With Lauren Raso •
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I have found that health is a fusion of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. You can focus on nutrition and exercise but if you don’t address the mindset and emotional aspects, achieving your goals is difficult and sometimes even impossible. If a person is deficient in self-worth or self-love and constantly berating themselves, or their inner dialogue is cruel and nasty then cultivating a thriving, strong, lean body is challenging. This is the same for all goals, whether they are personal, financial or professional; a negative inner voice and restrictive beliefs impact our results. A comprehensive approach is needed for achieving greatness in all areas of life. My programs combine nutrition, lifestyle, mindset, personal/self-opinion and connection address these facets and build a fortress of belief, respect, love and worth.
“Stress is not good or bad. It is the way we handle our stress and the number of stressors that impact our health and happiness...”
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7. Tell me a bit about what vitamins you should take in different seasons to help with moods? Firstly, I would say that you can’t out-supplement a poor diet and a comprehensive nutrition plan is the first step for improving health and balancing your moods. Additionally, the quality of vitamin and mineral supplements vary widely, with many pharmacy homebrands being full of harmful fillers. However, there are some supplements which are valuable to take given we might not always be able to get adequate levels through food or lifestyle alone. Some people may require vitamin D supplementation throughout winter, depending on their Vitamin D levels. It is important to check Vitamin D and others at least every 6 months. However, nothing beats getting real sunlight on your skin everyday for mood and health all year round. Magnesium is another supplement that is vital for cellular function and support through stress. Inadequacy is common in people experiencing anxiety. Many people are not getting enough magnesium as food sources and soil quality are not sufficient in providing adequate amounts. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is almost non-existent in our food supply these days and supplementing can assist in many facets of your health.
8. What is the food and mood connection you’ve found through your experiences and work? There is absolutely no doubt that food impacts a persons’ mood, cognition, attitude and productivity. Modern day wheat has undergone an alteration in one of the proteins, resulting in a mutated version that stimulates appetite and has strong withdrawal symptoms. Wheat acts on opioid receptors in the brain, creating an addiction, increased thoughts of wheat and changes in mood if it is not eaten for a few hours. Transform Your Body, Mind and Life With Lauren Raso •
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Sugar acts on the brain in a similar manner as heroine. Excessive sugar intake can increase dopamine release while inhibiting GABA release - responsible for keeping dopamine release in check. This causes an unchecked dopamine rush and feelings of elation or the “sugar high�. Ultimately we experience an unpleasant crash in energy and mood, usually inciting a person to eat more sugar and strengthening the neural reward pathways in the brain for eating sugar. This vicious cycle continues and we become addicted and to make matters worse, sugar also acts on opioid receptors stimulating appetite like wheat. Dairy contains a protein called casein that also acts on opioid receptors in the brain, stimulating addictive behaviours and altering mood. I work with specific foods and meal timing to balance moods, beat energy slumps and overcome cravings and emotional eating. I see dramatic changes in my clients with reduction in depression and anxiety, equalised moods and more composed disposition.
9. Nowadays everyone is stressed at or because of work. What are some of the top tips you have for bosses to help foster health, wellness and happiness in their employees? Stress is not good or bad. It is the way we handle our stress and the number of stressors that impact our health and happiness in a positive or negative manner. For employers and companies, health and wellbeing training and workshops for all levels of staff is vital for increasing productivity, building stronger relationship and teamwork and deepening happiness and enjoyment. Through nutrition and health education we can help employees to eat better and increase their energy levels, become healthier and reduce absenteeism rates and teach techniques to manage both work and personal stressors better.
We have a variety of wellbeing training and workshops, half day, full day and one day a month programs. We teach about optimal breakfast for energy, healthy food choices in the workplace, strategies for managing stress and tips for improving sleep. For executives in high-pressure roles, decision-making, cognition and overcoming fatigue is the focus of our executive health consulting.
“Many clients lose weight and dramatically improve energy and sleep while reducing symptoms of fatigue and anxiety within a couple of sessions. I want to give people the tools and education to creating lasting change that will better the rest of their life”
10. You wrote a blog about makeup being an unregulated industry that can be toxic to women (and men). What do you propose users do to make sure that the makeup they use is healthy, green and non-toxic? I believe the best step each of us can take as consumers is educate ourselves on whatever product it is that we are interested in using. Education is powerful and removes confusion and indifference. The Environmental Working Group provides a great resource for cosmetics. Personal, house-hold and office toxins and chemicals can actually hinder weight-loss! Some of my programs offer education on detoxing your cosmetics, home cleaning products and office area.
11. If I were to hire you, what would be the first steps that would happen to begin our work Transform Your Body, Mind and Life With Lauren Raso •
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together? How long do you generally need to work with and change clients’ lives? Together we would complete a full medical history, diet and lifestyle analysis, diagnose any illnesses or concerns and uncover and set goals. A comprehensive understanding of the client’s situation and desires builds a strong foundation for further treatment. We would then create and implement step-by-step nutrition, lifestyle and sleep programs and carefully build layers on this through mindset and limiting beliefs work. I love to educate my clients and break down the physiology, science and reasoning behind each step so they have a strong understanding of what is happening in their body or mind and remove confusion. I can create changes in my clients’ lives within a couple of weeks. Many clients lose weight and dramatically improve energy and sleep while reducing symptoms of fatigue and anxiety within a couple of sessions. I want to give people the tools and education to creating lasting change that will better the rest of their life. A great start is 6 months, but for some people the work is ongoing. If you have spent 20-50 years reaching your current state of illness or disease then a 6-24 month investment is nothing to overcome illness, create vibrant health and healthy-longevity, that will infuse all areas of your life positively.
12. Tell us about some of your clients who totally inspired you with the changes they made to their lives with your assistance. One of my clients was suffering from severe depression, anxiety and extreme fatigue. He was struggling with his workload, was not enjoying his work at all and spent most of his weekend in bed sleeping instead of spending time with his wife and young daughter. In a short few months we transformed his attitude to his 26 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
own health and wellbeing and his results were inspirational! He ran a successful overseas three week business trip, enjoyed his work for the first time in years, ran a half marathon and overcame anxiety and depression! The best part was the growth and realisation of his own self-worth and the value of his health and life, which he now shares with his wife and daughter. Another client suffered from debilitating headaches and chronic hay-fever, high bad cholesterol, increased cardiovascular risk and was loathing her work. Her transformation was truly inspirational! She lost weight, reduced her bad cholesterol and cardiovascular risk, fixed all vitamin and mineral deficiencies, cured headaches and hay-fever, left her job, enrolled to become a Pilates teacher and began selling various hand-made foods to local cafes. She referred he husband for consulting and now we are working together to create great wellbeing for his also.
13. And finally, please tell us how and where we can find you! You can email me directly at info@laurenraso.com or find out more at www.laurenraso.com. You can also connect with me at www.facebook.com/ LaurenRasoInspiredWellbeing or twitter @laurenraso.
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www.laurenraso.com
Business & Tech Tips
The Investment & Evolution of Self
In Your Business
What if you could tweak one thing this year and it would evolve your business and give you more impact with your audience? You can! Check this out, when you decided to become an entrepreneur you knew that starting a business meant you would need to invest. You would have to invest in your business, your
FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Andrea Sullenger 30 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
brand, your website and many other things having to do with your entrepreneurial en-devour. What you may have let fall to the bottom of the list or it may have even fallen off of the list completely is the investment and evolution of yourself in this en-devour. I see so many eager business entrepreneurs head out to build incredible businesses and they put almost all of their focus and energy on building it, but they fail to continue to build and invest in the creative engine that came up with the idea and belief that started them down this path to begin with. It’s easy to get caught up in upgrading your technology, beefing up your outward web appearance, increasing your graphics, working with clients or producing products or services. All of this is necessary and of course you will need to invest time, resources and your talent to accomplish it. However, when entrepreneurs fail to invest in themselves a few things happen over time:
1) They burn out…plain and simple. The joy and fun gets sucked out of what most likely started as a passion and has now been reduced to a “to do list”. 2) The creative juice dries up! They tend to feel uninspired, unmotivated and unclear about who they are in this business world and what impact they are making. 3) They get off track. They find themselves saying yes to less than ideal boring projects and don’t Worseclients, is, if these three things arethings hittingthat home forresonate you, youwith are them and their talents. probably also feeling a twinge of resentment. You can get yourself back on track, get the creative mojo moving again and feel empowered with where you are at and where you are headed in 2014. The key element is planning and making the investment and evolution of YOU a top priority! This has to be
The Investment & Evolution of Self In Your Business •
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something you attach yourself to 100%. If you are only willing to attach half way then expect half of the results. Take these steps to keep you on the self investment and evolution path this year.
Write your goals down Yes, I am sure you have heard this before but this time, do it! When working with my clients I suggest a few things when working with goals.
a. Write your goals down for the year. Now break them down in 90 day chunks. b. Define them even more by categorizing them into sections. No more than 5 sections. c. Re-write your goals (the same ones) every 45 days. On your calendar, block out a 1 hour time frame every 45 days to sit and evaluate. This gives you a shot to see if you are on track, and still leave you with another 45 days to nail these!
Find other entrepreneurs that can be a mastermind group for you. One that you can share your goals with and that can help keep you accountable.
Plan every 90 days... ...a personal business investment evolution retreat. This can be a stay-cation but I find it works much better when you take yourself 32 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
out of your normal and comfortable surroundings. Get yourself off and alone and in nature if you can. Take a personal development book, a journal, your goals and a pillow! This weekend away isn’t to work. It is to rest, reset the mental, physical and spiritual clock so when you go back to work on Monday you will feel filled up, creative and ready to take on the next 90 days.
Invest in a coach Plain and simple, the entrepreneurs that kill it over those that struggle have coaches. We all need someone to help us steer the ship from time to time, we need a voice to be unattached and less emotional to give us clear perspective and we all need someone to kick us in the ass now and again.
Invest in your evolution... ...by plotting out and attending at least ‘three, but four is better’, seminars. They can be on self development, business, entrepreneurship, or anything really, as long as it pertains to your business and your growth inside of that business. Take time to go, get new ideas, inspiration, and network with others. Events like this help us to expand our perspective on what is possible, what others are doing and what we can do if we are willing to evolve into it!
Here’s to your year of personal investment and evolution!
The Investment & Evolution of Self In Your Business •
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Embody Your Sexy Geek Quick Techie Tips to Let Your Sexy Geek Shine
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: Easy WordPress Opt-ins If you’re an entrepreneur, a small business owner, or anyone who has their own website and uses Wordpress for either your main site and your blog, you’ve likely struggled with creating a great-looking, easy opt-in. FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Katie Geddes 34 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
“Like many tasks entrepreneurs face, there is a mixture of tech skills, design skills and marketing know-how needed to create an effective opt-in...and there’s more than one way to go about it.”
Opting In
In case you’re unfamiliar with the phrase “opt-in,” it’s a box or couple of boxes anywhere on your site where people are invited to sign up or “opt in” to your e-mail list. These are used for your primary e-mail list and can be further broken down into lists you maintain for special offers, by geographic location and other helpful groupings so you know what people are responding to.
Why You Want It
Believe me, you want one or more opt-ins placed in an easy to spot location on your site(s). Why? Because it is widely agreed that your customers and potential customers’ e-mail address is the single best, fastest way to communicate with them, leading to ongoing connection, loyal followers and paying clients. Convinced? Good. This part’s a no-brainer.
Setup
Like many tasks entrepreneurs face, there is a mixture of tech skills, design skills and marketing know-how needed to create an effective opt-in. And there’s more than one way to go about it. My preference for you is to make it easy for you, great looking because I love design, for people to respond to it, and easy for customers to use.
Easy for You
I’m sharing with you today one of the easiest ways to set up a fab opt-in within Wordpress. This is using a plug-in called “Magic Action Box.” (I am in no way affiliated with them. Their plug-in is just good.) Find it here: www.magicactionbox.com. Embody Your Sexy Geek •
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There’s a great FREE version that does a lot. The paid versions ($47–97) allow you to do more, which you’ll likely want if you use Wordpress for your main site. You’ll get greater customization, the ability to add the opt-in to every page without manually adding it, and other niceties. The whole process will likely take about a half hour to a couple of hours to set up depending on your geek level.
Great-Looking
Your message has to look good to attract people in this big world we live in. Magic Action Box makes this easy. You can add beautiful artwork (created in an art program on your own) or even just picking a beautiful solid color will give you a lovely looking opt-in. You can set most of the features you’d want to very easily, without being a real tech head (don’t tell your Sexy Geek professionals as you’ll encroach on their territory).
Examples
Here are a few examples I’ve created for my own clients. Nice, huh? Feel free to look them up if their offerings resonate with you.
Examples at right created using Magic Action Box (designed by yours truly). Featured left to right: Daily Life Flow, PurFitness and Shine Your Light (click image to view examples in browser)
36 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Horizontal Opt-Ins
Many people struggle to create horizontal opt-ins, where you see a wide line underneath a header instead of a sidebar opt-in. Magic Action Box also makes this easy. The setup is guided by your overall theme layout. So this is one of the easiest ways out there to create a horizontal opt-in box.
List Linkup
You’ll have to link your e-mail list from your provider’s system (companies like AWeber, MailChimp, Mad Mimi, Emma, Ontraport etc.) to your opt-in. Just follow the simple steps in the Magic Action Box instructions to do this. I promise it’s simple. You’ll need an e-mail provider to do this and everyone basically needs one who is in business today. There are many more excellent options than the ones I mentioned above. I’ll be discussing differences among these providers in more detail in future columns.
Easy for Your Fans
Lastly, using the opt-in is as simple as it should be for your customers. You can place the form in different locations depending on the layout of your site. Right or left-side columns and horizontal opt-ins underneath your headline or header are easy to set up.
Let Me Know
Let me know if you find this great plug-in useful. I believe it’ll save you time and potential frustration setting up your necessary Wordpress opt-ins. It has for me. I’d love to see your examples.
E-mail me at sexygeek@embodyart.org Lovin’ Bytes,
Katie Geddes Embody Your Sexy Geek •
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Katie Geddes Ulanov can be found geeking it up at Embodyart.org, where she designs businesses. If you’re a super creative, playful, spiritual entrepreneur ready to make big money and a real difference while having tons of fun, come on over. Katie’ll show you how to profit from your passion. E-mail Katie at sexygeek@embodyart.org to say hi, ask a question or apply for a FREE discovery session.
Embodyart.org
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DIY Click to Watch Online!
What Do YOU Need to Hear? Tell Yourself!
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By Michelle Holmes What Do YOU Need to Hear? •
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Career & Learning
How Decluttering Accidentally Helped Me
Face My Fear
I am sitting here at my desk today with a certain amount of smugness. Sorry, but it’s true. You can actually see clear space on my book shelves; there’s a Zen-like air in the room; and I am reminded (almost) of those beautiful, minimalist, home offices that get featured in style magazines.
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By Sandra Cunningham 44 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
A sense of calm, order and un-stoppability (is that a word?) is finally re-entering my world. You see, one of the things I used to pride myself on was my ability not to accumulate lots of useless ‘stuff’. To be honest, it was largely out of necessity. At one stage, I was moving job, house, city, or country (usually a combo) about once a year on average – so it always helped to keep my load relatively light. I bought only what I needed; new clothes were allowed only if I could dump something old; unwanted gifts (sorry, folks) went to the charity shop almost before the wrapper was removed. I did have a box of very dear and cherished items, but I always tried to keep it small enough to be portable. Back then, the prospect of making a major life or career change was never a problem – in fact I relished it. I loved the feeling of going somewhere new, starting afresh and discovering different places and people. I was free, light-footed, fast-moving and unafraid, always knowing that whatever happened, I’d be able to pick myself up and move on. You could even say I developed a certain mastery around it. Fast forward that movie, and for a few years now, I have been more or less settled in one place. In many ways it has been a welcome period of stability and re-grouping. And to be honest, it has brought untold benefits for me, both personally and professionally. So what has this got to do with clutter?
The Settling-In / Clutter Build-Up Effect Not long ago, I started to notice that something had happened to both my home and my office. They felt ‘full up’. Cupboards, corners and shelves were crammed with an undeniable accumulation of clothes, books and other objects, most of which I never even looked at, never mind use. Now, I am not referring to my most How Decluttering Accidentally Helped Me Face My Fear •
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valued possessions nor the items that provide for a comfortable quality of life. I am talking about the kind of possessions that serve little or no purpose. And they provide no particular pleasure nor meaning. We just have them…because we have them. Those empty ring-binders will come in handy when I start a new project; all those HBR articles I once printed off might be useful to some of my clients; I might find that “Starting Your Own Small Hotel” book useful one day; and I’ll probably need all those spare computer/mobile phone cables as soon as I’ve thrown them out. It started to bother me, in an irritating kind of way. It wasn’t until I started to consider making another major change in my life that it eventually dawned on me: my new clutter habit was holding me back. You see, the more I wanted to figure out the answers to where, what, when and what if…?, the harder it became to make a decision and just go for it. I felt stuck. Paralysed. Immovable. Weighed down. Okay, I hate waste—and yes, I know, I am also a Scot. It’s almost genetic—and I realise there might be logic in storing things away, just in case. In the end though, I do think that hoarding pointlessly for years is just another form of waste. And at some level, I don’t know why, maybe it’s the same reason why other women mount an attack on their kitchen cupboard, I thought it would help to start clearing the decks. Maybe I’d feel lighter, freer, easier, so finally, I found the impetus and got to work.
How De-cluttering Helped Now I am not going to suggest that all my barriers to taking decisive action about the future were suddenly dissolved the 46 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
day I decided to have a good clear-out, but I’d read a bit about this de-cluttering malarkey and I was starting to feel a lot better in myself once I’d got started. So, in the spirit of research and experimentation, I decided to monitor what was actually going on for me, while steadfastly filling up my wheelie bins and brushing off the dust.
Here are the six main realisations that left me totally enlightened – and delighted!
1
De-cluttering is more-ish (and it doesn’t make you fat!). The day I cleared the first book shelf, was just a beginning. The difference was small, but noticeable - and immediate. So I decided to do it again the next day, and then the next. It was a 10 minute job – merely a short break from my working day norm, and a real mood booster. I wanted more of that, thank you very much! I started applying it to other areas too: meetings that had no purpose, relationships that drained me, diary commitments I’d agreed to in haste, ways of thinking that sabotaged my progress. After a relatively short time, it was becoming a habit, and I could see signs of improvement emerging in how I ran my business and my life.
2
De-cluttering helps you see what’s really going on. Before you think I live and work in a hoarder’s mess, let me point out that my space has never looked terribly untidy. So for a long time, it was easy to kid myself that all was well. In fact I’d merely mastered the art of outward order and inner chaos! To my great surprise I was hit by a home truth: my reluctance to ‘get rid’ was in fact based on fear.
I had no idea what was stored in these boxes – I’d stopped even seeing them, but keeping hold of ‘stuff’ in an orderly looking fashion helped me preserve my situation in tact, and ready for any eventuality. I got to feel like I was sorted and in control but in fact, How Decluttering Accidentally Helped Me Face My Fear •
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deep down, the very opposite was true.
3
De-cluttering makes space for new possibilities to emerge. Yes, you could say there is now room to swing a cat and I can dance around whenever I want, but there’s more to it than that.
Cardboard boxes have made way for greenery. Piles of paper are now banned. Pictures from my travels that I bought ages ago (and that were stored in other cardboard boxes) now adorn the wall. My dog has a new bed in the clutter-free space under my desk (which she loves). The soul-less, slightly dishevelled office is now gone and has been replaced by an attractive, creative workspace with a great energy to it, where I feel more inspired than ever to produce my best work (Note: when I’m coaching you over the telephone, this is where I’ll be – just think about that!) “I noticed how I began to feel less like a victim to all the crap and nonsense that was clouding my vision, and suddenly, I was much more in charge of my situation.”
4
De-cluttering clears the mind. It is said that your desk / office space is an outer manifestation of your mind’s inner workings. So if your mind, like your desk, is crammed with an excess of useless junk, then it’s a lot more difficult to think clearly about the challenges or problems you’re faced with.
Consequently it becomes harder to de-stress and manage anxieties. And you are unlikely to generate the inspiration and ideas that will help you to by-pass these obstacles and enable you to move on ahead. 48 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Whilst things are not crystal-like for me yet, I have found that I do feel less anxious and at peace with my situation. It’s easier to accept that I’m just going through one of life’s processes and I now have a lot more faith that the clarity I am seeking will indeed unfold. Now if that’s too woo-woo for you, try this...
5
De-cluttering energises you and lets you take back control. Since I began this ‘getting on top of my clutter’ gig, I noticed how I began to feel less like a victim to all the crap and nonsense that was clouding my vision, and suddenly, I was much more in charge of my situation. Especially great was that with every item I allocated to the re-cycling, I realised I was making a small but positive choice about letting something go. It was so liberating, and great practice, might I suggest, if you’ve also been stuck in limbo for a while and lost touch with the art of decision-making.
Furthermore I was doing this in the knowledge that all the resources I’ll ever need to do my work and to live my life are permanently at my disposal, whether or not they are sitting in files or clogging up my Inbox. (In any case, where is the first place most of us look nowadays whenever we need to know something? And isn’t the Cloud an amazing invention?) I can’t tell you how great this is for putting you back on top, boosting your confidence and recognising your own capabilities, especially as you face the possible prospect of making a big, lifeor career-altering move.
6
De-cluttering lets you move forward. Anyone who has ever changed career will relate to the psychological separation that, simultaneously, can affect you and your sense of identity. Getting rid of old belongings from your past life can help you to cut those energetic cords once and for all, so that you can fully inhabit your new life and step into being a different version of ‘you’.
How Decluttering Accidentally Helped Me Face My Fear •
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As a former brands marketer and corporate employee, I confess that it’s taken me ten years to throw away the marketing manuals and CPD course books that have long outgrown their usefulness and relevance. Hanging in my wardrobe are suits that once made me feel quite ‘the business’ but now feel like they belong to someone else. How I’ve managed to hang on to them for this long, I really don’t know. So, guess what’s next on the to-do list? Final Note: I haven’t yet made a decision about the major change I want to make (the subject for a future artilce?), but what I do know is that the things I’ve been holding on to that I don’t really like, don’t ever use and don’t need any more have had a draining effect on my energy, my confidence, my creativity, my clarity of thinking and ultimately my ability to move forward. Phew, it feels good to let go! I’ve unblocked my fear and the clarity I need will finally be allowed to emerge. And at least with some newly created space, I know I am ready to move on.
What kind of ‘clutter’ is holding you back in your life or career, and what do you need to let go of in order to move to the next moment?
FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Sandra Cunningham
50 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
“If you see a bandwagon, it’s already too late.”
Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •
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When Does a Keynote Stop Being a Keynote?
It’s always interesting listening to keynote speakers deliver their wisdoms. The audience waiting with bated breath for the golden nuggets that will deliver them salvation. Ok that’s a bit romantic, but they’re certainly looking for deep insight from these peeps with big brains.
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By Sukh Pabial 52 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Until they realise that these big brains are no bigger than their own. What these keynote speakers have learned to do is focus incredibly well on a set of core messages that they become well known for, and whoosh they’re off. Last week I heard two big brains talk at Learning Technologies Conference and was glad of the opportunity. The first was Brian Solis, who is well known for thoughts around digital behaviour. The second was with Jim Kirkpatrick – oh yes, he of the famed four levels of evaluation of learning. Some of the broad thoughts I was left with are around whether keynotes and big brain speakers have had their day at conferences? I was left feeling the same after the keynote from Goffee and Jones at last year’s CIPD Annual Conference. There were no insights I hadn’t come across via social media.
So what’s the worth of a keynote speaker? I think we’re too used to the model of speak and behold. Conference organisers keep fast with the model because their delegates tell them this is what they want. No, they don’t. People attending a conference want to be shaken up. They want their own big brains to be stirred and made to work. We are connected enough and smart enough to make our own judgements and derive our own insights. What we need is the right stimulus. At heart we’re still and will remain slaves to responding to the environment we’re in. If we’re engaged actively by a speaker, not just by their words but their involvement, this is where things start to shift. Speakers need to realise they can and should be doing more than speak and When Does a Keynote Stop Being A Keynote? •
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deliver. I know a good many folk who will do this. Who will step out of the confines of tradition and blaze a new trail. What kind of thing am I talking about? Well let’s set aside for a moment that the speaker’s time is being paid for. What is it they’re there for? To deliver something of value. What is that value? It isn’t them. The value is what they can provoke. The value is...
...what they can invite
...what they can share ...the discus sion that happen s thay ...the clarity can provide
And you don’t get that by standing and delivering. That’s where the value of a keynote lies.
54 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Positively Emotionally Mindful •
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Faith & Self Help
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By Karen Salmansohn
Self Help for People Who Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead Doing Self Help
The Instant PepTalk App !
E RE
F
Hello!
Plus, Check Out My Shop!
How are you feeling today? Stressed? Depressed? Working on a dream, and need a quickie faith-booster? Dealing with a grumble-grumble toxic person? You’ve come to the right app – because you’re about to receive an instant pep talk – for FREE! My app’s name is also my app’s mission: Instant Peptalk. (Click here now to see it on iTunes!)
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How Big is
Your But? We’ve all been there. You get inspired. Something lights
you up, you begin to see your dreams as though they are right in front of you and suddenly you feel completely unstoppable. Then, all of a sudden, your feelings change. Your shoulders slump. You begin to feel heavy and soon, all of your beautiful visions are replaced with visions of hardship and insurmountable obstacles.
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By Gina Hussar 58 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
That voice you heard that said, ‘YES! You can do this!” switches to a deeper voice, a voice you don’t invite but one that somehow always finds its way in. It’s the voice of the annoying occupants in your mind I like to call “Mr. and Mrs. Yeah But.” Mr. and Mrs. Yeah But always pop in right when you’re feeling unstoppable just to remind you of your perceived limitations. I say “perceived” because you have no limitations. But you’ve heard them right? Your soul starts to soar and pretty soon you hear “Yeah But you never succeeded in the past.”, “Yeah But do you know how much money that will cost?”, “Yeah but what if you do this and it doesn’t work out?”
There’s another name for this voice - Resistance. Resistance is dangerous. Resistance is strong and sneaky. If you don’t learn to recognize it, it will keep you stuck for years. It will lie to you and tell you that it’s keeping you safe and smart. It’s true colors will only be revealed when you are at rock bottom or nearly out of time. You don’t have to let it get that far. You are stronger than resistance once you know what to look for. Here are some ways you can recognize when resistance is messing with your mind:
1
Any mental chatter that pops into your mind to remind you of how hard something might be- that’s resistance. The universe is unlimited, therefore YOU are unlimited. There is no degree of difficulties in miracles. Those limitations are created by one thing— Resistance.
2
Any time you know exactly what you should be doing, but instead procrastinate by convincing yourself that other things must be done…like Instagram-ing your latest meal or tweeting about your ex. That’s resistance. Get back to work.
How Big is Your But? •
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3
Any time you find yourself pulling excuses out of the air to justify your lack of progress—I don’t have the money, there just aren’t enough clients out there, I don’t have time to put into a program - that’s the Yeah Buts. That’s resistance.
So what do you do? How do you send the “Yeah Buts” packing? Simple. Act. Do SOMETHING. Resistance hates inspired action. Nothing gets under resistance’s skin more than you showing it just how persistent you can be. Once you know how to recognize it, it loses its power over you. Once you show it that you cannot be distracted, or discouraged, or stopped, it will show up less and less.
ACT. LEAP. SOAR. Move with unwavering faith in the direction
of your dreams as though you’ve seen a crystal ball and know with certainty that success is imminent. Resistance will take notice and steer clear. And when it tries to get in? You’ll be ready. You’ll laugh in its face, driving forward with courage and confidence, with a calm knowing that nothing is more powerful than a determined soul.
Gina Hussar is a Spiritual Success Coach. She specializes in Integrated Success, Inner Peace and Purpose Clarity. She is a certified Law of Attraction Practitioner and a Certified Reiki Healer. To learn more or to schedule a complimentary Strategy Session, visit www.30secondstopeace.com
60 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
By Joey Phelps & Michael Phelps Lil Nipper Snappers Cartoon •
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Style & Beauty 3
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Alexander McQueen - Fit & Flare Dress 2Oscar De La Renta 3
David Yurman 4Alice & Olivia - A-Line Dress 5Alexander McQueen Clutch 6DVF
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By Shalanda Turner 7 9
Badgley Mischka - Lace Cocktail Dress 8David Yurman
Dannijo 10Armani Collezioni - Strapless Taffeta 11Alexander McQueen - Demanta Clutch 12Gucci Clutch Shasie’s Fashion Picks •
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New York Fashion Week Fall 2014 Preview Laser Cut-Outs
Our resident Style Editor Shalanda Turner covers New York Fashion Week for FashionMingle.net, and provides us with a sneak peek preview of trends for Fall 2014.
Loose Fitting Power Suits Statement Coats
Tadashi Shoji - Fall 2014 Photo Credit: JaneKratochvil.com
Reed Krakoff Fall 2014
Tracy Reese - Fall 2014 Photo Credit: JaneKratochvil.com
Cape Coats
Slim Fit Pants
Leather Accents Zang Toi - Fall 2014 Todd Snyder Fall 2014 Photo Credit: Maryna Marston
www.squareearthstudio.com
Koonhor - Fall 2014 Photo Credit - JaneKratochvil.com
Submitted by FashionMingle.net text
Michael Kors Fall 2014 Rebecca Taylor Fall 2014
Monique Lhuillier Fall 2014 NoNoo Fall 2014
Zac Posen Fall 2014
Plaids
Oval Shoulder Coats
Sheers Noon by Noor - Fall 2014 Photo Credit: Maryna Marston www.squareearthstudio.com
Noon by Noor - Fall 2014 Photo Credit: Maryna Marston www.squareearthstudio.com
Noon by Noor - Fall 2014 Photo Credit: Maryna Marston www.squareearthstudio.com
Submitted by FashionMingle.net text
Nonoo Tess Giberson
Donna Karan
Marchesa
Badgley Mischka
Zang Toi - Fall 2014
Rodarte
Monique Lhuillier
Zang Toi
Michael Kors
Reed Krakoff
Submitted by FashionMingle.net text Marissa Webb - Fall 2014
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Shop Online BeaumontOrganic.com
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Welcome to the Home of Organic and Ethical Luxury. Inspiring your Fashionable Palate, Whilst also Fulfilling a Desire to Give a Little Back to the World we Live in. Minimalist and Effortlessly Cool Urban Staples.
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71
How to Heal Your Dry Skin From the Inside Out
Every woman is searching for the ultimate anti-wrinkle cream (I know this, because the TV ads and magazines say so!). So…have you found it? That one magic potion that makes your skin smooth and glowing, every day? No? Neither have I. In fact, as I’ve written about before, anti-aging products can’t deliver the results.
But before you despair and resign yourself to a life of heavy foundation, let’s expand our view beyond cosmetics. When you apply cosmetics to your skin, they do get absorbed into your body (that’s why it’s so important to choose natural products!)… but they’re being absorbed into the skin that’s already there. The FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Amanda Cook 72 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
missing link we often forget is that we can influence the new skin being created. We can improve our skin, organically, from the inside out! How? Through the choices we make three times a day, everyday. It’s all about the food, baby.
What’s inner skincare? Inner skincare is the idea that we can care for our skin through eating cleansing and nourishing foods, and drinking pure water and beauty-boosting herbal teas. Our skin is the largest organ in our body – and it’s an organ of elimination. Our bodies are constantly cleansing and detoxifying themselves. Any byproducts or toxins produced by our cells are excreted through one of our elimination organs. This starts in the liver and then either ends up in the toilet, sweated out through your skin – or, if it has nowhere else to go, as some kind of skin freakout (pimples, blackheads etc.). “Beauty products are really useful – and fun! We just need to shift our thinking from ‘hope in a jar’ to taking a proactive approach of nourishing our bodies from the inside FIRST...” By keeping our bodies nourished with whole foods, and hydrated with clean water and herbal teas, we support the natural processes of detoxification and elimination. That means the elimination pathways are working efficiently, which puts less pressure on eliminating through our skin! Inner skincare isn’t just helpful for acne. In fact, you can moisturize dry skin from the inside out, and even plump up your skin by keeping hydrated. When you nourish your body, you will feel better. You’ll have more energy and sleep better…and when you’ve had a good night’s sleep and are feeling good, you look better. How to Heal Your Dry Skin From the Inside Out •
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So should you throw away your beauty products? No! Inner skincare is the missing piece of the equation for many women struggling with skin problems. But that doesn’t mean you should ditch the beauty products. Au contraire. Beauty products are really useful – and fun! We just need to shift our thinking from ‘hope in a jar’ to taking a proactive approach of nourishing our bodies from the inside FIRST...and then using the beauty products to buff & polish the outside. A regular routine of cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliating will improve the look of your skin, is relaxing, feels good, and gives you much needed ‘me’ time for self-care. But the most thorough beauty routine in the world doesn’t excuse you from eating your greens.
Have you noticed that your skin is affected by your diet? What changes have you made to nourish your skin – from the inside out?
Nourish your skin from the outside, too. This multi-purpose face & body balm has a lush tropical scent, a silky feel and absorbs quickly, so your skin doesn’t feel greasy. Use it as a rich nighttime facial or massage over your entire body.
Authentic Skin Remedies Quench Tahitian Coconut Nourishing Face & Body Balm $45 www.authenticskin.com
74 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Smooshed in a middle seat in the deepest, darkest corner of Economy on a plane is a far cry from the golden age of travel.
natural
health & beauty.
I love to travel. I hate flying. It’s a problem. (Especially living an ocean away from my family!). Part of my hatred is because I still can’t believe that planes can fly, and am convinced we’re going to crash at the slightest turbulence. The other part of my hatred is because of the hassle of airports, security, endless waits, delays, expenses and the fact that I always seem to catch a cold from a long flight! Why do we seem to catch a cold on a plane flight? Two reasons: dry air, and lots of people in a confined space. At high altitudes, the air doesn’t have as much moisture in it, which dries out your respiratory system and makes it more susceptible to germs.
What can you do to stay healthy while flying? As a last touch, being the product junkie that I am, I now bring a homemade facial mist. In my less-green days I used an evian facial spray, or even more expensively, one of the fancy face spray products made for plane travel. But now I make my own. It’s super simple, you can customize the scent, and packs a double-punch of being antibacterial AND relaxing.
Find simple tips & recipes at VintageAmanda.com
Guest Beauty Editor: Lip Scrub Recipe •
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VLOGUE
This month our very own Hollywood Stylist takes to the cam to answer your fashionista questions online! Click the boxes to check out her top fashion tips!
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By Marina BerBeryan 76 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
tylish s k o lo I o d w Q: Ho y? a d y in a r a g durin Q: What are the top 5 pieces of jewelr y every woman must ha ve? Q: Do you find it appropriate to wear a black bra under a white see-through top?
Q: Tips for fashio
n Entrepreneurs
?
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Indique Tahitian Curl
Review
After having Indique’s Tahitian Curl installed for almost nine weeks, I can say with absolute certainty that Indique hair is certainly worth the hype! Click the image above to watch the full review on Youtube. FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Lisa Wynter 78 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Here’s what you should know about Indique Sea Tahitian Curl hair: The Tahitian Curl texture is South East Asian hair that has undergone a special 3-day steaming process. The texture has a defined S-pattern and voluminous weight. Indique’s Sea Tahitian Curl has a consistent curl pattern that is supple and incredibly easy to manage, and each tube contains approximately 4 oz of hair.
Lengths: 10”, 14”, 18”, 22” Colour: Natural Virgin Tone Price: $179-$249 Here’s what you should also know: Indique hair is not cheap. I’ve come to realize that when it comes to virgin hair, you get what you pay for. Two bundles of the 22” length Indique Tahitian Curl will run you $250 a bundle. Furthermore, Indique only has storefronts in Boston, New York, and Atlanta, so if you’re wanting to hand-select the hair you plan to install, you’ll have to do so in one of the aforementioned cities, otherwise you’ll have to buy online. But is it worth it? Of course! No shedding, and no tangling. That’s right. NO shedding and NO tangling!
Lisa x Indique Tahitian Curl Review •
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Lifestyle & Wellness
Deprivation Doesn’t Work
Get Real and Keep it Doable
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By Charlene SanJenko
Deprivation doesn’t work. Perhaps on New Year’s Day after your brave polar bear dip you threw out all of the food in your fridge and cupboards, pledging yourself to a seemingly intelligent resolution of broccoli, egg whites, tuna and yams. How’s that working for you so far? Let’s re-group, re-focus and ensure your foundation is set up for long-term success. Here are a few lifestyle management suggestions to get us started:
Know Your Gears. I encourage clients to work in phases. I’m a ‘quarterly’ girl myself, three-month phases. Sometimes we’re working at 80-20. Other times it’s 60-40. And sometimes we’re lucky if it is 50-50. It’s super-unhealthy not only physically but also mentally and emotionally to live your life either ‘on your diet’ or ‘off your diet’. That would mean you are constantly viewing yourself and your efforts as either ‘winning’ or ‘failing’. That sucks. Instead, I’d like to offer you an alternative lens from which to view your progress and it’s differing yet complementary levels. Most of the time, the typical busy woman works through her life in third gear, trying to eat somewhat clean and regularly attempting to complete some form of exercise. At times, it falls back to second gear when we’re over-committed in other areas of our lives, but we do our best. Other times, we buckle down and commit to a new goal, hire a trainer, find a workout buddy, join a running group or a new class and elevate our efforts to fourth gear. That is, we COMMIT, we set a success STRATEGY, create a doable PLAN and find someone to be ACCOUNTABLE to in order to up our ante. And perhaps if things go really well, we decide we want to compete in something or push ourselves just that much further, we may even hit fifth gear… for a period of time. But just as it is not healthy Deprivation Doesn’t Work •
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or possible to run a car continually in fifth gear, we may see second gear or even first again in our future. And so goes the natural ebb and flow of the life of a busy woman who prioritizes her health on all levels. Prepare for it. Accept it. Own it.
“...we COMMIT, we set a success STRATEGY, create a doable PLAN and find someone to be ACCOUNTABLE to in order to up our ante.”
Know Your Success Factors. New Year’s resolutions run rampant. Some are broken down into success strategies and tangible goals. If you want to take your chances for success a step further, I encourage you to write out what you are COMMITTING to and give yourself a set period of time you feel you can start with (6-week goals are great). Keep it real. Keep it doable. If you are having difficulty figuring out what you are ready to commit to, take a step back and figure out your Cause. Why are you doing this? What is your reason or purpose? What is the difference your are trying to make, and how will this commitment move you forward? Here’s an example: A woman sets a New Year’s resolution (every year!) to lose weight. Every year, come December she’s the exact same weight or perhaps even a couple pounds heavier. Why should 2014 be any different? First of all, she needs to back up the bus and get really clear on her Cause. In this example, perhaps she’s just had a new grand-baby! All of a sudden staying healthy and active takes on a whole new priority with a much stronger ‘why’. She re-commits to her goal with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose, sets up her success strategy, breaks it down into tangible goals and finds who and what she needs to keep her on track - a plan that she can be held accountable to. 82 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Lateral Shifts Increase Your Likelihood of Success. Going back to my opening statement, “Deprivation doesn’t work.” Lateral shifts are about better choices, one degree at a time. Here’s a few examples of some lateral shifts that we practice in our household:
l Shifting from chips to hot-air popcorn with butter-flavoured olive oil l From sugary cereal to oatmeal with fresh fruit and a splash of honey or maple syrup l From ice cream to a frozen banana with protein powder and a splash of almond milk l From bacon ‘n eggs to a crustless spinach quiche l From lasagna to veggie lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles l Pasta to spaghetti squash with tomato sauce l Candy to dried mango or cut-up chunks of protein bars, frozen l Deep-fried pakoras to curried cauliflower And, there’s so many more…
Remember, this is a lifestyle change. If you can’t see yourself doing something five years from now, it will not create lasting change and should not be part of a solid success strategy. All of the above information is only valuable if it is put into practice. Don’t get overwhelmed with the amount of information available, take it in small bits and focus on implementation. Most people fail but their daily practice isn’t consistent. If you need some help implementing a regular daily practice into your life, you may want to check out our new online lifestyle management program, It’s a PowHERful Life, Your 90-Day Guide to Exceptional Living. It’s proven. It’s successful. It works. Deprivation Doesn’t Work •
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We’ll leave you with a sample of the valuable tangible tools that help our clients to be successful because we want YOU to be successful! thissay linkI’m fornot a complimentary PDF copy of our Julia : I think Click I would there yet. However, IÕm an unÞnished PowHERhouse PHif Meal product at all times; I wasPlanning Þnished, weekly I wouldoutline. be dead. The problem with achievement is determining what to do next…
Suzanne: I think that would be awesome!
We :hope a"Thank PowHERful Shelly I wouldyou smilehave and say You, I work at it!"
year! The stronger we are, the stronger we are! About PowHERhouse We build HIP Women (High-
Impact Performance). Our mission: Helping women build confidence, courage and capacity through the convergence of Lifestyle & Leadership. Study the latest PMP syllabus with Joseph Phillips, America’s foremost in PMI PMP Education. FREE bonus material including exam cheat sheets, one hour of video training and MORE! Buy Now On Amazon
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2013
Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •
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7 Reasons Why Bananas are an Incredible Vitamin Cure
I have a confession to make: I don’t really like bananas. I have no idea why but I never thought they taste great and I probably never will. However, bananas are incredibly good for you and because I don’t want to miss out on their immense health benefits, I simply “outsmart” my taste buds buy hiding them in (green) smoothies or my famous Almond & Peanut Butter Banana Shake. FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Nathalie de Ahna 86 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
You think this is a little weird? Then check out why bananas are a great vitamin cure, especially if you have them as a shake...
Keep your cravings under control Besides the taste issue, I prefer my daily banana as a shake instead of by itself because they are high-carb. When you are an athlete who needs extra power before or during a competition or workout, plain bananas are perfect for you because they will quickly raise your blood sugar level and provide you with a boost of sustained energy. If you are more of a desk sportsperson, however, it is wise to combine your banana with some protein (e.g. almond milk) and fat (e.g. plain peanut butter). Why? This combination will give you less of a blood sugar high, which prevents unnecessary and annoying cravings and will keep you happy and focused, too.
Great mood, great sleep & ageless beauty Speaking of happy: bananas are a rich source of tryptophan, an amino acid which is converted into something called serotonin. I admit that this does not sound particularly exciting but a high serotonin level in your blood is definitely a good thing: 1) It is incredibly effective against depression and blue moods. 7 Reasons Why Bananas are an Incredible Vitamin Cure •
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2) It makes you sleep like a baby. 3) It is said to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, plus bananas are a rich source of vitamin C, which is one of my favorite secret weapons for super immunity and ageless-beauty.
A healthy heart, a brain like Einstein, & great hair Another reason to love bananas is that they are very high in potassium. This mineral does not only keep your heart beating soundly; it also effectively protects against high blood pressure and provides your brain with the oxygen it needs to work at high-speed. In addition, potassium is a natural hair growth booster because it removes excess sodium from around your hair follicles, so that the nutrients your hair needs to grow and shine can be absorbed properly.
Soothe your skin & brighten your smile Now that we’ve covered the actual banana, let’s talk about the peel. Did you know, for example, that the inside of a banana peel is a great natural tooth whitener? Gently rub it on your teeth for a minute or two to give yourself an all natural dental make-over. If you do that twice a day, your smile will be brighter within just a couple of weeks. And next time you need something to cure stinging nettle burn or have a mosquito bite, rub the inside of a banana peel onto your skin to reduce any painful itching or swelling.
Plain bananas will probably never be my favorite fruit. But combined with a little protein, fat and something to “cover” their typical taste, I actually find them pretty amazing! 88 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Q.
I am in a dead relationship and want out. I'm scared of being alone and I like having him as a companion. Is this acceptable or am I being deceptive and wrong? Daisy
A
Hi darling, Many people keep their options open and so are you. He adores you but has become mentally lazy in this relationship. He won't walk away unless you do. I do see a new man in 2 years. Yes it is deceptive but mostly to yourself as the world sees you as an attached woman. You would never carry a dead horse about, why carry this? You are witty, loving, naughty and gorgeous. Get out there and seize the world!
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Part of developing good taste is becoming aware of the characteristics of the stuff we see and buy and use. Become conscious of color and form and function. Learn to spot the designer’s hard work in simplifying things. It’s the big reason Posh Brats products are so loved and coveted: good, simple, elegant design. I also think it’s one of the main reasons why so many people are flocking to Etsy and buying handmade items....they are just classier and more beautiful than mass-produced crap.
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Thinking Yourself
Thinner
We all know the theory of what to eat and what not to, of how many calories we need to take in and how much we need to exercise. In fact many of us could write the script perfectly for successful weight loss. We know what we should be doing, so why aren’t we doing it? Between the good intentions and the results that we crave is a chasm of hopelessness filled up to the brim with past disappointments, broken promises and feelings of not being good enough. Surely this should show us that diets just don’t work? So if diets don’t work then what on earth will? FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Kate Spencer 92 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
We need to change our beliefs and feelings at a deep level in order to be able to change our behaviour. What we think creates what we do, and feel. In order to change patterns of overeating, poor food choices, lack of exercise and more we need to look at what is driving these and heal the underlying causes. This usually comes back in one guise or another to self-worth and self-love.
“.It starts from the inside out, and until that’s sorted we’ll always be making excuses.” When we are carrying around wounds and trauma, it’s hard to love ourselves, and when you don’t love yourself you don’t look after yourself. Part of looking after yourself is about good food and nutrition and caring for your body through achieving a healthy weight. Unless you are in a place of thinking that you are worth looking after, then you will not be able to make lasting change in your relationship with food and with your body. So what’s a girl to do? We need to give up the cycle of crash dieting and desperation to drop a dress size, and start the proper healing and introspection that you need to do in order to free us from past hurts. We need to get our mojo back in a big way. Then—and only then—will we be able to really value and love ourselves enough to change behaviour and make choices that will serve us. It starts from the inside out, and until that’s sorted we’ll always be making excuses. For those of us that have decided that it’s time to look at weight loss in a whole new way you can join up for my Think Yourself Thinner online program, for conscious weight loss with law of attraction. Click the link to find out further information.
Kate x Thinking Yourself Thinner •
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Mystic Sisters Mystic Sisters Mellissa and Jayshree Mallaya are a household name in South Africa with a clientele of the who’s who from Hollywood to Bollywood. Mellissa followed her heart and now lives with her husband in London where she does Skype, telephone and 1:1 sessions (in addition to planning naughty book club meetings and girls pamper parties). As Seen In Cosmo Magazine!
Write In To Get Featured! Life Or Love Question? Book Your Consultation With Mellissa Phone: +44 7720748095 Or Email Her 94 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
FIND ME ONLINE HERE
By Mellissa Mallaya
Love, that gorgeous feeling that cascades upon you when you think of a certain someone. It’s so fabulous, it makes you do crazy things, pinch the cheeks of cherubby babies, move continents for your lover, take flowers over to your nan, drink copious amounts of cocktails with a girlfriend, sing in the shower, pretend you love golf when you would rather knock someone on the head with the club. Aaah...Love! You meet someone, he smells good, looks good, pretty much tastes good, but you have a strange, almost odd feeling within you. You can’t say no to a date. His words feel like a perfect fit loubottin. The nagging feeling is there. You can’t actually describe it. Your hairdresser thinks you are crazy. The chemistry is fantastic and he is hot. She has been single for two years. ‘Go for it,’ she says. You still feel uncomfortable but you also feel alone.
Why not? Why shouldn’t you be happy? And then
he breaks your heart. Yes that nagging feeling within you, aka ‘the ninja ass kicking sixth sense’ was fairly switched off. Why don’t we listen to our sixth sense? Why do we feel more comfortable listening to everyone else’s? Is it because we don’t give ourselves the credit that we know ourselves better than anyone else out there? Is it because by hiding our feelings, we seem to have lost the blueprint of who we truly are?
Reaction: go out drinking with friends who echo ‘all men are the same’ (who asked you to try them all, greedy girl?). Throw
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ourselves into work mode. Giving up on romance - that is for fictitious characters. Going on serial dates reminiscing about the ex. (Seriously, how attractive would any man be if he goes on a date and chats about his ex?). Calling the newly named (by your friends, and everyone who knew him and his antics) cheating, filthy, heartless, bastard just to see how he is doing. You really know those are basically booty calls.
“Every occasion that you spend with yourself is a special one. Slap on the mask and whip out your notebook. Focus on you.”
My preferred reaction: Make a date with yourself. Freakin’ Hell, make several dates with yourself! Crazy, right? Why would you value someone more than you value yourself? Is it you that’s actually the one pretending? After all, you only bring out the Veet when there is a date. It’s about falling in love with you. Why would someone love you when you struggle to find things about yourself to love? Celebrate being you. When your five senses are awake and turned on, your sixth sense functions very well. Give yourself that benefit. Love has not failed you. A person has failed you, and to a degree, have YOU failed you? What have you contributed to past relationships, positive or negative? Sink into a bubble bath with a glass of Champagne, after all, you are fabulous. Every occasion that you spend with yourself is a special one. Slap on the mask and whip out your notebook. Focus on you. Are you attracting a man who displays certain qualities? Don’t stick to a ‘type’, life is far 96 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
too interesting for those restrictions. Are you telling your sixth sense it’s a stinker because truly each time it nudges through, you bash it out of the way with your Prada handbag? To get you going here is something exciting to take with you on a first date.
Mystic Sisters Survival tips: Shake his hand and sneak a peek. Does his thumb stand out and look slightly club shaped? This indicates he is a bit of a control freak, and he can be forceful or aggressive. If his thumb points to his palm and seems a little curled up, he is the sensitive and private type. Is there a dip in his palm that’s noticeable? Good sign, he will be accommodating, but be careful, he will also be gullible. Don’t abuse that! Lots of crazy lines running from his heart line indicates a flirty one. Have fun! A greenish tinge near the base of his palm close to the thumb suggests taking some protection with you. If it’s not on, it’s not in!
Good luck, and whatever you do with love, remember, only a fool would value you more than you value yourself!
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IÕm Ditching The Diets If you’d like to join Kate on her conscious weight loss journey you can get involved online. This summer I am going to ditch the diets and think myself thinner, and change those nega>ve self-‐beliefs that have been holding me back for far too long. I know that in my heart if I can really do this, then the rest will fall into place for me, and that weight loss will be a natural side effect to loving myself and healing my past.
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About A Homemade Year
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Food, Home & Family
Pasta
Pot
One of our favorite dishes is what we call Pasta Pot. It is a great winter time dish cause it is full of carbs. You know how in the winter you gain weight and you crave stuff that makes you gain weight? That’s because your body knows it’s winter. It’s saying “hurry, hurry. we need to store food for the long cold nights. must have energy food.” Well this dish does just that and much more. Makes you sigh as you dig in. I have a saying for my kids, I will fix breakfast and dinner, but you are responsible for your lunch. Pasta Pot turned out to be a great dish they could fix on their own. And you can make it in one pot.
By Tanya Jackson 102 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
! d o h t e M • Boil the potatoes, eggs & noodles in a pot of water. • When potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat and drain water. • Cut up potatoes, peel & chop eggs, toss with pasta, and load it up with butter, salt and pepper.
Talk
Ingredients « 2 red potatoes « 3 eggs « 1 1/2 cup of noodles « 1/2 stick of butter
lly. o M s s i M ! r e y l v l E o g t s y e b e h t Oh m s i T . od o f t r o f m about co
Hungarian
Mushroom Soup
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By Amber Hamilton Henson 104 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
During the week, I’d originally planned to make Sriracha Fig Jam Chicken Wings, but then I remembered that my daughter was cheering at her middle school home basketball game, so I wouldn’t be home to cook (keep your eyes peeled for the Wings though, they’re happening soon)...
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He offered to cook! I thought a soup might be a good idea, since it’s hard to predict exactly when our daughter and I would be home. He made mushroom soup and it was absolutely amazing! Not only was the soup amazingly yummy, it was pretty cool that he found the recipe and made it just for me and our daughter, because as it happens, we both LOVE mushrooms! He doesn’t really eat them. As a matter of fact, he avoids them at all costs, the same way I avoid eating seafood and fish! Yet, he made mushroom soup for me! Is there anything hotter than a handsome guy in the kitchen cooking your favourite foods? No, there’s not. What lucky girls we are!
Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups chopped onions 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 2 teaspoons dried dill weed 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup milk 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt Ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup sour cream 106 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
Directions Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
1 2 3
In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately.
Your Friend,
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Reality of
Romance
Cherie began as a weekly columnist for the main local newspaper in her area. Her articles focus on a humorous look at married life with five children and the ups and downs we can all relate to. She has won 2 international short story contests as well as being published in Our Canada magazine. Cherie is a breast cancer survivor and a huge advocate of self-exams.
By Cherie DeBurger 108 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
When you think of February what is the first thought that comes to mind? For most people February is all about Valentine’s Day and is supposed to be filled with never ending true love and weak at the knees romance. There are beautiful red roses, bubbly champagne, chocolate and an ambiance filled candlelight dinner for two. I said “supposed to be” because the reality is that more times than not this is the opposite of what happens. It’s not news to anyone to know that guys and girls think differently about mostly every topic known to mankind and Valentines Day is no exception. For years women around the world have been attempting to subtly spell out what they would enjoy doing on the one day a year that society celebrates love but these ideas seem to fall on deaf ears. Why do the romantics in us keep expecting Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman when most of the time we get Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr. Still with every year that passes we continue to hope against our better judgment that it’s going to be different this time. I think sometimes when we dream about the perfect Valentines Day we set the bar so high that even if the love of our life does do something sweet we are still disappointed. On the other hand a lot of men have a totally different idea of what a romantic evening consists of. Taking us onto the patio while you barbeque hotdogs can not be defined as taking us out for dinner. Whether you have been with the same person for years or on your first date when Valentines Day rolled around everyone seems to have a story about the one they wished had gotten away. For those guys who are uncertain about what constitutes romance on Valentine’s Day here are a few hints... - When you see your date and she is dressed in an outfit that makes Reality of Romance •
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your eyes bulge out, heels so high they could be used as a weapon and her hair in a style you have only seen in magazines do not take her to Taco Bell for dinner. - A wonderful evening out shouldn’t include needing ear plugs to keep from damaging your hearing from the roar of monster truck engines or a headache from inhaling the fumes. - If your sweetheart is lactose intolerant don’t show up with a big smile and a heart shaped cherry cheesecake. - I can almost guarantee that she will not think the play on words is funny if you show up with assorted flours instead of flowers. - No matter how much she loves crime shows or murder mysteries I am almost positive that she would not want to be whisked away for a fun filled night to a motel that still has a taped outline of the last guest. Now don’t get me wrong I know there are women that would enjoy some of the afore mentioned options, each woman is different. That known fact is what makes the world a more interesting and better place. I can say without doubt that any man is up for an all time Valentines FAIL and maybe even bodily harm if he finds, buys, wraps, and presents his love with the gift of...cellulite cream. Of course we have to look at the other side of the coin. Let’s face it some women are just as clueless as the men when it comes to planning a night out that their guy would enjoy. Women have been known to strike out even though, just like the men, they are planning the occasion with the best of intentions in mind. Ladies here are a few ideas that you should avoid if you want him to enjoy his evening... - a shopping spree is not the ideal way to celebrate Valentines Day unless it is in a lingerie shop, then it may be you dragging him out instead of the other way around. 110 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com
- he is not going to think a couples manicure and pedicure is the perfect way to spend time together even though his hands and feet, in your opinion, are a mess. For some men having bamboo slivers shoved under their nails would be more enjoyable. - giving your guy a back hair groomer really is more a gift for you then for him, but just don’t tell him that. - most guys don’t like the serious heart to heart talks, so a hand written five page love letter explaining your feelings would be pretty bad, but asking him to read it right then and there and tell you his feelings would be much worse. - although very cute, matching onesies do not a happy couple make. Some think that Valentines Day along with many other holidays, has become to commercialized. The price of roses skyrockets when February 14th rolls around as well as other things associated with this day.
Some men will say that people want to feel special and loved and even appreciated because they are genuinely valued not because it is the status quo. This could be a true and heart felt reasoning but I think in my husbands case he says this to get out of having to buy me anything for Valentines Day.
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