Category Archives: Inspiration & Motivation

Setting Yourself Up to Win with Nancy A. Ruffin

Posted in Events, Inspiration & Motivation by

We are approaching the third week of January…how insane is that? Time is flying and winter is here, but have you set your intentions and goals for 2019? Have you already fallen off the “new year/new me” band wagon? Whether you have or whether you haven’t sat down and really thought about what you want for 2019 there is no time like the present to get your mind and life in gear.

I have been doing vision boards since 2007 ever since I saw Rhonda Byrne on the Oprah Winfrey show talking about the Secret and the Law of Attraction.  That episode truly resonated with me and I purchased the Secret DVD. I have literally watched it over 10 times and from that point on I have been making vision boards ever since.

In my ever evolving journey of self awareness and living my best life with intention and purpose I have been blessed to meet some amazing people who are doing amazing things. Three years ago I came across the Instagram page of the self proclaimed Latina Oprah Nancy A. Ruffin. From the moment I heard Nancy on her page I knew she was a true powerhouse and a woman who not only talks to the talk, but lives it. Nancy is that friend in your head, your support, and cheerleader. She shares her life on her Instagram page @iamnancyruffin and provides motivational content and real life solutions.

Nancy Ruffin

In 2016 I attended her Fierce Women’s Brunch in the Bronx and I got to meet her face to face. She was just as genuine and lovely as she was online. I left that event feeling so inspired and empowered. I knew from then that I would always do my best to attend her events.

I attended her Vision Board workshop in 2017 and of all vision board workshops I have attended her version really clicked with me. Nancy brings you through a process when creating your board and its not just about cutting out pretty pictures and listing material items.

Nancy begins her workshops with a guided mediation, which is great to release any negative energy from your mind and the space and relaxes you. She then has you recap the prior year which is so important to see how far you have come and where you want to go for the next year. She discusses how your value system will play a major role in creating your main three goals for that year and will help you stick to them. She helps you understand you why, and what you need to do to complete you goals. She shows you how to use the SMART mnemonic which stands for S-Specific (or Significant), M-Measurable (or Meaningful), A-Attainable (or Action-Oriented), R-Relevant (or Rewarding), and T-Time-bound (or Trackable). This system alone will completely changing the way you view goal setting. Its a very powerful exercise.

I have to say attending this workshop made my 2018 a year of transformation. She was such a cheerleader for me throughout the year and offered me so much love and support. On January 5, 2019 I attended her Strategic Visioning workshop in Hoboken, NJ and brought my sister with me so she could experience her first Nancy event.

Nancy at the Vision Board event 1/5/19

This event like every Nancy event was filled with women who want more for their life and want to achieve goals and manifest their dreams. I was taken aback when Nancy asked me to speak about my experience and 2018 transformation, yet I was happy to share how this system truly changes your mindset and helps you make changes to achieve your goals.

Nancy says “Every January I create my personal vision board. Not only do I create the vision I also set goals to help me stay focused. Goal setting is one of the concepts I teach in my vision board workshops because when you set goals instead of resolutions you give yourself a better chance of completing and attaining the goal. Goals unlike resolutions can be broken down into smaller goals. You can set deadlines and identify potential roadblocks. Resolutions, on the other hand, are just arbitray statements that people make with no clear idea or game plan to how to make it happen.

So for this new year I encourage you to set a goal instead of making a resolution. Break that goal up into smaller goals or steps. These are the actions that you need to take that will ultimately get you to that end goal. Once you identified the steps set a deadline for each stepand identify any potential roadblocks that may arise and plan for them. When you make a plan, you are arming yourself with the tools necessary to follow-through on your vision. They say a goal without a plan is a wish. Stop wishing and start planning and execute with the follow-thru. When you follow-thru all your visons become realities.”

Nancy will be hosting two more workshops and helping others manifest her vision. Her next event is on February 15th at Cranford High School and at Hostos Community College on February 28th. She is also coordinating a college scholarship fundraiser event for April. She also hosts her weekly podcast show called the EmPOWERment Hour. It’s a must listen too!

To connect with Nancy visit her website at https://www.iamnancyruffin.com/.

Follow her on Instagram @iamnancyruffin

My Year In Review : 2018

Posted in Inspiration & Motivation, Uncategorized by

I have to say that 2018 was a good year for me. I certainly had some highs and lows, but the word that comes to mind when I sum it all up is transformation. I have been reviewing this year in my mind the last few days and decided to write about it all so here we go.

I’d like to start off with thanking everyone for the support on the blog. I have a lot of plans for the blog and I’m excited to grow and share it all with you guys.

But for now let’s review …

JANUARY

I started off 2018 two months post op from having gastric sleeve surgery. At this point I was down 35 lbs and was beginning to start truly loving myself for me. I was beginning to feel more confident and finally comfortable in my skin. I also made a big decision with my schedule at the salon to create more work/life balance and removed working Saturdays from my schedule. This was a very scary decision for me because the people pleaser and workaholic in me was scared I would lose clients and make people mad, but not being there to have time with my son meant more. And so I ended my Saturday run at the salon and I can happily say my clients adjusted and I was even more busier this year!

FEBRUARY

My pivotal moment of February was attending Nancy Ruffin’s Manifest Your Vision workshop. This is her annual vision board workshop and the way she facilitated her workshops is life changing. I just adore and look up to Nancy and if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of her events I highly recommend it.

I also started working with a spiritual healer Vida. I have had two readings with her this year and they are life changing. She has a real mess to her that helps you see situations and yourself more clearly. She also sells amazing products my favorite is her protection sprays.

MARCH

March was filled with events and family. I had an amazing Easter with Luciano and my family. I did a lot of mom group activities with him and we had so much fun.

My on-site hair and makeup company Bella Rococo Hair & Makeup Artistry had a productive yearly team meeting with a guest speaker that got us charged for the upcoming season.

I was promoted to Senior Designer at the salon. This was a huge accomplishment for me as I was able to move up three levels in four years. I also celebrated working ten years at the salon with a ten day giveaway that my clients loved!

I also attended the International Beauty Show on NYC with my friend and coworker Lena and we got to do some shopping and support a friend who was doing platform education. It was a great time.

APRIL

At this point in my weight loss journey I was down 50lbs! The halfway point as my end goal is 100lbs. I decided to do a real Photoshoot for Mother’s Day and take some professional pictures with Luciano. As moms we are the one always taking the pictures and are rarely in them and I’m so happy I made this decision. I have always been the “behind the scenes” person. Never fully confident or comfortable with taking pictures, but working with Digna Toledo helped ease my nerves. It was also the first I celebrated how much weight I lost at this time. I also loved this shoot because of the cherry blossoms. There is something so pretty about cherry blossoms and the beautiful pastel colors. I plan on doing a Mother’s Day shoot every year to celebrate being a mom and the bond between my son and me.

MAY

May was very full and in a good way!

Salon business and Bella Rococo was very busy. I began working with Ashley Wallace on rebranding both this site and the Bella Rococo site. This was huge game changer in me asking for help and delegating which I still have trouble doing lol!

I attended the Makeup Show NYC and had a great time there! I love that show it’s one of my favorites.

I also coordinated a prom dress drive with my team and collected over 50 dresses for girls in Union County. I plan on getting even more initiatives like this in 2019.

In addition I attended a styling event with one of my hair icons the one and only Ted Gibson! I just love Ted and how he maneuvers hair with such finesse and ease! It was so cool to be in such a private space with him, ask him questions and see his tricks and tips.

JUNE

The summer was in full gear once we entered June. I have to say this month was full of fun and instrumental moments.

Munchkin, my Chiweenie pup turned two years old and of course I had a big cake and party for her lol! That dog just makes me so happy and I’m so grateful I have her in my life.

So much great things happened for my family. My nephew graduated preschool and was on his way to Kindergarten. My niece performed and killed it in her first dance recital. My brother graduated from plumbing school. Insert proud sister and aunt screams lol

I began to start working with a life coach. I am beyond grateful for my coach Sarah Wahiba Senan. She has been instrumental in changing my thoughts, helping me create boundaries and removing my limiting beliefs. I plan on writing another whole post on her and working with a life coach, but I will tell you it is the best investment you can do for yourself.

Other family fun this month was taking Luciano to his first zoo and we went to the Philadelphia Zoo. We had a blast and he loved seeing all the animals.

JULY

The summer fun did not stop here as the memories kept being created. Luciano has his first beach day and trip to the Aquarium. He loves all our adventures and seeing his smile just lights me up.

My Dad hit a milestone and we threw him a surprise 70th luau. He was totally surprised and we had an amazing night with family and his close friends.

I decided to join a moms club in my hometown as a way to connect with more moms in my area and learn more about the community. This group has been very helpful and the women are so nice. It’s hard to attend a lot of the events because of my work schedule, but I try as best I can to participate and so far it’s been a really nice experience and I’ve met some great ladies.

A major highlight was being selected by Frida Photography for her website. Luciano and I trooped over to Pennsylvania to the famous Sunflower patch in Elverson for a Photoshoot. The images she captured were amazing I have no words. It was such a great experience and I will truly cherish those pictures for the rest of my life. And Luciano was like a professional model lol

AUGUST

I ended the summer strong and with a lot of FUN! Luciano has his first trip to New York Coty and Brooklyn as we got to experience several fun pop ups. In Brooklyn we went to Into The Dream and in NYC we went to Candytopia and The Color Factory.

SEPTEMBER

I am a Fall person. I just feel that Fall is such a transformative to shed. I also tend to get super busy between the salon and Bella Rococo jobs. Booked, busy and blessed is always best lol !

I also joined an elite group known as the #notsoglamorous 5am club. This group of women are some powerhouse boss babes! We commit to waking up everyday at 5am to work on ourselves and our goals everyday from 5am-7am. We get motivational content, advise and it’s a true sisterhood! By joining this group I have gained so much insight for my business and myself!

Picture from our first #NSGNYC meet up

OCTOBER

I love October and I love Halloween!! This year my sister decided on the Wizard of Oz as our group costume and I have to say we did a damn good job! Check us out

Also, October is also Bike for MS in NYC. This was my fourth ride, however it has been two years since I participated. Last year I was having my sleeve surgery and 2016 I was pregnant. I was so scared because I didn’t train as much as I would have wanted to prepare my body for the race and it is a 30 mile bike ride throughout NYC. However, I showed up and completed the race. It was a very chilly and windy day and I had to take some breaks, but I got through it! I also raised over $500 for the MS foundation which was higher than my goal. I love doing this ride and look forward to it every year.

NOVEMBER

My birthday month!!! And one of my other favorite holidays Thanksgiving! November also marked a one year anniversary of getting the gastric sleeve surgery. I have officially lost 93lbs to date! I was very hard on myself because I didn’t reach my 100lbs goal this year, but after my supportive friends and family I decided to change my view and celebrate the fact that I lost 93lbs in one year! I know my end goal is near and I will be working very hard to make my health a priority and make fitness a non-negotiable in my life. But I have to say I am feeling so proud and comfortable in my skin. Losing the weight was not just about looking good for me. It’s about shedding weight that was physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually holding me back and down. It’s about taking care of me and making myself a priority and truly falling in love with myself. I’m proud to be a work in progress and look forward to falling more in love with myself each and every day.

This picture below is my favorite picture from Thanksgiving. What I am most grateful for in this world is my son. He has taught me so much, made me work harder, love more deeply and made my life so much better. I am so grateful to be a mother and the bond we have is so strong. We are our own dynamic duo.

November 27 is my birthday! I turned 37 this year and I am a true Sagittarius through in through. After much back and forth I decided to have a birthday dinner with close friends and my family to celebrate this year and their love and support. We went to Lola’s Latin Bistro in Metuchen, NJ and had a fabulous family style dinner, lots of laughs and wine! I Am obsessed with my sequin jacket I got from Rainbow because it just sums up feeling fabulous!

DECEMBER

The final month of the year in one word was HECTIC! First this month is not only special because of the holidays, but Luciano turned two on December 5th! He had a birthday party at the Little Gym and had so much fun.

I also am proud because at this time Mike and I have made major strides in our co-parenting and are at a place where our communication is at an all time high, we have a schedule in place and Luciano is happy. Our main concern is to raise the best human being and each day we get closer to that goal. Co-parenting definitely has its highs and lows and it’s not always easy. A tip I can share is keeping communication lines open and always being respectful. Keep the main focus at the forefront which is your child and their happiness. Never argue in front of them or talk negatively about the other parent around them. It’s a constant work in progress, but I am very proud of us and how far we have come.

When you have children the holidays just get better. You get to relive the magic of Christmas in my opinion and there are so many fun activities to do with the kids. Luciano went to the Sugar and Spice Holiday Pop-Up in Brooklyn and the magical Polar Express with his cousins in Whippany, NJ. Seeing his face light up with Santa and the lights is just the best sight to see.

I wanted to do a give back project for the holiday season. I participated in the Frosty Letter project with my mom group. A child writes a letter to Frosty with their Christmas wishes. I had two twin brothers who were soccer fanatics and got them everything on their list ! The first thing they asked for was a winter coat. This broke my heart because no child should have to ask for that for Christmas. This was a great initiative and I was so happy to be apart of it. I also teamed up with Luciano’s day care The Learning Experience in Woodbridge, NJ and collected toys for their toy drive. I had a goal of collecting 50 toys and doubled that by collecting 102 toys! The school was able to donate over 300 brand new toys to Catholic charities for their annual Christmas party.

Christmas was great this year as we had matching pajamas, seven fishes Christmas Eve dinner and family time.

As I reflect just on this last month I realize that I need to better prepare for this month especially since it’s Luciano’s Birthday, the holidays and the busiest time of year in the salon. I decided to work extra days this month and literally worked almost everyday with only a day off here and there. The financial gain doesn’t always match the effort and I’m left leaving the year exhausted and run down. Always feeling rushed and unorganized. I will not be doing this to myself anymore. I will continue to work hard but making sure there is enough rest time in between.

It’s about the journey… the transformation. As I reflect on this year I feel proud and I feel ready for the next phase of my journey into becoming the woman I need and am meant to be. For every low there was a high and a lesson.

I see a lot of posts about their year in review and I feel it is important to celebrate and review your year. When you sit down to do this you will actually surprise yourself on how much you actually accomplished.

My word for 2019 is FOCUS! I plan on being laser focused on all areas of my life. Truly loving with passion and purpose and giving each day 100%! I look forward to elevating and sharing my story with you all.

I’d like to wish you all a very happy new year and here’s to 2019!

Feel free to share your celebrations of 2018 or your word for 2019 below. I’d love to hear from you!

Xoxo

Stefanie

It Starts from Within: Tips for Improving Internal & External Beauty

Posted in Beauty Tips, Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle by

In a world filled with so much emphasis on beauty and social media it is important to find the balance. However I am a firm believer in that true beauty starts on the inside. Treating your body like a temple and truly taking care of it will make you feel good and present your best self!

I am so happy to have guest blogger, Alex Berger from The Berger Bungalow

back again to share her insight on this topic. As well as some great tips from All Cure Spine and Sports Medicine located in Monroe, NJ.

Your external appearance is so important because it is the first thing that people judge you on. The minute you walk in a door, you automatically get judged based on what you are wearing and what you look like. This is one of many reasons why I love doing hair and makeup so much. I believe that just a little bit of fashion, great makeup, and a really good hairstyle can not only show others that you are ready for the day, but it can also improve your mood, your confidence, and your overall happiness, which is so very important. Because of this (as well as many other reasons), I truly believe that external beauty matters, but also that internal beauty matters just as much.

Chispa Magazine says, “Now some of us believe that beauty fades over the ages and do all they can to prevent this. Those people who think so have the potential to really lose their beauty getting older. And vice versa those who realize that beauty is something that we can’t see, measure and touch with the physical eye not only save but also improve their beauty over the ages. Therein lies the main difference between the external and internal appearance. As the inner depends only on us—our self-instruction and self-improvement, but the outer everyone can improve today with the help of plastic surgery, a qualified beautician, an amazing tattoo design etc. A skilled plastic surgeon can make your face and body beautiful, but he can’t improve your sense of humor or correct the level of anger and greed. A good beautician can smooth out the wrinkles on your face or prevent sunspots and skin pigmentation but she can’t take out all violence and jealousy from your soul.”

Now, this is not saying that internal beauty is more important than outer beauty at all, but to me, it just means that both really need to be fostered as much as possible. Here are a few ways that you can work on improving and maintaining both your internal and external beauty:

Eating Well

Eating well can improve both your internal and external beauty, but I wanted to focus more on external beauty for this one. Eating healthy foods that are high in antioxidants such as berries, leafy greens, squash, tomatoes, and more, help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, as well as reduce the free radicals in your body that attack tissues and promote premature aging. This will improve the way your body looks, which in turn, improves your confidence and your overall mindset. Although we are focusing on external improvements, the result of those external changes will improve your overall happiness and mindset about yourself, resulting in an improvement of internal beauty.

Focus on Mindful Practices

Mindful practices such as yoga, breathing techniques, meditation, and journaling can really help manifest your internal beauty and confidence. According to Art of Living, “Interestingly, science has proven that our breath and emotions are connected. Every emotion has a specific rhythm of breath; both influence each other. When you’re angry, you breathe faster and when you’re sad, your exhalations are longer than your inhalations. When you are happy, your breath is expanded. Science also says that you can change how you feel simply by changing the pattern of your breath. With regular practice of different breathing techniques like Alternate Nostril Breathing, Bellows Breath, Shining Head Breath, and life transforming Sudarshan Kriya, you can unlock this power of breath to experience your innate happiness and positive emotions to enrich your beauty. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a global humanitarian and spiritual master, popularly known as The Guru of Joy, says, “For external beauty, you put on things; for real beauty, you have to drop all the things. For external beauty you have to have make-up; for your real beauty you only have to realize that you are made-up! Just wake up and see that you are beautiful. The innocence in you is so beautiful. The dance in you is so beautiful.”

Heal Your Body

If you are dealing with depression, excessive stress, pain, lyme disease, or other issues that cause you to be held back from optimum health and happiness, it’s time to do something about it and luckily, there are simple ways to improve heal your body and improve your internal and external beauty. For example, massage can help with relaxation, tension, and stress-relief and acupuncture can help with many different issues such as, back pain, neck pain, infertility, lyme disease, bipolar disorder, life transitions, emotional health, and even arthritis. The family-owned practice based out of New Jersey, AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine says, “We’re on a mission to add health, balance, and success to your life.

Achieving maximum health is more than the absence of an illness. Authentic human health also includes the fulfillment of potential — potential for healing, creativity, wisdom, love, friendship, family, career, spirituality, physical fitness, leadership, and more. We’ll listen carefully to you before creating a treatment approach to address your unique needs. Your comfort, dignity, and confidentiality are always among our highest priorities. Our offices are designed to be an oasis for healing.” Owner and clinic director, Dr. Anthony Alfieri “strongly believes in an integrated approach to physical rehabilitation and pain management. Having four different type of doctors under one roof, is not only convenient for the patient, but it is helpful for treatment plans to allow for fast and effective outcomes. He feels that each patient’s experience with AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine will maximize their ability to not only get better, but to stay better.”

Eliminate Negativity

Eliminating negativity in your life is a must for improving internal and external beauty. Negativity causes stress which has a huge effect on your mental state. Like we discussed above, your internal beauty definitely affects your external beauty and vise versa. If you are stressed frequently, you are more prone to blemishes, wrinkles, gray hair, and premature aging. So, let’s eliminate the stresses and negativity in your life, in order to keep your skin wrinkle and blemish-free. This will also improve your happiness in your life, which is never a bad thing.

For more information on AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine go to http://allcurespineandsports.com/amp/.

Follow them on Twitter @AllCureSpine

Check them out on Facebook AllCure Spine Facebook page

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From time-to-time we have guest bloggers post on our site.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of The Red Lip Diaries. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.

New Edition

Posted in Inspiration & Motivation, MOMents, Uncategorized by


I have been MIA from blogging and am so excited to share the reason why. On December 5, 2016 I gave birth to the most amazing little boy Luciano. He has been keeping me busy these past two months, but I am excited to add mommy to my list of titles. 

Luciano is my rainbow baby. For those that do not know what that means a rainbow baby is a baby born after a miscarriage or other loss. The term comes from the saying “after every storm comes a rainbow.” And he rings true to that name. I had a miscarriage in January 2016 and it was one of the hardest days of my life. You never know how much you want something when it is taken from you. However, I am a firm believer in that the Lord works in mysterious ways and that everything happens for a reason. And now I am so thankful and happy to say I am a mommy to an amazing baby boy. 


It’s crazy how life changes once you become a mother. People talk about it, but it’s even more surreal when you experience. Not only do you go through intense hormonal imbalances for nine months while you are pregnant, but it continues after you give birth. Then the physical changes put you through a whirl. In my case I had a c-section birth so that came with some recovery and healing, but it wasn’t as bad as the horror stories that people told me. Once you get home you get to experience the psychological and emotional changes of your new role in life, balancing out who you were to how you will be now, how you will be as a girlfriend/wife, going back to work and al while trying to get sleep. It’s been a roller coaster ride, but one I am so happy to be on. 

So I am happy to make this announcement to you guys and will intergrate my glam mom role into the blog so please stay tuned for those features as well some other fun ideas I have been working on. 

Here’s to a new year with new experiences with my new edition! 

Newborn photography by the amazing Jamie Meile Photography and Mom’s 365 photography. 

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#inspiredbywomen

Posted in Inspiration & Motivation by

  
 Moroccanoil is honored to present INSPIRED, a film series that celebrates the lives and work of inspiring women. The six women that will be the focus of the mini-series are: Rosie, Chrissy, Jessica, Rebecca, Kavita and Allyson—the six women whose extraordinary stories celebrates the lives and work of inspiring women.  

I am a hair stylist & makeup artist at Vito Mazza Salon & Day Spa located in Woodbridge, NJ. The salon mission statement is Be Inspired … Be Beautiful. Once we heard about this program we knew we wanted to be apart of this initiative and bring it to our salon floor.

The first woman kicking off the campaign is the gracious and beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She introduces the campaign and reflects on the women in her life that push to grow, change, and how women in the INSPIRED series are inspiring her.

Chrissy Beckles fights not only in the ring, but for those who do not have a voice … animals. On “Dead Dog Beach” in Puerto Rico Chrissy rescued stray dogs and brought them back to have homes in the United States. She created The Sato Project and the video shows her at her charity boxing match that fights for funds and awareness for her charity.

Rebecca Welsh, created the HALO Foundation that works with children who are facing hardships around the world and provides them with support and supplies to ignite their creativity and self-expression. This foundation helps the children move forward and give back to their communities. 

Kavita Shukla created FreshPaper, a major game changer for food storage and freshness in 35 countries. Recently her product has launched in grocery stores in the United States. As a young girl she realized the importantce of extending the life food and how it could change the lives of millions of people. 

New Orleans native Allyson Ahlstrom realized at age fourteen that teenagers in the foster care system and extreme poverty shared her love of fashion and desire to succeed, but couldn’t afford to dress the way they wanted to express themselves. She founded Threads for Teens, a free boutique serving thousands of at risk girls. She has an amazing mobile boutique that goes all over New Orleans and surrounding area.

Jessica Matthews has an incredible story and believes the greatest innovators are kids at heart. She invented SOCCKET, which is a soccer ball that harnesses the kinetic energy of play to create the electrical energy. This is great for children in developing countries as it is a way to light their homes, keep food fresh and water clean all by playing outside with their friends.

Moroccanoil’s company journey began with an inspired woman, and then other women who continue to grow, create and evolve the branch. These woman inspire every new product that is developed and continue to evolve their brand and celebrate their achievements.

INSPIRED BY WOMEN is a global initiative to celebrate and empower all over the world through inspiration. We all have women in our lives who we may know or may not know, but in any event motivate and inspire us to be better and give back.

When you come into the salon you will see posters with the inspired cards. It states I am inspired by on the card, and you will write who inspires you. Take a selfie and hashtag #vmwin, #inspiredbywomen. Then follow Vito Mazza Salon on Instagram @vmsalon and Morrocanoil @Moroccaonoil for your opportunity to be featured throughout the year on inspiredbywomen.com.

I took my picture with a woman who inspires me each and every day to be the best I can be and that is my big sister Nikki. She is a super woman and amazing mom. I would be lost without her!

  
For more information on this campaign and to see all six videos of the amazing women mentioned above go to http://www.inspiredbywomen.com

Who inspires you? Who are your role models? Comment below and subscribe to get the latest from The Red Lip Diairies. 
 

 

 

Happy International Women’s Day!

Posted in Inspiration & Motivation by

Beyoncé once sang, “Who runs the world? …. GIRLS!” And let’s face it … It is the truth!! Today International Women’s Day and I am so blessed to have an amazing group of women in my life. Number one is my amazing mother, and second is my sister.. However I have some pretty special ladies  from friends, family, mentors, and business associates  in my life..

In appreciation of the day I would love to post one of my favorite poems for all the Phenomenal Women out there ..

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size  
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,  
The stride of my step,  
The curl of my lips.  
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,  
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,  
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.  
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.  
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,  
And the flash of my teeth,  
The swing in my waist,  
And the joy in my feet.  
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered  
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,  
They say they still can’t see.  
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,  
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.  
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.  
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,  
The bend of my hair,  
The palm of my hand,  
The need for my care.  
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
—Maya Angelou

May we always encourage each to grow, support one another and stay strong together!!

xoxo

Stefanie