When Life Gives You Lemons

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

Have you ever met someone who makes you stop in your tracks? Someone so uplifting and inspiring you can’t take your eyes or ears off of them? That’s what I felt when I attended a women’s leadership brunch this weekend and I heard the words uttered from the stage, “My name is Mikaila Ulmer and I’m the owner and CEO of BeeSweet Lemonade.” Mikaila is eleven years old and as she so eloquently shared with a couple hundred of us in the room, she’s owned her business for more than half her life. If any of us 20 somethings and above in the room thought we were doing something, Mikaila quickly put us all to shame!

She and her story are impressive. If you haven’t heard of her or her company yet check her out. What was most impressive and stood out the most for me though was not the great successes she’s achieved in her seven years in business though there have been many; it’s about how she’s dealt with hardship, rejection and (perceived) failure. Unfortunately, those devastating hurdles are what take most entrepreneurs out of the game.  It prevents people in general from stepping outside of their comfort zone again after a failure and trying something unfamiliar. Not Mikaila, it has actually fueled her and her mission. She inspired us entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and women leaders in business in the room to make lemonade out of those lemons we receive in life.

Mikaila talked about her high of receiving a $60,000 deal from one of the sharks on the popular ABC Show Shark Tank to take her already successful business, which was already selling products in such brand name stores as Whole Foods, to the next level. Shortly thereafter however, she received word that the name of her business, which she deemed perfect for her product, would have to be changed because it was too similar to an already existing business. While devastated at first, she brushed herself off and went into research mode to find another name for her business, which now she says captures perfectly the mission of her company in its title. With wisdom and poise beyond her years, she summed up a decision we all have to make when inevitably life will hand us something we didn’t plan or prepare for but can stand to make or break us nonetheless. She closed with this simple yet poignant poem she wrote about her experience:

“Don’t be discouraged by life’s little stings. Get back up and spread your wings. – Mikaila Ulmer”

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Hear a clip of Mikaila’s speech here

Worry About Yourself

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

A few weeks ago I was in Atlanta for a black tie dinner and awards ceremony for my business. I’m dressed in my dazzling evening gown so of course I’m feeling extra glamorous and I walk up to the lobby bar of the hotel in which the event is being held and the gentleman next to me starts to make what I thought was small talk at first. He asks me what my partners and I are all dressed up for and within less than 2 minutes he’s asking very personal questions about my marital status and whether or not I have kids. When I answer simply no to both, he hits me with the kicker, “Well that’s selfish!” Excuse me sir? I was so shocked and insulted that someone I just met whose name I didn’t even know had made such a judgment, it almost took my breath away. He knew nothing about my story or the circumstances of my life but yet he felt comfortable in making a judgment about me as a person. Sure, I could explain his insensitive remark away by blaming it on the alcohol but sadly, he wasn’t the first person to overstep his boundaries in making unfounded remarks about others’ personal lives.

What is the fascination we have as humans to be concerned with and make judgments about how others live their lives anyway? Some would argue the social media driven and reality TV-laden world in which we live where people overshare and overindulge in other’s lives is the cause. I would have to agree with that. Though the reality is regardless of how much someone shares or doesn’t share, we can’t possibly know another person’s full story and most importantly, it’s really none of our business.

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My pastor preached a sermon this Sunday entitled “The Half Has Not Been Told” about how each of us has a public bio and a private bio, and while both help to make us who we are, God is really the only one who knows both stories intimately and He’s the only one who should. He’s the only who is safe to pass judgment. It is simply not meant for us to pry into other’s lives and make judgments about their choices, but yet we do it sometimes subconsciously, perhaps because in a way it makes us feel better about ourselves and the decisions we’ve made.

I have to admit, I’ve been a culprit of this myself. We all have. Sadly, I think it has become human nature to secretly and sometimes not so secretly, compare ourselves to others and measure the success of our lives based on the decisions that others have made for their own. It sounds crazy when you think about it in these terms but it happens every day. Whether we indulge in reality TV, scroll through our news feeds dozens of times per day, or just simply find ourselves talking about other’s lives under any other context besides an uplifting one, we all do it.

Perhaps we would be better at this whole life thing if we reflected within and became better stewards of the decisions we make for ourselves. I think little August had it right when she hilariously coined the phrase “Worry About Yourself!”

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Click on picture for hyperlink

 

Winning in DC

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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On Sunday I had an opportunity to attend the very first DC Music Summit, hosted by Accelerate with Google. Thanks to fellow Washingtonian and artist/entertainer Ashley Brown, who founded the summit, aspiring and current artists got to come together, network and learn more about the music business. I can’t tell you how beneficial this was for my hometown of Washington, D.C., which is sprawling with talent, but for some reason has never quite been able to establish itself as a destination for thriving musicians and entertainers. A lot of talent is born here, but it’s not too long before our fellow homegrown artists are forced to pack themselves up and ship off to lands of greater opportunity – aka New York and LA and now to a certain extent, Atlanta – to find success.

As I listened to the phenomenal panel on the “Music Industry A to Z” that featured a range of industry experts as diverse as the District’s music scene, I found myself both encouraged and mystified at the same time. There was a lot of great information shared by the panel, which was comprised of The Washington Post‘s pop music critic Chris Richards, Future of Music Coalition CEO Casey Rae, Grammy-nominated producer Rich Shelton, The Growth Group’s Alexis Kimbrough and Listen Local First co-founder Chris Naoum. Even audience members, which represented such local organizations as the DC Chapter of the Grammy’s and the District Government’s Entertainment Office shared valuable information on how to “make it” here in DC. Which begged the question, if we have so much talent and we have all these resources and tools to support success at our fingertips, combined with the changing music industry in our favor, why aren’t we as our generation now calls it, WINNING in DC? [Side Note: There is a subset of artists that have been able to make a good living out of their craft in DC and I applaud them, but I’m talking about winning in the music industry on a grander scale as a culture.]

When I say the changing music industry is in our favor, I mean we are moving more and more every day to a completely digital society driven by independent and label-owned artists alike, which should mean location matters less. As long as you can get your music to the Internet, you are good right? Well, not so much if you don’t know how to market your music online and monetize the growing online sources of music like Pandora, Spotify and Youtube. That’s the area in which I believe many local artists are suffering and where the Summit hit the mark – offering information on how local artists can maximize those online marketing and exposure opportunities.

As an artist myself and part owner of a family-owned local music production company and DC native, I have a vested interest in seeing the local music scene flourish. I applaud Accelerate with Google and Ms. Ashley Brown on bringing this important and necessary platform to the District. I hope to see other projects like this follow suit. In the meantime, whether you are an artist yourself or you just appreciate good music, be sure to support the talented group of musicians, singers, rappers, songwriters, producers etc. that live and work in our great nation’s capital. Little by little you can help DC become not just a breeding ground for homegrown talent, but a place where they can live and WIN.

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The Summit was held at Mousai: Young Artist Coalition
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Local Group Prinze George performs at DC Music Summit

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Me with Angela of the DC Entertainment Office
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Music Industry A to Z Panel
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Audience Members at Music Industry A to Z Panel

Review: South Beach Food and Wine Festival

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the 15th annual South Beach (SoBe) Food & Wine Festival and I must say it’s one of the best festivals I’ve been to, hands down. Even though I only had a chance to partake in two of the events, which totaled 5 hours of indulging in some of the best food and adult beverages I’ve tasted, I felt like I got my fill of the experience – enough to have me already planning out my participation next year.

The feature event on Friday night was the 10th anniversary of the wildly popular Burger Bash, in which Food Network Stars Bobby Flay and Michael Simon have participated in previous years. This year, the two high-profile chefs showing off their burger skills were world-renowned Chef Morimoto and TV personality and weatherman Al Roker, who actually served me one of his delicious patty melts. Who knew Al could throw down in the kitchen like that?

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Even though I’m very much a carnivore and love my meat dishes, I’m not much of a burger girl….that is, until the Burger Bash. I have never in my life tasted so much yummy goodness in one night. I wish I could say I had a taste of the more than two dozen burger entries but sadly, I tapped out around 10. I certainly put in a good effort though! Ultimately Jersey Dawg, a food truck based in South Florida, won the contest but unfortunately for me they were one of the burgers I didn’t get to sample. That’s just an excuse to go back to Miami and try it out. Of the ones I tasted, certainly STK and El Rey de Las Fritas were among my favorites.

On Sunday, I participated in the Goya Grand Tasting Village, and grand it was indeed. So grand in fact that the 2 hour option I selected in lieu of the 5 hour option wasn’t long enough. I could have had at least another hour to soak in all of the deliciousness that awaited me. From the grilled octopus to the macaroni and cheese meatball to the flank steak and horseradish mashed potatoes with chimichurri sauce to the smoked cod fish offered by one of my favorites, Oceanaire, I was absolutely in heaven. Not to mention the large selection of wines offered. There was so much to experience there that the 2 hours felt more like 20 minutes.

In addition to the dozens of food and adult beverage stations, there were cooking demonstrations offered by actress and TV personality Tia Mowry and world renowned Chef Jose Andres; a book signing by one of my favorite Food Network stars Geoffrey Zacharian; several swanky lounge stations decked out in the signature all-white or Art Deco-style South Beach motif; and an entertainment stage hosted by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. I seriously was on sensory overload. Helpful Hint: Invest in the five hour option so you don’t feel rushed and you can savor the entire experience.

I definitely recommend making a visit to the SoBe Food & Wine Festival but the one thing that may stop you is the price. Despite the cheapest tasting event being around $100, just about every event was sold out. Simply put, don’t expect the prices to go anywhere but up. I will say though that price is only an issue in the absence of value, and this festival certainly brought a lot of value so it was well worth the investment.