2013
Daddy's Girl, Part 2
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
June 16, 2013 — My father died today.
That is a sentence I have been thinking about writing for years. My father had been sick for about a decade, after leading a tough and troubled, wild and raucous life.
A deeply generous man by everyone’s assessment, he lived his life on his own terms, and while he paid the consequences with his health, my guess is that he wouldn’t do anything differently.
He poignantly passed on Father’s Day, at 2:05 p.m. I was on my way from DC to Philadelphia to see him, but I didn’t get there in time.
And now that he’s gone—now that I have seen his ice cold, ghostly pale body lying on a gurney under a blue blanket at the funeral home of Goldsteins Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks, Inc.—I honestly don’t know what to say, much less what to feel, or think. So here’s the start of my healing process.
Are You Ready to Lean In? [TrulyAmazingWomen.com]
JUNE 2013: THE ART OF LEANING IN
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Founder and Publisher
Be Inkandescent
“Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry—which means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives,” explains Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her bestseller, “Lean In.”
An extension of her wildly popular December 2010 TedTalk, Sandberg has turned her initial 15-minute-and-28-second snapshot of the issue into a 187-page showstopper that not only examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled—it has galvanized us in ways perhaps more profound than the Atlantic Monthly article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter.
Why has it struck such a chord with so many of us? Because the woman who is ranked on Fortune magazine’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, and is one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, admits she sometimes feels like a fraud. She perseveres anyway.
And that’s the beauty of her book, which takes less than two hours to gobble up, for Sandberg’s story is all of our stories. In it she recounts her decisions, mistakes, and her daily struggles to balance work and career that most women can relate to. Best of all, she provides specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment—and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace, and at home.
How are you standing up, raising your voice, and leaning in? Scroll down for some of the highlights from Sandberg’s 10 Tips for Leaning In. You’ll also hear from some female entrepreneurs, futurists, and authors on the Inkandescent Speakers Bureau, who share their insights and ideas on what it means to lean in. We know you’ll be inspired by how these powerful women are rising to the occasion—because you can, too!
Here’s to pushing past our fears—and standing up! Illustrations by Michael Gibbs.
Do You Want to Have a Wild Company? Mel and Patricia Zeigler Show You How [Be Inkandescent]
MAY 2013: BANANA REPUBLIC FOUNDERS MEL & PATRICIA ZIEGLER
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Founder and Publisher
Be Inkandescent
With $1,500 to their names, and no business experience, Mel and Patricia Ziegler turned a wild idea into a company that would become the international retail colossus Banana Republic. Re-imagining military surplus as safari and expedition wear, the former journalist and artist together created a world that captured the zeitgeist for a generation and spoke to the creativity, adventure, and independence in everyone.
Their book is one of the best business tomes I have read. It’s honest, funny, charming—and it reads so much like a novel that you don’t want to put it down. The reason is simple: These two successful entrepreneurs embody what it means to stay true to yourself and your passion—even when the promise of millions, if not billions, of dollars is dangled in front of you.
Click here for our Q&A with the Zieglers and learn how they upended business conventions and survived on their wits and imagination. Listen to our interview as a podcast on the Inkandescent Radio Network.
Whole Foods John Mackey Fights for Conscious Capitalism [Be Inkandescent]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent
“Despite enabling widespread prosperity, free-enterprise capitalism has earned little respect from intellectuals and almost no affection from the masses,” observed Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey when he spoke recently at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
“Rather than being seen for what they really are—the heroes of the story—capitalism and business are all too frequently vilified as the bad guys and blamed for virtually everything our postmodern critics dislike about the world,” he said, quoting from his 2013 book, “Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business.”
Before we leap into a discussion about Mackey’s big ideas, here are the four tenets of what he and co-author Raj Sisodia see as the basic elements of Conscious Capitalism.
Shoshana Grove: The Powerhouse Behind Executive Women in Government
COVER STORY MARCH 2013: EXECUTIVE WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher, Be Inkandescent
What does it take to rise to the top ranks in government? That’s the question we asked Executive Women in Government VP Shoshana Grove.
The federal executive began her career as a letter carrier for the US Postal Service in Washington, DC, and worked her way up through the ranks to her current position as head of the Office of Secretary & Administration for the Postal Regulatory Commission.
She is responsible for maintaining the records of the Commission, preserving Commission documents, managing the Commission’s library and docket room, and managing HR, among other responsibilities. She also represents the Commission on the Federal CIO Council and Small Agency Council.
For our Tips column this month, we also looped in the organization’s president, Reta Jo Lewis. Click here for her insights into rising to the top.
But first, we sat down with Grove to discuss her career, her perspective on where women have come from—and where they are going—and what role Executive Women in Government will be playing in the years to come.
Scroll down for our Q&A, below.
Click here to listen to our podcast interview on the Inkandescent Radio Network.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh's "Language of Flowers" is Blooming Brilliant [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
Acadia means secret love, aloe means grief, basil indicates hate, and mistletoe says: I surmount all obstacles. Give a lover a planter of lavender and you are saying that you don’t trust them. However, a bouquet of jasmine says it is attachment you desire.
That’s but a pinch of what you’ll learn about the meaning of flowers in Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s breakout novel, “The Language of Flowers,” the tragic coming-of-age tale of orphan Victoria Jones, a child whose emotional scars are exacerbated by the foster care system that can’t find a way to help her.
From page 1 of the first section, “Common Thistle,” it’s easy to see why Victoria’s saga has inspired romantics, enchanted book clubs, and galvanized a legion of people who are determined to help teens newly emancipated from foster care at 18.
“Like Victoria, who ended up living in the woods after she left the system, these teens often have few resources, little support, and limited prospects for a happy future,” explains Diffenbaugh, who was 23 when she got a taste of the troubles plaguing foster kids.
Love Rules: 14 Power Couples Take Us Inside Their Lives
LOVE RULES FOR ENTREPRENEURS
By Hope Katz Gibbs
publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
Illustrations by Hope’s better half, Michael Gibbs
Be honest. What do you think it takes to balance two powerful, time-consuming, stressful, successful careers? Add in a couple of kids, the mortgage and bills, and the other stresses of modern life—and if you are like me, there are days when it just seems like too much to juggle.
And just when I think something has to give before our proverbial cookie crumbles, I’ll meet a stranger who offers a fresh perspective. He or she will look at what we’ve built, and politely ask, “How do you do it?”
Quite frankly, the question makes me grimace. There’s no magic trick that enables me to run a PR and publishing company with my husband as the VP, while he’s managing his own busy illustration business. Add in caring for our two teenagers, helping out as much as we can with our aging parents, and trying to squeeze in time to celebrate our 18th anniversary (on Feb. 1, when this issue went live) … well, there’s no magic to it. It’s downright exhausting.
More likely, this stranger is wondering why anyone in his or her right mind would want to take on so much responsibility.
Recently, though, I have come to interpret the question as a compliment. Whether intended or not, I now believe that this kind stranger is looking at the beautiful life that my husband and I have built. He knows it’s easier said than done. And yet, we do it anyway.
So do all of the Power Couples we polled—and the countless more who read our magazine. My response is similar to theirs when asked how we manage marriage and business: We do it together.
And what we all have in common is that when we kiss each other goodnight, we know the person on the other side of the bed is there to lend the love and support we need to make our way through whatever tomorrow brings. The 18 fresh red roses that Mike gave me to celebrate the life we’ve created (which we lovingly refer to as Gibbco) are sitting on my desk as a sweet reminder that he not only has my back, he has my heart.
How do you manage business and love in the 24-hour/7 days-a-week race that is your life? Scroll down for an honest, thoughtful glimpse into the balancing act from 14 Power Couples who are at the top of their game.
These “Fabulous 14” couples don’t work in the same company—as do our Lucky Seven Power Couples featured as our February Entrepreneurs of the Month. But these folks are working side-by-side in countless other ways.
We hope their thoughts on collaboration will inspire you to kiss your spouse a couple of extra times today. A bouquet of red roses is always a nice touch, too.
Note: We couldn’t fit all of their incredible wisdom on one page. To read a more complete compilation, click here.
How Barefoot Wine Went From the Beach to the Big Time [Be Inkandescent]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
When Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey started Barefoot Wine in their laundry room in 1986, the lifelong domestic partners dreamt that someday their wine would be a national bestseller. In 2005, that dream became a reality when they sold to E. & J. Gallo.
Since then, the couple has helped dozens of other entrepreneurs find ways to expand their brand—often with little money and no industry experience. How?
“We were pioneers in what we termed ‘worthy cause marketing’ and performance-based compensation,” Houlihan explained when I reached him by phone at his California estate. “We held a comprehensive view of customer service, resulting in the National Hot Brand Award for outstanding sales growth in 2003 and 2004.”
Click here to learn how Houlihan’s experience and innovative approach to business have made their company an international success.