Dining to Remember [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
Who would you invite to the dinner of a lifetime — the one where you are surrounded by five of the most significant people in your life, alive or dead?
The selection for Sabrina, star of “The Dinner List,” is served up in this 273-page turner by bestselling author and hit TV writer Rebecca Serle, 33.
Readers meet Sabrina as she saunters into her 30th birthday party. Expecting only to have supper with Jessica, her best friend who encouraged her in college to create a dinner list, four others are seated around the table: Tobias, the unrequited love of her life; Robert, her estranged father; Conrad, a favorite professor — and Audrey Hepburn, just because.
“It strikes me as everyone places their order … that I didn’t really think this through. When I chose these five people to put on my list, it was entirely about me,” Serle writes in the novel. “My issues with each of them, and my mixed desires to be in their presence. I didn’t think of how they’d get along together.”
In the next four hours of that evening, Sabrina finds insight and answers to that pondering, as well as closure around her most strained relationships.
Romantics will be hooked by the end of Chapter One. And why not?
One Step at a Time [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
Rescue thought he’d grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog — it’s the family business, after all. When he gets the news that he’s better suited to being a service dog, he’s worried he’s not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than she imagined. Now she needs Rescue to accomplish everyday tasks. Together, they find a way forward, one step at a time.
Such is the touching tale of “Jessica & Rescue,” the story of a resilient tween struggling to adjust to life after losing both of her legs — and the 80-pound black Labrador retriever that is always by her side who loves carrots, ear rubs, and the Red Sox.
Although readers don’t learn what happened to fictional Jessica in the 32-page picture book written for children 5-9, the lesson here is one of perseverance and inner-strength as Jessica adjusts to living with prosthetics, wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches.
“The mission of the book is the build empathy in young readers and demystifying what it means to have a disability,” insist first-time authors Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, whose lives changed the afternoon of April 15, 2013 when a bomb went off at the Boston Marathon injuring 264 people.
“Jess and I both lost our left legs the day of the bombing, and were among the 17 that lost limbs,” shares Downes, now 35, who was a graduate student at the time, and last year finished his doctorate in clinical psychology. “Jess also had a very bad injury to her right leg, which was amputated two years later. When we meet kids in public, you can see their eyes popping out of their heads trying to figure out what’s in front of them.”
The Nutcracker Revealed [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
If you are among the millions whisked away to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy each Christmas by the ballet inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic novella, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” prepare to hop a ride this fall to “Hiddensee” to explore the Nutcracker’s back-story.
Your guide is bestselling author Gregory Maguire, the fantasy writer who gave us a new perspective on the Wicked Witch of the West in “Wicked,” redrew Wonderland in “After Alice,” and introduced us to a distant relation of Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge in “Lost.”
In “Hiddensee,” we travel to the forest of Bavaria, circa 1808, to meet Dirk, the lad who grows up to the mysterious one-eyed toymaker, Herr Drosselmeier.
This beautifully crafted 281-pageturner will undoubtedly captivate readers. The story, rooted in 19th-century German Romanticism, teaches us how the entrancing Nutcracker came to be carved, and how it magically guided an ailing little girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a snowy Christmas Eve.
But “Hiddensee” is not just the reimaging of a classic fairy tale, Maguire tells the Connection from his home in Concord, Massachusetts.
Mata Hari Speaks [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
November 15, 1917, 5am — “She drew on her black stockings, which seemed grotesque in such circumstances, and stepped into her high-heeled shoes adorned with silk laces. As she rose from the bed, she reached for a hook in the corner of her cell, where a floor-length fur coat hung, its sleeves and collar trimmed with another type of animal fur, possibly fox. She slipped it over the heavy silk kimono in which she had slept.
“Her black hair was disheveled; she brushed it carefully, securing it at the nape of her neck. On top of her head she perched a felt hat and tied it with a silk ribbon, so the wind would not blow it out of place as she stood in the clearing where she was being led. Slowly she bent down to take a pair of black gloves.
“Then, nonchalantly, she said in a calm voice, ‘I am ready.’”
So begins “The Spy,” a new book by best-selling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, which brings to life the story of Mata Hari — the world-famous Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy during World War I.
Pucker Up: This Summer Prepare to “Kiss Carlo” [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
If you are looking for a page-turner this summer, pick up Adriana Trigiani’s “Kiss Carlo.” It’s the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of “The Shoemaker’s Wife,” and the 2001 Big Stone Gap series — which became a motion picture in 2014, starring Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jenna Elfman.
This new epic transports us to South Philadelphia, post-war 1949. Protagonists Dominic Palazzini owns the Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph with his three sons, but a decades-long feud that began in 1933 split Dominic from his brother Mike and his family business.
“The plot sets the stage for a Shakespearean conflict, for it’s a story of love, loyalty and creativity that is filled with everything we all struggle with as humans,” believes Trigiana, who spoke to the Costco Connection from her home in New York City.
Luck Story [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.Powered-by-Hope.com
For as long as she can remember, Georgia Hunter has been a writer. At four, in homage to her father Thomas Hunter’s 1982 sci-fi story, “Softly Walks the Beast,” she penned her first novel, coining it “Charlie Walks the Beast.”
When she was 11, she pitched an Opinion piece to her hometown newspaper; since that debut in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, her personal essays and photos have been featured in the New York Times “Why We Travel,” travelgirl magazine, and on Equitrekking.com.
At 15, the seeds for her epic historic novel, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” were planted when a high school teacher assigned an I Search project for students to explore their ancestry. Over an afternoon spent talking with her grandmother, the Massachusetts native, who was not being raised as a Jew, learned that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors.
Breathing Lessons [Costco Connection]
Elizabeth Poliner’s novel is a journey of self-discovery for the author
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance journalist, www.powered-by-hope.com
“We write to connect, and we connect through stories,” believes poet Elizabeth Poliner, author of As Close to Us As Breathing — an epic tale that reveals the heart and soul of a Jewish family that spends decades coping with the death of their youngest family member, Davy, in the summer of 1948.
Writing the book was a six-year journey of self-discovery, Poliner tells the Costco Connection from her home in Roanoke, Virginia.
“I had a certain fear of writing a novel,” admits the Hollins University creative writing teacher, who previously penned What You Know in Your Hands, a poetry collection; Sudden Fog, a poetry chapbook; and a collection of linked stories called, Mutual Life & Casualty. “I worried if I was up to the task on a technical level as a fiction writer.”
Poliner eventually let go of her fears, and readers are the better for her diligence. This tightly woven tale is a page-turner.
“Georgia” On My Mind [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance writer
[Costco Connection]
I no longer love you as I once did, in the dazzling rush of those early days. Time itself was feverish then, our bodies filled with fire … the metallic scent of the dark room, smells of sweat and linseed oil, a stain of cocoa on the dining room table. It was all smashed together back then — art, sex, life — mixed into the perfect color, every shadow had a substance, shape, and tone … My hands are cool now, the past remade and packed away. Sometimes, though, late at night the air lifts and I feel it — the faint burn of your eyes on my closed lids. Still. That sense of you rushing back in.
So begins Dawn Tripp’s novel, “Georgia,” an imagined first person account of the life of the legendary American artist Georgia O’Keeffe; and the passionately complicated relationship she had with the recipient of the note above — her manager and husband, famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
This is the fourth book by the author of the Boston Globe bestseller, “Game of Secrets,” who is also the winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for fiction for “The Season of Open Water.”
The Harvard grad tells the Costco Connection from her home in Massachusetts that “Georgia” has been the toughest topic she has tackled — not only because Georgia O’Keeffe was so complex, but because it took nearly a year for her to find the voice of the character.
Inkandescent PR founder Hope Katz Gibbs is the December cover girl of Evolution magazine
Evolution magazine — Hope Katz Gibbs was honored to be selected to be the December cover story of Evolution magazine.
The business and technology magazine published by Darnell Davis features stories about small business owners, who offer their expertise. In this issue, Gibbs asked: “Are You Ready to Be Inkandescent?”
“Ah, the art of being yourself and living your dream — while making enough money to employ others and grow your marketshare. Isn’t that every entrepreneur’s goal?” Gibbs asks. “Doing it with spirited passion, brilliance, and white-hot light is what makes the best companies stand out from the crowd, for they are truly Inkandescent.”
The Wall Street Journal interviews Inkandescent PR owner Hope Katz Gibbs
The Wall Street Journal — In today’s issue of the Wall Street Journal, reporter Emily Maltby interviewed five small business owners for an article entitled, “Preparing for a Double Dip.”
“Many business owners are worried that the economy will get worse before it gets better,” she explains. “Here’s how some are readying their companies for a double dip.
Hope & Michael Gibbs featured in Washington Post article, "At home with work"
The Washington Post — Reporter Dan Rafter writes: When Michael Gibbs and Hope Katz Gibbs moved this August, one house in Arlington rose to the top of their wish list: a remodeled and expanded ranch home. The big selling point? The house had enough flexible space that both of them could both set up their own home offices.
Both Hope, owner of the District-based Inkandescent Public Relations, and Michael, an illustrator, work from home. And they needed a house that would allow them to create two home offices. The ranch house in Arlington fit.
The couple have since turned their new home’s large basement into two separate offices. The space also includes a dance studio for their 14-year-old daughter, Anna.
“This is nothing new for us. We’ve each worked from home since we got married,” Hope said. “It enables us to both work as much as we do and still take care of our children the way we want. I remember when the kids were babies: I’d work, and he’d hold a baby. Or I’d be nursing one of the kids and be interviewing people on the phone. We couldn’t have done it without both of us working from home. I think that working moms have a tough time when their husbands work incredible hours and are out of the home all the time.”
Business owners are making New Year's resolutions [Associated Press]
Associated Press — “Small-business owners aren’t just putting together budgets and sales projections as 2010 approaches,” wrote Associated Press reporter Joyce M. Rosenberg in an article that published in dozens of newspapers around the country on New Year’s Eve. “Like the rest of us, they’re making some New Year’s resolutions but their goals aren’t about losing weight or exercising more. Business owners are resolving to fix problems in their companies or come up with ideas for working smarter in the new year.”
Hope Katz Gibbs Offers Insights to AARP Article — "Writing a Book: Success’s Secret Sauce — or Utter Waste of Time?"
AARP — In today’s issue of AARP’s Work Reimagined, reporter Eilene Zimmerman asks the question: “To self-publish or not to self-publish?” and offers a checklist that will guide you, thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
Zimmerman interviewed Inkandescent PR’s Hope Katz Gibbs, who said that books are “the new business card. When a book is well done, it is the best way to show, rather than tell, others what you know.”
Bank of America interviews PR expert Hope Katz Gibbs on how to get the best exposure for your business
Bank of America Small Business Community — In today’s Bank of America feature article, reporter Robert Lerose interviewed PR expert Hope Katz Gibbs on the secrets of getting the best exposure for your business.
“The elevator speech—a statement that sums up what your business does in 60 seconds or less—seems to be a staple of marketing today,” Lerose explains. “It’s also a reminder for business owners to use every opportunity to make a clear, memorable impression on their clients and prospects.”
Don’t miss his Q&A with Hope Katz Gibbs, author of the upcoming book, PR Rules: The Playbook.
Hope Gibbs featured in Parents.com article
Parents.com, — In this month’s issue of Parents magazine, reporter Linda DiProperzio interviewed entrepreneur Hope Katz Gibbs about how her interfaith family celebrates the holidays.
“One thing that can make the process easier is discussing with your spouse what each of you would like to do to celebrate your respective religion during the holidays,” Gibbs explained. “Whether it’s decorating the house or attending services, work out all the details well before the season begins.”
Dr. Seuss Does It Again With: “What Pet Should I Get?” [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Freelance writer
Although Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, died in 1991, nearly 25 years later he’s able to give us a remarkable gift—the new book What Pet Should I Get?
Cathy Goldsmith, VP and associate publishing director at Random House Books for Young Readers, was one of the first recipients of a call from Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey, who discovered the unpublished manuscript in the fall of 2013.
“We got the call as soon as she rediscovered the box filled with pages of text and sketches, which had originally been found shortly after Ted’s death in 1991 while remodeling their home,” Goldsmith shares from her home office in Manhattan. “But it spent all this time forgotten in a closet in his office until Audrey and Ted’s longtime secretary Claudia Prescott were cleaning house.”
Three days later Goldsmith flew to Geisel’s La Jolla, California, home to check out the treasure.
“The contents of the box were placed in neat piles on a glass-top table, and What Pet was there waiting for us,” adds Goldsmith, who estimates it was written between 1958 and 1962 because the starring brother and sister team are the same characters featured in his 1960 bestseller, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
Parade magazine features The Gibbs Family in article, "The Best of Both Worlds: Making the holidays happy in a house with two religions"
Parade Magazine — Journalist Hope Katz Gibbs, 44, a veteran of Hebrew school and her husband Michael Gibbs, 54, an illustrator and former Catholic school altar boy, make sure that their shared traditions provide plenty of glow—from the candles on the menorah to the Christmas lights that bedeck their suburban Virginia home. If you want to know how well they’ve meshed their two cultures, look no further than their tree—adorned with popsicle-stick ornaments in the shape of Jewish stars.
“We’re trying to teach our children to be good, moral people,” says Hope Katz Gibbs, explaining that Anna 13, and Dylan, 9, are learning about both religions and reap the benefits of two celebrations. On Chanukah, the family lights candles, says prayers in Hebrew and enjoys a dinner that includes matzoh ball soup made from Hope’s grandmother’s recipe (the secret’s in the fresh dill and parsley seasoning.)
On Christmas, “We do the tree, the lights, and the whole Santa routine,” says husband Mike, adding that it’s one of his favorite times of year. On each occasion, they take a few, important minutes, to re-tell the story of the holiday. Hope’s mom Bobbi Katz often comes to Christmas dinner, Mike’s parents, to Chanukah. “It’s all about sharing,” says Hope. Still there are parts of the other’s celebration that neither partakes of. “I still don’t eat the Christmas ham and Mike doesn’t like gefitle fish,” she laughs.
Holy bagumba! Kate DiCamillo's "Flora & Ulysses" takes readers on an incandescent adventure [Costco Connection]
Holy Bagumba!
Kate DiCamillo’s “Flora & Ulysses” takes readers on an incandescent summer adventure
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Flora Belle Buckman is 10 and hates romance. She prides herself on being a natural-born cynic, and while she wants to believe in superheroes—she just can’t make herself buy into the premise.
At least, that’s how she feels during the summer after 5th grade when she’s reading, “The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!”
With the whoosh of a vacuum cleaner, all that changes. Flora’s neighbor Mrs. Tickham was using her new Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X—on the lawn—when she sucks up an unassuming squirrel — an incident that magically gives him superpowers. From then on, the squirrel is known as (what else?) Ulysses.
“Holy bagumba,” shouts Flora, witnessing the scene from her bedroom window.
Holy bagumba, indeed.
Ely Delany Interviews Hope Gibbs for Radio Show, "Kick Your Marketing Into High Gear"
May 1, 2014, Driving Your Marketing Radio — In this episode of “Kick Your Marketing Into High Gear,” host Ely Delaney talks with Hope Katz Gibbs about “The Trifecta Of Small Business Failure,” and how to turn it around to small business success. Hope is an entrepreneur with mission running multiple businesses all under on core mission: “Promote, educate and inspire entrepreneurs.”
“From her PR firm to the success her entrepreneur magazine, radio show and publishing company, the core mission covers them all and keeps her business and her clients on the path to success,” Delaney explains.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What is the trifecta for small business failure and how to overcome it
- People love stories, but what makes a great story?
- How consistency will take you further
- Why saying “no” will open the door for more “yes”
- The keys to juggling multiple projects and keeping same
- and much, much more…
Author and PR expert Hope Katz Gibbs Featured on "Money For Lunch" Radio Show
April 24, 2014, MoneyforLunch — On today’s episode of Bert Martinez’ radio show, Money For Lunch, he interviewed PR expert Hope Katz Gibbs, author of PR Rules: The Playbook.
Martinez asked Gibbs:
- What inspired you to write “PR Rules: The Playbook.”
- In your book, you write about “The Trifecta of Small Business Failure.” These are the three mistakes you see almost every small business owner make. What are they?
- How can entrepreneurs turn the trifecta on its head?
- You have been a reporter for more than 30 years, writing for publications including The Washington Post, USA Today, and Costco’s magazine, The Connection. How does being a journalist help you with your PR business?
- Why did you get into the PR business in the first place when you launched InkandescentPR.com.
Yogify Your Small Business Founder Andrea Allen Interviews Hope Katz Gibbs
Yogify Your Business, April 17, 2014 — What do handstands and marketing have in common? That’s the question the yogi and serial entrepreneur Andrea Allen answers in her new series, Yogify Your Business.
“Do you ever wonder how yogis easily stick a handstand, meditate for long periods of time or effortlessly slide into the splits?” Allen asks. “Maybe you’re one of them and already know the truth: it doesn’t happen overnight! Certain principles need to be applied, like focus, discipline, presence, letting go and practice.”
More and more people every day are becoming aware of these principles and are seeing the benefits, and here’s the really exciting news: “There is a world-wide movement happening in the business world where owners and management are starting to apply these yogic principles to marketing, sales, and operations and seeing results,” Allen insists.
Click here to listen to Allen’s interview with Inkandesent Group founder Hope Katz Gibbs.
Inkandescent PR founder Hope Katz Gibbs featured on IdeaMensch.com
December 16, 2013, IdeaMensch.com — When Mario Schulzke asked Inkandescent PR founder Hope Katz Gibbs to answer 20 questions, the journalist and PR specialist couldn’t resist.
From “Where did the idea for The Inkandescent Group come from?” to “How do you make money?” she offered ideas and insights she hopes other entrepreneurs can use to Supersize their Small Business, including:
Tell the truth. The biggest PR mistake anyone can make is to be afraid to speak their piece and stand by their word.
Click here to read her the entire Q&A: ideamensch.com.
A Press Release on How to Write a Great Press Release
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations
hope@inkandescentpr.com / 703 346-6975
Tell a great story in a concise and clever manner, add in pithy subheads and easy-to-remember bullet points, and call readers to action
Washington DC, Today’s Date — “Grabbing the reader’s attention, encouraging them to attend an event or learn more about a product or service, and intriguing reporters so they want to learn more is the goal for any good press release,” says Inkandesent Public Relations founder Hope Katz Gibbs, a veteran journalist who for more than a decade has been happily writing interesting press releases that get picked up by the media.
“Whenever I’m writing a release, my purpose is to tell a story—albeit briefly—that makes readers want to learn more about the topic I’m discussing,” she says. “Of course, it’s also rewarding to write a press release in a way so that it reads like a mini-article, since this gives it a greater chance of being picked up by newspapers, magazines, and blogs.”
Is Your Business Struggling? You may be suffering from the "Trifecta of Small-Business Failure." Learn to overcome it
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Founder and President, InkandescentPR.com
Why do so many small businesses fail?
Because the very characteristics that make entrepreneurs want to start a business are the ones that cause them to stumble.
That isn’t news. Business experts have been shouting about this fact for decades—including many we have interviewed for Be Inkandescent magazine, such as life coach Martha Beck, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” guru Richard Carlson, “E-Myth” author Michael Gerber, business tycoon Ted Leonsis, and Fast Company magazine founder Alan Webber.
How do the fireworks created by PR work their way into the mix?
From our publicist’s perch at Inkandescent Public Relations, we have been privileged to work inside dozens of companies—from start-ups to multimillion-dollar corporations. We’ve helped them make fireworks, and equally importantly, catch the embers so they continue to shine.
We have also witnessed their challenges. From these, we culled the “Trifecta“—three trends that that can trip up even the most energetic entrepreneur, with even the most carefully crafted business plan. Do any of these monikers describe you?
Interview with Hope Gibbs: Working Writers & Bloggers
Oct. 29, 2013, Working Writers & Bloggers — Reporter Cherie Burbach interviewed freelance writer and PR specialist Hope Katz Gibbs for WorkingWritersandBloggers.com, the website that helps writers succeed in business.
Questions included: Have you noticed the “feast or famine” world that people think about when they picture freelancing? Many freelancers today work for clients and also supplement that with their own blogs and books. What’s your approach to maintaining a successful freelance career? And, What’s the biggest misconception people have about freelance writers?
Hope Gibbs offers insights into "How to Use LinkedIn’s New Channels to Grow Your Business"
Oct. 15, 2013, Vertical Response — “Social media’s most professional network is rolling out a new feature that could help your business grow,” writes reporter Lisa Fergison. “LinkedIn users can now follow channels, which are broken into broad-based topics such as marketing strategies, higher education and healthcare. Once you follow a channel, it shows up on your home feed.”
In this article, she asks PR expert Hope Katz Gibbs “How to Use LinkedIn’s New Channels to Grow Your Business.”
The Science of Winning and Losing [Be Inkandescent magazine]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Founder and Publisher
Be Inkandescent
Illustrations by Michael Gibbs MichaelGibbs.com
For a decade, it’s been a constant drumbeat, issued by leaders of our nation and corporations, to employees and even to our youngest students: we must all be more competitive. At last there is a primer on the science of winning and losing.
In Top Dog, authors Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson reveal the hidden factors behind every sort of win and loss—from bringing home an Olympic gold medal in swimming to bombing the SAT. The two award-winning science journalists also dive deep into the psychology of rankings, the neuroscience of mistakes, and the DNA of fearlessness.
Best of all, they unveil cutting-edge science through interesting stories ranging from pilot flight training, NASCAR brawls, political try-outs, ballroom dancing, CIA spies, and Wall Street.
Packed with fascinating insights, research, and “aha” moments, the book makes it tough to pick out just a few ideas to share. That said, here are our three favorite bits from “Top Dog.”
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.
The Art of Faking It ‘Till You Make It [Costco Connection]
“The Art Forger” turned Author B.A. Shapiro into an overnight success—more than two decades after she started writing books.
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Reporter
The Costco Connection
“I’m a cowardly writer,” admits Barbara Shapiro, author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, “The Art Forger,” a twisty tale of the largest unsolved art theft in history of paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990.
“Some writers sit down and begin a novel without knowing where it will end, trusting the process to bring their story to a satisfying conclusion,” explains the writer of nine books, including five published suspense novels. “But not me. I need an outline that allows me to believe my idea might be transformed into a successful novel. I need a working plot. Which is why it takes me so damn long to get from the first glimmer of an idea to a complete manuscript.”
The good news for readers is that Shapiro fell in love with Isabella Stewart Gardner back in 1983. True, the heiress died in 1924, but when two men dressed as police officers bound broke into her museum and stole 13 pieces of art that today is worth more than $500 million—Shapiro knew she had plenty of juicy details to work with.
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.
Hope Gibbs on Dealing with the Bad and Ugly of Customer Feedback from Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
“There is one thing that every worker, entrepreneur and business owner has experienced firsthand,” writes reporter Ashley Poulter on CEO Blog Nation.
“It doesn’t matter if you are at the top of your game in the business world or just getting your startup off its training wheels, you have still been there: bad customer feedback. There is that one customer who can’t be pleased or falls through the cracks of customer service and greets you with negative feedback about your business. They say you can’t please everyone, but you do have to deal with those you can’t.”
So how do you deal with bad customer feedback? Below are some tips from business owners and entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur Hope Katz Gibbs advises: Keep calm and carry on
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.
Seth Goldman Takes Us Inside Honest Tea [December 2012, Be Inkandescent magazine]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
There’s a Chinese Proverb painted across the entry wall of Seth Goldman’s Bethesda, MD-based company, Honest Tea: “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it.”
Indeed, that belief has been part of the mission of the beverage firm that Goldman started in his house in 1998, with his grad school professor, Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. It was slowgoing at first, but Honest Tea has thrived for the last decade, with a 66 percent annual compound growth rate—a statistic Goldman attributes to the fact that consumers increasingly prefer healthier food and drink options.
That fact helped Honest Tea land a cash infusion from The Coca-Cola Company in 2008. It owned a 40 percent interest in the company until March 2011, when it acquired the boutique brand for an undisclosed price, a month after its option to buy came due.
“This is a recognition that, especially with early-stage brands, the entrepreneurs continue to be relevant and important,” Goldman told The Washington Post. “We have an amazing opportunity to take our mission to a much broader level.”
Be Inkandescent magazine had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with the graduate of Harvard College (1987) and the Yale School of Management (1995), who also holds an honorary doctorate of laws from American University. Scroll down for our Q&A, and click here to hear our podcast interview with Seth Goldman.
Hope Gibbs interviewed on "The Resilient Brain"
How can you get in front of reporters, and talk to them so they care about your story?
On the Dec. 1 episode of “The Resilient Brain,” the Blog Talk Radio show hosted Kathy Kitts, Inkandescent PR founder Hope Katz Gibbs participated in a strategy session to help the audience learn to think like a reporter, and get your company in the news.
Hope also discussed whether getting in the news is the best use of your PR energy and budget—and what it really takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
Click here to listen to the show.
The Importance of Having Empathy: Insights From Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka [Be Inkandescent]
By Hope Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
Bill Drayton has been a social entrepreneur since he was a New York City elementary school student. He was born to a mother who emigrated from Australia as a young cellist and an American father who, also unafraid to step into the unknown, became an explorer at an equally young age.
Public service and strong values run through the stories of both parents’ families, including several of the earliest anti-slavery abolitionist and women’s leaders in the United States. These family influences, the rich diversity and openness of life in Manhattan—as well as America’s deep cultural concern with equity, which flourished during the Civil Rights years—all interacted with one another and with Drayton’s temperament to plant Ashoka’s earliest roots.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Drayton to talk about the powerful international organization that he founded in 1980—which today is focused on creating a world where every child masters empathy. Scroll down for our Q&A.
We also interviewed Danielle Goldstone, the Change Leader in charge of Ashoka’s Start Empathy Initiative. Click here for her three-part strategy on how to ensure that your child, and your company, are empathetic, in our Tips for Entrepreneurs. To learn even more, stay tuned for our upcoming podcast with both Drayton and Goldstone on Inkandescent Radio.
Can Women Have It All? [Be Inkandescent]
Can women have it all? That’s the question that has been hotly debated since Anne-Marie Slaughter wrote her controversial essay, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” in the July/August issue of Atlantic magazine.
In addition to serving as the director of policy planning at the State Department from 2009 to 2011, she is mom to two teenage boys. To keep all the balls in the air, she lived in DC during the week, returning home only on weekends to be with her supportive husband and kids. And therein lay the rub.
“Eighteen months into my job as the first woman director of policy planning at the State Department, a foreign-policy dream job that traces its origins back to George Kennan, I found myself in New York, at the United Nations’ annual assemblage of every foreign minister and head of state in the world,” she writes.
Hope Katz Gibbs featured on Business Battery Pack TV
Sept. 28, 2012, BusinessBatteryPack.com — “The first thing you should do when you start a business is get a client,” public relations expert Hope Katz Gibbs of Inknadescent PR told the hosts of BusinessBatteryPack.com today.
“A lot of times when people want to take the leap into entreprenuership they tend to lean towards something that they do as a hobby or are really passionate about,” Gibbs added. “But if in the end you don’t have a legitimate client or person trading you money for your services then is it really a business?”
Host Frank Do noted: “This is one of my favorite quotes from the Business Battery Pack hangout session with Public Relations expert Hope Katz Gibbs,
Stay tuned for the full broadcast, coming later this week.
For more information about Business Battery Pack, visit businessbatterypack.com.
The Future of Education [Be Inkandescent]
By Hope Gibbs, publisher
Be Inkandescent
Photos by Steve Barrett
When it comes to forecasting the future of education, it’s no surprise that online learning is taking the lead.
Similar to the dot.com boom of the 1990s, venture capitalists are eager to invest in education-technology start-ups.
According to the National Venture Capital Association, investments in ed-tech shot up to $429 million last year, from $146 million in 2002.
In April 2012, the Chronicle of Higher Education hosted a panel of education entrepreneurs on the cutting edge. The lively discussion focused on the following industry changes:
• Technology isn’t just about generating data. It’s about transforming the education experience.
• The proliferation of available data might necessitate a new organizing mechanism, specifically with regard to decision-making when it comes to the vast number of education opportunities.
• There is new momentum for partnerships between the private sector and existing institutions.
Click inside to meet the folks leading us into the future.
Adriana Trigiani's Dance With Fate [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The Costco Connection
September 2012
Bestselling author Adriana Trigiani unfurls the epic tale of her grandparents’ love story in her latest book, “The Shoemakers Wife.”
“I don’t know how Adriana Trigiani goes into her family’s attic and emerges with these amazing stories, I’m just happy she does,” says bestselling author Kathryn Stockett of Trigiani’s newest release, “The Shoemaker’s Wife.” “If you are meeting her for the first time, get ready for a lifelong love affair.”
That endorsement from the author of “The Help” is typical of the buzz around Trigiani’s epic tale of Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravanelli—the fictional characters who depict the real lives of her grandparents and their sweeping, international love affair.
Charles Best: Teacher Supplies on Demand [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Costco Conntection
August 2012
Photos by DonorsChoose.org
Educator Charles Best came up with a very big idea one day back in 1999 while eating lunch with his fellow high-school teachers in the Bronx.
“My colleagues and I were talking about books that we wanted the students to read, field trips we wanted to take them on, and art supplies that we needed—but we all knew these ideas wouldn’t go beyond the teacher lunchroom because of funding issues,” explains the founder of www.DonorsChoose.org, one of the nation’s first peer-to-peer philanthropic websites, which he created in the year that followed.
Best spent $2,000 to get the beta site up and running—and several platters of his mom’s famous roasted pears with orange-rind dessert to bribe his colleagues to post those projects they had only dreamed of.
Entrepreneur, PR Specialist Hope Katz Gibbs featured on MO.com
August 9, 2012, MO.com — Entrepreneur and PR specialist Hope Katz Gibbs was featured today on MO.com, a website that interviews entrepreneurs from all walks, across all industries, and from around the world.
“We focus on their habits and methods; what makes them tick,” says founder Brian Null, noting M.O. is the abbreviation for Modus Operandi or Method of Operating and we interview entrepreneurs to learn about their methods and to share their strategies and business philosophies with our readers.
“We’re entrepreneurs ourselves and we get energized talking with others that have traveled down the same path of launching a new business or folks that are just about to embark on the adventure of starting a business,” he says.
Pamela Hartigan On "The Power of Unreasonable People" [Be Inkandescent magazine, August 2012]
What does it take to become a company that is more focused on societal change than financial reward?
That is but one of the questions we asked Pamela Hartigan, the director of Oxford’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, which is named for eBay billionaire Jeff Skoll—one of the world’s best known “philanthroactivists.”
Married to an Australian for 40 years, Hartigan was recently featured in an article published in Australia’s Dumbo Feather.com that describes her as talking with rage and energy.
“She also talks no bullshit,” insists reporter Patrick Pittman, adding that Hartigan has “spent a career working to disrupt and change systems from within and from without. She builds bridges.”
Michael Gerber Takes Us Inside "The Dreaming Room" [Be Inkandescent magazine, July 2012]
JULY 2012: BEYOND THE E-MYTH
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent
When Michael Gerber’s “E-Myth” was published in 1986, he had an inkling that entrepreneurs would take note.
After all, he was offering a solution for the millions of people struggling to understand why their small businesses don’t work and what to do about it.
What is the E-Myth? Gerber defines it like this: “The Entrepreneurial Myth says that technicians suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure believe that because they understand how to do the work of the business they intend to start, they are automatically gifted with an understanding about how to build and grow a business that does work.”
Dr. Esther Sternberg on "The Science of Healing" [Be Inkandescent magazine, June 2012]
JUNE 2012: FINDING THE BALANCE WITHIN
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent magazine
Photo by Steve Barrett
“There is a turning point in the course of healing when you go from the dark side to the light, when your interest in the world revives, and despair gives way to hope,” writes Dr. Esther Sternberg in “Healing Spaces,” the 2009 book that led her to create the PBS Special “The Science of Healing,” which airs this month.
Internationally recognized for her discoveries of the science of the mind-body interaction in illness and healing, Dr. Esther Sternberg has become a force in collaborative initiatives on mind-body-stress-wellness and environment inter-relationships.
Her books, Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being, and The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, are informative and scientifically based inspirations to doctors and laymen alike in dealing with the complexities and 21st century frontiers of stress, healing, and wellness.
The Network Journal Interviews Hope Katz Gibbs on: "How to Develop Your Entrepreneurial Mind"
May 30, 2012, The Network Journal — In today’s edition of The Network Journal, reporter Ann Brown explained how entrepreneurs can develop their creative minds.
“Some of the most successful businesspeople are those who think outside of the box,” she writes, and quotes Inkandescent PR’s founder Hope Gibbs about some of the steps needed to accomplish that goal.
“Creativity is the key to making any dream come true. Innovation in business is obviously driven by imagination,” Gibbs says. “But do keep in mind that all of the creative thinking in the world won’t make a business successful. A strategic plan, with goals and a timeline, is the key to turning the best ideas into reality.”
Richard Carlson Suggests Six Ways to Create Abundance—And More Fun—In Your Life [Be Inkandescent magazine, May 2012]
MAY 2012: DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF—AND IT’S ALL SMALL STUFF
When Richard Carlson passed away in December 2006, he left behind a legacy of 30 books that have helped millions learn not to let the small things in life get the best of them.
Carlson was considered one of the foremost experts on happiness and stress reduction, and his Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series made publishing history as USA Today’s #1 bestselling book for two consecutive years. The title spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and is considered one of the fastest selling books of all time.
To inspire—and calm yourself—click inside for six excerpts from Carlson’s 100 practical tips.* Illustrations by Michael Gibbs
A Haunting Divinity [Costco Connection, April 2012]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Costco Connection
April 2012
“In the beginning, the boy thought he saw his father everywhere. Outside the latrines. Underneath the showers. Leaning against barrack doorways. It was 1942. Utah. Late summer. The wind was hot and dry and the rain rarely fell and wherever the boy looked he saw him: Daddy, Papa, Father, Oto-san.”
And so begins the third and title chapter of Julie Otsuka’s incandescent novel, “When the Emperor Was Divine,” a bittersweet glimpse into the internment of a Japanese-American family durinag World War II.
The boy, Otsuka says, is her favorite character.
Insights Into How to Live the Life of Your Dreams from Life Coach Martha Beck [Be Inkandescent, April 2012]
By Hope Katz Gibbs, Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
“How the hell did you get here? What the hell are you going to do now?” These are the questions that Life Coach Martha Beck asks—and helps readers answer—in Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, which is her newest book.
A sociologist with three degrees from Harvard, Beck is the author of several bestselling books that help readers map their way to a more joyful life: Finding Your Own North Star (2002), Steering by Starlight (2008), and her latest, Finding Your Way in A Wild New World.
Beck was named one of the country’s first life coaches in 2002, thanks to an article by USA TODAY. It explained that life coaching guides “give clients the confidence to get unstuck—to change careers, repair relationships, or simply get their act together.” In the last several decades, her national and international workshops, and sophisticated coaching training program, have helped millions bridge the gap.
Mara Bartiromo Helps Us Find the Secret to Success [Be Inkandescent, March 2012]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher/Founder
Be Inkandescent magazine
When it comes to the challenge of finding success, financial reporter Maria Bartiromo admits she had two things going against her.
“I was a reporter with a camera, and I was a woman,” she shares, noting she persevered through the early days reporting live from the testosterone-fueled boys club on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “Then one day, I was standing by the General Electric post and there were maybe 25 guys within earshot when one of them who was about three times my age said, ‘Run along, little girl, and don’t come here again.’ I had knots in my stomach. I looked at him and said, ‘Don’t talk to me that way’—and I ran along! But I came back! And I kept coming back. And 20 years later, I’m still here.”
Indeed. And so are many other female financial reporters, thanks to Bartiromo’s fearless determination. Not only is she the anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo,” and the host and managing editor of the nationally syndicated “Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo,” she is the author of three books, including the one we are focusing on this month, The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.
Bestselling Author Ridley Pearson Tell Us How To Write A Book [Be Inkandescent magazine, February 2012]
By Hope Katz Gibbs, Publisher/Founder
Be Inkandescent and
Inkandescent PR
What child hasn’t wanted to fly to the “second star to the right, and straight on till morning,” to find themselves on the island of Neverland?
“Certainly no one I’ve ever met,” says bestselling author Ridley Pearson, whose novels cover a lot of ground, from the paranormal to the Peter Pan prequels, which he co-authored with humorist Dave Barry. Pearson is perhaps best known for his crime fiction novels, which have been translated into 22 languages and sell in 70 countries: ridleypearson.com.
What makes Pearson’s novels so engaging, critics agree, is his ability to pull in readers in the first paragraph—and keep them hanging on until the last page.
Reebok's President Uli Becker Jumpstarts the Shaping Up of America [Be Inkandescent Magazine, January 2012]
JANUARY 2012 CEO OF THE MONTH: REEBOK’S ULI BECKER
By Hope Katz Gibbs Publisher
Be Inkandescent magazine
“I do and say what I believe in,” Uli Becker told me when we met in his office at Reebok’s corporate headquarters in Canton, Mass., in December.
That attitude undoubtedly has helped the current president of Reebok International chart new territory for the firm that he says was in the hospital, on life-support, when the new parent company, the Adidas Group, bought it in 2006.
The German-born Becker, who has worked for the Adidas Group since 1990, explains: “We found that Reebok was not in its best shape based on lowering of price points, and distribution channel dilution. The brand itself also wasn’t a high flier, because it was at the border of being a branded but unbranded business, in terms of how the public perceived it.”
Alan Webber's Rules of Thumb [Be Inkandescent Magazine, December 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
While Alan Webber’s name may not be familiar to you, odds are good that you have read the publication he founded in November 1995 with Bill Taylor — Fast Company magazine.
Both men were former Harvard Business Review editors, and their new publication was founded on a single premise: A global revolution was changing business, and business was changing the world. “Discarding the old rules of business, Fast Company set out to chronicle how changing companies create and compete, to highlight new business practices, and to showcase the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business,” Webber explains, sharing that they were both proud to have been named Adweek’s Editor of the Year in 1999.
Prior to his successful foray into publishing, Webber was a political speechwriter focusing on innovative policy initiatives. Today, he continues exploring reinvention, and considers himself a “global detective“—one who travels the world speaking at innovation and foresight conferences and investigating how things work. To that end, in 2009 he published a bestselling business book, Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self.
Who's a Dork? [Costco Connection, November 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Costco Connection
November 2011
Sometimes kids just know whom they are going to be when you grow up. Take Rachel Renee Russell, author of the New York Times Bestselling Series, the “Dork Diaries,” who has been writing young adult books since she was in the 6th grade.
That’s the year she wrote “The Donny and Ronny Book,” for her younger twin brothers.
“They loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Sesame Street, and I told the story of their lives with markers and construction paper,” explains the native of Saint Joseph, Michigan who from that point on dreamt of becoming a professional writer. At Northwestern University, though, her literary dreams were dashed.
Tom Brokaw on "The Time of Our Lives" [Be Inkandescent Magazine, November 2011]
By Hope Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent
“What happened to the America I thought I knew?” asks respected broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw in his new book, The Time of Our Lives.
With this sixth title he has penned since leaving the anchor seat of NBC Nightly News in 2004, Brokaw says he is determined to have a conversation about America with the people who can make a difference in setting her course. The author describes this tome as a discussion about “who we are, where we’ve been, and where we need to go now, to recapture the American dream.”
And Brokaw, whose previous bestsellers include, “The Greatest Generation,” “A Long Way From Home,” and “Boom!” insists that he is not the only one who is worried about the future of America.
“Wherever I go I am asked, ‘What has happened to us? Have we lost our way?’ Will our children and grandchildren have better lives than we do? Is that essential part of the American dream disappearing? I believe it is time for an American conversation about legacy and destiny.”
Picking the Brain of the Head Motley Fool [Be Inkandescent Magazine, October 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent Magazine
How do you master the art and science of investing? That’s one of the many questions we asked Tom Gardner, CEO and co-founder of The Motley Fool, a multimedia financial-services company based in Alexandria, VA, which provides financial solutions for investors through various stock, investing, and personal-finance products.
“Use your brain, your emotions, and your personality,” says the leader of the 265-person firm that he and his brother, David, founded in 1993. “If you harness these ideals, your investment returns will lead you to financial freedom in the Foolish fields of opportunity. But if they harness you, close your eyes because the chili won’t stop hitting the fan.”
What he means, as eloquently expressed in the foreword to LouAnn Lofton’s 2011 book, Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl—And You Should, Too, is this: “Don’t sell when you should be buying. Don’t believe what you should have doubted. Don’t shout while you should be learning. And don’t trade when you should be investing.”
Practical Magic: A glimpse inside author Alice Hoffman's enchanting career [Costco Connection, September 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The Costco Connection
September 2011
Love. Loss. Survivorship. These are the themes that are at the heart of the 18 novels, eight young adult books and three books of short fiction that the prolific Alice Hoffman has crafted since the beginning of her career in 1973.
Her novel, Here on Earth, was an Oprah Book Club choice in 1998. That same year, her book, Practical Magic, was made into a Warner Brothers film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her young adult novel, Aquamarine, made it to the silver screen in 2006, starring teen queens Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton.
Hoffman says that while it’s thrilling to watch her books make a splash in theaters, her goal is to understand life’s biggest questions. Her novel, At Risk, for instance, concerns a family dealing with AIDS, and can be found on the reading lists of many universities, colleges and secondary schools.
Spreading Good Vibes: Bert Jacobs on the Power of Optimism [Be Inkandescent Magazine, September 2011]
For my 8th birthday, my grandparents bought me my first Life is good T-shirt. It was really soft, the color of the night sky, and featured a superhero named Jake—playing basketball, my favorite sport. I wanted to wear it to school every day that week. After day three, my dad just laughed as he put me into the car and took me to the nearest Life is good shop in Old Town, Alexandria, VA, to buy more.
I’m 12 now, and haven’t worn anything but a Life is good shirt ever since (I even wear them under my Boy Scout uniform). I recently checked, and I have 24 of these Ts in my dresser—including a few that I outgrew, plus two that I turned into pillows for my bed.
Guy Kawasaki's "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions" [Be Inkandescent Magazine, August 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent Magazine
August 2011
In addition to being one of the people who helped make Apple Computer into the mega success that it is today, entrepreneur and author Guy Kawasaki is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an online magazine rack of popular topics on the Web.
He is also the founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures, a seed-stage and early-stage venture capital fund that seeks to invest in extraordinary entrepreneurs who have the ability to build great teams and great companies.
His nine previous books include the bestselling title, The Art of the Start, as well as “Reality Check” and “The Macintosh Way.” A native of Hawaii, Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of California.
Think Big! [Be Inkandescent Magazine, July 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Publisher
Be Inkandescent Magazine
July 2011
The head coach and general manager of the Washington Mystics women’s basketball team has no time, or patience, for small-mindedness. Dressed in a tan pantsuit and black heels, Trudi Lacey watched intently from the sidelines on June 16, as the women of her team, the Washington Mystics, battled the players of the Connecticut Sun.
The Mystics were eager to bring home a win for the 7,000-plus fans who gathered on the hot, rainy night at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, DC.
The Mystics had lost 89-73 to the Sun on June 4, their first loss of the season. And by the end of the first period, the Sun was ahead, 23-11. Lacey was undaunted. She knows that her team, which has suffered a handful of injuries since the season’s start, is lacking when it comes to playing defense.
“First and foremost, we need to play defense,” Lacey had told the sports reporter from The Washington Times prior to the game. “I have been preaching it, and they just need to shift their mindset and play defense for the entire game.”
Funny Rules [Be Inkandescent Magazine, June 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Founder and Publisher
Be Inkandescent Magazine
June 2011
We’ve heard it before: Laughter is the best medicine. Funny brothers Dave and Sam Barry share some thoughts on why humor is mission-critical in their lives.
Odds are good that if you have been awake for some of the past 20 years, you know Dave Barry. The humor columnist (pictured right) has been syndicated in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, and his book, “Dave Barry Turns 40,” became the basis for a TV show that ran for four seasons on CBS.
Dave has also written dozens of fiction and nonfiction books, two of which were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom “Dave’s World,” in which Harry Anderson played Dave. He also plays in a band with other famous authors — including Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom — called The Rock Bottom Remainders. For more information, visit Dave’s blog.
Howard Schultz Moves Us 'Onward' [Be Inkandescent Magazine, May 2011]
Undoubtedly, Starbucks is one of the great 21st century American success stories. The specialty coffee retailer has grown from a single store in Seattle in 1971 to 17,009 stores in 54 countries, as of January 2011. Last month, it officially became the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain, according to industry tracker Technomic Inc., with more sales than Burger King Holdings Inc., but less than Subway, thanks to a 20 percent increase in second-quarter profits.
More than 60 million customers, called “guests” by Starbucks, sipped its coffee last year. They were served by 200,000 employees, aka: “partners,” who are referred to by their first names. Schultz, in fact, is known internally as Howard, and like all execs in the firm, his title is not capitalized. He is, modestly, the ceo.
That simple, but powerful, wordplay is part of Howard Schultz’s approach to building a coffee empire that exploded by serving up a great cup of joe, and sticking to its core philosophy. Given that, it’s not surprising that Schultz’s 2011 book, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul,” is such a forthright account. It not only details the experiences of his youth that laid the foundation for the company he has built, it provides case studies and details of meetings and conversations, making it a primer for how to do business with heart and conscience.
The Business of Rock: Insights from Roger & Camilla McGuinn [Be Inkandescent Magazine, April 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
April 2011
At 68, legendary rock star Roger McGuinn is going strong. On April 1, he performed at the popular DC music venue The Barns at Wolf Trap, where his one-man show wowed the packed house. McGuinn strolled out onto the stage singing “My Back Pages,” which was penned by his long-time friend Bob Dylan.
For the next hour and a half, the minstrel in the Stetson sat before a beautifully lit ruby backdrop surrounded by his favorite three guitars and a banjo. As he eloquently shared the history of folk music and told the story of his career, he sang and strummed dozens of the songs that he and The Byrds have made famous.
For the finale, he sang “May the Road Rise,” an old Irish blessing he turned into a ballad with his wife of more than three decades and official roadie, Camilla McGuinn. April 1, in fact, was their 33rd anniversary, and the inspiration for the name of their music label, April First Productions.
Lee Woodruff on Being "Perfectly Imperfect" [Be Inkandescent Magazine, March 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor & Publisher
Be Inkandescent Magazine
Lee Woodruff is no stranger to the limelight. The wife of well-known ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff — the reporter who in 2006 suffered a traumatic brain injury while covering the War in Iraq — is a contributor to “Good Morning America,” a former senior vice president of the PR firm Porter Novelli, a contributor to Health, Redbook, Country Living and Prevention magazines, and a spokesperson for “Family Fun” on TV and radio, where she discusses parenting and family life.
When Bob began recovering from his injury, they penned “In An Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing,” an eloquent, candid description of what happened in Iraq, and the struggles the couple and their children faced as Bob recovered.
In 2009, the mother of four published her second book, “Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress,” where she shares deeply personal and uproariously funny stories highlighting topics such as family, marriage, friends, and how life never seems to go as planned.
Why We Love: Insights From Dr. Helen Fisher [Be Inkandescent Magazine, February 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
February 2011
What is love? Why do we pick the people we choose to love, hire, befriend? Is there really love at first sight? How did love evolve?
To answer these eternal questions, Rutgers University professor and anthropologist, Dr. Helen Fisher, has traveled from the the desert outback of East Africa, to Tokyo, to Iran, and back to her home in New York City, to determine if one culture perceives love differently than another. She then used fMRI technology to look inside the brains of 50 men and women who said they were madly in love.
Her perspectives on love, sexuality, women, and gender differences have been featured in Time magazine, National Public Radio, NBC, the BBC, and CNN. She has also authored five books: “The Sex Contract,” “Anatomy of Love,” “The First Sex,” “Why We Love,” and her 2010 book, “Why Him? Why Her?” Fisher is currently working on a new title about why we choose one partner over another.
Hope Katz Gibbs of InkandescentPR featured in article: "Small Business PR: Unique Goals and Challenges"
January 25, 2011, PR Newswire — “If there’s one thing that every small business can benefit from at one point or another,” writes PR Newswire columnist Grace Lavigne in an article entitled, Small Business PR: Unique Goals and Challenges.
“But it definitely takes a different approach to help a small company or ‘solopreneur’ than it does a larger firm,” says PR specialist Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president of Inkandescent Public Relations. The trick, says Gibbs, is to help clients avoid what she calls the “Trifecta of Small Business Failure,” which is when they have one of these three attitudes.”
How Will Nonprofits Face the Challenges of 2011? [Be Inkandescent Magazine, January 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
January 2011
What does the future look like at three of America’s largest nonprofit organizations? Below you’ll read remarks from Mark Tercek, CEO, The Nature Conservancy; Terri Lee Freeman, president, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; and Wayne Pacelle, CEO, The Humane Society of the U.S.
The nonprofit execs were panelists at the 2011 Nonprofit CEO Outlook forum hosted by Bisnow on December 16 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in DC. The moderator was Richard Newman from the law firm Arent Fox, which sponsored the event.
Picture Perfect [Costco Connection, January 2011]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The Costco Connection
January 2011
From a fatal car crash and the death of a parent, to the drama of comforting a sick child and coping with infidelity, life’s greatest emotional challenges play out in the pages of Caroline Leavitt’s “Pictures of You.”
Here’s the scenario: Two slightly desperate women get into their cars late on a September afternoon in an attempt to run away from their marriages. But on a windy, foggy highway they collide. The survivor of the fatal accident is left to pick up the pieces, and not only of her own life. Within months she becomes intimately involved in the lives of the other woman’s devastated husband and fragile son, who suffers from chronic asthma. Can they build a new life together?
Rosetta Stone CEO Tom Adams Gives Us a Glimpse Into the Future of the Workforce
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
December 2010
Do you speak a foreign language? How about your employees? Have many, or any of them, mastered a second language or lived in a foreign country?
If not, you may be behind the curve in terms of the future of the workforce, believes Tom Adams, president and CEO of Rosetta Stone, Inc.
“Speaking more than one language is no longer just an asset in today’s job market; it is a requirement,” insists Adams, whose company provides interactive solutions that are acclaimed for the power to unlock the natural language-learning ability in everyone. “The United States risks falling behind in the global economy if we do not strive to be a multilingual society.”
Why is nonprofit guru Robert Egger is "Begging for Change?"
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Be Inkandescent Magazine
November 2010
“Hello, my name is Robert and I’m a recovering hypocrite,” writes nonprofit advocate Robert Egger in the beginning of his book, “Begging for Change: The dollars and sense of making non-profits responsive, efficient, and rewarding for all.”
The founder of the DC Central Kitchen, who among other leadership roles was tapped to clean up the beleaguered United Way National Capital Area as interim director back in 2002, is on a mission.
“I discovered soon after I started the DC Central Kitchen that winning my war — the war against hunger — wasn’t just about feeding more people or building more efficient kitchens,” Egger explains in his book. “Even if I spent the rest of my life raising hundreds of millions of dollars for the ‘cause,’ I realized that all the money would never end hunger. Hunger is tied to other battles. It’s about education, child care, job training, AIDS work, drug counseling, affordable housing, and health care.”
Steven Schussler explains why "It's a Jungle in There," and what entrepreneurs can do to tame the beasts
By Hope Katz Gibbs
October 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
When Steven Schussler was 18, he got a job in Miami climbing phone poles for the Southern Bell Telephone Company. But the young man, who as a teen figured out a way to make thousands of dollars each summer selling playing cards and soda and running errands to poker-playing rich guys at the beach, had his sights set on something bigger.
“It was hard work for little pay and offered limited opportunities for advancement,” he writes in his new book, It’s a Jungle in There. “When I learned I could make more money selling airtime for radio and television stations and build a future career for myself, I knew it was time for me to make a move.”
President of Bread for the World Calls for Change in Politics of Hunger
By Hope Katz Gibbs
September 13, 2010
The National Press Club
Photo by Noel St. John, www.noelstjohn.com
The U.S. has not made sustained progress against poverty since the 1960s and early 1970s when the poverty rate was cut in half, said anti-hunger and poverty advocate David Beckmann at a luncheon Sept. 13.
“If countries as different as Bangladesh, Brazil and Britain can reduce poverty, it’s clearly possible in the USA,” said Beckmann, an economist and ordained Lutheran minister who has been president of Bread for the World since 1991. “As a nation, we have opportunities to moderate what the economy is doing to hungry and poor people.”
He said influencing politics is the key.
Dylan Gibbs tells us, "How Boy Scouts Saved My Life"
By Dylan Zane Glenwood Gibbs
Age 11
And Hope Katz Gibbs
his mom
This summer I learned some big lessons about the perils of catching grapes in my mouth, the importance of knowing first aid, and what an amazing dad I have.
It happened in August when my dad and I went on a biking and camping trip with two of my best friends and their fathers. Our mission was to bike at least 25 miles along the C&O Canal tow path, camp overnight, and bike back the next day as part of our Boy Scout cycling merit badge.
Michael Chasen teaches us the benefits of connecting education and technology
By Hope Katz Gibbs
September 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
At 38, Blackboard Inc. CEO Michael Chasen has already achieved more than he ever dreamed was possible.
His company, which develops and licenses software applications and related services to more than 7,500 colleges, universities, K-12 school districts, corporations, and government agencies in more than 60 countries, projects revenues of $445.4 million in 2010.
Total revenue for the quarter ending June 30, 2010, was $107.7 million, an increase of 17 percent over the second quarter of 2009. The company went public on Nasdaq in 2004 and by the summer of 2006 was making headlines in The New York Times.
“Chasen [pictured below left with his co-founder Matthew Pittinsky] will never be confused with the brash upstarts that defined the Internet boom of the 1990s, or Silicon Valley’s ever-growing crop of disruption-crazed entrepreneurs,” wrote Times reporter William Taylor. “”[Blackboard] may be disruptive, but they conduct themselves like diplomats.”
Dr. Ben Carson's tells us when to take a risk
By Hope Katz Gibbs
August 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
How risky is it to separate conjoined twins? Dr. Ben Carson, the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, says he doesn’t think about his work in those terms.
“You don’t go into a field that requires cracking people’s heads open or operating on something as delicate as the spinal cord unless you are comfortable with taking risks,” explains Carson in his latest book, “Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk.”
Previous books include “Think Big,” and “Gifted Hands,” which became a made-for-TV movie for TNT starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. Directed by Thomas Carter (Coach Carter). The film reveals Carson’s inspiring life story as a poor, inner-city youth who overcame great odds to become one of the world’s best surgeons, thanks to the love of his determined single mother (played by Kimberly Elise) and an unswerving faith.
Newsweek's Jonathan Alter on President Obama's first year in power
By Hope Katz Gibbs
July 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
The word “promise” was repeated 19 times during Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on August 28, 2008 — the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, explains Jonathan Alter in the prologue of his new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One.
The President said: “I told you my story of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that’s always set this country apart.
The promise of America, [is] the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper. That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now.”
Alter writes that less than three weeks later, “the economy nearly vaporized, and some of the promises he mentioned would soon recede from public view. But many of his words would resonate — or clang — through the first year of his presidency.”
Here’s why.
Meet the CEO of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence
By Hope Katz Gibbs
June 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
Even before Nell Merlino founded Take Our Daughters to Work Day for the Ms. Foundation in 1992, she was considered “a professional rabble-rouser with a very active imagination.”
In 1990, she helped produce the 20th Century Anniversary Earth Day Concert in Central Park (www.earthday.net). That year, she also did advance work on Nelson Mandela’s first trip to New York after he was released from prison.
Nell helped organize the distribution of 100,000 condoms around New York City through the Gay Men’s Health Crisis organization (www.gmhc.org), was the communications director for the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing (www.ngocsw.org), and with her brother, Joe, helped organized the YWCA Week Without Violence (www.weekwithoutviolence), which ran for more than five years around the U.S.
President Bush's daughter Barbara tells about her life as president of her nonprofit, The Global Health Corps [National Press Club]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
National Press Club, The Wire
May 26, 2010
“The extreme disparity in health outcomes and access to healthcare that exists today between the world’s rich and the world’s poor is unjust and unsustainable,” said Barbara Bush today at a National Press Club luncheon where she spoke about the nonprofit organization she co-founded and is president of — The Global Health Corps (http://ghcorps.org/).
“We aim to mobilize a global community of young leaders to build a movement for health equity,” said the daughter of President George W. Bush, who brought her twin sister Jenna to the event. “Global Health Corps believes that a global movement of individuals and organizations fighting for improved health outcomes and access to healthcare for the poor is necessary in order to change the unacceptable status quo of extreme inequity.”
Social entrepreneur Muhammad Yunus offers new insight into microfinance in his third book, "Building Social Business"
By Hope Katz Gibbs
May 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus was educated at Dhaka University and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt University. In 1972, he became head of the economics department at Chittagong University.
He then served as chairman of the economics department at Chittagong University before dedicating his life to providing financial and social services to the poorest of the poor.
Former President Jimmy Carter says of Dr. Yunus’ work: “By giving poor people the power to help themselves, Dr. Yunus has offered them something far more valuable than a plate of food — security in the most fundamental form.”
Beverly Cleary's World [The Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The Costco Connection
April 2010
“RAMONA QUIMBY WAS nine years old. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and no
cavities,” writes beloved children’s book author Beverly Cleary in the first chapter of her bestseller, Ramona’s World. It chronicles the day our heroine meets her new baby sister, Roberta.
This is one of more than three dozen books penned by Cleary in the more than five
decades (her first book, Henry Huggins, was published in 1950; her last was Ramona’s World in 1999) that she has been drawing kids into the adventures of her characters. Klickitat Street, where several of them live, is based on her own childhood neighborhood.
Ted Leonsis, one of AOL's entrepreneur extraordinaires and owner of the Washington Caps, has a new book out: "The Business of Happiness"
By Hope Katz Gibbs
April 2, 2010
Be Inkandendescent Magazine
“The happiest and most successful people I know have in common with one another not just an ability to function with multiple communities, but a real desire to do so,” writes Ted Leonsis in his new book, “The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work.”
Surely, any entrepreneur would love to know the secrets to Leonsis’ success — much as they did a decade ago when Jack Welch’s GE ideas seemed like the best path to follow for many business owners.
But this book, co-written by John Buckley who was Leonsis’ friend and PR director when he was an executive at AOL, focuses on self-actualization — the top of the pyramid in what Abraham Maslow termed the Hierarchy of Needs.
“What a man can be, he must be,” Maslow explained. “This forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need pertains to what a person’s full potential is, and to realizing that potential.”
Gina Schaefer, owner of seven ACE Hardware stores in Washington, DC, is on the cusp of a trend: the return of the mom and pop shop
By Hope Katz Gibbs
March 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
Owning a string of hardware stores in downtown Washington, D.C., isn’t what you’d expect Gina Schaefer to say she does for a living when you meet the perky, petite 39-year-old. But she and husband Marc proudly stand at the helm of an $11 million company that is opening its seventh store this spring — a 7,500-square-foot space at 7001 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park.
Why did a girl who graduated with a degree in political science, and worked for a few years at the Children’s Defense Fund, get into the hardware business? “We were young and dumb,” Schaefer says with a grin. But the real answer seems to be equal parts necessity, opportunity, humility — and true grit.
Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen talks about budget cuts and the future [National Press Club]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The National Press Club
February 12, 2010
Friday Marked Final State of Coast Guard Address by Commandant Thad Allen
At his annual State of the Union address today at the National Press Club, Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, said he is concerned about the cuts in the agency’s 2011 budget proposed by President Obama.
Funding is expected to drop by 3% to $10.1 billion, and active-duty personnel would decrease by up to 1,100, to approximately 41,984, he explained, noting that the budget contains nearly $1.4 billion to replacing aging ships and equipment, especially high endurance cutters. Of 12 cutters assigned to the relief efforts in Haiti, he said 10 have broken down and three were forced to return to port or dry dock due to propeller or propeller-shaft problems.
Crafting a Career in the Arts [elan magazine]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
elan magazine
February 2010
Elaina Loveland wanted to be a prima ballerina. The graceful waif of a woman was a dynamic dancer, too. But after attending the dance program at Goucher College to study for a few years, she realized the reality of her choice might not make for an ideal career.
“It became clear that I should have gone straight to New York City to dance instead of going to college to study it,” she admits. “I also realized that my dance career would probably only last as long as my body held out—and that seemed like a bit of a gamble.”
So she opted for Plan B and became a writer—another career she had long dreamed of.
Jim Bognet and Jeff Kaiser, owners of the $50 million firm, Bognet Construction, are relentless about delivering high quality, on-time, on-budget solutions for our customers
By Hope Katz Gibbs
February 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
Photos by Steve Barrett
Little did Bognet Construction founders Jim Bognet and Jeff Kaiser know when they leased their first office in 1998 for $500 per month in the basement of a Starbucks on MacArthur Boulevard that 12 years later they would be manning a $50 million firm that employs 45 people.
“We love construction, and are relentless about delivering high quality, on-time, on-budget solutions for our customers,” the owners say. “Our goal is to continue to build this firm into a $150 million company in the next five years.”
Motion Pictures: Scanimation inventor creates a literary movement [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
January 2010
The Costco Connection, page 71
“I’m mostly interested in finding ways to make magic,” says Rufus Butler Seder, a filmmaker, inventor, toymaker, and author of several moving picture books published by Workman Publishing including Gallop! (2007), Swing! (2008), and his 2009 newest release, Waddle!
What is scanimation?
“It is a technique that combines the eye’s ability to use parallax perception with moiré-style multiple-line patterns, and a sheet of acetate,” Seder explains. “Ultimately, the brain thinks that the images on the page are actually moving. But really the only thing that is happening is what is going on between your ears. It’s a wonderful, patented, optical illusion.”
Dubbed the "queen of putting people's lives in order" by USA Today, organizational and time management expert Julie Morgenstern teaches us to clear the clutter
By Hope Katz Gibbs
January 1, 2010
Be Inkandescent Magazine
Dubbed the “queen of putting people’s lives in order” by USA Today, Julie Morgenstern is an organizational and time management expert, business productivity consultant, and nationally renowned speaker. She’s also a New York Times bestselling author, having published five books that are reference guides featuring techniques and observations culled from her 20 years of experience as a consultant to individuals and companies.
She founded Julie Morgenstern Enterprises in 1989, and her common-sense approach to getting, and staying, organized has attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey. In fact, in the last decade she appeared as a guest on Oprah nine times.
She has also appeared on CNN, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, and Good Morning America, and has been quoted in The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Julie was also a monthly contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine. Her new monthly column premiered in the March 2009 issue of Redbook.
Hope Gibbs offers "6 Tips for an Easy Move with Kids"
December 30, Life@Home magazine, Century 21 — In today’s issue of the Century 21 newsletter, reporter Robyn Friedman writes:
Hope Gibbs thought her move from Clifton, Va. to Arlington, Va.-a mere 45 minutes away-would be easy. And it was for daughter Anna, 14, who found new friends on Facebook even before she moved.
But Gibbs’ 10-year-old son Dylan found it more difficult. “You’d have thought we moved to Mars,” says Gibbs. “He still wants to go home despite having made tons of friends.”
Riding shotgun with Velva Jean [Costco Connection]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The Costco Connection / Book Beat
August 2009
“Daddy says I’m going to hell,” writes Jennifer Niven in the first chapter of her first work of fiction, Velva Jean Learns to Drive, a coming-of-age tale of a spunky young woman growing up in Appalachia in the years before World War II.
“You, my baby, are not going to hell,” comforts her mother. “You’re a good child, true and pure, and the Lord will call you when it’s time. You can’t bloom the flowers before they’re ready.”
After reading those few paragraphs it’s nearly impossible to keep from being drawn into Niven’s melodic prose as she unfurls the bittersweet drama of Velva Jean’s life. Readers are quickly catapulted into the pivotal period from July 22, 1933, the day her father insists she be baptized, to the tragic moment her beloved mother dies a few weeks later.
Before Velva Jean’s mama passes, she urges her only daughter to “live out there” in the great wide world. “That’s where you belong.”
Lunch with Phyllis Richman [Crystal City magazine]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Crystal City magazine
For nearly three decades, most Washingtonians wouldn’t have recognized Washington Post restaurant critic Phyllis Richman, even if she was sitting at the next table. She kept a low profile, was rarely photographed, and often wore a silk scarf over the bottom of her face when she went out in public. Since retiring in 2000, the woman who could make or break a restaurant’s reputation is no longer hiding.
Phyllis Richman will have the sorrel soup, please. And the grilled squid. And, if possible, one perfect oyster. “Thank you, madam,” says the gracious, white-shirted waiter at the elegant P Street seafood bistro, Johnny’s Half Shell.
“Thank you,” replies Richman with a grin that indicates she is happy to be ordering exactly what she wants for lunch—and not sampling the entire menu, as was her mission for two decades as the Washington Post’s award-winning restaurant critic.
Readers often awaited her opinion before trying a new dining spot. Indeed, the success of a restaurant sometimes depended on her opinion. It was a serious responsibility, she realizes. “I often said mine was the world’s most wonderful job,” Richman says today. “Still, every job has its drawbacks.”
NTSB Chairman Warns 'First Impessions Can Be Wrong'
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The National Press Club
The Wire
Photo by Terry Hill
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman criticized the way some members of the press cover the aviation and transportation accidents at a Luncheon Nov. 16.
“We understand the need to solve the puzzle in the early hours of an accident, and we know your editors and producers want you to be the first to get the ‘cause’ of the accident, but what is the cost to your credibility if you are the first to get the cause wrong? We have learned from experience that first impressions can be wrong,” she said.
U.S. Postal Service in acute financial crisis, Postmaster General says [National Press Club]
The 234-year-old U.S. Postal Service is in acute financial crisis, John Potter, the 72nd Postmaster General said Thursday during a National Press Club luncheon.
After losing a projected $7 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Potter said he is working to help the USPS reinvent itself. It won’t be an easy task, as 28 billion fewer pieces of mail were sent last year compared to fiscal year 2008, he said. Potter said that holiday mail, one of the traditionally highest volume periods of the year, was flat last year — and he expects it to be flat this December, as well.
In addition to more people using email rather than snail mail, and the lagging economy that is causing fewer people to mail printed ads pieces and other promotional materials, Potter believes the USPS’ deficit also grew out of a three-year-old law that added more than $5 billion to annual costs for prefunding retiree health benefits.
Kati Marton to come to DC on Oct. 22 to talk about her new book, "Enemies of the People: My family’s journey to America"
“You are opening a Pandora’s box,” author Kati Marton was warned when she began the research for her new book, Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America.
The Hungarian-born writer paid little attention and dove headfirst into the files of the Hungarian Secret Police (known as the AVO). There, she found the fascinating and sometimes excruciating details of the controversial careers of her parents — Endre and Illona Marton — two journalists who during the 1950s wrote hundreds of articles for the U.S.-based Associated Press and United Press about what was going on behind the Iron Curtain.
MEET KATI MARTON IN PERSON: Oct. 22, 6:30pm in DC
Kati Marton is coming to DC on Oct. 22, from 6:30-8pm, for a special evening to talk about her new book and network with local women. Hosted by Robin Strongin, publisher of the popular blog Disruptive Women in Health Care (www.disruptivewomen.net), Kati will be taking questions and sharing her insights. Tickets are only $28, and include a copy of the book, cocktails and food. Buy your tickets today at www.meetkatimarton.eventbrite.com.
Laura Lee Williams: The art of the design [elan magazine]
By Hope Katz Gibbs
elan magazine
August 2009
Beautiful beads from Tokyo—more than 30,000 of them—grace the most elaborate offering by Laura Lee Designs, a handbag firm founded in 2005 by California native Laura Lee Williams.
Other designs—such as her trademark M bag—feature fewer beads, but the focus here is on the three-inch wrap of Australian snakeskin in the middle.
“The white version is perfect for weddings, and pink version is a personal favorite because we contribute a portion of the proceeds from each purchase to Breast Cancer Research,” says the soft-spoken brunette, who shares the tale of how she got started in the handbag business as she sips chamomile tea at a café not far from her current base of operations in Vienna, VA.
Gail McGovern: Leading the Red Cross through turbulent times [National Press Club]
Article by Hope Katz Gibbs
National Press Club
July 21, 2009
When Gail McGovern took over as president of the Red Cross last year, the former AT&T vp had no idea she’s have to deal with the aftermath of eight hurricanes and tropic storms, a record tornado season, and the worst flooding in the Midwest in 15 years.
She did know that she was inheriting a $209 million operating deficit, a mandate from the Board of Governors to eliminate it within two years, and that she was the 10th person to take the helm of the PR-challenged agency in the last decade, she told the crowd packed into the McClendon room at today’s Club luncheon.
And the Harvard marketing professor — who since 1998 has twice been named one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Corporate America” by Fortune magazine — said she isn’t complaining. “I pinch myself every day because I feel so fortunate to serve in this remarkable [128-year-old] institution.”