Want To Look Better in 2016 Without Dropping $20,000?

An article in the January 8th Wall Street Journal called “The High Price of Beauty” revealed what four women spend annually to maintain their looks. Average cost? $20,000. For some that’s a child’s school tuition. For others it’s a mortgage. For these women and many others it’s annual maintenance. I used to be that woman. I’ve been a beauty junkie who has spent a small fortune over the years. I still have drawers and bowls of beauty products to show for it But what needed fixing first was my self-image. This couldn’t be treated with shots, creams and serums. I still value a great

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What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

You’ve heard this line before probably: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It was a lesson I learned a few years ago facing cancer and my father’s death in the same year, all while rebuilding a business.  I believe these four things formed the foundation that kept me grounded: Faith, Fortitude, Focus and  Fearlessness. They also helped lift me up and re-channel my energy to become an advocate for putting your self-health first and self-worth first. “Advocacy” is a sensitive word with a powerful backbone. People who become advocates are driven by a passion usually inspired by a turning point that impacts

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What’s On Your Bucket List?

I’m a list maker. I make “To Do” lists every day to manage my time. I rely on lists to stay organized when I plan professional events. In my first book, “Getting Things Off My Chest: A Survivor’s Guide To Staying Fearless & Fabulous in the Face of Breast Cancer,” I provide handy check lists to help newly diagnosed women channel their emotions and stay focused and less stressed. But my favorite list of all is my “Bucket List” outlining all the things I want to do, places I want to visit and whatever I dream of accomplishing. I update

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Fearless Fabulous Women: This Single Mom’s Nutrition Curricula Helps Families Nationwide

Fearless Fabulous Women: This Single Mom's Nutrition Curricula Helps Families Nationwide

I’ve known Lynn Fredericks for years and have admired her work to promote a nutrition and healthy eating curricula in schools through her nonprofit Family Cook Productions. A fellow member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Lynn left the PR world in 1995 to pursue her calling to make more family time cooking time. The decision came at a time when Lynn was going through a divorce, and cooking with her two young sons was her recipe to reduce tension and bind the small family together. Lynn is an example of turning an adversity into opportunity. Family Cook Productions has grown into a national program reaching 200,000 parents and

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Listen Up! Maybe It’s Time To Toot Your Own Horn

You know what’s music to my ears? It’s the sound of a confident person who can toot her own horn without sounding like a blowhard. Many people try it. Some succeed; others fail. Think of politicians, for example. It’s strange. While the public relations industry is filled with confident, talented women who know how to toot horns to promote their clients, many lack volume in their own self-promotion. I’m not intentionally leaving out men, but women tend to downplay their achievements more than the opposite sex. Examples:”It’s nothing really…”  or “I’m just a stay-at-home mom…” Remember this: If you downplay

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A Resolution Revelation: Shorten Your List!

I hope you had a fabulous holiday and have started the New Year with a smile and some bubbles. While many people spend the holidays making their gift list and checking it twice, others focus more attention on their New Year’s resolution list. I am one of those people. As a New Year’s baby, I’ve always taken my resolution making seriously. Each year I bring out my special New Year’s diary and write down 10 resolutions for the year. It has always been 10 resolution plus 10 things I am grateful for. I’ve been doing this same ritual since 1989. Did you know only only 8%

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Simply the Best Workout Barre None!

I’ve been an exercise fanatic since my mother took me with her to her fitness studio in Chattanooga when I was a young girl. I’d roll around the mats and stretch with bands while my mother jiggled on machines. I started ballet at the age of 5, modern dance at 12 and performed in my high school modern dance troupe, Terpsichord. Over the years I’ve joined both fancy gyms and YMCA’s and taken numerous classes and personal training sessions. I have Dancercized and aerobicized, practiced Pilates and various kinds of yoga. But the fitness program I believe delivers the best

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Why Supporting Women Matters- A Visit with Wendy Diamond -Dec 21 on Fearless Fabulous You!

When I first met Wendy Diamond in the mid 1990s we connected instantly. I was running my eponymous public relations firm, and she was launching a cookbook entitled “A Musical Feast.” This brunette bundle of energy with the blue-green magnetic eyes had managed to secure recipes from everyone who mattered in the music business, from Aerosmith to Madonna to Mick Jagger, for her book whose sales raised money for charity. The next time I saw Wendy she was in People Magazine with Hootie and the Blowfish (recipe contributors) and embarking on a multi city book promotion.  A second cookbook with recipes from

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Him for the Holidays? Tips on Bringing Your Guy Home

I used to dread going home to Chattanooga for the holidays when I was single. My mother would always invite eligible men to various dinners to meet me.  Most often they were soft, menschy types and this gal liked athletic, preppy boys. Some were interested in meeting other men and not me.  I sighed with frustration hearing comments from family friends like, “Such as shame she hasn’t found a nice man yet.” Note, “she” was usually in the room within earshot. My worst holiday dating experience was when I brought my sophomore college boyfriend home after Christmas. My mother came out

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A Clutterfly Seeks Her Wings

My cousin, the Artist Hunt Slonem, is a Collector with a capital “C.” His various and beautifully appointed homes are filled with carefully curated collections from gothic furniture to butterflies to top hats and harps, not to mention his own amazing paintings. I admire his passion for collecting and for the fact that his things bring him Joy. Check out this recent Architectural Digest piece on Hunt. I have a mother with a house filled with art, various stuffed animals, purple ephemera of every shape, size and hue, gifts from friends and fans, and souvenirs from her travels, charity fundraisers,

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She Danced Her Way Back To Finding Her Joy- Fearless Fabulous You! Dec 14

She Danced Her Way Back To Finding Her Joy- Fearless Fabulous You! Dec 14

Last week’s show focused on managing holiday stress, whether it is yours, a family member’s or your dog’s.  If you missed this episode you can tune into iHeart.com podcast to listen to my podcast with Transformational Coach Jennifer Grace and Camp Bow Wow animal trainer, Laura Roach. This week’s Fearless Fabulous show topic is Joy: How do you define it; how can you capture it; how to recover it and how to share it with others. My definition of “joy” and your definition may be different. But everyone can agree that you can never have enough of it in your life! Patrice

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Happy Holicrazy! Tips To Stay Merry and Calm

Given the number of emails filling my inbox and TV segments about dealing with holiday stress I have to wonder, “Are holidays becoming holicrazy?” Are we so stressed over wrapping up the year in a nice package and getting it all done in time that we don’t have time to really enjoy the season? Many of us face shopping for gifts, wrapping up year end finances, planning holiday travel, scheduling the kids’ activities when they are out of school and juggling every day tasks. And then there’s that year-end “taking stock” of your life and making New Year’s resolutions to: lose weight,

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