I’m awed by the number of people I’m meeting here who have given up the “American Dream” to discover their own dreams.

They’ve “given it all up” for something so much greater. Their own freedom.

Like Larissa, the art teacher, who has been resistant to change most of her life, but knew there was something more. So she sold most of her belongings, put the rest in the storage and now she’s here on her way to who knows where.

She’s discovering what’s real and true for her.

Maybe this is the new American dream – freedom, adventure, finding ourselves. The Eat, Pray, Love life you may call it.

Regardless of what you call it, my wish for you is that you find a way to live it.

Move beyond all the reasons you can’t live your dreams and find the way to make it your reality.

Maybe it doesn’t mean selling everything and traveling around the world. Perhaps for you, it means giving up the soul-draining J.O.B. and starting the business you’ve always dreamed about. Or writing that book you’ve got inside you.

Whatever it is, stop making excuses for why you can’t and start now. There’s no better time.

So, what’s your dream? The one you would do, if only …

I’d love to hear and so would everyone else who visits here. Share your dream, what’s keeping you from living it and one action step you are willing to get a little closer to it?

At SHINE and afterwards so many women approached me to ask if it was worth it.  Am I glad I did it?

Since I’ve been teasing you for a few days with the answer, I’ll give you the short answer right away.  Yes, I am grateful to have made a $100k investment in Ali Brown’s diamond program.

That doesn’t mean investing $100k in a coaching program is right for you though.

If that’s what you’re wondering, let’s explore why I’m grateful I did it and how that might relate to you and your experience.

1.  I needed a major challenge.

I had hit 7-figures in my second business, written a book, appeared on TV and was ready for the next level.  I thought I knew what the next level was and that the diamond program would bring me closer to it.  It turns out the next level was totally different than I thought it would be.  And I’m so grateful to have discovered it.

2.   I was ready to take full responsibility for my results.

I hired my first coach ten years ago when I still worked at a law firm.  I was so resistant to it.  Thought I was too smart for coaching. Thank God I got over that!  Had I not, I’d probably still be at that law firm wondering why I never made partner and blaming everyone else for it.

Since then, I’ve had many coaches and become a coach myself.  What I’ve noticed is that those new to coaching (including myself back in the day) have a tendency to be stuck in a victim/blame mentality.  What that means is that when things don’t go well or you don’t appear to be making progress, you’ll be tempted to blame your coach.  It’s a natural thought pattern if you haven’t done some serious work around personal responsibility.  And it’s the exact thing that will keep you stuck exactly where you are.

About half way through the year this year, I began to ask myself if I’d received my money’s worth from the diamond program.  It was a great awareness point for me.  I noticed how my mind wanted to find all the ways the program wasn’t worth it.  Victim/blame mentality was on the field.  It was the perfect opportunity for me to practice personal responsibility.  I got to consciously say to myself “Alexis, it’s half way through the year.  What do you need to do to ensure you don’t f*%! this up and waste the $100k you invested in this program.”

You see, when you make the investment in a $100k program, the coaching is a very small part of it.  You can hire an amazing coach for much, much, much less than $100k.  You make the investment in a $100k program because 1) you need to kick yourself in the ass and shake things up and that’s what it’s going to take for that to happen for you; 2) you want to play with other high level business people who are also taking full responsibility for themselves; and 3) you will make sure it’s worth it for you, no matter what.

So, at the end of the day, what was it that made it worth it for me?

Well, besides everything I wrote about here there are a few other benefits I received from my investment:

3.  I’m a natural voyeur and I learn best from watching others (not to mention, I simply love to watch).

Some of my biggest learnings came from watching behind the scenes as Ali made a major shift in her business and her life (those lessons will have to be a whole nother blog post).  In addition to getting to watch Ali’s big shift:

I got to watch Lisa Sasevich go from $130,000 per year to more than $2,000,000 this year without making a single change to her website. (Made me realize how much time/effort most of us waste on stuff that simply doesn’t matter in the grand scheme).

I got to watch JJ Virgin build an entire brand from scratch.

I got to watch Kendall Summerhawk double her business and launch a brand new certification program.  Plus, seeing how her and hubby Richard work together has been sweet.

I got to watch Sheri McConnell focus, say no, let go and step into her power and become a knock-out, red hot mama along the way. (Interestingly, several of us got HOT thanks to JJ’s coaching – I’m down below 125 lbs for the first time in 10 years, Lisa S. is smokin’ and even Mike Reese is looking pretty svelte).

And I got to watch each of Karen Knowler, the PRTakeOff girls, Mike Reese, Ciara Daykin and Michele DeKinder-Smith make HUGE leaps in their businesses.

Over the next several months, I’ll share with you the specifics of what I learned from watching.

4.  I discovered I no longer have something to prove.  The ego has been mostly annihilated.

This is a huge discovery.  Huge, huge, huge, huge.

It hit home for me when I was listening to Barbara Corcoran speak at #Shine.  She was my absolute favorite part of the whole event bar none.  A new hero for me.

Barbara talked about that she was driven to create her $5 billion company by fear and insult.  Her drive came from a deep desire to show her 3rd grade teacher she wasn’t stupid and her ex-boyfriend that she could be successful without him.

As she spoke I realized how much of my drive and ambition came from a very similar desire.  I graduated first in my class from Georgetown because I wanted to prove to the boys from 7th grade that I was smart.  And that this year in diamond has been a lot about letting go of this need to prove something.

I walked into our first diamond meeting armed with a Powerpoint presentation showing off everything I was working on and all I was going to accomplish over the year.  At meeting 2, I sat on a stool at the front of the room and cried for my entire presentation time.  And by meeting 3, I realized I’m no longer competitive.  I don’t care if I make the most money or become the most famous.  I just want to be with my kids and love my life.

Had you told me this would have happened when I signed up for diamond last year, I would have wanted to punch you in the face.  I was so attached to the idea of what I wanted and how it had to look.  And what I had to prove.  But it did and I’m so grateful.

Sure, I’d love to build a $5 billion company like Barbara Corcoran.  But, not with the same drive and push Barbara has.  If that’s what is required, I’m okay with not doing it.

5.  I’m a juicy, sexy woman and I want to stay that way and bring it into my business.

Barbara talked about her husband a little bit from the stage and mentioned that they rarely have sex and she doesn’t feel sexy.  I get it.  I’ve been there.  When I’m immersed in ambition and drive, I don’t feel sexy or want to have sex either.  All of my juice goes into my business.

Anne McKevitt, Ali’s mentor, told us from the stage that her doctors told her last year that she needed a pace maker.  She felt so hard to me from the stage. So masculine.

I’ve been there and done that.  Push, push, push.  I don’t want to build my business that way anymore.  I want to relax, let go, be a woman.

If I become a famous, multi-millionaire …  great.  If not, that’ll be okay too.  But, what’s not okay is for me to feel hard inside and cold and tough. I want to be soft, yielding, sexy and yummy.

6.  I trust.

Today, I trust deeply that everything that is meant to happen will and I can relax into it, allowing instead of forcing it.

My job is to get crystal clear about what I want, set my intention for that, take the next right indicated step, trust that I finally know exactly what I need to know (I’ve spent 10 years accumulating huge, expensive knowledge) or that I will receive the knowledge I need when I need it and finally, trust, trust, trust that when I need to act, I will.

Big revelations for me.  All things I’d heard and read about in the past and knew on the intellectual level.  Today, I embody them in a way I have not before.  I’ve let go of a major, long-held dream.  Something I’ve held tight to for the past several years.  And I’m in mourning for it.  But, also trusting that if it’s meant to be, it will be. It’s in God’s hands and I can let go.

Maybe if I share it with you, it will actually sink in and I can embody it instead of just know it’s true on an intellectual level.

Ok, so here it is.

I need to let go of control and trust more.

That’s all nice and easy to say, but let’s take a look at what that really means in my life and why it’s so hard to do.

Before we do, let me say this – I am going to do it. I am going to trust and let go. Starting now, in this moment. And it’s going to be okay if I have to start over in every moment because I forget.  I’m going to do it.

The alternative is too freakin’ painful. For you too, I bet. Maybe you’ve numbed yourself to the pain (I lived that way for a long, long time), but eventually you’ll feel it and when you do, you’ll have to learn to let go and trust.

Maybe this will help.

Thing I need to let go of & trust about #1:  My kids and screen time.

I am a single mom raising two kids and running multiple businesses from my home.  My kids love to watch TV and play video games.  I need to stop stressing out about the amount of screen time they get and let it be as it is, trusting that sending them to camp & spending an hour or two of focus time with them throughout the day is enough for most days with 6-7 hours each day on weekends and the occasional mid-week 3-4 hour focus.

It hurts me to even write that because there’s a part of me that doesn’t think that’s enough.  There’s a part of me (the part that wanted my mom to spend all her time with me, I guess) that believes I should be spending a whole lot more time playing games and reading to my kids.

But, it’s just not realistic at this time.  And I feel like crap about it though I hide it really well most of the time.  Or at least I think I do.

So, I’m going to accept what is and stop thinking it should be some other way.  I’m doing the best I can.  I love to work.  I love to be able to work here at home while my kids play with their friends, play on the computer and watch TV.

And I’m going to trust that it’s all okay.  My kids won’t grow up with mind-rot.  I watched a boatload of TV when I was a kid – Brady Bunch, Laverne & Shirley, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, Three’s Company, One Day at a Time, Dynasty, Love Boat.  These were the shows that taught me my values, such as they were.

I guess that’s what I don’t want.  I don’t want my kids raised by the television.

And now I can see that even when they get lots of screen time, it’s the teachable moments that I’m present for because I get to run my companies from home that are the important part.

I’m sure I’ll get some dissenting views, people who think I should be home with my kids and not running a business or earning money at all.  They are the outer representation of my inner critic, so of course they will be appear in reality until I’ve cleared the guilt/thoughts from my own consciousness.

It helped tonight when my mom told me it’s okay for my kids to watch tv or play on the computer.  Still need her validation, I guess.

Thing I need to let go of & trust about #2:  My TV show.

I know I’m supposed to have my own TV show or be a major player in a multi-personality show.  For the past couple years, I’ve been alternatively stressing and wondering if it will ever happen, taking action on things I believe will help it happen more quickly and/or deciding I don’t want no stinkin’ TV show anyway.  Sometimes all at once.

When I was in Maui, I decided I wasn’t going to stress about it anymore, but I wasn’t going to wait around either.

My life is far too instructive to not let you in so you can see what’s possible in your own life, no matter how crazy and chaotic things are sometimes.

So rather than wait for someone else to catch the vision, I decided to just begin.  And the Mommy Business Live TV series was born.  Since then, I’ve stopped stressing out about whether the tv show will ever happen off the internet.  It either will or it won’t, but my anxiety about it won’t make it happen any faster.

So, I’ve been happily taping activities in my daily life and sharing them with you.  I haven’t been able to get the very best stuff (like when my kids are freaking out and I’m dealing with it much differently than most people, I think) because during those times I’m too in the situation to whip out the camera.

Even without that though, I’ve gotten some pretty great stuff, I think.  Dave handling one of my moods in typical Dave fashion is my favorite so far.

In fact, I think I got some pretty great footage last week – took my kids with me to the training conference for my Personal Family Lawyers and then we stayed over for some vacation with Dave and his kids.  Lots of juice.  Kids on a business trip.  Behind the scenes of the conference I was hosting.  Dave’s kids and my kids.  Even a fishing trip during which my kids caught 8 whoppers!

Unfortunately, you may never see any of that footage because I left one of my Flip video cameras at the hotel and it’s possibly lost and my other Flip is freezing up.

I could spend the next couple of hours stressing out and trying to fix the frozen Flip or try to locate the lost one, but there’s far too much on my plate.  I need to let it go and trust that for some reason you aren’t supposed to see that footage.  I need to let it go and trust that not being able to record a video for you tonight was fine.  No, not fine … perfect.

And, in fact, it is because I’m writing this blog post instead and apparently writing is what is needed now.  How do I know that?  Because it’s what’s happening.

If I’m supposed to have a TV show on network TV, I will.  But no more stress about it.  At least not for tonight.

The truth is that it’s all happening.  I’ve been asked to do a live internet television show for moms.  I’ve met with a producer who loves the Mommy Business and wants to move it forward.  Trust and let go.

Thing I need to let go of & trust about #3:  My own time behind the screen.

I spend a lot of time in front of my computer.

I may have mentioned this before already (perhaps a few times) … I’m running two businesses from my home, one a multi-milion dollar business that’s transforming the way lawyers are with their clients and the other on track to possibly hit 7-figures this year.

Both of them pretty much start-ups and growing substantially each month.

Along with that comes a whole lot of stuff for me to do.  It’s just the way it is.

Let’s take a look at just this week:

1. I promoted and hosted a call teaching lawyers how to engage the prospects who call their office.
2. I’m in the middle of teaching a teleconference series to business owners on the  legal, insurance, financial and tax systems necessary to have a rock-solid foundation primed for growth.
3. I’m preparing for a huge, innovative launch dreamed up by me and Dave and recruiting affiliates for that campaign, which kicks off with an affiliate training call this Tuesday.
4. And, I’m giving a 90-minute presentation at the Los Angeles County Bar Association Small and Solo Firm Conference on how lawyers in small and solo firms can have it all and do it all.

It’s all happening and it’s all happening right now!   The truth is, I love it and it’s very unlikely that I’ll just be involved with one business, ever.  It’s not my nature.  I LOVE business.  I love starting new businesses and creating and planning and executing.  And I’m busy and it’s perfect.  When it’s not anymore, it’ll be different.

And because I’m doing so many things at once, not all of them are going to move as quickly as I’d like.  Which brings me to the 4th thing I need to let go of and trust about and will have to be the last thing for tonight because I can only make so much progress at a time.

Thing I need to let go of & trust about #4:  Who, Where, and When

I cannot control the who, where and when of anything even though I really really want to!  I can only control What and Why … and even then only somewhat.

I get to choose the what I do, be, have and the why that drives the what.  (And I’m only really choosing when I’m acting from a place of awareness instead of reacting, which isn’t even all the time yet.)

But, I cannot control who shows up, where or when they are ready.

And because I’m involved in so many things, I also need to cut myself slack on the “if only I worked harder at it” more people would show up front.  Tonight, I was a stressed out that our call is on Tuesday and many of the people I thought would sign up to be there haven’t yet and I don’t feel like I have time or energy to remind them again about the call.

I know it will be great for them, but I can’t control it.  I have to let go and trust that the right people will be there.

If you are reading this and you serve business owners and want to put money in your pocket this summer, get your message in front of tens of thousands by the end of July, bring more business in for your business over the long-term and cement your relationship with your list forever, you’ll be on Tuesday’s call even if I don’t do another thing.

The right people will show up so long as I’m putting my best possible effort into it … because it’s perfect.  So long as I continue moving forward in faith and taking inspired action, the Universe will reward me with everything I need.

I’ve come to accept I may not get everything I want when I want it, but I’ll always get what I need for my highest and best good.  All I have to do is do my best with the resources I have available in any given moment and keep moving forward guided by what deeply inspires me.  And let go of control and trust.

It’s now 11:00p at night (although only 8:00p to my body– which is still on Maui time) and despite running around like a mad woman all day taking care of my dog (who lost use of his back legs while I was gone) and my kids (my daughter had her first solo presentation at school and had no costume ready) and the fact that I’m totally exhausted, I’m compelled to document my awakenings and awarenesses from the trip.

The sooner I get it all down, the more likely it is that I will keep the promises I’ve made to myself.

Writing down your commitments (the more publicly the better too by the way) makes it far more likely that you will honor them and bring yourself infinitely closer to creating your life on your terms.

I was in Maui for the diamond mastermind meeting with my mentor Ali Brown.  It’s so interesting to look back at the post I wrote when I invested 6-figures to have Ali as my mentor and see how my thinking has grown and evolved and know that it will grow even more tremendously over the next 6 months.

Playing in a Mastermind at this level is absolutely transformative and what’s completely mind blowing to me is that rather than it pulling me into a whole new level of busyness and work, it’s bringing me to a place of almost stillness.  Absolutely mind blowing.

Ok, so stillness may be going a bit too far.    But, definitely a massive shift from the “it’s all dependent on me and I have to do all of it” mentality into an “I can’t do it all and why the heck would I want to anyway?” mindset.

Big shift and one that I’d embraced mentally for the past couple of years, but wasn’t truly embodying.

Okay, maybe now I realize that’s not true either.

Over the past several years, as I’ve been building my businesses, I’ve become very good at admitting I can’t do it all … at home.  I’ve gotten very good at delegating there (I haven’t cooked a meal in years and yet we always have family dinner together) whereas in my business I’m still hanging on to too many things that don’t really need me.  Things that I now realize are taking away from my family and what I really love.

This week in Maui I confronted an old demon of mine (my experience as a mother) and discovered what I’ve known all along but couldn’t allow to happen because my businesses were not ready … I really, really, really want to be a hands-on mom.

Not a full time stay at home mom. But a business owning, money-making, empire building hands -on mom.

I want to be the one to pass on values to my kids.  I want to be the one who teaches them how to be in the world.  I want to be the one to guide them towards their passions in life.

The only way to do this is to spend a whole lot more focused one on one time with them.

So, that means I need to work less hours.  The fact of the matter is there’s only so many hours in the day and I’ve got a lot of vision that wants to be created and brought into being.

I’ve finally realized that the way for me to work less (thereby having more time for my family while still being the visionary in my business) is to become the leader; not the manager and not the doer.

It’s time for me to embody this, not just know it to be true.

Looking back at what I wrote 6 months ago when I joined Ali’s diamond mastermind, I can see some interesting things:

1.  Now I REALLY Need to Give Up My Private Email.  This time, I have a plan that will work, I think.

6 months ago, I tried to give up my email utilizing the Tim Ferris Four Hour Work Week method, but that completely failed for me.  For a while I beat myself up, but then I worked through it and discovered that Tim and I are very different and what works for him and his relationship with his customers, won’t work for me and mine.  I needed to create a personalized system using the same concepts, but fitting my personality, character and way of being.  I’ll share my system with you and how you can create your own once I get it fully implemented and tested in my life.

2.  Still not a mommy blogger.

While I do write the intrepid mompreneur blog and I am a mommy, I’m still not a mommy blogger.  I’m a Mommy Business Blogger.  I’d have to say the biggest difference is that I have no qualms whatsoever about earning a fabulous amount of money from the work I do at home while I raise my kids.  The mommy blogger crowd seems to be a wee bit (or more) concerned about ruining their personal brand by actually making money.

For me, having it all means raising my kids as a hands-on mom while running a business from home and making oodles of money, loving what I do and changing the world. A Mommy Business Blogger!

3.  Twitter

My whole philosophy about Twitter has changed.  I don’t feel chained to it at all.  And because I’ve set up groups using Tweetdeck and can keep an eye on the streams of people who uplift me, I love, love, love that I can pop in when I can, connect with the peeps who want to connect with me, ask for support when I need it, give support when I can and I don’t have to feel any sort of obligation to do it or like I’m missing something if I don’t do it.

Oh, and by the way, if you are on Twitter, you may want to check out some hashtags I’ve started.  #mommybiz is for when I’m writing about and talking about Mommy Business type things and #values is for when I’m struggling with how to handle something with the kids.  If you love my spirituality, you’ll love my #agape tweets live from the Agape Int’l Spiritual Center on Sundays too.

I could go on and on about these little things, but the real big shift is that I am going to be way more hands-on with my kids than I have been up until now.

It feels so funny to say that out loud because I feel as if I have been incredibly hands on for a working mom.

But I can no longer deny that my kids need more than “hands-on for a working mom.”  My kids need 3-5 hours a day of my time, consistently and fairly focused.  Wowzer!  That’s a lot of time for someone who works like I do and supports her family and has 10 people counting on her for a paycheck.

Ok, let’s see how we can make this a reality.

I’ve spent hours wondering how it is that other moms can sit in front of their computers 12-14 hours a day and their kids seem to be able to stay with nannies, do okay in school, etc., and why it doesn’t seem to be working for us.  I’ve spent days wondering how I could make sure my kids needs would be met by someone else.

Finally, finally, finally, I’ve realized that I’m not really having it all if I’m not spending a significant enough amount of time every day with my kids to really feel like I am raising them to be the kind of people I want to hang out with.

I’ve been leading my businesses for the last 6 years and thanks to the work I put in, the learning I put in, the investment of time, money and tremendous effort, I can now turn more over to my amazing business teams and relax into the role of being a hands-on mom.

As I allow myself to sink into the possibility, I begin to discover that it’s what I’ve been working for all along.  I’ve been working so freakin’ hard so I could spend more time with my kids right now at this moment when they need more of me the absolute most.

I’m reminded that it’s all perfect and that source, the Universe, God, spirit (insert your term for it here) has a divine plan for my life.

So, with that very long introduction, I want to welcome you behind the scenes into my life running a mommy business and raising kids all at the same time and  in the same place … my home.

Through this video blog series I’m launching right away, you’ll get to see what it’s like to lead a business and a family at the same time.  I can promise you this – it’s not always pretty, but it’s almost always at least entertaining and I believe you’ll find it enlightening as you enter a whole new world where you really can create life on your terms.

PS – if you are wondering what happened to my big 40 days commitments, I’m no longer attending the daily meditations and I fell quite a bit off the eating wagon in Maui.  I’m not beating myself up for it in anyway shape or form though.  I’m so aware of the perfection of it.  It was exactly what I needed to prepare me for Maui so that I could be available to what it held for me.   WOOHOO!

Photo courtesey of rhettmaxwell

Through her solo-practice law firm, Latoicha assists other “digital moms,” entrepreneurs and online business owners in the area of intellectual property–which includes trademarks, copyrights, licensing and new media.

And since the start of her firm in 2004, Latoicha has earned a comfortable $80,000 a year without sacrificing the flexibility and availability necessary for her husband and two small children (which can be a rare concept in the legal world).

Yet she would be lying if she didn’t say that her wonderful husband hasn’t been an instrumental part of pursing her dreams. According to Latoicha, “My husband supports me 100% at home. He takes up the slack financially and emotionally when I am struggling in these areas”.

And when she’s not working or hanging with her family, Latoicha also runs a Luxe Tips, a beauty blog featuring tips and hot products that won’t break the bank (which I admit had me glued for a good 20 minutes).

So what’s Latoicha’s final tip for other moms that want to “Have it All” but aren’t sure how to do it?

“Ask for help when you need it. Having it all can be stressful so make sure you have support chain to assist you when you need it”.

And of course, I agree wholeheartedly with that statement!

So congrats Latoicha on your efforts and for striking a balance in an otherwise stressful and demanding field.

*Please see the responses below for Latoicha’s complete answers to my interview questions.

1. Your Full Name: Latoicha Phillips Givens

2. Please Describe Your Business or Businesses: My business is a solo-practice law firm.  My practice area includes intellectual property, specifically trademarks, copyrights, licensing and new media.

3. What Are the Gross Revenues From All Your Businesses? The Gross Revenue from my business is $80K per year.

4. Number of Kids and Their Ages? My kids ages are: 4 years old and 1 year old.

5. When Did You Start Your Business(es)? I started my business in 2004.

6. What Does Having It All Mean to You? Having it all means that I am able to pursue my professional interests while also being available for my children and husband.  It means having flexibility.

7. What Kind of Support Do You Have At Home? My husband supports me 100% at home.  He takes up the slack financially and emotionally when I am struggling in these areas.

8. What Kind of Support Do You Have At the Office? Right now, I am pretty much a one woman show at the office. However, when I need assistance, especially when working on a big client matter, I will hire an hourly assistant.

9. What is your #1 tip for other moms who want to have it all, but can’t figure out how to do it? My number one tip for moms who want to have it all is: ask for help when you need it.  Having it all can be stressful, so make sure you have a support chain to assist you when you need it!

In this business, Alison focuses on recipe development for food magazines, food companies and public relations firms.

She is also a television cook and runs a daily food blog featuring family-friendly and healthy recipes that everyone can enjoy.

Yet while her business brings in a healthy $50,000 a year, it also provides “health and happiness for my immediate friends and family” and “financial freedom and success for my business,” according to Alison.

And Alison’s best tip for other moms that want to have it all? “Organization, great time management and a passion for your business and your family”

I couldn’t agree more! Congratulations Alison for the massive success you’ve experienced doing what you love.

For the full responses to Alison’s questions, please continue reading below.

1 Your Full Name: Alison Lewis

2. Please Describe Your Business or Businesses:

Ingredients, Inc. This is my 6 year old business which is a Food Consulting company which focuses on Recipe Development for food magazines, food companies and public relations firms. I also am a Television Cook and write a daily food blog http://www.ingredientsinc.net featuring family-friendly, healthy recipes. I am the writer, recipe developer, photographer, food and prop stylist for the blog.

3. What Are the Gross Revenues From All Your Businesses ?
$50,000 and growing.

4. Number of Kids and Their Ages?
3 children- 8, 10, 11 boy, girl, boy

5. When Did You Start Your Business(es)?
6 years ago

6. What Does Having It All Mean to You?
a) Health and happiness for my immediate family and friends
b) Financial freedom and success for my business

7. What Kind of Support Do You Have At Home? A helpful husband

8. What Kind of Support Do You Have At the Office? Occasional help with recipe testing and food styling

9. What is your #1 tip for other moms who want to have it all, but can’t figure out how to do it?
Organization, great time management and a passion for your business and your family.

For those unfamiliar with Edie’s current business, Millionaire Moms Inc. is actually social media consulting firm dedicated to helping moms grow their businesses online
.
And who better to teach moms on this topic than Edie, as she learned how to leverage and grow her direct sales business through social media before social media was even cool!

But going back to the start of her entrepreneurial journey, Edie was actually a nurse that got started in the direct sales industry when she decided to stay home and raise her kids (now ages 5 and 7). Now mind you, the notion of blogging and social media was still evolving in 2003, but Edie managed to build a large direct sales business entirely online—to the point that she belonged to the top 2.5% of her company’s leadership.

Yet, Edie didn’t stop there. Realizing social media was such a powerful tool that other moms could learn and utilize from the comfort of their own home, she then decided to start her social media consulting firm in 2009 to personally teach WAHM’s how to duplicate her tremendous success.

And within just a few short months of starting Millionaire Moms Inc., Edie now has a waiting list of clients looking to take advantage of her coaching and virtual networking skills.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to duplicate Edie’s success? In 2008 while just “dabbling” in direct sales (and simultaneously laying the foundation for her new consulting business), Edie managed to bring in an additional $55,000 to her household! That’s more than some of the teachers or local professionals I know that are literally slaves to their full-time jobs!

But beyond the issue of steady income, Edie sees her business ventures and the notion of “having it all” from a different perspective. She says:

“For me, it’s the ability to show my children that you can have a balanced family life while still pursuing your dreams. I do make sacrifices to grow my business, but I put first things first! Family is first always. Does that mean that I will make every soccer game or class party? Probably not! But I DO know that I will never miss something TRULY significant in their lives because of being tied to a job that I despise. Having it all isn’t always about how much money you generate. Sometimes it is about the opportunities you have to make a life while you’re making a living.”

She also credits much of her success to a very supportive husband, extended family and mentors from the Greater Houston chapter of eWomen Network. This network has literally inspired her to stay focused, get organized and keep reaching out for new levels in her business.

Finally, Edie does have one free and INVALUABLE tip for moms looking to “have it all,” which is: “Decide what you stand for and NEVER waiver. No amount of income is worth compromising your integrity. “

I couldn’t agree more.

Congratulations Edie and good luck with your new venture!

1. Your Full Name: Edie McRae

2. Please Describe Your Business or Businesses: I am a nurse turned WAHM who spent close to 6 years in the direct sales industry. I build a large business entirely online and belonged to the top 2.5% of the entire company’s leadership. After utilizing social media tools to build that business successfully, I decided to take a different path. I chose to step out on my own and help other women apply the power of online networking to their businesses. Millionaire Moms Inc™ is my Social Media Consulting firm.

3. What Are the Gross Revenues From All Your Businesses: Last year just over $55,000 (but was still in Direct Sales) However, with Web 2.0 tools becoming more mainstream, the growth of my business is explosive! I literally have a waiting list . ?

4. Number of Kids and Their Ages: Two Children, ages 7 and 5…both boys!

5. When Did You Start Your Business(es): I launched Millionaire Moms Inc™ in January 2009, but have been marketing online since 2003.

6. What Does Having It All Mean to You? For me, it’s the ability to show my children that you can have a balanced family life while still pursuing your dreams. I do make sacrifices to grow my business, but I put first things first! Family is first always. Does that mean that I will make every soccer game or class party? Probably not! But I DO know that I will never miss something TRULY significant in their lives because of being tied to a job that I despise. Having it all isn’t always about how much money you generate. Sometimes it is about the opportunities you have to make a life while you’re making a living.

7. What Kind of Support Do You Have At Home? I am married to the BEST man in the world. He knew that I could do this long before I did. I’m so blessed to have a spouse who loves me and supports me in all my endeavors. He even helps pick up the slack because sometimes I just can’t do it all. That’s where a great support network comes in to play. I also have a phenomenal extended family who cheers me on to success.

8. What Kind of Support Do You Have At the Office? Since I’m in a “virtual” business, I office out of my home. However, I’ve been fortunate to develop an entire network of femtors (female mentors) through the Greater Houston chapter of eWomen Network. They give new meaning to the phrase, “Roots and Wings”. The women of that group truly helped me to determine what I wanted to be when I grew up. They have been amazing sounding boards, cheerleaders and inspiration!

9. What is your #1 tip for other moms who want to have it all, but can’t figure out how to do it. Decide what you stand for and NEVER waiver. No amount of income is worth compromising your integrity.

The good news is I also heard from several moms who are having it all and doing it all and I’m super excited to begin sharing them with you starting next week.

In the meantime though, I want to address the misunderstanding most people have about what I’ll call the “having it all myth.”

Having it all does NOT mean there aren’t any challenges.  Far from it.  Having it all means having it ALL.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

To truly begin having it all, begin to welcome the challenges, welcome what appears to be the bad, welcome the ugly.  See these challenges as opportunities for awareness and growth.  There’s no better way to step into the greatness of life than to transform your biggest roadblocks into your clearest pathway.  To do this, takes welcoming and allowing of ALL that is happening.

Because if you are waiting to have it all until everything in your life is flowing smoothly without anything going wrong, having it all will remain a myth for you.

Let me share a concrete example from my own life recently.

This week, I woke up, sat down in front of my computer and got the big blue screen.  That day, I was scheduled to launch a new program for the lawyers I coach, to host a call for the members of my coaching programs on book publishing and had a few other conference calls scheduled.

I did NOT have time to deal with the blue screen.  And my assistant had the day off.  A perfect storm.

But, the blue screen showed up, so I had a choice – accept it and deal with it or resist it and rail against it.  That’s the difference between having it all and not.  I chose to have it all, accept it and not let it hold me back.

Long story short, I dug out an old computer I had here, worked on it for the day, launched our program, did my calls, and in between all of it got on the phone with Lenovo and ultimately, it all worked out.

The point of all this is, &%!@ happens.  Even when you are having it all.  Embrace it, welcome it, don’t resist it.  The pain is in the resistance.  Surrender and let go.  Watch your life unfold.