I recently ended a very important relationship in exactly the wrong way. Because of fear.

Fear of being hurt. Fear that something would be taken from me. Fear of the unknown.

The experience showed me everything about myself I didn’t want to see.

Brought me to my knees.

I didn’t know what was real. What was truth. What was not.  I do now.  Love is real.

Just not the way I thought.

It’s what you give.  Period.  Love, sweet love.

Thank you Universe for showing me the way.  My prayers were answered.

With love.

Several months ago, I heard Marianne Williamson speak at an event.

I asked her about the idea of combining spirituality with the business side of business.  The legal, insurance, financial and tax parts of business.

Her response was “Do Your Work.”

At the time, I thought she meant that I needed to re-immerse myself in my own spiritual practice.

Looking back now with the benefit of all that has happened since then I realize that the work she was talking about was not what I thought at all.

It wasn’t about more meditation.

The “work” I had to do was my work, the work of LIFT (my signature system for getting the business of your business on a solid foundation) in my own life and business.

I had to start looking at what I wasn’t looking at.  My messy books.  My lack of legal agreements.  Having no business insurance.  Unclear job descriptions.

Little did I know at the time that looking at those things would or could be a spiritual practice.  That doing my own work on my own business would bring up all my old patterns and fears.  It would show me what I really believed, underneath all the words, thoughts and actions.

And it would starkly show me where I wasn’t being true.

As I created my LIFT Foundation System and began to take the steps to do the LIFT work in my own business, a major shift began to happen.

I began to see what I hadn’t been seeing.  I saw exactly why I had given up on the dream and it wasn’t at all what I thought.

I began to see where I was holding back (and holding on too tightly) because of the fear that I didn’t really have what it took.  And I saw that when it came to the business parts of my business (the LIFT parts), I didn’t.

Sure, I had a great business from the outside.  It made lots of money and helped a lot of people.  But peek behind the curtain and there were a lot of shadows.  Drama.  Tears.  A company culture I wasn’t proud of.

As I’ve done my own work on my own business, the dream I had once let go of has been re-ignited and along with it the resources to make it a reality.

Just this week, I brought a CEO into my company.

I chose him as opposed to others I spoke with because he is committed to creating a company culture based on congruence, open communication, and community.  All things I stand for and believe in, but wasn’t really living in my own business.

I didn’t know how.  I was taught to manage and lead from the example of the law firm partners I grew up under.  Poor role models to say the least.

But, I didn’t know any other way to be.  The patterned behavior so ingrained.

It took a commitment to LIFT my business and do my own work on myself and my business to see the truth of what was needed and to admit that it was beyond my own capacity to bring forth.

Hitch will run the day to day operations of the company, lead the team,  carry out the initiatives and cultivate the company culture.

That means I’ll get to do what I do best – dream, create, innovate.  Appear in the media.  Write books.  Teach.  And not spend so much time on the business part of my business – the parts that do not bring me energy and joy.

But, here’s the big secret that so many of us miss.

Before I could attract this level of help, I had to admit I needed it.  I had to face and do those things I didn’t want to look at and didn’t want to do – the LIFT things.

I had to be willing to get the basics in place so he could see I was serious about this business.  And once I became willing to do my own work, it made space for him to show up.

The process we went through to document the agreement governing our relationship alone was eye-opening.  Our line by line open-hearted discussion of the agreement told me he was the right one.

Someone of his caliber, experience and possibility never would have been attracted to come on-board if my books hadn’t been ready, if I hadn’t had a semblance of foundation in place.  My personal expenses completely separate from the business.  My three businesses all with their own entities, balance sheets, bank accounts, and projections.

I wonder … does this apply to you as well?

Not the part about LIFT.  I KNOW that does. You NEED to face the business of your business from a place of empowerment, not fear, head on. (And I can help you do it and make it a whole lot easier.)

I mean the part about needing to do your own work on yourself?  Do you want to help others, but find yourself not serving at the level you wish you were?  It could be because you need to help yourself first.

Maybe you are a marketing consultant/coach without a clear marketing plan.  Or perhaps you are a communications expert with a fuzzy message.  Or a spiritual teacher without a personal practice.

Do your work on yourself and watch what happens.

Tomorrow, we will pull out of Hermosa Beach and head toward the Rockies with two U-Hauls, 5 adults (including my ex-husband and my boyfriend), 2 kids, a dog, 3 cats, a snake and a turtle.

Thank God I’ve got two years of Burning Man under my belt as practice.

I’m quite surprised about how shaken up I am by this whole move.  Although everyone I talk to says it’s totally normal and I know it is, I’m still surprised.

The move is bringing me the opportunity to confront all the  pieces of myself that I don’t love and adore.  And most importantly, to see them.

There’s so much that we hide from ourselves.  And it all comes up during any period of transition and transformation.

What’s coming up for me now is the awareness that I am deeply motivated by the desire to have a certain community of people around me.

I moved to a Hermosa Beach walkstreet because I wanted to raise my kids in community.  I wanted to live somewhere in which the kids could run back and forth to their friends’ houses without constant adult supervision.  An open door policy in which my neighbor’s kids would become as comfortable with me as my own kids and my kids would look to the neighbors as second parents.

When I first moved to Hermosa, I lived on 17th street, one of the walkstreets where community is facilitated by no cars driving on the street in front of the houses.

There were two families on the street that had been there for more than 50 years.  The adults living there now had all grown up as kids on the street (and in the houses) where they were now raising their own kids.

Over the years, those friends had turned into each other’s  family.

It’s always been what I wanted.  A family by choice.  An extended group of people who become family, are  committed to supporting each other and working together for the benefit of the whole.  Each person contributing his and her highest gifts to the community and relaxing into the awareness that her or she is part of a greater village working toward a common vision.

Raising kids, cooking meals, relaxing, and growing together.  People who share my values.  That I want my kids to be guided by and learning from.

When I really look at why I am moving to Colorado, I’m heading off in search of that village.

My mind begins to wonder why I didn’t create it here and what will be different there.

There are three families on my street, all of whom have kids Kaia and Noah’s age, all of whom go to the private school Kaia and Noah used to go to.

On the surface, the village I’m looking for is right here.

But, we don’t seem to fit with these families.

They are nice enough, but I don’t see them ever feeling like real I’ve got your back no matter what family.  They aren’t people I could practice Radical Honesty with or talk about evolution of the spirit and truth and awareness with.  They seem to like living behind the veil. Or at least, it’s all they know and they seem happy enough to keep it on.

I’m ready to pull off the veil.  And so I’m leaving.

My mind says I’m crazy.  I should make it work here.  If I can’t make it work here, I won’t make it work anywhere.  It’s the same everywhere.  Wherever you go, there you are.  Stick it out.  Push through.

But, then I remember back to being at the big law firm.

I had many of these same thoughts then.  You are crazy to think about leaving.  People would kill for that job. Are you insane?  Make it work.  If you can’t make it work here, you won’t make it work anywhere.  This is just what life is like.  Wherever you go, there you are.  Stick it out.  Push through.

The exact same thoughts.  A pattern.  Conditioning.  Had I listened to them, I’d still be there, unhappy, wondering what’s wrong with me.  But, hanging in.

As soon as I left the big law firm, I found a freedom unlike anything I had ever experienced before.  I didn’t run out of money.  I didn’t die.  Instead, I was free.

That freedom led to where I am today.  I can pick up and move to a completely different State.  I don’t have to worry about finding a new job. I don’t have to worry about taking vacation time to pack and move.  I don’t have to worry that I won’t be able to make a living where I am going.

The only restriction on me today is my mind.  It sometimes still wants to hold me back, keep me safe, convince me that if only I changed, I would find out that what I’m looking for has been here all along.

But, here’s what I know.  Something is pulling me to Colorado.

It’s something as big as the freedom that came through when I left my paycheck and started my own business.  It’s something as big as the freedom that showed up when I left my husband and re-discovered the freedom of being a woman again.

I have a feeling it’s that I will finally find the community I’ve been looking for.  The community that becomes family.  The community that sees me exactly as I am, recognizes me and says yes, you are one of ours.   We’ve been waiting for you.

Image courtesy of Flickr

I’ve never fit in.

I can remember all the way back to Kindergarten wondering why the other little girls didn’t like me?  Why I couldn’t seem to get along with the other kids.

I wanted to.  I just couldn’t seem to figure out the right things to say at the right times.

This awareness that I wasn’t like everyone else followed me throughout my life.  In high school, it was a big problem.  A painful problem.  One I dealt with by turning to the kids who I thought would accept me no matter what – the ones on the corner smoking cigarettes before and after school.   My parents loved that, let me tell you.

In college, it seemed to abate for a while and I even joined a sorority (something I said I would never, ever, ever in a million years do), but of course it was the sorority for the girls who didn’t fit in.  I actually had the chance to join the popular pretty girl sorority, but made the choice to go where I’d feel more comfortable.

In law school, I dealt with not fitting in by studying constantly. That was good because it resulted in me graduating first in my class, which opened up every possible door for me for the rest of my life.  And then I went to the big law firm, where once again I didn’t fit in.

I was a 26-year old wife and mom.  It was one of the loneliest times of my life.  I remember sitting on the beach with my baby looking longingly at the other moms with their babies hanging out together.  I didn’t have any friends with babies. I couldn’t figure out how to make friends with the other moms.

Eventually, I figured it out.  I’m different than most people.  I’ve finally stopped asking why and accepted it.  I stopped only wanting to be friends with people who don’t want to be friends with me (the “in” crowd) and started appreciating the people who seem to be attracted to me (“misfits”).

And once I figured that all out, I began to have this desire for fame on a big level.  Because I wanted to make a difference (or so I thought).

So I began to make myself into someone who could appear on TV.  It turns out, I’m one of those people who actually looks better on TV than in real life, so this was not so difficult for me to do.

I did quite a bit of television in a relatively short period of time.  Then, I started to pitch television shows to the networks and got really close to having one picked up by the new Oprah Winfrey Network.  That was really exciting.  Until it didn’t happen.

Then I began thinking about a reality show.  (And let me tell you, it would have been a good one with all the craziness that has happened here at my house over the last 18 months.)

Fortunately, before I could ruin my life by letting cameras follow me around all the time, I became aware that the whole pursuit of fame was feeding something not particularly healthy in me.  I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but I knew it didn’t feel good.

It started to become clear when I did all of the Michael Jackson coverage.  I began to see I wasn’t really making a difference in the world and helping people with the media I was doing.  I was spreading rumors and gossip.  Sure, it was public and not behind anyone’s back, but was it really any less insidious?

I put it out of my mind because I liked getting all dressed up and putting on makeup and getting picked up by a car service and feeling special.  So I kept doing it.

A couple of weeks ago though, I was on Nancy Grace talking about Tiger Woods and it was the last straw.  I cannot do it anymore.

I took 2.5 hours out of my day to get my hair done, get driven down to CNN on Sunset and get my makeup done and then sit in a chair for an hour watching Nancy run the same clip of one of Tiger’s girlfriends saying she was sorry if she hurt anyone over and over and over again at each break.   I was on for less than 2 minutes with half of that time Nancy asking me inane questions I  like “When did he [Tiger Woods] have time to be with all those women with two children?”

How was this a good use of my time?

I searched for anything I could hang my hat on that would indicate my appearance on the show made a shred of positive impact in the world.  No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find anything.  And I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t really there to make a difference in the world, I was there to be noticed, recognized, and fit in.  Just like the article said.

I refuse to allow my life to be run by that anymore.

So I’m taking a stand.  For now on, I will not do any television unless I’m totally clear that I’m doing it because it will help to lift viewers to a new level of awareness.  I will not contribute to the inane dialogue, gossip and drama that is being perpetuated with most of today’s television programming.

Part of the reason I think I’m moving to Colorado is so I won’t be tempted.  Because believe me, every fiber of my being is screaming out that I’m making a mistake, that I’m meant to be on TV.

I do believe I’ve been given a gift of looking great on camera, being able to convey a message quickly, and think on my feet.  And I do not want to waste or deny that gift.  But, it will need to be utilized in some way that does not make me feel dirty afterward and that is driven by my highest level desires to make a real difference in the world and raise people to a new level of awareness.

So bye-bye Nancy Grace.  Please don’t call again.  I’m not available.

Photo courtesy of AP

I believe my blog readers are the most intelligent, creative and business-savvy people on the web.

For that reason, I’m asking you to help me make an “executive decision” and choose a logo for my latest venture—LIFT.

• LIFT stands for Legal, Insurance, Financial and Tax. And the LIFT program will help micro business owners get excited about building their business with a LIFT Foundation.

• Millions of small business owners each year lose money or face serious setbacks in their businesses because of lawsuits, conflicts, audits, bookkeeping issues, unnecessary tax bills and having the wrong type and amount of insurance in place.

• Lack of knowledge about these issues personally cost me nearly $750,000.  Combine that with my law school and undergraduate education and I’ve got a million dollar education to share with you about these topics.

I’m really excited about the launch of LIFT, but of course I can go no further until this logo is chosen.

So here are your choices below (double- click on the image to enlarge it if you’re having a hard time viewing the designs):

Please leave me a comment letting me know your preferred font choice (each column has it’s own font) as well as your preferred color scheme (each row has it’s own color). Also, and this is very important, please let me know whether you are a current business owner or an aspiring business owner. And, of course, if you have any other thoughts/feelings, please let me know that too.

Based on your feedback I’ll make my final decision!  Thank you so much in advance.  I can’t wait to hear what you think.

My honey is waiting for me to come to bed, but I wanted to let you know that I shared some of the learnings I gained on my last Play a Bigger Game NOW call.

When you subscribe to my Facebook fan page (wish it was called something else), you get those calls each month for free and can get access to the archived calls as well.

So, jump on over to my page, click the “become a fan” button and then go check your updates tab for the deets on how to access the calls.

If you already are a fan, go check out your updates tab now.  The info on how to get the recordings and listen in on future calls is there.

I’ll have some photos posted soon, but for now on the fan page you can see one with me and my partners in fun, my private coaching client and very close friend Max Simon and one of his clients and now another great friend, Aaron Ross.

When our RV broke down on the way to Burning Man we had to use all of our manifestation skills to make it to the event by Monday.  And we did it!  You’ll absolutely want to hear how because what we did can be used anytime you confront a massive roadblock in your life or your business.

It really works whether you are trying to get to Burning Man or trying to build a million dollar company or trying to get your kids to do what you want them to do.  I share the specifics on my Play a Bigger Game call, get it on the fan page.

PS – while everyone else’s kids are back to school, mine are not.  Yep, we are officially homeschooling.   And maybe even unschooling.  The whole things is quite scary, but I’m being afraid and doing it anyway.  I hope you are doing that in your life a few places too.  It’s where the growth happens.  Ciao for now.

PPS – one lesson I didn’t talk about on the Play a Bigger Game Now call this month, but I will next month is that Burning Man teaches you how to be radically okay with whoever you are and however you show up in the world.  When you can really do this, life becomes truly exciting and joyful.

I’ve already got a couple of businesses though and knew I couldn’t invest the time and energy necessary to give this one what it would need.

I set the intention to find someone I could build it with and shortly afterward thought I found just the right person in the mastermind group I had begun to participate in.  But, as we began to move forward she discovered a renewed commitment to her own business and handed the project back to me.

Rather than taking the whole thing on myself, I let it go once again, trusting that when the time was right it would happen.   (BTW, that’s generally a difficult thing for me to do – when I catch a vision and it sticks, I have a strong drive to move forward on it, which is how I end up doing so many things – but, I began to exercise patience, restraint and, yes, trust.)

It looks like the time might be right now.  IF 10 or so moms can come together to truly build something extraordinary based on a radically new business model of trust, common values, and without ego.

Over the past few months, I’ve found myself connecting with a community of mompreneurs who are each individually committed to serving moms in business.  A couple of these moms are already doing that in their own primary businesses.  A few are doing it in the way I am here, when they can fit it in amongst their other primary business activities.  A few want to serve moms in business, but haven’t figured out how it fits in with everything else they are doing.

We’ve gotten on the phone twice now to birth the beginnings of something that has the power to be transformational for mommy business™ owners throughout the world, if we can move beyond our own egoic desires for recognition and validation.  And when I talk about “we”, that by all means includes me.

As moms of young children and business owners, we are pulled in so many directions.  To even think about building something that will impact the world on the level I’m visioning will require full cooperation and using our greatest tools for working together.

It will give each of us real life opportunity to show up as the embodiment of our highest selves.  What does that look like when real life restrictions of time and money are present and we are coming together to build a business that creates real change and is far greater than any one of us individually?

I look forward to finding out!

The ultimate mommy business™ we birth is one in which all owners of the business will be equal.

Conflicts will be worked out with open communication.  Additional c0-business owners will be added only upon 100% consensus of everyone involved.  Participation is and always will be 100% voluntary  – our governing agreement will have clear provisions about what contribution looks like and clear “out” provisions for those who are not able to continue to contribute.

Some will contribute money.  Others time.  Each of us, our deepest gifts.

Is it really possible?  I believe so.  I’m holding the space and the vision.  And I say yes!

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

I also know how difficult it is for most people to put in place systems. I know it because it’s incredibly difficult for ME!

So to make it even EASIER for moms to get proactive about building systems for the success of their own families and their own businesses, I have partnered with Maria Bailey of Mom Talk Radio and Katja Presnal of Skimbaco Lifestyle to give every mom attending Moms Night Out a Certificate for a Family Wealth Planning Session worth $750 as part of the (already amazing) Moms Night Night Out Swag.

Why am I doing this?

Well number one, I care about the success of your family and your business.

I have made very costly mistakes over the past few years in my own business and life—including losing part of my business to my ex-husband during our divorce, incorporating too late to totally protect my personal assets, not having my books in order for a tax audit and paying out of pocket for a lawsuit that insurance would have covered had I had the right type of insurance in place. All this even though I’m a lawyer!

What these experiences have taught me is that it’s critically important to have a trusted advisor who can guide you through every life stage and from the very beginning of your business.

But, I also know that most people (including me!) feel as if they can’t afford that level of care. It’s my mission to let you know that’s not true! In fact, proactive guidance is far less expensive than the cost of waiting until its too late and being reactive to the things that will come up as you raise kids and run businesses.

So if just ONE mom avoids some of the costly mistakes that I have made by developing a proactive lifetime relationship with a Personal Family Lawyer®, it will all be worth it to me.

And number two, I want to celebrate you as a mother, business owner and someone that can truly have it all with the right guidance and vision of what’s possible.

I can think of no greater gift than helping a mompreneur make smart decisions about her business or an aspiring mompreneur start out her business on a winning track—or even help a mother ensure that her opinions about how her kids are raised (you have opinions about that, right?) are known and heard, no matter what!

So if you happen to attend the National Moms Nite Out events in New York City, Phoenix, AZ, Carlsbad, CA, Pasadena, CA, Houston, TX and Plano, TX, keep your eyes open for our $750 Family Wealth Planning Session certificate. It will uplevel your life and your business!

PS – if you are a mompreneur and you have any questions about building a rock solid legal foundation, putting in place the right insurance protections, setting up financial systems or tax strategies that will save you money, listen in on this audio program I recorded recently.

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
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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.