2014 Year in Review and 2015 New Year Message From the CEO

 As I sit back and reflect on the many amazing things that happened over the last year, I am truly amazed. One year seems so short until you really look at all that you have accomplished in that amount of time. It has truly been a year of ups and downs, but each down has truly been a blessing and has at times stretched me beyond what I thought I could take. But I am still ticking, life has certainly moved forward beautifully and one thing I know for sure, if you don’t stretch outside of your comfort zone, it is impossible to grow. And boy have I grown… personally, professionally, spiritually, academically, and all the other –ally words you can think of.

2014… Wow – The blessings

Almost 10 years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would travel each year to a foreign country. I have yet to break that promise and must give thanks to Gerald Smith, my daughter’s father, for making me get that passport back in 2004. He opened my eyes to living outside of the box and showed me a world much bigger than Atlanta, GA!

This year on the tenth anniversary of my promise, I decided to introduce my 15 year old daughter. I took her on a 3 week trip to Europe where we explored Germany, Switzerland and France! I hope her eyes and world are wide open and she realizes that there are no limits in life, just hard work and a strong desire to just do it!

Creamy Red Delight Smoothie

 

I, along with everyone I know, have jumped on the green smoothie train and have become really interested in finding a natural way to increase my libido, get beautiful radiant skin, purify my blood, maintain my blood pressure, feel more relaxed, yet have more energy.  Through my research, I have found an amazing super food that is readily available year round in your local supermarket...BEETS!!  I know. I know.  Nobody likes beets, right?  Well, let me tell you why you should start liking them.

Satya Nadella’s Advice on Raises Stirs Wider Discussion Among Women

Alexis Fritzsche, a member of Levo League, an online network

for professional women, says Satya Nadella's comments have inspired

women to ask for raises. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times        

“The conversation around salary, the conversation around the art of women asking and how to ask are conversations that are happening organically already between my friends and myself,” she said. “For us, it only fuels the fire that they should be asking for raises.”

For one female engineer in Chicago, Mr. Nadella’s remarks were a reminder to ask not just for a raise but also for more challenging opportunities at work.

“The comments just reminded me that you have to keep up with it,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified talking about compensation. “I keep becoming more aware of how it’s not just

No Such Thing As a Bad Hair Day

Temperatures have been above 100 degrees and humidity levels are high; perfect conditions for a bad hair day!! Go Getter Girls beat the heat and continue to look flawless doing it by using simple fuss free buns and up 'dos to tame their tresses.  While summer is almost over, its still scorching outside in many places.  Opt for simple, minimal effort styles that allow you to stay cool and still look put together.  To a Go-Getter Girl, there is no such thing as a bad hair day.  TLJ has scoured YouTube to find a few videos that will show you how to pull up and tuck away those tresses!!  And don't worry, long hair, short hair, straight or curly/natural, we have you covered.  Click on the videos below for full tutorials.

SMAT-J: Staying Motivated Around This Joka'

Six years ago, I went through a series of life changing events.  Though tough at the time, all of these events made me a better person.  In September 2008, my eleven year relationship with my daughter’s father came to an end and that event led to my decision to take a position overseas.  I was separated from my children for the first time in their lives.  Needless to say, I was on the fast track to having a breakdown but the only thing that kept me from crumbling was the gym.  I went hard every day running, elliptical machine, free weights, yoga, you name it.  I didn’t have time for tears! I sweated my anger out and pain was my motivator.  I left 37 pounds of the old me in that gym in Iraq.  Fast forward three years later and I was ready to start my life anew back in the states, Richmond, Virginia.

The first year back was great.  I was able to maintain my weight loss but was very aware that I was only maintaining.  It had been a year and I was staying at the same weight.  I guess that’s good but there was so much more that I wanted to accomplish.  I realized that I was starting to eat poorly and was still working out but was just going through the motions of working out unenthusiastically.  I was totally unmotivated

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

In anticipation for my upcoming trip to Europe this summer, I have cleaned up my diet and increased my exercise to drop a few pounds before the trip.  Over the last month, I seriously removed all processed foods, sugar, alcohol, coffee, bread, gluten and artificial sweeteners from my diet.  I have successfully lost 14lbs in a relatively short amount of time.  For the most part I have been fine! No cravings at all because I have been pretty satisfied eating various vegetable dishes, salads and choice meats.  Today, however, I had the biggest craving for Peanut Butter Cookies.  Why?... I don’t even care that much for peanut butter cookies. 

The craving was one of those that no amount of deep breathing nor hope would make go away.  Refusing to give up on my healthy eating efforts, I decided to take a stab at altering a peanut butter recipe that I had into a low carb, low glycemic recipe.  The result was PHENOMINAL!! With a little ingenuity and taste testing along the way, I made a cookie with less than 10g of Carbs and over 7g of Protein, without skimping on taste or texture! Check it out below or go to my SparkRecipe page to view my Low Glycemic, Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe and a full list of the nutritional information.