Practice Smiling
When I was interviewing Jo Ellen Soesbee last week for my podcast, she said something towards the end that I couldn’t stop thinking about. She was driving along and happened to notice that she could see the driver in front of her in his side-view mirror and she thought, “Does that mean that others can see me in my side-view mirror?”
Apparently, the gentleman in front of her did not look very happy. In fact, he looked downright grumpy by all accounts. That’s when Jo Ellen decided to practice smiling. She didn’t want people to think that she was grumpy!
This practice served her well when a client called and said, “I hired you because when I saw you in your truck, you were smiling.” Wow! Landing a job because you smiled while you were driving!
Jo Ellen has practiced smiling so much that on a recent girl’s weekend her friends accused her of even smiling in her sleep! Now that’s some serious smile practicing if you ask me. 🙂
I decided I would try it out and over this last week I’ve simply tried to smile while I was driving. Honestly, I felt pretty silly at first and if I knew someone was close enough to see me I acted as if I was listening to some funny comedian on the radio and laughed out loud!
While I am not perfect at this smiling while I’m driving thing, it has changed my attitude while I drive to be a little more polite and a little more understanding of others while they drive.
Smiling matters!!
I will keep practicing, Jo Ellen! To hear more on Jo Ellen Soesbee come on over to the podcast, Lauri’s Lemonade Stand on iTunes by following this link: Lauri’s Lemonade Stand Positivity Podcast I bet you won’t be disappointed!
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International Women’s Day Part 2 of 4
International Women’s Day!At Lauri’s Lemonade Stand we Celebrate Women Every Day!
As I mentioned last week, I wanted to share with you the brave women who were guests this past year on my podcast. Last week, we celebrated the first ten and this week we celebrate episodes 11-20! There is a little blurb about each one below and the link to their individual podcast should you want to learn more. Have fun as I did learning from these amazing, incredible women and then tune in next week for episodes 21-30. Thank you for being a part of this movement to support and uplift other women!Ed Mackey – Ok, so I said women and then episode #011 is actually a man! My husband in fact. If you go to my website and sign up for my email list you get what I have lovingly dubbed “Eddy’s 60 Days of Sunshine” which is a download for you to use as a tool to help someone you know who is going through a hard time, mild depression, or general sadness. It is a way to use a network of family and friends and peers to support someone in their time of need. Listen to this episode to learn the why and how I came up with this idea in supporting my husband when I didn’t know what else to do.Irene Thomas – This is just a fun and uplifting episode #012 that teaches us how to Geocache! Have you tried geocaching yet? It is something you can do by yourself or with friends…on a trip across the world or the country or even in your own backyard. Try it, you’ll like it!Lauri Mackey – This is your 3-Step Guide to accomplishing your next goal with incredible passion! I share with you my journey to finishing high school after age 40 and the power that ignited in myself to do and be more…I felt like Wonder Woman and that I could do anything! It is part of the reason I started this podcast to help women over 40 in accomplishing whatever their little hearts desire. Listen, then use the tools to accomplish your next goal!Rhonda Waidmann – The respect you’ll find for Rhonda Waidmann lies at the other end of this podcast interview. Sometimes you think you know someone from the outside looking in, but then you delve deeper and find a hero. Heroes are found in everyday life and in everyday circumstances. Rhonda has endured much, but has also fought for much and is still fighting to help others to this day. Enjoy this down to earth interview and get inspired to create positive change with a smile in your neck of the woods!Rachel Call – Rachel Call cannot be shocked by anything she hears which means she is the least judgmental person I know. She would never admit it, but she is truly a gift to the hearts and spirits of those she touches in their lives. Embrace this powerful, passionate podcast and reach out to her if you would like to have her touch your life as she as touched mine. Don’t forget to check out the two books she recommends in Fearless Living by Rhonda Britten and Happiness is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman.Linda Middlesworth – is a force to be reckoned with. She will convince you to try a vegan diet with the utmost compassion and concern not only for the animals, but truly for you. She has seen the worst of what the Standard American Diet (SAD) can do to you having personally experienced it. She is 72 years old, voted Sexiest Vegan in the World by PETA in 2015, created V-Dog with her late husband, and teaches numerous fitness classes daily along with being a Food for Life Instructor through the PCRM. Remember I told you she was a force to be reckoned with? Check out this podcast and see what you can do to find your voice with purpose and passion!Stephanie MacKenzie – Female Entrepreneurs! You need to hear this interview! Stephanie MacKenzie’s interview was done while I was vacationing in Oregon! Love that I can take this business anywhere! While there is definitely a few glitches, you do not want to miss this incredible interview about taking your ideas and passions and turning them into income for you and your family. Stephanie is living proof that it can be done! Take the leap and join the movement!Brenda Davis, RD – went vegan when vegan wasn’t popular in society or in her field of practice. There was fear involved in remaining a registered dietitian, but because she overcame her fear she is now looked up to in her field winning awards, speaking, publishing books and creating change in the Marshall Islands, you can’t help but be caught up to action in your part of the world. Become part of the grass roots efforts to be kind to yourself, others, and animals in this inspiring episode!Jane Birch – Her book Discovering The Word of Wisdom has been an inspiration for my Facebook page called VeganMormon. More than that, and before that, she was simply an inspiration for me in following my journey of a Whole Food, Plant-Based nutrition lifestyle. in this episode we get down and dirty about our food practice, religious practice and our belief in God. Hold on tight as we, as two women, connect, consult, and embrace this way of life. Jane’s journey is amazing and brave, enjoy this amazing episode!Susan Pierce Thompson, PhD – Susan is a Warrior fighting for nothing short of world domination. Following her tribe in the Bright Line Eating community promises you three things: Happiness, Thinness, and Freedom. You are going to LOVE what she has to offer by way of being Happy, Thin, and Free, but you’re also going to just LOVE Susan. Nothing short of a miracle in surviving her own journey, she has lost 60 pounds (and kept it off for over 13 years!) and conquered drug addiction, and has a plan to share how she did it with the world. Join this journey!See you next week for episodes 21-30! Don’t forget to comment below and let me know your thoughts on the blog and who you would like to see on future podcast episodes! -
International Women’s Day Part 1 of 4
International Women’s Day!At Lauri’s Lemonade Stand we Celebrate Women Every Day!I love days when we celebrate the women in our lives! Today, I thought I would simply give a huge shout-out to all of the women who agreed to be on my podcast. It’s been almost a year (next month) and those early birds truly were taking a chance on me in being among the first to come under the interview knife so to speak as I was learning to fly. Thank you!Over the next 4 weeks I will celebrate them in 10’s so as not to overwhelm you with too much information. Here are the first 10 episodes of Lauri’s Lemonade Stand, a Positivity Podcast for Women…it just keeps getting better and better and I was fortunate to have this heavy hitters in my opening episodes.Rebecca Rusch on episode #001 who’s career highlights include:- Author, Rusch To Glory , Dirt Rag Mag “Rusch Job”
- Seven-time World Champion in multiple sports
- Four-time Leadville 100 MTB Champion
- Three-time Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race Champion
- Course Record: Kokopelli Trail (Moab-Fruita) 13h 32m 46s
- Raid Gauloises Adventure Racing World Champion Team
- Red Bull Endurance Athlete
Joi Whaley who is the co-owner and founder of our local all-organic, all-vegan favorite restaurant, Joi Cafe’ in Westlake Village, episode #002. She is a HUGE advocate for women’s rights!Lindsey Richter – The founder of Ladies AllRide has a mission: Change women’s lives with two wheels and some dirt. Of all her wild life experiences (like being a Reality TV star on the CBS show: Survivor) it was mountain biking that taught Lindsey life is about CREATING yourself, not finding yourself. Now as a world-renowned leader in the women’s mountain bike movement, Lindsey spreads her passion for mountain biking across the globe through innovative and inspirational skills camps. Listen to her episode #003 and share in the magic!Jo Ellen Soesbee is the ToolBoxTomGirl! Listen to her episode #004 on the guts it took to make it in a men’s world and how her woman’s touch was just what everyone was looking for by way of service. The award-winning Tool Girl will steal your heart and inspire you to make it no matter what your field of expertise or business.Chef AJ has been devoted to a plant-based diet for almost 40 years. She is the host of the television series Healthy Living with CHEF AJ which airs on Foody TV. With her comedy background, she has made appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and more. A chef, culinary instructor and professional speaker, she is author of the popular book Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight, which chronicles her journey from a junk-food vegan faced with a diagnosis of pre-cancerous polyps, to learning how to create foods that nourish and heal the body. Episode #005 on iTunes!Kristi Ling‘s new book will give you insights on how to be happy anytime, anywhere by practicing! In Operation Happiness, happiness strategist and life coach Kristi Ling teaches you how to create immediate, positive shifts in your life by proving that happiness is a skill that can be cultivated, learned, and mastered-much like playing an instrument. Learn more about her life and book in Episode #006.
Merrilee Boyack is an author multiple times over with hits such as “Toss the Guilt and Catch the Joy: A Woman’s Guide to a Better Life”, “Strangling Your Husband is NOT an Option: A Practical Guide to Dramatically Improving Your Marriage“ and “Standing Up in a Sit-Down World” along with multiple children’s books that I adore. Not only is she a speaker and author, she just so happens to be my Trust Attorney. Go figure! Check her out on Episode #007 on iTunes or Google Play.Danielle Omar, RD is an Integrative Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant and founder of FoodConfidence.com, where busy men and women find the path to confidently manage their health and how they eat. Her clients not only reach their weight and wellness goals, but also embrace a new way of looking at food and nutrition. Through her own lifestyle example and her inherent gift of teaching, Danielle guides her clients through a transformation from old eating patterns to a renewed way of life. After working with Danielle, clients are left with a deeper understanding of the obstacles that led to unhealthy nutrition habits, and how to remove those obstacles, rather than work around them temporarily. Her amazing insights can be heard on Episode #008 on iTunes or Google Play.Jenny Oaks Baker America’s Violinist, Jenny Oaks Baker is a Grammy Nominated, Billboard No. 1 performer and recording artist. She received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School in New York City and her Bachelor’s Degree in violin performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Strathmore Hall, the Library of Congress and as a guest soloist with The National Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, and the internationally acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Over the years Jenny has collaborated with such luminaries as Gladys Knight, Kurt Bestor, Marvin Hamlisch, and the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Jenny has released fifteen studio albums since 1998. They have sold over half a million copies and consistently chart on Billboard. Jenny’s emotionally stirring music has also been featured on the soundtracks of many films, and her popular music videos can be viewed on her Youtube Channel. Her interview can be heard on Episode #009 on iTunes or Google Play.Elizabeth Johnston of Own Your Creativity has helped me in writing my memoirs and owning my creativity around my podcast as one of my accountability partners. From manuscript feedback to helping businesses write their own stories to screenplay writing help, Elizabeth is a master in her field. Listen to her Episode #010 and find out what your next step is in writing your memoir, screenplay or business story. She rocks!
