When the alarm trumpeted on Wednesday morning, September 24th, I was ready! My clothes were shoehorned into a suitcase and all was well (assuming my plane didn’t crash-yes, I have FOF – fear of flying.)
Although I knew that I had a packed schedule from the minute I arrived in L.A. , I felt more PREPARED than Ken’s Light Salad Dressing!
I have lots of fun stories to share from Los Angeles (I mean, it’s L.A.- of course it’s gonna have lots of stories) and hopefully some lessons about eating while far away from home and planning ahead. But, I’ll save those lessons and stories for later this week… in the meantime:
I arrived just before noon and met with the beautiful and talented Book Promoter, Francesca Romero, owner of Authors Realm which can be found at www.AuthorsRealm.com. As we dined on salad with protein at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood , we found our stomachs rewarded and our minds refreshed! We talked for hours about the best way to ensure that
My Mission: To Educate, Entertain and Inspire people to Healthier and More Content Lives
would be fulfilled. Options on the table were Wit and Fit™ book promotions and/or promoting my keynote and wellness seminars . We determined that speaking to large groups is the best way to achieve my goal of helping others and sharing my belief that everybody can do “it”! After our meeting, we shot this photo in the first outfit that fit me…jeans and shirt…BOOM!
Later that same night, we were welcomed by Celebrity Press for the fifth annual National Academy of Best-Selling Authors. I wore a never before revealed on LeanDramaQueen size 4 dress…I bought this the day before I left. Because my “Plan A” red dress wasn’t going to happen I’d been combing the universe for the “Plan B” dress. While ISO “B”, I had tried this beautiful one on in the store , but wanted to purchase it until the day before my trip to make absolutely sure that it fit when I bought it. After two more strength training workouts, an interval cardio routine and continuing to batten down the nutrition hatches, it did!
Here I am in that dress with with my business family…these people are changing the world with their businesses and I’m blessed to be part of the group!
Thursday was game on! We heard an amazing speech from Peter Diamandis (here’s my Epic Fail Selfie):
In case you were wondering that’s Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and Peter (Ha! As If “First Name” basis) in the background and my eye and hair in the foreground…but, what’s really cool is the check that they’re holding. It’s the same check that I’m holding below and it represents the book sale proceeds that we contributed to the Global Learning X-Prize! Education is the Key to Prosperity and I’m overjoyed to be part of making Education Better:
Later that same night, I met with my good friend, Mojan , and we caught each other up on whatz up in our lives…if you are looking for someone who has the highest work ethic and best organizational and leadership skills -THIS is the gal you want to know! She’s an actress and has been an assistant director…way cool! I even received a Mojan 101 Rosetta Stone Twitter Lesson:
( #NoWeHadNotBeenDrinking )
When the evening came to a close, it was time for the obligatory iPhone photo to show that I can mix and match my newly fitting clothes!
After 20.275 winks it was Friday…WOW, what a day! Lots of awesome presenters teaching us how to be better
ENTREPRENEURS
( #IHaveToRunThatWordThroughSpellCheckEverySingleTime )
The day got off to an Odd Start when the Stitch Witchery I was using wouldn’t stick. I literally showed up in a room full of incredible business owners with one leg overhemmed (too short) and the other underhemmed (too long). I decided I would all out Goldilocks it by ripping that tape off…even though I was sitting at the front of the room and everyone could see me. I honestly believe that
When You’re at the Best Selling Author Summit,
Nobody Sees You Unravel !
Didn’t really matter, since I don’t embarrass easily. At this juncture, I cull a “teaching point”- I highly recommend that you turn embarrassing moments into an icebreaker. If you show others you aren’t afraid to point out your faults, it puts them at ease right away. And, I want to point out here that although it may seem like I’m joking, I’m actually being serious about this.
Before I knew it the morning had slipped by and it was time for lunch. I was blessed with a secluded lunch room just waiting for our lunch party to show up. I dined with an amazing bunch of women who are really changing the world! Trish McCarty, Esther Hatfield Miller, Susan Delano Swim (oh, and One Awesome Man…ha! Rock and Roll Famer Steve McCarty singer, songwriter, rock and roll star!) I was able to wear this outfit with the back zipped all the way up! I was SO happy in that moment and proud that I stuck to my plan to get these pants to fit. The Writing of the Food Journal, the 12 Days of Strength Traiing that I did 2 days a week of Interval Cardio Paid DIVIDENDS when I rocked a size two pant with a legendary rocker! It was extremely rewarding to follow my very own fat loss program and reap the amazing results!
After wrapping up the summit, it was time to get gussied up for the Golden Gala! I shimmied into Plan B dress, and the rest of the night was a total blast! Here are some of my favorite photos of the evening:
Red Carpet with Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul Fame.
A T-Rex attempts to High Five a Man with Long Levers (henceforth known as L² )
My Red Carpet Interview with Adam Lewis Walker– I was SO excited to talk to HIM!
and a few more drinks in the Hollywood Roosevelt Ballroom with my good friend and mentor, “Pete”. This is Coach Peter D’Arruda…THE Pete that I actually know on a first name basis! (and I believe he’d even let me call him Petey if I wanted to have a nickname for him.) Cheeky 😉
and at “end the evening” at Teddy’s Bar (a by invitation only bar where I saw my boy-crush Adam Levine). This is what it’s like on Friday night there.
What the heretic is happening in the photo above? Let me tell you that this pose received a lotta laughs and imitations™. How does something like this happen? Well, at some point toward the end of the evening I guess I got shy and didn’t know how to socialize…that’s when I pretended to be passed out. It may seem like it was too much alcohol…but it wasn’t. It’s probably because I ate this whole thing earlier in the evening and had some kind of sugar shock coma:
In fact, I ate so much of my own, I had to take this un-retouched photo of the dessert served to the man sitting next to me because mine was gone…”G.O.N.E.”!
Ultimately, the trip, clothes to be worn and “leaning out” were successful and I feel really good about those successes.
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will fill in the blanks of other lessons learned (eating on the road and getting back on track when returning home)
