Life is scary.  Some people live on fear.  They love the rush of excitement that comes with zooming down a double black diamond or being behind the camera in front of thousands of television viewers.

I’m not one of those people.  I’ve never been a big risk-taker so when I decided to host my first Just You, Only Better Workshop for Women, I have to admit that I was terrified.  What if no one signed up?  Would I feel like a complete failure?  What if we had another snow storm?  What if, what if, what if?

If you truly believe in something and have passion for what you do, you can put your fears aside and go for it.  My passion is helping women improve health, happiness and confidence by teaching them how to make small changes to their lives.  I felt a one day workshop, with expert speakers on a variety of topics, would be the perfect way to reach out to the women of Philadelphia–even if I had to be the front person.

I am thrilled to report that our day of meaningful fun was truly wonderful.  I’ve received so many emails talking about how special the day was to them.  The following are just a few of the many emails I received after the workshop:

“Thanks to your very motivating, worthwhile, fun, relaxing, & refreshing seminar yesterday.  Today, I am me, only much better!!   I’m making your session one of the 5 things I am grateful for; making you one of the people I want to send kind thoughts to; writing you is one of  the things I wanted to make sure I did today;  I’m taking my 5 deep breaths and telling myself 5 confident affirmations- what a fantastic day I’m having!  Thank you and your terrific group of friends.”

“Molly, I LOVED your workshop so much…I already miss everyone!! I feel honored to have met you and can’t wait to incorporate more of your philosophies into my life. “The BEST time!  I’m bringing so many people to the next workshop…total blast!”  Thank you ♥.”  

“Good morning!!!  When is the next workshop?  I have tons of ideas!!!  It’s rare that you think about a workshop days after you attended..most times, you get something out of it and move on.  But I really enjoyed your line-up of speakers and thought you did a fantastic job facilitating, etc.”

I was fortunate to have a great group of speakers and vendors at the event.  Vicki Lukert, who flew up from Florida to present, gave a funny yet important lecture about the importance of a strong pelvic floor.  Alice Dommert spoke about how 9-11 prompted her to slow down her hectic life as an architect and be in the present for herself and her family.  She now is the co-founder of Deliver Me Yoga, which takes yoga, meditation and massage into the work place. Sandy Weston not only got us moving, but taught us a simple daily routine which focuses on positivity and gratitude.

During lunch, Biana DeMarco, The Philly Fashionista, taught us how to shop in our own closets and update outfits–even from the 90’s.  Her sister Arina was a wonderful model for us!  Melinda Engel demonstrated how easy it is to squeeze healthy foods and vegetables into our diets–which is especially helpful if your children are picky eaters.  Janet Indorf, who has worked for Bobbi Brown for many years, showed us easy ways to enhance our appearance (and drop years from our faces) with a little make-up.  Jeffrey Moffett, The Makeover Guru from Pileggi on the Square, talked about the importance of changing your hairstyle every now and then and gave some great tips on hair products and services. Melinda, Janet and Jeffrey offered free consultations to all workshop attendees.

Celebrity Chef Brian Duffy was terrific!  His love for what he does oozes out of his pores. We learned all about knives and the best way to chop onions, avocados, pineapples, and tomatoes.  He whipped up the most amazing salsa with ingredients I would have never thought to include.  He shared his weight loss secrets, tips for healthy cooking, and his wonderful news about his position with Seafood American–he’s creating his very own special recipe (surprise) which will be sold all over the world!  (I’ll share all the details with you before they hit your local stores!).

We enjoyed free massages from Sarah Hill and the Deliver Me Yoga staff, and skin care advice from Milla Waldman at Studio M. And there was fabulous shopping from all LOCAL designers!  Jewelery by Holly Thomas at SpitFire Designs, AnyTime Scarves by Monika Suli, Nino Brand Shehu clothing line by Bela Shehu, and the famous Butler Bag  (as seen on QVC) by the ever-inspiring Jen Groover.  There was a lot of buying going on throughout the day!  And tons of local businesses donated coupons and promotions in our goody bags adding up to huge savings for everyone.

One lucky woman won a 3 month membership to Weston Fitness and another won a free Bobbie Brown Master Class with Janet.  She gets a super cool private make-up party for 14 of her closest friends!

The best part of the day was meeting so many incredible women. A ton of networking took place that day at the Just You, Only Better Workshop.  I’ve seen a flurry of people exchanging ideas and information- for new friends and future work collaboration.  As I’ve said many times, a great group of women all working together is sheer power.  And that’s what our day was all about.

We’re planning our next workshop for June so stay tuned and get ready to mark it on your calendar.

Smile,

Molly