One of the reasons I created my website was to give women a place to come together and dream. More than anything, I wanted to hear real women's stories and share their passions, and I wanted to know what drove them. I've always been inspired by people who, as I say, "Never face the facts." The facts -- the statistics -- can be daunting and keep anyone from starting anything. Better to create your own facts and forge ahead against all odds -- and at any age.
I'm always been a big believer that it's never too late to reinvent yourself, or to pick up the pieces and start over when life has thrown you a curveball. That's why, shortly after we launched this website, we began our series, "It Ain't Over," which has introduced us to a group of extraordinary women who found themselves at a crossroads in life, then seized control, redoubled their efforts and went for the gold.
Some of these women built empires out of a single idea. Others found new ways to fulfill themselves after experiencing profound personal disappointments. And some simply rejected their own complacency and rebuilt themselves -- physically and mentally.
Although all of the women we've featured are unique, and their life paths couldn't be more different, what they all have in common is that they discovered that there are opportunities and possibilities all around us if we choose to see them. And we all have the power to change our lives for the better -- we just have to make the decision and do it.
So, in that spirit, we've put together a collection of some of our favorite "It Ain't Over" stories for you. I hope you find these women as fascinating as I do -- and I hope that their stories inspire you to keep going for you own dreams.
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She Shed 60 Lbs For Her High School Reunion
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/it-aint-over-till-its-over-weight-loss_n_1342774.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Regina Redmond</a>
In the small rural town of Roulette, Pennsylvania, Regina Redmond woke up every morning before dawn. She milked the cows and fed the cattle on her father's 81-acre dairy farm, before she went off to a seven-room school house, where she shared a classroom -- year after year -- with the same 25 kids. She loved high school and was thrilled when she got the invitation to Port Allegany High School's 30th reunion. But there was one thing she wasn't so thrilled about -- the 100 pounds she had put on.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/it-aint-over-till-its-over-weight-loss_n_1342774.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
They Kept Their Secret For Thirty Years
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/20/it-aint-over-the-business-secret_n_1607385.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Nine Nanas:</a>
Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/20/it-aint-over-the-business-secret_n_1607385.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Hockey Mom Strikes Gold At Son's Game
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/deb-miller-huggrz-_n_1307962.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Deb Miller</a>
Deb Miller, a hockey mom from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was sitting in the bleachers watching her son's hockey game, feeling like her toes might be getting frostbite. "I kept wondering how I was going to make it through the game. My toes were getting colder and colder -- until they began to feel like broken glass. It was at that point that I realized that warm socks and pretty leather boots weren't going to get me through the season." And that's when inspiration struck.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/deb-miller-huggrz-_n_1307962.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Her Beloved Dog Changed Her Life
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/it-aint-over-till-its-over-pet-therapy_n_1325297.html" target="_hplink">Randy Handwerger</a>
From the time Randy Handwerger was a child, she had a magical connection with her pets. So no one was surprised when Randy announced in grade school that she wanted to become a veterinarian. Though she never actually became a vet, she did become the Dr. Dolittle of East Hampton, New York -- but with a camera instead of a stethoscope: a professional photographer who specialized in pets and could "talk" to the animals in ways most pet owners found amazing.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/it-aint-over-till-its-over-pet-therapy_n_1325297.html" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
How a Squirrel Made Her a Millionaire
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/28/squirrel-turned-mom-into-millionaire_n_1628917.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Debra Cohen</a>
Debra Cohen had a career most people couldn't even begin to imagine. As the Vice President of a Spanish language aviation magazine, she traveled the world -- flying on corporate jets and staying in only the most luxurious hotels. It wasn't uncommon for her to hop on a helicopter or glider, in the middle of the day, and land on a remote South American island for lunch. She spent so much time abroad, that no one was really surprised when she got the biggest news of her life, alone in a Paris hotel.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/28/squirrel-turned-mom-into-millionaire_n_1628917.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Making A Case For Condoms
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/it-aint-over-till-its-ove_n_1228286.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Marsha Graham</a>
For most people, casual dinner conversation with the neighbors doesn't usually include the subject of condoms -- but when the man you're breaking bread with just happens to be Dr. Carl Djerassi, the inventor of the birth control pill -- well -- you never know what will come up. "Carl said that condoms were a great method of birth control. They simply had a bad image. He said, 'Marsha, you're in the entertainment business, you're creative, you need to come up with something to change that."
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/it-aint-over-till-its-ove_n_1228286.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Her Psychic Abilities Saved Her Daughter's Life
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/it-aint-over-till-its-over-psychic-mother_n_1446146.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Lynn Mesrobian</a>
Some might call it mother's intuition, but when Lynn Mesrobian told doctors that she wasn't leaving the hospital until they found out what was wrong with her 14-day-old daughter, they were ready to call in a psychiatrist. "I knew something was wrong from the time I was in my third trimester," Lynn recalled. "But the doctor told me time and time again that everything was fine. And Ali did appear to be fine when she was born. But I knew even then, that something was coming. And the sense kept getting stronger."
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/it-aint-over-till-its-over-psychic-mother_n_1446146.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Ditching the Stock Market for a Future in Pickles
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/miss-jennys-pickles-jenny-stout-ashlee-furr_n_1543137.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Jenny Fulton</a>
Jenny Fulton was a successful stockbroker in North Carolina when the recession came knocking on her door. "I was on vacation," Jenny remembered, "and my assistant, Ashlee, called to say she'd been laid off. It was the fall of 2009 and the stock market was volatile. I could see the writing on the wall; I spent the next two days in bed crying. I just knew they were going to close down our office and it wouldn't be long before I was gone, too."
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/miss-jennys-pickles-jenny-stout-ashlee-furr_n_1543137.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Building an Empire on Bloody Marys
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/it-aint-over-till-its-over-garden-district-bloody-marys_n_1397678.html" target="_hplink">Stephanie Sanoja</a>
From the time Stephanie Sanoja was four years old, she loved a good party. While she was too young to understand what her older relatives were laughing about -- as they sat around her Great Aunt Gladys' living room drinking Bloody Marys -- what she did know was that every trip to that big old house in New Orleans would be filled with excitement.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/it-aint-over-till-its-over-garden-district-bloody-marys_n_1397678.html" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
From Waiting Tables To Wardrobing Hollywood's Hottest Stars
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/it-aint-over-from-waiting_n_1536891.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Renee Claire</a>
From the age of 15, Renee Claire was waiting tables to earn extra cash. At the time, it was a way to make ends meet and pay for college. But as she made her way from Amherstburg, Ontario to Los Angeles, those serving skills came in handy. Waitressing at celebrity hot spots allowed Renee to work evenings and bring in great tips, while she explored the endless possibilities Los Angeles had to offer.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/it-aint-over-from-waiting_n_1536891.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Too Big for Ballet? A Dancer Returns to Prove Them Wrong
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/dancer-goes-back-to-the-barre-at-41-_n_1613315.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Kerry Ann King</a>
At five years old, Kerry Ann King became the accidental ballerina. Her mother had enrolled her in what she thought was a neighborhood dance class after reading that ballet -- which involves large body movements -- might help with a form of dyslexia Kerry Ann was struggling with. But these weren't just any ballet classes -- unknowingly, Kerry Ann's mom had brought her daughter to one of the most prestigious programs in the world -- The Joffrey Ballet in New York City.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/dancer-goes-back-to-the-barre-at-41-_n_1613315.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
Ditching Corporate Life For A Sparkling Passion
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/lee-gelb_n_1245020.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Lee Gelb</a>
In her open-air studio -- where the floors are a deep shade of red, the walls a brilliant tangerine, and sparkling strands of gems form a rainbow of color -- Lee Gelb has created a space that will make you feel as if you've been transported to another continent. From her converted garage on an island off the coast of Seattle, just a twenty-minute ferry ride from the spacious office she once occupied as a Senior Vice President at Starbucks, Lee is changing lives a world away, one bracelet, pendant or pair of earrings at a time.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/lee-gelb_n_1245020.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
How a Horse Filled the Gaping Hole in Her Heart
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/nancy-shulins-falling-for-eli-infertility-horses-riding_n_1465979.html" target="_hplink">Nancy Shulins</a>
For Nancy Shulins, baby lust came later than it does for many women. Growing up, she wasn't that little girl who pushed a carriage full of dolls, or someone who began thinking about baby names long before she was engaged. As a matter of fact, when she got married at 31, she and her husband Mark weren't even sure if they wanted to have children. "But there was an instant when it all changed for me."
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/nancy-shulins-falling-for-eli-infertility-horses-riding_n_1465979.html" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
From Trash to Treasure
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/it-aint-over-til-its-over_n_1291509.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Sandhi Schimmel Gold</a>
As Sandhi Schimmel Gold spent a leisurely day off, painting in the art studio she'd set up behind her home, the music playing in the background suddenly seemed to take over the room. "Jon Bon Jovi came on," Sandhi recalls, "and it was as if his words were meant for me to hear that morning. The refrain began 'It's my life. It's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever.' That was the moment I put down my brush, walked inside and said, 'I'm done.'"
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/it-aint-over-til-its-over_n_1291509.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
One Tough Cookie: A Recipe for Success
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/recipe-for-success_n_1210508.html" target="_hplink">Gail Dosik</a>
Step into Gail Dosik's West Greenwich Village studio and you'll see a world filled with whimsy and color -- jewel tones and pretty pastels, princess dresses and picture-perfect piping. The fanciful drawings on her desk might lead you to believe she's simply brought home sketches of the designer dresses she'll be selling next season, but then, as a decadent aroma fills the room, you realize something else is cooking.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/recipe-for-success_n_1210508.html" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
She Cut Her Pay In Half To Pursue A Passion For Fashion
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/it-aint-over-till-its-ove_n_1276848.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Deborah Mayer</a>
Deep in the rolling hills of Tuscany, 26 women raise their glasses in glee -- toasting the brilliance of Prada, Gucci and Fendi, as their shopping bags filled with designer shoes and purses spill over on the surrounding tables. And Deborah has made it happen 27 times, to be exact. That's how many Shop Around Tours she's brought to the designer outlet centers of Italy -- a far cry from the entry-level assignments she'd accepted at age 37, in an effort to break into the travel industry, despite two successful careers in television and music.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/it-aint-over-till-its-ove_n_1276848.html?utm_hp_ref=it-aint-over" target="_hplink">Read more...</a>
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My momma ANGEL DARLENE passed in April, I would like to drawl some art you could use for Saint Jude if you would like?
Kimberly
Both reality and illusions are always uniquely personal - much like breathing and eating (as well as the release of a breath and what was eaten). No one can assimilate the air I breath or the food I eat for me.
Often times, the most remarkable changes in my life happened when I released BOTH what I considered to be facts as well as the need to have any facts! Facts can keep me focused as well as blinded. Such is the game of life.
Do you have this series active and still available for women to write in? My Pitch would be concerning the hugely complicated, yet overlooked and grossly misunderstood issue of gender discrimination towards women within the male dominated workplace. I am convinced that this story would certainly help to galvanize the women’s rights movement and aid in changing the way society views this issue. If women within male dominated workplaces could only find the courage to speak out about their stories, the general public would be astonished at the misogyny and harassment, we have been subjected to and how prevalent and widespread this problem still is. I am in a unique position having worked within two of the biggest male dominated workplaces; firefighting and longshoring and can offer a perspective that many women cannot or will not, out of fear of retaliation. However, I have the courage to speak frankly and honestly. My message is timely and must be communicated not only to the women who are suffering in silence but the men and women who are in positions of power within government who need to get a back bone and do the right thing. They are well aware of the Boy’s Clubs established dominance but are doing nothing except help support the club members by continually denying gender discrimination hoping that women will continue to be complaisant. This is what the establishment expects us to do, so my message to women is to fear not and speak up.
One of my favorite "Mistakes and Regrets Related Quotes" goes something like this:
"Never waste time in your lives regretting anything that has already happened in your life's past. Since it cannot be changed, undone or 'entirely forgotten' - it is best to simply gain as much knowledge as you can from your past experience, take it for what it is worth (as a lesson learned) and move on from it."
Sometimes, reinvention can be a quiet downshift, into a normal life.
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Sarah Palin
Newtie
The Herminator
Rick Santorum
Michelle Bachman
All so inspiring!