From The Writer's Pantry, in a recent AUTHOR TALK interview, Host Maryann Ridini Spencer spoke with Author, Film, and TV Producer Sherry Halperin about her latest novel, Mistress Molly and Her Senior Sex Club. Sherry invites the reader into the comical, interconnected lives of four fabulous youthful, vibrant, "older" women in her book. To quote Dr. Dale Atkins, Psychologist, Author, Lecturer, and Media Commentator: "With tenderness and humor, Sherry confronts aging well by exploring loneliness, connection, friendship, stereotypes, second acts, adult-parent relationships, identity, and creating a meaningful life at any age."

For more about Sherry and her books, visit:  https://sherryhalperin.com

To find out more about AUTHOR TALK, visit: maryannridinispencer.com/the-writers-pantry.

For Maryann's books, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Maryann-Ridini-Spencer/e/B06XBHH6YK

On Thursday, May 18, 2023, 1:00 PM Pacific, Author Maryann Ridini Spencer held a FACEBOOK LIVE AUTHOR TALK Roundtable from the Writer's Pantry discussing "It's All About Showing Up: The Power is in the Asking Volume 2" by Dr. Robbie Motter. The book is an Anthology of heartfelt stories written by 64 authors, including additional Author Talk panelists Barbara A. Berg, Madeline Plate, Charmaine Summers, and Kay Sheffield. "It's All About Showing Up" shows how implementing important mantras can be life-changing. Each story is entirely different, emphasizing how "Showing Up" changed each author's life path and how having the courage to "Ask" led them to where they are. To find out more about AUTHOR TALK, visit: maryannridinispencer.com/the-writers-pantry.  Check out It's All About Showing Up: The Power is in the Asking Volume 2" on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Its-All-About-Showing-Up-ebook/dp/B0BXTTJBRX).

NAWBO member, Lauren Jayne, president of Xibeo, an Oxnard-based WBENC certified company specializing in custom and portable trade show exhibit solutions, founded her company with partner Theron Whitney in 2001. Operating out of a living room after a three-year stint at another firm, Jayne, then a single mother of two, and her partner Whitney grew this humble start-up to become a multi-million dollar success, serving clients locally, nationally, and worldwide.

In this Simply Delicious Living Podcast hosted by Maryann Ridini Spencer, Lauren shares her story of how and why she started her company, some of the challenges she faced and how she successfully overcame them.

Visit:  Xibeo.com

Visit:  MaryannRidiniSpencer.com and PRE-ORDER Maryann's new novel "Lady in the Window" (in stores May 9, 2017) at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Join Maryann's Book & Cooking Club (Free).

Whether you run your own business, or work as an employee for a company or organization, change is a certain guaranteed inevitability. You might be involved in a merger and acquisition, perhaps there’s a shift in management, maybe you’ve been downsized or a client decides not to renew their contract with your company. Rather than stress out and predict doom, NAWBO Ventura Board Member and Certified Business Change & Transition Coach Fern Perusse-Filzen, offers tips, techniques, and strategies that will help you thrive through growth and transformation.

“Change is a natural part of life, and necessary for development and success,” said Perusse-Filzen. “Through a system that I refer to as ‘Process + People = Prosper,” I assist individuals, companies, and their staffs prosper during change by providing them the tools they need to succeed.”

“On my website, I offer a FREE guide, ’10 Tips for Thriving with Organizational Change and Transition. This offers proactive steps to company leaders with a desire to lead their staffs through successful, sustainable transitions.

“I also coach individuals going through career changes and even those who desire to change careers altogether, offering them personalized tips and tools to help them achieve balance and direction as they travel on their individual paths.”

Also found at fpfcoaching.com are a sampling of client spotlights where Fern showcases a client challenge, the solution and the positive results generated using her techniques.

In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST, Perusse-Filzen talks about her work and shares some valuable tips that are sure to benefit every business owner, consultant and company employee!

Fern has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental/Occupational Health. She is a Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a COR.E Leadership Dynamics Specialist. Fern holds various insurance industry professional designations such as Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).

Find out more about Fern and FPF Coaching, visit: Fpfcoaching.com

Pre-order Maryann's new novel "Lady in the Window" (in stores May 9, 2017) at Barnes & Noble, and visit: MaryannRidiniSpencer.com

Creating memorable marketing campaigns, engaging graphic designs and branded, dynamic copy is what Elaine Hollifield, Creative Consultant, Copywriter and President of Hollifield Creative and NAWBO Ventura’s President Elect (2016-2017 term), excels in.

Hollifield, who has spearheaded advertising and marketing campaigns for well-known advertising agencies and major corporations as well as her own company, has garnered a wealth of experience working with such major corporations as: Nissan Dealers, Wells Fargo, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Teleflora, Princess Cruises, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Sunkist, Blue Cross, Safeway Stores, Smart & Final, Westfield Malls, and many other national and international brands.

“I like to say I put creative expertise and experience to work for my clients,” said Hollifield. “It’s a win-win situation because I enjoy what I do, collaborating on a project and creating a successful solution. My clients enjoy the end-result that boosts their bottom line!”

In addition to dedicating herself to her clients, Hollifield believes in giving back to the community. She has chaired many events (for NAWBO Ventura, the LULU Awards and others), and has served on the boards of many non-profits and collaborated on raising funds for community non-profit organizations including: the Advertising Industry Emergency Fund (AIEF), Battered Women’s Clinic, The Mary Magdalene Project, and The Scleroderma Foundation.

In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST, Hollifield shares some of her marketing secrets, which work for major brands and small businesses alike. In addition, as the Chair for this year’s 18th Annual BRAVO Awards, taking place on March 31, 2017, 11 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Serra Center in Camarillo, she details some of the many benefits her NAWBO membership, and shares that the keynote speaker for this year’s awards will be Susan Solovic, THE Small Business Expert, an award-winning, serial entrepreneur, media personality (Former ABC News Small Business Contributor) and a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today bestselling author. Her keynote is entitled: “THE One Percent Edge: The Key to Remaining Relevant In Today’s Changing Market.”

For more information, visit:

HollifieldCreative.com

SusanSolovic.com

For information on the BRAVO AWARDS, visit: nawbovc.org/events

For more information on Simply Delicious Living, visit: SimplyDeliciousLiving.com

On Saturday mornings, when you tune in to award-winning talk radio station 1590 KVTA from 6:00-8:00am, you’ll hear positive, life-affirming talk from the “Brighter Side” with Kim Pagano on her popular show, “The Kim Pagano Show.”

With the mission of entertaining (and educating!) her loyal audience; Kim delves into any topic, with the exception of religion and politics, offering her listeners a wide array of guests from business owners, authors and members of the community, to educators, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.

“I focus on the typical challenges we all face in our lives and work to provide inspirational examples of how to cope with challenges. My mission is to bring my audience the answers they’ve been looking for, provide a helping hand with challenges, and a place to ‘tune in’ for expert advice. I’m all about encouraging people on their personal journeys to find their best life.”

A Ventura County native, Kim wears many hats. In addition to her talk show, she’s a sought after hair therapist and mother and grandmother.

In this “Simply Delicious Living” PODCAST with Maryann Ridini Spencer, Kim talks about her show, the types of guest she’s planning to book in 2017, her women’s support group, and other passions close to her heart.

LISTEN to the “The Kim Pagano Show” on radio station 1590 KVTA, Saturdays from 6:00-8:00am and on iTunes (“The Kim Pagano Show”). For more about Kim and to subscribe to her weekly newsletter, visit: kimpaganoshow.com

For more about Maryann Ridini Spencer and Simply Delicious Living, visit Maryann's website: MaryannRidiniSpencer.com and blog: SimplyDeliciousLiving.com

**

Smart business is simple business is what NAWBO member and successful Business Development Expert and Speaker Mary Cravets realized when she was faced with a health crisis that prompted her to re-evaluate how she was running her business.

Rather than crumble and let her business suffer, Mary turned a negative into a positive by changing business systems and strategies, which led to some fantastic discoveries! No longer did she need to work around the clock and on weekends. Furthermore, her development of new efficient, time saving strategies and practices actually tripled her prosperity. This realization prompted an entirely new path and today she shares what she has learned helping entrepreneurs across the globe.

“’There is a better way to build a business,’ is my mantra,” said Cravets. “My clients range from highly seasoned and driven, busy entrepreneurs, to those just beginning to navigate the commercial world. I work with my clients, evaluating their business goals, brand, marketing materials, and assessing how they currently work. I then help them develop strategies and programs of how to achieve their goals in a realistic fashion while allowing them to enjoy a balanced personal and professional lives.”

Prior to her current business focus, Cravets enjoyed successful careers in real estate, coordinating business-to-business networking events and working as a business consultant.

Cravets, a graduate of Cal State Hayward, is a two-time Past President of the Sedona-Verde Valley, AZ Chapter of NAWBO, the Chair of NAWBO’s President’s Assembly Steering Committee and currently serves on the National Board.

LISTEN TO THIS Simply Delicious Living PODCAST! Host Maryann Ridini Spencer interviews NAWBO Member Mary Cravets.

Visit: MaryCravets.com

Also visit: MaryannRidiniSpencer.com

Do you long for a European vacation, but continually put off making plans? Are you stressed at work and dream of the day when you can relax in a tropical getaway? Would you like to travel, but are overwhelmed with the thought of the planning involved; or maybe you’re single and hate the idea of travelling alone?

NAWBO VC board member Shantha Mony and her husband, Sam Mony, helm Dream-Ality Travels, a boutique family travel company that specialize in group travel. Group travel includes family reunions and getaways, corporate travel, destination weddings and honeymoons, girlfriend getaways, dive and golf excursions, and just about every other kind of group travel you can literally ‘dream’ up.

LISTEN TO THE SIMPLY DELICIOUS LIVING PODCAST RIGHT HERE!

‘”Turning your travel dreams into reality”, is our company slogan’ said Shantha. “Our core mission is to provide our clients with customized, memorable vacation experiences that are directly in line with their personal tastes, desires and pocketbook.”

“Over the past 25 years, my husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit numerous countries across six continents. Through those experiences we have gained much insight that we love to share with our clients. Travel is, and always will be, not only our work, but our passion,” said Shantha.

Dream-ality Travels is a Certified group event travel specialist agency, which means they excel at coordinating every facet of group travel — from presenting clientele with the best possible options including travel routes, modes of transport, coordinating first class accommodations, recommending side excursions and tours, arranging sumptuous dining experiences, and even offering a host of seasoned traveler’s tips.

“Family travel is very important to us,” admits Shantha. “We continue to make it a point to travel as a family at least a couple of times a year.” In November, Shantha, Sam and their daughters are headed out to South Africa on their long awaited family vacation. They are in the final stages of setting up group excursions to Italy, Iceland and Ireland that are currently very popular destinations. For 2017, among other trips, they are planning a couple of group tours of Eastern and South Africa.

Shantha gave up a long successful career in Corporate America to pursue her passion for travel in creating memorable trips for her clients. Her greatest reward is when clients return with memories of a lifetime and share their experiences with their friends and families.

“There is no group — small or large — that we don’t work with. We also coordinate travel for singles and couples, whether they prefer to travel solo or with a group. We pride ourselves in our ability to assemble unique, remarkable experiences for our clientele. If you can dream it, we can make it happen!” said Shantha enthusiastically.

To arrange a vacation consultation or to view some upcoming dream trips, visit: Dream-ality.com or call (805) 236-4437.

For Delicious PODCASTS, simple, fresh & healthy recipe ideas and creative living inspirations, Visit  Maryann's blog at:  SimplyDeliciousLiving.com or at MaryannRidiniSpencer.com

Doris Muna, author of “Triangle of Health: Discover Your Healing Journey” is a certified energy healing practitioner, consultant, international instructor, NAWBO Ventura board member and founder of Dorothea Healing Essences.

On October 23, 2016, Doris is holding a “Pet Healing Seminar,” beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Camarillo.   The seminar, which offers valuable insights and techniques for pet communication and healing, runs for seven weekend sessions. For more information, CLICK HERE!

Doris began her journey into energy healing realm some 20 years ago as she searched for solutions for some of her own physical ailments. Today, Doris works with her clients assisting them with achieving their wellness goals by incorporating a combination of energy healing modalities including the meridian system, the chakra system and flower essences from nature.

“The systems I’ve worked with have been around for centuries, and practiced by many cultures,” said Doris. “Once I ascertain a client’s emotional blockages, physical pain and/or other ailments, I’m able to intuit a menu of best healing practices to implement.”

In addition to working with humans, Doris works with our favorite four legged friends and other pets, helping pet lovers to understand their pet’s behavioral patterns and emotional challenges and offering a host of solutions for pet wellness.

Doris is a member of the Touch for Health Kinesiology Association of America and has traveled and studied with teachers and masters from around the globe. Find out more about Doris, Dorothea Healing Essences and workshops at:  DorotheaHealing.com

For Delicious PODCASTS, simple, fresh & healthy recipe ideas and creative living inspirations, Visit:  SimplyDeliciousLiving.com and/or Maryann's blog at MaryannRidiniSpencer.com

In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST, Host Maryann Ridini Spencer speaks with Jill Friedman, the 2016 Legacy Award Winner and NAWBO Ventura Board Member about her advocacy for women and women's issues.

***

Jill Friedman, NAWBO Ventura Board Member and a successful civil litigation attorney dedicated to social justice and the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession, receives the “Legacy Award” from Women Lawyers of Ventura County (WLVC) at its annual dinner on September 15, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County. Jill will also be the keynote speaker.

Jill receives this prestigious honor, in part, for her dedication to social justice and the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession. While serving as a two-term President of WLVC (2011 and 2012), Jill noticed a distinct lack of diversity among the judicial officers in Ventura County. As a result, she was instrumental in organizing the leaders of other bar association groups to form the Ventura County Diversity Bar Alliance (VCDBA), which is committed to the empowerment of women, people of color, and those historically disenfranchised in the legal profession, through education and advocacy in order to promote equal justice for our community and achieve excellence and diversity in our legal profession.

Jill is also responsible for forging a lasting relationship between WLVC and Girls, Inc., (including a program at the Juvenile Justice Complex in Oxnard where women lawyers work with incarcerated girls on a monthly basis assisting them with education, money matters, confidence building, and practical life skills).

In addition to being a crusader of women’s rights, Jill also holds the prestigious position of being named the first female partner of the law firm of Myers, Widders, Gibson, Jones & Feingold. She works as a successful trial lawyer and civil litigation attorney in the areas of business, employment, real estate, and personal injury..

Previous to her Legacy Award honor, the Pacific Coast Business Times named Jill as one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” and “Who's Who in Attorneys,” and Legal publisher Martindale-Hubbell named her as one of “Los Angeles's Women Leaders in the Law.”

Upon law school graduation in 1987, Jill first started practicing in Ventura County. In 1990, she served as President of Ventura County Barristers, and the following year Jill was named Vice-President of the California Young Lawyers Association. In 1993, Jill returned to her hometown of Santa Barbara to take care of her terminally ill mother, and during her 17 years of legal practice in Santa Barbara, she held a number of bar leadership positions, including President of Santa Barbara Women Lawyers. She returned to Ventura County in 2010 after raising her three children.

***

Find out more about the September 15, 2016 Women Lawyers of Ventura County (WLVC) dinner event, click here.

Find out more about Jill and Meyers, Widders, Gibson, Jones & Feingold, LLP: mwgjlaw.com

Visit NAWBO Ventura: nawbovc.org

Are you living the life you’ve always envisioned? If you could, would you like to make any changes to your current personal or work situation? Do you ever wonder about what steps you can take to design your own charmed life?

In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST hosted by Maryann Ridini Spencer, Linda Drevenstedt, MS, an insightful life coach, speaker, NAWBO Ventura member, and author of “Life Path by Design, Coach Yourself to Your Own Charmed Life,” (Crescendo Publishing, LLC/2016), shares some insights and tools to help you to achieve a purpose driven career and more fulfilling personal relationships.

Find out more about Linda and/or order the book at: lifepathbydesign.net

Visit NAWBO Ventura: NAWBOVC.org

Visit: SimplyDeliciousLiving.com

On Friday, April 1, 2016 NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Ventura County is presenting the 17th Annual BRAVO AWARDS Celebrating Outstanding Women in Business and Leadership at a special luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Serra Center in Camarillo, CA.  In this Simply Delicious Living PODCAST host Maryann Ridini Spencer talks with the President of NAWBO Ventura County, Dr. Janis Shinkawa and President-Elect Brenda Terzian about this year's winners and event!  To take out an AD in the BRAVO Program book and/or to RSVP to attend the BRAVO AWARDS, VISIT: nawbovc.org and Maryann's blog, simplydeliciousliving.com and YouTube Channel