Conquering Fears of All Kinds

Celebrate with me! I conquered two fears this week (1) Driving Long Distances alone with kids (12 hours RT) and (2) Getting “Judged” in a Swimsuit (my choice, breakthrough any anxieties early I figured!)

Why Vegas? To meet up with my new friend, former Mrs. United States 1997 and Mrs. America 2002, Laurett Ellsworth Arenz. How did I meet Laurett you might wonder? To be honest, it was one of you… a blog reader/online friend who introduced me to his mom via a comment on this site! CRAZY. He likes to be on the downlow about his famous mom, so I won’t tell you who it is, but those of you who know any Ellsworth bloggers, you might figure it out! Ironically Laurett is a member of my church and we have mutual friends, including Cherie Burton who is also mentoring me for the pageant. Laurett grew up in Utah although competed in Maryland for their titles. Before we decided to meet in Vegas we had a couple of phone sessions where we worked on my platform, preparing for the interview, and she gave me a lot of resources for where to find my wardrobe too.

Conquering Fear #1 -Driving 12 Hours on my own
Laurett was in Vegas for a conference at the new, hip and modern Red Rock Hotel so it worked well for us to meet there since I have family in St George (1 1/2 hours north of Vegas) and could stay with them and they could watch my girls while I traveled further to meet with Laurett the next day. I was determined to make it there so I pushed forward any fears of driving the distance alone with my two girls (ages 2 and 4) and set myself up for success. Read more

Mentoring from God, Fitness Training, and More

Mentoring from God

On Wednesday I was privileged to speak to a conference of women at church about Charity- the Pure Love of Christ specifically about being a true follower of Christ. It is very humbling for me to speak about such intense and sacred topics and I appreciated the opportunity to study, prepare and deliver the message. I felt guided and mentored by heaven in the process and it increased my desire and hunger to include God more fully in my daily life and efforts in all I do. Read more

Why and How I’m Competing in a Mrs. Pageant in May 2008

Surprised? Me too!!!!!!!! I never expected it, but it’s absolutely true. I AM COMPETING May 24th in the Mrs. Utah United States pageant. (See below for how you can show your support or sponsor me, I’d really appreciate it!)

WHY in the WORLD would I put myself through that torture, opportunity?

Two weeks ago Fairy Godmother Cherie Burton (Mrs. Utah 2004) called and invited me to consider the competition. At first I just kind of laughed about it and then she kept talking about all the doors that opened for her, all the people she is now connected with, the personal refinement, the motivation to get in shape, etc. I was intrigued– a teeny tiny bit. Then she mentioned the networking again (my weakness)… hmmm… for that reason alone I should do it I thought. But that wasn’t reason enough to get me on stage in a swimsuit (albeit a one piece with a wrap). She said, if you choose to do it… I could mentor you. I was flattered but not convinced. Then after the call was completed I received my WHY. It was a very strong emotional, exciting, and scary moment all at once… shaking me to my core. I just KNEW that I needed to experience the pageant and that much good would come out of it. So, in a nutshell, my underlining decision to compete stems from an inner feeling that it’s right, that God wants me to learn something from this. Now that I’m over the shock I’m excited about the potential growth for Startup Princess too… I look forward to sharing our mission with more women. And, yes, it is fun that our brand goes with the whole idea of winning a crown… I must admit, I really want that crown, an official one.

HOW in the WORLD will I “Make it Happen” in just 3 months?

To know me, you know: I believe in myself, and set my daily intentions so I create my own dreams, I’m a hard worker and I know the right people to help me…and if I don’t know the right people, then I find them. I have the right people in place now.

First of all, I feel that I have God’s blessing and encouragement. I will depend on Him daily for my support and ask Him to guide my efforts.

My husband, Matt bless his soul is completely supportive and is helping me to pay for the expenses of the entry fees, trainer, hair, etc. (but I’m seeking sponsors to help with my wardrobe). He is excited about what this will mean for our family, as we’re all eating better now and there’s a heightened attention to health in general. He’ll be my escort in my evening gown which I think is extra special! My kids are excited too… they’ve been exercising with me and we’ve been looking at hairstyles in magazines, etc. together… they’re great at giving me their opinions!

Fortunately, I know 3 previous winners, all Fairy Godmothers for Startup Princess… Mrs. Utah 2006 Continental Becca Levie, Mrs. Utah 2004, Cherie Burton, Mrs. Utah 2003 Kristen Lamb, all great friends of mine. Cherie is my pageant trainer and will be working with me on my strategy, platform, wardrobe, etc. and I’m sure I’ll be talking to Becca and Kristen a lot as well.

I also have a personal fitness trainer, Liz Rosenbaum, also a great friend and Startup Princess (she sold her company Keeping Memories Alive and Scrapbooks.com last year) is now starting a fitness training company, so I’m officially her first client and I couldn’t be happier. She’s very focused on results and I need that. She also lives 4 minutes away so on warmer days I could actually jog over to her house before our 6am training, if I get really ambitious!

When possible I will select my wardrobe and accessories from Startup Princesses and other women entrepreneurs to support them and model their creativity. I am looking for sponsors as well with my wardrobe. Email me!

What you might not want to know: I have already had 3 colonics (yes, 3) and believe me that’s a great way to clean yourself out before you attempt any diet program. I’ve been off refined sugar since January 5th (just because I hate the way it makes me feel) and now I’ve been off dairy, carbs, and pumping up healthy proteins, adding way more water, veggies, supplements, etc. I feel really great now just with my focus and attention on whole foods and exercising… can’t wait to see the results as things progress.

Also, if you didn’t know I have a performing background, having grown up in Burbank, I had the chance to be in lots of professional media opportunities, film, tv shows, modeling, theatre productions, etc. and my old days are all coming back to me… in the last few years I saw myself more of a director than a performer with my recent Master’s in children’s theatre, but I’m not afraid to “get into character” and shine!

Will I be blogging about the training, etc.? Yes and No. I will share some of my experiences on Mondays but as far as my strategy, platform (you all will love what I have in mind, promise), wardrobe, pageant secrets goes, I have to be very careful when and how I share until I actually compete because I may hurt myself by sharing too much. If you want to read about a human guinea pig experience with a Mrs. Pageant, click here.

What about Startup Princess?Good thing I followed my feelings to get things in order in January with this site… I pre-posted all of our Wednesday Fairy Godmother posts through August (thank you to everyone who submitted them early!) and Jessica Cryer now writes our Thursday features. Startup Princess news on Fridays will also continue, keep sending us your great news. As far as everything else goes, I’ll still put in a few hours here and there on email, events, and other programs, but I’m going to rely on my partner, Leslie Smoot a great deal and she’s very capable and awesome to run things when I have other obligations.

Ways YOU can support me:Wish me luck, pray for me, think of me when you’re eating Ben & Jerry’s , and please attend and support me if you’re in town!Sponsor me and we’ll give 10% to a rewarding Startup Princess who wins our elevator pitch competition later in 2008

Advertising opportunities:$300 (online rotating ad on Startup Princess for 3 months, plus 81/2 x 11 ad in our pageant program for 2000 guests)

$150 (online rotating ad on Startup Princess for 1 month, plus 1/2 page ad in our pageant program)

$75 (1/4 page ad)

$50 (business card size)$25 your logo will appear on a “I’m a Startup Princess” page of our members in the pageant program (limited to 25)Deadline: March 20th, email me.

Today’s Magic Wand: After you return from the grocery store soak and wash your veggies in the sink full of warm water with a capful of bleach for about 10-15 min to get all of the parasites and germs off, then rise and repeat again, then cut up all your veggies and store in the fridge so when you need to munch, you’re ready. I love to dip mine in hummus! Roasted Red Pepper is my favorite!Stay tuned for next week’s update!