Category Archives: Featured

Leap! Great Things Are Ahead

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What we do when we are at crossroads in our life or during difficult times tells people a lot about who we are. But it is even more telling about where we are going. Rough times are not the time to give up. They are the time to leap, because great things lie ahead. Our life is a series of ebb and flow, ups and downs, and many of the best things come after a difficult time or life-changing experience. But as we all know, these times are difficult while we are going through them.

At these times in our life, we get to decide who we are going to be. When we have lost something in our life it can place us us at these crossroads. It could be a lost relationship, job or something else that meant a lot to us or something that we felt defined us or something that we never thought we could live without. But we usually find that we can. And not only that, there is most likely a better job, or better relationship, or better life experiences waiting for us. Sometimes the growth alone by the choice of how we decide to walk through it is a big part of the amazing new life that awaits us. And sometimes these experiences are the catalyst to bring about a good change in our lives that we might not have been brave enough to bring about ourselves.

I was watching the new show Malibu Country with Reba McEntire and Lily Tomlin last week. It’s about a woman whose husband cheated on her, and she left him, so she left Nashville and moved to Malibu with her two children and mother to start her life over and to reignite her own singing career. At one point, everything seemed to be going wrong, and she was ready to pack up and move back to Nashville. And her mother offered her these words of wisdom:

“Oh baby, you gave up your voice once and here you have a chance to find it again. Don’t you go back just because it’s hard right now.” -Lillie Mae (Lily Tomlin) Malibu Country – Reba McEntire’s new show

So when we find ourselves at these crossroads, remember to leap, because great things are ahead. Stop resisting and use this opportunity for growth and change.

This is where I am at in life right now. Things aren’t easy and haven’t been for a few years. Things were so bad two years ago that I left myself two sticky notes, one reminding me to breathe, and the other reminding me to take one day at a time. Thinking too far ahead was, let’s just say, a hyperventilating experience. I didn’t have to think about any of that that very second, just today, and to just breathe.

It’s three years later now, and I have survived, even learned to be happy and found my joy, even though my circumstances haven’t changed. I also like to think that I have grown. A lot. I like who I am a lot more now. I guess in these moments, we only have two options, to go up or to go down. Staying the same usually isn’t one of the choices anymore. Now my daily reminder is on my bracelet, and it says….Leap.

This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve learned in life that the tough times are going to come, and I’ve also learned they are great opportunities to take us to new and better levels. Past experience has taught me that this is always true.

So right now…I’m choosing to be brave and to leap, to leap into being who I was destined to be, to leap onto the stepping stone that God has provided to something even greater.

What will you choose when at the crossroads of life? What will you choose today?

Inspirational Leather Cuff Bracelet – The Perfect Jewelry for Leading Ladies

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Have you ever wanted a beautiful way to inspire yourself throughout the day? We will see a wonderful, life changing quote, but then when we walk away, we get distracted by life and other things and forget the inspiration that was so life changing and that we wanted to remember the rest of the day or even longer.

This is a project that I have been thinking about for years. It has evolved over time, but the basic thought was to wear beautiful art that inspires and helps me keep my focus where I want. Old habits are hard to break, and I need a reminder throughout my day. But I’m a woman and wanted something beautiful that I could feel proud to wear.


I knew I was onto something when I could not wait to make my own. I wanted it so badly. I could hardly wait to work out the design details and start wearing it. I LOVE it! It makes me ridiculously happy. I am not even the person that wears jewelry around the house, but I want it on all the time. It makes me happy. It encourages me. It inspires me. So that settles it. I’m probably never taking it off.

It gets better. I know that if we look at something every day over a long period of time that we get used to seeing it and don’t really “see” it anymore. This is the realist side of me. I know myself too well. I have to set myself up to succeed and grow. So….I made the inspirational pendants INTERCHANGEABLE! That is right. Additional pendants are available and can easily be changed out in just a few seconds with no tools. The art can be changed just like you would change the art in your home simply by removing the framed art and replacing it with a new piece.So for a small amount, you can have a whole new look! How cool is that! Sometimes we need inspiration in a new area of our life, or we want something fresh and new that wows us all over again, so the art was designed to be interchangeable to stay fresh and new!

How cool is that? I’ve barely been sleeping at night while working on these.

If you are on the “Be a Leading Lady” facebook page or read the blog, you know how much I love inspiration. I want to be inspired. I want others to be inspired. I want us all to live out loud in a way that changes the lives of everyone around us. I want us all to be the person we dream of being. And the thought of having a way to do that for us every day, all day long made me so happy, and I could not wait to share it with my wonderful leading lady friends! Oh, what leading ladies we will be now!

The inspirational, leather cuff bracelet is unique art framed in beautiful, original handmade jewelry designs to complement your style and fashion. We have taken a combination of our photographs and digital art and combined it with inspirational quotes to encourage you through out your day on life’s journey.

What better way to carry your inspirational art with you wherever you go! Now you can feel inspired throughout your day, wherever you go, and stay focused on what is important to you in your life at the time.

These will make a perfect gift for practically everyone! Your loved ones and friends will never forget you as they are inspired to greatness and cherish their wonderful gift.

As a special thank you and encouragement to all of the wonderful leading ladies out there…

For a very limited time you can purchase an inspirational art cuff for only $39.99

Shop Early for Christmas! Get the unique gift that will be treasured forever!
Regular price: $55   Sale Price: 39.99

Etsy Store: https://bealeadinglady.com/store

Be sure to tell all your friends! We don’t want anyone to miss out on this limited time offer!

Showing Up and Daring Greatly

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It’s a wonderful thing that we are continually learning and able to experience growth. And you begin to pull all the little signs and messages together that been leading you there.

This has been my aha moment this week:

  • Be real. Be present.
  • Be in the moment.
  • Be comfortable in your own skin by embracing who you are with no shame and with a sense of humor.

I have a friend who embraces being real. We have been friends since we were 12 years old, and I absolutely adore this about her. No matter how embarrassing the story is, and believe me we have accumulated plenty of them, she laughs hysterically about it. She came into town last weekend and we met for dinner and drinks and had a great discussion about embracing all of ourselves. She inspires me. It’s not my strong point. I tend to get embarrassed or ashamed. Yeah, I’m fun like that. She is my safe place. I can let my guard down and be real with her.

This is what this opens up in your life when you embrace it…real connections and real relationships. Sure some people may use this to feel superior to you and those relationships will not move forward but those are their issues and not ours. We showed up. It reminds me of this quote: “An enlightened woman will not seek to be understood, she just enjoys the company of likeminded people. –Casey Leasure

It makes no sense, but we do it all the time. We seek to explain ourselves and seek validation from others.

I love when you have one of those moments like I did with my friend where your eyes are open to something you know you need in your life, and then you begin to see it everywhere. I was watching the Katie Couric Show this week, and one of her guests was Brene Brown, author of Daring Greatly.

I love the daring greatly philosophy because it’s about showing up. It’s about going big or going home. If we are not showing up for our life, we have truly already lost. I love what Brene said daring greatly.

Brene says to dare greatly that we need to be willing to be vulnerable and defines vulnerability as: unceertainty, risk, emotional exposure. Vulnerability is being all in. It’s showing up.


“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.” -Aristotle

If we want to avoid criticism in our life, we are not even going to be showing up. We also must learn to ignore the critic sitting on the sideline. We are the one in the arena of our own life.

“Make no mistake it feels uncomfortable to put ourselves out there, and it feels dangerous, but I don’t think there is anything more uncomfortable or dangerous, I get teary-eyed when I talk about this, than standing on the outside of our lives wondering what it would be like had we shown up.” -Brene Brown

She gave the example of a character in a movie who shows up outside of a girl’s window with his boombox playing a love song to woo her. As movie-watchers, we are rooting for him. It feels quite differently when we think of being the ones to put ourselves out there, but in the end that is usually where great things happen. He was daring greatly, and at least he showed up.

For some strange reason, we think we are the only ones who get nervous or have social anxiety issues, or who are dealing with depression or post traumatic stress disorder. It is simply not true. We all experience these at one time or the other, even your favorite celebrities.

We are all just human. Ad it is human to feel these things, but what is truly heroic is to be real and be able to laugh at yourself.

Lauren Graham was on The Ellen Show today discussing her social anxiety at a recent party of Ellen’s. She was intimidated by Ellen and the others around her and blurted out ridiculous comments in an effort to make conversation. It was hysterical listening to her tell the story. But I love that she did. That makes it okay for me to be human and embrace it too. Even Ellen admitted to having social anxiety issues.

[Watch Lauren Graham on the Ellen Show]

No one is as together as you think they are. We are all just human.

It’s all about showing up. Whether we have an anxiety disorder, depression, or other overwhelming life situations, we have the power to stop where we are and say that I am going to show up and lead my own life. To say that we are going to be real and embrace ourselves.

It is about showing up and being true to yourself, taking chances, and going outside of your comfort zone to risk nothing for something great. We’re really not risking anything if we don’t already have what we we want. We have nothing to lose.

I love this part of the story. Famous blogger, and one of my favorites, Jenny Lawson, also know as The Bloggess, was also with Brene on the Katie Couric show. Jenny had struggled with depression and anxiety disorder and while already a very popular blogger, struggled some days to get out of bed. She felt the dissonant cord struck in her life knowing that her husband knew, so she was very brave and shared this with her readers. It gave them permission to be real too. Which is the first step to begin any healing process. She told the story of the “sisterhood of the traveling red dress”. In an effort to reclaim her life and say that she was in charge again, going totally out of her comfort zone, she had a friend make her a large red ball gown and did a photo shoot to capture her embracing and reclaiming her life. Then she blogged about the importance of going after the things we want, even if we think they are ridiculous, because we are worth it. That very dress has now made it’s way all over the world so that other women could embrace the same moment.

I’ve always said how important it is to have these images of ourselves. I wrote in an article, A Mirror Has Two Faces, that you need to have at least one picture of yourself where you shine, not just shine on the outside, but shine on the inside, too – you at the top of your game, confident and happy. Put these pictures where you can see them every day. And, remember, you do not have to find yourself. You just have to remember who you are.

So lighten up on yourself today. Be kind to yourself. Show yourself the same grace that you would your best friend. Be brave today. Be grateful for this moment, and dare greatly.

The Quiet Voice That Whispers Into Your Soul…Follow That

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God puts into our hearts the intuition to know what we need. It whispers quietly and gently, and if we are still, we can hear it guiding the way. Follow that. – Topaz

If I have learned anything from my mistakes, it’s this. Learn to trust yourself. Learn to trust that God is guiding you. Follow that.

Follow your intuition. Trust yourself. This is one trait that I have seen in every leading lady that I have noticed. She takes responsibility for her own life and her own choices. It is an inner confidence knowing that she recognizes the still, small voice as it softly whispers in her spirit to guide her. This is the intuition that God has placed inside of us.

A leading lady realizes that she, and she alone, is in charge of her own life. For better or worse, she is ultimately responsible for her life choices. And if you are the one living with the consequences, you are the one with the most at risk.

You might be asking right now, “What if I don’t know what to do?” We don’t always know what to do at that very moment. But many decisions do not need to be made the very moment we see the problem. If we wait, many times it comes to us. Other times, it is already trying to tell us, but we either do not recognize the voice or have not learned to trust it.

This is a lesson that I have learned the hard way. And the price I have paid has been high. I have come a long way since then. I would like to think that if I were about to be married and got all the way to the altar and had some sort of out of body experience and was not in the moment because it didn’t feel right, I would turn and walk away. Now, I would sure hope that I had a clue before then. And this is an extreme example, but you get my point. Even if you risk unintentionally hurting someone else or looking like a fruit loop, it is better than an amazing amount of regret for years to come.

How to Following Your Intuition – Steps to Living More Consciously and Intuitively

  • Commit to being more aware. Listen more closely. Learn to separate this voice from your own thoughts.
  • Practice trusting it a little more.
  • Practice going inward and not sharing everything with everyone or listening to those people who give advice so freely as if it is their own life. What makes them the expert in your life and what is right for you? Absolutely nothing.

As you begin to take these steps to trusting the intuition that God gave you, you will begin to see an inner confidence in yourself as you step more and more into your role as the leading lady of your own life.

There Is Magic in Kindness

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I’ve written about making a memory with the focus on our loved ones, but sometimes, briefly, our lives will cross paths with someone whom you will never forget. Your life is never quite the same, because for that brief connection, something happened. Time stood still and nothing else existed. It’s a remarkable experience. Two completely separate lives that intersect.

Always be aware and take those few extra moments for these encounters. They tend to happen when you least expect them.

While checking out at the grocery store, I noticed the woman behind the register. She was older, much older than I expected at the time of evening that I was shopping, especially since her makeup looked fresh and like she had just arrived. I just really felt like saying something nice to her, so I commented on how lovely she looked today. Through our conversation, I realized she had been there for quite a few hours and had been up early that morning. Well, at that point, I commented on her makeup looking so fresh like she had just arrived. She told me that she had put it on around 9 o’clock that morning. At this point, I HAD to know what she used. She told me and also mentioned her son in the conversation while she told me a little about her day. Mind you, we are having this whole conversation while I am checking out with a line forming behind us. As she began to open up a little more, she mentioned her son again. He obviously loves her very much. I commented on their wonderful relationship. It was here the story began to take an unexpected turn. She told me that she lost a daughter, and she felt like they were extra close after that had happened. I told her how sorry I was. She began to open up a little more and shared how her daughter died. She was young, only 28 years old, and had just moved into an apartment. She had talked to her daughter that night and told her that she loved her and would talk to her tomorrow. That was the last time she ever talked to her daughter. She died that night of carbon monoxide poisoning due to an issue with the heater in her apartment. She talked of the importance of telling your children that you love them. This offered her a small amount of comfort in knowing these were their last words. She talked of the importance of this as she finished checking out my groceries. I have always done this myself. I don’t know why, but I always have done this with those I cherish. The last words I ever said to my brother, just hours before he was rushed to the hospital and died later the next day, were the exact same as the ones she said to her daughter. As I was preparing to leave, I looked at her and said how glad I was to have met her and how much I had enjoyed talking with her. She said to look for her next time. I smiled and said I would. At this point, I looked at the line behind me and noticed the kindness in the eyes of the people waiting in line who were also obviously touched by this beautiful woman’s story.

There are several morals to this story.

  • Take time to be kind. You never know how much you might be the one who is blessed from it. Everyone has a story, a beautiful treasure hidden inside. Take time to find it.
  • Always be patient while waiting in line, you never know when you just might be a witness to one of these moments. You could be the one who needed to hear the message.
  • Along with your smoke detector, always have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home. Tell everyone you know. It’s so important and could save a life.
  • Always tell those you cherish how much you love them.
Grocery shopping is probably one of my least favorite things to do, but I sure would not trade that particular trip. I will forever be touched by this woman. There was magic in that moment. I’m not sure who needed it or for whom it was meant, but there was magic in it. Take time to be kind to someone and have a blessed day!