Nicole Felicano, Vera Sweeney, Jessica Alba and Julia Beck

Look a bit more closely (and know what I know) – and what you see are four women with passion drive and the ability to make it so. Nicole Felicano, founder of Momtrends hit a home-run as the host of Jessica’s launch event at (my personal fave) ABC Kitchen in New York. Nicole continues to hone her craft and scale her brand (and her sweet spot) – and has grown her vertical to include influencer liaison work. I am impressed but certainly not surprised with her accomplishments. Vera Sweeney, a woman whose ability to spot what is next is only surpassed by her knack for building powerful partnerships and her mighty and impressive work ethic. She and (sadly MIA) Getting Gorgeous partner Audrey McLelland -a multi-tasking goddess with striking good looks, contagious enthusiasm and endless energy- have, in addition to their respective empires (understatement) and collaborative brand,  just announced that their newly born STRUT will be part of Fashion Week next month. As part of a partnership with other industry heavy-weights, these two will bring the first mom-focused runway show (with an array of brands and celebrity mom models) to take place during fashion week  to life at Lincoln center.

WHEW!

Pull the lens back and you see something richer, deeper and worth a second look. This image captures the energy and the sisterhood of successful women at a moment of accomplishment . This is the knowing smile, the warm hug, the hard-earned exhale. It is a portrait of women with passion, drive, creativity, sticktoitiveness, savvy and likely sleep deprivation. This is a view of entrepreneurs (Mompreneurs if you please) with both focus and faith, women who have taken real-time chances with impressive results. And of course this an image of what we should strive for, mentor in and share with our daughters…

This is the future!

]]> http://www.fortyweeks.com/content/every-picture-tells-a-story/feed/ 5 http://www.fortyweeks.com/content/eoy-time-to-reflect-redirect-and-recharge/ http://www.fortyweeks.com/content/eoy-time-to-reflect-redirect-and-recharge/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:30:30 +0000 julia http://www.fortyweeks.com/?p=2974 Here we are – December.

Tonight the sun set early, the moon hung low and oh so full, and I was just a little quieter than usual.

It’s been a long December, and there’s reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last (thank you beautiful Adam Durwitz for your uncanny ability to wrap the disappointment and the optimism into one melodic package).

And with the end of year – comes the time to reflect with real purpose…the goal is simple – celebrate the good, learn from the rest and build on it all of as we enter 2012.

Thank you to the amazing team, clients and friends of Forty Weeks who help to make it so each and every day. You are the good, the buzz and the juice. Without you there is not much to say.

This year we saw a lot of our clients “come of age” – grow to new heights even leave the nest…we are always proud to have played such a vital role in these powerful stories. We saw old friends come to us with new, inspired ideas and we joined them as they worked tirelessly to make their visions real. We saw clients acquired, partnerships solidified and best of all we saw the results of passion, strategy and focus…all things that make Forty Weeks hum.

As for redirection, expect even more of a pivot towards our philanthropic partners and their role as marketing partners to our beloved brands. Expect more integration and certainly more celebration as brands and friends reach major milestones in 2012 (Bravado will turn 20, R Baby Foundation 5 and more!).

And now, time to recharge. The next few weeks will include a very special and overdue personal celebration followed by a family trip to my beloved Paris and London.

I can’t wait to see what comes next.

A very merry to all….

 I would first suggest a good move (Midnight in Paris comes to mind) with all of the delicious AC that comes with it.  Add in some juicy summer fruits and cool, ice-cube laden drinks. Next, some easy, breezy couture to keep things looking and feeling cool. I am thinking of both of you today in swelter-land, and sending you a cool breeze (even if only in spirit).  Here are some best bets for beating the heat:

I never tire of Nuka for great summer looks!

Nom Strapless - cool and chic!

Classic Summer Stripes in Ivory and Black

Baby Bump

Jenni Hogan is the definition of adorable baby bump (IMO)

Bestie (here’s mine, the always fabulous Lisa Jordan Helms)

My Bestie, Lisa Jordan Helms

Mani/Pedi

Well sure that is a given:

Pedi (trust me on the mani)

And next year – I vote that Audrey McClelland’s Haul finds its way in….what do you think? What words are making their way to the big book?

I went journeying backwards through the Bruce catalog and spent my days making sense of the world through his poetic lens. There is none of that without Clarence Clemons. There was something about the way he blew that sax that drew me in and never released me . It was not just the melancholy it was also the party that he brought to the table. And the best part – back then, was the live shows and the amazing camaraderie between Bruce and Clarence. That is how I wanted my work to feel (and it does, btw) – connected to and surrounded by people who love what they do as much as I and frankly who feel it…big, juicy and real. This was  a relationship that moved and motivated me to find  and surround myself with my own - loving, like-minded, and spirited,  The friendship, care and respect is so evident in these images:

And so last night, in the wee hours (I really could not sleep) I wrote my goodbye to the Big Man. And so with love and sadness, goodbye Clarence, goodbye and thank you.

It is a sad, somber day on E Street.  Saying goodbye to one of the most talented, charismatic and soulful spirits – what a gift you were! Clarence has been the omnipresent musical force that has elevated, emoted and engaged both on stage and off. There is no soundtrack of my life without his sax, and for that I am grateful. RIP to the Big Man…oh how you will be missed.

•                 Water – for drinking – cold, bubbles, still,  lemon, lime – just keep drinking!
•                 Water  – for swimming,  for floating, for cooling your toes – speaking of which,
•                 Pedicures – whether you  can see your toes or not, keep them pampered & pretty! 
•                 Smoothies – I am a big fan of Raspberry Banana, yum!
•                 And last, but not least – cool summer looks.

Here’s the skinny on how to keep your budget in tact while keeping it easy breezy this summer (send us a shot of your haul!) –

NYC MATERNITY SAMPLE SALES:

THIS WEEK ONLY

Belly Dance Maternity Sample Sale

New York Store

Two Days Only

Wed, June 22 11 am-7 pm & Thurs June 23 9 am- 3pm

CASH ONLY

Everything $10-$50

 Warm and cold weather styles and even designer denim on sale

Original prices $50-$350

Brands include Paige Maternity, Michael Stars Maternity, NOM, t-bags Maternity, Ella Moss, Rachel Pally, Olian Maternity, Japanese Weekend, and more

548 Hudson Street between Charles and Perry in West Village

 212-645-3640

checking out the goods at A New View

A New View Maternity

347 W. 36th Street, Suite 1602, between 8^th and 9^th Ave

NYC, NYC 10018

212-643-9547

 When: 

June 6th-30th, 2011

July 11^th– 22^nd 2011

Time:

9:30am -3:30pm Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Monday and Friday by appointment only

CASH ONLY

Maternal America, Pour Deux, Japanese Weekend, Bellyssima, Olian, Noppies, Ripe and more! Shower dresses, breezy tops, slim leg bottoms, nursing and more! 

Once upon a time in the land of the Gray Lady was a Front Page cover all about drug addiction and pregnancy. It said that you are too high to be pregnant (especially in Maine):

Newly Born, and Withdrawing From Painkillers

Deeper in the paper, there was a cover (though below the fold) of the Styles Section – it said that MTV was one giant warm, fuzzy educator in a glammed up, air brushed and glossy disguise.  This piece said, you are too young to be pregnant:

Fighting Teenage Pregnancy With MTV Stars as Exhibit A

But then, and finally on a left-hand page, well in the Styles section, we find the happy ending to our tale. With the sound of birds chirping in the background, this piece shares what the Times readers knew all along (about themselves anyway as this is the demo, no?) – wait long enough and you will be a happy, joyous parent. Here Pamela Paul  (full disclosure I adore Pamela) shares research that concludes older parents are happier than younger parents: Older Parents Find More Joy in their Bundles

And so you see, once again a flurry of bloggy, boisterous backlash is born – welcome to Sunday….

So, it would seem natural then that the rise of Facebook would be a boon for women. Here  was a vibrant open community on which we could collectively see, share and experience the remarkable and new (and often overwhelming) journey of pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Yet, somehow Facebook has decided this is neither the place nor the community for such endeavors. We have all watched as breastfeeding and birth have become high targets on the censor list.  Ask Ciaran Blumenfeld about how we have managed to build a successful Facebook community for Bravado without so much as the use of the world “nipple” (forget a breast image) to keep us safe. And now, this week it seems pregnancy  photography is an issue as well.

Too Much for FB?

I’ve asked some of the best brains in the business for their (very) quick take on the reality of Facebook and mothers. It was my goal to bring together a wide range of voices to help us make sense of this one.  And so meet:

Audrey McClelland- Founder of Mom Generations,  Co-Founder of Getting Gorgeous and other landmark projects connecting women. Mother of  4 active boys  – . www.momgenerations.com

Sarah Evans -Social Media Expert – UNDERSTATEMENT. Sara is excited to be pregnant with her first child. www.sevansstrategy.com

Samantha Ettus – Bestselling author, media personality and personal branding expert. Author of Forbes Personal Branding Blog.  Mother of three beautiful children. www.samanthaettus.com and www.expertsmedia.com

Danielle Friedland - 

Danielle Friedland, mom of 2 breastfed babies. The Social Media Manager for giggle and Healthy Child Healthy World and Editor-in-Chief of Bravado Designs’ Breastfeeding Diaries blog. She created the Celebrity Baby Blog in 2004 which she sold to People.com in 2008. www.bravadodesigns.com

Nicole Feliciano- Founder and Editor of Momtrends.com.  Super savvy and connected Mother of two equally stellar breastfed daughters. www.momtrends.com

Here is what this amazingly well informed and diverse group of Social Media leaders had to say on the question of why images of  pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding – all central themes of  motherhood, are such a challenge to Facebook.

Audrey McClelland -  I have to admit, I was surprised to hear all of this was being censored by Facebook. Pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood is natural… and considering there are over 85 million moms on Facebook, it’s shocking to me that there isn’t a “safe” place to post certain things. I had always viewed Facebook as a place where women can come to connect, meet, share and engage… and I feel like this is stripping us from that.  Truly.  As modern moms, we look for ways to connect digitally because that’s the way people connect nowadays… it’s sad to see Facebook pull away such natural and open and honest images.

Sarah-  I’m definitely new to this conversation, so what I’m sharing our preliminary thoughts…I don’t necessarily want to see my friends’ naked body parts on FB, but it is their decision to share.

Samantha -  It is only this year that you could add your kids names and ages to your FB page in addition to your spouse. FB has been a late bloomer every step of the way in regard to parenting. In my mind it is a simple explanation – it was originally created for college kids by a college kid so it would be logical then, that the “grownup” categories are coming later, as the founders and the company age. Perhaps now that Randi Zuckerberg  is married, a kid isn’t far behind and in turn, parenting will be a new focus. That is, if they get there before a competitor takes it on.

Danielle- Facbeook is not anti-woman — their staff is just not mature. I can’t confirm this but my impression is that Facebook is staffed by recent college graduates who don’t have pregnancy and motherhood in their mindset. They probably see a pregnant woman as fat instead of radiant. They probably see breastfeeding as “gross” instead of natural and nourishing. They have probably never seen a baby breastfeeding in real life nor were they raised thinking that breastfeeding is normal given that the majority of babies born within the last 20-40 years were not breastfed themselves. They just don’t get it. But you know who is? The COO of Facebook is Sheryl Sandberg, a woman who is also a mother. She needs to communicate to Facebook employees that pregnancy, breastfeeding and pride in motherhood is quite normal and in no way obscene. She needs to set policy that respects women and mothers as they are the largest growing population on Facebook.

Nicole- As for me, I find navel piercings more challenging than bumps and boobs. I’m sure this phenomenon is all about boys making decisions. Was social network (the movie) sexist? No, they just didn’t involve women that is different from being anti-woman.

The more companies we start the more conversations we steer.

And so with these insights comes more questions. And too, an opportunity to ask – what do you think?

So it is not January 1. In fact it is January 13 – a little late for resolutions. But certainly never too late for a little New Year’s Update

What’s New:

New Offices – come and visit us at 4800 Hamden Lane. We’ve poshed up the space, painted in clear, energizing tones (cotton ball and spectrum blue) and brought along our “girl” – for good luck!

New Partners – look for the power-brains such as Ciaran Blumenfeld, Alice Gallin-Dwyer and Amy Bair to be on our short list of key vendors this year. We are stepping it up a notch – only the best and brightest need apply.

New Projects – talk about lucky – look for our consumer savvy to apply itself in some new, ground-breaking ways in 2011. If I told you now I would have to kill you – but do stay tuned.

New ‘Tude– ok, I still have a bad ‘tude but I am bringing it along for the 2011 ride.

And, I hope you will join us too. Follow Forty Weeks on Facebook  or on twitter – there you will get up the minute musings and missives from me….and really, who would not want that to keep them warm on this chilly January day?

See you soon…