Spring Edition of Vision Made Magazine

From the Editor Hello Vision Made Readers, As I sit here writing to you, I thought, mannnnn, last year refined lessons learned and learned lessons. One of the primary lessons that we needed to embrace was the fact that in order to evolve, we had to change. I affirm that a healthy mind fosters a healthy life!

With that said, the magazine embodies the stories of women small business owners who have become visionaries and rocking their What's Next! This enables you to incorporate inner reflection to create questions that will empower your intent to craft your Vision Board. When you are ready to actualize your Vision Board and execute your goals, then it is time to implement a monthly Vision Board worksheet. This worksheet will also assist with accountability, JFYI! My hopes are that you will find this issue impactful as well as effectively interactive to guide you to your What's Next.

I would love to see you Vision Boards and the Vision Board Worksheets email me at visionmademagazine@gmail.com in the subject field My Vision: Until next quarter be your Vision Made.

In this Issue

Pamela Stone 4

How to Make a Vision Board

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Goals and Visions

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Woman and Finance

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Mental Health in the Boardroom

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Healthy Life, Healthy Living

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Power Words

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Living Your Best Life

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Goal Setting

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Self Made

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Healthier Meals

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Finding My Why For Getting Fit

Vision Boards | 20

Self Made | 18

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She-Cassa| 25

EDITOR IN CHIEF Pamela Stone | ART & DESIGN Rhian Tomassetti | CONTENT EDITORS Katie Browder-Person | CONTACT Visionmademagazine@gmail.com

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Welcome to the Visionaire in the Boardroom!

We are always looking for motivation to inspire the power of the What's Next. This issue's self-made billionare is no different. My hope is that you catch these tips on how your Vision Can Be Made.

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WOMEN AND FINANCE: PLANNING FOR WHAT'S NEXT In the 21st century world, women are no longer known for just being stay-at-home moms, raising children, and getting busy with domestic chores. The societal stereotypes around gender roles are slightly fading off. Much more than before, we now find a significant number of women in the workplace. There are more female innovators, businesswomen, and leaders that occupy top positions in companies and countries. Hence, many women now handle business transactions; they make more contact with money and are faced with making financial decisions.

Benjamin Franklin has said, "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." You may have several different financial goals you wish to achieve, but if you fail to create a plan for them, you will not come close to achieving any of them. The father of success is planning.

Without proper financial planning, it will be impossible to achieve your goals and dreams. Every project, vision, or desire needs money to fuel it. Therefore, it is only wise that we learn to plan for whatever we have in mind. Being a leader, entrepreneur, employee, and

What then should be our approach toward money? How do we manage the resources in our care wisely and plan for the future?

If we claim that financial planning is essential in life and business, we must understand why.

Financial planning is essential for the following reasons: Financial freedom

even a homemaker requires financial planning. You must be able

Many women claim to be independent and in charge of their lives,

to look ahead and project financial needs for various situations.

but they still depend on their partners for finance. When they need

With this in place, it becomes easy to set goals and achieve them.

to take care of their bills, they pick up the phone and call the man in

Money is fleeting; if not managed well, it can be gone the minute it arrives. In order to have a firm grasp of our financial state, we must be able to account for the resources within our care, judiciously channel them into use, and make plans for future expenditures.

their lives. When there's an urgent need, they have nothing to fall back on. Even though they work round the clock, they have nothing to show when the necessities of life arise. Being independent is largely determined by your level of financial freedom.

Women must understand that financial literacy goes way beyond

For one to claim to be independent, such individuals can make

being educated or smart. To take complete charge of your life

decisions for themselves and ultimately take care of their needs. You

and display excellent leadership skills, you must understand how

gradually step into financial freedom by planning your expenses,

money works and be able to make prudent decisions concerning

savings, and managing the money in your hands with wisdom.

your money. It is not enough to earn big. You must learn to spend,

Being financially free means that you have enough resources to

save, invest, and manage the funds at your disposal wisely.

take care of your living expenses and fuel your life goals. To achieve

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this, you must be able to account for how your money moves and

do you put in savings and investments? Getting answers to these

be disciplined enough to save and invest. Financial planning comes

questions gives you a good sense of where you stand financially

with intentionality instead of spontaneous and untamed spending.

and ways to improve.

Rainy Days

Set Financial Goals

There is a common saying: "Save for the rainy days." It simply

Ask yourself, "What financial goals do I want to achieve?" Then, make

means keeping money aside for unforeseen challenges. Life is full

a list of them, whether big or small, in the order of necessity. It is

of uncertainties and many unforeseen circumstances. While it is

important for you to name these goals specifically. It may include

good that we hope for the best, no one has any control over what

getting a new car, buying a house, or registering for a course. This

life throws at them. You can't predict the challenges that will cross

helps you to know the direction in which your money will be going.

your path. Hence, setting apart a percentage of your income to draw from when you have emergencies and unplanned expenses is wise.

Saving for a rainy day is an act of discipline which has tremendous benefits. Instead of running helter-skelter and seeking help in tight places, you will have something to fall back on. Prudent women do not squander everything that gets into their hands. Instead, they attend to their needs in the order of priority and put some money aside for eventualities like sickness, accidents, or job loss.

Wealth Creation Wealth doesn't come by luck. It is the reward for hard work and proper financial planning. You cannot build and sustain wealth if you have no structure to censor how your money moves. Apart from spending with discretion and saving, it is also important for you to seek means through which you can multiply what you have. You may want to consider denying yourself the pleasure of purchasing that designer bag or joining that event in order to invest your money.

When sown in the right places, money yields a lot of profit. You only need to find the right place to invest in.

Create Savings and Investment Plans You should decide the amount of money you want to save and invest out of your monthly income. There are multiple investment options available to people. Find the one that suits you and put your money in it. The point is to create a plan for yourself and stick to it. Ensure that you do not eat your seeds; instead, sow them in places where they can grow.

Monitor Your Progress You need to revisit your plan from time to time to trace the level of progress. If you need to make changes, such as choosing a better investment plan, increasing your savings, or adjusting your goals, do so. However, it is important to ensure that you're growing.

Conclusion Never allow your emotions to control the way you spend your money.

Instead, your guiding principle when handling money should be discipline. This is how to take charge of your finance.

Also, it is impossible to measure the growth of your wealth without adequate planning. If you want to monitor your profit and losses, you must be able to trace the direction in which your money goes. You must take note of what comes into your hands and what goes out.

Coming up with a financial plan is not impracticable. All you need to get started is the intentionality and discipline to control your money rather than letting it control you. This is the simple solution to the financial crisis you may be experiencing. It may be all you need to put into action in order to achieve your goals. Here are a few steps to help you through the process: Understand your financial status The first step towards improving anything is identifying the problems.

You need to identify your financial state first. What is the level of your income? Are you in debt? What are your expenses? How much

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MENTAL HEALTH IN THE BOARDROOM: PLANNING written by Carolyn Hobdey

W

hen we look up at the people who sit at the top of our organisations, it’s easy to think that the resilience and fortitude that got them there is the same that will maintain them throughout the role. Yet, one by one, some of the most senior business leaders are ‘coming out’ about the impacts of the stress of those roles on their mental health.

This change in attitude is tortuously slow, but every senior, notable or well-known figure that publicly acknowledges that they, too,

have mental health challenges, is a small step in the right direction for us all. Not that it should take these steps to confirm what we all already know, but the reality is, that it does.

One of the (few) upsides to the pandemic lockdowns was the light it shone on our collective mental wellbeing. Whilst for the many the impact was a negative one, what it did was raise the level of the conversation we were having about mental health because the lockdowns themselves were, in fact, a great leveller in this regard.

As the world returns to some semblance of normality, with offices opening back up, changes to employees’ working patterns to address and faceto-face meetings resuming, what is the lasting impact on the mental health of those who have led our organisations and shouldered the burden of the chaos that ensued in companies everywhere across the globe?

The answer is most likely: significant.

Yet, sadly, there remains a stigma in the boardroom surrounding mental health that is going to take a lot of time - and courage - to shift.

With this in mind, how can you as a senior leader, plan to preserve your positive mental health in the boardroom and ensure your needs are met?

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HERE ARE SOME TOP TIPS TO CONSIDER: PUT YOU FIRST It can be a dog-eat-dog world in the boardroom, but that self-promotion needs to extend to your mental health too. Remember that only you can truly care about you, so make sure you do and don’t de-prioritise your wellbeing, especially when you are leading or supporting others for whom you are responsible.

TAKE NOTE An effective way to plan for the maintenance of your mental health is to keep a record of it every day - several times a day, if possible.

Set a scale between 1 (very poor) and 5 (very good) and make a note of how you’d rate your mental health at work in the morning and the afternoon. Make a note of why you have recorded each score. This will allow you to notice trends and patterns in your wellbeing.

GIVE THANKS One of the most effective ways to maintain good mental health is to practice daily gratitude. Setting aside just a few minutes each morning or evening to write down what you are grateful for is an excellent way to boost your positivity and has been shown to cumulative improve mental health. Seek out small moments to be thankful for - there is always a chink of light somewhere.

KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS Paying attention to changes in your mental health will help to build awareness of times, situations or - let’s be honest - certain people, who negatively impact your mental state. Consciously knowing these triggers can help you to prepare for them. Think about what you can do to remain calm, deliberately slow down your breathing/heart-rate and develop a positive mantra you say silently to yourself before or during stressful events.

IDENTIFY ALLIES Despite the perceived need for Boardroom Bravado, you definitely won’t be the only person in the senior team whose mental health needs a helping hand. Identify someone you trust that you can confide in, or with whom you can agree to be a mutual sounding-board or support during tough moments. If that is impossible within your organisation, find a coach, mentor or other qualified professional externally to whom you can speak. This is likely to be a financial

What is it about senior people that they feel the need to be like superheroes? In fact, there is huge strength in learning to say “no” to requests (or even demands!) that are not within your area of responsibility, assisting you in meeting your targets or helping the company achieve its goals. Don’t try to solve everything or take on too much, be discerning of your time and attention instead. Remember, those that don’t like our boundaries are those that benefit from us having none.

investment, but see it as a gift to your heath.

EMPATHISE

DITCH THE BOARDROOM BS

Whilst it is vital that you take care of you, a large dose of empathy is also

There can be much politicking in the boardroom. Even if you have indulged in it in the past, make a decision to no longer subscribe to it. It might take time to rebuild trust with colleagues, but the benefits to your mental health - and theirs - will be worth the effort. Staying ahead of the politics game is exhausting mentally and emotionally, so give it up.

BE STRAIGHTFORWARD

required when working in teams. Try to listen to the words that others use and what that is telling you. Notice when they get uncomfortable or stressed and actively seek to create a place of ‘safety’ where the matter at hand can be discussed constructively. Those that possess this particular skill stand out in the corporate world and achieve far more than those that don’t, so cultivate your kindness.

We cannot control the events and behaviours that happen around us, but we can control our response to them. Preserving our mental health

As an alternative to politics, choose to be straightforward. It might

is a lot about proactively paying attention to it, what impacts it and what

not win you any friends at first, but it will earn you respect in the

maintains it. The Boardroom is a challenging setting, it can be fraught,

long run. Be known for your integrity, not tolerating bad behaviours

dynamic, exciting and exhausting - sometimes all at the same time!

or treatment, and for being easy to deal with. If your fellow board

It is unsurprising that it takes a toll on our mental wellbeing. If your

members don’t like that, take your skills somewhere that will.

mental health consistently scores low or you feel unable to cope with

SAY “NO”

how you feel, it is imperative to seek professional help immediately.

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Power Words How many times in a day would you be looking for motivation? While working 9 to 5 that would be me.

Take these power words and cut them all or a few of them and post where you see them. Better yet tear the whole page out and hang them in front of you.

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Living Your Best Life.

How many times in a day do you...... I am sitting at my desk and the song, "Smile" by Wizkid surrounded the space. There is one line that is so appropirate, Living Your Best Life, Smile. During that same time, The Tamara Hall Show was talking about 'the later life is the greater life'. So, I thought to ask some ladies a few questions.

1. Are you Living your Best Life?

90% said Yes 10% said No 2. What does living your best life mean to them?

Living a Life of Purpose Abundance I’m right where GOD wants me to be in my purpose.

Living each day knowing I have made a difference.

3. What would it take to start living their best life?

There is so much I can do, by starting to focus on getting my business up and running.

Full Time Entreupreuership Remove the thought I’m to old to start a new adventure You all know me, I’m all about doing What’s Next to your Vision Made. Below are a few tips: 1. Never Give Up no matter what 2. Rely on your support system-this is one of the most important steps. If you don’t have one. Check out What’s Next for Women Podcast.

3. Create a Vision Board- it is your road map with words, pictures, goals for 90 days and phrases 4. Remove the I Can’t Clutter 5. Believe in You!!

6. Own It 7. Let’s Go After it Now that we have a plan, let's put it into motion and....... You will find that there are several pages inside this issue of Vision Made in support of your journey.

Once you have completed the pages and ready for someone to help you, email me at thestonemethod@gmail.com and in the subject line, simply type, "Vision Made Help"

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Goal Setting REFLECT ON YOUR GOALS AND YOUR GROWTH 1. What was your goal for last year?

2. Did you meet that goal?

3. If not, how did it make you feel to not meet the goal?

4. What is your goal for this year? (Financial, Vacation, Mindset, Education, etc…)

5. Now take that goal and break it down into 4 small goals. What is your 1st goal to be?

6. What is your motivational word for the year?

7. What are your motivational phrase for the year?

8. What is you WHY behind the goal?

9. What obstacles could you face in achieving this goal?

10. How do you feel with facing this goal?

11. Who is your tribe, that will hold you to making sure this goal is met?

12. Rewarding yourself for achieving your goal is important. How will you reward yourself for the achieves goal?

Subscribe Today As low as $12 a year https://tinyurl.com/visionmade

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Self Made Katrina Lake

I would like to introduce to you….

This Issue Self Made Millionaire: Katrina Lake Tell little bit about yourself: Parents are Japanese descendent and American. She went to Stanford to study Pre-med but lost interest. She however fell in love with Retail Appreal. She dreamed alot of the company’s possibilities.

Name of Business: Stitch Fix. The company started in 2011 in her apartment How she got started: By dressing friends and family and they kept coming back for her services. She also researched other women who had public traded their company, studied their career path and off she went.

Her Special Sauce: Combine data science and styling Obstacles Faced: We always are faced with No or What If and Katrina was no different. Here are a few but there are so many: 1. I’m not sure you are the right person for this product 2. This idea sounds good but it won’t last long 3. Why would anyone want this product 4. Even after lining up the company with a strong team, former CEO of Walmart Elizabeth and the company making millions.

There still were the naysayers 5. Investors continued to say no until 2011 when one Investor said YES! 6. When COVID hit, the company pivoted to athletic and kids wear.

Advice: Know your numbers Accomplishment: First Women in 2017 to take the company public Admirer: CEO of EBay Meg Whitman Quote: "I love entrepreneurship because I enjoy believing in something that no one else believes in" Company Worth: over $1 Billion Her Personal Net Worth: $400 Milluon Special Note: One time a day's worth of database was deleted and all the information had to be reentered by hand. At that point she knew her limitations.

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"I LOVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP BECAUSE I ENJOY BELIEVING IN SOMETHING THAT NO ONE ELSE BELIEVES IN"

Make Your Meal Healthier

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Roberta Lowe, Restaurateur, Author, and Coach

Three Food Substitutes to Replace Your Animal Products These days changing your eating habits to help control health issues you may suffer from is a little easier than if you had to do it ten years ago or even five years ago. There are so many products on the market which are excellent alternatives to replace the unhealthy food you eat today.

I will share three products in the store today that you can use as a replacement in many meals.

As a chef, these three product choices are my favorite, and I refer them to clients I coach.

Beyond Meat Instead of your animal ground meats, sausages, burgers, or breakfast patties, you can substitute them for vegan meat alternatives. This brand is my absolute favorite. The quality of the product is mind-blowing to

Before I get into my top products and brands, I’ll take a

me. They cover all areas of visual appeal, texture, taste, flexibility, cre-

quick moment to clarify the use of these products, which

ativity, pricing, accessibility, and product line. Pick up a pack to make

are becoming mainstream.

your favorite meat dish but use Beyond Meat product.

I’m sure we can all agree vegan products have evolved

Vegan Food and Living

over the years from being flavorless and lacking appeal to over a dozen vegan products that give us the visual appeal

JustEgg

and have the flavor, taste, and texture of animal products.

Eggs are the number one breakfast item we consume regularly. For

Some of us are used to it. Companies have managed to

years there were no good egg substitutes compared to the real thing.

simulate seafood, meats, eggs, milk, desserts, and more.

JustEgg is the best product on the market so far. Visual appeal, texture,

The best part is they are all made from plants!

taste, pricing, accessibility, and quality. You can easily substitute JustEgg

I would say it’s a win because it allows people to build confidence that plants can taste good. On the other hand, all the products on the market need to be consumed in moderation because although they are plant-based, they

product tomorrow when making your scrambled eggs or omelets. photo by The Vegan Strategist Daiya Cheese

still have tons of unhealthy additives not good for the body.

Cheese is the number one reason “vegetarians” are not “vegans”. Maybe

However, I will save that topic for another blog.

you cannot give cheese up either. Daiya brand cheese is a great alterna-

During my coaching calls with a potential client, I always start assessing what transformation level they are on. As a beginner, using recipes with store products available

tive to replace your animal cheese. Put this in tacos, burgers, omelets, etc. You will enjoy this cheese. Daiya has mastered texture, taste, visual appeal, pricing, accessibility, while most of their products are allergy-free.

on the market is a great starter move. My advice would

There are so many other plant-based brands and products I did not

be, make sure you treat these products as transitional

cover—great replacements for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert,

products only. Meaning, you should use these products

and snack. So understand there is no longer an

for a short while.

excuse for not eating healthier.

The same advice I give to you as the reader. I recommend

Talk to you soon!

you use these products as transition plant-based foods.

Roberta Lowe

Now that I covered that, here are my top three choices.

Restaurateur, Author, and Coach Photo by Engadet

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FINDING MY WHY FOR GETTING FIT

by Susie Turner

A question I get asked frequently from family, friends, clients and on social media, is HOW I manage to train clients and get my workouts in 6 days a week, lead a healthy lifestyle, and be in the best shape of my life. It's the never-ending chase for most people, right? How to manage chasing a healthy lifestyle and a consistent exercise regime-- after all, my profession wouldn't exist without that chase.

a pull-up or push-up that you thought you could never do. How

But what most people forget to think about is that the HOW actually

fun it was for me to sign-up for a Tough Mudder obstacle course

lives in the WHY. It's a question that we don't ask ourselves nearly

with friends and realize how those squats made my legs and glutes

enough. Why do you want to work out consistently? Why do you

stronger to run up those hills and over and under the obstacles.

want to lead a healthy lifestyle?

How awesome to realize that you cut off several minutes off of your

The answers will obviously vary for you all and everyone else.

Owning your truth and aligning your behaviors with your true and realistic goals is key to achieving them.

My answers have changed over the years. It’s more than just having Angela Bassett arms, to be a certain size, to fit into a pair of jeans or a little black dress. My reasons are most definitely not what I have predicted them to be several years ago. I believe I am now inspired more healthily and genuinely than ever before.

Working out is my outlet, my release. Life can be stressful on it’s own. Then we add in other factors especially the last couple of years with Covid-19, becoming one hundred percent working from home for 18 months, the death of my sister due to breast cancer, my 100 year old mom’s sickness and juggling my fitness business and my personal life.

Working out and physical movement is my time to get everything out and just be with myself, my thoughts and emotions.

It is self-indulgence and self-care it is my ultimate ME time and not an obligation or chore.

At any age, 40’s 50’s or 60’s, physical fitness is a lot like being a kid. You learn what awesome things your body is capable of. How cool is it to discover that after months of effort, you can finally do

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run time during a half-marathon when compared to your run the year prior. We have this one life to be fit. We should all experience being able to do awesome physical accomplishments.

Another one of my WHY’s that I workout the way I do is to feel strong, to feel energized, to feel connected with my body, to feel at my most focused, to sleep better, to feel strong and fast enough to protect myself if needed, and to have more self-awareness. Don't get me wrong, it isn’t easy, but it is necessary because movement is medicine.

Now I want you to think about your WHY. Why you are not working out, list all your reasons and excuses. Then I want you to list all the reasons WHY you need to get moving and shut down the voices of the excuses that are keeping you from living your best life. A smart balanced commitment might be all it takes to get you moving and stick to a new goal and stay inspired and motivated.

SUSIE TURNER IS THE OWNER OF SUSIE TURNER FITNESS. SUSIETURNERFITNESS.COM EQ @SUSIETURNERFITNESS

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Travel Board

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She-Casso of the Month

Every quarter we feature an artist who expresses SHE-power, love, and beauty through art.

This artist is a shining example of what makes women such a powerful force on our planet.

Let’s give a shout out to this quarter’s SHE-casso, Gabrielle Ricci. kºgabrielle.ricci77@gmail.com E @gabriellericciart Etsy: gabriellericciart.Etsy.com

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Page of Self-Relection Reflect on the topic below What’s your idea of a dream job? Do you think it can be achieved given your current situation?

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She Visioned She Planned She Conquer

Image Source: E&E News Ketanji Brown Jackson could affect fight over climate metric - E&E News

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