Author: Teri

Invest in yourself, yes, but I mean this in a few different ways. Invest in yourself mentally & physically by practicing selfcare AND in your future self by investing financially.

Women take the weight of their worlds on their shoulders. They have 10 plates spinning in the air and so often we don’t invest in exercise, meditation, walks, reading, hobbies or other disciplines that fill our souls. We need to invest in our bodies, minds, and our bank accounts. All are equally essential.

I recently interviewed Dr. Miranda Brawn Esq who is an international TED/ NED Speaker on the subjects of finance, the stock market, and banking. She is a financial maven with many initiatives that support and fund scholarships for women in the financial sectors. So I went straight to the expert and sought out her advice on this topic. Miranda shared her thoughts on both spectrums on this topic. Women supporting women. Love it!

“The best investment you can make is in yourself. Investment can be self-care products, reading to improve knowledge, and financially to assist with time and financial freedom. This will not only improve your life, but it will also improve the lives of all those around you.” This is the STELLARGIRL mindset I write about. We have to take care of ourselves and then we are able to take care of others. This same mindset parallels, but in financial terms.

Miranda also shared another way of looking at our spending habits. Before I quote her again, I wish that I would have met her years ago and followed her advice as we may want a new car, a new pair of shoes or handbag, but we should really reconsider. Here is why. Miranda said, “If you bought a Tesla Model S in 2012, your $77,000 car would be worth approximately $40,000 today. If you had invested that same $77,000 in Tesla stock you would have over $7,000,000 today. Invest your money instead of buying material things”. Yep, if you don’t know anything about the stock market then I suggest you learn about it and get a financial advisor. We have to invest wisely, have a plan, and also save a certain percentage of our income every month.

Investing in yourself will be the most beneficial and profitable venture you can make. There is an immediate payoff and a future return. You will have a better quality of mental well-being. You will be more productive and with that comes financial success in both your personal and professional growth. You need to put the effort into YOU, nurture your mind, body, and bank account. More energy, more knowledge, more compassion, and more freedom. Invest!!!

Hope & Faith – Equally Mighty!

These past 14 months have been nothing like we have ever experienced. At times it was discouraging, difficult, and devastating and all that we have to hold onto is hope. Hope that our world will heal, and hope that human beings will live their truth and be kind and respectful to themselves and others.

There is a difference between hope and faith. According to the Oxford Dictionary, faith and hope are defined as follows; “Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief not based on proof. Hope is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation or desire. Hope speaks of the future and faith speaks for the now in life”.

Looking ahead we have hope for a better future, and we have faith in what we can do today. Only you can choose a better “today” and a happier “now”. You will often hear the expression, “have faith”, or “have faith in yourself”. That is not based on something tangible. It is a belief system. You can use it as your personal mantra or to manifest change within yourself. You can also have faith in a higher power, in the biblical sense, or a religious wisdom you believe in.

Faith and hope are powerful beyond measure. You can’t measure either but they are both equally mighty. They are a way to cope and we look to hope and faith for guidance, reflection and support in a world with so many unanswered questions and unanswered prayers.

STELLARGIRLS not only inspire each other but we actually live out our most hopeful, faith filled lives. We put the work in, we don’t just hope for it we act on it. We are happy, grateful and authentic. We treasure ourselves and with hope and in our hearts STELLARGIRL has an optimistic state of mind. I will be forever hopeful and happy and strive to live out my most STELLARGIRL life!

What you eat and put on your skin affects your external self. So why do we eat processed food, refined sugar, canned goods full of sodium, and shelved goods from the grocery aisle that expire in three years? Gross right? It is extremely important to look at expiration dates on the bread you buy and check for added preservatives, nitrates, added sodium and high fructose corn syrup in all that we buy. Check with the restaurants you are eating at to see where they get their produce, their meat, etc. Stop with the junk food that is so obvious… it’s called JUNK for a reason. I am not saying don’t enjoy a chocolate chip cookie from your local bakery, just perhaps don’t always buy a box of Oreos. I am also not saying to not eat a burger, just don’t just eat one at McDonalds.

There is a reason why certain cultures live longer. There is a reason that when you buy a bag of potato chips in Europe, they go bad after one day of being open It is because they don’t contain the chemicals and preservatives that are allowed in the food in the USA.

The Mediterranean way of eating (I don’t use the word “diet”) is one of the planet’s healthiest plant-based options. Eat Sunny, (eatsunny.com) one of the best meal delivery services available, is based on Mediterranean eating regimen. Research has shown that it can help reduce cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, including dementia. Some researchers say it will go as far as helping with ADHD and ADD.

The most key ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine include plant-sourced oils such as olive, avocado, sunflower, or canola oil; fresh fruits and vegetables; nuts and seeds; protein-rich legumes; fiber-rich whole grains, nuts, and seeds; and some modest amounts of seafood, lean meats, aged cheeses and yogurt.
Same goes with our skin care and beauty products? Pay very close attention to what you are putting on your face. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. What we put on our face and body gets absorbed into our skin tissue, our blood stream, and makes its way into our digestive track. So why apply unnecessary chemicals, toxins, dyes and unclean ingredients on our faces, scalps, and bodies for dermal absorption? Good question. We are the ones buying it. Read what is in your skin care and beauty products. “Green”, “Clean”, “Organic”, and “Natural” are not necessarily non-toxic. I urge you to look at the all the constituents listed.

Be mindful of what you put into your body and what you put on your bare skin. Be aware, do your research, and understand what food and beauty products you are buying. Don’t take for granted that the places you buy them from are looking out for your best interest. You will put hours of effort into buying a new car by researching the model, brand, test driving it, what color to choose, whether you want leather or cloth interior, how many miles to the gallon it gets, or maybe an electric car is in your future.

Same goes with buying a home. You make look at dozens before you make a decision. You research the location, the school district, the work commute, the neighborhood, a full day of inspection. The list goes on and on, so why do we not take the time to read a label at the grocery store? Or take the time to research an organic chicken farm for our eggs or grow our own vegetables. Too much work? Hopefully, our bodies are going to be around a lot longer than a car, a home, or any possession we have.

Again, I pose the question… why are we not all taking care of our most treasured self? Something to think about, something you control. You have this power. Use it to create a long, happy, healthy life!

Do you have the Wanderlust bug?

There is something stellar about taking a road trip with your girlfriends: those late-night chats, blasting the words to your favorite songs (in tune or not), dancing in circles with your arms in the air, swapping clothes, and sharing random thoughts and sacred secrets.

There is also something special about a romantic get-away with your partner, strolls down the beach, morning coffee, sunsets, adventure packed or relaxin or even perhaps a weekend away from the kids. To each their own ‘happy!”

Some of my best trips are with my family which I call my “four walls”. We create so many memories, exceptional moments, and even returning to locations that you may go back to over and over again.

Once you get the wanderlust bug, travel writer, Pico Lyer says it perfectly; “Travel is like love, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.”

Exploring the world, even navigating travelling during the pandemic, has always made me happy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homebody, but travel is so exciting and gives you the opportunity to learn so much! My favorite parts are learning from the locals, the culture, the traditions, the food, the shopping, the art, the views, the excursions, and the wandering. Seeing something new brings me JOY!

The photos I included are from Sydney, Iceland, and the skyline of Singapore. These are just three of the remarkable places I’ve seen in this world. I don’t think I’ve regretted one trip. Travel doesn’t need to be global or exotic. Even the nine years I spent every other weekend traveling with my son for hockey games/tournaments brings me happiness and incredible memories. The “hockey hotels” sure make me appreciate the nicer ones, but the nine hours in a car driving to Detroit from where I live with just my son or with another hockey mom and her son are some of the best conversations and stories I have ever had!

Honestly, I have been blessed and lucky to have always been safe. Stellargirls, when you travel be safe, watch your surroundings, make memories, and have fun wherever your wanderlust bug catches you and takes you.

Love always,

Teri xo

Two of the most rewarding and the most challenging roles women take on are being the CEO of your family and your own business. During the pandemic most of us had to make it all work somehow, tackle the transition from moving our office into the home, home schooling kids, juggling conference calls and laundry, zoom meetings with dogs barking, children needing help with school and preparing meals way more often. Our days were interrupted at every turn and our professional worlds collided into our family life, but we found a way to thrive and do both!

The reason being that both are full time commitments that require perseverance, patience and massive multitasking. Doing one or the other can be tough enough on their own but when they are tangled up it forced us to rise and take on the challenge.

Being in the C-Suite requires leadership skills that are remarkably similar to that of being an exceptional mom. We manage our business, and we manage our households. It is hard. But we are tougher. Obviously, we can’t fire our kids, or right them up, we have to learn from them just like we have to learn from our staff that we manage in our professional world. Perhaps we became better moms because of it! The grocery shopping, meal planning, house cleaning, dishes, the laundry, dog walking, teaching, driving, planning, organizing…the duties are plentiful. Just like we rely on our teams and committees at the office, we had to rely and delegate within our household. Were we effective? That depends on how we executed the strategy. It is why mothers make such successful CEO’s we can handle almost everything and anything!

Moms must be flexible, have mental complexity, monster organizational skills, clear communication skills, and ride a roller coaster at the same time. We can solve a crisis, navigate chaos and figure it all out – parallel to a C-Suite partner.

To all the STELLARGIRL moms who are both the CEO’s of their households and their businesses, are simply STELLAR!

We’re all are looking for little more fun in our lives these days, especially after the year we’ve all experienced and figuring out how to navigate during this pandemic. Who thought we would be so excited that indoor dining resumed and that movie theatres re-opened? Concerts and large gathering have been halted but the mindset we create for ourselves and how we can make things “fun” again is up to you.

Have you been constantly googling “Best shows on Netflix/Amazon/Hulu/Disney plus”? Did you start new hobbies, play more boardgames, bake more, exercise more? Did you clean out closets, basements, garages? Did you watch endless hours of YouTube or did get a pandemic puppy? I found fun in all of the above and I did all of above. As a family of six we missed our friends and family but discovered Podcasts, played kickball after dinner, used FaceTime more and thank goodness for Zoom and Amazon.

I tried fly fishing…yep… I tried meditation…epic fail but still trying…., I tried journaling, nope didn’t work for me. But we did bury a time capsule, we played left/right/center, we made chocolate chip everything…but now we are mostly back at school, travel restrictions are lightening up, vaccines are rolling into the arms of many and we are looking forward to “fun” again!

Fun is different for everybody. Living free is different for everybody. But we choose both. We choose to dance and sing along to Brittany Spears while getting ready in the morning (over-share) but you can find fun everyday if you focus on it. You have intelligence, free will, a playful nature, a right to choose a healthy way of living a stellar lifestyle. STELLARGIRL is a mindset that you create! You choose to implement your own “stellar-ness”. Now go on, be stellar, live free and have some fun!

We at STELLARGIRL are on a mission. A mission to be the champion of your own life while supporting each other. Together, we are co-inspirers who elevate others by exemplifying a healthy, happy and adventurous life.

We also make a difference. A difference to women and girls who need a voice. A voice to be safe. Women who are not safe in their homes, not safe in their relationships and not safe talking about it need to know they are supported. STELLARGIRL is bringing more awareness to that need, the need to recognize the signs of abuse in all its forms.

STELLARGIRL supports and brings awareness to organizations such as White Ribbon USA, Freedom & Fashion, Safe House Project, Harbor House of Wisconsin and recently became a Guardian at Hope for Justice. We have started our volunteer training at the largest women’s safe shelter in our state, Harbor House of Wisconsin. We want to educate more of our youth within the school system to teach them what a healthy relationship is within their own families and with their boyfriends/girlfriends, and to inform our children of the terrifying signs of human sex trafficking and grooming. It is crucial that the “uncomfortable” conversions about the abuse of power, control, physical and sexual abuse be made comfortable.

Awareness and education about women’s safety and the safety of all children need to be on the forefront in our schools. Children learn about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and all take the D.A.R.E. program in school, but programs are not as focused on issues surrounding healthy and safe relationships. We want to help change that.

Domestic abuse is up 56% this year due to the pandemic and sex trafficking is now the second largest criminal industry in this country. I urge all women and men reading this to be aware of the signs and take a volunteer training at their local safe shelter. You can start making a difference today with one email or one phone call to register for volunteer training at your local area safe shelter. Today you can make a difference. Join STELLARGIRL and make a difference.

Celebrating women is what STELLARGIRL is all about. March is International Women’s History Month and March 8th being International Women’s Day, I want to share some inspiring stories of women I have met throughout my travels.

My wanderlust has taken me to over 40 countries and what has always brought me so much joy is meeting, learning and laughing with the women from the places I’ve travelled. I spent 2 weeks in Ukraine as a folkorique dancer, I’ve toured throughout Europe, Iceland, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, to name some highlightsand what I found is that women have more in common than not. What starts many of our conversations? Well….it is usually centered around fashion and style. Either I will seek out independent clothing or jewelry boutiques, local designers are my favorite or shop and walk the local markets and be enchanted by their energy and love of fashion. Also, walking around (that’s the best way to see a new city) will entice a conversation and I will compliment a women on her outfit or vice versa and voila instant connection!

One story in particular, in Japan, the “Coming of Age Day” is a Japanese holiday and held annually on the 2nd Monday of January. It is when a woman reaches 20 years of age (between April of the previous year to April 1 of the current year). They dress in the most spectacular furisode’s (kimono) and zori sandals. I was in Toyko that week and at the Asakusa Shrine and the Sensoji Temple, the women were magical. They shared their stories with me, they wanted to take photos, they love their culture with intense passion and they have tremendous hope for their futures. A week I will never forget.

The women in Thailand and Vietnam are a mix of vulnerability and strength and are incredibly sweet. They shared stories of their family traditions, food, flowers and love of life. The local women would also want to hear where I am from and want to learn about Canada (btw I am Canadian and moved to the US in 2005)…. but it is listening and learning from women all over the world that all have hope for the future and all love sharing their cultures and traditions. Women forever inspire me and that is stellar!

Teri xo

Accessories can take an outfit from ordinary to extraordinary.  Also, they are one of the most affordable ways to keep up with the trends or to feel more refined. For me I don’t “match” my metals (I wear both yellow gold and silver on the same wrist), I never match my belt with my shoes and I rarely wear one necklace at a time.

However, accessories can be just for fun, make a bold statement or they can have tremendous sentimental meaning. I have an antique pendant necklace that was my grandmothers that has been in 4 drivers licenses and 3 passport pictures. I have a gold bracelet I haven’t taken off in 6 years, I wear the same thin gold toe ring that I got in Hawaii 15 years ago. I accessorize with costume jewelry, real gold, or diamond studs that I never take off. I select high- and low-end rotation items that I wear on repeat. I used to wear scarves, don’t know why I stopped…..also being super busy I find it a hassle to change up my handbag, so I usually stick with a cross body bag to keep my hands free. Yet, I do change up evening bags on vacation when I have more time and different places to go.

Are you a luxury, logo lover? Or a simple understated dresser? You can “hide” yourself or be mysterious behind a large pair of sunglasses.  You can cover up a bad hair day with a hat or show support for your favorite sports team by wearing their logoed baseball cap. Maybe you collect hats with the city written on the brim or the college you went to. Or perhaps you wear a head covering that is a part of your culture or religion and it is a “piece” of you.

I feel naked without my jewelry. It is symbolic and gives me peace. It is a “part” of me. Sneakers, boots, heels, mules, slides….yes, they are accessories but that will be an entire new blog of its own! But they are equally important. I sometimes base my entire look on my footwear….

Ok, back to the topic at hand…I do have something to share that’s on my bucket list… I can’t wait to head to the Kentucky Derby and wear an outlandish derby hat. Or even enjoy the weekend of festivities and dress up with more than one chic headpiece. Hmm, do I go for the traditional bowler hat, aka the billycock hat, or a cartwheel hat? Options…and that is why accessories are so much fun!

I know we have all heard this before, but it is so true. You have to love yourself and create your own happiness. No one, and I mean no one can do it for you. The love of your life can make you happier, your kids and family can bring you joy beyond measure but, if you don’t love you then you won’t be able to have successful relationships with anyone.

How do you get there? How do you love yourself if you don’t already? Find and work in a career that you love and are passionate about. Find a life partner with similar values, morals and work ethic, otherwise you will resent them and yourself. Don’t waste your time. Be productive and find your OWN JOY! Start by asking yourself what brings you JOY? It’s different for every person. Be really good being alone with yourself. Take yourself to dinner, hike/walk outside alone, or go to a movie alone. If you haven’t done those things you don’t enjoy your own company. Again, JOY, what brings you JOY? Answer the question out loud or write it down. Then LIVE that stellar, joy filled life.

The best advice I can give anyone is to allow your partner to be him/herself. Most people don’t change. Embrace all of their nuances and encourage their healthy and productive hobbies, their perfect imperfections and be intimate as much as you can. Hug them for 20 seconds not just a peck on the cheek. Listen to them. No one likes not being heard. No one likes to be dismissed or ignored. Also, make all “big” discussions together. Be honest with yourself and your partner and your kids. Communicate your needs and expectations early so that you are on the same page. I like to say no one can take my “Teri-ness” away. Have fun and laugh as much as possible especially if you have kids. They will see this and learn from a happy, healthy relationship.

Travel, plan date night, or go to a hotel on a Saturday afternoon and stay the night. Get a sitter. Get away from your laundry, your house chores, the to-do lists, grocery shopping, your work, your computer, and focus on enjoying each other. Do this at least once a month. Or go play a round of golf, go for a 2 hour walk and talk, watch a movie in bed. Treasure each other and yourself. You won’t regret it.

Love YOU first then your relationships will follow in the same path you set for yourself.