"Her Way Up" is a soon-to-be launched online community for businesswomen. We are currently looking for women business owners (all industries) to profile. -Hillary Reynolds
1) How long have you been in business? I have been a professional speaker and body language expert since 1982
2) What made you decide to launch your own company? Actually people in my audiences said I should start my own speaking company.
3) Are there any women in business who you admire? And why? Some I admire for their business acumen. It is harder to find successful women business owners who are not stressed and have a balanced happy life. I know a women business owner who have great business success, or have a great family lives having both is difficult. It has taken me years to achieve a balanced happy life and I am so grateful to have it.
4) What have been the greatest challenges that you have faced? Living with economic uncertainty has been my greatest challenge. Also, I can be creative, and disciplined and motivate myself, but sometimes I would like a business partner to bounce ideas off of or to say, “Tomorrow will be great!” I have an awesome assistant, fellow speakers and entrepreneurial friends, and family that have really made my success possible and we always support each other. Yet I would love someone who is invested in my business to share things with on a daily basis.
5) What has been your greatest victory? When I started my business I would stand up and do the “Rocky” dance when I got a booking and saw each engagement as a victory. Now, though I have been on TV many times and quoted weekly in national publications, my greatest victory happens each time an audience member calls or sends an email that a course I taught or a speech I gave motivated them to a positive change in their life. It means so much to me. I feel so blessed to get to do what I love to do and knowing I have a small part in helping people is awesome.
6) What advice would you give to other women who are thinking of starting their own companies? Have a year of income in the bank that is not a loan. Take a negotiation and sale class. Create a business plan and budget and post it in the office. Set profit goals for each month and then put a calendar on the wall and mark you income and outflows for the month so you actually see them. That monthly goal can be very motivating. And most importantly, surround yourself with team mates, family and friends that you love and give to and who support your vision and remember love is always more important than the bottom line. Your job won’t sit and cuddle on the couch with you.
Media Frenzy....
In the last month I have done a weekly “Will they last?” piece for OK! Magazine, Three Cosomo interviews, As well as interviews for Men’s Health, Esquire, Glamour, AOL, Fox News, ABC news, Womens world, Sugur (UK publication), Life and Style weekly, The Sun (Canadian publication), America’s Best, and many more TV, print and online publications and radio interviews. Do to my busy speaking schedule I have also had to turn down requests for Larry King Live, The Big Idea, Fox News, and Access Hollywood. I look forward to reading the candidates more as the election draws closer.
Times Union Blog...
Take a look at my comments in this article by a fellow blogger:
http://blogs.timesunion.com/kristi/?p=143
http://blogs.timesunion.com/kristi/?p=143
Body Language Notes to be Featured in Cosmo...
Here are some notes from this months Cosmo interview:
Hed
What His Touches Can Tell You
Dek
It’s no secret that guys aren’t big on talking. Luckily, their bodies communicate for them—if you know how to read the signs.
The lean-in from the side
You may notice this gesture when you’re sitting next to each other at the dinner table or at a bar. It’s subtle and may seem like an accident (for example, you brush shoulders sharing a menu or your knees bump), but may actually calculated contact to gauge your interest. If a guy is on the shy side, this approach seems like a “safe” way to see how you react–if you’re not into it, he won’t lose face if you recoil.
The playful punch.
This grade school move is what guys revert to when they like you but have no clue how to verbalize it (or they’re too nervous to). Men also relate to one another by rough housing, so your date may be trying to establish a bond. A punch between guys in a nonsexual way to say, “We are buddies” so for men it seems a sage way to say they like you.
The forearm graze.
If a man briefly places his touches you on your forearm as he is talking he may be reaching out to make sure he has your attention. He may be worried you’re losing interest and he’s trying to bring you back into the moment. If he touches you on the forearm while your talking it is more likely a sign of interest in you and what you have to say.
The hand on the back.
A guy who gently places his palm on your lower back (to guide you through a crowd, for example) is on his best behavior. He’s trying to make a good impression and let you know that he’s a gentleman. [Patti – this is from another expert, whom we cite below]
Notice how and where he places his hand. Is he gentle rather than possessivlivly gripping your back ? Where does he place his hand, in the sweet spot in the center of the back or lower. If his hand creeps lower, he may be testing the waters to see how far physically you’ll let him go.
Sources: Patti Wood, body language expert and author of Success Signals; Jan Hargrave, body language consultant and author of Let Me See Your Body Talk
Hed
What His Touches Can Tell You
Dek
It’s no secret that guys aren’t big on talking. Luckily, their bodies communicate for them—if you know how to read the signs.
The lean-in from the side
You may notice this gesture when you’re sitting next to each other at the dinner table or at a bar. It’s subtle and may seem like an accident (for example, you brush shoulders sharing a menu or your knees bump), but may actually calculated contact to gauge your interest. If a guy is on the shy side, this approach seems like a “safe” way to see how you react–if you’re not into it, he won’t lose face if you recoil.
The playful punch.
This grade school move is what guys revert to when they like you but have no clue how to verbalize it (or they’re too nervous to). Men also relate to one another by rough housing, so your date may be trying to establish a bond. A punch between guys in a nonsexual way to say, “We are buddies” so for men it seems a sage way to say they like you.
The forearm graze.
If a man briefly places his touches you on your forearm as he is talking he may be reaching out to make sure he has your attention. He may be worried you’re losing interest and he’s trying to bring you back into the moment. If he touches you on the forearm while your talking it is more likely a sign of interest in you and what you have to say.
The hand on the back.
A guy who gently places his palm on your lower back (to guide you through a crowd, for example) is on his best behavior. He’s trying to make a good impression and let you know that he’s a gentleman. [Patti – this is from another expert, whom we cite below]
Notice how and where he places his hand. Is he gentle rather than possessivlivly gripping your back ? Where does he place his hand, in the sweet spot in the center of the back or lower. If his hand creeps lower, he may be testing the waters to see how far physically you’ll let him go.
Sources: Patti Wood, body language expert and author of Success Signals; Jan Hargrave, body language consultant and author of Let Me See Your Body Talk
Mens Health - Great Eye Contact Question...
I recently helped to answer a question on Mens Health - Maybe you can benefit from my answer...
Question: I struggle to maintain eye contact. Can you help? Matt, Boston, MA
Answer: First, understand why you're loathe to lock eyes. "When you feel dominated, anxious, or shy, you look away as an attempt to regain control, disengage, and limit how much information you take in," says John Dovidio, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Yale University. So before any important conversation, make a conscious effort to rein in your addled emotions. If you're still struggling with eye contact, take the advice of body-language expert Patti Wood, M.A., and "split your attention among the person's mouth, eyes, and cheeks." This makes wandering eyes less obvious. And don't stop trying: University of Colorado researchers found that meeting a person's gaze makes you seem powerful and credible.
Question: I struggle to maintain eye contact. Can you help? Matt, Boston, MA
Answer: First, understand why you're loathe to lock eyes. "When you feel dominated, anxious, or shy, you look away as an attempt to regain control, disengage, and limit how much information you take in," says John Dovidio, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Yale University. So before any important conversation, make a conscious effort to rein in your addled emotions. If you're still struggling with eye contact, take the advice of body-language expert Patti Wood, M.A., and "split your attention among the person's mouth, eyes, and cheeks." This makes wandering eyes less obvious. And don't stop trying: University of Colorado researchers found that meeting a person's gaze makes you seem powerful and credible.
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