The Barefoot Executive by CArrie Wilkerson (Book Review)

The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss & Achieving Financial Freedom

Book Jacket-

Carrie Wilkerson offers the opportunity to live life on your terms. Want to start your workday with e-mail and coffee on the back patio? Want the flexibility of joining your fourth grader on an all-day field trip? Are you ready to take that vacation you’ve been planning for years? Then you  have a choice to make, and The Barefoot Executive will help jump-start your transition. You’ll learn:

• Your “why”. The most important question. Why do  you want to work for yourself?
• What type of business best suits your experience and talents.
• How to stay focused on your goal and avoid distractions.
• Where to find the support that will accelerate your success.
• How to link you business to the right market.

Whether it’s a service, a product, or your insight or expertise, you already have the raw materials necessary to transform your life. Carrie will walk you through the process of building the business you need to achieve the life you want. Her guidance is practical. No philosophical silliness, no theoretical abstractions- just concrete action steps alongside insights from fellow entrepreneurs, interactive exercises, and links to Carrie’s online video coaching segments. It’s the next best thing to working one-on-one with her. The Barefoot Executive will have you energized by the  possibilities and embracing the extraordinary life that is well within your reach.

My Thoughts

To know how I feel about this book and why I love it- is to know the struggles I have gone through trying to own my own business.

My son, Aidan, was VERY premature. He was only 1 lb and 13 ounces at birth. He stayed at the NICU in Louisville, KY for 3 1/2 months. So this gave me some time to think about the life I wanted.

I knew Aidan was going to be very different from regular babies. I knew he would have a lower immune system, be sick more frequently, and have some issues. I am like Carrie, as I didn’t want to leave him with strangers.

I didn’t want someone I didn’t know watching my baby get older as I was working a 9-5 job, hating being away from him. I also found a college to go to online. I didn’t want to leave him for anything, if I could avoid it.

I couldn’t put him in daycare  because he wasn’t supposed to be around tons of kids because of the way they pass germs, so I kept pushing myself. I now have added a daughter to the mix, so more reason to be at home.

At this point in my life, I am actually doing okay from home. I am making more progress than I ever have. I have student loans that need to be paid and credit cards that need to be paid off. Although I haven’t even touched paying the interest, I want to set goals to get all of this paid.

Now- on for the book.

The reason I wrote the paragraphs above is because she asks you to take a look at WHY you want to be home. She doesn’t want you to think you are going to be a millionaire at a snap of a finger. She doesn’t want you to get false hope thinking your going to be rich.

What she is doing with this book is giving you the option to free up your days to do WHAT YOU WANT- not WHAT your BOSS makes you do. It’s stressful not being able to get off when you would like, having a flexible schedule, and spending time with your family like you want.

So, this book is born. She has DONE THIS, so she knows what she is doing. She isn’t some fake who is telling you DO THIS and DO THAT without an explanation of how, why, and what. She tells you what you need to know to get where you think you want to be.

This book isn’t some boring, drab book that will have you drooling after the first page. She makes the words as light-hearted and funny as she is. She isn’t blah-blah-blahing you do death. This is important information that you NEED to succeed. So, your going to want to buy IT, get out the sticky notes and highlighters and get to making your way into the world YOUR WAY.

“You simply cannot spend your life in fear of losing your job, your health, your life or your wife. I decided that I had to create my own financial reality and job security. Was I afraid of failing? Yes, but I could continue being scared and broke, or I could be afraid and well paid. I chose the latter. At some point, you have to be afraid of not trying than you are of failing.” –Carrie Wilkerson

I love the random quotes in this book that help accelerate your success. I seriously am going to write them done and make posters to stick all over my office walls. There isn’t success if you don’t believe in yourself, and that’s exactly what she says. How successful you are depends on how much you want it, and how much motivation you have to make it work.

She isn’t just telling her story, she is also helping tell the story of other people who needed and wanted to be at home making a paycheck.This isn’t some get rich quick scheme, these are real people who have made it. Who are trying to help you make it the same way they did.

No matter what you want to do, what you have done, or what your great at- this book could really help you set goals that are going to help you. Instead of focusing on making a million dollars, why not focus on making smaller more frequent amounts? That what she is teaching. The more smaller amounts you bring in, the more money you are making.

So now, I am looking at my business in a new light. This isn’t some get rich quick scheme. This is encouragement and the will power to make what you want to do with your life possible. Teaching you how to start out (at whatever level you’ve already made it to) and progress from there.

o find out more information about the book, and download a sample chapter,  visit the Barefoot Executive website at http://barefootexecutivebook.com/  

You can purchase the book at
You can also follow Carrie on her  website, on Facebook, and on Twitter

Disclosure: I received the book from Living Your Moment to review, but all thoughts are my own and completely honest. =)

 

Jessica

Naked Binder Review & Giveaway

My Review:

 

Learning is something that I love to do. There is no limit to what I want to learn. Science, History, Blog Design, Writing help.. You name it- I have a binder with the name on it. I have SO many binders that I actually broke one of my bookshelf last week. It just collapsed from all the weight.

When you have a learning fetish, you have to keep all that information separate. What’s the point of printing something off and trying to read it and make notes if you have random stuff in each binder? You WILL lose where it is and exactly what binder it’s in. I have had these issues before.

So I am always on the look out for binders, paper, tabs, and folders. I try to be smart and not just buy the cheapest ones out there. Because basically they are made of nothing but chemicals and plastic. I have to keep my home office organized as well as my homeschool plans.

I have to make sure that I label them all- and buy page separators, and most of the time folders to go in the binder- to hold my notes.  Most binders that are made of plastic end up tearing up though. Their fronts tear off after a couple of years, they get beat up and bend.

I ended up going to walmart last month for new binders. The small binders (1’) are $3-4 dollars, are made of plastic, and do NOT last very long. I would rather pay a little extra for something that will last, then buy a binder that is going to be a waste of money in the end.

The Naked Binders are the exact opposite. I got to review the classic binder, the notebook binder, and the page tabs.

The Classic binder is very well made. It has a design that is appealing, yet strength to hold your work for as long as you need it to without falling to pieces. This very sturdy binder is made of binder board covered in grained FSC certified black paper. The binder is smooth, sleek, and designed to be there for you when you need it. It has a line debossing on the top of the binder (front) so that you could easily label it without getting the label sideways.

The hinge in this binder is guaranteed.. they tested it on 250,000 flexes, and it was still going strong as ever. I hate when a binder ends up with no cover, and you have to waste money. The Naked Binders are 100% recyclable, so if they do tear up down the road, they won’t end up in a landfill somewhere.

I wanted to start designing blogs this year, and needed a binder that’s going to withstand all the pressure it will receive. I will have to flip back and forth from each section quite a bit when referring to a certain subject. I don’t want to have it collapse on me and have to buy another within a year.

I love that these binders are extremely customizable. You can write on them with markers, put labels on them, or design them any way you want.

Notebook Binder-

I had been looking for something small like this for awhile. There just really aren’t that many good quality ones out there. This one is awesome. I needed something to use for my business contacts. Other binders are too large, and address books usually do not have places to list social networking sites. A blogger needs to have this on hand, and now I can. It is durable enough not to be beaten up by the other 147 things in my purse. The binder and the tabs are $11. Pretty good value for something that isn’t going to just disassemble inside a backpack or purse.

Naked Tabs-

Acid free tabs to help you divide the contents inside your binder. It comes with 5 tabs and a cover sheet. They come in 3 different styles:Eames, Naked, and Conservation Printable and are completely recyclable.

Tabs that are plastic are hard to label. The tabs that have inserts- those little pieces of paper are hard for me to write on. They always have been. I wasn’t even using most of the labels that came with them. I would buy the little post it notes and write on them.

Now I don’t have to- these tabs are labeled with roman numerals. They are easy to label, and easy to grip and flip. I don’t have time for snagged or stuck together tabs. I need to be able to see where I want to be and easily navigate my way there. Again, they’ve hit the spot with these. I love this company because they satisfy the customer, but are sensitive to the environment.

 

 

About:

Naked Binder is a green choice for school or office supplies. The binders are made from 100% recycled board (97% post-consumer waste) and are 100% recyclable. They do not contain vinyl, phthalates, or acid. These binders are guaranteed to last 10 years, and are eco-friendly. Not only can you reduce carbon footprints by buying Naked Binder products, but you aren’t being exposed to the chemicals that are ingredients in the common binder.

“We believe the products you use should be better designed to last, inspire and do better in the world and the workplace. We designed our products to be safer and healthier to make, use and dispose of.”

For the latest on Naked Binder, be sure to follow them
through their Blog and Twitter.

 

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post. All opinions are my own, and not influenced in any way. I did receive products in exchange for an honest review..

 

The Giveaway:

The Giveaway will go live the 13th for my Bday Bash..
Watch out for it.♥

 

Jessica

Emani Minerals Review

My Review:
I got to review the 0353 Drama Queen lipstick from Emani Minerals. =) Emani has nothing but organic, natural make-up. Chemical free makeup that provides long lasting wear, with high quality product.

I don’t usually go for bright lipsticks, but I have been feeling bold lately. I usually use  peach/light pink/light brown lipsticks. A GIRL has to have something dramatic in her lip wear, doesn’t she?  I felt I did. I had only chose lip glosses or light colors (as mentioned before). With this lipstick, I feel GLAMorous. Extremely classy and like I could take on the world. No wonder so many women wear bright lipsticks.

This lipstick is AMAZING, and nothing less. It feels so moisturizing, like a chap stick but has a sheen of a colored lip gloss. The color is wonderful, bright, and eye-catching. The formula they use is awesome, it stays on for a long time. Doesn’t wear off, and it doesn’t run.
This year my New Years Resolutions were many, but on top of my list was to go greener. I wanted to switch to mineral makeup, green cleaning products, recycle more…etc.
The reason I wanted to switch to mineral makeup is because our bodies are our temples. Using natural makeup prevents chemicals from entering your body. Skin DOES not block chemicals from entering your body, it actually absorbs it. So natural body products, hair products, and makeup products were my main thing this year.
I was glad to run upon Emani. Their products are 100% natural vegan. Makeup products with chemicals in them have been shown to give women an increased risk of cancer, infertility, and hormonal dysfunction. Their products are also paraben free  Why risk it when you don’t have to?
Thinking about what goes in your body is on your mind.. now what goes ON it should be also.
This company is also animal friendly. They do not test their products on animals, their products are made from plants, and their brushes do NOT contain animal hair.
I would love to try the 0354 Luscious next. =)

Hydrating Lip Color
Emani's vegan-friendly lipstick is made of 100% natural ingredients and 80% organic extracts, this creamy formula infuses vitamins right onto your lips. It’s enriched with natural oils to nourish your lips, keeping them soft and kissable.
You can find the ingredients HERE
Price: $16.00

They carry all vegan products including foundations, eye shadows, bronzers and lipsticks. Emani is proud to be a part of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Courtesy of www.safecosmetics.org
I love their Where to Start page. If you aren’t sure what color you should choose, or how to go about buying for your skin type- this is where to go♥
Below is a sample of medium skin tones. They offer you a suggestion of liquid foundation, pressed foundation, crushed foundation, pressed blush, bronzer, eye shadow, lip stick, lip shine, and brow & liner.♣
Pressed Foundation:
291 Ginger

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Liquid Foundation:
1012 Golden Amber

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Crushed Foundation:
273 Sand

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Pressed Blush:
1029 Gasolina

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Bronzer/ Illuminator:
297 Copacabana

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
TRIO EYES:
245 Trio Feeling Blessed

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Hydrating Lip Color:
355 Dolce

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Organic Lip Shine:
1120 Rock Groupie

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
Brow & Liner:
713 Enzo Eye Duo Colors

ADD TO CART | MORE INFO
here you can see before and after pictures of how well the makeup blends and covers.

About:
Emani Minerals products are vegan & gluten friendly, cruelty free, not tested on animals, and the paper goods are biodegradable and 100% recycled (25% post & 75% pre-consumer).
Emani chooses to use certified organic ingredients from plant or flower extracts in our formulations, we combined these extracts with key ingredients such as mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxides. Mica is a transparent mineral which is mined from the earth. It can be opalescent and sparkling or completely matte. It is often treated with iron oxides to yield brilliant color effects. Iron Oxides are natural oxides of iron that is combined with oxygen, varying in color from red to brown, black to orange or yellow, depending on the degree of water added. Titanium Dioxide is an inert earth mineral used as a thickening, whitening, lubricating, and sunscreen ingredient in cosmetics. It protects skin from UVA and UVB radiation and is considered to have no risk of skin irritation.
Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine, and not influenced in any way. I did receive products in exchange for an honest review.

Find them online:
Facebook
Twitter

Jessica

7th Sole: Jacobies Black Low Heel Buckle Boot

Disclosure: Products were provided for review purposes only; all opinions are completely honest.

I received the Jacobies EL-006 Black Inner Low Wedge W/Buckles Boot from 7th Sole. These shoes are $30.99 with free shipping.
These boots are inner wedge mid-calf boots. They are made of vegan leather, so if your worried about buying something that is animal cruel- you don’t have to worry. This is PURE vegan, no animals harmed in the making. =)

They have a wedge in the middle of the boot that gives a comfort like no other. It has a zipper on the inside (facing the insides of your legs).



These boots have 2 buckles on the outer side of the boot. (facing away)



I love them. They are SUPER comfortable. More than I can say about other boots I have. No tired feet at the end of the day. They are super stylish, love the way they look. They go with ANYTHING, whether you want to use these with a pair of jeans as I did, black jeans, black slacks, or whatever. In this picture I was wearing wide leg pants. You can roll your pants ONCE and then zip them up inside the boot.

There isn’t many boots that will allow you to wear wide leg pants tucked inside. You either see the bumps of the pants, they get all tangled up and start coming out the sides, or you can’t zip them. They fit perfectly inside, no problems.

They also look amazing with boot cut and skinny jeans. I have worn these boots with both, and they look stunning. They have a real leather look, but yet aren’t. They are such a great quality for a cheap price.$30.99 with free shipping? YES. The buckles make them look bad ass.

These look great with polos, tees, button ups, tanks, and everything in between. Usually with boots, you can only wear certain shirts because it just doesn’t look right. These boots are like an accessory for EVERYTHING.


Inside the boot is a very soft fabric. It keeps me warm in the winter, yet I can see it’s a breathable warm, so they could also be easily worn in the summer, spring, and fall. So, all year long you look your best FOR LESS.

I truly love how they fit. I wear 8.5 and that’s what I ordered. They have enough room that my feet aren’t bunched up. They aren’t too big where I feel like a clown flip flopping down the hall. They are AWESOME.

If you aren’t looking for buckled boots, they have plenty others to choose from. You can search by type of boot. Ankle boots, wedge boots, fur boots, Combat boots, etc..


Shipping was fast. I got the boots within a couple of days. They were bubble wrapped, which I loved. It prevented the boots from coming out of the box and being torn up.

Customer Service was friendly, very helpful, and always super nice. Love this shop and will definitely be buying more boots soon.



About:
Established in October of 2009 by the Erazo Family. The company is named by the late, Ana Miriam Erazo. It was really her vision that sparked this adventure. She always wanted a business, but could never achieve it. As family we decided to achieve that dream for her. That is why we named the company after her. Our philosophy is simple: Customer Satisfaction!

They also offer a physical store location located in the Fashion District in Downtown Los Angeles,  211 West 7th Street Los Angeles CA 90015 to be exact. If your ever in the area, you should drop by, and check out their selections. They will have you looking hot within minutes, I can tell you that.♥
Find them online:
Facebook
Twitter  @7thsole
Blog


 Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, this is my honest opinion. I did receive products in exchange for an honest review, but it didn’t influence it =).

Spongeables Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer Review & Giveaway

My Review:
I recently got a chance to review the Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer in Lavender-Tea Tree Oil. The Spongeables Pedi Scrub Foot Buffer is a 4 in 1 sponge that will cleanse, exfoliate, massage and moisturize your feet.
I don’t have EXTREMELY dry feet, but I do have a tendency to get dry feet. I hate it. I hate the feeling of dry feet, and it usually comes with the colder months. You will see me spontaneously pulling my shoes and socks off and putting lotion or body butter on them. Dry skin gives me the shivers. I can’t stand it- not even on my hands.
Before I even opened the package, I could smell that awesome smell. I had never really smelled a lavender/ tea tree oil mix before. It’s relaxing, yet invigorating. The Tea Tree oil gives it a minty smell.. AMAZING.
After you open it, you notice the flower shape. Very cute. It also gives it an amazing gripping effect. You can put your hands around it so well. After opening it- it will feel rock hard. No worries though, as soon as you get it wet, it softens up.
One side is used for exfoliation. You scrub the dead and drying skin off your feet. It also works well on bunions. I have been wearing high heeled boots a lot here lately. They do look amazing, but they were leaving my feet aching at the end of the day. Now with the massaging effects of this little beauty, no more aches and pains. Then I can slip into house shoes and forever feel grateful.
Now I can get into the bath or shower, soak my spongeable for a second, and then massage my feet while exfoliating at the same time. It does tickle. The exfoliation side does. I got over it after a second, and was glad I did.
I checked to see the driest spots before scrubbing, so I could make sure it worked well. After scrubbing- NONE of the dry skin was there. It was all gone, disappeared without a trace. How amazing is that? I love it. Especially since Spring and Summer are right around the corner. Nothing worse than wearing sandals or flip flops and having dry, rough skin on your feet.
The other side is for moisturizing and cleansing. I flipped it and rubbed my feet down with it. My feet smelled amazing, and felt the same way. Slipping on my socks- the socks even took the scent of the spongeable. They smelled like lavender for about an hour. My bathroom also smelled of it, ♥.
I have used this 3 times now, and there is no trace of the dry skin on my heels. My feet feel more relaxed, and I don’t have to look like a crazy lady, pulling my shoes off in the middle of the day applying lotion..
The package states that the Spongeables Pedi Scrub Foot Buffer has about 20 uses in it and I felt that was pretty accurate. You can grab a Spongeables Pedi Scrub Foot Buffer Duo Pack for $14.99.
This would be an amazing gift for your mom, your bestie, sister, or just to pamper yourself. Running after kids all day is NO joke. My kids can out energize me any day, and I don’t want my feet to show this, and now they don’t have to.
This is something that I will continue to buy on a regular basis, because you can use this 20+ times. It isn’t something that just dissolves your money, and will never use. If you have feet that ache for something more, you may have just found that something. I know I did. ☺

About:
Spongeables® Pedi-Scrub™ is the best thing to happen to feet since Manolo. One side is soft and gentle, infused with soap and aromatic botanicals to leave feet clean, fresh and sweet smelling. But the other side is where the action is. It’s pure bliss.  Made to buff away dry, rough skin on heels and soles, shine up the toenails, and exfoliate dry skin, Pedi-Scrub’s scrubby-texture provides a stimulating massage that revives tired feet and leaves them tingling. The perfect antidote to stiletto pumps!
Two appealing fragrance choices — aromatic Lavender & Tea Tree Oil (pink Pedi-Scrub™), or revitalizing Citron-Eucalyptus (green Pedi-Scrub™), provide a touch of aromatherapy rejuvenation, leaving a hint of clean, herbal freshness on the skin. Pedi-Scrubs™ are available at drug, discount and chain stores around the world (MSR $6.99) or visit the website at www.spongeables.com
Social media links:
http://twitter.com/#!/Spongeables
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spongeables/55272289116
http://spongeables.com/web/surprise.php

Discloure: This isn’t a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. I wasn’t compensated, although I did receive products in exchange for an honest review..

Jessica a Rafflecopter giveaway