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Stephanie Mullani Real Life Rosie
Name: Stephanie Mullani
Title: Owner/Founder of Natural Girl Diary. I am a writer, blogger, artist, designer, and health nut.
Background/Education: BFA from the Minneapolis college of art & design, dual major in fine art and illustration. My formal art education includes foreign exchange study at the Wimbledon School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London.
I have educational training in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Chinese Dietary Therapy from the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and work completed towards a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition through Clayton College of Natural Health.
What inspires you? Feeling alive and that means experiencing the joy and wonder of natural living first-hand and helping others experience it too. Using my gifts, realizing my full potential and helping others realize theirs too, first through increased health and over-all wellness in body, mind and spirit, and then showing others how to focus their new found energy into making their dreams come true.
Do you have a favorite quote? Yes. It is this:
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”
Although attributed to Goethe, there is no evidence the he ever wrote these lines. The full quote, which has more details about the process of manifesting a dream, is here:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”
The quote is by William Hutchinson Murray (1913-1996), from his 1951 book entitled The Scottish Himalayan Expedition.
Similarly, “Follow Your Bliss.” ~ Joseph Campbell
What are the most pressing issues facing women today? Everywhere I go, I talk with women who are caught in the struggle between career and family. They want to use their gifts and do meaningful work in the world and find it difficult to balance both, or find it hard to re-enter the workforce after taking time off for raising kids. The process of being a stay-at-home mom has stripped away their self-esteem and made them unsure about how to get back “out there”.
What are the biggest keys to your success? Connecting with what brings me joy and that means expressing my creativity. Getting out there in the world: making connections, attending seminars, purchasing programs for my continued personal and business growth… Not being afraid of attending events and meetings alone or going alone in spite of the fear. Just to keep going and keep making new connections and keep learning new things. I always make new connections to explore and finally, just plain hard work. You have to put in the time.
What are the biggest keys to the advancement or success of women? Networking, socializing, becoming aware of the work other women are doing and then finding ways in which we can all uplift, support, and promote each other.
Where did the inspiration for your business come from? I wanted to get into publishing. I already had 5 books of my artwork published, but I wanted to both write & illustrate the content and have full ownership of it. Other publishing companies and authors said I needed a blog or website to showcase my abilities first and since natural health has always been a big passion of mine, I combined the two to create a website that’s speaks primarily on the topic of natural health in body, mind, and spirit. And then my husband and I created an e-publishing company to further the brand and the original publishing goals.
Where is your product sold (if applicable)? Currently, e-books are our only products and they are sold online at Amazon.com.
What advice do you have for a woman who is considering starting a business? Unless she already knows the business she wants to start, I would urge her first to get in touch with the biggest dream on her heart, so that the work is fulfilling work and won’t feel like drudgery or something she will come to resent over time. If she is unsure what her passion is, I would ask her to consider the following questions: 1. Where does your mind go/what do you think about when you daydream? 2. What activities to you engage in when you are procrastinating? 3. What activities either calm or uplift your spirit and, 4. What have you secretly been envious of when you see other women doing it and wish you could too?
What are the biggest hurdles you have faced in starting or growing your business? How did you overcome these? Not knowing a soul who did what I wanted to do, so I overcame that by getting out in the community attending events to start meeting people, for starters. I attended other seminars and events whether online or flying out of state to be at a particular event in person, where others were doing the types of things I wanted to do, or where and expert in the field was speaking on the topic. Many informational events can be found as free online webinars. Google is one place I go to look for them and you can also check out meet-up events in your town via meetup.com. Also, just write to the people who run websites and businesses you like, and often times they will either have a story posted on their site about how they overcame hurdles or are sometimes happy to share with you how they did if you just ask. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Website: www.naturalgirldiary.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NaturalGirlDiary
Twitter: www.twitter.com/naturalsteph
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/naturalgrldiary
