Today, I’m hosting Day 9 of The 10 Commandments of Leadership Blog Tour. For 10 days, 10 blogs are highlighting and discussing each chapter from The 10 Commandments of Leadership written by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura. Regardless of if you a leader of a large organization, a small group of peers, or your own […]

Years ago as I was trying to figure out what I was going to be when I grew up, I pondered the idea of starting a non-profit organization that gathered clothes for women returning to the work force.  Now more than a decade later after founding other businesses and writing many books, in a true […]

As we head into the holiday season, perhaps the greatest gift we can give each other is compassion. I have recently had several reminders,  just how often as we go about our busy days we fail to consider what circumstances those around us may be dealing with.   We just never know if that less than pleasant woman in […]

I always wanted to be the best mom in the world – but I’ve rarely been able to live up to that standard.  When my daughter Harlie was in fifth grade and my son Bridger was in kindergarten, I gave birth to a new business.  I had so much going on – kids, husband, home, […]

I have been asked more times than I can count lately why in the world I would ever sell Femail Creations.  Having spent the better part of fifteen years building up a business with my heart     and soul, how could I ever sell it and move on? “To keep a lamp burning, we have […]

When I first wrote this, I thought it was a summer fling.  Now it seems this has turned into a long term affair.  According to what my friends are telling me and from what I am reading in the news this trend is here to stay.  Apparently our  adult children are descending upon us like […]

The other day I was searching for a photo for a new picture frame I’d just bought. I sorted through dozens of vacation snapshots—the ones I keep telling myself I will some day put in adorable scrapbooks—but for now they sit in shoe boxes. As I poured over the pictures I had a few good […]

I believe there are two groups of people; those who like to live with a fire extinguisher on each hip and those who don’t.  I fall into the don’t category.  I like to avoid those last minute fires whenever possible. I figure life hands us enough twists and turns that can’t be prevented.  I am […]

I was chatting with a friend yesterday who was at the end of her rope.   She said she felt like she was clinging to her last shred of sanity.  We have all been there at one point or another.    As she was sharing her feelings of exasperation it dawned on me that men never seem […]

Not only is Mother’s Day around the corner,  May 2nd was Jordan’s birthday.  I feel compelled to remind everyone how precious life is and how important it is live it with passion. Jordan Chiovarelli was one of those charismatic characters you couldn’t help but love. He was my daughter Harlie’s best friend. She adored him […]

This is the year I am going to stop fighting nature… I am apparently born to be a bad packer. I have spent a lifetime trying to master the art of packing. I really want to be one of those people who can show up with a small carry-on bag for a 5-day business trip.  […]

Am I the only one with a growing stack of receipts, credit card bills and IRS forms about to smother me? I think April 15th should be a national holiday—so we at least get a day off. Or maybe it should be April 16th so we can recover and lick our wounds! Have you ever noticed […]

The topic of sex came up with a group of friends discussing what was too racy or offensive to put in a gift book.   The conversation made me once again grateful that the religion of my youth didn’t “take” and I was not only able to avoid a temple recommend but keep my libido! It […]

Christmas just doesn’t feel the same once the kids are grown. The magic of watching young children on Christmas morning is something to be treasured. This year our grand-dog Fiona is providing the laughter and the magic of the season! Happy Holidays! Lisa Hammond The Barefoot CEO ®

So many of us are counting down the days until 2009 is over, eager to greet a new year with new hope.  If 2009 has you feeling like you’ve been hit by a train, I offer up Hartley’s words of wisdom for us all. I met Hartley last year while I was on a trip […]

This year I was going to deck the halls, hand-write holiday greetings and actually mail them, make sugar cookies from scratch, and finish all of my shopping before Thanksgiving. Ha! That didn’t happen. About this time each year I think most women basically have our hair on fire. There is just so much to do!  […]

This morning as I put on a pair of warm socks to guard against the chilly floors and headed downstairs to my office, I thought about how much I cherish these socks and their origin. Those of you who have been with me from the start of this journey may remember one of the very […]

My favorite holiday tradition is getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve.  When I was a kid I loved getting the pj’s with feet in them!    I looked forward to opening up every Christmas Eve what in our home was called a “zoot suit”. Last year I thought it would be fun if my family had […]

Maybe your Thanksgivings tend to go kind of like a lot of mine…not quite like the Norman Rockwell paintings? Whenever extended family tends to gather with wide ranging political and religious views it seems like we are left with the humdrum pass the salt small talk or the other extreme that ends in a heated […]

I have always been the one to say age is only a number.   My birthdays have never mattered to me.  I have decided that it isn’t actually my birthday but rather my kid’s birthdays that have started making me feel old. I had managed, thus far, without much fuss to have several birthdays, crossing the […]

I recently received an unexpected but deeply appreciated note.   A vendor from Femail Creations took the opportunity to drop me an email after reading my blog to thank me for being in the catalog and to let me know just how much that exposure meant to their company.  I happened to read the note at […]

Maybe it was the email from my sister wondering if I thought she could get the $8,000 tax credit for a bunker instead of a house—such have been her trials and tribulations lately—she wanted to hunker down until it was all over. Maybe it was the sense that so many of us feel like we […]

I don’t golf.  But I have learned a trick to playing this devil of a game. Once a year I join a sort of witness protection program and golf under the cover of darkness—and while wearing a disguise—at the annual Halloween Night Golf Costume Bash. You see my husband is the club champion.  I on the other […]

As many of you know I am a wee bit obsessed with quotes, and one of my very favorites is Margaret Mead’s quote, “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful people could change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”. Nancy G. Brinker is a beautiful example of that.  The Susan G. […]

I am working on my next book and I want YOU to be in it! So many of us are running on empty and are in desperate need of a refill. Some of us have learned how to refuel, but most of us are still in the process of figuring that out. How did we end […]