It’s Finally Here! Well, the Website at Least

Hello, hello! As you can probably imagine I am just giddy about my new website launch. After much blood, sweat, tears, prayer, false starts, hard work, and yes sometimes cussing, the official website for the Fearless Woman Magazine is now live! I have waited so long for this and have encountered so many obstacles along the way. I even considered quitting….yes, the “Q” word because I had a few people tell me I would not be able to get it done. But I’m here to tell you that not only am I still standing, I have a real live functional website to show for it.

Now I know a few sour heads are going to say “hey the site is up but what about the magazine itself?”. It’s a great question…and I have a great answer. As you may already know, Empower Me! is hosting the Fearless Woman Summit at the Georgia International Convention Center June 16-17 right here in Atlanta. Originally, I was planning to do a simple launch party to announce the magazine to the world. But my team has taken over and transformed this event into the must attend professional development event of the year, in addition to a kick ass launch party! So the soft launch or unofficial launch of the physical magazine will be June 16 and it will be revealed to the attendees of the Summit and Empower Me! members (they of course get their subscriptions for free with their membership). Everyone who attends the event will get an advanced copy and will be able to help us celebrate the launch. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. For the rest of the world, the official launch is July 1st.

Our first issue is focused on Diversity from Her Perspective and we have a stellar line up of articles that make you think, reflect, and take action. The magazine will motivate you to live your best professional life…fearlessly! From Dr. Ella Edmondson Bell to Barbara Corcoran to Audrey Lee, to Sarah Evans, to Aliza Sherman, we have some phenomenal ladies who share the distinction of being in our debut issue. I can’t wait for you to read it! Trust me, the website has NOTHING on the actual issue!

In the mean time, we want you to feel like the magazine’s website is your community. We have a top notch roster of Contributing Bloggers who will share their wisdom, encouragement and expertise each week. You can catch snippets of our videos, listen to Views From the Top Radio Show, join our Facebook Fan Page, and even follow us on Twitter. You will even be able to catch previews of our shows in the brand new EmpoweredWoman.tv. Soon, you will have the capability to translate the site into your chosen language!

Be sure you bookmark and share the website with all your friends, family and co-workers. If you’re a man, be sure to send your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, female colleagues over to the website. I guarantee it’ll be the best thing they can do for themselves in the name of professional development.

Please stop by and let me know what you think.

Til Next Time.

Adrienne Graham
PUBLISHER
Fearless Woman Magazine (an Empower Me! Corporation publication)

 

Get A Room!

Well, I don’t mean like that. It’s a contest! For 5 lucky folks in the Metro Atlanta area, I’m giving away five 2-hour gift cards to ROAM.

If you feel you deserve one of these cards, post your comment here letting me know why you need to “get a room”. I will choose 5 lucky winners. The gift cards are valid for 2 free hours (and they’ll even throw in coffee service!). You must present the card to redeem. Not transferable or redeemable for cash. This contest will ONLY last until Monday, April 12 at noon (or until I have the five winners, whichever comes first).

In case you haven’t heard of them, Roam is the coolest place in Atlanta to go when you’re tired of conducting business in the local coffee shop. They offer small, medium and large meeting rooms to fit any need. They even have a cafe, a common area and free Wi-Fi. It’s the ultimate shared work space community where people “work, connect and grow”. So if you need to escape the home office or are tired of coming home smelling like coffee, try Roam. They are located in Alpharetta off Windward Parkway and North Point Parkway. Locations coming soon to Buckhead and Midtown!

If you have Comcast, be on the look out for their new commercial (I’m in it!).

Don’t forget to tell them Adrienne sent you. For more information about Roam, visit their website at http://www.roamatlanta.com.

 

Darden-UVA Women in Technology Event

I was recently invited to be a panelist at the Women in Technology event at the very prestigous Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. I am very honored and this is an exciting event. This event will be held on Monday, November 9th at 6PM EST. And rumor has it there will be a LIVE WEBCAST of this event too.

Make sure you check me out at the Darden-UVA Women in Technology Panel Nov. 9th

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192881438956

Here are the details:

Darden- UVA “Women in Technology” Panel

November 9, 2009 6:30-8:30pm

Abbott Auditorium The Darden School

Hosted by Paul T. Harper, Director of Special Programming in Diversity, The Darden School

The purpose of this event is to bring recognition to a relatively invisible but important population in technology entrepreneurship. The women on this panel represent different styles of engagement with social media technologies. They are also great examples of the new business strategies that social media technologies have enabled. Please join The Darden School for what promises to be an eye-opening evening.

Moderator: Sonya Donaldson, Editor-At-Large for Technology, Black Enterprise Magazine.

Mary Spio, founder and President of Gen2media, created the digital media technology behind Star Wars Attack of the Clones, Ocean’s 11, and Planet of the Apes.

Adrienne Graham, Founder and CEO of Empower ME! Corporation, a professional networking company for women.

Shireen Mitchell, an entrepreneur who is also chair of Media and Technology Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations.

Angie Brement, Entrepreneur and blogger for “C’ville Entremoms.”

This event will be webcast live.

Please RSVP at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGs0U2NkS1ZvZzlHZnZjOUJaZlRfcHc6MA

 

You’re Stronger than You Know

First of all, let me acknowledge that I am late. I should have made this post last month. But better late than never. It’s no secret that Oprah is one of my role models. I may not agree with everything she says or does, but it doesn’t diminish my respect for her. You see, I can agree to disagree with her and not hate her. But in the end, she is always a shrewd business woman, a compassionate human being and a powerful force to be reckoned with. She is someone I aspire to be like. I don’t want to replace Oprah. I want to be a media mogul in my own right without trying to step into her shine. I just want to give women the tools they need to experience professional growth and empowerment through media.

Why am I writing about Oprah today? If you’ve already read the September 2009 issue you would know why.  I remember the day I was in Barnes & Noble looking for some business books when I happened by the newsstand section. I don’t subscribe to a lot of magazines and I don’t subscribe to O (sorry Oprah!). I only buy magazines off the rack that resonate with me or move me to pick it up. Sometimes I’ll get O sometimes I don’t. This particular day I was feeling so lost and down. I felt like I had hit a wall and all the motivational nuggets I shared with people were no longer working for me. I felt like something big was pressing up against my chest (literally) and I panicked because I didn’t know how I would defeat it.

As I walked past the magazines there it was. Standing out front and center with the words that made me want to pick up this magazine. “You’re Stronger Than You Know“.  That’s all I saw, no other headline on O or any other magazine in its vicinity. At that moment, tears started rolling down my cheeks. As I read on underneath the headline I saw “How to tap into your true power and really make it work for you”. The tears turned to sobbing as people started looking at me. I didn’t care. I started reading that first page of the article. I knew right then that I had to buy this and take it home to devour. So I rushed to the register, paid for the magazine and rushed home. By the time I was done reading that article, I was a wreck. I hadn’t cried that much since my Dad died in 2002. But strangely I felt this cathartic experience. I wasn’t sad or angry. I didn’t sit and drown in self pity. For the first time in a while things started to click. I rushed to the computer and emailed every woman in my inner circle and told them the needed to pick up this issue and READ it. I also told them for the first time that I had been going through some things and I was fighting some internal demons. I didn’t think about it or ask for any responses. But you know, the funny thing is, I felt like I was giving birth!  All the baggage I was going through felt like it was being peeled off by the layer!

The article or my experience wasn’t about Oprah. It was about me facing whatever I was dealing with and picking up and pressing on. That article made me dig deeper into myself and figure out what it was I wanted to do and what I needed to do. My next step was to take ACTION.  See, we can have all the rah rah motivational nuggets shared with us as we can stand. But if we don’t MOVE on it, we will forever stay lost. Reading that article inspired a new found motivation in me.  I had to learn how to take back my power and don’t put much stock in what other people think of me or say about me. I can’t live for them, I have to live for me. Power is not making tons of money or hob nobbing with the wealthy. It s satisfaction of knowing that you are living the best life and living in positivity. It’s about being unafraid to be you regardless of what others say or think. It’s about being able to touch people and give them hope and motivation to want to do better for themselves.

I did get around to reading the rest of the magazine (recently) and it’s a great issue. But I had to marinate on that Stronger article for  while. I can’t describe in words the renewed energy and positivity (and most importantly motivation) I now feel. If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you call a friend who buys or subscribes to the magazine and get reading! Always remember, when things look bleak, you have an amazing strength inside that’s just waiting for you to tap into it. Be present in your power. Embrace it and own it.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

 

Open Letter to Ebony Magazine/Johnson Publishing

ATTN: Linda Johnson Rice & Johnson Publishing Staff

Hear me out and heard me good. I’m about to get extremely real and possibly offend. But it’s worth the risk.

I first heard about the impending sale from an email a friend forwarded to me yesterday. I had mixed emotions when I read it. On the one hand, I thought “here we go again. Selling out just like Essence. Well if they didn’t care about their readership, then good riddance”. On the other hand I thought, “wait a minute. Not again! We are losing our publications! Something has to be done”.

See, I grew up with Ebony Magazine. It was a staple as was Black Enterprise and Essence. Well of the holy black trinity, Black Enterprise seems to be the last man standing. Those magazines represented part of my culture. Ebony especially was dear to me because of Mr. Johnson and his struggle to bring to light his vision and show little black girls like me that we can be glamorous, beautiful, smart, sophisticated, successful. It was dear to me because he had broken so many barriers. In fact, his story drives me as I create my own media empire.

Please don’t sell. This is the time to restrategize, get new talent, and implement new ideas. Not jump ship on a legacy that Mr. Johnson created. We live in an advanced technological society with wildly creative individuals. There’s a plethora of talented writers & savvy social media strategists that can breathe new life in Ebony (myself included).

Although it has declined over the years (let’s be real), I still supported it. Not so much for the content, but for what the company represented. I know it can be turned around. Hell, I will come write for the magazine myself!  Just don’t sell out. I can tell you as a reader what the core problems are from a consumer standpoint. Your articles lack creativity and freshness, they are not up with the times, and lack that motivational spark they used to have. The same stories are rehashed over and over. What happened to the real stories of real people that could be held up as role models and inspiration? Why so much glamorization of celebrities? Real Black Folks want to be motivated and inspired and see that they too can achieve those goals. We don’t care that Jay Z & Beyonce (although I like them) are a Top 10 Couple (are you kidding me with that?). What happened to the “black experience”, the lifestyle magazine that used to hit the heart of Black people everywhere? Mr Johnson created this publication because others wouldn’t give us a chance to tell our stories. Well, the world has changed, this is true. But we still need to see our stories from our eyes and our perspectives.

Mr Johnson went through too much and broke down many barriers. Symbolism alone is what kept me loyal. Linda Rice Johnson, I’m calling you out. Challenging you to reinvent the brand. Bring the magazine up to 2010 standards. Black folks are technologically savvy. Get on that social media wave. We are in top corporate spots. We are leaders, visionary, pioneers, trendsetters. Show that! Become that motivational tool that it once was.  If you sell, we’ll get what we got with Essence Magazine (yes said it publicly).  Watered down recycled versions of the “why my man left me” type articles.  Now, Essence Magazine, before you send your goons after me, I do note that you are TRYING to improve. But some of those alerts I get from you on Facebook make you lose those points. But this isn’t about you right now.

Johnson Publishing is a legacy. While I am not happy with how the magazine has nosedived, I think it can be turned around and saved. Linda Rice just needs to step back and re-evaluate and make those tough decisions to get the right people in there to save it.

So what do you say Linda? Will you take me up on the challenge? Are you open to listening to public opinion? Will you reorganize the company that your Dad worked so hard to build and give it a new 2009 flavor? Will you clean house and bring in some fresh new talent to kick start Ebony into a new era? What do you say? I’m open to discussion. (678) 698-6206. I don’t waste my time on minute issues. I only go after causes I firmly believe in. The challenge has been made publicly Linda.  Let’s chat.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

 

Fearless Woman Magazine- Call For Writers

Coming in January 2010

It is with great pleasure that I announce the pre-launch of the newest project for Empower Me! Fearless Woman Magazine is the preeminent publication and blueprint for today’s upwardly mobile professional woman. The magazine is scheduled to launch in January 2010 and will be a quarterly publication. I have always admired publishers and the magazine industry. Sometimes they had hits, sometimes there were misses. I never stopped looking for “that” magazine that speaks exclusively to me and the type of women I admire and network with. So many have come and gone, and while there are a few remaining, I felt that there was lacking an intelligent, no-nonsense,unfettered down hard hitting magazine for the professional woman. Yes, each magazine on the stands now contains elements of what I was seeking. But no magazine has ever served as a catch all for the upwardly mobile professional woman. Do I propose that Fearless Woman Magazine will be that catch all? Maybe. But it will serve the purpose for the intended audience.

Have you signed up on the website yet? If not, you should. You can sign up at the website to receive updates and the Fearless Networking newsletter.

We are also announcing an open call for writers. We are currently looking for new and experienced writers with the ability to resonate with our core audience. If interested please contact us at: info @fearlesswomanmagazine.com or indicate that you’re interested in the message box when you sign up at the website. You may download the Writer’s Guidelines at this link. For a media kit, editorial calendar or advertising information, please contact us via email at info @ fearlesswomanmagazine.com.

I don’t know what the future holds for myself or this publication, but what I do know is that I am very excited. The more we plan and the more we pull it together, it is that much more real to me. I choose to believe that there is a place for this magazine and that with technology and good old fashioned ingenuity we will be able to bring you relevant content, resonant (and responsible) advertising, and aplethora of tools that will empower and motivate each of you to action. A fearless woman, an upwardly mobile professional woman always has her mind on her career and isn’t afraid to take risks to achieve their goals. That is an EMPOWERED woman.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

 

Fearless Networking Boot Camp- There’s Still Time!

People with a strong circle of influence are the most successful. Surrounding yourself with the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time is crucial to professional success! Do you need to amp up your networking strategy?

Networking is usually thought of in one of two situations: when you lose a job and badly need an introduction to power their job search campaign or when you start a business and want to get quick sales. Either way, these are the absolute wrong times to “start” networking. Networking is an ongoing relationship building process that should be cultivated long before you need help. Many women (and men) are afraid to network because they don’t know how, they feel the people they meet won’t benefit them or they simply don’t make the time. The Fearless Networking Boot Camp is designed for the upwardly mobile professional who wants to increase their professional capital and position themselves as a Power Networker.

During this 3 day intensive boot camp you will:

Learn the basics of developing, building, and maintaining a network of professionals that will enhance your job search and professional development.
Reach the correct type of people to network with.
Learn how to speak to anyone, anywhere at any time.
Grow your reputation & industry influence.
Increase your confidence & let go of FEAR.
Build real, solid, substantive relationships.
Showcase your expertise/brand yourself as a subject matter expert.
Choose events, organizations and strategies that align with your goals.
Set an agenda and clarify your goals.
Maximizing social networking while not losing your effectiveness in traditional networking.

Boot Camps are intense three day sessions where attendees not only learn the theory of networking, but also the practical application. Exercises, assignments and partners are assigned to each attendee to practice the material presented in the boot camp. Each participant will receive the Fearless Networking Workbook, a copy of Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers and the required handouts as part of their registration.

Are you ready to transform the way you network? Join my Boot Camp today. Contact me for more information on upcoming boot camps.

Networking Boot Camp- Live Online

9/9 – 9/11/09 6:30 PM – 9 PM EST

Register today. Seats are first come first serve. Must have internet access and phone access to participate.

Cost- $349 per person

http://www.goaheadtalktostrangers.com/bootcamp.html

 

Fearless Networking BOOT CAMP- 09/09/09

Webinars are fine for basic level, fundamental information and tips on best practices. But Boot Camps are an entire different animal. The next Fearless Networking BOOT CAMP scheduled for 9/9/09. It is a three day intensive that is live, online and interactive. You will be partnered up & there will be assignments. You will experience an 8 hour camp broken down over three days. Are you up for it? If you need to boost your networking skills, you need to attend. Seating is limited to only 12!  http://www.goaheadtalktostrangers.com/bootcamp.html

Women network differently than men. Men set out with a clear agenda and do what they must to make the right connections. They make time to include networking in growing their business or career. But most importantly, what separates the men from the women is that men not only MAKE the time to network but value its impact. I hate to say it ladies but we lag behind in recognizing the power of networking.

Networking is usually thought of in one of two situations: when you lose a job and badly need an introduction to power their job search campaign or when you start a business and want to get quick sales. Either way, these are the absolute wrong times to “start” networking. Networking is an ongoing relationship building process that should be cultivated long before you need help. Many women are afraid to network because they don’t know how, they feel the people they meet won’t benefit them or they simply don’t make the time. The Fearless Networking Boot Camp is designed for the professional woman who wants to increase her professional capital and position herself as a Power Brok(H)er.

During this boot camp you will::

1. Learn the basics of developing, building, and maintaining a network of professionals that will enhance your job search and professional development.
2. Reach the correct type of people to network with.
3. Learn how to speak to anyone, anywhere at any time.
4. Grow your reputation & industry influence
5. Increase your confidence & let go of FEAR.
6. Build real, solid, substantive relationships.
7. Showcase your expertise/brand yourself as a subject matter expert.
8. Choose events, organizations and strategies that align with your goals.
9. Set an agenda and clarify your goals.
10. Maximizing social networking while not losing your effectiveness in traditional networking.

Boot Camps are different from Webinars in that Webinars are theory/lecture based and for informational purposes. Boot Camps are intense three day sessions where attendees not only learn the theory of networking, but also the practical application. Exercises, assignments and partners are assigned to each attendee to practice the material presented in the boot camp.

Are you ready to transform the way you network? Join my Boot Camp today. Contact me for more information on upcoming boot camps.

Networking Boot Camp- Live Online

9/9 – 9/11/09 6:30 PM – 9 PM EST

Register today. Only 12 spaces available for this session. Seats are first come first serve. Must have internet access and web camera to participate.

Cost- $349 per person

 

Webinar Teaches Women Fearless Networking…Without Asking Permission

Buck the system and circumvent the Glass Ceiling and the Ol’ Boys Network…without asking permission. Learn the ABCs of networking from the woman who personifies networking! Become the networker you were born to be and be fearless doing it.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 22, 2009 — Let’s face it, it’s all in WHO you know, but also the ACTION you take. The book Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers- The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fearless Networking is a guide for women to elevate their networking game and be fearless about it. Networking is a team sport; and if you don’t get in the game, you’ll come up short on your career aspirations. Now you can learn how to network fearlessly at the in-demand live Fearless Networking Webinar on June 6th and June 9th.

Written by much sought after Recruitment Consultant and Networking Strategist Adrienne Graham, Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers is a practical guide that gives readers key tips and personal networking experiences designed to show that all women can become fearless networkers. Women find it difficult to make time to network because they don’t make the time to fit it in their hectic schedules, or they fear that it won’t benefit them. Most don’t know how to network effectively, so they feel it doesn’t work for them. But with the economy in shambles and jobs (and companies) being obliterated daily, networking allows people to build key relationships they can tap into in a pinch. “People are more willing to help people they know and have a relationship with,” says Graham. “This book inspires women to actively build relationships and take ‘who they know’ and turn it into a competitive advantage. The webinar allows them to immediately put what they learn to work for them”.

People are more willing to help people they know and have a relationship with

This book inspires women to actively build relationships and take ‘who they know’ and turn it into a competitive advantage. The webinar allows them to immediately put what they learn to work for them

If you are ready to become a Fearless Networker, reserve your space for the Fearless Networking Webinar on Saturday, June 6th at 9AM EST or Tuesday, June 9th at 6PM EST. Women can tune in to learn the strategies to become a powerful and empowered networker, followed by a Q & A session. Networking Strategy Coaching and a Fearless Networking Bootcamp are also available to individuals and groups who want to become better networkers. To get your copy of the book, learn about the author, or learn more about coaching and the Fearless Networking Webinar, visit www.goaheadtalktostrangers.com.

About The Author:

Adrienne Graham, the author of Go Ahead Talk to Strangers, is CEO of Hues Consulting & Management, Inc, a diversity recruitment consulting firm, and Founder of Empower Me! Corporation, a media, publishing and networking organization for women. She writes blogs on corporate recruiting, career management and professional development for women, and is the host of the Blog Talk Radio Show Views From the Top.

BOOK SUMMARY:
Title: Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers- The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fearless Networking
Author: Adrienne Graham
Publisher: Empower Me! Corporation
ISBN: 978-0-615-25666-5
Softcover, $19.95

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Fearless Networking Webinar

Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers- The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fearless Networking

Let’s face it, this economy is on shaky ground. As witnessed by the collapse of some of Wall Street’s powerhouse companies like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, we never know when our cushy job is in jeopardy. If your company collapsed tomorrow, what would you do? Do you have a contingency plan like starting a business? Do you have a solid network of key decision makers who could help you in landing your next opportunity? Chances are if you haven’t taken the time to build a strong network, you don’t have many allies who can help you in a pinch. Go Ahead Talk, to Strangers, based on the book written by Adrienne Graham, gives you the foundations of becoming a fearless networker. In this session, some of what you will learn includes:

• Branding yourself
• Build, communicate with and tap into your network
• Networking with top executives and key decision makers
• Making a memorable impression on the people you meet
• Positioning yourself as a subject matter expert and an asset
• Being a fearless networker
• Navigating and tapping into traditional and social networking
• Using networking to advance your career or build your business

Don’t miss this dynamic session that prepares you to become a powerful and empowered networker. Your real networking experience begins at this seminar. Adrienne Graham gives attendees a look into her own networking journey, shares her experiences and best advice on building your own network from a position of confidence and strength, and gets the audience involved in interactive networking exercises.

Each registered attendee will receive a FREE copy of the book Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers- The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fearless Networking, Companion Workbook AND a Networking Journal.

Space is limited and advanced registration is required. Drawing will be conducted for a $25 American Express Gift Check, and 1 free networking strategy session with Adrienne Graham.

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009

Time: 9AM- 12Noon EST

OR

Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Time: 6PM – 9PM EST

Location: Webcast (internet & phone access required)

Cost: $89

Register today: http://www.goaheadtalktostrangers.com