Lessons from a Girlfriend - THE GIRLFRIEND FACTOR Founder Joan Busick

Our role as a girlfriend isn't to just go see "Sex and the City" together. It is to have a real friendship which means helping each other through tough stuff and celebrating successes TOGETHER.

JOAN BUSICK, along with her girlfriend Michele Moore, decided to create a non-profit based on helping real women go after their dreams. THE GIRLFRIEND FACTOR was born in 2005 and now has dozens of women in college/training for new careers and reaching their goals!

Listen to the podcast for the details. Check out The Girlfriend Factor for ways you can get involved - like a "Go Girl! Camp," online shopping, starting a chapter in your city, etc.

As founder of The Girlfriend Factor, Joan emotes inspiration! Here are a few lessons I learned from this wonderful girlfriend:

* TAKE CHARGE - Joan runs her own CPA firm. It would have been much easier just to write a check to another organization and not bothered with starting a non-profit. Not Joan. She and girlfriend Michele decided they wanted to make a difference in women's lives and to do something about it. That inspires me!

* FRIENDSHIP IS IMPORTANT - The Girlfriend Factor doesn't just write a check then walk away. They stay involved. They befriend the grant recipients and cheer them on through school, interviews, challenges and successes. They become their girlfriends and get to know them on a very personal, supportive level. That inspires me too!

* THEY HAVE FUN! - The Girlfriend Factor believes that helping others doesn't have to involve a boring fundraiser dinner with a long-winded speaker. (We've all been at too many of those!) Funds are raised by hosting fun events like a pajama shopping night and 'Go Girl! Camps.' And, through the course of their events, they become better friends with the other women who are supportive of The Girlfriend Factor. They know how to have fun and make a difference in women's lives - at the same time!

* GET YOUR FRIENDS INVOLVED - To get The Girlfriend Factor started, Joan and Michele decided to enlist their girlfriends. They asked them to consider supporting The Girlfriend Factor. Of course, being girlfriends, they wanted to help and became part of the "Blind Faith Gang." Per Joan and Michele: "Without knowledge or understanding of our dream, they chose to be part of something bigger than themselves. For their generosity and faith, we will forever hold them as the foundation that created The Girlfriend Factor."

Do you want to befriend other women who need just a 'foot up' in making a change in their life? Can you be the kind of girlfriend that you'd love to have? Don't just watch a movie together or have dinner - make a difference! Check out The Girlfriend Factor and listen in to this inspiring interview with Joan. Thanks Joan! Thanks Girlfriends!

DREAM ... and encourage your girlfriends to dream too

The wisdom found on bumper stickers! Seen on my dog walk this morning (a wonderful John Lennon quote), it was perfectly timed for my day. I'm working on the Girlfriendology newsletter and lining up 'expert girlfriends' for the website, as well as finding amazing women to interview in the Girlfriendology podcasts. I may be a Dreamer, but I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Dream today. And encourage your girlfriends to dream as well. Together we'll love the journey toward our dreams as friends cheering each other on! Happy Friday Girlfriend!



p.s. NEW Girlfriendology Podcast posted last night. Interview with JILL MACKAY (and me!) www.girlfriendology.com

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Lessons from a Girlfriend - Podcast with DEBBIE MACOMBER, women's fiction author

DEBBIE MACOMBER is a mega-author. She has over 100 million books in print. Her new book, Twenty Wishes, is a wonderful, inspiring story of women who each make a list of their wishes and then together find the way to their dreams.

As welcoming and friendly as her books, Debbie spoke with Girlfriendology on our latest podcast. There is so much to learn from someone this gifted at understanding women, friendships, passionate hobbies and life. So, here are just a few of the lessons I learned in interviewing Debbie:

* LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH PASSION - Debbie is passionate about her knitting, writing, children and grandchildren (not necessarily in that order!). She loves to travel and spend time with her family and friends. She gets up at 4am each morning to start her day preparing and reading, then writing. (You have to be passionate about something to get up at that time each morning!) You can tell by talking with her that she loves life and loves sharing the lives of her characters with her millions of fans.

* LOVE YOUR FANS - Debbie is currently on tour to 20 cities (for the 20 wishes!). Her fans come out in swarms, in any weather and with a desire just to see her, talk with her, share their knitting or tell her about their girlfriends. She even shared how the initial idea for this book came from one of her fans. She obviously loves these women and finds such joy in getting to know them, hearing about their lives and sharing her hobbies and writings with them.

* MAKE TIME FOR YOUR GIRLFRIENDS - As she shared in the interview, Debbie has a group of girlfriends that she meets with weekly for breakfast. They help each other through life, share their joys and frustrations, and, after talking with Debbie, they must laugh a lot! Even with her busy schedule, she keeps them as a priority in her life. She's a good girlfriend!

* TAKE TIME FOR YOUR HOBBIES - It doesn't have to be knitting, but just find an activity that you love and allow yourself time to spend doing it. And, when you can, combine your hobbies! Debbie obviously loves to write and knit. So it was natural for her to combine them with a companion book to Twenty Wishes with knitting patterns from the book's characters. She even has designed a line of products for knitters (but versatile enough to be used for lots of other hobbies and 'stuff!).

So, what are your wishes? Dreams? Goals? Do you have them written down or perhaps represented on a vision board? Do your girlfriends know what your dreams are and do they cheer you on in reaching them?

Read Twenty Wishes then write out your own wishes. Share them with your friends. They'll help you achieve them! Visit Set Your Wish Free for information on a special contest to reward someone with $10,000 to set their wish free!

Thanks Debbie for making time for Girlfriendology in the midst of your national book tour! It was an honor to speak with you and to be able to share Twenty Wishes with your fans through the podcast and through our Girlfriendology Contest prizes. Thanks for your inspiration and for introducing us to so many girlfriends in your novels.

P.S. And send in your story for our monthly Girlfriendology Contest! You could win a copy of Debbie's fabulous new novel, Twenty Wishes - just send in a girlfriend story and you could get back a great girlfriend novel!

Girlfriendology video interview with PAULA YOO, author of "Good Enough"

At first I thought, a 'young adult' novel. I don't need to read that. Then I opened it up and became enthralled with Patti Yoon, the high schooler, daughter of immigrants and overachiever who longs to fit in and strives to stand out.

The first novel by PAULA YOO, "Good Enough" is a charmer. From her first big crush to the funny antics of her church group, she becomes a fun character to watch over as she survives high school and the pressure to attend an ivy league school.

Paula's pretty much a charmer too. She has a great smile and plays amazing violin. She is friendly and easy going. You can tell in the video interview, that she enjoyed writing about Patti and that you'll equally enjoy reading "Good Enough." Watch the Girlfriendology interview with Paula:



THANKS Paula - for your time, for playing the violin over and over again in the Joseph-Beth store (Thanks to them too!). Thanks to Greg & Greg of www.callgregcreative.com. And, THANKS to you for reading Girlfriendology!