5 Minutes 5 Questions with Janis Sadoyama from Spoon Me Sweetly

March 15, 2016

Everyone knows that Instagram is a goldmine for talent. Local artisans flaunt their works and are remarkable at their craft; Janis is no exception. I gifted my coworkers bags of her yummy popcorn last Christmas and for the The Love List Lounge in Feb, Janis made popcorn snack pack bags with Salted Carmel Apple Pie Brittle. So tasty.

This is 5 minute 5 questions with Janis Sadoyama from Spoon Me Sweetly:

1) How long have you lived in LA?

All my life (30 some odd years lol) 😉

2) Why did you start Spoon Me Sweetly?

As a sweet escape from our hectic days. Too rarely do we have an opportunity to treat ourselves to something handmade with love. When knees deep in the hustle and bustle it’s nice to take a break and indulge (but not over indulge!)

3) Tell us about your best seller sweet?

Our best sellers are our dipped spoons. The flavors vary from chocolate sea salt caramel to custom flavors like spicy cocoa (chocolate with a kick of cayenne). They’re meant to be enjoyed submerged and swirled into a hot or warm beverage for a couple of seconds until the ingredients warm up and get gooey…then you just eat them off the wooden spoon. So fun, and just like take a bite of a yummy warm dessert.
4) What is your favourite sweet and why?

I’m a big time texture gal, so my favorite is our ramen rocky road! I love chocolate, and marshmallows, but never loved the almonds or walnuts added to desserts so I figure why not toasted ramen?! The rest is delicious history.
5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?

Oooo now the juicy question lol 😉 I have an incredible man in my life and he has the 3 qualities that I hold near and dear to my heart for all relationships (romantic or platonic): integrity, sincerity, and resilience.

Be sure to follow Spoon Me Sweetly on Instagram and Twitter: @spoonmesweetly and ‘Like’ them on Facebook.

ELENA:)

5 Minutes 5 Questions with Caitlyn Squires from Tease Tea

March 8, 2016

I am so grateful for all the companies that pitched in to make my Love List Lounge swag bags simply amazing. When I was curated the product sponsor list, I wanted to make sure that my guests went home with products I would use myself (what better way to be a brand ambassador – the endorse cool quality products!). Note: I’m drinking tea as I edit this post. I came across Tease Tea by chance on Instagram and I realized that these ladies were from my home country (Canada) so I had to have them participate somehow! It was great to meet Caitlyn in person and have her live tweet at my event. I was a little bummed that I didn’t have any tea for myself so I ordered some Duchess of Earl which should be on its way soon. Can’t wait.

What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day then to post an interview with a company founded by a women!

Here is 5 minutes 5 questions with the fun and kind Caitlyn Squires from Tease Tea:

1) How long have you lived in New York?

I have been living in NYC for the past 5 months and have loved every minute! I moved here from Toronto, Canada to open Tease Tea’s first US location!

2) What is a tea sommelier?

A tea sommelier is a person who has been extensively trained and is knowledgeable and well versed in all aspects of tea. My business partner, Sheena Brady, is a certified Tea Sommelier through the Tea Association of Canada where she embarked in an 8 month journey which includes everything from import/export regulations, tea ceremonies, health and wellness benefits, how to blend tea, cook with tea, bake with tea, tea infused cocktails – it’s quite an extensive program.

3) Tell us about Tease Tea?

Tease Tea is Canadian born company with an international reputation. We are an online tea boutique operating out of Ottawa, ONT and have our small shop in Manhattan.

At Tease Tea, we are committed to creating blends for the modern tea drinker, inspired by reaching your individual goals & desires.

Are you the classic type? Looking to unwind? Have specific goals? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We literally have a tea for nearly any desire or goal.

Our speciality teas are always selected and created in small batches to ensure customers are receiving the freshest product possible, every time.

4) What is your favourite Tease Tea and why?

This is such a hard question because I love them all so much! I would have to say To The Finish Lime, not only for its citrus goodness and AMAZING health benefits like antioxidants, energy increasers and metabolism boosters but for the inspiration behind the blend. To The Finish Lime was inspired by Tease Tea’s 2015 kickstarter campaign that funded our journey from Canada to the US. We raised $22,800 in 26 days with the support of our amazing friends, family and true tease tea lovers around the world. This blend was our thank you to all those who supported our dream and encouraged us to reach our goals.

5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?

The top three characteristics on my Love List in a potential mate would be: Ambition, Loyalty and a great sense of humour.

Don’t forget to “Like” Tease Tea on Facebook and follow Tease Tea on Instagram and Twitter both @tease_tea

ELENA:)

5 Minutes 5 Questions: Perpetual Shade

February 28, 2016

I love my sleep and I rarely have an issue sleeping. Working nights in a hospital has definitely enabled me to sleep in those most unnatural conditions (plastic bench in scrubs with rough blankets). Regardless of where you have to rest your head, what better way to enhance the quality of your sleep then with a Perpetual Shade Luxury Eye Mask. (Note: Normally, I wouldn’t want anything touching my face at night but the silkiness of the fabric gives a nice soothing head hug.)

This is 5 Minutes 5 Questions with the fashionable and lovely Sasha Hlavinka, owner of Perpetual Shade:

1) How long have you lived in NY?
10 years

2) Why did you start Perpetual Shade?
I experienced difficulty sleeping and could not find a sleep mask that was both comfortable and fashionable.

3) What is your advice on how to sleep on a plane?
I always travel with my sleep mask, a cashmere oversized scarf and headphones. I play music on low, wrap my scarf around my neck to create a pillow and place my sleep mask on. I’m usually out as a light in about five minutes!

4) What is your favourite Perpetual Shade and why?
My most favorite Perpetual Shade sleep mask is the Black Lace sleep mask. It is simple, elegant and black (my favorite color)!

5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
1. Confidence
2. Adventurous
3. Ambitious

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ Perpetual Shade on Facebook and “Follow” on Twitter and Instagram. Thanks again to Sasha for being one of the product sponsors for The Love List Lounge early this February. I appreciate your support.

ELENA:)

5 Minutes 5 Questions: Astrid Mueller

December 31, 2015

For my last 5 minute 5 question interview of the year, I wanted to post someone who really had a sense of possibility; and I found that in Astrid Mueller. Astrid Mueller is webdesigner, illustrator, and entrepreneur. She loves connecting and empowering women entrepreneurs worldwide and designing for modern female audiences. Her illustrations have been published by the likes of Marie Claire, The Big Book of Fashion Illustration and Swarovski, to name a few. Astrid is originally from Switzerland, studied in New York, and followed her heart to Kodiak Island Alaska, from where she designs and inspires women worldwide.

1) How long have you lived in Alaska?
I came her first in 2004, to take a design sabbatical at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska. Yup, that’s where it gets SUPER cold. Once I went snowshoeing in about 30 degrees below. It was a great adventure! Since then, I came back every year for as long as possible (trying to make a long distance relationship work, between Switzerland and Alaska!). I finally moved here in 2011.

2) You are the CEO of #GirlPower and Possibility. How did you start your organization?
This is just a playful title I gave myself – partially as vision for myself, and also because it really expresses what I’m all about: I LOVE inspiring and empowering women business owners like myself, and helping them succeed. I used to just do this through my design and branding work, but this year, I really got into it with a lot more activities. It happened kind of organically: One of my brands is the handmade Lucite jewelry line possibility. you never know… (link: www.PossibilityJewelry.com). I was brainstorming with my jewelry ambassadors one day about how we could make this brand come alive, and actually do something about possibility, instead of just talking about it.

We decided to do a “celebrate possibility” meet-up in Phoenix, Arizona for female students and women business owners, with the goal to inspire each other through stories of possibility, exchange resources, and grow our network. It was long-distance for me, I was only there through skype! We all loved it and I was so touched by the difference it seemed to make to the women who attended! I feel that if you can just put a spark in one person’s life and they end up doing something they wouldn’t have dared otherwise, this is just so amazing! That alone is worth it!

Since then I’ve done several such meet-ups here on Kodiak Island, Alaska, I’ve started a free girlpower business owner newsletter where I share lots of tips from my experience in branding, design and entrepreneurship, I’m working on a long-distance girlpower song collaboration, which will be finalized soon!, I’m about to launch a podcast/radio show interviewing women business owners who live remotely (anywhere in the world) and make amazing things happen, and I’m interviewing inspiring female entrepreneurs like you who have empowering stories and tips to share for other women, to help them succeed. I can’t wait to feature your interview by the way!

3) What is your biggest lesson you have learned from your interviews with other women?
That we’re all human. No matter how successful someone is, we all started somewhere, and we all have our moments of doubt and our ups and downs. No matter how glamorous a business seems on the outside, behind it is a founder who is human just like us. All these entrepreneurs have their share of tough experiences along with the successes they achieved. We all have to remember to not feel too intimidated by other people’s achievements – we can do it too! Anything is possible! And sometimes it’s really also be great to keep a small business – we are our bosses and we have to decide what our dream businesses are and what our ideal lives look like. Not everyone needs to start a new Google. Small businesses can be just as amazing.

I also realized that by reaching out and talking with others, we can all learn so much from each other, we can get stronger with each other’s support (even if it’s just through a story or small tip), and we can draw tons of inspiration!
4) How do you deal with ‘haters’?
When I meet someone, I always assume everyone is amazing and has a good heart. Almost always that’s true! If I repeatedly make bad experiences with someone or if my instinct is giving me bad vibes, I phase those people out pretty quickly. It’s not a big deal, you can’t get along with everyone, sometimes it’s just not the right fit. Who knows why. I just stay away from drama, and highly recommend to anyone who listens to do the same.

Life’s too short for drama – let’s increase positivity, be nice to each other, help each other, and make the world a better place, even with small steps at a time! If we do that, we automatically attract more positive things and positive people into our lives.

5) What are three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
I’m so lucky to have found someone really special. One of the biggest things that I’m so grateful for is that he just wants me to be happy! No matter what I choose, what crazy business adventures or girlpower projects I’m starting (for instance this year I decided to challenge myself and start a girl group, at age 44, and sing and dance in red sequin gowns in front of 600 people – reallly?!!) – he supports me all the way. This allows me to really become my best self, and discover things I wasn’t even aware I was capable of!

Love is definitely among the top three. It has to be special and feel special 🙂 I’d rather be single than just in a convenience relationship, or one where the feeling isn’t quite there… but that’s just me! Everyone has to find what makes them happy!

The third one for me is communication. You have to be able to talk things out, understand each other, and just click. It has to feel natural, without much thinking and tweaking or trying to change someone (that doesn’t work anyways). I’m so grateful that my partner feels to me kind of like my best friend, where we really get each other, can laugh with each other, and can talk about anything and everything, from small things to those big challenges that life sometimes throws at us!

Don’t forget to follow Astrid on Instagram: @AstridMueller Twitter: Astrid_Mueller and check out Astrid’s Facebook page for her Fashion Illustrations.

Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

ELENA:)

5 Minutes 5 Questions: Leslie Zemeckis

October 22, 2015

Filmmaker and Author Leslie Zemeckis‘s new book, entitled Goddess of the Love Incarnate: The Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr gives an extensive account of history’s most famous stripteaser – Lili St. Cyr.

Not knowing anything about the art of burlesque, I was interested to A: read the book (review coming soon) and B: learn a bit about the author herself (who, yes – is married to famed Producer/Director Robert Zemeckis). Here is 5 minutes 5 questions with the talented Leslie Zemeckis:

1) How long have you lived in Santa Barbara?

15 years.

2) What is your biggest lesson you have learned about writing someone’s biography?

To remove myself. I am there to tell a story, the person’s story – not my pov about her or her life. But to relate the “facts” in a way that the audience will understand (whether they like or dislike the person) who they are and why they are the way they are.

3) What’s your advice to getting out of writers block?

Write. I don’t have writer’s block. I have a million stories I want to tell. Just power through the first (many) terrible rough drafts. Be passionate about something.

4) What draws you to the art of burlesque?

The people who were involved. No one has covered this era and talked to the performers themselves (most dead now) it is from where all our art today comes from, Johnny Carson, Saturday Night Live, Carol Burnett, yet it continues to be dismissed and likened to pornography.

5) What do you think Lili St. Cyr’s top three characteristics on her Love List would be (characteristics or qualities she was looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?

Tall, dark and handsome. That was it. She wasn’t after money or fame.

Don’t forget to follow Leslie on Twitter: @LeslieZemeckis and ‘Like’ the Facebook page: Goddess of the Love Incarnate and Leslie Zemeckis.

ELENA:)

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