Getting Inspiration from Suzanne McQueen – Successful Entrepreneur and Author

Before founding The Phoenix Day Retreat and Lifestyle Center, Suzanne McQueen owned two salons. She sold one and added on to the other in order to create The Phoenix Day Retreat and Lifestyle Center.

Suzanne was also a small business consultant for Suzanne McQueen Consulting. She specialized in the business vision and the client experience. She still does a little bit of consulting because it’s in her blood and she can’t say no when someone asks for help.

She also co-founded a private facial licensing school, Oregon Institute of Aesthetics. According to Suzanne, she didn’t need another business, but she just needed one to find well-trained aestheticians who she can hire at her day spa. So, she co-founded this institution, turned it around, then sold her part. According to Suzanne, she still does guest lectures at the Oregon Institute of Aesthetics.

In her earlier years, Suzanne was a hairdresser. While being in this kind of work, she really came to appreciate the stories that her clients would share with her. This enlightened her to further examine the intimate and rhythmic challenges of her gender.

Suzanne has three grown kids, and is also a hula dancer. She has a passion for teaching girls and women individually or in groups. She teaches all these females about their personal vision and gifts, relationships and business skills. Suzanne also teaches girls and women why they should know themselves a whole lot better, what they deserve and how they should change the world for the better.

From July 2003 up to this day, Suzanne has been involved with 4seasons4weeks.com. According to her, she really enjoys facilitating women’s talking circles and honoring ceremonies. Not only that, she also enjoys creating workshops. She said she loves participating in panel discussions and radio interviews.

Through her conversations with clients working as a hairdresser, Suzanne had a deeper understanding of the varied and intimate challenges of women. She went on a personal journey and emerged with an awakening that revealed the secrets of the feminine rhythm. This experience introduced her to the ancient code found within women, as well as the symbolism of their daily experiences.

Rather than keeping what she discovered to herself, Suzanne decided to put this all in a book. And this turned out to be 4seasons 4weeks. According to Suzanne, she never expected she would be promoting the virtues of the female cycle as a way to attain equality, well-being and enlightenment.

To learn more about this book, you can check out the site, 4seasons 4weeks.

Moreover, you will also get to know her more and be inspired with her success by attending the Google Hangouts on Air interview with Philippe Matthews coming May 1st.

 

The Top 10 Tips I’ve Learned from Minimalists

Great ideas here.

theextraordinarysimplelife

I’m not going to covet other minimalists’ lives anymore.

I don’t travel the world with a single backpack.

I haven’t packed up my family to travel across the country in an RV for a year.

I am not a single woman with a futon, a suitcase and a laptop.

I didn’t choose 600 square feet of dwelling space with a hobby farm ‘round back.

YET, I adore reading about these amazing people and their even more intriguing journeys toward transformation. In perusing books and blogposts, these characters seem like old friends. We’re all rooting for them. Their triumphs and courageous leaps of faith provide the inspiration for our own stories. However, through all this story following, I have found there is not one formula for choosing a simple life…it is not a one-size-fits all t-shirt. No matter what our life looks like, I do believe each and every one of these…

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Camp Coachella

Two More Dead

Can you spot me? I’m the drunk one.

So, I’m back. Cue the party poppers and the loud reverie of all my adoring fans. If you just hear crickets, don’t worry, that IS the reverie, those ARE my fans. I do very well on the insect circuit.

 

Anyway. I’m writing this because you asked me to make a post about my Coachella experiences.  This is me doing just that. It’s funny. When you initially asked me to write about it, I balked pretty hard. I was already self conscious about going to (what I perceived to be) an event people attend solely so they can say they were there, now I had to become what I hate most by actually blogging about it. But then we got to Palm Springs and we all started drinking and I quickly forgot notions of propriety and my stupid high horse (I’ve since…

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CEO DRUMADDICTZ & MICA PARRIS: STARS ON THE RISE

Mica Parris

ABOUT CEO DRUMADDICTZ

CEO DrumAddictz forms part of the production team of Sacramento, California-based The DrumAddictz. He is a hip-hop, R&B, pop, and gospel producer.

He & DB both come from a musical background. They formed their production crew in early 2011. They are known for their dynamic instrumentation and their use of melodies and drum patterns. Their sound is heard across Northern California and even in surrounding areas.

Who knows what the future holds for this talented singer-producer pairing? But they are off to a good start creating good music together.

ABOUT MICA PARRIS

Mica Parris‘ real name is Michaelle and she was born to a Haitian mother and African-American, Native-American father. She was born in Santa Rosa, California, but she was raised in Portland, Oregon. Avid followers of NBC’s The Voice might recognize her as the winner of the “Artist on the Rise” competition. For that, she won an opportunity to get mentored by singer Monica.

Mica’s talent for singing was discovered at the tender age of three. Since that time, she has been found singing in church school choir concerts and musicals. She did this throughout elementary school and up to college. Her voice was further enhanced when her mother enrolled her in piano and vocal lessons when she was 13.

Her singing style is rooted in old school soul, but with touches of modern R&B and Top 40 pop-rock. Needless to say, this girl has some really killer pipes!

Her sound is unique yet vividly familiar, which is propelled her to get noticed for the “Artist on the Rise” prize. She is also a RocDaMicLa/Warner Bros. Records showcase winner.

Mica’s musical inspirations are varied. She admires Tiffany Evans, Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, Keri Hilson, and India Arie.

Not only is Mica a talented singer, but she is also an experienced performer. Her captivating stage presence coupled with unique tone has allowed her to perform in various concerts, weddings, singing competitions, and night clubs. She is also a member of a capella sextet vocal group. She has also been flown across the country to perform live for a healthcare organization, which was a televised production for their Centennial Anniversary. She also recorded a jingle for the organization.

Mica has also sung alongside notable artist and multi-Grammy winner Skyler Jett. She has also opened for the likes of BB Kings in NYC, Christopher Williams of The New Jack City movie, Dawn Richard (formerly of Diddy’s Dirty Money), and Danity Kane of Bad Boy Entertainment.

She has also sung back up on the same stage as Brian McKnight, SWV, Boyz II Men, Bell Biv Devoie, Michel’le, Jon B, and Al B Sure in the Ladies Night Out Concert series.

Mica has also had the privilege of working with talented producers, including a 4-time, Dove-award winning producer to remake Disturbia by Rihanna. This particular remake was distributed to Bally’s Total Fitness as a workout track and even reached the Top 40’s in its genre on iTunes.

A good song is usually the product of very hard work by two very different groups of people – the singer and the producer. A producer helps transform a song into a tune that people would want to hear. An artist serves as the heart of the song, a person that provides the vocals in a very convincing manner that will have listeners begging for more.

Think about Mariah Carey in her early success when Tommy Mottola enlisted the top producers during that time to make her debut a success. Names such as Ric Wake, Narada Michael Walden, and Rhett Lawrence were employed to turn Mariah into a singing star, and look at where she is now.

Successful singer-producer combinations aren’t just for solo artists. In fact, successful boybands of the past, Backstreet Boys and N’SYNC, worked with a set of producers who knew how best to showcase the vocals of these groups to their audience.

Although still in the starting stages, a very successful future can also be in the cards for singer Mica Parris and producer CEO DrumAddictz. It’s still a bit early which is why we can call them Mica Parris & CEO: Sacramento’s Best Voice & Producer on the Rise.

The Philippe Matthews Show is Going Google!

The long-celebrated Philippe Matthews Show is soaring even greater heights as it starts airing through Google Hangouts. Now you can’t just listen but interact with Philippe, the guest and even the selected panel of audience that will be on the show too!

If you want to experience an online show as close as a real live one, you should tune in for the Philippe Matthews Show coming on Google Hangouts very soon!

About Philippe Matthews

Before becoming a phenomenon in the internet show scene, Philippe Matthews lived a life that wasn’t filled with so much joy. He is a native of Chicago, Illinois and experienced pain as early as six years old when his parents divorced. By the time he was ten years old, doctors told his mother that she just had about three to four months to live. Because of this, Philippe had to drop out of college to take care of his ailing mother. His older sister had to work in order to support the family.

Philippe Matthews with Bill Kurtis

His mother’s illness and death

Phillipe’s mother started reading an inspirational journey called the “Daily World” during her illness. She also found a church nearby their home that she and the family attended. The church was called the Christ Universal Temple, which was headed by the Reverend Doctor Johnnie Colemon. And although the doctor just gave Philippe’s mother a few months to live, she actually lived for another four years!

Her death was a sad event for the Matthews family. One night, Philippe was in the shower when he suddenly heard his sister screaming. When he rushed out, he found his mother gasping for air. He held her in his arms and started praying. She eventually breathed her last and made her transition. At that moment, Philippe made three promises to his mother:

1)    I will never get involved in gang activity.

2)    I will never do drugs.

3)    I will make something of my life that you will be proud of.

The even sadder thing when Philippe’s mother died was the fact that they couldn’t call an ambulance to retrieve her body as their phone had been disconnected. Instead, Philippe has to go ask a neighbor to call an ambulance. He also asked the neighbor if he could get in touch with his father to tell him about what happened.

The return of Philippe’s father and death

Philippe’s father, who he has not seen since he was six years old – worked as a plumber. Thankfully, his father came back into their lives, but then again, it was another short-lived one. After having him for two months in their lives, Philippe’s father just got of his car one day then just dropped dead. Philippe was a witness to all of this as he had just helped his father work. He was helpless as he saw the scene unfold before his eyes.

He called his sister to tell her what happened. The death of his father signaled the point in Philippe’s life where he began his journey towards self-discovery. Although the circumstances of his life were dire and stressful, Philippe was able to make all the promises he made to his mother a reality. He did not succumb to the common pitfalls that have befallen so many of his peers.

Changing the course of the future

Rather than let his situation in life affect him, Philippe forged ahead through life constructively. He always fought hard to succeed with whatever opportunity he was presented with. He also took on different kinds of work.

He started off his entry into the working world as a cook for KFC. He then enrolled himself in cosmetology school then went on to join the entertainment industry as a hair and beauty technician. This job led him to the editorial sector of beauty industry publishing. This allowed him to become the first Beauty Editor for Upscale Magazine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Although he was quite successful as a writer in the beauty industry, Philippe felt another calling. It was at this point when he started motivating people about their appearance to just plainly motivating them. After taking this leap, he never looked back. Now, he has grown and flourished as a multi-media motivational force.

Success: Achieved

Philippe has launched a highly successful speaking career which has taken him to several places around the world. He has shared his message of how to train the brain to eradicate the mental mindset and effects of generational poverty. He tells his audience to initiate personal and professional empowerment.

He also serves as a personal coach to private clients on a consultation basis. This is where he earned the monicker, “The SHOCKcoach” which is an acronym for Seeking Higher Omnipotent Conscious Knowledge.

So, would you want to get inspiration from the SHOCK himself? Watch out for more upcoming news on the first ever Google Hangout from the Philippe Matthews Show!