In my first academic Public Speaking class, one of the assignments was to read a nonfiction book and, then, in twenty minutes, summarize the book to my classmates. The book I chose was the first I had read of its kind. Although its title is a distant memory, I recall that it was about Personal Development. Reading that book was a defining moment for me and from that point on I was hooked. At an age when I was no longer a girl and not quite a woman, this book gave my life meaning and validated much of what I was feeling and experiencing. Since then, I have read many Personal Development books, listened to tapes, attended seminars and applied much of what I have learned to my life. I have challenged my limitations, reached many goals and, as a result, lead a fulfilling personal and professional life. Meditations for Women was started because of my deep desire to share what I know about being happy, successful and fulfilled. Since our inception in 2002, my work has been featured on the Hallmark Channel, radio shows, and in countless magazines.

We are here to empower you toward success, self discovery and inner awareness. We want you to push past your obstacles, achieve your goals and, ultimately, improve your quality of living. And...we'll be right by your side as you do! - Jane

Our Editor, Lynnette Baum, lives in Irvine, California and loves to walk, hike and ride (both mountain bikes and horses). She is an amateur photographer/painter that adores acting, singing, dancing, writing poetry and, in her off time, is creating a musical. From her youth, Lynnette has enjoyed traveling, art, athletic events, philosophy, cultural festivals, public speaking, target shooting, deep conversations, wilderness camping and mountain stream fishing. Her secret desire is to master yodeling, although she will deny this in public! But, most of all she loves to read and write. (Warning: Lynnette is severely allergic to arithmetic, as well as to any and all math related subjects!)

The three recent achievements she is most proud of are: 1) Invitation to act as the Vice President of Programming for the Southern California Writers Association; 2) Completion of a co-authored screenplay about the true espionage tactics of the Civil War; 3) Recruitment to the position of freelance P.R. writer for the Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters in Laguna.

Exceptionally skilled at research and writing for press releases, articles, newsletters, ads, personal bios, marketing brochures, video scripts and “ghosted” projects, Lynnette has also won national awards (Gold & Silver Microphone Awards) for successful radio campaigns. Trusted by prestigious California companies, Lynnette adds a creative spin to sound marketing strategies. To view samples of her work, go to www.the-right-writer.com or, call 949-725-7849 (her 24-Hour Voicemail) to receive more information.

Poh immigrated from Malaysia to the United States while still in high school. She completed her studies earning an MBA and decided to stay in the US. She now lives in Ohio with her husband and 3 year old daughter with another along the way. Poh was very active in her career climbing that corporate ladder, repeatedly making sales goals and winning corporate sales contests. Then her daughter was born and that changed everything for her. For two years she struggled with the decision to leave a highly successful career that she had worked so hard to build or stay at home with her daughter. She ultimately decided to work part time which she admits has caused her career to come to a stand still, a price she says is absolutely worth it. She says that her daughters wonder and amazement at everything is so refreshing, "somewhere along the line I lost that," she says. Poh says that at the time giving up her career to be with her daughter was a very difficult decision but she has no regrets.

Wendy spent most of her childhood country hopping with her parents and two siblings. She later married at the tender age of 22 and settled in England. In 1993 her husband's job brought them to Singapore where they still live. After trying unsuccessfully for children, they decided to adopt and now have two beautiful little girls from Indonesia. In addition to being a mother, she now operates a very popular playgroup for toddlers out of her home.
"When I married, I knew that my relationship had to be nurtured. We've been through some tough times but talking things through and being there for one another has kept us together throughout. When we discovered we couldn't have children, we tackled it as our problem, not my problem. At no time was I ever left feeling inadequate as a woman or to blame for our situation. My husband was there as my support throughout and together we found the solution. Marriage is a partnership and should never be viewed as anything less."

Suzanne has done it all, she is a pilot, an ex-Wall Street executive, she has started companies, sold companies, she is a wife and a also a mother. Suzanne is extremely driven, but as you will see she too seeks happiness and balance in her life. By the time Suzanne was 20 she had her pilots license, within a year she was working in the options pit on the floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange, all the while teaching flying lessons. It didn't stop there, when she was 24 she started  a business. She sold high performance aircraft to European customers and she would deliver the planes herself. Five years later she grew tired of cheating death and helped co-found a stock trading firm.  She sold that after one year and moved to Chicago. For the next six years she was Managing Director of Institutional Equity Sales for Bear Stearns, managing some of the largest accounts in Boston and Wall Street. At 36 she got married and soon after got pregnant, it was not until then that she slowed down and reevaluated her life, how far she had come and where she was going. Ultimately she decided to resign from Wall Street to raise her child full time and moved across country to a little island off Seattle. Suzanne says, "It did not take long to realize her change was too extreme. I gave up my career, my identity and my ego to become a full time mother, I felt tired, confused and isolated."

Suzanne knew to be happy she had to find truer balance. Her priorities have changed, she says "Health and Family come first, girlfriends come next, and my 'Career' has become a 'Job',  a means to an end affording me a lifestyle vs. a life.” She returned to work taking a job where she doesn't have to work 15 hours a day. She has set goals for her 40's,  "I want to enjoy as much time with my family and girlfriends, get a belly ring for my mid life crisis, and get my Seaplane license so I can take my son camping and teach him to fly."

Cynthia is in her late twenties, single and inspired by the freedom revealed to her from a recent lesson (despite the infinite number of people who told her so) that life simply cannot be planned. Working in healthcare accounting through college she remains in the field and finds great satisfaction and challenge in her job. Cynthia enjoys camping, swimming and many other outdoor activities. If it was not for her fear of spiders, snakes and anything creepy crawly, one would think she missed her calling as a forest ranger. She spends her spare time reading, working in her yard and chatting online with new and old friends. She loves to travel and recently returned from a tall-ship cruise in the West Indies, a trip she claims changed her life because she realized her happiness is self-made, not found in a job, a bank account, or a man.

Hylie is a mother of two and a step mother of one, all boys! She and her husband own and operate a very successful construction company in California. She says that nothing has come easy and a lot of sacrifices have been made over the years, finally all the perseverance and hard work are paying off. Hylie's latest challenge has come in the form of cancer. Four years ago her father was diagnosed with lung cancer, she says when my mother called me with the news I was devastated, the thought of losing my father was overwhelming. Somehow someway he got through it and survived. Four years later almost to the day her mother called again, her father's cancer had spread to his other lung and the diagnosis was terminal cancer-lymphoma. Hylie says her heart just sank, the cancer had won. Her father went in for surgery and the doctor came out with some miraculous news, he said that the cancer had not spread to the extent he had originally thought and that he was very confident he had gotten it all. Hylie says that her father's battle with cancer has taken a tremendous emotional toll on her and her family. She says, "My faith is stronger than ever, when things like this happen it really makes you think that there is someone out there looking down on us and taking care of us.” She reminds us how precious life is and how important it is to spend time with the people in your life who mean the most to you because you never know when they may be gone.

Judy is a very proud grandmother of two boys. She is a seasoned traveler, traveling to places like Japan, Australia and Italy in recent years. Judy brings great wisdom to Meditations for Women.  She has been there and done that. She has great history, she has been through war and experienced its hardships. She has seen the world, met its people and has so much to share about it. Though Judy does not travel as much anymore, she does spend her time between her hometown of Christchurch New Zealand and her children's home in the United States.