– Jane
· · · Jane’s Thread · · ·
Another Fabulous Sue Shapiro Panel
"Some people think publishing is a business, but it's really a casino." This was one of the memorable quotes and ideas I jotted down while attending a panel of published authors, agents and editors produced by Sue Shapiro, an award-winning writing professor, last...
Three Things People Do in June – Part 2
You've read about my beloved theatre professor, Jim Cavanaugh, many times throughout the years on these pages. I graduated from college decades ago, and he is still an active cheerleader and mentor for me. Hardly a post of mine goes online without a comment from...
Three Things People Do in June – Part 1
Scheduling three major activities this month, I noticed that I’m a garden-variety June celebrator and entrepreneur. Like many of you, I’ll be 1) creating marketing materials for promoting my business over the next 6 months and year ahead, 2) attending a reunion (my...
My Ego Tricked Me Again
I made a mistake. A dear and trusted colleague contacted me last fall and offered to nominate me to attend an expensive event in May. From the get-go, my ego inflated and I thought, She's nominating ME. I must really be something! There weren't a lot of details...
You Think 40 is Old!
A wonderful article by Pamela Druckerman, a writer in her 40's living in Paris, wrote a piece for the NYTimes earlier this month which said, "If you want to know how old you look, just walk into a French cafe. It’s like a public referendum on your face." She...
What Ruth Bader Ginsburg and I Have in Common
I sat in awe of our great Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, throughout the documentary film RBG which I highly recommend. Her ongoing fight for equality in our country is formidable, and she's had enormous success winning five of six discrimination cases...
This Has NEVER Happened Before
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your level of politeness to telemarketers and customer service reps? I used to hover between 0 and 4 depending on my mood that hour. Not something I've been proud of, but I'm trying to change. The Universe presented me with...
Michael Katz Sticks in My Mind
Gems poured out of the mouth of Michael Katz last week at the EWC lunch event in Stamford. This exuberant and growing network was host to this out-of-town expert, the founder of Blue Penguin, a company that helps small businesses niche themselves. The image on the...
Women in the World Event
Last Friday was the 9th Annual Women in the World Event at Lincoln Center. I'd passed by the crowds entering the David Koch theatre several times since I've lived in the city. This year, when the notice went out, I decided to invest ($400 per ticket). The day was...
This is a Garry Shandling Documentary Review
Let me cut to the chase. If you're at all creative or in any way desire to put your talent out in the world, WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY!! It's on HBO and is called The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. Even if you have to try out a free subscription for a month, it is...
More Readings. More Feedback.
As I further navigate the journey to publication, I find that continuing to do readings of excerpts from my memoir is invaluable. I had my 8th one today at a friend's home in Connecticut. She had previously attended a reading I gave in Sarasota a month ago and...
Still Flying High
Although my APPO MasterClass 2018 coaching was nearly two weeks ago, the residual joy and thrill are still with me. The leaders of the nearly decade-old organization tasked me with spending two days facilitating a pre-conference intensive that would take 15 of its...
What Wayne Dyer, RuPaul, Oprah and Maya Angelou All Say
Very early on my enlightenment journey I listened to cassette tapes - that'll date my journey for sure! - where Wayne Dyer told a story about 'fan' mail from two particular sources. (Maggie, this one's for you!) One wrote to tell him that he was the biggest phony...
How Much Accountability Do You Need?
For several years now, I've talked to a goal buddy (aka accountability/action partner) 2-3 times per week. Why? you might ask. I've kept a list of the myriad goals I've sought on a folder, then used that document to track those promises, successes and the dates of...
Oh, To Have Nike’s Fan Base!
My wonderful trainer, Kelechi, worked me out this morning. During my quad-strengthening exercise on a machine in my building's gym, he was bent over his iPhone and was tapping. "I'm not using my phone to check messages," he assured me. "I just have to sign in at...