Monthly Archives: March 2014

Mary Hunt, Founder, Debt-Proof Living & Everyday Cheapskate

“Debt-Proof Living according to Mary”

This is what life has come to for a great many of us: We’re either trying to get rich . . . or slowly–perhaps quickly–dying trying.Whether it’s the celebrity on TV whose lifestyle sparks our envy, the neighbor across the street with the new Audi A6, the gotta-have-it-now new tech gadget, or that college loan that will seemingly forever be the financial noose around our necks, we’re perpetually chasing spend-now-worry-later nirvana.

Americans are top spenders and bottom savers. We have the household “imbalance” statements to prove it.

Mary Hunt says it doesn’t have to be that way. Her Debt-Proof Living (DPL) organization makes a powerfully persuasive case. Mary’s enterprise comprises an interactive website, a monthly newsletter, a daily syndicated column, and hundreds of thousands of loyal followers whose financial lives–and by turn qualities of life–have and continue to improve thanks to her commonsensical credo and consistent teachings: Consumer debt is deadly.

An award-winning and bestselling author, syndicated columnist, and sought-after motivational speaker, Mary has created a global platform that is making strides to help men and women battle the epidemic impact of consumer debt. Now in its twentieth year, DPL is dedicated to its mission to provide hope, help and realistic solutions for individuals who are committed to financially responsible and debt-free living.

In Mary’s world, being called a cheapskate has anything but a negative connotation. Her Everyday Cheapskate (EC) innovation is a daily email, via subscription, from the money-saving expert through which she writes about ways to save money on a tight budget. It’s free to sign up and the information is priceless.

Are you one paycheck away from financial catastrophe? One missed credit card payment away from FICO ruin? What about living beyond your means?

Has your fragile budget reached the very last stitch of its constantly stretched elasticity? You’re certainly not alone.

Mary’s been there–mired in debt fear, anxiety and helplessness. And she’s committed her life to debt-proof discipline and, even more, sharing her knowledge to enhance the lives of others.

This Pamper-Her-Friday’s Pamperee? It’s a no-brainer: Mary Hunt. I take pleasure in acknowledging the invaluable work of one of the web’s most worthy difference-makers. This writer’s a Debt-Proof Living disciple.

Are you?

Connect with Mary:
On the web: www.DebtProofLiving.com
Subscribe to her timely money-saving emails: www.everydaycheapskate.com

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“Have you ever noticed that the time it takes to repay a debt is inversely proportional to the time it took to do the damage?” -Mary Hunt

© 2014 Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2®

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My Sweet,
They want to buy Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2. And license Romance by Rg2.

A venture capital group from the bay area has set its sights on my trademarks. Who knew . . . Silicon Valley has a vested interest in romance—the way I’ve been doing it.

I received the proposal this morning. No bones made. They’re offering eight figures for the out and out rights to Pamper-Her-Friday. And they’re amenable to licensing Romance by Rg2 instead of a complete, final sale.

When I inquired why they wanted PHF cleanly but were open to a strategic partnership on Romance by Rg2, the majority investor explained that Pamper-Her-Friday would be easier to market under various umbrellas (products, services, holiday themes, etc.) without need of my proprietary creativity/writing.

He mentioned Romance by Rg2 was much more an exclusive product of my hand- and mind-print—it would be next to impossible to hire a romance writer with my unique voice to assume the role. “We couldn’t hire ‘authenticity,'” he said.

So I would keep the copyrights/trademark rights to Romance by Rg2 and take royalties while they would get a cut on all literary and peripheral merchandise.

Fair enough on that score.

But parting completely with Pamper-Her-Friday, Love? Gosh, my heart is aching as I write this.

Everything’s for sale in America. Every man (and woman) has his price, right?

I founded Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2–the concept, the vision–on a pre-dawn Friday, roughly 2-ish a.m., no one but me and my laptop, a glass of Irish cream on ice . . . and thoughts and recollections of all the women who’d graced my life to that point. The hurts, the rejections, the loves won and lost, the mothers and daughters and aunts and singles who deserved to be made to feel special despite the reality of their lives.

My father and mother the birthers, the guiders of everything I ever wrote.

Out of thin air, from the ground up, void of a blueprint, part imagination/part experiment/part experience/all raw, unadulterated, share-it-with-the-world-without-fear heartspill: Pamper-Her-Friday.

Damn, someone’s been reading, watching and noticing after all. I always knew you were, but you care about me, your interest was requisite—at least in my heart of hearts. Realistically, my dream was not your dream. I’ve always understood that. That’s why I never made demands on your attention, your assistance, your time in my endeavor.

But you gave. Because you believed.

I don’t want to part with Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2. But as I contemplate the offer, some kind of clarity comes to my mind: It was always my intent to share PHF with the world, globally, as if it wasn’t ever truly mine to begin with, but a gift to the world, for people of all persuasions to indulge, interpret, revel and share in what it means to them and their lives.

This moneyed group has the resources to truly take it global, which was always my vision from its origins.

My only reluctance? I remember Mark Zuckerberg responding to the question why he never sold facebook when companies like Microsoft and other behemoths were offering huge sums. His answer: “I may not have another idea as great as facebook.”

As much as that was a business answer, there was emotion therewith also.

Pamper-Her-Friday is an emotional concept, no doubt. Perhaps more emotion than business/commercial plan, you know?

I can do a helluva lot with 8 figures, Love. Re-retire my mother. Set up the foundation (a long-time dream), continue my Warren Buffett investments, though on a much much larger scale!, treasuries/bonds investments well into the coming decades, water rights . . . hell, innovate new ideas and technologies with my Rg2 romance theme as the foundation of each.

And take care of you for as long as air and life emanate from your very lungs, woman.

I fell to my knees on receipt of the proposal. My eyes, I’m not ashamed to reveal, teared like rivers in mid-stream. Not because I thought God would ever forsake me.

But because my work has not been in vain. My living indeed has meaning after all.

I’ve a few days to ruminate on all of this, Love. I need them. Even more, I need you to come into my space. I want to hear all your thoughts, your questions, your concerns regarding all of this.

I need your mind, heart and soul tonight.

It’s Pamper-Her-Friday, Love. Its meaning will never be for sale because it’s priceless.

Just as what we share.

Eternally,
Rg2

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***

Believe. -Rg2

© 2014 Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2®

Haircare Entrepreneur Ms. Nadine “Hair Doc” Branch, Owner, Nadine’s World

“Enter Nadine’s World”

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Hair can be a messy business, a challenging business. Ask any stylist or haircare specialist. Chemicals. Ever-evolving trends and styles. Finicky clients with fussy attitudes and their miracle-worker expectations.

There’s even an element of risk for clients who entrust their “mane beauty” to someone else. But as the billionaire Warren Buffett once said, “Risk is when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Nadine Branch knows what she’s doing. In fact, she’s been doing it for more than 30 years: Wash-blow-go; cut-color-texture; chemical straightening treatments from California Smooth to Keratin Complex to Japanese Straightener to Amino Acid treatments et al.; one-on-one client and group consultations; beauty school lectures; webinars and education classes–all the while educating her clients on hair health/maintenance techniques that are tried, true and proven over her illustrious career.

What distinguishes Nadine–known in the industry as the “Hair Doc”–from the countless other hair stylists, artists and specialists in the market? She has fun “Dancing with her tools!” More than a catchy marketing slogan, Dance with Your Tools™ (www.dancewithyourtools.com) is Nadine’s registered trademark and philosophy in action. It exemplifies the method and craft with which she infuses her work.

Nadine has made an art form the craft of using Marcel Thermal Tools on her clients’ hair textures for maximum health, style, and maintenance that complements their cuticles, facial forms/profiles, personalities, confidence and, yes, attitude!

The Hair Doc is an expert on stylist manners and etiquette, with emphasis on styling hair of all textures–inclusive of all cultures and races, from African American hair to Anglo to Latino to Asian textures and densities. She is highly effective in helping her industry peers diversify their styling and customer service skills and not limit themselves to any one particular type of hair or ethnic client.

But just as she seeks to educate her clients, Nadine is eager to learn from them as well. “My clients have taught me valuable lessons about the human element of customer service . . . how treating them with the utmost respect and listening to their special needs is as much a part of their satisfaction as a great hair care experience,” she shares.

Keeping up with hair care/styling trends also means keeping up with today’s–and tomorrow’s–technologies that benefit her clients and their convenience. Thus the new Nadine’s World app is now available to download from both the iTunes and Android app stores. Nadine can also take appointments via the StyleSeat app and StyleSeat.com, a time-saving beauty appointment site on the web.

Enter Nadine’s World and experience the transformation you’ve always felt you deserved–today!–at the hands of one of the industry’s most gifted experts. Nadine, it’s my pleasure to honor you as this Pamper-Her-Friday’s Pamperee for your invaluable contributions to the beauty industry.

Download the Nadine’s World app today at:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nadines-world/id743023894?1s=1&mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app_nadinesworld.layout

Connect with Nadine at Nadine’s World on the web:
www.dancewithyourtools.com
www.styleseat.com

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“I am still a work in progress. Once you stop learning, adapting and evolving in this industry, just as in life, the world leaves you behind. And I have no intention of that.” -Nadine Branch, Hair Doc

© 2014 Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2®

Haircare Entrepreneur Ms. Nadine “Hair Doc” Branch, Owner, Nadine’s World

(Rated Rg2: Women Readers Only)

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My Love,

Remember when I discovered your birthmark . . . in the far reaches of your bodily hinterlands? 

It was a cold, chilly, hazy night. The dead of winter. I promised to relieve you of all shivers and quivers. My gentle methods proved effective, no? 

I planted prolonged kisses upon and around that distinctive dermal marker. The fire I’d created in the hearth had just reached mid-flame, hitting its warm-the-room stride, lights silenced, the only electricity generated sourced from our touch-so-much duality. 

Chemistry . . . in the dead of winter. 

The outdoors frigid. The indoors rigid–in all the right places, at all the right moments.

You didn’t need me. Your self-sufficiency is legendary. 

But you wanted me. In the dead of winter. Hearth aflame. Emotions inflamed. Mutual blame . . . leaves neither of us culpable to regret-making. 

Second-guessing is for the foolish. Winter was calling. Was my methodology appalling? Or exceptionally enthralling?

I searched.

And discovered . . . a hidden treasure in the far reaches of your epidermal hinterlands. I promised not to reveal to anyone outside of ourselves my discovery. A fierce promise keeper, I.

The dead of winter is saying its goodbyes, my love.

But I can’t.

It’s Pamper-Her-Friday. And I’m in the mood for rediscovery. With an eye toward spring.

The setting will be different tonight. The hinterlands are now the eden oasis of pre-spring. With champagne on ice.

My own birthmark is in need of a finder–tonight. You will be its keeper.

Goodbye, winter.

It’s Pamper-Her-Friday, Love. Tonight.

Tenderly,
Rg2

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Romance. The ultimate discovery. -Rg2

© 2014 Romance by Rg2®

Dr. Allena Willis Kennerly, Specialist of Orthodontics
photo credit: http://roycoxstudio.onbile.com/

“Calling Dr. Willis, The Smile Restorer”

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Is it much of a stretch to say that most of us don’t exactly look forward to going in for dental work? But what if the promise of attractive teeth and an enhanced smile is coupled, no less, with an equally attractive orthodontist?

I’d eagerly make an appointment with Allena Willis Kennerly, DMD—superficial reasons aside.

Her mission: Social justice through dental public health.
Her Platform: Periodontal Disease Awareness.

One of the dental profession’s most ardent family dental health advocates and among its most passionate orthodontics specialists, Dr. Willis is founder and owner of Smashing Smiles Orthodontics, located in the heart of Washington, D.C.

“What distinguishes us from other orthodontic practices is that we treat people with chronic headaches and migraines using the TruDenta system. We’re the only provider of this service in the District of Columbia,” she emphasizes. “It’s amazing because it works. I’m currently in treatment myself for long-term chronic pain to my TMJ [chronic jaw joint/facial muscle pain].”

Smashing Smiles also is a Premier Provider for Invisalign–clear aligners that are an alternative to metal braces for adults, kids, and teens–an honor designation that only 5% of practicing orthodontics hold.

Mrs. Kennerly’s passion for dentistry stems from her involvement in a near-fatal car accident at the age of seven. The shattered glass shards damaged her left eye, left index and middle fingers, and dislocated her lower jaw. “Unfortunately it took a toll on my self-esteem and -image,” she opens up. “My parents made certain that I had the best pediatric plastic surgeon, ophthalmologist, and orthodontist to make me whole again.

“I wore braces from age 13 to 16, never feeling beautiful like the other women in my family. I still remember looking in the mirror for the very first time after having my braces removed and feeling a sense of pride and joy that was so overwhelming. I knew then that I wanted to make other people feel that way.” Hence, the orthodontics profession would soon welcome one of its brightest stars.

And so will the Mrs. DC America Pageant (MDCAP) on March 8.

Mrs. Kennerly will compete with a slate of her peers in the preliminary regional pageant for the opportunity to participate in the Mrs. America pageant. At the Mrs. America pageant, 51 women compete for the coveted title of Mrs. America, who will then move on to the Mrs. World pageant.

The Mrs. DC America organization promotes married women, 18 and over, living or working within 25 miles of D.C., who’ve made personal, professional and community achievements.

“I highly recommend the pageant for married women because it represents the strength of women in marriage, family, community and business,” Allena shares. “It recognizes the importance of balancing family and professional responsibilities.” The pageant will also provide an influential opportunity to promote her platform: Periodontal Disease Awareness.

As a Mrs. DC America entrant, Mrs. Kennerly reps the Mrs. Logan Circle 2014 moniker, a reference to the neighborhood she chose upon admittance to the competition. Logan Circle is of historical significance–it is one of the first homes to freed slaves from Virginia and Maryland during the Civil War, of original architecture, as well as one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in D.C.

The symbolism is in no way lost on her: “So many people paid a price so that I can be free to shine my light to the world.”

Indeed.

And it’s that very humility, that never-forget deference to our forebears and their sacrifice, Dr. Willis, that so inspires me to honor you as this Pamper-Her-Friday’s Pamperee. In pageantry, in business, in the community . . . in life, you’re a supreme difference-maker.

Connect with Dr. Willis:
On the web: www.smashingsmiles.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smashingsmiles
www.facebook.com/mrslogancircle
www.facebook.com/events/690634407627385
Twitter: @SmashingSmiles

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“The divine lives in us all to do something great that will help others.” -Dr. Allena Willis Kennerly

© 2014 Pamper-Her-Friday by Rg2®

Ealy on Ealy: Romance

“There is intimacy . . . and then there is romance. One must be learned. The other, earned.

I’ve taken my falls. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve loved. And I’ve lost. But, I swear, I’m getting better.

I respect her power.  I pamper my woman.”

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The Romance Manifesto. The Oath: Do No Harm. -Rg2

© 2014 Romance by Rg2®