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I’m not typically rushed or as in a hurry as I used to be now that I’m a student of “work life harmony”.  However, I am impatient.  I don’t like to waste time, especially behind slow moving traffic.  Slow moving traffic makes me want to hurry.  Slowing my vehicle to the speed limit or less somehow triggers an involuntary gritting of the teeth, muttering unkind things about the shortcomings of other drivers.  I rather resent the fact we don’t have the technology to teleport human molecules from point A to B, instantly through the space time continuum.  That would get all that slow moving traffic off the road! What law states that when I’m in a hurry, all other vehicles, humans or animals are not?  It never fails, in those rare times where I’m actually in a hurry, it seems someone will see fit to drive in front of me, slower than I’m wishing them to go.   Driving behind slow traffic is particularly frustrating for me because I live in a rural area and I don’t like to pass cars on windy

Topic: Delta Life Fitness, a female centric health/wellness franchise focused on providing a women-only gym. Broadcast Date: June 13th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss the health/wellness industry and what its like becoming a franchisor and all of the associated opportunities, problems and people with Robby Marlow. Our Guest: Robby Marlow , Co-Founder and President of Delta Life Fitness , Host Texas Franchise Radio Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray.     Chat live  to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Listen to  past episodes Interested in buying a franchise? Complete the  form  and receive a free copy of the Franchise MBA! Message at the following sponsored pages The Franchise Consulting Company ,  Westvyne LLC , Z arian Firm International

Being a mom is tough and all you can do is your best! As long as your intentions are good and you love your kids, and take care of them the best way you can, then you deserve a pat on the back. There is no such thing as being that perfect mom even though there are plenty of other holier than thou moms would say otherwise. Those type of moms are the dreaded sanctimommies that always judge other moms harshly. Has that happened to you? If so, you are not alone. And you are about to find that out when you listen to this Expressive Mom show episode! The Expressive Mom Show - The Unbelievable Things That Sanctimommies Have Said

It is a known fact that there are rules around pregnancy that pregnant moms need to follow and those rules have changed heaps over centuries and over decades. For instance, smoking and drinking were recommended to do during pregnancy once upon a time before studies had indicated that doing those things during pregnancy was actually a bad idea. That is one way how pregnancy rules had changed. However, there are many pregnant moms that bend those rules and you are about to hear about some pretty sinful confessions that some moms did during their pregnancy. Are you ready to hear those? This is what this podcast today is about. The Expressive Mom Show - Pregnancy Sin Confessions By Moms That Will Shock You

It all started 7 years ago, when our son James came and knocked on our bedroom door at midnight!!! “Hey guys, I want to let you know that I have a girlfriend.”  I was really excited for James. Love hadn’t come into his life with ease. He had a relationship for a few years that ended with a sad breakup. Thank God my son, had the presence of mind to know that it wasn’t going to work out. He initiated that split. It was sad for me in a way, as I would miss her horses so much.  All those trips to the barn were always a joy to me. The bomb he laid on us was rather a shock. He mentioned that she lived in another country. I was hoping he would say Greece, or France. I had a vision of myself, running away from home and laying out on the beautiful beaches of Greece, eating Greek food, which is my favorite. Or going to France and loving every minute and enjoying French cuisine, at it’s finest. None of the above, YIKES!!! she is Turkish and lives in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. I jumped up out

Topic: Delta Life Fitness, a female centric health/wellness franchise focused on providing a women-only gym. Broadcast Date: June 13th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss becoming a franchisor and all of the associated opportunities, problems and people with Robby Marlow , Co-Founder and President of Delta Life Fitness. Our Guest: Robby Marlow , Co-Founder and President of Delta Life Fitness Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray.     Chat live  to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Listen to  past episodes Interested in buying a franchise? Complete the  form  and receive a free copy of the Franchise MBA! Message at the following sponsored pages The Franchise Consulting Company ,  Westvyne LLC , Z arian Firm International ,  MOLLY MAID of Aurora-Nap

I have a friend named Jim who has his own business in which he inspects restaurants to help improve their sanitation. He does this part time, primarily on weekends. Then he has his regular job in which he is in charge of the food service for over 200 assisted-living facilities throughout the country. His primary job requires him to get up at 5:00am and drive into downtown Chicago from the suburbs everyday that he is in town and then there are weeks when he travels throughout the country and checks-up on some of the facilities he helps run. In essence, Jim work 6-7 days a week! We talk once a week on the phone and he always tells me how busy his life is that week. Jim never complains about how busy he is because he accepts the fact that he has created the world he lives in. Jim has two kids, one is married with a child and the other just graduated from college and is living at home, so for the most part it is just him and his wife at home. It’s not like he works all the time and never h

In researching ways to prevent some pets from being turned in to a shelter, I discovered a great way to deal with this problem, a more sensible and humane method for treating the animals in question.  There is a website called “Get Your Pet” ( https://getyourpet.com/ ) which allows an owner who needs to give up their pet to post a picture and description of their pet to attempt to re-home it while it remains in their loving care. I tried a search to adopt a pet and found a great selection to choose from within 50 miles of my zip code. The tech is impressive. As the website states the direct-adopt method has these benefits: Adopters  meet and learn about pets from the Guardians (owners) who know them best. Guardians  keep their pets out of the shelter. By rehoming a dog or cat, they can find them loving, new homes. Pets  go directly from one loving home to another. Pet adoption with less stress. Less chance of illness or death. Local Veterinarians  examine pets at no extra charge as a p

Today is my thirty-first wedding anniversary and I am still very much in love with my wife. I still remember the day we got married like it was yesterday and when I reminisce about that day all the feelings of love and joy fill my heart along with the faces of all the guests. It was the most magical day of my life, it also seemed like it was over in the blink of an eye but it will forever be the anchor that keeps me grounded through the storms of life. Looking back on the last thirty-one years I can honestly say the good times definitely out way the bad. I can remember three times in my marriage where I really felt lost and began crying out to God for help and hope.1. When I did not like my job working in IT anymore and felt frustrated because I was making good money but my work just wasn’t fulfilling anymore. 2. When I lost my health and wellness business after two years in business and thousands of dollars in lost revenue. 3. When Valerie was in the hospital for three weeks with a ra

Community Voice Updates.  As promised, the new calendar is up and running. You can add events by accessing the “M.E. Calendar” menu item in the left column of the WordPress interface. Everyone should be able to add an event. Please follow the color coding:  Training  events are red,  Radio show s are yellow,  Networkin g events are blue,  Webinars  are orange and  Conferences  are green.  Please feel free to add your events into the calendar. TRAINING: The next Community Voice training and status update meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5th at 6:00p Central time.  We will cover topics on WordPress, Community Voice program, best SEO practices, ensuring you add a Featured Image to your post, upcoming events, system updates and group therapy on your writing. Please attend so you can meet other Community Voices. Also, in May, the User Discussion Forums were added to the menu. Please create topics under the appropriate Category for your blog posts and engage readers for further discu

Topic: Startup franchisor, Discussing the franchising process with Super Joe Pardo. What are the Issues & Opportunities of becoming a Franchisor? Broadcast Date: June 6th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss becoming a franchisor and all of the associated opportunities, problems and people with Super Joe Pardo Business Coach, Award Winning Podcastor, Startup Franchisor Our Guest: Super Joe Pardo , Business Coach, Award Winning Podcastor, Startup Franchisor Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray.     Chat live  to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Listen to  past episodes Interested in buying a franchise? Complete the  form  and receive a free copy of the Franchise MBA! Message at the following sponsored pages The Franchise Consulting Company , 

I have a unique part of my job that differs from a lot of people’s work lives: I get to spend a LOT of time in my car everyday! Being in Sales, I drive a lot of different places all the time and put a minimum of over 20,000 miles a year on my car. Sadly, I see just about everything out on the roads here in Chicago and not too much surprises me anymore. People drive VERY fast. People drive VERY slow. People zig-zag in and out of traffic. Motorcyclists drive in between cars when traffic is slowing to a crawl. Truckers almost drive automobiles off of the road…I think you get the idea. So while I am out driving, I have noticed a lot of things that have lead me to create the following list of observations: Stay out of the left lane, unless you are passing several cars! In Illinois, you can now get a ticket if you don’t and I know someone who did! Studies have shown that slow vehicles cause accidents, not fast ones. Watch out for motorcyclists! I have several friends who ride bikes and they

I have been following the Scary Mommy Facebook page for years as many articles that they share are quite thought-provoking. However, many are political which I am not going to be going into at all, not right now anyway. The article that I want to talk about is the one that is titled Thanks For Your Concern, But My Fat Ass Is Fine . This article is about how fat shamers online pretend to be concerned about the health of people that are overweight and obese. They make snide comments about their weight and act as if they are truly concerned while what they really are doing is shaming the individual for being overweight or obese. Fat shaming is not a new thing by any means. This has been an issue that has been going on for years, and even underweight people are shamed for not having enough weight which is referred to as skinny shaming. Neither is right to do and this means body shaming has not gotten better over time. In fact, in many ways, it has gotten worse thanks to the internet. I chi

Do you stop to smell the roses? by Marie Roth There’s a phrase you may have heard, “stop and smell the roses”, you know that one?  Be honest now, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind when you hear that phrase? “Roses make me sneeze”? “I hate roses”? “What the hell is a rose”? Let’s hope your experiences are more in line with mine, where you may have more pleasant thoughts waft through your mind as you reminisce upon the scent of a rose.    Reflect upon your last memory of eyeing the perfect rose.  What drew you in?  Was it the color? Was it the perfect shape? Was it accompanied by a gaggle of similar looking characters, their multiple smiles beaming in the sun, daring you to….stop….and smell them?  What is the attraction?    You realize, this is the moment , stop….everything!  Compelled (by what?) to bury your nose deep into the soft, perfectly formulated pedals, breathing in deeply without regard, (of your allergies) anticipating the fragrant scent of this alluring, so

I originally published this post in a Resin group on Facebook, and it was hugely popular for a while. Resin is not an easy medium to work with, and there are many, many opinions about techniques, safety equipment, the best resin brands, etc. I’ve seen huge fights in resin Faceboook groups about various hot-button topics. This post is a touch-in-cheek guide to using resin (and many of the points may only make sense to those who have been using the medium for a while). Enjoy! Here’s the ultimate guide to doing resin.  😉 1. Wear a respirator. Or not. 2. Wear gloves. Or not. 3. Resin is food safe. Or not. 4. ArtResin is the best. Or maybe it’s StoneCoat. Or maybe LiquidDiamonds. Or is it ProMarine?  5. All resins yellow. Some yellow faster than others. 6. Beachy waves are so last month. Or not. 7. Pouring is not art. Or maybe it is. 8. To get white lacing in waves, use Castin Craft white. Or Pinata white. Or spray alcohol lightly. Or maybe use silicone. 9. Resin sticks on a lot of stuff,

Jobs are disappearing in the corporate workplace but you can prepare now and be ready for the change.   Many companies today are replacing employees that retire or leave the company with contractors or freelance workers. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled The End of Employees states that The percentage of the American workforce that is not directly tied to a company has risen by almost 100% by some estimates, and it shows no sign of stopping. When an outside source is in charge of the recruitment hiring or firing of employees the company can focus more on the final product. I have seen this trend on the rise in the area of retail stores and the maintenance of their Point of Sale systems. In the past companies would have to send an employee to a store to troubleshoot a problem with a computer or printer, now that work request is posted on a freelance website offering the job to multiple technicians at one time and once the technician accepts the job the work is closely s

I am a parent, a husband, an employee, and a homeowner…just a few of my titles. With each of these comes a lot of responsibilities and things or events to keep track of on a daily basis. See the picture above? That is a list of things to do today. I am old-fashion and still write my list of the things to do for the day on a post-it note and write it out the night before so I am prepared when I wake-up the next morning. I attach it to my wallet and am constantly reminded of the important things I need to do for the day. As I get things done I cross it out with a pen or pencil. Everyone has their way of doing things. I get that my way of keeping track of things can easily be replaced with today’s technology. As a matter of fact, I have an app for my iPhone that is a post-it app. It allows me to type things on it and look at that instead of writing it with a pen on a piece of paper. I hardly ever use it. Why? Because a year ago I had a software problem with my phone and had to erase every

Topic: iLoveKickBoxing your way into franchise ownership. Discussing the growing health/fitness franchise vertical Broadcast Date: May 30th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss iLoveKickBoxing your way into franchise ownership, Discussing the growing health/fitness franchise vertical, ongoing franchisee development, franchise accounting, purchasing, growing your franchise, improving your franchisee performance, brand positioning, expanding franchise concepts, franchisee marketing, franchisor marketing and selling your franchise and with Rachel Sivapatham, Owner iLoveKickBoxing franchise. Our Guest: Rachel Sivapatham , Owner iLoveKickBoxing franchise.   Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray.     Chat live  to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Listen

Topic: How Honor Yoga is rocking the fitness world & transitioning from franchisee to franchise professional Broadcast Date: May 23rd, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss How Honor Yoga is rocking the fitness world & transitioning from franchisee to franchise professional , ongoing franchisee development, franchise accounting, purchasing, growing your franchise, improving your franchisee performance, brand positioning, expanding franchise concepts, franchisee marketing, franchisor marketing and selling your franchise and with Maria Parrella-Turco, Chief Yogini and CEO of Honor Yoga and Amanda Tokos, Multi-Unit Franchisee & Franchise Consulting Company Consultant Our Guests: Maria Parrella-Turco , Chief Yogini – Honor Yoga   Amanda Tokes , Multi-Unit Franchisee & Franchise Consulting Company Consultant   Surp

Topic: How to deal with  Franchise Equipment Financing Broadcast Date: May 16th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss Franchise Equipment Financing , ongoing franchisee development, franchise accounting, purchasing, growing your franchise, improving your franchisee performance, brand positioning, expanding franchise concepts, franchisee marketing, franchisor marketing and selling your franchise and with  RJ Grimshaw, CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, Inc. Our Guest: RJ Grimshaw , CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, Inc . Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray. Chat live  to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Listen to  past episodes Interested in buying a franchise? Complete the  form  and receive a free copy of the Franchise MBA! Message at the following s

Forgiveness… a word that is spewed by many so-called spiritual gurus and they are quite dangerous because the majority of them have a dangerous attitude about how mental illness is made up and is a decision that the sufferer had made. With that said, if these spiritual gurus are spreading that type of dangerous crap around since mental illness is an illness, no less than a physical illness such as cancer or diabetes! Then why in the world would you believe anything else they say? Especially when it comes to forgiveness. And you have seen so many trite quotes on forgiveness such as these ones: The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on. – Tyler Perry There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love. – Bryant H. McGill Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. The weak can nev

Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer just had their baby boy and named him Gene Attel. Say it fast and you will be either amused or stunned! This show will give you the goods on other crazy baby names that should really not be legal, and be prepared to stunned, amused, and blown away by this interesting collection of off-the-wall baby names.  The Expressive Mom Show - The Baby Names That Will Put Mom In Court

Topic: How to deal with  Franchise Equipment Financing Broadcast Date: May 16th, 2019 at 5:00p Est/4:00P Cen/3:00p Mtn/2:00p Pac Join co-hosts Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville, Fred McMurray of Westvyne and Holly A Ford of Zarian Firm International as they discuss Franchise Equipment Financing , ongoing franchisee development,  financing, franchise accounting, purchasing, growing your franchise, improving your franchisee performance, brand positioning, expanding franchise concepts, franchisee marketing, equipment financing, franchisor marketing and selling your franchise and with our guests: RJ Grimshaw, CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, Inc. Co-hosts, Holly A Ford womansplainer to Ray Pillar and Fred McMurray. Chat live on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Interested in buying a franchise? Complete the form and receive a free copy of the Franchise MBA! Sponsored by The Franchise Consulting Company, Westvyne LLC, Zarian Firm Internatio

Okay, I’m stuck in bed in excruciating pain.  The doctor said, “Take these pills for pain and take these pills to sleep. Do these exercises for back problems and you’ll be fine.”  Then she handed me two prescriptions and a pamphlet with the exercises. I was unable to drive, unable to stand for more than a couple minutes and my pain level was so high that breathing sent sharp pains through my body.  The pain medication did nothing for me. The sleeping pills did help me sleep. However, they caused me to wake up feeling like I was hit by a truck. I tried to do what exercises I could. How on Earth was I supposed to be thankful and believe that this is God’s will? Since laying in bed was my number one activity there wasn’t much I could do.  It was 1998/1999.  I had no internet, let alone a smart phone.  I did have a television in my bedroom with a VCR and I was able to read.  At that time, I was a member of “One Spirit” book club.   I browsed through my catalog and ordered Sarah Ban Breathn

Do you know your family history or your family origin?   If you asked your parents where your grandma or your grandpa were born would they be able to tell you?  If your child asked you about their family’s origin would you be able to tell them? I became very interested in this topic after recently attending a memorial for a close family member. At the memorial several members of my family ask me questions about my dad’s family. I was asked if my father was still alive and if so where he was living, and other questions about his parents. Most of the questions I could not answer because my mom never shared with me details about my dad, his parents or my grandma and I never thought to ask until now. After the memorial, we decided to stay with my cousin overnight and drive home the next day and while sitting around the table talking with my niece she asked me if we could meet in two months for a weekend as a family to share family photos and put together photo albums for each of our famili