FBW: Interview with Michele from Scraps of My Geek Life (Ms. September)

FBW stands for Featured Blogger of the Week. Each week we will feature one of our calendar ladies or gentleman. Mondays will be a post written by the FBW and Wednesdays will be an interview of the FBW. If you want to know how you can be a part of the Blogger Body Calendar project, please click here.

FBW: Interview with Sandra from Body Bliss Central (Ms. August)

FBW stands for Featured Blogger of the Week. Each week we will feature one of our calendar ladies or gentleman. Mondays will be a post written by the FBW and Wednesdays will be an interview of the FBW. If you want to know how you can be a part of the Blogger Body Calendar project, please click here.

Why did you decide to join the Blogger Body Calendar project?

At first I had no idea it was an actual calendar, I thought it was a blog that people read! Then I decided to go ahead because it’s important for me that I keep my word, and that I publicly declare that I’m okay being me, imperfect and unique. It’s started a whole new bucket list!

What do you think a strong woman looks like?

She looks happy, relaxed, and very much confident about her whole self.

What would other people say about your blog? (Oh no. I’ve already gotten bored of your opinion. well, you can answer a different question if you want.)

It makes them think about why they do what they do and think what they think, and just go gently on themselves.

Describe your calendar photo in 140 characters or less.

Green tea ice cream makes my skin glow, honest!

Do you consider yourself successful at blogging? Why or why not?

I think I’m becoming successful at blogging, I’m a work in progress every day, just like my blog.

When I’m not posing for kick-ass calendars, you can usually find me:

Eating tempura green tea ice cream at Nekoya – oh my god it’s to die for! Why would you have antioxidants any other way?

Sandy blogs at www.BodyBlissCentral.com, and is the founder and host of the international telesummit series, The Body Image Revolution, which helps thousands of women transform their relationships with their bodies. The series brings together the leading thinkers and activists in the field of improving body image, in conversation with women who want peace with their bodies.

FBW: Interview with Mazarine from Wild Woman Fundraising (Ms. June)

FBW stands for Featured Blogger of the Week. Each week we will feature one of our calendar ladies or gentleman. Mondays will be a post written by the FBW and Wednesdays will be an interview of the FBW. If you want to know how you can be a part of the Blogger Body Calendar project, please click here.

Why did you decide to join the Blogger Body Calendar project?

I fervently believe in women’s empowerment. And I know that women’s body types are not represented equally in traditional media, so I wanted to tip the scales a bit, to show people that all kinds of body types are beautiful. I also saw Jenny The Bloggess’s post about the Blogger Body calendar last year, and I decided that I wanted to be a part of it because of the way she makes me laugh.

What do you think a strong woman looks like?

I think a strong woman can look like anyone. What makes someone strong isn’t what is on the outside. What I’ve learned from blogging professionally is that I have to be able to approve of myself, to be okay with a world where I may never get hired again for a fulltime job. I’ve had to expose some tough truths on my blog, things that are controversial about the nonprofit world, things that people don’t want to hear, and for this reason, I am grateful that my blog has helped me overcome my fear about what people will say about me, and just post what I truly think is best for nonprofits.

So in a nutshell, I think strength looks like someone who has faced their fears, someone who wants to make the world better through their unique gifts, someone who approves of themselves, and who doesn’t need the world’s approval.

So naturally, to get there, you have to be able to learn about yourself inside and out, learn from the decisions you made in the past, so you can be more successful in relationships, school, life, business, wherever you want to be successful. That means you’ve got to do the work. And probably a lot of people don’t get around to that until they’re older. So, I guess a strong woman looks like an old woman, most of the time!

Is the world better with you in it? Why?

The world is better with me in it because I wrote a book and write a blog called “The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising” and it helps people all over the world fundraise better for their causes. Also, I have helped a lot of people find nonprofit and government jobs. Also, I’ve helped a lot of people learn how to do encaustic art. Also, I’ve helped people and organizations learn step-by-step processes for social media which can help them achieve their business goals of more cash and more customers.

Describe your calendar photo in 140 characters or less.

Warrior on a beach, victory, splendor, magic

Do you consider yourself successful at blogging? Why or why not?

I started my blog in November of 2009 to just start to build a platform for my fundraising book, so that I would become more attractive to publishers. But now I’ve been selling books off my website for months, all over the world, from Finland to Tasmania. After creating my community, I realized I didn’t need a publisher. People will buy my book if I just keep doing what I do. Now 9,000 people a month read my blog. And it’s gratifying to look at my stats, but more than that, I consider myself successful at blogging because of the way blogging has improved my writing. Writing 350 posts will make you a better writer. No matter who you are. I think I downloaded all of my posts a few months ago and it was over 60,000 words. Which is enough for ANOTHER book!
Furthermore, I’ve learned so much in the process of promoting my book, I’m writing another book now about how to promote yourself online, called “3-D Reputation Engine.” I’m so excited about this book because I feel like this book will help even MORE people break free of the tyranny of seeking approval outside of ourselves, and help people work from home, make money, and leave the jobs that are making them miserable. I’m posting resources from the book over on my other blog, http://treyzsocialmedia.com, so you know, check that shit out if that appeals to you.

When I’m not posing for kick-ass calendars, you can usually find me:

Writing poetry, giving speaking engagements, biking, doing yoga, hiking, writing with my friend @CaitStuff, making and teaching Encaustic Art, marketing the heck out of MustLoveTea.com, part of CommonTastes.com, a startup that helps you find more things that you’ll like based on recommendations, and doing Destiny Card readings

Mazarine Treyz is the author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising speaker, workshop presenter, social media expert, and encaustic art teacher. She’s passionate about teaching people how to change the world.

FBW: Interview with Charlotte from My Pixie Blog (Ms. May)

FBW stands for Featured Blogger of the Week. Each week we will feature one of our calendar ladies or gentleman. Mondays will be a post written by the FBW and Wednesdays will be an interview of the FBW. If you want to know how you can be a part of the Blogger Body Calendar project, please click here.

Why did you decide to join the Blogger Body Calendar project?

One of my favorite bloggers, MaryMac of Pajamas and Coffee, was a part of this calendar project last year and I knew I wanted to throw my hat in the ring for the next season once I found out what the Blogger Body Calendar was all about. It’s such a wonderful cause and I feel truly honored to be in the company of such amazing and strong women.

What do you think a strong woman looks like?

I think a strong woman is one who has accepted and learned to love herself (dimples, wrinkles, flaws, and all). She is confident, sexy, and free-spirited, and she has a magnetic quality that attracts people to her.

Describe your calendar photo in 140 characters or less.

Without giving too much away, the calendar photo I have chosen this year is representative of where I am in life: healthy, liberated, and happy.

Do you consider yourself successful at blogging?  Why or why not?

It’s funny. When I first started, I was very aware of how many daily readers I had and I found myself increasingly concerned with getting more and more followers. Though I’m still aware of my numbers and stats, I now measure my success on the feedback I receive for each post. If something I said resonates with a reader and I wake up to a comment that hits home, I think I have accomplished something.

When I’m not posing for kick-ass calendars, you can usually find me:

Dancing at a show, reading/writing, blogging, daydreaming, laughing, at a wine bar with friends, wondering when I’ll finally understand Twitter, ignoring sweat in a Bikram pose, learning from my peers, trying not to take dating so seriously, savoring each moment.

Charlotte blogs at My Pixie Blog, can be found on Facebook and chatting on Twitter @MyPixieBlog