Publisher Kathryn Bechthold Advertising & Sales: Azure Campbel Tara Ellis Erin Tigchelaar Shazia Warsi Graphic Design: Karen Cottingham Photography: Stephanie Cragg Photography Printer: Calgary Colorpress Distibutor: National Distribution Alliance Contributing Writers: Dr. Trina Read, Kim Duke, Angela King, Julia Freedman Smith, Gail Bell, Cidnee Stephen, Tara Ellis, Erin Tigchelaar , Coral Freedman © 2007 <strong>The</strong> Mompreneur Networking Group Inc. assumes all articles published here are original and are the property of the submitting firms. <strong>The</strong> Mompreneur is a FREE magazine produced and printed in Canada. It is published 11 times a year by <strong>The</strong> Mompreneur Networking Group Inc. Suite 3041, 614 - 33 Heritage Meadows Way SE, Calgary, AB T2H 3B8. (403) 201-3327 themompreneur@shaw.ca www.themompreneur.com Article contributions are encouraged Contact Kathryn Bechthold at the above phone number or e-mail address. 4 THE Mompreneur <strong>The</strong> Mompreneur • September 2007 TM PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE by Kathryn Bechthold Recently, my husband came home very excited – not about seeing me, but about seeing a new movie called 300. Knowing it to be a typical boy/war/goreand-guts film, I was hesitant to join him in his excitement. I was only persuaded to watch once he told me that it was loosely based on historical fact and that the men in the movie were mostly naked and often sweaty – hey, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. As I watched this movie, I realized how quickly and eagerly men describe their challenges and accomplishments to people they come across. You only have to look at the histories of major battles to know this is true. Are women different? You get to know a lot of really successful women once you have been doing the networking circuit for a while and it is always interesting to watch the reactions of these women when you congratulate them on a recent accomplishment – the achievement is often down-played or totally dismissed. <strong>The</strong> thinking seems to be that we wouldn’t want anyone thinking we’re arrogant or anything now, would we? <strong>The</strong>n I ran into a friend who had recently had a baby. I opened with the obligatory “Congratulations. How are you feeling?” My friend then proceeded to go into the goriest story of labour, delivery and aftermath I have ever heard. It was so explicit and detailed and she was so in the moment that she almost had to sit down once she was finished. I almost needed to sit down, too. “Wow! That sounds terrible. Are you okay now?” I asked. She quickly replied “No, I will never heal completely. I haven’t had sex in months and that is the least of my worries.” As she continued, I found myself wondering when “vagina,” “anus” and “tearing” had become common words for an environment like Starbucks. <strong>The</strong>n it occurred to me I had done this, as well. After my daughter was born, I distinctly remember a friend visiting me and interrupting my description of the birth to ask that I stop talking, as she was about to vomit on my living room carpet. “I’m sorry, are you sick?” I asked. “No”, she replied. “I can’t stand this story.” I was shocked! I hadn’t even gotten to the really good part about the recovery yet. I felt so cheated. This is my battle story, this is my kingdom that I conquered and, dammit, I am going to tell this story until the day I die! This obviously begs a question: why is it ok for us to brag about our stories of delivery, but not about the accomplishments we have fought for as business women? So, here’s my challenge to you: send me the story of your biggest accomplishment. We are always looking for fascinating women to feature and, if we like your story, you just might see yourself in our magazine. So, what are you waiting for? Visit our website at www.themompreneur.com
Be empowered … Sign up for <strong>The</strong> Mompreneur e-Zine today. www.themompreneur.com THE Mompreneur FAMILY | AMBITION | INSPIRATION | BALANCE TM
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