Women of Influence

Shattering stereotypes and raising the bar, these women are shaping America’s future.

The May 2009 issue of our sister publication, SUCCESS magazine, recognizes women who are shaping not only their communities but the world by putting their passions and strengths to use. Their varied stories and backgrounds relay the message that regardless of where a person begins, she can finish strong and successful. Read more

In Pursuit of Personal Growth

Taking time off from the daily grind to focus on personal development sets the stage for success!

What a weekend! SUCCESS Symposium brought together more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, business leaders and success-minded people for a powerful day of inspiration. Even though I’m entrenched in the personal-development industry, it’s empowering to be challenged to think even bigger. In this week’s blog, I’m sharing a few comments from the many pages of notes I collected this weekend. I hope something here challenges you to step out of your comfort zone today. Read more

Empowering Tomorrow’s Achievers

The SUCCESS Foundation is on a mission to inspire 10 million teens.

When 10-year-old Dalton Sherman took the stage at the SUCCESS Foundation™ Celebration on March 28, he opened with a simple question, “Do you believe in me?” With enthusiasm, this young man stood before a crowd of 400 and shared a message that aligns with the SUCCESS Foundation’s passion: improving young people’s lives through hope, education and personal development. Read more

Eight Hours Can Change Your Life

As the editor of SUCCESS for Women, I want to extend a special invitation to you to attend the 2009 SUCCESS Symposium in Dallas on Saturday, March 28.

The symposium will highlight legendary personal-development speakers, including Stedman Graham, a New York Times best-selling author; John C. Maxwell, America’s foremost authority on leadership; John Addison, CEO of the $2 billion company Primerica Financial Services and motivational expert; Connie Podesta, best-selling author, humorist and behavior expert; Chris Widener, best-selling author and influence expert; Mel Robbins, syndicated female radio show host and respected life coach; and Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS magazine. Read more

Who Says You Can’t?

Author writes about go-getting women

Susan Casey’s list of “friends” is extensive. Some were born in the 1800s, while others haven’t graduated from high school yet. And many, she never met. But an avid researcher and lover of “detective work,” as she calls it, Casey combed through libraries across the country, hungry to meet women inventors. She now knows so much about them that she calls most—dead or alive—friends. “I feel like I know them,” she says.

Her far-reaching memory harkens back to a “brilliant” woman who came to the United States in the 1920s and built the first solar-heated house. She jumps to the story of the hardworking secretary Bette Graham, who secretly invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s to cover up her typewriting mistakes. Casey’s research was published in Women Invent!, a book about female pioneers of their time.

“These women were pursuing their interests in a very intelligent way—and following through,” Casey says. “They say, I’ll figure out a way to do it. I’m gonna make this happen. It’s inspiring.”

Casey talks about her favorite women inventors, unable to pick just one. She tells the story of Rose Totino, of the famous brand of frozen pizzas, like she’s a long-lost friend: “Rose settled in Minneapolis, and nobody there knew a thing about pizza,” she explains. “Rose would take pizza to the PTA when they were asked to do a potluck. And people thought, Wow, this is great! And it caught on!”

Casey’s book was published in 1997—just before the advent of the Internet and online search engines. She spent nearly 18 months in a Los Angeles library, “zipping” through microfiche and making notes for her book. “It was really fun. For a lot of these women, I had to search in books and call historical societies to find anything about them,” she says. “Now, I Google their name and five biographies pop up.”

Still, the lengthy research process is what Casey found fascinating. “Spending several years talking and researching about optimistic people is inspiring,” she says. “There’s a model of every kind of person in this book: chemists, balloonists, secretaries. When I speak, I teach girls and boys that anyone can use their ideas and create something terrific.”

Make an Impression

One of the most common misconceptions about searching for a job is that the person with the most or best experience is the one who gets hired. The truth is: You’re more likely to be hired for a job based on your connection with the interviewer than on your qualifications. And the best way to forge an instant, powerful connection with your interviewer is to define and communicate a strong job-seeker personal brand. Read more

Paula Kerger’s Neighborhood

Guided by a savvy CEO, PBS is becoming a multimedia giant.

She wouldn’t admit it back then, but Paula Kerger watched Sesame Street with her little brother when it first aired, and even at 11 years old, she liked it. Now the president and CEO of PBS, Kerger says that’s the beauty of PBS: For four decades, family members have enjoyed the shows together. Read more