MOM, PR GURU AND HUMANITARIAN

Pictured: Cal-A-Vie Spa in California

The Ultimate Destination for a Role Mommy Retreat

Simone Rathlé

Founder, Simoneink

When you first meet Simone Rathlé, who runs the Washington D.C. based boutique public relations consulting firm, simoneink, you are blown away by her tireless spirit, terrific sense of humor and savvy business sense. This amazing mom, who in her spare time makes adorable photo scrapbooks for friends and family, is at the top of her field in the world of resorts, restaurants and spas. Prior to launching her own company, Simone directed media relations for some of the world's most notable hotel corporations including the Orient Express Hotels, The Watergate Hotel and The Plaza Athenee in Paris, among many others. Today, at the helm of her own flourishing boutique agency, Simone's represents The Garrett Hotel Group which owns some of the most breathtaking resorts in the country, including The Point, in Saranac Lake, New York, consistently ranked #1 by the Zagat Guide to Top U.S. Resorts; Lake Placid Lodge; as well as The Inn of The Five Graces in Santa Fe. Simone also represents two New Orleans properties International House and Lost 523. For the Role Mommy in need of a retreat, Simone highly recommends her client, Cal-A-Vie, a luxury spa in Vista, California, complete with a new 17,000 square foot fitness center that was named #2 in the world among Top Destination Spas by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Simone also oversees publicity for several reknowned restaurants and chefs in Washington D.C. and New Orleans. This high energy mom is also an avid runner who has competed extensively, completing a marathon and winning the new York City Turkey Trot for her age category. A native of New Orleans, one of Simone's proudest accomplishments for 2005-2006 was helping to position New Orleans hurricane relief at the forefront of national news by developing two successful fundraisers entitled "Po' Boy Power!" for the benefit of Hurricane Katrina victims. She was also involved in raising funds for policemen and firemen in the city's devastated communities. Simone is truly a Role Mommy at home, on the career front and in places where she can help others with her "can do" attitude. For more information about Simone and the wonderful places she represents, visit her website at www.simonesez.com

MOMS-FOR-PROFIT

CO-FOUNDERS STACEY SMITH AND LINDA SHAPIRO LAUNCH INNOVATIVE SITE FOR ENTERPRISING MOMS

Meet Stacey Smith and Linda Shapiro, co-founders of Moms-For-Profit, a company and website on the rise that enables moms who have decided to take time off from their careers to raise their families, the chance to stay in the game and pursue their passion! Stacey, a mom of two, and her partner, Linda, also a mom with two boys, both worked together in marketing at CMP Media before they decided to embark on a brand new career where they could strike a balance between work and family. What initially started out as a concept for a stationery business, evolved into a networking website for moms looking for an outlet that would promote their products and services to a broader community. Moms-for-Profit offers women the chance to join an amazing network where they can find opportunities to keep one foot in the workforce while the other one can be playing the hokey pokey at Mommy and Me class. From clothing designers to web masters (I need that person's number), Moms-for-Profit is an all-in-one recruiting firm and sales site for moms looking to turn their passion into profit. While Moms-for-Profit has only been in business for one year, the website has approximately 100,000 visitors per month. They are also now working with major corporations to offer freelance opportunities to members of their talented resource pool. Coming soon to the moms-for-profit site will be an online store where anyone can purchase amazing products created by today's enterprising mothers. Check out Moms-For Profit for more information or to join today!

YENTASENTIMENTS

Greeting Cards from A Grandmother of Reinvention

Meet Sue Kupcinet. Actually one of these ladies is one of Sue's distant yenta-relatives. Sue is a Grandmother of Reinvention who went from being a teacher, to restaurant critic, to author to Yentapreneur. All while raising a daughter who has proven to be an entrepreneurial sex-cess of her own....more on her later. Sue and her partner, Riva Scher are the creative geniuses behind Yenta Sentiments, an irreverent Greeting Card line that will crack up anyone with a sense of humor and a loose grasp of the Yiddish language. All you need to know are the words Oy Vey and you're pretty much set! Sue and Riva came up with the concept for Yenta Sentiments after going to dinner one night and walking past a tattoo parlor that they thought read "Yenta Tattoos." While their eyesight may have been failing, their creative juices started flowing and the two women came up with great ideas for innovative Yenta tattoo slogans. Since not many yentas can bear the pain of being tattooed...don't even get me started on childbirth...the women transformed their concept into greeting cards. With lots of mazel (good fortune), their clever idea has taken off. Yenta Sentiments has been in business for four years and is available in stores in Chicago and Los Angeles. The cards are also available on their website at www.yentasentiments.com. Check out their site next week as the Yentapreneurs kick off their latest line of greeting cards. Meanwhile, Sue's daughter, a mother of three with a fourth on the way, runs a successful business of her own in Chicago called Boutique G - a high end lingerie and sex shop. "Who knew she'd know so much about sex," quips Sue. Now if that isn't an Oy Vey moment, I don't know what is!

DESIGN-HER GALS

Former Hotel Executive Launches Amazing Website & Stationery Biz

Meet Jeanne Fitzmaurice, or at least a cartoon version of her! Jeanne, who formerly was at the top of her field in the hotel industry, decided to switch gears once she became a mother and is now one of the founders of Design Her Gals, an innovative website and thriving stationery business that enables you to create the gal that most resembles you (pick hair style, clothes, eye color, blackberries, bottles, you name it) and then put your gal on your own stationery, memo pads, invitations and more! Even better, for an annual fee, you can print out as much stationery as you'd like from home! And...if you want the Design Her Gals team to do it for you, they offer that service too. Proceeds from these sales benefit the Gal to Gal Foundation which donates funds for Stage 4 Breast Cancer Research. Even Oprah Magazine picked the Design Her Gals site as one of their favorites! Click on the picture above or this link to visit Design Her Gals.

LOVE COACH, AUTHOR AND MOM...

Meet Robin Gorman Newman. Love coach and author of the new book How to Marry a Mensch. Robin, a former public relations executive, found the man of her dreams and decided to write about the search for the perfect mensch in her first book, How to Meet a Mensch in New York. Since then, Robin has become an authority on where to find the guy you and your parents will want you to marry and now she's back with a new book which gives you the inside track on how to get your mensch to pop the question. For those of us who already have mensches in their lives, you still may have some single friends who could benefit from this light read...plus, if you're a single mom, then do I have a book for you. For more information about Robin and her books, visit her at her Love Coach website.

LEZLEE PETERZELL

SINGER, MOM AND OWNER OF A BOOMING YACHT CHARTER BUSINESS

Meet Lezlee Peterzell. She's the mother of River, age 16 months. In addition to running a successful yacht chartering business along with her husband Rob, Lezlee is an accomplished singer/songwriter with two children's CD's under her belt. Click on the link or picture to the left to listen to and purchase Lezlee's CD'S or if you'd like to book a great event aboard a charter boat or read more about Lezlee, click on her name or the yacht chartering business link and plan a party!