Meet the Member: Gloria Guzman

Meet the Member: Gloria Guzman

by | Oct 25, 2021 | Travel

Our Travel Specialist, representing Seacret Direct

Meet the Member! This blog is one in a series of posts dedicated to learning a little more about one of our PWBC members.

I am currently a member of the Rotary Club of Brentwood and Past President of the Rotary Club of San Mateo Sunrise 2017 – 2018 and currently a member of Delta Networking Partners (DNP) served as President of DNP (2019-2020) in East Contra Costa. I am most passionate about seeing the world and sharing new experiences with my family and friends.  At times my family travels together and at times we travel with our individual families.  However, I do believe time alone with my hubby is very important which is why we plan our own escapes as well.   We take at least one FAMILY trip per year which includes my children and their families.  These are memories that last a lifetime! 

As, a native San Franciscan, from the beginning I have been immersed in experiencing a multitude of cultures in one of the world’s finest melting pots. I am the second youngest of eight.  We did not grow up with much, however, we never were without lots of LOVE, a home, and mom’s delicious wholesome Tex-Mex cuisine.  Mom’s flautas were my favorites!  As a young girl, I was always admiring the glamorous flight attendants and their fashion.  I dreamed of becoming one and traveling the world.  My mom was a homemaker and dad was a roofer raising three sons and five daughters.  My parents never seemed to have a break when it came to caring for their family.  At an early age, my mom has been my source of inspiration and love, always encouraging me to follow what was in my heart and dreams.  She was the most loving person when it came to her family leaving us too soon to Leukemia at the young age of 67. I fell in love at a very young age with my middle school sweetheart.  We were married in 1980 and will soon be celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary!   We have 3 amazing children.  I am a happy grandma of 3 beautiful young ladies and 3 adorable little boys. As young parents, we made many sacrifices to provide the best life we could give to our family. I finished high school and worked in the Credit Union industry for nearly 30 years.   My husband worked for the San Francisco Giants for nearly 20 years before starting his own business.  We were busy to say the least!  

Even then, we made it a priority to spend time together and plan small getaways.  We did what we could at the time and planned a trip every other year with the children, and a trip every other year with just the two of us. As time went on, we were able to do more and see more.  Although I was unable to fulfill my childhood dream as a flight attendant, I have been so fortunate to have traveled to more places than I could have ever imagined with my loved ones, friends and new friends.   

I am now living my dream and remember “strangers are just friends waiting to happen!”….

Dress For Success

by | Sep 28, 2021 | Fashion, PWBC Presentation

Catherine Miller and her fabulous cabi Collection is ready when you are!

For a recent presentation to our Connections group, PWBC Member Catherine Miller offered her savvy advice for dressing ourselves this season, and beyond. 

Catherine reminds us: Clothes can change lives. How we dress affects the way that we act and interact with others. Our dress and outward appearance affects how others respond to us and most importantly, how we feel about ourselves. As a Cabi clothing consultant she has seen how lives can change with a new look. She loves working with women as they work to feel and look their very best. And she guarantees that it doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch or spending a fortune. 

A few of her most valuable tips include:

Steering clear of things in our wardrobe that can only be worn one way or in one location. She tells us “No One Hit Wonders!” If an item is not versatile and you can’t see wearing it beyond the one event that you have purchased it for, don’t buy it. It does not enhance your wardrobe to have a collection of pieces that are nice but isolated. Being able to mix and match for all areas of your life and sorts of occasions and events is the key to a functional wardrobe. 

When it comes to Zoom looks – stand out! Don’t wash yourself out in your background by wearing muted colors or no color at all. Brighter colors pop and make your presence known, ensuring you will be seen and heard. V-necks are universally attractive and flattering for all sizes and shapes. Accessorise and be sure to keep a tube of lipstick or gloss at your desk so that you can complete your look before you turn your camera on. It is quite easy to take your look from average to extraordinary with a little color – in your clothing and on your face. 

Focus on layering, which is a great way to add interest to your look and be prepared to take it from day to evening without a fuss. Consider layering with 2 different colors, which is pretty standard. If you are interested in using a print, be sure to have something more basic with which to pair it so it doesn’t draw attention in the wrong way. Watch your fabrics and mix them thoughtfully so as not to have too heavy a look. And always be mindful of your proportions, balancing out the top and the bottom. Remember that everything you throw on can’t be bulky and loose and still look great. 

As for fall trends, printed leggings are a great addition to your wardrobe. Have fun with them. Items in this year’s Cabi collection, as always, go easily from day to night without taking a break. Catherine talked about fabrics to enjoy this season that include parachute polyester and soft corduroy, just to name a few. And accessories that are trendy now include heavy, gun-metal menswear inspired items that are bold and unique. 

Catherine Miller is a cabi stylist and a style and fashion expert. Find out more about her and what cabi can do for your wardrobe at http://www.catherinemiller.cabionline.com/. Catherine’s Closet Confidential service is for those looking to update and upgrade their closet with her individualized support and expertise. 

Meet the Member

Meet the Member

by | May 14, 2021 | Meet the Member, General Member Information, Insurance, Uncategorized

 

 Our insurance specialist – Caron Soenen

Meet the Member! This blog is one in a series of posts dedicated to learning a little more about one of our PWBC members.

Caron Soenen is a Commercial Insurance agent for Farmers helping small business owners protect their assets and their employees with Workers Comp policies specific to their needs. She enjoys sharing what she knows about the workings of insurance policies and recognizes that insurance has its own special kind of language that is important to know.

Languages and teaching have been a large part of who she is. She learned many programming languages in her education and career as a software engineer, and spent several years traveling and teaching military members how to use the software that her team developed for the Space and Defense sector at TRW. 

Caron is a native of the Bay Area having earned her first degree at College of San Mateo and, after attending San Diego State University for her junior year, returned to San Jose State University to complete her Computer Science degree while working full time. 

Computers and traveling were great fun but she learned that motherhood opened a new and wonderful part of her life and she retired after 20 years to become a full time mom. Cherishing every moment and every day, volunteering in the library and classrooms from kindergarten until they kicked her out in 4th grade, being a softball, basketball, and soccer mom and even an AYSO referee made life full of fun memories. She began volunteering in other aspects of life too, including with PSI, Personal Success Institute and a personal growth leader since the 70’s, where she learned about expanding personal responsibility, happiness is a choice, and overcoming fears to live the life she chooses. She is grateful for her family, friends, and wonderful extended family as well, and looks forward to each and every day with a smile!

Building Customer Support

Building Customer Support

by | May 1, 2021 | PWBC Presentation

Blue Okra works hard to build customer support

PWBC Member Julie Parker offered some helpful ideas for building customer support and trust during these times when direct contact is not always possible. 

As someone very accustomed to having customers touch and feel her products, growing her business at a distance has been challenging. Julie believes that our path to success is to learn how to portray ourselves in an understandable way, which will in turn build trust. We know that people tend to gravitate to well-known brands because they know and trust it, and they don’t have the opportunity to get to know something new.

We need to understand the customer in order to allow the customer to understand our product or service.  Body language and presence are a big part of communication and marketing so it is important, in the absence of direct presence, to build trust with the customer in new ways. One of the most critical ways is “seeing” the customer, which is really working to understand them, and how our product or service might work for them personally. 

In person we can be more expressive. People want to see your hands. Moving closer and being more intentional so that expressions and feelings convey is key. Reflect what they are saying and build a rapport because we know that sharing emotions builds trust. Also, try to be more expressive physically – use your hands, move in closer, be intentional about how you come across. And voicing agreement and showing emotions goes a long way to helping new customers, especially, feel good working with you. If we are mindful, we can do this over video chat.

On Zoom you can also do what Julie calls a forensic chit chat – just a few minutes to initially listen to what is going on. Our natural position tends to be to give them a lot of information but we want to listen and hear what they are saying. It is important to dedicate your time to this. With email and Zoom, it is possible to spend more time with the customer.  It’s important to improve your Zoom skills and background to present yourself in the best light (figuratively and literally!). 

Showing our expertise is another way to work through these unusual times for selling and marketing to new clients. For example, Julie is a certified green business for San Mateo and that happened to be a huge area of concern once the virus lockdown happened. The larger changes we saw as a community allowed people to be more connected to the green aspect of their lives and, as a result, her business. She incorporates that green certification into her marketing as it attracts a new set of more aware clientele. Julie encourages us all to think about what we are doing in our own businesses to be more socially responsible, and make sure we do not overlook the opportunity to promote that moving forward. 

Julie Parker is the creative mind behind Blue Okra, a company that is committed to delivering their customers ethically made, environmentally conscious, perfectly cozy baby blankets and more. Visit www.blueokra.com for more information.

Meet the Member

Meet the Member

by | Apr 15, 2021 | General Member Information, Essential Oils, Meet the Member

Adrienne Fink of doTerra essential oils
Adrienne Fink knows her essential oils

Meet the Member! This blog is one in a series of posts dedicated to learning a little more about one of our PWBC members. 

Adrienne Fink is a wellness advocate with “doTerra” essential oils.  doTerra translates to “the gift of the earth”.  She is seriously committed to finding the perfect essential oil that can bring relief to many ailments from which we suffer, one drop at a time. Adrienne understands first-hand that in order to reduce the toxic load in our environment, we must move away from the pharmaceutical overload that we so often rely on. The enormous variety of essential oils and products that doTerra provides means that we can find precisely the right formula for short and long-term relief.

Adrienne also enjoys providing the topical applications of AromaTouch Technique, (which help relieve stress, supports your immune system, reduces inflammation and brings the body to a homeostasis balance), as well as the Symphony of the Cells protocols (the application of 10 various oils to create a synergistic effect to the various body systems). These services are provided by appointment only to clients that reach out to her directly.

Adrienne is a proud California native. She is kind and energetic, and her favorite companion is her loyal dog, who goes anywhere and everywhere with her. Her commitment to health and wellness extends into her own life, as she is herself a consistent consumer of doTerra products, and a true believer in overall fitness and physical health. She is a proud mom to two grown sons.

For more information about how doTerra natural oils and products can change your life, reach out to Adrienne at 650-302-3899. She is more than happy to share her personal experiences and knowledge about how essential oils can improve your life. She can also be reached by emailing her at adriennefink@sbcglobal.net