“I hope I have convinced you—the only thing that separates successful people from the ones who aren’t is the willingness to work very, very hard.” —Helen Gurley Brown

Happy Monday! Don’t you just love the start of a new workweek? A whole five days to accomplish goals, fill in the blanks, and fulfill some dreams.

I know, you are probably about to gag right now because, let’s face it—Mondays pretty much suck!

So, put a smile on your face, grab some coffee, and get ready for an amazing week. And if that doesn’t do it, let some of the crazy stuff Helen Gurley Brown has done motivate and amuse you this morning.

-          Helen got breast implants five years ago…when she was 73!

-          Her favorite quote is: “Sex is one of the three best things we have, and I don’t know the other two.”

-          Her favorite motto: “Good girls go to heaven; bad girls go everywhere.”

As crazy as Helen may seem, she is not a sex junkie, but rather a work junkie. She loves to work and obviously has worked very hard throughout her life. In her seventies, she is still working out twice a day, doesn’t drink or smoke, and has been a faithful wife to her husband of 35 years. She is a self-made woman whom Gloria Steinem called a feminist “pioneer.” When she got the pink slip from Cosmopolitan magazine in 1996, she didn’t go off into retirement; instead, she became editor of their international editions and has made them all profitable.

You may not like some of the messages that Helen conveyed through Cosmopolitan magazine over the years, but she is a gutsy lady with a ton of charisma and swagger, and I think she is a woman who rocks!

Here are a few links to Helen’s works:

Her memoir, I’m Wild Again

The book that started it all, the cult classic, Sex and the Single Girl

Coffee Cup Image: Alessandro Paiva

“I don’t know. Only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins. It’s up to us to choose whether we win or lose and I choose to win.”

—Mary J. Blige

Woman Who Rocks: Mary J. Blige

Occupation: Amazing singer, producer, songwriter, actress, and rapper

Nickname: The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul

Why She Rocks (and Raps): This recipient of nine Grammy Awards is also a supporter of women, with her Blige’s Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN). FFAWN was started in 2008 with the goal of empowering women “to reach their individual potential” through scholarships and programs that focus on building self-esteem and career development.

Life Span: January 11, 1971 –

Major Accomplishments and Honors:

Mary has sold over 168 million records worldwide.

She is a recipient of the World Music Legends Award for her creativity in combining the hip-hop and soul musical genres.

Rolling Stone magazine named her one of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

Fun Facts: Led Zeppelin granted her the rights to record one of their biggest all-time hits, the cherished rock anthem “Stairway to Heaven,” and she does not disappoint with her version of it. Check out the video below of her performing “Stairway” on the Oprah show.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Apparently, Mary knows a thing or two about fragrances. Her recent launch of Mary J. Blige’s My Life fragrance on Home Shopping Network (HSN) last week drove the sale of more than 60,000 units, shattering HSN fragrance records.

What You Need to Know: I saw Mary perform live at Lilith Fair this year, and she tore down the house. If you think the video above is good, the live performance of “Stairway to Heaven” was ten times more electric. You must see her live!

Web site: http://www.mjblige.com/

The Mary J. Blige Experience:  One of the first records produced by a young man called Sean Combs, this was Mary’s debut and breakout album What’s the 411

If you can’t catch Mary live, here’s two great alternatives:

Mary J. Blige – Live in Los Angeles

An Intimate Evening with Mary J. Blige – Live from the House of Blues

Illustration: Gabriella Fabbri

Stop by every weekday for the daily quote from Women Who Rock. Your daily serving of fun, attitude, and brilliance courtesy of an amazing woman!  Check out the Women Rock category at the Cool Stuff Shoppe for great books, DVDs and merchandise from these great women. Thank you for clicking on the ads when you visit to help fund this site!

It is official; my gray hair is now considered trendy. Apparently, it’s all the rage on the fashion runways, and younger women are making a statement with silver and white highlights in their hair.

I was born a redhead, but over the years it has darkened to an auburn shade and now is filled with natural silver highlights provided by age, daily dosages of stress, and a few golden highlights thrown in courtesy of the sun. Much to my hairdresser’s chagrin, I’ve never dyed my hair and never will! I know it would make me look younger, but I figure I’m saving lots of time and money. I don’t have to worry about showing my gray roots or having a bunch of chemicals seeping into my scalp. And I just feel like we shouldn’t be ashamed of getting older—my motto is: Go with what you got and work it!

So, imagine my delight when I opened the Sunday New York Times yesterday to read an article titled “Gray: No Longer Premature,” by Ruth La Ferla. The article is about younger renegade-type women who are requesting silver highlights in their hair and making quite a fashion statement in doing so. If you have the time, definitely read the story, and also check out the comment highlights below the story.

Evocative, subversive, inaccessible, cachet…wait a minute, these are all words being used to describe gray hair! Young women are seeking out this color, and older women are paying $1.3 billion each year to cover it up. Wow, I’m feeling kind of special for sticking to my guns and not covering up my beautiful trendsetting silver streaks!

Is this a nod to their older, wiser sisters or perhaps a wish to be more cougarlike or are they mocking me? I don’t really care…I’m just going to choose to believe that I am making a fashion statement.

I absolutely love this comment from plt brooklyn and had to repeat it here:

My colorist’s name? “Father Time.”

It is the nature of youth to wish to seem older; it is the nature of the older, to wish to appear young; it is the nature of humans to wish to alter nature.

Young people’s silliness is part of their charm. And my well-earned gray hair, is part of my charm!

I grew up watching Paige Palmer with my mom and sister on TV and can still remember sitting on my mom’s feet, at Paige’s urging, so my mother could reach her toes as she exercised. Paige was smart, worldly, confident, and invented her own way to be a feminist (no bra burning or hairy legs were involved)!

For those of you who have never heard of Paige Palmer, she was known as “The First Lady of Fitness” and was the star of a daily one-hour fitness show on WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio, where she demonstrated jumping jacks and scissor kicks in black fishnet stockings and pumps! She was responsible for helping most of the stay-at-home moms in Northeast Ohio build their muscles and their confidence. Remember, this was before Jane Fonda, workout videos, and going to the gym for step class.

Here are just a few of the cool things that Paige accomplished:

• At age 16, without her parents’ knowledge, she became an entrepreneur when she rented a house in Akron and started the School of Expression to teach dance and invited her friends to join along in teaching other subjects they knew. Her parents found out when she invited them to the open house. The School of Expression was a huge success!
• When she was 18, she was the physical education director at a private Akron girl’s school.
• She graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in physical fitness (what she loved) and also majored in home economics (because that was what was acceptable for women at the time).
• She parlayed her accomplishments into a highly successful television career in the 1940’s – and for over 25 years, she educated women about the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and fashion.
• She used her position to help women break down traditional barriers at the time by urging them to turn their hobbies into businesses, so they would not be totally dependent on their husbands.
• Taboo topics were not off the table for her as she educated women about the importance of yearly Pap tests.
• She patented exercise equipment and created her own fashion label.

In essence, she was an incredible role model for women and one who lived a full life until she passed away this past November at the age of 93.

Thanks, Paige!

This is my first blog entry for MariaMedia! Cheers!

I thought it might be helpful to explain a little about the subject matter you’ll find at MariaMedia. I’m a woman of many interests and I have to admit, it was hard to narrow down a subject matter focus for MariaMedia. I finally said what the f@$%, Maria, just write about all the things you are passionate about!  So that is what I decided to do, except I left out a few of the passions that are not for public consumption! I hope you will find something that resonates for you!

On the left-hand side of the blog you’ll see a section called “I Heart…” and below that you’ll find a list of the stuff I love. There won’t be a new post on every subject, every day, but I’ll have regular updates on each. Here are a few more details about what you can expect:

Books, Music & Movies – If I’ve read a good book, saw a live show, listened to awesome music, or watched a fun movie, most likely you’ll be reading about it here. I’m going to talk about book clubs and how to get involved with one that you will love (don’t worry, it will be even better than Oprah’s Book Club!). Movie award season is here, so there will be lots of entries initially about the nominated movies, the red carpet fashion debacles, and what I’m going to serve at my annual Oscar party!

Experiences – At this point in my life I have more than enough stuff – no more swag required! What I need and what I crave are experiences! The more exotic and crazier the better! Don’t get me wrong, everyday experiences like going ice skating with my niece or savoring a great glass of wine are amazing and I’ll write about those, but I’ll also cover topics about experiences I want to have, like taking a wine appreciation class in Napa or doing yoga on a secluded beach in Bali!

Food & Drink – I love to eat, I love to drink! So I’ll plan to cover why sushi is so addicting, how to cut meat out of your diet and love it, best of show food pairings, great cocktails, and where to find healthy food.  Nothing about dieting here (I don’t heart diets).

Sunsets & Sea Glass – If you know me, you have probably had to sit through a sunset with me. I can never see too many sunsets and feel most alive near the water or on a beach, so I’ll share some of my favorite beach and sunset pictures. Collecting sea glass has become a new obsession, so I’ve got to write about how beautiful and relaxing it is. I’ll also share some great places to find cool stuff made of seaglass.

Travel – Travel is by far one of the biggest passions of my life. Who doesn’t love to escape their everyday environs and explore a new city or culture, or just plop their ass down on a gorgeous beach with a frosty tropical drink?  I’ll share the stories about where I’ve been and where I still want to go!

Women Who Rock – I love to read inspiring stories about women who have done amazing things, and that’s what you will find here. Women Rock!

Yoga & Fitness – To be honest, I have always hated working out. When I did find the time, I had to force myself to do it. This past year I vowed to turn that around and find workouts that were not only fun, but that I would want to do almost every day of the week! Mission accomplished – my new obsessions are yoga and Zumba®!  I’ll write about my amazing yoga journey and how to make your workouts feel like you are going out dancing with the girls!

Wow – you get all of that on MariaMedia – plus more! Don’t forget to check out the new web series “No Songs for Men,” and learn about how you can “Pay It Forward.”

Again, I hope you will find something that resonates for you! If you can’t find what you are looking for, go to the archives (found in the top menu bar) and use the search bar, or you can search by category or date.

Thanks for reading my inaugural post. I’ll be having my inauguration parade later today which unfortunately will not be televised, but you can check out my inaugural outfit if you watch the MariaMedia video on the home page!

I hope you enjoy MariaMedia. And I want you to know that my corporate mission is simply to help you Live, Laugh, and Rock! Please let me know if I’m achieving my goal – you are welcome to leave your thoughts, questions, rants, raves, smiles, ideas, and dreams – or to just say hello!