Wise Woman Shining » Woman Entrepreneur’s Life

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

caseydawes — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:18:34 +0000

Yes, a recipe for vegetarian lasagna is an odd choice for a business coaching blog. But I believe that our lives need health and balance–to many of the women entrepreneurs I see don’t have either. It’s kind of a strange recipe, too, more meandering than most. I hope it inspires you to create your own recipe for love, life and balance in your work.

Vegetarian Lasagna

I begin at the farmer’s market, selecting 3-4 vegetables that are in season. Saturday it was asparagus, carrots, chard and porcini mushrooms. In my freezer, I already had leftover homemade pasta that I’d picked up from the market a few weeks before.

A trip to Deluxe Foods (a non-chain market that supports the local schools, has lots of yummy and organic foods) yielded cottage cheese, fresh whole-milk mozzarella, garlic and a jar of organic tomato sauce. I’ve used cottage cheese instead of ricotta for decades–it’s moister. If I have it in the freezer, I’ll use home-made sauce, but we’re out of it this time of year.

Once home, I cook the vegetables as if they were a side dish. The chard was enhanced by the “Wilted Greens” recipe from The Girl and the Fig. I roasted the asparagus with a little olive oil, black pepper, salt and a combination of dried herbs created by my gardening friend and roasted 20 minutes at 425 degrees. The carrots and mushrooms were sauteed with olive oil and garlic.

Then I assembled the ingredients with the cooked pasta: pasta, veggies, cheese, sauce. Two layers covered with aluminum foil and baked for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Yum!

Leave your favorite recipe in the comments below!

Tom Wolfe Was Right…in a Way

caseydawes — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:55:48 +0000

About 20 years ago I became involved in a nascent organization called IDUG (International DB2 Users Group). It was an exciting time, the organization was in a growth phase, and we were building something that was useful to others. Somewhere along the way they elected me President. It was an honor to be the first female to hold the title.

The work with IDUG led to some great opportunities to work with major firms building and improving their database systems. Yes, I was in geek heaven. I also was lucky enough to build global friendships, many of which exist to this day. Five years ago, when I left IBM to start my own business, I figured that my geek days were behind me.

Well, they were and they weren’t. For many of my business clients, I serve as someone who can “speak geek,” and help them communicate with technical people they may have on their staff. Because the organizational leadership, as well as many of the management and project leadership jobs I held in Corporate America, I can help small businesses make the leap from start-up to well-run company.

Who I am today builds on all the jobs I’ve held, the people I’ve met and the teams I’ve been involved in. This week I came back to the IDUG conference in Tampa to network and see old friends. I still understand most of the technology, at least at a conceptual level.

But it’s not the same. I’ve changed and so have they. The balancing act is to stay true to who I’ve become, and enjoy the remembrances of the past without regressing to who I was. That serves no one. Tom Wolfe said, “You can’t go home again.” IDUG was home for many years and it’s still a place I love.

But it’s not home anymore.

And, I think it’s something that we all as women leaders need to recognize. We build ourselves and our lives over time and no matter how much people (or parents) want to put us back in the box, we no longer fit. It can feel a little sad, there is a loss. But there’s also a great energy and truth in going forward and becoming the woman you were meant to be.

A Woman Business Owner in Process

caseydawes — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:05:00 +0000

I have been remiss in posting to the women-owned business community because life has happened. We all know how that feels–there’s not enough hours in the day to handle the emotions and tasks of running a business and the emotions and tasks of running a life. It’s when surrendering is most important. In our fast-paced, unforgiving world, sometimes it’s difficult to allow ourselves the permission to be a little less than perfect. During the week I attended the memorial service for Stuart Fitch, an assisting minister at my church. A giving soul in life, his memorial service was a parting offering to friends, family and all who had been blessed by his presence.

As person after person shared, I was struck by the wisdom that Stu had left behind. One of the stories was of Stu participating in a circle to discuss something or other. The significant fact was how this then 70-something man introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Stu. I’m a man in process.”

In process. What a gift.

What if we could all allow ourselves to be “in process” in whatever area of our lives we don’t feel perfect handling? It could be our business, our relationships, our health, or things totally beyond our control, like war, climate change and the insanity in Washington. What if our business was a business in process? How would our lives change with that thought.

And…if we are “in process,” can we give others the same room to be “in process” rather than demanding perfection?

Hi. I’m Casey. I’m a woman business owner in process. Who are you?

Yoga, Cats and Women Entrepreneurs

caseydawes — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:33:07 +0000

Women run their businesses while handling the rest of their lives. It’s often a disjointed way to run a business, but it’s what we have. My morning’s yoga practice was a perfect allegory.

If you have cats, you know there’s a remarkable phenomenon that happens with a cat and a closed door. If the cat is outside, “Cat wants in.” If the cat is inside, “Cat wants out.”

Like many American women entrepreneurs, I squeeze my exercise in when I can — yoga in the early morning. It’s my time, calm and peaceful stretching, more challenging triangle pose and the head rush of downward facing dog. I’ve become particularly adept at squeezing door opening in as I change postures during standing poses. It becomes a little more difficult as I move to the floor. Avoiding squashing a cat during bridge poses, being head-butted during cobra and trying to avoid kitty-butt during twists are all part of the morning routine. Some day I figure out how to open a sliding door with my foot during downward facing dog (perhaps to be renamed downward facing kitty?), but I haven’t quite accomplished that.

This is how women run businesses. They create grocery lists during really boring meetings, make appointments when they could be taking a break and squeeze in drive-by doctor’s visits. If there is a spousal unit or children, the interruptions multiply. And if there are pets, well, you know.

The point is, we need to flow with it. Too often we beat ourselves up because we aren’t always focused. Or we stress because we feel life shouldn’t be this way. Or we don’t allow time and space in our day for things to go wrong — things over which we have no control. As women, we know that life doesn’t come in pretty little boxes (maybe that’s why we like them so much). So let’s acknowledge our lives as they are, particularly with each other.

Excuse me, I have to go let a cat out.