Celebrating International Women's Day

Today is International Women’s Day and 2022's theme is Break the Bias. From the International Women’s Day website let’s:

Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

I have met some remarkable women over the years, especially when it comes to my blog interviews. Today I wanted to highlight some of them because in my eyes they are shining a light and making an impact on people and in the community. Most of these women are people who I’ve worked with, some are friends, and I’ve seen first hand the work they are doing and the positive influence they’ve had in my life.

Kristen Cronyn from Meet and Eat Charcuterie - Kristen is all about community and collaboration. She’s always there to connect with other businesses and celebrate others through her work and I admire that about her. It’s not about competition but about building each other up and being each others cheerleader.

Amanda, Colleen and Rachel from Revolution Buffalo - These women have always been about creating a positive community through their studio since the day they opened their doors. A place where everyone is welcomed and seen equal and I admire the positive atmosphere they continue to create and the work they do to give back to their community.

Kate from Hope Rises - In a world where there is so much negativity, Kate finds the good and shares those stories that offer hope. That is one thing we all need a little more of right now.

Catie, Sarah and Zhi from Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy - These three women are creative, kind and care about the community they live in and they show that through the work they do for our Buffalo Parks. In my opinion without this amazing development team our Buffalo Parks would be as enjoyable to park users. They help raise the funds needed to keep the parks clean and safe throughout the year.

Melissa from Winkler + Samuels - Not only can she recommend a great bottle of red (or white) she offers fun classes for customers to learn more about the wine they drink, the region its from and the local winemakers that make it. Some of her classes also benefit local charities which is another win in my book.

Kate and Dusty from WNYMMA - I don’t know much about WNYMMA or these two women but they offer free self-defense classes for women on Sunday’s at 11am (I took a class a couple weeks back). This community is strong and kind and I love that there is a business in WNY that takes pride in wanting to help teach women to defend themselves if they ever needed to.

Jess Kelly - Jess is a native Western New Yorker who travels around the country and shares her experiences on her social platforms and with national publications. Not only is Jess a caring and kind human, she reminds me to live life in the moment and to enjoy the world, to take risks and have some fun.

Carrie from Rusterior and Buffalo Boss Babes - Carrie is not only a local business owner but she created Buffalo Boss Babes, a women run blog and social media feed that features talented women in the WNY community. She hosts fun, laid-back networking events that are meant to empower creative women who are helping to build Buffalo.

Dionne from UPward Design for Life - she founded this organization to “restore hope by transforming empty spaces into homes.” By volunteering I have seen the work Dionne does by taking an empty space and turning it into a home and changing peoples lives for the better. If I had an ounce of her talents and energy I would be a better person. We can all learn something from Dionne through her hard work, passion and drive, it motivates me to not give up on my dreams.

Mandy from Big Big Table - I haven’t met Mandy but she is the founder and chef of this new community café where everyone can enjoy a good meal and not have to worry if they can afford it or not. The idea is all are welcome, everybody gives and everyone matters.


The Year of 2020

Each year, like many, I take time to reflect on this past year and re-set my intentions for the upcoming year. As we all have said at one point, 2020 has been nothing like we have ever experienced. Not only has the pandemic impacted all of our lives in some way, we all have our daily life experiences (good and bad) to add on to this.

a day trip to Ellicottville in February. This photo was taken outside of West Rose. Highly recommend you visiting.

a day trip to Ellicottville in February. This photo was taken outside of West Rose. Highly recommend you visiting.

For me, this year started off with a kick in the gut when we learned that my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. As my family and I wrapped our heads around this, we entered this pandemic world in the U.S. in March, and since then there have been highs and lows.

At the end of March I started a new job with Shea’s Performing Arts Center, while it’s definitely been a crazy, yet fun onboarding experience and first year, I am so thankful to be a part of the Shea’s family. In April, we lost my grandmother which I still don’t think I’ve fully come to grasp with. Then in June, I was furloughed, but I looked at that time, as time to spend with my family, to learn what is really important in my life and what isn’t worth holding onto. In July, we celebrated my Mom finishing her chemo treatment and moving in the right direction. In August, I was lucky to go back to work.

As we entered the Fall I continued that theme of family and spending as much time with them and exploring the outdoors by going on as many hikes in WNY and the surrounding areas as I could. In November my brother and I moved into a new home. And during all of the family and daily life stuff, even in a socially distant world, I was able to support local businesses, volunteer more of my time, meet some cool WNYer’s, seek out new places, build my relationships with others and re-visit places I haven’t been to in a while.

There were many special moments throughout this year but here are some of the ones that stood out the most for me. Visiting Shuck Shack on Ohio Street, Spring Lake Winery, Stony Brook State Park, touring Seneca One Buffalo, meeting and working with Kristen from Meet + Eat Charcuterie, visiting the beautiful Hartrich Chateau in Corfu and taking a mini day trip to Presque Isle State Park in PA.

Did I put my blogging life off during this past year? Maybe a little, and while I look at other local influencers there are times when it’s hard for me not to think what am I doing wrong? am I relevant? do people even care or read what I share? But I continue to tell myself to follow my own journey and share my experiences I chose to share because it’s a hobby for me and I want my site to be used as a resource to inform others in the community and beyond about the cool places and people WNY have to offer.

A few weeks ago during a meeting someone asked what is one word I would use to describe this past year, my word was Hope. I chose Hope because even during all of the uncertain, bad, difficult, sad, stressful and anxious times I still have hope that things will be better. Maybe that hope comes from the faith I have that everything will always work out even if it’s not to your timing, maybe I’m naïve, I’m not sure, but that is something that has gotten me thru some of the lows.

As I close out this last blog post for the year, and as we approach 2021 I’m looking forward to continuing to shift my energy to what really matters to me and what truly makes me happy. It’s a constant journey to continue to better yourself.

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We are all on this planet for a reason, we each have a purpose. I’d like to think this past year was an opportunity for us to all have a good re-set in our lives. It gave us time to evaluate what fills us with love and happiness and to let go and rid ourselves of what is holding us down and what doesn’t matter.

As always thanks for being a part of this journey with me.

Cheers to a healthy + happy 2021

-B