#FearlessMom Campaign

Maimah Karmo, a Liberian refugee and young mother of a toddler, was 32 when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. She was also engaged at the time, and her fiancé left her right before the wedding. Maimah's world turned upside-down, but instead of letting her disease beat her, Maimah turned her plight into action.

Maimah is the founder of the Tigerlily Foundation, an organization that educates, empowers and advocates for young women affected by breast cancer. The idea was born after her second chemotherapy treatment, and when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to tell her story, Oprah's advice was clear. "Write a book," Oprah instructed.

So Maimah did. Fearless: Awakening to My Life's Purpose Through Breast Cancer (Brown Books, October 2012) is about "my transformation," says Maimah, "and how I learned that a challenge can be a gift."

Fearless is a stunning account of Maimah's upbringing in Liberia—which was uprooted when she was 16 years old, and her family was forced to flee to the US—to living the American Dream, watching it all fall apart with a breast cancer diagnosis, and ultimately, bouncing back. Today, Maimah has single-handedly changed the world of breast cancer diagnosis and recovery, and her work has been celebrated everywhere from Redbook Magazine to ­­­­Good Morning America.

"I am dedicated to changing the breast cancer landscape and creating a legacy of a world free of breast cancer," says Maimah.

In 2009, L'Oreal's Paris Woman of Worth chose Maimah as the recipient of their Award, and the Congressional Black Caucus Leadership in Advocacy awarded Maimah in 2011. She and the Tigerlily Foundation have been profiled in numerous national outlets: O, the Oprah Magazine, Essence, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Redbook. She has also appeared on national television media, including The Oprah Winfrey Show,Good Morning America, FOX, ABC News, and CBS.

 "The morning my life changed, I made a vow to live as loudly as possible. I would jump into the things that made me afraid; I would risk everything to feel, to live and to love. Most of all, I would be fully present in life and give of myself so that others may have the incredible joy I feel every day of my life," says Maimah.

How can you participate in the campaign for Fearless Moms?

Is there a mom in your life who is absolutely FEARLESS? Has she overcome odds that were overwhelmingly against her? Does she constantly take-on life’s curve balls with poise and positivity?  Above all, is she an overwhelming source of love, encouragement and inspiration? We’re on a mission to honor these leading ladies in our lives and need your help!

• Think of a Fearless Mom in your life and feature her on your blog. Share the post with Maimah Karmo on Twitter (@MaimahKarmo) with the hashtag, #FearlessMom and on Maimah’s Facebook page. 

• Send the link to your blog post featuring your selection for a Fearless Mom to Claire@prbythebook.com by December 31^st, 2012.

Five nominees will be selected to attend Maimah’s Fearless Female Conference next year. They will also receive Maimah’s book, Fearless: Awakening to My Purpose Through Breast Cancer.

about the author:

MAIMAH KARMO was born in Monrovia, Liberia, and lived there until fleeing to the United States with her family in 1989. She lived in New Jersey before moving to Virginia, where she currently resides with her daughter. Learn more at www.tigerlilyfoundation.com

Instant Gratification | Short-Term Gain

My social life is non-existent. Unless you count Friday nights when Baby Daddy drags me out to eat. Getting me to step foot outside of Headquarters is a struggle, but I don't put up much of a fight when it comes to food. 

People on the outside looking in send their condolences. They interpret my focus and self-discipline to mean I'm missing out. Deprived of fun. That couldn't be further from the truth. 

One thing I've learned along my journey is that you truly get out of life what you put into it. How you spend your time now will determine how your time will be spent later. 

image: ann par

Put in work on the front end. 

A short-term sacrifice in exchange for long-term payoffs. 

Selling Your Soul For Facebook Fans

Kita over at KoKoa Magazine cracked the case on all of those Facebook pages with thousands upon thousands of 'Likes'. She tweeted about it recently, saying some brands are buying their thumb-ups. 

She and I both agreed we weren't going out like that. I tweeted back saying I'll continue to grow my fashion blog page just like I've been doing - one click at a time. 

While I won't rule out purchasing FB ads in the future, you don't ever have to worry about me forking over my hard earned money for other fraudulent questionable social media marketing shenanigans. 

The conversation got me to thinking though. Like, how up until last week, I hadn't hit the 50 fan milestone yet. I was holding steady at 45 for quite some time. The biggest reason my page isn't growing is due to my lack of self-promotion. I publish content and engage, but that's about it. 

Last Sunday I got a new hairdo and shared a pic on my FB page. The photo was accompanied by this simple two word status update: "what'cha think?!" 

Within minutes thumbs starting flying left and right. When it was all said and done, 20% of my fans had weighed in by liking the update and the post was seen by 84 people. I then shared the post on my personal page and had three friends like discount thief. 

The small amount of effort I put into that update took me from 45 to 54 likes. An increase of 20%. 

A social media expert is going to read this and want to give me all kinds of tips and advice on being more strategic. It's not that serious right now. Will it take longer to hit the next milestone? Probably so. But that's ok.

The bottom line is that I already know what to do. I just need to do more of it. More often. 

VIDEO: Bloggy Boot Camp 2012

If you landed here and you're a blogger or you know a blogger - watching this video is a must. 

If you're a blogger searching for a blogging conference to attend - you're in luck. 

If you can't see the video CLICK HERE.

You still have time to get your ticket for Bloggy Boot Camp 2012: Brand Edition.

Got questions? Blast em below in the comments.

Wanna share your blogging conference experience?! Go ahead...in the comments below.

And if you know how to keep me from having these intoxicating looking YouTube thumbnails - please do tell!

How To Save Money When Going to a Conference

I'm headed to my first ever blogging conference in a couple of weeks. A larger conference like BlogHer is on my list to attend, but I wanted to ease into it by going to a smaller, more intimate one first. 

I can't actually remember the last time I've gone to a conference as an attendee. I'm usually speaking and the experience is totally different. Most times you don't have the opportunity to participate in other sessions because you're too busy working. And yes - it is work. 

Bloggy Boot Camp is touching down in Dallas, TX, the weekend of September 14th. I bought my ticket in March and booked my hotel room this weekend - which prompted me to write this post.

If you've ever traveled anywhere for any reason, I don't have to tell you how expensive it can be. Especially if you have to fly. When you throw conference tickets into the mix, it can add up quickly. And let's not talk about all the pricey add-on events....VIP parties, awards ceremonies, and the like. 

I got an email this weekend from the #BBCDAL team and it looks like their sponsors are footing the bills for the extra curricular activities. None of the party info was followed by "Buy Your Ticket" links. BAM! This is my kinda gig right here. 

Ok. So now. The reason for this post. 

Conferences always promote the special room rate they've negotiated with the hotel. One that's lower than the regular rate. $119 per night is the going price for Bloggy Boot Campers. Not wanting to pay that price, I attempted to get hotel sponsorship but couldn't. 

I have a client who works at DoubleTree by Hilton. I sent her an email asking if there were any promotions going on. No...I didn't ask for a hook-up. That's just tacky. 

Anyway, she hopped online and found a super low guaranteed rate of $89/night. When I got ready to book my room this weekend, there was even lower rate being offered. A $79 advance purchase rate. I must've typed about 95 miles per hour trying to get my info entered in! 

That's an $80 savings off of the conference room rate. 

Moral of the Story: Always do your research. It really does pay off in the long run. 

I'll be sharing more about the conference in the coming weeks so stay tuned. I'm really excited to be going. 

Do you have any advice you'd like to share to ensure I get the most out of it?