Woman 2 Woman…fun attitude!

I am learning so much from the women that I’ve been interviewing for my Woman 2 Woman segment. Last night’s story on Trina Cutter, CEO& President of Western Reserve Public Media was no exception. She is a busy woman. Juggling a successful career and family responsibilities and managing to stay positive through it all.

How does she do it? Cutter says you have to have a fun attitude. I love that. Bring a positive attitude to the challenges in your life.  The challenge may stay the same, but your perspective can change if you adjust your attitude.

I’ve provided a video link to Trina Cutter’s story so that you can meet this incredibly positive woman.

http://www.newsnet5.com/video/17825160/index.html

If you know a woman who’s making a positve impact on the community, send me an e-mail at harris@newsnet5.com

Take care,

Danita

A weekend of wonderful women

I had such a great weekend!  The United Conference of Women is a christian women’s organization that invited me to speak at there 33rd annual conference. I was honored to accept their invitation. The cherry on top was the location of the conference. Traverse City, Michigan.  Talk about a beautiful place to visit.

The trees were a myriad of fall colors. Crisp fall temperatures and sunshine was an added bonus to this timely spiritual retreat. I met a lot of women from the Detroit area but there were also some women there from Cleveland and Akron.  It was so refreshing to hear the cheers from the crowd as I approached the podium. There were over six hundred women at the conference and Cleveland had a strong representation.

It was great to meet so many newschannel five viewers who told me they watch the station all the time. Honestly, it helped calm my nerves a bit.  The whole experience left me with a renewed sense of purpose.  Whenever you’re surrounded by hundreds of positive people and you’re discussing spirituality and the power of God’s love, you’re going to walk away feeling better about your life.

The conference was held at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. A beautiful facility equipped with all of the amenities to make a weekend getaway complete. It’s also a great place for a romantic weekend. Couples you should check it out!!!

So, I’m back at work now feeling a new sense of positive energy. I’ve put some of my life issues in perspective and at the end of the day, I know God’s love is always there.  No doubt I will return to the conference next year and take some other women with me.

Now let’s talk about the two guys in my life…Brad and Justin.  Brad(the hubby) let Justin(the dog) sleep in the bed Saturday night. There’s nothing wrong with that except you have to make sure Justin has done his “business” outside first.  Brad must have forgotten that one little detail and Justin had a “liquid mishap” in our bed.  Justin has never done that to me when Brad’s out of town. I wonder why it happened when I was gone.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm.  Brad says he has no comment and thinks Justin is out to make him look bad.  Hmmmmmmmm.

I think it’s time for a family pow-wow!

Take Care,

Danita

ABC’s The View

I have been watching The View for years, but this presidential election has added some “fire” to the Hot Topics!  Joy and Elisabeth’s verbal sparring has turned into a must see event.  Yesterday, they took it to another level in regards to Elisabeth wearing a McCain tee-shirt.  Joy was already salty after Bill O’Reilly’s appearance on the show, so Elisabeth should have prepared herself for another round of “spirited conversation.”

So, today they come out (Whoopi’s back) and profess they’re great admiration for one another(Joy and Elisabeth) and how they never say a terse word to each other after the show.  I think, the show was so heated yesterday that it became the straw that broke the camel’s back.  The Obama/McCain banter seems to strike a chord with the hosts that isn’t seen in other discussions.  I could be wrong, but I think management told the ladies to “make nice” on the show today.   For me, the “love fest” was a bit overbearing and I have to admit unbelievable.

I can’t see Joy and Elisabeth hanging out together. They irritate each other too much.  I don’t think they hate each other, but there “appears” to be a strong disconnect between the two.  No matter how you slice it, it makes for great television.  I think you either love The View or you don’t. There’s no middle ground.  

The four women currently on the show is the best mix I’ve seen in a bit. Whether I agree or disagree with what they say, it’s fun to watch.  Message to management….let the women talk!!!  Don’t try to change them. It’ their “uniqueness” that makes the show interesting.  

Can’t wait to hear what they’ll be talking about tomorrow.  Are you a “View-er”?  Let me know your thoughts.

Take Care,

Danita

A lesson from Mom

Mothers are very wise people. They always seem to know the right things to say at the right moment.  The lessons they teach us as children stick with us an make us better adults. That’s if we adhere to what mom told us.(smile)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Deborah Plummer who heads the office of diversity for the Cleveland Clinic. She said her mother always told her to “be nice” to people and that’s something she uses in her job everyday.  Be nice. Two words. Very simple, yet powerful when put into practice.

We all should try to be nice to others. Especially when we differ in our opinions.  Can you agree to disagree nicely?   Dr. Plummer’s mom knew the importance of teaching that important lesson to her children. 

I want you to hear more about how that lesson helped Dr. Plummer. Click on the link below to hear our conversation as we talked Woman 2 Woman.

http://www.newsnet5.com/video/17763231/index.html

*If there’s a woman that’s making a positive impact in your community, send me an e-mail  harris@newsnet5.com   Maybe we can chat Woman 2 Woman!

Take Care,

Danita

Woman 2 Woman

Hey!

Did you get the chance to see the first segment of my new series Woman 2 Woman. I talked one-on-one with Warrensville Heights mayor Marcia Fudge. She is the favorite to replace the late Stephanie Tubbs Jones as Congresswoman for the 11th District.

Marcia was great to talk to. She’s serious when she’s talking about her role as a public servant and then she’ll flip the script and have you laughing until your stomach hurts. I enjoyed my conversation with her!

If you know of a woman who is making a positive impact in your community, send me an e-mail  harris@newsnet5.com  Maybe we’ll sit down and chat  Woman 2 Woman.

Here’s a link to the video of Mayor Marcia Fudge on Woman 2 Woman

a href=”http://www.newsnet5.com/video/17728219/index.html“>Watch My Interview With Fudge</a>

Take Care

Danita

Question for you

Someone asked me recently my opinion on what makes a good marriage.  I paused for a moment and gave it some thought.  For me, great communication makes a good marriage. Communication means both parties listen to each other.  Listening is something you take in and digest so that you can speak effectively in a situation.

Communication isn’t the only ingredient in a good marriage, but I believe it’s a big part of the recipe.

So all of you married people out there weigh in on this one. What’s the key to a good marriage?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Danita

Here we go Brownies!!!

The fans are pumped for tonight’s game!!! I couldn’t believe they were tailgating at sunrise?! Look, I know the Browns haven’t been playing all that well but tonight I’m staying positive.  My husband is going to the game and he’s been excited all day!

Some of my coworkers are walking around wearing Brown’s jerseys and I’m hoping that all of this positive energy will bring us a win tonight. Either way, I’m still a Browns fan. Hopefully Romeo and the team will put together a great game strategy to beat those Giants.  Superbowl Champs? Who cares!!! We’re going to be the David to their Goliath.

So let’s go Brownies let’s go!!! (Clap, Clap) I’m having flashbacks of my high school cheer leading days!

Go Browns!

Danita

Body…can you hear me?

This morning I headed back to Urban Active Fitness for my personal training session.  It was to assess where my strengths and weaknesses are in my body. Let’s just say I had more weak points than strong ones.  Jason, one of the directors at the gym, did my evaluation and was very kind in his comments. He encouraged me to keep on going. He said they have the tools and the technology to fix me.

The lunges and squats sent my body into another zone. I think it’s called pain!!!  I was such a wuss!!! I was out of breath after two sets. Jason also talked to me about nutrition. Guess what? He told me to KISS CHIPOTLE GOODBYE!!!  No Chipotle?  None. Nada. No more.

So, I am on my way to a healthier me.  As I’m writing this I feel like my legs are in one place and my head is in another.  My head is telling my legs to move, but they’re moving slower than ususal. Body…can you hear me? Body…are you with me?

Hopefully, my body will respond soon. Until then I’ll mourn the loss of Chipotle from my life and embrace a bag of carrots!

Take Care,

Danita

Let’s ZUMBA!!

We did it!!!  Alicia Scicolone is my workout partner and we took our first Zumba class at Urban Active Fitness in Legacy Village. It was fun but it kicked my butt!  You do a lot of great latin dance moves mixed with cardio and a challenging ab workout that I’m still feeling as I write this.

We both have made up our minds to get into a nice pair of jeans by 2009. I would love to drop two dress sizes and lose some of this gut I’ve been carrying around. Our teacher, Lorna, was so encouraging as we tried to master the choreography. Alicia said she felt like “rhythmless nation”. I love to dance but some of those quick steps put me in the “dancing for dummies” category.

Overall, it was a positive experience and we’re looking forward to our next class on Saturday. If you’re looking for something fun to do and you want a good workout at the same time, RUMBA is for you. I must admit I went home and took a little nap, but mentally I felt good because I got up and tried.

Urban Active Fitness is a great facility and has a variety of classes to choose from.  And to all of my single female viewers I must tell you this. They have some HOT guys there to inspire you as you’re sweating on the treadmill. Nothing wrong with a little eye candy!!

Take Care,

Danita

Stereotypes…ugh!

I love going out and meeting people in the community. Public speaking is something that I have come to enjoy very much. But there’s one thing that seems to follow me wherever I go….the stereotype of a news anchor.

Let’s be honest, most people think that news anchors are stuck up, unapproachable, self-indulgent individuals who think they’re better than everybody else.  In some cases this is true, but most of us are not. Nevertheless, as soon as I tell someone my occupation there is an immediate assumption about my personality. How do I know this? People tell me!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ll speak at a church, school, or graduation and someone will come up to me and say, “Wow, you’re so down-to-earth”.  Or “you’re so real” and “I didn’t know you had been through so much”.  One woman, bless her heart, was so honest with me that she literally said she started not to come to the event because I was speaking. She felt as though a news anchor couldn’t say anything to her that she could relate to. Then she apologized to me for judging me after hearing my story of how I overcame low self-esteem and fear.  It was I battle I had to win in order to do what I do today.  She said I inspired her to go for her dreams and to not be afraid of life’s challenges.

Sometimes it’s disheartening when people judge me before they get to know me. They automatically assume that I’m going to behave like a snob just because of my profession. When I ask them why they feel that way, most of them say they’ve had bad experiences with reporters and anchors in the past, so they lump all of us into the same bag.  Although I understand the source of the stereotype, it’s always best to form an opinion on an individual basis.

If you’re reading this, I’m curious to know your thoughts on stereotypes in the media. Drop me a line or two and we can chat about it!

Take Care!

Danita