Hello Actionists®!

It’s Monday and the first new day of month – and you know what that means….it can be a TRIGGER for anybody who is used to a diet mentality. I don’t know why, but for some reason diets always seem to start on Monday’s.

One of the most common resolutions when we start a new year is to improve one’s health. And most of the time that improvement takes the form of a diet. But what if we all began to dig a little bit deeper to expand our definition of health. What if we looked at weight loss not as a quick fix result but rather a concentrated effort over time. Would we all be healthier? Happier? Making less Monday morning resolutions to diet? I think so. And not only would this attitude shift make us happier – it could make our kids healthier. Check out our friend Dr. Divya Kakaiya who wrote a great article for CNN.com about how promising not to diet may actually have a great impact on your child’s self-esteem.

G.E.M.S & Jewels Empowerment Group. This organization truly embodies the qualities of Actionists® and we were proud to support (by donating books) to their annual Kickoff 2010 Celebration/Meet and Greet.

From co-founder Kara Norman: “This event launched our 2010 season and our theme is “Be the change you wish to see in the world” a popular quote by Mahatma Ghandi. Founder Adriane Simmons and I want to inspire our girls to be the leaders of tomorrow and to make a difference in their world! We want our girls to learn how to take the steps to put their passion to action. We are also focusing on introducing social change to our members and we are partnering with Girls For A Change to be the 1st Girl Action team in the Georgia area. I feel that by working with girls in our group and empowering them in many areas, we are tackling the root cause of low self esteem – of which I personally suffered from as a young teen girl.

During our event we also had a special ‘girl power guest’ – the 13 year old co-founder of sunkissedgirlz.com and online community for African-American girls. Alana Jones and her mom created this organization to help increase the self-esteem of African-American girls as a lot of images that Alana and her mom found in the popular teen magazines didn’t look like her. They decided to ‘be the change’!”  

To continue reading about more change-makers make sure to sign up for our Actionist® Newsletter – you’ll automatically be enrolled in the Actionist® Network – a global online community dedicated to helping themselves and others by taking action.

Although the event is sold out, we promise to share highlights (including photos and videos) with you of Jess giving her signature keynote: “How to become an Actionist®” to over 1500 Girl Scouts and their parents at the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Believe in Girls Expo!

Make sure you are sign up with our Twitter for highlights. Jessica Lawrence, CEO, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council has put together a great line up of additional guests including Ben Barry (The Ben Barry Agency), Parry Aftab (Leader Expert in Cybercrime) and Lorrie Thomas (CEO, Web Marketing Therapy). Jess will also be selling and signing her two best-selling books “A Very Hungry Girl” and “Life Doesn’t Begin Five Pounds from Now”.  If you’re an Actionist® planning to attend the event – please make sure to come up and say hello!

Team Jess wants to hear from you! Share your favorite Actionist® with us – an author, blogger, musician or artist…An Actionist® is someone who takes action in their everyday life. You don’t have to be a political leader like Gandhi to be an Actionist®. Just by taking small steps toward change in your life you can impact the world around you. Actionists® are people who don’t settle for status quo, who challenge cultural stereotypes, and who take risks to follow their passion. Basically, you are an Actionist®! We look forward to hearing from you and moving into the New Year with such a vibrant Actionist® community! Happy 2010!

Is it any wonder why every parent thinks their baby is the cutest? Not to Stephanie Hanna and her company, Brag About Baby. They believe everyone has the right to look at their child with stars in their eyes and love in their hearts and we agree!

Stephanie Hanna is the creator and owner of Brag About Baby. In searching for gifts for her friends, she was always on the hunt for stylish clothes that were comfortable for tots, but still had spunk! It was difficult to find anything other than cutesy patterns in pastels or screen printed outfits that fell apart within the first couple washes. After many restless nights and hours of brainstorming, she set out to create an infant and toddler clothing company which produces baby wear that is both fun, funky and functional. Her love for clothing and fashion has fueled her passion for designing clothing for children. The joy she gets from dressing little ones is her motivation in selling a product that everyone can be proud to give as a gift. Each piece Stephanie individually designs and constructs, using superior materials and high quality embroidery.

For this reason, Stephanie and Jess have teamed up to create two super-cute, confident outfits! We believe that kids should grow up being proud of who they are and after all, self-esteem is always in style!

Check out the adorable outfit collaboration from Brag About Baby and Jess at HERE!!!

You are never too young to show off your self-confidence!

That’s why we’ve partnered with designer Stephanie Hanna and her unique kid’s clothing line “Brag About Baby” to create 2 new outfits to help your little one show the world that self-esteem is always in style!

Purchase the always inspiring Future Actionist® look or just in time for the holidays – try on the Goddess of Gratitude set for only $36 each.

This perfect holiday gift is custom made and available in sizes 0-3 months to 3 years old. You can get it in short or long sleeve, too.

And now you can get one for free!!!!!!

Because you’re a member of our Actionist® Community, you’re getting a special opportunity to win your own custom designed outfit!

All you have to do is send an email to info@jessweiner.com,  and in 50 words or less, tell us why – or who you are grateful for this Thanksgiving. Don’t forget to include: your child’s size, age,  and whether you prefer long or short sleeve.

For more empowering and fun designs, check out Stephanie’s site Brag About Baby.