Passions, Part 1: Skydiving

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skydiver.jpegThis new series of articles, called “Passions,” is not a cheesy soap opera on day-time television. Rather, it explores what young successful professional women do when they are not working, and sheds some light on the hobbies and interests that they are passionate about.

Think that only a crazy person would jump out of an airplane at 13,500 feet and free fall towards the ground before your parachute opens? Well it might be a little crazy, but its also incredibly fun, at least according to the skydivers I talked to.

I have always been curious about skydiving, as I’m a pretty adventurous person and it seems like the last frontier in extreme sports. I’ve tried bungee jumping, hang gliding and parasailing, but something about skydiving whispers in my ear, “that stuff is all for wimps! Try jumping out of a plane!” I have tried to sign up for skydiving lessons in various countries and at different times in my life, but somehow, it hasn’t happened yet.

Then, I had dinner with my friend Joanna, who had just been skydiving the week before. She has been twice, and completely loved the experience. “It’s the rush of a lifetime,” she said excitedly. “It’s the closest you will ever get to flying.” She describes the experience of jumping out of a plane as both terrifying and incredible, and says that she would go back tomorrow if she didn’t have to go to work.

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A Lesson from the New York Marathon…

radbabyap0411_468×743.jpgHooray for Paula Radcliffe! “I definitely feel stronger after my pregnancy,” the champion marathon runner said, after she sprinted to victory in the final stages of last Sunday’s gruelling 26.2 mile race.

Paula’s fought her way back from bitter failure (Athens Olympics 2004, when stomach problems felled her) and injury (spinal stress fractures and a foot injury in 2006), and she only gave birth to her daughter Isla in January of this year. “I never thought having a baby would be the end of my career,” she grinned as she cuddled Isla after the finish line. She’s a world-beater and a woman of inspiration.

I didn’t think that running a marathon after raising four children would be the re-start of my career, either. However, I ran the New York Marathon in 2000 – in rather more than double Paula’s time of 2:23:09. I ran the race to prove to myself that you aren’t washed up past your mid-thirties, and the law of unintended consequences meant that apart from developing some calf muscles that a body builder would envy, I unexpectedly fell into a new career.

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Best Shoes for Work: High Heels Category

In this second installment of The Glass Hammer “Best Of … Series,” we build on our popular piece about the Best Work Flats to bring you an advanced segment: the Best Work High Heels. This category is substantially trickier than flats, because flats are (almost) always comfy, while heels rarely are. Thus, these three styles are winners because they rate high in both the style and comfort categories.

Here, we feature basic black, as that’s the most useful color for a pump, but the styles here come in a range of colors and textures.

  1. The Carma Pump – Cole Haan – $275

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This Cole Haan shoe is designed with Nike Air technology, including hidden air pockets in the soles and special cushioning in the heels. While you probably couldn’t play a decent game of basketball in them, they certainly hold up to a full day running around the office. These shoes have the added benefit of coming in low, medium and high heels, so you can adjust to your comfort level. This shoe also comes in black, brown, navy, taupe and patent. We also like the sexier, sleeker cousin to the Carma, this season’s Fiona, which gets a slightly higher style and slightly lower comfort rating.

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Intrepid Women Series, Part 2: Trapeze School

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How many times has this happened? You’ve had a super-stressful day at work: phones ringing off the hook, boss yelling in your face, long on hours and short on appreciation. You lean back, close your eyes for a minute. You picture yourself letting go and flying through the air, weightless and unburdened. Soaring like a bird, looking down on your office building, which suddenly looks tiny. After a few deep breaths, you are refreshed, ready to finish up that report in time to have it in your boss’s inbox by 8:00 am.

While its possible that you are a bit less mental than me, and don’t often engage in this fantasy as frequently or at work, every girl has dreamed of flying at least once. So, you can imagine my childlike glee when I learned that I could fulfill my lifelong dream by enrolling in a lesson at New York’s Trapeze School. Along the West Side Highway in downtown Manhattan’s Hudson River Park, the trapeze school operates outdoors in the summer and under a big-top tent when it gets colder.

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Spotlight on People: Pat David, Citi Markets & Banking

This piece is the first in the Spotlight on People series, in which the editors of The Glass Hammer ask high-ranking women in business to share their secrets to success.

We first interviewed Pat David, MD and Head of Diversity for Citi Markets & Banking, about her experiences in banking and her advice on mentoring, balancing your work and your life, and getting ahead. Pat had the following wise words about mentoring to offer young women beginning a career in finance:

  • Take ownership of your career
  • Be a mentor to others – formal or informal
  • Build strong relationships with senior management and other people of influence – create your own ‘board of directors’.

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The Best Work Shoes – Flats Category

The best work shoe is a topic often discussed with reverence among circles of professional women. All of my friends are on an almost messianic quest to find the work shoe that is comfortable yet stylish, affordable yet durable.

Though these choices are hotly contested, the following are the top three contenders for Best Work Shoe in the World in the Flats category:

  1. french-sole.bmpFrench Soles, Helium Flat. Standing the test of time, French Soles are the original ballerina flat, and have been around in relatively the same form since 1978. Extremely comfortable, with a cushioned sole, the sides come up higher than your normal flat. This may provide additional support, or prove irritating to the ankle bone, depending on the shape of your foot. These shoes come in a virtually unlimited array of styles and colors, but we love the Helium model, with its Chanel look-alike quilting and adorable bow. This model comes in black, bronze, silver, gold, and brown, and is available in leather, suede and patent. Prices start from $225.

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Intrepid Women: A Power Lunch at Peter Luger’s

steak.jpgThe Intrepid Woman Explorer series is designed to bring our readers a close-up and personal view of some activities and elements of business culture that have been historically male-dominated.

So I thought, what better way to kick off the series than a review of my recent dining experience at Peter Luger’s, the legendary Brooklyn steakhouse that has defined the experience of power lunches and expense account dinners in New York for over 120 years.

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Need a break? How about an Ayurvedic Retreat?

Contributed by Jessica Titlebaum

Last year around this time, I was in bad shape and desperately needed a nice long break from work. My feet were killing me from wearing heels for the past two years. Most nights, I was snoring in the my cubicle loud enough for my boss to tap me on the shoulder and tell me to go home. I was exhausted, work was overwhelming and my vacation time was calling my name…

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Consumable communication

Three times in the last week, I have had the same déjà vu-inducing experience. First, when I was helping a client prepare a high-tech conference speech, second, when writing an article about dark pools of liquidity in the European equity trading landscape (welcome to my world), and finally, while listening to a friend bemoan her ineffective interdepartmental meetings. My friend perfectly summed up the common thread in these experiences: “How are we supposed get anything done if we can’t understand a word anyone says?”

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What’s Your Personal Brand Equity?

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In the world of marketing, where the main currency is brand recognition and reputation, companies strive to build their brand equity, meaning the value that clients and prospects perceive in a brand.

But the concept of brand equity applies to individuals, not just companies and products. Just like Volvos are perceived as reliable and Rolexes are perceived as luxurious, people cultivate certain traits as they navigate office relationships and seek to advance their careers. These labels affect the perception of your value as an employee and define your personal brand equity.

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