Her favorite color is green. She loves anything curry or spicy, and daydreams about her travels to Hong Kong. They are the tiny details you won’t get anywhere else mostly because of who she is. At first glance you may or my not recognize her but attach the name to her picture perfect portrait and she is a spitting image of her mother. Need another nudge? The internationally renowned pianist is the daughter of former Utah Governor and one time Republican Presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman. Mary Anne, who goes by the nickname Mame for those who know her well has managed to redefine the illustrious Huntsman name for herself. But how? The 30 year-old opens up to HER Magazine about who she is without all the political strings, the challenges she’s faced as a young woman and candidly discusses a self-destructive emotion many women feel: jealousy.

What is it like to be the daughter of political heavyweight? How has that shaped your world and influenced the woman you’ve become today?

“Going to bed at night, my parents always asked me what I did that day to make someone else’s life a little better. That has shaped me more than anything in realizing that there’s no greater joy than trying to lift another up. That far surpasses anything else we do in life.”

How have you redefined the illustrious Huntsman name for yourself?

“I’ve always strived to be my own person. Growing up as the oldest Child probably put a greater responsibility in having to live up to the family name. I decided at an early age that I wanted to be a musician which was a different path than anyone else in my family. I’ve tried to bridge the different elements of my family around music and culture and be a catalyst for the many things my family has stood for.”

You’re a pianist and have performed in countries like France and China. What got you passionate about music?

“I knew at the age of 5 that I wanted to be a concert pianist. I would sit in my room listening to Concertos dreaming of soloing with major Orchestras someday. My parents said they walked in on me with tears down my face listening to Chopin’s piano Concerto No.2. I guess I would say i’ve been passionate about music my entire life.”

What are some challenges you’ve faced as a woman? And what changes do you think need to be made to help empower women in today’s world.

“Growing up as a pianist, I was always compared to the boys who had much more power in their hands than I did. I felt insecure for years and never thought I would match up as a woman. I have since gained the confidence to rise above it and not compare myself and to just do my best. No matter what profession a woman chooses, the most important thing is her confidence and belief in herself.”

More and more females want to make their mark. How can women help each other climb the ladder of success together?

“The most self destructive emotion one can feel is jealousy. What we can do as women to help each other become successful is to not compare ourselves to the next person but to strive to be our best self. The important thing is to find you.”

What would you say to young women who have big dreams but are too scared to just go for it? What helped you get past some of your fears? And did you have any?

“My dream as a young girl was to solo with a major Orchestra. I lost so many competitions in a row that I just wanted to give up piano. Something in my heart said no and kept me going. There were many quiet tears feeling I would never achieve my dream. After years of putting in hours a day into the piano, I had pretty much given up. One night in DC while performing at an Embassy, a major Conductor from Europe was listening. He then came up to me after and invited me to solo with his Orchestra. That was the beginning of a career I never thought would happen today. The most important thing is to never give up on a dream. Some of us are late bloomers:) Women should dream big and take away the fear factor and that’s your answer as to what you should be doing.”

The post Huntsman, no political strings attached appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

“Every single day I hated my body and hated my stomach,” says Valdez.

Although she loves her three children, Sheree could not bear to look at the stretch marks and weight they left behind.

“I am a mother who carried three babies in my belly. I was given the gift of being a mother and I got to feel babies move inside me and grow. That is one amazing thing to do. Through fitness I have overcome a lot of my body issues and realize I am working towards becoming the best I can,” she says.

Making the decision to change wasn’t easy but through her inner strength and perseverance, she pushed through the grueling first week, and little by little she began to notice a shift in her body. It was enough to keep her going – and it caught the attention of the people around her.

“I loved feeling happy with my body and how much energy I have.”

As her road to a healthy body continued, she began to rave about how much lifting weights in the gym had shaped her body and now her life. The encouragement from friends and family led her to another new found passion – Fitness Coaching.

“Once I started coaching, people loved my help and keeping them accountable helped me push harder towards my own goals. It also set a good example for my children.”

After 6 years of coaching and motivating others, Sheree offers a few words of wisdom to women who feel self doubt like she did.

“I would say don’t compare yourself because we once were where you are. Don’t look at women’s physiques and think I wish I had that body. Why can’t I look like that? Comparing yourself only brings you down. Find something you need to do to get where you want to be and do it. Everyone faces their own struggles and has different strengths. We aren’t the same for a reason. Just focus on creating the best you that you can be and find happiness within that person.”

Sheree’s new found confidence inspired her to step up on stage at the NPC National Physique Competition where she was awarded a Pro Card. She admits it’s been a tough journey, but says it’s helped her become who she is today.

“This journey has shaped me because it adds discipline to my life. It’s just a great feeling to know what you have achieved stepping on stage regardless of your flaws. Being on stage is a great way to show your hard work and dedication.”

The post The Journey Only You Can Make appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

“Quitting my job to follow my passion was like jumping off the cliff. It was probably the biggest risk I ever took in my life,” says Mahate. 

Should she stay at her successful job which provided a steady paycheck or pursue her love of cooking? It’s a tough decision for any beginning entrepreneur.  Read the rest of her story in HER Magazine which can be found in iTunes.

Starting a new adventure in a distant and unfamiliar land, away from the comforts of her culture, Lavanya set out to make her mark in business – led mostly by her adoration for cuisine and faith that her big idea would someday pay off.

“Women tend to be great networkers, have inherent skills for negotiating, and the ability to multi-task. Women are often good at delegating and budgeting. With the ability to bring so much to the table, women definitely need to have a more coveted place in business,” she says.

Before becoming a woman in business, Lavanya was the Director of the Women’s Business Center at the Salt Lake Chamber in Utah – teaching others how to turn their big idea into big business. Undeniably, she was a successful career woman but she felt that tiny whisper – a call to do more, and discovered her curiosity about Indian cuisine was seared into her memory from childhood. 

“Coming from a family of great cooks, I always found food fascinating. I would learn and prepare a number of sweet dishes like semolina pudding and milk fudge.”

She decided to infuse a concept that combined culture and modern fast-food dining.  She opened her first ‘Indian Street Food’ restaurant in 2011. Instead of a sit down meal, customers are given the option to eat delectable Indian food on the go. 

“The atmosphere is fast, casual with an emphasis on fresh, healthy and flavorful Indian. It is a restaurant where anybody can walk up to the counter and order something simple from the menu board.”

With two successful restaurants on her business resume, Lavanya has some notable advice for the early entrepreneur. While her mantra is ‘love what you do, do what you love’ – she says women face more challenges then men as they navigate the business world.

• Gender Discrimination and Stereotyping: There’s nothing that bothers me more than someone telling me that since I’m a woman, I cannot stand on my feet for a very long time or I can’t carry a heavy load.
• Dual Career-Family Pressures: In the restaurant field, long hours and weekend events make it hard to balance both work and home with young children.
• Lack of Equal Opportunities: Men are taken more seriously in scaling their businesses up and given more opportunities and financial support to grow their businesses than women are.

Women definitely need to have a more coveted place in business and that’s a goal that we all have to collectively work towards by supporting one another.

Her tokens of wisdom in business and life are priceless. She says while women are in the pursuit of achieving more than ever before, they are forgetting about the most important person: themselves.

“I’m someone who places equal importance on work and personal happiness. In my opinion, no one can do it all. Whether it’s a man or a woman, you’re either focusing a majority of your time, energy and resources either at home or in work. So, no one can do it all. In my opinion, that’s OK. Some days I have greater satisfaction at work and other days I would have accomplished more at home. Both are equally important.”

The post Pursuing Her American Dream appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

“Nicoise is known for its delectable ingredients, like anchovies. We think it’s something everyone should try at least once in their lives.”

How did Jessica Kinni and Rebecca Raskind embark on the unusual journey of finding the best Nicoise in Beverly Hills?

“We were surprised after we ate an unsavory dish at a prestigious restaurant. Our bad experience got us excited about documenting our fun journey to finding the ULTIMATE salad nicoise in LA. It began with passion and is now becoming a popular blog on Instagram.”

A History Lesson on La Nicoise

Nicoise is French. The salad originated in Nice, nestled just 15 miles away from the Italian border. Claims on where and how nicoise was born is up for debate but the story began in 1533 with a French woman. Catherine de’ Medici married the man who would one day become the king of France, Henry II. Rumor has it that Catherine was ‘afraid’ she would waste away with French cooking.

Legend has it that she imported a brigade of Italian cooks and her pastry chef to create a new kind of French cuisine.

No one really knows how much truth there is to the story, but the fantasy certainly is a fun way to think about how the savory dish which includes green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, olives, tuna and onions – was created.

Nicoise’s claim to fame is Anchovies.

“We would love to end up in Nice one day enjoying the perfect Nicoise on the Cote D’Azur.”

While working hard on their dreams, the boss women are delighting in their adventures in Los Angeles.

“We won’t know if we’ve found the best Nicoise Salad until we try them all.”

The Hollywood ladies have embarked on something they are passionate which is how most businesses begin. An idea. A inspiration. A passion desired to be shared with the world. With so many people day dreaming about someday doing ‘this’ or ‘that’, Jessica and Rebecca have some words of wisdom to encourage women who have a great idea but just don’t know how to take the next step.

“Our advice is, just start. Start simple, and do something for your passion project every day even if it’s something small. We made a plan for what we wanted to do and started small with our Instagram account. We wanted to test it out in a simple format without incurring much of an expense.”

Every day they dedicate concentrated time to their passionate project. They say that makes all the difference in building their business.

“We make sure to do something for Ooh La Nicoise every day and dedicate any weekend we both have available to shooting. Also, we made sure to create something that was positive and we could be proud of.”

The post Turning Passion into a Popular Blog: how two L.A. Women are doing it appeared first on HER Magazine ™.