A few days ago, the fashion and business worlds lost a true innovator that brought lots of joy to women all around the world. Kate Spade, who was known for her fun, carefree, whimsical styles took her own life, showing that things weren’t quite as fun or carefree as they appeared on the outside.

A Kate Spade bag was always known to be the ultimate in class on the outside. But when you looked inside, they had a whimsical pattern or fabric that stood out. All of my large computer bags are Kate Spade – and every time I carry one and someone sees the inside, they always comment on the cute prints and patterns! They were just so fun!

She didn’t put big labels on her stuff. She didn’t need to. You could often spot a Kate Spade bag in moments just by the look.

Kate Spade actually sold her company (and the rights to her name/brand) a number of years ago. In 2017, Coach acquired Kate Spade and Company. In 2016, Ms. Spade had launched a new company and now was designing under a new name, Frances Valentine. Her legacy will live on through Kate Spade and Coach for years to come.

The Turning Lemons Into Lemonade Podcast was created to show women entrepreneurs some of the struggles that their peers have experienced. In the day of Instagram “highlight reels”, it is meant to bring some reality and honesty back to our business conversations.

So, although I had a 001 episode recorded for a couple of months and was still compiling episodes, I felt convicted to use this time to comment on the elephant in the room.

Things aren’t always how they look from the outside. We can have all the money in the world. We could have built an amazing business. We can have a family. And we can put all these amazing things all over social media – as a “highlight reel” of our life!

But frequently, there’s “stuff” going on in the background. Stuff that isn’t so glamorous. In a world where we are more “connected” than ever, most of us actually feel more DISCONNECTED from the things and people that really matter.

I often have to remind myself that I launched my business so I could empower and inspire people. I did it because I wanted more time and freedom with the people I love the most. Nothing I have to do in my life is ever more important than those things – even if I sometimes lose sight of that.

I never met Kate Spade, but it breaks my heart that this was how she was feeling. It makes me sad that we are so afraid to put ourselves out there, and are frequently struggling alone in silence. I want to be very clear – my life is not perfect. There are days we have money struggles. There are days we have marriage struggles. There are days that I don’t feel motivated to do anything, never the less build a business to inspire! But I want to use this podcast to pull back the curtain and allow you to hear stories from other women just like you – in their own words – how they’ve hit roadblocks and kept pushing through!

I hope that you find inspiration from this podcast! I’d love to have you listen, rate, review, and share it with other women who may get just one piece of inspiration!

Thank you! I’m excited to start this journey with you!

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