I had the fabulous opportunity to meet a group of like minded ladies who share a passion for running a business and raising a family at the same time. We all met in Chicago for a weekend conference of networking, business advice, fun, and of course some time off from our crazy lives as work at home moms.

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When I first decided to leave the “corporate” or “office job” world, my friends were worried. What about having weekends and nights off? Aren’t you going to miss that consistency with your paycheck? Are you sure…?

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Much has been written and said by pundits, columnists, and bloggers on-air, in print and online in the last two weeks about Hillary Clinton's failure to nab her party's nomination and Katie Couric's failure to stop the drop in ratings for her evening news broadcast. Some say these two were doomed from the start because Americans simply refuse to accept women in powerful positions that have always been held by men. Others say the Clinton and Couric defeats mean the road will be much tougher for other women; since these two were rejected, others won't even bother trying or support for future attempts will be lukewarm (at best) since backers will fear similar fates.

Then there's a whole other school of thought. Many people -- and they're by no means limited to those who've taken a dislike to either Clinton or Couric -- don't believe these two carry the torch for all women. They don't buy into the idea that our country is rejecting women. Rather, they believe Hillary and Katie haven't been as successful as each had hoped because of their own mistakes and shortcomings. Not because of a rebuke of their gender.

No matter how you slice it, both women have gone where no others had been before. They plowed through uncharted territory and for that they ought to be commended. We believe their challenges and triumphs will make it easier for more women to move ahead in areas that have long been dominated by men.

We want to know your take. Tell us where you stand in the dialogue on the advancement of women in light of the experiences of these two.

With the present economy and high gas prices, I’m grateful that my office is located a short walk from my bedroom. Yes, my workplace is in my home. In the past I’ve weighed in on some of the drawbacks of being a fulltime freelancer, but due to the situation where gas is becoming the cost of a luxury item, those drawbacks are lessening.

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Last week, I went to the funeral of a 49-year-old man named Jon. He waged a valiant fight against lung cancer for 14 months. (By the way, he never smoked.) When he was diagnosed, he was already in Stage 4 of the disease. But, he was determined to fight it and to beat it, for the sake of his three children and his wife.

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You know that co-worker that always looks fabulous, even on “casual Friday”? Do you catch yourself saying “if only I had her figure, I’d look great every day too!”?

Chances are she has just as many issues with her figure as you do. The difference? She has learned somewhere in her life how to flatter and flaunt her figure rather than making it worse in an attempt to hide it.

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Why do we stay in bad situations? If you’re in a job where you are disgusted, angry or frustrated, then you know what I’m saying. Or maybe it hasn’t gotten that far yet. Perhaps you’re just tired, bored and feeling like you could be doing something else with your life. Yes, I’ve been there plenty of times. There’s a point where you know you’re not happy, but you keep going through the motions because it’s easier than calling it quits.

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In October 2003, I got a call from my agent that Ladies Home Journal needed a makeup artist for a photo shoot in suburban Pennsylvania. I was very excited to get the call and readily said, “Yes”. I was so excited to get a job for a major magazine. When I asked her what the shoot was going to be about, she told me it was for three widows of men who died in the 9/11 attacks.

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I used to love watching Steffi Graf play tennis. She had an impeccable shot, a winner every time. The inside-out-forehand is hard to describe but essentially it's a fantastic shot in tennis. The opponent doesn't really see it coming and if you play your cards and positioning right to deliver the angled shot, well, you may just end up with a cross-court winner. As I interviewed sources for a piece last week on outsource-proofing your career I came upon an inside-out shot, a secret power play if you will, and simply have to share.

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Here they come. Faster than you can say Pomp and Circumstance they will be teeming out of the hallowed academic halls of our nation's colleges and universities. It’s the class of 2008! They are fresh from commencement services, capped, gowned, and tasseled, diplomas in hand and ready to face the real world. Unfortunately the real world seems to have a higher quotient of real as of late. As in REALLY scary economic forecast. As in “What am I REALLY supposed to do with my concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Literature?” As in “I guess I don’t REALLY mind moving back home with my parents.”

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