By Alissa Okrent

Oh how I love this time of year! In addition to cleaning the windows, putting away heavy jackets and wearing clothing that is lighter, it is a time to clear out internal clutter as well!

Tara Gilvar, one of the founders of BIG (Believe, Inspire, Grow) refers to my area of expertise as the ability to help someone identify and create an internal confidence checklist. This list empowers you to choose the quality of mood you wish to experience throughout your day. During this full moon cycle, what type of spring cleaning excites and energizes you?

Spring Cleaning Your Strength to Change:

Spring-cleaning and strength blend beautifully when the sun is shining. As the air breathes with warmer temperatures, our internal clock changes and allows us to clear away, which takes strength.

Inner strength may be described as an inner power that is silent and deep. It can be most recognized while in a state of contemplation, reflection, meditation, or surviving and conquering a painful circumstance. Physical strength increases by pushing the body through physical exertion.  Each of these can be considered a different tool in building your internal confidence checklist.

The stronger you feel, the more confidence you may exude.  Spring is a wonderful season to sort through old stuff (mental, physical, emotional) and choose to release, refresh your attitude, renew your commitment, reorganize how you will accomplish this and recharge yourself as you complete goals.

What do you desire to change in your life this spring?
•    Clearing out a room, closet, garage?
•    Environmental changes all around you, creating a different structure to your day, which may include more self care – mental, physical or spiritual.
•    Redefining your approach to health – creating a more structured approach to fitness and/or nutrition?
•    Experiencing personal pleasure through participating in a hobby, book club, and quiet time.
Regardless of the change you desire to make, Tony Robbins says, “The past does not equal the future.”

You can make changes if you believe you deserve them and you are willing to take action.

I hear clients share their fear of failure based on previous efforts or outcomes from their past. One powerful question to help assess this is: “What did you learn from that experience?”

I realize it may be difficult to assess or revisit a painful experience. How can you ensure that the past does not equal our future? Change your belief around a topic or person, and concrete new behaviors will grow.

When you have a belief in yourself, and you truly appreciate your value as a person, observing a circumstance from a new perspective can help distinguish the past from the present and the present from the future.  The consequence of new behavior involves stepping outside of comfortable reactions and creating new responses that will affect a new outcome. Focusing on the positive impact this change will have on your life is part of the motivation.

Think of a time when you completed something that you knew was important and you pushed yourself to completion. What feeling did you create? Exhilaration, pride, joy, motivation? When you reflect and understand what strategies motivated you, they become part of your internal confidence checklist.

Below is one of my favorite tools. See if this one helps you:  

Identify one goal you would like to accomplish in the next three months. Identify your fear and write it out. Separate the facts from the story.

Write out all the benefits and feelings you expect to experience when you accomplish this goal. As you create the vision in your mind, notice how your body responds.  Is your face smiling? Are your shoulders relaxed? Is your tummy calm?  Create the sensation of pride throughout your body.

Each day complete one small task towards that goal. Allow yourself to feel the body sensations at least once a day.  And notice your mood. What else are you aware of that is different?

Energy Intention is a program to help you align your goals, with physical sensations and responses that help you feel pride, joy and confidence. Inner strength is a decision you make to change your life.

Good luck and please feel free to email me to jump-start your spring cleaning program.

WLBz 2 News

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A tour focused on empowering women in the U.S. kicked off in the Queen City Thursday evening.

The ‘Identity 5′ workshop looks to instill confidence in women by promoting self acceptance. It was put together by Susan Vernicek who founded the online women’s magazine ‘Identity.’

She says women’s portrayal in the mainstream media can cause many females to reach for unattainable standards. Through discussion and reflection she is hoping to help women achieve in life through recognizing both their strengths and flaws.

“They share their stories to help other women just accept who they are, appreciate who they are and be able to achieve on a much greater level once they do that,” Vernicek said, “It’s not settling…it’s just owning what you’ve got going on and then appreciating so you can achieve and move forward.”

The tour will be stopping in 48 states over the course of 2012. Some of the proceeds raised from it will go to support the B.I.G. Scholarship Fund for female high school entrepreneurs.

Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.  Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.

Robin Pato Davis, who resides in Livington, NJ, calls herself a “Dual Entrepreneur.”  Davis is a Realtor for Elite Realtors of New Jersey and an Event Planner/Appraiser-Buyer  for American Gold and Diamond Buyers. While many entrepreneurs strive to get one business of the ground, Davis has successfully merged two very different career paths into her life.

“When I lived in NYC, I owned my condo on 19th Street. When I decided to sell my condo 20 years ago, I became very interested in real estate and decided to pursue my career in residential real estate upon returning to NJ,” said Davis who lived in Manhattan for 10 years after she studied at University of Maryland, College Park. “While in NY, I worked as an advertising copywriter and also had a second gig selling gold and diamonds in the Jewelry Exchange on 47th Street.  Last year due to a life change and the real estate market's current conditions, I decided to pursue another career in addition to real estate.  I became involved in buying Gold, and now have a thriving CA$H4GOLD business,” said Davis, who offers hostess parties and fundraisers.

Davis leaped into action when she realized real estate couldn’t solely support her and her family. Davis had sold some of her own gold a few years prior, as well as knew a realtor co-worker who was in the Gold Business, so her interest had been sparked. She began as an Event Planner – Davis’ ambition propelled her to study and become an appraiser.  So, now she plans and buys/appraises at her own events! Davis does face challenges much like all other entrepreneurs. “When I began selling real estate, my daughter was only two years old, so it was challenging to be a realtor and a full time mom,” said Davis. “In the Gold Business, my main challenge was to build my business to the point where I had steady work.” Davis’ Gold Business has grown to the point where she is booked several months in advance!

For Davis, being a “Dual Entrepreneur” means double the rewards!  “For buyers, in real estate, it means finding a home that they are completely in love with in a town where they want to settle and raise their families.  Sellers are most happy and grateful when I help them achieve a quick, profitable sale so they can move up to another home or move on to pursue their dreams,” said Davis. “In my CA$H4GOLD business, the most rewarding and heartfelt part is seeing the astonished, surprised, and exhilarated look on my clients' faces when they see just how much their gold is worth and then counting out the actual cash for them in hundreds of dollars!” Davis adds, “Everyone needs money, and I am helping them raise money for something important or just getting an extra special treat for themselves!  It is a gift to see their joy!”

Helping her clients pursue their dreams, be it a new home or lots of cash in their pocket, is what Davis cites as her motivation. Especially, Davis says, when her clients recommend her to their friends and family—that, she says, is the biggest compliment. 


In both Davis’ businesses she is an independent contractor. In real estate, Davis is supported by the broker/owner of the company and in the gold business Davis works with a partner and has support from a management team and owner of that company.

“Fortunately I have been able to balance my two professions daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally.  Real Estate and the Gold market have an inverse relationship in the present economy. When real estate is down, gold is up. Seasonally, real estate is slow during the winter/holiday months and summer months, which is when gold is very busy,” says Davis, who as an independent contractor, coordinates her schedule to her convenience. 


“I am extremely grateful that these two careers have meshed so well together in my life, and I appreciate both of these opportunities. I am successful in two different careers, although they are both in sales, the services I offer to my clients are unique in their own ways,” says Davis.A DUAL ENTREPRENEUR

In keeping with Identity’s mission of Accept Appreciate Achieve, below are some more questions that fit in with that theme:

1. What have you accepted in your life that took time?

“This is a tough question being that I am at a place in my life that I never dreamed I would be in. And that is to be a divorced woman after 24 years of marriage.  It’s a very tender and tenuous place to be at this stage of my life.  But what I am beginning to realize and truly accept is that it is OK to be in this ‘place.’  I am trying to learn to put myself first.  Because the most harsh and cruel aspect of a life change like this is LOSS.  I have not only experienced the loss of my partner, but the loss of many friends. And the biggest loss of all was having to find new homes for my two dogs, my babies that I raised for seven years.  Writing about this right now is bringing tears to my eyes and crying is one thing I have learned to do this past year.  Another difficult aspect of my new separation is learning that there is life after divorce…but I must create it for myself.  No one else will.  All I have is me (and of course my very supportive family)!  I have found peace in my life and that is priceless.  And I have made MANY new and wonderful friends who I never would have known if I was ‘stuck’ in that old place. I have also learned to create a new ‘business life’ for myself in order to survive and now I am a multi-faceted entrepreneur—and very proud of it.  I always knew I was a ‘survivor’ but now I'm feeling more like a ‘thriver!’”

2. What do you appreciate the most in your life?

Reflecting on how lucky I have been…that up until now…I have had very little LOSS in my life (I was a 50 year old woman with a grandma who lived until 98)! I truly appreciate my family—my brother, sister, and parents who have been so supportive and there for me during this past year. They have shown me the love and loyalty I needed to create a new life for myself.  And my 21 year old daughter, Hayley, who is graduating from Indiana University in two weeks…makes me proud!  She is a beautiful person in many ways, and I admire her independence and sense of self. Maybe the fact that she is an only child has something to do with that!”

3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?

“One of the most wonderful experiences I have had so far occurred many years ago when I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1977.  I embarked on a four-month journey to Europe with a backpack and a friend. We spent two months in Israel and two months in Europe.  The journey of traveling and living within other cultures was such an eye opener for me. Being able to live and feel the lifestyle of others halfway around the world was so rewarding and enlightening. Those four months shaped my life, and I am forever grateful that I had the desire, drive, and guts to take on that adventure!”

4. What is your not-so-perfect way?

“This is also a tough question.  I probably have many ‘not-so-perfect ways’ but the one that comes to mind lately is falling into old patterns.  Interestingly enough, on my new path of life I have discovered characteristics about ‘me’ that were buried for a very long time. Some of which I love and the introspection and renewal of self discovery is enlightening, but along with that comes the old patterns and habits which have also resurfaced.  Learning how to deal with these aspects objectively, like an outsider looking in, is what I need to perfect so I don't repeat the same mistakes of yesterday!”

5. How would you complete the phrase “I Love My…”?

“I love my…desire to stay fit and healthy.  More than anything, what has gotten me through this new chapter in my life is realizing that the best life insurance I have is to eat healthy and stay in shape. I have found that having a good, healthy body within creates a good healthy body and mind!  It's also good for the soul and self image. There is nothing more refreshing and invigorating for me than to be outside running and walking hills knowing that I am doing something good for my mind, body, and soul. And of course, rediscovering my former dance teacher in NYC, who I am now dancing with again, is the best therapy ever! He is an example that staying fit keeps you young and healthy.  Ned is now 81 years young and hasn't aged a day since I met him 30 years ago!”

Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.  Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.

B.I.G.
Believe, Inspire, Grow – that’s what B.I.G., a women’s support, education, and networking organization, stands for. B.I.G. facilitates its members’ desires to connect with other women to help them achieve their business dreams and goals. Debbie Hoffman, senior director, program management at B.I.G., took her own advice to “go for it” when she joined the leadership team that launched B.I.G. from an idea into a business.

“After staying home to raise my children, I knew it was time for me to re-enter the work force. I was looking for ‘what to do next,’” said Hoffman who resides in Basking Ridge. “I’ve always believed that in order to be successful, I needed to be willing to take a risk. It’s what I always encouraged others to do – and I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. So, when I was faced with the challenge of becoming part of a start-up business that I believed in, I took a risk to ‘go for it.’”

Her risk paid off – B.I.G. is flourishing. Hoffman cites keeping up with the organization’s rapid growth rate and expansion as the biggest challenge. The most rewarding part, says Hoffman, is knowing that because of B.I.G. other women are able to move forward with their goals and dreams to find fulfillment and happiness.

“Not only have I found what I needed to feel complete, but I am, in some way, helping others to move forward towards this end. We are making a difference, and it is rewarding.”

Hoffman says concentration and organization are the skills she uses daily to balance it all and to stay focused. At first she didn't consider herself an entrepreneur. 

“Since I never gave much thought to being an entrepreneur, I needed to look up a true definition. ‘Entrepreneurial: willing to take risks in order to make a profit’ – I guess I am an entrepreneur!,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman adds that B.I.G. is expanding daily and new leaders emerge consistently.  She says daily the B.I.G. team makes plans to improve upon what they have accomplished, offer new products, and formulate ways to best meet their members’ needs.

In keeping with Identity’s mission of Accept Appreciate Achieve, below are some more questions that fit in with that theme:

1. What have you accepted in your life that took time?


Hoffman: “I have grown to accept in life that you can not necessarily change others, but you absolutely can accept the differences in people and change how you choose to deal with each person as an individual.”


2. What do you appreciate the most in your life?


Hoffman: “In life, I appreciate love, acceptance, and good health.


3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?


Hoffman: “My family is my most rewarding achievement.”


4. What is your not-so-perfect way?


Hoffman:  “My not so perfect way… I believe I am still a bit insecure.  While I have come a long way and my logical mind knows, ‘you can only do your best,’ I can’t always stop my emotional side from wondering, ‘did I do the right thing?’”


5. How would you complete the phrase “I Love My…”?


Hoffman: “I love my porch in the springtime when the flowers bloom and the warm air surrounds us.  I will rock in my chair, listen to the waterfall of the pond, feel appreciative of life’s simple pleasures and feel complete.”

When Rangel, who was a search firm recruiter and manager of recruiters for 13 years, was laid off in 2009, her job search landed her as Managing Director of Chameleon Resumes – her company. Rangel created Chameleon Resumes to help job seekers with job searches, resumes, letters, interviewing skills, and much more! Rangel not only has experience in this business, but she understands job loss firsthand – after all that is what propelled her into entrepreneurship.

“In March 2009 the opportunity for me to start my own business presented itself when I was laid off from a search firm. I figured if I did not do it then, I probably would never do it,” said Rangel. “I had the knowledge, the ability to develop a business, and the network to leverage.”

Running her own business did present challenges that Rangel had to adjust to. She says she had to reduce expenses during the start-up months until revenue started coming in, although she was used to an irregular income level from working on commission in the past – being her own boss created a whole other paradigm to get used to, and her husband (who was a stay-at-home dad for seven years) was starting his own business at the same time.

“Starting two businesses in early 2009 was crazy when I think about it, but I am thankful that all has worked out so far,” said Rangel. “I get to pick my kids up from school every day, I take days off to go to the beach with my husband while the kids are in school, I volunteer at my kids’ school during the day, and I get to say I built this tiny little empire.”


Rangel says she loves what she does. She feels great reward from bringing clarity to someone who is confused and discouraged by the daunting process of finding a job.



“Professionally, there is no better feeling of reward than someone expressing relief in understanding the process and landing a position,” said Rangel.  “When I hit the lottery, I will do this for free.”


Up until recently, Rangel has run this business on her own, but she says she is starting to hire people and outsource administrative and operational functions. She still does all the resume writing and job search consulting as that, she says, is the best part of her job!

When it comes to balancing her career, she says that’s a work in progress. 

“What needs to get done gets done. What does not get done gets done another time. I also learned that the concept of balance means I get to do a little bit of everything each day,” said Rangel. “I feel like I am making baby steps in 30 things, and I do miss the big advances once in a while. But when I had big advances at work, I was typically ignoring my personal life. So, for now, the illusion of balance is OK for me.”


Although Rangel has a niche, she doesn’t want to label herself. She provides a service, and as long as it’s in demand, she has a business and income. When her service is no longer in demand, Rangel says she will figure something else out. A true entrepreneur spirit!

Rangel is content with where her business is currently. She learned during her recruiting career that her passion is with her clients, so she doesn’t want to expand her company in a manner that would take her away from directly working with job seekers. 


“I am lucky that I did not wait until I was not scared to launch the business because I may not have ever done it,” said Rangel.  “I have also come to be thankful for being laid off in March 2009 because without that situation happening in my life, I may not have made the plunge into entrepreneurship.”

In keeping with Identity’s mission of Accept Appreciate Achieve, below are some more questions that fit in with that theme:

1. What have you accepted in your life that took time?
My path is my path…it is my job to make the most of it.

2.  What do you appreciate the most in your life?
I take each day as it comes.

3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?
My relationship with my husband, my children, and successfully launching my business.

4. What is your not-so-perfect way?
The not-so-perfect part of my life is that each day never goes as I plan it. For that, I am thankful.  Why is that a blessing? Often enough, what was taken out I did not need to do, and what was put in my path enriched my life somehow. So, I have learned to accept imperfection and roll with things more readily.

5. How would you complete the phrase “I Love My…”?
I love my…life and all that it brings.

Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life. Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.

Some people pick one career and stick with it until retirement. To say New Jersey native, Bobbie Baeder, took a different approach to her career is an understatement. So, how did Bobbie go from corporate America to running an animal clinic? Well, her journey is an interesting one!

“I grew up in a generation where women were basically nurses, teachers, airline stewardesses, or secretaries,” said Bobbie. “I knew I didn’t want to become a teacher or a nurse, so I went to junior college and ended up working as a secretary.”

Bobbie got married, had children, and worked part time as an office manager for a medical dictation service. She and her family then moved to western Pennsylvania where there were no jobs. So, Bobbie decided to become a Mary Kay sales woman. She worked her way up to “red jacket” status and recruited six people to her “sales force.”

“I loved sales and educating women on how to properly care for their skin,” said Bobbie. “I was also in awe of the women who became directors and of their poise and professionalism when speaking to huge crowds at Mary Kay’s annual meetings.” Bobbie also said she was inspired by many of the women who came into the Mary Kay business with no college education and some with no formal business training.

When she and her family moved again, building a new client base for her Mary Kay business just didn’t appeal to her, so it was on to something new!

“I had always wanted to be a realtor, so I did that for the next five years,” said Bobbie. “My next career adventure was going into business with my husband. We opened a recruiting franchise in Lehigh Valley.”

Due to a poor economy and some other factors that business was short lived, and unfortunately the loss of the business led to the loss of her marriage.

“I then moved with my kids to Bergen County, NJ and began a career with Dean Witter Reynolds at the World Trade Center,” said Bobbie. “I got the job through a friend, and worked as the executive assistant to the director of sales.”

In 1993, Bobbie moved back to Pennsylvania so her daughter could go to high school with her childhood friends, but she still worked in New York City. She survived the bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993 and continued to work there until 1998–she then took a job at a subsidiary in Pennsylvania.

“After working for two more years for the national controller, I was offered a position as the executive assistant to the head of the legal division of MetLife Investment,” said Bobbie.

Bobbie worked in California until 2006, and she loved it! At that point, Bobbie (and her daughter) wanted to head back East to be closer to her sons. Bobbie’s daughter  got a job in New Jersey, and Bobbie was offered a position back in New York. So, back to the East coast they went.

“Because of my 15 years experience with Morgan Stanley, I would have had to commute into the City every day for work, and I was no longer interested in busses, trains, or long car commutes,” said Bobbie. “So, I posted my resume online and within two days I was offered a job as the executive assistant to the legal division at MetLife.”

Bobbie’s career consisted of a series of good fortune, and the next good fortune Bobbie encountered was meeting a veterinarian who ran his own animal clinic. This man became her husband.

“My husband has owned Rockaway Animal Clinic for 35 years,” said Bobbie, who is now the office manager there. “I have always had pets and loved animals, so this is a perfect match!”

Bobbie says one of the more challenging aspects of her career has been learning new computer systems along the way. Bobbie adds that in her new career at the animal clinic, the most rewarding part is when a dog or cat is brought into the clinic really sick or injured and they are able to bring that pet back to a healthy condition–the pets (and the owners) are happy and the animal clinic staff are elated.

She and her husband have a total of eight children, six grandchildren, and 23 employees,–balancing everything is a challenge. But, Bobbie says positive people who are passionate about what they do and her love for learning new things is what inspires her to balance everything.

“My husband is actually the entrepreneur, and I’m very proud of the man and doctor he is,” said Bobbie. “Together our business is well rounded–our clients love him as he is very caring to all our ‘special friends’ and my background at Morgan Stanley in office management helps as I’m the office manager at the clinic.”

Although, according to Bobbie, people her age are already enjoying retirement, she and her husband have plans to grow their business.

Bobbie adds, “It has been quite a switch from swanky office to animal clinic, but I wouldn’t go back for anything!”

In keeping with Identity’s mission of ‘Accept, Appreciate, Achieve’ below are some questions, known as the Identity Five:

1. What have you accepted in your life that took time?
Bobbie: First, I had to accept the fact that I had to get over the anger I had from a bad first marriage, and the treatment I received. That was holding me back. Once I shed that, I really took time to figure out who I really was and what I wanted to achieve. I’m a believer in taking a chance.

2.  What do you appreciate the most in your life?
Bobbie: I really appreciate the most wonderful man I am married to, and also my children who are successful in their own right. I worked hard a being a mom, and they are making me believe it was all worth it. They are awesome. My husband’s children are too, so we are really lucky.

3.  What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?
Bobbie: I have many, but right now I would say that being able to assimilate into a totally new career, along with the skills I have developed over the years, and being an appreciated advisor to my husband regarding important business decisions. I feel totally respected for my knowledge and ability to make things happen.

4.  What is your not-so-perfect way?
Bobbie: I can be somewhat of a critic, and I know that is not good. I have a hard time tolerating people who have a horrible work ethic.

5.  Complete this sentence, “I Love My…”
Bobbie: I love the little bits and pieces of time my husband and I get to spend quality time together out on our porch admiring our pretty flowers and listening to the waterfalls in the little pond that is there.

Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life. Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.

Imagine loving your work so much that you live where you work and you work to make a home away from home for countless guests. Not only does Iris Kadosh, originally from Israel, live where she works—the Neighbour House—she is living in a home with more than 250 years of history. A history that began with one family seeking the “American dream” and a history that continues to be made by another family living the “American dream.”

The history of Neighbour House dates back to 1738 when Leanhart Nachbar and his family sailed from Holland towards New York. Nachbar and his family were among 38 others who set out to arrive on American soil more than two centuries ago. Strong winds blew the ship off course and eventually Nachbar and his family ended up in New Jersey and settled on a property, which by 1750, he owned after purchasing 310 acres for $352. Leanhart Nachbar changed his name to Leonard Neighbour sometime before 1750. For the next 189 years this homestead was passed down to generation after generation of Neighbours. This homestead was the place for many gatherings of family and friends, celebrations, as well as a working farm.

Around 1929, the family needed to sell the farm and for the first time in nearly two centuries, the property was owned by an ‘outsider.’ The new owners were part of the Johnson & Johnson family who used the house for tenants and farm workers. The house changed owners once more, but stood idle and empty for some time becoming a haven for hobos passing through who damaged the property.

In 1941 Joseph and Marion Decker purchased the house and gradually restored it and lived there for 50 years. It was always a dream of the late Joseph Decker to see the Neighbour House placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1990, the Neighbour House was nominated for placement on the National Register.

The house was purchased in late 1990 from the Decker estate by Jack Borgenicht, who owned the surrounding acreage. After 160 years, the two original Neighbour properties were joined, as they had been over 250 years ago when Leanhart Nachbar first settled there. Today the house is surrounded by 800 acres of preserved farmland.

In 1992, Borgenicht decided to open a bed and breakfast in the historic Neighbour House, which is when Iris and her husband, Rafi entered the picture.

Iris and Rafi Kadosh are first-generation Israelis, who after their time in the Israeli military, spent time abroad before attending school and settling down to get married. Rafi became a school teacher and Iris was a corporate accountant. But according to Iris, “everyone in the world is dreaming of America,” and though they love Israel, they decided to immigrate to the United States in 1987 much like Leonard Neighbour did centuries before.

They moved to Long Valley, NJ in 1990 and through friends learned that Borgenicht was looking for someone to live in the Neighbour House (because law requires overnight occupants if there are guests). The Kadosh’s fell in love with the House as soon as they saw it and moved in.

At first, Iris felt isolated. “I cried for three months. I didn’t see anybody, just birds and squirrels.” For Iris and her husband, their new surroundings were a shocking change from the “city life” they were accustomed to. Slowly they made friends and grew to love where they lived and are happily raising their two sons in what Iris’s husband describes as, “like living in a fairy tale.”

Although Iris and her husband had no experience as innkeepers they grew into it, Iris said. “We got stronger with every guest.” Rafi credits the House’s success to Iris’s hospitable nature.

“We want our guests to feel like this is their home or their grandma’s home. The only rule we have is no smoking, otherwise they are free to use the House as if it were their own home,” said Rafi.

Iris says the most enjoyable parts of running a bed and breakfast are meeting new guests, welcoming returning guests, and getting a chance to socialize with them. She adds that typical “inn guests” range from a family member returning to Long Valley for a holiday or family event, urbanites looking to escape the city, business people, fishermen, antique hunters and crafters, or seasonal guests.

“Every guest is special and we try to make whatever adventure they are on richer,” said Iris.

Because of Iris and Rafi’s warmth towards their guests they often receive letters, cards, birth announcements, and pictures from guests as far away as Japan, Germany, and Australia who want to stay in touch with them. Although Iris and Rafi miss their families in Israel, they feel that their guests have become a part of their family.

In 2000, the Kadosh’s purchased the Neighbour House. So, what started out as a new venture in a new country has turned into their livelihood. The Neighbour family and the Kadosh family are proof that all you need is a dream and the passion to make that dream a reality.

For more information about the Neighbour House visit www.neighbourhouse.com.

In keeping with Identity’s mission of ‘Accept, Appreciate, Achieve’ below are some questions, known as the Identity Five:

Identity Five 1. What have you accepted in your life that took time? Iris: Getting my United States citizenship.

2. What do you appreciate the most in your life? Iris: My family

3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Iris: Economic independence.

4. What is your not so perfect way? Iris: As an immigrant my heart is split it two between here and Israel.

5. Susan also has an “I Love My…” section of her Web site where you can say something that you love…it can be anything…I love my cat, I love my friends, I love the weekends….how would you complete the phrase “I Love My…”? Iris: I Love…it HERE!

Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life. Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.