This past year, more than ever, we’ve felt overwhelmingly inspired by women’s strength, bravery, creativity, perseverance and overall brilliance. So, just in time for the launch of a new year, we’ve compiled a list of all of the best pieces of advice our 2017 FACES treasure. We hope you can take these words of wisdom and carry them through another beautiful year. Here’s to an incredible 2018!
What’s Your Best Piece of Advice?
PinKristy Dickerson: “To ask. If you don’t understand something, don’t know how to do something, or just need help finding direction … ASK. People care and are invested in your success. Leaning on others is key to finding success.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinKandace Springs: “Be yourself. But, keep an open mind. You may learn something about yourself you didn’t know. But, deep down you know who you really are.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinLyn Lage: “My favorite is from my mother. ‘Anything worth having is worth waiting for.’ She used this advice for everything, from shoes to husbands, and everything in between. It’s guided me through lots of decisions.” Image: Adele Reding Photography
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PinMolly Mathis: “‘Nothing changes if nothing changes.’ It’s easy to get comfortable in our day-to-day routines. While that’s got benefits, I’ve learned life becomes much richer and fuller when you embrace new things, step outside your comfort zone and keep looking for ways to challenge yourself.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinPaula Wallace: “‘Let nothing go to waste,’ my Dad always said. I remember when my parents came to Savannah in 1979 to help rehabilitate the old armory building where we started SCAD. Dad didn’t want to throw anything out, even the glass ketchup bottles from a derelict old greasy spoon on the first floor of the building we purchased. That philosophy of saving in order to redeem, infusing the old with love and imagination, led to SCAD’s renown in the adaptive new use of buildings ranging from an old coffin factory and department store in Savannah, to a former television studio in Atlanta, to a colonial courthouse in Hong Kong, to a medieval farmhouse in Lacoste. It seems like a simple maxim, but it has produced spectacular results.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinGlennon Doyle Melton: “My friend Nadia Bolz-Weber always says, ‘Write from your scars, not your open wounds.’ And I think that is important. The way I write, people think that I am writing everything in real time. Oftentimes when people do that, it comes off as a cry for help and not art. We have to let what happened to us sink in to get truth out of it, then serve it back to people. My other favorite piece of advice that I got recently was from my friend Liz Gilbert. I called to ask for parenting advice, which is so funny because she doesn’t have any kids. But she said, ‘Your family is in an airplane and there is a lot of turbulence right now. What do we do when there is a lot of turbulence? We look to the flight attendant. And if they are freaking out, we start to freak out, but if they look calm, you feel calm. So your kids are looking at you on the plane right now. You need to keep smiling and serve some freaking peanuts.’ Since I have been steady throughout this time, my kids believe that despite the turbulence, we will all be okay.” Image: Amy PaulsonPinKelley Knight: “Most recently it’s from Rebecca, the owner Young Blood Boutique, who I admire very much. When I first opened, I asked her this very question and she said, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’ It’s so simple and so true. When your dream is starting to come to life it’s easy to want it all right now. But that’s the fast route to burn out.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinSandie Whittington: “Be steadfast and always hold fast to your dreams!” Image: Micki MartinPinHannah Brencher: “I would say the biggest influences in my life whom I look up to would be Tammy Tibbetts (founder of She’s the First) and Jane Johnson. Both of them have had such a deep impact on my life and have taught me how to balance social and business life well. The best advice I’ve been given comes from Lindsey Pollak. She once said to me, ‘Your dream job does not exist. You must create it.’ I’ve been taking that advice seriously ever since she said it, and I wholeheartedly agree with her. You must be willing to create the dream job.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinLaurie Dominguez: “My parents always told me to trust my instincts.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinStephanie Zundel: “2 Corinthians 12:10 — ‘That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties for the Messiah’s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ When I’m having a bad day, and the blindness is bothering me, I go back to that and remember that I know that I am strong.”PinCarol Cox: “My parents always instilled in my brother and me that hard work pays off, and if you want something, fight hard for it because anything is achievable in this life.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinBecca Self: “Follow the things you are passionate about. Never lose the ability to laugh (particularly at yourself). Always learn from others.” Image: Stacey Gudeman PhotographyPinMargaret Bosbyshell: “My father, Bill Clary, advised me that a lot of people are creative, but it is important to run a good business or you will not be successful and be able complete your jobs.” | Clary Bosbyshell: “My mom has always taught me to not sweat the small stuff and to put good vibrations out in the world.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinMargaret Anne Florence: “They always tell you in acting, ‘Just go in there and just be yourself. You’re bringing yourself to whatever the part is.’ But it’s true. I think that is how I got this job. I put a lot of myself in there, and it takes a lot of guts to have the confidence to just be yourself, that yourself is good enough and great and all you have to be.” Image: Caitlin Mitchell StudioPinKim Steen Langan: “As cliché as ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated’ and ‘Just be yourself’ sound, putting these both into practice has served me well in my business and my personal life.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinKristin Schell: “I think the conversation is the most important thing. You just have to start, and once we get over the fear of inviting someone into our lives, it just makes everyone feel so good. I mean, think about how you feel when you’re invited to something.” Image: Kasandra KeyesPinLucy and Kim Wilson: “Do something you’re passionate about and that you like, but most importantly, start small. It’s when people go and open up a large store with a million dollars’ worth of inventory and they don’t know their customer [that they run into trouble]. I was able to start small and grow one day at a time by learning what my customers wanted and providing things that I would want myself.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinAbbey Glass: “Have a strong point of view.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinMegan Melgaard: “You really never know until you try, and if you can use your internal compass to help guide you, I think a lot of us have the answers inside, but we have the tendency to bury them. So I would encourage people to uncover their internal compass and listen to their intuition, and rely on divine intervention, because it will point you the right way. I have the tendency to get in my own way at times, so I’d also say, take a step back and use the support system, or build a support system, that you can use as a sounding board. Say, ‘This is really where I think I should go, what do you think? What are the pros and cons?’ And at the end of the day, exercise caution. If you’re looking at a trail that has three different paths that you could take, it’s okay to go down one of them. But listen to yourself and know the way back, in case you decide, ‘OK, I don’t really feel good about this path that I have taken; I can go back and take another route.’ More or less, just be aware and leave a trail of breadcrumbs.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax Photography
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PinLauren Fernandez: “‘Know thyself, and to thine own self be true.’ My father has said this to me since I was a child. It’s been a guideline for me years before I even really understood the significance. It takes a lot of courage to blaze your own path in life, to quiet your own fears and the naysayers. I am equally grateful for my gifts and talents as I am aware of my limits and deficiencies. I surround myself with people who push me to improve, which raises the level of our whole team. Admitting your weaknesses makes you a better leader: it creates space for those on your team to fill in, contribute meaningfully and, ultimately, shine.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinRenee Bouchon: “Experiment, explore and paint for yourself versus for a specific market or potential client. Your work will suffer if not.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinJanet Ivey: “I was a sophomore at Belmont. I was feeling a little down — I wasn’t sure where life was taking me. Sarah Cannon came every year [to speak at Belmont], and it was the most packed chapel that we ever had. I remember she said three things: Love God, never take yourself too seriously and always be kind.” Image: Grannis PhotographyPinJane Turner: “I would do what I did, which is find something that you love and care about. In my case, it was the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, and I loved working there. So you look inside yourself and say, ‘What am I interested in?’ And then you just connect. Any nonprofit will happily welcome volunteers who really want to participate. It’s just taking the step and picking up the phone to ask what you can do. Usually a nonprofit will have someone who is focused on organizing volunteers, or you can look on the website and find out.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinTaylor Bisciotti: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Image: Rick WaynePinTara Murphy: “Always go with your gut — it is always right. And never take a client just for money — it never pays off.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinCheri Leavy (left): “Hire people smarter than you are. We succeeded there with the hire of Dominique Paye, our digital media director. Whitney and I wouldn’t want to be on this journey without her. Same with Leapfrog PR Co. They have been with us from the start of the Summits and bring so much strategy to the Coterie. Nicely Built, our new website developers, are an integral part of our future.” | Whitney Wise Long (right): “’There but for the grace of God, go I … ‘ My mom always said this growing up, and it has stuck with me since then. It floats through my consciousness many times a day, and it truly helps in being reminded to have an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and also realize how fortunate I am in both my personal and professional life.” Image: SubmittedPinCamille Kesler: “The best advice I have received was to not respond in anger. Whether it’s email, a phone call or in person, find a way to give yourself time to cool off. It might be to turn off the computer, do some yoga or just go off the radar for a while. Do whatever you need to do to gain perspective to ensure that your response is one that you can be proud of. And, that you are always true to who you are, not a reflection or a reaction to others.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinMelissa Ann Barton (right): “My momma always told me to be kind, be yourself, like yourself enough to like others because being those things makes it easy to follow your dreams!” | Emmylou Harris (left): “Follow your bliss.” Image: SubmittedPinTheia Smith: “It always sounds too simplistic, but honestly, my advice is to do it now. If that means you have to start your business while you still have a job, I still say do it now. Someone said to me once that it’s better to be uncomfortable and challenged now — and maybe you have to feel that way for the next few years — than to spend the final 10 years of your life that way. We talk about exit strategies for businesses, and I don’t mean to be morbid, but you have to think the same way about your life. How do you truly want your life to be, and what can you do now that would make you successful in however you define success for yourself and for your family, particularly as you are in the latter part of your life? So don’t wait another day to figure out whether entrepreneurship is for you. Be strategic and be logical about it — keep your job while you are able to and use the weekends or the evenings to explore entrepreneurship and start to generate some supplemental revenue. But be uncomfortable and challenged by it now, as opposed to missing out on that opportunity and regretting it later.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinKim Falkenhayn: “Always respect honest hard work and never overlook an individual because of their education level or current station in life.” | Sara Irvani: “Smile at the world, and the world will smile back at you.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinFawn Weaver: “If you look for good, you will find it. Focus on the now, and all you need will be found in that present moment.” Image: Keith MilesPinKatie Ewing (left): “A good friend of mine always tells me, ‘Don’t simplify what’s complicated, and don’t complicate what’s simple.’ Easy as that.” | Kendall Dreyer: “Don’t sweat the small-scale things you can’t change. Similarly, don’t think you can change people. I’m still working on putting this advice into action, but it is by far the most liberating news I’ve ever received.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinAshley Dorough: “Don’t take a job based on the money. Words. To. Live. By.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax PhotographyPinMagda Sayeg: “Think fast, talk slow.” Image: Ben Sayeg. Prop Styling: CJ DockeryPinAshley Edmonds: “Be present. It’s so easy to get distracted worrying about the future, perusing a constant stream of information on our cell phones or taking yet another photo. I find I am happier when I can set all that aside and simply live in the moment.” Image: Catrina Maxwell of CatMax Photography
May this advice inspire and guide you as you embark on 2018!
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