After the Dress Special Guest Facilitator - CJ Gross- "The Relationship Engineer"

CJ Gross- the "Relationship Engineer" will be a special guest speaker during After the Dress Comes Off- The Real Stuff About Relationships No One Prepares You For.
 

CJ is a published author, certified Social + Emotional Intelligence coach, Trainer, Keirsey Temperament professional, and Relationship/Employment Consultant. CJ is also an experienced mediator.

CJ has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Informer Newspaper, East of the River News- paper, Diamonds Xcel Magazine, the Baltimore Examiner, and on the Tom Joyner Show, the Audrey Chapman Show, DCTV Cable, WPGC 95.5 FM, WOL 1450 AM, WUSA 9, WBAL-TV, and FOX45.

If you haven't RSVP'd in advance get your reduced tickets here. The price increases at the door. 

Still don't know what the event's about? Check it out here

After the Dress Comes Off- The Series Begins February 2016

PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE

This series came as a result of the overwhelming responses we recieved from those who attended the first event in September. The room was jammed pack, the conversations were real. We realized that there was just more discussing we had to do. Thus the #afterthedress 4-part series was birthed. 

The good book tells us that the older women should teach the younger women. So, for my single sisters- I want you to hear from other women who’ve been in the “game” for a minute. Hear from your sister friends who can share a thing or two about surviving 10, 15, 20, 25 years and beyond. Hear how they’ve coped, how they’ve lasted, how they’ve managed and how they’ve survived. Married women hear from single women who desire to be married but have a hard time finding healthy marriages to emulate. Hear from single women who want to get married but are afraid to. Hear from divorced women who’ve been there and done that and can share with you what marriage is and what it isn’t.

While there are overarching topics we plan to discuss the conversation is meant to flow organically. We think its better that way. We have women attending from a variety of backgrounds. (married, single, mothers, divorce.)

This is a time for self-reflection, healing, sharing, learning, relating, hearing, being transparent, and being real, raw and authentic. We dare not walk around thinking we have all the answers but have realized that when you can remain open, you can receive exactly what it is that you need. The evening will be spent with a purpose in mind, a time to share your thoughts, ask questions, and gain clarity. If there’s something that doesn’t make sense to you- inquire. If something that’s bothering you about the topic-speak up.

We are not on an island by ourselves. We need each other. Our families, our livelihood, our love lives, the healing of our community depend on this discussion. Why don’t you join us?

Keeping You In the Know- August 2014

I don’t know about you but I’m so glad to see the weekend. A sistah is tired and needs a moment to decompress as I have a busy weekend ahead of me. There are a few things buzzing at the moment and I want to ensure that you’re well informed.  So follow me, Ok.

•  This Saturday, I will be accompanying our 2014 Mother’s Day Spa Package winner Natasha during her pampering session at Msprity Enterprise. I understand she’s in for a real treat so I’m excited to witness her face after her session. While there, I will be snapping a few pictures and interviewing the owner of Msprity Enterprise, Cynthia.  Be on the lookout for the interview but in the meantime read the back-story behind Natasha wining the Spa Day, here it is.  

 

• If you’re following us on Facebook you know that we’ve been posting for the last couple of weeks our upcoming September Gathering- “Black Women and Friends- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and the Lack thereof”, facilitated by yours truly. There are varying views on what it means to be a friend in our adult years. Some find friendship easy to maintain and make new ones while others find it daunting and not worth the energy. Friday, September 19^th @ 7:30 PM you will hear it all and so if you haven’t RSVP’d or paid your ticket here’s your opportunity to do so. Since posting, I can already tell that this is a hot button item. You can rest assure that the discussion will be nonstop, thought-provoking, igniting a number of emotions.  RSVP here
  
  
  
  Call to Action: We put out a call for 2015 Gathering topics and speakers. If you have a topic of interest you’d like for us to discuss or you’re interested in being a guest speaker email us at iambondinc@gmail.com. We are all eyes and ears. 
  
  
  We’ve also posted our ongoing efforts for the Mama Knows Best Mentoring Initiative. We have joined forces once again to host Mama Knows Best Part II.  Like the first one, this one is free so I encourage you to RSVP in advance. If you missed the first one, you’ll be mad you’d missed Part II.  Bottom Line- This mentoring program is geared toward African American who are looking for direction or support in a variety of areas as health and wellness, entrepreneurship, money management, career development education and much more. We still have opportunities available for mentors, mentees or both.  Sign up here.

• BOND’s board will be meeting, Monday, Aug 18^th to discuss the way forward for 2015 and beyond. We have some exciting topic s on the agenda that will positively impact you as a member, potential member or supporter of BOND Inc. We hope to bring you along for the ride because BOND is going places and we hope you will tag along.

 Call to Action: We put out a call for folks interested in being apart of BOND’s growth for 2015 and beyond. This is your opportunity to share your gifts and talents. As a member of the sisterhood you will have the opportunity to take part in a number of initiatives, be a part of something bigger than yourself, network with prominent business owners and organizations from in and around the community, gain additional skill set you can add to your professional resume and feel of sense of “paying it forward” for your efforts. There are a number of opportunities for you to share your expertise.  

Areas of Interest: Marketing, event planning, administration, speakers, planning, membership recruitment/retention, partnerships/community outreach, writing/blogging, graphics design, special projects and more. If interested email us at iambondinc@gmail.com with your name and area of interest and we will provide you with more details in the upcoming weeks.

• Lastly, have you been impressed with our latest Spotlight features?  These women are on the move and are doing amazing things in and around the community. It’s through our Spotlight Features, that we shine the light on the positivity that women of color are doing. We have more where that is coming from. If you’d like more information or want to be a featured, inquire at iambondinc@gmail.com. 

 

You Still Have Time- We're Almost There

Our BOND Girl, Rachel Dolcine, is headed to Jamaica this summer on a missions trip. Thanks to generous donors, including some of you, she collected, packed & shipped hundreds of supplies for the needy families in Jamaica!

She still needs our help & we've got her back! BOND Girl style!

In addition to providing families with personal care items, she & volunteers traveling with her will also be:
1.) Painting walls, refurbishing desks and decorating three preschool classrooms (see inset pictures); and
2.) Building shelves for classroom libraries & building two "Little Library" for the Petersfield community.



She needs to raise $1,000 to buy the paint, wood & other supplies needed to make this happen.

Let's continue to show her some BOND love! Please consider donating or asking folks in your network to donate a tax deductible gift of $25, $50, $75 or $100. Donations can be made via our online PayPal "Donate" button below or by mailing to: Bringing On New Direction...Please write "Jamaica Missions" on the memo line of your check or money order.
 

When you make a donation of $75 or more, your name will be entered in a raffle to win one of the following items: Joseph & Vera Douglas Family Foundation tote bag or a customized set of stationery- from Nay-Lilly Designs or 30 minute business consultation from Compass Consulting and Training Solutions.

Thank you for your time.

 

Clothing Swap Party- BOND Girl Style!!!

Ohhhh weeee. We are planning to have a grand ole' time at our next BOND Gathering. You gotta any gentle used or new items in your closet that you've been holding onto? Maybe its too big, too small, or just an impulse buy that you have no intentions of every wearing. Well here's your chance to get rid of them and swap them for something else you want or need.  Join us for our upcoming July Gathering- We present to you Clothing Swap Party- BOND Girl Style.

 

 

 

 

Friday, July 18th @ 7:30

1500 Union Ave, Baltimore, MD

 

As always there will  be giveaways, great food, laughter, fun and an exciting time amongst women. A chance to let our hair down, relax and have some good ol' fashion BONDing. In addition to the swap we will have a guest speaker to share with us the ends and outs to Extreme Couponing. You don't want to miss it. If that wasn't enough there will be a number of vendors on site. So bring some cash along with you. 

 

 

See you all there!!!



BOND Inc Newsletter Spring 2014 Edition

Mentor. Every girl needs one. In fact I’d venture to say our lives depend on it. I have one, several in fact and I hope you do too. Regardless of your age, how smart you think you may be or how “on point” you think your life is, you need a mentor.

That’s why I’m super excited about our upcoming May Gathering. Mama Knows Best, The Lost Art of Wise Counsel”. BOND Inc joined forces with two additional organizations to bring you this special Gathering. For the last two months we’ve been doing some major brainstorming and planning.  There’s a great need for mentorship for adult women.  We have a number of confirmed subject matter experts and mentors in such areas as Human Resources, Relationships, Event Planning, Business Ownership, Time Management, Child Rearing, Spirituality, Beauty and Self Care, Health and Wellness and much more.

I’m not asking, I’m practically begging you to... CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING 


Other Stories That Might Interest You
2014 Winter Edition 


 

2014 Hottest News to Date

BOND Inc has so much to share with you and we wanted to get it out to you while the news is still hot.

BOND Gathering- Friday, March 21 @ 730P Union Mill Baltimore, MD

Minding Your Own Business Gathering

Did you hear about our March Gathering “Minding Your Own Business” with guest speaker Rachel Dolcine of Compass Consulting and Training Solutions? A very interactive and engaging gathering for women who have dreamed of starting her own business or nonprofit organization but don’t know where to begin or for a variety of reasons haven’t been able to jumpstart it. This Gathering is also for those women who currently operate a business but want solutions on how to move their business to the next level. This is also a great space for networking too. So you gotta be there.

If you haven’t signed up for our upcoming BOND Gathering, you still have time. The cost is just $8.53 which includes your entrance and refreshments.

RSVP HERE

Learn more about Rachel Dolcine by HERE. Full interview coming your way soon.

NOTE: To avoid the extra cost please pay ahead of time, as the price increases at the door. RSVPing in advance is very important and helpful. This ensures that we have enough materials, food and set-up to accommodate our guest.

SAVE the Date, Friday, May 16^th @ 7:30P Union Mill Baltimore, MD

The Lost Art of Wise Counsel Gathering for Women

BOND Inc will be hosting a special BOND Gathering. Which will include a open panel discussion and Speed Mentoring May 16. We will be focusing on a broad range of topics and subject areas important to women of color (career, finances, marriage, child-rearing, relationships, health etc)

This month's Gathering will be free of charge. However it will be on a first come first served basis. RSVP in advance.

Want to be added to the exclusive guest list as space will be limited? CLICK HERE . More details to follow so stay tuned. Share the event with others.

 

Speed Mentoring is a new concept that follows a similar format to speed dating. This format allows for quick-hit information from another professional to help solve a pressing need and targeted networking with the goal of finding a potential mentor.

Calling All Subject Matter Experts

Are you a subject matter expert in a particular area and want to be on the platform at our The Lost Art of Wise Counsel Gathering? Email us  at iambondinc@gmail.com with your interest and area of expertise.

BOND Inc Community Service Project

Community Service is a major proponent for BOND Inc. Annually we choose a community service project to support. This year we will be collecting personal care items for an upcoming mission to trip to Jamaica. We are asking for your full support in this huge undertaking. If you would like to support this endeavor, email us at iambondinc@gmail.com to make arrangements for pick up.

Or

Want a chance to win a FREE 30 minute consultation and other great prizes? (personalized stationery, gift cards, gift baskets and much more). Bring as many personal care items as you can during our March and May Gathering and you just might be one of the lucky winner.

There will be several drawings at both Gatherings. So don’t miss out!

In Other BOND News

v Annual Mother’s Day Makeover Contest 2014- Full details will be available in March. We will be collecting nominations beginning in April. Start thinking of your nominees now. Check out last year’s winner HERE.

v Spring 2014 Newsletter Edition will be available early April. Stay tuned

v We are looking for volunteers for our BOND Committees. Wanna be apart? Shoot us an email iambondinc@gmail.com.

v Conversations Her Way- Dismantling the Media Myths, May 3rd @ 11AM-2PM The Whittemore House, Washington, DC. Visit www.conversationsherway.com for more details.

 

 

Mama Knows Best- The Lost Art of Wise Counsel- Open Panel Discussion & Speed Mentoring Event

Want to be added to the exclusive guest list for this upcoming Open Forum Discussion and  

Speed Mentoring Gathering

                                      

 Free of Charge with Standing Room Only

Strictly on a 1st come, 1st served basis

" Mama Knows Best- The Lost Art of Wise Counsel"

 

Click Here to RSVP in Advance
 

 

 

Click Here to RSVP in Advance

 

BOND Inc 2014 Winter Edition Newsletter

 

It’s a brand new year and a great time to make a fresh start. While 2013 was a great year for me, I am anticipating an even better 2014. I’ve purposed to make this year count. Instead of setting ‘New Year Resolutions’, I’ve decided to commit to ‘Laid Out Plans’.

Each month I’m committing to trying something new.  Nothing huge, just some small ideas I’ve been putting off for a long time. Like taking a photography class, going on a real vacation or trying a new dish. Simple stuff like that.  Please understand though, there is a method to my madness. First, I pray before I do anything; second, it must be an activity that I’m going to enjoy; and lastly, the activity must have a lesson attached to it.  I’m super excited about my “laid out plans “and I’m currently praying about February’s plan. I’m really considering blogging about my 2014 ‘Laid Out Plans’. What do you think?  Would you be interested in reading about them? Let me know.

CLICK HERE to continue reading the BOND Inc Winter Edition 

Discipline Not Deprivation Explained Interview

We here at BOND Inc are excited to share with you the interview with our upcoming special guest speaker Dr. Maria James, founder of Pocket of Money, LLC. What better way to start off a brand new year than to discuss such a topic as finances.

BOND Girl: Hello Dr. James, thank you for allowing the time to interview you for the upcoming January Gathering discussion on finances. Could you tell our readers a little bit about you?

Dr. James: I've always loved finance from the beginning. Coming from a large family, I discovered a lot about managing money growing up and discovered my skills with organizing and handling money. I opened an entrepreneurial business at the age of ten by selling juleps (a frozen treat made from juice) for 25 cents a cup during the summer and I learned important lessons about business and finance. Those lessons lasted forever and over the years I was always reading things that dealt with personal finance.

Graduate school allowed me to further develop strategic planning and scientific analytical thinking and apply those methods to money management. The Money Scientist was born. On a stipend of $27,000 (about $23,000 after taxes), I saved over $10,000. Applying scientific methodology to money allowed me to create a money strategy that elevated my lifestyle and grew a nonprofit. As of 2013, I have been the Director of Finance at HWHN for eight years. 

BOND Girl: Why should folks really be concerned about how they view money and their habits with money? 

Dr. James: Financial success is important as money touches every aspect of our lives. Your money mindset (your ideology around money or the way you view acquiring and spending money), greatly influences your money habits and therefore affects your financial success. Your money habits determine how well you'll manage your income, how well you'll save, and build wealth. Knowing your money mindset helps you to work with it and develop better money habits so you can build wealth.

BOND Girl: Where do you think most women go wrong when it comes to their finances?

Dr. James: I find many mistakes are more likely to correlate with age and lack of personal finance education. I believe not pursuing personal finance literacy is one of the top mistakes. Allowing someone else to handle all aspects of your finances, e.g. the spending plan, taxes, insurance, investing etc, is another top mistake. In the past this mistake was more commonly found in married women, but as more women are empowered about finances and take an active role in the money management, that is changing.

BOND Girl: Any recommendations for women who are looking to get married? How should they handle the topic on finances with their potential spouse?

Dr. James: Communication is king and queen.  Disagreements and miscommunication about money is one of the leading causes of marital arguments and divorce. Discuss with

your potential spouse your past financial history. Both parties should be well aware of any debt or financial obligations the other person will bring into the marriage. Discuss each person's money mindset and emotions surrounding money, what is each person's background e.g. from homes of lack or plenty.  Discuss how finances will be handled and how financial burdens will be shared, e.g. joint vs separate accounts. There is no one right way for sharing the finances, as long as each partner fully agrees and is committed to the plan. Do what works for you as a couple.

BOND Girl: What would you say to the sister who is over her head in debt and sees no end in sight?

Dr. James: There is hope. When you feel out of control of your money, there's a lot of stress and confusion as to what should be the next step, where to start. The first step is to determine who you owe and how much you owe them. Get very clear on the numbers, this can be overwhelming but it is a necessary first step. The next step is to design a money strategy to determine how much you can use to pay down the debt and how to cut costs or increase income to pay down the debt even faster. The third step is to pick the account with the smallest amount and pay that first. This provides a nice boost of confidence and strengthens your resolve, this is very important. Once that first account is completely paid off. You move on to the debt that has the next smallest amount, and the next and the next until you're done. You do what you can, the key thing is to make the commitment to paying off all your debt and to start!

BOND Girl: Dr. James, if you could set the stage for the “Discipline not Deprivation” January BOND Gathering- what should our guest expect for that evening?

Dr. James: All participants should expect an interactive workshop where they will receive information on key personal finance concepts that will allow them to get financially fit. The information will help them to save money, reduce debt, and position themselves to build wealth while still enjoying the now.

BOND Girl: So say I’m the type of woman who’s pretty good with saving money and paying my bills on time, would I find any benefit in attending this January Gathering?

Dr. James: Yes! Income and credit management goes much further beyond saving money and paying bills on time. If you're living within your means, but still haven't achieved financial success there is content for you as well. I will also talk about building wealth and using your money to make money.

BOND Girl: Are there any other thought’s you’d like to share with our readers?

Dr. James: Come ready to learn, ask questions and have fun!

BOND Girl: Dr. James, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you on January 17^th. The RSVPs are steadily rolling in. I suspect that this will be a topic that many women can benefit from.

******************************

To read Dr. Maria James’ full bio, CLICK HERE. For more information and to RSVP for the January 17th 2014 Gathering, “Discipline Not Deprivation” CLICK HERE. Please grab your seat now as the price will increase at the door.