Yes, Portland is beautiful: gorgeous roses, breathtaking skyline, the Willamette River running through it, shimmery Mt. Hood in the distance. Our little corner of the world is indeed the envy of many.
But some of Portland?s most beautiful features are the amazing women who are part of our community. The local leaders showcased here are powerful business women who give time, talent and commitment to their professions. Individually, they are well-respected and proud of their accomplishments in the business world.
But collectively, they also share immeasurable pride in the fact that they happen to be loving, engaged mothers. In fact, nothing lights up the faces of these women more than conversations about their kids.
Our goal is to share a more personal glimpse of some of Portland?s brightest; not only for what they give to the community through their professions, but for the wisdom they?ve learned through their most rewarding jobs ? as mothers.
China Forbes
Lead singer, Pink Martini
Kids: Son Cameron, 3 1/2
What makes you happy?
Being at home with my family on our floating deck among the fir trees in the sunshine reading the Sunday New York Times and listening to the birds. Warm chocolate chip cookies with pecans and vanilla ice cream.
How do you define ?success??
To be content with yourself and your life, especially when times are tough, is the ultimate success. Many people who have everything are always searching for more and never feel satisfied, and sometimes it?s the people who have very little who are the happiest. To enjoy your life is success. I am inching toward this.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve received from being a mother?
This too shall pass. Everything is a phase and while the phases can be overwhelming and feel like the end of the world, a little time passes and magically that phase becomes a distant memory. It helps me to know that when I?m struggling. I also have to remember that the great phases will pass too. It?s always up and down.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
I feel like we give him everything important: love, nutrients, water and milk, lots of sleep and plenty of laughter. I honestly can?t think of anything missing. More play dates perhaps?
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
My specific sense of humor, which can be abrupt, provocative and self-deprecating. I like to break the ice and disarm people, but I try to keep it edgy and tasteful at the same time. My voice, which has its own unique tone. What?s one of your bigger bucket list items? To live in Paris for one year and become fluent in French!
Regina Ellis
Founder /CEO, Children?s Cancer Association
Kids: Son Zach 20, daughter Kate 16, oldest daugheter Alexandra died at age 5 1/2 of cancer
What makes you happy?
Adventures, family dinners, challenges, music, family and being with funny, interesting people.
How do you define ?success??
Always by the width of your smile, generosity of heart and the number of stories you can share about scattering JOY and giving your love away.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve received from being a mother?
In the last 23 years of being a parent my children have been my most inspirational and challenging teachers. They have taught me a belief in myself that I can summon courage even when I think I have none. to always find a slip of time in every day to experience happiness, to play more, and how to chart my way back to my heart when I am utterly lost.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
Really, REALLY funny jokes, adventures, more hobbies, and opportunities to test their confidence.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
I?m passionate about fun, a proud Italian, an early riser, and competitive with a love of cooking, books, libraries and playing outdoors.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
I like to call it my ?To Live? list because I tend to forget about things in buckets. This May, I completed my first half-marathon, crossing the finish line with my son Zach. The next item on the list is my first time to Paris this fall with my daughter Kate. The list is long!
Lisa Shroeder
Executive Chef/Owner, Mother?s Bistro & Bar
Daughter bio goes here
What makes you happy?
I love to feed people ? I really do! Nothing makes me happier than making people happy through food.
How do you define ?success??
Being able to make a living while doing what I love.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve received from being a mother?
Every person has a destined path, passions and talents. It?s up to us parents to identify what our children are good at and enjoy, and encourage them pursue activities that develop strengths. In so doing, we hopefully help them become what they?re intended to be. A good parent lets their child be who they are, whomever that is, and not try and make them someone we want them to be.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
My daughter is now an adult. In hindsight, I wish I?d made sure to actually stop, focus, listen and truly be with my daughter more often than I did, rather than just be near each other, involved in our own activities. I now have two grandchildren, ages 7 and 9, and when we?re together I make sure I am involved in nothing other than being with them.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
I?m a workhorse. I have worked ?doubles? (at least 12 hours) every day for the last 20 years! I try to live each day as if it were my last, so I am quite the party animal. Even if I get off work at 10 pm, I?ll still find ways to play. I sleep very little ? my mantra is ?there?s plenty of time to sleep when I die.?
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
To not have a bucket list. To just do what makes me happy, wherever and whenever I can.
Sally Bany
Co-owner Moonstruck Chocolate Co.
Kids: Daughter Rachael 21, Daughter Annie 19
What make you happy?
Being around friends and family. Laughing and sharing stories.
How do you define ?success??
Completing a project, report, dream, you name it ? when it?s all over and done, even if the outcome is not exactly what you expected, it?s successful! You tried and maybe it failed, or maybe it was a huge success. You can never look back and say to yourself, ?I wish that I had tried this or that ? ? because you did!
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve received from being a mother?
Volunteer in your children?s school and lives. Help out when and if you can. The things you will learn from your children and others are invaluable.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
Eyes into the future.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
The gift of gab. I have made many friends around the country by striking up conversations while standing in a line.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
I want to be an extra on Portlandia!
Sandra McDonough
President and CEO, Portland Business Alliance
Kids: Son Richard, 20
What makes you happy?
Downtime with my son or my friends, whether it?s at home on my deck with a glass of wine, or in some exotic locale in another part of the world. I also love traveling with Richard. He?s a great traveler, and has been to Europe six times (once without me!), to Asia, Central America, and all over the U.S. He has lots of curiosity, which will serve him well in life.
How do you define ?success??
My definition of success has changed over the years. When I was younger, it was about growing in my career and having opportunities. Then, when Rich was young, it became about being a good mom and successful career person all at the same time. Today, it?s about going to work and feeling like I am still learning something and making a difference in my community, while maintaining adequate personal time for my son, my family, my friends and myself. For a long time, personal time was not high on my priority list, but as I have gotten older it has moved closer to the top.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve directly received from being a mother?
You don?t have to do it all. It?s hard to balance managing a big career while raising a child, and it?s especially hard for single moms like me. I had to understand how to ask for help, and take it when it was offered. I had to learn how to say no to all those extra things that took time I didn?t have. I never once went to a PTA meeting, but I volunteered in the classroom because that enabled me to see firsthand how Rich was doing at school.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
My time. There?s never enough time. It was especially hard when I had a job that required a significant amount of travel. I would not have survived without our wonderful Esther, the German au pair who came to our home for one year and stayed almost six, becoming my honorary daughter and Richard?s much-loved big sister.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
From my mother I learned to deal with stuff. I try to address the problems I can manage and move on from those I can?t. That?s a lesson that comes from parenting, especially if you?re parenting a child with learning disabilities. We are not always in control and sometimes just have to let things go.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
To see all the continents, even Antarctica. It would be cool if my favorite travel buddy, my son Richard, came along.
Sarah Mensah
Executive Vice President, COO, Portland Trail Blazers
Kids: Son Davis,12
What makes you happy?
Being surrounded by family and close friends. Sharing a great glass of wine and conversation. Sun makes me happy as well as a great Trail Blazers win.
How do you define ?success??
Finding something to do that keeps me in my passion. As long as I?m excited to get up and do what I?m doing I believe that defines success.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve directly received from being a mother?
To accept the things that I can?t control, to keep myself challenged toward working on the things that I can do to make things better, and hopefully new wisdom to know the difference. I know it?s an established prayer but motherhood is a daily lesson in this.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
I wish I could give Davis more time and more direct focused attention.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
I?m driven and very competitive. At the same time, I am a mother before anything else. It?s a strange dichotomy for many to accept and understand, but it?s what makes me uniquely me.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
Before I leave the earth, I?d like to make sure that my son will be on the path to living in his passion and having a happy life. I?d also love to see that I helped other families who have struggled with raising kids with disabilities to have an easier time of it.
Judi Johansen
President, Marylhurst University
Kids: Daughter Anna, 16
What makes you happy?
Family, sunshine, co-workers, home, pets, gardening, cooking.
How do you define ?success??
Happy, healthy, fulfilled, engaged.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve received from being a mother?
I have learned that children are very clear thinkers. When I have a people-problem at work that is very preoccupying, I have sometimes sought counsel from my daughter, who is very wise. Children have a way of clearing the ?wheat from the chaff!?
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
Time
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
Humor, compassion, love change.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
To see the major U.S. National Parks.
Anne Weaver
CEO, Elephants Delicatessen
Kids: Daughter Trozell 28, son Skyler 24
What makes you happy?
I get a real sense of happiness when people around me feel the rush of achievement when a goal is met after a long, sustained effort. When my children are striving and content I feel particularly happy.
How do you define ?success??
When I feel secure and balanced I feel successful. When I have time to appreciate things and time for reflection I?m usually in balance, and that is success to me.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve directly received from being a mother?
You are a role model for your children more than you know. How you live your life is just as important as your parenting skills. Be a parent first, friend second. Love hurts. Foster independence whenever possible. Exaggerated praise backfires, especially when you?re trying to develop self-esteem.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
Nothing.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
I really care about equity and social justice. I like to get people to open up and say what?s on their mind. I love discourse and lively debate.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
A family travel sabbatical. My destination list is long and varied.
Johnna Wells
Founder and Principal Fundraising Auctioneer and Consultant, Benefit Auctions 360
Kids: Daughter Wrenne, 20 months
What makes you happy?
The feel of my daughter?s warm little hands pressed against my face in the morning when she wakes up. The sound of her laughter makes my heart swell! The rapid thump of her bare feet running through the house I swear to be better than the beats that any band can drop at a show. Celebrating, advocating, and raising money for the work of sensational nonprofit organizations that are working hard to make this world a better place. Watching my partner Scott be an amazing, loving, and nurturing father. Discovery. Exploration. Antiques. Garage Sales. Treasure hunting. All things auction. Art. Making art. Taking in art. Gardening. Iced vanilla Americano?s. Shrimp Pad Thai, and bottled beer. Idaho sunsets. Salty southern breezes. Writing. Laughing till you cry. My friends. My family.
How do you define ?success??
After the birth of my daughter, my definition of success became much more of a daily assessment, in which I?d run through a laundry list of ever-changing inquiries both professionally and personally. Did she eat well today? How long has it been since we changed her diaper? Have I showered her with undivided love and attention? Have I finished my client projects for the day? What steps do I need to take in order to ensure that my clients can achieve and/or exceed their fundraising goals? Did I get to sit down with Scott after Wrenne has gone to bed, and chill out and catch up in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our daily rhythms? When I can check these off my list, I feel incredibly successful! I?ve also held close to this passage for some time. Though I don?t know who wrote it, it?s become a mantra of mine, and when I align myself with its message personally and professionally, I feel supremely successful:
- Your life is now. Seize it and make it amazing.
- Find your voice. Discover your passion and pursue it.
- Be honest, generous and kind.
- Surround yourself with love, laughter and truth.
- Let your heart be your guide.
- Make a difference.
- Be brave and wild at heart. Take chances. Ask questions. Be fearless.
What are a few life epiphanies/lessons/insights you?ve directly received from being a mother?
A phenomenal realization of how utterly amazing my own mother is! I was always aware of the depths of her love for her children and her family before my daughter was born, but something shifted in me as soon as I delivered Wrenne. When the doctors laid her on my chest, and Scott and I tucked our faces in close to hers, and she looked at us for the first time, I remember feeling this remarkable sense of unconditional love, and gratitude, and connection to all things. I remember feeling a selflessness that I don?t think had quite existed in me to that degree before. And I remember thinking to myself, ?My God, my mom loves me like this!?
Additionally, there was this underlying sense of empowerment and accomplishment, that after twelve hours of labor, and a cracked tail-bone, that I had delivered an 8-pound, 13-ounce, stunningly beautiful baby girl. It kind of hit me all at once, this realization that moms kick ass, and love so fiercely, and that my own mother was stronger and more amazing than I had ever fathomed.
What do you wish you could give your kids more of?
We really try to count our blessings in our home. I feel incredibly fortunate that Scott and I have professions that allow for us to have flexible schedules so that we can spend quality time together as a family. Sometimes however, despite our best attempts, I suppose it?s easy to check work-related emails, return phone calls, and work on projects during a time that should really be singled out for family. With that in mind, I try daily to make sure that Wrenne and I have many moments of undivided time throughout the day. Even if I?m working on a deadline that might keep me up into the wee hours, I?d rather be there with her for bath time, books, and bedtime, and then burn the midnight oil later.
What are a few attributes that make you uniquely you?
Laughing is my favorite pastime. I?m a collector of all things. I could spend an entire day perusing junk stores, estate sales, antique malls and flea markets. I love wheelin? and dealin?. I?m a huge history buff, and consider myself to be a novice history detective. I have a secret desire to be on SNL, though I realize I?m not that funny. Rearranging the furniture in my home is a consistent and favored past time. I loathe turtlenecks; I even feel claustrophobic typing the word turtleneck. I think Frank?s Red Hot Sauce should be eaten with every meal. I?m incredibly sentimental.
What?s one of your bigger bucket list items?
I would love to become a published author. I?m gaga for story-telling, and have several story lines I?ve been working on over the years. I?d be over the moon if ever there came a time that I actually finished one, and could see it in print on the shelves of a bookstore ? even if no one ever bought it, and there it sat collecting dust and discount stickers, it would still be so very cool.
Related posts:
- Portland?s Got Talent
- Love Portland: How to Serve Your Community as a Family
- The Power of Gratitude
Category: 2012_August, Motherhood, Power Mamas
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