Recently, I led a webinar for Sverve called “Top 10 Mistakes Bloggers Make” – it was such a cool experience and I got to “meet” a bunch of bloggers that I had followed myself for awhile. One of those was Teresa Howes, she’s the blogger behind Eat, Drink and be Skinny and author of SkinnyTinis-All the Fun for Half the Calories. It was actually the first book ever published to feature only low calorie martinis in 2009. I think she’s the original SkinnyGirl and far cooler than Bethany!
So after chatting for a bit about all things cocktails (since we know how much I love those!), we thought it would be fun to do a little joint interview. We came up with 5 questions that we both had to answer. I’m posting her answers on my blog and she’s posting mine on hers. Check my answers out tomorrow on her blog at www.EatDrinkandbeSkinny.com
1. What inspired you to start the blog?
People had told me for years I should start a blog to record all my running adventures, skinny recipes and — well, probably to give myself a place to organize my thoughts (self-disclosure: I can be a bit all over the place). When SkinnyTinis was released in paperback in 2012, I thought it was finally the right time to go for it and launch a real blog with real effort to support it. I had been signing all my books “Eat. Drink & be Skinny –Cheers!” since 2009, so it only made sense. With luck the URL was available and I jumped right to writing in cyberspace and haven’t looked back since! I love creating a space full of happy, healthy, fit and fun recipes, workouts, inspirations and stories of my adventures. It’s so much more time consuming than I would have thought. But I never feel like I’m working because I truly love the process of writing, sharing, and collaborating in the health and wellness space. I optimistically look forward to many years ahead of learning to better understanding barriers people have to a healthy and happy lifestyle and to create and provide solutions that work in the real world.
2. What is your favorite martini recipe?
That’s like asking what’s my favorite pair of shoes — there are some many things to consider and the answer so depends on the circumstance :)
- If I’m bringing a drink for an event, I almost always bring the Lean Green SkinnyTini Machine. It’s all natural, really refreshing, and you can make it in batches and serve it up or over ice. It’s always a crowd pleaser and I often swap out the gin for vodka to keep things simple. People love the fresh cucumber juice!
- If I’m up on my rooftop patio with girlfriends — I can’t help but whip up a pitcher of this Skinny White Sangria. It’s also super easy to make and I love using real fruit in my cocktails these days to boost the phytochemical power of these concoctions.
- If I have a sweet tooth I can’t kick and/or want a little pick me up with my boozy-tini, I love this Skinny Latte Martini. It’s rich and sweet and makes you zippy on top of tipsy, which can be a great way to kick off a fun weekend!
3. What is the key to your happiness? What triggers unhappiness for you?
I think you have to laugh at yourself and not take things too seriously. Which sounds easy on paper, right? But let me tell you, when I forget that, that is exactly what triggers unhappiness. I try not to be competitive with myself, but as a runner I can’t help it! So when I have a bad run – I get so grouchy. I’m also tough on myself with my business. If I mess up or don’t get the result I was hoping for, steer clear of me until I remember to laugh it off. As soon as I realize that absolutely nobody in the world cares as much as I do and that I’m literally creating my own unhappiness, I can come around. But it is a skill. And like any skill some days I’m better than others and it always takes practice.
4. What’s an embarrassing habit you have that would surprise people?
Well, that’s a tricky one because you have to decide what’s really appropriate to throw out into cyber space. But I think I’ll go ahead and admit that as a self-employed, CEO of my own biz, I declare the dress code. And let’s just say I’m not in the fashion business by any stretch of the term. I’m a gym rat, runner and writer. 90% of the time I’m sitting at my desk in mis-matched workout clothes or dare I confess even just some booty shorts a tank top with my hair in a bun and no make-up. For this very reason I shy away from Skype and often play dumb like I don’t know how to use it. LOL.
5. If you could walk down the street and have a song playing for your theme song, what would it be?
That song by the Cranberrries called Dreams. You know it the one that goes “Oh, my life is changing everyday, in every possible way...” I heard it when I was in high school and it was oh-so relevant. Now it’s on my iPod and comes on often when I run. It’s equally, if not more relevant today than 20+ years ago. And I have yet to decide if that is a good thing. But at the very least, it’s an exciting life and I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. I just have to hope that the stars align and I can pull this urban hippy lifestyle together and make enough of an impact to be granted the privilege to continue this journey.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and on her blog at Eat.Drink.Be Skinny. She was also recently on the morning program, San Diego Living mixing up some fun things. You can check that out here.
And you can check out my answers on her blog tomorrow!
