Weaving Dreams E-Book

Tami Longaberger

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 293

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Tami Longaberger is CEO of The Longaberger Company, the premier U.S. manufacturer of handcrafted baskets and other home and lifestyle products. With great tenderness, transparency, and candor, this book opens her heart, offering readers a glimpse of her unique "American Dream"--the kind not handed down or given freely--but earned by hard work and fierce tenacity. Whether sharing memories of her impoverished childhood in Appalachia or accounts of reaching out to business women of the Middle East, Longaberger evokes a balanced nostalgia for the sweetness of the past comingled with a passionate call for hope for the future. Weaving Dreams prompts readers to dream bigger, think more broadly, and risk taking the road less traveled in business and in life. The life lessons remind us that we are all much more similar than distinct, that we have much for which to be grateful, and that the love of family is a treasure to be valued above all else. In Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, the Love of Life, Tami Longaberger emerges as a clear voice of encouragement and inspiration, challenging us all to live each moment to the fullest.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Part 1 - America

Chapter 1 - Love Where You Live

Finding Joy at Home

Chapter 2 - Only in America

Seizing Opportunities and Finding Silver Linings

Chapter 3 - Lessons from Purple Hands

Learning Work Ethic from My Father

Chapter 4 - With Feet Planted

Learning Respect for Our Country

Chapter 5 - A Pocket Full of Coins

Connecting with Bravery and Honor

Chapter 6 - An American Privilege

Being a Voice for the Voiceless

Part 2 - Integrity

Chapter 7 - The Legacy of Right and Wrong

Learning from Mom and Dad

Chapter 8 - Right Is Right

Taking the High Road behind the Scenes

Chapter 9 - Parenting with the End in Mind

How I Worked to Instill Responsibility and Work Ethic in My Children

Chapter 10 - Making Things Right

A Consultant’s Story of Longaberger Values

Part 3 - The Power of Positive Thinking

Chapter 11 - “Getting It Right”

The Struggle toward Self-Confidence

Chapter 12 - Our Minds Are Double-Edged Swords

The Power of Positive and Negative Thinking

Chapter 13 - Finding Balance

A Four-Part Recipe to Positive Thinking and Harmony

Part 4 - Enthusiasm

Chapter 14 - Reflecting on a Legacy

Dad’s Enthusiasm Was Contagious

Chapter 15 - From the Homestead to the Office

Promoting Enthusiasm

Chapter 16 - Feeding Joy

How I Remain Enthusiastic

Chapter 17 - Applause!

One Consultant Reflects on Finding Joy and Purpose with Longaberger

Part 5 - Learning

Chapter 18 - Cream Pies and Ohio Buckeyes

Defying My Dad and Going to College

Chapter 19 - Supporting My Kids

Why Education Is So Important to Me

Chapter 20 - What Diversity Can Teach Us

Lessons in Tolerance

Chapter 21 - Longaberger 101

Improve Yourself and Pass It On!

Part 6 - Family

Chapter 22 - Thick and Thin

Sticking Together as a Family

Chapter 23 - Memory Making

How Family Traditions Became Our Glue

Chapter 24 - The Best Medicine

Laughter Is Critical for Any Family

Chapter 25 - Expanding My Family

Opening Doors for Longaberger Consultants

Part 7 - Courage

Chapter 26 - Learning to Pull Myself Up

Finding Courage Within

Chapter 27 - Empty Shoes at The Bee

Finding Courage in Loss

Chapter 28 - Grace in the Trying

Finding Courage in Difficult Circumstances

Chapter 29 - Horizon of Hope

Finding Courage in Illness

Part 8 - Sharing and Giving Back

Chapter 30 - Hands in Dresden Dirt

My Love for Nature and the Beauty of the Earth

Chapter 31 - Random Acts of Kindness

Teaching My Children the Joy of Giving

Chapter 32 - Come Along with Me

Sharing My Days with Others

Chapter 33 - Landing in the Desert

Sharing Business with the Women of the Middle East

Chapter 34 - Philanthropy

A Way of Life

Part 9 - Gratitude

Chapter 35 - Remembering to Say “Thank You”

Important People, Important Moments

Chapter 36 - A Posture of Gratitude

How I Live with a Grateful Heart

Chapter 37 - “How Can I Say Thanks?”

A Consultant’s Gratitude

Chapter 38 - Grateful to You

People Make Longaberger What It Is

INDEX

Praise for Weaving Dreams

“Tami Longaberger has written a joyful, commonsense book which should be read in these uncommon times. She finds her roots in rural Ohio and draws on the wisdom of those roots and of her father, a true Horatio Alger character. This book will assure you that our best days are ahead of us.”

—E. Gordon Gee President, The Ohio State University

“Tami has captured the essence of leadership! She has the unique ability to inspire and share her passion for her company and its employees. Tami’s principles apply to everyday life and when applied to business these tested principles will lead to success. Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, The Loveof Life is beautifully written from her heart and filled with useful ideas for a lifetime.”

—GeorgetteMosbacher President and CEO Borghese, Inc.

“Tami weaves a basket full of personal stories and business insights to inspire us all to do our best. Using beautifully written ‘family’ stories, Tami Longaberger both instructs and inspires as she shares wisdom, insights, love, and encouragement for all humanity. Through trials and tribulations, sharing lessons learned, and showing how we can meet the challenges in our lives, Weaving Dreams is a candid account of a unique company and an extraordinary woman.”

—HopeTaft First Lady of Ohio Emeritus 1999-2007

“Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, The Loveof Life tells a wonderful story of the history of the Longaberger family, the culture and character of the company whose handwoven baskets enrich thousands of homes, and of its chairman and CEO, Tami Longaberger, who helped build its success. It inspires and challenges the reader to think about the principles and people who have shaped their work and life, as well as the contributions they could make so others can achieve the American Dream.”

—JoAnn Davidson Former Speaker of the House, State of Ohio Former Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee

“An intimate journey into a compelling, creative, and attractive personality that unravels and shares the threads which make up the vibrant tapestry of her life and success. A must read for those who seek the inspiration to take charge of their lives and achieve their dreams.”

—Sheri L.Orlowitz Entrepreneur and Founder of the Orlowitz-Lee Children’s Advocacy Center Former Member of the National Women’s Business Council

“WeavingDreams is a beautiful collection of inspiring, heartfelt stories that connects us to real and intimate moments along Tami Longaberger’s journey. Her experiences are so familiar that readers can genuinely feel the heart of a ‘small town girl’ with deep-rooted family values woven throughout the multiplicity of life’s responsibilities as daughter, friend, mother, and corporate executive. These passionate stories ground us by reconnecting with the simple that matters most.

As readers, we gain a depth of understanding and appreciation into the heart of a strong, influential, and inspiring American woman and business leader. Tami’s grace, elegance, and love for family, friends, and community are the spokes that bind her essence. We are left feeling fulfilled and inspired to find our own inner strength, to connect with others, and to appreciate all that surrounds us.”

—LoriWalker Head Women’s Soccer Coach The Ohio State University

“I am one of Tami’s many admirers—not only because she practices one of my mother’s pearls of wisdom: ‘Work is a privilege,’ but she also understands that success is built on integrity and relationships. Tami has spent her life putting this into practice, and The Longaberger Company, along with her family and friends, has reaped the benefits. I recommend Weaving Dreams to the young entrepreneur as well as my family and friends. Tami’s work is an inspiration and guide to anyone who possesses the courage to dream!”

—TheHonorable Bonnie McElveen Hunter Former Ambassador to Finland Chair of the Board, The American Red Cross

Copyright © 2010 by Tami Longaberger. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Longaberger, Tami, 1961-W

Weaving dreams: the joy of work, the love of life/Tami Longaberger.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-470-63003-7 (hardback); ISBN 978-0-470-92588-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-92589-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-92590-6 (ebk)

1. Success in business. 2. Quality of life. 3. Corporate culture. 4. Longaberger Company. 5. Longaberger, Tami, 1961- I. Title.

HF5386.L768 2010

658-dc22

2010021339

This book is dedicated to

The Women of the World: in honor of their tireless pursuit to uncover the best in themselves. And once their best self isfound and realized, for the difference they strive to make in this world, one life at a time: as mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends;as businesswomen and community leaders; and ultimately, as powerful catalysts for change.

FOREWORD

For years I ran and scrambled as a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League, throwing touchdowns and huddling up with men who shared an intense drive to be successful on the field—to not only win, but to be the best. To us this drive felt like a gnawing, unfed hunger rumbling in our bellies—a constant companion never allowing us to rest on our laurels. Instead, it picked away at us, pushing us to excel.

When I first met Tami, I saw that same drive alive in her. I recognized the fire in her eyes and the passion in her heart, and knew that she was not someone who would find satisfaction in anything less than her best. It drew me to her; that determination and laser focus.

At the same time, I quickly came to know her as a woman of great compassion and true humility. If ever she had a moment to stop and encourage someone or delay her own plans so that she could stop and sign a basket, she would do it. And nearly to a fault, if ever a spotlight was shining, she would steer it away from herself, finding another to share in the glory and applause. She embodies “team player” in all the right and most honorable ways.

Tami seems to effortlessly walk the delicate tightrope of business and woman. In one instant she makes decisions with the potential to impact the lives of hundreds or possibly thousands of people dependent upon this company called Longaberger. And in the next—she is at home, arranging flowers, spending time with her children, and sending handwritten notes to those whom she loves and appreciates.

Perfecting this kind of effort is so rare that even my children have taken notice of Tami’s gift of balance and even-handedness. And at this stage in my life, it strikes me as being a matter of unparalleled good fortune that they have her example to watch and learn from. This is particularly true with my oldest two daughters, aged seventeen and eighteen. In the midst of their busy teenage lives, they pause, now, to see a woman exemplifying success, confidence, and intelligence, and recognize that Tami has proven that it is possible for a woman to achieve—and have it all.

Rather than wilting to the world’s ideals for women that place such inordinate value on what you look like or who you know—or whether you can secure a relationship that will provide financial security and worldly comforts—Tami proves that there is more. Instead of worming under the boot of obligation and dependence, Tami demonstrates that women can rise above, embodying independence and strength. Instead of stifling growth by settling for just okay, she summons them to break through brittle shells that confine and strip away dreams.

In short, Tami conveys—not just through words, but by her actions—that women who are willing to work hard, who hope and toil to reach their goals, can actually realize them.

This kind of thinking has overturned the way I think about women and about the pathways each woman must carve out for herself. For so long I was not used to seeing independent, self-supportive women who could—and who wanted to—be their own person. The women I knew were often content to let their identity intertwine so profoundly with another person or social status, that true self-esteem was never developed.

I can now see how the slope quickly grows dangerous and slippery for young women in particular. I understand how it takes away hopes and a sense of imagination when planning for the future. Being content to coast along under the umbrella of another, while not wrong, can curdle the cream as it rises to the top.

And so, meeting Tami and participating fully in her life has not only been a beacon of fresh perspective for me and for so many others; it has changed the lens through which I view women while also informing my parenting. Like many of you, I want only the best for my children: I long for them to see the gleam of their own faces reflecting back from shiny and bright futures. And part of that gleam, I’m convinced, will spring from what I’ve learned from this incredible woman.

Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, The Love of Life is a collection of Tami’s most treasured and heartfelt stories and life-lessons. It contains memories from her childhood, memories of her father, and memories of mothering her own children. It shares the journeys of several other amazing women who overcame great odds—if even by overcoming their own doubts—to evolve into people they never thought they could be. Maybe you’ll see a shadow of yourself in them?

As a man, I feel so privileged to have been able to join Tami on part of her life journey. And because she has impacted my life so drastically—and because I’ve learned so much from her, I truly feel that this book will be deemed an important resource for men as well as women. I realize now that it is equally vital for men to recognize the strength of authentic femininity—the strength that comes with uncovering your true self and removing the tethers of a society, world, or social setting that would hold you back.

So wherever you are in life, it is my hope that you would be empowered as you read. And if this book impacts you at all, pay it forward. Who knows? What you read here might be just the thing that your sister, brother, or friend needs to hear.

Thanks for reading, Bernie J. Kosar

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, always, I would like to thank my family:

Claire and Matthew: You have infused my life with such immense joy and changed me forever, for the better. I am so proud to be your mom.

Bernie: For all the listening and compassion you are quick to offer; you bring love, friendship, and happiness into my world each day.

My Dad Dave, my Mother Laura and her husband Jim, my Sister Rachel and her husband Todd, and their children Kaitlin, Dustin, Benjamin, Rose, Isabelle, and John Todd: Your support and encouragement have an immeasurable impact on me.

Bob Dilenschneider and Joe Tessitore: Thank you for helping make this book—this dream—a reality.

Richard Narramore and the folks at John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: For the vision you cast, for shaping raw ideas and broad topics into something exciting and compelling.

Jane Graham: For listening to my stories and helping me find the right words.

The Entire Longaberger Family of Sales Associates and Employees: You will always be family to me.

Part 1

America

1

Love Where You Live

Finding Joy at Home

I can’t say for certain exactly how it happened, or when; but like a slow marinade of spices and oils and herbs, my body has been soaking in the Midwest since my mother first wrapped me in a white blanket. I have absorbed the textures unique to each season: Lush grasses upholstering rolling hills, the crunch of leaves underfoot as I scout goldfinches in the garden. I have listened to the winter calls of red-tailed hawks that fly boldly near the icy, spring-fed waters of our pond. I have memorized the lines and arches of the trees I love, stared in reverence as they swayed in the wind, bending and dancing and nearly singing to me—composing a forest cathedral that seemed to be mine alone.

I know this place as one knows a sister or a close friend—intimately and effortlessly.

Trying to remove the Midwest from my being—from my blood—would be akin to attempting to separate out the varied ingredients in my mom’s winter potato soup: Impossible. My love for this place is so ingrained in me—so deeply pressed upon my very soul—that it is part-and-parcel of who I am.

I remember a day when I was a child, bouncing along in the backseat of my grandparents’ Buick on our way to Amish Country. I always loved those Sunday drives; hearing the gravel crunch on the old country roads, driving somewhere to pick wildflowers on a hill or in a meadow. The autumn sun streamed in through half-open windows and dust danced in the glow of the backseat as I watched barns flash before me like immense wooden strawberries on county-sized vines.

Maybe that’s the first time I paid attention to Ohio; maybe that’s the first time I knew it was special to me. Or to someone.

Living here has, in some ways, softened me—to the beauty of the earth and the simplicity of nature. Yet in other ways, it has toughened me—left me with calloused hands and skinned knees. I hold both sides of the coin in my hands, feeling the weight equally.

It hasn’t always been easy to live in a small town with a big last name, so my dad made sure I observed and practiced the Midwest work ethic that makes us the “Breadbasket of America.” After all, if we’re going to feed the nation, we must all be ready to get some dirt under our nails.

Midwesterners, I’ve found, are ready to do that hard work. Whether it’s farming or manufacturing, our state stands on the shoulders of willing workers and their desire to make honorable contributions to society. I grew up seeing that—not only from my mother and father—but from neighbors and teachers and friends; people who ask for honest pay for an honest day’s work. People who find pride and esteem in holding a job that provides for their families. Ohioans, it seems, embody the Midwest work ethic that epitomizes Longaberger—and, in a greater sense, the history of basket weaving in America.

In light of these willing hands and able bodies, I can’t tell you how acutely I feel the pain that accompanies the dismantling of so many jobs across our nation and even more so here, closer to home. To recognize that people want to be given a chance—just one shot at a better life—and to see them stumble over shoestrings that someone else untied is sometimes more than I can bear. I turn on the news and see that faces are cast down while unemployment numbers are steadily up. Sadly, we no longer live in a time of abundant factory jobs and blue-collar opportunities. And there are times during quiet moments when I wonder: What if my dad were trying to start this business now—in 2010? Could he do it? Would it thrive? . . . Would it even survive?

There are people who look at me and consider my position within this company, assuming that I “have it made.” Why would Tami have to worry? they might wonder. Well, believe me—I worry plenty! I worry about the employees who depend on me. I worry about treating them fairly and balancing their needs with an ever-present bottom line. I worry about keeping this tradition alive—about developing another generation of first-class basket weavers who will find an audience in the marketplace and esteem in the town square. I worry about the Midwest.

But amidst these ominous gray clouds, rays of light splinter and break their way through the bleak exterior. If you’re willing to wait and watch, you’ll see them, too. It seems to me that taking a step back lends a new perspective to these clouds. Maybe it requires taking a deep breath and going back to school to find your light. Maybe it means taking a step in a totally different direction, while capturing a willingness to try new things that you never imagined doing.

For me, the light comes when I take a step across the ocean.

I have been blessed with opportunities to serve women on the global stage, and proudly serve as the chair of the Arab Women Leadership Institute. As such, I was honored with an invitation to travel to Jordan as one of my biannual trips. Nestled between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Jordan is a land peacefully tangled in a complex history. Although women are well represented in their universities, they are striving to move upward socially, sharing many of the dreams that you and I have for ourselves: To be respected, to make a difference, to achieve their own definition of success.

When I met Dr. Wajeeha Sadiq Al-Baharna, I knew I had encountered a strong and interesting individual who was destined to make waves in her country. An expert in interpreting women’s rights in the Koran, Dr. Wajeeha explained to me that the Koran does not place upon women the kinds of heavy restrictions and legalism that we see marching across our TV screens on the evening news. Rather, she argues, men have distorted the guidelines in this book and imposed these rules as a form of religious fanaticism. Dr. Wajeeha dreams of helping women inch forward in their fight for equality, and she is willing to step outside of very structured boxes to do that.

Dr. Wajeeha could very well leave the land she loves; she could look out at the burkas and list off the rules and say, Never mind! It’s not worth the fight! And I can’t say I would blame her if she chose that path. Transforming the perceptions and beliefs of a community—an entire culture—is a monumental task.

But Dr. Wajeeha isn’t choosing that path. Instead of giving up and walking away in defeat, Dr. Wajeeha stays in her country, remains true to her homeland, and strives to make it better.

And isn’t that what so many of us have done in these tough economic times? Of course, some families have had to move by necessity—and justifiably so. However, I seem to hear about just as many who have stayed and tried to move mountains in the communities where they’ve grown up and come to love.

Take a moment and reflect on your own journey over the past year or two. Have there been moments when leaving the place you call home seemed particularly tempting? If you decided against the move, what was it that held you in place? Was it family? Your church or religious community? The landscape and the beauty that has become like an old friend?

And if you had to move, do you ever think about home? What do you miss? What do you love about your new surroundings? How can you bring fresh light to that place?

Wherever the road of life has taken you, I’m certain if you search your memories that you will find that the geography of your childhood has made a few cameo appearances. Perhaps the landscape was one of the characters in your story; maybe it even had the starring role. For many, visiting the beach in summer is so intertwined with thoughts of mom and dad that they’re pressed to remember family without sand and water and pails of shells.

That’s the beauty of place—the beauty of home. It becomes a part of you even when you move and try to stuff it away; even when you don’t realize you’re soaking it in, there you are, heart and soul, marinating.

Whether I’m working with Arab women or European business women or the Ambassador for Kenya, I look into eyes eager for direction and creative ideas . . . and I see light. I see the spark of ingenuity that I see in America, and it reminds me of home.

The home I love, that continues to shape me and inform my worldview.

The home that gives me hope and light for the future.

2

Only in America

Seizing Opportunities and Finding Silver Linings

I was born in the fall of 1961 in the foothills of Ohio’s Appalachian Mountains. My mother had spent the day with a number two pencil, filling in row upon row of multiple-choice questions on her Nursing Boards Exam, only to return home and fill the air with the kind of heaving screams that bring new life into the world. It was October 20—and the beginning of everything.

As poor timing would have it, my father had been drafted to serve in the U.S. Army’s effort in the Berlin Crisis of 1961, effectively leaving my mother to be a single mom struggling against the unrelenting poverty that strangles Appalachia to this day. Rather than staying in our little house alone, she packed up our few belongings and escaped to the comfort of my grandmother’s home.

I use the word “comfort” here relatively. True: It was a comfort for my mom to have an extra pair of hands to help wash me and prepare dinner. It was a comfort to have another voice to echo hers and a mother’s wisdom surrounding her, rather than the lonely sound of solitude that rings like thunder when your body aches for company. But comfort did not include the modern conveniences we’ve come to expect in this country.

Even in 1961, my grandparents, Ula Mae and William Herman Eschman—and by extension all of us—were living in a small wooden home with an outhouse and no running water. A hot bath meant boiling pan after pan of creek water and letting it splash into a metal tub on the kitchen floor. A trip to the bathroom after dark meant tiptoeing through brambles and over tree roots before shutting the door on your closet-sized destination. It was the comfort of kin over convenience; the comfort of mother and tender hand that drew my mom back to her homestead.

And so—like countless others before me in Ohio and Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee—my journey of life started as a baby held in the balance of Appalachia.

With time comes a certain perspective that allows us to more accurately weigh the gravity of our beginnings. And what keeps coming back to me in greater wonderment each time is the thought that I started my life in a place without running water. Yet now, by the grace of God, I find myself living a full and amazing life beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. Only in America could a girl like me find such opportunity and seize it, turning it over and over until it became the smooth likeness of a dream.

I’ve been blessed to see my children grow and learn the value of hard work. I’ve worked with U.S. and foreign presidents, kings and princes, princesses, and cardinals from Rome. I’ve seen our company grow and give men and women opportunities to reach for bigger dreams and farther horizons.

And while it’s true that I have been blessed immeasurably, it has not come without exhausting, costly work. I’ve been in the trenches, so to speak, for years—learning and earning my way through this company, and I have to admit that there have been times when moving forward seemed impossible. When giving up would have made sense. It would have been justifiable. But it would not be accepted—not by us, and not by me.

In 1986 the Longaberger Company faced a seemingly insurmountable debt load of $7 million. After Dad confided in Rachel and me that he was going to call it quits in the face of such a trial, we convinced him to do anything he could to save the business. Dad put it all on the line: he laid off over 900 Basketmakers, imposed pay cuts on those remaining, stripped our product line down, and raised prices on everything else.

Those were terrible years for all of us. In a small community like Dresden, letting go of 900 decent, quality workers made the clouds sink a little closer to earth; everything seemed gray that year. And although we were able to pull out of that murky abyss, we did so with battle scars I still carry.

In late 1997, my father was diagnosed with renal cell cancer. By March 1999, he was dead. Rachel and I felt our hearts splay open and be laid bare before us. No one expects to lose a father who’s only 62 years old. And when you do, few can truly anticipate the undertow that grabs you and sucks you down, pinning you underwater when all you want is the sun.

Before the veil of tears could be lifted and dried after my father’s death, I was doubled over and writhing from the pain of divorce. Two devastating blows dealt to me within three weeks of each other left me limping and gasping for air.

At the end of March that year, an imposing corporate desk and shoes I never intended to fill sat empty and waiting for me in Newark, Ohio. A home, now broken, left sharp edges and unfamiliar fissures for me to navigate unwittingly. I could barely find my footing, much less think like the “visionary” Longaberger needed me to be as we embarked on this new chapter in our short history. All the while, the line of employees with questions and concerns and deadlines lined the hallway outside my office door like dominoes waiting to fall.

And all the while, I was dying inside. Unable to grieve. Unable to fill my lungs with enough air. Unable to sit in the stillness and let my eyes cough up torrents of tears and heartbreak.

Instead, piles of work sat before me. Papers to sign. Arrangements to make. Meetings and payroll and . . . emptiness.

Do not be fooled into believing that sitting at this desk has been filled with only lollipops and rainbows, or baskets of tulips and daffodils, for that matter. I promise you that while sitting here is indeed a tremendous blessing, this desk still casts shadows when the lights go out.

The silver lining in all of this pain, however, was coming to the realization that I can wake up to a new day. And even though some wounds never heal completely, the scab starts to dry, and the scar diminishes. And with a little love and tenderness, the silver lining gives way to a radiant sunset that seems—at least in that moment—to redeem part of what was lost.

We in America have been granted the unbelievable opportunity to search for silver linings every day. In the great expanse of this country, I truly believe that you can do whatever you set out to do—as long as you get up every day and keep trying. It’s possible! Who would have ever dreamed that my dad—a poor boy in the early part of this century—would have made a living at weaving baskets . . . let alone build a company that would go on to employ over 8,000 people? Who would have thought that in less than 50 years, I could go from a baby in an Appalachian cottage to CEO of this company? But in America, it’s possible. In America, your dreams are possible.

At Longaberger, we like to tell women that they can achieve their own “American Dream.” And one of the shining joys of my job is getting to see women whose lives are changed because of their determined efforts to find that dream and call it into reality. When I meet a consultant whose life has been revitalized or transformed by the opportunity Longaberger gives them, my spirit floats. It is such a magical thing that women who perhaps did not previously fully grasp their innate, raw power are now stretching to their full potential.

Ann Doty of Alaska is one of those women. Her story is inspiring, not just because she’s a Branch Leader and a breast cancer survivor—but because she has named and claimed her own silver lining. She has chased her American Dream and found it.

As Ann recently told me, “When I first started with Longaberger, I was hoping to add a few baskets to my collection and maybe make a few new friends.” She thought maybe she’d stick with it for a few years, reach her goals, make a little extra money, and then retire with her husband and enjoy the beauty of Juneau. Fourteen years and over six hundred baskets later—not including those on her boat or in the RV—she is still with the company, leading and mentoring 23 other women who have become like family to her. Those women look up to her as they define their American Dream and look for their own silver linings. And Ann couldn’t be happier to help them on their way.

Ann tells me she has found enrichment, confidence, and a new identity with Longaberger. And although she has earned baskets and cruises and extra income, none of these, she says, compares to the warm sense of family that encourages her to meet and exceed goals. She explains that the motivation to become the best you can be increases momentum like “a runaway train.” If you want to go for it, Longaberger will give you the legroom to try. Ann has tried, and she has succeeded—while inspiring so many other women to continue reaching and dreaming.