What Every Girl Needs to Know

Maria Menounos is well known as a correspondent for Access Hollywood and Today and reporter for NBC’s Nightly News and Dateline.  As if she wasn’t busy enough with her very active TV career, Menounos somehow found the time to author a new book, The Everygirl’s Guide to Life.

Fortunately for readers, Maria’s crazy schedule has led her to devise some great methods and tips for managing everything from a budding career to losing weight to saving money.  Everygirl’s Guide is a docu-journal that includes not only a how-to-guide, but Maria’s personal experiences and photographs as well.

What many people may not know about Menounos is that she was born to working class Greek immigrant parents who made a living as cleaners.  Maria spoke of working in her parents business, cleaning up at nightclubs, while trying to start her career in television.  Her strong work ethic was certainly influenced by her father, whom Menounos calls “very resourceful”.  She learned not to wait around for someone to tell her to do something, she just goes ahead and does it.

Early in her TV career, Menounos struggled to keep everything together. She was so busy, that she relied on fast food, working late hours and getting little sleep.  She realized that it was necessary to get organized and come up with a system for creating a work-life balance in her daily schedule.  Of course, Maria did find a way, and she shares her secrets with readers in Everygirl’s Guide.

Menounos has such a positive energy and can do demeanor, yet is down-to-earth and friendly.  Her “everything is possible” outlook on life sets a foundation for her “full-time, no holds barred” work ethic.  She thrives on the pressure and the variety she encounters each and every day.  Yet, Menounos sets boundaries between work and family, shares her success by giving back through charitable work.

Check out Katerin’s video interview with Maria and be sure to pick up a copy of The Everygirl’s Guide to Life at your local bookstore.

Getting Back to Your Roots

VIVE Katerin caught up recently with celebrity stylist Rita Hazan at Sephora in New York's Time Square.
Ms. Hazan performs her hair coloring magic for star clientele like Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Williams, Jessica Simpson and Renee Zellweger.

In addition to working with her famous clients, Hazan is also a successful entrepreneur and business owner. Her eponymous salon located at 720 5th Avenue in Manhattan brings her downtown style and sensibility uptown in an intimate and welcoming setting.  While one would think the pressure of running a demanding NYC hair salon would take all of Hazan's time and energy, she also managed to research and launch her new ROOT CONCEALER product line.  Rita spent over four years testing various formulations and applicators before bringing ROOT CONCEALER to market.  The product, available exclusively at Sephora, comes in four shades and is designed to let women spray on color to hide roots and keep their hair looking great in between salon visits.

While Hazan's salon and ROOT CONCEALER help women look and feel great, one of the things VIVE Katerin thinks makes Rita shine is her confidence, passion and desire to have fun doing what she loves.  Rita mentioned that when she started her salon, she surrounded herself with friends and family who supported her commitment to do what she loves.  This is so important for all of us to remember. Life is short, so keep your friends and family close while you follow your dreams.

Be sure to check out VIVE Katerin's video interview with Rita Hazan.

Beethoven in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn?

While the thought of classical music may seem foreign in a part of Brooklyn more commonly associated with gangster rap and hip-hop, the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza hosted a special performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic featuring a remix of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony “Eroica” by local DJ Eddie Marz.  In addition to Beethoven, BKLYN PHIL also played a tribute to the late Lena Horne with vocalist Leslie Uggams, and accompanied artist Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) in a unique and energizing performance. Of note, both Lena Horne and Yasiin Bey are natives of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a reflection of the numerous talents to emerge from the neighborhood.

Led by conductor Alan Pierson, the Brooklyn Philharmonic played compositions arranged by Andrew Norman (Beethoven 3rd Symphony and remix by DJ Eddie Marz) and Derek Bermel (“Life in Marvelous Times” collaboration with Yasiin Bey). The orchestra adapted well to the outdoor venue, and fortunately the forecast calling for rain was incorrect and the audience at Restoration Plaza enjoyed a beautiful summer night of music under dry skies.

The collaboration between the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Bed-Stuy Restoration was a great way to bring orchestral music to a new audience, and a neighborhood of children who may have few other chances to view a live performance by a symphony.  It was encouraging to see how many families showed up for the concert and I personally overheard several children asking their parents about the different instruments being played by the musicians.  If for nothing other than to generate interest in music and the arts among the children of Bed-Stuy, then the concert was definitely a success.  According to DJ Eddie Marz, the performance incorporated the culture of Brooklyn while introducing kids to a culture that normally doesn’t exist in their world.

Flowers Bloom Over Adversity

Elena Mazza is a strong and beautiful Latina of Argentinian descent living and working in New Jersey with her daughter Arianna. Her entrepreneurial business, AriLib Flowers, a successful start-up which produces custom designed artificial floral arrangements for corporate events, weddings and parties, is named in part for her daughter and in part an acronym meaning 'life is beautiful'.  Her designs have been featured at fashion shows, magazine launch parties and at charitable fundraising events such as the 'Got Pink?' breast cancer event.

Life wasn't always beautiful or easy for Mazza.  When her daughter was 4 years old, she moved her family to Argentina with her then husband - Arianna's father.  Her husband became abusive and after several years, Mazza found the strength to leave him, determined to return to the U.S. with Arianna.  Her husband, furious that she left, filed kidnapping charges against her in international court.  A warrant for her arrest was issued and her long battle to clear her name of wrongdoing and keep her daughter with her in the United States began.  Despite the fact that Arianna was born in New Jersey and is a U.S. citizen, international law recognizes the place that the child has been habitually been living and required her return to Argentina.  There are a few exceptions that can be made such as if the country is at war, in famine or if the child is subject to physical or psychological abuse.  Mazza went into debt and borrowed from friends and family to pay for lawyers to defend her and provide the burden of proof that Arianna would be harmed if returned to Argentina.  After a few long years, the case was decided in her favor and Arianna was allowed to remain in the U.S.

The idea of making flowers came to Mazza during her job as a teacher for special needs students.  What started as an art project, became an outlet for Mazza to express herself and bring in additional income.  Her small business is growing and thriving now, much like Arianna.  Now 12 years old, she has an interest in modeling and sometimes accompanies her mom to fashion shows where AriLib Flowers will be on display.