Women Who Inspire

March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of International Women’s Day this Friday, March 8, we’re celebrating the achievements of women who inspire by taking a look back at the entrepreneurial ladies we’ve featured on the blog this past year! 

Photo by Carter Rose Photography

Mi Golondrina is a brand WHERE THE GENERATIONS MEET™ for Lolli and me…and Liza, too! We hosted a private shopping event and “Mother-Daughter Date Night” with Mi Golondrina founder Cristina Lynch last year, where we had so much fun with all the friends and mother-daughter duos who joined us. After working for Oscar De La Renta, Cristina founded her brand in 2013 with the dream of creating a high-end clothing line that highlighted the beauty of Mexico she grew up seeing on trips to her mother’s hometown of Torreón, Mexico. It’s inspired by maternal heritage, just like Lolli and Me!

“My mother has always been excited to share her Mexican heritage with me. I launched Mi Golondrina to bridge the gap between the modern woman’s wardrobe and the traditions of Mexico, enlisting artisans in small Mexican communities to hand-embroider cotton shirts, dresses, pillows, and skirts.” – Cristina Lynch

Read more about Cristina and our “Mother-Daughter Date Night” with Mi Golondrina here.

Photo via SiO Beauty

SiO Beauty is another brand WHERE THE GENERATIONS MEET™, and I had the pleasure of meeting founder, Gigi Howard when she visited Dallas recently.  I was inspired by Gigi’s journey of responding to something that bothered her personally by getting entrepreneurial about it. 

“I was raised to always confront life head-on, by doing this not only did I find the solution to my own worries, I created the solution for those experiencing the same issues I faced.” – GiGi Howard

Read more about Gigi and SiO Beauty here.

Photo via The Write Choice

Since 1986, Jennie Malouf Gilchrist has been helping her community celebrate life’s moments, big and small, through The Write Choice, her shop of curating timeless invitations, stationery and gifts. Over the years, Jennie has been a go-to source for birthday invitations, stationery and other paper goods for both Lolli and me!

“My love for handwritten mementos began with my mother, whose notes, letters and recipes have had a deep impact on my life.” – Jennie Malouf Gilchrist

Read more about Jennie and The Write Choice here.

Photo via Joanna Czech Official 

Joanna Czech, esthetician to stars like Anna Wintour and Cate Blanchett, recently brought her 30 years of experience to Dallas, opening Joanna Czech Spa at Victory Park in 2015, and she’s quickly become our new go-to guru. Joanna believes that the key to beautiful skin is a longterm approach, including a seasonal regimen and a healthy lifestyle rather than short-term “quick fixes.” Amen?

“I want to change the idea of what it means to take care of yourself.” – Joanna Czech for Texas Monthly 

Read more about Joanna in our blog post about Summer Skin Care!

Photo via Young, Wild + Friedman

Julie Friedman started making sensory play kits for her children a few years ago, and has since grown it into Young, Wild + Friedman, a thriving business releasing new kits each month and shipping them all across the country.

“We first started learning about sensory play about 4 years ago, when one of my children was diagnosed with a speech disorder coupled with severe anxiety. One of our doctors recommended incorporating more sensory play opportunities in our daily routine, as it may help calm her anxiety and encourage language development. I immediately started making play dough, putting together sensory bins, and even bought an at home music class DVD that we used together. Evie was, as expected, an extremely frustrated child because she was not able to communicate, and using sensory experiences truly did help calm her frustrations. It has truly been incredible to see how her behavior and language have grown and improved through sensory play.” – Julie Friedman

Read more about Julie’s story and sensory play kits here.

Photo by Megan Lucas

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman is an author, TV host (You may recognize her from her Today Show segments!), lifestyle expert, and editor-at-large of Southern Living magazine who inspires many with her creativity and style. We hosted a #LolliandMeLIVE book signing event at Interabang Books last fall to celebrate her latest book, Parties Around A Punchbowl.

“Setting an example for my kids of loving my work is what motivates me. I try to take every day with a smile and find joy in my faith, family, friends and work. Some days I remember that more than others.” – Kimberly Schlegel Whitman for Paper City Magazine

Read about Kimberly’s book and our “Mother-Daughter Date Night” with her here.

Photo via Live Love Pop

Lauren Brundage Mariel is a personal friend of mine and the founder of the purposeful popcorn company, Live Love Pop. After Lauren’s mom was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer in 2013, she quit her job at a national magazine to help her through the long journey of aggressive treatments. Desiring to channel her energy into something that would help create a better tomorrow and honor her mom, Lauren launched Live Love Pop, selling flavored popcorn based on recipes she made with her mom growing up. A portion of the proceeds from each flavor goes to different charitable causes – notably, the Truffle Salt flavor donates to breast cancer research.

“My dream was to create a HAPPY and HEALTHY snack that not only tasted delish and made people feel good, but also create a product that had a real purpose and mission behind it — since after all, I was starting this company to honor my mother and to help with the fight against cancer.” – Lauren Brundage Mariel

Read more about Lauren’s story here.

Photo by Summer Spooner Photography

Lucy Murchison, a mother of three, started Love Lucy Design a few years ago to share her personal creativity with local and national customers. Love Lucy Design has flourished into a thriving Etsy shop toting Lucy’s hand-designed invitations, gift tags, and cards.

“I was already creating invitations for my own children and their friends, so it was just a matter of taking the next step. A supportive friend told me to just go for it. She literally purchased the shipping materials for me to get started. It was that “What are you waiting for?” push that I needed.” Lucy Murchison

Read more about Lucy and Love Lucy Design here.

Mariana Barran Goodall

Born from Mariana Barran Goodall’s passion for preserving old-world stitching methods, Hibiscus Linens sells beautifully designed and custom linen collections. Each of Hibiscus Linens’ pieces is embroidered and crocheted by hand on the highest quality materials, creating special heirloom pieces to be passed down for generations.

“Growing up there were always guests in my house—it seemed like ‘Throwing Parties’ was my parents’ middle name. At each gathering, hibiscus tea was always present. Serving this special tea was something different that made everyone that came into our home feel warm and welcome. Hibiscus Linens is as special as the glass of hibiscus tea we gave to our guests. Every piece of our linens is made by hand and combined with delicate traditional techniques to create beautiful linens for your home and your own guests.” – Mariana Barran Goodall

Read more about Mariana and Hibiscus Linens here.

Photo via Little Sits

Dallas-based company Little Sits crafts custom, heirloom chairs for children, designed to be passed down through the generations. Founded just this past June by experienced interior designers Muffin Lemak and Susan Palma (also known as The Design Girls), Little Sits is a brand WHERE THE GENERATIONS MEET™ for Lolli and me (and Liza, too!).

“People kept coming up to us and they wanted something special to give as a gift, something that would last longer than clothing. Clients were asking for a beautiful, small-sized living room/bedroom chair to compliment their lovely rooms. So, we came up with Little Sits. The chairs are heirloom, and can be handed down throughout the generations.” – Susan Palma

Read more about Muffin, Susan and their company Little Sits here.

Photo by Natalie Yates Photography

When her first child was born, Whitney Williams Rowell struggled to keep up breastfeeding her little newborn until a mama friend dropped off some “lactation cookies” on her doorstep one day. After seeing immediate results, Whitney took to google to figure out the secret behind these miracle cookies. Incorporating these “secret ingredients” into her popular oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, she couldn’t believe how much more milk she was producing, even within that first day! With a heart to help other mamas, she began selling her Miracle Milkookies locally in Dallas and then launched the brand nationally in August 2018.

“I initially planned to only share the recipe with friends, but over time I realized so many other mom’s who discovered the recipe were benefitting from the cookies, so I decided that I might as well turn this into a business. The best part about this company is that our kookies have helped so many moms and even more babies.” – Whitney Williams Rowell

Read more about Whitney and Miracle Milkookies here.


How are you celebrating International Women’s Day this Friday? Let us know who inspires you by sharing about the influential women in your life and tagging Lolli and Me in your #IWD2019 posts on Instagram and Facebook

Interested in collaborating with Lolli and Me? Contact us at [email protected]!

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