Women To Watch – Flagstaff Business News

Six months ago, seven highly driven, businesswomen gathered in Sedona during an epic blizzard for a five-day workshop called SHINE. Their charge was to clearly state their goals and message, boldly step into the spotlight and unapologetically inspire more people with their story, soul and style.

Flagstaff Business News caught up with these powerful women to hear their successes including influencing opportunities, exploring ancient wisdom to calm and heal the world, pivoting in the ever-changing real estate industry, creating a wellness studio, franchising a drone concept, gaining visibility for small businesses and stepping on stage in bodybuilding competitions.

SILVER HAIRED influencer ENCOURAGES ALL TO EMBRACE LIFE AT EVERY AGE

Fresh off a Las Vegas wedding photoshoot for David’s Bridal, Adelina Winfield exhibits all the glow and joy of a newlywed, and authentically so. Her 100,000+ Instagram followers know her as “FlyGrannyBK,” a glamorous 67-year-old silver-haired influencer, who married the love of her life at age 65 and encourages others to be themselves and live joyously at every age.

“It was a vow renewal campaign complete with an Elvis impersonator and iconic wedding chapel. We represented mature people having fun, which is what I push out online, too.”

In recent months, companies promoting stylish, comfortable shoes, healthy looking skin and joint care supplements have connected with Winfield’s brand of beauty, style and vitality. The T-shirts she sells say it all: “Life is Grayt” and “Graytful.”

The Brooklyn native and fashion designer grew up in New York’s housing projects. “It was the ’60s and my mother used to cut her dresses shorter. I used the scraps to make dresses for my dolls.”

Since then, Winfield has traveled the world, shopping fashion hot spots like Paris, London and Barcelona and representing apparel brands such as Guess Jeans, Baby Phat and Urban Echo.

“It feels like the floodgates opened this spring and I’ve been blessed with so many opportunities,” she said. “People see me as relatable and credible. I influence Baby Boomers, but especially women over 50 about how to live their best lives in all areas, finding love at a mature age and looking fashionable over 50. You can still wear shorts at 50, 60, 70, I don’t care what people say.”

In 2019, Winfield decided to embrace her silver hair. “I let it come into its full glory and it changed my life in so many ways by embracing myself for who I am. I thought I would look older and I don’t. And the purpose of my life changed because I can inspire others to embrace their gray and this mature season of life with joy.”

Winfield also is working on a book, “Cornbread and Noodles,” a nod to the soul and Asian influences of her biracial upbringing. Her mother was Filipina, her father was black, raised in the South. They met during World War II. He served in the Army, stationed in the Philippines.

From the projects to Fashion Avenue, sprinkled with faith and lots of love in between – her sons are her biggest fans – Windfield shares inspirational quotes daily from her Prescott Valley home. “My message is consistent: Be brave with your dreams. Don’t be fearful. Go for it!”

FLAGSTAFF PUBLISHER SEEKS ANCIENT WISDOM, HEALING PRACTICES

Kimberly Trotta-Holmes has been a connector throughout her life, as an international project manager and engineer, publisher of Stroll Forest Highlands and mother of two. Now she is seeking the world’s ancient traditions and knowledge to connect herself and others with practices for clean, healthy living and to relieve pain from modern ailments.

“I think our whole world may be obsessed with muting the pain and emotions that we’re feeling, but to be able to let those loose and to discover where they stem from and how we can best use that for success, money and magic instead of illness, pain and surgery, that’s what I’m looking for.”

The seeds for this new chapter had been planted as she and her husband, Kip, began exploring different wellness modalities to spur them into a healthier lifestyle. “I was inspired to think about sharing all my adventures at the Sedona SHINE workshop and realized my project vision was very large. Ultimately, I needed to have a community of like-minded people to begin this journey exploring the world and develop my own emboldened path as an inspiration for others.”

She began meeting with others focused on mind, body and freedom embodiment, while nurturing relationships with friends and coaches around the world. “I’ve come into community with people who are international mortgage brokers, financial planners, filmmakers, beekeepers, travel agents and others who are interested in balance and healing.”

She also developed her brand, KH Elements Marketing to promote retreats and workshops, along with her husband’s business, KH Elements Construction. “Kip and I have gotten involved in Brazilian jujitsu, morning yoga, cold plunge and breath work.”

In addition, she is practicing fasting, nutrition and exercise as a way of removing toxins from her body in order to start with a “clean” baseline as she adds natural therapies. In the coming year, she’s planning to explore healing practices in exotic locations including Costa Rica, Egypt and Bali.

“These rituals can take us out of our reality for a second and help us see a different perspective,” she said. “I’m learning how we can take charge of who we are, stand in our own rooted selves, feeling safe and not worrying about being judged or needing to numb ourselves with shopping, food, alcohol, drugs, sex or any other addiction.”

Trotta-Holmes plans to share her discoveries on social media and produce an informational hub. For more, visit @Kh.elements.of.chi

ARIZONA REALTOR SEES BEAUTY IN SPACES, ANTICIPATES CYCLES

After selling 150 homes in three years, Lori Anna Harrison is doing what she’s always done: welcoming and preparing for change while creating a world of beauty for those around her.

Growing up in Flagstaff, while most little girls were playing with dollhouses, Harrison was seeing the world through blueprints – imaging what could be in the spaces between the lines. As a young adult, she worked on yachts, including Steven Spielberg’s, turning small cabins into luxurious retreats.

“Great things come in small packages and when you’re working on a yacht, you have to maximize every single square inch of that beautiful vessel. And that applies today, especially with first-time homeowners and affordability being a big issue across the nation. Small does not mean that it’s not beautifully designed; good design does not have to cost more.”

Harrison uses her accounting degree and MBA to help clients figure out their budgets and buy a home of their dreams while still being able to enjoy splurges, like going out for a nice dinner.

Her gift for seeing what can be has won her awards and built a loyal fan base of homebuyers and sellers. And now, as the market is shifting again, she is anticipating the silver lining in foreclosures.

“It’s not 2009 at all, but I see the writing on the wall. History may be repeating itself. Recently, 0% loans were approved by a national lender. In addition, people can now borrow $15,000 out of the equity in their house to start the lending process on a new home, which puts them in a precarious financial position to begin with. The rules for home equity loans are becoming less stringent, rent is astronomical and credit card debt has shot up.”

Noting that foreclosures are not particularly high right now, “there are plenty of them at the moment,” she says, “enough to buy, fix them up and flip or live in.” And that, she sees as her new opportunity.

This summer, she has taken classes and learned the home foreclosure and wholesale auction process.    She is also taking time to catch her breath and enjoy the calm following the real estate frenzy of recent years. On a solo restorative road trip through Arizona last month, she packed her pickleball paddle, hiking boots, audio books and tiny dog, Maybelline.

“I’m noticing a gentler road ahead,” she said. “Single women are now the largest percentage of homebuyers and I’m going to help them make their beautiful dollhouse.”

Find Harrison at www.azdreamlifestyle.com

PEACEFULL LIVING FOUNDER CREATES TRANQUILITY, OPENS PILATES, wellness STUDIO

With all the serenity of a savasana, Pilates coach Roberta Hughes has been welcoming clients virtually onto their mats and meeting them where they are, metaphorically and physically, often at other people’s studios.

“I believe, since the pandemic, anxiety has become the norm. People are in this constant state of going and doing and they don’t know how to slow down. They don’t know where the off button is.”

Hughes opened her own yoga studio in 2007, in space that she subleased from a friend. The building was purchased a few months later and the new owners didn’t honor her contract. In fact, they raised her rent substantially.

Shocked and hurt by the experience, Hughes, a military spouse raising two boys, chose to close the doors. “I said to myself, ‘I’ll never own my own studio again.’”

Since then, she has hired Arizona-based Business Coach Colleen Biggs and has been rebuilding her confidence, expanding her services and growing her clientele.

“Rewind back to October when we were creating our vision boards, Colleen planted a seed. She said, ‘One day I think you’re going to have a brick-and-mortar studio.’ Following those words of wisdom, I added a photo of a beautiful space with big windows, trees outside all the windows and a wraparound patio to my 2024 vision board.”

Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, Hughes ran into an old friend and mentioned she was looking for a quiet space to offer her Tranquil Touch facial reflexology sessions. The conversation led to an introduction at a fertility doctor’s medical and wellness center. “The doctor had a small studio in the holistic wing of the building perfectly sized for private Pilates, yoga and Tranquil Touch sessions. I would have my own business, work for myself and lease the space directly from her. It was a God thing.”

This spring, Hughes opened her own Peacefull Living studio near her home in Parker, Colorado. Not surprisingly, it has trees she can see through large windows and a wrap-around patio. She provides Tranquil Touch facial reflexology and teaches private and semi-private Pilates, yoga and meditation in person and online. 

“Being stationary allows me to be more present and invite people into their own journey. I see myself conducting mini retreats, focusing on self-care, keeping bodies healthy and bringing nervous systems into a place where they can rest and restore.”

Hughes offers free content on Instagram, @Roberta_PeacefullLiving

GOING BIGG: BUSINESS COACH LAUNCHES DRONE FRANCHISE

For nearly two decades, Business Coach Colleen Biggs has been helping entrepreneurs create more than 350 businesses and cultivating her Leap Community, a network of businesswomen driven by their passions.   

“I enforce two rules: Increase your visibility – tell everybody about you; and build long-lasting relationships.”

In the last two years while coaching others, she and her husband, Robert, have started one business and bought another. However, the fatal illness and death of a close friend this spring caused her to pause and reassess priorities.

“Robert and I really enjoy assisting people, building their brands, buying and growing businesses. But we did everything separately. When our good friend, Mike, got sick, we bought Beyond Basil [a mobile pizza business] and that’s when we realized we needed to make sure we were supporting each other through all our endeavors.”

Meanwhile, Robert had been growing his Phoenix Drone Pros business. “It turns 10 next year and we have decided to create a franchise. I feel super confident in the franchise world and have been really successful in that realm, working with business owners from conception to design, to sales, marketing and scaling. Through this process, we’ve turned a good relationship into a powerful one.”

Biggs says Mike’s death also made her realize how the human body holds onto trauma. “I started doing these natural medicine journeys. They make you discover the childhood you forgot about, the traumas harbored and deep-seated anger that can cause cancer.”

She’s learned that we can choose our thoughts and change our outcome.

“We only have so much time and I want to keep building with Robert. We’ve gotten to a place where we’re saying, ‘OK, there’s a lot more we can do.’ We are deciding to play big in all our investments, our time, money and energy. When we’re talking about building peoples’ businesses and generating an opportunity for them to make their own money, I want to help as many families do that as I can.”

Find Biggs at www.ColleenBiggs.net

ADVERTISER HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Small businesses are what keep the economy and communities vibrant and alive, says Flagstaff Business News Advertising Manager Linda Thein. “I honor the entrepreneurial spirit and want to partner with businesses to help share their stories, their successes, their inspirations, their innovations, including their pain.”

As a seasoned media and marketing professional, this Prescott resident cringes when she sees a business plan without a marketing strategy. “Advertising is how a business shares everything they have with their customers. It tells their story, it makes the offer, it appeals to the target audience that they want.”

She believes businesses get so caught up in the day-to-day operations that they don’t think through their advertising choices and don’t spend their money effectively. “I can’t tell you how many businesses open and don’t have a marketing budget. They get so busy, they fly by the seat of their pants!”

Currently, she is working to spread the word about the power of digital marketing. “With the tremendous growth we’re seeing in Arizona, gone are the days of surviving by word of mouth. You have to be on all formats, including having a social media presence. For businesses that aren’t comfortable in that space, they need to work with a professional who can help them build a strategy and create messages that call customers to action.”

Thein is especially excited about being part of FBN’s Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Awards, which features local women of excellence. It is scheduled for 3-5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20, at Starting Point in the Pine Ridge Marketplace.

“Participating in the SHINE workshop was such a joy. The ladies were amazing and it was really nice to take time to connect with people and also focus on ourselves. Like a lot of businesswomen, I’m often working by myself at my computer or supporting others. Events like SHINE and the ATHENA Leadership Awards are such a boost for the spirit. The women are incredibly inspirational.”

For digital marketing and advertising strategies, find Thein at linda@quadcitiesbusinessnews.com

MASTER SPEAKER GOES FROM BROKEN TO BUFF, SETS GOAL BIGGER THAN HER GRIEF

Feisty, famous and fearless, Arvee Robinson, known to thousands as The Master Speaker Trainer, is invincible on any stage – she can hold her own with motivational giants like Tony Robbins, share the spotlight brilliantly with experts in any field and transform stage-frightened entrepreneurs into polished international speakers.

Known for thinking on her feet while getting conference-goers up on theirs, Robinson’s natural spunk and zest pours into the hearts of others. But, what no one saw coming was the unexpected death of her husband and the crippling toll it took on her.

“My grief was overwhelming. I had to find something to live for. I needed something huge that would be bigger than my grief.”

She found it in bodybuilding. “I saw a woman bodybuilder on YouTube. I’ve worked out all my life, but I didn’t look like that! She inspired me.”

Her goal was to push her boundaries and compete on stage in a bikini before she turned 70. “I discovered that you need the same elements for bodybuilding as public speaking: commitment, dedication and consistency.”

She began posting her progress on social media. “I was 35 pounds heavier a year-and-a-half ago. Unexpectedly, I started inspiring women in their 50s, 60s and some in their 70s. It gave them hope that no matter how old they are, they can start to work out again.”

In that time, she hit her goal more than once. “I’m going to be honest. It took a lot of courage to step on stage in a teeny-weeny bikini alongside a 50-year-old woman! But I won a victory for myself by doing that. I also inspired girls and older women right there at the competition. They wanted to take their picture with me. They made me feel like a star.”   

This spring, she competed again, securing first place in the 60+ category for the National Physique Committee (NPC) California State Championship. “I set the intention. I said I was going to win and I told everybody I was going to win and that’s how you manifest stuff. I knew, like I knew, like I knew. There was no question. I had to work up to that intention with diets and discipline. I had to avoid people who kept me up too late or wanted to go out to eat. I stopped everything and focused on my goal. I owned it. That’s what it takes for a big goal.”

Six days before her 70th birthday, July 26, Robinson competed nationally in the NPC Teen, Collegiate and Masters National Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She tracks her journey on Instagram @Arveebuff4life

These seven women have proven to themselves that there is magic in declaring a grand vision, power in community and inspiration in success. Meet these “Women to Watch” on Zonie Living at Star Worldwide Networks, visit https://starworldwidenetworks.com/episodes/women-to-watch-video. FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Photo by Kay Lyons: Lori Anna Harrison, Kimberly Trotta-Holmes, Linda Thein, Adelina Winfield, Roberta Hughes, Bonnie Stevens, Arvee Robinson and Colleen Biggs celebrate following a five-day workshop that kept them nearly snowbound in Sedona.