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During this month, spent celebrating all that we are thankful for, Maja says she is most thankful for her healthy family.

"These are very difficult times we are all going trough," she says. "So much uncertainty makes us more vulnerable and scared, which means these times have also made us realize what is most important. And that is our family and friends, staying safe and healthy. This is the foundation of happiness." 

When Maja thinks of the "why" behind her brand, aside from the joy and sense of purpose she personally receives from it and the flexibility it provides her family to enjoy their time together, she feels most filled with passion hearing the stories of her clients. 

Each of us has a story. Which means her necklaces do too.

"Our stories are as unique as we are," says Maja. "And so, every one of my designs is unique as well. I learn so much from the women I meet, and we quickly becomes friends in the end. And to think that it all started with a necklace, the way our stories begin to weave together. I'm very grateful."

For professional creatives, it is imperative that they maintain a daily routine that supports inspiration, focus and vision, and Maja has found that filling her days with multiple support lines has been most effective.

"My daily routine for creativity includes praying, listening to happy music, meditation, reading positive quotes (I love quotes!), and self-help books and podcasts," says Maja. "There are so many amazing teachers, coaches, writers and podcasters that can fill us with a positive outlook on life. We have to concentrate on happiness, especially in these unsure and fear-based times."

One of the struggles that many of us who work from home can relate to is the need to stay focused to remain productive. For Maja, she says she performs best when she remembers to take time for herself to stay centered and open to creative ideas.

"When I design, this is my time to meditate and 'get away,'" she says. "I absolutely love creating. This is my time for me, and nobody can take it away. And that makes me so happy. My kids have seen me create for a long time now, so they understand and are very supportive."

When asked which of her designs is her favorite, Maja says GOD. "Because GOD is everything."

Maja recently added a new design to her line, SMILE, because she says she is certain that she is not the only one who has missed being able to see people's smiles when she is out in her community.

"We've been wearing masks for a while now, so I felt like this design was necessary to bring smiles at least as a symbol on a tshirt," says Maja. "My ultimate goal is to bring positive energy and happiness through my designs. I'm already thinking of my next design to add. What do you think about JOY?"

If you would like to be featured in Maja Arnold's "WOMEN UPLIFTING WOMEN" blog, please contact us at kristin@elisely.com for an editorial inquiry. This blog was created to inspire, uplift and empower women globally to step through adversity to LIVE a KIND & HAPPY life full of HOPE, FAITH & GOD.

Lindsay Helm is an author and public speaker, whose first book about stepping into her true self releases at the end of October. 

Vixen is a memoir where Lindsay shares about how she stepped into living her most authentic life. For her, this meant leaving a church community to change the way she practices her spirituality, which required a leap of faith into an unknown world.

"I am passionate about living boldly and loving big," says Lindsay. "My focus is on living an authentic life and helping others do the same."

Her professional career has taken her down many different roads in life, to include non-profit work, program development for children with special needs, public education, experience as a magazine editor and executive director for Teen Creative. But of all these roles, she is most proud to be a well-loved wife and mother to her 7-year-old son.

As a young child, Lindsay had a deep awareness and longing to find her faith. She felt connected to a bigger picture, but couldn't quite put her finger on what that meant. In her teens she joined an orthodox church that gave her some really beautiful things in life, but after her son was born she felt her self-awareness and awareness of her faith deepen. She began to question things on a deeper level.

Lindsay began to realize that her faith was changing, just as she was changing as a woman with her new role as a mother. This is when she began to deconstruct her faith, which sent her on a journey of true authentic wonder without bounds. Through this new awakening she began to practice her faith by trusting her heart and soul.

"It was painful and overwhelmingly joyful all at once," says Lindsay. "This decision caused me to lose friends, and ultimately an entire religious community that I had loved for a decade. But in the end, I was true to myself and I am a better person because of it."

Lindsay believes bravery is not one thing in particular, but how we show up in our everyday lives. Bravery is ordinary. It is speaking in front of your team at a meeting even though you don't want to. It is talking to a loved one after an argument. It is asking for time off so you can make your child's soccer game. It is signing up for an art class just because you want to. Bravery is in the everyday lived moments, and Lindsay believes we don't give ourselves enough credit for that.

"We are brave when we ask for things we want or need," Lindsay says. "We are brave when we speak up. We are brave when we show up. And most of all, we are brave when we let others see our true, authentic selves. Never let fear control your life. Ever. Instead, let the fear propel you into something new, big or daring. Allow the fear to be your guiding light and stop giving it the power to hold you back."

Lindsays says that writing her book helped her to explore the unhealed trauma that still plagues her heart and soul. She is a huge advocate for mental health and talk therapy, and even though she takes care of her mental health and has done a lot of therapy, she found that she still had some unresolved trauma that showed up as she was writing. She said it was welcomed because it helped her pin point the areas that needed further healing, and it also sparked some really beautiful discussions between her and her husband.

Another important thing she also learned during this time was how important it was that she remained KIND to herself through the process. And to allow herself the space to both feel and process the emotions that showed up. "If my experience has taught me anything, it is that you never know what someone is going through," says Lindsay. "So, always be kind!"

If you would like to be featured in Maja Arnold's "WOMEN UPLIFTING WOMEN" blog, please contact us at kristin@elisely.com for an editorial inquiry. This blog was created to inspire, uplift and empower women globally to step through adversity to LIVE a KIND & HAPPY life full of HOPE, FAITH & GOD.

After losing her Army Green Beret husband in combat, 2018 Military Spouse of the Year Krista Simpson Anderson found strength and courage to continue raising her two boys by leaning into her faith in GOD and her community.

The weekend she was notified that he had been badly injured from an IED attack, she still showed up to the small spouse group that had hosted by the spouse of her husband's commander. She knew if ever there had been a time she needed to be there, it was then. And those women continued to show up for her.

Today, her mission is to “find a need and fill it.” And so her nonprofit, The Unquiet Professional (TUP), was born out of both gratitude and grief after the death of SSG Michael H. Simpson. Krista says that the support she received from her community inspired her to do more. She now serves surviving families, veterans, and their families by providing healthy and empowering opportunities to heal from the wounds of war.

She shares that her biggest highlight and success over the last eight years has been impacting thousands of lives through TUP’s focus on mental health, empowerment, and strengthening families.

“We have had our ups and downs, but we have always been able to make a difference in the lives of others, while trusting ‘we are where we are meant to be,’” she says. “I am so proud of the incredible individuals who work so hard to help me carry on Mike’s legacy. I could never do it alone, and I have never had to.”

Krista has since remarried another Green Beret, and believes it is important to offer support to other spouses who have remarried because their journey is one that is unique.

“I am proud of these individuals who have lost their loved ones and had the courage to move forward,” she says. “I know the ray of emotions and challenges that come along with that decision can be difficult. But I also know what a gift it is.”

Through her most challenging days, Krista has found that her desire to use the life GOD has chosen for her to make a difference for others is what continues to drive her. Every day she seeks to be the person for someone else that she needed at the beginning of her journey.

“I want to be there for them through their darkness and continue to be there, encouraging them along the way, when the light does finally begin to peek back in,” says Krista.

Another driving force for Krista is to maintain the legacy of her late husband that she is passing down to her boys. They were so young when he passed, that she and her husband make a daily vigilant effort to keep his presence in their home. Her oldest son expressed to her at age 4 how much he loves that TUP reminds him of his daddy, because he never wants to forget him.

“I get this amazing opportunity to impact the lives of others while sharing Mike’s life with the world, praying that I can also show my kids what a gift it is to serve others,” she says.

If you would like to be featured in Maja Arnold's "WOMEN UPLIFTING WOMEN" blog, please contact us at kristin@elisely.com for an editorial inquiry. This blog was created to inspire, uplift and empower women globally to step through adversity to LIVE a KIND & HAPPY life full of HOPE, FAITH & GOD.

Since launching Women Who Do Wonders International (WWDWI) last December, Pamela Bolado has been on a mission to increase global participation through lifelong learning of philanthropy and humanitarian development. 

WWDWI is an exclusive community membership platform built by women to unite, support, and amplify the power of female entrepreneurs, mission-driven community leaders and philanthropists working to improve the lives of women and children around the world. At its core, WWDWI is about KINDness.