University of Iowa - Iowa City
October 31, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
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Since I was already in town for the 5k this past weekend, I made the scenic drive (NOT) from Chicago to Iowa City yesterday morning. Last night I had the pleasure to speak to a crowded ballroom at the University of Iowa. Pictured above is me and Scary Bad Guy Ben teaching a crowd of several hundred Hawkeyes how to kick some booty…with the assistance of Chuck Norris, of course. |
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Here’s me doing some palm strikes with some cute boys. |
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I took a moment to pose with the lovely event organizers. An extra special thank you goes to Kate Sojka, on my left. She worked SO hard to make this a huge success! |
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Above is me throwin’ down a media interview. Not sure what I’m saying here, but I recall thinking, “Oh crap! My radio show launches this Sunday! I better get my act together with this whole media thing…” |
Today I drove back to Chicago, to fly back to Denver. And let me tell you, there are some seriously crazy lookin’ people dressed up here at O’Hare. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s actually Halloween…not just the usual freakazoids one normally finds in a major airport. Happy Halloween everyone!
Shannon McNamara 5k walk/run
October 29, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Every year since Shannon’s murder, her friends from Rolling Meadows, IL have organized a race to raise money for a scholarship in Shannon’s name. It’s always such a heart warming event to have so many people gathered together who loved this girl. Being that I felt the need to party in my green leisure suit until 4am, I was clearly struggling a bit as I somehow managed to walk the route. I’m sure Shannon was looking down at me and laughing. I bounced back, with the help of that crisp autumn air. After the race I headed over to the McNamara family gathering that also happens every year. We just sit around the for whole afternoon, talk, eat, drink and remember Shannon. It’s really therapeutic for everyone. And I was glad to have the day off just to be with her family without having to rush off to catch another flight. We raised some serious cash this year, so it will be great to send yet another student off to college with a scholarship in Shannon’s name.
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Above is just a fraction of the long line of walkers and runners. |
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Here’s me with a few of Shannon’s family members. From L-R: Sharon (Cindy’s best friend and amazing party hostess), Cindy (Shannon’s Mom), Me, Mary Ruth (Shannon’s Aunt) and Brit (our favorite gal pal and Sharon’s daughter). |
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As you can see above, me and Mary Kay (Shannon’s Aunt) discovered the trampoline. We damn near peed our pants. Good times. |
Halloween in Chicago
October 28, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
I flew in to Chicago yesterday, and attended a fun gathering at some dive on Clark St. near Wrigley Field hosted by our friend from college. People seemed to really get into the whole costume thing this year. I’ve never seen so many grown men dressed as Care Bears. What’s up with that? As you can see from the picture above, my friends and I whooped it up. Tommy is a British Knight or something, Neal is a crocodile hunter, KatyO is Princess Lea and I’m wearing a fabulous, vintage onesie green leisure suit. I whipped it out from my college days, and it’s so comfortable. And the beautiful thing about polyester is that when people spill on you, the liquid just beads up and falls on the ground. No stains, no dribbles! I should wear polyester more often. KatyO thought her Lea wig was too itchy, so I wore it for a majority of the evening. Complete strangers were coming up to me and were like, “What ARE you?” And I responded that I was a Charlie’s Angel…Kate Jackson to be exact. I know, it’s not remotely cool or funny. But I just really wanted to wear that green leisure suit again. Mission accomplished.
United Airlines Debacle
October 25, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Well I’ll say it for real: My days flying United Airlines are over. This could be difficult, given that I live in Denver, their hub. But I’m going to try and avoid this company to the best of my ability. And here’s why.
So yesterday I was flying from Allentown, PA to Denver. I had to connect in Chicago for just a one hour layover. Around 2pm I’m on a huge 777 plane about to take off for Denver, when the Captain comes on the intercom. He informs us that some people on the left side of the airplane saw us hit another plane with our wing. Now I immediately believe people in situations like this, but the Captain was all sorts of sure that these people must have “seen something flying in the wind.” That’s crazy. I’d put $100 on my peeps on the left side o’ the aircraft. The Captain says that as a precaution, we have to go back to the gate and have it checked out. He sounded real annoyed, and told everyone not to get up, because he was sure we’d be taking off in a matter of minutes after it’s looked at. So about 10 minutes goes by, and the Captain is back on the intercom…only this time he is informing us that indeed we hit another airplane, and the left wing is all jacked up. (OK, so he didn’t say “jacked up” exactly, but gave some sort of explanation saying the wing was basically mangled. Hence, my interpretation.)
All 300 people are now asked to get off the airplane, and about 299 of them get in a big-ass line to speak to one solitary gate agent. But I know better. I go to the bar, order a Sam Adams and get on the phone with United’s 800 number. Silly non-travelers. I tried to tell a few people in line that standing in line wasn’t going to get them anywhere, but they ignored me. 7 minutes later I was confirmed on the next available flight leaving 5 hours later. In the meantime, United claimed they had “fixed the problem” and called in another crew to fly the plane. Now, I don’t quite understand how you “fix” a jacked up wing in just an hour. That’s gotta be some sort of record. The new crew arrived shortly thereafter, and get this…they refuse to fly the plane! Now I have one rule about air travel: If a crew refuses to fly an airplane, you should refuse to ride on it! So I decided to wait out the later flight and make a lot of new friends in the airport bar.
The debacle continued, but for the sake of ending this blog posting, the day ended with me getting home to Denver around 11pm safe and sound. It made me think about a lot of things in regards to what I speak about for a living. First off, why don’t we trust people’s vision and intuition immediately when they alert us to danger? Why do bureaucratic airlines try and put people in danger for the sake of getting a plane to it’s next destination, despite professional crew members saying it’s unsafe?
Muhlenberg College - Muhlenberg, PA
October 24, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
As we speak, I am sitting at the Allentown, PA airport and loving the free WiFi here! Last night I spoke at Muhlenberg College, and had such a blast. They were in the middle of mid-terms, but they were troopers…I still spoke to a packed room. A big thanks to Chris and the Panhellenic Council for creating such an awesome event! See me pictured above with Scary Bad Guy extraordinairre, Ryan.
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
October 23, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I visited the land of Ivy League while speaking at Cornell. First off, getting there was so pretty, as this is “leaf peeping” season out East. I’ve missed the trees changing colors in living in Colorado. Out west, the trees just kinda turn yellow and fall off. So I got my fix, driving from the airport in Rochester down to Ithaca. I was psyched to visit, especially since my good friend Travis Apgar was there. He’s the Associate Dean, and the coolest guy ever. He is also a speaker, and talks about his experiences with hazing and suicide. Click here to check out his programs.
The crowd was great, and Cornell sprung for buying EACH GIRL IN ATTENDANCE her own book! So I signed a lot of ‘em, and had a good time doing it. Thanks to all my new friends, especially those wonderful A-phis.
DePaul University - Chicago, IL
October 22, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Ah, it’s always good to go home. On Saturday I flew from North Carolina to sweet home Chicago. Last night I spoke to a fabulous crowd of students at DePaul, and had a great showing. They ran out of chairs, which is something I call a “good problem.” A huge thanks goes to Deana, the event organizer. See us above trying out our groin strikes (in a flawless, synchronized fashion) and me signing some books.
Vanguard - Charlotte, NC
October 21, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I had my second hit of the kick-ass company of Vanguard. I taught a bunch of lovely gals how to fight, and we had a good time doing it. See me and the event organizer Rhonda above. She totally made the display behind us…how cute is that?
Girlistic.com
October 18, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today my friends at www.girlistic.com posted an interview they did with me. Click here to read it.
University of Texas - El Paso, TX
October 17, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Tonight was so much fun. For the first time ever, I flew today to El Paso, Texas. In true frequent traveler form, I got on the plane and didn’t know exactly what area of Texas I was flying into. I mean, Texas is practically its own country. (and it seems like those wild n’ crazy Texans think so too!) Anyway, when I got off the plane I found out it was in the very corner of the state, right next to both Arizona and Mexico. Man, I could go for a relaxing trip to Mexico right about now…mmmmargaritas!
But anywho, back to University of Texas. I was a little thrown off when I walked into the student union and was greeted by a guy who seemed to know exactly who I was. I figured he was on the planning committee, the way he shook my hand and smiled at me. (My clients have usually seen my picture before I arrive, so they usually know who I am but I don’t know who they are. So I’m accustomed to this sort of thing.) So imagine my surprise when they guy says, “You’re the carrot cake salesperson, right?” I was like, “Um, no.” My job has lots of titles, but a seller of carrot cake is not one of them. He walked away, looking pretty honked off. I looked around for the candid camera crew. Random.
The GFB program went off quite well, and a big thanks to both Tonya and my Scary Bad Guy Ray. Thanks to all my new friends for the coffee mug, shirts and cool poster!
Sungate Kids
October 14, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I flew back to Denver from Phoenix, just in time to attend a gala for Sungate Kids. I was totally that girl changing into a formal gown in the airport bathroom. Very classy. But it was worth it, because Sungate Kids is an amazing charity. Their office is contained in a cute little yellow house, which is decorated all sunny and bright. The purpose of the house and the organization is to conduct interviews of children who have been sexually abused or have witnessed traumatic events. And the best part is that these interviews are videotaped, meaning the little kids don’t have to be interrogated time and time again about the nightmare they have lived through. I am hoping to interview the Executive Director on my radio show starting in November, so stay tuned.
Learn more at: www.sungatekids.org
Vanguard - Scottsdale, AZ
October 13, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Vanguard is one of my oldest and greatest corporate clients. They send me to their offices all over the nation teaching their employees how to protect themselves. Today I spoke to a smaller crowd of 30 people, which was really fun. Lately I’ve been speaking in ginormous auditoriums and sometimes miss those little venues where I can get really down ‘n dirty! Pictured above is me with Donna, who organized the event. Hope to be back soon!
SUNY New Paltz - New Paltz, NY
October 11, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This crowd was such a hoot! And I was thankful for their abounding energy, because frankly, I was running low on it. Yesterday I drove six hours north after speaking at the high school to get to New York. I got off the highway at exit 17 off the NYS Thruway since it was the exit for my hotel. And I could SEE the hotel from the highway, but for the life of me could not figure out how to get to it! Isn’t that crazy? When you can see a large building but have no idea how to actually arrive there? Kinda makes you want to hop curbs and drive through fields. I felt like I was living back in New Jersey again…
So back to my story. The crowd at New Paltz was fantastic, and I met some really cool people. I was doing the “How to be a Bad Victim” program to both men and women, and they were all so great. I got some really nice Facebook messages afterwards. I especially love the complements from guys. They usually start out with, “I thought you were gonna suck, but I was pleasantly surprised.” I find this honesty very refreshing. And it’s always encouraging to know that you don’t suck, isn’t it?
Tour de Maryland
October 10, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I spoke to an awesome crowd of men and women at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. To get there from the Baltimore Airport, I had to cross the biggest, longest, highest, scariest bridge ever! It was exhilarating. Do you ever drive over a bridge and wonder what would happen if you sneezed or something, and busted into the guard rail? Anywho, we had some good times, then it was back in the car to drive to Annapolis, MD.
This morning I woke up at the crack o’ dawn to drive an hour south to speak at Huntingtown High School. An incredible woman named Dena Radosevic is the Photography teacher there, and has been trying for YEARS to bring me to the school. But due to my insane schedule, we were just not able to work it out until now. See me pictured above with a bunch of fabulous teens, who helped organize the event. And we certainly needed the help, because this auditorium was JAM PACKED. The funny thing about speaking to teens is that they are programmed to hate anyone who steps up on stage. As a speaker, you immediately begin with “uncool” status, and you have to work hard to get them on your side. (Note: this profession is not for those still scarred from high school cafeteria tauntings) The power of GFB won these gals over, and by the end one of my hecklers shouted at me, “Hey! Nice job lady!” Lady? Is that what people will start calling me now that I’m 30? Disturbing.
Fox News "The Lineup"
October 8, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Click above to watch my appearance on Fox News Channel last night on “The Lineup.”
2nd Edition of the GFB book
October 5, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Girls Fight Back!
When you write and publish a book, there’s always a sneaking fear within an author that nobody will buy it. Thankfully that fear never materialized for me…quite the contrary actually. We sold almost 5,000 books in 2006-07, and we went back to print in September ‘07 for Round Two. They just arrived today…here’s me chillin’ with 3,000 of my new friends! FYI, nothing has changed in the second edition of the book, really. Just some minor updates to web addresses and a few graphics.
You might already know this but just in case…all profits from www.shopGFB.com are donated to the Girls Fight Back Foundation. So if you buy it from us, you get an autographed copy and you also support a great cause!
A grown up b-day
October 4, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night was the most subdued birthday I’ve had since I was about 4 years old. Had a lovely, mature dinner with my hubby Peter, brother-in-law Mark and future sister-in-law Chris. You just can’t go wrong with chillin’ with family on your birthday.
The Dirty 30
October 3, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today I woke up to a bazillion emails from friends all over the country wishing me a happy birthday. This is just one of the reasons I feel so incredibly blessed…to literally have friends everywhere I go.
I’ve read a lot of articles and seen a lot of friends go through a 30 crisis. Many of them feel the need to climb a mountain, have an insane party or jump out of an airplane.
But for me, I’m taking today to just reflect and be thankful for what doors have opened for me in 3 decades. I was given my life’s mission at 23. I got the dog of my dreams at 24. I married the man of my dreams at 26. I wrote a book at 28.
And today, at 30, I have been given my own AM talk radio show here on Denver’s AM 760. I am calling it “Women on Top.” (Can you believe Clearchannel approved that?) It’s going to tackle both fun and difficult subject matters that are affecting women in America today. Stay tuned for the show premiere on Sun. Nov. 4th. Listen in the Denver area live on AM 760 or online anywhere in the world at www.AM760.net.
Learn more at: www.womenontopradio.com
So my intention for today isn’t to do something crazy, but to reflect on all the magnificent craziness of my life up until now. I can’t wait to see what is to come…bring on the next 30 years!
Stolen Identity
October 1, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
So I’m looking through my credit card bill today, and notice a $1200 purchase at a sex toy shop. I immediately started wracking my brain as to when I might have been so desperate to drop over a grand on pleasure toys. But alas, no such thing has happened. After calling American Express and explaining my situation, the representative nervously giggled as she removed the charges from my bill. I totally joined the Identity Theft Victim Club. Hooray for me.