Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 06 , 2014

The Gift Card Conundrum: How to Spend without Overspending

Dear Maya, I received a bunch of gift cards this holiday season and I still haven’t spent the ones I received last year. 

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 08 , 2014

This Year I Learn to Cook

For the last ten years or so I’ve written out New Year’s Intentions.  They are like resolutions but a bit less, well,

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 14 , 2014

To-Do Or Not-To-Do Lists? Both, Please!

I love a good list.  I list things to do, errands to run, calls to make.  I even record things that I want other people to do

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 24 , 2014

Smart Strategies for Conscious Shopping

Need help running the shopping gauntlet?  Don’t worry.  I’ve got your back.  Here are some ideas and strategies for

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 27 , 2014

Ask Maya: I’m Overwhelmed by Renovation Decisions. Help!

Dear Maya, I am a first time homeowner and currently having some major renovations done. I need to figure out paint options for

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 28 , 2014

Are You Hitting Enough Home Runs in Your Life?

Stanford Graduate School of Business marketing professor Jennifer Aaker devised this idea and explains it in a Lean In lecture.

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | January 29 , 2014

Why I Blog

I’m a website junky.  I launched my first site, MayaPayne.com, in 2002 using a primitive website builder that produced a

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Personal Development . By Maya Smart | February 04 , 2014

How Katherine Wintsch (CEO of The Mom Complex) Makes Things Happen

At 32, Katherine Wintsch hit a maternal wall, a barrier more pronounced and intractable than any glass ceiling.  The

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Personal Development, Community . By Maya Smart | February 13 , 2014

Supermom for Governor: Why Wendy Davis Puts Her Personal Narrative First in Texas Campaign

An article titled “The Legend of Wendy Davis” will appear in the New York Times Sunday Magazine this weekend. 

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Personal Development, Community . By Maya Smart | February 18 , 2014

Time or Money: What Do You Give and Why?

Years ago, I volunteered with an understaffed nonprofit that struggled to recruit hands-on board members willing to pitch in

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