Back in the Real World

Can there be such a thing as post vacation depression? If so, I think I have it. There's something about spending the week on a quiet beach that makes New York City seem a little overwhelming. And to think I was just getting used to the busy streets, the crowded subway, and the constant horn blowing. I'm sure it will only take another day or two and all the craziness will seem normal again.

I've included a few photos from my vacation (below). I had a great time but have mixed thoughts about the island of Aruba -- I loved some aspects (the incredible sunsets) and was so-so on others. If you’ve been to Aruba, let me know what you think of the island. 

P.S. If you can’t get away for a week on a quiet beach but need a little break from your hectic lifestyle, try these simple breathing exercises from "Body + Soul" magazine.

Vacation

I haven't had a real vacation in years. To be sure, I've taken three-day weekends here and there, but ever since becoming Martha's Apprentice, and, before that, starting my own magazine, I've been too busy to really make time for myself. That changes next week, when I go on a real vacation to Aruba. As part of my apprenticeship at "Body + Soul" magazine, I've been working with life coach Cheryl Richardson, who has encouraged me to make this trip about relaxation -- and anything other than work. I'm going to try to follow her advice, but so you'll have something to read while I'm away, I've gone through the "Body + Soul" archives for some relaxation advice that you can follow too.

Balance: The myths and truths about finding balance in your own life.
20 Ways to Revitalize Your Life: The best suggestions for replenishing your physical, social, and spiritual energy.
It's the Little Things: Sometimes a seemingly small item can make all the difference.
Meditation: Two basic forms to get you started.
Second Wind: A quick-and-easy 20-minute rejuvenation routine you can do

You Can Do It!

Last week on the "Martha" show I helped an incredible woman, Jennifer, achieve her goals. Jennifer was first on "Martha" four months ago. She is a busy mother of two and an executive director at a New York City law firm. Jennifer has been struggling with her weight since she was a young girl. She had tried several fad diets, and, although she would lose a few pounds, she could never keep the weight off.

We hooked Jennifer up with a group of experts -- Dr. Jana Klauer, a metabolism expert; Paul Greenway, a personal trainer from Synergy Fitness Club; and Dr. Brent Ridge of Mount Sinai Hospital. Over the four months, Jennifer changed her eating habits and started to incorporate exercise into her weekly routine. She has lost 39 pounds so far and is on her way to reaching her goal weight.

Jennifer will be on my radio show, "Health and Fitness Talk," on Monday June 5 at 12 p.m. ET on Martha Stewart Living Radio Sirius 112. She will be talking about her experience during the past four months and what she did to finally lose weight.

Helping Jennifer achieve her weight-loss goal is the first in a new series I will be doing on the "Martha" show. Next season, I will host a series of segments called "You Can Do It! with Dawna Stone." Is there something you've always wanted to do but didn't have the courage or the skill to attempt? If you need an expert to help you achieve what you thought was impossible, like learning how to swim, running a marathon, climbing a mountain, losing weight or any other feat -- physical or not -- send us your story. Click on Be a Guest on the Martha show and tell us what you want to achieve and why. Who knows, I just may be coming to your town to help you achieve your goal.

With my help, you can do it!

Talk About ENERGY!

I think of myself as a very energetic person but I met someone that makes me look like the quietest person in the room.  I appeared on "Martha" yesterday and Richard Simmons was one of Martha’s guests.  I’ve always liked Richard.  I think he’s an inspiration to men and women who want to take control of their lives, lose weight and get in better shape.  And after meeting him in person, I know he’s the real thing.  He truly cares about all the people he has helped over the years.   It’s meeting people like Richard that makes my job as The Apprentice so much fun!

I just need to find out where he gets all that energy.

Positive Reinforcement

Last weekend I gave a motivational speech at Disney World. It was my first talk since I started my radio show, Health and Fitness Talk with Dawna Stone, and I realized why I'm not nervous standing on a podium and talking to large groups of people but why I was nervous doing my first few radio shows.

When you’re giving an in-person talk, you get immediate reinforcement. While giving the talk at Disney, there was laughter but heads were constantly moving up and down in agreement. The "I know what you mean" nod is always a sure sign that your talk is resonating with the audience. But with radio, the only nod I get is the one from my producer who's at the control panel. So it got me thinking, why is it that we need positive reinforcement to feel good about the job we're doing? Isn't it enough just knowing we're giving it our all?

What's Martha Like?

People are constantly asking me about my experience at MSLO. But the questions I get aren't typically about my new job. Almost always the questions are the same, "What’s Martha like?" and "Do you actually see Martha?" So I thought it would be a great idea to answer these questions here.

Martha has been incredible! There's no other way to describe it. When I was on the Martha show cooking, I thought I might burn down the studio, but somehow Martha made me feel comfortable. Who would have thought that I, the athlete who always burns herself in the kitchen, could have made a quick and healthy meal without a single scorched body part?

I really think of Martha as a mentor. She gives me advice on everything from my radio show to my TV appearances.

I really worried that when I won the apprenticeship I would never see Martha again or only see her on rare occasions. Which is what most people seem to think. But in reality, she has been extremely supportive of me and all that I hope to achieve at MSLO. Martha's probably not reading my blog--as she's a little busy--but if she were, I'd want to say "Thank you, Martha, for this great opportunity."

When Opportunity Knocks

I tend to think of myself as a person who usually asks for what she wants. However, I do at times hold back slightly for fear of being too forward, especially when I'm just getting to know people or, in my current case, starting a new job. But I learned the hard way yesterday that I shouldn't hold back--if you want something, you need to ask for it.

Last week my husband joked with me that I should ask Martha if I could go to the Emmys with her. I just laughed and said "Yeah, right!" I thought he was kidding, but I soon realized he was serious. But, why would Martha take me to the Emmys?

My husband, knowing my personality, was shocked that I wouldn't at least ask. While he would never do something that forward, he knew after 12 years together that I usually would.

Well, I have to say my husband was right. I should have asked. I ran into Martha yesterday and asked how her trip to California was (for the Emmys), and the first thing she said to me was, "We had an extra ticket. You should have come." I can't even begin to say how disappointed I was.

I think of this year with Martha as a tremendous opportunity--hopefully one that will last longer than a year--and I also look at it as a time to make some lifelong memories. Imagine 15 years from now being able to tell my children that I went to the Emmys with Martha Stewart! How amazing would that be?

I think Martha could tell how shocked I was. I told her that I would have loved to join her and that if any similar opportunities arise to please think of me.

I learned a valuable lesson. From now on, I'm going to ask! I'm sure there will be times when what I ask for doesn't come to fruition, but I'm going to at least take the initiative. When opportunity knocks the next time, I'm going to open the door.

Staying In Touch

I got a call from a close friend last night--someone I went to graduate school with. I hadn’t realized it, but we hadn’t talked since the new year-–almost four months! I used to be pretty good about staying in contact with my friends. But when I started my own business three years ago, regular calls to friends slowly became a thing of the past. And since becoming Martha's apprentice, I’ve been so busy that I barely have time to call my family, let alone my friends. But talking with my friends last night made me realize just how much I miss keeping in touch. Nothing is more important than family and close friends. No matter how busy I am, I’m going to make a concerted effort to call all my girlfriends and catch up. Most of them probably don't even know what I've been up to since moving to New York. Hopefully they'll still remember my voice. I'd love to hear how you stay in touch with your friends--especially those who live in other cities or states.

My New Apartment

It's not every day that you get to have Martha Stewart and her editorial director of decorating, Kevin Sharkey, decorate your apartment. But, I just happened to be so lucky! Since I still have my house in Florida, I decided to look for a furnished apartment in New York City. I was surprised to learn how few furnished apartments there were. I quickly realized that unless I wanted to spend $5,000 a month on rent, I wasn’t going to find anything furnished. So instead, I found an extremely small unfurnished apartment on the Upper West Side and asked Martha if she had any interest in decorating the apartment in everything Martha Stewart--Martha Stewart Everyday for the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen; Martha Stewart Signature Line for the sofa, chairs, and desk; and, of course, Martha Stewart paint throughout. To my delight, she said yes, and within a few weeks I was sitting with Kevin looking through tons of Martha Stewart Living back issues, piles of catalogs, and mounds of paint chips.

I've never done any extensive decorating before, nor have I ever used a professional decorator--it was a phenomenal learning experience. Although Kevin was a little shocked at the small size of my apartment, he assured me that he could make it work.

I became more and more excited as the process began. I was a little nervous at first. I tend to be very conservative when it comes to colors, and I knew Kevin was a little more adventurous. But Kevin worked with me and was able to pull me out of my comfort zone a little, which is what I needed.

I love everything about the apartment, and I especially love how Kevin took some color photos of my family and dogs and blew them up in black and white and covered an entire wall with the photos. It looks so artistic and helps me feel like my husband and dogs are with me. I got the "wall of photos" idea from a back issue of Martha Stewart Living, but I never thought about using family photos. It's perfect.

The apartment was revealed yesterday on Martha's daytime show, Martha. For those of you who didn’t see it, I’ve uploaded a few photos to my photo album. I have to say, Kevin is a genius!

My New Radio Show

I have to apologize. It's been way too long since I last posted. I have no excuse other than to say I've never in my life been so busy. I'm not complaining; I'm having an incredible time. Two weeks ago, I started a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio. My show, Health and Fitness Talk with Dawna Stone, airs live every Monday at noon ET and is replayed several times during the week. I cover all types of health and fitness topics on the show. My first show was on our relationship with food and stress-induced eating. The second show was on body image and self-esteem, and this week's show is on fad diets--why they don’t work and what we can do to become healthier and fitter.

I get excited about each show, but, boy, was I nervous about the first one. I've done tons of TV segments and motivational talks, and although I used to get nervous in the beginning, I rarely get nervous any more. Before my first radio show, I felt so nauseated; I didn't think I was going to make it. There was something about being live on the radio--talking into a microphone without talking face-to-face with a person--that scared me. But as soon as I got started, I fell in love with it. Who knew that radio could be so much fun?

After the show, I was walking out of the Sirius studios, and Martha was standing in the hall talking to Howard Stern. She introduced me to Howard as her "apprentice," and Howard looked puzzled. He told us he didn’t think the winner actually worked at the company, that he thought it was all for show. I thought it was hilarious Howard was so shocked that I really was working with Martha. If anyone is wondering, I have a REAL job at MSLO. I have an office, a desk, and a computer, plus I have meetings almost every day, and I have projects that I'm responsible for.

Well, I have to run--it's almost time for my radio show. I hope you'll tune in.

Dawna

P.S. Thank you for all the wonderful comments. I love hearing from you!