In a fast-paced world, air travel is normally an efficient choice. However, in an age of crowds, delayed and missed flights, greasy fast food, and open-mouthed cat naps, it can be very tempting to fly in pajamas.

Entrepreneur, Caterer, and Sole Owner of Ivory Road Cafe, Chef Jill Wasilewski, says she is “totally normal,” a beautiful understatement that belies the truly extraordinary person she is. She carries with her confidence and a sense of calm that only the pros possess.

With a diverse 30-year background in fabric art, interior decorating, and upholstery art, Jenny is now a maker of upcycled chairs with a unique artistic flair. She collects furniture orphans, broken furniture frames that would otherwise be discarded and designs each chair as if she were making a beautiful dress.

Jennie Harpold has been the director of Lee-McRae College’s New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) for over ten years, yet she has been helping women achieve their professional goals for her entire career.

Born in California to two Vietnam War refugees, Linda Yang understands perseverance and the challenges of adapting to a new culture. Today, she shares her testimony as a Co-Author in the International Bestseller Women Who Dream by Kate Butler, in hopes that other First Generation Americans will realize that they are not alone.

Over forty-five years ago, Jill’s father Dennis Dunlap started Dunlap Construction, which quickly became a staple construction firm in Henderson County. While Jill was in high school, Dunlap encouraged her to work at his company during her summer breaks.

We often have fond memories of our parents reading us bedtime stories when we were kids. Cozy blankets, sitting next to mom or dad, and happy endings are usually what comes to mind. For New Jersey native and mom of two, Kate Butler, she discovered that she wasn’t always pleased with how these stories ended. As she read to her children, she often found herself dissatisfied not only with the stories’ endings, but also with the characters themselves. She started changing the stories as she read them.

Luck plays no role in why women succeed as investors when they exercise well-informed influence over how and where they invest their wealth. Contrary to skeptics who equate investing in the stock, bond, or money markets as gambling, a wise and prudent investor manages the appropriate level of risk they are willing to accept.

Owner of Mary’s Mountain Cookies in Asheville, North Carolina Meghan Marshall knew she had a love of cooking early in life. After college, she considered going to culinary school and worked as a pastry chef and line cook at a local restaurant on the coast of North Carolina

During the last two to three months of the year, letting habits and goals slide isn't just easy – it's almost expected. Consistency fades away for any number of reasons: There’s too much to do, too many goodies that only come around once a year, and so on.

How is it that children are born without language and without narrative skills, and within 24-30 months most have learned the rudiments of storytelling?

North Carolina native Leaflin Lore Winecoff refers to herself as a purveyor of magic in the forms of paintings, yoga, healing, costumery and performance, poetic scribblings, and the way she dances through life.

Buncombe County Schools Teacher Caroline Clark has been teaching fourth and fifth grade for the past ten years, and she loves creating long-lasting relationships with her students. Having come from generations of educators, one might say that she was always meant to be a teacher.

US Navy Veteran and Fitness Instructor Corinne Britton Meade approaches life with a positive attitude and a grateful heart, spreading happiness to everyone around her. A true encourager, Corinne cares for each and every person she comes in contact with, and she provides immense value to the Asheville community.

As the Outreach Coordinator for Henderson County, Stephanie Barbosa works directly with the police department, as well as the fire department and EMS, to translate for Spanish speakers who are often in crisis. While she also helps to coordinate community events and refers to her professional role as a bit of a “jack-of-all-trades,” her main responsibility is to break down any language barrier that exists between first responders and the people in need of their help.

Children’s Author Mary Beth Stevens enjoyed a successful career in marketing and PR in New England, but made some big life changes when she met two dogs named Tippy and Suzie. Suzie was Stevens’ first dog, which she and her husband adopted from a rescue group out of Tennessee and instantly fell in love with. They took Tippy in as a foster, and the connection wasn’t as instantaneous. “He was a challenge,” she admits. “Lots of training helped, and now he’s such a funny dog.” Stevens says she got the idea for the first book from those first weeks with Tippy, and when she shared stories of his antics with her friends, they told her she should write a book.

Tamika has now been working in automotive sales for eleven years, a role she never predicted she would find herself in. What she loves most about her job is that she gets to meet new people everyday and build relationships with them. Her previous professional endeavors as a real estate agent and CNA also reflect her enjoyment of meeting new people.

Originally from Hialeah, Florida, Rhonda was a single mother, living completely on her own at seventeen. “I would not wish single-parenthood or teen parenthood on anybody,” she says. “It was really hard. I raised my son single-handedly. I put myself through school.”

From its 1980s inception managing one hotel to overseeing five hotels under four different corporate flags, Virtelle Hospitality is now extending its reach into new markets, expanding its footprint and sharing its considerable expertise in the hospitality industry.

Virtelle Hospitality Management Group showcases the achievements of their diverse team of experts in various disciplines within the hospitality industry – from training and development to revenue management to solid operational performance.

Located between the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains, Waynesville, North Carolina is a true haven for outdoor enthusiasts, tourists, and history buffs alike.