Growing up in a tiny town in Washington state, Kathleen Plate developed a knack for creating something out of nothing. Her childhood money-making schemes included collecting recyclable cans to pay for summer camp and selling handpicked blackberries. In grad school studying English lit, she made a pair of earrings as a party gift, and by the end of the night had a handful of orders for more. It was the beginning of her company, Smart Glass Jewelry, in which Kathleen transforms discarded glass bottles into imaginative earrings, necklaces, bangles, and recently launched, furnishings.

In business for 18 years, she’s seen the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and thinks it isn’t for everyone. “If you believe in scarcity and fear, then you’re probably better off having a desk job because you’ll be motivated by security,” she says. “But if you believe in adventure and look at the world as full of opportunity, then you’ll be more suited to entrepreneurship.” Below, a few insights into her Go-Getter Girl mindset.

Daily ritual: Driving to work, she sets her intention for the day. “Sometimes it might be business-related, such as securing the purchasing order from a new client. Other times, I just hope something quirky happens that day.”

On time-management: “When you run your own business, you’ll try a locked door a few times, but you can’t waste time banging on it when there might be three open doors right next to you.”

Stress relief: A four-mile jog around a lake. “Exercise clears your mind so that what you know can emerge.”

Can’t live without: Travel, in the last year to Peru, Italy, Tahiti, Jamaica, and Mexico. “It’s good for the soul.”

To learn more about Kathleen, visit Smart Glass Jewelry or kathleenplate.com.

Susan Fales-Hill knows how to make an entrance. While a senior at Harvard, she had a fortuitous meeting with Bill Cosby– and arrived with a parody script and audio tape she’d prepared. “I knew you don’t just go meet someone and show up with nothing but a smile,” she says. “I thought, this is an opportunity; show him your stuff!” That performance earned her a job as a writer’s apprentice on The Cosby Show.

She went on to work for A Different World–becoming its head writer/co-executive producer– followed by 15 years as a television producer and writer. Next, she shifted to prose, writing the critically-acclaimed memoir, Always Wear Joy, about her late mother, actress and performer Josephine Premice. Now, she’s turned to fiction. Her debut novel, out this month, is One Flight Up, a juicy, fun-filled take on the lives of four multi-cultural girlfriends. Think Sex and the City, with an international twist.

Here, Susan shares a few of her secrets in work and in fashion (she’s been named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame).

Inspired by: friendships; textiles; books by Charles Dickens; the painting of her mother in the mezzanine at the New York Public Library (her go-to writing spot).

Style trademark: blouses with dramatic poet sleeves; bias cut gowns for evening

Writing motto: Don’t get it right; get it written.

Work look: “I get dressed to write: slacks, dresses, maybe even a suit.”

On following your bliss: “Don’t think you’ll necessarily become a multi-millionaire by doing what you love. You might just have the gift that you get to do what you’re passionate about. It’s a risk you’re taking.”

Footwear: Flats by Tod’s. “I don’t believe in wearing flip-flops– except at the beach or leaving the nail salon!”

Fitness routine: Reformer pilates, three times a week.

Beauty must: Perfume. “My first love is Amazone by Hermes.”

To learn more about Susan (and peek inside her swoon-worthy “closet”), visit www.susanfales-hill.com.

The designer of several eponymous collections–including her new affordably-priced Rachel Rachel Roy line at Macy’s– shares a bit of what she’s learned about work, life, and looking great.

What elements does an item of clothing need to look expensive even when it’s not?

As a shopper, you should look for good fabric–how it feels when you touch it–and try the piece on to see how it’s constructed. You still might have to get it altered for a little more cost, but tailoring helps the piece look richer right away. Also, check the stitch. If a designer uses a very thin thread, it looks much cheaper than a nice, thick thread. You hear about thread count with sheets, and it’s the same with stitches. If the thread is thicker, I find it makes the garment look richer. Those are little touches I try to give to my [Macy's] collection.

What did you learn back as an intern at Rocawear that prepared you for running your own business?

I learned so much! I think when you work in every department, even departments you don’t like, you learn to appreciate every position.  Working in, for example, the mailroom and in marketing, I learned seemingly little things like how much messengers cost and what time FedEx closes. But those are the things that you actually need to know to run your own company. Also, I’m used to the long hours because I did intern. Now, I don’t mind the hours because I’m working for myself.

You recently told Vogue that you don’t make the gym an utmost priority given your busy schedule as a mom of two daughters.  How do you keep it all together, so to speak?

It’s not easy. I do take it one day at a time, and try to make time for myself, literally just “mind-melting.” Some people call it meditation; I call it mind-melt. Everyday for a few moments (not even 10 minutes if I don’t have it) I either talk to myself or, since I’m a bit spiritual, I talk to God, just trying to put everything into alignment. I also do deep breathing. All of these things sound so corny that I hate kind of listing them, but if you try it when you’re alone–just a deep breath, or sitting up straight–it works. It calms me, and I’m able to be more present for the people that deserve it, like my two little girls.  They deserve a really active, present mom. So, that’s what keeps me going.

To learn more about Rachel, visit www.rachelroy.com.

Photo Credit: Barry Williams

I am so thrilled that Nancy Lublin, the founder of Dress for Success and now the CEO of Do Something, Inc., wrote the Forward for The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide.   Nancy founded DFS when–as she often says– she was bored to tears in her first year of law school, and needed to throw herself into something exciting and tangible.  Armed with just an unexpected $5,000 inheritance check, her ideas, and a little help from three nuns in Spanish Harlem, she founded DFS– an organization that provides work-appropriate clothing for low-income women trying to get back on their feet.  Within three years, the organization had outposts in more than 30 cities nationwide.

One particularly inspiring Go-Getter Girl Nugget of Wisdom that Nancy shares in the Forward is something she learned from this experience: “Every time you want to say the word ‘but,’ switch it for ‘and’ instead.”

In other words, change your mindset so that instead of thinking “obstacles in my way” think “tasks I need to accomplish.”  For example:

• “Oh, I would love to open my own business, but I don’t have any capital” becomes “I would love to open my own business and I need to get capital.”
• “I’d love to get an interview at this company, but I don’t have a contact” becomes “I’d love to get an interview at this company, and I need to find a contact there.”
• “I’m dying to switch careers, but I have no experience in X field”  becomes “I’m dying to switch careers, and I need to get some experience in X field.”

You get the idea Such a simple but oh-so-useful nugget of wisdom from Nancy– and she shares so many more in the book!

Travel so often requires us step outside of our comfort zones– in everything from finding our way in unfamiliar neighborhoods to experimenting with new foods to dealing with (alas) lack of Internet service.  But this process of discovery and risk-taking (however small those risks!) is part of why travel also inspires us and helps us grow.   Oftentimes, it’s the same with our careers: you have to step out of your comfort zone– and be courageous–  to grow in your profession. GGG Alisha Davis shared some great insights on this topic when we chatted a few months back.

Alisha, as you may know, graduated from Harvard and reported for Newsweek before being tapped for an on-air gig with CNN Headline News. Then came stints with E! News Live and MTV News. Now, she’s a freelance anchor for ABC News Now, covering everything from pop culture to international news, as well as a freelance writer for GMA. 

You came from a print news background. What was it like transitioning to on-air?

The first time I [did a guest appearance] on CNN, they could tell it was my first. I basically froze and hyperventilated. Jim Clancy, the anchor doing the interview, was just terrific. He turned to me and asked me one or two questions and said I was going to be great. That calmed me down.  

Once you got the full-time job with Headline News, how did you get over your fears?

You know, I’m not really a “fearless” person. I actually get incredibly terrified, and ironically that’s exactly when I know, okay, you really have to ‘go for it’– in spite of the fear.  [Learning to do on-air work] was scary, but I realized that at the end of the day, if you’re trying something new, there is a first time. If you’re paralyzed just because of that, you’ll never do it at all! You can come back five years from now, and it’s still going to be the first time. I remember interviewing Brian Williams early in my career. I got up the courage to put the mic in his face and ask him the questions. Then I realized I was holding the mic upsidedown. He said he did the exact same thing on his first interview. I told him, “I know you’re lying, but thank you so very much!”

Is being a news anchor difficult?

I wouldn’t call it difficult. Medicine is difficult–surgery is difficult! But it would say it’s not as easy as one would think. Anchoring is about being able to speak and hold a conversation, essentially at the same time as you’re figuring out the information to give and the questions to ask when, say, news breaks on the air. It’s more than reading the teleprompter. 

You say your parents taught you to focus more on effort than results. What did they mean?

Growing up, it was always about whether you did your best, not how you did. I remember times I did my best and failed, and they said, ‘that’s okay, we saw how hard you tried.’ Then, there were times that I did really well– say, got straight A’s– but they weren’t impressed. It was always about how hard I worked for something, not the end result. As I’ve gone along in my career, I’ve realized that sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. But if I feel like I did my best, I can be happy with either.