I believe in having a plan A, B, and C. You can’t say I’m going to “follow my passion” unless you can also make sure the rent gets paid. I learned this because my mom and aunt were single moms who worked more than one job to make rent.

I try to work out six days a week. It really helped me manage the hormone swings after pregnancy. I do a combination of yoga, dance, and classes at the Tracy Anderson studio.

I recently switched to an iPhone. But I miss my Blackberry keyboard! Now it takes me an hour to send one message.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was little, to the horror of my family, and try to follow a vegan diet. When I’m traveling [to far-off places], I eat a lot of protein bars, especially Think Thin ones. Afghan food is great. Airplane food is not.

I live by the words of strong women in my family. My mother used to say, “On a scale of major world tragedies, yours isn’t even a three.” Meaning, keep it all in perspective. My aunt would say, “After the dance [i.e., once you make your dream happen], they can’t take it away from you.” And my grandma always encouraged me to take big leaps and not dwell on the downside. She reminded me, “McDonald’s is always hiring.”

To learn more about Gayle, visit her website. And, check out her fantastic TEDx speech here.

Start where you are.

“I began training at an age when most professional dancers are retiring. But, I had mentality that if I kept this up, by the time I was 50 I’d be a phenomenal dancer. I was going to make up the 20 years I lost. It’s never too late to get really good at something no matter how old you are when you begin. The age you start is just your starting point. If you layer consistency and practice, you’ll move forward.”

Chase the purpose, not the paycheck.

“When I started the studio, I had the moral support of my students and family, but nobody was going to pay my bills for me! But, I felt the future is today, and if I don’t follow my dream now I may not get that opportunity. I wanted to do something that got me out of bed and gave my life a deeper sense of purpose. I understood the financial sacrifice that goes with it. It’s hard in the beginning but, having been a businesswoman for years, I knew that it would get better. Now, the studio supports me [financially] at a level greater than insurance did.”

Make friends with your fear.

“Hands down, fear is the greatest deterrent to happiness. It keeps you confined in a box. You won’t accomplish anything if you can’t come to terms with fear. I dealt with fear by welcoming it into my life. I said, ‘Fear, you’re going to be my constant companion. I’m going to acknowledge you– but that’s it. I’m not going to let you talk me out of anything that is in my plan.’”

To learn more about Ofelia (and her amazing dance studio), visit www.dance101.org.

“Whenever I wasn’t at my dad’s store, I would be in the kitchen with my Mom and my grandparents,” she says. But she never thought food would be her life’s calling. Instead, her dream was to one day own a bed and breakfast in Europe.  Michelle graduated with a Marketing Management major and a Psychology minor from the University of Michigan, and her first job out of college was for Marriott.

She resisted being around baking and cooking, but her heart kept being pulled in the direction of the kitchen. After working in the marketing and hotel business for years, Michelle decided to take a bread-making class, just for the fun of it.

“I didn’t think I was going to culinary school to change my career,” she says. “I thought it was to have that backbone and knowledge as a woman.”

After a nudge from a coworker to pursue cooking school, she attended The Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Then, she moved back to Michigan, and opened her own wedding and pastry business called Michelle Bommarito LLC.

It was a slow start; her first year she had just 17 wedding cakes.  “But then, it grew to 35 and then to 55 a year. It just kept building,” she says. “Whatever you want to do, go out there and do it! Volunteer, do charity work; I can’t tell you how much charity work I did to get my name out there. I was doing what I loved even though I wasn’t getting paid.”

After running the business for 10 years, Michelle got the itch for something new. “I always loved what I did for a living,” Michelle says. “But then I started feeling that figurative tap on your shoulder, you know, that feeling that says ‘Hey, you are not doing exactly what you should be doing, ‘ I knew it was time for that transition, to take a risk.”

In 2009 she closed up shop and decided to try her hand as a traveling chef, teaching her vast knowledge of cake design, and also conducting “Eating Well” Speaking Engagements and Super Power Food Culinary Demonstrations.  Years earlier (before she even opened her cake company), Michelle had found herself bed-ridden from working too much. “After about a couple months of putting up with it, my cousin took me under her wing and said, ‘Michelle, you’re going to my Holistic doctor,’” she says.

The doctor put her on an extreme diet that consisted of grains, lean cuts of meat, nuts, flaxseed oil and vegetables.  After two weeks on the regimen, Michelle was filled with bouncing energy– and she’s kept up the healthy lifestyle for fifteen years. (Yes that’s right: the cake designer doesn’t eat cake–except of course to test each batch of her creations for quality, and the occasional “just a bite” at a party to celebrate!)

Making wellness her primary career focus was a natural progression. Says Michelle, “I just decided one day, I really think I’m supposed to follow in the wellness direction. I lived it for so long and I believed in it. It’s good for my body and it made me be who I am as far as my high energy.”

As for what’s next in Michelle’s life, only time can tell.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do next,” she said. “It happens to be every 10 to 12 years is when I evolve; ironically it’s what happens.”

Inspirational, that doesn’t even begin to describe this risk taker, but ambitious and courageous . . . that’s a start.

Needs some inspiration for taking the plunge in your career?

Check out The 9 steps of getting started the Bommarito style:

1.     Find your strength and your passion.

2.     Invest in your knowledge and skills.

3.     Create your own style and niche.

4.     Develop (figure out what is good for you to make you a success).

5.     Impress quality in every aspect of your job, career or passion.

6.     Not all business is good business, check who you will do business with.

7.     Know your competition.

8.     Price yourself correctly (competitively and accordingly to what’s right in the market).

9.     Put yourself out there and market yourself.

–Erin Lucido

We were able to pull Andra out the kitchen for a bit of cupcake conversation.

What’s in a name: I played around with a few names in the beginning when I wasn’t sure if I was going to do cakes or cupcakes, so some people said why not call it CamiCakes, after my daughter Camille. I liked it, so that’s where the name came from.

Cupcake craze: I think there has always been something special about cupcakes. People can still enjoy their favorite flavored cake–or two, or three flavors at a time–just as a cupcake. You no longer have to invest in a whole 50 or 60 dollar cake, and people just got excited about that.

Back-up Plan: It’s hard to know what else I’d be doing right now. I knew that I didn’t want to go back into an office environment, so I think maybe the focus would have been on wedding cakes or other specialty cakes.

Shop talk: I really don’t focus on what other people are doing around me. I just do what feels right, and I go with the things that I like to eat.  Half of the flavors that we have are combinations of flavors that I enjoy eating [such as Sweet Potato, CinnaSwirl, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream]. Before opening my first doors I also held what I called cupcake socials, and I received lots of feedback from others on which flavors to throw out and which ones to keep exploring. But I never paid any attention to what other shops were doing in terms of creating our menu and deciding what to do in our stores.

Entrepreneur’s secret ingredients: Owning a cupcake shop takes a passion for baking, cakes in particular. Personally, knowing that I had more in me [besides working in an office] and really wanting to do my own thing helped me to get where I am today.

–Arlice Nicole

Photo: Darnell Wilburn

Arlice Nichole is a freelance writer and editor from the Midwest working for digital destinations that include Clutch magazine, BlackEnterprise.com  and NBC Universal. Her work has also been picked up by USAToday, EbonyJet.com and Lifetime Moms.

With 15 internships under her belt before graduating college, Lauren Berger gives new meaning to the phrase professional student. Her busy college life may not have left a lot of time for socializing, but it did pay off.  Her college experience in the world of work gave her the idea to start Intern Queen Inc., where Lauren and her team help students land the hottest internships. Read on to see how hard she works to help others live their dream.

How did you build this empire of opportunity for yourself and others?

It’s been one step at a time. I had the idea to start Intern Queen when I was graduating, but I didn’t have the means to fund it full-time yet. So, I worked on one small project after another until I had a website created. Then, in 2008 I left my job at Creative Artist Agency to do Intern Queen full-time.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I’m on the West Coast, so when I’m not traveling, I’m usually up no later than 6 a.m. I try to start my day with a writing project. I’m working on a few book proposals, and I blog daily so that my users always have fresh content. I might work on an article for a different website; tweet a new internship; then I’ll check my e-mails for the day.  I also run a virtual internship program, so my morning could involve a phone call with my interns. Another big part of my day is press and marketing, and my eyes are always on the traffic of the website.

You did 15 internships before graduating! Was that always the plan?

I started interning during my freshman year, and I just loved it! I was challenged in a way I’d never been challenged before, and I wanted more experiences like it. I was learning so much about myself and what I wanted in my life personally and professionally.

I didn’t realize how much weight things like networking and mentorships carried when I was in college. Do you help students maximize their time in school in any other ways?

We just try to supply them with the tools that will help them make the most of their internships. I think a lot of the tips we offer are ones students can apply to their everyday lifestyle, like learning to talk to everyone, always introducing yourself and giving your first and last name. On the Intern Queen Blog, we talk about all sorts of college issues; it’s not limited to internships. Right now, I have a campus ambassador program with more than 40 students from universities around the country that are passionate about Intern Queen and its message. They contribute to the blog a few times a week on what they’re experiencing in their lives, so other students have someone to relate to.

What’s the Intern Queen Phone about?

It’s a new paid service– a conference call series that I actually named after the Dream Phone board game! Students can sign up for any three phone calls that interest them. We have a different intern coordinator that’s our featured guest on each call, and students have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the employer and say why they’re interested in learning about the company. I send questions students have for the coordinator ahead of time, and it’s basically me interviewing the employer about the internship, what stands out to them on resumes, and about how [the interviewee] got started in their own career. It’s such a great way for students to connect directly with the people who read their resumes. We’ve already spoken to the internship coordinator for BWR Public Relations. Next week we have MTV and VH1, then K/O Productions (who did Transformers and Star Trek), and the series wraps up with Marie Claire magazine.

Do you agree that the economy is almost forcing entrepreneurship?

In some ways, I would agree with that. I think the economy has put a lot of people in a situation where starting a business is just the better option for them, which I think is great. No one ever said to me, ‘you know Lauren; you can start your business today. You don’t have to wait until you graduate.’ I really think more people should tell high school and college students that.

Why do you think many young people have a sense of entitlement?

We want things fast, we want it now, and we’re going to do whatever we can to get it. My hope is that this sense of entitlement is really confidence—the confidence to take initiative, go out there, and make things happen. If that means having a sense of entitlement, then I think that’s OK.

–Arlice Nichole

Arlice Nichole, who had her first internship at 30, is a freelance writer and editor from the Midwest. Her work has been picked up by USAToday,  EbonyJet, and Lifetime Moms.

What’s helped her navigate out of the corporate terrain and back again? Having a strong internal compass, for one. A fan of flip-flops and jeans, she’ll leave in her nose ring for a job interview. “I don’t even own a suit! What you see is what you get,” she says. “Sometimes that works, especially because I’m in a creative industry, and other times, people feel I’m too naive.” As an editor-in-chief, she encouraged her employees to put family first. “People were really surprised when I told them ‘of course you should go see your kid in the play!’ You don’t have to suck up to me. Just do your job and do it well.”

That’s an approach Silvana has taken in her own career: focus on the product, don’t get bogged down in politics. “I want you to experience the best I have to offer,” she says. “Whatever I do, I throw myself in 100 percent. You have to go for yours and fully embrace it!”

Here, a few more secrets from the baker turned editor turned gluten-free GGG:

Perfect day off: Farmer’s market, cooking and eating together casually in the kitchen while the sun sets in the background.

Always in my pantry: Popcorn kernels and chocolate chips, in no specific order.

Organization strategy: Lists that I glance at every now and then.

Secret to a great meal: Fresh conversation and ingredients.

Working-from-home outfit: Comfy cords, chunky turtleneck sweater, slippers, cup of hot green tea.

Kindle or iPad? iPad

Best beauty tip: Less is more.

To learn more about Silvana (or, for fabulous cooking tips in general), visit www.dishtoweldiaries.com.

Photo credit: Stephen Scott Gross

The trio became friends while working on a campus fashion magazine, and thought that creating a similar publication online could meet an unmet need for publishing-savvy college gals nationwide. They entered their proposal for Her Campus in a Harvard business plan competition, and won. As a prize, they took the free office space in Cambridge, but not the funding, so they could retain as much control of the company as possible. “For now, we are holding off on raising money,” says Stephanie. “We are definitely bootstrapping, but our revenues should be able to cover our expenses. We’re excited to pay ourselves salaries for the first time after all the work we have put in!” Currently, Her Campus gets more than 600,000 hits per month and has more than 500 contributing writers at 65 colleges around the country. What’s life like for this 21-year-old CEO?

Tips for living well on a young entrepreneur’s salary: “Kill two birds with one stone by attending networking events that offer free food! And I love coupons. I sign up for email lists of all the restaurants I go to, all the stores I shop at, and Groupon, BuyWithMe, LivingSocial, Tippr, etc.”

Social media addiction: “Cotweet.com! It makes tweeting SO much easier.”

Secret to running a business with your friends: “We became close friends through working together, not the other way around, which I think makes a big difference.  We make sure keep communication between us completely open at all times and to be frank with one another about how we are feeling, so that interpersonal issues don’t escalate and can be resolved right away.”

Anti-procrastination strategy: “Make yourself so busy that there is just literally no time to procrastinate.”

Workout routine: “Last spring I trained for and ran a half-marathon, which was a really satisfying goal to work towards. Recently I’ve just been hitting the elliptical machine and weights at the gym for a half hour to an hour a few times a week. I keep five and 10 lb. hand weights at home so I can do my arm exercises even if I don’t make it to the gym.”

Power snack: “Orville Redenbacher’s 100-calorie microwave popcorn bag. I keep these at the office.”

Lesson learned from a favorite mentor: “Cathy Cranston (Executive VP at Mansueto Ventures, which owns Fast Company and Inc. magazines) taught me to believe in my ideas and not be afraid to shake things up and go against the flow. She always stresses that the media industry is screaming for innovation and change and that young people have ideas worth sharing.”

To learn more about Stephanie, visit www.hercampus.com.

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.

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.

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