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.

Here’s to all the Hungarian Go-Getter Girls!

Moral of the story: try to always keep an open mind. It can make life (and traveling) much more fun.

Case in point, we were just in Hong Kong, where there’s a pretty standard convention for how the market vendors bargain. First, you ARE expected to haggle. The vendors almost won’t respect you if you don’t. Second, the process is almost completely position-based. She offers a price, by typing the amount in the calculator and showing it to you. You say no, no, no– and type in another price on the calculator and show it back. This goes back and forth, you eventually threaten to and then begin to walk away.  Then the vendor comes down on price, typing a lower price into the calculator. You might ask if she’ll throw in something else (a smidgen of “expanding the pie”/interest-based bargaining here) for the quoted price.  You either come to an agreement or not– and move on to the next vendor, who more or less carries the exact same items!

The reason for the calculator is partly because there is a language barrier– English vs. Cantonese in our case. One savvy merchant at the Jade Market on Kowloon had these printed up cards in English, and she laid down one (in succession, the first card is at top) each time we punched a too low number into the calculator.  We thought this is was ingenious and had to laugh. Who knows if she meant to amuse us, or maybe, that was part of her strategy. Bottom line, she was a seriously shrewd, no-budging position-based bargainer. At her stall, we definitely overpaid for our “jade” tchotchkes– but the experience and photos were it worth it  :)

Peppered with insights on a country still working through complicated issues of class, politics, and religion, the book will feed your appetite for something more substantive than summer fluff.  But at the core, it is a charming romance novel you won’t want to put down.

Have your own morning boost, and channel your inner Catherine Banning (minus the whole art-thief-on-the-lam ending of course!), by mixing up a glass of green veggie juice. There are a few different brands on the market, but I like Amazing Grass Green SuperFood, available at Whole Foods, which has a slightly sweet, nutty taste and smooth texture. Take a one of the individual packages, and pour about half of the powder into a large glass, then fill with water and stir. Packed with ingredients like organic wheat grass, spirulina, spinach, alfalfa, and broccoli, it gives you concentrated dose of nutrients and vitamins. Particularly energizing before a workout or an early morning flight.

I know, it doesn’t look quite as glam as Russo’s drink– but you can use your imagination!

Back stateside, working out in the a.m. can be more of a challenge.  Sometimes it’s just so hard to get out of bed! But, if morning workouts are your thing, it’s a great way to jump start your day– and metabolism.  Go-Getter Girl Bonnie Fuller, the former editorial director of American Media and also a mother of four, shared for the book that she currently works out five to six days a week– always in the morning, to “get it out of the way” lest a work crisis mess up her plans later in the day.

Thinking of taking your workouts morningside? Try these tips shared by GGGs*:

1. Make it a routine. There’s a theory that it takes 21 days to form a new habit– so make a commitment to working out in the a.m. for at least three weeks straight.
2. Try a morning boot camp. Whether it’s an “army-style” or yoga/pilates boot camp, having an appointment each morning will help motivate you– and also assist with making a.m. workouts a routine.
3. Make sure to eat something. Not a huge breakfast– just a carb/protien-rich mini-breakfast for some energy. Think wheat toast with natural peanut-butter, a small nutrition bar, etc.

*Of course, I’m not a physician, so check with your doctor before starting any new fitness program.

Love the One You’re With, by Emily Giffin

The fourth novel  from bestselling author and bona fide Go-Getter Girl Emily Giffin tells the page-turning story of happily-married Ellen, whose so-called perfect life is turned upsidedown after a chance encounter with an ex. Bonus delights for Atlanta readers: the book takes place in our town, and is packed with Giffin’s witty observations on the social scene.

Star: A Novel, by Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson’s extremely entertaining roman-a-clef follows small town girl Star as she tries to make it big in Hollywood.  A total guilty pleasure,  with lots of thinly-veiled gossipy bits about “Star’s” relationships, plus many-a-juicy sex scene.

The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella

For any Go-Getter Girl out there who’s survived a “billable hours” world, you’ll chuckle through Kinsella’s tale of Samantha Sweeting, a British attorney who thinks her career is ruined after a missed deadline, so she ditches law altogether and, naturally, becomes a housekeeper.

Have a wonderful weekend!

These are the kind of bathing suits that make a statement, with their rich, sophisticated colors, wild designs (especially the maillots), and organic touches (like the faux citrine  details on the one at right). The pic doesn’t quite do it justice! Check out their “collection” catalogue pics online.

The tops run slightly small, though there are many style options within each design scheme.  Bonus points:  the triangle tops have a clasp in the back of the (normally flimsy) ‘string’ that goes around the bodice.  A little pricey (about $120 and up), but a well-worth-it, less ordinary token to remind of your exotic Istanbul journey.  And as they say, when in (New) Rome…

Well, today I can say mission accomplished– and for cheap! I made an impromptu stop at Luxe-recommended salon Ebil in the beautiful, hip little town of Bebek in Istanbul (scenes from Bebek at right). This gem of a salon is apparently a favorite of the “high-society” in Istanbul, but the staff was young, cool, and surprisingly laid-back.  Sure, I sense they may have been talking about me in Turkish, trying to figure out exactly what type of hair I had and how to attack the task at hand– but after lots of smiling, banter in broken English/Turkish, and of course Turkish tea,  it ended up being a very enjoyable visit.

As for the blow-out itself, they did the round brush, sans any product (I was skeptical, but it ended up fine). The weirdest thing was that there were two people doing the blow-dry: an assistant who held the sections of my hair (why not just use those little clips?) and sometimes wielded the blowdryer, while the main stylist manuevered the brush. Then, after some prompting from me (‘I promise, those cowlicks won’t be tamed without some heat!’), they brought out the flat iron and did a once-over.  And finally, a little bit of glossing paste on the ends.

The results are great– of course, not as fab as my place back home (miss you, Bianca!), but a quality blow-out nonetheless –  for only 30 Turkish Lira! That’s about 19 U.S. dollars. 

Bravo, Ebil!

Ebil Bebek Subesi, Cevdet Pasa Cad. No. 69, Bebek. / IST., Telephone: (212) 257 55 70, www.ebilacademy.com