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Love to fly? Good at game shows? These enterprising women prove that if you play your cards right, you just might achieve the career of your dreams. We moms know that raising children is a wonderful calling that should never be taken for granted. But what about all of that down time between breakfast and dinner? While most of us count our blessings to have nice-but-blah jobs in concrete office buildings, it’s now time to read wistfully about a couple dozen moms who somehow scored the killer career. These women inspire us to think that our turn might be just around the corner.

Julie Ludwick | Aerial Dancer

She swings through the air with the greatest of ease/That daring young mom on the flying trapeze…. Modern dancer Julie Ludwick found great joy in the freedom of combining movement with lifts using a low-flying trapeze, and founded Fly-by-Night Dance Theatre in New York City in 1999. “I really appreciated the feeling of freedom it brings; who needs a male partner to get up in the air when you can do it yourself?” Julie says. Julie’s struggles to balance time with her son, choreograph performances and run a non-profit company means that everything takes longer than it should. But being a mom, Julie says, has matured her art. “My artistic vision has grown,” she maintains. “I believe mothers need to keep their voices going; we can’t become silent just when we are beginning to see the whole picture.”

Michele Lewis | Professional Poker Player

There are oodles of food critics out there, analyzing everything from The French Laundry to the Chinese takeout next to the Laundromat. But Cynthia Hacinli, food and wine critic for The Washingtonian, does it the old-fashioned way. “I dine anonymously and I travel extensively. When you travel you are assaulted by tastes and traditions you don’t have here, giving you a frame of reference,” she says. After years of covering politics and education, Cynthia moved to Maine and broke into restaurant reviewing with The Maine Times. “I got here by luck and hard work,” she says. Appreciating good food spans at least three generations in Cynthia’s family. Her mother scours the Dining section of The New York Times and notes the hottest new restaurants for the family to try. Cynthia’s 8-yearold daughter often comes out to dine with her, even if she has to bring a little homework along.

Heather Armstrong | Celebrity Blogger

“Do I consider my website a mommy blog? Not really, no. When I sit down to update my website I don’t think to myself, ‘What will I say today on my mommy blog?’ The first thing I think is, ‘how can I give my father a heart attack?’ And then I back up a second and go, nah, I’d miss him too much.” This is just one snippet of Heather’s hilarious writings on Dooce , a site she started in 2001 that is now successful enough to support her family. Husband Jon, daughter Leta and the poop-eating dog Coco are familiar topics that never run dry. Trust us, it’s hilarious and has helped coalesce the exciting
realm of mommy bloggers. Heather’s secret to success? A passion and huge talent for writing. “Even when I have writer’s block I still look forward to taking pictures and writing and sharing,” Heather says.

Nina Sutton | Founder, DealsforDivas.com

DealsforDivas specializes in doing the bargain hunting for fabulous pieces so you don’t have to. Nina’s background in the beauty industry and retail as well as her longtime penchant for fashion (she put clothes and makeup on her Barbies), earns her the Diva title in our book. Nina has learned a few important lessons while building DealsforDivas into a very popular shopping site: A BlackBerry is your friend. Don’t let your child get used to staying up late—EVER. And if you redo your website, they (the advertisers) will come. “They actually started calling me instead of the other way around!” Nina says. She also attributes some bookings on radio stations in driving lots of traffic to her site.

Consuelo Bova | eTailer for Short Guys

When the love of her life lamented the lack of greatlooking (and fitting) clothing for smaller men, Consuelo Bova heard the lightbulb click on. “There are so many women married to handsome, wonderful men who hide behind ill-fitting clothing,” says the former product marketing manager and mother of 18-month-old Jack. “I had never done anything in retailing before, but since I’ve started I’ve become quite adept!” Launching forthefit.com in 2005, Consuelo spends a great deal of time searching hard for designers and manufacturers who will create shorter lengths and rises on pants, and smaller overall proportions on shirts. The effort has paid off handsomely, and Consuelo loves hearing from grateful customers all over the world. “I save their messages and look at them every morning; they motivate me!”