I apologize for being light on the blogging this past month.

I have been very focused on the new Oddpodz Web site, which is scheduled to relaunch in just a few weeks. And I’ve been working on a new, green brand for a global industrial company, plus playing tennis and a good bit of travel; some for work, some for play, but all fun!

A few years ago I saw that movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson called “The Bucket List.” I thought the movie had a weak script and was overhyped by good trailers, but I liked being reminded of the value of having bucket lists. And making sure, I knock off as many as possible things while I can.

I don’t have cancer, I’m not old by most standards, and I have not seen a bus running me over in my crystal ball. But I do believe that life is not a dress rehearsal and there is no guarantee for tomorrow.

I operate my life in a goal-achieving and list-driven fashion. For me, it helps keep my eye on the rewards and experiences I want and it also feels good to cross something off and say “I did that.”

My bucket list is ambitious. It includes meeting some people I admire, like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs; owning a share in a professional sports team, watching “Oprah” from the studio audience; and spending quality, fun time with my Mom, who is 74. There is a lot more to the list, but that’s for another blog post.
I look at my bucket list monthly. And I take decisive action to make things happen.

My mom had never been to Chicago and wanted to go, and both of us had never been to “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” This seemed like a doable bucket list adventure. So I mentally went through my network of pals to figure out how to get tickets. Bingo! One of my very good friends came through. FYI, without a connection for tickets, anyone can go to the show’s site, and sign up for the lottery. I know this works because many of the people I met at the show got their tickets this way.

Chicago is a great city, especially in the fall. (The items and companies that I’m raving about have not paid me. I do recommend them based on my excellent experience.)

Our trip was not long, but it was quality. As a card-carrying, independent, modern girl, I highly recommend this method when traveling with all relatives.
We arrived Tuesday morning and Mike from Diva Limousine Company, greeted us at the airport in a black town car. How cool was this? The Branding Diva® picked up in a Divamobile.

I loved all of the branded details and experience this company delivered. The car had a discreet, elegant emblem that said DIVA. The driver was garbed in all black and sported a small lapel pin that also said DIVA. And the chilled beverages were all packaged in black and silver DIVA bottles.

He transported us to the James Hotel. This boutique property is located in heart of all the action and is a very hip spot. The staff was incredible, friendly, and helpful. The environment was eco meets chic and the chocolate-laced popcorn with cayenne pepper at the bar was to die for.
We fueled up for the day at Quartino, an excellent, urban Italian restaurant and wine bar a few blocks from the hotel.

From there, since we didn’t have a lot of time, we elected to take the 90-minute Chicago River and Lake architecture boat cruise, to see the city. This was fun, informative, and gave our weary feet a nice rest.

Next was Millennium Park. This is a fascinating tribute to the ambitious plans for Chicago in the 21st Century. As an award-winning center for music, architecture, landscape design, and the arts, it is a modern-day, worth-seeing landmark.

The day was capped off with a 4-star food experience at Sepia. Sepia is an old printer’s shop turned new American organic and local fare dining hot spot.

We finished the day with comedy at Second City. Second City is another Chicago landmark worth checking out. This theatre launched the careers of such comic greats as John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner. It is inexpensive and 90 minutes of multi-generational laughs. Take your mom; you’ll understand what I mean.

Wednesday was Oprah day.

We needed to be there at 10:30am for the second show, which started after 1:00pm. In advance of the show, all guests received an email with rules; what to wear, what not to wear, and no gifts for Oprah or her staff, etc. All to ensure a non-dramatic, art directed, uninterrupted, wonderful show experience.

We arrived at 10:30 and joined a line of other dedicated Oprah fans. A coffee cart was outside serving free beverages. We could feel an instant camaraderie with 300 strangers; 290 women and 10 brave men.

At 11:00am a kind staffer allowed about 50 guests to enter the security zone. There, we and other guests were stripped of any potential weapons or distractions like cell phones, pagers, reading material, and even notepads. I’m sure from years of experience, the Harpo production team can anticipate myriad ways in which a guest might misbehave with uncontrolled, unpredictable objects. Our handbags were returned, so we could enter the show without missing an important fashion accessory; there was just nothing in the bag. All our belongings were checked in, and returned to us after the show.

From there, we were escorted to the holding room. Within the hour, this space was filled with our 300 new friends. We signed a release, stating general legal stuff and that should our sweet faces appear on the show or in some promotion, we would not receive a talent check from Ms O. Our pen was returned.

The next two hours were a challenge to me. I’m not a big fan of small talk and I do get a little restless without something to read or do. This holding area had a couple of large screen monitors showing old shows. However, there was no sound, or I couldn’t hear it above the roar of 300 excited fans.

At about 1:00pm, the show time countdown began. The cattle—I mean audience members—were moved to the studio. Any rule breakers wearing white or beige were shown a nosebleed seat. OK, there aren’t really nosebleed seats, but it’s not the front row.

The studio was “meat-locker freezing”. I remember this feeling whenever I’ve been a guest on TV shows. I’m not sure why this is. Maybe to prevent people from sleeping or to keep everyone’s makeup from melting off and prevent sweaty foreheads. Who knows; it was cold.

Next, the top producer entered the room with mic in hand. She welcomed everyone, restated a few rules of behavior and conducted a soft due diligence on the crowd. My bet is she was attempting to root out any crazy people who showed up for their 15 minutes of fame and might have warranted removal or arrest. This seemed to last about 30 minutes. The producer also enlightened the audience to the day’s topic and guests. The day we were there the subject was rebounding from tragedy and how your destiny is what you make of it.

The producer left, music and intro started, and Ms. O entered. She was barefoot, holding some very hot fashionista shoes, and was sporting jeans and a bright sweater. She found her place on the infamous couch and a hair and make-up person followed her, touched up her coif and powered down the shine, then it was show time! As Oprah got positioned, she small talked with the audience on some of the benefits of her life; someone else dresses her and fixes her hair. “Got to love that,” she laughed.

The show’s content was inspiring. It featured the daughter and husband of the Florida couple who were brutally slain in their home. The victims, Byrd and Melanie Billings, had adopted 12 special needs children, several of whom were home at the time of the crime. The story was very sad, but their grown daughter and her husband were moving forward and keeping their promise to her parents, “should anything ever happen, we will take care of the family.”

The other segments were equally compelling. A young couple badly burned in a plane crash described how they chose not to feel like victims, but to live every day to the fullest, grateful for what they have; their lives and family. And the closing story was about a man who happened to sit next to a young girl on a flight en route to her next foster home. The timid young girl shared how she felt; no one really loved her and she had no real family. After that encounter, and getting home to his family, the man tracked the young women down and he and his family later adopted her. He and his wife were empty nesters and that one plane ride changed their lives as well as the young girl who sat next to him.
My blog today is not hard on business tips. But if your personal life is not on track, if you are not taking care of your bucket list, your business is probably impacted.

As I close, here’s what I learned from my trip to see Oprah.

o No matter how bad your past is (abuse, growing up poor, having a different skin color, being rejected) it has no affect on your destiny unless you still live in the past. Choose your story to live.
o No dreams are too big. Not in our country. If you believe, you can achieve.
o Spend time with your parents, whether you have had, or have challenges with them. Do it now, Or you may miss your chance.
o With all relatives and friends, focus on what you appreciate in them and not what you don’t.
o Treat yourself well. If you enjoy travel and first class adventures, do it. If you like roughing it in the woods, go there. Don’t think about what you want, make it happen.
o Being a force of good is powerful. Oprah has certainly earned her marks in this area. She inspires, teaches, and has a voice. If Ms. O can do it, so can all of us in our own way.

Enjoy your week. My next blog will be about my fire walk in the rain with Tony Robbins.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com.

by Ann Marie Gardner

In an unusual chain of events, and somewhat of an outsourcing reversal, this Oddpodz marketing staffer helped infuse India with another well-known American brand. The Washington Redskins cheerleaders were invited to become the Bangalore Royal Challengers T20 Cricket cheerleading team. As a former brand ambassador and member of the squad, I spent 18 days in India supporting the team in this goodwill and marketing effort.

In T20, gone are the days of British tea and wearing white pants during a five-day game. The India Premier League (IPL) has shortened the game to three hours, signed a billion-dollar broadcasting contract with Sony, and the international roster of players are treated like rock stars; all part of what we in the United States know as “sportainment.” This Western trend is the reason they contracted out for the job of Cheerleading Team.

This was my seventh trip overseas with the cheerleaders and as a more seasoned traveler, my purpose in being there was to assist the director and team in everything. To the inexperienced members, India represented an overwhelming number of things to deal with in a small amount of time; malaria, dehydration, or language barriers. I did what I could to fix problems and alleviate the “static” so the ladies could maintain the glamour and attitude of entertainment, brand ambassadors—the NFL cheerleader brand.

The trip also gave me a great occasion to make some branding observations around the culture, market and environment.

The Redskin Cheerleader brand today is entirely due to the Redskins’ current Director of Entertainment, Donald Wells. I’ve worked with Donald since 1997, I’ve been in marketing since 1992, and I spent some time reflecting on similarities in branding “products” across commercial and geographic lines. Yes, even cheerleading. And what does it take to successfully export this entertainment product to a country across the globe that resembles ours in . . . hardly any way at all?

3 important branding tips when traveling to a foreign venue.
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When working with branding clients in the past, we have used an exercise that forces them to distill their brand down to one word. It’s tough.

We found this “game” this morning. Built on the premise that “a brand exists entirely in people’s heads. Therefore, whatever it is they say a brand is, is what it is.”

Intriguing if you are interested in brands like we are. Look at the logo that appears and type in the first word that pops into your head.

Give Brandtags a try, then see if you can name your brand in one word.

Is there some symbol in your business that can help your brand take off? Some iconic element that can stand alone without text, and serve as a surrogate messenger for your brand? Target and Nike do this well. If it’s your brand or any that you believe is a power mark all by itself, send it in (info[at]oddpodz[dot]com), or post it in the comments section, let’s build a list of our favorites.

Healthcare conference wrap up.

Based on the discussions with these healthcare leaders from around the US, the industry is going taking a brisk shift toward a much more consumer driven and controlled information environment. Which if you consider all the data on us and the data and research on what ails us is out there and needed, I think this is a positive move.

3 big changes you’ll be seeing in healthcare branding and communication.

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By Karen Post, Branding Diva®

I’m one of the luckiest people around. I get paid to create, talk and help people grow their businesses. Except this morning when my clock went off at 4 AM, I wasn’t feeling so fortunate or, for that matter, creative.

I have a speaking gig in Memphis, TN on Wednesday. The event hosted by a very cool company called MEDSEEK. They are another American success story. Founded by entrepreneur Gale Wilson-Steele in 1996, the company’s model is based on the concept that the Internet puts computers to work doing what they do best: storing, sorting and delivering information; and it can be used to answer the universal need of all people to confidently obtain competent medical care. MEDSEEK initially offered an Internet directory of physicians and webpage publishing services as a dot.com replacement for yellow pages advertisements. Today MEDSEEK specializes in online healthcare solutions that empower patients, physicians, employees and consumers to securely exchange knowledge, interact with healthcare organizations and access medical records online.

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We need your help discovering new places. Visit our places page to contribute or tell us about your find in the comments

The Mansion on Forsyth Park, located in Savannah’s historic district, is more than just a hotel. This restored 1888 Victorian mansion is also home to over 400 works of art in its Grand Bohemian Gallery, as well as world-class cuisine, a Carriage Wine Cellar, and 700 Kitchen Cooking School.

In their own words, “From the moment you enter the onyx marble appointed lobby, you will experience the essence of Southern luxury. From our celebrated cuisine, to spa pampering and world-class Kessler Collection service, every detail is polished to perfection… Just outside lies Forsyth Park’s lush setting… the timeless intrigue and excitement that is synonymous with Savannah.

More about the Mansion

Accommodations
The Mansion at Forsyth Park has 126 guest rooms and suites. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…

700 Kitchen Cooking School
The 700 Kitchen Cooking School has something for every level of chef, aspiring chef or master toast burner. Its unique hands-on classes are open to both individuals and groups and are overseen by Chef Darin Sehnert, Culinary Director. There is no cooking experience necessary, and all students will get in-depth discussion & explanation of culinary technique. Plus, you get to eat what you cook (trust us, it’s a good thing…) and you can even bring a group and participate in a team-building “Culinary Challenge.” Click here to visit their website and download a brochure.

Poseidon Spa
Located within the Mansion on Forsyth Park is a full-service spa waiting to pamper you with historic elegance and contemporary amenities.

Take a relaxing trip to another level with the tranquil, rejuvinating environment at the Poseidon Spa. You can enjoy an aromatherapy massage, a blissful facial, or pamper yourself with a specialty nail treatment. The spa also offers a sleek 24-hour cardio fitness facility for those of you who can’t leave your workout routine behind. And don’t worry, if you don’t want to leave your room, they’ll come to you. Your Poseidon Spa therapist will create a nurturing environment with soothing music and aromatic candles while performing a deeply relaxing massage to melt away stress, tension and fatigue. For more information and a complete spa menu, see the Poseidon Spa Website.

Grand Bohemian Gallery
The Mansion on Forsyth Park is home to 400 works of art by both local and international artists. The gallery specializes in contemporary painting, art glass, ceramics, jewelry, painting & sculpture, and its mission is to enhance environments with inspiring art for today’s collector. And, of course, they have their own website to tell you all about it.

With this summer’s scorching temperatures and all the talk about global warming, it only seems right to take the 50-cent tour of Iceland and provide you with some little known facts that are guaranteed to help you beat the heat.

It’s Really Green
The old joke is true - Iceland is green, and Greenland is ice. When Norwegian explorer Eric the Red made the trek from Iceland to the larger nearby island in the 10th century and colonized it, he decided to call it Greenland because he felt more people might be willing to move there if it had an inviting name.

Take out a second mortgage
You’ll need the extra funds. Iceland’s considered to be the second most expensive destination for travelers (behind Japan). But don’t blame it on Icelandic greed. Prices are so high because so many goods have to be imported.

Seems like a good idea
If you’re an environmentalist, don’t go to Iceland because there’s not much to protest. The country is home to a project called the Ecological City Transport System, or ECTOS. As if getting decent public transportation in America isn’t hard enough, these guys are actually trying to to achieve a hydrogen-based fuel economy, starting with Reykjavik city buses. Also included: a hydrogen filling station, where electricity is produced onsite by electrolyzing water using renewable energy. If the project is successful, Iceland will begin using hydrogen to power cars, marine vessels and fishing boats, making the country almost completely independent of imported fossil fuels.

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Apparently, that’s the question in China these days. According to a recent article in the Economist, there is a “Museum Boom” in China.

I decided to examine this museum issue a little further given the nomenclature we chose for our community.

Through the results of a quick internet search of the term “museum boom,” I discovered that this phenomenon has occurred in other countries. Articles have been written about museum booms in Japan, Poland, the US, Holland, England and Estonia.

So what gives with all these museum booms? There seem to be many different reasons. In some cases, new political systems allow for the construction of buildings and such that were disallowed under old regimes. Or, as in Japan in the 1990s, museums were built to house all the art that had been purchased a decade earlier. Museums have also been viewed as a means to boost a cities cultural standing, to generate revenues, or to spur gentrification. On an individual level, perhaps someone has amassed a collection of art and decides to build their own museum, as was the case for the Rubins who opened the Rubin Museum of Art to house their collection of art from the Himalayan region. Whatever the reason, there has been no shortage of debate when the construction of a new museum is announced.

In China, the mission of museum building is not quite clear. In the Economist article, some see it as “vying to outdo one other with architectural wonders.” Well, then what are they putting inside?

And, some have lamented, “only in Beijing would they be bulldozing genuine, historic architectural decorations to rubble while at the same time making fake ones for a museum.” This sentiment was in an article by the Telegraph’s Richard Spencer last year.

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out. In the meantime, we’ve been quiet over here on the Oddblog, because we’ve been renovating our Muzeum. We’ve only got one, but there’s room for all the stuff that they’re making in China should they run out of space on the walls, or should the museum building bonanza stop in the name of preserving history.

You might then ask, “why did Oddpodz build its Muzeum? And, what’s with the ‘z.’” Well, we’ll start with the ‘z.’ Everything we do is a little different. Why? Because, if you always do things the way you’ve done them, you are going to get what you have always gotten. And, that’s not us. We thrive on new ideas and innovation. We wanted to create an online destination that was more than just a temple to art, and that was not constrained by walls or conventional thinking.

The Muzeum is home to the ‘global nation of creatives.’ It is an online destination where people can showcase their ideas, connect, collaborate and make things happen. Our citizens are optimistic, independent thinking, creative change agents. It will be a lively intersection for thinkers and doers.

We chose ‘Muzeum’ as the name for our community because ‘offline’ museums are places, where people go to socialize, meet friends, view collections of various things, learn, listen to music, get inspired, discuss, debate or quietly reflect. One may even aspire to be featured center stage as part of a show. You will be able to do all of that here. Our Muzeum is not limited to a single genre, because the world does not exist and problem solving does not happen in silos. Truly creative minds solve problems by connecting seemingly unrelated dots from different experiences and arenas. Oddpodz’ Muzeum has citizens from a plethora of professions, hobbies, interests, educations and geographic locales. There are chefs, teachers, painters, engineers, writers, accountants, farmers, nurses and bassoonists (just to name a few). There is a wealth of experiences, viewpoints and ideas to learn from and connect with.

There will be some fantastic ideas generated and problems solved. Some ideas may be the result of a contest that Oddpodz develops, while some may spring up organically.

So, as museum booms continue around the globe, our Muzeum continues to evolve as a work in progress. We have room for plenty of people, ideas and things AND we are not destroying history. We are making it. Hope you will join us.