Today we’d like to introduce you to Nelly Maissian.
Nelly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Three and a half years ago I started this group with the intention of entertaining and cheering up my friends and colleagues. Two of my very dear friends were facing major tragedies in their lives. One of them was battling aggressive cancer that eventually took her life, and the other slept one night as a happily married woman but woke up to find herself as a widow. I wanted to help them when I wasn’t able to be by their side by distracting them from their cruel reality. I called the Facebook Group “Fabulous Female Corner” after the numerous, countless hours of healing discussions over coffee shared in one particular corner of the store, where she worked at. The group overall is a very light-hearted group. Members added friends, they added friends and today we have over 11,400 members involving over 100 countries. My goal was to connect our women, especially Armenian women, but definitely not limited to, from all corners of the world to come together and share experiences.
I encouraged discussing important topics, sharing recipes, sharing funny posts and quotes and making new connections and friendships. So much research out there confirming that relationships and friendships created and maintained between women can actually have numerous health/mental benefits. Women learning from each others’ experiences and challenges. We all lead stressful lives-weather it’s dealing with demanding careers, children, finances, parents, spouses or health issues. I assigned the themes of the week. we start with morning coffee. One of our members from New York, Lola and one in Los Angeles, Juliet start us with beautiful images of coffee to get us going. Monday are quote days, as we start the week we all need to hear some motivational/reflective comments. Tuesdays are our productive days where I allow members to post their lines of works for free and share their passions, as of last year I was able to offer promotional options to help the ladies in business further. We have monthly gatherings.
Some of our gatherings have been art exhibits, wine and paint nights, luncheons, and potlucks and happy hours to name a few. Once a year we have a day trip where I took them to Solvang and Ventura Harbor, another trip coming up soon. We also have had annual fancy Galas where top comedians and entertainers were invited to entertain our members while we feasted on traditional Armenian cuisine. This last year I raised a significant amount of funds to help support three of the members’ organizations in our group who were heading a charity that involved children. During the Gala, I launched my new venture, Fabulous Female Corner-Interactive Business Network. This mission of this project is to have ladies from all types of businesses to improve their personal and professional skills, meet new people, come out of their circles and comfort zones and grow. Meanwhile, they will establish new friendships and get new referrals as trust gets created through these friendly meetings. Most meetings will be done through the zoom platform to make it convenient for single moms and save time and increase efficiency.
I have a professional in the field to train the members in the areas where they need help. Once a season I’m planning to have a business Expo where they will meet in person and be able to share their stories to one another and educate each other while we enjoy and share a glass of wine together. My experience has been that nothing great happens in your comfort zone. I want to help my members to get the confidence to try to accomplish what thought was impossible and make their dreams come true. Our upbringing and culture have held our women back from believing in themselves, prioritizing their needs and wants, and knowing that they are very capable beings and they deserve to be independent and happy. I truly believe if you have the right kind of support nothing is impossible. I’m a Registered Dental Hygienist and have a business management degree. I’ve been in the field for over 25 years. I had a consulting firm for medical/dental offices.
When I started having kids I wanted to stay local and be a hands-on mom. Since consulting required lots of travel decided to hold off till the kids grow up and no longer needed me to survive. Now that they are older I discovered that I’m so needed here, making a difference for the ladies in the group. The messages, the flowers and the blessings I get sent from them fulfill my every dream I’ve had. I’m blessed to be able to impact them in a positive way.
Wednesdays are pampering/beauty days. I want to remind the ladies to take care of their physical selves and do something nurturing and healing. Thursdays are art day. We have been so busy with taking care of our families, most of us don’t know what our hobbies are. I want them to discover their creative side, to have fun and to relieve stress. Fridays are our health/fitness day. We share articles of the latest health news and fitness suggestions. Saturdays are our going out/ travel day. We share beautiful destinations and places to visit. I find that it’s so important to change your scenery and come back to reality refreshed and renewed. lastly, Sundays are family days. Each of there days represents our lives. Each day we need to pay attention to and feed the right ingredients to in order to live a fulfilled and content lives.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
These last few years, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I’ve realized that you can’t depend on your circle of friends for support and encouragement. Complete strangers that I met through the group, who shared similar views on life, have been very helpful and positive. Despite all the letdowns and disappointments, I have actually gotten to be a stronger person. I’m determined to follow my path and stay focused on my mission.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Fabulous Female Corner – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I guess you can say I’m a bit of a feminist. I believe women are amazing, capable and awesome creatures. We take on so much in our daily lives to take care of others. I want women to realize that they can’t lose themselves in this race, and they need to take care of themselves, physically and mentally. I want to provide them the platform to be part of a group of women with similar goals and have fun at the meantime.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My mission is to get my company off to a good start. I need their support now to be able to accomplish that. I want women from all walks of life to take advantage of what I have set up to excel in their lives, make new friendships and connection on a personal and professional arena.
Contact Info:
- Website: Fabulousfemalecorner.com
- Phone: 818652-6858
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: fabulousfemalecorner
- Facebook: http://m.facebook.com/groups/811294745605451
- Other: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.comchannel/UCn5lzU3ljEdlJq6NRwlfgmg
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