4/14/2008 6:00:00 AM Oprah workshop inspires local startup business
Chris Hollar ended a career as a speech pathologist to start her own business selling natural and organic cosmetics after participating in a motivational workshop.
Chris Hollar says that when you're considering a career change, it doesn't hurt to have Oprah Winfrey in your corner.
Last fall, Hollar, a mother of two who lives on Verona's north side, was selected as one of 30 women around the country to participate in a career workshop conducted by motivational author and Oprah acolyte, Marcus Buckingham.
As part of the workshop, Hollar traveled to Chicago and met Oprah herself, who stood next to Hollar as she encouraged the women to pursue their dreams.
"Having Oprah tell you in person that you should live your best life, you can't really say, 'No Oprah, I'm going to pass,'" Hollar laughed.
The experience pushed Hollar last December to end her 13-year career as a speech pathologist and start her own business selling natural and organic cosmetics. The business - Truth, Love, Beauty - now operates out of The Purple Goose, 400 W. Verona Ave.
The 30 women will be featured on Oprah's talk show next week. The episode airs locally at 4 p.m. Friday, April 18, on WISC, Ch. 3.
The show was taped March 27, Hollar said. The 30 participants sit in the front row, and Hollar's story - told through a short film-and-photo montage - fills a minute or two of the show.
"It was kind of an out-of-body experience" to see herself on Oprah, Hollar said.
As a speech pathologist, Hollar worked mostly with kids in public schools or in a university setting. But she'd noticed that when she helped out part-time at the Purple Goose, owned by her friend Halley Jones, she was a lot happier.
In addition, Hollar had long been interested in natural and organic cosmetics, which she started researching when she discovered several years ago that preservatives in food and make-up were making her ill.
Hollar stumbled on the career workshop when she was reading about the book-of-the-month selection at Oprah.com last fall. She
e-mailed the producers and within days was interviewed and selected for the show.
On Oct. 16, she drove to Chicago for a three-hour workshop with Buckingham. In the months that followed, she spoke weekly with a job coach, tracked her efforts to reach her goals and kept a video diary for the show's producers.
By January, she'd started her business, which officially launched March 6 at The Purple Goose.
Hollar said her focus on natural and organic cosmetics fills a growing market niche, and she aims to work with suppliers who donate some of their profits to charity.
Beginning in May, she'll offer workshops at The Purple Goose on skin care, make-up application, and color choice. One-on-one consultations will also be available, she said.
Hollar said she'd kicked around the idea for her business for a couple years before the workshop.
"I felt like the whole thing was the kickstart to make some positive changes in my life," she said. "Life-changing is the only way I can describe it."
For information, visit www.shopthepurplegoose.com.
sou brasileira, assisti ao programa e logo apĆ³s entrei no site... foi como se o programa fosse feito pra mim....
(translated)
I am Brazilian, I attended the program and soon as I entered in the site was as if the program was made for me
