Especially for Women with Ann Barczay Sloan 
Sandra Levitin
Founder/CEO/Publisher
of Kalön Women
www. Kalon-Women.com
How Sandra and I first connected
As a force to be reckoned with, Sandra Levitin came to my attention way before our life paths actually intersected. One day in late 2009, an unknown someone sent me an invitation to visit an up-and-coming web site / online magazine named “Kalön Women.” My instincts told me to take a closer look at what they were up to, which I did. On impulse I signed up on their list. At that time I had no idea Sandra and I would soon be connecting and communicating one-on-one, and would find opportunities to collaborate to a greater extent than at first foreseen.
Fast forward to early 2010, when, as Fate would decree, Sandra and the estimable Douglas Castle, Vice-Chairman of The National Networker (TNNW) connected (independently of me) and soon got involved in conversations about collaboration possibilities. Next, Douglas suggested Sandra and I get in touch with each other, which we did. Our inter-communication flows easily. And it’s fun to observe the ways in which the Big Picture of entrepreneurial possibilities between the three of us gradually unfolds!
A special bonus: Sandra and I discovered early on that we have a deep personal interest in common, our love of poetry: not only reading but the writing of poetry, too. Sandra has already published several books of poetry, whereas my own inspirational book, How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart: Recipes for Rebirth, is slated for publication later this year. (For more information, see http://AnnBarczaySloan.com.blogspot.com. )
What exactly does “Kalön” mean?
Naturally, this was one of the first questions I posed to Sandra in the early stages of our correspondence. At that time I could not find a definition on the kalon-women.com site.
In an e-mail, Sandra responded:
“The word Kalön is an old Greek word that means ‘beautiful’ -- however, it has very little to do with exterior beauty, ... as it has to do with inner beauty or finding something beautiful in everything around us."
In our interview, Sandra provides us with additional detail on this special dimension of Beauty. For now, let’s get more acquainted with Sandra.
Who is Sandra Levitin and what is she all about?
Here’s a comprehensive overview straight from the web site:
Editor’s Bio: Sandra Levitin
“Sandra Levitin is the Founder/CEO/Publisher of Kalön Women, an online magazine for women forty plus. She has been writing since she could hold a crayon, growing to love the feel of a pencil in her hand and the sound it makes when connecting to paper. She is a published poet, working on two manuscripts and a children’s book with her 10 year old granddaughter…
Sandra loves being in her fifties! Smack in the middle of the baby boomer generation of women; a generation of women unlike any other… A group of women not ready to move over, lie down or let life pass them by sitting in a rocking chair. These generations of 'women of a certain age' have ambition, life experience, and are passionate about both their own well being and giving back to their communities….
Her life has always framed itself around helping people. A devoted mother and grandmother, she calls herself the 'fix it lady' because everyone, including her children’s friends have always come to her to 'fix it.' It followed her on into the corporate world as she excelled in sales, sales management and sales training for several national and international companies…
After making a tough decision, Sandra decided to leave the corporate environment and fulfill a 15 year dream of creating a magazine for women forty plus that started with a friend who died from breast cancer before they could see it through together. Sandra and a few of her friends also began talking about what direction they each wanted their lives to take. Kalön Women was born as a way for us to reach out to other women sharing similar journeys to share our professional and life experiences, enriching one another along the way – all with a touch of humor, which Sandra says is so important because as women, we forget how to laugh and play….
Retirement? Sandra has discovered that women do not retire in the traditional sense. Instead, she feels that we look for new challenges and then reinvent ourselves to meet them. It is then up to us, to reveal new meanings and truths to hold our attention and to grasp the true meaning of Kalön within ourselves.”
Exploring the Kalön Women Web site
A colorful montage of images at top of the Home page is labeled with this inscription:
“Where we’ve been… where we’re going…”
Below this, you are greeted by a smiling photo of Sandra:
“Welcome to Kalön Women
Kalon Women's vision is to be a powerful voice
for women 40+ as we face challenges unique
to our generation.
Sandra Levitin, Founder
On left side of page, you’ll see three important features of the site:
- “Online Article Categories”
View listing of article categories archived.
- “Free Digital Magazine Subscription”
Enter your subscription to the monthly “Kalön Women” magazine.
- "Kalön Women in Business Radio”
Click for upcoming shows.
Now, some selected items from top of screen menu bar:
On this page we find detailed “Welcome to Kalön” information (condensed a bit here):
“Kalön Women’s vision is to be a powerful voice for all women 40+ as we face challenges unique to our generation. We are the sandwich generation, caring for aging parents, growing or grown children, grandchildren, and sometimes doing all of it while maintaining a professional career. And yes, salary equity is still an issue. Our professional career successes have been hard won, without the benefit of the ‘boys club.’ We are living longer and healthier lives, which creates a host of issues including living alone, financial concerns, and new relationships…
…We have grown beyond the need to mold ourselves into others' expectations. We have learned to face life with strength, dignity and a big helping of humor.
The mission of Kalön Women is to provide answers and raise awareness of issues and causes that affect us, so that our generation of women will be stronger from knowledge gained, and the generation of women who follow in our path will hopefully find it less rocky.”
Two important sub-topics within “About Kalön” are “Editor’s Bio” and “FAQ.”
- “Digital Magazine Submissions”
Detailed guidelines for aspiring magazine contributors.
- “Hire Sandra to Speak”
List of titles of professional presentations by Sandra, plus selected endorsements.
- “Kalön Network Site”
You’ll see a video of Sandra ─ and beneath it, a link: “Click here to visit and join Kalön Community.” When you click, the next page welcomes you by name (because you’ve already registered!) Now you are about to enter an exciting new realm:
"Social Networking with a Purpose! Get Inspired! Take Action!
Find your Purpose/Passion! Build your Self-Esteem/Empowerment!
WOMEN ONLY"
This new world offers you numerous choices of activities: things to do, people to meet, even add your own content. Please feel free to explore ─ but remember: WOMEN ONLY!
- “Kalön Clicks”
This item stands on its own at far right of page. It’s another innovative feature of this site. What is Kalön Clicks? It’s “the first on-line directory for women 40 plus!"
Well, there’s so much more ─ but no point in prolonging the wait, the suspense. It’s high time to meet our Founder and CEO and Publisher herself!
- - - - - - - - - -
The Interview
Thanks, Sandra, for spending this time with me. I’m happy for this opportunity to learn more about you! First of all, how would you briefly describe what you do ─ your “elevator speech” or similar tag line?
“I am the Founder/CEO/Publisher of Kalön Women, an online magazine and forum for women forty plus. I am also a Mid-Life Strategist who specializes in supporting women through the myriad of life changes after forty.”
What makes you / your company / organization unique? In other words, what is the so-called Unique Value Proposition (UVP) of your product or service?
“Kalön Women is a forum like no other – one designed with ‘women of a certain age’ in mind, providing a new challenge, and a reinvention for women over 40.
Kalön Women’s vision is to be a powerful voice and forum for all women 40+ as we face challenges unique to our generation. We are the sandwich generation, caring for aging parents, growing or grown children, grandchildren and sometimes doing all of it while maintaining a professional career. And yes, salary equity is still an issue. Our professional career successes have been hard won, without the benefit of the ‘boys club.’
We are living longer and healthier lives, which creates a host of issues including living alone, financial concerns, and new relationships. We don’t necessarily want to look older than our age, so fitness and health are important to us, and we have grown beyond the need to mold ourselves into others expectations. We have learned to face life with strength, dignity and a big helping of humor.
Retirement? I have discovered that women do not retire in the traditional sense. Instead, we look for new challenges and then reinvent ourselves to meet them. It is then up to us, to reveal new meanings and truths to hold our attention and to grasp the true meaning of Kalön within ourselves.”
What is your primary goal, the mission of what you do?
“The mission of Kalön Women is to provide answers and raise awareness of issues and causes that affect us, so that our generation of women will be stronger from knowledge gained, and the generation of women who follow in our path will hopefully find it less rocky. The articles, stories, poetry and other written expressions in Kalön Women are created by real women 40+. Written to inspire, help and perhaps provide a few laughs to all 'women of a certain age.' "
Please describe briefly how you got started in all this, and how you arrived where you are currently.
“Fifteen years ago, when I was in the midst of getting a divorce after 24 years, I met a group of poets online and we immediately bonded. Within this group of friends, was my friend Jo who was the most amazing poet and writer. As our friendship grew, we thought about putting together a magazine for women forty plus. At that time it was going to be published in print because online magazines were still in their infancy. We researched names for our publication, knowing that we wanted it to capture the inner makings or beauty of a woman rather than focusing on the exterior as so many magazines do. We researched the word beautiful and found the old Greek word, Kalön.
What is Kalön, you ask? Everything. A garden or a tree, a piece of jewelry or a favorite walk has its kalön and is beautiful or admirable after its own fashion. Something can be beautiful without being perceived or known as beautiful. It is our very inability to know everything about a given object that actually makes it beautiful.
Beautiful is an experience that grows out of curiosity, the paradox of knowledge and the infinite ability of the particular to continue to reveal itself in continuously new and interesting ways.
To shut down the work of beauty, one need only claim to know everything about a given particular, either that one knows definitively what it is, or that one knows it is most definitely nonsense. Either way, it ceases to hold our attention or to reveal new meanings and truths to us.
It is then up to us to reveal new meanings and truths to hold our attention and to grasp the true meaning of Kalön within ourselves.
As with most things when women are elbow-deep raising children, working, managing a home and juggling fifty balls at once, our dream got placed on the back burner.
The years flew by. Our daily talks turned into yearly catch up conversations and 3 years ago, she died from metastatic breast cancer just as I turned 50. This was a huge catalyst for me. I was remarried and in the midst of the corporate world, managing 5 offices and over 800 people. And I was burned out.
A few of my friends and I also began talking about what direction we each wanted our lives to take. I knew that if I didn’t take the leap now, I never would. Kalön Women was born in 2008 as a way for us to reach out to other women sharing similar journeys to share our professional and life experiences, enriching one another along the way.”
Which of your projects are you currently most excited and passionate about?
“I have two actually. First and foremost we just launched a new digital version of our magazine in December. The reviews have been wonderful and our subscriber base is growing exponentially.
My other project is my first book called, Learning How to Hop Again, which is scheduled for release [later] in 2010. This is a book about my life and other women’s lives and how we get so off course, but more importantly, how we make it back.”
How much of your work is focused specifically toward women?
“Everything I do is focused specifically toward women forty plus. I am passionate about giving the everyday woman a voice. All they want is to be heard, for someone to listen, for someone to care.”
What are some of the ways / places you promote your enterprise?
“For the most part, the only promotion I have spent most of my time and effort on is through the social media and co-ventures or banner exchanges with other like-minded businesses.”
Whom / what does your network currently include? How far does your network extend?
“Last year our network went global. We now have an international presence with subscribers from all over the world. Of course, the majority of our subscribers are from the United States.
The last statistics we received were pretty astounding. Our median audience consists of women, [ages] 45-54. Average time spent on our site is 8.9 minutes. We have over 25,000 unique hits per day and our subscriber base has grown to almost 60,000.”
What has been the best about building a network: Positive experiences? Benefits, expected and unexpected?
“For me, the best part about building a network has been the women I’ve met. They are some of the most talented, strong, witty and giving women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I say that tongue-in-cheek because most of them I have never met in person! The unexpected benefits were and are the fact that they are ready to jump in and get their hands dirty if asked to do so. All they want in return is to be appreciated. Reciprocation and some laughs. You just gotta have the laughs.”
What challenges (if any) have you found in your networking experiences? Any unexpected events? Any benefits emerging from challenges in the long run?
“The one challenge that we are all having as women entrepreneurs, especially now, is drawing the numbers to pull in the ever elusive advertisers/sponsors. With that being said, if you look long enough and ask the right people, you can even overcome those problems. As Robbie Motter, Founder of Contacts Unlimited says, ‘It’s all in the asking!’”
Bottom line – What do you feel is really working well for you / your company?
“Bottom line? Networking with other like-minded women and being there for each other – not just lip service – truly being there and realizing that if we all pull together we can accomplish anything we set out to do! Kalön Women’s motto for this year is ‘Pulling together in 2010!’”
Besides networking, how else are you promoting your company? Which do you view as the primary vehicle and what makes it more important than the other(s)?
“I do banner exchanges, co-ventures and affiliate programs with other women / businesses, but the primary vehicle is still networking, both online and here in Houston.”
What’s the achievement / accomplishment you’re most proud of at this time?
“I know you think it’s going to be Kalön Women – and I am so very proud of that accomplishment. But for me, it’s my kids and grandchildren. My son is now 30 – talk about a choker – and I couldn’t be more proud of the man that he has become. He is a tremendous father of two beautiful girls who have stolen my heart, and a gentle, loving husband married to a woman that I couldn’t love more than if she were my own.
My daughter is 28 and has always been my best friend. She lights up the room with her smile. We’ve been through a lot together and I am so fortunate to have such a beautiful, sweet woman in my life that I can call my daughter.”
What are your plans and goals for the future ─ organizational / personal ─ especially regarding networking activities?
“My future plans -- now there’s a conversation that could go on for hours! As for Kalön Women, my goal is to reach 100,000 subscribers before the end of the year and to focus on perfecting our new digital magazine.
I want to grow my listener’s base for our Kalön Women in Business Radio Show. We have recorded 40 shows since we began our show in April of 2009.
Personally, I am at the end of marriage number two and have finally faced my own nemesis of codependency and being the perpetual enabler. These were hard things to face, but for the first time in my life, I am truly happy with me!
God willing, my first book, Learning How to Hop Again, will be published this year. It’s under contract and in the publisher’s hands."
What a terrific title! I laugh. I get what that means: I can relate!
"Thanks, Ann! Let me also add: I have created a speaker/training program called “Get Your Big Girl Panties On” which is a guide to help women forty plus through the myriad of life altering changes we are all experiencing as boomer women [all] at the same time!”
Any other point you’d like to emphasize at this time?
“I would like to invite your readers to take a look at Kalön Women and all that we have to offer women forty plus. I think they will find that there are a lot of women out there just like them, who are seeking the same answers to the question: who am I?”
In conclusion, anything you’d like to add ─ some words of encouragement, inspiration for our readers?
“I have several women who inspire me with their words of wisdom. One is Erma Bombeck, who said, ‘When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'
The other woman is Maya Angelou who said, ‘I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.’
The one thing I’ve learned over the past few years is this: once you discover what you are passionate about, do not let anything or anyone get in the way or discourage you from achieving your goals.
Women should ask themselves a few questions on their journey of self-discovery or finding their passion:
If you could do one thing to transform your life, what would it be?
Are you living your passion?
What puts a smile on your face?
What do you find easy?
What sparks your creativity?
What would you do for free?
What do you like to talk about?
What makes you unafraid of failure?
What would you regret not having tried?
If they can uncover the answers to these questions, there will be no stopping them!”
No stopping? That sounds just like YOU, Sandra: unstoppable!
So please accept my appreciation for this interview and, beyond that, for the inspiration you’ve provided for me and our readers, as well as, of course, the thousands who are proud members of your vast Kalön Women Community.
Contact Information for Kalon-Women.com:
For submission guidelines, Editorial Calendar and to submit an article:
Key Words:
Sandra Levitin, Kalön Women, women 40-plus, Beauty, networking, global, community, radio show, digital magazine, poetry, subscribers, The National Networker, Douglas Castle, Ann Barczay Sloan
Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.
Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach
The Connectrix
Featured Columnist,
Author of the forthcoming book:
How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart:Recipes for Rebirth
The National Networker Companies
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ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: Kalon Women: A Beauty-full Site in Support of Women 40-Plus
