Creating Neon Beige has not been an easy road for CJ. After dropping out of UCLA’s business school, her education took an unconventional route with the creation of her athleisure line. Franco states, “Starting a clothing line is the most challenging thing I have ever done, and it’s hard when people initially don’t take you seriously, as if I’ve had something handed to me. It’s my job to prove people wrong and show them I can be just as serious and committed as a man or someone with a conventional education.”

As a fashion designer, the most important thing that CJ has learned is to not be afraid to ask for help. She knew that she had a lot to learn in the real world of business, and instead of being overly cautious, she was completely honest. She asked for help when she needed it, and learned how to do things the right way, without cutting corners. CJ believes that the key to success is to always be humble, ask for help, never compromise or settle, and do things the proper way the first time.

Creating a transitional line was important to CJ; she believes that today’s women are multi-talented, fast paced, and dynamic and need a wardrobe to keep up with them! Simplifying workout clothes to fit into every woman’s existing modern wardrobe is an easy solution to make the transition from a spin class at the gym to a coffee date with a friend.

Neon Beige is unconventional, ironic, and unapologetic. Neon Beige is not a color, which is exactly CJ’s point; it emphasizes the mentality that there is not one right way to do things. According to Franco, “color outside the lines, make yourself happy, and live your life the way you want to.” As a female in the design world, CJ knows how important it is for women to feel good in what they’re wearing. This marked the beginning of Neon Beige. The idea of the collection is to make women feel beautiful no matter what their personal body types are.

The idea of a true athleisure line created by and for women is a new concept, and was the primary inspiration behind Neon Beige.

Gilda Garza has made a name for herself in the U.S. as one of very few Mexican female artists. She has left her footprint in several cities such as Miami and Los Angeles, where her art has hung on display at her “True Love” exhibition and at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Even though she’s had quite the success in America, Garza stays true to herself and honors her heritage by primarily using the colors of the Mexican flag in her paintings.

Garza discovered her artistic talent at a young age due to the fact that both her mother and grandmother had painted. These women, along with other strong and elegant females, are who inspires Garza’s artwork every day. She has painted iconic figures in history such as Frieda Kahlo and Mona Lisa, and female influencers such as Ximena Navarrete, the second Mexican woman to ever be crowned Miss. Universe. Garza admires how their intelligence, beauty, and open hearts allow them to have the world at their fingertips. With every stroke of the paint brush, Garza hopes to emit their radiance onto a blank canvas, as well as use raw emotion from past experiences and turn it into something beautiful and meaningful.

On Friday, May 5th, Gilda Garza’s art was celebrated at the opening of her exhibition, “Te Amo México” at the David Kairy Gallery in Las Vegas. The purpose of Garza’s exhibit was to show love and pride for her home country, considering it was Cinco de Mayo. Opening day was a huge success, filled with VIP guests such as Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and several Playboy models. The event was presented by Playboy Mexico, Effen Vodka, Perfecto Mundo Tequila and The Hakkasan Group.

The party didn’t end at the exhibition; it went all night long, starting at a red carpet after party at Vista Lounge and ending at another after party at Omnia Nightclub at Caesar’s Palace. A mariachi band led Garza and her friends into the famous nightclub where they found her beautiful imagery hanging from the ceiling. The event wrapped up with EDM superstar Calvin Harris performing alongside the mariachi band.

Garza clearly has a gift of being able to turn her inspiration and passion into art that the world loves and relates to. She is a woman of strength and independence who proves that nothing should stop you from pursuing your dreams.

However the solution is in sight!! I recently found out that an amazing company called Portal Instruments has produced a way to avoid the pain, anxiety and trouble of handling needles by developing a needle-free jet injection. Current modes of injection require patients to have the needle in for 10–20 seconds for a complete dose. This needle-free delivery system administers a narrow stream of medication through the skin in less than half a second. It delivers the injection with the exact dose of medication needed.

With this device, there won’t be any burden placed on patients. Those who self-manage their chronic illness from home with biologic-based therapies find that having needles in the home are not the ideal. They worry about the inconvenience of disposing needles and the safety issues such as having young children in the house who may get a hold of the needle and syringes. This needle-free injection eliminates that fear.

Founded in 2012 by Ian Hunter, Patrick Anquetil, Andrew Taberner and Cathy Hogan, Portal Instruments won South By Southwest’s “Interactive Innovation Award” in the Health, Med and Biotech category for 2017. They were also awarded the “On The Rise Company” award at the 2016 Drug Delivery Partnerships annual meeting by a panel of industry leaders and executives.

Portal Instruments has taken the pressure and stress off of those who have to self inject and manage their illness. They aim to replace all needles and syringes with this alternative safe, fast and easy device.

I for one am SO EXCITED! I cant wait to stop being scared of going to the doctor and I am even more relieved for my friends who have Diabetes or are taking IVF. Finally someone is presenting us with a pain free option!! Bring it on!

I was up late Saturday night watching “A Secret Life of Pets”. Now, before we go any further, full disclosure is that I am a woman in my 30’s, watching a movie on a Saturday night was exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend (who has the energy for partying anyway), and that movie left me uncontrollably crying alone, holding a half eaten bag of popcorn and an empty bottle of pinot noir. At first, it was hard to pinpoint exactly why I was crying when the movie ended. I quickly disregarded the notion that it was the fact that on a Saturday night, I was watching a children’s cartoon alone in matching pajamas, and came to the conclusion about the immediate connection I have had to my pets and the unbearable thought of losing them forever. Pets over the last century have assimilated into our homes and grown to become much than a pet…a member of the family.

I grew up with cats and dogs. I constantly found myself reliving my childhood anytime I would see a commercial for dog food. I didn’t know life without my pets, which is why it no surprise that currently, an estimated 160 million animals (cats and dogs) are owned in the United States. Three dogs belonged to me. To tell you we did everything together would be an understatement. It was a childhood of dreams. I grew up on a farm with land that connected to a forest. Every day was an adventure for the three of us, until one day, the adventure became my absolute nightmare. It’s a day that is hard to forget…A day that stays with you even as an adult…A day you relieve when you’re watching a children’s movie in matching pajamas. I won’t go into too much detail, because that’s not the point, but losing Lucy, Jerry and Fluke was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I remember that morning, watching them run out of the house, through the pasture, into the forest. They had run through the forest a million times before. It was our routine. But like any melodramatic movie, this time, they didn’t come back. It would take me many years to even contemplate the thought of having pets again, and thanks to technological breakthroughs in animal safety, I genuinely believe that time has come.

Technological apps like Petzi, Guardian Pet Tracker, and Wag couldn’t have come at a better time. According to the National Humane Society, 10 million pets are lost each year in the United States alone. Guardian Pet Tracker was specifically designed to combat that statistic and provide exact whereabouts of your furry loved ones right on your smartphone. The thought that at your fingertips is a tool that give you immediate peace by knowing the location of your pet is something that would have saved me from many crying nights, oh so many years ago. It was the creation of this app, along with other apps that have made it safe-proof to go out and get a new member of the family. Wags has built a database of approved walkers and sitters, and Petzi delivers treats to your pets at the door. These companies have used social media and technology to make the pet community smaller and completely inclusive. It feels like one big family of all shapes and stripes with one thing in common…love for our pets!

So I did say that when the movie ended I had half a bag of popcorn and an empty bottle of pinot noir and that I was alone. That wasn’t completely accurate. Daisy is not a big fan of popcorn and since I don’t let her drink wine, since she’s a french bulldog, she was in bed snoring all kinds of emotions. I now know where she is when we are not together and the peace that it brings to my life completely priceless. So if you have fears about adding a new member to the family, don’t; because with technology you’re not alone, and more importantly…neither is your pet.

Keeping Our Furry Ones Safe: was originally published in Thrive Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.