By Mary Duggan
When I purchased my enchanted little cottage seven years ago, I could never have imagined the direction my life would take. Or that this simple 110 year old, 1200 square foot cottage would become home to my 2 sisters as well and headquarters for our shared business. When people ask me why in the world we called our deodorant product lifestinks I give a quick and true answer. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
Yep, yesterday I got yet another expensive hug. $110 to be precise. And costly, as well, in terms of time. I will need a half day out of the office to sync up with the doctor’s schedule. Because I can’t afford the cash or the time just now it also means I will be living in considerable pain for quite a while and that translates into here comes crabby. My poor family.
Ironically, a neighbor gave my sisters and I the moniker Huggin Duggans a number of years ago. So it seems we are doomed. Read the rest of this entry »
By: Mary Duggan
It’s time to prep for our upcoming Fall speaking engagements. It’s almost October and that means church halls, school gymnasiums, Adult Ed classes, and every other imaginable venue for those of us in the breast health brigade. Summer fun is behind us and everyone is back to business. This week we resume our “ENOUGH WITH THE PINK, LET’S THINK” campaign at our local Curves and so I am preparing and updating. Fortunately there is so much exciting to discuss that the last thing on my mind is breast cancer. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
One. I love Maritime culture. Two. I am proud to make environmentally sound personal care products. Three. I live for being in the water: anything from my bathtub to the ocean. Four: I love seeing women doing really important and interesting work. So you can imagine my delight when I read that one of the Tall Ships converging on Chicago just a few weeks ago was here doing really important environmental research on microplastics in our waterways and lots of the scientists involved are women. And you guessed it, while the topic is complex and layered, one of the catastrophic delivery systems for microplastics to our waterways is through toxic personal care products. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
Hobbling away from the Indiana Dunes on Sunday I worried that I was losing my beach mojo. It felt just a little too hard: too much prep, too much dragging, too much driving – and that scared me. Summer beaching is an important part of my personal identity and my family heritage. It’s also on my list of okay, I’m ready to die now markers. I can no longer get to the beach. Along with, I can no longer take long hot baths or read long complicated books. That sort of bucket list. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
I can’t believe that the Chicago Tribune’s Mary Schmich just did a piece on benches. Mary, you won the Pulitzer Prize and we all love you. But couldn’t you have left the bench musings to me? Oh well, I guess there are enough observations on benches to satisfy more than one Mary Who Writes. Because lately I have been thinking a lot about benches.
It may be a midlife bad back kind of thing; but I seek benches everywhere I go. I am always on the look-out for a nearby bench when we are shopping or vacationing or just wandering. I can’t always keep up with the folks with healthy spines and engaged cores; but with benches at civilized intervals I can still be a part of the fun. And I think benches have a lot to tell me about a place. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
Life has been a little rough lately. Lots of loss, some searing betrayals, some crappy disappointments. My heart was sore in my chest as we headed out to the BOOMbox Network’s B(l)oomers party during BlogHer 2013. But the never accept excuses from me Anne Marie Kovacs insisted that I come, at least for her promised hugs. So we went.
Waiting in line for the party on Saturday night we realized we were standing in front of the mirrored window to the acclaimed Chicago restaurant Grace. This is not just a world class restaurant to me – meaning I could never afford to go there. This is one of the most amazing stories of not just surviving against the odds, but of thriving as well. If you don’t know the story behind this restaurant, enhance your experience as a human being and read this heartfelt piece of journalism by my all-time favorite Kevin Pang. One of the most inspiring stories about not giving up – no matter how rough the road – that I have ever read. A work of journalistic art so exquisite that it has inspired the making of a movie about this spirited young chef whose life is a work of art and an expression of grace.
We took a selfie. Today I looked at it and then I got it.
Never. Give. Up.
Grace.
Amazing.
About the author:
Mary Duggan is Co-Founder and President of the Duggan Sisters.
The Duggan Sisters cracked the code and created a natural deodorant that actually works: lifestinks. We hope you will spend a few minutes exploring duggansisters.com to experience their spirited approach to wellness through their natural products and healing stories.
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By Mary Duggan
Shark Tank warns you repeatedly that at any point, even following filming, you can be eliminated. And you think you have registered the concept. But what you have really registered is OMG we are going to be on Shark Tank. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
Trade shows are a part of what we do; so travel has become a part of what we do. As have flea bag motels. Last weekend was Natural Products EXPO in Columbus, Ohio and we popped for the Hilton. Lots of reasons: registered late for the show; no time to research hotels. But mostly – 3 gals tired and wanting a bit of a pamper. Wake up – show downstairs. End of workday – bed upstairs. No traveling 30 minutes to the discount hotel and then spending an hour trying to figure out how to get a gluten free meal ANYWHERE. Cherry on the sundae? Read the rest of this entry »
By Mary Duggan
It’s finally over! But, talk about emotional whiplash.
Our experience with the Tank did not end following our casting call in Chicago last spring. We got the call back. We just couldn’t tell you. Secrecy is a big part of the Shark Tank experience. What happens in the tank, stays in the tank. We understood. You all thought we’d gotten eliminated. We hadn’t. We actually got the call back even sooner than expected.
Moving to Part Two was exhilarating and followed by INSANE amounts of really hard and time-consuming work. But we completed the assigned tasks and put it all in a box and mailed it to our charming Casting Producer. It weighed over 13 pounds. And again, we got the next call back sooner than we’d expected.
Before we knew it Read the rest of this entry »
