In Her Shoes

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, April Beyer, expert relationship coach and matchmaker, gives SavvySugar an insider's look into her unique career. Helping men and women find lasting relationships for almost 14 years, she is the founder and president of Beyer & Company, a matchmaking and relationship consulting firm. She's frequently interviewed and has been seen on Dr. Phil, 20/20, and Good Morning America. Beyond her weekly clients, April writes on her blog, conducts seminars, and is working on a book to help women prepare for love and romance. April tells us what it's like to assist other people on their journey to finding love and happiness.

SavvySugar: Can you tell me about your career path and how your business has grown throughout the years?

April Beyer: I started out in the high-end matchmaking industry nearly 14 years ago. I had worked with a matchmaking company and was there for about six or seven years. I was responsible for many marriages there. In 2003, I decided to venture out on my own and start a relationship coaching and consulting business. Now, I still have my matchmaking company. I work with a handful of highly successful marriage-minded men. I am also a coach and a writer.

Now my passion is to help women better understand themselves first so then they can naturally attract the man of their dreams. I am a little bit more of a holistic dating and relationship coach, but I think of myself more as is a communication and authenticity coach. For me, it's not about teaching people dating skills, it is teaching them relationship skills.

Click here to read more about April.

Through the pages of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris, readers enter a fantasy world — one filled with sexy vampires, endearing shape-shifters, and incredibly gorgeous fairies. You might be more familiar with the HBO show True Blood, which was inspired by Charlaine's Southern Vampire series. I know that many of you aspire to be writers, so read on to find out what it's like to walk in her shoes!

SavvySugar: What's your typical day like?

Charlaine Harris: I hardly have a daily routine any more because of the increased demands on my time. However, on an ideal day I’m in my office by eight. I write six pages, finishing by early afternoon, and then I deal with other matters until three thirty or four o’clock, when I read for a while before starting supper.

SS: How did it all start?

CH: I was writing my first book while I was taking a writing course at the University of Missouri St. Louis, the only year I lived in St. Louis. The teacher of the class was Shannon Ravenel, later top editor at Algonquin Press. Then, she had just quit work at Houghton Mifflin. She liked what I wrote for the class well enough to recommend me to an editor there. My career would not have supported me at all until the past 10 years; very fortunately, my husband was delighted to stake me until I began earning. I realize this is a luxury and that I was most fortunate.

SS: How do you know that your idea for a plot is a story that you can really get into?

CH: That’s where experience and talent come in. You have to ask yourself a lot of questions while you’re plotting your book. Is the book you plan going to take you to the point you wanted to reach? How many plot threads are you going to tie off in this book? How many will you leave open? I usually start with a key scene (from any point in the book) and build the narrative forward or backward from there.

To find out what motivates Charlaine Harris, read on!

It's always inspiring to see someone take their passion and turn it into a full-time job. Dana LaRue, the creator of The Broke-Ass Bride, started blogging to her heart's content in 2008 when she was planning and budgeting for her own wedding. Fast forward to 2011, Dana has about eight other people (including her husband) contributing content toward the blog, and has several awards under her belt, which include being named Google Blog of Note in 2009 and winning the Wedding Channel's Best Budget Wedding Blog category in 2010.

SavvySugar: How did this all start?

Dana LaRue: I started the blog in April 2008 when I found myself engaged and addicted to wedding blogs, but I couldn’t really find one that spoke to my situation, a broke-ass bride. I was getting a lot of inspiration from wedding blogs and sort of getting into the blog world. I have a background in writing and needed a creative outlet, so I thought that might be a good way for me to express myself and possibly help or connect with other brides in a similar situation. And then it sort of took off.

SS: What did you do before becoming a full-time wedding blogger?

DL: I’m a trained actor so that means most of my life I was in cubicles working a day job. I was an office manager and an executive assistant and at the time Broke-Ass Bride was born, I was working for a nonprofit as an office manager. Around Christmas or a little before that the blog was getting really demanding in a good way, a way that made it difficult to balance the day job and the blog, so I got a part-time social media consulting position that allowed me to transition out of full-time work. Three months after that job, I was laid off thanks to the economy, and I got pushed from the nest so to speak, and I took that as, "This is my sign. Go for it and make it full-time work." And that’s what we have been doing ever since.

To learn what her wedding budget was, read on.

Fashion and sports, never the twain shall meet . . . or so you think! Jill Martin actually works in both of those industries as a fashion contributor on NBC's Today Show, a New York correspondent for The Insider, and a reporter for the New York Knicks. Read all about her fabulous life!

SavvySugar: How would you describe your job?

Jill Martin: Well, I am like a glorified bag lady because I actually have four jobs so I am constantly schlepping back and forth! But . . . the first word that comes to mind? Amazing. Every day is a different adventure and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Some days I make three or four stops starting at 5 a.m. Here is an example of a circus day.

5 a.m.: Wake up and off to Today for Ambush Makeover.

7 a.m.: First shot in the Today plaza picking our makeover-ees.

10 a.m.: Live with Kathie Lee and Hoda on set

1 p.m. Insider Interview — recent one to one interviews include Donald Trump, Vera Wang, and Paula Abdul.

3 p.m.: Meet with my coauthor Dana Ravich on our book "I have Nothing to Wear!" coming out in August.

5 p.m.: Knicks production meeting

7:30 to 10 p.m.: Knicks game

11 p.m.: Pass out!

To hear all about Jill's most exciting interview, read on.

I can't imagine another job as fulfilling as making women feel good about themselves and their body image. Maddy Figueroa-Jones accomplishes that every time she publishes an issue of Plus Model, a plus size magazine she co-founded with another former model in the industry. Read on to hear how she's changing women's lives, one page at a time!

SavvySugar: How would you describe your job, and how did you fall into it?

Maddy Figueroa-Jones: I am a former plus size model turned editor. I’m the editor of Plus Magazine, a magazine that has been around for about five years. I have a business partner, also a former plus size model out in Seattle. The reason why we came up with this idea was because we did have a magazine called Mode, which fell under after 9/11. And at the time when we started the magazine, there were no plus size editorials that showed plus size models in their truest beauty, which was outside of commercial images — nobody was really interested in who these women were, what they did. They just weren’t just plus size models. They were moms, they were students, activists; there are so many different women out there, so we decided to put a magazine together that really celebrated the models. And it turned into celebrating the fashion and the industry as a whole as the magazine developed.

SS: How did the plus size industry evolve?

MJ: Our first plus size model was Emme Aronson, she together with this other model Natalie, were the two real super plus size models, probably about ten years ago. They were on billboards in Times Square, they had their own TV shows, Emme had her own Barbie doll. This was when the plus size industry had first started, Mode magazine was out. You had designers designing clothes for plus size women for the very first time, outside of the regular brands. So these women kind of came on the scene to give plus size women a voice and an image in fashion that we never had before. And that’s basically where it started.

To hear more about the industry, read on!

Eunice Park is enjoying the life a lot of girls dream to have — living in the Big Apple and working as a professional shopper. Yes, you heard me right. Eunice is an associate buyer at Bloomingdale's, a job that many girls covet, but a hard position to attain in the competitive world of fashion. So what does it take to get there and what's it like? Well, read on to find out what it's like to walk In Her Shoes!

SavvySugar: What makes this a dream job?

Eunice Park: This is a dream job because I essentially shop for a living! Of course, there is more to the job than fashion and clothes. Contrary to what most people believe about the retail industry, most of my job revolves around numbers (lots of Excel spreadsheets)! But that is why I love what I do. I get to mix both my analytical and creative sides. Some perks include being able to see designers' collections before they hit the market and, of course, New York Fashion Week!

SS: Do you have to have a degree in fashion to become a buyer? How does one typically get there?

EP: No, you do not need a fashion degree to become a buyer. As a matter of fact, most buyers have a degree in finance or have a business background (including MBAs). I graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Economics and was recruited on campus into the Macy's Buying Training Program. I worked in their Minneapolis buying office for about six months and then transferred to Bloomingdale's about two years ago. I've worked in many different categories of business — from men's sportswear, to handbags, to contemporary dresses and now swimwear! Generally, if you want to be a buyer you need to start as an Assistant Buyer and work your way up. We recruit from schools across the country for our Buying Training Program as well as internships.

SS: How do you budget for clothing?

EP: Living in New York is not cheap, so I do need to keep a budget for clothes! Some of my favorite affordable stores include Zara, Topshop, Urban Outfitters and J. Crew. My advice for someone who wants to look chic but not break the bank — invest your money in classic pieces that you will wear forever and don't spend too much on trends! I like to think about my clothes in "dollars per wear." For example, if I buy a $100 sweater and wear it 100 times in a season, that is only $1 per wear, and therefore a great purchase! I am also a big believer in "high-low" styling — creating an outfit by mixing high-end with low-end brands. You do not need to be in head to toe Chanel to look great! And also, accessories go a long way — you can totally transform a basic look with a printed scarf, statement necklace, or killer handbag.

To find out what her typical day is like, read on!

The holidays are here and there's no better job that captures the Christmas spirit than dressing windows for the season! This week's In Her Shoes crown goes to Meghan Lorenz, a Chicagoan who styles windows for a living.

SavvySugar: What's your style like?

Meghan Lorenz: It's very reminiscent of the things that inspired me as a child. I love iridescence. I love glitter. I like using cardboard and building things. Honestly, my style reminds me of Barbie’s clothes and Care Bears. I’m trying to have it evolve a bit, but it is kind of young. You know I like making pastries and foam installations which is why I like bakery jobs because they are very playful. So my style is very playful and it’s feminine also. I love pinks, I love sea foam green.

SS: How did you get into this?

ML: Originally I was planning on doing costume and set design so I moved out to LA when I was 18. I planned on doing that, and I started working at Fred Segal so I started working more with fashion and I realized that window display would be a great way to incorporate art and fashion. That’s sort of how I got into it and as a kid my favorite movie growing up is Mannequin, and I’ve always enjoyed window display so it kind of made sense.

To find out more about her job and see pictures of her lovely holiday windows, read on!