Running Diva Mom: Fellow Flowers Review and Giveaway

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Fellow Flowers Review and Giveaway

Have you caught the flower power action with Fellow Flowers yet? You may have seen these bright, bold, colorful flowers popping up at various races you've participated in. Female runners have united with these colorful buds attached to their ponytail, Bondi Band or running hat. I first learned of Fellow Flowers last year. I came across them online and then ran into them at various expos around Madison - and then at the Chicago Marathon. Little did I know that one of the co-owners, Mel, lived a matter of miles from me. An entrepreneurial runner, just like myself, I kept in touch with her on and off over the past year. She had been made the leap and was making her mark in the Madison-running community - in a big way. I especially loved seeing the enthusiasm of the young girls at local Girls on the Run events, enjoy the beautiful flowers that Fellow Flowers donated to each GOTR participant. AMAZING.

The Fellow Flowers story (as taken from their website):

In January of 2011, Tori sent her friends an invitation: Run with me.

Her birthday wish was to run through the streets of Green Bay in the CellCom Half Marathon with her tribe of girlfriends. Thirteen of us responded. Why not? Okay fine. I need a reason to get in shape. I’m in. Can’t say no to a party. She’d do it for me. Bring it on.
Thirteen friends. Thirteen miles. Meant to be.

Despite similar circles, we needed some welcome love. Tori introduced us in an email: Wife meet mother. Teacher meet doctor. Nurse meet businesswoman. Working mom meet working mom. It could have ended with that. Great, we’ll see you all on race day. Good luck to you.

But it didn’t. One after another, we began sharing stories. Then reflections. All over email – a clumsy yet effective way to rant, dream, reflect and cheer. It was honest. It was heroic.

Usually, we consider time to be the key ingredient in building trust. Yet in 16 weeks, we covered topics like infertility, the loss of a child, abuse and abandonment, the pursuit of happiness, the realization of dreams, admitting fears – big fears – and releasing dreams – epic dreams. And we trained. Amidst juggling kids, families, coaching, jobs, dreams, sleep, making dinner and drinking wine, we trained.

On race day, May 15th, we had shared hundreds of emails. Poured out thousands of words. And rallied around one common understanding. We were not running a race. We were celebrating a journey.
And the flowers. Oh, our beautiful orange flowers. One might think it was an intentional effort. An orchestrated plan to unite. Hey, we need to make sure everyone knows we’re together – flowers, yeah. Flowers!

Nope, we can’t take the credit. A friend of Tori’s knew about our training and in the 11th hour (as in, the week before the race) she handed Tori 14 orange Gerber daisy flowers, lovingly hot-glued with barrettes and clips. You need to be able to find each other. People need to know you’re together. She was genius. Yes! Of course we do.

So in a moment’s notice, Fourteen women – powered by friendship – ran with flowers in their hair. Big ol’ orange flowers. We could spot them 100 yards away. And so could hundreds of others. The journey of a flower began.

Flash forward to October. Tori runs her first full marathon in Chicago. Running to the beat of a play list inspired by her 13.1 crew. Surrounded by friendship, flowers and signs, and inspired by the pride-filled shouts of her oldest son. Go, Mommy! To him, she is a superhero. Amidst 45,000 runners, a determined bright orange flower crossed the finish line and crushed preconceived notions. She rocked it. Emotions stirred. Feeling the love. Selfless-joy kinda love. This is so much bigger than me.

One week later, Mel ran a half marathon to celebrate her October birthday. Women watched in the bathroom as she snugged a big orange daisy into her running cap. Looking fierce, girl.

Life had been nudging Mel. Passion had started to call. She was starting to listen. A few meditative moments before the race, channeling the intention of her flower, she told herself, Make a plan. Dream the vision. Uncork the crazy. Lay it down. For the next two hours, she mentally mapped out a business plan in her head. She crossed the finish line with two new lovely and beautiful items – a rose from her oh-so-sweet husband and a razor-sharp clarity of purpose.

Later that night Mel texted Tori. I have an idea. Imagine if we could create a way for other women to take this journey?

Friendship + Running = Transformation. Are you in?

She was. Head over heels in. And here we are. Sharing the journey of the flower with you, with everyone.
A dream becomes a goal when you say it out loud. It becomes a plan when you write it down. It becomes your Anthem when you embody it and accept its presence as your destiny.

Bloom, baby. Bloom.

I am so happy to have Mel from Fellow Flowers as one of my mentors. Each flower has a story, a meaning, a great sense of motivation associated with it. After I decided to take my own leap of faith earlier this month, and pursue Running Diva Mom full time, Mel and I were communicating via email about having me host a review and giveaway for YOU lucky readers. I was extremely excited to receive a personal note from her and the beautiful COURAGE tee and green flower - to honor MY JOURNEY WITH RDM! I was born to do this.

Which flower are you?? Check out all of the flower colors and the meaning behind each of them. There will definitely be one to describe you and your journey.

Fellow Flowers offers a selection of tees and tanks to show off your accomplishments. They are great for working out, or running errands and driving the kids around town. Such great fabrics, women's fit cuts, beautiful, bright colors and fun motivational sayings that you will identify with.

The new Awesome Mommy tee is a great top for any multi-tasking mama who is trying to do what's best for her family - and what's best for herself. It retails for $32 on the Fellow Flowers website.

Moms who run aren't selfish...they are awesome. Period. This great fitting tee celebrates moms who hit the pavement and rock their 'mommy' status. Offers a flattering semi-loose fit, giving you plenty of room to run, stretch and lounge. Great by itself or layering. 100% polyester. Runs a little roomy - if you are between sizes, order down! Available in XS - 2X.

The Fellow Flowers magnets range fro $2-$4 online and are a great stocking stuffer or secret santa item for that runner in your life. Each one is unique and a great addition to the family fridge to hold up the kiddos' artwork or a fun decoration for your office cubicle.

I can't wait to see what my new adventures bring for me in 2014. How about you? If you haven't already purchased your 2014 calendar, you should seriously consider purchasing the 2014 Fellow Flowers calendar filled with all sorts of motivation and quotes each month. What a great way to inspire yourself each and every day of 2014.