Lonna Coleman is an #alembikawomen and member of our private Facebook group. She recently embarked on an exciting adventure … a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Lisbon.

Definitely calls for Alembika on long travel days :>)

Lonna, #alembikawomen shopper

What do you do or did for a living?

I was in the financial service industry, specifically banking. But I was never a “banker.” I was always behind the scenes in finance or marketing. In some positions, I was able to leverage both my left-brain and right-brain skills. Those were the fun jobs! My favorite role was one of my last before retiring—opening new Wealth Management Centers across the country. I worked to make sure the client experience would be similar in all the locations by using similar architectural elements, furniture arrangements, etc. Even the coffee mugs and water glasses were “standardized” for this purpose. I used wall art made of glass to add consistent visuals across the footprint; very fun to select gorgeous custom glass installations I could never afford personally! Our parent bank was headquartered in Paris so the very best part of my career- as a Francophile- was creating cherished friendships with my French colleagues.

Lonna’s art can be viewed by following @ellecolemanfineart on Instagram

What woman from history (alive or dead) would you love to have dinner with and why?

I am going with the moment on this. I would love to know Kamala Harris. To get to be Vice President and a candidate for President is huge. Period. I had limitations in the business world that I wasn’t able to overcome- children’s schedules or day care, having visible emotional highs and lows, letting men speak over me. I am captivated by women who break glass ceilings and I sense that she is about to become the first woman President of the United States. It is such an enormous feat to even be in the running. I’d like to see in person how her powerful self-assurance and her obviously feminine traits have come together to propel her throughout her career.

What piece of wisdom would you like to pass along to younger women?

“You can have it all, but probably not at once.” In my thirties, I remember thinking that I would never be mentioned in my college’s alumni magazine updates because I was living in the suburbs, working at a “boring” bank job, and starting to raise a family. The blurbs about living in Japan while dancing in a US ballet company while writing a novel and buying a cattle ranch in New Zealand…those are the stories they published. Yet, I have, in many ways, had it all. I have had different phases that allowed me to grow in different ways, different phases that nurtured different aspects of who I am. But to try it or have it all at once? For most, that is an unrealistic expectation that could only lead to disappointment and feelings of frustration or inadequacy.

What would you do if you had the whole day for yourself?

In this chapter of my life, I have lots of days to myself. I have retired but my (slightly younger) husband has not, so we are currently living hundreds of miles apart. Consequently, I have to change it up a bit. I love days where I can paint without interruption. I love days when I can just relax in the pool and catch up with girlfriends by phone. I love lunches out with women friends, too. I guess I find that variety- if not the spice of life- is what I need to be content. 

What do you love most about being a woman?

Well, I wouldn’t trade being a woman for anything! Being privileged to become a mother is number one for me. I realize not every woman wants to experience motherhood but for me it was always something I wanted. I have two daughters who are both making the world a better place by what they contribute to it. When they were little, I thought I wanted them to grow up to be like me. Now I want to be like them! Being a mom is very different from being a dad and I am SO THANKFUL to be a mom and now a grandmother. Neither of my parents lived to be grandparents and here I am loving everything about it, thinking of them and what they weren’t blessed to experience. Then comes everything else, like the ability to feel deeply, having fun with clothes as a hobby, decorating a home in my own personal style, etc. The list is actually quite long!

What is the one piece of clothing you cannot live without?

An accessory—gold or silver hoop earrings! With my very short hair, I NEED earrings to look and feel feminine. My standard hoops go everywhere with me. If I should lose one during the day, find me at the nearest jewelry store for a replacement pair. The hinges or posts do wear out, so I don’t wear expensive earrings for every day. I think they have even surpassed lipstick as my “cannot live without” when I leave home for any reason!

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