When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Magic: The Story Behind Laid Off Lemonade

What does it really mean to rebuild when the ground beneath you feels unsteady? How do you rediscover your fire when life’s challenges try to extinguish it? Laid Off Lemonade was born out of these very questions—and a deep belief that even the sourest of moments can be transformed into something meaningful, refreshing, and undeniably powerful.

The Story Behind Laid Off Lemonade

This book didn’t begin as a neatly wrapped idea. It began as a pattern—a recurring theme in my own life that I could no longer ignore. Over the years, I faced moments that felt like breaking points: my work, my energy, and my worth weren’t being honored. But here’s the twist—I wasn’t just “laid off.” Many times, I chose to lay myself off.

Walking away from spaces that couldn’t hold my value wasn’t easy. It required faith, resilience, and a bold belief that something better was waiting on the other side. It’s a lesson I’ve lived and one I’ve witnessed, time and time again.

I’ve always been someone who stands in the gap for others—a “back-spot,” as I call it. Whether it was helping a friend regain their confidence or watching my father navigate career highs and devastating lows, I saw firsthand that setbacks aren’t the end of the story. They’re the turning point.

That’s why I created Laid Off Lemonade. It’s more than a book; it’s a steady hand, a guiding light, and a reminder that there’s always a way forward—even if you can’t see it yet.

What’s Inside Laid Off Lemonade?

This isn’t just a book; it’s a toolkit for transformation. It’s designed to meet you right where you are and help you move forward with clarity and purpose. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• Creative Exercises: Thought-provoking prompts to help you reflect, reframe, and take the next step.

• Inspiring Quotes: A collection of wisdom for the moments when you need clarity and courage most.

• A Chapter-by-Chapter Playlist: Music designed to move with you, reflecting the emotions and lessons of each chapter.

• Symbolic Lemonade Recipes: Fun, uplifting recipes paired with each chapter to remind you of the sweetness you can create from life’s lemons.

Whether you’re picking it up for yourself or gifting it to someone you love, Laid Off Lemonade offers hope, action, and a little joy along the way.

Who’s This Book For?

Career setbacks rarely happen in isolation. They ripple into every area of life—your confidence, relationships, and daily routines. This book is written for anyone touched by those ripples:

• You: If you’re navigating uncertainty and need to reclaim your path with intention.

• The Support Network: For spouses, parents, friends, or mentors who want to uplift and encourage the people they care about.

Laid Off Lemonade bridges the gap between uncertainty and opportunity, offering a shared reminder that even small steps forward are worth celebrating.

Why Now?

We live in a world of pivots. Layoffs, new priorities, and bold leaps into the unknown are becoming part of our collective story. But here’s what I know to be true: uncertainty doesn’t mean you’re alone, and every challenge carries the potential for reinvention.

Laid Off Lemonade is an invitation to see those challenges differently—as opportunities to rebuild, reimagine, and reignite. And through Zest, my newsletter, you’ll find ongoing tools, insights, and encouragement to keep turning those lemons into magic.

Ready to Rebuild?

Your journey starts here. Grab your copy of Laid Off Lemonade and take the first step toward creating something extraordinary from life’s challenges. Whether for yourself or someone you care about, this book is a gift of hope, action, and possibility.

And don’t forget to sign up for the Zest Newsletter. Because your journey doesn’t end with the last page—it’s just beginning.

Final Note

Your light, your worth, and your magic? They’re all still there, waiting for you to claim them. Let’s rebuild together.

Origin Story: The ABC Tee

Note: As the owner of Y/NG GR8TNESS®, I may earn a commission from purchases made through the links seeded throughout this post.

Who doesn’t love a good origin story?

Whether it be a superhero, a villain, a startup company or the underdog. A good origin story sets the tone for the many directions any story can go.

In this instance, I want to discuss how I derived the idea for the “ABC Tee”. Which was originally marketed as “The Alpha Tee”. More on that later.

For those that may not know, I am a mother and a formally trained communication specialist. That being said, my initial training began in the realm of graphic design. Therefore, when I am gifted with an idea, I do my best to articulate it digitally. 

Circling back to the design at hand, the ABC Tee. I truly LOVE the design of this tee and honestly this shirt was created to entertain and engage my then two year old son. My son, Stafford, was captivated by the alphabet — but then again, what toddler isn’t? I also give a great deal of credit to my late father (Dr. Thomas E. H. Conway, Jr) for Stafford’s obsession with letters, words and books. My father used to sing the ABCs to Stafford every moment he could. So he truly gets his intellect honestly.

Stafford age 2 wearing the prototype of “The Alpha Tee”, this was my first stab at the now evolved “ABC Tee”

Anywho, during the summer of 2021, my mother, brother, Stafford and myself hopped on the train and traveled to South Florida to visit my grandmother. My grandmother was adamant about Stafford getting the experience of riding on a train in a sleeper car. It is a childhood experience that even my brother and I cherish until this day. So, on the train we traveled. 

While we were on the train, my son was gifted several matchbox cars that had been collected from other children that had left them on the train. While he was excited about these cars (at age two), I could only think about having to keep up with them. Mainly because of the devastation that occurs when a toy gets lost. If you are a parent, auntie, uncle, guardian, brother or sister of a little…you understand where I am coming from. 

You think you are well prepared. You believe you thought of everything.

Now… let me paint a separate but equally devastating situation. Imagine you have a little person to care for… you grab them, their to-go bag, their sippy cup and maybe even a jacket. You think you are well prepared. You believe you thought of everything. Just to realize… you are in public or in transit without a toy for distraction. WHEW! Now you have to get creative! Especially, if you have yet to introduce “screen time” as a thing.

The three Spring 2023 color choices along with the adult companion tee.

No worries. This is where your new best friend enters the chat! the ABC Tee. Y’all! It dawned on me that I could combine something my tot loves (letters) and something my tot wears regularly (a t-shirt) and combine the two BUT make it specifically for the little person wearing it. I personally feel as though that is where the true brilliance of this tee shines. A garment designed for the person wearing it and not simply for the people around them to see. To me, that is game changing thinking.

So, I sat down at my computer and got busy. How can I make this work? More specifically, how can I make this work and it not confuse my little crumbsnatcher. The last thing I wanted to do was create a concept that would hinder my son’s learning. So…I tested the design on my two year old… AND HE LOVED IT! He has even been instrumental in choosing the base colors of the tees. Then it dawned on me… if this works for my baby then maybe other littles could benefit from this concept too. 

Which is how the ABC Tee came to be. It started as a wearable on-the-go learning tool I designed specifically for my son that we are now offering to the world to give a try.

I’ll spare you the various ways we use this tee.  Especially when I have rushed out the house without grabbing a toy that he enjoys. the ABC Tee has served us well and it’s an amazing gift for any 2- 5 year old in your life.

In short, this tee’s origin story spawned out of a necessity to be prepared even when I wasn’t prepared. Surprisingly enough though, it has become a staple in my child’s wardrobe. A garment he requests by name.

Stafford, III & his father Stafford, Jr. showing off both versions of The Alpha Tee

Give it a try and tell me what you think. Matter of fact, you can #thankmelater. Order the ABC Tee for your favorite little person today!

Cheers,
Zena C., The GR8TNESS Router

The Preface.

The Preface.

Let’s set the tone and expectations up front.

In November 2021, I was moved to pen an eBook titled How To Remain Positive. This text outlines five (5) techniques I personally utilize on a regular basis to strike and maintain balance within my life.

We often get swept up into the drama, distractions and sparkles of what everyone else has going on…we tend to neglect that which is truly important — our own well-being.

One thing is for sure, you can’t be “GREAT” chasing someone else’s dream or vision of you.

One thing is for sure, you can’t be “GREAT” chasing someone else’s dream or vision of you. That being said…I wrote my eBook to assist with reclaiming that which is yours…your power. More specifically, your power over YOURSELF — your decisions, choices and indecisions.

When I sold my eBook as a pre-sale, as a token of appreciation, I sent every patron both a digital copy and an audio copy of the eBook’s Preface. I am a firm believer in setting the expectation up front, especially when energy and money is involved.

Please enjoy this gift of an updated articulation of The Preface in “blog” form…

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Great Day GREATs!

I hope you are having an AMAZING Day! If not, I hope your day gets better from here.

I am Zena E. M. Conway the author of the ebook How To Remain Positive.

How To Remain Positive is a mashup between a self-help book, personal lessons learned and an array of simple exercises you can start implementing today. I know that the title makes it seem as though we should be “happy” and “positive” ALL THE TIME but that is not quite the case. Therefore, I am offering up The Preface from my ebook, in an audio format, so that you can get a little snippet of what is in store on the pages of this super quick read. This text was designed with you in mind and I truly hope you choose to invest in yourself by investing in my ebook.

Now let’s hop into The Preface of my eBook How To Remain Positive:

If you are here...thank you and congratulations. Thank you for using your precious resources to support my content...but more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS on taking a step towards what I like to call, owning your GR8TNESS.

I like to give gratitude where gratitude is due.
So, thank you and CONGRATS!

Now, let’s set the tone for this installment of A Playbook Series: How To Remain Positive —

Is it just me or does positivity tend to get a bad reputation?

Think about it.

If someone is too “positive” many may believe said person is being disingenuous or fake.

If someone else chooses the #positivevibezonly lifestyle, said person then could run the risk of encountering the hypocrisy monster — once a hurdle arises.

There are two things I would like to point out that this ebook will pinpoint and help you recognize during your future endeavors.

✨ First, the transformation you seek has nothing to do with anyone else but yourself. Reread that sentence. This ebook is about harnessing the power of positivity and retaining it to make its presence sustainable and beneficial to you. Therefore, we WILL be focusing on what you can do to help yourself — NOT what someone else should/could/would do for you.

✨ Second, balance is the key. Too much positive still doesn’t negate the fact that the negative still exists. That is a concept that many of us do not take the time to acknowledge or contemplate. We often assume that once we commit to the power of positivity, we will never encounter a negative will.

This is not true.

In a debate, the assumption above would be considered a fallacy. Therefore, I encourage you to take your time with this text. Contemplate what you read. How does it apply to you? What doesn’t apply to you? Take this content in like you would use salt. Be honest with yourself and be NICE to yourself.

You made it this far. Why not keep pushing? If GREATNESS was easy, then everyone would be tapping in. Enjoy your wave...once you catch it, of course.

Peace,
Zena C. | The GR8TNESS Router

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The transformation you seek…

…has nothing to do with anyone else but yourself.

Thank you for tuning in to this audio presentation of The Preface section of my eBook How To Remain Positive. I truly hope that this articulation helped set the tone for the content within my eBook. If you would like to purchase the full text, the purchasing options are down below.

Thank you so much for your time and attention. I appreciate you. I am Zena C., The GR8TNESS Router and Your GREATNESS is my business.

Peace and Love!

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