Hello everyone! Welcome to a “sweet” Twitterview with the owner of @MojoDonuts, Lisa Clark. Lets get to tweeting!

So Lisa, lets get to know a little bit about you. Where did you grow up and go to school? @MojoDonuts

Lisa:    I grew up in both New Orleans and Minneapolis. I lived in N’awlins for 11 years….

That’s why Beignets are in my blood! I went to high school in New Orleans. Some college but I kept changing majors.

I see. So when you were a child and in your teen years, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

Lisa:    When I was really young I wanted to be a lawyer. I believe donuts were a much better decision.

A battle of loopholes vs donut holes? :) So when did your interest in baking start for you?

Lisa:    I can remember as young as kindergarten having an interest….

The first thing I learned was how to fry an egg when I was 6 years old. From there it was onward and upwards.

Lets then move forward to today. When and how did the idea of a donut shop come to you Lisa?

Lisa:    Well, it is a culmination of things. First, my oldest daughter doesn’t like cake…

Every year on her birthday we would have donuts to celebrate instead of cake…

I never found great donuts in the Twin Cities and always thought great donuts need to be more accessible…

On my trips to Seattle I really felt inspired by their great donut culture….

That inspiration combined with my experience at Breadsmith made me think I could make this happen here in the cities.

Interesting. So how did you come to be at the location that you’re at in St.Paul? First choice?

Lisa:    I’ve always loved St. Paul. I actually had been looking for about a year and was very excited when this spot opened up…

I have a wonderful ad agency that actually did the research on the space for me…

I had a list of things that were important to me and they gave the thumbs up that this space met the criteria.

Wonderful!  What the story behind the name of your donut shop?  How did you come up with it?

Lisa:    My two youngest children actually named the shop..

It comes from their love of monkeys and a villain named Mojo JoJo from the cartoon series the Powerpuff Girls.

Great story! :) You offer a number of unique flavors of donuts. What made you go beyond the norm of choc/glazed?

Lisa:    That’s how we like to eat at home and I hoped that customers would like it too. So far, so good! :)

What are your 3 most popular donuts, and what kind of flour do you use in baking?

Lisa:    Raised ring with chocolate ganache, mango glaze and coconut ring and any of the fritters (apple or banana pecan)…

Bakers Patent, Pastry and Whole Wheat Flour…

And we have plans to start using locally sourced flour and dairy in the near future.

Awesome! Do you do curlers, eclairs, jelly filled or cream filled donuts? Do you think you’ll ever do breads?

Lisa:    Yes and yes! We do all the above except éclairs. We do have a cream filled Bismarck similar to an éclair though…

Customers can special requests. We have filled quite a few already…

We don’t ever want to say never, but breads aren’t on our current horizon

Lots of people like coffee with their donut. What brands and flavors do you offer?

Lisa:    We offer an entire organic fair trade coffee bar with all sorts of upgrades and sweet additions…

The beans are roasted locally by B&W coffee roasters.

Lots of donut talk gets me hungry! :) What are your hours of operation for when people can come for your tasty treats?

Lisa:    Tuesday-Friday 5:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Thank you for your time today Lisa! Read more about her and other MN donut shops on @MNMOmag here – Article

Lisa:    My pleasure Joel! Stop by sometime and give us a try!

Good morning everyone. Today’s special guest is the Senior Food Editor at @MNMOmag, @DearDara. Set your timer to 1hr and lets begin.

Dara:    let’s!

So @DearDara, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, go to school and what did you want to be as an adult?

Dara:    NYC, math-geek high school, and then came to MN for college, Carleton. Wanted to be: A writer! A cook. A writer! A cook…

How did you get into the food industry, and what kind of jobs did you have at first?

Dara:    Dishwasher! Started when I was 13, then worked my way up thru kitchen positions, ending as a sous & pastry (2 places)

I see. So when did you start transitioning to writing about food and restaurants? Did you have a blog?

Dara:    After college. & no, print, pre-blogging days…

Since critiquing people and the food that they make is such a personal thing, did you find it difficult at first to do?

Dara:    At first, yes. It’s rude to say people can’t cook! Six months of bad linguini in, it gets easier.

When then did you start working with @MNMOmag and what do your responsibilities cover?

Dara:    2008, food & wine writing.

I can imagine that you eat and taste a variety of foods. Do you have a style or ethnicity of food that you prefer?

Dara:    I like just about everything, really, hard to beat great Korean, French, Japanese, Italian… But a talented chef can

make anything great, ie Haute Dish’s revelatory 1980′s Midwest Americana.

In addition to all of the KINDS of food that you try, you probably eat/taste a lot of food. Is calorie counting tough?

Dara:    Not really-no problem w the wine either, neither gout nor hazleden seem to be on my horizon… Knock wood!!

Good! :) In addition to @MNMOmag, what other kind of publications and writing have you done or would you like to do?

Dara:    my book is Drink This, Wine Made Simple, & I write for Saveur, Bon Appetit, more.

Impressive! Besides food & wine, what other interests or hobbies do you get involved in? More book ideas on the way?

Dara:    I like hiking, walking, having children, and not going crazy. Museums & books help.

have another book in the works, but it’s top secret for now.

To close, what TC food events and openings are you looking forward to in 2012?

Dara:    So many! Just blogged a bunch at mnmo.com, but our food & wine show, chef challenge, butcher & boar..Thanks! Was fun!

Joel:    Thanks for your time and sharing some of your life on #MNMOtv today. Be sure to read her work at www.mnmo.com. Later!

You may have seen her on the Twin Cities based entertainment show “Twin Cities Live”.  You may have also heard her voice sharing celebrity pop-culture news on MyTalk 107.1 FM with a “Dirt Alert”.  What though are her interests? Who’s “Henry”? What’s it been like being a homeowner for the first time and what’s her decorating style? Find out answers to those questions and more by checking out PART 1 of this interview with Elizabeth Ries.

What kind of cooking does Elizabeth like to do? What’s her favorite dish to make or eat? Hot-n-spicy or mild flavors? Find out her answers by watching PART 2 of her interview.

What are some of the places that Elizabeth has been able to travel to, and where would she still like to go visit? What kind of exercise routine does Elizabeth have? Why does John Hanson tease her about dating? Find out what Elizabeth thinks about the social media platform Pinterest. Find out what Elizabeth thinks by watching PART 3 of her interview.

Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with Stacie Clark of @TigerAthletics. Lets get running!

Tell us a little bit about yourself Stacie. Where did you grow up and go to school?

Stacie:    I went to college at Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana. But I call Minnesota “home”:)

I see. So when did you decide that you wanted to get into the training/workout business?

Stacie:    I’ve always been athletically inclined…loved sports and anything that had to do with working out.

So after college, I became certified and started training on the side and doing group classes, races,

I ended up having such a passion for it and life itself, I mean it is a “lifestyle”..that I decided

to do this full-time with my husband Chris Clark…LOVE IT!

So Tiger was born in 2005

That’s great to be able to share your passion with your husband! Did it take some courage to start your own Co?

Stacie:    ABSOLUTELY! A lot of hard work and passion…it’s a journey, but one well worth being traveled.

What was your orginal business plan as to what services you’d offer to the public?

Stacie:    The 1st biz plan was to originally offer classes and training for youth athletes ages 6-15yrs.

We have since expanded to over 20 youth/adult weekly class offering; summer FIT camps;

Mexico FIT adventures, private coaching, team coaching/training and more! You can now find us all over

the Twin Cities metro:) We are mobile so it’s generally easy to find us at one of our locations.

What would you say drives your passion to help people get or stay fit? Is mental coaching involved in what you do?

Stacie:    What drives my passion is seeing the joy of everyone’s success and seeing them move thru space…

so that’s a wide client base…but such a niche. It involves passion on our end just as much as the

physical ability and mental coaching aspect to motivate the audience we have.

If someone is thinking about starting on an exercise regiment for the 1st time. What do you recommend to start with?

Stacie:    From there, most people generally lack a cardio base/foundation and core training….so it’s our job

to assess and write a program that is realistic for them to handle and achieve with success. I always

like giving my clients “homework” to do on their own too. When they don’t do it, I know it…:)

More about you. Your FAVORITE: Place to run, restaurant, store, athletic gear, hobby other than exercise.

Stacie:    FAV places to run r: Mexico on beach & French Park in Plymouth…miles of trails. So beach + trails.

FAV restaurant: Kobe sushi Plymouth;my husband’s laughing b/c he says I need to say “Texas Roadhouse!”

FAV store: LOVE shopping in NY..fav is Zara, H&M, Barneys Coop…in my past life I was the

Fashion Director for Marshall Fields-turned-Macys..so I love Fashion. For me,what I wear has to be

functional as well…it’s my everyday outfit. I shop at Lululemon;looking cute is part of the job too!

Can you explain what MEXICO Fit is about and what you’re launching today?

Stacie:    Mexico FIT is a group trip we organize 2xs/yr; Feb and Nov. The great thing @ the trip is it makes you

want to train in advance and excel while your there. We train 2-3 hrs/day. You get results in just

4-5 days…then the last day we do an Adventure FIT race. U go beyond what u think u can do. Today we

we are launching 20+ classes geared towards youth & adult hi-energy fun, but result-oriented.

Sure to make u sweat! Classes are $20 single or class packs of 5,10, 20 for discounted px’s. Would love

to see you all come out & give us a try. Find us: Planet Spirit,Hot MamaEdina, MiniHops, Balanced Barre

Sounds like training for women since they are at womens stores? Anything going on this summer?

Stacie:    It’s training for men & women..only Hot Mama is a female store. YES! Summer FIT camp. Kids ages 4-18 train w/Chris

and the adults (moms,dads, nannies,athletes) train with ME! Think hurdles, strength bags, pushups, dirt

hills, weights, sandbags and more! SO FUN! Most importantly the kids and adults train simultaneously

Joel:    Thanks for sharing today Stacie some of your work and passions on #MNMOtv! Have a great week and keep up the good work!

Stacie:    on the field. Summer Camp starts June 12th! Thank you and hope to see you!

About 2 years ago, March 2010, I came up with the idea of a new way for people to share more about themselves on Twitter, called Twitterviews. It would consist of a 1hr interview, conducted totally on Twitter. It would allow them to share things about themselves such as where they grew up, their interests, hobbies, passions and their goals for themselves for the future. Not only did it provide more exposure for them to other people, it turned out to be a great networking tool for myself and for them as well. I’ve currently conducted over 300 of them, and am still benefiting from them. In fact, it led me to now conducting them on behalf of the locally based magazine, Minnesota Monthly. What an opportunity!

This leads me to my next venture. Starting this Thursday, February 16th, I will be starting a NEW YouTube series of interviews with people in Minnesota called: Faces of Minnesota.   It will be interviews conducted with people in a variety of fields of work and backgrounds. You may have seen, heard or read some of their work, but these interviews will let you learn even more about them. I’m also pleased to announce that my first guest will be Elizabeth Ries of “Twin Cities Live” and the “Dirt Alert” on My Talk 107.1 FM. She’ll be a great start to this brand new series.

Joel Carlson & Elizabeth Ries

I hope that you enjoy this new series as you get to know more about the featured guests. If you have a suggestion or an idea of someone that you feel would make a great featured guest, please Tweet me, send me an email or call me. I’d be happy to hear and take your suggestions.  Enjoy!

Joel Carlson

With the new year well along, what should people expect in the world of social media to happen in 2012?

Google+ started in the early summer of 2011, and it now has around 90 million users. Though how many of those users actually use their accounts frequently, if at all, may be another story in of itself. What though is going to happen in 2012?

Twitter and Facebook have not stood still and let other platforms pop-up without staying fresh and new themselves. They’ve made some changes to keep people interested and active on their networks. Is there going to be a NEW network though that people will just flock to and use frequently? Will people suffer from Social Media Overload this year? Check out this video report that Joel Carlson gave to Jamie Yuccas of the WCCO-TV Saturday Morning show, regarding what to look for in 2012.

Welcome everyone to the @MNMOmag Twitterview with guest @Sonjaeileen from the @BeautyRoomMPLS. Lets have some fun today!

Sonja:    Hello!

So tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, go to school, and what did you want to be as an adult?

Sonja:    I grew up in Excelsior, MN and went to Minnetonka HS. I went to Aveda to become an esthetician

I actually wanted to be a pilot. I wanted to go to UND in Grand Forks, but then I found the world of spas!

That’s a GREAT world! :) How did you know it was a good fit for you? Where did you start using your skills?

Sonja:    In high school I worked in a small spa as a receptionist & fell in love with the environment & work it was so peaceful

My first real job as an esthetician was in Santa Barbara, Ca. We used organic products & I fell in love with that too!

Santa Barbara CA is a good place to start! Did you get good tips? Did you get to work with any celebrities?

Sonja:    Worked in Santa Barbara for 3 years, then moved to LA. That’s when I started working on some celebrities

I worked on Montana in Santa Monica & at The Beverly Hills Hotel, which was the greatest experience ever.

have worked on Jennifer Garner, Pamela Anderson, Melania Trump and Kelly Osborne to name a few. It was fun!

The Beverly Hills Hotel was a crazy place for celebrity sightings! It was an unbelievable experience.

Wow! How were you treated by them? Did they want to talk about themselves or did they ask questions about you?

Sonja:    Actually, most of them were very nice. Not too much conversation in general (because they were relaxing!)

Every once in a while a celebrity would be stand offish, but for the most part they were cool.

Was the spa then kind of an oasis for them from the public, or would they get “swarmed” there too?

Sonja:    The BHH was know for being very private & protective of celebrities. They always felt comfortable there because they..

knew paparazzi were not allowed near the hotel. We couldn’t ask for autographs & could only address them by last name.

EX. Good afternoon Mr. Buffet. He was one of my favorites!

Do you mean investor @W_Buffett? Can you tell us what he had done?

Sonja:    No, I meant the singer, Jimmy Buffett! Sorry, different spelling.

And he didn’t do anything in particular. I was just excited to meet him :)

Neat. Lets move on to today. Where do you work now, and what kinds of services do you offer to clients?

Sonja:    Today I work @BeautyRoomMPLS on 43rd & Chicago. It’s a beautiful salon/spa where I specialize in facials, skin care,

and waxing. I use an all natural skin care line called @ARCONA_LA which has given my clients wonderful results.

Super! So what days of the week can people make appointments with you?

Sonja:    I work T 9-5 (every other) , W 12-8, Th 11-7, F 10-6 & S 10-4 (every other)

The Beauty Room is at 4300 Chicago Ave, Mpls 55407 612-724-4111. I would love for everyone to come check us out!

Good to know. What’s one skin tip that you’re giving to people with the weather we’re having right now?

Sonja:    Drink lots of water!!

Our climate is so dry, leaving us with dehydrated skin. Also, exfoliate a few times a week & use moisturizer daily.

Lastly. Got any big goals that you’re targeting for next year?

Sonja:    I eventually want to open a small boutique spa of my own. Not sure when it will happen, but stay tuned

Joel:    Great idea! Well thank you Sonja for sharing some of your life on Twitter today with the #MNMOtv audience. Take care!

Sonja:    Thanks so much Joel, I had a wonderful time.