Lani Voivod

Co-owner, Epiphanies Inc.

By Holly Davis, Staff

What do homemade whipped cream, Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music” and family have in common?

All three serve as the favorite sources of inspiration for Lani Voivod of Gilford, co-owner of Epiphanies Inc.

Voivod, 36, and her husband, Allen, help people find their inspiration and “a-ha themselves.”

“When people and businesses ‘a-ha themselves’ they put some joy-filled action behind their boldest insights, which gets their message, mission and vision out there to their ideal audience,” Voivod said.

Through Epiphanies Inc. Voivod works with million-dollar businesses, as well as “lifestyle entrepreneurs,” who she describes as “folks designing businesses that support their lives and passions, instead of businesses that run their lives.”

This term could be used to describe Voivod, who never seemed cut out for the 9-to-5, cubicle-style life.
In the past, she has delivered Korean pastries to a Far-East airline in Los Angeles, made tens of thousands of dollars writing two- to four-word taglines for businesses and spent a day in a hotel room with Wendy “The Snapple Lady” Kaufman, watching old Snapple commercials and coming up with concepts for a speakers’ kit promo video.
In 2001, she joined Mattel as the lead writer for Barbie.com, where she created and managed BMail (Barbie e-mail) and served as a sort of “Dear Abby” Barbie.

The Barbie site was getting anywhere from 20 million to 50 million visitors per month.

“I loved the idea that our modest online team was entertaining and inspiring so many girls around the world,” Voivod said. “I especially loved getting feedback from thousands of girls every month. They’re so smart and real and honest (and cute, too), and they constantly renewed my faith in humankind.”

Now instead of giving advice on boys, sleepovers and birthday party etiquette, Voivod is putting together e-courses, teleclasses, webinars and workshops.

But the passion is still the same: Helping people.

“I am in awe of individual potential, of knowing each person on this planet truly does have a unique gift to share,” she said.

“Whether it’s a flair for friendship, a way with words, a bold vision, creative talents, artistic abilities, extraordinary stories, human experiences ... I personally get a high from watching – and hopefully helping! – people discover and acknowledge their gifts, then build on them, add to them and run with them.”

Voivod’s favorite part of what she does is learning and sharing information. She writes a blog for Epihpanies Inc. and takes part in many types of social netwoking, as well as encouraging others to get involved, too. Voivod loves finding and sharing ways to connect.

“I’m fascinated by the world, relationships, people, and how we all communicate and share information with the different technologies out there,” she said.

While Voivod aims to help others, she has some pretty big plans for herself as the new year unfolds. On the top of her list?

“Laugh more – preferably till it hurts,” she said.

Voivod also vows she will finally reread “Atlas Shrugged,” which has been on her to-do list since she first read it at 19.

And she wants to continue her mission to tackle all of New Hampshire’s 48 4,000-foot mountains before she turns 50. She and Allen tackled their first, Mt. Tecumseh, in September.

Voivod and her husband share their Gilford home with their sons, Joe, 6, and Declan, 1; Buddy, the awkward yellow lab; and two fish named after “Star Wars” droids she can’t pronounce.

To learn more about Epiphanies Inc., visit www.epiphaniesinc.com.