BlogPaws Co-Founder Retires and Continues Journey
Have you heard the news? Yvonne DiVita retires today!
Yvonne will get to spend more time with Tom now, and they look forward to coming up with new ideas and projects together! Tom retired just over a year ago and has been patiently waiting for Yvonne to join him!
Luckily for us, Yvonne is going to be around next year helping put together the 2017 BlogPaws conference–her ninth!–as well as lending a hand with content and community!
That said, today is her official retirement, so we felt that it was the perfect time to honor and acknowledge all that she’s done for this community over the years. The BlogPaws team shared theirs, and we’d love to hear from you, too!
Let’s get this retirement party started!
Something my Mom always said to me that has stuck with me through life is, “Say what you mean, and mean what you say.” At the time I had no idea it came from “Alice in Wonderland.” I just knew she always emphasized the importance of being authentic and she focused her business life the same way she focused her personal life: authentically.
It’s been a crazy ride working with her for the last 7 ½ years. If I could have predicted where BlogPaws would go after helping set the business up, I wouldn’t have envisioned the amazing community and business we have today. I mean it when I say that my Mom’s tenacity and perseverance taught me a lot, and I mean it when I say she deserves a long winter’s nap…but, won’t take it! She’s a do-er, and I’m pretty positive nothing is going to hold her back from continuing to make a difference with her work. Like with Tom and Caroline, BlogPaws will always be her baby, and she’ll always be a face around. Thank you Mom for being you and for being a leader, and for saying what you mean and meaning what you say. You’re as authentic as they come.
Chloe DiVita
BlogPaws’ COE, Chief of Everything and Director of Events & Programs
Yvonne is the backbone of BlogPaws. Without her vision and determination to see it come to fruition we would not the be community that we are today. Yvonne is an inspiration to the community and encourages everyone to build their dreams. Not only did Yvonne build a business and a community she built a family dedicated to sharing their passion for keeping pets healthy and happy. She is a role model, mentor, and friend to everyone that thinks of BlogPaws as their place.
I know that she is looking forward to spending quality time with Tom bundled up on cold winter mornings and enjoying the snow from inside looking out the window. Her journey is not over and I know that she has so much planned that will inspire all us to even greater heights. I promise to try and limit my need for you to go on crazy adventures all over Denver.
Thank you for creating something truly magical.
Felissa Elfenbein
BlogPaws Director of Influencer Marketing
Yvonne is a woman that I admire in so many ways. She’s a mentor, a cheerleader, a colleague, and a friend. I’ve learned so much from her over the years. Yvonne has an amazing ability to see talent in others that they don’t realize they have. I’ll never forget my first time meeting Yvonne and having a conversation with her during lunch at BlogPaws Las Vegas. Yvonne always talks about the power of networking and I can honestly say my journey with the BlogPaws team started with my first conversation with her. To this day, I’m constantly humbled and honored to be part of this team. A team that wouldn’t be here doing what we do for our community if it wasn’t for Yvonne. She will be greatly missed from this team but I know that she will still be involved in many different ways. I hope I can continue to infuse Yvonne’s vision into the SLC as our community grows and evolves.
Aimee Beltran
BlogPaws Director of Community Education
To me, Yvonne embodies empowerment. She encourages all people to pursue to their dreams and freely offers anyone who seeks out her advice a vault of practical solutions to meeting both professional and personal goals. Since I met her at my very first BlogPaws Conference in Nashville in 2016, she has been my champion and an endless supporter of every crazy over-the-moon goal I set for myself. I feel humbled, honored and privileged to have been working along side her as part of the BlogPaws team for the last year and I look forward to continuing to work with her, even as she steps back a few hours a day!
Bernard Lima-Chavez
BlogPaws Campaign Manager
Yvonne is the heart and soul of BlogPaws. She is a visionary who has inspired so many people, this girl included. One of my favorite memories of Yvonne is seeing her take the stage and sharing her childhood stories with the crowd. It is clear that from a child, pets were and remain a part of her life. For me, Yvonne is not retiring; she is simply taking on the next logical step in her life. She will always be a BlogPawser, and we are grateful for her presence and influence. She also is the world’s best tiara wearer. Love her to bits.
Carol Bryant
BlogPaws Marketing & Social Media Manager
Yvonne paved the way for all of us to be here. Truly, this industry is forever changed from her insights, inspiration, and impact. The incredible thing about Yvonne, though, is how much heart she pours into everything she does. Every single thing she does is done from a place of love, which inspires me even more than her writing and hard work! For years, long before I ever got to work with this team, I admired her as the leader of this organization, and, like Aimee’s story, I was so touched by Yvonne when she stopped to chat with me in person at BlogPaws Las Vegas. My dog had just been diagnosed with cancer, and Yvonne stopped. She hugged me. She talked it through with me. It was so meaningful to me that she, who was in the midst of running a bustling conference, took the time to stop and hold that space with me. I’m so glad that she gets to enjoy her retirement, and I’m even happier that we won’t get the chance to really miss her since we’ll all be in Myrtle Beach in no time!
Maggie Marton
BlogPaws Senior Editor
