Our good friend and fellow Public Relations pro Karen Amster-Young has teamed up with educator Pam Godwin on an exciting journey leaving their comfort zones and exploring new things, facing fears and trying to get unstuck. They are also exploring new sides of the city they have known and lived in for so long.
Their fun experiences are recounted on their blog, The 52 Weeks. Keeping their audience entertained with witty, amusing and sometimes just genuine stories, the concept behind the blog is the importance of switching things up and putting yourself in new situations as a way of growth and learning, or simply to keep that “spark” alive in your life, the type of rush you get by trying interesting, recreational and sometimes ridiculous activities. Sometimes they just face fears or try to take even a baby step toward a bigger goal. They do this by setting weekly goals for themselves for one year; the goals being things they have never tried before or that are unusual, and they range from test driving sports cars to simply nurturing their relationships by taking a carriage ride in Central Park, for example.
WM: What’s the story behind the concept of the site?
KAY: Pam and I were out having drinks one night and talking about feeling a bit “stuck”. We wanted to shake things up a bit and do new things, rediscover childhood passions or face fears. So the52weeks.com was conceived that night. In fact, our tag line is three drinks, two friends, one year!
WM: What has been the most challenging experience so far in the list of The 52 Weeks activities?
KAY: It is not so much what we are doing but rather sticking to our promise to ourselves and each other to take even a little step each week towards one of our goals or things on our respective lists. I have done everything from trying boxing, cleaning up my local park, taking a nude drawing class and committing to eating blueberries more often! 
WM: What plans do you have for the future of The 52 Weeks as a growing project?
KAY: The feedback from our readers and even the media has been encouraging and it seems like we are resonating with a lot of people — particularly women. Everyone has a “list” of things they want to do or change and we are inspiring and motivating people to get moving again and hopefully helping them to get a bit “unstuck”. There is a book in progress, speaking engagements and hopefully a lot of inspiration to help others face their fears, learn new things and just get going again.
WM: Can your readers make suggestions of things to try out?
KAY: Absolutely! They can e-mail us via the blog.
WM: Any exclusive sneak peek about future adventures for Women’s Mafia readers?
KAY: We knew this was going to be challenging but we had no idea how challenging! Life gets in the way sometimes of our weekly plans but we are forging ahead and are about half-way through our journey. I think the most exciting thing for Women’s Mafia readers are our dreams about the possibilities including currently developing the concept for a 52weeks app for iPhones so that users can find local deals and ideas to try new things in their own city. In terms of our own adventures? Who knows what to tell you! It’s just really about always trying and keeping our promise to ourselves and each other!