Meet Cathy Ballone

We were lucky to catch up with Cathy Ballone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cathy, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I am being asked, where does my optimism come from?  My mother, a psych nurse for 45 years, specialized in Alzheimer’s and dementia. With a huge heart and vast knowledge, she loved to share both. It could be with a stranger in the grocery line or with me curled up by the fire. She had a remarkable gift for connecting with everyone she met. As her daughter, I learned that being kind and compassionate could (and should) be a normal part of life.

She often said, ‘Count your blessings. We were lucky to be healthy and have each other.’ She believed, ‘Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you just need to wait to see what it is.’ Over time, these mantras taught me a lesson. In any potentially regrettable situation, if you can take away something of value, you will never have any regrets.’

When I was a teenager, I lost 22 friends in various accidents and tragedies, including 7 who were very close to me. This was incredibly tough, especially during those formidable years. She helped me by reminding me I was lucky to have those friends. Each had touched my soul, making me a better person. They taught me to appreciate every day, no matter how small or big my plans might be.

When I was 19, a close friend from high school, Steve, took his own life. We’d often ditch class to play hacky sack and stay up late into the night chatting on AOL Instant Messenger. He asked me to prom, and if I hadn’t already had a date, I would have happily accepted. His death was especially difficult for me. He was the 11th friend I had lost in just 4 years. My best friend at the time, Rachel, would not let me get lost in the grief. She would wake me up every morning. Then, she’d DRAG me out of bed (often by my foot). With coffee brewed and ready, she’d ask what I wanted to do that day. It didn’t matter that we were young and broke. We could go cliff jumping, hiking, or visit friends. There were endless possibilities. She’d say, “Just because you are breathing doesn’t mean you are living.” Then, just two months after Steve’s death, Rachel died in a car accident; she was 16 years old.

In the following year, I lost six more friends. I channeled all that pain through what I learned from my mother and Rachel. It fueled a passion and energy I doubt I’d have found otherwise.  I was (and still am) bound and determined to experience life to the absolute fullest.  In a few years, following a boy, I bought a one-way ticket to Denver, not even knowing it was in Colorado. I visited 49 states, hiked, and backpacked in most of our national parks. I don’t have to try to appreciate life. I’ve come to understand that every person and situation is a chance to learn and experience new things. Which is a gift all in itself.

I moved back home to be near my family and attend college. A few years later, I met a boy and got engaged just two weeks later. He proposed on the jumbo-tron in Times Square.  Less than a year later, we bought a 206-acre, abandoned zoo in the Catskills of Upstate NY. Around the same time, I started my wedding planning business. We had no clue what we would do with it. We devoted ourselves to turning that property into something worthwhile. We hosted tens of thousands of visitors each year for self-guided tours. We also offered photography workshops and glamping sites. We secured a loan to convert the Giraffe Barn into a boutique hotel. We threw ourselves into that project with the same enthusiasm.

Then, in the middle of construction, with my wedding planning company busy with 18 weddings across New England that season (one was for the publisher/owner of the New York Times). On April 2nd, 2018, tragedy struck when my childhood home, my parent’s home, caught fire. We suffered an unbearable loss: my two nephews, my niece, and both of my parents all died. My brother (the children’s father) was left in a coma. Although this was (of course) heartbreaking and life-altering.  We (as a family) never really fought. We never had any major issues. We always told each other we loved one another; we appreciated each other.  We just had one bad day.

I made it through those weddings. We opened The Long Neck Inn. It thrived, even during COVID. I found myself overworked, overwhelmed, and unhappy in my marriage. I realized… I was breathing… not really living. So, I filed for divorce. We sold the abandoned zoo and the businesses attached to it. We had four properties, two mortgages, and three businesses. Now, I have two debt-free properties and one business. I can run it from anywhere, 90% of the year.

I have since been to 24+ countries, including sailing to Antarctica on a tall ship. I have no regrets; I know and have known so many amazing people and I still look forward to every day. I look forward to every person I am lucky enough to meet and every couple I am able to work with. A favorite quote, by Diane Ackerman, captures my view on life: “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

To recap what I said about where I get my optimism, the best part about planning weddings is getting to know people from all walks of life. Being an integral part of one of the most memorable days of their lives is an added bonus. I’ve become close friends with many of my past couples.

I graduated with a degree in Mathematics, but I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it. As it turns out, planning really suits my analytical mind, and I love that it involves working closely with couples and getting to know them. It’s been a great fit for me. I kind of fell into this career, but it’s ended up being perfect for my personality, knowledge, and goals – both professionally and personally.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My top three most important qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge are my organizational skills, natural empathy, and natural curiosity, which leads to knowledge. These have helped me in every business I’ve had and I’m confident they’ll continue to do so, no matter what industry I explore.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

My mother and best friend Rachel were absolutely the most influential in helping me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cathyselegantevents.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathyselegantevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathysElegantEvents/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/CathysElegantEvents/