The original term “New Digs” came from the old English jargon which means, a new place or new house to stay and reside in.  With a name like Diggs, it seems Bernard Diggs, founder and CEO of The New Diggs Team and New Diggs Coaching, was destined to help people in real estate and in life. “I feel like I truly was born and called to motivate and inspire individuals to be the best versions of themselves.”  Bernard started New Diggs Coaching International with the idea of helping others at its core. In February 2020, New Diggs Coaching will host the R.A.W. Edge event in Jacksonville for real estate and business professionals seeking to discover their best selves and transform their lives.

The coaching company was inspired by the Bernard Diggs real estate team (New Diggs Team) which helped hundreds of families buy and sell homes throughout the local area under Florida Homes Realty & Mortgage in Jacksonville, FL.  In 2017 Bernard was voted the number one real estate agent to work with military and veterans on the Naval Air Station - Jacksonville. Bernard later decided to move to California to continue to reach his full potential and move into an expansion that would later catapult his career and knowledge in business, sales, relationships and real estate. He became one of the TOP Real Estate Agents with 2 expansion teams selling over $67.8 million in sales volume in the year 2018. 

St. Johns Magazine originally met Bernard Diggs a few years ago but so much has changed as his business grew and he reached a new level of excellence. Today Bernard is not only a real estate agent but is also helping others grow their businesses with the valuable life lessons and philosophies he has learned along the way.

You have recently expanded your business to include coaching, mentoring and inspiring others - what made you decide to make this shift?

While working back and forth between Florida and California, I started conducting a lot of training with other agents and business professionals within the firm. Individuals and attendees would respond by stating that they were greatly motivated to not only do better, but to be better. Success stories started to come to fruition and the natural gift of inspiring people through speaking, which I discovered at a young age, began to have a deeper meaning for me to be able to use to motivate others through coaching.

“Be the Best Version of Yourself” is the philosophy of New Diggs Coaching.  How do you help people reach this goal? What aspect of coaching do you enjoy most?

In order for us to help individuals reach their goal, through our 20/20 New Diggs program, we first get the individual to agree and rule out ALL EXCUSES. For this to work excuses cannot be an option. We then teach them how to break through barriers and utilize all the resources in their journey to becoming successful.

I love to watch someone come into the program, start to get motivated, implement their belief, use the coaching tools and then see the results they never thought they would be able to reach. It never gets old to see the excitement that someone experiences when they finally let go of their barriers and truly reach their full potential in being the BEST version of themselves.

What have you learned from the challenges and changes in your life?

I have learned that the twin brother of fear of failure is the fear of success. I have come across obstacles many times in my life, business and relationships. However, the fear that I allowed to hold me back was not the fear of failing, but rather the fear of success. The program was created over 3 years ago, but I was afraid that everything we put into this program would actually become a success and work to be greater than I thought it ever could be. I learned to let go of my fears and allowed myself to embrace the best version of myself, which in turn, allowed for breaking down my own barriers and reaching my full potential.
This February you are planning a huge event,  R.A.W Edge, at the Holiday inn at Baymeadows  What is the event all about and who would benefit from attending?  (What does R.A.W. stand for?)

R.A.W. Edge will breakthrough the barriers that have confined you and held you back from being the “Best Version of Yourself.” If you inspire to be successful in your profession and in building successful relationships, whether in business or personal, then R.A.W. Edge is the event for you. This event will literally change your life and catapult your career path for 2020.

RAW is Real. RAW is Authentic.  RAW is Work.

What are the takeaways you hope to share with Attendees at the R.A.W Edge Event?

Attendees will walk away with a greater vision to excel themselves, find or expand their niche, network with hundreds of professionals, and most importantly a direction to make 2020 the best year for their career.

For more information about New Diggs Coaching and the R.A.W Edge Event, visit www.newdiggscoaching.com

​Local Mom Rachel Ford recently decided to open an online clothing shop, Happy Bug Boutique, to share her love of unique children's fashions. Rachel is the Mom of 3, two teenagers and a 4 year old.  

​How did you come up with the idea for Happy Bug?
My youngest daughter was my inspiration for this whole thing.  I have always liked buying her clothes online because you can find such cute things that are different from what you get in stores.

Earlier this year I just got the idea one day to start my own online boutique.  My husband was on board and fully supported this idea so I started doing a LOT of research and we decided to make it happen.

What makes Happy Bug unique? 
I have styles of clothing that you can't find in most stores. I'm able to work with my suppliers and customize outfits, patterns and mix different materials to come up with different unique designs.

What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
Being able to work on my own schedule is definitely a perk of owning a business out of my home.  I always like to get creative with everything that I do so just being able to be creative and make it my own is fun.

What is your background?
I am a Florida native, born in Jacksonville and moved to St. Johns county when I was 3 years old.  I worked for a local builder in the interior design department until I had my first child.  I stayed home with my first two until they were both in school and then decided to go back to work.

Do you have another job?  Doe it help you when creating new ideas for Happy Bug?
           I am in my 9th year as a teacher at a preschool here in St. Johns county.  I do think that being around young kids every day and seeing the style of clothes that they are wearing definitely helps me with ideas.

What do you love about St. Johns?
          I love that I get to raise my kids in the same area that I grew up in, although it has grown so much since then. We love being close to so many nice beaches.  The schools here are great and we have the best neighbors. 

StFrank and Bonnie Dvoravic of Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits are wonderful people. They truly walk the talk with their passion for helping the community through continuous support of PanCan (The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).  Bonnie is a 13 year survivor of pancreatic cancer.  After Bonnie’s personal triumph over this devastating disease they decided to take action and make a difference in the lives of others by raising awareness and providing funding for important research.  Each year they hold fund raising events in their store and participate in the PanCan run.  The holidays are a time of giving and this year Frank and Bonnie will offer exclusive Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits barrel bourbon, giving a portion of the proceeds to PanCan.
​

Q: This holiday season Rivertown is continuing to support PANCAN with unique Barrel Bourbons made specifically for Rivertown.  Could you tell us a little about these special barrels? 

Each barrel was sampled by our staff in a blind tasting of 4 to 5 samples. Once the staff made their selection, the barrel was held in the distiller's warehouse and then bottled & labeled exclusively for RFWS. All the bourbon is bottled from that barrel for us, and we even get the empty barrel! We currently have in stock - Manifest Rye, made here locally in Jacksonville, Widow Jane 12 year old bourbon and 1792 Full Proof Bourbon that was just awarded #1 Whiskey for 2020 by Jim Murray in his latest Whiskey Bible edition. These very special selections sell out quite rapidly because of the limited supply. Coming in the next 90 - 120 days, we have a barrel of Elijah Craig 11 year old bourbon, a barrel of Barrel Bourbon - Barrel Proof and a barrel of Larceny 6 year old. And, there are more throughout 2020 that have not been finalized yet.

Q: How will you help PANCAN through sales of Bourbon?  

All of our exclusive RFWS Single Barrel selected bourbons are sold at regular retail price with a small additional donation attached for our charity. These contributions are put to good use by PANCAN in a number of ways - providing much needed awareness of pancreatic cancer, patient & caregiver support and funds for research to help find early detection testing of this terrible disease. We also sell the empty barrels for $300 - $500, for which 100% goes to the charity. 

Q: What makes a bourbon special?  

Bourbon popularity has been on the rise for the past 7-8 years. There is a new "culture" for mixed cocktails and social media has a lot to do with spreading the word. Bourbon flavor is a matter of personal preference & taste. Supply has not been meeting the demand, so the value of bourbons is increasing and so is the price.

Q: The company you are collaborating with is a local company.  Could you tell us a little about them?

Manifest Distilling is located in downtown Jax and bottles vodka, gin and rye whiskey. The barrel of Manifest Rye we have in the store was bottled, sealed, labeled & numbered by Frank and Brian, the store manager at RFWS. It was a great experience for them. The public can take tours of this distillery and learn first hand about distilled spirits from their very knowledgeable staff. It is a unique experience. Be sure to mention that RFWS sent you when you go!

Q: How has Rivertown helped PANCAN in the past?

We have raised $56,000 in four years through our efforts at the store. In addition to our single barrel selections that we offer, we have also acquired rare & hard to find bottles that we sell with an added donation to PANCAN. Our annual Rare Bourbon Auction, which takes place every February, is done by sealed bid auction by item and awarded to the highest bidder. Each bidder is given the opportunity to bid on any of the listed items during the month of February. That bid is sealed in an envelope until March 1, when the envelopes are opened and the winners are announced. This is our 5th year, and will feature 15-25 extremely rare whiskeys.

Q: What are your goals for the future?

This coming year in 2020, our goal will be $25,000 to be raised by October 15th. Our fundraising achievements are culminated at Purple Stride, a 5K/Family friendly walk that is supported nationally by PANCAN in over 25 major cities.  Purple Stride-Jacksonville takes place at the end of October each year at UNF. We would like to thank our customers - family, friends and the community for such love & support the  last 13 years at  RFWS, we could not have accomplished such great success without you. We look forward to a great year in 2020!