The Power of Sharing Your Passion

I consider myself lucky to be a person who has a lot of passions in life. I am particularly passionate about people and relationships, but also about my interests, pursuits and the hobbies that bring me joy. The opportunity to combine those two things is nirvana and something that I learned in an unexpected way…

Cranberry Pear Chutney.

It’s no secret that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Great food, surrounded by the people I love, laughing and and lots of silly traditions, ensure that each year our celebration is familiar, and yet slightly different from the one before. One of my favorite recipes from this indulgent affair is Cranberry Pear Chutney, a concoction…

Until Further Notice… Celebrate Everything

A few people I care for deeply had a really rough week. It seems there is a lot of loss going around right now. Charles lost Joey, a friend and colleague, in an unexpected and senseless crime. And Ben lost his dear friend Dave after a brave and inspiring fight with ALS (Dave’s story here:…

2016: The Year of Focus

Generally, I do not believe in making New Year’s resolutions. This year is different. I am in a place where I need to get more control of my life and resolutions, or what I’m calling “finding my focus” seems like they make some sense. Apparently, I also feel the need to write them down and…

Seeing Glasses in a Whole New Light

If you wear glasses you know that shopping for them at the traditional places like LensCrafters and EyeMart etc.. is mildly, well…. antiseptic. One thing it is NOT is sexy or fun. Stores are boring with bad lighting, doctors smocks, mysterious pricing and ultimately, very expensive. I found this out first hand recently when I…

Crowd Sourced Onion Soup

Why would anyone buy a cook book these days (other than as a gift) when there are so many great cooking websites with copious free and detailed recipes, videos, pictures and more? Personally, it never even occurs to me to crack one of the many I have. Why? Because of the comments. Yes, a written…

A Contemporary Spin on the Gingerbread House

For the holidays this year we decided to try our hands at our very first gingerbread house (“gbh”). As big fans of contemporary architecture and with our own future home currently under construction, it seemed only natural that our gbh should be its replica. Normal, right? Definitely no ungapatchka traditional gbh for us! With no…

Abercrombie’s Brand DNA Revealed in an Unexpected Moment

Back in 2006, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries now famously admitted in an interview with Salon.com that his brand was intentionally “exclusionary” and perhaps most offensive… well… I’ll simply quote him: “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot…

Forty. Full of Surprises.

I approached 40 with trepidation. Perhaps in part because I’ve never felt my age? I was always “precocious” or “15 going on 30”. And I looked older too. Man, when I look back at pictures of my 14 year old self I am shocked at how much I look 25 (yeah, ok.. it was the…

Improving Life on the Road: Inspired Creative Minds

Traveling a lot certainly has its ups and downs (yes.. literally). One of the surprising “ups” is stumbling upon marketing and design brilliance, sometimes in the most unexpected places. For me (admitted marketing geek) I get true inspiration from creative, elegant and insightful solutions that demonstrate deep understanding of the plight of the customer. And…

Language is Never a Barrier if You Have Pasta

Professionally I have a unique opportunity to work with people all over the world. Generally though the people I work with speak English (or at least some). I am definitely one of those pathetic Americans that only speak my mother tongue. Not that I haven’t tried. I studied French for several years, Latin for a…

A Girl’s Weekend in Austin

Austin is the perfect destination for a Girl’s Getaway. It’s a clean, manageable, friendly and fun city and frankly.. there is just so much to do. If I were designing the ideal weekend here for a trip with my girlfriends there are several “must do’s” to ensure a memorable, relaxing and fun time for all….