Fighting Gratitude

Dawn breaks into my bedroom like a baseball through a window. I am tired before I even get up, worn out from a game that has not yet begun. I manage the start well. I pack lunches, check emails, and schedule appointments as I should. I feel even and productive. Read more

Whitney Fleming

Whitney Fleming is a public relations consultant and freelance writer. She lives with her husband and three tween daughters in the Chicago suburbs. She is trying to break out of the mold of being a typical suburban mom despite that she is often seen driving her minivan around the to soccer tournaments or volunteering for the PTA. She blogs about parenting, relationships and w(h)ine at Playdates on Fridays, and is featured on sites such as Huffington Post, In the Powder Room, Scary Mommy, Club Mid and The Mighty, among others.

Turn Your Life into the Best Story You’ve Ever Read

Shopping lists, to-do lists, packing lists — lists are an easy way for busy people to retain information.  Of all places, I found myself making the most lists in the hospital.  And of all kinds of lists (after a surgery that went terribly wrong) I found myself creating a gratitude list.  I’d Read more

Amy Oestreicher

Amy is a PTSD peer-to-peer specialist, artist, author, speaker for RAINN, writer for The Huffington Post, award-winning health advocate, actress and playwright eagerly sharing the lessons learned from trauma through her writing, performance, art and speaking.. In 2012, she wrote, directed and starred in a one woman musical about her life, Gutless & Grateful, touring theatres across the country for three years, and earning rave reviews and accolades since it’s BroadwayWorld Award-nominated NYC debut. As a visual artist, her art has been featured in esteemed galleries solo exhibitions, and her mixed media workshops emphasize creativity as an essential mindset. Amy’s “beautiful detour” inspired her to create the #LoveMyDetour movement, a social media campaign inspiring people to flourish because of, rather than in spite of challenges. Recipient of the Great Comebacks Award. Her Washington Post and On Being with Krista Tippet, and is a regular contributor for numerous publications including Elite Daily, The Mighty, Indie Chicks and Career Girl Daily. Her story has appeared on the TODAY Show, CBS, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen Magazine, among others. Amy's passion for the arts as a means of healing and expression led her to devise storytelling workshops for the Transformative Language Arts Network National Conference, the Eating Recovery Center Foundation, and The League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling. Determined to bridge the gap of communication between wellness resources on college campuses and students, Amy is currently touring college campuses with a program combining mental health advocacy, sexual assault awareness and Broadway Theatre. For information on keynote presentations, private coaching, workshops and signature talkbacks, visit amyoes.com.

The Status of our Relationship is Based on the Article I’m Reading

When I troll the Internet out of sheer boredom, it’s not uncommon for me to stop and analyze one of those relationship advice articles. Thankfully, I’m not looking for advice on my relationship – I’m perfectly happy and content to be married to my crazy cat lady wife.  Instead, I’m looking for an opportunity to antagonize and Read more

8 Holiday Hacks for Scrooges

The holidays are upon us!  Hooray!  The snow! The food! The Spirit of Giving! Can you believe that for some people they can be synonymous with stress, weight gain and over draught?  Oh, how very Eeyore of some people, I know. Fortunately, there are a few ways of ensuring the Read more

Nathalie Findlay

After completing a degree in Fine Arts and another in Interior Architecture, Nathalie began modelling in New York, Hamburg, Munich and Paris where she eventually decided to base herself. Always on the lookout for opportunities to grow, she combined her modelling career with other areas of interest, working for the Canadian Embassy, Christian Liaigre, A Small World and Sotheby's. She has also enjoyed appearing regularly as a presenter and speaker for television and media events and as a pit-lane reporter on Eurosport. Exposed both personally and professionally to the intricacies of etiquette and protocol, Nathalie now focuses on applying her extensive knowledge-base practically, addressing matters of refinement, image and manners for individual and corporate clients with Lifestyling, a consultancy she created in 2007. Nathalie lives in the French countryside with her husband, their baby and two Korthals.