Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. STOP APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR CHOICES, as long as they are choices you’ve made purposefully. Own them, proudly and respectfully. We are more than a product of our families, our societies, or our generations. We each have our own unique set of needs, passions, interests, values, and beliefs. Examine all of them and decide if any of them need to be challenged or pursued.
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These decade milestone birthdays are tough ones for many of us, especially when how we feel does not match up with our associations of age. I remember when my grandmother turned 50 and said that she was “half a hundred.” Now that I’m a full decade past that, I am sometimes not sure how to resolve this disconnect between how old I am and how I feel. So, here are a few of my tips for aging gracefully.....well, if not quite gracefully, at least with a sassy attitude :)
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Courtney Kenefick is an Editor and Special Projects Manager at the design magazine Surface in New York City. Courtney joined Surface in 2015 as their assistant fashion editor. Previously, she worked as an assistant fashion editor at Travel and Leisure magazine, and interned for the magazines Seventeen, Women’s Health and SHAPE. Courtney graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In her spare time (which is never enough) Courtney likes to run, travel, cook, read, watch football, and do yoga. She is obsessed with her nieces and nephews and tries to see them as often as she can.
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Fifteen years ago, when I was 45, I attempted to climb the Grand Teton, a jagged, towering and intimidating 13,776 foot-high mountain near Jackson, Wyoming. I, along with three of my best women friends from graduate school, decided it would be a really cool thing to do.
For the most part, my family thought I was insane.
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Have you ever Googled your adult child and been shocked at what you found? I did - and what I found shocked me. My oldest son Nate, the one who drove me insanely crazy when he was a teenager, is standing nonchalantly with Solange Knowles in a photograph set against the New York City night skyline.
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We at The Villa are so pleased to introduce to our growing Villa community our friend and like-minded passionate do-gooder, Devin Thorpe. Devin is a corporate social responsibility advocate, a crowdfunding speaker and trainer, a published author, new media journalist, Forbes contributor, and, ardent champion of social good.
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My name is Beldin, a 15 year old determined girl. I believe that if I have a gift for showing kindness to others then I should do it without any reservation, a Girl on Fire!
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After ending a 23 year marriage, Lisa made an abrupt decision to sell everything she owned and move to Italy. She was terrified - but it felt right. She started all over again with little to her name. Since, she's started her own successful touring company in Tuscany, become a featured writer for Huffington Post, won a spot in the "50 over 50" out of thousands of applicants, and made an appearance on The Today Show. Lisa's story teaches us that it's never too late to reinvent yourself and life isn't over until it's over.
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Introducing: MARION. We asked Marion to tell us a little about herself. To read what she wrote, view more pictures, and watch a video of Marion telling a traditional story, read the full blog.
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I am a MANIC HOT FUDGE SUNDAE FANATIC, and I eat them as often as I can: at home, in restaurants or at ice cream shops. But, truthfully, the sauce never measures up to this recipe that I’ve had forever.
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Kiska lives in London, England with her husband and baby son. While she was born and raised in the United States, Kiska’s love affair with England began in college where she spent a semester abroad in London. Her husband is a native Brit and they lived in the U.S. prior to moving to London. Her story will resonate with many women, especially millennial women, who are not necessarily following in their parents footsteps. Instead, they are doing it in their own way.
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I had no idea what to expect. Always an armchair traveler, I’d read and seen images of Africa, and it all seemed exotic and somewhat mystical, and it was. But, it was also a lot more.
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This is Makesh. Makesh is 13 years old and one of the Girls on Fire Leaders. She loves to design t-shirts and would like to model. Her job at Girls on Fire Leaders is to design their t-shirts. She also hiked with us one day and was happy and laughed A LOT! We'll be posting videos of her and other GOF leaders very soon!
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Welcome to our How To Series! We have got lots of “How To” ideas to share with all of you, and to kick it off, we are starting with “How to Get Motivated.” I promise you won’t be disappointed. Prepare to confront all your motivational issues and take charge!
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Martha, age 15; Daisy, age 12; and Beldin, age 13, are students at the Kibera School for Girls in Nairobi, Kenya, and part of the Girls on Fire Leaders program founded by global entrepreneur and investor, Eileen Flannigan.
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There is an old African proverb: “The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” And what our hearts have seen this past week in Kenya is almost impossible to describe in words. We can’t think of any way better to describe what we have seen than through photographs.
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The bottom line is this: just like everything else in life that is rewarding to us, we have to be willing to take the risks and do the work, despite our insecurities, self-doubts and misgivings. What we know, though, is this: many women are re-inventing their lives.
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Sexual violence—any sexual violence--is motivated by power, control, and often hostility.It keeps women in a subservient, “less-than” position in societies dominated by men. With the recent surge of calling out this archaic treatment of others, we can no longer look the other way. We will no longer keep it in the shadows.
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Autumn! Oh, how I love it. I love everything about it. I love the cooler temperatures. I love the changing colors of leaves and shuffling through them while taking Mollie the pug for walks. I love kicking the horse chestnuts that fall off the trees. I delight in weekends when I can head up to our gorgeous mountains, camera in hand to capture the season.
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Rachael chose to give up her career of modeling in Paris, returning to America and starting a flower shop instead. Why did she do it - and does she regret it? Read our latest Spotlight to find out!
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