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The Happier Hour
The Happier Hour is a weekly live show hosted by Kathleen Butler Smith, and joined by a team of co-hosts. The one hour show features interviews with women from around the world sharing thought-provoking stories about their lives and how they were able to discover their next steps.
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Who Was Your First Crush?
The Happier Hour
Ann Moses
Former Editor of "Tiger Beat"
Ann began her career in journalism early – as a reporter for her Junior High School to the city newspaper “Teen Page,” in the Anaheim Bulletin. By the time she was in college, she was co-editor of the college newspaper and did freelance writing for a Southern California weekly music newspaper called Rhythm n News.
At age 19, Ann was hired as a feature editor at Tiger Beat magazine. She covered the teen idols of the 60s and 70s from the Monkees, to Bobby Sherman, to David Cassidy.
She also wrote a weekly column for the British music newspaper the New Musical Express called “Ann Moses Hollywood Calling.” During this time she also did interviews for NME of many stars who were not teen idols, such as Andy Williams, Nancy Sinatra, Tina Turner, James Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Osmonds, and The Carpenters. On her 21st birthday in 1968, Ann was named Editor of Tiger Beat.
She edited Tiger Beat until her resignation in 1972.
She is now the author of her best - selling memoir
“MEOW! my Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols”.
Thanksgiving Tips &Tricks
Melissa McNamara
Morphmom Daily 's Culinary Queen
"Sweet Melissa's" Thanksgiving Day Picks:
APPS:
Pamela Salzman's Raw Brussels Sprout Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Food Network's Potatoes Au Gratin
Epicurious' Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream
What's Gabby Cooking's Best Mashed Potatoes recipes
TURKEY:
Half-Baked Harvest's Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Pan Gravy
&
DESSERT
GOT FLOUR?
The Happier Hour
Jennifer Lapidus
Founder of Carolina Ground Flour Mill
&
Author of "Southern Ground"
RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]
Jennifer Lapidus is transforming bakery offerings across the southern United States with intensely flavorful flour, made from grains grown and cold stone-milled in the heart of the South at Carolina Ground Flour Mill. While delivering extraordinary taste, texture, and story, cold stone-milled flour also allows bakers to move away from industrial commodity flours to create sustainable and artisanal products. Jennifer is bridging the gap between local farmers and bakers. Now, in her latest cookbook, “Southern Ground: RECLAIMING FLAVOR THROUGH STONE-MILLED FLOUR [A BAKING BOOK]" Jennifer celebrates the incredible work of bakers all over the South Serving instruction and insight into how to use and enjoy these flavor-forward flours of geographic distinction,
Jennifer has been featured in Peter Reinhart's book "Whole Grain Breads", The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Splendid Table, Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Saveur, Taste of the South, and numerous other local publications. Jennifer sits on the board of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and is co-organizer of the Asheville Bread Festival.
Everyone is Part of the Party!
The Happier Hour
Laura Taylor
Founder of Mingle Mocktails
Laura Taylor, a high performing software executive, mother of two teenagers and happily married wife of over 20 years, found herself drinking too much- turning to alcohol to relieve the stress of balancing a family, career, and appearances of an ‘ideal’ lifestyle while feeling broken inside. With hard work and support of those around her, Laura quit drinking and got sober 5 years ago. While re-entering social situations, she found that her only option was bland seltzer, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and left out. Inspired by successful female entrepreneurs including Sara Blakeley and Tory Burch, who granted Laura an honorary Tory Burch Fellowship, Laura set out on a mission to remove the stigma associated with sobriety. In 2017, Mingle Mocktails was born, providing a healthy and delicious solution.
Laura set out to craft her beverage from only the purest ingredients. The booze-free beverage is low- calorie, low-sugar and made from natural botanical ingredients, for a refreshing alternative anywhere, anytime. As a result of Laura’s hard work and dedication, Mingle Mocktails is available on her website, regional supermarkets, Amazon, as well as Whole Foods! The beverage is available in five flavors (Blood Orange Elderflower Mimosa, Cucumber Melon Mojito, Blackberry
The Art of Forgiveness..
The Happier Hour
Denise Gaffney & Dr. Veronica Ruelas
Co-Founders of Forgivity
The lack of forgiveness fluency manifests in mental and physical health challenges, staggering suicide rates, increased cultural division and malignant widespread hatred. It's a silent epidemic and a generational problem in our world. Denice and Veronica decided to do something about it and founded Forgivity, a healing movement using a modern approach to the age old wisdom of forgiveness. We believe that Forgiveness is one of the most fundamental needs of a human life.
After a highly successful 20-year career on Wall Street, where Denise brokered international billion-dollar deals, she shifted gears and obtained a certification in Energy Leadership Coaching. Denise supports leaders in moving beyond what they imagined as possible for their own performance and success.
Dr. Veronica Ruelas is an entrepreneur, doctor, author, speaker, certified yoga and meditation practitioner and philanthropist. For the past 20 years she ran a successful optometric practice, founded the non-profit ThirdEyeVision Foundation which brought free eye care and the founder and CEO of AshramChic.
How To Look Your Best..
The Happier Hour
Shaye Strager
Celebrity Stylist & Image Consultant
While New York City provided 2 decades worth of fashion experience, it is her return to the South that has given Shaye Strager a stylish playing field for her discerning eye. For most of her career, Strager advised Manhattan clients, from celebrities to CEOs, on the fine art of styling and reported on trends as an authority for national television audiences on CBS and ABC News platforms. As a former spokesperson for the jewelry industry, she rallied designers and the media with baubles and bijou.
Today, Shaye has transformed her career into a multi-city affair. She styles an impressive group of power players in various industries, keeping CEOS, executives and individuals visually on-message. On a broader scale, Shaye has written corporate dress codes for both luxury brands and smaller private firms. Her influence helps clients stay focused on gaining trust and credibility with their wardrobe choices whether in person, online or on their social media feeds.
Shaye’s mission? To educate and and empower her clients to make confident wardrobe choices; helping to identify their personal style and maintain it with updates that fit their budgets. For more information on Shaye and her fashionable practice, visit ShayeStrager.com
What's Your Story...
The Happier Hour
Laurie Gelman
Best-Selling Author
From talk shows and music shows to parenting shows and news, Laurie Gelman has a wide range of media talents. She now adds best selling author to the list with her brutal take on room parenting in both "Class Mom" , "You’ve Been Volunteered" and “Yoga Pant Nation: A Novel” Her most recent novel, "Smells Like Tween Spirit" was just released!
She began her career in Canada, then went on to co-host several shows in both Canada and the U.S. including the groundbreaking show Breakfast Time with Tom Bergeron for the f/X network. Laurie spent two years as a correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, and, later, The Early Show on CBS. She was a contributing editor for the now defunct Cookie Magazine and a blogger for babycenter.com. More importantly, she was the class mom at her daughters' school for 5 years. She considers this the toughest job she has ever had. Laurie is married to Michael Gelman, Executive Producer of ABC's Live with Kelly and Ryan and is the mother of two beautiful girls.
The Gift of Giving...
The Happier Hour
Christina Sharkey Geist
Founder of Boombox
Author and Co-Founder of True Geist
After taking four years off when her kids were toddlers, Christina Geist started two small businesses and sold her first children’s book, "Buddy's Bedtime Battery", to Random House right around her 40th birthday. Her 2nd release "Sorry Grown-Ups, You Can't Go To School!" debuted at #4 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Her latest novel, "Buddy's New Buddy" will release this July!
In addition to publishing, Christina has spent the past 6 years as co-owner of a boutique branding firm, True Geist, and using that income as the seed capital, she in turn created her own brand, Boombox Gifts, an online boutique for personalized memory boxes co-created by family and friends. Boombox Gifts has been featured in numerous media outlets including, O Magazine, Today , Martha Stewart Weddings and USA Today , just to name a few!
Geist's early career spans news producing, public relations, marketing, brand and design strategy positions at large agencies like Arnold Worldwide and Interbrand, in house at Johnson & Johnson and inside growing startups. She lives in New York with her husband (and Ridgewood High School prom date), Sunday TODAY and Morning Joe host Willie Geist, and their kids, Lucie and George.
Twisted Family Values...
The Happier Hour
Victoria Chickering
Best Selling Author
Essayist & Lyricist
VC Chickering is the author of two hysterical novels published by St. Martin's Press: the four-generation dysfunctional family journey, TWISTED FAMILY VALUES; and the hilarious/scandalous suburban romp, NOOKIETOWN. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmo, and BUST magazines; Grown & Flown and Robot Butt sites; as well as the anthologies, “Mom’s Don’t Have Time To,” "A Girls Guide to Taking over the World," and "The BUST Guide to the New Girl Order."
Victoria has written on-air creative for Comedy Central, MTV, Lifetime, and Oxygen networks, as well as Discovery, NickMom, and Google. She was thrilled to have been named the Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month for July, 2019 and is currently at work on a delightful historical romance about two friends traveling on Eurail passes in the summer of 1988.
Chickering lives with her family in New Jersey where she writes and performs witty original songs for her band, Tori Erstwhile and The Montys
Chickering lives with her family in New Jersey where she writes and performs witty original songs for her band, Tori Erstwhile and The Montys (found on the band’s YouTube channel). Visit vcchickering.com for entertaining links and follow her on Insta/Fb/Twitter @VCChickering.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold...
The Happier Hour
Jenny Reinhardt
New Jersey Artist
Jenny Flexner Reinhardt is a quickly emerging New Jersey artist who has had 7 solo exhibitions in the last three years, including My Sunny Disposition, Drive Like Your Kids Live Here!, Everything Must Go!, The Price of Sugar, Palimpsests, Not Your Average, and See You at the Movies. A selection of group shows includes Deadlocked and Loaded, Go Figure, and Rise. Jenny earned her Masters's Degree in Traditional Figure Painting, Cum Laude, from the New York Academy of Art, and soon thereafter received an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant and an NYAA Merit Scholarship. Her BA is in English Literature from the University of Michigan. She currently works in a 2-story light-filled studio in the vibrant Valley Arts District of Orange, NJ.
“All that glitters is not gold” partly describes Jenny’s overarching artistic choices. As a contemporary woman, dazzled and subsumed by the trappings of contemporary culture, Jenny artistically marries the happy with the sad, the bright with the dark. Jenny’s art travels back and forth from the blinding distractions of the material here-and-now to the bliss of an abstract metaphysical experience. Jenny likes to hide ghostly clues within the glittering façade of “prettiness”. Supported by a strong foundation in traditional figure painting, Jenny now experiments with painting, collage, printmaking, and abstraction, and collage on plexiglass, LED-backlit lightboxes.
Raising Kids...
The Happier Hour
Melinda Wenner Moyer
Award Winning Editor, Author & Journalist
Melinda Wenner Moyer is a contributing editor at Scientific Americanmagazine and a regular contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post, and other national magazines and newspapers. She is a faculty member in the Science, Health & Environmental Reporting program at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Her first book, How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, was published in July 2021 by J.P. Putnam’s Sons. Excerpts have been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Parents magazine, and the book is being translated into seven languages.
Melinda was the recipient of the 2019 Bricker Award for Science Writing in Medicine, and her work was featured in the 2020 Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. She was also awarded a 2018 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellowship. Moyer’s work has won first place prizes in the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, the Folio Eddie Awards and the Annual Writing Awards of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. It has also been shortlisted for a James Beard Journalism Award, a National Academy of Sciences Communication Award and a National Magazine Award. She has a master’s in Science, Health & Environmental Reporting from NYU and a background in cell and molecular biology.
Got Sweets?
The Happier Hour
Elizabeth Schmitt
Owner & Board Stylist ATL Boards
Elizabeth Schmitt had a passion for food, entertaining and styling. She decided to take those hobbies and create a business based upon everything she loved, and ATL Boards was born! A former New Yorker, Elizabeth has lived in Florida, Connecticut and Paris before finally settling down in Atlanta, Georgia with her family and business.
ATL Boards is a Candy Charcuterie (aka candy board) company in Atlanta, GA. They sources the most unique candy from around the world to bring you the most fun and delicious custom created candy boards. They have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), the Atlantan, and Simply Buckhead.
What's Your Story?
The Happier Hour
Caytha Jentis
Award winning Writer
Playwright, Director & Producer
Caytha Jentis has written, directed and produced feature films, an online series, and an award-winning stage play that has been turned into a musical. She has several projects in various stages of development, and has an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and a BS in TV/Film from Syracuse University.
She began her career as a literary agent in New York and was profiled by the Writers Guild and Screenwriter Magazine. She is a member of the Writers Guild, Film Fatales and the Producers Guild.
Caytha's online comedy series , The Other F Word, streamed on Amazon and was one of its top series four months in a row. It now streams on The Girlfriend, AARP Gen X platform. It features: Steve Guttenberg, Judy Gold, Alysia Reiner and Gilbert Gottfried.
Caytha has also written 5 films, including, Bad Parents, which she also produced and directed, and currently streams on HBO, Hulu and Starz. It had previously streamed on Netflix and made the Redbox and iTunes top 20 comedy lists. The cast includes: Janeane Garofalo, Cheri Oteri, Christopher Titus and Kristen Johnston. She also wrote, And Then Came Love, a romantic comedy feature which now streams on Amazon. Its cast includes: Vanessa Williams, Eartha Kitt, Anna Camp and Ben Vereen. Her short film, April Showers, is currently doing the festival circuit.
Caytha received the NJ Playwrights Competition for her play, It’s All About the Kids and her new work Sex Work/Sex Play has been selected to be part of the Emerging Artists Spring New Works Series.
As a producer, Caytha produces films, storytelling events and The Gold Standard Arts Festival, the only festival to celebrate emerging and established older artists. Her website is www.foxmeadowfilms.com
How To Get Run Over By A Truck
The Happier Hour
Katie McKenna
Best Selling Author
Professional Speaker & Leadership Coach
On a sunny morning bike ride in Brooklyn, 24-year-old Katie McKenna was forever changed when she was run over by an 18-wheeler. Being crushed under a massive semi wasn't something Katie should have survived. After 10 hours of emergency surgery, she woke to find herself in a body and a life that would never be the same.
What began as a journal entry on a borrowed laptop during her extended hospital stay, became the best-selling memoir, How to Get Run Over by a Truck. Katie now travels the country, speaking to a vast array of audiences on how to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles with resilience, hope, humor and gratitude. As a professional coach, Katie has made it her mission to use her life experience, insights and passion to inspire and support others. Through one-on-one coaching, she gives clients the tools to tap into your grit, personal courage, and joy to overcome challenges big and small.
Her story inspires others to see how kindness can change the course of a person’s life, to delight in the beauty of the everyday, and to see the strength that lives within themselves.
Katie’s work has been featured in Health Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, Reader's Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the Daily Mail as well as many other publications. Katie has spoken at Fortune 500 companies, and Hospitals, Medical Schools ,Conferences and Universities across the country. Most recently, Ellen DeGeneres and the writers of the award winning Broadway musical “Come from Away” have teamed up with Warner Brothers to develop a 1 hour drama based on Katie’s story.
Making The Invisible... Visible
The Happier Hour
Megan McDowell
Founder of Heatworks
Speaker & Therapist & Activist
Megan McDowell is a licensed therapist and the founder of Heartworks, a non for profit acts of kindness group. She is an enthusiastic leader that sparked a movement focused on conscious giving and self-awareness in honor of the kindness shown to her sister Maryanne after her brother-in-law, John Farrell, was killed on September 11, 2001. Her story is a motivational tale of turning a horrible tragedy into an incredible movement.
Heartworks is a local grassroots community of women committed to replicating and sustaining the palpable kindness of others by helping local families dealing with grief, illness and tragedy. Inspired by the mutual healing that takes place through receiving and giving, they offer hope to those in a true time of need.
Her story is known internationally, and has reached over 2 million viewers on Mike Rowe's hit show " Returning The Favor"!
What's Next
The Happier Hour
JJ Ramberg
Founder of Goodpods & DogDog.org
Former MSNBC Anchor
JJ Ramberg is an entrepreneur, television host, public speaker, podcast host, entrepreneur, best-selling author and mom.
She is the founder of Goodpods - the podcast player where you can follow friends, groups and influencers to see what they're listening to.
JJ is also the co-founder of DogDog.org, the search engine that supports shelter dogs each time you do a search. To date, they have raised more than $7 million to help dogs in need.
JJ has been honored for her work by organizations including the American Women’s Business Association, Self Magazine, The Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Executives, Small Business Influencers and the New York Enterprise Report. JJ was recently named to Inc Magazine's Female Founders 100 and Goodpods was listed as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies.
Before Goodpods, JJ anchored the show Your Business on MSNBC for over a decade. She is also author of two books: The bestseller It’s Your Business and the children’s book The Startup Club.
Create A New Beginning
The Happier Hour
Kim Sleeman
Executive Director of The Warehouse NJ
After spending years volunteering with various organizations including The Peace Corps, Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills and Bridges Outreach in Summit NJ,, Kim realized her passion was helping others in need. Kim refused to believe that her most impactful experiences were behind her and wanted to create a non-profit where she could wake up every day and be proud of the work she was doing. And she did just that! Kim founded The Warehouse NJ in June 2019 to help families and individuals transition from homelessness into new permanent housing.
The Warehouse NJ started very organically: Kim began collecting gently used furniture and storing it in her garage. Two and half years later Kim now operates out of a packed shared warehouse space in Orange NJ. She works closely with over 15 service agencies, providing each of her clients with furniture and household items helping to turn empty apartments into homes.
Kim’s clients come from all different circumstances, including those facing mental and/or physical challenges, victims of domestic abuse and victims of fire and flood. Kim also helps refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Guatemala, and El Salvador relocating for the first time.
Speed of Passion
The Happier Hour
Yolanda Rabun
Modern-Day Renaissance Woman
Yolanda Rabun is a daughter, wife, mother, professional actor, motivational speaker, political scientist, a community activist for youth, corporate attorney, corporate executive, singer- songwriter, national recording and touring artist, theatre and music producer, music entrepreneur, and "not done." Often referred to as a multi-hyphenateor modern-day Renaissance woman
Yolanda serves as Senior Counsel and Corporate Executive with IBM Corporation’s IBM Research business. Triangle Business Journal awarded Yolanda the Top 40 under 40 Leadership Award and Women in Business Award. Yolanda also earned the Durham Chamber of Commerce Connector Award while serving on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce. In 2021, Yolanda serves on the United Arts Council – Raleigh and Wake County Board of Directors. She is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Corporate Counsel Women of Color, and admitted to full legal practice in New York and Georgia.
Yolanda is also a chart-topping national jazz recording artist, an award-winning professional equity actor, and recognized by President Obama as the recipient of the President’s Call to Service Award. Along with numerous acting accolades, she has three solo albums and has topped several charts, including the U.K. Soul Top 30 chart. Yolanda has opened for and performed with such iconic Grammy award-winning artists as Jennifer Holiday, Stephanie Mills, Howard Hewitt, Clay Aiken, Ron Isley, and the Isley Brothers, and R&B singers Will Downing, KEM, and the world-renowned iconic drummer, Sheila E. Yolanda Rabun is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Grammys), a registered BMI songwriter and a publisher with both BMI and ASCAP.
Everything Has Its Place
The Happier Hour
Gabriela Mekler
Co-Founder of MUMI
As a former elementary school teacher, Gabriela Mekler knows a thing or two about organizing and keeping things tidy. The Mexican-born NYU graduate with a double major in Education and Psychology and a master's degree in School Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, uncovered her true calling during a family vacation with her best friend and current business partner, Maribel Moreno. While unpacking their luggage, they both discovered they shared a common obsession for keeping everything in its place.
That moment sparked the 2014 foundation of mumi, a company born with a simple yet monumental mission: to share with the world the liberating feeling of being well organized by offering products that deliver an efficient and practical way to stay organized at home, school, the office or when travelling.
The company built its reputation with its packing cubes, a product that is still today a central part of their brand and one of their bestsellers. Both Gabriela and Maribel feed their love and passion for mumi through their customers, seeing how engaged their followers are online and how much they connect with the brand once they enter the “mumi world.”
Today, they get orders from every continent, having leveraged on the power of social media to reach unexpected audiences around the world.
Secret Wisdom
The Happier Hour
Sarah Brokaw
Best Selling Author & Licensed Therapist
Podcast Host
Sarah graduated from Duke University, earned a Masters in Social Work from New York University, and received her License in Clinical Social Work in both New York and California. But, she didn’t stop there. Sarah also received specialized training in working with families and couples from the esteemed Ackerman Institute, and finished a postgraduate program at Fielding University for Executive Coaching. Additionally, Sarah is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and has completed the National Institute for Psychotherapies psychoanalytic training. She also recently completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy as well as specialized instruction in TRM (Trauma Resiliency Model), a mind-body approach for treating affairs and trauma.
Sarah’s professional experience includes therapy for latency-aged children at Four Winds Hospital and group therapy for individuals who either worked in the World Trade Center or were nearby during the 9/11 attacks.
Sarah is the author of the best selling book "Fortytude" which explores the core values that allow us to make the best of our forties. Inspired by the remarkable women Sarah met while researching Fortytude, she launched a discussion series called Wise Women of LA in which women of diverse backgrounds could meet, share and support each other in achieving their professional and personal goals. Sarah also created a podcast series called Shared Secrets in which men and women with wisdom to share graciously let us in on their secrets
Who Doesn't Love a Top Ten List?
The Happier Hour
Katie Daryl
TV Host and Executive Producer of "Top Ten Revealed"
The Greatest and Most Iconic Songs, Bands and Musicians
Katie Daryl has 15+ years of industry experience MTV, VH1, TMZ, HDNet, CBS, REELZ, AXS TV and Anheuser Busch. She also hosts & produces a variety of AXS TV’s digital programs including Music High 5, At Home and Social, Rock & Tell, and Stranded. Weekly Katie Daryl finds herself interviewing the best of the best for her show "Top Ten Revealed", from the rock star world such as Nancy Wilson, Mick Fleetwood, Alice Cooper, Finneas, Jason Mraz, Lady A, Carnie Wilson and more!
Katie Daryl started her broadcasting career as a part time radio DJ at the age of 15. In 2000, after being crowned Fiesta Bowl Princess, Katie was hired by MTV. She then became the co-host of The Mark Cuban Show for two seasons on UPN/CBS Dallas.
After pitching Mark Cuban a music TV show concept, Katie joined the HDNet team as host, producer and creator of True Music which aired weekly from 2002-2007. Concurrently, Katie produced and hosted over 250 episodes of Deadline! for HDNet. She has also worked with VH1 as a contributing music expert on a variety of their countdown themed shows and she toured with Dale Earnhardt Jr. hosting Budweiser’s One Night Stand parties.
In 2007 Katie helped with the launch of TMZ on TV as a producer & VO talent. She was responsible for daily radio call ins and live flash cam needs for national affiliates.
Branding & Marketing & Social Media
Oh My!
The Happier Hour
Lizzy de la Peña
Founder of The Millennials Collective
How do you increase your social media following?
How do you brand yourself?
How important is a website?
What are the three top marketing tips?
Although Lizzy began her career in advertising at JWT, her true passion was to transition to creative event production. Approximately 9 years ago, that is exactly what she did. Lizzy founded @millennialscollective, an event production company, in her NYC apartment and has never turned back!
The Millennials Collective is a boutique branding, design, and event house that specializes in sleek designs, impactful events, and organic connections that produce growth- exactly what we all need! Lizzy graduated with a BFA in fine art and art history and spent a year in Italy studying design...and the rest is history!
It's "Bow" Time
The Happier Hour
Lindie Royall & Becca Grider
Co-Founders of The Little Poppy Co.
In a short walk home, a brand new bow was lost, and Little Poppy Co. was born.
Started in 2015 by two Utah mothers, Lindie Royall and Becca Grider , Little Poppy Co. has exponentially grown into a multimillion-dollar company. As with most morphmoms, the partners found something missing in the market...and filled that gap. As mothers with young children, they realized the not only the desire for bows, but the realization they they were also lost all too frequently. They joined forces and created the ORIGINAL bow subscription service that offers stylish bows to surprise buyers( and children) every month.
Just Enough...
The Happier Hour
Liz Lange
CEO & Creative Director of Figue
Founder of Liz Lange Maternity
In 1997, Liz Lange pioneered "maternity chic" by creating stylish, body conscious clothes for pregnant women. Working alone out of a one-room office, she created Liz Lange Maternity, changing the face of maternity fashions and revolutionizing the category. A decade later it was one of the largest maternity apparel brands in the world and in 2007, after dressing every major pregnant celebrity, including including Cate Blanchett, Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, , Kate Winslet, and Reese Witherspoon, and opening multiple flagship Liz Lange boutiques and forging major licensing deals with Nike and Target, Liz sold the brand.
Liz is the also the author of "Liz Lange's Maternity Style: How to look Fabulous during the Most Fashion-Challenged Time" published by Random House.
In 2010 Liz' first women's ready to wear collection launched on HSN, Completely Me™ by Liz Lange.
In December 2020, Lange acquired Figue, a popular dress brand, of which she is now the CEO and Creative Director.
Lange is also the star of the popular Sony podcast, "The Just Enough Family."
Liz has been recognized with many awards including Crain's Rising Star Award, Crain's 40 under 40, Time Magazine's "most powerful entrepreneur's". In addition to all of her fashion press coverage, Liz has also been profiled in major business publications including the WSJ and Harvard Business Review. Liz has appeared on Oprah, CNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg
Liz is actively involved in many charities and was a spokesperson for cervical cancer awareness. She spends most of her time these days running Figue as its CEO and Creative Director, and also investing in other consumer facing brands.
She lives in NYC, East Hampton and Palm Beach with her husband, her two college aged children and her two dogs.
When Oprah Loves Your Dress...
The Happier Hour
Jean Marie Clarke
Founder PAX PHILOMENA
Jean Marie Clarke, founder of PAX PHILOMENA, is on a mission to share her life-long love and passion for beautiful textiles through this transnational clothing line. A quintessential citizen of the world, Jean Marie was born in Calcutta, India to Anglo-Indian parents, whose families had been living in India for five generations. She emigrated with her family to America at a young age as a British citizen and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona.
As the daughter of immigrants, she could not afford to buy clothes deemed “fashionable,” so she tailored and sewed her own clothing from original fabrics. Earning a scholarship to Princeton University, Jean Marie felt a calling to study art history, focusing on Italian Renaissance studies. She studied abroad in Rome, learned Italian, and fell in love with the sense of aesthetics that permeates the Italian culture.
After graduation, she met Antonio Ratti the owner of Ratti SPA Textile Mill in Como, Italy. Impressed with her passion for textiles, Ratti hired her to work from his Como office designing and selling printed fabrics for the American luxury home furnishings market. For the last two decades, Jean Marie has travelled the world representing European textile mills. However, always feeling a calling to India, she has finally stepped foot back on Indian soil and has created PAX PHILOMENA to combine her love of India and Italy with her passion for beauty, color, design, and comfort in clothing.
As part of Jean Marie's mission, a portion of all PAX PHILOMENA proceeds go to Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity who continue to serve others and spread peace in America, India, and throughout the world.
A Renaissance Woman
The Happier Hour
Eugenia Foxworth
Founder Foxworth Realty
Podcast Host "The Foxworth Theory"
The journey of renaissance woman Eugenia Foxworth has many milestones – scholar, fashionista, art curator, flight attendant, real estate business owner and organizational president, scholarship committee executive and, most recently, podcast host.
After a brief stint as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines, Eugenia decided to follow her love for fine art and fashion. She first opened a Mexican clothing boutique in midtown Manhattan. Soon thereafter, she launched Foxworth Art Gallery, on the east side of the NYC. While simultaneously living out her passion for art, fashion and culture, Eugenia experienced a flood in her gallery. After many failed attempts at finding a new location with her broker, she decided to take matters into her own hands and obtain a real estate license so she could find her perfect place without having to rely upon others.
In 2008, Foxworth Realty opened its doors. She has since been honored as a “Woman of Excellence” by the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce and highlighted by Real Estate Agent Advisor as “One of the Phenomenal Women in Real Estate”. On May 1st, 2021 she took on a new title as the President of FIABCI-USA. She is the first African-American to be elected to this position.
Eugenia Foxworth can add yet another milestone along her journey – podcast host for "The Foxworth Theory", a new series that will cover, of course, art, fashion and culture.
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Helping Mamas
The Happier Hour
Jamie Lackey
Founder & CEO Helping Mamas
After nearly 20 years as a social worker, Jamie Lackey saw first-hand that the mothers she served couldn’t afford the basic necessities to care for their babies and children. The statistics remain staggering – one in three women in Georgia can’t afford diapers. So, in 2014, she took a leap and founded Helping Mamas, with a mission to collect and donate baby supplies to organizations who serve women and children in need in Georgia.
Lackey successfully raised $100,000 in financial and $50,000 in in-kind donations in the first year alone and has worked tirelessly to grow the organization to include over 150 partner agencies across the state serving over 55,000 families to distribute over 1,000,000 essential baby items such as diapers, clothing, baby wipes, strollers and car seats.
In her role as CEO, Lackey oversees and manages volunteers, corporate groups and partnerships; prepares grants and works with an active board of directors; and handles the day-to-day operations to move the agency forward.
She is the recipient of the United Way of Metro Atlanta’s first annual Spark award, which recognizes a local nonprofit organization with the most innovative strategy to impacting poverty.
Jamie received a Master's in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. Lackey is a working mother of two and resides in Snellville, GA.