MICHELLE PATTEE I first met JOY guest MICHELLE PATTEE in 2002 on the second floor of a small well lighted photography studio on Miller Ave in Mill Valley, CA. I was looking for a wedding photographer and MICHELLE was one of the only photographers I could find who had a fine arts degree. And for better or worse, not having one was a deal breaker for me. It was one of those immediate encounters where you quickly realize that this person is meant to be a part of your life. I instantly loved MICHELLE'S confidence, intelligence, sense of humor and fearlessness. MICHELLE is fearless in all the ways. And of course her talent. MICHELLE'S photography is simply incomparable. She is...
THE TRUTH On Thursday, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy released a 53 page report detailing the current adolescent mental health crisis. And it is grim. In fact, we've moved past crisis to full on emergency. Included in the report (you can read the NYTimes synopsis HERE) was the following, which I hope you will really let sink in for a moment. “In the United States, emergency room visits for suicide attempts rose 51 percent for adolescent girls in early 2021 as compared to the same period in 2019. The figure rose 4 percent for boys.” We are losing girls. Also boys, but a staggering amount of girls to mental health crisis. This begs the question, why? And I've...
EXCELLENCE I'm a big fan of excellence in the field. Whether it is Serena Williams, Marc Jacobs, Kamala Harris, or Mariano Rivera, I dig on people kicking ass at what they do. And I LOVE when the excellence comes through no matter my individual taste or preference. If I can appreciate the craft and talent but not fully enjoy the product, that's a double dose of inspiration for me. It means that the individual is so refined in their skill, it doesn't even matter if I like what they do, appreciating their expertise feels just as good. Enter Ed Sheeran. I am incredibly inspired by Ed Sheeran but I don't love his music. What I do love...
All science points to practicing gratitude as having a positive effect on our well being. A wide range of studies have proven this to be true. So why am I so skeptical? Don't get me wrong, gratitude is a beautiful thing. And it feels wonderful. Acknowledging our abundance and moving ourselves away from a mindset of scarcity can feel like a breath of fresh air. It gives us pause, makes us feel like we are enough and puts the breaks on the capitalist addiction we have to always striving for more. All good things. Along with numerous mental health benefits, a gratitude practice can also have a positive effect on our physical health lowering blood pressure, improving...
ALANA RIVERA I first met JOY guest ALANA RIVERA in 2011 at the Banana Republic Flagship store of all places. Alana's incredible natural body care line Etta + Billie had been chosen by SF Made to be part of a Banana Republic event highlighting local independent businesses. My business, Zelma Rose was still pretty new and I was working as a journalist for IndieMade. I was assigned to cover the partnership for their readers, you can actually read the 2011 article here. My daughter was still an infant and I can remember carefully scheduling the assignment around breast feeding, because she never took a bottle. It was insane! In a total rush of a flop sweat, already panicked about when I would have to leave, I approached Alana...
