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Babe by Hatch •

Maintaining my Mental Health as a SAHM

As a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM), I’ve discovered that the SAHM life is essentially motherhood on speed. You get to spend every waking hour with your baby – which is equal parts beyond fulfilling and mind blowingly frustrating. You get to witness every milestone, every tender moment, but you endure every wail, tantrum, and scream. You’re the earthly domestic provider and the punching bag. You have all the time in the world, yet you get no time at all.

I decided to stay at home with my first child w...
Babe by Hatch •

Normalizing “Help” In Motherhood

If being a mom is the “hardest job in the world,” why do moms get judged for getting help? From nannies and au pairs to daycare centers and help from our own parents, why do we feel guilty for letting other people take care of our kids?

When I moved to Connecticut, I was entertained by routine questions I received from fellow parents regarding my children’s caretaking. Questions like, “What do you do for fun?” instead of “What do you do for work?” and “What nanny service do you use?” instead of...
Fashion Is Psychology •

Trying on New Clothes is Like Trying on New Selves | FiP

You’ve heard the famous fashion quotes that have given us energy and confidence when we need it most — sayings like “Dress for success,” “You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it,” and “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life,” — all hold serious merit when it comes to figuring ourselves out as we move from one life transition to the next.More often than not, when we’re feeling low about ourselves, we turn to fashion for answers. It can be difficult to arti...
Popsugar •

My Pink Hair Is Making Me Feel Fearless in Life — Here's How

While I now receive an instant confidence boost upon looking in the mirror, plus uplifting compliments from strangers, I didn't do this for attention. I did it in hopes it would boost my mood . . . and to level up on the bet, of course. Being stuck in a mental rut for several months — thank you self-isolation, winter, and the onslaught of bad news in the world — I knew I needed a drastic change to get me out of my funk. I've done experiments like this before to prove the psychological benefits o...

Hollywood Glamour Arrives in Ridgefield

The time period from 1920-1960 is widely regarded as Hollywood's Golden Age. Filled with drama, decadence, and fabulousness from top to bottom, this time period stays true to its name. As ACT of Connecticut's producing director Erin Craig puts it, "The Motion Pictures of that time in Hollywood were big spectacles of costume and scenery and dance. It was such a vibrant time of bringing these great Hollywood movies and musicals to the world and they existed in such great capacity.”

The ACT Theate...

Ways to Inspire Wellness

January is a month notorious for resetting, recharging and feeling like the best version of yourself. As the blur of the holidays has passed, we have yet another year to look forward to (and be grateful for).

There is no "one size fits all" rule for well-being, of course, so we have provided some interesting takes on wellness in the hopes of encouraging you to open your mind to the ever-expanding world of mental, emotional and physical health.

Kathleen Kweskin founded Grow Wellness Center in R...

Small Movements, Big Results

Joseph Pilates once said, "You are only as strong as your spine."

After 35 years of teaching on his equipment, Sharon McSpedon, owner of the Pilates Barre, can attest to the truth in those words. "If I could only give one tip of fitness advice it would be to strengthen and lengthen the trunk to support the spine...focus on the full core from upper thigh to shoulders, front to back and side to side. Strengthen the musculature supporting the lumbar and cervical spine and develop the strength and...

Award Winning Lingerie on Main

The Candlelight Shoppe is more than meets the eye as a lingerie and underwear store. Nestled in the middle of Ridgefield's iconic Main Street is a store full of history, love and beautiful things, a place where customer milestones like proms, weddings and births are gratefully acknowledged and celebrated.

Owned and operated by Pam Fitzpatrick, the shop first opened its doors in 1964 by Pam's mother, who recognized the need for a lingerie shop in the area. While Pam "grew up " in the store, the...

Ladies Who Love Local

Few people have a way to people's hearts as soon as they meet you. Individuals who possess that charismatic "it" factor that instantly brings a smile to your face and a warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart because they make you feel like you belong, no matter what your background is, where you came from or where your passions lie.

Suzanne Brennan and Amanda Gabbard are two women who have just that. Suzanne has Ridgefield running deep in her veins as she grew up here, full of wisdom, love and wa...

3 Style Tips To Live By

I recently watched Next in Fashion hosted by fashion crowd favorites, Tan France and Alexa Chung. Highly recommend watching for style inspiration and general fashion entertainment.

In between episodes, Alexa and Tan give teeny style tip tidbits sworn by the fashion elite, and I found them to be quite fabulous and refreshing from the tired advice seen on Instagram from “experts” who aren’t really experts at all.

What I’m looking for is timeless advice. Advice that applies to anyone no matter th...

Ridgefield Moms Hottest Summer Tips

Michele Moonan and Ashley Forte bring support, comfort, and so much more to the local community. Taking on the Ridgefield Chapter of The Local Moms Network back in 2018, their friendship is just as solid as their business. Doling out resource after resource to moms craving community and companionship, these two smart and savvy business women know exactly what mothers of Ridgefield want, and they deliver.

The mission of The Local Moms Network (a...

Fashion Forward To Summer, Finally

Wardrobe stylist Maria Risso and boutique owner Sunny Hers give us the inside scoop on what constitutes a chic summer look. Whether you love incorporating of-the-moment trends or gravitate toward a more classic approach to fashion, rest assured whatever you're wearing will look elevated so long as you exude confidence.

Trends Maria is loving right now include "everything fringe, textured, embellished." Her tip for staying on trend while looking polished: Add some texture and make sure to stick...

At Home with Allison Meyler

Local artist Allison Meyler welcomed us into her home to present her brilliant artwork placed about in the light and cheery 1890's farmhouse she's lived in for 18 years. "My taste is modern and sparse," she said of her home design preference, claiming that "white is a good backdrop for everything."

She began painting in college. Attending her first abstract art class was what initially led to her signature art aesthetic of exploring the female form. "I love challenging myself," she explains. I...

How the Iris Fund is Empowering Women

Brittney Crystal's advocacy efforts are shedding light on why evidenced based research is so important.

The Iris Fund was founded in 2017 by Brittney, upon suffering the devastating loss of her daughter Iris after an emergency C-section at 28 weeks old. There were two fundamental things Brittney learned from her daughter's death; the stigma and isolation around this kind of loss is crippling, and the basics of how a woman's body works are yet to be understood. 

That is where Iris's legacy bega...

Fashion Entrepreneurship with Ashley Alt

What inspired you to start your clothing brand, VALT?

I was inspired to launch a label by many things. I had the entrepreneurial itch to claim something as my own, I had always been obsessed with clothes and fashion, and I wanted my brand to have meaning behind it — that was the biggest thing.

After taking several business, fashion, and personal branding courses, I learned that you are best suited to serve an old version of yourself. For me, this was a painful period in my life where I struggl...

Self-Care Season

It’s self-care season: How can we prevent the winter blues?

My prescription for warding off wintertime sadness is to (a) take a daily vitamin D supplement and (b) book a beach vacation. If you’re already subscribing to the standard regimens of eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising and spending quality time with people you love, you are well on your way to preventing feelings of sadness, low mood and low energy.

However, we all know that winter can drag on, negatively impacting our m...

The Nutritionist Who Knows Good Eats

Nathalie Rhone, Registered Dietician and Functional Medicine Nutritionist servicing Greenwich and New York City, acts as your ultimate nutrition and lifestyle coach — enlightening and empowering you on your journey to a healthier, happier life. Her philosophy follows a clean-eating, mostly plant-based lifestyle that is packed with organic, whole foods with BIG flavor.

Through her private nutrition practice, Nutrition by Nathalie, she uses various techniques under the wellness umbrella including...

Wellness in your Home

Home is where the heart is, so they say. Susan De Chiara, an artist based in New Canaan, tells us how to make your home yours, from art pieces to seasonal decor, including where to find unique pieces to make your space feel as cozy-chic as it looks.

A decor blogger first, artist second, Susan founded the widely followed design blog back in 2009, The Zhush, which she still keeps up with today discussing interior design trends and styles. After 10 years of writing about design, she decided to “re...

Q+A With Local Fashion Personnel

I spoke with two of Greenwich's fashion experts for our style issue.

ASHLEY: Tell us how Katie Fong Collection got started.

KATIE: Katie Fong Collection started in her parent’s house in 2012 when I decided to turn an unused library space into my workroom. I was working full time in the city and then coming home to pattern and sew made-to-measure garments for my own clients. In January 2013, I left my job and officially launched my company. 

ASHLEY: What (or who) inspires your designs?

KATIE:...
Well+Good •

Lilliana Vazquez on Why Therapy for Moms Is So Vital | Well+Good

Now the mother of a baby boy, Vazquez is working to raise awareness about maternal mental health and destigmatize common conditions associated with the path to parenthood, including infertility, miscarriages, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression (PPD). “We need to process ALL the losses,” she says. “Whether it’s IVF or identity or your relationship, there’s so much that simply isn’t talked about. For example, when the transfer didn’t take place during IVF, that was a loss. No one acknowledg...
Ask Ashley •

Motherhood Can Make You Feel Drab. These are the Pick-Me-Ups that Work Every Time

From wellness practices to boutique shopping, we must find a way through the struggle.Dictionary.com defines motherhood as “the state of being a mother,” giving the vague example in sentence form as: “She juggles motherhood with a demanding career.”This tells us nothing.Motherhood is often glamorized as a beautiful journey beginning with images of a flawless mom-to-be rubbing her adorable (small and perfectly round!) bump in a fitted dress hugging her hips just so, face aglow with that new mommy...
Ask Ashley •

Meet a Fabulous Woman: A New Series

Above: Amanda Gabbard. Photo by Jennifer Zarine.For the next several weeks, I will be sharing stories of inspirational women I’ve met throughout my travels. And by travels I mean my residing in different cities and states throughout the last decade of my life, coming across some of the most talented and impressionable people of my life.I think often about the people I’ve met during my time in Chicago, Lexington, Connecticut and New York. The ones who left a lasting impression on me due to their...
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