THE LIST

Ready to fill your dance card, take happy hour up a notch, or just glamorize a girls’ brunch? Take inspo from these dazzling designer bags to add some sparkle to your post-athleisure style. Top to bottom: VERSACE Mini Medusa studded suede top handle bag; CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Elisa baguette bag in patent leather; ROSANTICA Holli embellished top handle bag; and MARY FRANCES Champagne On Ice top handle handbag (available locally at ShopModa).

Get your groove on with these polished pairs. They offer pretty great excuses to kick off the sneaks and show off your dancing queen moves.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Ruban mock-croc stiletto red sole sandal

LOUISE ET CIE Fionnah chain-strap mule AMINA MUADDI Gilda suede and crystal sandal

BADGLEY MISCHKA Bohemia embellished pump

LOUISE ET CIE Lakma cage pump

TOM FORD metallic lizard-print Lock sandal

VERSACE Medusa crystal satin slingback pump

DRIES VAN NOTEN Velvet Rose square-toe pump

VERSACE Safety Pin lamb sandal

AQUAZZURA Le Parisien metallic slide sandal VALENTINO GARAVANI French Bows patent gladiator pump

SAINT LAURENT Opyum YSL logo-heel sandal MANOLO BLAHNIK Lurum crystal cocktail mule

SOPHIA WEBSTER Rosalind glitter sphere-heel sandal

Businesswoman, author, entrepreneur, teacher, coach and esthetician Tessa Boyd always believed in her dreams for a career and life — and with her Elise Esthetics Institute, they are coming true.

She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a business degree specializing in marketing and management and started her professional life in the city. “I decided to change my career and become a licensed esthetician. I got to a point in Cincinnati where the weather really got to me. It turned me into a not-anice person. So, in 2006 I decided to move to Orlando — I felt it could be a great place for me to catapult as an esthetician because the business would not be so cyclical. In Ohio, people typically got facials in the winter but not really yearround,” she says.

She moved here by herself and transferred with her employer, Sephora, to start over. “I knew when I moved here, I wanted to get into education. I had this love for aesthetics, but I also had this love for educating people,” she adds.

Sephora had a program at the time where Tessa was able to train other employees. She thought she had found her dream position, but the door quickly closed due to corporate policies. She found a local college that offered courses in skincare and massage therapy and was able to start teaching skincare.

“It was one of the first times in my life where I felt like I got up every day and just played. It was the most fulfilling job ever. I got to train people to do what I do. But after a couple of months, I was told they were going to cut my teaching hours so I could either get back into a management position or risk having reduced hours. It was not something I wanted initially, but it led me into the director of education position for the school. I was responsible for building the team,” she explains. Unfortunately, that involved firing some long-term employees. She was also charged with growing the school, but she found herself no longer believing in its vision. It led to an a-ha moment — sitting outside on a green bench pondering — after she was led to believe she would be promoted to an exciting new position and then found out someone else had been hired.

Armed with experience, education, enthusiasm and drive, Tessa decided to start her own school. “I wanted to have a school that was different. I am a firm believer in purpose and living out your purpose-driven life. A lot of people would say to me, ‘I would be an esthetician if…’ I decided what if I could take the ifs out of it with a school that was conducive to everyone’s schedule. I have the first online hybrid skincare program in the state of Florida,” she says.

In getting to this point, Tessa had to prove to the licensing governing body that there was a need and that it could work. “The interesting thing about this journey is I have never attended an online class. I went to traditional in-person classes. We presented to the commission and got approved in September 2011 and were scheduled to start a class in January 2012,” she explains.

There were three students enrolled but not one of them started. “That February I was in the fetal position wondering what I was going to do now. I had to reset my focus while I was working some part-time jobs. By September 2012 I had more people that were interested and began the first program with two students,” she shares.

Tessa sacrificed her more comfortable lifestyle in the beginning, actually living in the school space with a Murphy bed that pulled down at night. “For three and a half years I lived in my business. One time I forgot to lock the door and my banker came in while I was undressed. I look back and think those were some of the best years of my life because for the first time I felt like I took control and was in charge,” she says.

Ten years later, Tessa has exceeded her dreams and is in the process of purchasing her own building so she can expand the school. “We want to add to our program offerings and really be more allencompassing, going beyond skincare. In our current space we have a waiting list because we are limited in terms of how many students we can have. In addition to training, we want to make sure our students are marketable so they can go out and get jobs,” explains Tessa, who has been happily married since 2014 and credits her husband with supporting her vision.

“I woke up one Monday morning fatigued and irritated because I had not been able to say no to an invitation to a birthday party. In saying yes to the invitation, I chose to honor someone else instead of the commitment I made to myself to keep Sunday as my day of rest and relaxation, as this is the only day I do not work. For the rest of that week, I paid for my decision. My week was a blur, and my thoughts were clouded. And then it dawned on me that I had not rested. There are times that you have to say no to invitations so that you can rest.”

“You have to be content with being alone. Dare to be different. As I reflect back, even at a young age, I was very different. I dared to ask pensive questions, even at the expense of offending others. I was on a quest for knowledge, and I wanted to know ‘the whys’ behind things. Even today, when I coach, train and teach others, I always find myself answering ‘the whys.’”

“I struggled for years in knowing my value and worth. I wanted acceptance from others, and I wanted to fit in. Because I was ‘a little different’ I defined my worth as others saw me. I had limited beliefs in what I was capable of achieving. By putting in the work, I started to peel the layers off the onion. The outer layer represented how I wanted others to see me. I peeled that layer off. The next layer represented how I really saw myself, that part was a little painful. I realized that I received negative words spoken by other people. This wasn’t really who I was, it was what I accepted as truth, so it was a lie. I denounced those lies. I was left with the core of the onion, which represented who I really was.”

INFLUENCER ASHLEY BROOKE

was fresh out of college with a degree in interior design and planned a career in her chosen field, but it was 2008. “When I graduated it was right when the market crashed and I found myself without a job. I had gotten a first job but was immediately laid off within two weeks. The downturn was really tough on the design industry,” she says.

So, Ashley moved back home to Brevard County where her parents had established a thriving photography business. “My dad had a couple of studios and he generously hired me as a retouch artist. He taught me Photoshop and it made me realize I truly wanted to do something in a creative industry,” she adds.

While her parents encouraged her to continue exploring creative careers, she says it was really a season for her to find out who she wanted to be. Her first foray came from necessity — it was after her birthday, and she needed stationery to send thank you notes. “Since I had this new-found Photoshop skill plus my art background, I started doing these little doodles and scanning them in. I fell in love with paper and realized I had married all my favorite things,” she explains.

That’s when she became a stationery designer and spent time reading business books and studying how to start and manage her own small business while still working fer her parents. One of the books she took to heart was New Rules of Marketing and PR which advised starting a blog. “This was at a time when most people did not even know the word. I was intrigued by the idea, especially since I had no money for advertising. So, I had a little website designed. I launched it and published my first daily blog the same day. I talked about subjects related to paper and then once a week I would talk about my stationery. As the blog started getting traction, I started getting comments from people wanting to know where my shirt was from or what color lipstick I was wearing — questions that went beyond paper products and stationery,” she explains.

Ashley began adding more lifestyle content to the blog while growing the stationery business. As demand grew, she was able to make stationery her full-time job. “I looked at the blog as a funnel for the business. But as it expanded, I got to talk about more of my favorite things — things that you would find on Pinterest now,” she adds. She ended up expanding from stationery into hard desk items including notepads, tumblers and coffee mugs, moving into the wholesale arena. During this period Ashley met her future husband who also had blogging experience.

“He asked me why I was blogging five days a week since there was no direct revenue coming from it. I told him people were buying product after reading the blog. He convinced me that there was no reason why the blog itself shouldn’t be making money,” she explains. That’s when the big shift began. By 2016, after they had been married a few years, and the products were in more than 700 stores worldwide, the blog became a stand-alone business. Ashley’s husband quit his job to join her and expand both platforms, but by 2017 they decided to close the product side and focus solely on the blog.

“I was stretched very thin doing both things. I was not as excited about where the product industry was going. The margins were getting smaller on the products we made. It almost felt like we were paying to get our products in the big box stores,” she says.

Ashley credits her beginnings during a recession with helping her realize that sometimes you have to move in a different direction depending on the economy, season and demand. “Our No. 1 word is pivot. And it’s about not holding onto things too tightly,” she adds. As they continued with the blog, Ashley’s husband took another job and it allowed her to build a team to run it.

“The blog has changed a million times over and it’s changed due to what our readers want. That’s the biggest lesson — sometimes things I think will work are not necessarily the things that do work best. I want to give the audience what they want — to be their best friend or big sister they didn’t know they needed. It’s all about creating a community,” she explains.

On an 8-acre campus off Clarcona Ocoee road resides the Southeast Region Training Center for Canine Companions, a national organization that trains and provides service dogs to people with disabilities. The state-of-the-art facility serves the states of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. While the training center opened just over 21 years ago, the organization’s signature fundraiser, Tales & Tails Gala, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on October 23 at Rosen Shingle Creek with an in-person event, as well as an exciting virtual live stream experience. We caught up with the gala co-chairs to learn more and find their reasons behind volunteering for this beloved organization and event.

Robin Sanchez, Paul Richards, Trish Walsh and Mary Taylor Jacobs

Robin Sanchez: Supporting Canine Companions was an easy decision after I attended a graduation ceremony. By the end of the weekend, I had decided I wanted to be part of an organization that changes lives. I have been involved with the Tales & Tails Gala for the past 15 years and I am also a volunteer puppy raiser.

Paul Richards: I knew a little bit about the mission but decided to become more involved and joined the Tales & Tails Gala committee in 2004. I continued to be involved after meeting a mother and her daughter who had just been matched with one of our service dogs. She told me their dog had been one of the biggest blessings and gifts they had ever received.

Trish Walsh: When I learned from friends how much independence and love these dogs bring to people with disabilities, I knew I had to become involved. And it didn’t take me long to recognize the tremendous positive impact that Canine Companions has and I tell everyone that being involved with Canine Companions brings a smile to my face every day.

Mary Taylor Jacobs: I raised my first puppy in 1993 after learning about the organization through my involvement with the General Federation of Women’s Club. Supporting Canine Companions and the Tales & Tails Gala is a way for me to help others and is part of my personal commitment to benefit the community.

ORANGE APPEAL: The Tales & Tails Gala is celebrating its 25th anniversary — what gives it such longevity?

ROBIN SANCHEZ: From its humble beginnings, this fundraising event has risen to prominence as one of Central Florida’s premier charity events — setting records for both attendance and monies raised. The incredible success of our event is the result of the hard work and dedication of numerous volunteers, gala committee members and key partnerships. And our guests and sponsors return after hearing amazing stories from our clients about how their service dogs have impacted their lives and helped them be independent. And there are adorable puppies everywhere!

To learn more about the upcoming Tales & Tails Gala visit canine.org/galacelebration OA: Events are finally back after more than a year — what can guests expect? Anything new or different?

PAUL RICHARDS: Last year when COVID changed our fundraising world, it allowed us to try new things and the heart, brains and courage of Canine Companions came to life on computer and television screens when the Tales & Tails Gala was presented virtually and still set fundraising records — raising more than $600,000. This year we are thrilled to gather together for an in-person event while taking safety measures to protect the well-being of everyone. But we will also offer a live stream experience like none other, and participants will have the choice on how to attend. Guests in-person will enjoy silent and live auctions, a cocktail hour, a delicious gourmet dinner, service dog demonstrations, live music, and amazing inspirational stories. OA: How was the organization affected by the pandemic? Any new programs or innovations that came from it?

TRISH WALSH and MARY TAYLOR JACOBS: 2020 was an unprecedented year for everyone and especially for non-profit organizations. The uncertainty and demands of the pandemic made us worry — but we also realized it was a time of opportunity, a time to reimagine who we are, and a time that would make us better in the process — and the pandemic certainly did not slow us down. A disability doesn’t disappear in time of a crisis and neither did Canine Companions — its mission continued. They adapted and established safety measures including remote work, socially distanced Team Trainings, online events, a shift to digital communications, and more.