March 2013

Page 1





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characters, and tales from history, and representative events from the modern world. In Shen Yun performances, themes like spiritual devotion, the benevolence of gods, good and evil, retribution, and the search for the meaning of life have appeared in dance stories and lyrics. Shen Yun Performing Arts pre-

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18 HOLES FOR 18 CHARITIES. Join us at River Place Country Club as we eat, drink, and chip in for 18 Austin charities. On top of a full day of golf, check out what else we’ve got in store: 8:30am registration with breakfast and a little driving practice.

Drinks, snacks, and a new activity on every hole.

A ton of chances to win great giveaways (like a brand new car from Roger Beasley Mazda!) throughout the course.

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Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Center for Child Protection

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Contents m a rch

On the Cover up! 62 link Through Link Coworking, Liz

Elam creates collaborative spaces for fellow entrepreneurs. By Julie Tereshchuk.

Feature Photo by Kimberly Davis.

Comadre es 68 Mi su comadre.

Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock provides opportunity, visibility and community for Latinas through Las Comadres Para Las Americas. By Molly McManus.


Contents m a rch

38 24 5 things you must do this month 28 spotlight event An evening with Samantha Bee.

30 philanthropy Texas Heritage Songwriters Association Hall of Fame Awards Show. 32 Around town Photos from Austin events. 34 Horoscopes Happy birthday, Pisces.

must list 36 on the bookshelf The road to success.

style 38 fashion Singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel

48 home

Creating a unique look with local

artisans.

90 best kept secret Plug and Play creates an innovative solution for entrepreneurs.

gourmet 50 dining Power lunch.

92 you should know Introducing SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame inductee danah boyd.

54 cooking Start your day off right.

94 two of a kind Patricia V. Hayes revealed.

56 job envy Drink.Well co-owner Jessica

96 austin innovator Emily Schmitz

Sanders.

spotlights medical innovations.

to your health

98 global views A journey through India.

58 fitness Crank up your workout. 60 wellness Confronting incontinence.

opposite sex

models five spring trends.

84 memo from JB Music snobbery 101.

44 beauty Expert Q+A with Carina Menzies.

86 simply irresistible

46 beauty Making scents of spring.

you want.

14   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

savvy woman

88 Relationships

Billy Brooks.

Seven ways to get what

102 entrepreneurial life Music from the soul.

104 last word My March madness.

on the cover Photo by Kimberly Davis. Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, Rae Cosmetics, raecosmetics.com. Hair by Candice Lumpkin, Avant Salon, avantsalon.com. Shot on location at Link Coworking.

Photo by Shannon McIntyre.

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Volume 11, issue 7 Co-Founder and Publisher

Melinda Maine Garvey vice president and Co-Publisher

Christopher Garvey associate publisher

Cynthia Guajardo Co-Founder

Samantha Stevens Executive Editor

Deborah Hamilton-Lynne Art Director

Victoria Millner ad designer

Jennifer Day marketing and operations director

Sadie Flynn marketing and operations associate

TEXAS EXECUTIVE MBA TEXAS EVENING MBA

Rhonda Rushing Account Executives

Erin Henry, Kimberly Ruka, Charmie Stryker, 512.328.2421 associate editor

Molly McManus copy editor

Chantal Rice art assistant

Katie Holmstrom Contributors

Rudy Arocha, Malia Bradshaw, Jill Case, Amory Casto, Stephen Paul Connor, Kimberly Davis, Andy East, Allie Eissler, Michelle Fitzgerald, Sadie Flynn, JB Hager, Ashley Hargrove, Erin Henry, Chrissie Jarrell, Cathy Johnson, Caleb Kerr, Eric Leech, Deborah Mastelotto, Shannon McIntyre, Molly McManus, Rachel Merriman, Vicky Oliver, Meng Qi, Sarah Quatrano, Shelley Seale, Julie Tereshchuk, Kristi Willis, Leigh Anne Winger, Natalie Yerkovich, Jean Yoo Interns

Malia Bradshaw, Amory Casto, Jessi Coronado, Andy East, Lauren Lara, Adam Linehan, Leigh Anne Winger, Jean Yoo Austin Woman is a free monthly publication of AW Media Inc. and is available at more than 1,150 locations throughout Austin and in Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville. All rights reserved. For submission requirements, visit awmediainc. com/contribute. No part of the magazine may be reprinted or duplicated without permission. Visit us online at austinwomanmagazine.com. Email us at info@awmediainc.com. 512.328.2421 • 3921 Steck Ave., Suite A111, Austin, TX 78759

If you are passionate about succeeding in business, advancing or changing careers and building your professional network, the McCombs School of Business encourages you to earn your MBA at The University of Texas at Austin. Our collaborative learning environment prepares graduates to become influential business leaders in a wide range of industries and organizations. TAKE THE FIRST STEP - ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION:

Executive MBA session: Tuesday, March 5th, 2013 | 6:30 pm Register at: TexasExecutiveMBA.info Evening MBA session: Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 | 6:30 pm Register at: TexasEveningMBA.info All sessions held at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center MLK & University Avenue

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I

n 2010, I read a book that changed my life and perspective on the role of women. The book was entitled Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. The book later became a video series on PBS. The subject was compelling: how to turn oppression of women in to opportunity. The stories were compelling: a call to action with hopeful accounts of the resilience and resourcefulness of women trapped in the worst of circumstances. It was impossible to do nothing after reading the book, and I set out to do what I could to make a difference. Since then, I have funded micro-loans, helped pay tuition for a female student at Mahiga High School in Kenya and given gifts from the Heifer Project in honor of friends. These efforts are meager and only touch the tip of the iceberg, so I also committed to telling the stories of women through my role as editor of Austin Woman. I take this responsibility very seriously and hope readers take away information and inspiration from each issue. Women from as diverse political ideologies as Hillary Clinton and Karen Hughes agree that women who are educated and able to support their families will provide stability for the developing world. Here in the U.S., statistics tell the story: In 2010, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in history, businesses owned by women reached 49 percent and the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated that women make up more than twothirds of employees in 10 of the 15 fastest-growing job categories. Austin is a veritable petri dish of emerging female entrepreneurs, and cover woman Liz Elam is an excellent example of a woman who recognized a need, used her life experience and jumped in to the market to fill the need. This issue also includes stories of successful entrepreneurs following diverse paths and passions, from owning a restaurant and founding a communications firm to sharing a love for the soul of music and creating a work space/ day-care facility friendly to working mothers. March 8 marks the celebration of International Women’s Day. The celebration will go on for several days in Austin at Ten Thousand Villages, culminating in the fifth-annual awards ceremony hosted by former AW cover woman Sara Hickman. In our second feature, Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock addresses the need for “comadres” and discusses the founding of Las Comadres Para Las Americas. Created to link Latinas personally and professionally, it has become the largest international organization of its kind dedicated to connecting and empowering Latinas everywhere through community building, culture, learning and technology. In addition to International Women’s Day, March has been designated as Women’s History Month, and I urge each of you to reflect on the role of women in our society and throughout the world. The recent disturbing trend of violence toward women—rapes, disfigurement, the shooting of a young Pakistani girl determined to get an education—must no longer be tolerated, and our voices individually and communally must be heard loud and clear. Find a way to make a difference, whether large or small—we are all comadres. I look forward to hearing about the many ways you are making a difference in Austin and throughout the world, and to sharing your stories each month in the pages of Austin Woman.




Contributors kimberly davis is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Austin, where she lives with her husband, Scott, and her dog, Lucy. Kimberly photographs food, interiors, travel and all things “pretty,” and especially loves to photograph places and items that represent Texas. She serves as vice president of the Austin/San Antonio chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers. You can find her work on Page 62.

Don’t be fooled by her English accent; Julie Tereshchuk has lived in Austin for 21 years, loves the city, the people, the vibe—heck, even the crazy summer heat. When she’s not rocking her life in Austin, Julie travels regularly to New York and London. Her favorite travel gadget? An ebook reader.

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DTK Austin founder Ashley Hargrove is a leading wardrobe stylist in her home state of Texas and has taken her experience to Los Angeles, Chicago and Canada for major productions. She has also professionally modeled for well-known department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Southern Thread and countless boutiques. Ashley specializes in styling artists of all kinds, including models, musicians and radio and TV personalities. Her work has been on Dancing With the Stars and national Dell campaigns. For this issue, Ashley styled five trends to get you started for spring. See her work on Page 38. Kayte VanScoy grew up swinging on the rope swing at Bull Creek, eating on the carousel at 2-Js and cruising the emus at Holiday House. That’s right, a native Austinite; they still exist. She cut her teeth writing politics for the Austin Chronicle, spent the obligatory seven years in the wilderness of New York City and is happy to be home for good. Profiling the owner of Drink.Well for this issue was difficult because she had to sit in the bar without eating their Spicy Kimchi Reuben, which is quite possibly the best sandwich on earth.

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Featured

Still from A River Changes Course, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Mother Daughter Makeover!

between the covers

The Storyteller.

Want a fresh look for spring and a feature in Austin Woman? Give your mom or daughter an early Mother’s Day present by nominating the two of you for a makeover, including hair, makeup and styling. Send a photo of both of you and no more than 200 words to tell us why you need a new look. Email submissions to makeover@awmediainc.com.

Up close and personal with novelist Jodi Picoult. The bestselling author comes to the LBJ Library March 19 to discuss her latest tome, The Storyteller, as the featured speaker of the Harry Middleton Lecture Series.

Fridayfaves We love exploring the city we call home, and every Friday on our Facebook page, we’ll be sharing five of our favorite things to eat, drink, do or see! This month, we picked our favorite patios around town!

1 Contigo. Go on a culinary adventure underneath warm string lights and ranch-style seating.

Follow us

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3

Iguana Grill. Because who doesn’t enjoy fine Tex-Mex with a sunset view over Lake Travis?

Zocalo. Enjoy fresh Mexican with a quaint view of Clarksville.

@austinwoman

22   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

4 Garrido’s. Escape to a lush, hidden patio in the heart of downtown.

Read more about this urban escape on page 50.

like us

5 Taverna. Get a bottle of wine and partake in some good ol’ people watching.

Female cinematographers and directors took home the prizes at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. We’ve got insider reviews of the latest from Sundance and South By Southwest Film Festivals.

Kiss me, I’m Irish! Five places to celebrate the wearing of green on St. Patrick’s Day.

Win this! Stay up to date on Austin Woman happenings and news from around town by signing up for our e-newsletter. Plus, we’ll be picking some lucky readers to receive copies of For Better or For Work and other titles featured on page 36. Get started at bit.ly/awnewsletter.

Can’t get enough of this issue? Check out austinwomanmagazine.com for bonus content, including:

Two entrepreneurs, one roof: Jewelry designer Margaret Wolf and stylist Laurel Kinney share entrepreneurial dreams and a domicile.

Spin Cycle. AW checks out PureRyde, Austin’s first RealRyder indoor cycling studio.

All the latest. Reviews and updates on the SXSW Interactive, Film and Music conferences, as well as theater, concerts and restaurants.

facebook.com/austinwoman

find us

austinwomanmagazine.com


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on the scene /

5 Things you must do this month

Texas Independence Day

8 a.m.: 5K run on Congress Avenue 9 a.m.: Parade on Congress Avenue Noon: Capitol Celebration in Capitol Rotunda 2 p.m.: Ceremony at the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum Viva la revolución Texas-style and spend Texas Independence Day partaking in a variety of festivities as diverse as Texas heritage. Start the morning off with a 5K run through downtown, followed by a parade up Congress Avenue. If that’s not enough to satiate your Texas pride, spend the afternoon celebrating in the Capitol rotunda and remembering the Alamo at the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum. Visit celebratetexas.org for more information.

South By Southwest Film Festival

St. Patrick’s Day Austin 2013

March 8 – 16, various locations in downtown Austin

March 17, noon to 9 p.m., Shoal Creek Event Center

The South By Southwest Film Festival will kick off its 20th year at the Paramount Theatre with the world premiere of the highly anticipated comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi. If the opening night hoopla and this year’s mouthwatering selection of films are any indication, cinephiles can count on nine days of movie bliss. In addition to the star-studded comedy, other noteworthy films to be screened include Good Ol’ Freda, the untold story of the Beatles’ secretary, and Downloaded, director Alex Winter’s Napster documentary. Visit sxsw.com/attend for information about film passes.

24   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Ditch the leprechauns and green beer, and experience the true luck of the Irish with the whole family at the largest St. Patrick’s Day event in Central Texas. Get your Celtic groove on to the sound of Limerick, Irish band Goitse, and a slew of local Celt bands, pipers and dancers. Brush up on your Gaelic with beginner lessons and children’s storytelling provided by the Gaelic League of Austin. Irish beer and food will be available. All proceeds will benefit the Celtic Cultural Center of Texas. Visit stpatricksdayaustin.com for tickets and information.

Text by Andy East; top photo by Rick Henson; bottom photo by John P. Johnson; opposite page photo by Samera Owhadian.

March 2, various locations in downtown Austin


Make it a night on the town Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century Exhibit

with live music from the Austin Symphony

Through May 19, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum Take a journey through Lone Star history to witness the struggles and accomplishments of Texas women as they challenged traditional gender roles, fought for equal rights and made their way in to politics and the workplace. This poignant and interactive exhibit offers an inspiring testament to the courage and perseverance of countless women and their impact on our great state. Visit thestoryoftexas.com for more information.

Mouth by Mouthwest 2013 March 14, 5 to 11 p.m., Authentic Smiles Dental Studio Rock out with your pearly whites out and keep Austin’s music scene healthy at the third annual Mouth by Mouthwest concert benefiting the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM). Many low-income Austin musicians lack access to health care, so for the last three years during the South By Southwest Music Festival, “Rock ’n’ Roll Dentist” Dr. Shane Matt has put down the fluoride and turned his office in to a state-of-the-art concert venue to raise much-needed funds. This year’s lineup includes Austin guitarist Ian Moore, the Kevin Beadles Band and many more. Admission is free, but proceeds from drinks will benefit HAAM. Visit authenticsmiles.com for more information.

Enjoy the best in classical music with your best friends. Slip on the stilettos and have a night out with the Austin Symphony!

2012 – 2013 Season P E t E r B A y, M u S i c D i r E c t o r

For tickets and concert information: (512) 476-6064 or austinsymphony.org Ask about group rates!




spotlight event

an evening with samantha bee March 22, Paramount Theatre

In need of a laugh? Samantha Bee has it covered. Funny women are on the rise, conquering Hollywood one witty joke at a time, and Bee is no exception. Best known for her appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, this Canadian native entertains her audiences with honest and daring comedy. After finding acting to be compatible with her lazy lifestyle, Bee began her career participating in the all-female sketch troupe The Atomic Fireballs. She now holds the title of Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show, is the author of I Know I Am But What Are You, and is the recipient of the 2005 Canadian Comedy Award for Pretty Funny Female. This March, Bee takes the stage at the Paramount for an evening that’s sure to have you rolling in your seat with laughter. For more information, visit austintheatre.org. B See the complete March calendar of events at austinwomanmagazine.com.

28   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Text by Malia Bradshaw; photo courtesy of The Paramount Theatre.

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on the scene /

philanthropy

Annual Award Show Honors Texas Songwriters Celebrating the induction of three legendary music icons. By Jean Yoo The annual Texas Heritage Songwriters Association Hall of Fame Awards Show is a two-day event, occurring March 2 and 3, honoring artists Roger Miller, Ronnie Dunn and Sonny Curtis. The twoday celebration will begin Saturday with a V.I.P.sponsored event, the Darrell K. Royal Songwriters’ Homecoming, which will feature intimate acoustic performances by Chris Stapleton, Scotty Emerick and Mac McAnally at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Sunday, the live Hall of Fame Awards Show takes place at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, featuring Toby Keith, Austin natives Jack Ingram and Larry Gatlin, as well as this year’s honorees. Founded in 2005 by Texan Terry Boothe, the association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and honoring songwriters who greatly contribute to the unique culture of Texas. A year after its establishment, the annual Hall of Fame

Awards Show began to serve as a ceremony for each year’s inductees. Each year, the association honors a mix of legendary and contemporary artists. This year, the renowned Roger Miller, best known for the song King of the Road, will be honored, along with Ronnie Dunn and Sonny Curtis. Dunn, known for his duo Brooks & Dunn, has been Billboard Magazine’s Country Songwriter of the Year and was inducted in to the Arkansas and Oklahoma music halls of fame. Curtis, a member of the Crickets with Buddy Holly, is a member of the Broadcast Music Incorporated’s “Million Airs Club,” and was inducted in to the Nashville Songwriters Association International Hall of Fame. Toby Keith, one of the bestknown country artists, will perform at the live awards show in honor of Miller. “If you want to hear cleverness, you want to hear wit, you want to hear charm and you want to hear a class A songwriter, it’s Roger Miller,” Keith says. The association anticipates the largest show in its history this year. “Some of the biggest names in country music are coming together in celebration of the Lone Star State’s extraordinary music, unique history and distinct heritage,” says Joe Ables, executive producer of the show and the owner of the Saxon Pub in Austin. The proceeds from the event will be donated to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and other organizations that support Texas musi-

Ronnie Dunn

cians and songwriters. In conjunction with Texas Independence Day, the Hall of Fame Awards Show hopes to capture and celebrate the truly distinctive music culture of the Lone Star State. Limited seating will be available for Saturday’s event, and tickets are on sale now for Sunday’s event. Ticket prices range from $39 to $79. To purchase tickets, visit acl-live.com. For more information, visit texasheritagesongwriters.com or call 512.329.2631.

CASAblanca Gala March 2, 6 to 11 p.m., Hyatt Regency Hotel Austin The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Travis County will hold its annual gala, honoring volunteers and sharing inspiring stories. This year’s goal is to find volunteers for the 500 children still in need of a CASA volunteer. For more information, call 512.539.2677 or visit casatravis.org/events/casablanca.

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Amplify Austin March 4 and 5, 7 p.m. An online fundraiser will begin at 7 p.m., and continue for 24 hours to raise $1 million to benefit local nonprofits in Central Texas. All participants will receive an e-tribute from famous musicians, and randomly selected donors will win in-person performances from local artists. For more information, visit ilivehereigivehere.org/programs/amplify_austin.

The 28th-Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction March 23, 6 to 10 p.m. Four Seasons Hotel Austin The auction features rare and collectable wines and a decadent buffet created by Chef Elmar Prams. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. For more information, call 512.327.7555 or visit winefoodfoundation.org.

Photo by Jim Arndt.

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on the scene /

philanthropy

Lauren Lara and Max Ruthven celebrating at Austin Woman’s Pink Pages launch party. Photo by C. Thompson Photography.

ON THE SCENE / AROUND TOWN

Patricia Taylor, Tekita Coffee and Jolene Cochran at the Pink Pages launch party. Photo by C. Thompson Photography.

Appetizers from Pizza Bistro at Austin Woman’s Pink Pages launch party. Photo by C. Thompson Photography.

Mary Miles and Owen Temple at the Dell Children’s Gala. Photo by Jim Debth/InDebth Photography.

Cover woman Sheryl Cole and husband Kevin Cole at Austin Woman’s Pink Pages launch party. Photo by C. Thompson Photography. Ford & Lindsay Smith, Michael & Susan Dell and Mary Ann & Paul Bell at the Dell Children’s Gala. Photo by Jim Debth/InDebth Photography.

Glenda Barnes, Brian Schneider and Zac Crofford at Frontera Fest. Photo by Rebecca Robinson. Dell Children’s Gala. Photo by Houndstooth Studios.

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on the scene /

horoscopes

Happy birthday, Pisces! Feb. 20 - March 20 Your month: Did you know scientists have discovered narcolepsy is more likely in those born in March or April? Do you sometimes feel like you’ve been sleepwalking through your life, like your struggle to manage and improve your finances is on permanent snooze? This month, you’re charming, and what is more important, a favorite of highly educated types and those from exotic locals. These new experiences will expand your horizons and opinions while helping you think outside your usual moneybox, and make it easier to see what needs to be done. Be patient; things will happen soon enough to help you change your mind and your belief systems.

Expect a break, a respite, if you will, from the recent stressful aspects in the sky. March won’t roar out like a lion. Rather, it should wistfully sigh and drift in to April like cirrus clouds across a blue sky. So, relax, chill out and clean out a closet. April should be an adventure. Aries (March 21–April 20): We’ve come to love your usually flamboyant, brash and impulsive self, so this month’s reticence and hibernating tendencies have us all puzzled. What are you doing behind closed doors? What’s going on that you don’t want us to know about? You don’t seem to want to travel much. Maybe you know you can stay connected by staying busy, busy, busy with your local peeps, using cell phones and other devices so you don’t really need to leave the house. Or maybe, being experiential learners, you want to trash your entire past to show your independence from it. Taurus (April 21–May 21): A subtly tricky time: On one hand, there seems to be no end to the number of friends and connections just handing you opportunities to share sudden windfalls and little gusts of profit. But, it also seems like those opportunities come in such a quiet and/or secretive, almost tentative way that it seems as if anything you work on in careful seclusion can suddenly disappear if exposed to the light of day. Don’t stop planning, but you may find that the best thing to do is hide your light (or your future schemes) under a basket, if you catch my drift.

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Gemini (May 22–June 20): If you’ve felt like you’ve spent the last yearand-a-half on some foreign and exotic shore unsuccessfully panning for gold, this is the month you find it glittering in the bottom of your pan. Like magic, you get to turn your dreams in to your own personal version of reality. So be alert and aware. Pay attention to clues. Plans can change very quickly, and you may suddenly find yourself doing something completely different and more exciting than you originally planned. The downside is you also may feel as though you’ve never worked so hard in your life. Cancer (June 21–July 22): It’s in your nature to cling tightly to whatever or whoever is closest to you. You tell yourself things will change, while intuitively preparing for the end. You even know exactly how it will end. Delaying the end isn’t going to make the ending easier for anyone. Your challenge in 2013 is to find the courage to uncharacteristically end relationships that are obviously not working for you instead of allowing them to drag on and on. Exotic opportunities await you around every corner, so why deny yourself the opportunity for the education life has waiting for you? Leo (July 23–Aug. 23): Something exciting is about to happen to you,

and it involves corporations or large resource-sharing institutions, so pay attention to tugs in those directions. Keep a close eye on taxes and insurance, and any investments you share with others. Learn to cooperate and share the glory. I know this is difficult for you, and you’ll have to deal with people in power who you don’t like or agree with, but the benefits at the end of the year will make your humility worthwhile. Remember: This month, friendships and groups of people are the best way to ensure a good karma star. Get involved willingly. Virgo (Aug. 24–Sept. 22): Partners, partners everywhere this month! You have work partners, workout partners, writing partners, house partners, play partners, partners in crime and partners in love. It seems as though you don’t even have solo endeavors anymore, like everything you do now is connected somehow to a partner. This is more than coincidence. Shared resources are magic, so this is a good time to tighten those up. Take trips, take classes, teach classes and make more of an effort to communicate, and value each one of your partners and partnerships. Look at them all as value-adds to your career. Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): This month, you will be rewarded handsomely for creating partnerships, and magnanimously giving and serving. Whatever you do, be sure it’s part of your new, grand philosophical belief system. Scrupulous honesty may be difficult, so it’s even more important that you strive for it, especially at work. Resist the urge to embellish or give the truth scope. Curb your imagination and stay grounded; don’t drift. Get your finances in order, your workout plan adjusted and schedule your yearly check-ups. March is moving fast, so move with it by studying, learning or visiting faraway places. Rethink your usual hangs and do something new. Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): Suddenly (as of last October), you are all serious. You’re working hard, trying to pare down bills, trying to manage work projects as they come flying at you. It’s like herding cats. Well, March will be the icing on your cupcake, the sugar in your tea, the mint in your julep. It’s creativity and art and fun

and romance all rolled in to one big month. The trick is going to be making time for your fun out of what has become an almost unmanageable workload, but you have to do it. The planets will help you. Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): Being solo and independent is all well and good, but this month, people need you. They want your help, they welcome your advice. You can make a difference in people’s lives. You’re actually lucky for anyone lucky enough to have you as a partner, and your star shines especially bright where it shines on your family (or those who feel like family). They may seem raucous or needy and numerous, but this month, they are your life. Talk them in to helping you with some long-procrastinated home project, like scraping the popcorn off your ceiling. They’ll feel like you gave them a million dollars. capricorn (dec. 22-JAN. 20): Most of us see you Capricorns as strong, silent types, taciturn and non-communicative. Visualize these Capricorn film stars: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Diane Keaton, Sienna Miller, David Bowie, Johnny Depp. They seem enigmatic and private. So it may surprise everyone this month when you burst in to long soliloquies and monologues, run up your phone bill, dash off long strings of text and email, or write epic poetry. This is the month for blog posts, Amazon reviews and website updating because you’re garrulous and loquacious. You have a lot to say and only a month to say it. aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19): In one of the best career years for you ever, this could be one of the best career months, depending on how you handle it. So many planets are on your side, urging you out of your comfort zone that you can’t help but make all sorts of discoveries about what is now possible. With just the tiniest push, watch the rise in your career thermometer resemble Mercury during a Texas heat wave. Don’t hold back. Don’t hold on to old ways or habits. Don’t be afraid to let go. Don’t be afraid to start again. Your future’s so bright, you’ll have to wear shades. By Deborah Mastelotto deborah@pinkaustin.com


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must list /

on the bookshelf

The Road to Success

Four must-read books for every aspiring entrepreneur. By Erin Henry

The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do it So Well

For Better or For Work

How to Say It: Creating Complete Customer Satisfaction

by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg

The Startup Playbook by David Kidder

by Jack Griffin by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield

Ever wish you could pick the brain of your favorite writer, actor or athlete? Husband-wife duo Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield have done it for you, teaming up to explore the secrets behind success. The authors decided to skip the clichés and formulas and get to the heart of the matter, interviewing dozens of professionals in a number of industries who are firmly planted at the top of their game. Aspiring musicians and long-time fans of Asleep at the Wheel will appreciate the dogged career of the band’s founder and front man, Ray Benson. His leadership has seen him through 90-plus band members, three million miles and more than four decades. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh maintained a small-business feel even as his company surpassed the billion-dollar mark, encouraging employee interactions and instilling a fierce commitment to customer satisfaction in each employee. As the authors obtained interviews with these featured celebrities, entrepreneurs and veritable geniuses, they unearthed some common themes that tie everyone together—10, to be exact. Turns out, a dog-whisperer, a baseball Hall of Famer and a rock band have more in common than you might think.

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When author Meg C. Hirshberg wrote an article for Inc. Magazine in 2008 about the trials she endured raising a business with her husband, the resulting feedback from commiserating readers was overwhelming. Now Hirshberg has given us For Better or For Work, a brutally honest precautionary tale of the hardships of running a business with a spouse while raising kids, borrowing money from parents and friends, and hoping for a profitable return. Hirshberg knows firsthand the harsh realities of starting a business: Her husband, Gary, founded Stoneyfield Yogurt in the early 1980s. Stoneyfield is now the fourth-largest yogurt purveyor in the country, and while Hirshberg admits their success is a bit of a fairytale, she offers no illusions about the excruciating journey it took to get there. For Better or For Work offers frank advice on every imaginable circumstance, and each chapter concludes with practical advice. The book ends on a sweet note with Hirshberg sharing, “During the 25 years I’ve been hitched to Gary’s business, countless dark clouds have massed and threatened. But these days, life is mostly about the silver linings.”

Jack Griffin, author of the popular How to Say It series, is at it again. A communications expert and consultant, Griffin offers a complete education in the art of customer satisfaction and sales success in his latest book. With the advent of e-commerce, sales and customer service are no longer separate departments, and Griffin seizes the opportunity to apply tried-and-true tactics to current business practices. While he acknowledges no single formula will provide the Midas touch, Griffin recognizes the most common variables in a sales encounter and provides the tools to navigate conversations that will lead to a sale. In this three-part book, you will be instructed on how to speak the right language—the “yes” language—as well as master the situation (whether selling to a current client or going after new business) and speak the language of complete satisfaction. Griffin’s approach is simple and thorough, and whether you’re a sales manager or have just been hired to sell anything from new homes to haircuts, this comprehensive guide will be invaluable to gaining (and retaining) happy customers.

If after reading For Better or For Work you’ve decided you still want to start a business, The Startup Playbook will provide plenty of encouragement. David Kidder has curated a list of admirable entrepreneurs whose sometimes harebrained ideas have yielded enormous profits and household names. Sara Blakely shares how, fed up with a lack of undergarment options, she cut the feet off pantyhose and hawked her wares outside of store fronts, hoping to entice women with her creative innovations. Today, she’s the tireless billionaire at the helm of Spanx, creating new slimming musthaves for both women and men. Read about Jim McCann, the genius behind 1-800-Flowers who refused to settle for “comfortable,” and Seth Goldman, the brainiac who ventured to share a taste of his homebrewed Honest Tea with the execs at Whole Foods. The founders of AOL, LinkedIn and Priceline all expound on their journeys from bright idea to successful execution, and Jawbone founder Hosain Rahman shares the insight that led him to create the technology behind Bluetooth. If you’ve been sitting on any great ideas, Kidder’s collection of success stories will likely provide the nudge you’ve needed to take action.


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Free Spirit

Singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel shows five of Spring’s funky, inventive and dreamy trends. Photographs by Shannon McIntyre. Art Direction by Victoria Millner. Styling by Ashley Hargrove, dtkaustinstyling.com. Hair by Kathryn Haynes, Keith Kristofer Salon and Spa, keithkristofer.com. Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, Rae Cosmetics, raecosmetics.com. Shot on location at ArtPost. Trend: Solid Brights. Pack a colorful punch with bold, saturated pieces. Chain and leather necklace, $69; belt, and Amanda Uprichard dress, $248, available at Y&I Clothing Boutique, 1113 S. Congress Ave., 512.462.0775. Leather jacket, $49.95, available at H&M, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 512.873.0375.


Trend: Statement jewelry. Go big or go home. Enough said. Ashley Pittman Collection necklace, $495, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200. Oscar de la Renta earrings, $375, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200. Alice and Olivia dress, $297, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200.


ArtPost From sculpture and screen-printing, to jewelry and handmade boots, the collection of artwork from artists who use ArtPost’s complex as a workspace is delightfully diverse. Nicholas Dertien, a glass blower, has worked out of ArtPost for three years, loving the moments that happen when ideas bounce between artists. “There’s this wonderful energy that happens,” he says, launching in to a story about how he came to develop the idea of his latest project through a conversation with another artist. “Those types of conversations never happen when you’re sitting alone in your studio. You have to have likeminded people near you. It’s just a neat combination of people.” ArtPost is located at 4704 E. Cesar Chavez St. Visit artpostaustin.com for more information.

Trend: Opposites Attract. Pair pieces together that you normally wouldn’t for an unexpected fresh look. Elizabeth & James blazer, $595; Ashley Pittman Collection bone bangle, $755; Parker python-print blouse, $176; and Diane Von Furstenberg sequin gray shorts, $365, Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200.


Suzanna Choffel Austin native and masterful musician Suzanna Choffel is as bold and bright as this season’s trends. A smooth sound with funky overtones, Choffel’s voice is unique and sultry, with an afternoon laziness behind her notes, rolling like waves onto warm sand. A recent competitor on NBC’s The Voice, Choffel stayed true to her core, showing the judges and audience her signature style and confident stage presence, although admitting to some nerves. “When I was doing the blind audition, I was nervous because it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done. I mean, you’re trying to get these celebrities to turn around in their chairs. It was pretty amazing when Adam [Levine] turned. I just had this shit-eating grin on my face like, oh my god, you’re so cute… and you’re looking at me now…and this is weird,” she laughs. The jokes were flying throughout the entire fashion shoot as Choffel made comments between shots, her wit and charm center stage. Now living in New York City, Choffel comes to Austin as often as she can to get her “breakfasttaco fix” and to cure her homesickness. With album plans in the works, she hopes to record both in New York and Austin, reflecting an accurate representation of her life. Choffel categorizes her style as “dreamy meets funky.” “I’m definitely influenced by Austin’s laid-back culture,” she says. “I do a lot of vintage, but also tight jeans and really loud blazers and some beat-up old boots. I’m somewhere in between that.” -Molly McManus Visit suzannachoffel.com for music, upcoming shows, self-made music videos and much more.

Trend: Graphic prints. Go for a colorful, unique print for a show-stopping statement.

Ranna Gill Tropicalia pleated dress, $228, available at Anthropologie, 601 N. Lamar Blvd., suite 100-A, 512.236.9301. Low Luv Cosmo ring, $72, available at Y&I Clothing Boutique, 1113 S. Congress Ave., 512.462.0775. Honey Rose & K earrings, available at Rowe Boutique, 614.299.7693.


Trend: Black and white. Choose high-contrast looks for a style that goes from day to night. Belt, $10.80, available at Forever 21, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.329.0115. Honey Rose & K bracelet, available at Rowe Boutique, 614.299.7693. Bracelet, $32, available at FilĂ­n, 2110 S. Lamar Blvd., suite E, 512.441.3700. Sweater, $24.95, and button-down shirt, $17.95, available at H&M, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 512.873.0375. Byer Too! tulle skirt, $52, available at FilĂ­n, 2110 S. Lamar Blvd., suite E, 512.441.3700. Painting by Paul Meyer, textural and sculptural painting, paulmeyerstudios.com


style /

beauty

Carina Menzies Nature and a love of Austin inspire the founder of Everyday Minerals. What does beauty mean to you? To me, beauty is really when you get in that place that is comfortably you. And from there, everything else falls in to place.

What’s the story of Everyday Minerals? The road to Everyday Minerals started when I was a young girl growing up on a farm surrounded by the urban sprawl of Southern California. I was always hanging out with friends and going to the mall, while at the same time working on the farm, raising animals and tending to my rose garden. I was naturally taking in to account a balance between defining one’s personal style and a profound love of nature. And that’s why I love Austin. Everyday Minerals is 100 percent an Austin brand. We embrace this idea of stylish, wearable colors with deep roots in nature. From the beginning, I knew the best ingredients would make the best products. And when I looked at the organic cosmetic market, I felt most mineral makeup brands were either overpriced salon gimmicks or they were overcharging people with problematic skin. My dream has always been to be an exciting, trendsetting brand that offers the best natural ingredients at reasonable prices.

like our Freedom Eye Shadow. It’s one of those special colors you can wear on your lips, eyes and cheeks. For spring, look for single colors that can evolve in creative ways to make multiple fresh looks.

What beauty product is just not worth it? Any product that professes to be anti-aging.

Beauty icon? My grandmother. I can remember her mixing her own teas and herbal baths. And I would watch her in the garden picking her homegrown veggies to make a special facial mask. Especially [when I was] growing up in a time like the ’80s, when everything was so packaged and meant to last a million years, she was one of those people who was really a pioneer about getting back to pioneering. She was a real woman of innovation and style. I’ll never forget her.

Where do you look for inspiration? Moving into spring and summer, I am getting inspired by the warmth of sunsoaked countrysides and the beauty of effortless glamour.

What’s the secret to making makeup look Favorite beauty trend? natural? It’s all about basics. My obsession right now is with neutral shades

Mohawk yoga wear

Less is more. Look at all your makeup and define a core set of three products Cover Woman Update

Mardy Chen, former AW cover woman and owner of Pure Bikram Yoga, combines her two passions—fashion and yoga— with a new line called Mohawk. Chen describes the yoga wear as “a little punky, a little funky and super fun.” The line is customizable for all sizes, and features fun fashion accents like peacock print and hints of black lace. (mohawkcouture.com)

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you love and just can’t do without. And from there, add color and start to explore knowing you can rely on those core shades to keep the look effortless.

One product you couldn’t live without? I couldn’t live without our Flat Top Brush. When I went about creating the perfect powder brush, I was constantly

told I’d never be able to match the performance of real animal hair like goat, squirrel or badger. Well, we not only made the best performing fur-free brush, but we also made it the softest. This brush has really changed the course of how people think about cruelty-free makeup brushes.

Scents on the go Portable, spill-free solutions Perfect to drop in your purse or gym bag, Pacifica’s solid perfumes are vegan and made with organic coconut and soy wax. We especially love the Hawaiian Ruby Guava scent. ($9, Whole Foods)

Pop a few scented beads into a Lisa Hoffman charm necklace or bracelet for a long-lasting fragrance. It’s perfect for those with allergies because it never touches your skin. ($65, lisahoffmanbeauty.com)


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style /

beauty

Making Scents of Spring Six fresh perfumes for the season in bloom. Photo by Caleb Kerr

Texas by United Scents of America, $58, available at Blue Elephant, 4001 N. Lamar Blvd., suite 510, 512.371.3259. Top notes: ruby red orange Heart: red cedar Base: white musk, cedar leaf and amber

L’eau For Her by Narciso Rodriguez, $77, available in April at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200. Top notes: jasmine, cyclamen and pink peony Heart: rose, amber and frozen lily of the valley Base: musk and patchouli

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Orangers en Fleurs by House of Houbigant, $180, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200. Top notes: orange blossom, rose, jasmine Heart: tuberose, eau de brouts, ylang comores, nutmeg Base: cedar wood, musk

New York Fling by Bond No. 9, $135, available at Blue Elephant, 4001 N. Lamar Blvd., suite 510, 512.371.3259. Top notes: clementine, ginger, bergamot, cardamom Heart: peony, freesia, lily of the valley Base: amber, musk, basil, cedar

Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, $92, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500. Top notes: pear Heart: sweet pea, peony Base: patchouli, cedar, vanilla and white musk

Doux Amour by Spadaro, $135, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500. Notes: ylang ylang, Casablanca lily, Moroccan jasmine, patchouli, rare amber sandalwood, and a sheer veil of vanilla



style /

home requests, we have created a process for artisan submission managed by Ashley Woodson. Ashley asks for photos and information about the artisan and we review them monthly. We select with the same criteria we had from the beginning, and also look where our collection is lacking. AW: Your store has a range of items. How do you select what makes the cut? LD: We select our pieces because we think they are beautiful and we would put them in our home. We also look for what is affordable. Along with our daughter, Allison, we constantly challenge each other when selecting items, making sure that we are sticking to our core values: fine crafted, made local and modern classic. We stay away from what is too trendy, too eccentric and gallery-like. We select goods from around the state that have served past generations with a lasting quality. While some are quirky, most of our offerings are functional and practical.

Home Is Where the Art Is By Adam Fortner, Photo by Rudy Arocha Jeff and Laura Daly of Mockingbird Domestics have created and curated a unique South Lamar store with great finds. Best of all, they’ve built a one-stop shop that supports local artists and artisans, and celebrates creativity, craft and collaboration.

Austin Woman: Tell us a little about your store. Laura Daly: We started our online store December 2011 and opened our brick-and-mortar store last September. We offer locally made furniture, housewares and art. We conceptualized a showroom that celebrates a select group of local artisans. Our desire is to bring the artisans forward and be able to tell the stories behind the pieces.

AW: What has been the most challenging? LD: Our biggest challenge is keeping the store stocked with newly handcrafted products. Our answer to this challenge is representing 75 artisans. Some of our craftsman work full time while, for others, it is a hobby. We have to rely on all of them for plenty of stock and fresh designs. We love the challenge and have great respect for every artist we represent.

AW: What future projects are you working on that excite you? LD: This year, we are taking collaboration to a new level. We are in the process of working with local designers and matching them up with local fabricators to create AW: Do you find the artists and artisans or do they find you? co-branded products for Mockingbird. You can look for LD: Initially, we found our artisans. a new line of lighting, dynamic textiles We poured over hundreds of artdesigned specifically for our area Mockingbird ists’ webpages using keywords like and leather products for the home. “handcrafted,” “furniture” and “made in Domestics We will also be reworking our online Texas.” Now we have artisans coming to 2151 S. Lamar Blvd. presence and expanding our store us every day. Because we have so many mockingbirddomestics.com another 1,200 square feet.

Favorite Finds Mockingbird Domestics is filled with furniture and art from artists and artisans throughout the state. Owners Laura Daly and daughter Allison carefully select both the artists and their pieces, making for an eclectic but curated mix. We selected a few of our favorites.

Turned Vases, Set of Three, $425

Rooftop Cross Rug, $1,200

Bird Print Tote, $102

Made of avocado wood, these vases by Clark Kellogg are a smashing trio. They’re extremely durable, but surprisingly thin. Kellogg is a furniture maker and wood carver in Houston, where he completed a residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, exploring letter carving. His hand-carved letters are also available in the store.

Texas is the second-largest producer of Mohair. Unfortunately, there aren’t many weavers here, so the Mohair Council of America formed in San Angelo to ship the wool to rug makers worldwide. This 5-by-8 foot rug was woven in Oaxaca, Mexico of hair shorn from Texas Angora goats. Its graphic pattern will add some Old World punch to your floors.

This tote by Margaret O’Donnell from Marfa is a perfect pairing of form and function. With details like a button made from vintage jewelry, it’s a stylish bag with a lot of personality. O’Donnell was influenced by her French grandmother, and her line Dolce far Niente includes products made from mangle cloth, a European fabric made of flax linen.

48   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3


A Collected Home If you love shopping for interesting pieces throughout town, we’re sure you’ll love Darryl Carter’s The Collected Home: Rooms with Style, Grace, and History. Carter is an awardwinning and internationally recognized designer based in Washington, DC. His new book is filled with examples of his work, showcasing his sophisticated yet approachable spaces. Carter recommends filling your home with pieces that speak to you, always keeping comfort and beauty in mind. The book offers advice on home design, from the small details to the architecture itself. The designer explains how he selects objects that are interesting, and how to find items that can be used for years to come, even as your needs change. There is also information on selecting paint colors to tie your home together. We love Carter’s serene and soothing style: simply furnished rooms with objects and furniture that have personality. Each piece seems to have a story to tell, but none scream for attention; each works well as part of the whole to create a sense of accrued history and individuality. Nothing matches, yet it all fits together without looking like a jumble of disparate pieces. If you need help bringing together all your pieces from antique dealers, estate sales and your grandmother’s attic with a refined flair, this would be a great resource and excellent addition to your library.

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gourmet /

dining

Power Lunch

Playful decor at Swift’s Attic

Prime spots for dining and deal making. By Kristi Willis

New to the Downtown Lunch Scene The Backspace: Chef Shawn Cirkiel’s popular Neapolitan-style pizzeria recently opened for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Enjoy starters, antipasti and pizza from the wood-fired oven. 507 San Jacinto Blvd., 512.477.9899, thebackspace-austin.com. El Naranjo: Chef Iliana de la Vega recently added lunch service at her popular Rainey Street restaurant. The menu features traditional Oaxacan cuisine, including salads, tacos and enchiladas. Lunch is served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. 85 Rainey St., 512.474.2776, elnaranjorestaurant.com. Gloria’s: The popular Dallas-based chain Gloria’s has landed on West Sixth Street, bringing its special blend of Mexican and Salvadoran cuisines. 300 W. Sixth St., 512.236.1795, gloriasrestaurants.com.

Downtown offers a number of restaurants that fit the bill, serving up that unique Austin vibe with a tasty menu. Gone are they days when you are forced to eat in a stuffy club with boring food in order to get some work done over lunch. Swift’s Attic is one of the newest additions to Austin’s power-lunch scene. Once the home of the Swift’s Premium Food Company in the 1900s, the top floor of this historic building now houses a restaurant with playful and innovative food and decor to match. The bright, welcoming space is eclectically adorned with found objects: old wash buckets, antique pulleys and an enormous birdcage serve as light fixtures, and the exposed brick walls show off the vintage ads of the original tenants. Co-owners CK Chin and Stuart Thomajan have captured that special, quirky Austin style without taking it too far over the edge. The crowd is as patchwork as the design, from

50   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Swift’s Attic 315 Congress Ave., 512.482.8842, swiftsattic.com. Lunch Served: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

tattooed hipsters to suited legislators and lobbyists. (recipe on Page 52), a delightful spin on an Asian In the kitchen, Chef Matt Clouser and Sous Chef slaw, with pickled cucumbers, crunchy sunchokes Zack Northcutt are flexing their creative muscle with and celeriac and a velvety, spicy peanut sauce. Pair a menu that plays with tradition. Edamame is served the salad with a serrano ham and crema fresca or with pop rocks that tickle the inside of your mouth, chicken salad sandwich for a meal that will power traditional calamari is replaced with squid fries and you through whatever topic you are tackling with the standard BLT sandwich is bumped down in the your lunch mates. alphabet to the CLT, with candied chicken “bacon” With thoughtful food, attentive service and an (crispy chicken skin). Austin eclectic atmosphere, Swift’s is the perfect Pastry Chef Callie Speer continues the irreverence on setting for creative brainstorming or negotiating the dessert menu with her interpretation of a s’more that your next deal. includes hazelnut and grahamcracker gelato, and Popcorn & A Movie, which combines the best flavors from a movie See more of theater snack bar. And chocoPatio perfection can be found at garrido’s our faves every late lovers can overindulge to Friday on their hearts’ desire with the While Garrido’s Restaurant certainly serves mouthwaterfacebook.com/ ing plates (many of which are gluten-free), and while the Chocolate 7 Ways. austinwoman hot Mexican spot’s price range is undeniably affordable, it’s On weekdays, Swift’s the patio and exotic outdoor offers their business lunch ambiance that drew our attenspecial, letting diners tion and won a spot on our Friday Faves list choose a snack, soup or of notable patios. Tucked away in a pocket of salad and pair it with a West Third Street, the restaurant’s aesthetisandwich for $15. The cally pleasing patio offers a dining experience like none we’ve seen out of downtown Austin, portions are perfect for with warm string lighting, a fiesta of mixed sampling two items from the textures and full, exotic trees peering over the whimsical menu without side rails. If the patio doesn’t sell you, maybe feeling you’ve overdone it at the money-saving happy hours, complimenthe end of the meal. tary valet parking and live music will. Garrido’s is located at 360 Nueces St. New to the Swift’s menu on West Third Street. For menu options and hours of operation, visit garis the Thai Hack Salad ridosaustin.com, or call 512.320.8226 (which cleverly spells 512.320.TACO).

Take It Outside

Swift’s Attic photos by Kelsey Orr. Garrido’s photo by Kirk Tuck; Opposite page photo courtesy of TRIO.

When lunch is about business, picking the right venue is the key to setting the tone. The perfect lunch spot takes reservations so you don’t waste valuable time waiting in line, has quality food to impress your guest and cordial but quick servers who understand that busy professionals have packed schedules.


Trio

Private dining room at TRIO

Downtown Power Lunch Spots La Condesa In the Second Street District, La Condesa, with its open dining room and sunny patio, is an ideal spot. Chef Rene Ortiz pays homage to the regional cuisines of Mexico with a menu that ranges from street food to sophisticated entrées. Chef Ortiz transforms items like tacos or Cuban sandwiches in to dishes that are not only tasty, but also memorable. Close to both City Hall and the ACL studios, the restaurant draws a diverse and lively crowd. Standouts on the lunch menu include the cochinita pibil tacos filled with pork that’s marinated in orange and banana leaf then slow-roasted until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender; the Ensalada Granja with market vegetables, a slow-cooked egg and queso fresco; and the Cubanita Torta sandwich with roasted pork, ham, cheese and pickled jalapeños. While La Condesa doesn’t offer a special lunch combination, the service is efficient enough to ensure you’ll make

Lunch served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays only. 114 W. Seventh St., 512.474.6300, perryssteakhouse.com.

your next meeting without a problem, as long as you don’t get sidetracked by the tequila menu, that is. Roaring Fork Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Located in the historic Stephen F. Monday through Friday. 400 W. SecAustin hotel, Roaring Fork has Texas ond St., 512.499.0300, lacondesa.com. spirit that shines through, from the wood-fired menu offerings to the ranch-friendly décor. The SouthwestPerry’s Steakhouse & ern influences are prominent on the Grille menu, with specialties spiced with If steakhouse luxury is what you are green chilies, and fish and steaks looking for, Perry’s, nestled in the grilled on an open flame. bottom of the Norwood Tower, is the The lunch menu features a special place to be on Fridays. Catering to a combination called the Texas Two meat-and-potatoes crowd of legislaStep, with a choice of soup or salad tors, bankers and real-estate investors, Perry’s serves lunch only one day each and an entrée. Pick from their tortilla soup, featuring a unique presentation week, making seats coveted spots. with the broth poured tableside; the Perry’s Famous Pork Chop Friday cast-iron kettle of green chili pork Lunch is a great and affordable way to stew; two salads and a fire-kissed close out the week. The lunch cut of their juicy pork chop is served with po- entrée of rotisserie chicken, wood grilled salmon or sautéed trout. Lunch tatoes and applesauce for the bargain is quick, easy and deliciously Texan. price of $11.95. The lunch menu offers Lunch service begins at 11 a.m., a choice of seven other entrées or four Monday through Friday. 701 Congress entrée salads that can be enjoyed in Ave., 512. 583.0000, roaringfork.com. the wood-paneled dining room.

Nothing says power lunch quite like the Four Seasons, where you’ll be as likely to bump in to the ladies who lunch as you will the Chamber of Commerce crowd. Overlooking Lady Bird Lake, Trio not only offers one of the best views in town, but choosing this spot shows you mean serious business. The menu features a selection of appetizers, salads and sandwiches, as well as their Trio Power Lunch special. Choose from six entrées, three seafood and three steak options, paired with two sides. The Texas shrimp, delivered straight from the Gulf, and the perfectly seared flat-iron steak are just two of the don’t-miss dishes at this Austin standard. For those who can’t pass up Sommelier Mark Sayre’s wine list, Trio offers half glasses of select wines during lunch. Lunch served 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 98 San Jacinto Blvd., 512.685.8300, triorestaurantaustin.com.

Trace Austin Trace Austin, with its modern décor, spacious patio and seasonal menu, is a terrific place for a lunch meeting. In the shadows of Austin City Hall and nestled next to the studios of the famous Austin City Limits recording studios and concert hall, Trace is as likely to host a power lunch of elected officials as a table of musicians staying at the hotel. The crowd fits Austin’s diverse culture to a tee. The lunch menu boasts a nice selection of soups, sandwiches and salads featuring ingredients from local farms and ranches. For a quick meal, try the $16 Lunch on the Fly, which includes a cup of soup, a small salad and one of three sandwiches: the veggie pakora burger, smoked beef brisket or blackened redfish. You can even add a bag of their warm doughnuts in a to-go bag for $4 more. Enjoy lunch at the table and dessert on the run. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 200 Lavaca St., 512.542.3660, traceaustin.com.

austinwomanmagazine.com 51


gourmet /

dining

[continued from previous page]

Thai Hack Salad

Serves four to six From Executive Chef Matt Clouser, Swift’s Attic Ingredients: ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup white vinegar ¼ cup water 1 teaspoon chili flakes ½ pound English cucumbers, sliced 1 pound blanched sunchokes, peeled 1 pound celeriac (celery root), peeled 10 large Thai basil leaves ½ cup curried peanut sauce ½ cup crushed peanuts Directions: Combine the sugar, vinegar, water and chili flakes in a small pot and heat until the sugar dissolves. Place the cucumbers and the vinegar mixture in a bowl and allow the cucumbers to marinate for one hour. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the peeled sunchokes and cook for one minute. Drain the sunchokes in a colander

and place them quickly in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the sunchokes and pat them dry. Julienne the sunchokes and celeriac. Place the basil leaves in a stack and roll them like cigars. Cut across the leaves to slice them into thin ribbons. Gently toss the celeriac, cucumbers and sunchokes in the peanut sauce. Garnish with the nuts and basil.

Curried Peanut Sauce Ingredients: 4 cups toasted peanuts ½ cup red curry paste (Mae Ploy brand suggested) 1 ½ cup pickled ginger juice ½ cup peanut butter, smooth ½ cup water Salt to taste Directions: Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together until well combined. Toss into salad as mentioned above.

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Thai Hack Salad at Swift’s Attic


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gourmet /

cooking

Start Your Day Off Right Our favorite cookbooks, from brunch to breakfast on the go. By Rachel Merriman In The Fresh Egg Cookbook, you’ll find 101 “from chicken to kitchen” recipes that highlight the beauty of a freshly laid egg. Egg lovers will appreciate author Jennifer Trainer Thompson’s dedication to simple, traditional recipes that let fresh eggs shine as the main ingredient, such as the recipe for shirred eggs included in this article. Though the book does include quite a few basics, such as how to cook the perfect softboiled egg, foodies looking for some brunch flair will be pleased to find recipes with Spanish, Asian and even Brazilian flavors. Thompson’s anecdotes about emergency chicken trips to the veterinarian, cute baby chicks and the occasional accidental rooster are sure to make you crow with laughter, making it difficult to resist a backyard flock of your very own. $14.95, amazon.com. Austin Woman: What are some differences between fresh and store-bought eggs? Jennifer Trainer Thompson: Ahhh, once you try one, you won’t go back. Fresh eggs—by which I assume you mean from your own hens and truly fresh—have a darker yolk, from the chickens being able to eat all sorts of things. Rather than an insipid yellow, it’s almost marigold. And the egg is more viscous; it feels heartier. It tastes better, just as a fresh vegetable or fruit tastes better than an old one (store-bought eggs can be weeks old). AW: Do farm-fresh eggs have any additional health benefits? JTT: What goes in goes out. If you feed your chicks organic feed, you’ll get chemical-free eggs. Your

54   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Shirred Eggs from The Fresh Egg Cookbook

chicks’ eggs have up to seven times more beta carotene (more than spinach), twice as many omega 3 fatty acids and up to three times more vitamin E. They also have less cholesterol. And I assume you’d raise your chicks with no hormones, antibiotics or pesticides. AW: What are the advantages to keeping your own flock of backyard chickens? JTT: We first thought about chickens because of the taste of the eggs. That was motivation No. 1. We soon realized they were also great pets (friendly, even loving but low-maintenance) and helped kids learn about chores and taking care of others. Now we marvel that we generate so little waste; almost all our scraps are fed to the chickens. We have a lot less garbage!

Jennifer Trainer Thompson is the author of 19 books, including The Fresh Egg Cookbook, The Joy of Family Traditions, and Hot Sauce! An accomplished author on topics ranging from food to science, Thompson landed her first book deal when she was just 24. A lover of spicy foods, she is the creator of an all-natural hot sauce called Jump Up and Kiss Me, and frequently serves as the guest chef in restaurants for “hot nights.” She has been featured in Martha Stewart Living, the New York Times, and the Austin Chronicle. Visit Thompson’s blog at jumpupandkiss.me.


Shirred Eggs Serves one These are dressed-up soft-boiled eggs that are cooked in a buttered dish under the broiler. In France, this method of baking eggs is called oeufs en cocotte, which means “eggs baked in ramekins.” They’re delicious, elegant and easy. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons mixed fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, thyme, basil or chives), minced 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper 1/2 teaspoon butter, melted 2 teaspoons heavy cream 2 eggs Directions: Set an oven rack 8 inches from the broiler and preheat. Combine the herbs, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Brush the butter over the bottom of a small ovenproof ramekin large enough to hold the eggs side by side, and then pour a little ribbon of cream around the edge. Break the eggs on top of the butter, one beside the other. Sprinkle the eggs with the herb mixture. Broil about six minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Serve immediately. Excerpt from The Fresh Egg Cookbook, by Jennifer Trainer Thompson. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

More to Digest Breakfast Comforts (Williams-Sonoma), by Rick Rodgers Featuring recipes from well-known breakfast spots throughout the country, even our own beloved Kerbey Lane’s migas, Breakfast Comforts has something for everyone. Is your idea of breakfast something a little sweet? Try Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, White Chocolate Scones with Lemon Curd or Grapefruit Champagne Punch. The recipe for Sticky-Sweet Pecan Caramel Rolls, when made with some local Texas pecans, sounds especially enticing. If you lean more toward savory flavors, a Breakfast Quesadilla (from Blu Jam Café, Los Angeles) or New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp and Grits (from The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans) might be more your style. With this versatile cookbook, the possibilities are endless. $34.95, williams-sonoma.com.

Quick Fix Healthy Breakfasts Under 300 Calories, by Corina Tudose Penned by certified fitness and nutrition coach Corina Tudose of Healthy Carrot, Quick Fix Healthy Breakfasts Under 300 Calories is your go-to guide for when the kids need to be at soccer practice by 8 in the morning…on a Saturday. The book divides the recipes in to those that take 10 minutes or less, and 15 minutes or more, so on those extra-rushed mornings, skip straight to the 10 Minutes or Less section. Bonus: If you’re currently enrolled in Weight Watchers, each recipe lists complete nutrition facts and points. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and these recipes, which place emphasis on whole foods without unprocessed ingredients, will have you off to a great start every day. Visit healthycarrot.com for more information. $7.99, amazon.com.

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gourmet /

job envy

Jessica Sanders Drink.Well co-owner on creating a concept for a successful restaurant, running a bar and staying married to your co-owner in the process. By Kayte VanScoy, Photo by Rudy Arocha

56   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Jessica Sanders is a creative woman in a man’s business. Last year, she and her husband opened Drink.Well in Austin’s North Loop district on the edge of Hyde Park. Hailing from San Diego by way of New York City, where she met her husband, Michael, Sanders first visited Austin during South By Southwest in 2009 and quickly began thinking of it as the ideal location to open a restaurant and bar. Armed only with their love of fine cocktails and friendly neighborhood dives, the couple walked away from careers in advertising to start the always-bustling bistro Drink.Well, which specializes in craft cocktails and a menu featuring standards like wings and soup alongside hand-crafted specialty items, from a daily Twinkie to charred Brussels sprouts. The results have been a delight for the local taste buds and a surprise for Sanders.

“I used to remember what sleep was like, but you have to have that ‘whatever it takes’ attitude. When we first opened, we thought, ‘Well, if we have a good Friday or Saturday night, then great. Then we’ve done a good job.’ But we’re busy every single night of the week here. Our Tuesdays are like Saturdays now. We went from being open six days a week to now being open seven days with brunch service. I’ve gotten to travel the country and the world with this job. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed.” “When we decided to open our own place, I had to decide two things: How do we show the care and love for the cocktail but also provide a place that is fun, warm and cozy? Our story is my husband and I lived in New York in 2006 when craft cocktails came in to their own there. I went to a bar called Death & Company in the East Village and I had never been in a bar like that before. I was mesmerized by the attention to detail. At the same


time, Michael and I had a neighborhood spot that we would go to every single Sunday where it was not about being fancy. It’s called the Paris, in lower Manhattan. The bartender there is genuinely one of the nicest people. You tell him your name and your drink and he will remember you for the rest of your life. He treated every single customer with such care, and it wasn’t about what was in the glass, it was about the atmosphere, the people you were around and the joy that you saw having that kind of camaraderie with other people at the bar.” “I really enjoy baking because it requires precision and care, and you can really screw it up in micrograms. I had never seen that kind of love applied to a drink. Usually, it’s just a bunch of stuff thrown in to a glass. I think that what appeals to me about cocktails is what appeals to me about cooking: it’s fun to play with. I have a wine background, but the cocktail just gives you more ways to get your hands dirty.” “Michael and I were business people before we were bar people. We had an entrepreneurial spirit and we knew the mechanics of what it would take to run a place, but we had never worked in a restaurant before. We sort of started at the end and worked our way back. That’s what’s great about working at your own place. I have washed dishes here, I have bar-backed here and I have waited tables. We’re very hands-on as owners, partially because we are learning as we go.” “We were in Austin for two years before we opened the doors. We sort of saw that Austin was starting to come in to its own in terms of restaurants and bars and social culture. We moved here in 2010 and took about two years to do due diligence, find the right location and learn what we needed to know to get started. There’s a greater responsibility you have when you become part of the fabric of an entire city, one that is still finding itself. Austin is still trying to figure out what it

wants to say about itself. Are we too sophisticated for Austin? Are we not sophisticated enough? Is it a big city or does it really want to stay small? I think there’s a little bit of resistance to progress in Austin sometimes.”

drink.well 207 E. 53rd St., 512.614.6683, drink.wellaustin.com

Being brazen about what you want to do and not compromising on the core values piece of it. The food, the drink, all of that eventually comes together but you have to have a philosophy that people want to be around. We could have put it anywhere and Drink. Well would have been that same experience.”

“I consider myself a creative person. Hours: 4 to 11 p.m., Monday through FriI knew that sitting in sales meetings day. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., all day working on PowerPoint Saturday and Sunday. “Mike and I never second-guessed presentations was not my highest and best use on this planet. I was fortunate the decision to work together. We to be early in my life [when I found] what I was maybe should have! We never asked that question: really passionate about and then have the means Can we do this? We have very different work styles. to make that happen. I continue to be so grateful. Mike is extremely outgoing and I’m a little bit more I know so many people that are so creative and reserved and introverted and more attracted to have so many amazing gifts and they don’t have the the creative piece of it. You’re around this person means to do what they really want. This is what I 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they’re still wanted to do when I grow up in the sense that I your spouse. And you have to treat them with the have creative control over it and I knew I wanted tenderness of a spouse. If I were going to advise to do something creative. I didn’t anticipate that someone thinking about going in to business with a it would have to do with food and drink. That loved one, I would say, ‘Be honest about your own revelation came later in life. But I think it’s what I work style and give each other the freedom to be was meant to do, whether or not I realized that 15 your best selves.’ As we have evolved, we’re starting years ago.” to really let the other person do what they’re good at. I’m not as good at this; he’s amazing at that. “The cocktail world and the bar world is still Really be honest about that and give each other the very much a boys’ club. Because I’m new to this freedom that comes with that. Life is an eternal industry, it takes awhile to get your confidence compromise. I think that down the road, I probably and know that you belong in that conversation. anticipate doing something independent of each At first, you’re just kind of happy to be invited to other because we’re both passionate about what the party, but there has to be a mental changeover we’re doing, but in different ways.” that says, no, we have built something special here. We’re proud of it. Especially as a woman, that’s “I think this is the start of something. Drink. very difficult.” Well is the test ground and we’re getting to that place where we’re so focused on Drink.Well and “What we did right was we were stubborn everything that it is and what it could be. But you about what was important to us. I don’t want to still have that piece of you that’s thinking of other say that we got lucky with this location, because concepts and other places. What will that look like? we spent almost a year trying to find the right What will that feel like? How will that be different?” spot. We knew we didn’t want to be downtown. We knew we wanted to be in a neighborhood. We “Austin is definitely home base. I don’t know that knew we wanted to be in a place that created that this will be our only place in Austin, frankly. We’re warmth, that only a year in, so it’s hard to know where the crazy friendliness. train will take us. I still have tremendous love for We wanted New York. I like being in San Diego. Different cities to have need different things. For now, I think we’re happy regulars. Mike to be in Austin. Austin is defining itself a little bit and I are a more every single month, and it’s just cool to be a mom and part of that.” pop without actual “If you don’t think you’ll derive pleasure from children. We making other people happy, this is not going to don’t have work. I’ve always said there are a lot of bars in investors; Austin and there are a lot of bars in the country that we’re not part make really special cocktails. We want the customer of a restaurant to feel special while they’re drinking the cocktail. group. It’s us. That’s what it’s about.”

“There’s a greater responsibility you have when you become part of the fabric of an entire city, one that is still finding itself. Austin is still trying to figure out what it wants to say about itself.”

austinwomanmagazine.com 57


to your health /

fitness

Crank Up Your Workout

Resolute Fitness

It’s all about adding the bike to intensify your workout. By Chrissie Jarrell and Natalie Yerkovich Indoor cycling has long been regarded as a great high-intensity workout, but never has it been more fun. There is a new crop of indoor cycling studios in Austin that are putting a different “spin” on indoor cycling through innovative equipment and exercise methods. While you may initially think all indoor cycling studios offer similar types of workouts, you’ll soon realize that each offers something unique that may be perfectly suited for you. So, if you’re looking to crank up the intensity of your workouts, here are a few great places to start.

Balanced Resolute Fitness: Cycling and Yoga resolutefitness.com, 5145 N. FM 620, suite F Resolute Fitness is an indoor cycling and yoga studio offering dynamic, high-energy, total-body classes. The schedule is structured so you can follow an indoor cycling class with yoga, although both classes are also great on their own. The cycling classes are energizing and intense, and good for all levels. The 45-minute rides incorporate intervals of sprinting and climbing, with upper body weights to make it a dynamic total-body workout. The music at Resolute is unique in that the studio has partnered with the Dub Academy (a local DJ and music-production school in Austin) to create awesome music to sweat to. You can follow up your cycling workouts with a Vinyasa flow class to lengthen and stretch. The yoga practice focuses on core work and is designed to complement the cycling classes, although they are great stand-alone workouts as well. In addition to the weekly cycling and yoga classes, Resolute hosts “Movie Ride Alongs” and themed rides and yoga sessions throughout the year.

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Fun CYC: Dance Party on a Bike cycfitness.com, 715 W. 23rd St. CYC (as pronounced in cycling) combines an intense, full-body program that feels like a party on a bike. The classes take place in studios with theatrical lighting, a great sound system and show-like elements, including live drumming and dancing. The workout itself (they refer to it as a “road trip”) utilizes hand weights and integrates full-body movements in addition to spinning. Each element of the class is meant to build off what came before to create a high calorie-burning workout, and to keep you engaged for the full 45 minutes. Plus, each 45-minute ride is reported to burn as many as 800 calories! If you find yourself getting bored during workouts or looking for a social and fun place to exercise, CYC may be the perfect option for you.

Comprehensive Kor180: Cycling and Pilates kor180.com, 1611 W. Fifth St., suite 140 Kor180 combines cycling and Pilates interval training as part of its all-inclusive wellness studio. The Kor180 mission is to help people live inspired lives, and it means much more than just a workout. The training staff is experienced and the equip-

ment is state-of-the-art. For instance, the bikes themselves feature direct measurement power consoles that link to heart-rate monitors and allow your workout to be uploaded to training-tracking services like Training Peaks. The 50-mintue cycling interval workouts (called “Ryde”) feature invigorating music in a state-of-theart studio. Participants are safely fit on their bikes and taught the foundations, like pedal-stroke mechanics and hand position, before they begin to ensure a safe and comfortable workout. Follow up your “Ryde” with a “Reform” class designed to strengthen and lengthen your muscles. The Pilates classes feature 12 “Korformers,” proprietary reformer machines. The classes are structured in a way that is scalable and challenging to all fitness levels. The Kor180 programs are perfect for someone looking for one studio for all their fitness and wellness needs: fitness, nutrition, inspiration and community.

Chrissie Jarrell and Natalie Yerkovich, the gals who created myfitlist.com, do the grunt work for you. Well, the organizational grunt work, anyway. They work hard to connect people with the fitness groups, information and resources they need so they can grunt, sweat and tone to achieve their personal goals.



Confronting Incontinence A woman’s guide to pelvic health. By Jill Case Speaking with Dr. Elizabeth Houser and Stephanie Hahn, P.T., authors of A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health, you feel the passion they have for women and the issues they may have with pelvic health, most frequently incontinence issues. Hahn speaks of an incident that stuck with her. She describes being in an exercise class with a woman who had obviously had significant urine leakage after doing jumping jacks because she saw the woman use a small towel to discreetly wipe away the puddle she left behind. Hahn thought, “OK, wait, women need to understand that they don’t have to live like this. Women go seven or eight years before they seek help. To me, that is just not right.” This incident, as well as her own problems caused by childbirth, led her to seek out special training that allowed her, as a physical therapist, to help women with pelvic-floor problems.

wellness Why Women Should Seek Help Why do women wait an average of six years before seeking help for the problems caused by urinary incontinence? It’s often embarrassment and not knowing how to talk to a physician. Houser says the dangers of waiting range beyond the medical. “The dangers are social isolations, weight gain because they can’t exercise and, of course, weight gain makes incontinence even worse,” she says. “The longer they wait, the more likelihood there is that conservative measures such as a pelvic-floor exercise proStephanie Riley Hahn, P.T., [left] is a licensed gram, other Pilates pelvic-floor physical therapist with exercises, acupuncture and years of experience helpother conservative measures ing women overcome pelvic health issues. may not work, whereas they Elizabeth E. Houser, might have worked if they conM.D., a board-certified sulted a health-care provider urologist, recently left her practice to become a early on.” consultant in the field of Talking to your doctor as women’s pelvic health. soon as you develop symptoms is vital to your mental and physical health. In their book, Remember, physicians are professionals, and while Houser and Hahn recommend taking the following this might seem embarrassing to discuss, it’s a part of a steps to help sufferers have a conversation with their patient’s medical history, and patients need to tell their doctors: doctors everything that’s happening with their bodies B Observe your symptoms during a period of a few days so they can work on a treatment plan. and take notes about them to share with your doctor. “We’re not suggesting that women don’t find this B Make a list of the questions you want to ask your embarrassing, because it is embarrassing,” Houser doctor at your appointment. explains. “We’re suggesting that they don’t let the B Take a friend or family member with you to your ap- embarrassment keep them from seeking help, because pointment if it makes you feel more comfortable. there is so much help out there.”

How to Do a Correct PelvicFloor Muscle Contraction

traction through your clothes. Wash your hands before you begin. Then lie face up on your bed or on the floor with your legs straight and relaxed.

A correct contraction is the foundation of an effective pelvic-floor exercise program, so take as much time as you need to do the exercise below.

Place one hand under one buttock, slightly toward the outside edge so you can feel if your buttock muscle contracts. Your goal is to do a pelvic-floor muscle contraction without tightening your buttock muscles.

For this test, it is helpful for you to be dressed in your underwear or other thin clothing so you can easily feel the con-

Place two fingertips of your other hand between your

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legs in the space between your vagina and your rectum (the perineum). With the fingertips of this hand, you will be able to feel your pelvicfloor muscles tighten as you contract them.

gas. Those are your pelvic-floor muscles. Ideally, as these muscles contract, you should feel them pulling inward slightly. At the same time, be sure your buttock muscles stay relaxed. Now release the contraction.

Now contract your pelvic-floor muscles, those figure-eight muscles that surround the vaginal and anal openings. If you aren’t sure how to do this, imagine that you are in a crowded elevator and have gas. Contract your muscles as you would to prevent passing

Repeat this exercise, placing your hand on your abdomen. As you do the contraction, be sure your abdominal muscles do not push outward. Release the contraction. Repeat this exercise, this time placing your hand on

your inner thigh. Keep the muscles of your inner thigh relaxed as you contract your pelvic-floor muscles. Again, release the contraction. If you were able to contract your pelvic-floor muscles without tightening your buttocks, abdomen or inner thighs, you have just done a correct pelvic-floor contraction. Excerpts taken from A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Health, by Elizabeth E. Houser, M.D., and Stephanie Riley Hahn, P.T.

Photo by Holly Williams Photography.

to your health /


Conservative Treatments symptoms caused by many pelvic-floor Many women don’t realize the many opproblems, including urinary incontinence, tions besides surgery or just accepting the pelvic organ prolapse and decreased problem and wearing pads or adult diasexual sensation. For Stress Urinary pers that are available to them today. The For more information about this Incontinence (the options include diet and lifestyle changes, exercise program, see A Woman’s Guide most common type) acupuncture, medication, physical therato Pelvic Health, by Elizabeth E. Houser, Being female (twice py and biofeedback. In their book, Houser M.D., and Stephanie Riley Hahn, P.T. as many women and Hahn offer instructions and photos as men have stress for one of the most exciting options for Seek Out a Specialist incontinence) women: their at-home pelvic-floor exerMany primary-care physicians are Childbirth cise program. This program goes beyond equipped to help with pelvic health probChronic coughing the traditional Kegel exercises, which, lems, as are obstetricians, gynecologists (such as chronic according to the pair, most women are doand urologists. There are also specialists bronchitis or ing incorrectly (see How to Do a Correct who are trained to deal specifically with asthma) Pelvic-Floor Muscle Contraction sidebar). these problems, including uro-gynecoloAging The program teaches women how to do a gists (gynecologists with special training Obesity contraction correctly. in urology) and physical therapists certiHahn says this program “puts the fied to deal with OB/GYN problems. Diabetes emphasis on learning how to do a correct Hahn, who is a specially trained physiSteroid use contraction so women are truly strengthcal therapist, says these therapists “are Smoking ening their pelvic floor, not just tightening taught how to do internal vaginal exams their vaginal muscles.” to determine pelvic-floor weakness.” They Based on science, the program takes also look at reflexes and help patients about 15 minutes a day to complete, and it is proven to learn how to do exercises to strengthen their pelvic-floor strengthen the pelvic-floor muscles, which helps relieve muscles. Therapists, as well as some trained doctors,

Risk Factors

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nurses and nurse practitioners, also help patients by using biofeedback to help people feel and see (on a monitor) how to do a correct contraction. The most important thing is to seek treatment as soon as you have symptoms. “Get over whatever qualms you have or embarrassment you have if you can,” Houser says. “Ask for help because help is out there. Secondly, incorporate a program in to your daily life. If you don’t understand what doing your Kegels mean, see someone that can train you, read a book that can train you, do something to educate yourself and then actually do it. It’s like any other muscle in the body: If you work it out, you’re going to build up, and if you stop, they’re going to go flabby again. You have to keep doing it. Stay with it.” Fifteen minutes a day of exercise, in addition to working with a doctor to determine the best treatment, could help women with a problem that nobody talks about but that affects 26 percent of women older than 18 at some time in their lifetime. It’s time to take charge of your health and say goodbye to worry and fear when you laugh, sneeze, cough or exercise. For more information, visit awomansguidetopelvichealth.com or nafc.org (National Association for Continence).



Link Up!

63 Through Link Coworking, Liz Elam creates collaborative spaces for fellow entrepreneurs. By Julie Tereshchuk // Photos by Kimberly Davis Hair by Candice Lumpkin, Avant Salon, avantsalon.com. Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, Rae Cosmetics, raecosmetics.com.


hooting the breeze while hanging out at the water cooler, going to lunch in the company cafeteria or being surrounded by a bunch of love ’em, hate ’em co-workers is a way of working that’s a thing of the past for many people. As corporations cut costs and send people back home to work, and others cut jobs altogether—pushing many a job-seeker to set up their own business—coffee shops, guest bedrooms and other ill-equipped spaces are pressed in to use as offices. With this dramatic shift in the way people work, co-working is a growing trend. The industry has grown 200 percent year-over-year for seven years, according to Deskmag, an online magazine that tracks the industry’s evolution. Today, what started out as a West Coast phenomenon has hit 2,000 co-working spaces worldwide, and is still climbing. “I just saw one opened in Tasmania,” notes Liz Elam, an energetic Austin entrepreneur who is building a business and fostering a global movement spurred by people discovering the short-lived joy of being home-based worker bees. “Co-working is a membership club, just like you would join a gym, but instead it is for a place to work,” explains the chipper Elam, owner of Link Coworking in Northwest Austin. “You’ll have an attorney sitting next to an entrepreneur sitting next to a small-business owner, and discussions start. It becomes this awesome, collaborative, fun thing.” People are inspired by each other, they hire each other and, in the midst of all this, they get their work done. But co-working is not just about getting the work done, maintains Elam. “It’s about that community you miss when you don’t go to a workplace anymore,” Elam says. At Link Coworking, everything is open seating. Just like at the gym, you can’t guarantee that one of the other regulars hasn’t nabbed your favorite treadmill, or desk, in this case. Plus, there’s a twist. You can sit anywhere you want, says Elam, just don’t get too comfortable with the set-up. “Every single Friday, we rearrange it, so there’s a new arrangement every Monday when you come in,” Elam says. “It’s new, it’s fresh and our members love it.” There’s a map of the world in Link Coworking’s sparklingly clean break room. (For those familiar with communal break rooms, that may seem an oxymoron, but such a phenomenon does exist.) The map shows all the countries members have visited, and underneath they’ve been invited to add their academic qualifications and the languages they speak. Higher degrees abound, and there’s a veritable Tower of Babel list of languages. For Elam, it’s a way for her to correct perceptions about this new industry. “I found that a lot of people think that it is just 20-year-olds in hoodies doing code in a co-working space,” she says. “That is not this group at all.” Early on, Elam thought her co-working space would

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be filled with outside sales people because that was the ing over a reality. world she came from. Then she realized there was a Two years later, with 20 visits to other co-working much bigger market. Now she has a mix of professions, spaces and 15 revisions to her business plan behind her, which makes for a better “eco-system” in the space. It’s she opened Link Coworking in September 2010. It’s full of early adopters, innovators and influencers, all everything she’d thought about for years, tweaked by her thriving in their Link community, carefully nurtured by diligent reality-check research. Elam and her staff. Link Coworking has 3,000 square Elam’s hallmark attention to detail surfaced in her feet, accommodates 50 and is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., search for the perfect location for her new business. Monday through Fri“I looked at real estate day. Elam runs both with Liz for six months,” spaces: Link Coworksays Celia Bell, Elam’s ing and Link Too, trusted SCORE Austin The good news is you’ve started your business. But with her fleet-footed advisor. (SCORE is a how do you sustain that business and not become part community manager, national organization of of the more than 50 percent of small businesses the Lavanna Martin, and retired executives who Small Business Administration says fail within the first five years? We asked Celia Bell, a retired senior execuup to four interns. provide free business tive who volunteers as a SCORE mentor, for her tips on Two are Linkterns advice to small-business keeping a small business running. (members are known owners. It is funded in Austin Woman: What characteristics do small-business as Linksters), who can part by the Small Busiowners need to succeed? be hired by members ness Administration.) Celia Bell: To sustain a business, you need perseveron a project basis. The wannabe enance, energy, independence, creativity and flexibility. “It works well,” trepreneur developed It also helps to like people and want to establish a she says. “People are a list of five criteria for relationship with them. The work must give you enalways saying they her new business premergy and not sap it. need help. Hiring one ises, including being less AW: What kind of consulting does SCORE provide? of the Linkterns is the than a mile off a major CB: We act as mentors, not consultants. The sucsolution.” thoroughfare. She also cess of the business is entirely the work and creativity of the client. Have you tried wanted plenty of parkworking at a Staring, which precluded AW: How did you work with Liz? bucks or the like downtown and helped CB: Liz came for weekly mentoring sessions for over a year. Her mentoring and support changed from lately? As an outside her refine her search to startup needs to marketing, managing and growing sales rep relocated to Northwest Austin. a business. Our goal is to be there for the life of your Atlanta by Dell, Elam “I wanted first-floor business, so you are always a client of SCORE. We soon found the coffeespace because getting in often think of ourselves as board members of your shop scene unacan elevator when you’re business once it gets started. ceptable. She’d been schlepping your stuff is AW: How much does it cost to be mentored by SCORE? casually mulling the annoying, as is having CB: All mentoring services are free. SCORE is a national possible solutions to your phone cut out when organization funded in part by the SBA. austin.score.org the challenges faced the doors close,” she says. by a home-based She also stipulated employee like herself for a while. Then came a briefproximity to retail and restaurants, as well as access to ing with a Dell executive who’d flown to Atlanta for an covered outdoor seating. important meeting. With Elam being a telecommuter, With all that in mind, “Celia and I looked at hundreds there was no cozy office for the pair to powwow prior to of spaces in Austin,” Elam recalls. heading to meet their client, so they found themselves Finally, she signed her lease. The end result is a wellat a crowded coffee shop. Seeing the executive’s frustraequipped, impeccably clean, thoughtfully planned, styltion as they struggled to prepare their negotiations for ishly designed space that will send your productivity a multi-million-dollar deal was an epiphany for Elam. soaring, compared with working from home with the There had to be a better way to serve telecommuters like distractions of pets, kids, UPS deliveries, to-do lists and herself, she thought. more, or jammed in a grubby corner fighting for the lone Fast-forward, and with nine telecommuting years outlet at the local coffee shop. Elam’s success speaks for under her belt, Elam left Dell in 2008 when “the job itself: Her business doubled in size just two short years became unfun.” The woman who’d been one of Dell’s after opening. top-ranked sales reps tried chilling in Italy, but soon Along with an extraordinary eye for detail, Elam has a learned she was too type A for the Italian lifestyle and great eye for design. Her style hits the mark somewhere decidedly too type A not to be working. So, she headed between hip loft and contemporary gallery. Industrial back to Austin, happy to be closer to family, ready to be heating ducts traverse the ceiling at Link Coworking, back among the business vibe she’d always loved about splashes of color and pattern stimulate the eye without the city and eager to make the idea she’d long been mull- jarring and the clean lines of the furniture look modern

The Traits it Takes: Sustaining a Business


Why I Co-work Attorney Kirk Cesari is a partner in the intellectual property law firm of Cesari & Reed, LLP (cesari-reed.com). He has been a member of Link Coworking since 2011. Austin Woman: What got you interested in co-working? Kirk Cesari: In 2010, I started working for myself. It was only a matter of time before I realized I needed to get out of my house. There’s always a list of chores that you need to do at home. I went to coffee shops for a long time, and was really tired of having to always buy something, then hope their Internet is working and that if I get a phone call, the shop’s not too loud so my customer doesn’t get mad.

AW: Why did you choose Link Coworking? KC: I checked out at least four other co-working spaces in Austin, and they were all nice people, but Liz has really spent the time and effort to understand what the business professional needs. AW: How do you use Link Coworking? KC: I work there four or five days a week. I also have two employees that work there. If we just had an office, it would just be the three of us staring at each other every day, and we’re not that interesting! We are on the monthby-month membership plan because I like the flexibility. Liz offers a lot of plans to fit different needs.

Liz provides good-quality coffee, teas and snacks. It seems we celebrate something at least once a week with cake, which Liz also makes sure is the best. As with everything, Liz has a very high expectation of quality and service. The members also enjoy impromptu happy hours. If someone has had a rough day, there is usually another member there willing to join them for an end-of-day cocktail. I use the meeting rooms frequently, especially when I need privacy for a client call or meeting. Under my plan, I can grab a meeting room as needed up to an hour a day. Otherwise, I can pay for extra time. I’ve noticed many non-members also like to rent the meeting rooms, probably because the rates are so reasonable.


yet also practical and comfortable. The office furniture is by Turnstone, which uses the space as its Austin showroom. “People come through all the time. They look at the furniture and we show them the space,” Elam says. There’s no artwork on the walls—a deliberate choice by Elam. “People frequently come and set up at least three devices, and they have enough distraction with computer, iPhone and iPad. You don’t need to add distraction in the workplace,” she says. Despite having opened more than two years ago, the Link Coworking space is as pristine as if it opened yesterday. “We’re going to keep it that way,” Elam says, pointing to the smallest mark on the wall as evidence that it’s time to paint again. Little wonder Link Coworking was recently named one of the top co-working spaces in the United States. The downside of building a vibrant co-working community is that, however valuable and professional the interactions are, in an open office environment, it can get loud. Elam’s total tear-out renovation of the leased space (there was only one wall she didn’t tear down) gave her the chance to design for differing noise levels and styles of working. At one end, the space has the spacious feel of a downtown Manhattan loft with its double-height ceiling—that’s the chattier end, Elam explains, where conversations bubble up all day long. Midway along, the ceiling height changes to single story—and that’s where the quiet, heads-down work tends to take place. “We have white noise on, and if people sit down there, then they don’t want to be interrupted,” she says.

A row of vividly colored handsets wait, draped across a partition, looking for all the world like an art installation, ready for Linksters to plug them into their smart phones. It helps reduce volume, Elam explains. Something about speaking in to a traditional handset causes us to lower our voices compared with our “Can you hear me now?” habit of shouting in to iPhones and the like. Anyone is welcome to try out the space for free for a day. “They can get over any anxieties they have about working in a co-working space, because it is a new concept,” Elam says. For the times that members need to have a private conversation, maybe interview staff or make a presentation, there are five meeting rooms available for rent by members, plus a boardroom-style conference room. Then there’s the step-in, step-out privacy of an iconic red British telephone box. “There’s no phone because I figured people would bring their own,” but there is a red Superman cape, “in case you need it,” Elam adds with a droll smile. As Celia Bell notes, “Liz Elam is very talented, with energy, drive and an eye for creativity and perfection.” Elam says she “famously” revised her business plan 15 times—something she now regards as a positive, as it helped her nail down her vision, business model and market. “It was all such a huge unknown,” she explains, recalling the early days. Reality and experience have modified her original business model. “When I first opened, I was out to prove I could make an open co-working space work. No dedicated desk space, no offices.” Then, as she visited more co-working spaces both

in the United States and overseas, she realized she was missing an opportunity. She was losing revenue from clients who were expanding and looking for offices with 24-hour access. Her solution lies across the courtyard, which Elam also leases, giving her access to outdoor seating and a large patio for events. Link Too opened in September 2012, just as some of her members began outgrowing Link Coworking. With its 3,500 square feet of dedicated desk and office space, and 24-hour access,

The 2013 Global Coworking Unconference Conference Making the Future Happen in a Whole New Way, March 5–6, Austin Music Hall Attendees will include owners of coworking spaces, the executive office suite and business center industry, furniture manufacturers and big business. Cost: $250, austingcuc.com About GCUC: Affectionately nicknamed “Juicy” (you try saying “GCUC” out loud), the organization will attract an international crowd of speakers and attendees from Europe, Australia and throughout the United States with this year’s event. What started out as a small preSouth By Southwest Interactive coworking meet-up spawned a conference in 2010 and is now the largest co-working conference in the world. Liz Elam worked hard that year, recruiting sponsors and driving attendance to 100. By 2011, she’d been invited to take over as the driving force. With her classic bravado, she promptly announced its somewhat tongue-in-cheek new name (“In an

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ode to Stephen Colbert, I decided to use a ridiculous name,” she admits with relish.) Elam has grown GCUC from its humble roots to what this year will be a two-day unconference conference with 400 attendees. What is an Unconference? “An unconference is basically an unscripted conference. The day of, you pick topics, people vote—if you want them to vote—and you figure out what rises to the top. Then you get people together in groups and send them off to talk.” —Liz Elam, GCUC Producer Producer’s Pick of the Panels The State of the Union (March 5, 9:10 a.m.) Leaders in the fast-growing and even faster moving co-working community pack this impressive panel. They will present never-before-seen research and provide an update on the state of co-working throughout the globe.

Panelists

Steve King, Emergent Research: King leads ongoing research identifying, analyzing and forecasting global trends and shifts impacting businesses and society. Prior to founding Emergent Research, King held a number of positions, including vice president of corporate marketing for Macromedia, vice president and general manager Asia-Pacific for Lotus Development Corporation, and vice president of marketing for Isys Corporation.

King blogs on the future of small business at smallbizlabs.com. Kevin Kuske, Turnstone Furniture: With the title of chief brand anthropologist and general manager, Kuske is leading Turnstone’s focus on creativity-based work and workers in small business, helping them to be more productive, engaged and inspired. Gervais Tompkin, Gensler: An expert on emerging global work styles and workplace.

As a leader of global design firm Gensler Gervais, Tompkin applies a research-based design process to complex design problems. Recent projects include fostering human relationships in an increasingly virtual world of work, and researching how multi-disciplinary scientific communities collaborate. Carsten Foertsch, Deskmag: The editor of the groundbreaking online magazine about co-working, its people and spaces. Foertsch is

also co-founder of Deskwanted, the largest web portal for finding coworking spaces. Moderator: JeanYves Huwart, Global Enterprise: Huwart organizes the Coworking Europe Conference and operates his own co-working space in his hometown of Namur, Belgium. Huwart is firmly convinced that co-working will help to reshape cities’ local dynamics, corporate architectures, entrepreneurship and innovation networks.


Link Too was at 60 percent capacity within three months of opening. As she moves toward opening her newest location, in South Austin, Elam’s taking the opportunity to tweak her business model to create a hybrid of Link Coworking and Link Too, combining open co-working space, dedicated desk space and office space under one roof. Link Too has the same aesthetic as Link Coworking, albeit it in a different color palette. Elam has taken a lot of pleasure in her first commercial design project, and has now launched a design consulting business in collaboration with one of her members, who is an architect. Yes, Liz Elam is a serial entrepreneur, she admits with a smile. Stepping out from the corporate world has allowed her innovative talents to flourish. Being an entrepreneur in her swirling, evolving co-working industry draws on her competitive and her collaborative genes. Now, with the boundless energy of someone who loves what they are doing, Elam is not only running multiple co-working spaces and kicking off a design consultancy,

she also heads up the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) and is president of a pioneering nationwide network of co-working spaces named, with typical Elam flourish, “The League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces” (mercifully called LEXC for short). She’s also travelled to Paris and Berlin to speak at European co-working conferences, and in 2014, plans to travel to the Australian co-working conference. Yes, she admits, she loves to travel as much as she loves her coworking business. “To be able to be an entrepreneur, do what I love, make a little bit of money and still get to travel the world—awesome,” she says. Conferences play a big part in the industry, as owners and others interested in co-working meet to learn and exchange ideas. “It is a very young, evolving industry. We need to come together, to help each other and to collaborate,” Elam explains. She is vocal about the help and collaboration she’s received from others in the co-working industry. “I

had burning questions when I started. Thank goodness people took my calls, talked to me and gave me advice.” Now she’s ready to pay it forward—literally. The curtain on yet another of Elam’s innovations will go up at this year’s GCUC in Austin, now the biggest co-working conference in the world, largely thanks to Elam. “There’ll be a whole wall,” she explains, her excitement brimming over. “People will sign up with what they can do and what they need to have done. We’ll hook them up and all this serendipitous goodness will flow out of it.” Serendipity may well have played a part in Elam’s success, but it is really her tenacity and talent that have driven a business she has literally built from the ground up. She’s kept an unwavering focus on excellence, and deserves every recognition as a pioneering leader in the co-working industry. Just as she did at Dell, where she became a top-ranked sales executive, she continues to put her customer first, creating and nurturing an entire community. Stay tuned—there is much more to come from Liz Elam.

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Mi Comadre es Su Comadre Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock provides opportunity, visibility and community for Latinas through Las Comadres Para Las Americas. By Molly McManus

The United States tends to be a place where one’s cultural identity is either lost in the mainstream or integrated in to a singular category. Many Mexican-Americans find themselves in this middle space, where they are not wholly accepted as Mexicans or Americans, and this issue seems to be even more pertinent in Texas, given the close proximity to Mexico. In addition, the U.S. Census groups all Latinos in to one ethnic category, which can be problematic, as it homogenizes the group, taking away the diversity that exists within the Latino culture. Las Comadres Para Las Americas was established to create solidarity among Latina women while also creating cultural connections specific to participants’ Latino heritage. Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock, president and CEO of Las Comadres, has a personal investment in this organization through her wish to affirm her identity as a Mexican-American woman, as well as a Latina. Las Comadres also serves to provide equal opportunity for all Latinos through the sharing of resources, and finally, to connect women who are going through the same things in life, whether it is on a cultural, professional or individual level.

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The Beginnings of Las Comadres Para Las Americas A fourth-generation Tejano, Comstock grew up in the lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, just miles from the Mexican border. While she attended the University of Texas at Austin, balancing the responsibility of motherhood while completing her degree, Comstock began to notice the lack of visibility of Mexican-American students. “When I came [to Austin], there were not that many visible Latinos. Of course, we were here; we’ve been here [in Texas] forever. But we hadn’t become very visible in a university setting. I wanted to try and find that connection with MexicanAmericans specifically,” Comstock explains. Without the cultural connection, Comstock felt as though she was dangerously close to losing her own identity. “[At UT], I wasn’t connected to Mexican-Americans,” she says. “I got to a point where I couldn’t even speak Spanish anymore. I enrolled in classes in my adult years and finally the teacher said, ‘Lady, you are wasting your money. You can speak Spanish!’ ” She didn’t believe him, traveling to Mexico to take more lessons before she realized she really was fluent. “The language is a huge part of connecting,” she affirms, an important step in beginning to re-unite with and explore her roots. On the right track, it became clear to Comstock yet another aspect of what was missing in her life. “[In the lower Rio Grande Valley], my mom had close friends that she called ‘comadres.’ I didn’t have any,” Comstock says. “I had been missing those relationships for a very long time.” For those who are not familiar, “comadres” is a Spanish word meaning best friend, confidant, co-worker, advisor, neighbor or godmother. A comadre is there for you through thick and thin. Its meanings encompass the innate yet multifaceted relationship between women and the indescribable beauty that exists in sisterhood. All the missing pieces to the puzzle came together for Comstock when an opportunity presented itself in April 2000. A small group of Latina professionals spearheaded by Elizabeth García and Veronica Rivera met, seeking to create connection and increase visibility among Austin’s Latina community. Comstock happened to be in attendance at this initial meeting, which led her to embark on an entrepreneurial endeavor destined to establish a much-needed Latina network. As the founder, Comstock worked diligently to get Las Comadres Para Las Americas up and running, aided by her advanced knowledge of computers. Still in its infancy, the Internet was the catalyst to the launch and success of Las Comadres. “The key to making this whole thing work was

the Internet. I meet people from all over the world who say they had the same idea. I believe it. It’s not anything new. What was missing was the technology piece that I was bringing to it,” Comstock explains. Comstock’s love for computers and the Internet developed while she was a student working on her dissertation at UT. After college, she was exposed to the latest trends in computer technology through her work with several companies, including the American Computing Machinery – Special Interest Group Office Information Systems (ACM SIGOIS). Comstock’s passion for the scope of making connections via the Internet and the advances in Internet technology, coupled with her knowledge of these technologies, has been essential to her success and the success of Las Comadres. Now in its 13th year, Las Comadres has become the largest Hispanic organization in the world, due in large part to Comstock’s love for technology, desire for comadres and dedication to preserving the Latino culture within the context of the U.S. Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock What started as a handful of women has come to include 15,000 members, with the goal of taking advantage of available opportunities, connecting The Las Comadres and Friends culturally and building sisterhoods. Today, Las National Latino Book Club and Comadres spans 85 cities internationally, keeping Teleconference Series Comstock busy an astonishing 16 to 20 hours a day. Las Comadres is a free service that includes As the interest in Las Comadres grew throughout job postings and news specific to each individual the years and the number of members began to city it operates out of. Comstock sends members climb, Comstock was motivated to expand the reach information and events happening in a certain city, of the organization. The idea to add a book club elesuch as leadership conferences, free vaccinations, ment came in to play when Comstock gave a novel scholarships for Latinos and various programs. In written by an American-born Latina to a 26-yearaddition, Las Comadres holds a monthly comadraold Las Comadres volunteer. The young woman had zo, or gathering. These nationwide comadrazos never read a book by a Latina in her life. are coordinated by Comstock via the Internet and “I was stunned,” Comstock says. “Of course, she are hosted by a different member each month. The had read Isabel Allende and some South American purpose for the gatherings is to bring together authors, but no U.S. Latina writers. It’s like we Latinas, or anyone who has an appreciation for the didn’t exist.” Latino culture, over food, good company and the The wheels started turning. warm comforts of a home in order to foster the “I need to do something about this,” she thought. comadre relationship, maintain cultural ties and “Looking at that young woman…I realized I was establish more visibility and solidarity within the also in that same position five years prior.” multilayered Latino community. In 2006, Comstock introduced a Latina author


teleconference series coinciding with a lifetime achievement award she received for her service to the community from the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association. The teleconference series added a new component to the organization: all Las Comadres members could dial in and listen to interviews with some of the most prestigious Latina authors in the nation. Soon afterward, Comstock met the Latino Voices committee of the Association of American Publishers, who hoped to partner with her organization to provide more exposure for the authors they represented. This connection ultimately led to the 2008 creation of the Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book Club and Teleconference Series. Las Comadres hosts a physical book club each month for members to get together and discuss the literature. Members who don’t have book clubs in their city have the option of teleconferences. The Las Comadres Book Club is unique in that the books chosen each month are required to be written by a Latino, almost exclusively U.S.-born, and also have to be published within the previous three months. Not only do these requirements bring awareness to Latina writers, they also get people to buy books, increase sales and promote recently released books by getting the information out to Comstock’s massive database. For Comstock, it’s been a challenge to find books month after month. “I had to go scan the bookshelves for Latina authors. That’s how I found Diana Gabaldon, by skimming the names of books, looking for Latina last names,” she explains, adding, “It’s not that I want you to only read Latina authors, but I want people to know that we’re out there.” Generating visibility for these Latino authors,

Las Comadres March 2013 Book Club Selection Ink, by Sabrina Vourvoulias Set in a fictional rural town in the U.S., Ink follows four characters whose lives change as a biometric tattoo is approved for use to mark temporary workers, permanent residents and citizens with recent immigration history, all known as “inks.” The author, Sabrina Vourvoulias, was born in Thailand to a Mexican-

along with providing a space for the physical book clubs, aligned perfectly with Las Comadres’ attempt to inform members about—and encourage them to celebrate—the accomplishments of Latinos, establishing a sense of community through the gatherings, and helping to re-connect members with their roots and identity. Her goal is simple: “Whoever you are, wherever you are, it’s important to see yourself. In knowing who you are, there is strength and confidence. If our children lose connection to their roots, they are lost. I don’t want to lose mine. That’s why I’m doing this,” Comstock says.

Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships “A landmark UCLA study found that reaching out to friends is a woman’s natural response to stress. It is said these friendships can bring us peace, fill the emotional shortcomings in our romantic relationships, and help us remember what lies deep inside every one of us. Women are a source of strength to each other. And despite our busy schedules, we as women need to have a relaxed space in which we can do the special kind of soul-searching talk we do when we gather with other women. Without it, we weaken.” – Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships These important symbiotic female relationships that strengthen and grow throughout the lives of women, explained in the quote above, are exemplified in the work and life of Comstock, Las

Guatemalan visual artist and an American businessman. She is well known for her poetry and fiction writing, with Ink being named on Latinidad’s Best Books of 2012 list in December. Attend the book club or dial in for the teleconference to listen to Comstock interview Vourvoulias about Ink. More details available at lascomadres.org. Join Las Comadres for an additional book club conversation with Austin author Manuel Gonzalez, who just released his first book, The Miniature Wife and Other Stories, featuring 18 fantastical short stories, ranging from a man who shrinks his wife, to a hijacked plane that circles a city for 20 years. For more

Comadres and the 2012 book Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships. A brilliant and honest compilation of 12 short stories by nationally and internationally recognized Latino authors, the memoirs focus on the idea of comadres and provide personal accounts of these writers’ own information on the teleconferences, experiences with comadres. Though visit lascomadres.org. Count on Me is written from the Latino Meet in person for March’s book perspective, not all the comadres in the club selection (same two places, book are Latinas. The stories featured same time every month): are relevant, the messages universal. La Madeleine, 9828 Great Hills From the lyricism of Carolina De RoberTrail, suite 650 (private room in tis, to the humor of Stephanie Elizondo back), third Tuesday of the month Griest, Count on Me will make readers (March 19), 7 p.m. cry with profound sadness, as well as Book People (third floor), 630 laugh with cleverly timed delivery. Each N. Lamar Blvd., fourth Tuesday author brings a unique voice and contri(March 26), 7 p.m. bution to the book. This inside look at For additional information the lives of these esteemed Latino auon Las Comadres Para Las thors offers insight in to the ways their Americas and Count on Me: friendships have helped them through Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce tough times. Comstock utilized her Friendships, visit lascomadres. connections to past interviewees and com. Count on Me is available at other authors to compile the book, also countonmebook.com, on Amazon partnering with acclaimed editor Adrior any major bookstore. ana V. Lopez. On Jan. 8, Las Comadres


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also published Count on Me in Spanish, creating awareness of the goal of making connections among

Fifth-Annual International Women’s Day Celebration Ten Thousand Villages March 4 – 8 March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a global day dedicated to celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In places throughout the world, such as China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday. Ten Thousand Villages celebrates International Women’s Day all week long with cultural events, benefit shopping nights and special discounts.

72   Austin Woman m a r c h 2 0 1 3

Latinas internationally. “Each one of the writers hits on a different part of my experience and our experience. Beyond a doubt, [De Robertis’ chapter] touches my soul in ways that no one else’s does. [The first chapter, Las Comais], lays the foundation for the book. Sofia Quintero talks about the Miranda Manual, and I consider her story a manual to friendship,” Comstock says. Although Comstock writes a wonderful introduction, setting the reader up for the beauty of what’s to come, she affirms that her goal was never to be an author. “I’m not a writer. I’m a reader,” she says, coming to life as she launches in to another one of her passions: literature. “I’m a science-fiction and fantasy fan. I am a Robert Jordan girl all the way. I love the mindset that goes on there. Diana Gabaldon mixes witchcraft and time travel. I am there! I love it. “There are commercial and literary books. Commercial takes one to two years to write, a lot of formula, great stories. Literary takes seven to 10 years, and you really hone your craft and practice writing. They’re very dif-

(All events are free) Out of Africa March 4, 5 to 9 p.m. This event features traditional African food and 10 percent off all fair-trade products handmade in Africa. A portion of all purchases supports local nonprofit Well Aware, which brings clean drinking water to rural villages in Kenya. Colorful India March 5, 5 to 9 p.m. Enjoy Indian dancers, henna art and 10 percent off all fair-trade products handmade in India. A portion of all purchases supports Austin-based Tender Heart

ferent and so wonderful. The commercial fiction gets me through a tough day and the literary fiction fills my soul. I love them all.”

Las Comadres 2013 In 2013, Comstock continues to market Count on Me, the most challenging part of the project by far. She also continues to push Las Comadres forward, creating visibility and bridging the gaps to provide connection, information and equal opportunity to the Latino communities her organization serves. “I remember someone contacting me saying, ‘We cannot find any Latinos for such and such.’ So I sent [the information to members] and he writes back, ‘Stop! No more! Tell them we don’t need anymore!’ So, you see, it’s just a matter of getting the information out. Whenever anybody tells me there aren’t any Latinos there to do something, I’m like, ‘Excuse me?’ ” she says. Take it from the woman who has direct access to 15,000 Latinas throughout the world. March 1 and 2, Las Comadres Para Las Americas will hold its bi-annual worldwide comadrazo in Austin. The convention invites comadres from throughout the world to gather in Austin. Local members act as hosts, welcoming the travelers to share their homes. Together, they build a bond through two days of round-table discussions on issues pertinent to the Latino community, networking, putting faces behind the many emails and books read, sharing stories and getting to know one another. “Anybody can have this relationship of comadre,” Comstock stresses, wanting everyone to experience the sentiments, hopes and friendships prevalent in Las Comadres.

Foundation, which helps bring education and socioeconomic development to rural communities in Northern India. Latin America Romance March 6, 5 to 9 p.m. Come hear Latin American music performed live and get a 10 percent discount on all fair-trade products handmade in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras or Colombia. First Thursday on South Congress March 7 Ten Thousand Villages stays open late for this popular

monthly block party that lets Austin fly its weird flag. This event is about as Austin as it gets. Don’t miss it! To close out the week, join Ten Thousand Villages March 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. for the fifth-annual IWD Awards Ceremony, hosted by Sara Hickman, celebrating women who have made exceptional contributions in the Austin community and who make a difference in the lives of others. Award categories include humanitarianism, environmentalism and animal welfare. Visit austin.tenthousandvillages. com/iwd for more information.




TEX AS GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION FOR WOMEN

We are

HERE for

Women TEXAS

PROMOTING

HONORING

ENCOURAGING

GOVERNOR.STATE.T X.US/ WOMEN facebook.com/texaswomen

PROTECTING


History

1961 Following President John F. Kennedy's establishment of the United States Commission on the Status of Women, similar state and local commissions began to be established across the country. In Texas, several women's professional organiza­tions lobbied the legislative and executive branches of state government in favor of a commission for women.

A division of the Texas Governor's Office, the Governor’s Commission for Women specializes in outreach, education, research and referral. Over the past decade the Commission has created the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame permanent exhibit; launched a statewide education initiative for more than 27,000 students promoting healthy teen dating; donated more than $350,000 through the Beacon State Fund to causes impacting women and children; responded to more than 1,000 individual requests for assistance; provided free career development training to hundreds of state agency employees; hosted the Outstanding Women in Texas Government Awards ceremony to recognize the achievements of female state employees; and launched numerous statewide public awareness campaigns.

1967 Governor John Connally established the Texas Commission on the Status of Women. This commission was charged with exploring ways for women to continue their roles as wives and mothers while contributing to the world around them and with recommending ways to end unequal policies affecting women. 1983 Governor Mark White established the Governor's Commission for Women essentially as it exists today. The Commission sponsored conferences and established the State Agency Liaison Group, which later became the State Agency Council. 1984 The Commission launched the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. 2003 The Commission established a permanent exhibit for the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame at Texas Woman’s University. Today Women’s commissions are found in cities, counties and states, each affiliated with government and working on the issues that impact the women in their respective jurisdictions.

2 Texas Governor's Commission for Women

We encourage Texas women and girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. U.S. women currently hold only 25 percent of jobs in the high-paying and high-demand fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

We offer Texas' military families and veterans emergency financial assistance, resources and support through our partner organizations. Texas has the highest population of Women Veterans in the United States and is home to the largest military base in the country. There are 1.2 million military families living in Texas.

We honor outstanding women of achievement. More than one hundred unique, talented and pioneering women are part of the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.

We promote workforce training and employment of job-seekers 50 and older. Today, 1.5 million aged 55 to 64 are unemployed, including many women re-entering the job market after the death of a spouse.

Cover artwork courtesy of Missi Jay of Gigglebox Design. Back cover illustration by Connie Weeks.

overview


INITIATIVES

Texas Women’s Hall of Fame

The Governor’s Commission for Women established the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984 to honor the remarkable achievements of Texas women while sharing their stories of determination and innovation. The biennial awards highlight Texas women who have made significant contributions, often despite great odds. Past honorees include first ladies, Olympic athletes and astronauts. Nominations are submitted from across the state and reviewed by a panel of judges. In 2003, the Commission established a permanent exhibit for the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame on the campus of Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The exhibit displays the biographies and photographs of the women who have been chosen to represent the very best from our state.

First Lady Anita Perry PRICE Free HOURS Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (except during university holidays) Special tours Contact University Administration Office at 940.898.3644. More information www.twu.edu/twhf

legislative luncheon

Governor Rick Perry addresses more than 400 guests at the 2011 luncheon.

The Governor’s Commission for Women hosts a luncheon during legislative session years to honor the women members of the Texas Legislature, while raising awareness of the Commission’s work. Proceeds from the biennial event fund the Commission’s non-profit organization, The Beacon State Fund, which supports Commission programs and initiatives.

Breast cancer AWARENESS October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and for more than 15 years, the Governor’s Commission for Women has coordinated a breast cancer awareness press event and reception. The event honors survivors, pays tribute to those who have lost their battle with breast cancer, and stresses the importance of self examination, mammograms and general women’s health. Our partner agencies include the Texas Department of State Health Services, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin Affiliate, and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

For the past 13 years, Texas First Lady Anita Perry has worked to promote initiatives to benefit Texans throughout the state. Educated as a nurse, Mrs. Perry draws from her 17 years of nursing as she advocates for healthcare issues. The First Lady’s initiatives complement those of the Governor’s Commission on Women.

Each year, the First Lady hosts the Texas Conference for Women, an enrichment opportunity she and the Governor founded 14 years ago. The conference, the largest of its kind in the state, draws more than 5,000 women to network and hear motivational speakers and panelists on topics such as professional development, work/life balance and healthy lifestyles. The First Lady’s work in promoting tourism and economic development helps Texas continue to be one of the top three destinations in the country. Texas tourism generates billions of dollars each year for the state’s economy.

Hundreds of pink and white balloons are released by survivors in honor of those who lost their fight against breast cancer.

Mrs. Perry earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from West Texas State University, now West Texas A&M University, and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

governor.state.tx.us/women

3


Meet the Women of the 83rd Texas Legislature

Dr. Donna Campbell

Wendy Davis

Senator New Braunfels

Joan Huffman

Senator fort worth

Senator Houston

Judith Zaffirini

Jane Nelson

Leticia Van de Putte

Senator Flower Mound

Senator san antonio

Senator laredo

Alma Allen

Carol Alvarado

Cindy Burkett

Angie Chen Button

Representative HOUSTON

Representative HOUSTON

Representative Sunnyvale

Representative Garland

Stefani Carter

Nicole Collier

Myra Crownover

Sarah Davis

Yvonne Davis

Representative DALLAS

Representative FORT WORTH

Representative Denton

Representative HOUSTON

Representative dallas

Dawnna Dukes

Marsha Farney

Jessica Farrar

Helen Giddings

Mary Gonzรกlez

Representative AUSTIN

Representative GEORGETOWN

Representative HOUSTON

Representative dallas

Representative Clint

4 Texas Governor's Commission for Women


Naomi Gonzalez

Patricia Harless

Linda Harper-Brown

Ana Hernandez Luna

Donna Howard

Representative el paso

Representative spring

Representative irving

Representative HOUSTON

Representative austin

Susan King

Stephanie Klick

Lois Kolkhorst

Jodie Laubenberg

Marisa Márquez

Representative abilene

Representative fort worth

Representative brenham

Representative Parker

Representative el paso

Ruth Jones McClendon

Geanie Morrison

Diane Patrick

Mary Ann Perez

Debbie Riddle

Representative san antonio

Representative victoria

Representative arlington

Representative HOUSTON

Representative Tomball

March is Women’s History Month and the Governor’s Commission for Women will honor the 37 Texas female legislators at a luncheon on March 21, 2013. For more information please visit: governor.state.tx.us/women

Toni Rose

Senfronia Thompson

Representative Dallas

Representative HOUSTON

governor.state.tx.us/women

5


Supporting Organizations Military Partners Operation Homefront

www.operationhomefront.net Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. MILITARY MENTORING PROGRAM

www.bigmentoring.org/military In support of our country’s military person­nel and their families, Big Brothers Big Sisters has established the Military Mentor­ing Program. This program serves to reinforce the connection between a child and their parents by offering a friend and an ally to children within military families. Warrior and Family Support Center

www.bamc.amedd.army.mil/military/wfsc The Warrior and Family Support Center provides coordinated services to patients, next-of-kin and extended Family Members with a primary focus on Wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Warriors. Camp Better America

www.campbetteramerica.org Camp Better America is an organization whose mission is to reconnect military families by giving them the tools they need to create, build and achieve their dreams. F7 Group

www.f7group.com F7 Group is dedicated to securing and providing resources, training, support and mentoring to Female Veterans and Women in Military Families. Texas Veterans Commission

www.tvc.state.tx.us/Women-Veterans.aspx The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) serves Texas’ Women Veterans by helping them and

their family members obtain their government benefits and services, and by coordinating supplemental services and support with local governments and community organizations. TVC recognizes and honors the contributions and services of Texas Women Veterans who have volunteered and served in the US Military, Reserves, and/or National Guard, in defense of our nation.

Employment Partners

www.gsctx.org Girl Scouts of Central Texas serves more than 22,000 girls, grades K-12, and 13,000 adult volunteers in 46 Central Texas counties. Girl Scouts is the premier leadership organization for girls. The EDGE (Energize, Develop, Grow, Excel) Program offers opportunities to increase girls’ technical skills, confidence and interest in science and technology careers. Texas Girls Collaborative Project

www.texaswomeninbusiness.org An organization that encourages and empowers female business owners to achieve their per­sonal and professional goals through education, development, mentoring, networking, service, and leadership.

www.txgcp.org The Texas Girls Collaborative Project is led by the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Texas and seeks to connect organizations and individuals across Texas committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

WOMEN’S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF TEXAS

Breast Cancer Partners

Texas Women in Business

www.womenschambertexas.com The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas supports the economic empowerment of women through relationship networking, business and leadership development, and advocacy in the private and public arenas. SCORE

www.score.org SCORE is a non-profit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.

Girls in Technology Partners Girlstart

www.girlstart.org Girlstart's mission is to empower girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Girl Scouts of Central Texas

6 Texas Governor's Commission for Women

Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for

the Cure

www.komenaustin.org/about-us Since 1999, the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been hard at work here in the Austin area raising money to provide FREE breast cancer screening, education and medical services as well as financial and emotional support. American Cancer Society

www.cancer.org For nearly 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has worked relentlessly to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we’re helping people stay well, helping people get well, finding cures, and fighting back against cancer. Cancer Prevention and Research

Institute of Texas

www.cprit.state.tx.us CPRIT’s goal is to expedite innovation and


commercialization in the area of cancer research and to enhance access to evidencebased prevention programs and services throughout the state. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SERVICES

www.dshs.state.tx.us/bcccs The Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program (BCCS) offers clinical breast examinations, mammograms, pelvic examinations, and Pap tests throughout Texas at no or low-cost to "eligible" women. Since 1991, the BCCS program has screened 288,434 women for breast or cervical cancer. The goal of Texas' BCCS is to reduce mortality from breast cancer and cervical cancer in Texas.

hosted by Governor Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry. Texas Woman’s University

www.twu.edu An act of the 27th Legislature in 1901 founded the Girls Industrial College as a public institution that would become Texas Woman's University in 1957. TWU continues today as a public university that offers a comprehensive catalog of academic studies, including baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees. TWU is the largest university primarily for women in the United States, with the main campus in Denton and health science centers in Dallas and Houston. 2-1-1

www.genaustin.org GENAustin's mission is to support and guide girls to make wise choices as they navigate the unique pressures of girlhood.

www.211texas.org The 2-1-1 program provides Texans with free, confidential referral services to connect people to resources in their local community. Phones are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide resources for housing, child care, food stamps, physical or mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, or employment information.

Austin Commission for Women

Texas Conference for Women

www.austintexas.gov/commissionforwomen Serves as an advisory body to the city council and city manager concerning the needs and problems of women in the Austin area and shall recommend programs designed to alleviate any inequities that may confront women in social, economic and vocational pursuits.

www.txconferenceforwomen.org The Texas Conference for Women is the largest women’s conference in the state. Please join us in Austin on November 19, 2013 for the 15th Annual Conference

Other Commission Partners GENAustin

Commissions for Women

National Association of Commissions for Women 201 Hunters Crossing Blvd., Suite 10-172 Bastrop, TX 78602 (855) 703-NACW www.nacw.org Governor’s Commission for Women 1100 San Jacinto Austin, TX 78701 (512) 475-2615 www.governor.state.tx.us/women Austin Commission for Women 2800 Spirit of Texas Drive Austin, TX 78719 (512) 530-8202 www.austintexas.gov/commissionforwomen El Paso Commission for Women Post Office Box 3897 El Paso, TX 79923 (915) 253-1616 www.elpasowomen.org Fort Worth Commission for Women 1150 South Freeway, Suite 106 Fort Worth, TX 76104 (817) 212-2665 www.fortworthtexas.gov/boards/ women

National Association of Commissions

Laredo Commission for Women City Secretary’s Office 1110 Houston Street Laredo, TX 78040 (956) 791-7399 www.ci.laredo.tx.us/lcw/Index.html

www.nacw.org NACW is committed to equality and justice for women by increasing the effectiveness of member commissions and serving as their national voice.

ayor’s Commission on the Status M of Women City of San Antonio Post Office Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 (210) 207-8998

for Women

Governor Rick Perry, Texas First Lady Anita Perry and the Texas Governor's Commission for Women.

governor.state.tx.us/women

7


Legislative Luncheon Honoring Women Members of the 83rd Legislature Hosted by the Governor's Commission for Women

Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:30 am-1:00 pm Sheraton Austin at the Capitol 701 East 11th Street Register at www.governor.state.tx.us/women


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opposite sex /

memo from jb

Music Snobbery 101 JB’s advice on becoming a music guru during SXSW. By JB Hager. Photo by Rudy Arocha I am admittedly a music snob. I always have been. I denied it for years, but living in the Live Music Capital of the World, I’ve learned to accept it. Unless you are a college basketball fanatic, then March in Austin, TX, is music month. With the growth of South By Southwest Music, Austin has become the holy land for the music snob, much like Sturgis for motorcycle enthusiasts or Memphis for an Elvis impersonator. For the month of March, I’m asking all of you to tap in to your inner music snob. You’re an Austinite and you deserve it, just because you have the much-coveted 512 area code. If you were seeking out advice on attending a Broadway musical, any New Yorker would suffice. For culinary decisions, a born and raised New Orleans resident has credibility of Biblical proportions. Therefore, you have global cred regarding music. Rather than give you more insight in to my musical history and snobbery, I thought it would be better served to fill your head with my quick hits “Guide to being a music snob.” This will give you the confidence you need to speak with authority to any tourists in our city during March.

Austin has become the holy land for the music snob, much like Sturgis for motorcycle enthusiasts or Memphis for an Elvis impersonator.

you have to remove one ear to hear someone. b Constantly talk about saving record stores, and how you miss analog and vinyl. b Only refer to an artist’s second album as their “sophomore effort.” Your Guide to Being a Music Snob: b Laminate everything in your house: CD covers, mail b Wear headphones constantly, the bigger they are, the and magazine ads, and wear them all around your neck better. Wear them everywhere: in the work conference during March. room, in a confessional, during sex. Act annoyed when b Make reference of who produced the record. Make up a name if you have to. When in doubt, just give credit to Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. On-Airstreaming b Talk about where venues used On-Airstreaming connects music fans with artists like never to be. before. It not only helps fans discover their next favorite song, b Mention you worked at your band or artist, but also aims to remind them why they love music college radio station and how in the first place. Revolving around its popular online music video great it was that they let you play series, On-Airstreaming features intimate live performances and whatever you wanted. uncensored interviews from both established and on-the-rise b Reference your college internship musicians. Ranging from solo singer-songwriters to full-fledged bands, On-Airstreaming showcases artists at their most auat a large record label and take thentic, filming raw, stripped-down, acoustic performances that credit for any artists that were big at capture the heart and essence of an artist and their music. that time. b As bands break on to the scene, Join JB and On-Airstreaming during SXSW. The new studio facility located at 210 Guadalupe St. in the Second Street District brag about how you were listening will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 13 through to them years ago, but when they March 16. For more information, visit on-airstreaming.com. get really big, deny that you ever listened to them at all. Example: Gotye.

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b Comfortably reference bands with gratuitous profanity in their name. Example: F#%& Art, Let’s Dance. Yes, that’s a real band coming to SXSW. b Occasionally listen to bands that you can’t tell if the music is playing regularly or backward. It should sound the same in both directions. Example: whatever is playing at your local Thundercloud. b Mention after-hours parties that are so after-hours, they’re early tomorrow evening. b Take a picture of any band playing from so far away you can’t tell who it is, but post online that it’s someone huge. You are now armed and ready for musical snobbery. Enjoy the true March Madness that is Austin. Just to ensure you do, I will leave you with one more musicsnob must. You have to constantly be predicting the next big thing you saw at SXSW. Feel free to memorize my picks for this year. The key is to predict a LOT of them. You only need one to hit so you can say, “I told you so.” It worked for Nostradamus. Here you go: Tegan and Sara, Capital Cities, Phosphorescent, ZZ Ward, Pony Pony Run Run, Wild Cub, Wild Belle, Breathe Carolina, Little Green Cars, Generationals, St. Lucia, Royal Teeth, Cave Painting, Deep Sea Diver, Kodaline, Atlas Genius, Josh Ritter, A Fine Frenzy, Ivan & Alyosha, Leagues, Tiago Iorc, The Postelles, Far East Movement. JB Hager can be heard as part of the JB and Sandy Morning Show on Mix 94.7 Austin weekdays 6 to 10 a.m.


We are hosting a full schedule of free marketing Winter. classes for small business and nonprofits in Austin this Spring Fall. Come learn strategies to grow your business. Seating is limited. Learn more and sign up to attend at constantcontact.com/texas Topics Include: - The Power of Email Marketing - Social Media Marketing Made Simple - Supercharge Your Facebook Page - The Power of Event Marketing Follow on Twitter @JulieNiehoff Find me on Facebook.com/CCTexas Julie Niehoff Director, Field Education & Development

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opposite sex /

simply irresistible

Billy Brooks By Molly McManus, Photo by Rudy Arocha Ladies and gentlewomen, please welcome to the stage… Billyyy Brooks! As the handsome actor strides toward you, the only thing brighter than the blinding lights of the theater is his radiant smile. Brooks’ presence is captivating, but off stage, he’s just as charming. An eternal kid, Brooks has a light-hearted nature that is refreshing. With never-ending jokes, contagious energy and a dramatically deep voice, you’ll be eagerly auditioning to play his damsel in distress before you know it. Front and center, Brooks is part of the hilariously smart Esther’s Follies, opening the show as President Barack Obama, singing warnings to dictators in the Middle East set to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Bad. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Esther’s Follies is an Austin original, a must-visit for tourists and locals alike, producing five shows weekly that offer political satire, musical parodies, spellbinding magic and sketch comedy all in one performance. A crowd favorite, Brooks also plays a UT Bro as part of the Boys on Sixth Street act, which depicts downtown on a weekend, alongside a 4 Loco Drinking Hipster, a Cowboy, a Cedar Park Wannabe-Thug, a Man in his Mid-Life Crisis, who all end up getting picked up by a cougar, played by Shannon Sedwick, founder of Esther’s Follies. “This is the greatest job in the world,” Brooks gushes. “I love it here. It doesn’t feel like work at all.” He warns me, with a sly grin, not to tell anyone. Oops, secret’s out. Brooks, 33, is an Austin native and an alumnus

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of Anderson High School. He trained at American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, where he studied acting and dance. After spending eight years in Los Angeles, Brooks enthusiastically returned home, landing the gig at Esther’s. Beyond acting, singing and dancing at Esther’s Follies, Brooks also does stand-up comedy, voiceovers for video games and is regularly featured on the Let’s Do This! podcast of spill.com. When he’s

not comically spouting off, he’s at the gym refining that commanding 6-foot-2-inch build, watching Breaking Bad on Netflix, going to the Alamo Drafthouse or hanging at Barton Springs. Call me a meteorologist, but I predict Brooks will cause quite the storm in years to come. Don’t be surprised if you see him starring on SNL or pirouetting on Broadway. With moves like Jagger, Brooks will dance his way in to your heart.


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opposite sex /

relationships

Get What You Want Seven steps to getting your way. By Eric Leech Ladies, what is one of the most annoying things about men? If you compound all our bad habits and selective hearing, the answer comes down to not doing what we’re supposed to do (at least according to our better halves). Beyond a robot or John Holmes love doll, there is no guaranteed method of getting your way with every guy. However, I have seven tips that will amplify your powers of persuasion, and following this advice should be as simple as ordering a sandwich from the deli. 1. MAKE ONE REQUEST AT A TIME When you are having a sandwich made by a guy at the deli, things usually go a lot smoother if you make one request at a time. If you call out, “I’d like the fried chicken on wheat, hold the relish, double up on the peppers, thinly slice the onions, swap the sweet pickle for a dill and just a dollop of mayo,” the first question out of his mouth will probably be, “You wanted that on bread, right?” The same thing goes with relationship requests. Guys don’t do well with long lists; it overwhelms them. When it matters that he gets something right, make one request at a time. 2. Speak Calmly, Clearly and to the Point When there are a lot of other orders competing for the deli man’s attention, it is important to be polite, patient and speak slowly and clearly once it’s your turn. This will get you the best service, and will ensure he gets your order right. In your relationship, this technique will have a calming effect on your guy, and this will also help avoid the pitfall of him feeling attacked by your request. 3. Consider His Viewpoint If your order turns out not to be anything like what you asked for and you scream at the guy behind the counter, you’ll only end up with wilted lettuce and squishy tomatoes. When it seems like your complaints are going unnoticed in your relationship, take time to get your anger (and emotions) under control, and then consider what approach will make your guy want to help you.

4. Take a Portion of the Blame Deli men (and husbands) don’t like taking the blame (or being criticized) when something goes wrong. Have you ever watched a guy drop his camera, then when he goes to take a picture, a spring pops out of the lens and he looks at his wife and says, “Honey, why didn’t you replace the batteries?” To take some of the weight off his shoulders, admit your portion of the blame (if there is any), and offer a solution that will involve working as a team. 5. Know What You Want Don’t you hate it when the person in front of the line at the deli has no idea what they want? Women are quite gifted at sensing and expressing their feelings in a relationship. However, sometimes your dissatisfaction may not be your guy’s fault. When he asks what he can do to help, you may wish he’d hold a relationship menu above his head, but he probably won’t. The problem is, guys don’t always know what you need, and if you don’t either, you shouldn’t even be waiting in line at the complaint department. 6. When in Doubt, Serve a Complaint Sandwich A lot has been written about the “complaint sandwich,” introduced by Guy Winch, author of The Squeaky Wheel: Complaining the Right Way. The idea is to place the meat of your complaint between two positive slices of bread. This will increase the likelihood of you getting what you ask for. For example, begin with the first slice of bread: “Honey, you are fantastic with the kids.” Now get out the barbecued chicken: “I am hoping you can help take the kids to soccer practice this week.” Now, grab the last slice of bread and slather on the mayonnaise: “I know you’re busy, but I would really appreciate the effort.” 7. It’s Easier to Throw Out a Bad Olive Than to Complain About it Getting what you want can be a lot like crying wolf. If you get your way too often, pretty soon your guy won’t want to play the game anymore. Remember, a chronic complainer is only a glorified nag.


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savvy woman /

best kept secret

Plug and Play Balancing work and parenting, Amy Braden creates an innovative solution for entrepreneurs and work-fromhome moms. By Amory Casto At first glance, there is a certain quiet difference about Plug and Play. It slightly protrudes from the other businesses located in the shopping center, and the jovial letters of the sign stand out from the rest. It’s not until you gingerly step into the facility that you notice the sign is quite indicative of the secret inside: a distinctive office-type workspace with day care. Plug and Play provides the work-from-home or freelance individual an eclectic work environment that is different from the comforts of your home or the local coffee shop. Due to the on-site child-care option, you never have to feel too far away from your family. Both services can be used together or separately, and memberships are always custom-made to fit the needs of the individual member. Amy Braden is the visionary woman behind this work-life solution. Leaving an advertising career in Hollywood, she and her husband decided to move to Austin. After the birth of her son and the challenge of balancing work and parenting, Braden began to innovate. In short order, the idea of Plug and Play was put in to practice. “I never thought I would be an entrepreneur,” Braden comments. “This was a new market and there was nothing like it in Austin.” Walking through the facility, you feel an underlying energy about the place. The décor is simple, with bold orange and blue accents. The modern furniture design mixes perfectly with equal parts coziness and class. A tall bar top extends out from

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the front desk, providing ample space to personalents’ Night Out. Leave ize your workspace. Within close proximity to the the kids with Plug and front desk, there are seven nooks, some with their Play from 5 to 10 p.m., own curtain for privacy, two conference rooms and a on select Saturdays and Amy Braden corner with two plush chairs designed for comfort. they will enjoy a movie A fax machine, shredder and printer rest just a few or crafts while you enjoy date night. feet away. Need a coffee or tea to fully get in to work Braden adds that the best-kept secret of the mode? Conveniently, there is a refreshment station child-care program is the FLEX Preschool. Each with drinks and snacks just to the right of the enweek, parents can pick the same two morning or trance, all geared to help refresh a cogitative mind. afternoon sessions for their children. Behind a secure door, tucked quietly to the “It’s perfect for parents who prefer more reguleft of the front desk, is the child-care center. The larity in their schedule,” Braden explains. expansive space is divided in to three different ageAs member numbers continue to increase each month, specific rooms. Plug and Play provides child care for Braden keeps her focus on the future. She sees the potenchildren ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. During my visit, tial of Plug and Play as exciting, with “lots of growth and the newborns were quietly snoozing while the older franchise opportunities across the country.” children were excitedly building towers with blocks. When you leave Plug and Play at the end of a Plug and Play follows the Emilia Reggio style of workday, you feel a sense of completion, as well as learning that focuses on the intercloseness with your child. Braden had ests unique to each child. Under this an innovative idea and turned it in to method, the kids learn and interact something tangible. A small poster plug and play with each other without being dishangs above a square table in the 13343 N. Hwy. 183, tracted by battery-operated toys. workspace area that reads, “Be you, suite 200 There is always a Letter of the Day, be true, do what you love.” Braden has 512.258.7584, and crafts are centered on a theme plugandplayaustin.com certainly embraced this saying; it’s like All Around Austin, or Fairytales Hours: Monday through evident in her warm smile and honest and Legends. There are also daily Friday from 8:30 a.m. to laughter. Through taking a risk in a installments of yoga, art, Spanish 5:30 p.m. Call to design new place, Amy Braden was able to lessons and music. Another added find balance for herself and for other your own membership bonus for parents is the essential Par- to fit your needs. entrepreneurial working parents.


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savvy woman /

you should know

Geeky and She Knows It Introducing SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame inductee danah boyd. By Julie Tereshchuk

Austin Woman: For the non-geeks, why would they go to South By Southwest Interactive? danah boyd: To be honest, I don’t know what Interactive is like for a non-geek. What I like about Interactive is that it’s a space where geeks gather to collectively imagine a future. So many project ideas come out of that event. So many professional connections get built. So many relationships get cemented. But it still confuses me that people would come to the event who aren’t geeky-minded. Of course, most of us give presentations designed to be broadly accessible even if we’re targeting them at an audience of our peers. Part of this is a community mindset of making certain that we can communicate what we’re doing in a way that anyone could understand. So perhaps this is what draws non-geeks in? AW: Are you hopeful about the positive impact of technology as it intersects with society and youth culture? db: The development of technology is all about creating new possibilities. But impact comes when people incorporate these technologies in to their practices to make change. I’m hopeful and confident that technologists can create tools that people—including youth—will put to good use, but I don’t think that technology does that

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work alone. The bigger question becomes whether we as a society can envision a better world and all jump in to make it a reality. Only then will the potential of the tools that are developed be realized. AW: Is “new media” a term we should still be using? db: I’ve never been a fan of “new media,” and I’m kind of with the teens on this one. They don’t get obsessed with creating labels for things or categorizing them. They don’t try to talk about Twitter as micro-blogging, or argue about whether or not Tumblr is blogging. They just talk about the tools that they use and don’t sweat the categorization problem. I’ve accepted “social media” as a useful and flexible term that refers to a whole array of different tools and services that allow people to create media and be social. But that’s just because, as an academic, I have to use some term.

AW: What made you focus on human trafficking? db: I like messy and complicated issues where understanding and data-based interventions could actually make a significant change in the world. The public image of human trafficking is painfully simplistic and, as a result, inaccurate. The nuances and complexities of commercial exploitation of peoples reveal many broken aspects of our society: our inability to address mental-health issues, the cycle of violence that exists in so many communities, systemic inequality and poverty, and the ways in which power can be abused. I was surprised by how little was understood about technology and human trafficking even though politicians and advocates were making all sorts of broad claims. So I decided to find out, and that’s what’s driving this project.

Photo by Brooke Nipar.

March 12, danah boyd (no typo—she uses all lower-case letters for her name) becomes the second member of the South By Southwest Interactive Hall of Fame. At 35, boyd is a senior researcher at Microsoft Research, a research assistant professor in media, culture and communication at New York University, and has a slew of other academic appointments in the U.S., and overseas. Her research examines the intersection of technology, society and youth culture. Currently, she’s focused on privacy, youth practices and cruelty, and human trafficking. She co-authored Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media, and is working on a new book titled It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.


Registration begins at 11:00am, Luncheon starts at 12:00pm


savvy woman /

two of a kind

Patricia V. Hayes Revealed For Austin, two Patricia Hayeses are better than one. By Deborah Hamilton-Lynne, Photo by Rudy Arocha Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Beyond the name, the similarities are striking: two accomplished women involved in higher education and first in their field, one, the first woman to be president of St. Edward’s University, and the other, the first female vice chancellor for governmental relations at Texas State, both communityoriented and involved.

In the February issue of Austin Woman, the name Patricia Hayes was prominently featured in our section on Distinguished African-American Women in Austin, as it should have been. There was just one catch: Part of the biographical information on Patricia Hayes belonged to one Patricia Hayes—Patricia A. Hayes, first woman president of St. Edward’s and former chief operating officer of Seton Healthcare, a distinguished Austin woman, no doubt, who happens to be Caucasian. The correct biographical information—current principal and owner of PVH Consulting Group—did indeed belong to Patricia V. Hayes, a distinguished African-American Austin woman. When the error was brought to my attention, I was justifiably horrified by the fact that we had combined the two biographies and began to plan my humble apology, and that is when I realized it wasn’t such a bad thing: two Patricia Hayeses have definitely been better for Austin than one. To make things worse, I knew Patricia A. Hayes, had interviewed her when she was at St. Ed’s, so I knew she could not belong in the AfricanAmerican Heritage issue. How would I explain this one? Fortunately for me, both of the Patricia Hayeses graciously accepted my apology and had a good laugh with me and at my predicament. Both women went on to confirm we were not the first to make such a mistake. Indeed, the two Patricia Hayeses first met in line to retrieve nametags at a fundraising event and joked at how often they received phone calls for the other. Patricia A. Hayes laughed when she admitted she was surprised to find her bio in the article and simply asked that I write an article on Patricia V. Hayes. When I phoned Patricia V. Hayes, she also burst out laughing saying, “It happens all of the time. People have

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been confusing us since I was in grad school. No problem.” She graciously agreed to be profiled to set the record straight. And so, this is the story of Patricia V. Hayes, distinguished African-American Austinite, revealed. The first thing you notice when you meet Patricia V. Hayes is her smile. As she steps up to greet you, she is warm and genuine and you want to spend time with her. Smiling reassuringly she explains, “I am named after my godmother, Patricia Valdreace Hayes, and so there is actually one other out there with the exact same name as me,” she says. “There was also another Patricia Hayes when I was in law school. And for the last 20-some years in Austin, of course, there has been Pat Hayes—Patricia A. Hayes—and we frequently get calls and emails for the other. Honestly, it’s no big deal.” But the big deal is how accomplished both Patricia Hayeses are and how much they have given to Austin. Patricia V. Hayes first came to Austin to attend the University of Texas, receiving her bachelor’s degree in political science in 1991. She attended law school at Pepperdine University, receiving her J.D. in 1994. During law school, Hayes served as a legal intern in the office of Pete Laney, then serving as the speaker of the House of Representatives before returning to Austin and being admitted to the Texas State Bar. Her

experience as an intern fueled her interest in education, public policy and educational law, interests that shaped her professional path and are the focus of her consulting practice today. “Texas is like five states in one. It is diverse economically, geographically, culturally. It makes it challenging, particularly in the field of education, because we are not a one-size-fits-all state. One of my pet issues is how to meet that challenge to meet the needs of all students in Texas for the future,” Hayes says of policy regarding education in Texas. Working in both education and public policy for more than 20 years has created a specialized expertise for Hayes, which allows her to “speak both languages and act as a translator at times.” Her impressive resume includes working as the staff attorney and legislative liaison for the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, the committee director for the Texas Senate subcommittee on higher education, the special assistant for


education to Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff, the legal counsel and governmental relations officer to Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, director of the Office of P-16 coordination and Associate Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Always a leader in her field, Hayes has experienced many firsts in her career, most recently having served as vice chancellor of the Texas State University System, becoming the first African-American and female to represent the legislative interests of a major university system in Texas. She is particularly proud of her work creating the P-16 office of the TEA, which links education from pre-kindergarten through post-secondary education. Hayes believes the key to success for many students is helping them explore and identify their talents and interests as early as possible, and having schools and courses provide the training, skills and knowledge to match those interests and talents for a productive career. In June 2010, Hayes used her comprehensive experience to create PVH Consulting Group. Well versed in government speak, policy development, agency rule making and training, Hayes turned her love of envisioning the big picture in to a successful managementconsultant firm. “I love the legislative process,” says Hayes, an admitted type A. “It is fascinating, especially in Texas. I love strategizing about the issues and I genuinely care about policy. Regardless of the issue, I like to analyze the issue and advise clients about their next move to help accomplish their goals.” In 2012, Hayes joined forces with Capitol Dome Partners, a group of four team members with diverse legislative experience, including education, taxation, regulatory, energy and health care. The partnership allows her to continue her management and training services, and maintain PVH clients while leveraging

her experience and focusing on legislative consulting with Capitol Dome. Offering diverse services, from speaking and event planning to training and consulting, keeps Hayes interested and interesting. She is the first to acknowledge those who have helped along the way. “I have always had a love for reading and writing, and though you would never believe it now, I was quiet and shy when I was younger, so I made myself join the high-school debate team in the 9th grade. In my senior year, I qualified for extemporaneous speaking debates and from that came a love for research, public speaking and debate,” she says. “I link a lot of my success to that high-school training and teachers. “When I decided to start my firm and go out on my own, I had great mentors. I call them my mastermind group, and I cannot thank them enough. I won’t name them, but they know who they are. They have helped me explore and take advantage of all of my opportunities and make the transition to going out on my own. What kept things fresh for me was being able to explore learning the business side of what I do, and they helped me with that. It was the business side that was the missing link and is the part which is evolving. I have been drawn in to the management consultant and legislative and policy side of the business, and that has allowed me the flexibility to spend more time with my family.” Hayes is also one of those remarkable women who, in addition to her dedication to her career, has maintained an active role in her community and successfully juggled the role of wife and mother. “People talk about balance, but the idea of balance was stressful for me,” she says. “What I learned was to adjust focus and be focused on whatever it was I was doing at the time. Things are never going to be bal-

anced, but I came to terms with mommy guilt. When I started the firm, my children, Kyndal and Carson, were ages 7 and 3. My husband, Kevin Workman, was a good sport and has been very supportive. When the children were small, we were both working, and in 2008, we made a huge adjustment when Kevin agreed to be the stay-at-home parent and allow me to take advantage of the opportunities I was being offered. We are adjusting again now that he is re-entering the workplace. It is all about fluidity to prevent ‘the crazies.’ It was great for our kids.” Hayes currently serves on the board of directors and as the education outreach committee chair for the Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce. She has been active in the state and local Bar associations, as well as Executive Women in Texas Government. Hayes served on the boards of both Greenlights for Nonprofit Success and the Travis County Center for Child Protection. With an 11-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son, Hayes recently stepped back from volunteer activities to focus on her family. She is active in school PTO for Harmony School of Political Science and Communications, as well as the Mount Zion Baptist Church. The entire time Hayes was being interviewed, her mind was churning and making connections as she spoke. She smiled as she realized the number of organizations, schools, committees, initiatives and groups she has been a part of during the start-up process, stating it “must be something I am good at.” At 44, she is incredibly accomplished and has big plans for the future. Austin is fortunate that Patricia V. Hayes is here to stay. I am fortunate that owning an honest mistake led me to meet the other Patricia Hayes. For me and for Austin, two Patricia Hayeses are definitely better than one.

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savvy woman /

austin innovator

Telling Austin’s Health-Care Stories Founder of ESS Communications Emily Schmitz spotlights medical innovations.

As a former TV news reporter and producer, Emily Schmitz loves telling stories. Four years ago, she developed a way to combine this love of telling stories with entrepreneurship by starting her own full-service communications company, ESS Communications. The company specializes in medical, health care and consumer projects, providing media relations, event planning, promotions and socialmedia services. With Austin on the rise as a medical hotspot, Schmitz is positioning ESS Communications to be the go-to public relations firm for medical and health-care innovators to help tell their stories. Austin Woman: What made you take the leap from TV news reporter to entrepreneur? Emily Schmitz: I loved medical reporting, but personal changes in my life forced me to re-evaluate my career choice. As a single mother of two, I needed more flexibility with my schedule for my children. When I first moved to Central Texas from Houston, I was the Texas bureau chief for Medstar Television, a national distributor of medical news stories. At the time, there were so few medical news stories in Austin that I was constantly traveling to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. In 2004, when I became a freelance medical reporter for YNN (formerly News 8), I gained great insight in to the health-care landscape here. Since then, our medical community has exploded. AW: Austin recently passed Proposition 1. What are your thoughts on how this will affect Austin? ES: Proposition 1 created a tax to help finance a plan to overhaul our health-care delivery system,

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which will include supporting a medical school and teaching hospital. Whether you supported Proposition 1 or not, bringing a medical school to a city of our size will affect everyone to some degree, and I think mostly in a positive way. Medical schools attract top-caliber researchers and physicians, and that translates to new health-care innovations for Central Texans and beyond. The surge of life-science companies who choose Austin to make their home can take advantage of the new pool of talent. And that will have a domino effect on our economy, increasing the demand for more commercial real estate, more IT services support, marketing and sales opportunities, etc. AW: How do you hope ESS Communications will impact the health and medical industries? ES: I hope ESS Communications creates visibility to the new, emerging health-care, medical and lifescience companies that decide to make Austin their home. We’ll also continue to help established physician practices and health-care facilities gain recognition for their medical advances by working closely with media and other community partners. It’s no secret that Austin is a top health-conscious city, and I’d like to think ESS Communications can continue to have a significant impact in keeping it that way.

AW: What is the best advice you could give to aspiring entrepreneurs? ES: It sounds like common sense, but choosing something you have a genuine interest in will guarantee that you’ll be excited about waking up every morning to go to work. But I think there’s a practical component as well. Pick something where there’s a need or demand. That means doing some research. Entrepreneurs take risks. But I would also tell women who are considering venturing out on their own to not be afraid of change should you run in to obstacles along the way. I thought I had a clear path of how I saw my business growing, but when I lost my biggest client, the company’s CEO sat me down and explained that it’s OK to veer off course. He suggested I read (an oldie, but goodie), Who Moved My Cheese. The little book reminded me that change is not only OK, but you should welcome it and use it to your advantage. For more information, visit esscommunications.com.

Photo by Holly Reed Photography.

By Malia Bradshaw


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global views

Journey Through India In honor of International Women’s Month, AW writer Shelley Seale examines the current status of Indian women and how they are changing the world. By Shelley Seale

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Caroline Boudreaux admits that 2012 was a difficult year for the Miracle Foundation. The organization’s entire fundraising model and strategy had to be re-imagined in order to make orphanages in to real homes for children abroad. In Caroline Boudreaux’s case, it made her think bigger. “Sometimes, a negative event fosters great ideas,� says Boudreaux, founder of the nonprofit. “Our donors are our investors, and we always want their investment to pay off. When a local manager in India refused to submit x $BSF $SFEJU "WBJMBCMF

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to an audit, that was a red flag in so many ways.â€? The Miracle Foundation’s goal is to turn virtual warehouses of abandoned boys and girls in to real homes through improved nutrition, loving housemothers and better education. “Our question became: How do we guarantee success in foreign countries?â€? Boudreaux says. “It was so painful to give that orphanage back to the locals, but the cool thing is that the experience transformed our entire business model. Now it can be scaled and replicated globally, which has the potential to help millions of kids worldwide.â€? Where once they went in to existing orphanages with naĂŻve expectations—even building new orphanages FREE

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nearly complete removal of her intestines, she lost her fight and died from her injuries Dec. 29.1 Although rape and other violent crimes against women have been on the rise in India—there were

BOUDREAUX

The Miracle Foundation

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nearly 25,000 cases reported in 20112 , and many more go unreported—the overwhelming brutality of Joyti’s case quickly garnered worldwide attention and outrage. It began in Delhi, where thousands

from the ground up—the foundation has developed a program it calls the NEST method (Nurture, Empower, Strengthen and Transform), a five-step approach to identifying, qualifying and developing orphanages and helping the children living in them reach their full potential. The best thing about the NEST model is that it can be implemented by other like-minded organizations throughout the world. Boudreaux credits Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Davis, who was hired in 2009, for this new approach. She is also quick to give kudos to the volunteers, donors and strong board of directors. “People want to change the world. They want to make a difference. When presented with an opportunity to give, they step up,� she says. “Donors used

to ask what percentage of their money was going directly to the program. [With the Miracle Foundation, that figure was 83 percent.] But now they are asking, ‘Is it working?’ That’s such an evolution. They know that even if an organization gives 100 percent of every dollar to its programs, if they aren’t working, it doesn’t matter. They humble me that they care so much about these perfect strangers halfway around the world.� Boudreaux cites an incredible statistic: If a country were created that held all the orphans in the world, it would be the eighth-largest. “They have no mom, no dad, no one to speak for them. But we’re breaking the cycle,� she says. “What we’re giving, no one can ever take away from them. No one can rewrite their story. They will never go back.�

Top photo by Shelley Seale.

Her name was Joyti. The Hindu name means “light,� and all who knew the 23-year-old living in Delhi, India, say the name accurately described her. On the night of Dec. 16, 2012, the medicalschool graduate was viciously raped and beaten by six men for nearly two hours as she took a bus home with a friend after the two watched a movie together. Although Joyti held on for 13 days through various surgeries, including a


LONG CENTER PRESENTS took to the street in protest amidst tear gas and water cannons turned on them by police, and held candlelight vigils. Soon people nationwide were taking up her cause and demanding action; the young woman came to be called “India’s Daughter.” Within days, the entire world had learned of the “Delhi Rape Case” as the outrage spread. In spite of the tragic end to Joyti’s promising life, she may, in the end, accomplish something few do: change a nation. Perhaps even the world. It is a world that desperately needs changing for women, especially in the worst countries for females: Afghanistan, Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia. India is a singular standout on that list because, unlike the other four countries, it has evolved in to one of the world’s economic superpowers. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, which compiled the list, ranked India the fourth-most hazardous nation in which to be born a girl, due to its extremely high levels of female infanticide and sex trafficking.3 Santasree Choudhuri, a well-known activist from Kolkata, India, calls fear the constant companion of women in India. “Shine and shame have been India’s eternal companions,” she says. “Entrepreneurship, empowerment and education contradict honor killing, rapes, domestic violence, denial of property, the girl child ratio, child marriage and trafficking.” Choudhuri says the large gap between educated and uneducated women creates an imbalance in the overall society, as does the gap between rural and urban women’s empowerment and opportunity. However, Choudhuri adds that educated, empowered and professional women in India are in no way immune from humiliation, and still fear for their safety. “Men have yet to accept the empowerment or provide a safe space to work with dignity. Women need confidence from society to walk the path of empowerment,” she says. “They need support and strength from developed nations in respect of suggestions, cooperation and encouragement.” Choudhuri’s list of needs for gender equality echoes the mission of Vasavya Mahili Mandali (VMM), a non-profit organization in Central India that aims to impact the lives of women and children through sustainable, community-driven initiatives. “The mindset of men has not yet changed,” says Dr. Bollineni Keerthi, Ph.D., and technical support manager at VMM. “The attitude of men did not change to accept the forward march of females in areas of education, employment and government. Hence, the brutal violence on women has increased.” Keerthi cites the phenomenon she calls “son bias” as one of the biggest obstacles facing women

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global views

[continued from previous page] today in countries like India, Afghanistan and Somalia. It is so strong in India that sex-specific abortions—those of girls—have soared in recent years, leading to a refusal by many in the medical community to perform sonograms solely for the purpose of finding out the sex of a baby. Infanticide after birth is also common; India lost three million

How Writer Shelley Seale Turned her Passion for Travel in to a Job Writing a story like this—about people and life and issues and cultures far from our own hometown—is very rewarding for me. I have an insatiable curiosity about the world, and whether I am covering a story that is sad, difficult, uplifting or funny, it always amazes me how much underneath it all and

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girls to the crime in the decade from 2001 to 2011, leading to a skewed child sex ratio.4 Keerthi lists son bias, the lack of equal participation of women in government roles and violence against females as the top most-pressing issues facing women today. “Women’s development in India is like two sides of the coin: On one side, there is development in

in the end, we are much the same. Everyone throughout the world, no matter their history or religion or language or clothing, wants to love and be loved, care for their families, make a living and hopefully create a better future for their children. My interest in these stories combined with an intense travel bug that I got at a very early age from reading tales from throughout the world. Beginning as a child, that curiosity led me to transform my work

education, employment and in society, and on the other side is gender-based violence and not welcoming girl children in to this world. The attitude of patriarchy among men itself is a challenge for gender equality. It is a long way to go for women’s empowerment.” VMM focuses on both women and children because the organization strongly recognizes the link:

in to a life that would allow me to do these things: to travel the world and write about the places and people I found there. My previous career was in real estate, an occupation that was fortunate because, unlike a 9-to5 corporate job, it more easily allowed me to gradually go part time as I increased my writing portfolio. I moved to Austin in 2002 and went back to school for a journalism degree—no easy task for a single mother of an adolescent daughter.

One of my very first paid pieces of writing was, in fact, for Austin Woman in 2004. Slowly, I began writing more and more about topics I was already very knowledgeable about, such as real estate and small business, as well as expanding in to areas of interest such as travel, lifestyle and nonprofits. Eventually, after several years of building relationships and a writing business, I was able to move in to writing full time.

Photo by Shelley Seale.

savvy woman /


Where there is strong respect, education, equality and opportunities for women, their children and entire families fare better. This is something Austin nonprofit the Miracle Foundation (TMF) was built upon. TMF offers employment opportunities for women who come from troubled backgrounds, giving them a fair wage, training and opportunities for additional vocational instruction such as tailoring. These women act as housemothers in the orphanages that TMF supports, where hundreds of children live and thrive. “Our empowerment of housemothers is fantastic,” says Caroline Boudreaux, founder of the organization. “And most of the orphans we care for are girls. These are the women and mothers of the future, and we’re providing them with great education, love that they can pass on to their children and skillsets they’ll use their whole life. This is not a children’s problem; this is a crisis. We’re investing in the future.” Perhaps, sad as it is, the tragedy of Joyti has galvanized a nation and also awakened the world to women’s issues. Men have come out in droves to protest India’s “rape culture” as well, even outnumbering women in some demonstrations. In one instance, men in Bangalore wore skirts to a rally to show their solidarity with their female counterparts. “Nothing shows more solidarity with women than breaking barriers and boundaries of ‘his and hers,’ ” stated the Facebook page for the event.5 The Hindu newspaper wrote that never has the abuse of a woman captured the attention of so many men. Deepa Krishnan, a Delhi resident who runs the tour company Delhi Magic, asserts that her society has a very strong ability to change. “My mother went to college and did a master’s degree, and she reached far ahead of where her mother was. I have stretched a little more than her and am far ahead of where my mother once was. I believe my daughter is far ahead of where I am,” she says. “We are a nation of strong and capable women who are slowly but surely finding their place under the sun. Change is definite. Change is the norm. It will happen. We only need the courage to keep pushing for change. Raise strong daughters. Change will come.” Sources 1. mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/india-gang-rapevictims-father-1521289 2. ncrb.nic.in/index.htm 3. guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/worst-placewomen-afghanistan-india 4. thehindu.com/news/national/india-loses-3-million-girls-in-infanticide/article3981575.ece 5. theweek.co.uk/world-news/delhi-rape/51028/ indian-men-don-skirts-protest-against-rape-culture%25E2%2580%2593-video#ixzz2INPE78KX


Entrepreneurial life

Music from the Soul Consummate performer turned entrepreneur Jane Gillman shares her passion for making music. By Leigh Anne Winger Working with music and creative expression, longtime Austin performer and teacher Jane Gillman says her current focus is to help people explore and express their own artistic abilities.

Her favorite is the harmonica. “There is something I love about the harmonica. It’s different from all of the other instruments because it comes from your breath; it comes from your voice. I got my first harmonica when I was 14 years old and we had the middle-school talent show. I learned Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man and I got an encore,” Gillman says. Encouraged by the reaction, she never stopped performing. After moving to Austin, Gillman performed as a solo artist. During her senior year at the University of Texas, she joined the group Eaglebone Whistle, which had a weekly gig playing in downtown Austin. “That was when Sixth Street was just starting to have a lot of clubs. It was still pretty empty, but we had a residence at Maggie Mae’s every weekend. We were a pretty happening band and so, by the time that I got out of college, I was supporting myself as a full-time musician,” Gillman explains. Through teaching, Gillman has continued to find ways to keep her presence on the stage alive. Though her main pursuit lies in teaching and developing Jane’s Garage, when a student at Girl Guitar asked her why she didn’t start a band of her own, Gillman made plans to put together a bluegrass band called Oh Sister, which will debut in coming months. No matter what your age and experience, Gillman says

“It’s all about helping people discover their creative spark, at any age. Whether you are 8 years old or 80 years old, it’s all about unearthing whatever creativity is inside of you,” Gillman says. She moved to Austin from Washington, D.C., at 17 to pursue her college career in anthropology and folklore. She moved to the city in the mid ’70s and has seen the city’s music scene change and evolve. “I still love it, no matter what incarnation it’s in,” Gillman says. She is now pursuing her dreams to reach out to the Austin music community that welcomed her with open arms as a teen. She works with Pick It Up Music School, Girl Guitar, Loveabys and her latest project, Jane’s Garage, to give back to the Austin community and continue her musical endeavors as a teacher and performer. Gillman comes from a family of musicians. She was raised by her mother, a writer, and her father, a classical pianist. Her two brothers are also musicians. Gillman began playing classical muJane’s Garage sic in middle school. From the early days At Jane’s Garage, Gillman teaches of her childhood, Gillman always knew her students how to use the Apple the arts had a special place in her life. She software Garage Band to create and shared an early memory of her dream to be produce music. Gillman explains that it is more than, “How do you use this a musician. button and make this happen?” It’s an “I was in third grade and we had to art-of-recording class. write a paper about what we wanted to be when we grew up, so I wrote down Paul “Some people think that it’s cheating, McCartney,” she says. but I think of it as a creative tool,” Gillman says. Music has always been a part of Gillman’s life. Despite the fact that it can be Classes, which begin in May, have a a hard industry to tap in to, it has never limited number of spots. Interested dissuaded her from pursuing that creative readers can contact Gillman at jane@janegillman.com. vocation. She plays multiple instruments.

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Jane Gillman

there is an opportunity to pursue your creative musical expression. She encourages everyone to get involved with the Austin musical community and develop their unique musical technique.

Girl Guitar

Girl Guitar is organized by Mandy Rowden and enrollment is open to women 21 and older. During these six-week courses, women in Austin come together and create a sense of community over music and wine. At the end of each course, students get professional experience through performing in a showcase at legendary venue Antones. “Girl Guitar is a real community,” Gillman says with pride. For more information, call Mandy Rowden at 512.709.4558, or email mandy@ girlguitaraustin.com.

Loveabys

Interested in sending your sweetheart a song? Gillman and Tanya Winch have collaborated on this organization to create a song for you! If you’ve never known exactly how to say what you want to your special someone, let these ladies help you express it in a song. Take advantage of this musical opportunity and email Gillman at jane@janegillman.com to get your record on a track.

Photo by Irene Young.

savvy woman /


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the last word /

aw view

My March Madness In my youth and well in to an age when it stopped being cute and started being socially questionable, anytime someone asked me when my birthday was, I would sharply reply with a “March.” Like, the whole month. I would then go on to explain that the celebration of my birth was not limited to just one day. Rather, it was to take place on all 31 glorious days. Following the self-righteous explanation, I would often encourage my audience to shower me in a jubilee of gifts. Most of the time, the audience who would have to endure my all-hail-for-I-am-queen tangents about how important it is to my social status that I get a pink Skip-It was my parents. They’re good people. The month of my 10th birthday, however, I was finally introduced to reality. We were nearly two weeks in to March and the only buzz around the house was the sound of my brother’s electric shaver as he perfected his angry, teenage, thunderstealing double mohawk. Later, he will be kicked out of the house for obvious reasons. But that’s another story. Appalled that no one was making a ruckus about me and all my glory, I tried to create my own birth-month buzz by planting pictures of things I wanted. I even created a convenient ranking system based on my level of want with Lisa Frank stickers. Needless to say, no one cared. My dreams of continuing my celebratory birth month forever were being crushed with every passing moment. When my actual birthday rolled around, I woke up to a phone call from my dad. Usually, he would call to schedule a time for him to whisk me away and spoil me with sugary treats and a trip to Toys-R-Us. Excited to answer, I began spouting off my expectations for the afternoon. This time, however, he called me at 7 a.m. to

wish me a happy birthday from California and to let me know that my age will be in the double digits for the remainder of my life. The rest of my 10th birthday was lackluster, at best. No Skip-It. No cookie cake the size of my torso (which happened to be very bulbous at the time, so that would have been beneficial). No surprise visits from famous celebrities. Just dinner. With my family. And no celebrities. And a box of 96 Crayola Crayons to accompany the myriad coloring books I demanded. I was blind to not see the downfall of my birth month coming. On my eighth birthday, I was attacked by a goose. On my ninth birthday, I harassed Chuck E. Cheese and was removed from the scene. And just for laughs, on my 11th birthday, my sister kidnapped me and drove us all the way to Abilene to see a mediocre country band, leaving my suitcase behind and forcing me to squeeze into her size 1 clothes that I’m pretty sure were made at Baby Gap. But, you know, in addition to the mass madness of basketball fans meticulously crafting their brackets and the madness that the onset of another Texas summer brings, my favorite form of March Madness has got to be the flood of memories from my many years of birthday madness. You’ll be happy to know that the celebration of my birth is now encouraged only the one day. Which is the 18th. Of March. I take cash.

–Sadie Flynn

May’s Last Word topic will be “Family Traditions.” To be considered, email a 500-word submission by April 1 to submissions@awmediainc.com. Illustration by Sarah Quatrano.

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