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River Brook Collection twinstarhome.com

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luminance.com

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Cover Story

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...it was creatively cool and easy, at home, fun.

Fun: for those of you who are curious about our cover devised by our Worldwide Creative Director and family member Jon Carrasco, it was creatively cool and easy, at home, fun.

While in Palm Springs, in the gardens at Casa Elizabeth, we arranged our kathy ireland® Homes and Gardens River Brook Collection by Twinstar under our kathy ireland® Home Batalie Breeze Ceiling Fan from our partners at Luminance. That morning I simply slipped on one of my favorite, go to, spring shirts that is comfortable yet, a lil’ bit cute with shoulder cut outs and white jeans... while barefoot, added some jewelry from my collection- a mix of gifts from dear Elizabeth and husband Greg. Hair and makeup? Yes! Plus some filter apps that are affordable and available to everyone, brought this cover to actuality. Wardrobe and all items in this photo are all found at home. Please find your favorite space and start your own cover shoot for yourself and maybe to share on social media. Be you. Be fabulous.

Renew & Celebrate. Please enjoy this Spring Summer issue which addresses many topics from incredible contributors.

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Virtual Event March 13, 2021 Please visit the following link to join a team, donate, learn about the virtual events and more. bit.ly/BarbaraIrelandW4C kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 8

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Teach. Inspire. Empower.

Make Our World Better.

Please, visit each link to learn how you can contribute.

bit.ly/BarbaraIrelandW4C The Barbara Ireland Walk & Run for Breast Cancer began in the year 2000 as a collaboration between Barbara Ireland, her family and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Inspired by the death of a dear friend from breast cancer, Barbara wanted all friends and family in Santa Barbara to raise funds to help eradicate the disease. In 2006, the Cancer Foundation was named the beneficiary of the Walk in order to further Barbara’s desire to help local women in their fight with breast cancer.

AIPAC.org Kathy speaks for over 17,000 at AIPAC, a bi-partisan coalition for American and Israeli affairs, with Prime Minister- Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, Israeli President- Shimon Peres, US President- Barack Obama, Senator- Joe Lieberman, and America’s most prominent members of the Democratic and Republican political parties.

nationalpcf.org

® kathy ireland Spring Summer 2021 dreamfoundation.org

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911forkids.com

hardwiredglobal.org

latm.org

ETAF.org

Contents Cover Story pg 7 Give Back pg 10 Non-Profit Support Millennium Development Goals pg 12 kathy ireland® Worldwide Credits pg 16 AmFam Ambassador and Celebration of Kathy! pg 18 Beach Fever, Beach Fever, We Know How to Do it pg 20 Your Home One Source pg 27 Special Rug Story pg 28 Clutter Busting pg 30 Survey Reveals America’s Ideal Tiny Home and Tiny Office pg 36

Natural Gas Leaks In The Home: What You Need To Know pg 38

Artist in Residence, Becca Childers pg 62

PG Blog: A Cat Tale pg 76

Poet in Residence, Rubén Torres pg 64

Play Like A Girl pg 78

Lavender Smokey Eye pg 50

Weight. Heart Health.

Self Care for Women in Spring 2021! pg 66

10 Reasons to Eat More Vegan Food pg 54

COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions and Side Effects to Look Out For. pg 68

Icons Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Release Social Justice and Equality Anthem pg 86

Recipe: Vegnews Best Ever Vegan Mac & Cheese pg 58

The COVID- 19 Pandemic in New York Ten Months In, Natalie Raps pg 70

Spring Fashion pg 42

The Colors and Flavors of Summer with Chef André Carthen pg 60

Finding Meaning

by David Kessler pg 72

Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., Launch Silly Love Songs pg 88 Tuscan Iron Entries pg 90 The Insider Network pg 92 Over My Shoulder pg 96

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Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education.

Promote gender equality and empower women.

Reduce child mortality.

Improve maternal health.

Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other preventable diseases, including but not limited to alcohol, chemical or drug addiction. Cancer and other diseases, which are not considered to be preventable are also eligible for support from our program.

Ensure environmental sustainability.

Build global partnerships for development.

Bring opportunities of financial stability and healthcare to American Veterans, First Responders and their families.

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Many people are asking how to make more money. Here is how. irelandpay.com

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Malta Collection available at fine retailers.

Nourison.com kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 15

KATHLEEN MARIE IRELAND FOUNDER and EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

WORLDWIDE CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND EDITOR AT LARGE JON CARRASCO PRESIDENT AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER STEPHEN ROSEBERRY EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT STEVE ROSENBLUM VP FASHION AND FINE JEWELRY ROCCO INGEMI VP, PRODUCER AND CERTIFIED SOUND EXPERT NIC MENDOZA VP AND MIVI FASHION DIRECTOR TOMMY MEHAREY VP TEAM OPERATIONS LARRY CHILDERS VP FINANCE ZULMA PONCE VP CONTENT/BROADCASTING STEVE GLICK CIO AND MANAGING EDITOR BRITTANY DUNCAN ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS ADRIAN PONCE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE BECCA CHILDERS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR NATALIE RAPS CHEF-BRAND AMBASSADOR-SUNDAY DINNER/FRIDAY NIGHT EDITOR ANDRÉ CARTHEN PRODUCER FOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR NOAH CHILDERS PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE ERIK IRELAND-OLSEN PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE BETHANY IRELAND-OLSEN CHIEF ARCHIVIST AND CURATOR BARBARA IRELAND ADMINISTRATOR DEE STERLING PUBLIC RELATIONS RONA MENASHE and VP & EA TO MR. CARRASCO, MR. ROSEBERRY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR & POET IN RESIDENCE RUBÉN TORRES CONTACT

LICENSING: LARRY CHILDERS

PUBLIC RELATIONS: RONA MENASHE

lchilders@kathyireland.com

rona@guttmanpr.com

MARKETING: BRIAN NGUYEN

BUSSINESS VENTURES: TOMMY MEHAREY,

bnguyen@kathyireland.com

BOARD MEMBER

tmeharey@kathyireland.com

kathy ireland® Worldwide P.O. Box 1410 Rancho Mirage, Ca kathyireland@kathyireland.com kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 16

Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

ETAF.org

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AmFam.com kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 18

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Beach Fever, Beach Fever, Beach Fever!

Beach Fever, We know how we know tohow do to it!do it! kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 20

Beach Fever Fortune is a striking, mid century, 3 bedroom, 3 bath, walled and gated, beachfront property. Extreme privacy and beach access, indoor private mosaic tiled, swimming pool and jacuzzi set in the ocean. The unique features of this home made it the personal retreat for John Travolta and the late Kelly Preston. This property hosts, Elizabeth Taylor, Larry Fitzgerald, Magic Johnson and more famous names than we can list. This one of a kind Hawaiian Jewel is paradise found.

This property renovated and curated by kathy ireland® Worldwide

Please visit, kathyirelandweddings.com to view this resort and more.

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KATHLEEN MARIE® ITALIA by L U X U R Y L E AT H E R F U R N I T U R E H A N D C R A F T E D & M A D E E X C L U S I V E LY I N I TA LY

LUXURY LEATHER FURNITURE HANDCRAFTED & MADE EXCLUSIVELY IN ITALY

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KLaunch Partners with YourHome1Source® and kathy ireland® Worldwide on Managed Text, Enhancing Mobile Interaction with Home Buyers and Homeowners “KLaunch is excited to announce our partnership with YourHome1Source®, and the newly announced Your Home SuperStore® featuring kathy ireland® Home,” said Josh Ross, Co-Founder and CEO of KLaunch.

“Our managed immersive text solutions will exponentially amplify the digital and personalized experience for these brands and their consumers,” Ross continued. “Business is all about relationships, and personalizing brand interactions through the convenience and immediacy of text messaging provides stronger conversion rates which ultimately translate into stronger brand loyalty and increased sales.”

“We are delighted to announce our new partnership with KLaunch. We are continuously exploring the most cutting-edge and newest technology to bring to our customers, to make their shopping experience more time efficient and enjoyable. KLaunch is a great way for us to interact with our customers via text, expose them to our wonderful products and get to know them even better” says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland® Worldwide.

“Interaction with today’s mobile consumer is the key to transacting. That’s why KLaunch technology is so powerful. It takes managed text and AI engagement to the next level for mobile shoppers. KLaunch engages people IMMEDIATELY with text images, videos, and product offers on smart devices. This is text interaction as never experienced before.

KLaunch technology increases conversions.

It exceeds the effectiveness of email campaigns and other ad placements. It quickly matches consumer needs with solutions, and in the palm of one’s hand. Now that’s a game-changer. Congratulations to CEO,

Josh Ross and the team at KLaunch on their developments. We’re thrilled and honored to partner with KLaunch.”, says Sean Stockell, Publisher of YourHome1Source®.

“...We are continuously exploring the most cutting-edge and newest technology to bring to our customers, to make their shopping experience more time efficient and enjoyable. KLaunch is a great way for us to interact with our customers via text, expose them to our wonderful products and get to know them even better” says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland® Worldwide. kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021

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Kathy, We wanted to write and thank you for designing such a wonderful shag rug. We bought it as an early Christmas present for our son, Joseph.. He loves it. Our son has autism and down syndrome and does not talk. He loves sensory input and gave us a big smile when he saw the rug. I attached a picture of him enjoying the rug.

Tom

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kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 Available at blueridgehome.com

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Spring Cleaning Starts with Clutter Busting With the chill in the air beginning to disappear and fresh flowers starting to appear, we all know that spring and the inevitable cleaning that comes with this beautiful season has arrived. But where to start! My advice? Clutter bust and organize each room of your home with the help of family or a friend, and of course, smart furniture options, both indoors and outdoors.

By: Dee Sterling Make it a family project so you don’t get overwhelmed. For our family, clutter-busting days are take-out days. Pizza and salad work as we go room by room getting rid of things we no longer need. Have you considered a garage sale to get rid of all that extra stuff? Don’t be afraid to ask a good friend to help and to offer yours in return. Two moms can accumulate a lot of things that can be sold to help your family budget or support your children’s school or a non-profit organization. If you’re competitive, declare a contest among your friends to see who can unload the most clutter and raise the most money on eBay or at a weekend sale.

Don’t let the clean up weigh you down. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in just two hours. As you look at each item ask yourselves, “Do we care about this?” If not, elimi-

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nate! As you come to each item, either put it to use or get rid of it. If it’s a ticket from a movie with your kids that evokes a special memory, put it in a scrapbook to preserve the memory or throw it away. Learn to let go. As you do, you’ll rediscover the inviting home you once knew and loved. I am a firm believer that we are influenced by our environment, usually more than we realize. You may be reluctant to put lots of energy into transforming your home into a more welcoming place. I understand. However, once you acknowledge the far-reaching impact a positive living space has on your family, you can begin making changes for the better. And that’s what we’ll continue to discuss in future stories…solutions to help you make changes for the better.

Madison Ave Collection Available at Wayfair.com

Fabulous outdoor looks from kathy ireland® Homes & Gardens Madison Ave Collections.

Stunning craftwork. Stunning color. Stunning quality.

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“Home is a state of mind... our new collections give you the freedom to live anywhere” -Michael Amini “Our collaborations celebrate wonderful living...” -Kathy Ireland

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kathyireland.com | amini.com

Eclipse Collection

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This week, update on Las Vegas Market IMC from Kathy

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Survey Reveals America’s Ideal Tiny Home and Tiny Office

By Matt Zajechowski They might be small, but tiny homes have a lot to offer to the right person with an open mind. Tiny homes have appealed to adventurous homeowners, investment property owners and travelers who are looking for a cozier and simpler lifestyle or vacation.

And even though the micro home movement isn’t necessarily new, many have put tiny homes on their radar since COVID-19. Whether it’s a weekend escape from city living, or even a tiny backyard office, these dwellings have seen a recent boom in popularity.

In order to get more insight on tiny living, IPX 1031 surveyed 2,000 Americans across the country to find out how likely they would be to live in a tiny home and what amenities they would like to have in a tiny home. We also analyzed Google search volume to determine where tiny homes are most popular around the country.

Tiny Home Lifestyle

Living in a tiny home is certainly an adjustment that isn’t right for every lifestyle, but more than half of

sons why respondents say they would like to live in a tiny home.

It’s also interesting to note that among those who have never owned a home, 86% say they would consider buying a tiny home for their first home.

The Ideal Tiny Home

Considering that most tiny homes are 400 square feet or less, many can be built on wheels, which allow homeowners to live a mobile lifestyle. According to respondents, 54% would prefer their tiny home to be mobile and a majority (54%) would prefer that their home is under 400 square feet.

With such a small amount of living space, it’s no surprise that the ideal number of people to live in a tiny home is two. In terms of amenities, heating/ AC (60%), kitchen space (58%), designated bedroom (48%), laundry (43%) and outdoor space with a view (42%) are the most desired and “must haves,” according to respondents.

Tiny Home Budget

respondents say they would consider living in one.

Unique factors such as afford-ability (65%), efficiency (57%), eco-friendliness (48%) and the ability to live a minimal lifestyle (44%) are among the top rea-

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The price to purchase or build a tiny home can vary and depends on a number of factors. Most tiny homes cost between $30,000 to $60,000 while the median price for a starter home is $233,400, according to the National Association of Realtors. Exactly half of respondents say they would spend less than $40,000 on a tiny home and 79% say they would

be able to buy or finance a tiny home rather than a traditional starter home.

Where Are Tiny Homes Most Popular?

When most people think of tiny homes, images of a secluded lot in the woods or a home nestled near a lake come to mind. We were curious to see where tiny homes are the most popular, so we analyzed Google search volume for more than 1,300 terms and keywords related to tiny homes.

The results show that tiny homes have seen the most interest in rural states such as Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming and Washington. Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York showed the least interest in searches for tiny homes.

Tiny Home Investment Property

With a low cost to build and maintain, tiny homes could bring big profits for property investors. According to respondents, 72% would consider buying a tiny home to serve as an investment property.

Among those, 63% say they would rent out their tiny home as a long-term rental while 37% say they would rent their tiny home as a short-term rental.

On average, respondents say their ideal monthly rent would be set at $900 per month for a long-term

rental and $145 per night for a short-term rental.

Tiny Office

With many Americans adapting to remote work or working from home, the concept of a tiny office (or a “backyard office”) is an appealing alternative to working inside a home office, kitchen or living room.

In fact, more than half (54%) say they would buy a tiny office and 62% of remote workers would consider buying one. Ideally, more than a quarter of respondents say they would spend less than $8,000 on a tiny backyard office.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 5, 2020, we surveyed 2,006 Americans on the topic of tiny homes and tiny living. Of those respondents, 55% were female and 45% were male and the median age was 38. Income: Under $20K: 15%; $20-40K: 22%; $40-60K: 25%; $60-80K: 21%; $80-100K: 9%; Over $100K: 8%.

Employment status: Full-time: 67%; part-time: 14%; seeking opportunities: 5%; unemployed due to COVID-19: 3%; unemployed not due to COVID-19: 6%; furloughed: 1%; retired: 4%.

Rent: 48%; Own: 45%; Neither: 7%.

Using the GoogleAds platform, we analyzed search volume trends for “tiny homes,” “tiny homes near me” and more than 1,300 related terms and keywords in all 50 states.

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Natural Gas Leaks In The Home: What You Need To Know

By Protect Your Home The use of natural gas has grown tremendously, with it accounting for 21% of global fuel consumed.

In this article, you’ll discover the signs and symptoms of a gas leak in your home to avoid these dangers.

Learn the signs to protect yourself and your family.

What Is A Gas Leak?

Natural gas is considered a fossil energy source from under the earth’s surface. Its main component is methane, but it can contain non hydrocarbon gases and natural gas liquids as well. It comes from plants and animals that were initially in thick layers on ocean floors, the earth’s surface, and other areas.

These layers were then buried under silt, rock, and sand. Heat and pressure changed some of it into natural gas, oil, and coal. A gas leak is when natural gas leaks from a pipeline and then into an area where it shouldn’t be.

Leaks are considered very dangerous since they can build into an explosive concentration. They can kill vegetation and trees, cause explosions and fires, and might release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Gas Leak Symptoms And Signs

When you’re looking for gas leak signs in your home, keep in mind that it might not have physical

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signs or smells. You can find a damaged gas pipe, dead houseplants, and if a smell is present, it’ll be rotten eggs and sulfur. Near the gas line, you might see a white or dust cloud, and a whistling or hissing sound.

Since natural gas can enter your home from appliances or gas lines, it can increase your gas bill.

Physical Symptoms

Gas leaks cause a reduction in oxygen which can lead to certain physical symptoms.

If you’re experiencing natural gas poisoning you might experience: • Ringing in your ears • A reduced appetite • Pain in the chest • Nosebleeds • Blistering or pale skin • Flu-like symptoms • Dizziness • Breathing difficulties • Lightheadedness • Drowsiness These are some symptoms. You can experience some, all, or other symptoms. Your pets can also be affected by a leak. If they’re vomiting, having breathing difficulties, lethargy, or loss of appetite, they could be affected as well.

Odor Fade

Certain chemical or physical processes can cause a loss of scent for natural gas. Odor fade can be caused by absorption, adsorption, oxidation, or a combination of them.

It’s more likely to occur if there’s moisture, air, cutting oil pipe thread compounds, liquids, mill scale, rust, or other substances. If you use higher gas pressure and if the gas flow is limited it can occur as well. If a steel pipe has been manufactured recently and hasn’t been used for natural gas yet that can cause odor fade as well.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms can be similar to those of a gas leak. If you’re exposed to carbon monoxide, it can be fatal. If you think you or your loved one are experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, seek emergency medical treatment immediately.

Symptoms can include: • Red lips • Pink skin • Nausea • Lack of muscle control • Fatigue • Headaches • Chest pain • Abdominal pain • Dizziness You can experience some or all of these symptoms.

Seek emergency medical treatment, and contact your certified gas professional immediately.

What To Do If You Suspect A Leak

Pay attention to your symptoms as you’re moving around the home from room to room. Stay cognizant of how you feel when you leave the home and come back. If you develop a headache when you come home, that could mean a leak.

For mild leaks, turn pilot lights off, open your windows, and contact your gas company. They’ll tell you what to do and whether the gas meter needs to be turned off.

If you’re noticing symptoms or a strong odor, leave your home immediately. Remember that gas is volatile and can cause an explosion. Call the emergency number for your utility company immediately in a safe location.

If you’re noticing severe symptoms, go to the emergency room immediately. Leave all of the doors open in your home and ensure you and your family including your pets are evacuated. Never let the situation go unreported.

If You Need To Turn Off Gas

In case of an emergency and you need to shut off your gas, you’ll want to locate your natural gas meter. Try to locate it before an emergency so you’ll be ready. You can have an underground, cabinet, under-the-house, or multiple meters. Only turn off natural gas if you hear gas escaping or can smell it.

Only turn it off if it’s safe to do. Next, you’ll see a pipe from the ground to the meter. Locate the shutkathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 39

off valve. Use a 12-inch or bigger adjustable wrench, and turn the valve 1/4 in either direction. Turn it until it’s crosswise to your pipe.

Don’t turn the gas back on yourself, wait for a certified professional. Natural gas shut-off valves are a

When a pilot light is out, shut off the gas at the appliance gas shutoff valve. Before relighting the appliance pilot light, wait 5 minutes for the gas to disperse.

Have a crescent wrench or adjustable pipe near your main shutoff valve in case of an emergency.

Never keep flammables near your oven, range, heater, furnace, or gas appliance. Flammable materials can include newspapers, laundry, brooms, and mops.

Don’t use a candle, match, or flashlight to look for a gas leak. Don’t turn electric switches off or on if you think there’s a leak.

Let an inspector locate and fix leaks, and tell you when it’s safe to return to your home. If a leak is on the inside, still have your certified inspector check the outdoor pipelines as well. Whether it’s an outdoor or indoor leak it can be just as dangerous.

If you suspect a leak, go to a safe location and contact a natural gas professional immediately.

What To Do After A Leak

safety feature to incorporate. If a leak happens at an appliance, you can turn off the natural gas at that appliance. Always use caution when you touch risers, meters, and any other attached components.

What To Avoid Doing

Never try to repair a gas leak on your own, always call and wait for help. Don’t keep your doors closed or make calls from your home. Don’t think someone else will report the leak. During a leak, don’t use household appliances or turn the lights on and off.

Wait for a certified inspector to let you know when it’s safe to return to your home. Ensure you’ve installed carbon monoxide alarms. Air out the house before re-entering. If you let a leak go, you can suffer certain long-term effects.

Certain long-term effects can include respiratory or mood-related problems or depression. Consult with your doctor after a gas leak.

Preventing A Leak

Always keep your children away from natural gas appliances. It’s also a good idea to teach them about natural gas safety. Keep areas around appliances unblocked and clean for proper airflow. Natural gas can build up if it can’t circulate through vents. Ensure you have carbon monoxide detectors on each floor and in the bedrooms.

Have at least one fire extinguisher in your home as well as heat and smoke detectors in case a fire was to occur. Keep flammables and chemicals away from your gas appliances. Have gas lines, chimneys, vents, furnaces, and gas appliances inspected every year by qualified professionals.

Gas Safety Tips

Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Don’t store combustible materials such as gasoline, solvents, or paints in the same area as your oven, furnace, water heater, range, or other gas appliances.

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Natural Gas Leaks In The Home

When you think you’ve found a gas leak in your home, don’t panic. Ensure you follow all of these safety procedures and contact a qualified professional immediately.

Are you ready to protect yourself and your loved ones from carbon monoxide poisoning? Check out our carbon monoxide detector today and have peace of mind knowing we will help protect your home.

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Everything ® Kathy Ireland Touches Turns to Gold

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“Kathy Ireland ...is ®

one of the 50 most influential people in Fahsion” - Fairchild Publications

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Photographed by Tracey Morris Courtesy of Jon Carrasco Creative Director: Jon Carrasco Hair: Robert Steinken Makeup: Selina Lopez kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 47

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Image Courtesy kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 of Jon Carrasco 49

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COVID Doesn’t have to stop us from having date night with our loved one.

Here are makeup tips from Luis Casco.

@LuisCascoMakeup Image courtesy of Jon Carrasco

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samsaraluggage.com

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Tommy Meharey MIVI Father, Millennial, Marine, Model VP & Board Member kathy ireland® Worldwide Image by Dixie Dixon

by

donmorphy.com

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10 Reasons to Eat More Vegan Food By: Jasmin Singer Whenever you sit down to a satisfying snack of carrots and hummus, bake a loaf of sourdough, or order oat milk with your to-go latte, you’re eating vegan. Plantbased foods are an intuitive part of most American diets; many just don’t realize they’re trending when they split open an Oreo or dive into their morning bowl of oats. Eating patterns are ever-evolving, and now more than ever, vegan foods are both prominent and familiar. In 2020, more vegan restaurants opened than closed and the sales of plant-based foods increased by 90 percent during the first wave of the pandemic. Consumer interest in the vegan lifestyle is blowing up.

If popularity isn’t enough, here are ten reasons to eat more vegan food this year (or even just this week).

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1. Diversifying your protein sources is super important.

It’s true: animal-based foods contain protein, but they also include some nutritional baggage in the forms of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, and inflammatory compounds such as Neu5Gc (a sialic acid only found in non-human animals).

Consuming foods such as meat and dairy for their protein content is like eating fruit-flavored gummies for their vitamin C content; sure, you’ll get the nutrients, but the food is likely doing more harm than good.

Whole, plant-based foods don’t come with these unhealthy side effects, but many pack a punch of protein. For example, if all you ate one day was 2,000 calories worth of broccoli, you’d still get 146 grams of protein that day (which, by the way, is way more than most people need anyway). You may have heard this before, but high-protein plant foods include lentils, beans, grains (quinoa, farro, buckwheat), nuts and seeds, tofu, edamame, soy milk, pea milk, and yes, even vegetables like kale and broccoli. Where do vegans get their protein? From literally everything they eat.

not only to improve their current performance, but to extend their careers. Alex Morgan, Cam Newton, Lewis Hamilton, Megan Duhamel, and Chris Smalling are just a few examples. Bonus: while an-

2. Plant foods can boost athletic performance.

imal foods contain little to no antioxidants (comAs mentioned above, all animal-based foods contain pounds that fight free radicals and speed up the reinflammatory components, which is precisely what covery process), plant-based foods are chock-full of you don’t need when them. A whole foods, plantyou’re trying to get diet has 64 times the Where do vegans get based swole, run a marathon, amount of antioxidants than or master your headtheir protein? From an animal-based diet. Prostand. Exercise naturally causes tip: Stream Netflix’s The Gaacute inflammation, and the reliterally everything mechangers and What covery process allows the musthe Health tonight, and they eat. cles to repair and get stronger so you’ll see what I mean. you can get back at it the next day. Consuming inflammatory 3. Vegan foods are super sustainable foods—such as meat and dairy (yes, even Muscle MIlk and whey protein)—can impede this recov- (yes, even almonds). ery process and force you to take more time to rest. Yes, almonds are thirsty nuts, but they still require Many athletes are now turning to plant-based diets less water and greenhouse gas emissions than cows’

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milk. A 2018 Oxford study indicates that cows’ milk produces nearly three times the GHG emissions of any plant-based milk—and while it takes 628 liters of water to produce one liter of cows’ milk, a liter of almond milk only requires 371 liters of water.

Of course, crops such as oat and soy are even more planet-friendly, and when you open it up to the fact that plants need a lot less room to roam than a cow or even a chicken, vegan foods win in the land use category, too. Another way to think about it: the animals we eat get their nutrients from plants—why not just skip the middleman (the animal) and eat the plants ourselves?

6. “Humane” and animal agriculture cannot co-exist.

Unfortunately, there is no nice way to eat an animal or his or her byproducts. Factory farms are the norm in the US and most developed countries, and the conditions on these factories are deplorable at best and horror-film worthy at worst. Animals raised for food are crammed into unsanitary and crowded feedlots, branded, castrated, and typically spend their final hours on shipping trucks without food or

4. Vegan foods can expand your palate.

Speaking on behalf of the countless vegetable-haters-turned-vegan, opening yourself up to plant-based foods can truly delight your taste buds. Think of kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. All of these trending foods used to be thought of as bland or downright unappealing.

Now, everyone is eating massaged kale salads, maple-dijon roasted Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in virtually every iteration (ever have a cauliflower steak?). The area just outside of your culinary comfort zone is a delicious place.

5. Plant-based foods will make you sexier.

No, really, hear this out: From purely a physical perspective, cutting down animal-based foods high in saturated fats can do wonders for your physique, and ditching dairy has been tied to a significant decrease in acne and eczema symptoms. Going farther south, eating more plants can help get it up (yes, you read that right). The fat found in animal-based foods can lead to a plaque buildup in your arteries, which over time can impede blood flow (the key mechanism for getting it on). Erectile dysfunction affects up to 30 million people in the US alone, but a study published by the Journal of American Medical Associations showed that one-third of participants were able to significantly revive their sexual function by cutting their intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and upping their fiber. Also, vegans taste better.

water—as they are transported to their deaths. And since you can’t have veal without dairy and you can’t have eggs without killing the boy chicks at birth, embracing plant-based food is highly recommended and refreshingly ethical.

7. It’s cheaper.

Like any cuisine, vegan food can go high or low. Sure, you can purchase goji berries at a high-priced specialty food store at $20 per pound, or you can stock up on bananas at 19 cents each. Plant-based food is peasant food, and when you’re not tempted to buy the specialty products, it is an extremely cost-effective way to eat. Stick to staples like frozen fruit and vegetables, tofu, peanut butter, beans, rice, oats, and other whole foods (and don’t knock house-brand frozen veggies). Plus, vegan alternative products (dairy-free cheese, egg-less eggs, and plantbased meat) are getting more affordable and accessible year after (that’s because supply is driven by

“Humane” and animal agriculture cannot co-exist.

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demand, and there’s more of a demand than ever).

You can find JUST liquid egg at Walmart, Beyond Burgers at Target, and a selection of vegan cheeses and coffee creamers at both of these superstores.

When in doubt, remember: there’s a cheap vegan section of every grocery store—it’s call produce.

8. Everyone is doing it.

three or more glasses of dairy milk a day increased their relative risk of breast cancer by up to 80 percent while those who drank soy milk did not see an increase), soy won’t give you cancer or make you grow man boobs. Further, the new 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines now include soy as a nutritionally equivalent alternative to dairy.

It may sound like an immature argument, but hear me out for a second. Vegan food is virtually everywhere. You can find vegan-as-is options at El Pollo Loco (chickenless pollo), Del Taco (Beyond Burrito), Carl’s Jr. (Beyond Whopper, hold the cheese), Fresh Brother’s Pizza (Vegan Da’Works pizza), Chipotle (the Miley Cyrus Burrito), and more. Not to mention the thousands of vegan restaurants and chains across the country doing everything from flipping In-N-Out-style burgers to offering elaborate, white tablecloth-ready prix fixe menus. Veganism isn’t a trend; it’s the future. Might as well get on board now.

9. Dairy doesn’t do a body good (but soy can).

You might need to sit down for this. Are you seated?

OK, here goes: The “Got Milk?” ads lied to you.

Dairy isn’t necessary for bone health, chocolate milk is not an optimal post-workout beverage, and lowfat yogurt isn’t the key to weight-loss. The dairy industry funds scientific research to help support its sales, but the methodology is skewed, and the results do not apply to real life. These studies often compare milk to water, which is like comparing apples to oranges. The participants also do not reflect diverse populations—one dairy-funded study only included seven white men.

10. Soy isn’t something to be scared of.

Jasmin Singer is the author of The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan and the memoir Always Too Much and Never Enough, as well as the co-host of the Our Hen House podcast.

Soy has fallen into a bad reputation due to a widespread misunderstanding of estrogen and phytoestrogen. Dairy contains animal-based estrogen because it comes from the secretions of a pregnant female cow. Animal-based estrogen can mess with your hormones and is something to be cautious of.

Soy, however, contains phytoestrogens, which are plant-based estrogens that act differently than animal-based estrogen. Phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors and help balance the estrogen in the human body. While dairy may exacerbate your cancer risk (one study found that women who drank kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 57

RECIPE: VEGNEWS BEST EVER VEGAN MAC & CHEESE This vegan mac & cheese created by longtime VegNews columnist Allison Rivers Samson is the absolute best on the planet. Our tip? Double the sauce and use rigatoni or cavatappi pasta to get even more cheese per forkful.

1. In a large pot, combine 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, make bread crumbs by pulverizing bread and 2 tablespoons of vegan butter to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a saucepan, combine shallot, potato, carrot, onion, and remaining cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

4. In a blender, combine cashews, remaining 2 teakathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 58

Serves 6 • • • •

4 quarts plus 1 cup water 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt 8 ounces macaroni pasta 4 slices vegan bread, torn into large pieces • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan butter • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot • 1 cup peeled and chopped red or yellow potatoes • 1/4 cup peeled and chopped carrot • 1/3 cup chopped onion • 1/4 cup raw cashews • 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

spoons of salt, remaining 1/3 cup of vegan butter, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne and blend. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to blender and process until completely smooth.

5. In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta and cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12-inch casserole dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and dust with paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese sauce is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Photo of Mac & Cheese by Hannah Kaminsky

By supporting

each purchase saves the lives of children with cancer.

kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 kahwacoffee.com

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The Colors and Flavors of Summer

By Chef André Carthen

It’s hard to think of summer without imagining the warmth and bright radiant light that is the guiding symbol of the season, the SUN! This incandescent white star is responsible for nature’s most amazing colors. From flower blooms, to the crystal blue waters and the magnificent gradient colors of a sunset. All this from a star, light years away.

Because of our association of colors and the seasons; summer is celebrated with shades of yellow and orange. Yellow - a bright color that fills a person with happiness and joy. Hues of Or-

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ange - the combination of yellow and red, an energetic color. Bringing about the feelings of fun, excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth.

The warmth of the sun as it touches your skin, adding to that, the flavors and bounty that only happen during the magical months of summer. The taste of a sun-ripened peach, right-off the tree, berries picked from the vine, fresh lemonade, a cold beer on a hot summer day, backyard bar-be-ques, wild daisies and sunflowers growing in a field, ripe cherry tomatoes that you hope make it to the salad, grilled summer vegetables with fresh seafood, the perfect margarita or tequila sunrise, or better yet, the perfect summer sunset.

Yes, it’s truly the blending of all these things and more, that fill our hearts, tantalize our taste buds and visually, just for a moment, stop time…to become the good o’ summertime!

What are some of your favorite summer dishes and moments? Please share so that we can add to our Summertime/ Fun time Book.

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Artist in Residence

By Becca Childers

Sculptor | Painter | Designer Motivated by love. Created to be creative. Sharing my faith journey through art. Inquiries becca@artbybeccachili.com

Above: Spring Vibrations by Becca Childers 9x12 canvas/acrylic/high gloss Yellow/turquoise/red

Above: Élégante Peacock -by Becca Childers 5.5x9 in. Clay relief acrylic Metallic finish

Below: Playful Daisies by Becca Childers 9x12 canvas/acrylic/high gloss blush/apricot/blue/grey

Below: Textured Abstract by Becca Childers 9x12 canvas/acrylic/high gloss Grey/teal/cream/beige

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The gift of new seasons can bring on a sense of adventure as we see flowers and trees blooming with color. The rough and smooth sensation of texture as we brush our hand across the bark of a tree. We feel a sense of excitement bursting inside of us with thoughts of combing the beach and enjoying nature while the sea sprays, the wind blows, and the warmth of the sun is gloriously shining down on our faces. Here are some art picks from my studio and kathy Ireland art, that call us to expectant joy as the weather is warming up and we step out into new adventures! Bring on the color and texture!

- Becca Childers, Our Artist in Residence

Above:Deep Textured Abstract by Becca Childers 18 3/4 x 36 3/4 framed canvas/med. gloss grey/teal/turquoise/yellow

Above: Deer In Snow by Elizabeth Taylor Not For Sale Kathleen Marie Ireland Archives

Below: Kashikishi by kathy ireland Art Available in Canvas , Metal and Wood Various Sizes Avilable on Wayfair.com

Below: Rose on Green by kathy ireland Art Available in Canvas , Metal and Wood Various Sizes Avilable on Overstock.com

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Poet In Residence YOUNG CHILDREN OF TOMORROW

While some are building a career for themselves these children are building a better future for all.

By Rubén Torres

seeking money nor shelter but instead seeking everyone’s involvement to make a change for our future. This began to capture the people’s attention all over the world, and most notably? Her notorious powerful voice and words.

And so, we have learned that Greta isn’t the only one seeking to build a better future for all.

Who are these Heroic young ones that are stepping up, landing in various top publications with their own Wikipedia page?

Perhaps not knowing that their voices would matter they’ve decided to make it their personal business. And now more and more children and young adults are too taking lead as they’ve seen no movement being made in Climate Change from our world’s top leaders.

Greta Thunberg- who made the news all across the nation who set calmly and quietly leaning back against a stone wall building holding up a sign that read School Strike for Climate in Swedish (Skolstrejk För Klimatet). As people walked by they couldn’t fathom the overall picture of a child by herself holding up a sign that desperately read a cry for Climate Change. She wasn’t

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Inider.com

Isra HirsiAt just 17yrs old today: Hirsi grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the age of 12, she was one of the participants protesting for justice for Jamar Clark at the Mall of America. She became involved in climate activism after joining her high school’s environmental club in her freshman year. Hirsi has coordinated the organization of hundreds of student-led strikes across the United States. She co-founded the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, the American arm of a global youth climate change movement where she acts as the co-executive director of this group.

Acknowledgment Awards: Brower Youth Award Voice of the Future Award BET’s Future 40 list TEDx talk

Jamie MargolinAt just 19yrs old today: Jamie Margolin is an American climate justice activist and the co-executive director of Zero Hour, a climate action organization based in Seattle, Washington. Margolin identifies as a lesbian and speaks openly about her experiences as an LGBT person. At age 15, Margolin launched Zero Hour, an international youth-led climate action organization. With a mission of centering the voices of diverse youth in the conversation around climate and environment justice. Margolin co-founded Zero Hour in reaction to the response she saw after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Acknowledgment Awards: MTV Europe Music Generation Change

Yara ShahidiAt just 20yrs old today: Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18 with social news publisher NowThis, which “will be a platform to encourage [her] peers to vote for the very first time in our upcoming midterm elections, “ Her other organizations include Yara’s Club a partnership with Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) of New York, which provides online mentorship in hopes to end poverty through education.

Shahidi’s activism was noticed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her a letter of recommendation to Harvard University.

Acknowledgment Awards: NAACP Image Award Nominated-BET Award for YoungStar (twice) Nominated- Teen Choice Award

Greta ThunbergAt just 18yrs old today: Is a Swedish environmental activist who is internationally known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action against climate change.

Acknowledgment Awards: Right Livelihood Award Glamour Award for The Revolutionary Rachel Carson Prize International Children’s Peace Prize Nordic Council Environment Prize Shorty Award for Best Activism

Do not ignore your child’s passion.

Instead, listen and learn kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 65

WEIGHT. HEART HEALTH. SELF CARE FOR WOMEN IN SPRING 2021!

By: Kathy Ireland Women face special challenges in the arenas of Weight, Heart Health and Self Care. We are conditioned to believe we must look a certain way in order to accept ourselves. Ironically, many women attack each other when we see pain instead of offering desperately needed encouragement. When the photograph below was published some people believed it was an optical manipulation.

Others wondered if I was pregnant...

Really? Perhaps the most shocking were people who were less than kind, by saying allowing myself to be seen in this photo, was a form of “self fat shaming.” It was unbelievable. It helps to explaining why there are literally millions of companies who address weight loss, fitness, nutrition and that hated word: “diets”. The truth is that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America today. Every week, a new company reaches out to us to help them promote their “solution” for women’s heart health. Are these solutions real or fraudulent? Each approach, requires careful evaluation.

After producing five platinum selling, award-winning fitness programs, serving as health advocate kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021

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for the Today Show and ESPN, countless magazine covers, television shows and many films, never expected this to happen. It did.

After regaining my health, am much more careful with it. We are very cautious about fitness, nutrition, weight loss ventures and their campaigns. Having faced obesity in the past, I know how easy it is to gain weight without thinking and being mindful with nutrition and fitness. As a women’s health advocate, am truly committed to working with businesses and non-profits, who are offering authentic ways to keep women healthy, as we face the stress of family, career, non-profits and the reality that women often neglect our own health as we care for our loved ones.

Some of our new clients and partners have a special focus on health and wellness. We are grateful to them. We are open to the very best people in the category. Inviza, which is apparel-based fitness monitoring, is one example. Smart Life Chocolate offers delicious heart healthy, dark chocolate. And our new CBD clients, Vertical Wellness, are dedicated to stress reduction.

If you have an approach for Women’s Heart Health, please connect with us. The state of heart disease is an emergency. Please help us start making a powerful difference today. Today, women who are greatly loved, are going to die from heart disease. Together, please join forces with us, as well as others, who are passionate about saving women’s lives. We can prevent the needless deaths of women and our families, in the days ahead of us. We can and will reduce heart related mortality. That change begins today. Thank you for taking critical steps, which will save lives.

Self-care. 2021.

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Attune Health: COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions and Side Effects to Look Out For Dear friends, CA and other states in the US have announced that people over the age of 65 will be receiving the vaccine as soon as Phase 1a (healthcare workers) is done. Some counties have already started this process, which means a lot more people will receive the vaccine shortly. In order to prepare for the vaccine, we need to be educated about the risks and benefits of the vaccine. The CDC has put out a document about common side effects and reactions.

In this post I will break down the common reactions and how to manage these.

Though some of these reactions might be scary to a non-medical audience please be reassured that the serious reactions are extremely rare and even the common reactions are not very frequent.

Overall, based on the data we have the vaccine is extremely safe.

As data from other vaccine trials is trickling out, it has become very clear that other vaccines such as Sinovac (only 50% effective in a large Brazilian study) and Astra-Zeneca (about 60% effective in some studies), don’t come close to the 2 m-RNA vaccines that are available in the US. Overall, the benefits of these vaccines far outweigh the rare risks of the vaccine.

attunehealth.com kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 68

Sincerely, Swamy Venuturupalli, MD

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THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NEW YORK TEN MONTHS IN

By Natalie Raps As the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak national and global havoc, health officials have and continue to rely on the public’s cooperation and adherence to mandated preventative measures, restrictions, and state enforced guidelines to reduce the risk of infection and help curb the spread.

their lives completely derailed and upended in some way or another as the impact of jobs lost, storefronts shuttered, and restaurants closed indefinitely has not only affected and changed the livelihoods of all New Yorkers, but more so impacted essential, front line workers and healthcare professionals who are increasingly overwhelmed, exhausted, and frustrated.

Governor Andrew Cuomo held his first of many press conferences confirming the presence of the first reported case of the novel coronavirus in New York on March 1st, 2019. By mid-April—with cases rapidly increasing at alarming rates and death tolls climbing—each county in the New York region reported cases of the virus, with the preponderance concentrated in New York City, which subsequently found itself as the ill-fated epicenter of the country’s largest public health crisis of the century.

Within a month, NYC had reached the apex of the curve, prompting the implementation of New York on PAUSE measures, a statewide mask mandate, as well as a phased re-opening plan for the summer onward in hopes of returning to the workforce and reopening the state’s economy.

Despite the progress made to date, mask mandates, social distancing, and similar preventative measure to stop the spread are stark and grim reminders that the national crisis amidst the coronavirus pandemic is, unfortunately, far from over. Although the height of the pandemic peaked in the Spring with unprecedented caseloads and overflowing hospitals and ICUs at or over capacity, ERs and hospitals are regrettably getting busy once again. In December, NY health officials urged hospitals to expand capacity amid the resurgence of the pandemic as a means to quell infection spread; however, strategy without action and public participation and cooperation renders a moot point.

Six months into the crisis, New York City is a visual echo of intricacies with school openings, dining challenges, continued financial fallout, rising unemployment, social unrest and political upheaval, further complicating the state’s defense in preventing an uptick in cases amongst the tense ambiance and climate between statewide economy and local government in New York.

Fast forward to date ten months later, despite its resilient nature, New York continues to grapple with the devastating effects of the first wave, coupled with the current dreaded yet inevitable second wave and, new, unprecedented threats of the evolved, more contagious “super strains” of the novel coronavirus. With tens of thousands of New Yorkers falling ill amongst rising death tolls, many have seen

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While the mental, physical, and emotional ramifications of the pandemic journey have and continue to take their tolls, for healthcare workers, relief of the vaccine roll-out is fleeting, cut short due to the harsh realities, intricacies, and nuances of daily life confronted on the frontlines during the pandemic.

Overworked, underpaid, under pressure, fearful, and exhausted, frontline workers invisible victims, faced with the brunt of the pandemics’ strain—while healthcare officials call for vigilance amongst the post-holiday surge amidst concern of new COVID variants, many healthcare workers express frustration at those outwardly flouting guidelines, ignoring precautions with no semblance of respect for those who are, quite literally, risking their wellbeing in the face of danger. For those in the healthcare system, helping people and saving lives is most fulfilling; however, as thousands of frontline workers have been stiffed raises, denied vacation days and time

off, discouragement, is all the more prevalent.

With quarantine fatigue further exacerbating the restrictions of the “new normal,” many are hopeful and reliant, perhaps overly so, on the vaccine rollouts as a panacea, emphasizing the nostalgic hope for a quick return to the way things were; however, for healthcare workers, while the vaccine and its distribution is certainly a promising step in the right direction, it does not equate to “an immediate end” to the pandemic.

Healthcare workers consistently grapple with infectious diseases, life and death emergencies, and everything in between on a daily basis; the discon-

nect between the public and healthcare workers perceptions stems from a lack of empathy, knowledge, and understanding of actions and consequences. It is only together, with people doing their part, science, and the help of our heroic healthcare professionals and frontline workers that we may move forwards, and put the worsts of the pandemic behind us—doing so however, should be more than clapping for a few moments at 7pm; instead, expressions of gratitude for our healthcare workers, frontline and essential workers, doctors, and nurses, would be better served with the acknowledgment and recognition these hero’s deserve, communicated by simply acting in an abundance of caution, wearing a mask, hand-washing, and social distancing.

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FINDING MEANING in all our losses.

by David Kessler In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified the five stages of dying in her groundbreaking book On Death and Dying. As a psychiatrist, she saw that patients who were dying appeared to go through common experiences or stages. Her work captured

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the world’s attention and would forever change the way we talk and think about death and dying. She ushered the truth of this universal experience out of shadowy euphemism and into the light.

Decades later, I was privileged to have been her

protégé and friend, and to have coauthored two books with her. Our second, On Grief and Grieving, which was her last, Elisabeth asked me to help adapt the stages she had observed in the dying to account for the similar stages we had also observed in those who are grieving. The five stages of grief are: Denial: shock and disbelief that the loss has occurred Anger: that someone we love is no longer here Bargaining: all the what-ifs and regrets Depression: sadness from the loss Acceptance: acknowledging the reality of the loss The five stages were never intended to be prescriptive, and this holds true for both dying and the subject of this book, grieving. They are not a method for tucking messy emotions into neat packages. They don’t prescribe, they describe. And they describe only a general process. Each person grieves in his or her own unique way. Nonetheless, the grieving process does tend to unfold in stages similar to what we described, and most people who have gone through it will recognize them. In the years since that book’s publication, I’ve experienced a great loss myself, and I can confirm that the five stages really do capture the feelings we experience as we grapple with the death of loved ones.

Much of what is experienced on an individual level in grief is echoed in what we’re collectively experiencing because of Covid-19. “Many people say they are feeling a heavy sadness – and what they’re describing is grief,”. “We’re grieving the world we have lost: normal life, our routines, seeing our friends, going to work. Everything has changed.

And change is actually grief – grief is a change we didn’t want.”

For our physical health, luckily for many a vaccine is around the corner, but what about all the feelings we have? We have had to accept this harsh reality of our new world. We have been learning acceptance.

We acknowledge the reality of all we have lost. We take some time to stop and breathe into the undeniable fact that for some of us, our loved ones are gone. Our world is different. There’s nothing easy about this stage. It can be extremely painful, and acceptance doesn’t mean that we are okay with the loss, or that the grieving process is now officially over. However, there’s been an assumed finality about this fifth stage that Elisabeth and I never intended. Over the years I came to realize that there’s a crucial sixth stage to the healing process: mean-

ing. This isn’t some arbitrary or mandatory step, but one that many people intuitively know to take, and others will find helpful.

In my newest book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, we acknowledge that although for most of us grief will lessen in intensity over time, it will never end. But if we allow ourselves to move fully into this crucial and profound sixth stage— meaning—it will allow us to transform grief into something else, something rich and fulfilling.

People often think meaning is found in the death or the tragedy or the pandemic, but the reality is that meaning is not found in those horrible events, meaning is found in us. It’s what we do after. It’s our ability to make meaning of what was lost, to find hope and keep faith in the world that will come after this.

I didn’t know most people on my street but when the pandemic hit, we were all taking care of one another, making sure the elderly man at the end of the street had groceries.

Parents were forced to work at home while their kids were forced into school in that same house. That has certainly been challenging and yet there is meaning in the time that so many families have been able to be together. We’ve learned how to Zoom with one another and reach out to friends and family across the street and across the world.

Through meaning, we can find more than pain. When a loved one dies, or when we experience any kind of serious loss—the end of a marriage, the closing of the company where we work, the destruction of our home in a natural disaster, even a pandemic— we want more than the hard facts of that loss. We want to find meaning. Loss can wound and paralyze. It can hang over us for years. But finding meaning in loss empowers us to find a path forward.

“Finding Meaning”

by David Kessler Available on Amazon

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Available at Amazon

kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 74

Saint and Niari

Available at Amazon

Learn & Grow

Kai and Madi

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PG Blog Hello and welcome to my blog. This is new for me and a rare opportunity to voice my opinions and observations… This is something that I am very excited about.

If you ever have ideas on what you would like me to write about… anything from dealing with fur balls to picking the perfect cat toy, please let me know.

Many people have heard of my much more famous sisters Gracie and Delilah (they have a book about their lives and are accomplished designers with a brand named after them. I recommend you check them both out!)… I did have the opportunity to be featured in a very entertaining book, Letters to my Cat. You may not be aware that we have several other family members.

Today, I want to share a little about an entire community living under our roof. We have a rather spacious fish tank, which houses many colorful and exotic fish. Often, I just gaze into the tank and wonder what each one would taste like as they swim by, but my humans don’t seem to think that is a very good idea. With this in mind, I just content myself with watching them float on the currents. It is actually very relaxing.

We have many fish including; Disks, Bala Sharks, Neon Tetras, a catfish, a Plecostomus (which looks like a small dinosaur) and many other colorful varieties.

There is one fish, called a Clown Loach, which is my favorite. I find this fish very funny because it is always playing dead and scaring our humans. It will lie on its side for a long time and it does appear dead. In fact, I thought it was the fist time I saw this happen. This fish is very funny and is always playing around. Our human’s are constantly taping on the glass to see if he is still alive.

I am posting a photo for you to see this fish. I think you will see what I mean about him being funny. I have never used a camera before and my paws are a little big to push the buttons… I am sure I will get better as I continue to blog.

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to getting to know you.

All the best, PG

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PLAY

LIKE

A

GIRL kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 78

Image: Derek Jeter and Kathy Ireland at Turn2 Foundation Gala.

Courtesy of Jon Carrasco

Enjoy Kathy’s conversation with Icon, Derek Jeter.

Video: Hosted by Kathy Ireland Break / Through Derek Jeter: Overmatched, Homesick and Overcoming Adversity @AmFam®

Brought to you by

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image courtesy of Jon Carrasco

kathy ireland® Worldwide Partners With OXiGEN™ OXiGEN has entered into a strategic relationship with kathy ireland® Worldwide. Ms. Ireland, kiWW’s Chair, CEO and Chief Designer, will serve as OXiGEN’s Chief Branding Advisor, brand ambassador and business consultant, to enhance its marketing and promotional presence.

“Kathy has established herself as one of the foremost authorities on lifestyle branding and marketing worldwide,” says Blair Bentham, Founder and CEO Formula Four Beverages Inc. “What’s more, she’s also recognized as one of the Top 10 Women’s Health Advocates in America, a designation that is wholly aligned with OXiGEN’s values. We’re incredibly fortunate to form this strategic alignment with Kathy and her team and look forward to learning and growing through her guidance and entrepreneurial expertise.”

The partnership between OXiGEN and kathy ireland® Worldwide establishes Ireland as a public voice for OXiGEN, while also opening up a vast array of resources for Formula Four Beverages Inc. related to marketing, production, and sales and distribution networks “OXiGEN products are destined for global success,” says Ireland. “This is a dynamic lifestyle brand that kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 80

our company is extremely proud to be apart of. Our team is fortunate and excited to have the opportunity to bring this innovative product to new and disruptive levels in the beverage category and beyond. The moment you experience OXiGEN products, your feeling about water, energy drinks and many other beverages will change. The difference is obvious. In the beverage space, there’s OXiGEN and everything else. These life enhancing products are supported by an extraordinary and dedicated team.”

Michelle Wie West Joins Team OXiGEN™ with Stephen Curry Water continues its mission of helping people Recover + Rise, partnering with superstar athlete who knows the mission firsthand: U.S. Women’s Open champion and new mom, Michelle Wie West. Michelle will be an investor, partner, and global face of OXIGEN, joining Stephen Curry.

Michelle made global headlines as the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship at age 10. She continued to shatter records and turned pro at age 15, going on to win five LPGA titles, including the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014. Throughout her career, Michelle battled through wrist and hand injuries, embodying the OXIGEN ethos of Recover + Rise.

More recently, Michelle has been an on-camera analyst for Golf Channel and CBS, and she’s been named the ‘Most Stylish Woman in Golf.’ She’s also powered through another physical challenge: the birth of her daughter, Makenna.

OXIGEN Water Announces Stephen Curry as New Owner and Board Advisor

Meet the newest owner of OXIGEN, the pH balanced water boosted with oxygen. Stephen Curry has changed the game of basketball, and his mission to inspire transcends the world of sport. He embodies the spirit of OXIGEN, helping people get the most out of every day. Curry is an investor, Board Advisor, and the global face of the brand.

Elevating the game is also what OXIGEN is all about.

We’re going beyond pH balanced water - OXIGEN is boosted with oxygen to help you tackle your day.

We’re going beyond “recyclable” materials - OXIGEN is bottled in 100% recycled plastic. And we’re not just providing lip service to the causes we care about OXIGEN is actively supporting frontline workers and first responders.

“I’m constantly searching to do things the right way, on and off the court,” said Stephen Curry. “Whether it’s playing basketball, raising children, or building businesses, I always want to challenge the status quo and become a better version of myself. OXIGEN offers the best in product and the best option in sustainability for our planet. I couldn’t be more excited to join the team as an owner, and to contribute in this next stage of hyper-growth.”

Blair Bentham, Founder and CEO of OXIGEN, shared, “Stephen is obviously an incredible athlete, but what’s even more impressive to us is how he lives his values and how committed he is to bettering the world around him. We are so excited to welco e him to our team. We greatly value his expertise and we’re going to rise together – creating a brand that’s better in every way.” kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 81

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NBA all-time leading scorer, New York Times-bestselling author, and U.S. Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a global icon that changed the game of professional basketball. Since his stellar professional career, he has gone on to become a celebrated New York Times-bestselling author, filmmaker, ambassador of education, and Time Magazine columnist. A sought-after speaker, Abdul-Jabbar recounts in riveting and humorous detail his exciting evolution from street ball player to successful athlete, author, producer, and community activist.

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kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 83

blackbird Lennon-McCartney Icons, by 7-time Grammy Award winning icons, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., features “Silly Love Songs” & “Blackbird”.

AVAILABLE April 30th Produced by Nic Mendoza

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Icons Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Release Social Justice and Equality Anthem Blackbird From Upcoming First Studio Album In Three Decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons Album Climbs to #2 on iTunes’ R&B Album Presale Chart Upon Release “Why Blackbird? Why now? It is a reflection of the truth we are living today. When a blackbird leaves our mother’s nest, one day, it will not return. In 2021, mothers throughout our country live in the fear that our blackbirds may prematurely not be able to return to the nest of home, because of bigotry and violence… Blackbird, is dedicated to the life and humanity of every blackbird, whether living now or lost in battle.” -- Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Pop Culture Icons, multiple Grammy Award-winners and multi-platinum selling artists Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. released on Friday, Feb. 26, the single Blackbird from their highly anticipated first studio album in three decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons (EE1/BMG), due April 30. This is an era of Renaissance for Marilyn and Billy. Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons is already among America’s top-selling presale albums, according to iTunes, #2 R&B chart, #33 among all presale albums, following their profile on Feb. 28’s edition of CBS Sunday Morning, two 5th Dimension’s greatest hits albums, featuring lead vocals by Marilyn & Billy, hit iTunes’ top ten. Marilyn & Billy’s appearance in Questlove’s “Summer of Soul”, has glowing reviews. The film earned Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.

“As Black artists, at our ages, we didn’t believe we’d record another album, especially for a major label,” say Marilyn and Billy, who enjoy tremendous success through the years as recording artists, performers and authors, receiving 7 Grammy Awards, and earning 15 gold and 3 platinum records. “It took a lot of convinckathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 86

ing from our millennial producer, Nic Mendoza, who, understood us and our insistence that our new music be about something that truly matters in our world.

We agreed to try, if the project honored the importance of lives. We always admired the talents of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and knew what some did not -hat Blackbird is a Civil Rights anthem, written after the bombing of the 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, which took the lives of four babies – Addie, Cynthia, Carole, and Carol Denise. The Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons project, each song, image, timeline and video, praises everyone who dares fight hatred,” adds the couple, who in their sixty-plusyear career of performing have broken countless racial and cultural barriers. Their CBS television variety

series was a first for an African American couple.

Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons marks Marilyn & Billy’s first album with Encore Endeavor 1 (EE1), a subsidiary of kathy ireland® Worldwide (kiWW®), which has a multi-recording agreement with music giant, BMG. This project also marks kiWW’s second collaboration with BMG – the first made music history, after Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable skyrocketed to Billboard’s top spot on the album chart.

The entertainment community celebrates Marilyn & Billy’s Renaissance:

Icon Vanessa Williams said, “Marilyn & Billy’s new album is beautiful, heartbreaking and uplifting. We’ve needed Marilyn & Billy always … and we need their genius right now.”

Dolly Parton said, “I am so impressed. You look and sound fantastic. These new beautiful recordings, including the Beatles classic Blackbird, and for all to enjoy. So proud of you, and I will always love you.”

Sam Haskell, lifelong friend, President of Magnolia Hill Productions at Warner Bros. and Producers Guild of America Nominee for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures, who made television ratings history with the success of his Emmy-nominated films for NBC and Netflix programs said, “I love Marilyn & Billy’s talent and their new music. The success of Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons is a welcome return for these great artists.”

“Marilyn & Billy are icons and more, whose lives, artistry, and resources strengthen humanity, by ending discrimination against all, who the world seeks to marginalize,” says Kathy Ireland.

Anita Pointer, founder and lead singer of the iconic Pointer Sisters said, “Marilyn & Billy are amazing.

Their music inspires me as a writer and singer. Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons deserves this recognition. It’s the truth about the Black experience.”

Photo 1: Marilyn & Billy Photographed by Darren Stone 2021, Courtesy of Jon Carrasco.

Photo 2: Vanessa Williams and Kathy Ireland Courtesy of Jon Carrasco. Photos 3: Marilyn MCoo & Billy Davis Jr with Anita Pointer. Photo 4: Dolly Parton via Wikipedia. Photo 5: Hartwig Masuch, Kathy Ireland, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Courtesy of Jon Carrasco

Blackbird Lennon-McCartney Icons Available for pre-order now at mccoodavis.lnk.to/blackbird Apple Music, Itunes, Amazon Music, Spotify and Deezer.

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kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 88

Photo taken 2/11/2021 by Darren Stone, courtesy of Jon Carrasco

Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., Launch Silly Love Songs on EE1 / BMG, One Of the Very Few Record Labels Owned by A Woman “7-time Grammy winners, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. released ‘Silly Love Songs’, first single from their new album, out in Spring, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons, produced by Nic Mendoza, co-produced by Tim Sonnefeld. The single has rave reviews from Hollywood for McCoo & Davis, founders of The Original 5th Dimension, they have 14 gold & 3 platinum hits,” said Sam Haskell, lifelong friend & President of Magnolia Hill Productions at Warner Bros., who made television ratings history with the success of his Emmy-nominated films for NBC & additional Netflix programs, starring Dolly Parton. “I love Marilyn & Billy’s talent & their new music. Marilyn & Billy, are the First Couple of Pop & Soul. ‘Silly Love Songs’ for Valentine’s Day, is a welcome return to current music for these great artists,” continued Haskell.

McCoo & Davis made history as the first African-American couple to star in a network series for CBS. McCoo revolutionized television again, as a mature Black woman with a younger Caucasian man, Andy Gibb, with Solid Gold & Davis as a frequent guest. The couple tours the world in ‘Up, Up & Away! A musical fable’ based on their classic hits, including Grammy-winning ‘You Don’t Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)’.

Icon Dolly Parton said, “Congratulations on this beautiful new recording of ‘Silly Love Songs’ by my friends, Marilyn & Billy, for all to enjoy!” “’Silly Love Songs’ by Marilyn & Billy, is fun, bright, & danceable. This couple paved the way for so many artists, including me. They deserve continued success.” said Grammy, Emmy, Tony nominee & icon, Vanessa Williams.

Anita Pointer, founder of The Pointer Sisters said, “I love Billy & Marilyn, & their beautiful version of this song. Congratulations!”

CBS SWAT star Shemar Moore & former host of Soul Train said, “My mother introduced me to the music of Marilyn & Billy. This resonates with me, & keeps me very close to my Momma.”.

Al Jazeera host Richelle Carey said, “Marilyn & Billy’s elegance is simply timeless. I’m excited.

Younger generations will experience their great music.”

McCoo & Davis are enjoying a Renaissance, appearing in Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’, which won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

Available worldwide for Valentine’s Day streaming & purchase at https://mccoodavis.lnk.to/SillyLoveSongs

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Tuscan Iron Entries Tuscan Iron Entries, a U.S.-based manufacturer of ornamental iron windows and doors has entered into a partnership with the kathy ireland® Worldwide (kiWW®) family of brands. The announcement was made by Aneel Siddiqui, President of Tuscan Iron Entries.

“We are thrilled to announce our new relationship with kathy ireland® Worldwide. Our innovative approach to ornamental iron door and window manufacturing, coupled with Kathy and her superbly talented team’s marketing prowess and reputation for offering a myriad of high-end products, positions

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Tuscan Iron Entries to be one of the nation’s leading suppliers of domestically manufactured products in this category. This collaboration will allow us to not only expand product design and development, but also focus on large-scale marketing efforts, spearheaded by kiWW®. I am confident that this partnership with kathy ireland® Worldwide will catapult Tuscan Iron Entries to the next level.”

“We welcome Aneel and the Tuscan Iron Entries team to our unique business unit, which is particularly helpful to emerging entrepreneurs and their outstanding companies in the licensing and marketing industries,” says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and

Chief Designer of kathy ireland® Worldwide. “Tuscan Iron Entries doors are like no other. Inspired by old-world Mediterranean architecture, as well as the ability to achieve contemporary and architectural-inspired looks, Tuscan Iron Entries offers a full array of selections for every taste, from the simple and clean to the elaborate and dramatic, all designed and crafted by highly skilled artisans. We are so in love with the work of Tuscan Iron Entries, that their doors are being designed and installed at kathy ireland® Weddings & Resorts venues, throughout the world. They are true artistic masterpieces.”

Ms. Ireland and kiWW’s Worldwide Creative Director and EVP, Jon Carrasco, are currently designing a magnificent new door entry for kiWW’s premier design studio, The Gallery, which is currently undergoing major renovations. kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 91

kathy ireland Worldwide ®

Expands into Sports Media and Marketing Through Partnership with The Insider Network, an innovative new digital content and direct-to-consumer marketing company in sports The Insider Network, LLC, a leading digital first sports media company has partnered with kathy ireland® Worldwide for global brand marketing, vertical expansion and business growth. The announcement was made by Merrill Squires and John von Stade, Co-Founders of the Insider Network, LLC. Ms. Ireland will also join The Insider Network team as the company’s Chief Strategy Advisor (see video announcement).

Merrill Squires, The Insider Network Co-Founder, said “We are very excited to be teaming up with Kathy and the kathy ireland® Worldwide team on strategy, our vertical expansion and general growth of our company. It is a tremendous boost to an early-stage company like The Insider Network as we expand into new verticals like horse racing, women’s sports, motor sports, outdoor and adventure, music and entertainment. In addition to amazing insider content, we will establish a new way of engaging fans through direct to consumer shoppable experiences, interactive virtual events, fantasy sports and traditional television and podcast mediums.”

The Insider Network, an industry leader in new digital content and direct-to-consumer marketing companies in sports and entertainment, provides a fresh new voice to sports and entertainment fans who are

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seeking enhanced insight and perspective on their favorite subjects from true insiders. As part of its expansion, the company recently added The Caddie Network, which launched in late 2018 to its portfolio. The Caddie Network has become recognized as the “fresh new voice” in golf and delivers never before heard content and access from professional tour caddies across all the major tours. The caddies (APTC) are equity owners in the business and provide much of the content on a first-person basis with meaningful story-telling and video through TCN. “We are delighted to welcome Merrill, John and their creative team to kathy ireland® Worldwide,” says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland® Worldwide. “I have known Merrill as a leader in sports media and marketing since his days at Sports Illustrated. He was a visionary then, and continues to be a visionary with this incredible new venture. What Merrill and John are building is the future of sports media. The Insider Network ingeniously delivers what brands need to engage with consumers specifically based on their sports passions,” says Ms. Ireland, a board member of the NFL Players Association’s NFLPI and a member of the WNBA Players Association’s Board of Advocates.

John von Stade, The Insider Network Co-Founder,

stated, “Our vision is to build one of the most innovative and unique content offerings in sports and entertainment. Our company’s mission is to provide fans with access they can’t traditionally get from current media businesses, and we truly believe this new partnership with kiWW® can help us grow.”

“From the first conversation with Merrill and John, all of us were incredibly impressed with their vision and knowledge of sports media and marketing. We are truly excited to be working with them and welcome them to kiWW’s unique business unit, which is particularly helpful to emerging entrepreneurs and their outstanding companies in the licensing and marketing industries,” says Steve Glick, a William Morris Agency and ICM veteran, who currently serves as EVP of Content and Broadcasting.

Rick Lambrick, who leads audience development and enterprise value for The Insider Network, added, “Our insiders content carries some of the most authentic and refreshing sports content available in the industry. Expanding into new sports and entertainment sectors is a natural evolution of our business. We are excited to welcome Kathy, her audience and her insider’s perspective as part of our story and team.”

The Insider Network plans to announce expansion into the next verticals in the first quarter of 2021 with the launch of The Jockey Network at the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Additional vertical discussions include motor sports, women’s sports, Olympic sports, team sports, the music industry and modeling.

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Come home to a warm, welcoming environment that blends the best of contemporary and traditional styling. The Woodland Collection offers an array of customizable entryway storage solutions in three attractive finishes for a look you're sure to love.

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• Customizable entryway storage solutions fit virtually any space and taste • 24W and 40W Shoe Bench options with Hall Trees and a Wall-Mounted Coat Rack • Available in three attractive finishes: Cape Cod Gray, White Ash and Ash Brown • New collection video • Backed by the Bush Furniture 3 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty

White Ash

Ash Brown

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Over My Shoulder

by Kathy Ireland

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Looking for joy in all the right places.

sponded further, and I urged her to start with simple steps: Organize a junk drawWe’ve talked about how many families er. Discard things she didn’t need. Visit are pursuing but not finding happiness. her children at school. Decide that rather Some moms, though, are tired of the than argue with her husband over their chase. They’ve tried for so long and have differences, she could realize that they become so discouraged that they’ve each had their own visions for their lives, given up. They’re waiting for someone and she could focus on what they had in or something to come along and rescue common. Today this mom leads a much them. They feel empty. They have a void happier life. She has stopped waiting for in their hearts that desperately needs to happiness to come to her and is starting be filled. to look for joy in the right places. I don’t I remember the day one of our children mean to imply that discovering happiwanted to run away from home. I’d read ness is easy, especially for anyone strugall the manuals and instruction books gling with genuine depression. Without that said parents should question the de- doubt, there are circumstances and cision but then allow their child to pack. medical conditions that require profesThe key was to never let the child see sional help, including prescription medyou panic or allow him to think he could ication. Emotional illness is as real as intimidate you. Yet when my child was any physical illness. If you find yourself the one announcing plans to run away, in a place of depression that you can’t my response was the complete opposite break through, or if you’re overwhelmed of what I’d read. As soon as I heard the to the point of danger to yourself or anwords, I dissolved into tears. Not a good other human being, please put this book example of parenting! So believe me, I down immediately and get help. Too do understand how overwhelming, intim- often, however, people turn to chemical idating, and even frightening it can be to substitutes—even from our own physihave mom responsibilities, and how that cians, who may be quick to prescribe can leave mothers with an empty feeling them—rather than attempt to solve the that cries out to be filled. core problem. If you’re unhappy, there is much you can do to change your situaFor me, that void is filled by the Lord. tion. Life is too precious to go through it When I take my troubles to Him, I find without joy. comfort and strength that give me an inner joy and allow me to keep going One of the best ways to discover joy is to even when I’m discouraged by my cirreach out to others. When we see becumstances. I appreciate that you may yond ourselves and observe the needs not share my faith. If you don’t, you won’t of the people around us, we open ourfind your support in the same way I do. selves and our children up to all kinds of I will tell you this, though: if we wait for opportunities for joy. Years ago I worked happiness, we are likely to find ourselves in a convalescent home. It was a pleaparalyzed by the waiting. sure for me to deliver meals to the elderA mother once wrote to me and said, “I ly patients, many of whom had no one want to be happy. I’m waiting for someelse to visit them. Many were not happy. thing to happen to help me be happy.” I Their health was poor, and they were ® of giving them a wrote back and encouraged her to begin lonely. Yet thekathy simple act ireland Spring Summer 2021 moving toward joy that day. We corresmile and hug and of serving them a

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meal brought heartfelt smiles to their faces. When my shift was done, I felt joy over the fact that basic acts of kindness could cause someone to feel a small difference in their life.

If you’re reading this and thinking that you have very little time or money to give to others right now, I understand that. If you are a person of faith, however, you always have the option to pray.

I’m reminded of a time when I learned that two boys at school were bothering one of our children. My first reaction wasn’t very loving. I was upset. Later that evening, though, when I calmed down, our child and I prayed for those two boys. Just leaving the matter in God’s hands was a blessing. Knowing that He hears and answers every prayer created a sense of peace and happiness for both of us. And the next day I found out that the situation had indeed improved.

Put simply, compassion leads to joy. In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love…then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love” (Philippians 2:1–2). Any time that we follow the example of Jesus, we radiate joy. Everyone around us will see it, receive it, and most often, reflect it back.

When you reach out to others, the impact goes beyond you and the person you’re helping. Imagine the lessons your children will learn if, from an early age, they see you volunteering once a month to read to the blind or serve in a soup kitchen. Better yet, if your kids are old enough, encourage them to volunteer with you. In Santa Barbara we have a program in which we bring flowers to people who otherwise don’t have access to them, so that they can kathy ireland® Spring Summer 2021 experience one of God’s wondrous

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creations. The program serves women and men who have limited mobility or are confined to their living space, including those in convalescent homes. Even people at our local mission, who may be temporarily homeless, benefit from the program and can enjoy the scent and beauty of a flower. This is something we’ve participated in as a family. I believe our children have learned powerful lessons from seeing firsthand the impact of kindness. No matter how much joy they give out, they receive even more.

I’m not suggesting that you should volunteer at the expense of your family time or your own overwhelmed schedule. It’s important to set boundaries and establish what you can and cannot do.

Still, when you make it a priority to focus on others, you may find that other, more trivial concerns will begin to fall away.

May God bless you, your loved ones and our world this spring and summer.

We will be back soon with our Fall/Winter Issue 2021

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Proverbs 31:25

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