Sept/Oct 2018 preview

Cover

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fund her projects

“ALL SHE NEEDS IS A LITTLE SUPPORT”

WHY FUNDHERPROJECTS.COM? • We Understand and Value You • We Are Community Who Cares About Your Success • We Support Your Campaign from Start to Finish

WE EVEN SUPPORT NEEDS THAT HELP YOU SUPPORT THOSE PEOPLE AND IDEALS YOU HOLD DEAR BY OFFERING: • Rewards-Based Crowdfunding • Support for Meaningful Causes • Virtual Baby Showers for Mothers without Means • Back-to-School Gift Registry

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Fund Her Projects (FHP) is an innovative funding platform just for women. FHP is not your typical crowdfunding site, as it allows members to promote a well-intentioned cause and request needed items within the community.

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Editor-in-Chief, Annette Johnson Online Editor, Phillip Keeling Associate Editor, Grace Kelley Design Director, Joey Shepherd Page Layout and Design, Amanda Chapman Fashion Editor, Dr. Courtney A. Hammonds Creative Director, Michelle Lynch Style Consultant, Selena Hulett Social Media (Fashion), Sergio Cervantes Relationship Editor, Brooke Lewis Sales Manager, Torri Luke Editorial Assistant, Desirae Diaz Contributors: April Barnum Holly Caplan Janine Delaney Jane Evans Tom Graneau Merilee Kern Keith Johnson Ilana Muhlstein Gregg Murset Elizabeth Nouryeh Lucy Garcia Planck Caroline Riggs Miranda Sapp Dr. Helena Sturnick Erinn Williams Anisha Wilson Cover photo: Emme emmestyle.com Instagram @supermodelemme Photography: Anastasia Garcia Straight /Curve Films Customer Service For subscription service or change of address, including email, contact info@hersmagazine.net or write to P.O. Box 1071, Atlanta, GA 30301 Hers (ISSN 2372-3785) is published six times per year by Allwrite Communications, 33OO Buckeye Road, Suite 264, Atlanta, GA 30349 770-284-8983

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Denise Boutte How breast cancer has influenced her career & family life

September/Oct

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

22 Couples Court with the Cutlers First married couple to run a courtroom program

98 Are You a Solopreneur or an Entrepreneur? The difference

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Halloween Haunted Tips Vampire Makeup

between lone wolves and team players

104 Lauren and Tony Dungy

Teaching children the values that will define them

30 Keep Hair Healthy This Fall No need to be spooked about 10 AVE Homes Two elevated, versatile and classic companies

50 Halloween Chores for Kids Keeping your home free of spooky germs

52 The Challenges We Career Girls Face Today Can we have it all... Career and marriage?

62 Sugar Relationships Increasing Royal Wedding inspiring society to chase a life of luxury

102 21 Unspoken Rules About Marijuana What do they keep on the DL about THC?

20 Five Tips to Reinvent Your Career Discovering your true passion at any stage of life

28 UnHappy-Go-Lucky Kate Spade and the perils of perfection

40 WWE’s Mickie James

Finding herself while following her passion

bad hair this season

32 Hair Extension Trends

How Tamika Douglass took over the mommy mogul game

44 Macy’s Fall Collection This season’s hottest looks from Macy’s

70 Cauliflower Recipes

A vegetable with cancer-preventing benefits

80 Paris HAUTE COUTURE Fashion Week Fall-Winter A collection of the looks that dominated Parisian runways

tober

94 Emme

Then, Now and Always

42 Expressive Writing

How this platform teaches you to overcome trauma

58 Book Reviews

18 How Kickboxing Helps You Become a Leader Jab,

Embracing Age and Happiness From Wherever You Are

cross and hook your way to empowerment

68 Fall Releases

This season’s upcoming movies, television and music

34 Healing Power of Sound: Fact or Fad Doctor explains how

78 Summer Movie Releases

sound can ignite healing

Get out of the sun and into the theatre

54 Gap Filler The ways that God fills the voids in our lives

56 Are We Responsible For Our Energy?

What this neuroscience learned after suffering a stroke

54 Liift4: Fat Blasting Beach Body Fitness brings you the next big HIIT workout

60 Family Fun Overall Body Workout Simple effective exercises for you and your kids

17 Gadgets to Safeguard Home for Kids and Pets

One more way to make life easier & one less thing to stress

36 Workaholics, It’s Time for a Hard Break Is success

really contingent on the hours you put in?

38 Financial Advice for Gen Z Avoiding mortgages and college debt; start saving now

92 A Doll’s House (Part 2) Review Award winning playwright, Lucas Hnath, debuts his latest work

108 Eco-Friendly, Off-TheGrid Vacation A break from the stresses of a modern lifestyle

110 Tartan Weddings

Scottish wedding-planner encourages you to consider this

114 Fall Heriscopes

What’s your career horoscope?

6 ISSUES FOR

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F E AT U R E S • H E A R T • F L AVO R • H E A LT H L E S S O N S • W O R K • P L AY W W W. H E R S - M A G A Z I N E . C O M 6

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Editor’s Letter Life is surely a balancing act. With only 24 hours in a day, we have to spend our time carefully, ensuring that life’s responsibilities are handled without sacrificing its pleasures. This is especially true for modern-day professional women who balance families and careers. What if someone told you, however, that trying to balance it all is incorrect. Instead, you should focus on taking designated breaks, giving full attention to one activity at a time, including rest.

This is the fascinating message of one of our contributors, Aaron Edelheit. His popular book, “Hard Break,” and article in this issue, “Women Deserve a Hard Break,” became a challenge for me, a selfprofessed workaholic.

This publication was started as a source of inspiration for passionate, driven women, and it has focused on finding worklife balance. A paradigm shift may now be in order, as Edelheit’s message not only resonated with me, it has caused better outcomes both at home and work. This is a theme I’d invite our readers to explore as well and share the message if it helps.

Similarly, Brooke Lewis, our relationship editor and another self-professed workaholic, answers the question whether we can have it all. Her response is truly unique and insightful. In addition, multifaceted, professional wrestler Mickie James discusses how she

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balances her demanding schedule while raising her 3-year-old son.

She says she makes it work with the support of family and friends.

The fall season is upon us and this means a stark change in clothing as we prepare for the winter months. In our focus on fashion, our cover girl, plus-size supermodel Emme, is trying to help women of all sizes experience “Fashion Without Limits.”

We feature her in both this issue and our upcoming, inaugural Fashion & Beauty edition next month in October. While Emme focuses on the esteem and inclusiveness of adult women, former championship NFL coach Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, seek to provide inspiration for kids beginning to form their outlook on themselves and others.

In observance of breast cancer awareness month in October, we honor those who have faced breast cancer in featuring actress Denise Boutte in “Her Only Choice.” She plays the role of a mother who must decide between having her child or saving her own life after she is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Besides many other compelling or entertaining articles, we feature tips for creating Halloween makeup.

Enjoy,

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+ CONTRIBUTORS BIO

A P R I L BA R N U M April is family medicine physician in Bristol, PA, with a focus in sports medicine and wilderness medicine. April has played both the classical and electric cello for 21 years, earning a fouryear scholarship to perform in New York City with the Fordham University Orchestra. She graduated magna cum laude from Fordham in 2011 with a bachelor of science in biological sciences.

J A N E EVA N S Jane Evans is a dynamic speaker, author, leader, motivator, mother and wife. Evans was born in England, raised in Australia and she currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a mother to three sons and a mother-in-law to two daughters Mark, Nathan, and Benjamin.

She tackles tough and thought-provoking issues while appealing to people of all ages.

Jane uses insightful teaching, openness and her own wisdom to connect with people from all walks of life.

MERILEE KERN

H O L LY CA P L A N

As the executive editor and producer of “The Luxe List,” Merilee Kern is an internationallyregarded consumer product trends expert and hospitality industry voice of authority.

She is a travel, dining, leisure and lifestyle expert who spotlights noteworthy marketplace innovations, change makers, movers and shakers. She reports on exemplary travel destinations and experiences, extraordinary events and newsworthy products and services across all categories.

Holly has been in the medical device industry since 1997, and she learned early in her career that prospering in the male-dominated industry required adopting a few group values of the “dick clique,” as she calls it. Membership in that clique has come with a battle to preserve personal and professional identity. Caplan enjoys writing about her experiences and struggles in the workplace, and offers advice in her book, “Surviving the Dick Clique: A Girl’s Guide to Surviving the Male Dominated Corporate World.”

I L A N A M U H L ST E I N

TO M G RA N E AU

Ilana Muhlstein is a registered dietitian, the highest standard in the field of nutrition.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Maryland, sits on the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association and leads the Bruin Health Improvement Program at UCLA. Ilana acts as a nutrition consultant for several companies, including Beachbody and Whole Foods Market. She’s also a contributing writer for publications such as SELF, the Huffington Post, and the Journal of Obesity.

Tom is the author of Pennies To Power.

A 14-year U.S. Navy veteran, Graneau is a long-time financial management specialist and coach as well as a crisis manager. He came to the US at age 17 from Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean. Although the normal educational structure was inaccessible to him in Dominica due to family complications, he went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business at the University of Phoenix.

DR. HELENA JUDITH STURNICK

J A N I N E D E L A N EY

Helena Judith Sturnick is a trained scholar, published author, university professor, national and international leadership coach, and global speaker. She’s earned a reputation for practical and creative leadership, and for speaking about the spiritual side of leadership. This reputation has accompanied Dr. Sturnick as the transformational president of five colleges and universities, a Vice President at the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Director of the Office of Women in Washington, DC, as well as into her newest venture as the author of “Fire in the Soul: Finding the Divinity Within Each of Us.”During her career.

Hailed the “Jump Rope Queen,” Janine is a Dr. of Psychology who is a former professional ballerina, exercise and nutrition specialist, and holds multiple competitive titles. Her passion is to help others realize that being fit is not just about the way you look, but it’s about being healthy in mind, body and soul. At 48 years old Janine is proof that age is just a number. She encourages and inspires her 1.5 million social media fans through her daily exercise routines, unique jump rope style and motivational posts on her social media.

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+ CONTRIBUTORS BIO

G R EG G M U R S E T The co-founder & CEO of BusyKid, Gregg is best known as groundbreaking inventor of My Job Chart, which grew to nearly 1 million members in four years. It was the first electronic chore/allowance platform. A father of six, Gregg is a certified financial planner and consultant who also became a leading advocate for sound parenting, child accountability and financial literacy. He was named Chairman of 2014 “Smart Money Week” in Arizona, as well as the National Financial Educators Council Financial Education Instructor of the Year.

LU CY G A R C I A P L A N C K Professional hair stylist for BergdoffGoodman’s John Barrett Salon in NYC, Lucy has been featured on BravoTV and other media outlets, providing hair care and styling tips.If you’re interested in taking better care of your hair, skin and nails, skin, Lucy advises that you stay hydrated. That is the first and most important step.

A A RO N E D E L H E I T Aaron is the Chief Strategy Officer of FLO Technologies. Since selling his company, The American Home in 2015, Aaron founded Mindset Capital, a private investment firm. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg, and the New York Times and has given lectures on entrepreneurship and investments all over the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Aaron serves on the board of the Moishe House Foundation and is a partner of Social Venture Partners working on homelessness. Aaron lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and three children and loves Frank Sinatra, board games and (non-dairy) chocolate chip cookies.

BROOKE LEWIS An award-winning actress, board certified life coach and dating expert, Brooke has done TV segments in media such as CBS2 KCAL9 Los Angeles, San Diego Living CW6, CBS 8 Las Vegas Now, Fox 5 Vegas, AM Buffalo, FOX 29 Philadelphia, Huffington Post, She Knows, Your Tango, Her Campus, and Woman’s Day. She is also known as the sassy Co-host on the dating talk show Breaking Dating. In August 2016, her book “Coaching From a Professed Hot Mess” was published and hit #1 new release in both Etiquette and Guides & Advice on Amazon. It was also the winner of the Beverly Hills Book Awards 2016 Self-Help Motivational Book. hers-magazine.com

SUBMISSIONS www.hers-magazine.com info@hersmagazine.net

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+ H E R F E AT U R E

Denise Boutte How breast cancer has influenced her career & family life A T T EMa JO HN Np temb er/O c tober HERS gazi neS O | Se 12 N |N E

2018 |

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+ HER SOCIAL

#themeeyesee Self-Awareness for 2019 and Beyond

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ers magazine wants to remind women: “What you think of yourself is more important than what others think of you.” using #themeeyesee hashtag to promote greater self-awareness, the magazine wants women to begin to visualize, declare and pursue the person they can rightfully become.

We believe that the way we see ourselves propels us on the path to who we will ultimately become, driving our thoughts, actions, habits, and lifestyles. Thus, declaring an intention of our ideal selves can motivate us to achieve our goals.

Ask Yourself: Am I living up to my core values and personal mission?

Am I being a person others can respect?

Am I respecting my body the way I should?

#themeeyesee is a movement with the purpose of encouraging and challenging women to become the people they want to be in the new year and beyond. This is not a New Year’s resolution, but a public pact and declaration.

We will feature the posts on the Hers magazine website, #themeeyesee website and Hers magazine social media platforms: www.themeeyesee.com www.facebook.com/hersmagazine www.twitter.com/hersmagazine www.instagram.com/HersMagazine www.google.com/+HersMagazineOnline

Am I meeting the expectations I set for others?

Am I using my talents fully?

Am I performing at my peak capacity?

Am I giving my family and friends my most and my best?

Am I engaging in worthy activity?

Am I making a positive impact on the world?

Am I on the path to my preferred future?

Readers and others should post a short video or a selfie online with the hashtag to declare their unique vision for the future. They should then also challenge 5-7 friends in the post to make their own #themeeyesee declaration and agree to be accountability partners for 2016 to ensure their success.

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+ HER BY EXAMPLE

Mickie James Mixes Music, Motherhood and Matches B Y E L I Z A B E T H N O U RY E H

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s a child, Mickie James and her father spent hours glued to the television watching their favorite wrestlers battle for a championship belt.

James admired the eccentric characters who pranced around the ring in elaborate costumes to match their gargantuan egos. One day, she thought, she wanted to be just like them.

“I remember saying then, being super young, ‘Oh I want to be a wrestler,” James recalled.

She spent most of her summers at her grandma’s farm,

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where she would adopt the physical rigor of an athlete. Before she and her sister were allowed to ride their four-wheelers, they had to tend to the horses. James fell in love with horses, but she also learned hard work and athleticism.

She explained how she grew out of the wrestling phase and focused on being a kid and school. “Math isn’t my forte,” she chuckled. She knew her parents couldn’t pay for college, so she pushed herself in school. As she was nearing the end of high school, the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin brought the resurgence of wrestling, and James “fell in love with wrestling on a whole new level again.”

Even though James fell in love with wrestling, the arenas still felt like somewhat of a circus to her. The over-the-top, eccentric characters didn’t seem real, and she had no idea how to pursue her dream of being a professional wrestler. After graduating high school, James said she wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her wanted to follow her love for horses and become a horse trainer, but she knew that would take many years. A friend suggested she try KYDA Pro-Wrestling in northern Virginia, and James listened to her gut, driving two hours to train at Jimmy Z’s boxing ring.

The gym was run by James Zaveski, or Jimmy Z, who began the gym in 1998. “She was a girl that when she was 18 years old that she had so much drive,” Zaveski said of James. “She wanted to be a headliner of something. She ended up becoming a fantastic wrestler because she worked her butt off.”

James stayed there for about a year and then “transferred to another school so she could grow.” hers-magazine.com

+ H E R FAS H I O N

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Levi’s Yes, full body fishnets- thank you, Levi. This sexy, sporty look is great for live sporting events or an afternoon bite to eat in the city. The classic Levi’s tee paired with the bright red athletic jacket look incredible with the medium-wash denim jeans with a patterned stripe running down the outside seams. The sexy stilettos truly complete the look that keeps true with the red, white and blue true American vibe.

Fall Looks for 2018

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+ H E R FAS H I O N

FIND THE REMARKABLE YOU! SEP

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MACY’S LENOX SQUARE 1ST FLOOR, WOMEN’S DEPT. SATURDAY AT 2PM

This Fall, it’s all about owning it, embracing your femininity, celebrating your power and that fearless energy. Head over to Macy’s for an in-store shopping party hosted by Best Selling Author/TV Personality Stacii Jae and Miss Plus Intercontinental 2018 Chakiva Felder and shop The Edit: Our Fashion Director’s picks to buy, love and wear all season. You’ll enjoy fashion, food and fun with activities like the INC style challenge prize wheel and a special soiree hosted by BCBGMAXAZRIA!* Find everything you need to show the world you’re more than just a girl. Plus, spend a $100 or more in the women’s department and receive a complimentary tailor customization provided by Celebrity Tailor Fhonia Ellis and a tasseled phone charger.

Also, be one of the first (35) Cardholders to flash your Macy’s credit card at event check-in and receive a complimentary umbrella*.

Event subject to change or cancellation. *While supplies last and time permits.

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+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Can We Have It All...Career and Marriage?

Tips to Help Career Girls Choose

By Brooke Lewis 52

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6 ISSUES FOR

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F E AT U R E S • H E A R T • F L AVO R • H E A LT H L E S S O N S • W O R K • P L AY W W W. H E R S - M A G A Z I N E . C O M hers-magazine.com

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+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S

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Su ar

Spice, and Everything Nice?

The Secret World of Sugar Relationships

BY GRACE KELLEY

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he average cost of a Chanel handbag is $5,000. This figure is out of reach for most millennials (and, to be fair, most everybody else, too), but there are still ways to obtain one. One could pinch pennies and save up, or to already be rich. Or, a third option a lot of people are increasingly turning to, one could sign up for SeekingArrangement and ask their sugar daddy or momma for one.

A sugar daddy or momma is a wealthy man or woman who gives money, expensive gifts, and/or trips in exchange for the companionship of a sugar baby, usually a college student or recent graduate. Some of these relationships are sexual, but many aren’t. Sugar relationships seem to appeal to all races, genders and sexualities, but the demographic skews younger. As a panel at SeekingArrangement’s Sugar Baby Summit in June 2015 puts it, “Sugar doesn’t stay sweet forever.”

The most common type of sugar relationship is older man/younger woman. Brook Urick, a dating expert for SeekingArrangement, a site that matches sugar daddies and mommas to sugar babies, has also seen older woman/younger man

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relationships, not unlike Paul’s (George Peppard) relationship with his “decorator” (Patricia Neal) in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” SeekingArrangement also has some same-sex relationships. When I spoke to Urick, she was in New York City where SeekingArrangement was hosting an all-male event at Pride.

Kaeden Harveland, a sugar baby from Seattle, Washington, told the Huffington Post, “I don’t think SeekingArrangement is necessarily an easy site to use, being a gay male. It’s definitely a lot easier for women.”

Occasionally, SeekingArrangement produces an arrangement where the sugar baby is older.

“There’s one case study where the sugar baby, a woman, was 40 and her sugar daddy was about 35,” says Urick. The site currently reports 4.5 million members—3.3 million sugar babies and 1.2 million sugar daddies and mommas. One thing that unites all the relationships is that, according to SeekingArrangement’s main page, sugar daddies and mommas are “successful men and women who know what they want,” whereas sugar babies are “attractive people looking for the finer things in life.”

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+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S

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+ HER FOOD

Delicious Cancer Preventative Recipes Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Cauliflower

{

By Ilana Muhlstein

}

Cauliflower has incredible benefits. The institute of Medicine recommends men get 38g of fiber per day, about 30% greater than the recommendation for women. Yet, the average American adult is only getting about 15g, less than half the recommendation. Thankfully, cauliflower has 3g of heart- and gut-healthy fiber per cup. And eating 2-3 cups of roasted cauliflower or cauliflower rice can be easy and delicious with the right recipe, and can get you 20% closer to your daily fiber goal. Cauliflower also contains vital antioxidants, like glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. These groups of antioxidants have been shown in studies to be helpful in slowing the growth of cancer cells, and may be especially protective against prostate cancer. Cauliflower also contains sulphoraphane, which has been heavily researched for its benefits to prostate and colon cancer prevention.

Cauliflower can also help with weight loss and weight control, as it is very low in calories and carbohydrates, yet high in volume and satisfaction. Cauliflower is only about 25 calories per cup and can be used in a variety of dishes as a substitute for higher calorie foods like rice and pizza crust. You can eat about 9 cups of cauliflower rice for the same calories as 1 cup of regular rice. And when you prepare it like risotto or Chinese restaurant style “fried rice,” you can barely taste the difference. In addition to promoting weight loss and containing fiber, cauliflower also contains many other heart-healthy nutrients such as vitamin C and choline. Here’s some easy and delicious recipes to help integrate cauliflower into your daily diet!

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PARIS HAUTE COUTURE

2018-2019 FALL/WINTER

+ H E R FAS H I O N

(images © Imaxtree)

From street style to runway chic, Paris Haute Couture Week premiered the best of the fall-winter event’s personal and professional couture fashion. Take a look at some of the highlights, including Parisan street styles.

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+ HER FITNESS

Oblique Twists Sitting

Ball Sit-Ups

Sit back to back with your partner crossing one leg over the other. Pass the ball in front of your body and then in the back of you. Switch legs and repeat.

With your feet locked together and knees bent, start in the sit-up position and slowly come up together passing the ball on the upwards movement. The person with the ball should complete the sit-up, then pass the ball again in the up position.

Oblique Twists Standing

Squat Ball Passes

Face back to back with your partner and move only at the waist, passing the ball in front of your body and then in the back of you. hers-magazine.com

Get in a Sumo Squat position with your feet pointed slightly outwards and sit down deep. Pass the ball back and forth to your workout partner, holding in the down position. | Se ptem ber/O c to ber

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+ H E R F E AT U R E

In “Austin Plays Fair,” Austin plays flag football for the Trentwood Tigers but there’s only one problem. His team has lost six games in a row, and he doesn’t like losing. At his next game, Austin’s teammate has a plan to trick the other team. It works, but Austin knows his team cheated to win. Coaches Tony and Lauren remind Austin the most important thing about football isn’t winning—it’s playing fair.

In “Maria Finds Courage,” she moves to a new town where her parents sign her up for the summer soccer team to help her make new friends. But Maria has never tried soccer before. She would rather be back on her old swim team. Maria is afraid she will be the worst player and no one will like her. Coaches Tony and Lauren remind Maria everything is new at first. Maria will have to find the courage to try something new to see if she likes it. (From page 104).

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+ HER TRAVEL

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+ HER HER-ISCOPES

Her-iscopes: Career predictions from the stars Happy birthday, Virgo and Libra!

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VI RGO August 23-September 22 Strengths: Intelligent, hardworking, practical, gracious Weaknesses: Critical, myopic, self-conscious Sometimes we’re our own worst critics, and this year for your birthday, give yourself the gift of a break from all your selfdoubt and worry. Don’t overthink about how people reacted to something mild you said or did. That “weird look” on your coworker’s face could be because he wasn’t a fan of the idea you presented, or it could be he’s in a funk because he checked Instagram on his break and he saw his ex with a new beau. (Because, let’s face it, your ideas are good and no one’s making “weird looks” about them.) Flip on your analytical brain and determine tangible numbers of ways you’ve helped your work—e.g. on your resume, say “Managed a budget of $500,000” rather than just “Managed the budget for my department”—and keep these stats handy because you’ll need them soon.

LI BRA September 23-October 22 Strengths: Charming, diplomatic, logical, gentle Weaknesses: Superficial, indecisive, nonconfrontational A solar eclipse in August (a more mild one than August 2017) made you think about your career more seriously. A miscommunication around that time also shook up your love life, and you’re thinking about scaling back in your career goals to focus on your love life. Focus on your goals, and if a choice rises between love or career, choose career, temporarily, if it’s a really good opportunity. Like that old saying, someone who minds your choice doesn’t matter, but someone who matters won’t mind. Take this time too to look at your finances, too, because this will affect your career decision—can you afford, both fiscally and mentally/emotionally, to stay the course, or do you know deep in your heart that you need a change?

Use your gut feelings to guide you in both career and love.

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S CO R P I O October 23-November 21 It’s felt recently like you just can’t catch a break, so you’ve been diving yourself into work to distract yourself from that.

You will reap what you’ve sown soon, but lady—slow down!

Don’t turn down vacation or family gathering opportunities in favor of work, because a lunar eclipse and Uranus join forces in the beginning of September to make you make you want to strengthen family bonds. Your friends and family will have insight into your goals and path, and, since many people get jobs nowadays by “who” they know rather than “what” they know, might have some networking opportunities for you. Your first instinct is to go it alone when it comes to work, but you were raised by a village, and you will find success that way, too.

S A G I T TA R I U S November 22-December 21 With the beginning of September comes clarity on some relationships that aren’t bringing you joy, be they romantic, friendly, filial, or work. Gently scale back on the relationship that’s dragging, or end it altogether, and find some new energy. Use this energy for expanding your horizons in some way through travel or education—no need to quit your job and move to Bali or anything overly drastic, a weekend trip to a nearby town that’s new to you or a class on something happening in your industry will do just fine. Just like that quote you pinned to your Pinterest said, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get the results you’ve always gotten.

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+ HER HER-ISCOPES

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C A P R I CO R N December 22-January 19 The beginning of September will have you rethinking your finances. You’ll be re-evaluating whether you “need” your morning Starbucks or would you rather have a more lavish vacation next year—and your answer may surprise you. Sock away some funds for a lucrative investment and, girl, pay down that debt! Your financial goals will determine your career choices for the next couple of months—could you pick up a side job, or negotiate a higher salary as you start a new job, or negotiate a raise in your current job? You’ve been feeling like you’ve been drifting aimlessly recently, and with this new course charted, fire all the engines because here you come!

A Q UA R I U S January 20-February 18 Ferocious Mars barreled through your August just like it did your June, and it brought many of the same consequences.

Now your friends, family, and colleagues know that you won’t suffer fools, for better or for worse. Going forward, the word of the day is: boundaries. If you’re proactive with boundaries and people know them up front, there’s less of a need to enforce them later. If you’re not a medical professional on call, a police officer on duty, a fireperson at the station, or someone with access to our country’s nuclear arsenal, the world will probably keep on turning if you stop checking work emails on your phone at 7pm to pay attention at your family’s dinner.

TAU R U S April 20-May 20 You’re a social butterfly right now, Taurus, and use this energy to strengthen all your relationships, especially your work ones.

In a more casual setting like after-work drinks, your colleagues will air their grievances and you will feel empowered to take the bull by the horns, as it were. Retrograde Mars, a bane for other signs, is a boon for you as it lays your blueprint for how to bring these grievances to higher-ups as a team.

The end of September might bring a shocking revelation about one of these higher-ups, so prepare an exit strategy so you can weather the coming storm and land on your feet.

GEMINI May 21-June 20 After some major life shake-ups, some clear skies are in your future. Don’t make any rash decisions to expedite the coming of the clear skies, however, or the storm will just continue. Really slow down and fully vet your options when you’re presented with a new job offer, or the opportunity to collaborate with someone new. As Mercury goes in retrograde again, you’ll see a different side of these opportunities that might not be to your advantage. When you’ve been kissing a lot of frogs recently, sometimes what looks like a prince comes along and it seems refreshing, but occasionally when you kiss a prince, he turns out to be a frog in disguise.

PISCES February 19-March 20 You’re on a bit of a health kick, and with this comes a mental health kick, too. To be frank, your job has been contributing a lot to, well, the decline of your mental health. Shake up your non-work routine with a new morning workout or a new hobby you can do while watching Netflix (or in lieu of watching Netflix). Making yourself more well-rounded with passions outside of work may impress a potential employer or professional partner who will commend your creativity. Venus is making you into a charm bomb in September, so flirt with the idea of starting a new relationship with this potential employer or professional partner.

CANCER June 21-July 22 Take a chill pill, Cancer, lest you get crabby. (Sorry.) You’ll need to not be at the end of your rope when someone from your past or a vindictive colleague or both demands a lot of your attention. Not getting bogged down by your past will grant you the freedom to set your sights on the future. Take some big dreams you’ve been contemplating—a move to a new city, furthering your education, launching your own business—and break them down into bite-size easy steps. The dream then won’t seem so insurmountable and unattainable. By this time next year, you will have built something you’re really proud of.

ARIES March 21-April 19 The sun in Cancer in August made you warm and fuzzy . . . and realize that your coworker is cute. If they are your subordinate—or you’re theirs—it’s a definite no-go. A relationship between coworkers who are on the same level can be done, and done well, in the same way that you can, technically, climb Mount Everest because other people have been successful at it. Tread carefully, not only with human resources’ policies but also because Mercury enters retrograde and will cause some miscommunications. You’ve worked too hard and come too far to have some rando— even a very cute rando—mess up your goals and plans.

LEO July 23-August 22 Your birthday a couple of months ago strengthened your bond with the people you love—and brought clarity to relationships, both personal and professional, that are dragging you down.

People have been taking advantage of your warm and friendly nature and you need to let them know that enough is enough.

A cranky colleague will be shown the door, but a business partnership that has turned sour will require you to be a bit more proactive. Gently but firmly enforce your boundaries and you will be rewarded with an exciting opportunity come November.

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