meet Sagashus Levingston & 25 women who make Madison —and good things— happen
meet Sagashus Levingston & 25 women who make Madison —and good things— happen
Beth is striking a pose again.
Beth has an active lifestyle, but when knee pain prevented her from running, playing tennis and practicing yoga, she turned to UW Health Orthopedics and Rehabilitation.
After a partial knee replacement, Beth is back in action and pain free.
We helped Beth— imagine what we can do for you.
Our areas of expertise include:
Joint Replacement
Spine
Sports Medicine
Orthopedic Oncology
Trauma
Pediatric Orthopedics
Rehabilitation Services
Foot and Ankle
Hand, Elbow and Shoulder
To learn what it’s like to have a knee replacement, watch Beth’s story at uwhealth.org/moveagain
For more information, visit uwhealth.org/ortho or call (608) 263-7540.
What if you could harness the power of your thoughts and words to help you achieve your dreams and change the way you view the world? Sometimes, a simple shift in the language you use every day can do just that. Gail Ford will help you calm a chaotic life and find peace and empowerment with her inspiring talk about how the words you choose and speaking your truth each day can positively impact your life.
RSVP BY VISITING: amfam.com/dreambank Thursday, January 26, 6:15–7:15 pm
“Shower your dreams with gratitude and optimism, and watch them blossom.”
— Gail Ford
43 WOMEN TO WATCH
Meet 26 influential women who will make Madison—and good things— happen in 2017.
CONNECT
Engage | 17
The latest news, hot events, discussions and special BRAVA promotions you can’t live without.
THRIVE
Seeing Clearly Now | 21
Jaunt | 72
Milwaukee’s Third Ward is a hot spot.
Spotlight | 73
January’s don’t-miss arts and entertainment events
Catalyst | 78
Artist Kyria Hauer’s pop artworks reflect her burgeoning self-awareness.
Wellbeing | 22
Metabolism boosting Vitamin B, toward a happy workplace, earn what you’re worth
Delve In | 29
Sexual assault: It’s an epidemic
Dwell | 34
Industrial-modern décor, and what’s your color palette?
GO+DO
Social elevation | 63
Take in the view at Milwaukee’s swanky new hotel bar.
Entree | 64
The evolution of a Wisconsin classic: Potter’s Crackers
Eats + Drinks | 67
Warm your toes—and belly—at The Mermaid Café. 21 78
Pregnancy Helpline is on call for new parents 24 hours a day.
Happenings | 79
See who you know in photos from the Dress for Dais Fashion Show, Agrace Butterfly Gala and BRAVA Night Out at Carbon World Health
Beyond the Score® is a production of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Gerard McBurney, Creative Director for Beyond the Score®
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
John DeMain, Conductor
Beyond the Score explores what’s behind one of the most popular orchestral works ever written— Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful and exotic Scheherazade—with:
• Video and photos
• Actor and narrator
• Musical examples and a full performance of Scheherazade
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JENNIFER ROSEN-HEINZ jennifer@bravaenterprises.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JODY WISZ jody@ntmediagroup.com
INTERNS Editorial | Elle Duncombe-Mills, Caroline Szachnowski
BRAVA Magazine is a publication of Nei-Turner Media Group, Inc. Gary E. Nei, Chairman; William Turner, President; Barbara Krause, Publisher. 951 Kimball Lane, Suite 104. Verona, WI, (608) 848-6700.
SUBSCRIBE AT BRAVAMAGAZINE.COM
Subscription Information: (877) 811-2639 or brava@pubdmgroup.com. BRAVA (ISSN 1934-4317) January 2017, Volume 18, Number 1, Periodicals postage paid at 3902 Milwaukee St., Madison WI 53714 and additional offices. Subscriptions are $14/year.
CONTRIBUTORS
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
WRITERS | Julie Andrews, Amy Carlson, Kristine Hansen, Ashley Powell, Susan Young
PHOTOGRAPHERS | Kaia Calhoun, Lisa Wilcox
Women In Focus, Inc. is celebrating 31 years of community impact and invites you to the annual...
JANUARY
BALL
14 2017
Monona Terrace, Madison, WI Reservations required by January 4th, 2017
The “I Have a Dream” Scholarship Ball is a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and dedicated to encouraging students of color to succeed in education. Proceeds support the Women In Focus, Inc. Scholarship and Endowment Funds. Since 1984, over 285 college scholarships have been awarded. FOR INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT... www.womeninfocus.net or call 608.234.0899
REBECCA ANDERSON-BROWN | “SEXUAL ASSAULT: IT’S AN EPIDEMIC,” P. 29
Rebecca lives, teaches and writes in Madison. She and her handy husband are kept busy with their three sons and two sometimes naughty dogs. She teaches 4-year-old kindergarten at New Morning Nursery School and falls more in love with her job every day. Her first novel is titled “Flying at Night” and will be released in winter of 2018.
LISA BAUER | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
A writer, editor and content strategist, Lisa lives in Madison with her husband and two teen daughters. She eagerly anticipates Women to Watch time each year, when she gets to sit down with inspirational women, hear their stories and share them. Her most difficult writing task is boiling down W2W features to 300 words or less—since each woman deserves an entire issue!
SHELBY DEERING | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
Shelby Deering is a Verona-based lifestyle writer and the owner of writing biz Shelby Deering, LLC. She loves to create highly-descriptive, authentic, soulful pieces for national publications like Midwest Living, Flea Market Decor and Vintage Celebrations and for regional magazines such as Wisconsin People & Ideas and Experience Wisconsin. Shelby enjoys experiencing all that Madison has to offer, with her husband and corgi Ginger at her side.
JENIE GAO | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
Jenie is an artist and writer using her craft to challenge conventional wisdom and invite others to do the same. She is known for her bold woodcuts, ink drawings and allegorical storytelling style. She has worked across industries, from fine arts to education to nonprofit lean manufacturing and is an advocate for different disciplines working together to build a stronger, kinder and more ethical society.
EMILY LEAS | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
Emily relishes the deep dive into a story, and has been a freelance writer for close to 15 years starting in Michigan, then Montana and now Madison for the last eight years. She also loves seeing new places with her husband, roaming the dog park with her puppy, Duncan and paddleboarding!
HILLARY SCHAVE | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
Hillary is the creative force behind the local business, Azena Photography. Her vast experience in documentary and editorial style wedding photography has helped to create some truly genuine and beautiful portraits of the local women featured here in BRAVA Magazine. She is “mama” and wife to two amazing fellas and loves that it only takes 20 minutes to get almost anywhere in Madison.
CANDICE WAGENER | “WOMEN TO WATCH,” P. 43
Candice is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to BRAVA and Isthmus. This is her third year working on the Women to Watch issue and it is by far one of her favorite assignments because of all the amazing women making an impact in our great city, who she has the privilege to meet. Candice lives in Middleton with her husband and two super-cool boys, who help her see the beauty in life every day.
SHANNA WOLF | PHOTOS THROUGHOUT
Shanna is a freelance photographer with a background in advertising and communications, specializing in portrait, documentary and interior photography. Her photography aesthetic is modern with simplicity and balance. She loves the storytelling of still photography and being a contributor to publications with meaningful messages. Her personal work is focused on travel and wandering, using her camera as her sketchbook.
Friday, April 28, 2017
The Edgewater, Madison | 8 AM - 5 PM
Details + Registration | thrivewithbrava.com
IN 2017
Rely on BRAVA for your Professional Development and Personal Enrichment and be empowered to thrive in all aspects of your life by Madison’s top speakers!
THRIVE WITH BRAVA PACKAGE INCLUDES:
4 THRIVE CAREER WORKSHOPS BRAVA’S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
3 THRIVE LUNCHEONS BRAVA’S PERSONAL ENRICHMENT SERIES
1 THRIVE CONFERENCE BRAVA’S INSPIRIING DAY FOR LIVING AN EMPOWERING LIFE
PLUS, FREE ENTRY TO: WOMEN TO WATCH SOIREE, KIDS EXPO & WOMEN’S EXPO
THIS YEAR MARKS OUR sixth annual Women to Watch feature, a celebration of the remarkable women Madison’s so fortunate to know.
If I’m honest with myself and you, I’ll admit this feature is always my favorite. Why?
Because Women to Watch are known not just for getting things done, but for making things happen, and with soul. What moves me most is the impact of their work.
They transform the way we see things. They build potential for women and children and demand room for the underrepresented. Their work has reach—in our community, Wisconsin, the nation, and for some, the globe. They help us rethink our perspectives on beauty, on social norms, on the way things could be, should be, for the better.
They bring themselves to their work in ways beyond the ordinary, pouring in phenomenal passion, time and energy, nurturing others’ wellbeing, smashing stereotypes, questioning the status quo, refusing to accept its limits on their brilliance and potential—or ours. They are bold, brave, the very best role models I can think of for young girls and, well, all of us.
That’s why we’ve also asked them to toot their own horns—something we women don’t do near enough—to tell us what makes them great leaders. Read their thoughts in LINGER, P. 80. Read about their exceptional stories and goals in “W2W,” P. 43.
I am grateful, too, for the kindness, laughter and philosophical conversation they’ve shared with me and all the writers who captured their stories and spirits. Read about them in the “Women to Watch” feature on P. 43—and meet them at the Women to Watch Soiree Jan. 25. Can’t wait to see all they make happen in 2017.
Kate Bast Editor-in-Chief
ON THE COVER
2017 W2W Sagashus Levingston. Photographed by Hillary Schave. Story P. 43.
DON’T MISS THE PARTY!
Join us to celebrate at the 2017 Women to Watch Soiree! Jan. 25, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Details and tickets: BRAVAmagazine.com/events.
Featured Presenters at the WELL EXPO
MAIN STAGE: FRIDAY
Maximize Your Health! Nutrition in the 21st Century
Tim O’Brien, Apple Wellness
5:00 p.m.
There is Only One You –Discover Your Personal Style
Krystle Marks 6:00 p.m.
Power of Perspective
Traci Fountain
10:00 a.m.
Perfect Pairing –Flavorful and Healthful Meals
Lisa Grudzielanek and Chef Patrick Zwank, Metcalfe’s 7:15 p.m.
MAIN STAGE: SATURDAY
Unresolved Thyroid Symptoms and Gluten Sensitivity
Dr. Steve Puckette DC, DACNB, Puckette Chiropractic Neurology 11:00 a.m.
Learn About Safe Mercury Filling Removal and Why It May Be Right For You and Your Health
Dr. Kaveh & Trish Ghaboussi, Madison Smile Solutions 1:00 p.m.
Wake Up!
Michael Smith, Group Health Cooperative 2:00 p.m.
End the Pain with Customized Knee Replacements
Dr. John S. Rogerson, M.D., Stoughton Hospital 12:00 p.m.
A Better Bag of Groceries
Lauren Tulig, RDN, CD, Festival Foods 3:00 p.m.
FREE Fitness Classes & Wellness Lectures
FITNESS STAGE UPSTAIRS: FRIDAY, JAN. 20
Ground and Protect Yourself from Stress and Negativity
Ryan Hader
3:30 p.m.
Bootcamp with Adrian Lee Orangetheory Fitness
5:00 p.m.
Candlelight Yoga
Marjaneh Ghanian, The Studio 6:15 p.m.
Cyc Fitness After Dark Jenny DeMain
7:15 p.m.
Cyc Fitness After Dark Jenny DeMain
7:45 p.m.
FITNESS STAGE UPSTAIRS: SATURDAY, JAN. 21
Pure Barre with Michael Dowden
The Pure Barre - Madison Hilldale
8:30 a.m.
Bootcamp with Adrian Lee Orangetheory Fitness
10:00 a.m.
Barre Code with Kellian The Barre Code 11:30 a.m.
Kripalu Yoga with Katie Schwartz UW Health
1:00 p.m.
Mindfulness for Daily Living
Harmónia Madison Center for Psychotherapy
2:30 p.m.
FITNESS STAGE DOWNSTAIRS: FRIDAY, JAN. 20
Zumba® Fitness
Amelia “Bedelia” McConnell, Gold’s Gym 3:30 p.m.
Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping 5:00 p.m.
Team Training with Kari Montie Anytime Fitness 6:30 p.m.
Cardio-Kickboxing Class
Nick den Daas, Omni Fight Club 7:30 p.m.
FITNESS STAGE DOWNSTAIRS: SATURDAY, JAN. 21
Meditation in Motion with Dianné Jean Aldrich UW Health 8:30 a.m.
Team Training with Terrance Harney Anytime Fitness 10:00 a.m.
Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping 11:30 a.m.
POUND with Casey Z Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) 1:00 p.m.
WERQ Dance Fitness
Monica L. Avila, Gold’s Gym 2:30 p.m.
WELLNESS LECTURES: SATURDAY, JAN. 21
Naturopathic Oncology: Integrative Solutions For Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Care
Dr. Ley, Full Circle Natural Medicine, LLC 10:00 a.m.
Qét Botanicals: Why We’re Different, Serums vs. Creams, Oils for Everyone Lisa Brill, Founder 11:00 a.m.
Is Your Fork Friend or Foe?
Lisa Grudzielanek
MS, RDN, CD, CDE, Metcalfe’s 12:00 p.m.
Some Practical Tips On Being Happi(er)
Beth Berns, the (er) factor 1:00 p.m.
What Every Woman Should Know About Breast Cancer: An Update On Research and Treatment
Lee Gravatt Wilke, MD FACS, Director, University of Wisconsin Breast Center 2:00 p.m.
Registration for our fitness classes is now open at wellexpomadison.com.
Sign up now to reserve your place –but hurry, these spots are going fast!
Find the complete fitness class schedule and class details at wellexpomadison.com.
9Round Kickboxing Fitness
A Spice Above
Advanced Chiropractic
Neurology & Pediatric Centers
Advanced Pain Management
AHT Wisconsin Windows
AlignLife Chiropractic
Alliance for Animals and the Environment
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of WI
AMPT Advanced Manual Physical Therapy
Anytime Fitness
Apple Wellness
Arbonne International
Bakke Wellness & Nutrition, LLC
The Barre Code Madison
Beginner’s Mind
Bemer Group
Blue River Chiropractic
Choose Conscious Living
ClearCaptions
The Company Store
Costco
Culligan Total Water
Cutco Cutlery
Debs Scents - Scentsy
Dexamap Body Composition
Divas Half Marathon & 5K Series
doTERRA
DreamBank
East West Healing Arts
Edward Jones
Entercom Communications
Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping
Festival Foods
First Choice Dental
Float Madison
Focal Point Training
Fred Astaire Madison
Free To Breathe
Full Circle Natural Medicine, LLC
Ganser Company
Gilda’s Club Madison
Gold’s Gym
Go Simple Wellness
Group Health Cooperative of South Central WI
Guiding Hand Hypnosis
Heartland Family Chiropractic
2017 EXHIBITORS
Heartland Farm Sanctuary
Indulge Spa
Insight for Health and Healing Isagenix
International
J&M Distribution / HiDow
Juice Plus
Julie Ann Marie
Kitchen Craft
Kyani
L’Bri Pure n’ Natural
Le-Vel
LeafFilter North of Wisconsin, Inc.
Lemke Facial Surgery and SkinCare 101
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
LuLaRoe Dusty Rogers
Madison Smile Solutions
MadPower Training Center
Mary Kay, Inc.
Mary Wichern Fitness and Touch of Pilates
Metcalfe’s
The Mindful Life Center
Miracle-Ear
Morgan’s Shoes & New Balance - Madison
MSCR - Madison School & Community Recreation
National Wellness Institute
Natural Awakenings
Norwex
Nutrilite
SPONSORED BY:
Omni Fight Club
Orangetheory Fitness
Organo
Outlets at The Dells
The Pampered Chef
Paradox Healthy Living
Perfectly Posh
Plexus Worldwide
PRP Wine International
Pure Haven Essentials
Qet Botanicals
reBalance Myofascial Release
Rodan + Fields
Sacred Geometry Jewelry
Safarik Wellness, LLC
The Salt Room Waunakee
Sam’s Club
Seacret Dead Sea Skin
Senior Helpers
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Shade Medical & Creative Tattoo
Shaklee-Salman’s Healthy Marketplace
The Sheet People
Shen Yun Performing Arts
Simone Frame, Speech-Language
Pathologist Sit Means Sit Madison
Stoughton Hospital OrthoTeam Clinic
Tellurian, Inc.
True Laser Ltd.
Tundraland Home Improvements Tupperware
U.S. Cellular
Ulla Eyewear
Unity Health Insurance
UnityPoint Health - Meriter
UW Health
Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services
Waunakee Remodeling
Weston A. Price Foundation
Wildtree, All Natural Foods
Wildwood Family Clinic
WillowRokk Coterie
Willy Street Co-op
Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association
Wisdom of the Angels
YMCA of Dane County Inc.
Young Living Essential Oils
MOXIE
CONGRATULATIONS to Program Director Meg Miller on her retirement after 34 years of service with the Respite Center program at Center for Families. The Dane County nonprofit helps families nurture, protect and teach their children, serving some 500 families and 800 children annually.
Cheri Dubiel is the new executive director of Community Shares of Wisconsin, the oldest social justice fund in the country, which unites a coalition of 66 member nonprofits to create change through grassroots action and advocacy on social and environmental issues. She steps into the role from her position as the organization’s associate director.
Together with her business partners, Rachel Neill has launched Carex Consulting Group, which serves to reinvent the staffing process between consultants and clients. Neill brings her business strategy and talent acquisition skills, plus a desire to cultivate more women leaders, to her role as president.
Chief Program Officer Vanessa McDowell (a BRAVA 2016 Woman to Watch) will serve as interim director of YWCA, which works to eliminate racisim and empower women. Best wishes to Rachel Krinsky , who has served as the organization’s CEO for five years. Krinsky and family will fulfill their dream to live in the Pacific Northwest as she becomes executive director with LifeWire, a Bellevue, Wash., domestic violence service organization.
Representative Lisa Subeck was recognized by The National Foundation for Women Legislators as a 2016 Elected Women of Excellence Award winner. This award identifies women who have broken barriers and worked diligently to serve their communities.
RANTS + RAVES
I have heard so many compliments on the “wise women” article (“Wisdom of Wrinkles, Lines of Character,” Nov. 2016) really generous, loving comments. Everything is so Millennial these days, I would not have thought that such an article would be impressive. The writers did a wonderful job. Wonderful, inclusive job. Keep it up. – Milele Chikasa Anana, publisher, Umoja Magazine
Women’s March on Madison | Jan. 21
Join this peaceful march along State Street with Wisconsin advocates for equality and inclusion who are committed to fighting for safety, health, success and equal opportunity within our communities. Speakers and live entertainment featured at the Capitol Square. 12 p.m. Library Mall at the UW Campus, base of State Street. Details are listed on the Women’s March on Madison Facebook page.
OUT + ABOUT
BRAVA-SPONSORED EVENTS
JAN. 14 | “I HAVE A DREAM” SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET AND BALL
The “I Have a Dream” Scholarship Banquet and Ball is a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and dedicated to encouraging students of color to succeed in education. Proceeds support the Women In Focus, Inc., scholarship and endowment funds. Since 1984, over 285 college scholarships have been awarded. Dinner, dancing, live music, formal attire. 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Monona Terrace, Madison. Ticket reservations and more information: womeninfocus.net
JAN. 26-FEB. 12 | “OUTSIDE MULLINGAR”
Anthony and Rosemary are facing down middle age from neighboring farms in rural Ireland. Only a strip of land separates these eccentric souls, but with a feud simmering between their families, these introverted misfits will need to overcome a childhood grudge and years of stubborn pride to find happiness. Flinty humor and poetic passion highlight this charming and poignant play by John Patrick Shanley about how it’s never too late to take a chance on love. Overture Center, Madison. Tickets: overture.org.
BRAVA EVENTS
JAN. 20-21 | WELL EXPO
Featuring over 100 exhibitors , the eighth Annual Well Expo showcases local resources for weight loss, medical care, wellness programs, healthy foods, green living, exercise and beauty. Enjoy free fitness classes, spa demos and vendor swag. Donate two nonperishable food items to River Food Pantry and receive free admission. Times vary. Monona Terrace, Madison. wellexpomadison.com.
Feb. 22 | THRIVE CAREER WORKSHOP MAKING PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVE WITH KATIE BELANGER
Join productivity guru and former gubernatorial scheduler Katie Belanger of Katie B. Strategies for a two-part workshop on two core elements of productivity: your workflow and your schedule. Expect training elements, activities and individual assessments. Bring your calendar, planner, mobile devices and anything you use to keep track of your work and life. 8:45-11:45 a.m. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Tickets: BRAVAmagazine.com.
April 28 | THRIVE CONFERENCE INSPIRING DAY, EMPOWERED LIFE
Get empowered, enriched, educated and entrepreneurial at BRAVA’s THRIVE Conference! Personal and professional development topics will inspire you to nurture yourself, cultivate your personal potential and thrive in all aspects of life. More than 18 individual sessions offered. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Edgewater. Early bird registration through Jan. 31. Tickets and conference details: thrivewithbrava.com.
Gain immediate skills and outcome strategies that will create more fulfillment, effectiveness and success in your career—and your life.
FEBRUARY 22, 2017
MAKING PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVE
Are you or your team struggling with maximizing your efficiency? Join productivity guru and former gubernatorial scheduler Katie Belanger for a productivity overhaul. This workshop, focused on workflow and scheduling, will mix training elements, activities and individual assessments to set you up for a more productive professional and personal life. Bring your calendar, planner, mobile devices, and anything you use to keep track of your work and life to leave with a solid productivity plan in place.
KATIE BELANGER, KATIE B. STRATEGIES
Katie is an expert in technology and productivity and helps professionals incorporate systems to help maximize their effectiveness and thrive as individuals and teams.
Registration & Networking | 8-8:45 am • Workshop | 8:45-11:45 am Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
SPONSORED BY:
JUNE 28, 2017
THOUGHTFULLY FIT: Leading From the Inside Out
Darcy Luoma
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
INTRAPRENEURSHIP: Power Entrepreneurial Thinking Within Your Organization
Megan Boswell and Corinne Neil
NOVEMBER 8, 2017
THOUGHTFULLY FIT: Leading Within Your Relationships
Darcy Luoma
ART
SEEING CLEARLY NOW
Artist Kyira Hauer created “Blind to Negativity” as a bold manifestation of how she’s unleashed herself from the pressure of worrying about what other people think or expect of her. The newfound freedom she carved out for herself makes this mixed media piece, using recycled and found objects from around Wisconsin, her favorite work.
For more on Hauer, see “Women to Watch,” P. 43
HEALTH
B-POSITIVE
REV UP THE INTENSITY of your New Year fitness regimen with a B vitamin boost. B12 and its supercharged siblings, often referred to as the B-complex, help ensure a variety of biological processes function smoothly such as red blood cell formation and oxygenation. But it can also shift the body’s metabolism into high gear—a game changer if shedding a few pounds is a goal. Denise Bergen, co-owner of Medithin Weight Loss Clinic in Madison, recommends replenishing B vitamins with injections or through time-released patches while following a ketogenic, or low-carb, diet.
“It’s a safe and effective way to maximize weight loss results, but also protects muscle tissue from being broken down. You essentially prompt the body to work as a fat burner instead of a sugar burner,” Bergen says.
Bergen touts other benefits, such as decreased food cravings, increased energy, fewer headaches, improved mood and a stronger immune system. And she maintains that it’s not always enough to eat B12-rich foods, such as fish, eggs, red meat and whole or fortified grains. The body won’t store B vitamins so they have to be constantly replenished.
Bergen also claims that modern foods aren’t always as easily used by the body as they once were. “We’ve changed food so much that our bodies don’t always know what to do with it any more,” she says. “And maintenance of essential vitamin and mineral levels is critical to maximize physical and mental wellbeing.”
Bergen recommends a holistic approach to health, combining B12 or B-complex injections or patches with a modified diet and regular exercise. “It doesn’t mean you can never have your favorite snacks or treats again,” she says. “You just have to have them differently—in moderation and in smaller amounts. The ultimate goal is to reset your metabolism to deplete fat versus operating off carbs.” – Rachel Werner
How to Start Changing Your Health and Fitness, Today
BY: DR. NESTOR RODRIGUEZ, MEDICAL DIRECTOR @ CARBON WORLD HEALTH
If you are reading this, you have won half the battle! Hopefully, you are reading this because you have made up your mind to change your life for the better in 2017.
However, where do you start?
Nowadays it seems impossible to keep up with all the latest trends in health and fitness. We’ve all seen them on the magazine stand: Fitness Magazine has “Seven Bikini-Body Exercises That Tighten and Tone – Fast!” While Health offers to “Tighten Your Core in 21 Days!” And Shape wants you to know “How To Lose Your Belly in 14 Days with the Zero Belly Diet.” While these headlines are promising, the reality is that most of them are simply marketing messages given the fact that the three most common New Year resolutions are getting fit, losing weight, and staying healthy.
As Russ Beier, Fitness Director at Carbon World Health, explains “the issue for people isn’t not starting in January but instead continuing past February given life’s curveballs.” Russ routinely encourages his clients not to
compare themselves to others because it can be very detrimental to their health and self-image.
As it relates to weight loss, Ashley Greer, Spa and Weight Loss Director at Carbon World Health, explains “losing weight isn’t a fad either. It doesn’t involve 10 easy minutes every day.” Ashley teaches her clients not to focus only on changing their weight, but also on changing their body composition. Many people start off with a simple weight loss goal like: “I want to lose 10 pounds.” That’s a great goal, but unfortunately, it’s a little too vague. 10 pounds…of what? Fat? If yes, how will you know when you’ve hit that goal? By standing on a scale? Even if you see your weight decrease by 10 pounds, how can you be sure that 10 pounds is all fat? The truth is: you can’t. You need to continually track your body composition to know your true progress.
So can you become healthier and fitter in 2017? The answer is “Yes You CAN!”
To start you on this journey, I suggest you follow these 5 steps:
1. Get Your Body Composition Analyzed
2. Choose a Comprehensive Yet Supportive Treatment Team
3. Choose a Goal to Work on First
4. Retest to Track Your Progress Towards Your Goal
5. Be Patient And Reach Your Goal!
Need more help? Make sure to schedule you free consultation at Carbon World Health – your onestop shop for fitness, health, and beauty. In 2017, don’t start simply to stop in February!
CAREER
OFFICE KUMBAYA
HAVE YOU EVER WORKED in a toxic environment where gossip, negativity, burnout, dishonesty, arrogance, bullying, stress and or fear are status quo? Or perhaps people were disconnected, apathetic or disengaged? Then you know how difficult it is to survive, thrive and flourish in an unhealthy workplace. But it doesn’t have to be the norm.
In its quest to discover the ‘secret sauce’ for building the ultimate dream team, Google launched a widespread initiative called Project Aristotle to find out what made teams tick. The company was on a mission to learn what differentiates the mediocre from the magnificent.
After spending millions of dollars, studying 180 teams and analyzing extensive data, Google discovered five dimensions for happy and high-performing teams:
Psychological Safety : Can you stand up, speak out, take risks and share your ideas with confidence?
Dependability : Are you reliable and able to deliver high-quality results on time?
Structure and Clarity : Does your team have clearly defined goals, roles and responsibilities?
Meaning: Is your work personally important and fulfilling?
Impact: Does your work matter?
When organizations create the space and place for people to thrive and feel emotionally safe and fulfilled, it impacts every aspect of their work. Cultivating an accepting and secure environment in the workplace:
• Builds unity
• Promotes positivity
• Improves communication
• Increases retention
• Reduces stress
• Inspires creativity
• Encourages collaboration
• Drives effectiveness and profitability
Appreciation. Love. Respect. Compassion. Understanding. Trust. While these words may describe our most desired emotional states for the healthiest of relationships, when these feelings are achieved in the workplace, extraordinary results can occur. Create a culture of psychological safety at your organization—and watch the magic happen.
–Susan Young
If you’re looking for a world-class spa and wellness experience, you’ll find it here. Our highly trained expert staff uses only the finest spa techniques and products available, and offers a full menu of massages, facials and more. You should expect nothing less from the only AAA Four Diamond Rated hotel in the region. So if the stress of daily life has caught up to you and you’re ready to experience the best spa in Madison, this is the place.
MADISON’S PLACE TO
ASK YOUR WORTH
WE’VE ALL HEARD that women make 78 cents to every dollar a man makes, and that statistic gets worse if you’re a woman of color or a mother. As bad as that is, we can—and must—advocate for ourselves, and take advantage of the most effective method to get what we want: Ask.
Three tips to negotiate your next—and bigger—salary include:
1
Don’t accept an offer on the same day. Even if it’s great, give yourself some time to think it over and discuss it with family, a spouse or a trusted adviser. Inevitably you’ll figure out something you’d like to ask for, even if it’s paid time off or an upgrade on health insurance.
2
Be careful about giving a salary range. If you want to make $75,000, but you say “$65,000 to $75,000, depending on benefits,” all that person hears is “$65,000” and you’ve just lowered your bottom number by $10,000. Name the salary you actually want from the outset. It’s not bad if they can’t afford you; you shouldn’t be underpaid.
3
Don’t wait. You’re in the best position to negotiate before you start the job. Your value is highest during the offer process, and once you start working, your manager or human resources representative will likely have limits on what percentage raise you can be given. And that percentage will likely be based on your initial salary. A great phrase to begin a negotiation with is, “That’s a great offer. What more can you do?” -Ashley Powell
Ashley Powell is the business development manager at Madison tech firm Bendyworks and speaks at national conferences about diversity and salary negotiation for women in tech. Read more about Powell in the “Women to Watch” feature, P. 43.
The men and women of the law firm of von Briesen & Roper care passionately about their profession, their clients and their community. Committed to unparalleled service, recognized expertise and to excellence, our people are invested in the success of their communities. Every year we support organizations that make a positive impact on the places we live, like Reach Dane. Because we believe it is important to give back, we want to take a moment to let you know about this great organization in our community.
www.vonbriesen.com
10 East Doty Street, Suite 900 Madison, WI 53703 608.441.0300
THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ is a platform for consultants, freelancers, and B2B entrepreneurs that creates COMMUNITY, CONNECTIONS & CONVENIENCE.
By lifting and linking each other higher, we shine brighter and empower a 1-stop shop to find on-demand talent.
Reach Dane provides high quality early childhood educational programming to more than 1,000 low-income children, birth to 5 years, throughout Dane and Green county. They are committed to serving the most vulnerable children in our community. 32% of infants and toddlers served in their programs are homeless.
The Superhero Run is a fundraising event for the Badger Childhood Cancer Network, who provides information, emotional support and financial assistance to families of children treated for cancer and blood disorders in south-central Wisconsin. Visit www.badgersuperhero.com for more information.
To learn how you can support Reach Dane’s mission call (608) 275-6740 or email gthousand@dcpcinc.org today.
Lifting & Linking Consultants & Freelancers
Solos- Working independently doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Join the Jills.
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is for you!
“I WANT WOMEN TO BE OUTRAGED… IF WE CONTINUE TO TREAT WOMEN LIKE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS AND SEXUAL OBJECTS WOMEN ARE GOING TO BE RAPED AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.”
–ERIN THORNLEY PARISI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DANE COUNTY RAPE CRISIS CENTER
SEXUAL ASSAULT IT’S
AN EPIDEMIC
BY REBECCA ANDERSON-BROWN
AS YOU’VE MADE YOUR WAY around Madison recently, you’ve probably noticed a new assortment of similar blackand-white billboards. The most powerful: a child looks out at you with sad, confused eyes. The billboard’s limited text makes a huge impression: “It’s Not Your Fault.”
The words could refer to anything, but then you read “Dane County Rape Crisis Center” below the child’s image and your stomach sinks. There is a strong desire to look away and think about other things, but this billboard represents a reality too common: Someone is sexually assaulted in the U.S. every 109 seconds and every eight minutes it is a child, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.
During the 2016 election cycle the term sexual assault was thrust into our everyday vocabulary. Despite the fact that sexual assault is not something we typically like to think about, much less talk about, it is an
epidemic nationwide. Sexual assault is defined as unwanted sexual contact, where consent is not given freely. People most commonly think of rape as the standard definition of sexual assault. Much more common are the things society may brush off as “not a big deal” as we witnessed after a leaked audiotape of President-elect Donald Trump and television personality Billy Bush discussing the ease with which a male celebrity could “grab a woman’s pussy.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, this forcible fondling represents the most common form of sexual assault. While assaults like this don’t usually get much attention, Erin Thornley Parisi, executive director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, wants people to know that all sexual assault hurts and it is all unacceptable.
Sexual assault may be a physically sexual act, but it isn’t rooted in sexuality or
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
CALL 911 if you are in immediate danger or seriously injured
IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE where you are, reach out to someone you trust for support.
UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT HAPPENED WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.
CALL THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE at (800) 656HOPE (4763) or one of the local service providers listed below. The Dane County Rape Crisis Center is the county’s only 24-hour support facility. Thornley Parisi states that in 2015, the center’s advocates accompanied 550 victims to the hospital.
YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN DECIDE if you should report your assault. Counselors at the Rape Crisis Center or one of the other organizations below can help you understand your options.
Dane County Rape Crisis Center Crisis line: (608) 251-7273 danecountyrcc.orgd
Project Respect (works primarily with victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking) Crisis line: (608) 283-6435, ext. 12 (after-hours answering service) arccommserv.com/programs.html
UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence Crisis line: (608) 251-7273 Toll free: (800) -510-9195 unidosagainstdv.org
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
This website offers an interactive map of service providers in the state of Wisconsin. wcasa.org
Websites with Sexual Assault Statistics https://wilenet.org/html/justiceprograms/programs/justice-stats/ library/sexual-assault/2010-sexualassaults-in-wi.pdf https://www.rainn.org/statistics
“PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THERE IS A POWER AND CONTROL OVER WOMEN THAT IS EVERYWHERE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY OPERATING IN A STATE OF VIGILANCE AND WE DON’T EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO IT ANYMORE. I WANT US TO STOP THINKING IT’S NO BIG DEAL TO OPERATE THAT WAY.
–ERIN THORNLEY PARISI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DANE COUNTY RAPE CRISIS CENTER
sexual desire; it’s most often driven by the desire to control and a need for power. The Wisconsin Department of Justice reported 4,561 sexual assaults in 2014, the most recent year statistics were available from the department. That number includes 1,146 rapes.
In 2010, 89 percent of sexual assaults were committed by someone the victim knew and two-third of assaults were committed in the victim’s or the perpetrator’s home, not in a dark alleyway. Ninety-one percent of these assaults were committed by men.
The Rape Crisis Center’s Thornley Parisi is passionate about increasing awareness of the problem.
“As women, we earn less, our bodies are owned by whoever wants to touch or steal or sell or rape or beat them” Thornley Parisi says. “We aren’t represented everywhere. None of this should be normal. People need to understand there is a power and control over women that is everywhere. We are constantly operating in a state of vigilance and we don’t even pay attention to it anymore. I want us to stop thinking it’s no big deal to operate that way. I want women to be outraged…If we continue to treat women like second-class citizens and sexual objects women are going to be raped and sexually assaulted.”
When Thornley Parisi considers a world without sexual assault, she calls to mind successful prevention programs from the past, including the 1980s campaign for seat belt use and the massive prevention campaign by The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation launched in the early ’90s.
Society is in desperate need of a largescale preventive movement to combat sexual assault, but the funding isn’t being provided by either local or federal govern-
ment, Thornley Parisi says.
Thornley Parisi has a few suggestions for individuals looking to make a difference. She suggests teaching children very early about the concept of consent. Consent is not only applicable to situations related to sex, but many circumstances throughout the day, even the day of a child.
For instance, ask before you tickle a child and respect to their response. Let children choose how they greet people, even relatives, and honor their decision. Thornley Parisi suggests open and honest communication from a very early age so that children will come to you if something is wrong. Teach your child, “I will always believe you.” Which, she quickly points out, is the motto of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center.
As adults, Thornley Parisi says it is our responsibility to call out others on their misogynistic jokes or comments, letting them know that we will not tolerate sexist language or conversation about women, even made in jest.
Out in public, Thornley Parisi encourages people to speak up if they see or sense something is not right. Call the police, draw attention to the situation and gather others to help you. If you sense a tense situation is just beginning, initiate a conversation with the victim. This lets the offender know that you are a friend and will protect the victim. Thornley Parisi admits that it is difficult to intervene, but she says, “you have to assume the worst, which is hard, but you can’t risk a woman’s health and wellbeing when you know what a real possibility it is. We must value women enough to risk our own embarrassment.”
Read more about Erin Thornley Parisi in “Women to Watch,” P. 43.
HAUTE SHOPPE
YOUR VISION REALIZED
Work side by side with our jewelers to create original, handcrafted perfection. Wear you—everyday.
Jewelers Workshop
301 N. Sherman Ave., Madison (608) 251-7705 facebook.com/jewelersworkshop jewelersworkshop.com
STYLE - DESIGN - SELECTION
Are you looking for that perfect piece of furniture? We have it! Rubin's specializes in contemporary furnishings and modern accessories. Stop by today to check out our wide selection of styles!
Rubin’s Contemporary Furniture
317 E. Wilson St., Madison (608) 255-8998
670 S. Whitney Way, Madison (608) 274-5575 rubinsfurniture.com
BRAVA’s mission is to encourage, inspire and empower women to THRIVE in their lives. Wear one of our new ultra-soft, roomy, feminine t-shirts to flaunt that you THRIVE! Orders placed in January will be delivered early February.
Z.Bella Boutique
1903 Cayuga Street, Suite 101 Middleton, WI (608) 827-8700 zbellaboutique.com
PLUS SIZE FASHION
Z.Bella Boutique specializes in women's plus-size clothing sizes 14 & up. Visit us today for the best selection of curvy fashion from brands such as Joseph Ribkoff, Lucky Brand, Karen Kane, Sympli, Spanx, Nic + Zoe & more. Located just off the beltline in downtown Middleton.
Keven Schmidt Director of Design
Jerry Schmidt Dream Team Sales
AN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN AFTER-HOURS DECOR
by marni mcentee
PAST MEETS PRESENT in the industrialmodern design trend. It’s a gritty, timeworn look evocative of the head office in an early 20 th century factory. Its worn wood and textures and aged iron looks for your sitting room are apt antidotes to today’s frenetic high-tech world. Relax. It’s quittin’ time.
from top
Clockwise
left: Etila table lamp, $210; Brown & Beam. Punk lamp by Blu Dot, $269; The Century House. Kamau by Uttermost accent table, $390; Madison Lighting. Maki tripod lamp, $145; Port Kels cube, $429; Dori marble side table, $380; Brown & Beam. Landings lamp by Quoizel, $300, Madison Lighting.
RE-DO YOUR HUES WITH A WARM OR COOL COLOR PALETTE
by elle duncombe-mills
WHILE MOST OF US GALS wish our home could be Pinterest-perfect, the hefty renovation price tag often gets in the way. But here’s a tip: You don’t need expensive furniture and décor to elevate a space. A carefully coordinated color palette will do wonders, and we’ve asked two local experts to walk us through the process.
Laurie Lodholz, owner of Laurie Driscoll Interiors, Inc., suggests using a warm color palette to achieve a cozy and relaxing ambiance throughout your home. For a more modern and contemporary feel, paint color and design consultant Laurie Lundgren shares advice on using hues from a cool color palette.
WELCOMING WARMS
Identify The Hottest Hues: Get ready to embrace your fave fall shades—red, orange, yellow, brown, gold and countless toasty tones in between.
Play With Color Combos: While visual cohesion throughout your home is important, you can still add variety to each room with diverse cozy color combinations.
Intensify with Textures: Complement warm tones with natural textures such as wood or stone.“You can create a very warm interior with any color by using a lot of visual and/or tactile texture.”
CHIC COOLS
The Basics: Choose from these cool color palette staples like grays, blues, whites and blacks.
Play with Values: “The value of a color, meaning how dark or light it is, is just as important as its hue,” Lundgren says. “While darker values produce a dramatic and industrial feel, lighter values will create a more airy and ethereal ambiance.”
Simplify: Minimalism is key to cultivating a cool modern feel. “By reducing the number of items in the room, or editing, you will be breathing fresh life into the space,” Lundgren says.
For more tips and consulting visit Laurie Driscoll Interiors, Inc. at ldinteriors.net and Laurie Lundgren at laurielundgren.net.
CHIC COOLS
PHOTO COURTESY LAURIE LUNDGREN
PHOTO COURTESY LAURIE DRISCOLL INTERIORS
Confidence
Go ahead – show them your confidence. Show them your moxie.
Your “ooh la la.” Show them your happy, gorgeous, energetic self. Show them that you still look on the outside –as young as you feel on the inside.
UW Health Transformations –specialists in cosmetic surgery and rejuvenation procedures for the face and body. Contact us today to see how we can help you reach your goals. Call (608) 836-9990 or visit uwhealth.org/transformations for more information.
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING (SRI): TIME FOR IMPACT
Where do today’s investors go when searching for competitive investment returns through traditional financial analysis, but enhanced with consideration of their values? The answer is Socially Responsible Investments (SRI).
SVA Plumb Financial has over 10 years of experience analyzing mutual funds for effective SRI portfolios. Using the Morningstar Sustainability Rating™, we can measure how well mutual funds are in managing their environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities. We have utilized this powerful new information source to update and rebuild our own socially conscious investment models for the clients we work with, so they can invest while making a difference.
Are you ready to invest with impact? Join us February 8 for the SVA Savvy Women’s seminar Investing with Impact – Creating Your Footprint. Register at SVAPlumb.com/events/SRI16
SVA Plumb Financial 1221 John Q Hammons Drive Madison, WI 53717 www.svaplumb.com
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2017 WOMEN TO WATCH!
TAMMY KOESTER PARKS, JD TERESA BROOKS, MBA, CFP®
EMPOWERING WOMEN
SAGASHUS LEVINGSTON
DISRUPTING THE DIALOG
“I’VE ALWAYS LIVED ON THE FRINGES,” says Sagashus Levingston. Poor black girl from the South Side of Chicago. From a family that wasn’t always safe. Woman left for dead by her abusive boyfriend, plastic bag pulled over her head and tied around her neck. Single mother with six children from four different fathers.
But she transcended her situations, always knowing, she says, “I had to fulfill the vision of being great, of inspiring and mobilizing others.”
Today she’s a University of Wisconsin Ph.D. literature candidate. “And it makes sense, now, that I still live on the fringes,” she says of her decision to eschew a traditional professor’s job, something cushy and secure compared to where she’s been and where she’s headed, to work with women who may never be in a college classroom.
Levingston launched Infamous Mothers last year, her innovative startup—a business and book with the fecund makings of a feminist movement—focused on lifting up black mothers who, like her, come from the fringes of society: sex workers, addicts, convicts, welfare queens, teen and single moms who live with the real fear or agony of losing their children to the system—and “all the things polite society shuns,” as Levingston’s website puts it.
“The work I do challenges norms,” says Levingston, from the focus of her dissertation down to the for-profit structure of her social-mission business. She is, says business coach Amy Gannon of Doyenne Group, “smashing paradigms.”
Levingston is emphatic: “It’s about a national commitment to invest in and unharness our power and talent so that it is normal for more women like me to become doctors, CEOs, journalists and so on.” Levingston wants to disrupt oppressive practices taking place from the bedroom to the boardroom.
“It’s fantastic,” emphasizes Gannon. “She’s challenging everything. The fundamental work she’s doing is challenging who has potential, who doesn’t; who has power, who doesn’t.”
“Levingston’s movement begins with the black women’s experience. But its reach will grow,” says Gannon. “Already, a whole range of women are idenitifying with the notion of Infamous Mothers which is: Stop disappearing us.”
“She is relentless and unstoppable,” says Gannon of Levingston. “This will be a powerful model across the country.”
In 2016 alone—in addition to being a scholar and a busy mother raising kids ages 2 to teen—Levingston launched her company, website, social media presence and a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $25,000; she began producing a book; spoke widely, including at TEDx Madison; taught at the UW’s Odyssey Project, YWCA and Catalyst House; and did field research with and for Infamous Women to build a personal growth curriculum.
This year Levingston will pilot a membership plan and platform for Infamous Mothers that includes networking; community building; and personal, parenting and professional development for this class of women who could never afford that luxury. It’s rolling out from Madison, across the web and on a 15-city national tour. The tour culminates in February 2018 with a documentary release and the movement’s first national conference called “The Talk Back.” Hoping to cultivate Madison as the hub for the disruption, it’ll feature conversations with the
FUN FACT
As a little girl of about 7 or 8, Levingston dialed zero for the operator weekly and asked to be connected to the White House—because she was confident she could hold a conversation with the most powerful person in the country.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
experts—Infamous Mothers—for people of all stations, careers and colors. It’s not, she says, “just about black issues for black people.”
Levingston is also piloting her Make Room programs that train the trainers—researchers, social services staff, etc.—and corporations to consider how to remove systemic barriers for Infamous Mothers.
And then there’s her self-published book, “Infamous Mothers: A New Vision,” due out in April, which she hopes could be a UW Big Read selection.
In it, Levingston unapologetically shares the gritty stories of women like her who have succeeded not in spite of but because of their lives’ situations. For her it’s about storytelling, but also living “without trying to amputate parts of me to fit into another box.” And that is the very crux of Infamous Mothers, a phrase she coined in her doctoral research on 21 st century literature throughout the African diaspora.
In her scholarship—and examples from her own South Side Chicago life—she found that the stories ended with the shunned woman turning a new leaf, so to speak, but not influencing the community. “I wanted to know what was next for these women— not that the extent of your greatness was becoming sober,” she says, incensed. “Where was the, ‘I am phenomenal, amazing and going to change society?”
“Infamous Mothers” fills that societal void. A coffee-table book featuring sumptuous portrait photography and an interview format, it allows 22 women to tell their own stories of struggle and eventual success; eight are from Madison.
“We’re the new hot thing because no one has seen us before,” says Levingston. “I want all Infamous Women to see, ‘Here’s what you have—and you can make it into something beautiful.’”
Levingston’s platform is both the fulcrum and megaphone for that reveal. “Infamous Mothers is about legacy-keeping also— the written documents you leave behind. I am disrupting the conversation now—and into the future. I am hoping to build a body of work and information that people will refer to that will make a difference for women like me. There’s a power we often forget.”
Like the power of Lolita Phillips, featured in the book and a Levingston protégé, who has come out the other side of crack addiction to a career as an employment specialist with Forward Development Corporation. “Working with people is my power— and what’s happened in my life lets me do great work doing that,” and, she says with resounding conviction, “I am ghetto-fabulous.” Finally at age 49, she believes her own worth and capacity.
Infamous Mothers is about that kind of self-wisdom. Levingston’s own name is a spelling riff on sagacious—wise, sage, shrewd. Her father, a crack addict and dictionary reader, found it in the tome. Interestingly, on the page it was opposite the word salacious, she says. “I used to joke with him: only one letter’s difference between the podium and the pole.”
Today she stands at the intersection of those two worlds, marrying the sagacity of each to forge a bold way forward.
In 2016 Levingston was honored by the UW as an Outstanding Woman of Color. She is intentional about its meaning for her: “Making it out doesn’t give me a pass,” she says. “It’s not about saving people or charity,” she says. “They want to build their own communities and resources. I never forgot that.”
“The role of my business is to disrupt stereotypes around black mothering,” says Levingston. “The work I do focuses on the humanity of mothers. This is my passion. By creating a safe space for mothers to think about their own self-care, their own vision for parenting, their legacy, etc., we are empowering them—as well as all who are under and within their care. I think that’s revolutionary.” –Kate Bast
EMPOWERING WOMEN
EUGENIA PODESTA
DREAM SUPPO RTER
Whether it’s here in Madison or in a far-flung village in Latin America, Eugenia Podesta works as a tireless connector, facilitator, dream supporter and cheerleader. She is a director on the Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship team at Vital Voices, an international women’s leadership nongovernmental organization founded by former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright. There, Podesta’s work revolves around fostering economic empowerment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women globally.
In April 2016, Podesta took her enthusiasm for growing a new generation of entrepreneurs and created a local hub for just that purpose—Synergy Coworking.
It’s a local place where entrepreneurs and small-business owners can work in private offices, hold meetings and attend educational seminars and events. Balancing a full-time job and opening a coworking space is certainly not for the faint of heart, but Podesta isn’t one to shy away from challenges.
“Once you see the impact of what you’re doing and you’re seeing that it’s changing someone’s perspective, that just feeds into your drive to continue to do that,” she says.
Sarah Sadie Busse, a former poet laureate for the City of Madison who joined Synergy Coworking shortly after it opened, admires Podesta’s unwavering dedication to seeing people realize their goals, calling Podesta’s commitment a “dynamic encouragement”
“My passion is seeing people succeed and blossom.”
PAMELA WILSON
SURVIVOR & FORCE OF NATURE
THERE ARE THOSE WHO lived a thousand lifetimes. Their careers are expansive, their talents are many and the challenges they’ve conquered are inspiring. Pamela Wilson is one of those people.
She has held top corporate jobs and opened businesses, including Madison’s popular Iona Boutique. She’s shared personal life stories on her blog, Pdub XO. And she has competed in professional poker tournaments—and won.
Wilson calls herself a “fashion influencer, poker player and philanthropist.” And now, she can add “breast cancer survivor” to the list.
Diagnosed with stage 2 invasive lobular breast cancer in 2015, Wilson opted for a radical mastectomy and radiation treatments. With her cancer compounded by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare paralyzing disorder she developed in 2009, she and her husband Monty decided to close Iona and focus fully on recovery.
“After your treatment, you’re left with all of these feelings. Your body has changed, and you look different, and you feel different. You go through this grieving process,” Wilson says.
Now in remission, she wants to help other women facing breast cancer and recovery. In late 2016, she started a nonprofit called Stepping Stone Foundation, which donates 100 percent of raised funds to the UW Health Breast Center to help individuals facing financial hardship due to breast cancer.
Ever the dynamo, Wilson has big plans for 2017. Through fashion fundraising events, she is striving to raise at least $50,000 for Stepping Stone Foundation. She’ll train as a patient survivor advocate. And in July, she’ll compete in a World Series of Poker Main Event.
Looking back, Wilson says, “I think my combination of being analytical, very hardworking, sincere and extremely intuitive is what has made me so successful in my career, with my relationships and even my poker success. My health crises have made me even tougher and have taught me great lessons along the way.”
–Shelby Deering
Less than 4% of professional poker players are women—and Pamela Wilson is one of them.
FUN FACT
NICOLE MOLL
CELEBRATING EVERY CHILD
NICOLE MOLL HAS ALWAYS BELONGED in a social justice milieu. She pursued both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. She worked as the director of the children’s ministry at her Sun Prairie church for five years. And she’s had multiple roles in education and recreation, creating programming for children, before staying home to raise her own.
A friend prompted Moll with the question, “We all love having birthday parties for our kids. What if we did this for other kids?”
The idea lingered, and the more Moll thought about it, the more she realized, “I really believe all children should be celebrated. And we all have a birthday. We’re on a level playing field.”
So in 2013, Box of Balloons was born to create birthday party kits for organizations that serve children in need, curating the perfect box for each kid’s celebration. The organization partners with school social workers, domestic abuse shelters like the one at Domestic Abuse Intervention Services in Madison, and organizations such as Porch Light and Head Start.
Figuring out how to start and run a nonprofit came with a learning curve, but that clearly hasn’t stopped Moll from growing Box of Balloons from a local group to 14 chapters in eight states. Now, Moll aims to expand the nonprofit nationally with a chapter in every state.
“We’ve had feedback from parents saying this was the first time their kid ever had a birthday party,” Moll says. “We’ve had people tell us that it’s something on their minds but that they can’t provide. The feedback from social workers is similar, that they are limited in time and resources, but they know how important it is to provide this to the children and to have this as a memory in their lives.” –Jenie Gao
SINCE CHILDHOOD, AMBER SWENOR HAS wanted to be a rock star. She’s made that very dream come true, and a few others along the way.
She’s the lead singer of her band Morningstar, performing alongside her husband and brother. She describes their sound as “symphonic, melodic heavy metal” which seems fitting—Swenor’s very existence is booming, sonorous, the opposite of living small.
Her day job is as a marketing and branding guru. Swenor owns two businesses: the just-launched Amberdella Consulting, her personally branded business through which she provides free online training and resources to budding entrepreneurs worldwide, helping them achieve their business dreams, and Strategic Partners Marketing, a firm catering to nonprofits and small-business owners.
When she’s not building businesses you’ll find Swenor writing and promoting music making. She’s the marketing chairperson for the inaugural Madison Songwriter Conference & Festival, set for June 2017. She is launching a new album with her band this spring.
She calls 2017 her year of “emerging”—in music, marketing and more.
Swenor is the first in her family to both graduate from high school and attend college. “It’s really important for me to show people that no matter where you come from, you can achieve anything.” –Shelby Deering
EDUCATION’S OPPORTUNITY BUILDERS
CHRISTIN CALLOWAY
ELEVATING UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS
BORN AND RAISED IN RURAL KOSCIUSKO , Mississippi, the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, Christin Calloway’s mantra is Lift as you Climb. “There is an ugly history in Mississippi,” she says. “but I see so many people come out of that history to create a better future for those who are next.” Calloway a Ph.D. student working in the UW-System’s 2020 Forward Strategic Framework’s effort to improve student retention, success and completion.
With degrees from the University of Mississippi and Harvard, she banks on the power of community at educational institutions. “I had such a great experience at Ole Miss,” she says, giving a shout-out to family and mentors who supported her own ascent. “I want students of color to have that connectedness and love for their university.”
Her work on the UW 2020 Forward equity innovation project examines programming and relational contexts affecting retention of students in disenfranchised groups. She’s also researching campus climate and cultural fluency across the system with hopes to create intergroup dialogues, mirroring work she did with social integration at Ole Miss. She adds, “We have to be able to talk across political and racial lines with civility and
Through a partnership with Allied Drive Brotherhood, Calloway empowered marginalized teens to conduct their own research, which they presented at the YWCA Racial Justice Conference in 2015. After finishing her Ph.D. in 2018, she’ll apply for fellowships and hopes to develop a broader community-based research methodology to uplift student voices.
ENSURING ALL KIDS REACH THEIR POTENTIAL
AS A CHILD IN CHICAGO , Nancy Hanks was sitting in the front room of her house doing homework and watching TV when she heard gunfire. Her family was safe, but a bullet had pierced the headboard in Hanks’ bedroom. “I could see shell casings on my pillow,” she says. “I thought to myself, ‘What kind of way is this to live?’ Education at that point became not just knowledge but a means to a better life.”
She’s since dedicated her life to improving children’s lives, currently as chief of elementary schools for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Hanks has led elementary schools in “the largest gains the district has ever seen,” according to Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham. African-American third-grade students achieved a 10 percent increase in reading proficiency in two years. Hanks is laser focused on racial equity.
In 2016, the website The Root named Hanks one of the 100 most influential African-Americans.
She attributes her achievement—as a young scholar, Harvard graduate, teacher in Atlanta and successful principal in Chicago—to support from adult mentors who saw her potential. “I come from a long history of informal leaders, whether in my family or my lineage,” she says. “I try to bring my whole self to my work, making sure that being a black girl from Chicago is a part of what I’m doing every day.”
There’s more work to be done, she says.
“I’m not satisfied if I’m not aggressively closing achievement gaps each year.” –Lisa Bauer
EDUCATION’S OPPORTUNITY BUILDERS
Lichtfeld developed elementary school program Ride to Read; kids who complete its academic exercises can ride one of Lichtfeld’s 21 horses.
VALERIE CHESNIK
PHILANTHROPIC SPIRIT
AS A CHILD, VALERIE CHESNIK had lemonade stands and helped her mom with silent auctions. She asked birthday party guests to donate books instead of bring presents. That philanthropic spirit led her to a career at the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools, where Chesnik increased corporate support by 10 percent in one year and created a wildly popular fundraiser that has school principals dressing up like Beyonce and Prince.
Lip Sync for Schools showcases stage battles between local celebrities, school officials and community leaders. In 2016, the event raised lots of new donors and $25,000 for the Foundation. Chesnik, the Foundation’s communications and development manager, now consults with education foundations across the country that want to replicate her winning idea.
With friends, Chesnik also recently spearheaded a nonprofit: the Madison Needs Network, granting urgent wishes for local organizations. Its current campaign is a winter clothes drive for the homeless. Now she’s on task to build a website through the Needs Network with a database for Dane County nonprofits to better connect with volunteers and resources.
“I dream big and am not afraid to take risks,” she says. “Not all ideas pan out, but then you hit on something like a lip sync contest, and it’s all worth it.” –Lisa Bauer
MELANIE LICHTFELD POWERING UP THE TRADES
MELANIE LICHTFELD IS ON A MISSION to change our country’s perceptions of post-high school plans, the trades and small business in general. As the fourth-generation owner of Lichtfeld Plumbing, she’s actively working with government to give the trades and small businesses more leverage when it comes to decision-making. In fact, her goal for 2017 is getting the trades included in the new government-funded community college bill.
“The trades are one of the most important things in our country and yet they are the least respected,” says Lichtfeld who points out that when you head home from work, you may not necessarily turn on your computer, but you almost certainly will flush your toilet.
Lichtfeld believes the key is to start at the high school level by reintroducing trade classes into curriculums, creating viable options for students who prefer more hands-on careers like plumbing to four-year degrees. She’ll work with the new administration at the State Capitol to ensure the higher education agenda includes trades apprenticeships.
“Right now, high school diplomas—everybody will tell you they’re worth nothing… let’s redo our high school diplomas,” says Lichtfeld. “Some kids, they’re not going sit at a computer,
FUN FACT
EDUCATION’S OPPORTUNITY BUILDERS
JOANNE BROWN
CULTIVATING “COLLEGE POSSIBLE” MINDSETS
JOANNE BROWN IS IN HER DREAM JOB. Attending James Madison Memorial High School in the mid-’90s, she told the multicultural services coordinator at the time she would be back for the job. And she was, in 2011.
A typical day involves working with students on “all things college”— researching schools, filling out applications, ACT/SAT prep, looking into scholarships and financial aid. She often exposes students to colleges they’ve never even heard of but are a perfect fit. And she regularly takes students of color on college visits since many wouldn’t have access to the experience otherwise.
Inspired to do the same good work outside the four walls of Memorial, she’s just launched Dream Big, LLC, which will provide similar college prep services to high school students in the King James and Fitchburg areas, starting this summer. “Whatever their dream is,” says Brown, “I want them to dream it big. Then we’ll work on the steps to getting there…just because their life may not seem like what they want it to be, they can still dream big and they can make something out of themselves.”
It’s clear she takes enormous pride in what she does and doesn’t shirk her large responsibility for changing the perception for so many students of color that college is something they can do, and can do outside of Madison.
Brown believes one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty and trauma in families is to have these kids get out into the world and broaden their horizons. She tells her students to take time to be themselves. “Your family will be okay. Make something of yourself so you can get back to your family and
GAIL
COLLEGE PREP QUEEN & SOUL WORKER
“I KNOW THE POWER of pre-college programs and the ripple effect on families because I experienced it,” says Gail Ford, interim assistant director at UW-Madison’s Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, or PEOPLE. Growing up with 11 siblings, Ford was primarily raised by her grandmother. When a younger sister joined a college readiness program, Ford tagged along. She graduated as a campus leader then got a master’s degree. Several siblings followed as first-generation college graduates. She adds, “A pre-college program changed the trajectory of my family.”
PEOPLE gives disenfranchised populations access to college, in turn, Ford says, benefitting the whole state. Ninety-four percent of PEOPLE high school graduates enroll in higher education.
Ford embodies qualities she attributes to her inspirational grandmother: resilience, perseverance, grit. Her infectious smile widens as she talks about being chosen to attend Michelle Obama’s Beating the Odds Summit in July 2015. Spending a day at the White House with colleagues and students was “one of the most amazing experiences of my life. For pre-college work to be validated by the most powerful place in the world affirmed that the work I’m doing matters.”
This year at PEOPLE, she’ll create a space for college access professionals and further engage vulnerable populations in college prep conversations through free seminars and public speaking.
Ford spoke as the keynote at the inaugural Black Women’s Leadership Conference in May 2016. She vows to share more motivational talks, particularly with women, in what she’s dubbed “soul work.” She says, “I know that all of our experiences we have in life are to ultimately grow our souls.” –Lisa
Bauer
HANKERING FOR MORE
SYOVATA EDARI
RELENTLESS IN LAW, AND CHOCOLATE
SYOVATA EDARI HOW SHE became a successful criminal defense lawyer and chocolatier and she’ll answer frankly, “I do what a lot of people fear—that is to risk failure and embarrassment in pursuit of a dream or what you know is right. ‘Success’ is the journey in pursuit of your passion.”
Edari’s tenacity is undeniable; as a single mother, she put herself through law school. Later, she overcame tremendous hardship in a profession that’s not always welcoming to diversity, serving as one of only a handful of Wisconsin attorneys of color practicing criminal defense in federal courts. It was during these hard times that Edari took refuge in the kitchen, finding relief in the science of chocolate. It wasn’t long before friends and colleagues took notice of her unique flavor profiles—many inspired by her East African, Iranian, Russian and Irish roots—and her part-time hobby became the company CocoVaa Chocolatier.
After representing high-profile Madison cases like those of Anthony Limon and Genele Laird, Edari’s move from law into unchartered career territory might surprise some. Yet her passion for the chocolate arts is undeniable, and, as Edari admits, she’s a “rule changer/ground breaker” type of person. Coming from a long line of intellects and social activists, she explains: “We don’t give up. When someone says ‘you can’t do that’ we ask: ‘why not?’”
ERIKA JONES
FEEDING WISCONSIN’S SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
“I FEEL A REALLY STRONG CONNECTION to food,” says Jones, who signed up for her first CSA more than 10 years ago. Now, as director of FairShare CSA Coalition, Jones works to forge relationships between farmers and the general public. “We have to be advocates for the farmers. They need our support, and we need them,” says Jones. That’s why she’s working with UWExtension Dane County to launch the first Organic Vegetable Production Conference, which will bring farmers from around the Midwest together to share skills and discuss a range of agricultural topics. The goal of the conference is to support and strengthen the community of farmers in the region and beyond.
Creating a sustainable food system has always been important to Jones, and building a business that helps support others is next on her to-do list. Giant Jones Brewing Company—poised to open in 2017—will brew beers “inspired by quality and simplicity and tradition,” says beer-loving Jones. Using organic and locally sourced ingredients, it’ll be her creative way of enriching and supporting the Wisconsin food community.
“Food is the fabric that knits us all together,” says Jones, “that keeps me going, and keeps me inspired.” –Elle Duncombe-Mills
PAM HART
ANIMAL MAGNETISM
PAM HART LAYS HER groundbreaking career in animal law and animal rights at the paws of Max, her first dog, an abused and neglected German Shepherd mix she adopted from a New York City shelter, and lovingly nurtured for 17 years.
“I think I was pretty sheltered up to that point on these issues and I didn’t really understand how anyone could hurt a dog. That really opened up my eyes to the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty.”
Not long after Hart returned home to attend law school at UW-Madison, she and fellow animal law student Megan Senatori founded Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims, now in its 15 th year, to help domestic abuse victims escape their violent situations with their whole family, pets included.
Senatori says Hart, the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Animal Law program director since 2006, is a passionate and pragmatic advocate.
“ She’s always looking for the broader impact—how can she make a difference in the way we, as a society, treat animals?” says Senatori, a Madison attorney. “That can be a thorny issue sometimes. But Pam approaches it with compassion, intelligence and, importantly, nonjudgment.”
An innovator, Hart’s plans to launch at least three cutting edge education programs in 2017. The International Animal Law Boot Camp will be an immersive, virtual training course for anyone from kids and students to attorneys to animal welfare workers. The Animal Law Summer School will teach law students about animal law issues. The K-12 Animal Law Outreach will teach law students and attorneys to give “Kindness to Animals” presentations to school-aged students nationwide, planting early seeds about humane animal treatment.
With more scientific evidence finding that animals are sentient beings that also form emotional bonds with humans, Hart says animal law is one of the most exciting social justice movements of our time.
“It is a relatively young field, and attorneys are really able to shape where it’s going with legal precedents and legal strategies,” Hart says. “There’s a tremendous number of challenges on this front but there’s also a tremendous number of opportunities to make a difference.”
Max undoubtedly would shake on that.
–Marni McEntee
FOR THE LOVE OF ANIMALS
FUN FACT
Each year Hart’s family watches a pair of migrating sandhill cranes and their colts that nest in
“Being surrounded by really strong women who empower other women… it’s what’s made me who I am.”
WENONA WOLF
DEFENDS THE MARGINALIZED
“STATISTICALLY, PEOPLE THAT GROW UP WHERE I GREW UP or look like me don’t have the opportunity to succeed. I’ve always known this and have wanted to prove that a Native American girl from a small rural town can do big things,” declares Wenona Wolf, communication and development manager for the Wisconsin Council for Children and Families.
And Wolf is doing just that—as a fundraising powerhouse at the council and serving on the boards of numerous local organizations including Community Shares of Wisconsin, Bayview Foundation and the Wisconsin Women’s Network. Her commitment to giving back is rooted in a burning desire to create legal and public channels accessible to all—a mission focused on raising awareness about biased public policy and roadblocks to education. “We’ve failed as a democracy by perpetuating the myth that one system is going to equally serve and address the needs of everyone,” Wolf
She is also forthright about the inequitable distribution of resources that plagues the state—and the nation—for people of color. Wolf doesn’t mince words about how such disparities overwhelmingly continue to affect Native populations. Many tribes and individuals remain “invisible” citizens on the very same land that in one sense has always been their own. “This country wasn’t founded in a way for Native Americans (and other minority groups) to succeed. A lot of terrible things happened in the process of building the United States. So it’s naïve to think we all now are going to have the same opportunities,” she says.
Wolf can personally attest to the often unheard or undocumented tragedies of systemic injustice. Having spent part of her childhood on an Ojibwe reservation in Northern Wisconsin, she experienced firsthand how lack of proper healthcare negatively affects families and a community as a whole. “Many of my relatives died at a young age. One of my aunts was only 30,” Wolf reveals. “My grandma passed away when I was in middle school and I am angry she was probably taken too soon because she didn’t have access to the things that could have made life
Wolf passionately believes that training the underrepresented in the medical field will help ensure quality facilities and assistance in tribal areas. She’ll play a major role in the initiative as a founding board member of the new national organization We Are Healers, which encourages more Native American youth to pursue health-based professions. Wolf says, “I lend my talents, voice and privilege to lift up individuals most affected by inequity, discrimination and racism.” –Rachel Werner
STEM: CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION
WINNIE KARANJA
CHANGING THE TECH WORLD’S DISPARITIES
WHEN THINGS NEED TO CHANGE , Winnie Karanja does something about it. She founded Maydm, an organization that introduces youth to technology through coding, because she wanted to change the disparities in tech by giving females and people of color a leg up.
“I just kept thinking, I have these skills, but there’s a lot of people who don’t know what it looks like to work in the tech sector, there’s a lot of people who don’t even have access to those opportunities,” says Karanja, who grew up in the Madison area and attended the London School of Economics and Political Science for graduate school. “For me, tech has always been this currency, these sets of keys that I get to hold and I want other students to be able to have that.”
Launched November 2015, Maydm provides workshops, semester-long classes and summer camps to 3 rd through 12 th graders. Currently in five Dane County school districts, Karanja aims to expand Maydm’s reach throughout the community and double the number of students it works with in 2017.
“Our industry is wildly out of proportion when it comes to diversity,” says Ashley Powell, Karanja’s colleague and fellow 2017 Woman to Watch. “Winnie is personally breaking the mold and helping young kids develop an interest in tech that could change their whole lives.”
A number of Maydm students have won Code Madison Forward, a two-hour competition during Forward Fest where teams build an interactive website. Many students also go on to take tech-focused classes in high school, and they are always eager to hear about new classes at Maydm.
“I’m excited to see amazing things stem up from Madison. I just want to make sure that everybody’s included in that story,” says Karanja. “I’m excited to have more businesses that are opened by people of color. I think that perspective has not fully been in the Madison story and so I want to see that, and to me I think it makes the community so much richer…I don’t want the same statistics…that are in Dane County to be the same statistics that are there 20, 40, 60 years from now, so this is kind of my stab at tackling that and doing something.”
–Candice Wagener
FUN FACT
As a college undergrad Karanja built a company and website to sell jewelry from Kenyan artisans.
STEM: CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION
FACT
Outlay graduated from high school at age 16
ELLEN CARLSON
KIDS CAN CODE
CHRISTINA OUTLAY
PROGRAMMING IT FORWARD
“A LOT OF THINGS I DO are about getting people to go into spaces that they normally don’t,” says Christina Outlay, assistant professor in IT at UW-Whitewater and creator of colorcoded, whose mission is to get more girls, minorities and low-income kids interested in programming.
Since 2012, Outlay has helped run the CyberGirlz and CyberHigh summer camps at UW-Whitewater. She noticed that, while they were working very hard to bring in more girls to IT, they weren’t successful in attracting minority girls. Plus, there were gaps in certain underrepresented minority men as well as low-income youth.
Colorcoded offers one-day workshops, which Outlay says spark kids’ interest, and after-school programs, of which she’ll be running two this spring out of Madison and Sun Prairie, targeting students in 6 th to 10 th grade.
The third element to colorcoded provides job opportunities and internships to youth, because Outlay was frustrated by the lack of tech-related positions available for high schoolers. “I wanted to hire youth. Not just attracting them to computing but I really want them to associate their like for computers with the ability to make money working with them.”
Outlay is grateful that UW-Whitewater has decided to step in and help fund these internships. She’s also in talks with corporate partners, including TDS, about starting high school internships and job shadow programs in their IT programs. Until recently, Outlay was supporting students out of pocket.
She also self-supports two scholarships for students, one for women in IT and another for African Americans in IT.
“I come up with an idea and if I feel strongly enough about it, and I think I run into some roadblocks to making it happen, “ says Outlay, “ I just figure out how I can make it happen myself,” says Outlay. –Candice Wagener
“THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO right here in your community to make things better for other people,” says Ellen Carlson, founder of Kids Code Madison, a free weekly computer coding club whose impetus was personal but quickly became community-focused.
Realizing there wasn’t much for her own sons beyond one-day beginner courses and budget-busting camps, Carlson, who has always filtered her ideas by questioning if they would be fair and beneficial to others, looked at Madison as this burgeoning tech sector, but wondered what was available for its emerging youth.
“I’m hearing all these people tell us that the economics of the city is going to depend on tech, and I see all the different tech groups that meet and the conferences, like Forward Fest, and I thought ‘Where are you going to get your [future] employees?’”
With a successful pilot this past summer at Hawthorne Library, Carlson hopes to host Kids Code Madison throughout the city, bringing tech to kids where they are and exposing them in a way they never considered before. “Kids love to play games and when you say to them ‘Do you want to make a game?’ they’re intrigued.”
Carlson also wants to inspire their inner entrepreneur. “ Knowing you can go out and create something and have value, it’s kind of what I think people love about tech. You can kind of get in and you don’t have to have a formal education, you just have to have the skills.” –Candice Wagener
STEM: TOPPLING GLASS CEILINGS
JOY TANG
FASHIONABLY BRILLIANT
ASHLEY POWELL
GIVING “THE TALK”
ASHLEY POWELL KNEW she was worth six figures before she started at Bendyworks, a custom software development firm. At the time asking for that figure, laughs Powell, “made me want to vomit, because I really felt like I was taking myself out of the running for so many jobs.”
gives “the talk” on salary negotiations, determined to bring more women into tech—an industry which reported 50 percent female employees in the ’80s, and reports only 20 percent today. She also wants to help women get higher-paid positions in fields like programming, which allow women to make a breadwinning
Powell says the collaboration to grow opportunity within the tech industry here is tremendous. Companies are united in their mission to get Madison recognized as a tech hub, create jobs and bring more great developers to the area. “I’m really excited about tech in Madison. We’re starting to get a really good reputation nationally.”
Powell does her own part by co-organizing Madison Women in Tech, a group of over 700 members coming together to network, and helping with events like Forward Fest, Madison’s version of South by Southwest. And giving “The Talk,” helping women boldly move forward in the industry.
“I think it’s one of the reasons that the salary negotiation talk is so popular because really no one takes us aside and tells us how we’re supposed to do this,” says Powell. “Don’t be afraid of the big numbers. Boys aren’t afraid of the big numbers. And, realistically, anyone that thinks you’re not worth the big number, that’s okay. Don’t let them hire you.” –Candice Wagener
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ONLINE , reading your favorite blog or catching up on some celeb gossip, when you see an adorable piece of clothing that you have to have, but don’t know where to get it?
Joy Tang, a fashionista and CEO and founder of Markable, found herself in that quandary. Incredibly brilliant—she’s the youngest person to win gold at the China Math Olympics and graduated top in her class at MIT—Tang was making seven figures in highfrequency trading when she gave it all up to focus her energy on creating a solution.
“I thought, why don’t I apply [my skills] to something in a field that I’m personally more interested in [like fashion],” says Tang. “I don’t want to be just crunching numbers the rest of my life…always behind computers, coding. I don’t know what problem I’m solving that helps others, except earning my bonus paycheck and earning more money for the company,” she says.
In the last two years, Tang has worked tirelessly to develop her company. The Markable app debuted in May 2016, allowing users to shop a fashion item using an image or photo. Markable will launch another major feature around Valentine’s Day that has already garnered exclusive relationships with Fashion Week in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. By next winter, Tang expects that at least 10 percent of the Madison population will have seen Markable’s name on their favorite TV show or their favorite blog. Markable also plans to collaborate with more local content producers.
“Joy is an amazing female leader in the Madison area,” says Rachel Neill, president of Carex Consulting Group. “She breaks down gender barriers and topples glass ceilings!” Tang attributes her success to the belief her parents instilled early on: She could do anything a boy could do. Continuing to advocate for women’s rights is a personal goal for 2017. “I want to help more people understand and acknowledge that there’s so much double standard between genders and it’s everybody’s job to really recognize this and minimize this,” says Tang. “Hopefully, 20 years in the future, we have no more double standards.” –Candice Wagener
NURTURING WELLBEING
KATIE SCHMITT
IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR KIDS
DR. KATIE SCHMITT ADMITS that she had no plans to work with children when she entered the field of psychiatry, but two years into her residency that all changed. She quickly discovered a passion for helping kids during one of the most intense moments of their lives and hopefully changing their path just slightly.
When she was appointed as the medical director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for Meriter Health in 2010, there were limited resources and access for patients of this inpatient psychiatric program dedicated to kids. Often families were sent to Milwaukee or farther for care because of the high demand for services in
Through coordination with other departments, support from Meriter for more staff and beds, and an outreach program to schools, pediatricians and community programs regarding available options, Schmitt has increased the number of children and teens served at Meriter from 560 in 2010 to an expected 850 for 2016.
Schmitt was recently appointed as associate medical director of Behavioral Health for Meriter, a role that will allow her to address the entire age spectrum for inpatient psychiatric care, including participation with New Start, Meriter’s addiction service.
Looking ahead, Schmitt knows her work is not done. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program still runs a wait list nine months of the year, and the most important thing she can do is get the community to react.
“I’m really passionate about telling our story through the Meriter Unity Point Health Foundation because it’s a story people can relate to,” she says. “So many of us are touched by mental illness.”
Schmitt feels that if the public, including other health care providers and administrators, recognizes the need and benefits of patient services, people will donate, speak up—and demand the right care for area children and teens. She’s ready to take on the challenge. –Emily Leas
ILANA
NANKIN
BREATHING DEEP, MAKING CHANGE
JUST SIX YEARS AGO , as a pre-K teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ilana Nankin was stressed and unsure that she had the tools to navigate the world of education. She discovered yoga and found a peace within herself, and shared that with her 4-year old students by introducing breathing exercises and mindfulness in the classroom.
Nankin came to UW Madison in 2012 to pursue her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, following a cohort of first-year teachers as part of her dissertation work.
“I found very quickly that these first-year teachers who went in like social justice warriors, became so stressed, so overwhelmed—just like I had in my teaching—but did not have the tools or support to take care of themselves,” Nankin explains.
As she continued her Ph.D. work, her ideas on starting change from within through yoga and self-care were only confirmed and in January 2015 she decided, “I’m starting a movement and nothing is stopping me.”
Today, she is the founder and CEO of Breathe for Change, the world’s only 200-hour wellness and yoga teacher training that’s designed for educators.
“Our graduates get their yoga alliance certification, and a wellness champion certification through [Breathe for Change] which allows them to run programs in their school with our support,” explains Nankin, noting that this unique approach empowers teachers to create change within their own communities.
In just two short years, the program grew from 34 certified educators in Madison to 200 in 2016 across Madison, the Bay Area and New York City. The goal is to graduate 600-700 students in 2017 by expanding outside of education to other professional fields and in more cities. For Nankin, it’s all about fostering conditions that empower people to best do their own important work in the world. –Emily Leas
NURTURING WELLBEING
ERIN THORNLEY PARISI
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
ERIN THORNLEY PARISI’S CAREER PATH could be summarized in one phrase: service to others. She found her passion at age 28 when she returned to the University of Wisconsin where she majored in behavioral science and law and studied the prevalence of sexual assault in violent relationships.
Thornley Parisi has spent years working on behalf of disenfranchised populations. Her work took her from a position as a state legislature aide to directorships with The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Canopy Center Healing and Family Support Services (serving incest victims and their nonoffending parents) and the Wisconsin Institute for Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia. But, while she sometimes worked outside the anti-sexual violence movement, in the end she knew she would always return to this work because she says, “Once you know what you know, you can’t unknow it.”
Thornley Parisi joined the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, the county’s only 24-hour response service for victims of sexual assault, and became executive director in June 2015. The organization answers an average of over 2,000 calls a year on its 24 hour-help line, accompanies 400 victims to the hospital and provides free counseling to 300 victims of sexual assault.
As part of her energetic efforts, Thornley Parisi has launched community outreach, collaboration and diversity initiatives at the center.
In 2017 she’s overseeing the center’s expansion of its education and outreach office, adding more staff members and a new emphasis on cultural diversity to serve more Latinas and African-American women. That includes joining forces with and raising funds for Lilada’s Living Room, an Afro-centric nonprofit that provides support for female sexual assault victims. Its founder Lilada Gee (a 2013 BRAVA Woman to Watch) will help Rape Crisis Center improve cultural sensitivity.
Thornley Parisi also plans to build a diverse staff that better mirrors Dane County’s population and grow its anti-sexual violence outreach and victim support by working across the community with law enforcement, schools, churches and various groups. “We want to collaborate with anyone who has access to people,” Thornley Parisi says.
Longtime friend and the RCC’s board chair Lori Meddings, partner at Michael Best & Friedrich law firm, calls Thornley Parisi “one of the most passionate, influential and hardworking people” she knows. “Her ties to the community are strong, and this gives her access to resources and a tremendous support network for this movement. The RCC and Madison/Dane County are extremely fortunate to have Erin Thornley Parisi fighting the good fight.”
Thornley admits that she thinks a lot about how to serve more victims of sexual assault, and with the focus on dignity that infuses everything she undertakes. “Sexual assault is on the mind of someone in every family in Dane County. I don’t want anyone to be facing this alone.” –Rebecca Anderson-Brown
“The most important thing to us is putting a victim of sexual assault back in charge of their lives and their bodies.”
INVOKING ARTISTIC POWER
KYIRA HAUER
CONFRONTING THE NARRATIVE, REFRAMING BEAUTY
PERFECTIONISM WASN’T A LOFTY GOAL for artist Kyira Hauer; it was a way of life. After a childhood plagued with dysfunction and instability due to her mother’s undiagnosed mental illness and drug addiction, Hauer learned at a young age she had much to achieve to overcome her roots and build a better life. “I lost myself in the external pressure I felt from extended family members to not ‘F’ up. The intense drive to please and live for other people is eventually what lead to my eating disorder,” Hauer says.
An exceptional student, Hauer’s academic success and determination had her on the rigorous path to medical school. But the obsessive need to perform and look her best metamorphosed into the most deadly mental illness in America today—Anorexia Nervosa. She reflects, “I think my biggest accomplishment has been finding recovery from my eating disorder and alongside that, finding myself. I have spent years working toward and on my recovery and have found space to get to know the me that was underneath that insidious disease.”
Initial steps in Hauer’s journey to self-awareness were rekindling her artistic nature; starting her business Kinda Kreative; and changing degree tracks so that she will graduate with a master’s degree in counseling psychology from UW-Madison this May. “Creative expression is really what helped me process the chaos I was growing up in as a child,” Hauer shares. “I now see the underlying theme of everything I do as a means to keep learning about myself and creating a space for others to learn how to love different parts of themselves.”
And her business is the multi-faceted platform Hauer uses to connect with the community via colorful, nouveau pop art, as a 2017 DreamBank Learning Lab and Dream Big series speaker, co-founder of the local women’s empowerment group Badass Babes and the photographically driven #ReclaimBeauty project. “I think of it all as social activism,” she explains. “Public speaking and coaching help me meet people where they are at since not everyone is ready for or open to (formal) therapy.”
people uncomfortable when they are ready to be.”
MARTA HANSEN AND MUSIC FOR ALL
Hauer also sees her anti-body shaming campaign as a therapeutic outlet for society as a whole. So she is branching out to other regions in Wisconsin this year by hosting #Reclaim Beauty shoots in Appleton, Beloit and Milwaukee. “The truth is, the notion of beauty and worth—as it exists right now in the media and our culture as a whole—is unattainable in that it tries to put people into a predetermined box of what is valuable,” Hauer says. “It is each of us, in our raw and unfiltered state, that represents the epitome of beauty—and I plan to change the direction of the conversation.”
MARTA HANSEN IS AN OPTIMISTIC FORCE to be reckoned with. She has run her business, The Piano Shop Gal, for seven years, and earned her recognition as a community leader.
Hansen taught in public school for six years before leaving to raise her son. While teaching private music lessons, she learned to tune a piano, and was soon tuning pianos for others, filling the need for a music store in Sun Prairie and working on a vision to make music accessible and approachable. “I want to get a piano in every home,” Hansen says of her work to find good, affordable, used and even fancifully decorated pianos, especially for families.
Her store is also her creative workshop: Hansen upcycles retired pianos into custom furniture, goods and accessories.
But beyond entrepreneurship, Hansen’s core purpose is community outreach. She donated a piano to UW Health at the American Center and played it at the facility’s grand opening. She gives free concerts in public spaces. In 2017, she’ll take these performances to a new and novel level: Collaborating with parks and recreation departments, Hansen will place painted pianos throughout public parks, welcoming everyone to freely explore their creativity. –Jenie Gao
GO+DO
SOCIAL ELEVATION
Imbibe above the city and take in the views at The Outsider, the rooftop bar at Milwaukee’s swanky Kimpton Journeyman Hotel. An extensive list of craft cocktails complements the sweeping panorama of the Third Ward below.
For other Third Ward hot spots, see JAUNT, p.72.
DRINKS
SOPHISTICATED SNACK
POTTER’S CRACKERS PAIR PERFECTLY
BY JULIE ANDREWS
MAKER AT HEART and dietetic professional Nancy Potter says she decided to create her eponymous crackers for one reason: cheese. “Crackers just felt right; the cheese here just keeps getting better and better,” Potter confesses.
Product Philosophy Passion
Before introducing their handmade crackers to the local market, Nancy and son Pete Potter Weber spent months perfecting their recipes. Experimenting with mild and bold cracker flavors to enhance the cheese-eating experience led to the current flavors: white, winter wheat, caramelized onion, six seed, Applewood smoked and rye. Also in their repertoire are gluten-free crackers, along with apple and cranberry hazelnut crisps. And later this month artisan oyster crackers debut in a few of their classic flavors.
“We knew we wanted our crackers to be as healthy as possible and organic,” Potter says. No easy task, but all of their products are certified organic and made from whole grains, milk, butter, nuts and fresh produce. They also honor their go-local commitment by locally sourcing ingredients. Their whole wheat and rye flours are from Great River Organic Milling in Fountain City and Lonesome Stone Milling in Lone Rock. Milk and butter come from Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus. And their eye toward sustainability includes a human component, too. Since opening in 2006, Potter’s Crackers has become a cornerstone business within Madison’s Business Enterprise Center, thanks to its hiring of 14 employees through Common Wealth Development, a youth business mentoring program.
Originally from La Crosse, Potter owned New Glarus Bakery for 25 years, and knew she wanted to start a business with Weber, a food scientist and UWMadison graduate. “We just like making things, and we just like making crackers,” she says. Potter also loves seeing familiar faces at the local farmers’ markets, and says she owes her success to perseverance and an incredibly supportive community. “Our crackers add joy to people’s lives, and offer a piece of Wisconsin.”
Potter’s Crackers are available at local cheese stores, restaurants, farmers’ markets and wineries and online at potterscrackers.com.
Engineering for Kids of Dane County engineeringforkids.com/dane (608) 620-5750
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin, Badgerland Council gsbadgerland.org (608) 237-1158
Kids Express Learning Center kidsexpress.com (608) 845-3245
Kindermusik by Musical Pathways MusicalPathways.net (608) 576-6688
Madison Community Montessori MadisonCommunityMontessori.org (608) 827-MCMS
MSCR mscr.org (608) 204-3000
Preschool of the Arts PreschoolOfTheArts.com (608) 233-1707
Walbridge School Walbridgeschool.org (608) 833-1338
WINTER’S KRYPTONITE THE MERMAID CAFE BREWS INNER WARMTH
BY RACHEL WERNER
NIX WINTER CHILLS at cozy brunch nook
The Mermaid Café. The bright blue façade jumps out from the shortened jag of Winnebago Street on Madison’s East Side—and is a hint your mood will only improve by entering. Once inside, seductive wafts and glimpses of the pumpkin pepita muffins and warm Caribbean carrot soup make you salivate and your body begins to thaw.
The simultaneous desire to eat and unwind is no accident here. Every menu item of owner Lisa Jacobson’s limited offerings is conceptualized seasonally. “In deep winter, I let myself have fun,” she says. “The ba-
sic framework of a sandwich, soup or bowl may stay the same, but I switch up the ingredients to create a new spin on an old dish by adding Myer lemon zest to lemon pancakes and serving hearty stews like coconut curry lentil.”
After 10 years in business, Jacobson has had a steep learning curve in operating a miniature restaurant. “My original intention was to run a fair trade coffee shop. But within a few years, I realized I was more focused on what was happening on farms in Central America than in my own backyard,” she explains.
Her focus shifted and Jacobson began serving a small selection of farm-to-table dishes and baked goods, in addition to becoming a CSA pick-up site for local farm Driftless Organics.
Despite the café’s longevity, Jacobson says a good deal of trial and error still takes place. “I may be a great cook, but I am a proficient baker. Do know crowning successes such as my Pear Snacking Cake”— with a brown butter glaze—“are oft happy accidents of earlier disasters.”
Madison, mermaidcafemadison.net.
HIT THE ROAD RIGHT
TIPS FOR CREATING AN UNFORGETTABLE VACATION
BY SHELBY DEERING
Awise person once said, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Whether to exotic lands or the next town over, getaways make us more well-rounded and happier. We’re given lifelong memories about our families, our friends or even just ourselves.
These experts, specializing in local travel, global trips and mustpack items, understand the importance of voyaging to new places. You may be seeking enlightenment. Bonding time with pals. Or, just good old-fashioned fun. They can help point you in the right direction.
A FUN FAMILY VACATION
Wisconsin’s popular Fox Cities area encompasses 20 communities, including the cities of Appleton, Neenah and Menasha. The region is famous for its shopping, but it’s got plenty of family activities as well.
Mary Rhode, marketing and communications manager of the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, says, “Our area offers fun, family-friendly events and experiences year-round.”
Rhode says spring is the perfect time to visit the Fox Cities’ nature centers. Appleton’s Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve hosts Maple Syrup Saturday, featuring a syrup-topped pancake breakfast. Menasha is home to the Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, known for the Mayhem in the Mud event where kids can play in the mud all day, digging for dinosaurs and making muddy artwork.
Summer brings the Downtown Appleton Farmers’ Market, with 150 vendors for adults and plenty of kids’ activities. And there are plenty of outdoor concerts and festivals.
A fall visit to Mulberry Lane Farm in Sherwood lets kids learn about and pet cows, pigs, goats, sheep and more.
Rhode advises families to catch a Timber Rattlers baseball game and visit the region’s museums featuring kid-centric activities, like Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle where little ones can learn how Houdini performed many of his magic tricks and The Building for Kids Children’s Museum.
Rhode highlights the best and the brightest seasonal events, such as the Appleton Christmas Parade, touted as “the largest nighttime Christmas parade in the Midwest.” Or A Very Neenah Christmas, in which visitors enjoy marshmallow roasting, horse-drawn carriage rides and live mannequin window displays.
Rhode says that the Appleton area has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Best Places for Children two years in a row, according to the website smartasset.com.
As a travel guru, Rhode has a stockpile of tips for traveling with children. “Have things for them to do in the car that include headphones’” she says. “Introduce kids to classic car ride games, such as ‘I Spy’ and the ‘Alphabet Game.’ Plan stops along the way that include other tourist attractions and photo opportunities, and keep them excited about the destination they’re going to.”
GIRLS’ GETAWAYS + ROMANTIC ESCAPES
Italy is a land of decadence, passion and of course, excellent wine. Which makes it an ideal destination for groups of girlfriends and couples alike. Victoria Harper, a veteran traveler to Italy, recognized this, and opened her travel agency In Splendid Company to suit travelers of all kinds.
“I love how friendly and generous the people are, the sheer beauty of the coastline, the simple but amazing food made only with the freshest of ingredients and the importance of just being,” Harper says.
Harper’s tours focus on the Amalfi Coast—Positano, Amalfi, Capri, Ravello and Sorrento. “For women-only trips, we have a real sense of camaraderie and adventure. We encourage our guests to try new things in the comfort of a fun and supportive group,” she says.
As women prepare for her trips, Harper stresses “comfortable clothes and shoes.” “You won’t enjoy the spectacular vistas and food if your feet hurt,” she says.
For couples, Harper says, “We like to show them the romance of Italy, enjoying sunset boat rides and dinners by the sea. And we encourage them to take time together just to relax and enjoy the sensuality of the Italian way of life.” indeed.
GOING SOLO
Traveling alone isn’t always easy. Luckily, there’s a new company that caters to women ready to take the leap.
Jennifer Buchholz founded Transform via Travel in 2015 after a series of setbacks in her own life. Buchholz, whose official business title is chief transformation officer, says her solo trip to New Zealand gave her “clarity and perspective. “The experience was an epiphany, she says. “I decided that other women in midlife were at a turning point and maybe needed some clarity as well.”
Transform via Travel focuses on three steps. The first is self-awareness. Buchholz offers programs such as group coaching and online training along with events, like a weekend in Chicago spent practicing for a solo trip, taking public transportation and eating alone. The second step is planning for solo travel. And the third is going on the trip, in which support back home is available whenever it’s needed.
“It’s more than just about travel. It’s actually about going on a journey of selfdiscovery,” says Buchholz.
As a life coach with a travel twist, Buchholz helps women facing life transitions rediscover the things that once brought them joy. The solo trip is the final step in the path toward transformation. “Solo travel is so much more about taking time and space for yourself and doing exactly what you want to do.”
TIPS FOR PERFECT PACKING
For all of these fabulous trips, you’ll need some practical, yet stylish, essentials. Jeanette Riechers, owner of Cornblooms in Hilldale, which offers shoes, accessories and more, and Brenda Baril, the store’s general manager and buyer, have excellent tips for stocking up on travel gear.
“Accessories are the ideal travel solution,” Riechers says. “Whether or not you check your bag or have a limit on the number of bags you can take, it’s smart to pack a few basic, neutral outfits that can take you anywhere, and then accessorize creatively with jewelry, scarves, belts and other easy-to-pack items that change up your outfit. Cornblooms has a wide array of accessories that are perfect for travel.”
The right shoes also are key, Baril says. “Any trip can be ruined if you can’t walk comfortably,” she says. “You want shoes or boots that are versatile, because you might not be able to pack multiple pairs.” Riechers notes that new technology also has brought us lighter and even foldable shoes that are comfy and easy to pack.
Security should always be a priority while traveling, especially in foreign countries. “One of my recommendations for travel is a cross-body, organizer-style handbag,” which keeps securely to your body and has inside pockets to keep you organized, Baril says.
• Versatile ballerina-inspired style dresses up or down
• Cushy footbed for all-day comfort
GET ARTSY, STAY REFINED IN MILWAUKEE’S THIRD WARD
BY KRISTINE HANSEN
AKIN TO NEW YORK CITY’S SOHO neighborhood for its artsy appeal—think boho-chic boutiques, eateries and art galleries tucked into renovated brick warehouses—Milwaukee’s Third Ward continues to be a hot destination. New restaurants, bars and boutiques are constantly opening in this neighborhood immediately south of downtown and bordering the Summerfest grounds. Antique street lamps and, in summer, hanging flower baskets inject lots of charm. Here’s where to go.
The Journeyman Hotel’s rooftop bar The Outsider is a yearround oasis; try Top Chef alum Heather Terhune’s Mediterranean masterpieces (from coriander-crusted branzino to butterscotch budino) at Tre Rivali.
Hankering for air plants and artisan dog biscuits? MOD GEN is your grandparents’ variety store with a modern twist—and cool letterpress greeting cards.
Holey Moley Doughnuts bakes offbeat flavors (like whiskey salted chocolate, plus vegan and gluten-friendly) but get ’em before they’re gone—sometimes before the 1 p.m. closing time.
Total North Woods vibe—there’s lots of taxidermy and plaid— paired with craft Milwaukee beers at Camp Bar creates a chill spot to rest tired legs from shopping.
Don’t mistake Kickapoo Coffee for an art showroom—so many succulents and all that natural light!—but do try the coffee from this Driftless Area roaster at its only retail cafe.
Touring the country’s Chinatowns resulted in this collaboration between two chefs named Dan. DanDan serves dinner and weekday lunch, from dim sum to seafood pancakes.
Proprietary washable cashmere clothing from Vancouver retailer Kit & Ace is now in the Third Ward at its namesake shop.
Head to the Milwaukee Public Market, foodie central. The Spice House, on the second floor, offers cooking classes and a mix of culinary gadgets and spices. Locals know that Thief Wine Shop & Bar is not only a sweet spot to sip wines curated from around the world but also a great dinner spot—its owners welcome food from any market vendor, which means you can bring in anything from tacos to sushi. Don’t miss the city’s best seafood special at St. Paul Fish Company: lobster dinner for $15.95.
Nightlife in the Third Ward has a refined edge. There’s Skylight Music Theater’s Broadway-style shows, plus serious theater from Milwaukee Chamber Theater and Studio Theatre. Toast the night—or the show—at Indulge wine bar, featuring over 300 wines and fine accompaniments.
JANUARY
EVENTS
PERFORMING ARTS
3-8 | TIMES VARY
“JERSEY BOYS”
This Tony Award-winning musical shares the true story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. Overture Hall, Madison. overturecenter.org.
10 | 7:30 P.M.
“CITIZEN”
The Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group, a Brooklyn-based dance company, draws from the spiritual and mundane traditions of Africa and its diaspora. Capitol Theater, Madison. overturecenter.org.
12 | 7:30 P.M.
MAD CITY SESIONS: OH MY LOVE & MODERN MOD
A double-bill of free concerts by local musicians, complete with a casual vibe. Capitol Theater, Madison. overturecenter.org.
12 | 7:30 P.M.
PATTI LABELLE
As time goes on, this soulful songbird’s name has become synonymous with grace, style, elegance, and class. Overture Hall, Madison. overturecenter.org.
13-28 | TIMES VARY
“TIME STANDSTILL”
Two journalists return home after covering the war in Iraq, physically bruised and emotionally beaten in this gripping drama that explores love, friendship, and war. Bartell Theatre, Madison. madisontheatreguild.org.
26-31 | TIMES VARY
“OUTSIDE MULLINGAR”
Two introverted misfits will need to overcome a childhood grudge and years of stubborn pride as they learn it’s never too late to take a chance on love. The Playhouse, Madison. overturecenter.org.
ENTERTAINMENT
THROUGH 7 | TIMES VARY “Mothers of Our Nations”
Sixteen Wisconsin visual artists and poets partner with women-led groups in Milwaukee and Madison to celebrate the role women play in instigating social change. Gallery Marzen, Madison. fromheretoher.com.
8 | TIMES VARY
JAZZ @ THE OPERA CENTER
The Madison Music Collective and Madison Opera present an afternoon featuring legendary saxophone player Richie Cole and the Madison Alto Madness Orchestra. The Margaret C. Winston Madison Opera Center, Madison. madisonopera.org.
9 | TIMES VARY
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
More than 30 free performances by artists who call Dane County home will celebrate the rich, cultural heritage within our community. Overture Center for the Arts, Madison. overturecenter.org.
14-15 | TIMES VARY “BEYOND THE SCORE: SCHEHERAZADE”
Created by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Madison Symphony Orchestra takes listeners on a musical journey featuring actors James and Brenda DeVita. Overture Hall, Madison. overturecenter.org.
20-22 TIMES VARY
2016 NARI REMODELING EXPO
Attend one of the 40 seminars lead by professional remodelers, vendors and supplies to ask questions that matter to you. Madison Marriott Convention Center, Madison. nariexpo.com.
27 | 7:30 P.M. MASTERWORKS II
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra presents guest artist Ana Vidovic on guitar, returning to play Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Guitar Concertos. Capitol Theater, Madison. overturecenter.org.
FAMILY
8 | 1 P.M.
WINTER MAGIC SHOW: WAYNE THE WIZARD
Encounter all the new tricks, illusions and special surprises in this fun magic show with a winter and holiday theme. Friends of the Waisman Center Auditorium, Madison. waisman.wisc.edu.
9 | 10 A.M.
FAMILY NUTRITION
Learn the ins and outs of healthy eating as a family. Try delicious snacks and take home simple recipes. DreamBank, Madison. dreamfearlessly.com/dreambank/events/.
WELL EXPO
Featuring over 100 exhibitors , the eighth annual Well Expo showcases local resources for weight loss, medical care, wellness programs, healthy foods, green living, exercise and beauty. Enjoy free fitness classes, spa demos and vendor swag throughout the two-day event. Donate two nonperishable food items to River Food Pantry and receive free admission. Jan. 20-21, times vary. Monona Terrace, Madison. wellexpomadison.com.
14 | 11 A.M.
BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR & OTHER TREASURED STORIES
This Madison family-favorite returns with a magical interpretation of Eric Carle’s beloved and iconic stories. Capitol Theater, Madison. overturecenter.org.
28 | 12:30 P.M.
MADISON YOUTH CHOIR: BOYCHOIR FESTIVAL CONCERT
Join more than 400 boys for the 2017 Madison Boychoir Festival concert. Madison West High School. madisonyouthchoirs.org.
JAUNT
18-22 | TIMES VARY RIVERWEST FEMFEST
An annual weekend community music and arts festival celebrating the powerful and positive impact women, femmes and feminine identifying groups can have on each other and the community around them. Locations vary. Milwaukee. rwfemfest.com.
28 | 10 A.M. WAUSAU WINTERFEST
Enjoy a day of free activities including horse-drawn carriage rides, a snow slide, ice sculptures, art projects, cookie decorating and ice skating. wausauevents.org.
28 | 1 P.M. ICE COLD BEER FESTIVAL
Enjoy sampling over 30 Wisconsin craft brews, a gourmet buffet and listening to live folk rock music. Tory Park, Minocqua. wibrewersguild.com.
SAVOR
11 | 6 P.M.
CENTO: ITALIAN REGIONAL DINNER SERIES
Take your taste buds on a journey to Italy with four courses and four wines traditional in the Friuli region of Italy. Cento Ristorante, Madison. centomadison.com.
21 | 2 P.M. ISTHMUS BEER AND CHEESE FEST
Chat with brewers and cheesemakers from around Wisconsin and try hundreds of delicious samples. Alliant Energy Center, Madison. isthmusbeercheese.com.
21 | 6 P.M.
CAVE AFTER DARK: BLUES AND BREWS
Enjoy an at-your-own-pace Cave Tour, live blues and beer tasting inside the Cave. Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds. caveofthemounds.com.
THRIVE
12 | 6:15 P.M.
EATING STRATEGIES FOR A DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY WINTER
Professor Ann Garvin shares five practical strategies for eating the foods we want without being tricked by the food industry into eating too much. DreamBank, Madison. dreamfearlessly.com/dreambank/events/.
14 | 9 A.M.
BRAZEN DROPOUTS BIKE SWAP
Shop around for new and used bikes, bike parts, bike tools, bike accessories and bike art. Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison. brazendropouts.org/bike-swap.
20 | 6 P.M.
GROOVE AND GLIDE
Experience the fun and beauty of ice skating under the lights with fun music and games. Tenney Park, Madison. cityofmadison.com/calendar/grooveglide-tenney-park.
21 | 4:30 P.M.
CANDLELIT SNOWSHOE HIKE
Hundreds of candles softly glow along the trails at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Woodland Park and Edna Taylor Conservation Park. aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org.
26 | 6:15 P.M.
SPEAKING YOUR POWER AND TRUTH WITH GAIL FORD
Learn to calm a chaotic life and find peace and empowerment by choosing your words and speaking your truth each day to positively impact your life. DreamBank, Madison. dreamfearlessly.com/dreambank/events/.
OVERTURE’S FROSTIBALL TWENTY SEVENTEEN
SAT, JAN 21, 2017 | GALA 8:30—11 PM
ISTHMUS AFTER PARTY | 11 PM—2 AM OVERTURE.ORG / FROSTIBALL
TABLES STILL AVAILABLE!
Contact: Carol Sun | 608.258.4447 | csun@overture.org
THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS
By Rutu Bole, director of Engineering for Kids of Dane County,
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is critically lacking in our nation’s public schools. In a globally competitive economy, employers of all shapes and sizes are increasingly seeking workers skilled in science, technology, engineering and math. Supply is low and demand is high. There are more job openings projected than the number of projected qualified workers.
Engineering For Kids seeks to help solve this problem by fostering STEM skills in young children.
“Children are natural engineers who have unlimited imagination,” says Rutu Bole, director of Engineering for Kids of Dane County.
Kids from 4 to 14 are introduced to STEM education through after-school programs, classes, camps, workshops and birthday parties. During the academic year Engineering For Kids offers six-week programs on a single engineering discipline. Programs are now available at Glenn Stephens, Madison Country Day, Queen of Peace, Shorewood, Sunset Ridge and more. For a complete list of program offerings, visit engineeringforkids.com.
“CHILDREN ARE NATURAL ENGINEERS WHO HAVE UNLIMITED IMAGINATION,”
-RUTU BOLE, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING FOR KIDS OF DANE COUNTY
Summer camp programs are offered by the half-day, full day or week. Kids are split by age groups and get to use multiple engineering skills from multiple engineering fields. Camps are themed. One week is exploring the engineering methods of medieval times, and kids will try to solve situations common to that time period. In summer 2017 Engineering For Kids plans to offer 3D printing camps, Game Design, Minecraft Modding and more!
Bole says she hopes the program ignites and develops kids’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
BRAVA MAGAZINE’S THRIVE CAREER WORKSHOP
FEBRUARY 22, 2017
MAKING PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVE
Are you or your team struggling with maximizing your efficiency?
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KATIE BELANGER, KATIE B. STRATEGIES
Katie is an expert in technology and productivity and helps professionals incorporate systems to help maximize their effectiveness and thrive as individuals and teams.
$59 PER WORKSHOP | $179 FOR ALL 4
BRAVAMAGAZINE.COM/EVENTS FOR DETAILS + REGISTRATION
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PROFESSIONAL LIFE COACHING CERTIFICATE
Learn with Darcy Luoma, MCC
• Do you want to help people change their lives?
• Are you seeking to guide, inspire, and empower others to reach their potential and get real results?
• Have you ever thought about becoming a life coach?
Become a certified Life Coach and learn through face-to-face classes on the UW-Madison campus and via teleconferences from any location. An Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) through the International Coach Federation this interactive and engaging certificate is your gateway to this rapidly growing profession. For more information visit: uwlifecoach.com
ROUND THE CLOCK HELP FOR NEW PARENTS PREGNANCY HELPLINE GIVES STRUGGLING FAMILIES A FRESH START
BY AMY CARLSON
“WHAT MOTHER DOESN’T WANT TO HELP ANOTHER MOM?”
–KATIE HAUN, PREGNANCY HELPLINE DONOR
SOME OF THE BEST IDEAS start around the kitchen table. Thirty-five years ago, a group of mothers discussed the need for diapers and baby items for struggling families. Their discussion grew into the Pregnancy Helpline, an organization providing information, material support and community referrals to families before, during and after pregnancy.
The organization has grown to include a 24-hour Helpline, a Sharing Center, Diaper Bank, Baby Care Package Delivery and Safe Sleep Program.
The Diaper Bank collects and distributes diapers to meet community need.
“Diapers can’t be bought with food stamps and are not covered by WIC. Parents end up stretching their minimal supply resulting in diaper rash and other health problems,” says Alissa Hirscher, executive director of the Pregnancy Helpline. “Babies often can’t be left with a childcare provider without adequate diapers.”
The Helpline is staffed by trained volunteers who have over 150 community resources available. They listen and help callers to identify their own circle of support and then offer resources and information.
The Sharing Center is a “baby borrowing boutique” offering everything needed to care for young children including clothes, formula, diapers, books, toys and baby equipment. As one mother said, “My kids
JANUARY NONPROFIT EVENTS
8 | 4 p.m.
ART+MUSIC = MAGIC
Enjoy an afternoon of family fun with delicious food and drinks, painting classes, art auctions and a performance by local guitarist and singer Dana Perry, all while supporting Madison’s music education program for girls, Madison Girls Rock Camp. PaintBar, Madison. girlsrockmadison.org.
21 | 8:30 p.m.
FROSTIBALL
Grab your best dress and pair of dancing shoes for a night of lively music, dancing, delicious craft cocktails and socializing to benefit the Overture Center for the Arts and its community programs. Also enjoy stunning art works by Ray Zovar and some late-night fun at the Isthmus After Party. Overture Center for the Arts. overture.org/events/frostiball.
are getting what they need and feel like we’re shopping in a store.”
Diaper Drives are hosted by workplaces, churches and even school groups to help fill the need. The annual Diaper Dash 5K run in September also raises funds to increase the stock.
Volunteers deliver a “Welcome Baby” gift to new moms at the hospital. This insures that the baby gets off to a good start at home with onesies, sleepers, bibs, bottles, diapers, wipes and blankets. A $50 donation to the Pregnancy Helpline purchases all of the items for the Baby Care package. One recipient said, “It makes you feel more like a mom. It makes you feel like you can do it.”
The Safe Sleep program makes sure all babies have a safe sleep environment. Volunteers deliver a free, new Pack’n Play portable crib, fitted crib sheet and a Halo SleepSack wearable blanket. A $65 donation sponsors one Safe Sleep delivery.
“Their work fills our family values,” says Katie Haun, who has five children of her own. “I can’t help physically, but I can support them with my treasure. What mother doesn’t want to help another mom?”
The Sharing Center and Diaper Bank at 1862 Beld St. in the Catholic Multicultural Center lower level are open Saturdays, 9 a.m-noon, and Tuesdays 5-7 p.m. pregnancyhelpline.net.
28 | noon
FREEZE FOR FOOD
Bundle up and race to relieve international food insecurity in the 34 th annual Freeze for Food 5K/10K run or walk, organized by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison. Vilas Park, Madison. madison.eventful.com.
Alissa Hirscher
DRESS FOR DAIS FASHION SHOW
OCT.
18
| OVERTURE CENTER
Ninety models took to the runway to benefit Domestic Abuse Intervention Services and its mission. Over 300 attendees enjoyed the chic catwalk show and more than $40,000 was raised to support the cause. Other major highlights included MC Leigh Mills and the video debut of “Thank You Letters.”
AGRACE BUTTERFLY GALA
NOV.
5
| THE EDGEWATER
More than 300 guests attended the 18th annual Agrace Butterfly Gala in support of Agrace’s mission. Guests enjoyed gourmet dining, one-of-a-kind auctions, a unique raffle hosted by William Thomas Jewelers and a lively after party featuring the Hanson Family Jazz Band.
BRAVA NIGHT OUT: CARBON WORLD HEALTH
NOV. 10 | CARBON WORLD HEALTH
Attendees enjoyed a night of pampering at Carbon World Health, Madison’s newest MediSpa and fitness center. Guests were able to choose from a variety of services including holiday-themed facials, cryo-sauna sessions and a delicious wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres.
It’s awardsalwaysseason at In Business!
The most successful business leaders are honored at an awards reception for their outstanding leadership, individual achievements, and significant contributions to their companies throughout the year.
Date: Feb. 15, 2017
Info: IBMadison.com/executiveoftheyear
Nomination Deadline: The 2017 deadline has passed. Apply online by Nov. 15 for consideration in the 2018 program.
Commercial Design Awards
The 10th annual Commercial Design Awards honor the best in commercial architecture and design. Winning projects are unveiled at an April awards reception.
Date: April
Info: IBMadison.com/cda
Application Deadline: Jan. 31, 2017
IB’s third annual Women of Industry awards program honors forward-thinking women who have had a significant impact on their industries, whether locally, regionally, nationally, or globally.
Date: November
Info: IBMadison.com/womenofindustry Application Deadline: Aug. 15, 2017
40 Under 40
Each year, IB selects 40 of the most successful and civic-minded young professionals to be honored as the year’s “40 Under 40.” The newest class will be featured in the March issue and highlighted as the special guests at the IB Introductions networking event that month.
Date: March
Info: IBMadison.com/40under40
Nomination Deadline: The 2017 deadline has passed. Apply online by Oct. 1 for consideration in the 2018 program.
Best Companies to Work For
As part of the Best Companies to Work For recognition, IB honors local employers that are dedicated to the welfare of their employees.
