WATERWAYS
WATERWAYS THE INSIDER’S LIFESTYLE GUIDE TO WEST AUSTIN
THE INSPIRATION ISSUE
SARAH EVANS JENNIFER FANG ALAN GRAHAM TOM MARKUSIC
FEBRUARY 2021
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CONTENTS
14
ENTERTAINING 10 / ABA ARRIVES
LOOKING BACK 14 / BON ANNIVERSAIRE, CHANEL NO. 5!
10
INSPIRATION ISSUE 20 / HEART & HOME 25 / HIGH FLYING 28 / WATER FOR AFRICA 32 / EAT GOOD, DO GOOD
BEAUTY 36 / ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
STYLE FILE 40 / WHAT’S IN YOUR CLOSET?
MINDFULNESS 44 / FINDING INTENTION AND INSPIRATION
PHILANTHROPY FOCUS
28 32 25
16 20 ON THE COVER: A collage of possibilities! Let this first-ever Inspiration issue serve as the catalyst to propel
you towards your goals. The sky is no longer the limit! Gain motivation to forge a new direction and rise to a new occasion. Learn more about four inspiring Austinites, beginning on page 19. 4 WATERWAYS | February 2021
WATERWAYS THE INSIDER’S LIFESTYLE GUIDE TO WEST AUSTIN
SARAH EVANS JENNIFER FANG ALAN GRAHAM TOM MARKUSIC
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE DANIEL; JEFF MARINI; COURTESY OF CHANEL; COURTESY OF WELL AWARE; COURTESY OF MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES; COURTESY OF FIREFLY AEROSPACE; COURTESY OF MEGAN MARKHAM
48 / SWAN SONGS
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
IT’S ALL JUST A MINDSET I ordered a glass of wine at a restaurant the other day and was delighted when the waiter placed the glass—about one-third full—on the table in front of me. As I picked it up to admire the color and gently inhale the aroma, I had a startling thought: If the waiter had served me a glass of any other beverage only one-third full, I would have been disappointed, to say the least! The age-old gauge of optimism versus pessimism—depending on whether a glass is seen as either half-full or half-empty—made me think about my wine a bit more intentionally. Wine is typically served in a glass about two-thirds empty, and yet that’s considered to be a 'full pour'. The glass is intentionally not filled to allow room for the wine to be swirled around so the bouquet can be released. This is customary for wine—yet most definitely unacceptable for beer, soda, coffee, or pretty much any other beverage. It is what we have come to expect—part of our mindset. This got me thinking: Isn’t mindset—the established set of attitudes held by someone that lies at the heart of their worldview—a fascinating concept? Seeing a situation optimistically or pessimistically affects everything you do every day of your life. Perhaps rather than looking at what’s missing or not there—as I might have done with that glass of It is not my intention to preach about how you should view the world. This was just a simple observation that started with a glass of wine one evening and has since inspired me to consider my outlook as I begin a new year. I’m inspired to start looking at the world not through rosecolored glasses but through a philosophy inspired by a wineglass! I hope this first-ever INSPIRATION issue enables you to see possibilities and opportunities everywhere you look. And if you need to mull over this letter with a glass of wine, well, that’s fine, too.
PUBLISHER: Jackie McGrath jackie@waterwaysmagazine.com INTERIM EDITOR: Bob Cooper editor@waterwaysmagazine.com OPERATIONS MANAGER: Jamie Twitchel jamie@waterwaysmagazine.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Christy Scott christy@waterwaysmagazine.com
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Chase Daniel, Jeff Marini, Megan Markham,
JACKIE MCGRATH
Kim Ortiz Portrait Art, Barbera Productions,
PUBLISHER | jackie@waterwaysmagazine.com
Dr. Michael Hartley, Jane Kim, Fan Yang.
6 WATERWAYS | February 2021
Brenda Ladd, Yana Romoser, Chandler Wieberg,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM ORTIZ PORTRAIT ART
wine—we should just be thankful for what is already right in front of us.
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COLDWELL BAN K ER RE ALT Y
The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Llisting Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warrented and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 202VG2_AUS_8/20
CONTRIBUTORS
Lisa
Jane
Lori
Austin’s own makeup vlogger Lisa Jauregui has amassed more than 12 million views of the tutorials and reviews she’s posted to YouTube since 2014. This self-professed makeup addict launched her BK Beauty line of makeup brushes in 2019.
Jane Coloccia has been writing about travel, food, and design for nearly two decades. A former Director of Communications for The Leading Hotels of the World, Jane has traveled the globe telling stories for hotels, travel services, restaurants, and other businesses on nearly every continent.
With a master’s degree that combined Latin American Studies with Master of Business Administration classes from the University of Texas, Lori Duran researches interesting historical stories of social changes. Her current book Austin’s Travis Heights Neighborhood describes the rich and fascinating history of the original south Austin.
COLOCCIA
Shelley
Cindy
A full-time freelance writer and editor, Shelley Seale has been published in National Geographic, The Guardian, Austin Woman and Texas Monthly, among others. She has also authored or contributed to several books, including The Not So Good, Rather Inadequate Circus and How to Travel the World for Free (Or Pretty Damn Near It!).
Cindy Brzostowski is a full-time freelance writer who previously worked in book publishing. Her writing has been published in Time Out Austin and on Thrillist and CultureMap, among other media outlets. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, she enjoys introducing Texans to new adventures in their state.
SEALE
8 WATERWAYS | February 2021
BRZOSTOWSKI
DURAN
Dr. Michael
HARTLEY Dr. Michael Hartley has worked alongside Fortune 100 company executives like TED, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and more. Currently writing the Business Innovation Cookbook, he works with executives and business owners worldwide to build organizations that can run on their own.
TOP ROW: PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBERA PRODUCTIONS; ELIZABETH HAN PHOTOGRAPHY; BRENDA LADD; BOTTOM ROW: YANA ROMOSER ; CHANDLER WIEBERG; DR. MICHAEL HARTLEY
JAUREGUI
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ENTERTAINING
Aba Arrives Austin’s Newest COVID Restaurant Debut is an Inspiring Tale of Passion and Commitment
By Jane Coloccia
When the team at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants made plans to open an Austin outpost of its incredibly successful Aba eatery in Chicago, the word COVID was not even a part of the American lexicon. The opening was postponed due to COVIDrelated delays, but Aba finally did make its debut this past fall, bringing a lighter style of Mediterranean cooking to the city and a glimmer of hope that the significantly impacted restaurant industry could indeed rebound. Executive Chef Nick Erven recently sat down with Waterways to share how both he and the restaurant arrived in Austin with a singular mission: Make people happy.
Erven grew up in Wyoming with little exposure to fresh produce and no burning desire to cook. Family dinners consisted of Hamburger Helper, spaghetti and mac ‘n’ cheese. He fronted a punk rock band and worked at Target to make ends meet, but one day saw an ad for a culinary school and thought, I can do that. This snap decision changed everything. He enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena and took a job as a salad cook just to get his foot in the door at a restaurant. “I remember not getting it at first,” muses Chef Nick. “And then one day, it clicked. I relaxed into it and realized timing had a lot to do with it—much like in music.” Jobs at restaurants throughout Los Angeles, including his own—Erven, a plant-based New American spot in Santa Monica—followed before he and his family decided it was time to leave L.A. He made a short stop in Detroit for two years before jumping at the opportunity to relocate to Austin to become Executive Chef at Aba.
10 WATERWAYS | February 2021
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE DANIEL; JEFF MARINI; JANE KIM/GIANT NOISE PARTNERS
Pursuing a Culinary Career on a Whim
While COVID delayed Aba’s arrival, the team made great use of the time to strategize. “We weren’t questioning why we were going to do this,” notes Erven, “we focused on how.” A Passion for Cooking is Reinvigorated During Lockdown “I spent so many years not cooking for my family because of my career, so cooking at the house during lockdown reenergized me and gave me a different perspective,” notes Erven. “The new focus is on more approachable food and not making it super fussy. At my previous restaurants, it was all about how to make it great and fancy, and it was so stressful. Now it is less about the crazy combinations and more about simplicity.” Erven and his team at Aba have recognized they are in the business of making people happy, and this is their focus now. It is what inspires them and has become their biggest goal. “COVID helped us sharpen our philosophy. We all feel so lucky to have a job and to be able to do this, and we are committed to taking care of our employees and our guests and to make good food for them to share.”
Finding the Inspiration to Work Toward Opening While COVID delayed Aba’s arrival, the team made great use of the time to strategize. “We weren’t questioning why we were going to do this,” notes Erven, “we focused on how.” They concentrated on what they would need to change to facilitate the opening and figured out how to safely greet guests, define new service protocols, incorporate temperature checks and enhance sanitary measures. Thankfully, the restaurant has a wonderful patio, and the original plan was to have most of the dining happen outside under the big oak tree anyway. Erven still marvels at how Aba’s patio setting feels secluded and not like you are in the middle of the city (1011 South Congress Avenue).
Simple Ingredients Yield Amazing Flavors Aba’s menu features two main drivers: spreads and kebabs. Their signature spread is the Muhammara, which tantalizes the palate with salty, spicy and sweet flavors (see recipe below). “Our goal with the menu has been to focus on simple things, which we work to make really, really good,” Erven says. He adds that he and the restaurant group’s Executive Chef C.J. Jacobson, are students of “get really, really good product, and try not to mess it up too much.” >>
February 2021 | WATERWAYS 11
ENTERTAINING
ABA’S MUHAMMARA 6 Roasted Red Bell Peppers 1/4 t Toasted Cumin ½ T Garlic (chopped) 2 T Lemon Juice 1 cup Toasted Walnuts 1 T Tomato Paste 1 t Pomegranate Molasses 1 T Aleppo 1 T Isot Chili Peppers 1 T Olive Oil Pepper Mill (7 turns) Salt (to season) Assembly 1. Pulse garlic and lemon juice; allow to sit for five minutes. 2. Pulse the chilies and walnuts (there should still be some texture to both). 3. Add the mixture to a large bowl; mix in the rest of the ingredients. 4. Season with salt. 12 WATERWAYS | February 2021
Erven and his team at Aba have recognized they are in the business of making people happy, and this is their focus now. It is what inspires them and has become their biggest goal.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE DANIEL
The recipe for the Muhammara is a great example. “It’s simple and unexpected,” says Erven. “Who would think combining walnuts, peppers, pomegranates and molasses would yield such amazing flavors? It’s something familiar, but fantastic!”
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LOOKING BACK
BON ANNIVERSAIRE, CHANEL NO. 5! Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was one of France’s most prolific and inspirational fashion designers. Her foremost creation, Chanel No. 5 perfume, was developed with the help of a Tsarist Russian perfume master and was launched exactly 100 years ago in 1921. Since then, Chanel No. 5 has remained one of the bestselling perfumes worldwide. This complex floral fragrance was revolutionary and made Gabrielle Chanel a millionaire. She was already doing well, first as a milliner and then in women’s clothing. She practically invented sportswear with her relaxed jersey suits and uncluttered dresses. Her rise to prominence is even more remarkable because she reached adulthood in an orphanage as a poverty case. From there, she went on to achieve incredible success 14 WATERWAYS | February 2021
in the famously exclusive fashion industry. Her difficult youth propelled her to escape destitution. By middle age, she had become a prosperous fashion leader who remained at the top of her field right up to the end of her life.
RAGS TO RICHES Gabrielle’s humble beginnings began with her birth on Au-
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHANEL
gust 19, 1883, in a charity hospital in western France. Her father, a roving market trader, abandoned his family repeatedly as he moved among market towns across France, leaving his wife and children scrambling to follow. The Chanel family was already accustomed to hard work, rustic living conditions and a difficult family life when the mother died. Eleven-year-old Gabrielle and her siblings were then essentially deserted by their father. Gabrielle’s brothers were sent to a peasant family to provide farm labor. She and her two sisters were sent to a convent orphanage in Aubazine, France. Chanel never saw her father again. At the convent, she learned needlework. When she turned 18, she transferred to a convent in central France and a year later, took a job and lodging in a drapery shop while supplementing her meager salary at a tailor’s shop. The young woman was fiercely ambitious. In the local clubs, she would fill the gaps between billed acts by singing revue standards such as “Qui Qu’a Vu Coco?” That’s apparently why, according to legend, her nickname became “Coco.” But her ambitions to become an accomplished stage performer did not work out, and she became the live-in mistress of a British aristocrat. But she did not want to be dependent on a man. As she put it, “I would say to myself over and over, money is the key to freedom.” Opportunities for smart impoverished women at the time hardly existed, but Chanel was as talented with her fingers as she was driven. She was already well-known for trimming her own straw boater hats. Chanel went into the hat-making business. When a wealthy benefactor gifted her use of his Paris apartment, she fashioned it into an atelier where she made and sold her uncommonly simple trimmed women’s hats. Paris had become a cultural polestar with its elaborate boulevards and architectural marvels such as the Eiffel Tower. It was a land of opportunity. So it was that in 1910, Chanel boldly opened her first store at 21 rue Cambon. Her hats were popular, and she was able to open additional shops in both Deauville (1913) and Biarritz (1915). Before World War I, she started to design and sell sporty and functional women’s apparel. Her jersey collections were minimalist, unfussy and comfortable. Though simple, her clothes were always costly and exclusive. In 1918, Chanel opened her couture house at 31 rue Cambon. Her business was successful, and it gave her the financial independence she had wanted. She was always looking to expand and even designed costumes for film, ballet and stage.
Catherine Deneuve
ENTER CHANEL NO. 5 Chanel next teamed up with Ernest Beaux, the Russian perfumer for the Tsars, and it was a partnership made in heaven. In 1921, they launched her first fragrance, Chanel No. 5. Gabrielle Chanel was most likely introduced to Beaux by Russian Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. She had been romantically involved with Pavlovich, who may be best remembered for his part in the Rasputin murder that transpired in Imperial Russia just months before the Russian Revolution. >>
Marilyn Monroe
February 2021 | WATERWAYS 15
LOOKING BACK
Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich
Chanel Suits
Ernest Beaux had presented Chanel with several numbered samples for testing and she selected sample number 5, which happened to be her favorite number. The name was genius. It was easily remembered and required no translation for international markets. The elegant, handsome perfume bottle stood out from the competition in displays. Chanel No. 5 incorporated more than 80 ingredients in a formulation that used aldehydes to heighten the scents. This extravagant fragrance included the luxurious ylang ylang, the rare Rose Centifolia (May rose) and jasmine. Beaux created for her a complex scent in a unique bottle that made Chanel very affluent. Years later, Marilyn Monroe further immortalized Chanel’s fragrance when she famously shared that she wore “just a few drops of No. 5 to bed.” The legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve is also well-known to have favored Chanel No. 5. World War II forced the closure of the House of Chanel. After the war ended, Chanel lived in Switzerland for a few 16 WATERWAYS | February 2021
years. She reopened her Paris couture house in 1954 while filling her comeback collection with soft colors and functional skirt suits. Over the next 16 years, she continued to create in a stylish yet practical manner. The House of Chanel’s couture staples never lost their appeal, and Chanel No. 5 perfume ensured long-term financial stability. In 1970 came the launch of Chanel No. 19 perfume, named to commemorate Mademoiselle Chanel’s August 19 birthday. She had a keen sense of smell and is known to have said, “No elegance is possible without perfume. It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory.” She was elderly by then and afflicted with rheumatism, yet her work ethic remained intact. She worked right up to the end of her life. After overcoming poverty as a youth to rise to the peak of the fashion world, the 87-year-old Gabrielle Chanel died on January 10, 1971. One hundred years after its formulation, Chanel No. 5 remains a top-selling perfume around the world.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHANEL
This complex floral fragrance was revolutionary and made Gabrielle Chanel a millionaire.
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The
INSPIR ATIONIssue Alan Graham
SOWS A COMMUNITY
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February 2021 | WATERWAYS 19
HEART
& HOME
ALAN GRAHAM’S MISSION TO END HOMELESSNESS By Shelley Seale
20 WATERWAYS | February 2021
Glancing about the 51-acre Community First! Village residential district in East Austin, it’s clear that it’s a meticulously planned development full of features that give it a genuine sense of neighborhood. The streets are dotted with hip tiny homes and Airstream trailers
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES
connected by quaint cobblestone paths. Over there is a leafy organic farm, and just past it is the Community Art House and the Community Cinema and Amphitheater in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse. There are also walking trails, a meditation garden, a dog park, basketball courts, a hair salon, a farmers market, a woodworking studio, an artisan gift shop, a screen printing press and the Topfer Family Health Resource Center. There’s even an inn and Airbnb rentals. If you didn’t know it, you would surely be surprised to learn that you were in a community of formerly homeless people. The Community First! Village required the vision and hard work of Mobile Loaves and Fishes (MLF). Founded in 1998 by Alan Graham, its mission is to empower communities to provide services to the homeless. One of the most important things Graham learned about homelessness is that it can’t be fixed with housing—and that many people hold false beliefs about homeless people. “We’ve had this stereotype that they choose this—they’re just drug addicts, they’re mentally ill, they’re lazy. And it turns out that, for the most part, that’s all wrong,” he says. “Nobody chooses this.” Homelessness is not caused by anything as simple as losing housing, mental illness or substance abuse, Graham says. He believes the main reason people become homeless is the profound, catastrophic loss of family. “In your family, if you’ve got a drug addict or someone battling a behavioral health issue, somehow our families manage to come up underneath all that and keep that family member from migrating out onto the streets,” he notes. But for that small percentage of the population who have no family, he continues, be that a biological family or a forged community, there is no one to catch them, no one to help them through a crisis. And so, they fall through the cracks, often ending up on the street. Addressing the housing issue without repairing that lack of family or community won’t solve the problem. What’s to blame? Graham believes it’s “the hyper-individualism that’s going on in our country right now. When bad things happen, things that have always been happening in families, it’s the family or a forged family that comes in and takes over. We are all human beings who need intimate connections, not transactional connections.” Graham first had the inspiration that led to MLF at a men’s retreat in 1996. “I just began to ask God, ‘What do you want me to do?’” The self-described serial entrepreneur, who was in real estate at the time, began volunteering and getting involved with his church, searching for his purpose. Then he learned about a ministry that distributed blankets and food to the homeless in Corpus Christi, and a light bulb went on. >>
Founder Alan Graham
February 2021 | WATERWAYS 21
“The image of a catering truck entered my brain as a distribution vehicle for those of us who have abundance giving to those who are lacking,” Graham says. “The idea just wouldn’t go away. Now here we are, twenty-two years later.” In those two-plus decades, Graham and his aptly named Mobile Loaves and Fishes team have served more than five million meals to people living on the streets and lifted more than 250 people out of chronic homelessness. Most importantly, they have given these individuals the forged family and community support they so desperately need. The Community First! Village is designed in a way that promotes interaction and relationships, and the residents work together in its various enterprises. One of the most unique dynamics of the Village is the entrepreneurial ecosystem it’s fostered. The talents and skills of all residents are tapped so that they can earn a dignified income doing the things they love for micro-enterprises. These enterprises have brought in nearly two million dollars for Community First! residents during its five-year history. “What we’re doing here has never been done anywhere else in the world,” says Graham. The most rewarding aspect of the work for him is witnessing the transformation that takes place in both the people who are served and the volunteers who walk away with a completely new understanding of the homeless. He says that when he looks back on what’s been accomplished, it’s been nothing short of a miracle. “The answer is really to just love your neighbor,” he concludes. 22 WATERWAYS | February 2021
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HIGH FLYING Tom Markusic Reaches for the Stars
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FIREFLY AEROSPACE
By Shelley Seale
Tom Markusic has some pretty earth-shaking ambitions. In fact, they’re out of this world. The cofounder and CEO of Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace has been fascinated with space since he was 10 years old. He propelled that interest into adulthood, working for NASA and the U.S. Air Force as a research scientist and propulsion engineer. >>
February 2021 | WATERWAYS 25
Now, with Firefly, Markusic is realizing his lifelong
that will take us to those new horizons,” he says. He
dream of launching a rocket into space. As of this writ-
says the most rewarding part of his work is getting
ing, the first launch of Firefly’s maiden Alpha rocket
to be involved in extraordinary technical achievements
was being planned for early 2021 from California’s
with a team of colleagues who aren’t just employees,
Vandenberg AFB. Standing at 95 feet tall, Alpha car-
but friends.
orbit with a price tag of $15 million per launch. Firefly expects to launch three to four more rockets in 2021 as it begins to scale production and
“It’s incredibly gratifying to do something new and maybe even scary as a team, and then look up afterward and share that sense of ‘Wow, we actually just did something special.’”
develop an even more powerful rocket called Beta.
After Firefly becomes established in the small
The long-term vision is to build an end-to-end space
rocket market, Markusic wants to work on advanced
transportation company that puts space travel within
spacecraft, such as those that can land on the moon
the public’s reach.
and a next-generation approach to getting to space. “I
Markusic’s experience goes far beyond NASA and
want to make getting to space a lot more like getting
the Air Force. He has also worked for Richard Bran-
on an airplane: low-cost and accessible to all,” he says.
son’s Virgin Galactic, which is seeking to develop the
It’s a lofty goal and one that begs the question:
world’s first commercial spaceline, and Elon Musk’s
Who inspires him? While Markusic doesn’t point to
SpaceX at its testing facility near Brownsville.
anyone he considers a hero, he is inspired by people
“I saw that there was a growing demand for a
who cast aside fear, whether fear of failure or even
smaller rocket,” Markusic says. “Everyone was build-
fear of death, and just do the right thing. He names
ing larger rockets, but the satellites that they carry
America’s founding fathers as an example.
were getting smaller. So I thought, why not put all of
“They seemed to have such liberated spirits, which
my schooling and experience to good use and go build
enabled them to transform crazy and idealistic notions,
the rocket that the world needs? The answer to that
against all odds, into a new and better reality,” he says.
question is Firefly.” For him, there is no end to the intriguing things you can do in space. “I truly love building the machines
26 WATERWAYS | February 2021
As he looks to the future, Markusic’s big dreams look more and more like reality. “I can’t imagine that passion to be involved in space will ever run out.”
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FIREFLY AEROSPACE
ries up to 1,000 kilograms of payload into earth’s low
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WATER FOR AFRICA ONE AUSTINITE IS A HEROINE
TO WATER-STARVED KENYANS By Shelley Seale
28 WATERWAYS | February 2021
Sarah Evans never imagined she would travel to Kenya, much less work there. The country first hit her radar in 2008, when a friend who had come to Austin from Kenya asked Evans to help
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WELL AWARE
her raise money to replace dying livestock in her family’s village. Evans soon found out, however, that the issue wasn’t so straightforward. “The more I learned about the problems there, the more I realized that replacing the cattle and goats would only be a short-term solution because there wasn’t a reliable source of water there to keep them alive,” she says. As she looked deeper into the dilemma, she discovered that people throughout East Africa suffered from a lack of clean water. With that understanding, she pushed to shift the focus of the fundraising project to drilling a well for the community. This led to Well Aware, the nonprofit she established. It’s been a success on a continent with too few success stories. Once they had raised enough funds in 2010, Evans and her friend traveled to Kenya to install the well. Once it was completed and functioning, Evans witnessed the profound and transformative impact this new source of water brought to the village. But along with that success came a troubling realization about the overall problem of bringing clean water to impoverished rural areas. Most of the water projects implemented in rural Kenya—and communities throughout the developing world—do not function properly or at all. Evans was determined to change that. “It really wasn’t until we traveled to Kenya to oversee the well construction that I knew I wanted to devote my career to this work,” she says. Back in Austin, she set about growing Well Aware so that more wells could be built for other communities in Kenya. She also tackled the problem of so many water projects breaking
down or not working properly with no follow-up to fix them. So, besides drilling new wells, her team repaired existing ones. “The failure rates of water systems in the rural, developing world are abysmal,” Evans says. “Only about forty percent of these systems end up working at all. That doesn’t even take into account the large percentage of functioning systems that are drawing water that isn’t safe to drink.” The current model is broken, she surmised, because it celebrates success as soon as infrastructure is added. Yet there is no accountability—no plan to measure success by continually monitoring results over time. “It’s insulting and often even more devastating to communities to receive this paternalistic aid without consideration or accountability for what is really happening a year after the aid intervention,” she says. “It’s unacceptable and an insulting waste of resources. It just doesn’t have to be this way, and I want to change it. That’s what keeps me devoted to my work.” After a few years, Evans expanded to create Well Beyond, which provides technical and community expertise and patent-pending software to other organizations looking to implement clean-water solutions. She says that as long as failure rates are swept under the rug, governments and nonprofits don’t feel obliged to rebuild water infrastructure. “But the systems must be rebuilt if we are to create sustainable water projects as we all say we are.” >>
“It’s watching a community that was struggling to simply survive turn around and grow into a thriving community.” February 2021 | WATERWAYS 29
30 WATERWAYS | February 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WELL AWARE
Now serving as CEO of Well Beyond and founder and board chairperson for Well Aware, her current focus is on further developing the WellBeyond app, a diagnostic tool that works without internet access and provides remote chat support to allow community infrastructure operators to maintain and repair their water systems. It has especially been a game-changer in the era of COVID-19, providing WASH (Water and Sanitation and Hygiene) training in these communities to help protect them from the spread of coronavirus, even among the most vulnerable populations. She says that the most rewarding aspect of her work is seeing the evolution and growth of the communities where her nonprofits have worked over the years. “It’s watching a community that was struggling to simply survive turn around and grow into a thriving community. And witnessing schools being built and gardens growing in areas that were formerly war-torn or battling over resources. Mostly, it’s getting to see the people in these amazing communities being given the respect and ownership they deserve to drive their own success, as they should.” Being a woman in the male-dominated world of infrastructure development doesn’t faze Evans, who is inspired by the women who have paved the way for her. She thinks a lot about Jane Goodall, who has worked extensively in neighboring Tanzania. “It’s tough enough [for anyone] trying to disrupt an industry these days, and I know the road was much harder for women decades ago taking on similar, seemingly insurmountable broken systems,” she says. “I’m deeply grateful for their tenacity and example. Jane Goodall broke through many barriers and stereotypes at a very early age to end up making phenomenal progress for her cause—with a gentle but commanding leadership and without ever compromising her character. I try to be like her. I don’t always succeed, but I’m always trying.”
EAT
GOOD, DO
GOOD A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLER IS GIVING BACK WITH HER CHARITABLE FOOD BUSINESS
As the pandemic has turned the world on its head, high school kids around Austin have had to swap in-person classes for virtual lessons and vacation time for social distancing. Then there’s local teen Jennifer Fang, who has used this time of upheaval to do something uncommon among her peers. She started her own charitable business.
32 WATERWAYS | February 2021
In May 2020, at just 15 years old, Fang launched nutssosweet, a company that sells nut butters, organic granola, air-fried donuts and milk bread buns—and she donates 80 percent of the profits to the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN). Fang, now a 16-year-old junior at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Barton Creek, was inspired by COVID-19’s continual impact to help her local community. Nutssosweet stands as a testament to her desire to give back as well as her long-cultivated entrepreneurial spirit. >>
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MEGAN MARKHAM
By Cindy Brzostowski
Announcing Staying Bothered Grants for 2021! When 2020 hit many nonprofit organizations hard, the Staying Bothered team looked for ways to do more, and the Staying Bothered Grant was born. Each quarter beginning in 2021, we’ll award a total of $15,000 distributed among selected nonprofits focused on education, mental wellness, or gender equity. Q1 is dedicated to nonprofits in and serving the greater Austin area, so if you know of an amazing nonprofit that could use a little financial help getting that project off the ground, tell them to apply at stayingbothered.com/grants.
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Fang, now a 16-year-old junior at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Barton Creek, was inspired by COVID-19’s continual impact to help her local community.
Before moving to the U.S. in 2017 when she was 13, Fang attended an international school affiliated with the International Baccalaureate program in Guangzhou, China. She says that is where she learned to practice open-mindedness and take risks. But the roots of Fang’s entrepreneurial drive can also be traced to her mother, who was the national sales director of Mary Kay China. “[My mom] received an absurd amount of prejudice and doubt when she quit her job as a doctor,” says Fang. “She built her wealth from absolute zero and gradually gained recognition through blood, sweat and tears. By the time I was born, she had already built a supportive team and became the NSD. I grew up hearing her story, so I knew that I wanted to make a change through business.” Fang applied for Leadership in the Business World, an intensive summer program supported by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. However, she did get the opportunity to participate in Future of the Business World, a two-week online course through the Wharton Global Youth Program, which taught her about identifying trends, design thinking and financial metrics among other business topics. What finally pushed Fang to break into the business world was seeing her friend Alice Huang, another Austin teen, cofound Dough Re Mi, a charitable cookie delivery business.
Food for the Soul As Fang turned to baking to cope with stress during quarantine, she decided to turn her hobby into her business, finding it easy to adhere to the Texas Cottage Food Law and secure her Texas Food Handlers Card. Nut butters and granola were among the first things Fang made at home. The health-conscious teen focused on reducing the amount of unnecessary sugar in what she made. “After trying many large brands’ granolas, I realized the absurd amount of sugar that I consumed was causing my energy crashes during the day,” she says. “Therefore, I decided to make granola that would not only incorpo34 WATERWAYS | February 2021
rate multiple nuts but would also be sweetened by low-GI [low-glycemic] natural sweeteners like coconut sugar and agave.” Thus the name “nutssosweet”—a play on her nutty, “not-so-sweet” creations. Fang says the product she’s most proud of is the “so matcha goodnola” that her company sells. “I have to be honest: I love anything matcha,” she explains. “I have not seen a matcha granola in any store, and this hits different—in Gen Z’s language.”
A Delicious Future In addition to developing her recipes and making all of her products in the family kitchen, Fang singlehandedly created nutssosweet’s branding and website. By October 2020, nutssosweet had donated $1,300.53. Most of this has gone to the ADRN, but a portion went to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in June in recognition of the national spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement. Looking ahead, Fang plans to continue contributing monthly to ADRN but says she’ll consider other organizations as well for set periods of time. “I believe that when making a positive impact, it is essential to start small,” she says. “Through ADRN, I can feel a direct connection to who and where I am donating.” Pandemic or not, Fang wants to continue operating her business at least until she graduates from high school, and she hopes to eventually begin shipping throughout the U.S. and offering her products in grocery stores. For now, Austinites can order nutssosweet’s products at nutssosweet.com. Accompanied by her dad, she delivers the orders on Sundays, ever excited to hear about her customers’ satisfaction with her products.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FAN YANG; JENNIFER FANG; MEGAN MARKHAM
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BEAUTY
Accentuate the Positive Best Ways to Showcase Your Favorite Features By Lisa Jauregui
36 WATERWAYS | February 2021
self-care. Let it be the moment of the day when you look at yourself and have fun elevating your beauty. Begin by enhancing your favorite feature. As a makeup artist, I always found something beautiful about every woman who sat in my chair. We are all beautiful. Look in the mirror, and find what feature you love about yourself. Adjust your makeup routine around that feature. • If it’s your green eyes, let them be the focus of your makeup. Accentuate them with complementary colors such as warm neutrals or simple plum eyeliner to make them pop. Keep the lips and cheeks subtle and light. • If it’s your full lips you love, choose a bold or bright ‘longwear’ (and mask-friendly) lip color, and keep the eyes simple with one light shadow on the lids and some mascara. • If you love your skin, opt for lighter coverage and more natural complexion products. Rather than covering up your facial features, show them off! A tinted SPF moisturizer is the perfect product to wear as foundation. >>
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA CHOUETTE/UNSPLASH
If 2020 taught me anything, it was that there’s beauty in slowing down and beauty in simplifying schedules and routines. It also taught me the power of self-love and reflection. Before last year, I was like every busy working mom trying to balance work, a packed afterschool activity schedule, and all the other things that pile up on our to-do lists. I hadn’t realized just how exhausted I was until I had to slow down. One of the routines that got a simplified ‘makeover’ was my beauty routine. Whether it was due to the lack of social activities or the long days at home, I found myself simplifying my makeup routine, and surprisingly enough, I began paying more attention to the features I loved about myself sans makeup. Makeup can even be transformative, but it can also be fun. Over the years, I have seen how ‘Instagram makeup’ has completely changed the trends in beauty. Creative and inspiring? Yes. Beautiful images to scroll through? Yes. Practical? Not always. Makeup doesn’t have to be a 45-minute routine meant to hide our flaws. Instead, let it be 10 to 15 minutes of daily
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Whether it was due to the lack of social activities or the long days at home, I found myself simplifying my makeup routine, and surprisingly enough, I began paying more attention to the features I loved about myself sans makeup.
38 WATERWAYS | February 2021
2021 will be the year of the multitasking product. These are beauty products that will work harder for you. Two of my favorites are a good cheek and lip tint such as Wander Beauty’s and a chubby eye crayon that can double as a liner or an over-the-eyelid shade such as Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks. A third is a cream shadow, such as Charlotte Tilbury’s, which can be applied sheerly for a soft shimmer on the lids or built up for a more opaque finish, all done with your finger. These products are perfect for creating a soft and natural look that lets your true beauty shine through. One thing I am leaving behind in 2020 is self-criticism. Instead, I will look in the mirror and love what I see. I encourage you to do the same!
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STYLE FILE
What’s in Your Closet? By Edith Henry
You know that feeling you get when you know you look good? When you’re wearing your favorite dress, suit, or shirt and jeans, you stand a little taller and smile a bit brighter. You show up more confidently. But picking out that outfit from a cluttered, messy, uninspired closet can be difficult and stressful. Here’s a twist on that online bank slogan to ponder: What’s in your closet? Do you actually wear every piece in your closet? It’s been reported that most people wear only about 20 percent of what they have in their closets. That means 80 percent of those pieces are just taking up space. And clutter in the closet, in turn, creates clutter in your headspace. Your closet should be a place that inspires, not overwhelms you. It should be exciting deciding what to wear, not a dreaded chore. It’s more inspiring to get dressed out of an easily accessible, attractively organized closet than one that’s stuffed with apparel and shoes piled high on top of each other! The solution: an inspired closet. But, how do you get there? Unless you hire a professional to help you, you need to roll up your sleeves and get busy—and be honest with yourself. Everything should come out and be considered for the chopping block. Set aside all go-to, “I wear this all the time” pieces, and then ask yourself these questions 40 WATERWAYS | February 2021
about every other piece: When was the last time I wore it? Is it uncomfortable? Does it really fit? Does it need to be tailored or repaired? If you haven’t worn a piece in over a year (even if you “could have”), if it’s uncomfortable, if it doesn’t fit, or if you’re unwilling to get it tailored or repaired, you should move it out. Don’t keep pieces in your closet that you probably won’t ever wear again. It’s okay to keep a few “sentimental pieces” or a goal piece or two, but don’t keep clothes for a body you used to have or want to have. Seeing those pieces will only make you depressed, not inspired, and will only take up space. Only important and inspiring pieces should go back in—and in an organized fashion. There are a couple of ways to organize a closet, but regardless of which choice you make, all pieces should face the same way and not be inside out. OPTION 1: ORGANIZE BY CATEGORY FIRST. Categorize by type, and then colorize within each type. Here’s what that should look like: Top pole: All tanks (light to dark), then prints (light to dark), short sleeves (light to dark), 3/4 sleeves (light to dark) and so on. Include blazers here, too. Then, when you are looking for a short-sleeved top, for instance, they’re all in one place. >>
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALYSSA STROHMANN/UNSPLASH
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STYLE FILE Bottom pole: Shorts, skirts and pants. Use clip hangers for shorts and skirts, and hang pants over a triangle hanger. Single pole: This is for tops that are too long for a top pole, dresses and pants that might need to be put on clip hangers, and outerwear coats if a separate coat closet isn’t available.
AND NOW SOME TIPS ON STORING CERTAIN ITEMS: Shoes: Keep shoes up off the floor to relieve clutter and to keep the closet floor clean. There are many ways to do this. One is to stack shoeboxes on the upper shelf with the boxes visible so you can see which pairs are in which boxes. Sweaters: Fold or hang over a triangle hanger. Leggings: Hang over triangle hangers; a couple of pairs can share each hanger. Scarves, ties, belts: There are specialized hangers for these pieces, or if you’re a “roll them up and put them in a basket person,” be sure to label the basket. Jewelry: Jewelry cases take up little room and can be placed on closet door racks or in boxes or bins. Your closet should be your one-stop spot for pulling your entire look together. Once you complete your closet makeover, you can strut out of your closet feeling confident, inspired and ready to conquer your world.
42 WATERWAYS | February 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHUTTERSNAP/UNSPLASH; ALEX CHAMBERS/UNSPLASH; KELLY SIKKEMA/UNSPLASH
OPTION 2: GROUP ALL ITEMS BY COLOR FIRST, AND ORGANIZE BY CATEGORY WITHIN THE COLOR GROUP. All whites/off-whites, beiges/browns, blues/purples, pinks/reds, greens/yellows and grays/blacks should be grouped together, and then hang garment types in the same order within each color category. It is still recommended that tops go on the top bar and bottoms on the bottom bar. Choose the option that is easiest for you, most logical for the architecture of your closet and, most important, inspires you. So, the clothes are in the closet, but now what do you do with belts, ties, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories and other finishing pieces? And what about socks, tights and leggings? This all depends on the space available and how many items you have. “Out of sight, out of mind” is the way most people think, so hang or display as much as you can in plain sight in the closet. If it doesn’t all fit, use the vertical space above the top shelf (use a stepstool stored in your closet to reach it) by adding more shelves and/or dividers up there. This can be done inexpensively.
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MINDFULNESS
FINDING INTENTION AND INSPIRATION By Dr. Michael Hartley
As self-help author Jim Rohn was fond of saying, everyday people are constantly improving their lives and businesses. Whether you do or not doesn’t matter to those who do. They are going to do it regardless. It is simply a matter of their making a decision, a decision that you can also make.
and continues to do so. Even in the face of that formidable foe, however, countless people are successfully rebuilding their lives and their businesses because they refuse to give in. When faced with uncertainty, we must become ultraintentional when deciding how we invest our time, energy and money. Intentionality brings clarity and focus.
Where do you get your inspiration? What gives you the drive to move forward when you come up against powerful odds? Who has inspired or actively encouraged you to break through something that you thought you might not be able to overcome?
You shall overcome I have been blessed in the past few years to come in contact with some of the most inspiring people I have ever known. These include people who have fought their way back from cancer. Through that trial by fire, they endured treatments and medications that sometimes seemed more painful than the disease. Now they are back in the game, leading their businesses, their families and people around them. Stories of overcoming the odds, however, are not limited to those engaged in life-or-death struggles. They also include the success stories of business owners who have come back from disasters. Some have had half or more of their businesses stolen from them. Others have been caught up in natural disasters. Still others have made bad decisions that cost them nearly all that they had built up over the years. Then along came the 2020 global pandemic, which has challenged almost all of us—our lives and our businesses— 44 WATERWAYS | February 2021
1. How intentional are you with your time? Let’s say that time took the form of a currency and you received a barrel of it at birth. Every hour of every day, you must give a dollar of this time currency back until it’s all gone. You are unable to add more time to the barrel. You are unable to add more hours to the day. You are unable to stop time, rewind it, fast-forward it, pause it or replay it. We are all given the same amount of time each day; the difference lies in how we use it, how we invest it. Do you spend your time on your business, or do you invest your time on your business? What is your return on time? How will you increase the amount of time you are investing each day versus spending it or wasting it away? Where will you intentionally invest your time today or this week? Time is the one thing in life we cannot get more of. Stop wasting it. 2. How intentional are you with your dreams? Most people overestimate what can be done in one year and underestimate what can be done in a decade. In fact, where you are today is largely determined by decisions you made three years ago, and where you will be in three to five years will depend on the decisions you make today. How big do you dream? What are you doing today that will bring you closer to your dreams? >>
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN HOUSEL/UNSPLASH
Questions to ask yourself
MINDFULNESS 3. How intentional are you with your goals? Achieving a dream requires setting goals and then learning a bunch of stuff in order to go after your dream. If you don’t need to learn anything because you already know how to do it, it isn’t a dream, it’s a to-do item. Being intentional is not living in the past; it’s living in the moment. What goals are you working towards today? 4. How intentional are you with your thoughts? In business, you’ll get knocked down…a lot. It happens to everyone. I guarantee that if you walked up to 10 business owners whose businesses have been around for a few years, the large majority would say that at some point, they felt the stress of not knowing whether they could make payroll or wondered if opening a business was the right choice. Self-doubt and uncertainty come with the territory. This is largely because most business owners aren’t taught how to build and run a business, so they have to learn through trial and error. When your mindset is strong, you enable yourself to push through challenges, and this is a muscle that must be focused on and intentionally worked on daily. Life will continue to come at you, so what’s in your toolbox of mindset-reset tools? I recommend beginning with daily “I am” statements, a list of 21 statements that you repeat out loud to yourself twice a day. For example: I am a money magnet. I am a client magnet. I am building a business to run without me. I am the constant student. I am checking my ego at the door. I am consistently improving myself and my business. I am in the process of becoming the true CEO of my business. I am in the process of increasing accountability with myself and my team. I am in the process of X. I am Y. 5. Also ask yourself these questions: Did you do your best today to be happy? Did you do your best today to find meaning? Did you do your best today to be fully engaged? Did you do your best today to build positive relationships? Did you do your best today to set clear goals? Did you do your best today to make progress towards those goals? I learned this process from business leadership author Marshall Goldsmith. Ask yourself these questions daily. They are remarkably effective because they force you to remove blame and excuses from the potential answers since each one begins with, “Did I do my best to…”
46 WATERWAYS | February 2021
Commit to these things 1. Seek self-improvement. Are you going to get stronger or stay the same? No matter what you have achieved, you are where you are right now. What you have achieved in the past is great so far, but it doesn’t make a difference in determining the future. The decision about what you will become is made every day. Each day, someone is making the decision to better him or herself. Let that person be you! 2. Make a plan. Once you have decided to become better, you need to have a plan. Avoid overcomplicating the plan; make it systematic and progressive. Results are largely dependent on a great plan and great implementation of the plan. Someone is going to develop a plan that will take them into the future of their dreams. Let it be you! 3. Take intentional (and consistent) action! Without consistent action, all great ideas become stale and useless. The key to turning dreams into reality is intentional, consistent action. People who have great ideas are a dime a dozen. People who act on their dreams and ideas are the select few. They are the ones who gain the most health, wealth and wisdom. Someone will act today. Let it be you! Stop envying others who live the good life, wishing that you were too. Instead, begin to commit to your improvement, develop a plan and act on it. The key to business success is congruency in thought, word and action. So, be that great, inspiring entrepreneur. Let it be you! Most of us have heard plenty about the importance of motivation and inspiration in getting what you want from life. To be inspired means to move forward with purpose and motivation. Purpose denotes clarity of intention, while motivation is reached by tapping the spirit within. Inspired individuals know why they do what they do and why they want what they want. They are not shackled by the pettiness that restrains so many lives. The inspired person comes to life with a purpose and passion and the daily desire to grow and contribute. Are we waiting to be inspired or do we choose to find inspiration in our everyday lives? Is inspiration a gift kept in someone else’s pocket waiting to be given or is it food in our own fridge ready to be eaten? Do only a few people have the gift to inspire or do we already have that talent and ability within us? It may be tempting to choose what we think are the “right” answers from the questions above, but choose the honest one. How do you view inspiration? I used to wait to get inspired, but now I find inspiration every day in the simplest things. The difference is that I now choose to be inspired. You can make it as complicated or as simple as you want, but sometimes making a choice is all it takes. What will your intentional choice be today?
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Swan Songs Musical Last Wishes Granted by Austin Charity
Amid the pain and worry that often comes at the end of life, music holds the power to bring much-appreciated peace and comfort. Swan Songs is an Austin-based nonprofit that grants musical last wishes to those who have terminal illnesses or are nearing the end of their lives. At no cost to the recipients or their families, intimate live performances are arranged by the organization in quiet, suitable venues, such as in a private home or nursing home. Anyone can make this request, and any music style is on the table. “These are not just enjoyable and entertaining melodies and songs; the music often represents their culture, important occasions, the vibrancy of youth or falling in love,” says Christine Albert, the founder and CEO of Swan Songs. “It can trigger a lifetime of memories, and their spirit is activated without needing to articulate the emotions they are feeling. They can step outside the illness for a time and feel whole again. Some of the most popular requests have been for music by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, George Strait and Johnny Cash. There have also been plenty of 48 WATERWAYS | February 2021
unique requests, ranging from Native American flute music to Lithuanian accordion music. Local musicians are paid for the performances, which serves to support the local music scene, and their participation wasn’t halted by the pandemic as they have performed virtually instead. Albert adds that the concerts also offer an opportunity for the recipient’s family and friends to share a positive moment outside of caregiving and carrying the weight of the impending loss. Since 2010, Swan Songs has organized more than 1,100 concerts with the number of requests steadily increasing over the years. To find out how you can support them, visit swansongs.org.
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THE INSPIRATION ISSUE
FEBRUARY 2021