January 2023

She Said – A Lawyer’s Movie Review and Insights

How often do you get to hear what a lawyer has to say about a movie involving our legal system and one of the most high profile films of the 2022 Holiday Season? In the beginning of December, I went to see the movie She Said about the Harvey Weinstein case with Leora Joseph. I met Leora at a wedding and one conversation led to another…

Why Leora? Well, Leora was Deputy Chief of the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Bureau in the Boston (Suffolk County) District Attorney’s Office. Over 25 years of practicing law has brought her empathy and intelligence to difficult conversations with thousands of victims. She has supervised specialized units involving the most vulnerable victims – human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual abuse, elder abuse – and oversaw all the District Attorney’s special projects and community involvement in areas of intimate crimes.

Full disclosure – this is a long and complex conversation. It is also audibly challenging. Leora and I went to see the movie and then debriefed over a glass of wine in the lobby. When I listened back, I was so bummed to hear all of the music and background noise. I perseverated over it and then spent money on an Audio Engineer to fix it. When I got it back, it sounded worse to me, so I took the advice of Brene Brown and am being vulnerable in sharing the original audio. I think the conversation is way more important than being perfect. I hope it will fill your mind with new perspectives. Afterall, that’s the point of MindFULL conversations. You can listen here.

Turn Your Wine Glass Upside Down and Your Life Rightside Up

Being a professionally successful woman can have its pitfalls. Along with stress, there are deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy. This manifests in anxiety, fear, and shame. Drinking is a quick, easy, and [seemingly] harmless way to take the edge off. But it causes way more harm than it does good.

Last Fall, my friend Lisa introduced me to Kay Allison. Kay is a powerhouse. She is dynamic in energy, thoughtfulness and looks. Her story blew me away and inspired me to learn more about her and about what it means to be Sober Curious. Once I learned the phrase, I started to notice how many people I was meeting who are Sober! When Kay came to visit, she brought me an advanced copy of her book, Juicy AF* (*Alcohol Free). Stop The Drinking Spiral. Create Your Future. Juicy AF* (*Alcohol-Free) is a step-by-step guide to help address the unique issues that underlie women’s drinking. Kay’s insights, stories, and practical tools are helping women step out of their fear, anxiety, and shame and into their Juicy AF life to reach their full potential. I sat down, read the book and walked away with several things to think about. I’m still thinking!

Today, Kay is an author, entrepreneur, and innovator behind Juicy AF* (*Alcohol-Free), and in our MindFULL conversation she tells us how her life took off once she embarked on her alcohol-free journey, how her income multiplied by 600%, how she created multi-million dollar companies, and how she met the love of her life just by giving up drinking! Now she’s helping women step out of their fear and into their full potential. If you think you need to change your story or relationship to drinking, Kay is the person to help you.

You can hear our conversation here and check out Kay’s book here. May this MindFULL conversation fill your mind with something new and your glass with something unexpected.

Collage Stories in 2 & 3 dimensions

A few weeks ago I posted an episode on MindFULL conversations about Finding Pieces and Making Something Fun, an interactive Zoom class with Judith Cassel-Mamet that takes the bits and pieces of pictures, notes and trinkets you might have inherited, kept or found and shows you how to turn it into something that delights. I wanted to put it back out into the world, now that the month of January is here (the class is happening on Friday, January 27). And… I got a great and thoughtful email for the class that is loaded with helpful and easy instructions! I think Judith is the consumate teacher and I am eagerly collecting my own pics, notes and papers. Join Us! I always learn something new from Judith that makes my world better – and I suspect you will, too.

You can re-listen to the epsiode here. And check out this link to go straight to Judith’s website where you can sign up. I trust you will find all sorts of information and inspiration!

See you at class.