LOOM Opens! LA’s first pregnancy, parenting, and reproductive wellness hub!

October 6, 2017

LA’s first pregnancy, parenting, and reproductive wellness hub, LOOM officially opens doors TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3rd! Offering education, services, and inclusive community to all, LOOM is filling a major void in the market for women, expecting mothers, partners, and new families.

Co-founders Erica Chidi Cohen and Quinn Lundberg have designed curriculum, services, and events to guide women through reproductive pathways – including Considering, Expecting, Parenting, and Loss. Whether you are reproductively curious, pregnant, new to parenting, or have experienced a loss, LOOM offers a space to build your community, access resources, and demystify the experience with guidance, loving support, and zero judgement.  

What is truly incredible is the social awareness factor – LOOM is fostering an authentic conversation about reproductive health, sexuality, fertility, pregnancy, parenting (single, step, and choice), adoption, as well as non-birth outcomes such as miscarriage and abortion. 

Membership fee is $200 annually and is only required for select pathways, but to celebrate the launch LOOM is offering a special rate of only $95!

The stunning space was designed to be a soothing, comforting oasis in Mid-City Los Angeles. 

Also – want to note that LOOM plans to expand to a digital platform to bring education and community to more people within the next year. 

Photo credit: Morgan Pansin

Celebrate World Mental Health Day Tuesday, October 10th 2017 with philosophy

October 5, 2017

World Mental Health Day is Tuesday, October 10th we will be celebrating with philosophy who donates 1% of all USA net profit sales for mental health efforts. 

  

It is especially important for us to acknowledge this, we would love to help spread the word of our initiatives. More than 450 million people worldwide suffer from mild to serious mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, self–esteem and financial stress – all of which disproportionately affect women around the world. Recognizing that mental health issues are one of the greatest challenges women face, Philosophy created the hope & grace initiative which pledges an unending commitment to support mental health and wellbeing.Previously celebrity ambassadors such as Ellen Pompeo and Zelda Williams have endorsed the program.

Through inspired action, philosophy encourages the practice of self-care, not only in soothing and replenishing the skin, but the mind and soul as well. 

We would love for you to take the time out of your day on World Mental Health Day with us to restore you mind with these tips from Gabrielle Bernstein, best-selling author, meditation expert, and speaker brought to you by glamour.com… 

  1. Begin each day positively. Happiness is your choice, so if you wake up feeling grumpy, remember that you can choose to be happy.
  2. Think of yourself as a lighthouse: It’s OK to feel your feelings, good or bad (in fact, it’s much better than disassociating from them), but use the lighthouse idea to rise above the trauma in your life and allow it to flow freely around you.
  3. Move. The human body needs to move, and movement is imperative for the lymphatic system to work properly and to oxygenate your cells. Bounce, jump, dance, or do whatever it takes to move the tension out of your body and get your blood flowing.

Products here….

where there’s hope, there’s grace. the hope & grace initiative represents an unprecedented and unending commitment by philosophy to support mental health and well-being. mental health issues are one of the greatest challenges women face. more than 450 million people worldwide suffer from mild to serious mental health issues – such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, self–esteem and financial stress – all of which disproportionately affect women around the world.with the initiative, philosophy becomes the first company to place a deep focus on this important cause and the first major beauty company to make a brand-wide commitment to dedicate 1% of its sales toward the cause. 

For every product sold (this includes all products, no limitations), philosophy will contribute 1% of sales to the hope and grace fund, and will award multiple financial grants each year to local organizations working to empower women through promotion of mental health and wellbeing, and the prevention and treatment of related issues.

the majority of funding from the hope and grace initiative will support community-based programs doing the most good in mental health and wellbeing. the funds will be distributed by an independent nonprofit organization with guidance from the world’s leading practitioners and experts in mental health and wellbeing. with an average grant size of us $25,000-$75,000, the fund will support hundreds of organizations each year and touch thousands of lives.

the priority focus for the hope & grace fund is to support community based mental health efforts working to overcome barriers to and stigma around seeking treatment for mental health issues, providing access to mental health treatment, and fostering support networks for women with mental illness. the funds are administered by the new venture fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to supporting innovative and effective public interest projects. we accept one proposal per group, per fiscal year (july 1st – june 31st). you must be a registered 501(c) public charity to apply. to apply, please contact hopeandgracefund@newventurefund.org

 

Through the hope & grace initiative, philosophy has donated millions of dollars for women’s mental health by funding direct service, training, and awareness-raising programs for dozens of non-profit organizations. To amplify the conversation around women’s mental health, philosophy is hosting a panel discussion focused on reframing wellbeing as a key to resilience and change.

Stress, anxiety and depression are among the top issues concerning women, but few women report success in their efforts to manage them. As more women take on leadership positions in the workplace and in the world, the balance between personal wellbeing and professional success is becoming more of a trade-off.

This issue will be explored through several perspectives: a prominent athlete and public figure, a medical doctor, an academic, and a corporate executive, who will propose solutions to challenges and provide answers to many questions including:

 

  • What is the impact of wellbeing on overall health, beauty and lifespan?
  • How do we convince women to prioritize their own wellbeing? How do we bridge the gap between filling our days and creating fulfilling lives?
  • Is building resilience a double-edged sword? The stronger we are, the more we put up with—is this good? How can we reframe wellbeing as a source of resilience?
  • What impact does personal wellbeing have on our ability to change our lives and the world
    around us?
  • What can we learn from the younger generation about the future of wellbeing?

Camping With Manu Toigo For Family Adventure!

October 4, 2017

No idea where I was – even with this map…

There are no words for Manu Toigo (you may recall from oh that sweet little NatGeo show Naked and Afraid where she survived oh I dunno DENGUE FEVER! I can’t even spell that!!)

This past summer she led an incredible day camp for kids, where she took a small group of lucky kids into nature –  to connect, learn survival skills and get in touch with all things non-urban. It was life changing for us as a family. My kids, who refused to even walk, let alone hike, were running to her car for an overnight camping trip. It really was who took my kids and put these two in their place??? Camping??? They had not even had overnights anywhere!!

Now Manu is introducing this! She is leading families on wilderness/camping/nature weekends. TAKE ME PLEASE!!

We went this weekend and I have no words. It was literally the best time I have ever had with my kids. I was having so much fun, being in nature, watching my 7 year old make a fire and my 11 carve a tool with a rock, that I could hardly sleep. That at, I for sure need a sleeping bag mat cuz I am too old to sleep on the ground. Jus sayin.

This Cross Trek 22 Wheeled Carry On saved my entire trip!! We had to walk a mile to the campsite!!! (WTF?!) And yes, this bad ass (me!) did this – above. On my own, and out of my own head! As in, I made it up!

This time Manu set up my tent, but next time I am doing it all myself. We brought insane gear from Granite Gear, specifically the Blaze A.C. 60 Backpack and the Cross Trek 22 Wheeled Carry On. And thank the camping gods for the Cross Trek 22 Wheeled Carry On, because unbeknownst to me, we had to walk a mille to the campground!!! I was so freaking happy I had wheels!!!

My dope backpack was quickly stolen by AJ – who claimed it as his own, no matter how ill-fitting. He actually made it work! So yes, next summer I will be getting him a smaller version for Manu’s camp.

OH! And My Charge, with their rad collection of portable chargers, saved my life. I could take photos of the whole trip, did not lose charge and way more importantly, use my iphone flashlight, because I could not find the two flashlights I packed. Genius.

AJ stealing my sickkkkk Blaze Backpack from Granite Gear  (which I am officially obsessed with).

Boxes of Rethink Water – perfect for camping. We brought a treasure trove of them. (Is that the right word? Trove? Seems really weird).

Camping must!! Adventure Max Portable Rechargeable 10500mAh charger. Not just for life in the city.

And all the moms basically pillaged me of these, Biossance Cleansing Wipes – because NO RUNNING WATER, PEOPLE!

Lindsey Vonn’s Unlike Any for Under Armour

October 2, 2017

Yesterday, Under Armour celebrated world champion alpine skier Lindsey Vonn’s Unlike Any story at Beauty & Essex in LA and unveiled her campaign film.

The Unlike Any campaign celebrates athletes who have shattered expectations, challenged the status quo and risen above gender comparisons.  Lindsey’s undeniable strength and dedication to her sport – through debilitating injuries and setbacks – is what makes her truly Unlike Any

With the Olympics coming up in only a few short months, we were honored to have her join us in Los Angeles last night to discuss how she has persevered through numerous injuries and pushed herself to be stronger than ever for the 2018 Olympics. As a leader in the conversation of women in sports, Lindsey is currently making headlines for her fight to race against men. The way Lindsey is able to take the stage and embrace body positivity, the love of her scars and her fight to get to where she is today makes her truly, Unlike Any. 

 

More about the campaign: 

The first round of content debuted this summer, with each of the films featuring a collaboration with spoken word artists who crafted poems unique to each athlete’s story. The poem in Lindsey’s Unlike Any film was created and performed by Oddisee, a Sudanese-American rapper, producer and spoken word artist, and is a tribute to her strength and unwavering perseverance. 

Lindsey joins a powerful group of Unlike Any women, with the previous five Unlike Any films featuring ABT Principal Ballerina Misty Copeland, Harlem Run Crew founder Alison Désir, world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings, professional stuntwoman Jessie Graff, and Chinese taekwondo champion and actress Zoe Zhang (Lanxin Zhang).

Fall Foliage Map!

October 1, 2017

Check out HIPCAMP !

It’s the official start of fall and the harbinger of shorter days, making it one of the best times of year to go outside.

Hipcamp is a startup that creates new places to stay in nature by unlocking access to beautiful private lands such as nature preserves, farms, and ranches. Aside from their cool interactive map, Hipcamp has hand-picked a few unique nature stays in America’s top 5 leaf-viewing regions:

HIPCAMP.COM‘S TOP 10 CAMPGROUNDS FOR FALL FOLIAGE

Each campground hyperlinked below contains multiple discrete campsites.

 

HIPCAMP’S FALL FOLIAGE MAP

You can adjust the slider on the left to see where fall peaks during the next few weeks. As temperatures drop, you can comfortably enjoy nature’s color show while camping in cabins, treehouses, camper vans, glamping tents and more—and, of course, in the old fashioned way: in a tent.

*This map is based on annual predictions and therefore cannot be 100% accurate for foliage conditions right now, but is a good tool to help guide your travels.