Austin Woman MAGAZINE | august 2016
“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.” —Althea Gibson
14TH ANNUAL TOUR OF REMODELED HOMES Explore, Imagine, Remodel! September 24th & September 25th 10am-6pm Tickets also available at each home the day of tour for $25 (all homes) Zinger Hardware will begin selling tickets Sept 1 - 4001 N Lamar #300 A portion of the ticket sales to benefit Wonders & Worries For additional information on 2016 TOUR OF REMODELED HOMES contact our office at (512) 375-2601 or email Kayvon@austinnari.org Advanced tickets $20 Tickets available austinnari.org/tour2016
Austin Thyroid & Endocrinology ENDOCRINOLOGY
is the science of hormones, substances released by glands that regulate every cell in your body, for both men and women. Examples of endocrine diseases: thyroid disease, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and obesity, hirsutism, menopause, pituitary and adrenal pathology, low testosterone in males, andropause and impotence, polycystic ovaries, recurrent kidney stones, irregular or lack of menstrual periods, high and low calcium, diabetes. We provide a comprehensive assessment of your hormone balance, in-house hormone testing, thryoid ultrasound, and bone density testing.
THYROID DISEASE affects thirty million Americans, half of which do not know they have the disease. Examples: hypo and hyperthyroidism, Graves and Hashimoto disease, goiter, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Each person has a different genetic set point for TSH. Thyroid problems require lifelong attention. We are the premiere thryoid clinic in Austin, and offer the latest treatment for thyroid disease, aggressive management of thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine and second opinion consults for thyroid surgery.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR TSH?
HAVE YOU SEEN AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST?
OPTIMAL HEALTH BIOLOGICAL AGE
deals with your health before disease prevention or treatment.
OSTEOPOROSIS
is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis affects one in two women and one in four men over 50 and is generally missed. Bone fracture is the “heart attack” of the bone. New treatments reduce the risk of fracture and build new bone. A bone density test is the only way to test for osteoporosis. We have the latest bone density testing equipment in Texas, and provide instant bone metabolism, medical consultation, and treatment options.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR BONE DENSITY?
Optimal health is the ideal, yet achievable, health of your body as you reach middle age and beyond. Your biological age is a measure of how well your body functions, compared to your actual calendar age. Our specialized equipment allows us to measure and evaluate your biological age, a composite of your brain age, bone age, heart age, and vessel age. We help you achieve your optimal health, a major factor in the quality of your life as you age.
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300 University Blvd., Round Rock, TX 78665 Photography may include models or actors and may not represent actual patients. Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of those medical centers, or Baylor Scott & White Health. ©2016 Baylor Scott & White Health. BSWROUNDROCK_34_2016 SOM
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50
On the cover
on her mark By emily C. Laskowski
58
feature
The Right to Not Remain Silent
Photo by Ptah Quammie.
By Jessica Luther
Contents
Photo courtesy of Murphy O’Brien.
AUGUST
37 on the scene
GOURMET
25 KRISTY’S TOP 10
65 A W TEST KITCHEN
August’s To-do List
savvy women
70 FOOD NEWS
28 c ount us in Women in Numbers 30 let’s taco ’bout it Courtney Santana 32 G IVE BACK Milk + Honey Spa 34 Profile Jamie Dudensing
wellness
MUST LIST 37 D iscover Cabo San Lucas 40 R OUNDUP Summertime Gladness 42 Guilty Pleasure Jarvis Boards
Thinking Outside
the Boxed Lunch
72 F ITNESS 76 H EALTH
Sophisticated Sophia’s
Cardio Medley The Other Eight-hour Job
POINT OF VIEW 78 m emo from JB The Age of Coolness 80 i am austin woman Lone Star State of LGBTQ
style + HOME 44 make room Polishing Up 46 splurge or steal All About Athleisure 48 ACCESSORIZE Don’t Sweat It
14 | Austin Woman | August 2016
on the cover
Photo by Erick Robinson.
ESCAPE
FLORAL CLASSES | SPECIAL DELIVERIES | WEDDINGS
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Volume 14, issue 12 Co-Founder and Publisher Melinda Maine Garvey vice president and Co-Publisher Christopher Garvey associate publisher Cynthia Guajardo Shafer
EDITORIAL Editor Emily C. Laskowski associate Editor April Cumming copy editor Chantal Rice contributing writers
Sierra Bailey, Andrew Barlow, Danielle Garza, JB Hager, Ashley Hargrove, Trinity King, Jessica Luther, Kristy Owen, Natalie Paramore, Gretchen M. Sanders, Hannah Shih, Christine Williams
ART CREATIVE Director Niki Jones ART DIRECTOR Lucy Froemmling ART assistant Megan Bedford CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Errol Anderson, Rudy Arocha, Gerard Castillo, Jessica Frodono, Kevin Garner, Pooneh Ghana, Ashley Hargrove, Korey Howell, Kerri Lohmeier, Dustin Meyer, Chris Nieto, Murphy O’Brien, Natalie Paramore, Ptah Quammie, Annie Ray, Steve Rogers, Erick Robinson, Jessica Wetterer
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Katie Paschall
operations and marketing Operations and Marketing manager
Maggie Rester Operations and Marketing ASSISTANT
Chelsea Bucklew Interns
Daniela Covian, Savannah Fields, Melody He, Trinity King, Danielle Ransom, Hannah Shih, Kylie Smith, Victoria Stowe
Emeritae Co-Founder Samantha Stevens Editors
Deborah Hamilton-Lynne, Mary Anne Connolly, Elizabeth Eckstein Austin Woman is a free monthly publication of AW Media Inc., and is available at more than 1,250 locations throughout Austin and in Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville. All rights reserved. For submission requirements, visit awmediainc.com/contribute. No part of the magazine may be reprinted or duplicated without permission. Visit us online at austinwomanmagazine.com. Email us at info@awmediainc.com. 512.328.2421 • 3921 Steck Ave., Suite A111, Austin, TX 78759
From the Editor
Who? Chamique Holdsclaw, one of the greatest collegiate basketball players in NCAA history. She played for the University of Tennessee under legendary Coach Pat Summitt and helped the Lady Vols win three consecutive National Championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She was a four-time All-American and, in 1998, was one-third of the first-ever trio from one team to be named AllAmericans in one year (along with Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall, aka “the Meeks”). To a girl whose early dreams included being the first woman to play in the NBA, Holdsclaw was the celebrity of celebrities. It was actually my mom who spotted her in the airport and tried to convince my awkwardly shy middle-school self to say hi. Instead, I stood frozen by intimidation as my mom coolly walked up to Holdsclaw, introduced herself, and said something to the tune of, “Our daughters play basketball and our family just loves to watch you play,” as she pointed back toward me. To that, Holdsclaw smiled and waved at me, and I smiled and waved back. (Chamique, if you’re reading this, thank you!) I thought about that memory when Coach Summitt passed away in late June at the age of 64, a few years following her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s. As tributes poured in for the most winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, I found myself crying, no, sobbing. Notice I didn’t say Coach Summitt was the most winningest coach in women’s basketball; with 1,098 wins, she is the most winningest coach in NCAA history—period. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (more
Join the conversation @eclaskowski @austinwoman #IAmAustinWoman
18 | Austin Woman | August 2016
pronouncedly known as Coach K) comes in second. Through 10 years of playing basketball (starting in second grade, when I had to play in the boys’ league because there weren’t enough girls), Coach Summitt, second only to my parents, taught me how to be the best. She inspired me to echo her brand of excellence in endeavors off the court, the same way her players, like Chamique Holdsclaw, did on the court. Role models matter. I grew up in a nice neighborhood with two supportive parents, a straightas-an-arrow older sister and two younger siblings. How life-changing could a role model be to someone who lacks that support system? Sanya Richards-Ross, this month’s luminous cover woman and the athletic celebrity/role model of my college years, hits the nail on the head: “One of the reasons that our kids who are in underserved communities aren’t successful is because they don’t see success. I think in order to be successful, first, you have to see it, believe it, and then you have to go after it. If a kid is never exposed to or has never heard of a neurologist, [then he or she] can never aspire to be it. A lot of times those kids just don’t have any idea that there are opportunities out there.” Seeing role models matters. In the making of this issue, I found myself asking, how can we show kids—young girls included—the opportunities they cannot see?
Sincerely,
EMILY C. LASKOWSKI Editor Photo by Dustin Meyer.
M
y first celebrity sighting was of Chamique Holdsclaw.
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8118 Dental Professionals is a state of the art dental practice serving the Austin and surrounding community for almost 40 years. We offer a wide range of integrated dental solutions ALL under one roof witth services ranging from preventative to restorative dentistry including Invisalign, TMJ treatment, IV Sedation for comfort and Same Day Teeth using dental implants. We provide our patients with convenience and expertise and we stand by our beautiful results.
Jason Carlyon D.D.S.
Tana Busch, D.D.S.
Kevin Deutsch, D.D.S.
Dr. Jason Carlyon graduated from the Texas A&M University biomedical science program in 1997 and received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Baylor College of Dentistry in 2002.
Dr. Tana Busch is recognized as one of the statewide leaders in her profession. Since opening her practice in Austin in 1987, Dr. Busch has dedicated her time and efforts to developing a health-centered and relationshipbased dentistry program.
Dr. Kevin Deutsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He then attended the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, where he graduated with high honors. While in school, he served as president of Pacific’s chapter of the American Dental Education Association.
He takes 30 hours of post-graduate education each year, focusing primarily on prosthodontics and comprehensive care. Jason is a 2012 graduate of the Kois Center in Seattle, Washington, a didactic and clinical program with the latest advances in esthetic, implant and restorative dentistry. He is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Capital Area Dental Society, the Academy of General Dentistry and a fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He is also the past President of the Central Texas Academy of General Dentistry and currently serves on the board. In 2015, Dr. Carlyon was nominated by the Texas Academy of General Dentistry as Dentist of the Year.
Dr. Busch completed her post graduate work at and is a mentor for the esteemed Kois Center for Advanced Comprehensive Restorative Dentistry. She is part of a community of liked minded dentists who are devoted to lifelong learning and continued education. Her pursuit is to offer never ending quality, knowledge and cost effective procedures to her patients. She believes “The Best Dentistry is No Dentistry�. Dr. Busch is honored to be inducted to the American and International College of Dentists. She is also member of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health and has a current preceptorship in heart attack and stroke prevention from the Bale-Doneen method. She also volunteers and serves on the board of directors for Manos de Cristo, a dental program that provides care to members of the Austin community.
After dental school, Dr. Deutsch served as a general dentist in the U.S. Navy where he was given the opportunity to work with specialists in a variety of fields during a one year credentialing tour. Dr Deutsch moved to Texas in 2010, practicing in San Antonio prior to joining 8118 Dental Professionals. Dr. Deutsch has invested heavily in his continuing education to better serve our community. He obtained the training to provide intravenous (IV) sedation to improve comfort for patients with anxiety and those undergoing procedures such as dental implants or wisdom teeth removal.
Together we inspire life changing solutions by providing comprehensive and integrated whole health dentistry.
contributors
This month, we asked our contributors: For which Olympic sport would you most like to qualify?
JESSICA LUTHER
WRITer, “the right to not remain silent,” Page 58
Jessica Luther is an independent writer and investigative journalist living in Austin. Her work on sports and culture has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, The Texas Observer, The Austin Chronicle, Sports Illustrated, Texas Monthly, Vice Sports, Guardian Sport and Bleacher Report. She is the author of Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape, hitting shelves Sept. 6. “I would love to compete in the swimming pool, probably a longer distance like the 400-meter freestyle. I have always loved the pool but, as an adult, I have really come to enjoy the physicality but also the smoothness of the motions of swimming.”
kevin garner
Photographer, “LeT’S Taco ’Bout it,” Page 30
20
Kevin Garner is a freelance photographer in Austin. He holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts with a minor in dance. After working as a stylist at Neiman Marcus, he went on to work with the Aveda artistic team in hair and makeup. Fashion photography is his medium.
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“Having had the incredible opportunity to capture a few of the athletes in the upcoming Olympics in Rio, I have a newfound love and respect for 400-meter running! It’s so dynamic, and their technique is so precise. Definitely 400 meters!”
GRETCHEN M. SANDERS
Writer, “cardio Medley,” page 72
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Gretchen M. Sanders is a writer and multimedia producer in Austin. She has worked in public radio and has a background in social work. This Louisiana native loves to swim and run when she’s not tapping away on her keyboard. She ran the Boston Marathon in 2014 and swam around Manhattan Island several times before that. Lately, she has discovered her inner entrepreneur. In 2015, Gretchen started Audio Archives, an oral-history recording business that helps families capture and preserve the voices and memories of loved ones. “Nadia Comaneci stole my heart with her perfect 10s on the uneven bars and balance beam in the 1976 Olympic Games. I was not alive when her innovative gymnastics stunned the world, but I saw the movie made about her later and it captured my childhood imagination. Nadia remains my idol today. If I could go to the Rio Olympics this summer, then I would win a gold medal in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around Competition the same way Nadia did so many years ago.”
ASHLEY HARGROVE
writer “all about athleisure,” Page 46
DTK Austin Styling Owner Ashley Hargrove is a renowned wardrobe stylist and model who specializes in styling commercial and print advertising. She has recently worked with People Magazine, ESPN, Holiday Inn and many others. Follow her journey on Instagram @dtkaustin. “Soccer! No one knows I played for 15 years.”
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Connect with us! Can’t get enough of this issue? Check us out at austinwomanmagazine.com.
➥More leaps of joy. Judy Richardson, the creator of and backbone behind local nonprofit
Leap of Joy, has spent the past 10 years empowering more than 2,000 at-risk youth to find their rhythm—in the studio and in life—through after-school dance and theater programs.
➥ More music making. Join us as we sit down for a candid chat with Jackie Venson, an Austin-based indie blues guitarist and vocalist. To celebrate the release of her latest album, Jackie Venson Live, due out Sept. 16, she’ll perform at Shady Grove Aug. 25 and Doris Miller Auditorium Aug. 27.
➥ More laughter. Meet Ruby Willmann, the 26-year-old native Austinite and this year’s newly appointed executive producer of the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. With Willmann at the helm, Austin’s oldest independent comedy festival, now in its 15th year, is gearing up for a week of lighthearted fun Aug. 30 through Sept. 5.
Rose district. After all, with new restaurants and bars—the first brick-and-mortar ThaiKun, Jack & Ginger’s Irish Pub and the Vegas-like nightclub The Rose Room among them—this area feels like a piece of downtown living has been brought up North. Need some guidance for where to head first? Consult our updated list of all the latest openings.
➥ More spectating. The thing our world seems to be in dire need of at the moment is a
sense of strength, solidarity and community support. Our writer Trinity King expresses her hopes for coming to a place of peace and finding some common ground when she watches this year’s Summer Olympics.
➥ More self-discovery. A young woman tosses familiar pressures to the wind, ditching plans
to attend law school in order to pursue her true passion: film school. That’s the plot of Katie Cokinos’ first feature film, I Dream Too Much. It’s been more than a year since the film’s premiere at South By Southwest 2015, so, we caught up with the Texas A&M film-program graduate to discuss her directorial debut and what she has up her sleeve for the future.
Don’t miss
Win This!
Austin Woman August Issue Launch Party Aug. 11, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Rose Dental, 1450 W. Parmer Lane facebook.com/austinwoman
Face to Face Spa Gift Basket
Elevate your skin-care routine this month with a Face to Face Spa gift basket valued at $725. The basket includes a botanical revitalizing cleanser, Glo Therapeutics Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, two lip glosses from Jane Iredale, Elta MD 30+ SPF facial sunscreen and a ZO Skin Health renewal kit that includes a hydrating cleanser, exfoliating polish, Oclipse Sunscreen SPF 20, spa slippers, a coffee mug and a $500 gift certificate for any Face to Face Spa service. Face to Face Spa has four locations in Austin.
Austin Fab Ladies Luncheon Aug. 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill, 700 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park, Texas meetup.com/fabulousworkingladiesaustin Texas Women in Business Luncheon Aug. 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Austin Country Club, 4408 Long Champ Drive texaswomeninbusiness.org
#AWFaceIt
Austin Ice Ball Aug. 20, 6 p.m. to midnight Hyatt Regency Austin, 208 Barton Springs Road austiniceball.org
To enter, show @AustinWoman how strong your selfie game is on Instagram using the hashtag #AWFaceIt during the month of August. A winner will be chosen at the end of the month.
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Leap of Joy photo by Gerard Castillo. Jackie Venson photo by Pooneh Ghana. Ruby Willmann photo by Steve Rogers. Win This photo courtesy of Face to Face Spa.
➥ More ribbon cuttings. There’s no doubting the rise in popularity of The Domain’s Rock
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ON THE SCENE kristy’s top 10
August’s to-do list from 365 Things To Do In Austin, Texas. By kristy owen
1
Quesoff VI
Photo courtesy of Quesoff.
Aug. 20, 2 to 5 p.m. The Mohawk, 912 Red River St. facebook.com/events/264268963951695 Calling all cheese connoisseurs: You won’t want to miss the sixth annual Quesoff event at The Mohawk. Here, melted cheese and healthy competition reign supreme. While wellseasoned pros bring their own bags of chips, amateurs can snag a bag onsite for $5. Come hungry and sample the cheesiest offerings from more than 30 queso vendors. Restaurants and top chefs, as well as home cooks, round out the evening in a queso-off competition and go head to head in four categories: meaty, spicy, veggie and wild card. Only one question remains: Whose cheesy concoction will be awarded Best in Show? Admission is free with a donation of two canned goods per person to benefit the Central Texas Food Bank.
austinwomanmagazine.com | 25
2
n the scene
BAT FEST
Austin Ice Cream Festival
kristy’s top 10
Aug. 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. icecreamfestival.org
Aug. 20, 4 p.m. to midnight
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge roadwayevents.com/event/ bat-fest If you’ve lived in Austin for more than 24 hours, chances are you’ve heard of the colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that call the undercarriage of the Congress Avenue Bridge home. Each night, flocks of tourists and locals congregate—some from the sidewalks above, others from kayaks below—to watch the world’s largest urban bat colony (More than 1.5 million bats live under the bridge.) take off on their flight for food. The evening spectacle, made even more impressive when cast against the backdrop of the setting sun, is so tied to Austin’s identity that it’s worthy of an annual celebration. Now in its 12th year, Bat Fest will sport three stages for live music, more than 75 arts-and-crafts booths, lots of food vendors, a bat costume contest and more. Admission is $25. Children 8 and younger get in free.
5
3
Grape stomp
Aug. 6 and 7 and 13 and 14 Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, 1741 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels, Texas drycomalcreek.com/grape-stomp
Pay attention, newlyweds, lovebirds and girl squads. If weekend itineraries without wine have you in a state of heart-pattering panic and duress, take a deep breath. The Dry Comal Creek Vineyards Grape Stomp, now in its 14th year, wants you (and your fellow wine-loving friends) to put your best foot forward. Team up with your significant other or gal pal of choice and take your wine-tasting experience to the next level to see who can collect the most juice by stomping on fresh grapes. Those who crush the most grapes will get their names engraved on a permanent plaque displayed proudly in the winery’s tasting room. Be sure to stick around post-stomp for a hearty taco lunch and a glass (or two) of wine. Tickets start at $145 per couple.
Beat the heat in the sweetest way we know how: with a sugar rush and a brain freeze. Now in its 10th year, the Austin Ice Cream Festival offers kids and kids at heart the opportunity to sample unique ice-cream flavors from Texas-based and national vendors. If the outdoor heat index isn’t enough to make you sweat, maybe a little competition will. Sign up to participate in the homemade-ice-creammaking contest, the Popsicle-stick-sculpture contest or, the most popular of them all, the ice-cream-eating contest, during which participants race to see who can eat a gallon of the sweet stuff the fastest. Tickets are $15. Kids 8 and younger get in free.
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Austin Pride Fashion Show, Festival and Parade
Aug. 20 through 27 Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. austinpride.org
Austin Pride week continues to get bigger and better every year. The festival kicks off Aug. 20 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater with the Werk Fashion Show, featuring a lineup of famous starlet designers from the TV show Project Runway, in addition to a smattering of local designers. Support the LGBTQ community and join in a week of events and festivities, all of which cap off with an evening parade Aug. 27, starting at the Capitol, traveling down Congress Avenue and ending at Republic Square Park. Tickets for the fashion show start at $30. General-admission tickets to the festival start at $17. The parade is free to view.
PAY IT FORWARD
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Aug. 11, 7 to 10 p.m. AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, 1900 University Ave. payitforwardwithdaniel.org Indulge in some of Austin’s renowned cuisine from more than a dozen of the city’s most esteemed chefs during an open-to-the-public dinner benefiting the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. Sip on specialty cocktails from Patrón Spirits Company, Treaty Oak Distillery and The Tipsy Texan as you rock out to a stellar performance from the Austin-rooted, woman-only band The Mrs. This night is all about celebrating good causes and supporting the foundation’s efforts to help community members in need of medical assistance. Tickets start at $75.
2. Photo courtesy of Roadway Productions. 4. Photo courtesy of Austin Ice Cream Festival. 5. Photo courtesy of Austin Pride. 6. Photo courtesy of AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.
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Olympics Watch Party
Aug. 5 through 21, starting at 11 a.m. Third Base Round Rock, 3107 S. IH-35 do512.com/events/2016/8/5/2016-olympicgames-watch-party Just because the economy in Rio de Janeiro is in a downward spiral doesn’t mean your wallet should take a hit when watching this year’s Summer Olympics. Gather your game-watching girlfriends, dress up in your patriotic best and head to Third Base in Round Rock (or to one of the bar’s two other locations) for thirst-quenching beers and Brazilian caipirinhas. Whatever you do, don’t forget to take a celebratory picture in the Olympic-themed photo booth. We can’t all win gold medals, but patrons who tag their photos with their respective Third Base location score free chips and salsa. That’s a win in our book. Admission is free.
7. Photo courtesy of Third Base Round Rock. 9. Photo courtesy of Giant Noise. 10. Photo courtesy of Blue Starlite Drive-in.
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White Linen Night
Aug. 6, 6 to 9 p.m. Second Street District, downtown Austin 2ndstreetdistrict.com
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The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival
Aug. 21, 11 to 5 p.m. Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. austinchronicle.com/hot-sauce
Turn up the heat and test out your taste buds’ burn tolerance at the 26th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. The largest hot-sauce festival in the world, the annual event serves up more than 350 varietals of the spicy stuff and has three levels of competition: individuals (homemade), restaurants and commercial bottlers. Ramble the grounds listening to live music from Dale Watson and Sweet Spirit, catch a live cooking demonstration and smooch samples off hot-sauce vendors, who’ll be dishing up their specialty sauces. Admission is free with a donation of three healthy, nonperishable food items for the Central Texas Food Bank or a $5 cash fee.
Experience the epitome of a downtown Austin block party by strolling the sidewalks of Second Street, Austin’s trendy shopping and dining district. White Linen Night rolls out the red (or should we say white) carpet for its fourth anniversary, featuring a steady stream of bites and libations from some of the city’s hottest downtown restaurants. In addition to live-music accompaniments, there will be free in-store events at some of the more than 50 specialty shops that line the district. Snag a VIP ticket to continue mingling with other community members post-party at The Bonneville. Proceeds from this year’s White Linen Night benefit the Sustainable Food Center. Tickets are $35 for general admission, and $50 for VIP.
Kristy Owen is the event mastermind and blogger behind 365 Things To Do In Austin, Texas. To stay up to date on the best Austin has to offer, visit her blog, 365thingsaustin.com.
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Drive-in Movie Night
Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-in, 1901 E. 51st St. bluestarlitedrivein.com People love to romanticize the past, a hobby that rings especially true when talking about old cars and films. Cure your craving for a dose of the days of lore with a night out at the drive-in. Cozy up on the hood or tailgate of your car, grab a bag of popcorn and an ice-cold Coca-Cola from the concessions stand and let the old-fashioned ambience of projectors, drive-in screens and star-studded night skies take you back in time. This month, be sure to catch screenings of The Goonies and Grease. Car-slot reservations are $15 and admission is $5 per person.
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count us in
women in numbers
Facts and figures on females from throughout the world. By Hannah Shih, illustrations by jessica wetterer
57 Percent
Make some space on the podium, men. According to the nonprofit Running USA, female runners accounted for 57 percent of the 17 million U.S. race finishers in 2015. Nationwide, women made up 44 percent of marathoners and 61 percent of half-marathoners, overtaking the historically maledominated sport of distance running. From improved gear to a stronger emphasis on the social aspects of running, female runners have been ruling the running industry since 2010, when women first surpassed men in the percentage of U.S. race finishers. According to The Wall Street Journal, numbers of women-only running events have plummeted in recent years because, at most races, women are already the majority. Experts at Nike forecast that the sales of its women’s products will double by 2020 as social running organizations like Black Girls Run! and Moms Run This Town continue to make the sport of running more approachable, not only as a form of exercise, but also as a social experience.
52 Years 107
The age of American centenarian Virginia McLaurin, who attended her first major league baseball game this year at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Born in 1909—the year the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed— McLaurin attended the game as part of Black Heritage Day and received a personalized jersey from the Washington Nationals during an honorary ceremony before the game. Age isn’t the only thing the 107-year-old has going for her. A video of McLaurin showing off some dance moves with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama has racked up more than 127,000 views on YouTube.
$28,900,000
The time that has passed since a gymnast, male or female, represented India during the Olympics. Dipa Karmakar is changing that. The 22-year-old is quickly gaining recognition as the first female gymnast from India to qualify for the Olympics in her country’s history. Karmakar clinched her spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics by completing the most difficult vault in gymnastics, the Produnova. (Translation: the vault of death.) As one of only five women in the world to accomplish the feat, Karmakar also set records as the first Indian female gymnast to take home a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a bronze medal at the Asian Gymnastics Championships and a fifth-place finish at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. In short, Karmakar knows how to stick her landing. She is the most decorated Indian gymnast ever.
The amount professional tennis player Serena Williams earned in the last 12 months as the world’s highestpaid female athlete. Williams, the No. 1 ranked player in women’s singles tennis and a 22-time Grand Slam victor, has been at the helm of the tennis arena for the past decade and a half, grossing $77.6 million in career prize money, more than twice as much as any other female athlete. The 34-year-old tennis player boasts more than a dozen brands in her endorsement portfolio, including Nike, Delta Air Lines, Chase and Beats Electronics. Did you know three of the five top-paid female athletes globally are tennis players? Russian tennis icon Maria Sharapova and Polish tennis star Agnieszka Radwanska trail in Williams’ wake.
28 | Austin Woman | august 2016
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The number of times female Nepalese climber Lhakpa Sherpa has successfully summited Mount Everest. A 40-year-old mother of three, Sherpa has climbed Everest more than any other woman in the world, and was also the first woman to summit Everest (in 2000) and make it back down alive. Now an American citizen, she holds two jobs: housekeeping for an in-home health-care service and working as a cashier at 7-Eleven. Always keeping her gaze skyward, Sherpa has her sights set higher as she prepares for her seventh summit of the most treacherous 29,000-foot climb in the world. Her hope: to leave a legacy as the most decorated female climber alive.
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avvy Women
Let’s Taco ’Bout It
Survival Mode
A former Austin Woman cover woman speaks up about the many definitions of domestic violence. photo by kevin garner Six years ago, former Austin Woman cover woman Courtney Santana created the nonprofit Survive2Thrive (survive2thrivefoundation.org) as a tool to connect domesticviolence survivors with resources they need to re-establish their lives—career placement, housing and financial assistance among them. A survivor of domestic violence herself, the established singer and songwriter sat down with Austin Woman Publisher Melinda Garvey to discuss the recent spotlight on sexual assault and why education is the key to change. Melinda Garvey: Remind us what Survive2Thrive does. Is there anything new you’re developing or working on? Courtney Santana: Survive2Thrive specifically supports [domestic-abuse] survivors that are waitlisted. But we also provide education. We use music, fashion, film and visual arts to start conversations and bring awareness to different domestic-violence issues. Right now, we’re partnering with different organizations and different hotels in the area [to provide survivors with temporary housing], and I’m also working to build an advocate network where people can be trained to be advocates for survivors. MG: Being waitlisted, for our readers, is when domestic-abuse victims can’t get into a shelter because there’s no room, and sometimes, they end up going back to their abusers because it’s too stressful and emotional to get out. CS: It’s easier just to stay in the violence. ... It’s easier just to deal with the situation. It’s easier to deal with the violence than it is to rebuild your
life, to come up with thousands of dollars to relocate, to come up with a new job, to put your kids in new schools. It’s just easier. We want to create a network so [these women] don’t feel like easier is better, because it’s not better. Their quality of life is always going to be compromised as long as they’re in a violent home, right? So, let’s build something so that they automatically [think to themselves], ‘This is a better option. I know I can do this.’ Between the advocacy work and creating these resources, I think that [Survive2Thrive] can actually start effecting some permanent change, as opposed to putting a Band-Aid on [the situation] and saying, ‘Well, hopefully you don’t go back.’ If you feel self-sustained, then you won’t go back, I promise. I didn’t go back for that exact reason. MG: With your nonprofit and as a survivor yourself, you have such a keen perspective on the issue as a whole. Would you consider campus sexual assault as another vein of domestic violence? CS: Domestic violence has traditionally been seen as physical abuse. We’re not even talking about mental abuse, emotional abuse or verbal abuse. I think it’s a pivoting thought that sexual assault and campus violence is a form of domestic violence, but if you think about the word “domestic” as whatever happens at home—and it’s a form of violence and abuse— sexual assault and campus violence happen to be those things. For the [Survive2Thrive] Foundation, it’s really important for us to educate about all the different types of abuse because we want to start talking about it in a way that people will self-identify. So, if we talk about financial abuse and start giving the signs and the red flags for it, then people will start to say, ‘OK, yeah, I’ve been experiencing something like that.’ Then, if we
Courtney Santana and Melinda Garvey enjoy tacos and a chat at Gloria’s Latin Cuisine.
30 | Austin Woman | august 2016
talk about sexual assault on campus…a child comes home for spring break and tells her parents, ‘I’ve experienced that myself. Mom, my roommate experienced that.’ There is a connection between [these different forms of abuse], so, we need to continue to talk about it. I think conversation is what’s ultimately going to change the way we view it and maybe even be the end of it. MG: It seems like we’re always educating girls on how to protect themselves, but we’re not necessarily educating the men on how to protect women. CS: Yeah, and it’s really necessary for us to educate our boys. I think the root of domestic violence is changing the mindset of the source of the abuse, which, most of the time, is men. We need to start having that conversation with our boys. I have that conversation with my son all the time. He doesn’t like it, but we have the conversation. I say, ‘How would you handle it?’ and he goes, ‘Mom, honestly, I don’t know.’ I think we should take away those questions. People want to help, but they don’t know how. MG: The issue of sexual assault is so prevalent. We’re hearing about it on the news all the time, yet all we’re seeing is the bad examples of how people and how university administrations have handled it poorly. We’re not seeing those positive teaching examples. CS: And, you know, that’s what we’re trying to do with Survive2Thrive: to drive the education and to have the conversation so we can come up with solutions to this problem. You see all the media hype behind what happened in Stanford and what happened in Baylor. But there are still kids being sexually assaulted on campuses. Today, somebody’s going to get sexually assaulted. So, we’ve talked about it and it’s really easy to get caught up in the fervor of it, but if you’re not creating solutions and plans to deal with it that are realistic and that we can teach, then it’s never going to change. I think that’s important. We have to create a system that [influences] change. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Snapshot Who: Courtney Santana, founder of Survive2Thrive Foundation Number of times she hits snooze in the morning: “Three to four times, at least.” How she takes her coffee: “One cream, one Splenda.” Her #socialmedia scene: “Facebook.” On her nightstand: “A tray of shells from Cape Cod and Catalina Island, some sage, a Band-Aid, some eye-cooling patches, my Bluetooth stereo and a pair of gold earrings.” The best career advice she’s ever received: “In every career choice you have, you will run into difficult personalities and you need to learn to persevere and push through. Iron sharpens iron.” Alternate profession she would like to attempt: “I would love to be a photojournalist and travel the world, sharing pictures of different cultures, world issues and beautiful spots around the globe with everyone.” Her role model: “I very much admire Maya Angelou. She is someone I have read and followed since I was little. Her eloquence and real view of life spoke to me in so many ways.” Words to live by: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” – Maya Angelou
PINDROP Gloria’s latin cuisine 3309 Esperanza Crossing, 512.833.6400, gloriascuisine.com
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GIVE BACK
Austin Gives With Milk + Honey
For Founder and Owner Alissa Bayer, there’s nothing more important than investing time in the community that supports her. If there’s one thing at which Alissa Bayer could claim superiority, it’s ensuring the relaxation of others. As the owner of Austin-based Milk + Honey Spa, Bayer knows her entire career revolves around catering to and satisfying the comfort needs of her new and returning spa patrons, a people-pleasing skill it’s safe to say she’s mastered. Milk + Honey first opened the doors of its downtown location in 2006. What started as a five-treatment spa has since grown to include two spa locations (The second is in the Hill Country Galleria.) and four salons in Austin, as well as one spa and salon in Houston. Bayer discovered the wonders of urban spa culture firsthand when she lived in San Francisco and New York. A few months after moving to Austin for college, she realized how much she missed the ease and availability of having these full-service spas at her fingertips. Before she had graduated from the University of Texas’ business school, Bayer became determined to recreate that “luxurious, personal and relaxing spa experience” right here in Austin. Since she greeted her first customer, Bayer has strived to create a relaxing environment and provide a truly exceptional experience for her clients. On top of ensuring their comfort, Bayer and her team of “spa partisans” make a point to educate their clients on the benefits of using clean, non-toxic ingredients in their beauty routines. Most recently, the Milk + Honey team debuted an organic bath-and-body product line and is set to release a healthy skin-care line soon. While the company has seen a welcome amount of growth and change throughout the years, Bayer’s No. 1 goal for every client who comes through the doors remains the same: “that they leave feeling relaxed, beautiful and excited about their next visit.” On par with Bayer’s love for her company is her dedication to giving back to the Austin community. “Austin is my home. So, it only makes sense to me to give back and try to touch others in a positive way,” Bayer says. In the past 10 years, Milk + Honey has focused its philanthropic efforts on the organizations its employees are most passionate about. Through its Partisan Outreach Program, or POP, Milk + Honey’s internal team and employees are encouraged to allocate time on a monthly basis to volunteer with a local charity of their choice. Some are partial to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a company that provides food and clothing to Austin’s homeless, while others enjoy spending their volunteer hours visiting with the homeless dogs and cats at Austin Pets Alive! One of Bayer’s favorite nonprofits to work with is Girlstart, an organization focused on encouraging young girls to pursue their interests in the fields of math, science and technology. Every year, Milk + Honey employees volunteer at the annual Girlstart luncheon, and this year, Bayer and her husband are the honorary cochairs of the event. The success her spa and salon have seen in the past decade wouldn’t be possible, Bayer says, if Austin residents hadn’t been the first to embrace her and her business with open arms. Giving back to the community that supports her is the least she can do in return, she says. “Volunteering not only positively impacts a life or mission,” Bayer says. “It also directly affects the community in which we are a part.” One of the current projects Bayer is working on involves putting philanthropic and community-outreach plans in place for her Houston employees. “My business,” she emphasizes, “is only successful if everyone wins: our employees, our clients, our vendors and our community.” 32 | Austin Woman | august 2016
{
Milk + Honey is a member of Austin Gives, an organization dedicated to highlighting businesses for doing good. In its four-year existence, Austin Gives has aggregated almost 400 Austin-area companies that have made the commitment to donate at least 1 percent of their annual earnings to charity. To learn more about Austin Gives, visit austin.gives.
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Photo by Korey Howell.
By Trinity King
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PROFILE
Making a Healthier Texas
From delivering babies to improving health care, Jamie Dudensing is committed to making lives better. by andrew barlow
In her former role as the Texas Capitol nurse, Jamie Dudensing doled out flu shots and basic care for everyone from governors to freshmen legislators and Capitol staffers. She also treated a frequent but little-known problem for visitors to the Capitol grounds: squirrel bites. Much later, as a health-care policy expert, she would treat another set of headaches with a different kind of medicine: negotiation and compromise. Dudensing was born in Sweetwater, Texas, and grew up surrounded by practicing nurses—her mother, grandmother and aunt—so, her original career path was no surprise. After working her way through college and earning her nursing degree from Texas Tech, Dudensing began practicing as a labor-anddelivery nurse at Covenant Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. “I loved my time as a labor-and-delivery nurse. It’s challenging but rewarding work,” Dudensing says. “I do think back to my days as a practicing nurse and remember that I was always the person asking, ‘Why do we do it this way?’ ”
34 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Photo PhotobybyA.E. Kerri Fletcher. Lohmeier.
It’s a phrase she’s uttered often: “Trust me, Governor, this won’t hurt a bit.”
That curiosity didn’t just apply to her daily nursing tasks; Dudensing also had an increasing interest in state and national health-care policy. Even as she learned the hands-on side of the profession, she stayed in tune with political developments in Austin and Washington, D.C. That broad interest fueled a chance conversation with then Speaker of the Texas House Pete Laney, which led her to Austin. Their paths crossed 16 years ago at a Covenant Hospital event. Clearly impressed by her grasp of health-care policy, Laney told Dudensing about a job opening for a Texas Capitol nurse. Within weeks, Dudensing applied, interviewed and got the job caring for the members and staff of the Texas Legislature. The halls of the Texas Capitol were the perfect place for Dudensing to apply her practical skills as a nurse while learning the ins and outs of the legislative process. “Here I was, in the Capitol, surrounded by all the policymakers and political leaders, and I realized my real passion was for public policy and making things better in health care from the inside out,” she recalls. With her true calling taking shape, Dudensing decided to take a big risk. “I’ll admit I was a little intimidated at the prospect of making such a big career change so soon after earning my nursing degree, but I’m so glad I made the transition,” she says. “I tell female friends all the time, ‘If you’re not sure you’re doing what you’re really passionate about, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and explore what else is out there. The best career for you might be something you haven’t even considered yet.’ ” Dudensing left her position as the Capitol nurse to pursue a master’s degree in public policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She faced her fair share of skeptics when she returned to the Capitol wearing a suit instead of a nurse’s uniform. “Having known me as the Capitol nurse, some couldn’t grasp the concept of crossing over from medicine into the legislative world,” she says. “I walked the Capitol halls for days, going door to door with my resume until I found someone who believed my background was not a hindrance but actually an asset.” Dudensing’s first legislative position was budget analyst for the House Appropriations Committee. “Working those incredibly long hours on the budget was a great way to learn the real mechanism of how health policy is actually made,” she says. Her work caught the eye of then Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who recruited her in 2005 to serve as a policy and budget advisor. Later, she would be promoted to serve as the lieutenant governor’s policy director and deputy chief of staff. During her time at the Capitol, she honed her signature style, identifying high-reaching goals, engaging in rigorous preparation and research, and bringing a competitive spirit to the public-policy arena. “I learned pretty quickly that the keys to success in this world are a mix of compromise, innovation and perseverance,” Dudensing says. “When you feel strongly about something, you have to be willing to take risks. I have never shied away from a debate and still don’t.” Some of her proudest achievements include advocating for expanding
access to services related to the detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers, expanding access to substance-abuse services for pregnant women with Medicaid coverage and expanding access to mental-health services. In 2014, the Texas Association of Health Plans named Dudensing its CEO, empowering her to represent the state’s major commercial health insurers and Medicaid health plans. Dudensing quickly got to work transforming what had been a relatively small-scale association into a comprehensive government-relations and consumer-advocacy organization. The transition from Capitol staffer to advocate had its share of challenges. “I was so used to working behind the scenes that I had to learn an entirely new approach that included tackling one of my biggest fears, public speaking. Fortunately, we have a great team at TAHP that helps me prepare for the hearings, meetings and events in which we make our case for a health-care system that is more affordable, transparent and understandable,” she says. As CEO, Dudensing is now a regular witness at Texas Senate and House committee hearings, a resource for local and national media reporting on health care, and a frequent guest speaker at public events and conferences. After almost two years on the job, Dudensing has guided TAHP to a place of greater influence and respect in the conversations about health-care issues in Texas. Chief among those issues are the push for greater transparency in the health-care system, reforms to bring down skyrocketing prescription-drug costs, empowering consumers to challenge surprise medical bills and enacting measures to save taxpayer dollars while strengthening and modernizing the Texas Medicaid program for Texans in need. Just as she did as a nursing student, Dudensing is driven by the simple questions: Why are we doing it this way? Can we do it better? And just as she did when she went to work as a nurse, she follows her passion to secure greater access to quality health care for all Texans. When she’s not busy raising her 7-year-old son, Hank, with her husband, Mac, Dudensing loves to garden (Tomatoes are her specialty.), travel and explore Austin in search of new restaurants. “I am so lucky to have worked with so many strong, capable women, building professional relationships that have turned into wonderful, lasting friendships. The political world is a tough one and it takes strong relationships to succeed,” Dudensing says. “It can also still very much be a boys’ club, and I am in debt to a number of strong female leaders and mentors who helped me along the way. Their example inspires me to share the lessons they taught me with young women who are just getting started at the Capitol. It’s so important for women to help each other succeed, build each other up and encourage each other to find careers or passions in life that are truly fulfilling.” All those careers may not offer the chance to give the state’s chief executive a flu shot, but they can make the world a better place.
“I learned pretty quickly that the keys to success in this world are a mix of compromise, innovation and perseverance. When you feel strongly about something, you have to be willing to take risks. I have never shied away from a debate and still don’t.”
austinwomanmagazine.com | 35
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MUST LIST The Other Cabo
Infamous for beaches bombarded each year with boisterous spring-breakers, the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, has an unexpected surprise up its sleeve: It’s got a quiet side. by april cumming Auberge Resort on the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. So, let’s start after you’ve told your friends, family and coworkers where you’re headed, after you’ve received all the suggestive nods and implicit winks more suited for a highschool senior planning a devil-may-care spring break. Let’s start at the beginning.
Photo courtesy of Murphy O’Brien.
There’s a beauty to traveling abroad, even if it is just to Baja California, Mexico. Every new experience and each new encounter feels heightened. You exist outside your comfort zone and, perhaps because of that, you feel alive. It’s debatable what your most memorable moment will be after your stay at Esperanza, a five-star, all-inclusive
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ust List
discover
Rendezvous
Relax
Stepping out of the airport, spot your chauffeur and be whisked into the dry heat that is Baja’s desert climate. Notice the lack of sweat streaming down your back and smile. The arid weather here is a welcome change from the double-punch punishment of Austin’s heat and humidity. Spot a complimentary facecloth resting stoically in the backseat consul of your driver’s Cadillac, and quickly unravel the cool, chamomile-scented godsend across your face. The past few hours of airport insanity—customs and security, anyone?—fade away as you gregariously exchange basic Spanish phrases with your driver, Enrique. “Hoy, el agua mira mas turquesa,” he says fluidly. (Today, the water looks more turquoise.) Glancing out the tinted window, you’re entranced by chalky beige kissing cobalt blue: the dry desert meeting the glistening Sea of Cortez. The road from the airport to the resort parallels the curvatures of the coastline, giving you a surveyor’s view of a case study in contrast. A pod of resort attendants greets you upon arrival. It’s a sea of hands. One takes your bags, one greets you and another promptly hands you a salt-rimmed frozen margarita.
Safely delivered to your casita, sneak a peek at your watch. With half an hour to kill before you’re expected for your Tropical Essence massage (and foot scrub!) at the spa, continue to sip on the aforementioned margarita as you ramble about your room, checking off priorities. Espresso machine for all hours of the day? Check. Bathroom mirrors framed with radiant lights the Kardashian clan would envy? Check. Yoga mat in the closet? Check. Private outdoor terrace with your own personal hot tub? Check and check. Robe ties strewn carelessly around your waist, you stroll through the palm-tree-studded property in search of the placid koi pond that marks the entrance to the spa. The world and all its stressors slip away once you cross over the pond’s narrow, drawbridgelike path. Post-massage, lounge by the splash pool in the secluded, shaded patio. As you sip on a cold, blended concoction of cantaloupe and horchata, ponder which outfit you’ll wear to tonight’s five-course dinner.
Replenish
Rest Have you ever heard the saying, “Doing nothing is exhausting”? Maybe it’s the crisp, coastal air or that second glass of port wine you ordered after dinner, but it’s a statement that rings especially true in Cabo. The only activity you’re interested in doing after dinner is reaching for the blackout curtains and crawling into bed like you’re a caterpillar getting situated in the comfort of her cocoon. Consider for a moment how being hugged by plush bedding is almost as nice as being hugged by a human. OK, fine, you confess: It’s actually much better. 38 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Photos courtesy of Murphy O’Brien and April Cumming.
Sometimes, challenges in life can be a good thing. For example, the challenge to keep your gaze from drifting to the waves hissing, crashing and retreating below as you dine cliffside on seafood-centric dishes of scallop soup, leopard-grouper ceviche and tortilla corn salad—all accompanied by flowing glasses of vino. The culinary program here, which includes a grand total of six restaurants, is helmed by esteemed Executive Chef Guillermo Gomez, and touts meals that are just as postcard picturesque as the property’s views.
Rejuvenate
Reflect
Mark Your Calendar
Speaking of hugging, lining both sides of the resort is something other resort properties on the peninsula can’t lay claim to: two private, vendor-free, white-sand beaches. When Odile, a Category 4 hurricane, pilfered the Baja California Peninsula in September 2014, none of the area’s resorts survived without enduring some sort of damage. In the aftermath, Esperanza underwent a massive renovation, which means everything from the sprawling beaches and casitas to the oceanside restaurants and pool areas look brand new. Squeeze in a morning stand-up paddleboard yoga session and spend the majority of your afternoon languidly half-submerged in the glistening infinity pool. As you casually shift between watching deep-sea fishing boats disappear on the horizon and chatting with a couple who’s also, serendipitously, on vacation from Austin, a thought comes to mind. You wave over the margarita butler for another round.
Before you slip beneath the sheets, place a breakfast room-service order from the bedside iPad-cum-electronicconcierge. You’ll thank yourself the next morning as, seated al fresco, you slowly stir a splash of cream into your coffee and break off a sugar-dusted morsel of pan dulce (sweet bread). Take a moment to lose your train of thought, to listen to the sound of the rustling palm fronds that tower above, to watch as the hummingbirds flit between one billowing magenta bougainvillea bush to the next. What would life be like, you ponder, if you just happened to miss your flight home?
Late January through March: whale watching. Every winter, pods of gray whales migrate from the Pacific waters of Alaska and Siberia to birth their calves in the warm waters off the coast of Baja. Rumor has it that you can spot whales in the Sea of Cortez without leaving Esperanza’s infinity pool.
Revel As you retreat to your casita, don’t be alarmed if you’re taken aback by a spontaneous crackle and boom. Rightly so, the property is a prime destination for beach weddings, meaning a fireworks show over the sea to cap off the festivities is in order. Curl up on your patio—lined with flickering hurricane candles, pre-lit as part of the turndown service—to enjoy the spectacle.
Mid-October through December: deep-sea sport fishing. The deep-water canyons off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, paired with the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez, make for prime striped-marlin fishing territory.
Getting There Unless you plan to travel by private jet, there are no direct flights from AustinBergstrom International Airport to Cabo San Lucas. (A girl can dream!) Daily flights to Cabo regularly route from Austin through Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth. Pro tip: The best time of the week to scout out a good deal on airfare is Tuesdays, when airlines update their ticket prices en masse. Average roundtrip airfare tends to hover at about $400 per person.
About the Resort Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, overlooks the Sea of Cortez in Cabo San Lucas and offers an incomparable natural setting on 17 lush acres. Enjoy dining on delicious sea-to-table fare, practice your swing at one of five championship-level golf courses nearby or get your sweat on at beach boot-camp class before retreating to the awardwinning restorative spa. Pro tip: Guests who book a stay before Dec. 18 get their fourth night free.
Photo Photo courtesy courtesy of of Murphy Murphy O’Brien. O’Brien.
esperanza.aubergeresorts.com
austinwomanmagazine.com | 39
M
ust List
roundup
summertime gladness
These must-have goodies are in our rotation for the month of August. by AW Staff Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed Paperback, $15.95, available at Book People, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., bookpeople.com
Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream by Sunday Riley $65 for a 1.7-ounce jar, available at Sephora, sephora.com
Yogitoes Waterfall Midnight skidless mat-size yoga towel $64, available at CorePower Yoga, 3210 Esperanza Crossing,
Caymen Account signature cocktail Lunch on the Fly at Trace $12 per person for a gourmet entree, one side and a homemade cookie to go (includes complimentary valet for three hours)
$11, available at 77 Degrees, 11500 E. Rock Rose Ave., 77-degrees.com
Trace at the W Austin Hotel, 200 Lavaca St., traceaustin.com
l ona Nati Day Rum g. 16! is Au
40 |  Austin Woman |  august 2016
Lunch on the Fly photo by Jessica Frodono. Caymen Account photo by April Cumming.
corepoweryoga.com
JO HYMAN ART
Franzetti Jewelers, Custom Designing Unique Engagement Rings in Austin Since 1987. Visit Our Showroom Venetian Plaster on wood panel
512-801-8503 • WWW.JOHYMANART.COM
Franzetti
Franzetti Jewelers 512.450.1121 3707 Kerbey Lane • Austin, Texas 78731 FranzettiJewelers.com
M
ust List
Guilty Pleasure
Get on Board
Next time you hit the water, make sure to stand out in style. by april cumming
While the water of Lady Bird Lake may not be the clearest on any given sunny Saturday afternoon, skim the surface and it’s clear to see that the leisure activity of stand-up paddleboarding, or SUP, is king. Set yourself apart from the hoards of paddlers—and draw some wide-eyed, covetous stares in return—by standing on a lightweight, custom-made wood paddleboard. When Tony Smith founded his Austinbased company, Jarvis Boards, he wasn’t aiming to create an empire; he simply wanted to build himself a canoe. Now an established entrepreneur and wood whisperer, Smith spends the majority of his time crafting out of his East Austin shop. One of five different board designs, all of which are named after Texas rivers, the Rio-Grande is proof that great things happen when wood meets water. “The Rio-Grande is made for Austin’s waterways,” Smith says of the board. “It’s stable enough for the new paddler, it’s fast on the big lakes and rivers for endurance paddling and it’s stable enough for yoga.” Rio-Grande Paddleboard $1,975 jarvisboards.com
made for Austin’s waterways. It’s stable enough for the new paddler, it’s fast on the big lakes and rivers for endurance paddling and it’s stable enough for yoga. —Tony Smith 42 | Austin 42 Woman | Austin| Woman august 2016 | august 2016
”
Photo by Chris Nieto.
“The Rio-Grande is
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ome
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Polishing Up
Step up your home’s sophistication with a sleek entryway. By emily c. laskowski
The clean and crisp lines created by a classic black-andwhite color combination inject a suitable amount of panache within any home. That was the idea behind this silky-smooth entryway designed by Brooke Wilbratte and Meredith Lamme of The Décor House, the Austin-based,
full-service design firm. By equipping rooms with simple shapes, personal curios and those impeccable paint choices, this design duo has perfected the art of making a fabulous first (interior) impression. Luckily, Austin Woman sought out Wilbratte and Lamme to explain just how easy that can be.
Paint Picks
White Dove (OC-17), benjaminmoore.com
Black (2132-10), benjaminmoore.com
In This Room ra gate decorative box from West Elm
r custom lacquered console table r Arteriors Tennyson stools rB uddha object from Allan Knight Showroom rz ebra photograph by Brent Humphreys r artwork from Paris flea market r antler object from flea market r dog lithograph by Joe Andoe
44 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Photos courtesy of The Décor House.
r l amp from Allan Knight Showroom
Keep It Simple
“” The first thing we tell clients to do in any room is edit, edit, edit. Most people have far too much clutter in their homes. We tell our clients to get their clutter in control, especially in the entryway. Don’t let it become a gathering spot for shoes, backpacks, mail, etc. You can select furniture pieces, baskets, benches or stools with storage to help accomplish this. —Meredith Lamme
“We like the simple shape of a Parsons console table, which gives a really clean look. Use baskets or stools under console tables to add depth and texture. For a monochromatic look, add texture with linens, velvets and sisals.” —Meredith Lamme
Be Yourself
“Display an unusual object to keep things interesting, and layer in personal objects, such as the Buddha head, to make the house feel like a home. It should be a reflection of you and your personal style. We love including treasures and family heirlooms in décor.” —Brooke Wilbratte
Add Variation
“It’s important for the eye to bounce around so that it doesn’t get bored. Add height by using books or boxes beneath some objects and place other items at lower levels too to maintain that visual interest.” —Brooke Wilbratte
Get the Look
Braba Brand skulls brababrand.com
Brooke Wilbratte and Meredith Lamme
Arteriors Ridley lamp shopcandelabra.com Redford House Morris console table laylagrace.com
austinwomanmagazine.com | 45
S
tyle
Splurge or Steal
All About Athleisure
Spend or save on the go-to look for relaxed Austin living. written and modeled by Ashley Hargrove photos by Annie Ray
Between outdoor hikes on the Greenbelt and the casual, comfortable nature of Austin’s work environment, the rising popularity of the “athleisure” style—athletic clothes that double as leisure wear—fits nicely into Austin’s well-known, low-key vibe. The key to making it work is in the layering. Find options that can handle the scorching heat outside and still bear the arctic air conditioning inside. Thankfully, in a fit city like this one, finding options, whether extravagant or economical, will never make you break a sweat.
MCM black aviator sunglasses, $296 Pam & Gela Frankie tank, $125 Frederique Constant horological smartwatch, $1,295 Rag & Bone mini pilot black leather backpack, $595 AYR woven cotton button-down shirt, $125 Free People turnout leggings, $88 Paul Green Hermosa sneakers, $339 S'ip by S'well sugar skull water bottle, $24.99 Sunglasses, tank, backpack, button-down shirt, leggings and sneakers available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com. Smartwatch available at Bailey Banks & Biddle, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.9100, baileybanksandbiddle.com. Water bottle available at Target stores, target.com.
$2,888 46 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Anna black sunglasses, $22 Express tank, $12.99 Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch, $379 Topshop textured faux leather backpack, $68 H&M long-sleeve gray shirt, $24.99 Lookbook Store black turnout leggings, $15 Adidas Core Grace Fade sneakers, $69.95 Aladdin water bottle, $8.99 Sunglasses available at Ily Couture, ilycouture.com. Tank available at Express, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.328.0662, express.com. Smartwatch, backpack and sneakers available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com. Long-sleeve gray shirt available at H&M, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 855.466.7467, hm.com. Leggings available at lookbookstore.co. Water bottle available at Target stores, target.com.
$601 austinwomanmagazine.com |  47
S
tyle
accessorize
Helene Jewels Harlen vintage worn-glass circle pendant, $60, helenejewels.com. Helene Jewels Marissa layered leather and multistone necklace, $65, helenejewels.com. Helene Jewels Hayden turquoise dotten chain and druzy pendant, $125, helenejewels.com. Helene Jewels Emily petite leather tassel pendants, $75 each, helenejewels.com.
Cassandra Collections Peri 14-karat goldfill earrings with turquoise spike, $225, cassandracollections.com. Psyche Jewelry Shaman’s ring, $68, psyche-jewelry.com. Pharao Turkish Delights, Eos and Copia bracelets, $48 to $85, pharaojewelry.com. Jessy Made assorted vintage African trade bracelets, $110 to $400, jessymade.com.
Don’t Sweat It
Beat the heat in summer’s breeziest baubles from Austin’s own designers. BY Sierra Bailey
August in Austin is a tricky time of year to look your finest as you stroll outside into sweltering, triple-digit temperatures. Necklaces become your worst nightmare, sticking to sweaty skin and becoming downright unbearable. But by no means is this a suggestion to forgo adorning yourself with bright baubles.
48 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Instead, let jewelry that touches as little skin as possible steal the spotlight. We’re looking at you, big, beautiful earrings and pretty-aspunch cocktail rings! Now is the time for fun colors, shoulder dusters, unusual materials and bright stones that demand attention without inspiring excessive perspiration.
Photo by Ptah Quammie.
50
ONHER
MARK For the better part of a decade, Sanya Richards-Ross ran the women’s 400-meter race faster than anyone else. She clinched gold at the London Olympics in 2012 and bronze in Beijing in 2008. This year, after injury prevented her from qualifying for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the elite athlete-turned-business-woman told Austin Woman about coming home to Central Texas and taking her biggest leap yet. By Emily C. Laskowski
T
he historic Hayward Field, the University of Oregon’s nearly 100-year-old track-and-field stadium in Eugene, Ore., holds a special place in the hearts of competitive runners. Elite track-and-field athletes return year after year to compete at this track mecca, the one iconic distance runner Steve Prefontaine called home. July 1, it kicked off the first day of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field, and four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross lined up at the blocks.
She is no stranger to this track. Competing here throughout her celebrated career, Richards-Ross broke the stadium record in the 400-meter event, her signature race, four years ago at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, with a time of 49.28 seconds, a time that also vanquished a 22-year-old Olympic Trials record. She would go on to claim victory in London, earning herself a gold medal in what insiders of the sport hailed as a long-time-coming, well-deserved, career-pinnacle type of moment. Now, on the first day of the trials, Richards-Ross, at 31-years-old, looks like the same woman who stood atop the podium in London four years ago. She’s pulled her long, fashionably braided locks back, away from the warm yet striking features of her face. Aside from the black physio tape bandaged across her right hamstring, her body looks as though it were cast from liquid power. Not even the skin-tight Spandex uniform can humble the pristine definition and fluid contours of each pulsing muscle, the result of two decades of incalculable work ethic. She settles her white Nikes into the blocks of lane two. She must finish in the top three of this heat to advance to the semi-final round of qualifications. A voice over the speaker system silences the stadium with one word, “Set.” And then the gun goes off.
Born in Jamaica, Richards-Ross started running when she was just 7 years old.
“I knew Sanya had something special since she was 9 years old,” recalls her mother, Sharon Richards. “At the starting line of a 60-meter dash, Sanya stepped backwards at the sound of the gun. With less than 2 meters to go, she was two steps behind the leader, but dug deep within herself to propel herself forward and win the whole race in a photo finish.” At the age of 12, Richards-Ross and her family moved to Florida, and her track career blossomed. In 2002, as a high-school senior in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., she became the USA Junior 400-meter champion and was named the Gatorade National High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. In 2003, she enrolled at the University of Texas and turned heads when she became the NCAA 400-meter champion as a freshman. She would turn pro during her sophomore year in 2004, and compete at her first Olympics that summer in Athens, Greece, where she won her first gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay. To say her career has been merely a success would be an egregious error. She has exceeded the baseline benchmarks for success, having competed and won at the highest level of her sport for more than 10 years. In addition to being a six-time USA Outdoor 400-meter champion (in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012), the 2009 World Outdoor 400-meter champion and the 2012 World Indoor 400-meter champion, Richards-Ross has also twice received the Jesse Owens Award, USA Track and Field’s highest honor, and twice been named the World Athlete of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federations, an award that’s also been bestowed upon the likes of Usain Bolt and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. 52 | Austin Woman | August 2016
Since collecting her first gold medal in Athens, Richards-Ross has tallied two more gold medals in the 4x400-meter relay (one each in Beijing and London), a bronze medal in the 400-meter race (in Beijing) and her treasured gold in the 400 meters in London. Topping off her bursting medal collection, she also holds the American record in the 400 meters, her name etched in the record books beside superstars of the sport like Florence Griffith Joyner and Michael Johnson, emblazoned on a list of athlete names to which future generations of elite track-and-field athletes will be compared.
A t the start of this year’s track season, Richards-Ross
announced her plans to retire following this year’s Olympics. She hoped the games in Rio would be her swan song, a chance for her to compete in her fourth Olympics and defend her title in the 400 meters, something no American woman has done before. “For me, I feel like after 20 years of running, it will be great to culminate with success in the Olympics one more time,” she told Austin Woman in May, less than two months before the Olympic trials. “That’s my ultimate goal.” Following the announcement of her impending retirement, adoration and admiration flooded in from her compatriots and contemporaries.
“I was in a press conference with a couple of my teammates, Justin Gatlin and Carmelita Jeter and Natasha Hastings, and one of the reporters asked them to say a few things on my retirement,” remembers RichardsRoss. “Justin was so gracious to say how he’s admired my career for so long, from [the University of Texas] until now, and the impact I’ve had on the sport, both on and off the track, and just how much they’re going to miss me on the track. I got a little bit emotional. … Many of my teammates came up and told me how much they’ve admired and respected me over the years, and wished me well this season. That meant a lot for me.” Though easy to link Richards-Ross’ public persona back to those colossal athletic achievements, her friends, family and fans know she has plenty of plans beyond the track.
Photo by Errol Anderson.
Previous photo: Vince Camuto Glacier Dreams top, $89, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com; turquoise necklace, $9.90, available at Forever 21, 3409 Esperanza Crossing, 512.719.3988, forever21.com. This page: Harper & Liv Riviera Rally sleeveless top, $69; Chelsea & Theodore beige cardigan, $84, available at Dillard’s, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.327.6100, dillards.com; jeans, model’s own. Next page: Vince Camuto Retro Riviera top, $109, available at Dillard’s, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.327.6100, dillards.com; Beaded by W tassel necklace, $48, available at beadedbyw.com.
austinwomanmagazine.com | 53
Photo by Errol Anderson.
54 | Austin Woman | August 2016
While at the University of Texas,
then Sanya Richards met her future husband, Aaron Ross. A gifted athlete himself, Ross played cornerback for the 2005 National Champion Texas Longhorns football team, received the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the nation’s best collegiate defensive back, and went on to win two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Together, the pair embodies a modern-day power couple, with Ross proudly acknowledging where he stands in certain friendly, athletic, husband-wife competitions. “To be honest, I think I’m faster in the [40-yard dash], but anything after that, she has it,” Ross told the NFL Network in 2012. “In the 40, I can get her. In the 100, I might need to lean at the line. In the 200, I’m pretty sure she’ll beat me. And in the 400, she’ll murder me. I wouldn’t even bother getting on the track.” The couple married in 2010 in Austin, but their plans for a life together had taken seed years before. “After Ross became professional, in 2006 or in 2007, his first year in New York, even when we bought a place in New York, we realized we never wanted to give up our home in Austin,” says Richards-Ross, who endearingly calls her husband by his last name. “I think we decided then that Austin would always be our home. … For sure, by 2012, we had a couple of discussions about the fact that we wanted to raise our family in Austin. My sister lives in Austin, my mom and dad moved from Florida and came to Austin, Ross’ family lives in Pflugerville… and so, we’re all so close.” The city that bleeds burnt orange loves to praise members of its extended Texas Longhorn athletics family, especially those who have chosen to call Austin home. For Richards-Ross, the feeling is mutual. “When I first came to Austin (I’ll never forget my visit.), I was on campus and around campus, and everyone said hi. There was this kind of down South, warm feeling where people were just so friendly. That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about Austin. I feel like it’s a city, but it doesn’t feel like New York City. It’s not fast-paced, but you can get everything you need. You can go down to Lake Travis and Zilker Park,” says RichardsRoss, who lucky bystanders can sometimes spot running around Lady Bird Lake. “There’s so many things you can do that just feel like, even though you’re in a city, you’re also in this great town with great people. Of course, the food is amazing. You can go listen to great music down on Sixth Street, and we’ve heard great poetry here. There’s just everything here. If you look for it, you can find it. That’s what I love.”
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that God is in control of my path. That’s the main way I’m able to get through it and keep pushing, and try to learn my lessons along the way.” Though Austin, parodied at times for its uber laid-back reputation, plays a central role in the couple’s retirement plans, their post-athletic-careers lifestyle is anything but relaxed. In 2009, Richards-Ross and her sister, Shari Richards, opened The Hair Clinic, a multicultural salon located just north of the University of Texas campus. In 2015, she and Ross formed Ross Elite Chauffeur Service, a luxury limo service that serves Austin and surrounding areas. The friendliness Richards-Ross first experienced as a college student in Austin translated into a welcoming, supportive business climate. “We felt that [support] within a year or so [of opening The Hair Clinic]. It’s just been amazing,” Richards-Ross says. “I think one thing that’s really true to Austin is that the community does support local business. People want to support you, and they want to see you be successful. Ross Elite is new. We’ve just started doing some marketing to really get our name out there, and I’m pretty sure within the next six months or so, when people become really aware that we’re here, that they will support us even more. There’s always been tremendous support. I [don’t think] it matters who you are, and you don’t have to be somewhat of a celebrity or an athlete, or anything like that. I think Austinites want to support local business and that’s what makes this city special and
makes the people of Austin so special too.” Obviously, what Richards-Ross and her husband consider retirement exceeds the common standards of many silver-haired empty nesters. However, true to the essence of planning for life’s next phase, RichardsRoss has been studious and thoughtful in her preparation. Involved in the conception of both The Hair Clinic and Ross Elite well before the end of her track career, she will now have time to take part in her own plans. “It’s nice to be able to have those ideas and then to be able to execute something and see it come to life,” Richards-Ross says. “I really do enjoy the marketing side of business and the management side of business. Thank God my husband likes to take care of the financial side because that’s not my strength. Tracking every dollar and making sure that we’re being smart with the money, that’s what my husband does really well. For me, it’s about how can we grow? What does our branding look like? How do people perceive the company? How can we make sure that we meet those standards once we put those standards out there?” As a budding entrepreneur, RichardsRoss has also become familiar with the dynamics of running not one, but two family businesses, operating Ross Elite with her husband and The Hair Clinic with her sister, and relying on the support of her family to complement her own strengths. “Sanya is the ideal older sibling and has always been my best friend. She’s loyal. She looks out for me and my happiness,” Shari Richards says. “As a business partner, she is the voice of reason, so business-minded. She makes sure the business stays on track, commits to all aspects of the business, like the PR and advertising, which makes us the perfect balance.” Teamwork is nothing new for RichardsRoss, who has found it paramount to her success as an athlete. “I think that in order to do anything great, you have to have a great supporting cast. That’s what I’ve been very blessed with when it comes to my family,” Richards-Ross says. “I think it’s important when you have a goal to find people who have the skill sets that could help you accomplish your goals and then relinquish those roles and have faith that they’ll get it done. It’s not just to find people, but to empower them and trust that they’ll do a great job. When you have that, it all comes together. It makes everything run smoothly and allows you to be successful. I think it’s very, very important to find people who love you, support you and who want to be a part of your team because they see the potential and also want to be a part of your success.”
austinwomanmagazine.com | 55
As a competitive short-distance runner, Richards-Ross found those outside skill sets in her training team, which included Coach Clyde Hart, who had also coached Michael Johnson, the gold-shoe-wearing American sprinter and Hall of Famer. “When I found Coach Clyde Hart, he had coached Michael Johnson and Jeremy [Wariner] to successes. I knew that he had the skill set to help me be great. I got him on my team,” says RichardsRoss with more than a hint of gratefulness. “I have a full-time physio who is phenomenal and great at what he does, and helps me to be healthy. I have a great strength coach that I started working with at the University of Texas who just knows me and is able to help me to be strong. I have a great sports psychologist because it’s as important for me to train my mind as it is to train my body.” That Richards-Ross would assemble a small, dedicated coaching staff is common for an athlete of her caliber aiming to be the best. Her team implemented an acute strength-and-conditioning plan, which included doing 1,000 situps four to five times a week, and emphasized to Richards-Ross the value of hard work, whether in the weight room or the boardroom. “I think sports has been one of my greatest teachers. I think it teaches you discipline, teaches you how to overcome failures and disappointments. It gives you self-confidence,” says Richards-Ross, who remembers moving from Jamaica to Florida when she was in middle school—already an awkward time—with a thick accent, and didn’t feel like she belonged. “Of course, when I started running, I was so good and then everyone loved me,” she laughs. While Richards-Ross is certainly not the first person to extol the benefits of sports in other professional endeavors, her description of the intensity of her training regimen is a plain reminder of how similar the pressures of competition are to the struggles of everyday life. “It’s not grueling in the sense of it’s really, really hard,” she says of those unremitting, 1,000-a-day situps. “It’s just making that commitment to doing them every day and finding the time.”
Prioritizing time for what matters will continue to factor into Richards-
Ross’ teeming “retirement” calendar, which is nothing if not constantly brimming with blueprints for business ventures and philanthropic projects in Austin and beyond. She believes in and supports many local and nationwide causes that range from childhood literacy to combatting worldwide malnutrition to uplifting underserved communities. In February 2016, Richards-Ross and Ross hosted their second annual Black Excellence Tribute, an artistic showcase that celebrates African-American achievements throughout the community. “Ross and I always wanted to do something that was based on empowerment and enlightenment,” Richards-Ross says. “We love music and we love poetry and we love dance. We made this event to support local and national black artists who may not have opportunities to perform. We wanted to give them a platform to be able to perform.” The annual event also supports a local organization each year. In 2016, it supported the African American Youth Harvest Foundation, which offers mentorship and other free resources to at-risk kids in an effort to help them become self-sufficient members of the community. “Especially for a young black boy or a young black girl who may not have support, we want them to see us and see other people like us who have made a plan, stuck with it, who are great citizens in the community,” Richards-Ross says. “We want to inspire them to be great. That’s why it’s important to us, because we want to give back in a positive way.” When asked about the causes she cares about most, like kids and education and the importance of role models, Richards-Ross speaks with passion and purpose, each word a step forward in what she sees as a path to success.
56 | Austin Woman | August 2016
“One of the reasons that our kids who are in underserved communities aren’t successful is because they don’t see success. I think in order to be successful, first, you have to see it, believe it, and then you have to go after it. If a kid is never exposed to, or has never heard of a neurologist, [then he or she] can never aspire to be it,” she says, resolutely. “A lot of times, those kids just don’t have any idea that there are opportunities out there. You can turn what you love, your passion, into a life, into your lifestyle and into a way of making money. We want them to see role models, not just us, not just the rappers, not just the images that they see, but other successful individuals so that they can see it and then believe it, and then hopefully achieve it.” Richards-Ross practices what she preaches. All of the advice she gives out, like creating vision boards and setting goals and finding inspiration through faith, she follows herself. This spring, RichardsRoss organized her third Prom Glam, a mentoring program designed to empower teenage girls to be the best they can be. Fittingly, its crowning glory comes in the form of a trip to the salon on the day of prom for the full hair-and-makeup treatment, plus a limo ride to the party itself. “We select phenomenal young ladies who have great grades, have 100 percent attendance at school and have done community service. I sit with them and do a vision board [and talk about the] importance of seeing their goals, thinking through their goals and then starting the process of moving toward achieving [their goals],” she says. Even though it’s still a small program, Richards-Ross insists there is no such thing as too small. “Last year, one of the girls asked me why I do this,” Richards-Ross says, pride bubbling in her voice. “I explained to them, I said, ‘I just want you to know when you work hard, you never know where your reward is going to come from.’ I just want those young girls to know that they earned it. They’re the ones that did the work, even though they didn’t know that they would be rewarded. They worked really hard and their teachers selected them. I’m very passionate about young girls and empowering young girls to be great, and to believe in us and believe in themselves.”
I
nspiration, belief and faith have steadily shaped RichardsRoss’ life, both personally and as it is seen to the public. She is forthcoming with her loyal throng of social-media followers, posting glimpses into her life with family and friends, snapshots of her latest and greatest running swag, tributes to fellow athletes, race-day photos and images of inspirational quotes and Bible verses. “I try every morning, even if it’s just 30 minutes, to meditate on the word, do a little Bible study and just stay still for a moment and say my prayers. I think, a lot of time…the things that I do in the morning really help to set the tone for my day,” Richards-Ross says. “[My spiritual time] helps me to have inspiration throughout the day. I share it on social media because I feel like there are so many things that draw us down, or that are negative or distractions. I just want to be a little bit of light in the world if I can and encourage people.” Time and again, a deep-rooted pillar of faith has braced RichardsRoss through toils and troubles, her past couple injury-riddled seasons being no exception. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that God is in control of my path. That’s the main way I’m able to get through it and keep pushing, and try to learn my lessons along the way,” she says. “Then, of course, I just have great family and a great support staff, and a supportive team that shows me a lot of love and encourages me on the days that I feel like I just can’t make it, or that I’m overwhelmed by the pain or discomfort I’m in. I’ve been very lucky to have them around me.”
Photo by Erick Robinson.
B
ack at Hayward Field, RichardsRoss lunges forward as the gun goes off on her Olympic-qualifying race. To educated spectators, hers is a slow, tentative start. For a give-or-take, 50-second race, every move, every millisecond is significant. For the first quarter of the race, the commentators plead for something magical—a miraculous burst of speed or change in form, anything—to halt what almost instantly looks to be the end of an era. After 30 seconds, Richards-Ross pulls up, and everyone in this track town knows what it is. Her hamstring has locked up, that heavy, clamped-down pain all too familiar. Richards-Ross does not finish her qualifying heat, and all of a sudden, early retirement is a reality. She walks down the track, breathing heavily. As she nears the stands, the sound of clapping crescendos and shouts of “We love you, Sanya,” erupt from the bleachers. Richards-Ross lifts her head and rolls into a light jog, waving to the crowd, blowing them kisses. For just a moment, she looks sad, as though she is exhausting every hard-earned muscle in her body to hold back something. A sideline reporter greets her mid-jog, asking her to describe her feelings. She admits that the moment is tough, yet she takes nothing for granted. “I’m grateful for an amazing career and amazing fan support, and I’m excited for the next chapter of my life,” she tells him, adding that her next chapter might also include broadcasting, working on a book and starting a family, to which she smiles, still slightly out of breath. When asked what he loves most about his wife, Aaron Ross told Austin Woman, “I love that she’s God-fearing, beautiful, intelligent, charismatic. But most of all, I love how pure her heart and intentions are.” In no other moment has his adoring praise more perfectly echoed the gracious, genial attitude that has garnered Richards-Ross countless admirers in Austin and throughout the world. Despite a time of “did not finish” in her final track race, the reporter offers her a sincere, hearty congratulation. She did not win. She did not finish. Yet, he knows what we all know. Sanya Richards-Ross may not have finished this race. She might not be going back to the Olympics. But in this historic place that has witnessed the greatest of the greats, we know this is far from her last lap.
austinwomanmagazine.com | 57
The
Right
to
Not
Silent
58
As true in Texas as anywhere else in the country, parents sending their kids off to college are worried about the rising number of cases, reported and unreported, of sexual assaults on campus. With a spotlight shining on this abuse issue more than ever before, here are the rules, laws and rights everyone should know. By Jessica Luther
Photo courtesy of Radius-TWC.
Remain
“[Sexual violence] is not an easy topic. Let’s create the environment where everybody feels like they are safe and they can talk about it. If we could create that environment in our own homes, we could be saving our children’s lives or just keeping them from being assaulted and then being in the dark and held silent.” -Courtney Santana
C
ampus sexual assault is a ubiquitous topic these days. It seems rarely a week passes that another school or case isn’t dominating headlines. If it’s not Baylor, it’s Stanford. If not Tennessee, then Yale. Survivors of sexual violence are speaking out through the media, and more often, through social media, which offers them a direct outlet for telling their stories. As the number of known cases continues to grow, there is an increasing acknowledgement this is not an anomaly; it is, instead, the tip of an iceberg.
Campus sexual assault is most often discussed in relationship to Title IX, a 1972 federal statute best known because it demands gender equity in sports. What many people don’t realize is that Title IX is much more broad than just highlighting sports. “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,” the statute reads. Title IX mandates gender equity at all levels and in all facets of education. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is charged with making sure any school that receives federal funding meets that requirement. Virtually all schools in the United States receive federal funding, including grade schools, community colleges, vocational schools and cosmetology schools. This point should be stressed: Title IX is about protecting students’ civil rights. This is fundamentally different than the judicial system, which seeks to remedy criminal actions. Students can choose to report through either system: the one that protects their civil rights or the one that protects them through law enforcement. Since the late 1970s, students have been attempting to hold universities accountable for poor institutional responses to sexual harassment and violence under Title IX. The argument is that when a university does nothing to address these problems when university officials know about them, they are ignoring a gender-based problem that is precluding at least some students from participating in education. In other words, who can attend class or should be expected to attend knowing the person who assaulted him or her will also be there? In April 1988, The New York Times published a piece titled “The Reality of Crime on Campus.” Nearly three decades ago, “a growing number of negligence lawsuits against colleges accused of lax security and a greater awareness of ‘date rape,’ gang rape and other crimes against women” were, according to The Times, forcing “schools to confront the problem in an unprecedented way.” The new thing nearly 30 years ago was “seminars and forums on safety and sexual harassment,” as well as improvements to the physical campus infrastructure, like “added lighting and increased security patrols.” While schools are responding in more robust ways to lawsuits these days, the overall problem remains. One major hallmark in legislative attempts to mitigate sexual violence on campus was the 1990 Clery Act, named after Jeanne Clery, a Lehigh University student who was raped and murdered in her dorm
room by another student in 1986. The act requires universities to annually report statistics involving crimes that happen on campus and to put out timely warnings when there is knowledge of a potential threat to anyone on campus. Additionally, the Clery Act contains the “Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights,” which includes “the right to have any and all sexual assaults against them treated with seriousness; the right, as victims, to be treated with dignity; and the right for campus organizations which assist such victims to be accorded recognition.” Victims also have the right to counseling, the right to not be pressured to report to authorities and the right to have any assault investigated and adjudicated, among others. The Obama administration began to focus specifically on this issue in 2011. The OCR published a now-famous “Dear colleague” letter that year that laid out how the Department of Education understood the relationship of Title IX to sexual harassment and violence, and what was expected of schools when they learned of cases on their campuses. The OCR has discussed the general guidelines in a bullet-pointed document that enumerates students’ civil rights. It includes categories like, “Your school must respond promptly and effectively to sexual violence,” “Your school must provide interim measures as necessary,” and, “Your school should make known where you can find confidential support services.” As of May 4, 2016, according to the Department of Education, there were 230 sexual-violence cases under investigation at 183 postsecondary institutions. On that list were the following Texas highereducation institutions: Cisco Junior College, Paul Quinn College, Southwestern University, Texan A&M University, the University of Texas Health Science Center, the University of Texas-Pan American, Trinity University and the University of Houston. However, not appearing on the list does not mean a campus is safe or that the university meets its legal Title IX or Clery obligations. The OCR does not seek out schools to investigate; a report must be filed before the OCR steps in. For a student or member of the faculty or staff to take that step requires they have working knowledge of the law and how it is applied, as well as time to draft the complaint. Groups like End Rape on Campus and Know Your IX provide information to make this process easier, but the knowledge and time hurdles are significant. In Texas, specifically, the problem of campus sexual assault is significant enough that the Texas House of Representatives is looking into it. During this year’s interim between legislative sessions, the House Higher Education Committee was tasked with studying “current policies and initiatives at institutions of higher education, including community colleges, and mak[ing] recommendations toward the prevention and elimination of sexual assault on college campuses.” Representative Donna Howard, who represents District 48 (which includes parts of Travis County) in the Texas House and who is the vice chair of the Higher Education Committee, told Austin Woman that a committee hearing considered: “How do we change the culture of our campus? How do we make sure that we’re supporting the kind of policies that encourage healthy relationships, and also make sure when things happen that there’s a clear procedure in place for what can be done to help the victims so that they are not re-victimized?” austinwomanmagazine.com | 59
I
t’s common for victims to not come forward. occurred. In a Washington Post/Kaiser Family institutions of higher education are failing to In September 2015, the Association of American Foundation survey of college students last year, protect students.” The report found systemic Universities released the results of a nationwide there was a fill-in-the-blank section labeled “Do problems at 440 four-year institutions of survey, in which 18.5 percent of undergraduate you think if a person [blanks], this establishes higher education, including university officials women at the University of Texas reported they consent for more sexual activity?” The not understanding the scope of the problem had been the victims of sexual assault “by force various fill-in-the-blank actions were “nods in on their campuses, a lack of adequate sexualor incapacitation” while at school there. For agreement,” “takes off their own clothes,” “gets a assault training, not investigating reports of Texas A&M, that percentage was 14.8 percent. Of condom,” “engages in foreplay such as kissing or sexual violence and not providing or helping those who reported to the survey that they had touching,” and “does not say ‘no.’ ” to find services survivors need. Reporting is been assaulted at UT, only a quarter told anyone In only two of those options—“engages in then, perhaps, a waste of a victim’s time and an in authority, unless they had been incapacitated foreplay such as kissing or touching,” and “does emotional cost they cannot bear. when the assault occured. Those students only not say ‘no’ ”—were there overwhelming majority ◆◆◆ reported to authorities 15 percent of the time. responses (for both cases, three-quarters of ften, in the face of all of this, people feel At A&M, 23 percent reported to authorities respondents) that said those actions did not powerless. Parents, in particular, are worried overall, and 13 percent of those said they were establish consent for more sexual activity. For about where they can send their children to incapacitated. There was a much greater chance the other three options, the respondents were college and, should something happen to their that victims would reach out to a friend before split nearly 50/50. Consent is still very confusing children, whether their daughter’s or son’s they would turn to any authorities. for many people, college students included. For university would be responsive, helpful and It’s hard to get any kind of solid statistics this reason, it can take some victims years to compassionate. Unfortunately, about sexual violence because it is some universities want to hide an incredibly underreported crime. “We have to, as a culture, really change our understanding of incidents of reported harassment Victims often do not think they’ll these crimes. Take sex out of the equation. They are violent and violence since high numbers be believed or they worry they’ll crimes. The second sex gets involved, ‘Oh, it’s possibly of such reported cases would seem be blamed. So many questions consensual.’ No, you didn’t agree to the car accident and you to make their institutions less get asked about what the victim didn’t agree to the rape.” desirable in the eyes of potential did that led to the point of the -Amy Ziering, producer of the Academy Award-nominated students, parents or anyone harassment, assault or rape. Did documentary The Hunting Ground writing a tuition check. she drink too much? Did she flirt? However, very low numbers, or What was she wearing? Had she worse, none at all, of reported sexual violence had sex with this person before? Did she push associate what happened to them with assault. at any given school do not indicate that school her harasser away? Did she push her harasser Victims might also choose not to report has solved the cultural problem of sexual away hard enough? It can be an unending set of because they are scared of the person who hurt violence. Instead, it more likely is a place where questions for the person who was harmed, rather them and do not think they’ll be protected if they students feel they cannot report when they than a focus on the person who did the harming. come forward. On the flipside, many victims are victimized. The American Association of As Amy Ziering, producer of the Academy in college know their perpetrators, care about University Women found recently, “with about Award-nominated documentary The Hunting the person who perpetrated the crime and are 11,000 campuses disclosing annual crime data, Ground, told Austin Woman, “We have to, as a worried about the impact reporting will have on an overwhelming majority of schools certified culture, really change our understanding of that person’s life. that in 2014, they did not receive a single report these crimes. Take sex out of the equation. They Perhaps more than anything, many victims of a rape.” Not one. are violent crimes. The second sex gets involved, think nothing will happen if they do report. Many experts see high reporting numbers ‘Oh, it’s possibly consensual.’ No, you didn’t In July 2014, at U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s not as a failure of the institution, but rather as agree to the car accident and you didn’t agree to bidding, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on a university’s acknowledgment of the reality of the rape.” Financial and Contracting Oversight compiled this violence and as evidence of an environment Victims often remain silent because they are a report about university response to sexual on campus that encourages victims to come sometimes unsure whether a crime has actually violence. The subhead stated, “How too many 60 | Austin Woman | August 2016
Photo courtesy of Radius-TWC.
o
forward. It’s the low numbers (or the zeros) that should cause worry. Courtney Santana is the founder and executive director of Survive2Thrive, a Central Texas-based foundation that helps survivors of domestic violence who are unable to get into local shelters because of overcrowding. She is a survivor herself. Earlier this summer, her organization screened Ziering’s documentary about campus sexual assault, The Hunting Ground, in Austin, following it with an intimate Q&A with the producer herself. Part of Santana’s interest in the film was professional (She is hyperaware of issues that intersect with domestic violence, including sexual violence.), and part was personal, as she has a daughter who will head to college this fall. During the last year, as her daughter searched for schools to attend, Santana did her own research. “When it comes to our kids, we have to educate ourselves about it,” she says, noting she looked into Title IX and that students “need to know what their rights are and that the school is not necessarily their safe space.” As for the individual universities, Santana conducted basic Google searches on each institution her daughter was interested in. But she didn’t stop there. “I called and spoke to some of the campus groups around sexual assault,” Santana says. “I got nosy because I know that, of course, [universities] are not going to report there is a super amount of sexual assault.” She believed she would get more useful information directly from the organizations on campus that exist to educate, prevent assaults from happening and help survivors. Likewise, Representative Howard recommends examining “how forthright an institution is about the reality of the issue and their efforts to address it. In other words, I would be much more inclined to want my daughter to attend an institution that is honest, that doesn’t pretend all is OK and that can show me they are seriously spending effort and resources to ensure their campus is safe and that their students are respected.” Rick Gipprich, a campus sexual-assault specialist with the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, tells Austin Woman that before a student goes off to college, parents “should engage in a conversation about violence on campus, about what to do if something like this happens to them or they witness it or it happens to one of their friends, about what ‘bystander’ means and how to be an effective bystander. I don’t think that happens very often.” Parents should make it clear that should something happen, their child shouldn’t be ashamed or scared, and that there are resources to help him or her. Just as Santana did, parents need to educate themselves too, Gipprich says. Look up the Title IX office, find out who the coordinator is and where the office is. Know what Title IX and Clery are supposed to do, what the child’s rights are and have a frank conversation about it long before anyone needs to use that information. The good news is that there is a lot more information now than there ever has been. Know Your IX has a vast amount of information on its
website about students’ rights and how to protect them. The White House’s Not Alone program offers a step-by-step guide for survivors, as well as a long list of resources for all kinds of organizations throughout the country that help survivors. Locally, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault has resources for survivors, one of the most crucial being a site on which users can search for the closest sexual-assault crisis center. These centers provide a range of important services for survivors, including counseling, advocacy and medical care. Once parents send their child off to college, it’s important to pay attention to any changing patterns in their child’s life. If she has major mood shifts, gains a lot of weight, seems depressed or unfocused, anything that is out of character for her, this could be a sign that something serious may have happened to her, Santana notes. And parents need to have already laid the groundwork for addressing this with their kids. “Be in communication with your kids,” Santana says, “and let them know that if something happens to them, they can always come to you.” For those who discover someone they love or care about has been the victim of sexual violence, Ziering says the immediate reaction should be, “Oh my god, I am so sorry. How can I help you? What can I do for you? What do you need?” Then, let that person decide what he or she wants to do. “Mothers ask me if they should report, should go to the police,” Ziering says. “There’s no right or wrong. It’s up to the person who this happened to. Whatever you choose to do is the right thing. And there’s no shame or blame in any of that.” She says to suggest therapy or counseling because the sooner the victim of trauma talks to an expert, the easier her recovery may be. “Comfort them and empower them,” Ziering says. “Don’t try and right the ship for them. It’s their ship.” Gipprich is a big proponent of going first to a rape crisis center in the community. He says if a victim does not know what to do, she can call either a national hotline (800.656.HOPE) that can direct her to a local crisis center or call the local crisis center directly. He suggests callers should start asking questions about what they need and want to know until they find the answers. “We get so caught up in reporting it to Title IX first that we forget that there are all these other things a survivor may need before any of that happens,” he says. “We have to first make sure a person in immediate crisis has access to resources right then and there. And by going through a sexual-assault program, even if it is a campus sexual assault, they have access to an advocate, they have access to a sexual-assault nurse and they have access to someone who can walk them through the entire process.” At that point, reporting to Title IX and law enforcement are good next steps to take.
T
◆◆◆
here are no easy answers to this issue. Universities are scrambling to meet their legal obligations under Title IX and Clery, but they are
taking on a huge cultural problem that no system has yet figured out how to manage or mitigate. Education on the topic is essential but, more than that, getting informed and talking about the issue with friends and family can make a big difference. “[Sexual violence] is not an easy topic. Let’s create the environment where everybody feels like they are safe and they can talk about it,” Santana says. “If we could create that environment in our own homes, we could be saving our children’s lives or just keeping them from being assaulted and then being in the dark and held silent.”
How to Help “Our response to someone who discloses their sexual assault is vital and often sets the tone for the survivor moving forward,” says Rose Luna, deputy director of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. TAASA recommends the following ways to help if you know someone who is a victim of sexual assault: ◆ Begin by believing. Say things like, “I’m sorry this happened to you,” “I believe you,” and, “This was not your fault.” ◆ Always allow the victim the power to make decisions. Refrain from directing her, but ask questions like, “Would you like to report or notify officials?” and, “How can I help?” ◆ Offer help. While knowing exactly who to contact at a campus is difficult, offer to help research the process and resources available.
Resources End Rape on Campus, endrapeoncampus.org Know Your IX, knowyourix.org Not Alone, notalone.gov Survive2Thrive Foundation, survive2thrivefoundation.org Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, taasa.org
austinwomanmagazine.com | 61
2 1 34 5 6 The right to have any and all sexual assaults against them treated with seriousness; the right, as victims, to be treated with dignity; and the right for campus organizations that assist such victims to be accorded recognition.
The right to have sexual assaults committed against them investigated and adjudicated by the duly constituted criminal and civil authorities of the governmental entity in which the crimes occurred, and the right to the full and prompt cooperation and assistance of campus personnel in notifying the proper authorities. The foregoing shall be in addition to any campus disciplinary proceedings.
The right to be free from any kind of pressure from campus personnel.
The right to be free from any kind of suggestion that campus sexual-assault victims not report, or under-report, crimes.
Campus
The same right to legal assistance, or ability to have others present, in any campus disciplinary proceeding that the institution permits to the accused, and the right to be notified of the outcome of such proceeding.
Sexual
Assault Victims’
The right to full and prompt cooperation from campus personnel in obtaining, securing and maintaining evidence (including a medical examination) as may be necessary to the proof of criminal sexual assault in subsequent legal proceedings.
7 8 9 The right to be made aware of, and assisted in exercising any options, as provided by state and federal laws or regulations, with regard to testing of sexual-assault suspects for communicable diseases and with regard to notification to victims of the results of such testing.
Bill of
Rights From the Clery Act of 1990
After campus sexual assaults have been reported, the victims of such crimes shall have the right to require that campus personnel take the necessary steps or actions reasonably feasible to prevent any unnecessary or unwanted contact or proximity with alleged assailants, including immediate relocation of the victim to safe and secure alternative housing, and transfer of classes if requested by the victims.
62 |  Austin Woman |  August 2016
The right to counseling from any mental-health services previously established by the institution or by other victimservice entities or by victims themselves.
In addition to the above rights, sexual-assault victims have a right to be free from sexual or physical intimidation in campus housing and in campus accommodations for which the college receives any compensation, direct or indirect.
4
6
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GOURMET Thinking Outside the Boxed Lunch
Toss the brown bag and pack your mid-day meal with inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea to the coast of Cape Cod. story and photos by Natalie Paramore Beat the back-to-school blues with a few lunch ideas that can be packed up, made beforehand and even simplified for the kids. All it takes is a jolt of global flavor, a punch of energizing protein and a few indulgences along the way.
austinwomanmagazine.com austinwomanmagazine.com |  |  65 65
G
OURMET
AW test kitchen
MAKE AHEA
GREEK CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD Serves two | Per serving: 502 calories, 27 grams of protein
Ingredients 1/2 cup red quinoa 1 chicken breast 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup cucumber, quartered 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted 1/4 cup red onion, diced 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled Dressing 1/4 cup olive oil
D This sala d will keep in th e fridge for as lon g as three da ys.
DIRECTIONS 1. C ook the quinoa according to the package directions and set aside. 2. Bake or grill the chicken breast over medium heat until it reaches 165 degrees. 3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss the mixture with quinoa, adding the tomatoes, cucumber, olives and onion.
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4. D ice the chicken and add it to the quinoa.
3 tablespoons oregano
5. T op with the feta cheese and serve.
FOR THE KIDDOS: Separate the quinoa, vegetables and chicken, and add a side of ranch or their favorite dipping sauce.
ASIAN-INSPIRED LETTUCE WRAPS Serves two | Per serving: 324 calories (includes sauce), 35 grams of protein
Ingredients
Directions
8 ounces beef flank steak
1. S prinkle the flank steak with salt and pepper, and grill it over medium-high heat for six minutes on each side until cooked through.
8 romaine or butter lettuce leaves 1/2 cup carrots, julienned 1/2 cup cucumbers, sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt Cilantro for garnish
2. Cutting against the grain, slice the flank steak into strips.
Dipping sauce
3. Whisk the dipping-sauce ingredients together.
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce 3 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated 1 tablespoon Sriracha 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce
4. K eep the vegetables, steak and sauce separate until ready to serve. 5. U sing the romaine or butter lettuce leaves, assemble the wraps just before eating.
FOR THE KIDDOS: Chop carrots and cucumbers into sticks and slice the steak into smaller strips. Add a dollop of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt for a different dipping-sauce option.
66 |  Austin Woman |  august 2016
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AW test kitchen
D MAKE AHEA re tu ix m
ster The lob idge in the fr p e will ke ng as for as lo ys. a d o tw
LOBSTER ROLLS
Serves two | Per serving: 414 calories, 12 grams of protein
Ingredients 8 ounces of lobster meat, steamed 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/3 cup celery, sliced 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped 1 ounce fresh lemon juice Lemon zest from 1/2 a small lemon 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or paprika) 2 sweet mini sub rolls
Directions 1. A fter steaming, remove the lobster from its shell and chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. 2. Combine the mayonnaise, celery, onions, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, salt, pepper and red pepper. 3. Gently stir in the lobster. 4. S poon the lobster mixture onto the sweet rolls just before eating.
Photos by David Zacek.
FOR THE KIDDOS: If they’re mini foodies, let the kids eat lobster! If not, don’t waste that beautiful, expensive meat on picky kids. Instead, chop the celery into sticks and serve it with ranch alongside their favorite sandwich, like ham and cheese, made with the remaining sweet rolls. Add a healthy, antioxidant serving of blueberries for a truly Maine-inspired lunch!
austinwomanmagazine.com | 69
G
OURMET
food news
Sophisticated Sophia’s
Treat your taste buds to cosmopolitan Italian creations at this suave addition to West Sixth Street. By Victoria Stowe
So, head for Sophia’s, an upscale Italian supperclub-cum-restaurant that touts a menu graced with savory twists on traditional family recipes. The cosmopolitan space, tucked off West Sixth Street in the century-old Stratford Arms building, replaces Sandra Bullock’s Bess Bistro, which closed last September. One foot in the door and you’ll be met with a touch of sophistication and class. Rich leather and plush velvet dining alcoves add an air of intimacy to the otherwise open space, and additional seating options include the covered terrace upstairs and the antique European pewter bar. The atmosphere isn’t the only tasteful part of Sophia’s, though. The kitchen, helmed by Executive Chef Mark Sparacino, serves up a variety of indulgent and modern Italian-American fare. Err on the side of wholesome and order the orecchiette tartufate, a dish that takes the savory spectrum up a notch with cremini mushrooms, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, black truffle cream, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and white truffle oil. Or try the whole roasted fish with lemon,
Fusilli Calabrese, whole roasted fish, brick chicken
fresh herbs and breadcrumbs. Do you only have time to sample the sweeter side of life? Spoil your appetite with the Spumoni Bomb, a classic Italian dessert concoction constructed with layer upon layer of ice cream. And pair your dessert plate with one of the more than 100 curated wine labels from France, Napa Valley and Italy. Pro tip: Don’t leave without trying the La Rosa, a refreshing vodka cocktail made with pink grapefruit liqueur, strawberry, fresh citrus and prosecco—a most suitable end to a summer evening out on the town. Whichever turn on the menu you take, there’s really no wrong way to go.
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ellness
fitness
Cardio Medley
Mishmash workouts keep former Olympian Whitney Hedgepeth in winning form. Photo courtesy of Whitney Hedgepeth.
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72 |  Austin Woman |  august 2016
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BEFORE
AFTER
fitness
Not every great athlete makes it to the Olympics. Whitney Hedgepeth, the current head coach of the Texas Longhorn Aquatics Masters Swimming team in Austin, made it there twice. A standout swimmer since childhood, Hedgepeth won two individual silver medals in the women’s 100- and 200-meter backstroke events at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. “Everyone wants to see my other medal, though,” she says about the gold she also won in ’96 for swimming on the winning U.S. 4x100-medley-relay team. Three Olympic medals help punctuate Hedgepeth’s illustrious swimming career. Before Atlanta, she competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, placing eighth in the 200 individual medley. Hedgepeth also made quite a splash as a collegiate athlete, swimming for the University of Florida and then the University of Texas, where she won multiple NCAA titles and AllAmerican honors. In April, she was inducted into the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. Today, the mother of three is still consumed by the sport. When she’s not on deck coaching adults at UT, she’s in the water shouting instructions to the kids on her summer-league swim team at Rollingwood Pool. Hedgepeth, it seems, shines wherever she goes. In 2013, she won the Speedo/U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year award for her innovative coaching style and dedication to the sport. It’s no surprise then that swimming turned into a family affair. In June, Hedgepeth traveled to Omaha, Neb., to watch her daughter, Dakota Luther, a junior at Westlake High School, compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming. Luther, 16, raced three events, posting a best time in the 100-meter butterfly and nearly qualifying for the semifinals in the 200-meter fly. She’s not an Olympian yet, but her mother didn’t make the Olympic team on her first try either. And Luther doesn’t have to look far for inspiration to continue training. In her mother, she has a model of perseverance, positivity and fitness.
Here’s how a very busy Whitney Hedgepeth keeps herself in such great shape.
r The Workout “I like to run 3 to 5 miles at chit-chat pace about six times a week,” she says. Hedgepeth also walks her dogs 1 mile every day and considers that part of her workout. And, yes, she also finds time to swim, diving into her neighborhood pool about once a week. “I try to do 3,000 to 4,000 yards on a moderate interval every time,” says the champ, who prefers to swim alone. “I like being in the water with my thoughts and nobody there to bother me.” No matter what, Hedgepeth strives to keep her workouts fun. “I’m not trying to improve at this stage of my life,” she says. “I just want to de-stress and maintain fitness.”
r The Diet Hydration and moderation matter most when it comes to Hedgepeth’s daily intake. “I try to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day,” she says. “Otherwise, I eat a well-rounded diet with plenty of salads mixed in.” Hedgepeth also admits to doing two bad things every day. “I must have one sweet and one Diet Coke a day,” she confesses with no real shame. What are her go-to sweets? Brownies and ice cream, of course!
r The Gear Hedgepeth wears Brooks, Mizuno or Asics running shoes and has an impressive collection of them, at that. “I like to be color-coordinated when I run,” she laughs, “so, my outfits always match my shoes.” For sports tops and running shorts, any brand will do. “I prefer Speedo swimsuits, and I never pay more than $100 for a pair of running shoes,” she says. Anything goes for walking the dog.
r The Motivation Many people cycle through phases of ups and downs regarding their fitness. Hedgepeth, however, wins a gold medal for consistency. So, what keeps her moving? “I feel healthier with the endorphin rush of working out, and I like my clothes to fit the same,” she says. “I weigh the same today as I did in high school. It just looks differently on me now.”
r The Mindset
Photo by David Alley.
Hedgepeth has a favorite quote from an unknown source: “A great attitude becomes a great mood, which becomes a great day, which becomes a great year, which becomes a great life.” To Hedgepeth, attitude is everything. That’s why she makes a point to give at least three compliments every day. “It can be as simple as telling someone I like their bathing suit,” she says, adding that being kind and staying upbeat are concrete ways she can help create a healthy environment around her. “I grew up in a positive family, and it does no good to think about the bad stuff all the time.” A good attitude also makes her more patient with her athletes and her children. “It’s a hard world out there,” she says, “so, make it the best that you can.”
r The Playlist “I listen to whatever my kids are listening to,” she says, smiling. “Since the family’s music is all mixed together, I end up running to Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber—anything but rap or country.” Oh, and she never misses a chance to see Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish. He’s definitely on her playlist. austinwomanmagazine.com | 75
W
ellness
Health
The Other Eight-hour Job
It’s time to take a vacation from thinking about our bodies all the time. By Christine Williams How much time do you spend thinking about your body each day? According to a recent local survey conducted by Thrive Wellness & Recovery, the average time for 50 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 40 is eight hours or more. Austin Woman asked Lauryn Lax, occupational therapist, nutritional therapist and certified fitness professional at Thrive Wellness & Recovery for specific tips on how to relieve our minds of all this overtime work. She gave us eight options, one for each hour of the workday, but with one request: just pick one. 1. Balance your plate. “If your body is not getting the right balance of foods you need, then it feels deprived, which causes you to think about food more,” Lax says. “Obsessive thoughts about food occur when we cut out or restrict certain food groups; it’s our body’s way of telling our brains that it wants more calories, healthy fats, carbs, proteins or whatever it’s missing.” 2. Eat plenty of fat. “Healthy fats, in particular, feed our brains. Our brains are composed of more than 60 percent fat, and by eating healthy fats, like avocados, salmon, coconut, grass-fed butter, ghee, olive oil, nuts and seeds, we feed the brain the fuel it needs to focus on non-food-or-fitness-related matters,” Lax says. 3. Ditch the rules. “What common diet and fitness myths do you believe?” Lax asks. “Do saturated fats really cause heart disease? Educate yourself by seeking out helpful resources that will establish the facts and eliminate further time spent wondering and worrying. It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, Grain Brain by David Perlmutter and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan are great starting points.”
4. Find what moves you. “Healthy living shouldn’t be a chore,” Lax says. “What type of workout do you actually enjoy? Do that. When you look forward to walking the dog uphill or kickboxing your stress away, you’ll just do it instead of thinking about how to motivate yourself to do it. Fortunately, Austin has hundreds of fitness options suited for everyone.” 5. Empower your fitness. “Instead of going through the motions of your fitness routine, pick a fun, performance-based goal. Add 10 pounds to your back squat, be able to do an actual pullup or shave 30 seconds off your 3-mile run,” Lax suggests. “You don’t have to train for the Olympics, but adding one tangible intention to your workout will make it easier to track your progress and be done with it.” 6. Shut up your inner mean girl. “Write out every single negative thing you tell yourself. Look at your list. Now write out a counter statement or affirmation,” Lax says. “As the negatives come in the future, begin practicing the art of fighting back.” 7. Who is the healthy you? “Put on your superhero cape and picture yourself as the healthy you, which includes your body, but also your mind and spirit,” Lax suggests. “Does healthy you obsess about food and fitness and body image as much as you do now? So, as we think and act, therefore we become.” 8. Talk about it. “There is power in clearing the air,” Lax says. “You are not alone, so, instead of bottling up your thoughts, share them with your friends, family and co-workers, or meet with a specialist that can answer your questions.”
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DRESS FOR SUCCESS AUSTIN presents
2016
Little Black Dress Soiree’
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GET READY FOR AN AMAZING NIGHT!
Bring your Beau...
Saturday, September 17th 6:00-9:00pm Palazzo Lavaca 1614 Lavaca Street, Austin, Texas 78701 » For tickets, event and sponsorship information or to make a donation go to austin.dressforsuccess.org/events » Email event consultant for more details at lizardark1959@gmail.com
Proceeds from the evening benefit Dress for Success Austin’s: *Program Operations *Transportation Initiatives *Financial Literacy *Healthy living *Personal Improvement
Melissa Hamilton, Patricia and Chris Moose, Mavet Riddle and Tony Jones, Melissa Eason Bracken, The Doug Chambers family, James and Diana Gatzmeyer, Ty F. Davidson DDS., Mae Levitan realtor, Cari Peterson
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P
oint of view
memo from JB
The Age of Coolness
Why not being a regular dad, but a cool dad, is nearly impossible. By JB Hager, photo by rudy arocha Forgive me for just a bit. I need to whimper and whine. Just last night, after taking my daughter and a couple of her friends out for an evening on the lake, I overheard my daughter saying on the return ride home, “Nah, let’s not go to my house. My dorky parents will be there.” I wanted to drop by jaw, turn around and snap, “You mean the dorky parent that just dragged your butt up and down the lake and burned $100 worth of gas? That dorky parent?” Instead, I refrained, checked myself and began to ponder if cool parents really exist. Just to be clear, because I know a lot of people feel strongly about this, I am not bringing this up to be my daughter’s friend. I think we have all seen that parent who wants to be their child’s friend more so than his or her parent. That ranks right up there with the mom who dresses the same as her teenage daughter. It just doesn’t work, no matter how you slice it. I, for whatever reason, just want my daughter to appreciate my coolness. I’ve worked hard at it throughout the years, staying up on music, hip TV and Internet shows, following trends. Maybe I’m overly sensitive to this right now, with my 30th, yes, you heard me right—30th—high-school reunion next month. If you were a child of the ’80s, you totally understand how that decade was all about being cool: maybe it was new checkered Vans, parachute pants, a skinny tie or man permed hair with some Sun-In to match your corduroy OP shorts. If you lived in that time, you get it. As triumphant as it would be to be young Daniel-san, a transplant from Jersey in Cali, sanding floors, waxing cars, eventually crane kicking the bully in the head in The Karate Kid, any guy on the planet, given the option, would take his chance being a Cobra Kai. It’s just the way things were in the ’80s. As I was stewing about it for the remainder of the evening, I began to ask myself, “Is it impossible for anyone to maintain cool, regardless of being a parent?” I started flipping through my mental Rolodex of who was cool in the ’80s, and asked myself if they are still cool. 6 Tom Cruise: couch-jumping weirdo 6 Val Kilmer: creepy, swollen ranch hippie 6 Jack Nicholson: indoor-sunglass-wearing dirty old man 6 John Travolta: Do you really want to see him put one hand on his hip and the other pointing to the sky again?
6 Tina Turner: She’s still cool, and has better legs than most women in their 20s. 6 Cindy Crawford: yes, please
6 Tom Selleck: maybe if he let go of the porn ’stache
6 Meryl Streep: She’s as classy as ever.
6 Jon Bon Jovi: In his mind, he’s still the coolest!
6 Madonna: She can still sell out any arena in the world.
6 David Lee Roth: Would you want to be locked in a room with him overnight?
6 Sandra Bullock: Every woman wants to be her bestie, and there’s a reason.
6 Mel Gibson: drunk racist
6 Julia Roberts: She’s still amazing.
6 Arnold Schwarzenegger: I still can’t understand him and neither can his housekeeper/lover.
And then, the coolest of them all, proving that coolness has no limit as women age, is Betty White, who is 94, if you are keeping track. As you know, there are many double standards in life. Some go your way, some don’t. I’ve heard numerous women mention how unfair it is the way men get to age, not being judged on their appearance, able to have much younger spouses, etc. However, I’m clearly on the side of the fence that says women can remain cool and relevant, much more so than men. As for my wife, I’m sorry, you got clumped in there with dorky ol’ me, your nerd date to my 30th high-school reunion.
Those were just a few that I came up with off the top of my head. But I could only come up with a few men from that time period who are still cool: David Bowie and Prince (R.I.P.), Tony Hawk (He’s 48, by the way, the same age as me.) and Robert Downey Jr. (He’s 51.) Then, I wondered if the same were true for women of that era as they age. I started rattling through ’80s female stars, with much different results.
78 | Austin Woman | august 2016
9.25.16 18TH ANNUAL RACE FOR THE CURE
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oint of view
I Am Austin Woman
Lone Star State of LGBTQ
part, I feel comfortable publicly displayGrowing up in the predominantly ing my orientation, and I believe we have white and heterosexual suburbs made so much progress, which hopefully of The Woodlands, Texas, I was has a positive ripple effect throughout never comfortable sharing my the rest of the state. As the city continues sexuality with anyone, not even to grow exponentially, bringing more my closest friends. There were, liberal-minded people here, the LGBTQ of course, speculations about community has soared as well. Organizamy true sexual preference, but tions that are in support of it, such as Out I dodged any revealing quesYouth, Human Rights Campaign, Austin tions and conversations in order Pride, Texas Roller Derby and Queerto prevent feeling shame. Unlike bomb, have done a fantastic job at proin Austin, there’s a certain mold viding spaces to support and celebrate one feels he or she has to adhere members of the community throughout to in that homogenous culture the years, which has helped to keep the in which most of the community progressive momentum flowing. attends church on Sundays, is While Austin doesn’t necessarily have upper middle class and lives in a “gay ghetto,” the community has been traditional, heteronormative famivery effective in creating queer spaces on ly situations. I never had a serious its own. This is reflective of the leaderboyfriend, but would date boys ship and dedication to ensuring a diverse every so often, primarily to deter society that Austin is so very well known others from thinking I might be for. The first queer event I went to when I moved back from Washgay, but also with the hope that maybe one of them would ington, D.C., was the Guerrilla Bar takeover for females, hosted by make me feel differently about my lack of attraction to Where the Girls Go/ATX. I discovered it through Facebook, as I was males. It never worked. notified through my news feed that one of my friends was attending. To this day, I’m not sure if the confidence I needed to come out The turnout was very impressive, as I hadn’t been to a similar event was a result of the city, pop culture or my peer group, but regardin Austin for more than two years, and observed an obvious increase less, I don’t think I’m alone when I say how difficult it can be to in attendees. I hear wonderful things about the Thursday Night come out in the Lone Star State that is Texas. Even in Austin, one Queer Swims at Barton Springs, as well as the Her Lesbian App parof the hippest and most progressive cities in America, many in the ties. The queer-friendly bar on Red River Street, Cheer Up Charlie’s, LGBTQ community still experience some level of discrimination, is a very popular spot my other queer friends and I visit frequently, whether it’s an outright offensive remark or someone clearly not and I think not necessarily categorizing it as exclusively queer helps valuing our same-sex relationship or romantic interest. I’ve been with the notion of bringing together those out at local bars before, and although with various sexualities. having been very frank about the fact I’ve been the recipient of questions In addition to Her, I’ve met other that I’m gay, I still come across males members (Some are my very good friends who either think I am joking or simply such as, “Aww, did some man just today.) through other apps and websites, do not care. really break your heart, sweetie?” such as Tinder and OkCupid. It’s not I’ve been the recipient of questions uncommon at all for me to initially seek such as, “Aww, did some man just really a romantic opportunity with someone I connected with, but then break your heart, sweetie?” or, “Have you always been this way?” have it evolve into a strong, potentially life-lasting friendship. All and, “Did you ever think that maybe you just didn’t find the right in all, the LGBTQ apps have provided a wonderful platform to help guy?” All these questions could obviously make someone feel members find their people, cultivate those relationships and build that his or her orientation is lesser than and devalued to a certain an even stronger support system. degree. While this is not something I experience every day, by Looking ahead into the future, I’m excited to see how the comany means, it is something that occasionally happens that always munity prospers and grows. As a native Texan, I’m extremely reminds me, “Oh, that’s right. Austin is still in Texas.” proud of how far we’ve come as we hopefully continue to help pave Having said that, this blue dot in the red sea definitely has an a safer, healthier and more opportunistic path for future members openness and acceptance that is not present in other Southern of the LGBTQ community. communities, such as the one in which I was raised. For the most Austin Woman features a reader-submitted essay every month in the I Am Austin Woman column. To be considered for October’s I Am Austin Woman, email a 500-word submission on a topic of your choice by Sept. 1 to submissions@awmediainc.com with the subject line “I Am Austin Woman.”
80 | Austin Woman | august 2016
Photo courtesy of Danielle Garza.
Native Texan Danielle Garza recounts the struggles of coming out in Texas and her journey toward acceptance in Austin.
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Austin Woman MAGAZINE | august 2016
LONG COMMUTE? LUCKY YOU.