WOMAN OF THE YEAR
SHANA SISSEL
WIFE, MOM, BUSINESS LEADER & MRS. ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL 2020
HOLIDAY BOOK 2020
Contents VOL. 5 Issue 1
Editor's Note It’s a very somber time to say, “Happy Holidays.” If I learned anything from this pandemic, it is to
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LOVE more. Love more of what you don’t like. Love more of who you don’t like. And, love more when you can’t love any further. As humans, we navigate life based on observable behaviors we obtain from our five senses. But these senses don’t show that emotions can actually drive us. The pandemic has revealed this motivation. I can’t express my heart anymore. While going through a severe period of depression during this pandemic, I realized the only way I could fight it was to love myself more so my family,
Departments 12 FAMILY Yellowbrick Shares the Understanding Between High School and Independent Living with Our Young Adults. 14
WELLNESS Evanston Health Collective Combines a Multi-Level Wellness Center to Bring Wellness with Women Health Experts.
business, and community could love more and succeed.
My love for God and the universe provided a pathway to grace and gratitude which propelled this issue. Also, my love for my community, the small businesses, and the women who are the foundations for their families and kept me going. For the love of Evanston Woman..."Happy Holidays!"
Features 5. HOLIDAY BOOK 2020 LDB Shares Fun, Trendy, and Hip Places to Shop, Eat, & Be Merry This Holiday Season.
In Love,
10 COVER STORY Evanston Woman, Shana Sissel Advocate Women's Financial Literacy And Gender Diversity. 18 MEET ANGELA MCCONNER Global Real Estate Advisor at Jameson Sotheby's International Realty Stay In Touch fb.com/evanstonwoman | ig:evanston_woman evanstonwoman@gmail.com | 847.863.1174
Linda Del Bosque, LDB Editor-in-Chief IG:lindadelbosque Editor-in-Chief . Editor Graphics.
Linda Del Bosque Leila Somjee Aaron Foster
Photos
Austin Ryde, Steve Neilson, Valen Studios, Conor o hAongusa
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COVER STORY
SHANA SISSEL Evanston Woman Advocates Women’s Financial Literacy And Gender Diversity.
By: Leila Somjee Looking at Shana Sissel, one instantly notices her beauty. However, just like with every woman, she is much more than only her appearance. This Evanston resident is also a mother, a wife, and the Chief Investment Officer at Spotlight Asset Group. She is also one of the most influential women in the financial industry, often appearing on Bloomberg and Fox Business News. Her professional achievements are particularly impressive given the significant gender disparity in finance. “Women only make up 6% of the executives in the industry and comprise less than 25% of the total professional workforce,” Sissel states. Since starting almost twenty years ago, she has not seen much progress in gender or racial diversity within the industry. Even though this disparity is extensive, research consistently shows female investors outperform their male counterparts. In spite of women being well suited for business, outside the finance industry, they score lower on financial literacy than men and report a lack of confidence in financial matters. Sissel shares, a recent study by New York Life showed “women control 51% of the wealth in the U.S. At the same time, single women are 75% more likely than men to live in poverty.” To change this, women’s knowledge and confidence in finance needs to improve.
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To achieve this, Sissel advocates for women’s financial literacy and gender diversity by using her platform as Mrs. Illinois International 2020. She is involved with two organizations-Rock the Street, Wall Street and Women in ETFs. Rock the Street, Wall Street introduces high school girls to potential career opportunities in the finance field. Women in ETFs shine a light on women already in the profession and provides mentors to young women just starting out in the field. Some people may believe competing in pageants contradicts women’s empowerment. Although Sissel understands their perspective, she respectfully disagrees. She believes “pageants encourage women to be active and influential members of their community, maintain good physical health, and develop excellent communication skills.” Even after all the years she has competed, she has yet to meet any women who are “intellectually vapid or self-absorbed.” Many women who participate go on to have prestigious careers such as CEOs, physicians, and politicians. Sissel believes she would not be nearly as successful as she is today had she not participated in pageants. With all of her professional responsibilities,
EVANSTON WOMAN she still makes time for her family and other commitments. However, Sissel doesn’t believe a work-life balance is a real thing. This significantly reduces her stress. Sometimes she needs to prioritize work, while other times, she needs to prioritize different aspects of her life. “I focus on what needs are most pressing and don’t try to get overwhelmed with this need to balance everything at the same time.” With today’s increased focus on diversity and visibility, Sissel adds that being a woman in the finance industry has been a huge advantage in building her brand. Any woman who is talented, good at her job, and wants to put herself out there will find opportunities easily. Sissel encourages young women not to be deterred by the lack of women in a profession. Instead, they should seek out advocates and mentors early on. The only way to improve the gender disparity is to encourage women to enter the field. “It’s important that women feel valued and respected in fields where they are the minority. That only happens when others dare to blaze a trail forward.”
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FAMILY
MIND THE GAP BETWEEN High School and Independent Living
Gap years are continuing to be a growing phenomenon. According to the 2015 Gap Year Association National Alumni Survey report, 92% of gappers surveyed were motivated to take a gap year to “gain life experiences and experience personal growth.” After completing their gap year of choice, “this survey found an association between job satisfaction and civic engagement, and taking a Gap Year, participating in a Gap Year may have implications beyond immediate personal and college/ academic out- comes.” Adding a touch of therapeutic support can make all the difference in a young adult’s life, and the success that Yellow- brick has witnessed over 15 years with this population is extraordinary. Yellowbrick’s rationale for developing an innovative Gap Experience (Off-Campus) is to offer an additional option for emerging young adults and their families when they ask themselves, “Are we ready for what’s next?” These questions have been all the more intensified by requisite restrictions and changes to the post-high school platform due to Covid. Yellowbrick’s Off-Campus will offer a transitional period that addresses a full spectrum of concerns for emerging young adults and their parents: •
Do I have a core sense of self-direction and the capacity to execute on motivation and ambitions?
• Do I have a support system separate from my family?
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Am I able to take care of basic life skills such as budgeting, housekeeping, shopping, cooking, and personal self-care?
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Am I knowledgeable as to resume building and writing, job search and interview skills?
• How do I feel about leaving home; or staying at home!
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Yellowbrick’s nationally recognized developmentalneurobiological model integrates brain research to facilitate normative maturation and assists in removing roadblocks to personal growth. Young adults will establish footing for making stable, sup- ported, and intentional decisions about their life while exploring their passions, strengths, and talents. Off-Campus offers the following experiences: •
Actual or simulated college-level classes and support for those taking for-credit college classes.
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Coaching for part-time employment, volunteer work, and internships.
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Building peer community.
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Social literacy and competence.
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Executive function & life skills with an intentional focus on independent living.
• Understanding oneself in relation to intimacy and sexuality. For More Information Contact
Tracey Reaves MA, Coordinator of Education and Off-Campus Gap Experience 847 869 -1500 ext 227
1560 Sherman Ave., Suite 400, Evanston, IL 60201 www.yellowbrickprogram.com 866.364.2300 x233
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WELLNESS
New Ways to Wellness
Evanston Health Collective promotes well-being in challenging times
A
s the founders of the Evanston Health Collective, we believe that the October issue of Evanston Magazine did not accurately represent our practice or who we are as practitioners. We welcome this opportunity to reintroduce ourselves and share how we can improve your life.
-Dr. Melanie Katin, L.Ac.; Sarah B. McLaughlin, LMT; and - D r. Paulin-Liston, M e l a n i e PT Katin, L.Ac.; Sarah B. Becky McLaughlin, LMT; and Becky Paulin-Liston, PT A global pandemic may not seem like the best time to start a new business, but the partners of the Evanston Health Collective knew the time was right for them. Becky Paulin-Liston, physical therapist and yoga instructor; Sarah McLaughlin, massage and shiatsu therapist; and Dr. Melanie Katin, licensed acupuncturist, bring a combined 50 years of experience to the newly formed collective. The partners met years ago while practicing at the Heartwood Center in west Evanston. Over time, they built strong working relationships and friendships. As their collaboration grew, they developed similar visions of health and well-being, and the idea for the Evanston Health Collective was born.
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Located in the Hahn Building in downtown Evanston, the new venture allows the practitioners to combine their skills and bring their expertise to a wider range of people. As they work together across disciplines, they guide their patients and clients toward personalized healing in a soothing environment. While each has their own skills and perspectives, the partners are united in their desire to provide a modern approach to health and wellness. They welcome patients and clients with acute and/or chronic health concerns, and offer services that complement and go beyond traditional medical care. They invite you to visit their healing space and see how their comprehensive approach leads to the most individualized care. A
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Dr. Melanie Katin, L.Ac., started her practice 17 years ago in New York City. She was a professor of integrative pediatrics and oncology at the Pacific College of Health Sciences for 13 years before deciding to focus on private practice. She has helped all generations of patients using acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Since moving to
Evanston in 2017, she has rebuilt her practice, sometimes encountering those who are inexperienced with Chinese medicine. She practices Japanese acupuncture, a very gentle form that most people are comfortable with and enjoy. With Covid-19 a serious concern, Dr. Katin monitors patients’ temperatures and pulse oxygen at every visit. One of the benefits of visiting an acupuncturist is the close attention they pay to subtle health anomalies. Each visit is an opportunity to discover small changes that might warrant a referral back to a primary care physician. Some patients might need several visits to address an acute problem, while some visit repeatedly to enjoy the calm they experience during treatment.
To learn more and book an appointment, visit www.bebetteracupuncture.com. MASSAGE THERAPIST
Sarah McLaughlin is on an adventure, discovering ways to transform suffering for herself and others. She became interested in massage therapy when conventional treatments failed to address her physical and emotional pain. She craved something that explored the hidden places we store our suffering. Having decided that self-work and exploration were essential to her healing, McLaughlin enrolled in the Chicago School of Massage Therapy. By the end of the program, she was certain that massage therapy was more than her career, it was part of her life’s calling. Fifteen years later, McLaughlin still loves coming to work and creating spaces where people can experience a natural healing process. She finds that this healing space can be difficult to attain if one is too aggressive with their body or mind. Through the years, she has studied numerous modalities and healing work. Now, she uses Eastern and Western touch therapies to address a spectrum of imbalances. Her primary work combines shiatsu, myofascial release and visceral manipulation. It is unhurried, detail-oriented and energy-moving, often incorporating abdominal massage. A certified meditation instructor and registered yoga teacher, McLaughlin often uses a combination of massage, meditation and movement with her clients. In addition to teaching online yoga and meditation courses with Becky Paulin-Liston, PT, she offers private lessons. While the yoga McLaughlin teaches may not look very conventional, it is uniquely effective, especially when taught alongside meditation. When combined with the healing space created during massage, McLaughlin facilitates a profound transformative process in her clients.
was missing. She found the answer in yoga, obtaining her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2001 at the Temple of Kriya Yoga. Since then, she has integrated her yoga training with her background in physical therapy, combining total body movement and exercise, breathing, and relaxation with manual therapy techniques to optimize movement. “I feel mainstream physical therapy can miss the boat if you don’t step back to consider the entire person and how everything interrelates,” Paulin-Liston says. “Yoga provides a framework to do that. I am excited to continue to bring physical therapy and yoga to the north shore privately in person and via telehealth.” Paulin-Liston has been treating patients in person as an essential worker through the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to provide a safe environment for this healing work. She also offers yoga classes over Zoom and welcomes you to join her for therapeutic yoga, yoga for women’s health, yoga for bone strength (offered through Grateful Yoga), or for her yoga and meditation collaborations with Sarah McLaughlin, LMT. If you’re ready to move with less pain and more ease, visit www.ptandy.com to set up an appointment or join a class. S TAY I N G
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STAYING WELL AMID UNCERTAINTY
During the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the practitioners at the Evanston Health Collective are taking many measures to keep clients and patients healthy and safe. They have HEPA air filtration and UV light sanitization, and offices are fully disinfected between each appointment. Difficult times can lead to new opportunities. With a range of expertise and talent, the partners of the Evanston Health Collective are ready to join you on your health journey. Come see the difference integrative care can make for your well-being.
Evanston Health Collective Evanston HealthAve., Collective 1609 Sherman Ste. 308, Hahn Building 1609 Sherman w w w . e v aAve., n s tSte. o n308, h eHahn a l tBuilding h . c o m www.evanstonhealth.com
For more information, visit F or more information, visit www.abhayabodywork.com www.abhayabodywork.com. PHYSICAL THERPIST YOGA TEACHER PHYSICAL THERPIST ANDAND YOGA TEACHER
Becky Paulin-Liston has been practicing physical therapy since completing her degree at Bradley University in 1997. For the past 20 years, she has focused on helping people with orthopedic conditions and women with health concerns across their lifespans. At the beginning of her career, Paulin-Liston felt something
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HEALING THE BRAIN, TRANSFORMING LIVES
Center for Clinical Neuroscience State of the art & research neuromodulation treatment for adolescents and young adults Is your response to medications not providing sufficient symptom relief? Are mood or anxiety symptoms interfering with optimal cognitive and functional performance? Are you looking for safe, effective alternatives to medications for your mood and anxiety symptoms? The use of neuroscience technologies has enhanced the understanding and treatment of complex conditions and insufficient response to treatment. Yellowbrick’s Center for Clinical Neuroscience has developed a research-based Neuromodulation IOP. Following a neuroscience informed assessment, Yellowbrick employs an individually prescribed bundle of neuromodulation technologies designed for achieving maximal symptom relief and supporting optimal brain health and healing. Pharmacogenomic testing; Genetically informed psychopharmacology
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Mind-Body sensorimotor integration Collaborative consultation with emerging adult, family & professionals User-friendly assessment report & recommendations
For more information, contact Yellowbrick today. The Assessment Center @ 847.869-1500 ext. 233 www.yellowbrickprogram.com
