GROWING BOLDER WITH
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Paul Reiser
Arlinda McIntosh
His has been a dream career. Paul Reiser created and starred in the acclaimed NBC series, “Mad About You,” which garnered him Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations during the show’s initial run in the 1990s. The hit series was so beloved that he and his co-star, Helen Hunt, brought it back as a limited series in 2019.
Arlinda McIntosh never considered a career in fashion. As she toiled for years as a receptionist, her only creative outlet was doodling sketches.
Reiser also has starred in film classics, such as “Diner” and “Aliens,” and in hit TV shows, such as “Stranger Things” and “The Kominsky Method.” He’s the author of several books, including “Couplehood,” which sold more than 2 million copies and reached No. 1 on the “New York Times” bestseller list. Despite a career most actors would never dare dream of, Reiser never forgot his first love: stand-up comedy. In recent years, he’s hit the road again and feels like he’s finally come home. “I put stand-up comedy on the back burner after ‘Mad About You’ got started,” Reiser said. “However, now that I’m back on stage, I see it’s what I’ve needed and what I’ve been missing, only I didn’t realize it all these years.” He said the lesson is to never stop finding a way to do what you were meant to do. “We’re all lucky if we find the right vocation for our brains; and for me, it’s stand-up.” Jon Kopaloff / Stringer via Getty Images
Then, her husband left her; and McIntosh became a single mom. With the rent due and money running low, one of her friends had an idea: Since McIntosh knew how to sew, why didn’t she make some clothes and sell them to her friends? “I had $28 and went to a cheap fabric store,” McIntosh said. “I used that fabric to make five dress jumpers. My friends paid me $25 each!” Soon, more friends and friends of friends were clamoring for her clothes. A company was born: Sofistafunk. Now, she designs pieces for everyone from Sean Combs to Mary J. Blige. McIntosh wasn’t done reinventing herself. As she kept designing, she wanted to show off new pieces to her growing social media fans and didn’t always have the money to hire models. On a whim, she posted photos of herself on Instagram (@funkingafter50) wearing her designs, and her sales skyrocketed. “I can tell my story better than anyone,” she said. “Why do I have to look young? Why can’t I just be?” Now, she’s one of the top 50+ influencers on social media. Her lesson? Believe in yourself. Photo: Tewelde Medhin/Medhin Production
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