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• This cutting-edge model is a first in the greater Charlotte area and one of only a handful in the country. With a surgical focus on facelift, necklift, eyelid lift, brow lift, rhinoplasty, skin cancer reconstruction, hair restoration, and laser resurfacing, Drs. Garcia and Surowitz deliver beautiful and natural results individually tailored to each patient’s unique needs.
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• In addition to surgical treatment options, we offer a wide range of injectable fillers, Botox, Dysport, a full complement of skin care products, and lasers.
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Munro believes in fine quality garments for your everyday life. With their signature updated fit and state-of-the-art custom order process, this label is one of our most exciting new brands at an exceptional value.
The process of product customization is an art form in itself. It begins with a one-on-one consultation with our expert consultants. During this personal session, we will take your precise measurements and guide you through a curated selection of premium fabrics, from luxurious Italian wool to fine Egyptian cotton. You will then have the freedom to choose every detail, from lapel style and button options to pocket designs and linings, ensuring your garment is a true reflection of your individual style. The result is a garment that not only fits flawlessly but also embodies your personality and preferences. Products arrive in only 4-6 weeks.
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The new year is the perfect time to get in gear: to eat healthier, to exercise, read, rest, organize and cook more, and do all the things that are not only good for you but make up for any gluttony of the holidays! For the procrastinator in me, though, it’s always a struggle.
Growing up, I used to complain to my best friend that my horoscope always said “start new projects.” Where’s the romance? The intrigue? I guess the familiar call to action still rings a little stale. Sure, I make resolutions each year. (Hey, it’s still worth a shot.) But I’ve found something else to do on Jan. 1 that I find more meaningful. I jot down a list of the hallmarks of the previous year. It’s nothing long or extensive. Who needs something else on the to-do list? It’s bullet points and just enough words to jog my memory about a meaningful milestone or a lasting memory of the year prior: my niece started kindergarten, my brother started chemo, I ran my first marathon, I got pregnant for the first time. It’s a way to connect the dots in my memory and savor the years, which seem to fly by faster and faster.
One of my favorite 2024 milestones is the launch of this magazine. The opportunity to become editor of this beautiful publication came after I’d taken a leap of faith and left a previous position. Little did I know a friendship struck on the Freedom Park baseball bleachers watching our sons field groundballs, while commiserating over the challenges of motherhood, would lead to this. The best connections are sometimes the ones you least expect!
This January, we hope you’ll take time to reflect as you recalibrate. In this issue, we’re proud to offer some great ideas for how to eat cleanly, where to exercise smartly, and what to read as you head into the new year. Laurie Martin of Simplicity Organizers explains how decluttering can improve your mental and physical health, and Theresa Viera of Modern Legal inspires with her story of turning childhood hardship into her life’s work. Our cover feature highlights the incredible work of the Mint Museum Auxiliary in support of the Mint Museum with its winter fundraiser, where fashion and the fun of pickleball collide.
Happy New Year!
January 2025
PUBLISHER
Liz Brown | liz.brown@citylifestyle.com
EDITOR
Carroll Walton | carroll.walton@citylifestyle.com
COPY EDITOR
Cate Stern
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Liz Brown, Carroll Walton
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Olly Yung, Loretta Hughbanks, Nellie Mark Allen, Susan Stripling, Tyler Jensen
CEO Steven Schowengerdt
COO Matthew Perry
CRO Jamie Pentz
CTO Ajay Krishnan
VP OF OPERATIONS Janeane Thompson
VP OF FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT Erika Smiley
AD DESIGNER Evan Deuvall
LAYOUT DESIGNER Adam Finley
QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Megan Cagle
CARROLL WALTON, EDITOR @QUEENCITYMAG
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Whether reconfiguring existing spaces, adding new rooms, or changing floor plans, our design and build process elevates your remodeling experience while transforming your house into a place you lovingly call home.
ARTICLE BY CARROLL WALTON
Focusing on clean eating, and cutting down on processed foods, is a great way to start the new year. The Mayo Clinic says nourishing your body with foods that come more directly from the earth—fruits and vegetables, lean meats and protein, whole grains
Calle Sol Latin Café & Cevicheria has a casual atmosphere with lively music and even livelier food. The menus focus on Cuban and Peruvian cuisine but feature influences from all over Latin America. Their chefs bring extensive knowledge from their training in Latin America and Florida to the Plaza Midwood & SouthPark locations.
& Eastover
Salted Melon is a neighborhood staple for healthy, quick and delicious meals in South End and Eastover. It’s great for a morning latte, lunchtime salads or wraps, a post-workout smoothie, grab-and-go juices, a nutritious meal for your kiddos and much more.
and dairy—can improve not only your heart and brain health but help you build a stronger immune system, manage your weight, and make you feel more energetic too. What’s not to like about that?
But making big changes to your diet and how you prepare food can feel daunting too. There’s a good chance it’s going to
require more time in the kitchen, more dirty dishes, more planning ahead to avoid wasting food. And how are you going to get your spouse and children on board? The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out yourself. There are plenty of ways to eat nutritious food out and about in Charlotte. Here are four great options for eating healthy and clean while on the go in 2025.
Each drink at Green Brothers Juice & Smoothie Co. has a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants promoting genuine wellness. Juices and smoothies are made of whole, natural ingredients, without ice and fillers, to ensure maximum nutrition. Green Brothers supports each person’s health journey, whether for a cleanse, daily nutritional boost, or a refreshing treat.
GREENBROTHERSJUICE.COM
@GREENBROTHERSJUICE
SouthPark
Limani is an upscale seafood restaurant focusing on traditional Greek specialties. Chefs bring the best of the Mediterranean to Charlotte, using premium first-pressed, cold-pressed olive oil from the Kalamata and jewels of fish and seafood, or local organic vegetables, and special items such as capers from Santorini and the saffron from Kozani.
FOLLOW THESE LOCAL LEADERS IN WELLNESS FOR TIPS, IDEAS, AND INSPIRATION FOR THE NEW YEAR
ARTICLE BY CARROLL WALTON
Founder of The Food Babe.com and Truvani
You have probably heard of Vani Hari “The Food Babe,” a nationally known health food activist. But did you know she grew up in Charlotte and graduated from South Mecklenburg High and UNC Charlotte?
Her Indian immigrant parents named her “Vani,” which in Punjabi means “the voice.” She lives that out as a blogger, influencer and consumer advocate. Hari has taken companies to task like Chick-fil-A, Kraft, Starbucks and more recently Kellogg’s, arguing they have harmful ingredients in their products. She marched at Kellogg’s headquarters, bringing a petition with more than 400,000 signatures and demanding the cereal company remove dyes and the chemical BHT from its products. She has testified before the U.S. Senate, spoken at the Democratic National Convention, and appeared on CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America and more.
Hari is the daughter of a mechanical engineering professor and a math teacher. She got her college degree in computer science and took her first job for the consulting firm, Accenture. She started researching nutrition after suffering appendicitis in 2002 and vowed to get healthier.
“For most of my life I was addicted to industrial processed food but then I had a health crisis and I woke up,” she says. “I stopped outsourcing my decisions to
industry experts and demanded to know the truth about what I was putting in my body.”
In her first three years as a blogger, “The Food Babe” attracted more than 57 million views.
“Little did I know this blog would change the world,” she has written. Her cookbook Food Babe Kitchen is a New York Times bestseller. She co-founded a line of organic food known as Truvani.
Hari lives in Charlotte with her husband and two children. You can find her on Instagram @thefoodbabe
Addy Collett is opening a new fitness and recovery club called The Health Club on Monroe Road this month. Her goal was to create an upscale fitness facility and recovery club with a holistic approach. The 18,000 square foot space features an open-concept gym and classes for bootcamp, Pilates and more. It has luxurious locker room spaces with saunas, steam rooms, cold plunge and hot tubs. More than 600 founding memberships were sold within minutes.
Collett was born and raised in Charlotte and graduated from Charlotte Latin. She has always been a lover
of the outdoors. She grew up hiking, skiing, and running. But she found her passion for group fitness while attending the University of South Carolina.
“I struggled to find my way at USC amid the party scene but quickly fell in love with the community and social aspect of working out and group fitness,” Collett said. She started her personal Instagram account @FindYourAltitude about healthy living and finding balance as a college student. She now has nearly 13,000 followers.
of Athlete By Design
Jeremy Boone is a performance coach, motivational speaker, best-selling author and the guy you want to bump into when you’re walking into work, dropping your kids off at school or anywhere you could use some general good cheer.
Boone was born in Mobile, Ala., raised in Greenville, S.C. and came to Charlotte after graduating from the College of Charleston in 1995. He made a name for himself working as a speed and performance coach for the Carolina Panthers. He’s coached Olympic athletes from around the world as well as local athletes such as former UNC Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds, NASCAR driver Joey Logano, and young players in Charlotte FC’s Academy.
As he progressed in his career, Boone’s emphasis shifted from the physical side of sports to the mental. He teaches leadership principles to coaches and athletic directors in high school, college and professional sports as well as the corporate world.
When he became a parent, he also saw the value in coaching parents. Boone wrote Parent Your Best (following up his earlier work, Coach Your Best ) about the
traps parents fall into when they push their children too hard in athletics. He stresses that parents should encourage young athletes to play multiple sports and that they need to teach kids to take responsibility for their own actions. He tells a story of a friend who kept bringing cleats to his daughter’s school before soccer practice because she forgot them, until Boone intercepted them one day to break the cycle.
Ana-Maria Temple was working full-time as a hospitalist in Charlotte and raising three children, ages 2, 4 and 6, when she had an epiphany that changed the course of her life. All three of her children were sick, she says. Her 2-year-old had allergies so bad he had to skip Easter egg hunts outside or his eyes would swell shut and he would break out in hives. Her 6-yearold had acute asthma and eczema, which quickly turned any cold into an ear or sinus infection. Her 4-year-old had ADHD and “a booger” problem, with a runny nose for the ages, which she describes in her book Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World
Somewhere between doctor visits recommending her children be on medication for the foreseeable future and a lecture on nutrition at her children’s school, “the fog lifted,” as she writes. Temple went home and cleaned out the family pantry, replaced processed foods in her children’s diets with fruits and vegetables, and began a quest for healthier lifestyles that took her family all the way to New Zealand for a time.
When she started making lifestyle changes, “no one liked me, including my husband,” she wrote. “We fought over food all the time.” Her friends and medical partners questioned her sanity and the depth of her research. But she stuck by her motherly instincts and slowly but surely her children started getting better. She returned to Charlotte determined not to practice medicine the same way, so she opened her own practice to share what she’d learned.
The Charlotte native, wife and mother of three is a certified integrative nutrition health coach. Hope Skouras created a product called Lemon Swirls, which you add to a glass of water—or mug of steaming water, child’s water bottle, or even a cocktail—to get a jolt of lemon flavor with a boost of good health. Lemon Swirls contain lemon, ginger, turmeric and honey, which give it anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and Vitamin C.
“It’s instantly hydrating,” Skouras says. “It’s great for your skin. It’s great for digestion.”
For Skouras, it all comes back to digestion. At age 17, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and at age 22, she underwent an operation to remove a portion of her small intestine. She controlled her symptoms with medication until another flare-up in 2020 after having her third child during COVID. It was then that Skouras decided to give holistic medicine a try. Inspired by the nutrition coach at her doctor’s practice, she decided to get certified herself.
Photo by Nellie Mark Allen
She was drinking lemon water every day and passed on advice to her Instagram followers @thewholehope to do the same. Many commented that they didn’t want to take the time, which prompted her to create her own easy-to-make formula in her kitchen. She released the product last January and sales have taken off. Lemon Swirls are now available at Reid’s Fine Foods. Plans are in the works to start shipping Lemon Swirls throughout the Carolinas, and hopefully, Skouras says, beyond.
“Mentors have said to me, ‘trust your gut,’ which makes me laugh because all of this is because of my gut,” she says. “So I need to keep trusting it.”
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CELEBRATING PICKLEBALL AND A PALM ROYALE THEME FOR UPCOMING MINT AUXILIARY WINTER WONDERMINT PARTY AT RALLY
ARTICLE BY LIZ BROWN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY OLLY YUNG
Opposite Page:
Charlotte dentist Sejal Patel and Charlotte City Tennis Director Aaron Mullennix enjoy pickleball. Sejal is wearing a Lija top from Court 1 and Eugenia Kim skirt from The Pearl Pagoda with JW Pei shoes and Spitfire sunglasses. Aaron sports Brunello Cucinelli sunglasses from Taylor Richards & Conger at Phillips Place and Wilson shoes.
This Page: Sara Kulbersh of Carolina Facial Plastics and a Mint Auxiliary Member wears a Club & Court Poppy Terry Top and skirt from Court 1, Amazon sunglasses and socks, Adidas shoes and plays with a Tangerine paddle from Ruxton Mercantile.
The Mint Museum Auxiliary invites you to Rally for a Palm Royale-themed pickleball soirée Feb. 8th—a perfect blend of 1960s glam and sporty sophistication. Embrace the charm of a retro Palm Beach resort getaway with bold colors, whimsical prints, and tennis-inspired attire. Take a swing at the newest craze in racket sports in support of the Charlotte arts.
The Mint Auxiliary is dedicated to supporting the arts and cultural programs of the Mint Museum. Its annual Winter WonderMINT party raises vital funds while bringing the community together in style. These images capture that spirit, uniting Charlotte’s most creative minds, business leaders, and Mint Auxiliary members—all embodying the vibrant energy and elegance that define the Auxiliary’s mission.
The Mint Auxiliary was founded in 1956 to raise money for the Mint Museum’s educational programs and to help acquire new pieces for its permanent collection. The group, which started with 60 women, has grown to more than 600 members, while raising more than $16 million for the Mint Museum and donating more than 3,800 items to the museum’s collection.
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Attorney Theresa Viera driven by personal experience to help clients suffering abuse
One of the first things attorney Theresa Viera tells victims of domestic violence is to pack a “go bag” with all of their essentials so they can be ready at a moment’s notice. She also recommends packing a camera, like the disposable one she and her mother used.
“It’s very hard to collect evidence on these things,” she said.
Viera is lead attorney and founder of Modern Legal, a family law practice designed to help families navigate the legal system. She is passionate not just about protecting those who are vulnerable within individual families but catalyzing change in the greater community.
“My goal was always to figure out how to create healthier relationships,” Viera said. “How to create a healthier community and world.”
She learned the value of an attorney’s guidance at the age of 11, when she and her mother escaped a toxic situation. Her mother found a lawyer by thumbing through the yellow pages. Viera still calls the attorney, “Helen,” and recalls fondly the way her first voicemail sounded in Helen’s “assertive yet endearing voice.”
Viera discovered the power in her own voice appearing in court as a child. The day she testified at the age of 12, she vowed to become a lawyer. Upon her graduation from George Washington University, she was so determined to get to law school, she didn’t feel the need to celebrate.
“I actually thought it was silly when I went to my college graduation,” Viera
said. “I was thinking, ‘This is not the end. Why am I wearing a robe?’ My mom wanted the pictures, so I said, ‘OK, fine.’”
She went from a childhood in which she had a pony, lived in a three-story house in Cary, N.C. and saw “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway to rolling pennies to help pay for groceries. But she learned how to fight back, and now she’s doing it on behalf of others. She’s helping clients find a way forward.
“The sooner an attorney can step in, the better it is,” Viera said.
Viera founded her firm four years ago, seeking ways to repay a service she feels like the legal system of North Carolina did for her. She graduated from law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Carolinas is where she wants her services to grow.
“Part of my passion in developing a law firm here in North Carolina, and our goal, is to expand and provide family law services throughout the state,” she said.
Finding attorneys in family law is even harder.
“I think a lot of lawyers don’t get into it because there’s so much gray in family law,” Viera said. “Lawyers like black and white, or as clear an answer as possible. The law either says yes or no, or you’re pursuing a guilty, not guilty, one or the other. Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all for any family. There’s also the emotional toll because you’re dealing with such intimate subjects and relationships.”
Viera would like to see Modern Legal expand in both North and South Carolina.
“The goal is to open up additional hubs where attorneys would be housed, and then figuring out ways to set up satellite offices, especially in the legal deserts,” she said. “So that anyone who is able to find us can get those services.”
North Carolina has 48 counties that are considered “legal deserts” with fewer than one attorney for every 1,000 residents. Many of them are in small, rural communities. According to a 2022 survey by the American Bar Association, North Carolina ranks 39th (2.5) and South Carolina 50th (3.1) in terms of fewest lawyers per 1,000 residents.
DR. CARMEN TEAGUE offers a different approach to primary care in Charlotte. She sees fewer patients so she can offer same- and next-day appointments that start on time and last as long as needed. Plus, patients can reach her after hours for urgent matters, and she has more time to answer your questions.
Dr. Teague also focuses on prevention, offering advanced screenings and diagnostic tests designed to identify risk markers before they become health problems.
Visit mdvip.com/CarmenTeagueMD or call 980.486.0832 to learn more about her innovative practice and her approach to preventive care
6842 Carnegie Boulevard Suite 202 Charlotte, NC 28211
Martin
ARTICLE BY CARROLL WALTON PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SIMPLICITY ORGANIZERS
Every time the calendar flips to January, local gyms get crowded and produce aisles get busy. If ever there were a time to get organized, it’s now, right? But rather than organizing because the time is right, Laurie Martin of Simplicity Organizers suggests delving deeper into your motivations: decluttering is good for the soul.
“We all want a simpler life,” Martin says. “But we constantly feel overwhelmed, over scheduled and stressed.”
Thinking intentionally about why you want to get organized is more important than worrying about how you’ll do it, she says.
“If you don’t look deeper into the why,” she says. “It’s just like shifting chairs on the Titanic.”
Coming up with your “why” increases the likelihood that you’ll actually follow through.
Paring down the clutter, cleaning out what you don’t need, and creating an environment where you can actually find what you have is good for your well being in so many ways. Here are four:
• Physically: Studies have shown that there is a correlation between having a messy home and being overweight or obese.
SIMPLICITY ORGANIZERS FOUNDER
SHARES BENEFITS OF AND TIPS FOR REORGANIZING YOUR HOME
• Financially: When you’re organized, you don’t miss paying bills. You don’t buy items you already own. You might save on some future Amazon purchases you realize you don’t really need.
• In relationships: A messy house and arguments over where things are add undue strain between spouses, children, siblings and more. Day-to-day interactions can bring enough tension without having World War III over who last had the TV remote.
• Spiritually: A clear mind is more peaceful and open to new ideas.
Once you realize the true value of getting your home and life organized, then it’s time to make a plan. The first step is knowing how to set realistic goals. Start by identifying the difference between a to-do list and a project. A “to-do” is something short and simple — returning library books or making cupcakes for the class party. A project is multi-stepped and generally longer term — organizing photos, cleaning out the attic. Don’t put projects on your to-do list or they’ll never get done and you’ll get discouraged.
Go in with a clear definition of clutter. Those of us who struggle with this the most might even want to write it down on a notecard and keep it handy when the keep-or-toss decisions get agonizing.
Simplicity Organizers defines clutter as anything: a) you do not use or love;
b) that is untidy or disorganized; c) that exceeds the space available; d) that is broken or unfinished.
When you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work, follow these S-I-M-P-L-E steps:
Sort — Group like items together by color, season, shape, or function.
Identify — Use keep, donate, sell, and discard piles. Keep only what is cherished or frequently used.
Map — Make frequently-used items the most accessible. Leave space for new interests.
Put Away — A place for everything and everything in its place.
Label — Label each container, shelf, or drawer.
Enjoy — Celebrate easier access to belongings.
Above all, start small. Tackle a drawer, your purse, the trunk of your car. Build momentum from small victories.
For information about Simplicity Organizers, visit simplicity-organizers.com . Also find out more about Simplicity Serves, their program offering organizational services to families or organizations in need.
KATIE KICKERTZ D.D.S., M.S., BOARD-CERTIFIED ENDODONTIST
As a local, female, and board-certified endodontist, Dr. Kickertz provides more than just treatment; she offers empathy and expertise. Whether you’re a patient in need or a doctor seeking a reliable referral, Premier Endodontics is your go-to source for dental pain and root canal emergencies.
design and implement custom communication strategies tailored to your unique needs.
ARTICLE BY CARROLL WALTON
Cozy up with these inspirational reads for 2025
Sally Brewster, owner of Park Road Books, and her staff curated a list of the best Health & Wellness books to read heading into 2025. The list, which includes three titles by local authors, covers subjects ranging from healthy eating to parenting, insomnia to mental health, time management and more. They’re listed in no particular order.
1 Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab*
2 Give Me Space but Don’t Go Far (a memoir) by Haley Weaver*
3 8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success by Michelle Icard*
4 How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain by Jessica McCabe
5 Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications by Jade Wu, PhD
6. Health
*designates local authors
Park Road Books, which opened in Park Road Shopping Center in 1977, is Charlotte’s only independent full-service bookstore. Park Road Books welcomes customers in for local author events, book clubs and just to stop by and meet Yola, the official store mascot and best-read dog in town.