The Brick Magazine: February 2018

BRICK

THE

FEBRUARY 2018

MAGAZINE

ANN ARBOR

ADVENTURES IN FERTILITY THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-CARE

PLUS! EMBRACE YOUR BUSINESS CHALLENGES WITH TONI MORELL

Praveena

REAL CHANGE HAPPENS IN REAL RELATIONSHIPS

Ramaswami an interview with

It’s going to be a new year, let’s create your new look

Ryan Brooks Cut and Color Specialist

470 Briarwood Circle | Ann Arbor, MI | 734.214.3200 | trichosalonandspa.com

A private practice integrating Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine to help you look better and feel better Specializing in “Proactive Rejuvenation�

Dr. Lisa Profera www.projuvu.com 1-844-PROJUVU drprofera@gmail.com

contact 320 Miller Ave, Suite 185 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.761.8753 http://www.tranquilbeing.com

your pause starts here 734.761.8753 www.TranquilBeing.com

THE

BRICK MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY 2018

Publisher • Sarah Whitsett Assistant to the publisher • Jillian Fraioli

Art Director • Jennifer Knutson

Copy Editor • Angelina Bielby

Marketing Director • Steve DeBruler Steven Goossen

CONTENTS 8

Cover Photographer • Meera Ramaswami

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Real Change Happens in Real Relationships An Interview with Praveena Ramaswami

Contributors >>

Ryan Brooks

Angela Harrison

Randi Rubenstein

Nadine Burns

Sharon Lawlor

Stephanie Saline

Kristen Domingue

Lisa Nogueira

Maria Sylvester

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Lisa Profera

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The Brick Magazine, LLC 734.707.8156

Email: office@thebrickmagazine.com Visit us on the web at thebrickmagazine.com

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Advertising Inquires >> email office@thebrickmagazine.com or call 734.707.8156

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THE BRICK MAGAZINE makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising, editorial content and placement: however, we cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and will accept no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement. No content can be duplicated without the permission of The Brick Magazine, LLC

6 | The Brick Magazine

Journey of a Lifetime!

14 Woman on the Street Adventures in Fertility

16 Look Cool, Not Cold 19 Don’t Ignore Your Social Security

20 Winter Hair Woes 22 Healthy Fuel to Start Your Day 24 Botox

®

and Beyond

28 Turn Your Family’s

Getaway into a Vacation Rather than a Torturous Trip

30 The Importance of Self-Care 32 Forget Overcoming,

Embrace Your Business Challenges: From Zero to $16M with Toni Morell

Praveena Ramaswami photo by Meera Ramaswami 8 | The Brick Magazine

REAL CHANGE HAPPENS IN REAL RELATIONSHIPS How One Woman is Changing Her Community from Her Corporate Desk

W

by Kristen Domingue

hen we spoke to Praveena Ramaswami, lead of Community Relations at Toyota Motor North America Research & Development, we gained deeper insight into something you likely already know: relationships are everything. As Ramaswami, a super connector, “followed her bliss” — helping people and improving her community — she moved from a role with Toyota to a role as a community leader while she focused on raising her daughters, and then back into a role within Toyota that allows her to serve her community even more. Here’s how she did it.

I FOLLOWED MY PASSION, BUT I ALSO FOLLOWED MY RELATIONSHIPS I’ve been with Toyota for a while in different roles, many of which came to me through the relationships I had fostered within the company. From helping develop Toyota R&D’s first internet pages, to managing the vehicle fleet, to being the first Team Leader of Administration for Toyota’s design house, Calty Design Research — I loved what I did and became involved more in the community as well. I kept thinking, “How can Toyota get more engaged in the community?” I was lucky that Toyota was responsive to my interest, and that they had a willingness to put me in positions that allowed me to do just that.

When I decided to leave Toyota to focus on my family, I continued to build relationships in my local community

and took on several leadership roles. However, the relationships I had nurtured at Toyota were not forgotten.

They reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in coming back to the company in a community engagement role. I remember that conversation so clearly. They said, “You have good rapport internally with our leaders, and you know people in the community and their challenges, so it’s a perfect bridge: someone who could represent us outside in the world and represent the world inside for us at Toyota.”

Because I was deeply engaged in the community and at home, it wasn’t part of the plan to come back to Toyota. I had to think carefully about this decision.

I took on the position because I understood I would be able to do more for the community with Toyota’s support than I could on my own. It felt like it was a win-win.

In my role leading community engagement, I represent Toyota Research and Development, headquartered in Ann Arbor. They’ve been in Southeast Michigan for 40 years, and my role is to help Toyota make a positive impact and be in active service to the community.

BEING TRULY PRESENT VS. JUST BEING THERE: A WORD ABOUT OVERCOMMITMENT I was working full time, raising my children, and deeply February 2018 | 9

During this time, I worked to restore the Thurston Nature Center and became their marketing chair.

We fundraised to restore the pond to bring back its wildlife, and we built a nesting island for birds to help repopulate the aquatic life. I also continued to be involved in my local area non-profits and worked to improve processes and communication, elevating them to the next level. Best of all, I could do all of this from home in my comfy yoga pants. I was also on the board for the Ann Arbor Art Center, a Parks Commissioner for the City of Ann Arbor Parks, and a member of the STEM Committee of the Ann Arbor Educational Foundation.

When I decided to take on this new position at Toyota, I knew it was time for me decide how to allocate my time. There were and are several other organizations I’m a part of, but it came to a point when I had to do some soul-searching about my commitments. In the past, I took on challenges and just said yes without thinking too much about it, walking into every door that opened. I now take more time to reflect. If I could do it all again, I would have spent my energy more wisely.

photo by Meera Ramaswami in my community. After some thought, I knew I wanted to continue doing community work and spend more time with my young family.

I decided to take a hiatus from Toyota and left the company for two and a half years. I was at home doing community work and raising my daughters who, at the time, were in 5th and 2nd grade.

I felt like my past experiences lent themselves to ideas and solutions that helped the community-based organizations (CBOs) I served become better. They kept asking for my opinion on things and inviting me to be on boards and committees. I often said yes because I could see that my input and involvement made a difference.

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The game-changing question for me, both in my roles on boards and in my family, was this: Was I present or was I just there? Now I’m more able to disconnect for work and be present when I need to be. Before, it all blended together and I wasn’t able to see clearly. Now that I’ve gone through the stress of multiple things coming at me, I’m able to use my energy the way I need to and know when I’m done and need to close my laptop and my teeming mind.

SPONSORSHIP VS. PARTNERSHIP: IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN PUTTING OUR NAME ON IT At Toyota, my role is to engage and develop partnerships within the community. I work with nonprofits, educational institutions, industry, and civic groups to solve community-wide problems in a long-term, trendreversing fashion.

Part of why I said yes to this job is because, for Toyota, it’s about more than writing a check and putting our name on it. My role requires me to think about problems and needs within the community and how we can use Toyota’s knowledge, people, resources and funds to solve them.

One of the things I love about my job is that I don’t have to lead with “I work with Toyota and let me cut a check.” I can just have conversations, listen to people, engage them and find out what’s happening. I know from experience that name-dropping “Toyota” at the front of a conversation leads to requests that may solve one-time problems or requests for money that bandaid a challenge. I want to help solve the problem by understanding the cause, having holistic conversations that create sustainable, community-wide solutions.

If I find out what people are working on first, what matters to them, and what their goals are, I can help them by facilitating a multi-stakeholder conversation with sustainable impact through my connections. By starting here, I can create a partnership conversation instead of a sponsorship conversation.

DOING GOOD IN THE COMMUNITY IS DOING GOOD FOR THE COMPANY. For us, this work is about long-term sustainability. While people do look to us to fund CBOs, our contribution is focused on the creation of partnerships and often comes through relationships we’ve built over time. We look at factors like: Does it align with our core values? Do we trust the team leading the implementation? Does it have the possibility for the community to lead its growth after we’ve done the heavy lifting to move things in the right direction?

The belief we have is that if we do good in the community, it will be good for the company. Right now, we’re focused on projects where we can get multiple organizations together to solve a community problem.

One example is our recent partnership with Growing Hope, Meals On Wheels, and Ypsilanti Consolidated Schools (YCS). Our goal was to solve the lack of access to fresh food in a food desert — downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Without reliable transportation or convenient access to fresh vegetables and supplies, many challenges arose.

But solving the problem wasn’t as simple as providing vehicles and driving; it mattered that we help create access to help people get what they need. So, Toyota worked with YpsiPlanti (the local farmer’s market) and Growing Hope to tow their mobile farm-stand with a new Toyota Tacoma. The mobile farm-stand goes

where people gather — schools, churches — to sell fresh produce that was grown in their community. We also fundraised to help create a space for Meals On Wheels to prepare deliveries at YpsiPlanti. Learning as you grow produce speaks to our support of STEM education.

My job is to meet with the partners and create a collaborative conversation to figure out how we’ll solve the problem. This is just one of several community-led partnerships Toyota supports. It’s exciting to know we’re doing something in our community that’s changing the lives of thousands of people over the long-term.

HOW I “DO” RELATIONSHIPS I don’t follow a formula when I talk to people, but I do focus on being approachable by acknowledging people in the room and having an engaged conversation. I don’t talk so much, but I’m always interested, asking questions and going deeper to discover their interests. When I meet people, I’m building a profile in the back of my head of their concerns and work.

As I listen, I focus on finding common ground with whomever I’m speaking with, and people feel more comfortable talking to me because I’m listening for commonalities and similarities and speaking to those right off the bat. Then as time goes by, I may meet someone new, and I realize they need to connect with someone else.

Lastly, when I introduce you to someone, I introduce you based on what I know is important to the other person because I want to build the connection for people; I want to pass on the spirit of connecting. _________________________________ Ramaswami’s work with Toyota is an extension of the work she’d do whether she worked with Toyota or not.

Her ability to connect with people and help them improve their circumstances comes naturally to her. And while all superpowers are not without their kryptonite (including being a super connector), we are inspired by the way Ramaswami has learned to channel her strengths into a position of leverage, so they help more people without leaving her overwhelmed and over-committed.

Kristen M. Domingue is a copywriter and content marketing consultant in the New York City area.

When she’s not delivering on client projects, you can find her cooking up something gluten-free or in an internet rabbit hole on entrepreneurship or astrology.

February 2018 | 11

JOURNEY OF A

Lifetime!

by Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC

12 | The Brick Magazine

H

ave you ever considered how relationships offer us endless opportunities to travel extensively, experiencing inner and outer landscapes far beyond what we can even imagine at the onset?

Connecting with another human being, regardless of whether they are new to us or known, has one instantly embarking on roads that can be smooth, exciting, and richly meaningful, or bumpy, filled with potholes, detours, and unexpected turns.

A challenge we often face navigating the world at large, as well as the world of relationships, is that of managing expectations.

When sight-seeing while traveling, for instance, if you can keep expectations at bay, you are more likely to observe and appreciate what is right in front of you.

Similarly, when interpersonal expectations are minimized, at least initially, one’s ability to openly see another person just happens.

Letting go of the need for a person to behave in one way or another frees you to enjoy them as they first present themselves in the moment.

Quite a simple idea, yet not necessarily an easy one to actualize.

Uncertainties abound as we travel the territory of relationships. Sitting with uncertainty stirs anxiety in many of us. I love to remind my coaching clients that getting comfortable with the state of “not knowing” is indeed a personal development talent worth exploring and getting skilled at. Perhaps the best way to do this is to remind yourself of the multiple inner resources or problemsolving skills you have. These are abilities you can, and will, call up as necessary. Remembering that you are resilient and resourceful can be a healthy defense against the anxiety

that can otherwise hit you during tough or unfamiliar relationship moments. Rather than panicking when unexpected turns, tensions, irritations, and arguments occur, these moments can become elements of the relationship to explore and work through. This is especially true when you feel you have the emotional resources needed tucked away in your emotional backpack.

Additionally, magic happens when we view relationships, of all degrees and intensities, as invitations to embark on wonderful journeys filled with rich new experiences and exciting possibilities! Relationships offer us life-long personal development challenges and opportunities. They present us, for instance, with the chance to genuinely communicate with others on all sorts of levels.

Being able to do so, in and of itself, is a challenge that allows us to grow in a myriad of ways.

I always relish the joy of settling into the process of really getting to know another — in doing so,

my curiosity typically gifts me a more meaningful connection, new learning or awareness, and, almost always, the feeling of my own personal expansiveness. I can’t help but learn more about myself if I remain awake, aware, and emotionally curious.

So, during February, I invite you to reflect on your relationships as portals to magnificent worlds, within and without! I hope that as you consider them as such, you will enjoy a travel experience of a lifetime.

This article was originally published in CoSoso

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC is a certified Life Coach in Ann Arbor, MI who loves empowering adolescents, adults, and couples to live from the HEART of what really matters to them so that they can bring their fully expressed, vibrant selves into the world. She has a special gift for helping women reclaim their feminine power, and embrace their radiant, sensual, sexy spirits. Their lives transform. They soar into their mid-life magnificence!

LifeEmpowermentCoaching.com Complimentary First Session 734.717.7532 February 2018 | 13

WOMAN ON THE STREET

ADVENTURES IN FERTILITY

by Stephanie Saline

Photography by Maarten Vandenheuvel

Y

ears ago, on a road trip across northern Wisconsin, I asked my 80-year-old grandma Anita how old she felt.

I write this as a woman who, along with her husband, is in Baby-Making Mode in her early forties. In other words:

We’ve had him make his fatherly deposit in a plastic cup, take it to the doctor’s office, and have a nurse give me an immaculate catheter conception.

We’ve used an app to track ovulation.

“Thirty-seven,” she said, without missing a beat.

This was my first clue that our chronological age doesn’t always match how we feel on the inside.

14 | The Brick Magazine

We’ve timed sex for days 10-16 of my cycle.

And as I write this, we are about to go in for the deus ex machina of them all, IVF.

We’ve injected my belly with hormones.

I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Maybe I’ll end up being a mama.

Maybe I won’t.

Earlier this winter, I’d been having dreams about twins.

Sometimes they’d gurgle and coo at me when I was doing the dishes.

Other times, I could feel little swaddled bodies snuggled in the crooks of my arms.

So, at my ultrasound appointment when my doctor reported two large eggs hanging out in my left ovary, I thought, Hey, it’s the twins!

Sidebar: I like to control the narrative.

I also like to think of my body as a mythical, magnificent creature, like a unicorn. This causes me to make up stories about the things that happen in my body – like naming two unfertilized eggs ‘the twins’ – and to watch obsessively for the ‘meet cute’ story of when I (might) become pregnant.

come into being the old-fashioned way. I convinced my husband to make a direct deposit that night. And then we waited to see if anything stuck.

Two days later, the phone rang.

But the call wasn’t about new additions to this world.

Instead, my dad was calling to tell me his mama – my 94-year-old grandma Anita – had died.

My grandma had been moved to hospice that week, so this wasn’t a surprise.

But secretly? Part of me thought that, like the Dalai Lama, my beloved grandma might reincarnate as one of my babies. Never mind that she was Lutheran, and Lutherans do not believe in reincarnation. Wouldn’t that be something?!

Later that night, I started to bleed.

Goodbye, Grandma. Goodbye, twins.

Later that day, the nurse called to say that it turned out those eggs were ‘too mature.’ They weren’t going to move forward with the procedure this cycle, after all.

Feeling lucky, I told myself, Who knows? Maybe the twins want to

Real talk? I know it’s probably not a good idea to name unfertilized eggs. And I know it’s not rational to think that your grandma will take up residence in your uterus for another incarnation, especially when you were raised Protestant.

Photography by Tim Gouw

But I can’t help myself. Stories are my medicine, more than any prescription.

I’m deeply ambivalent about how clinical medically-assisted baby-making is. On the one hand, my nurses and doctors are upbeat and professional.

For this, I am endlessly grateful. I mean, every time I get a uterine ultrasound, they compliment me: Your lining looks beautiful! (It does? Why, thank you!)

But on the other, it’s a bloodless endeavor. There is no discussion of the interior pilgrimage that accompanies a woman’s quest for motherhood, whether or not she ends up making a human.

In fairness, that’s probably not their role. But if I were in charge of the universe, it would be.

Because at my age, I know that the stories we tell ourselves are the whole ballgame.

Several weeks after the death of my grandma and the twins, I had some feeling to do. Eventually, as my sobs slowed, I caught sight of a new scene in my imagination. I was standing on the platform of a train station, waiting for our child’s train.

I didn’t know when the train was arriving. I just knew I needed to be at the station if I was going to collect her and take her home.

The truth is, that train may never come. But in clear-eyed moments, all that matters is my decision to wait at the station, even if it’s taken me all my life to get here.

A teacher and advertising writer based in Buffalo, Stephanie Saline spent one decade on adventures in Japan, Seattle, and Montana, and another decade building a popular copywriting business. She now leads writing workshops where women become the hero in the story of their own lives. “We live in a world where we are all heroes now – and that’s a great thing.” Find out more about her work at www.stellaorange.com.

February 2018 | 15

16 | The Brick Magazine

Cold

LOOK COOL NOT

EASY TRICKS FOR STAYING FASHIONABLE THROUGH THE FREEZE

by Angela Harrison

T

he festivities of 2017 have long dissipated, and with them went our will to conjure fun and interesting outfits. It’s hard to turn runway into every day at this point in the winter season, especially when you feel more like a delirious Kathy Bates in Misery than a radiant Elsa from Frozen. And while it’s enticing to try and remedy the cold by showing up to work in a belted comforter, there are still super easy ways to look good, feel good, and stay warm.

The easiest way to boost your winter look, day or night, is pumping up the volume on cold-weather accessories.

Scarves, gloves, hats, and boots are all must-haves for battling harsh winters, but they don’t have to be frumpy and bulky. Winter should be colorful, cheeky, sleek, and fresh; your style doesn’t have to go into hibernation! Even if your coat seems boring (don’t feel bad, most coats are boring) you can incorporate trends and colors into your accessories. Colorful faux fur is everywhere this winter and also an easy way to add something different to your everyday outerwear.

Try safety-pinning a colorful fur collar to your coat; create a fun moment out of something that pairs so classically with winter-wear. Are you going out for dinner and drinks in two-degree weather? Ditch your arctic tundra coat for a heavy wool wrap or pea coat and add a fabulous, rich, burgundy faux fur scarf for texture and warmth!

scarf for a solid style in any of the amazing colors from this season’s palette, like plummy ‘Tawny Port’, soft pink ‘Ballet Slipper’, warm chartreuse ‘Golden Lime’, or sky blue ‘Marina.’

Most of our coats are in the dark-neutral family, so any saturated pop of color will feel bright and fresh against a dark backdrop. Carry your scarf color into gloves or a handbag tassel for a stronger color moment and effortless coordination.

Now, for me, hats are always a challenging category. In the rare event of my hair being down and styled (thanks to hair-god, Ryan Brooks), I’ll don a fun beret covered in

If the faux fur look isn’t for you, try switching out your plaid or neutral

February 2018 | 17

pearls or something casual like that. But, sadly, I’m usually sporting a high pony or topknot (sorry, Ryan) making beanies and berets impossible. If you’re like me and mostly wear your hair up, earmuffs can be an adorable fix for frosty ears.

Much like the faux fur scarves, earmuffs have exploded in the past few years, so many styles and colors, all different sizes, and, most importantly, ponytail-friendly.

Another great advantage earmuffs have is that they fold up and store nicely in a generous coat pocket or handbag, making it easy to run errands or commute to the office.

For the beanie-lovers out there, the options are endless.

Beanies are such a great canvas for embroidered designs and patches, embellishments, poms, bows, color — there are so many ways to express your style through a single accessory! And the fact that all of these hat options keep you warm is a fashion miracle.

Another way to showcase trend colors and keep looking cool is through gloves. Our hands suffer so much during the winter season, and most of us rarely protect our hands.

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Aside from it just being plain cold, our nails and skin become damaged from the cold-weather exposure, which leads to an endless season of lotion application. I’ve found that if I like my gloves, I’m more inclined to wear them (funny how that works). Gloves come in all types of materials, colors, and styles; find something that stores nicely in your coat pockets and then leave them there. You’ll always have hand protection within reach while letting the dog out or dusting off your car.

If you’re going out for the night, try a classic leather glove or something with a faux fur trim; incorporate your accessories to complement one another for a strong look.

It’s so easy to lose styling steam during these winter months, but little things here and there, tied together, can make going about your day in a blizzard a little less terrible. Dinners out with family and friends can still feel like a special occasion with luxe accessories amping up your winter armor. We only have a few short months left, hang in there, stay warm and wear something that makes you smile!

Angie Harrison received a BS degree in fashion merchandising from Western Michigan University, and after merchandising for a large retailer, went on to start Angela Harrison Style; a personal, print, and film wardrobe styling service. Her experience has led her to build a loyal client list of people from all backgrounds and professions. Angie has also worked in wardrobe on local and national tv commercials and has started a visual merchandising branch of AHStyle, providing styling and merchandising expertise to Michigan retailers.

Don’t Ignore Your Social Security

S

by Nadine Burns, MBA, CFP® AIF

ocial Security is an important component of any retirement plan. It makes up 40% of retirement income for today’s retirees according to the Social Security Administration.

Social Security is calculated using the average of 35 years of wage history adjusted for inflation. That means leaving the workforce to take care of children or family members can negatively affect your eventual Social Security payment. Working for “cash” can sound good at the time, but it may have an adverse effect on your eventual Social Security benefit that you might be counting on for over 30 years in retirement!

You must have 40 quarters of eligible work, or be married to someone who has accumulated those 40 quarters, to be eligible for Social Security Retirement benefits. You can check that your account has been properly credited by your employer by creating a My Social Security account at www.SSA.gov.

In 2018, there will be a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment for current Social Security recipients. The maximum amount of wages subject to Social Security taxes, which are shared by you and your employer, will rise to $128,700.

You can begin collecting Social Security Retirement Benefits at age 62, but it will be reduced from the benefit you earned by 25%. You will also face an earnings limit of $17,040 in 2018 or be penalized one dollar for every dollar you earn over that amount if working and taking Social Security benefits. If you wait to take benefits after your full retirement age, there is no penalty for anything you earn. That age varies based on your birth, but Full Retirement Age

(FRA) is between age 66 and 67, the latter for those born after 1960.

Widows can begin collecting Social Security based upon their deceased spouse’s earnings at age 60.

However, it will be at a reduced amount, and they will be subject to the $17,040 wage limit until they reach their own FRA. Divorcees can collect upon an ex-spouse if they have been married for more than ten years and present the marriage certificate, divorce decree, and their own credential to the Social Security Administration. This amount does not affect the benefit of the ex-spouse, and they will not be contacted. If the ex-spouse is living, they will be eligible for half of the FRA benefits they are entitled to. If the ex-spouse is deceased, they are entitled to 100% of the benefit, unless their own benefits are higher.

Making decisions on when to take Social Security Retirement benefits is a very important one in your retirement plan, and your financial advisor should discuss all options with you, so you make the decision that is best for your personal circumstances.

Nadine Burns is a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional in AnnArbor, Michigan and is the President of A New Path Financial, LLC. She also holds an MBA and enjoys working with women. Securities offered through Sigma Financial Corporation, member FINRA (FINRA.org) And SIPC (SIPC.org). Investment Advisory services offered through Sigma Planning Corporation, a Registered Investment Advisor. A New Path Financial, LLC is independent of Sigma Financial Corporation and Sigma Planning Corporation.

Ann Arbor office located at 2311 East Stadium Boulevard, Suite 202, Ann Arbor Michigan 48104. Direct Office phone is (734) 330-2266.

February 2018 | 19

WINTER HAIR WOES

by Ryan Brooks

W

e finally hit winter weather, and it is brutally cold. What happens to our hair?

Dryness, frizz, static, a lackluster look — the list could go on and on. Certain treatments can easily fight these winter hair woes. Finding the right one for your hair can be a challenge. There are so many on the market, from treatment shampoos, hair oils, in-salon treatments, 20 | The Brick Magazine

to hair masques. It’s difficult to determine which will meet your budget and needs.

Let’s start with shampoos and conditioners, the first step to great hair. I’ll begin by saying that most clients are cut-and-color clients, and this is the first question: “Which shampoo is best for color-treated

hair?” These days, the majority of salon professional brands are safe for color-treated hair; some have more benefits than others. One of my favorites is Oribe Beautiful Color Shampoo and Conditioner; this pairing is great for every day. The shampoo is gentle, helps strengthen processed hair, and is great for color retention. The conditioner offers

moisture and repair and targets areas with damage as well as UV protection. Asking your stylist which would be best for you is the best start; they know your hair and what you truly need.

Now moving into home treatments.

As a stylist, I believe most clients do not utilize these enough. Treatment masques are an easy way to add extra moisture and shine, as well as reparative benefits caused by color processing, hot tools, and everyday environmental stress. One of the main reasons for me to touch on this subject this month is the drastic temperature drop we’ve experienced.

Low temperatures mean increased furnace temperatures, which also means dry air. I know my clients are feeling it in their skin and hair,

and with that said, what do we do when we have dry skin? We usually moisturize daily, am I wrong in saying this? Why wouldn’t we want to treat our hair the same, and give it an extra boost? A great once-aweek treatment masque is Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense. The masque comes in two types, one for fine hair and one for thick; this makes it easy to choose the right one for your hair type. The benefits of this particular treatment are that it helps deliver intense nutrition internally as well as on the surface of the hair. A quick side note: when applying a masque, be sure to apply after shampooing; take a dry towel and remove as much moisture from the hair as you can. Apply to mid-lengths and ends first; if you have a wide-tooth comb, distribute it through your hair evenly.

Either clip your hair up or wrap it in a towel. Let it process for 15 minutes or longer. Rinse and style as usual.

One of the easiest and quickest ways are in-salon treatments. Most salons do offer to add treatments. There are numerous ones on the market — ask your stylist what they offer. Kerastase offers a system called Fusio Dose; this is applied at the shampoo bowl and can be done within five minutes.

They offer immediate results, and come in a two-part system. They can help with volume, smoothness, shine, moisture, color retention, and even damage. These types of add-on services are a great way to get more of a concentrated, customizable version of the at-home treatment masques.

Hopefully, these few tips and suggestions will help you with your winter hair needs!

Ryan Brooks has been a stylist for over 13 years in the Ann Arbor area, he currently is working behind the chair at Tricho Salon and Spa located at Briarwood. Over is thirteen years as a stylist he has worked as and educator for Goldwell and most recently Kerastase, he has also had the opportunity to work with multiple productions in stage, movie, as well as print.

You can also follow him on Instagram: @ ryanbrookshair Have a hair question you need answered? Contact him at stylistryan@ gmail.com he will be answering questions in future publications.

February 2018 | 21

HEALTHY FUEL TO START YOUR DAY

I

by Lisa Nogueira

t’s time to check in on your New Year’s goals. It is widely known that by mid-February, most people have given up on the intentions and resolutions they set for the new year. It doesn’t have to be this way, does it? Perhaps we need to change how we are looking at these goals and find a sustainable way to continue. Is our goal too big or broad or overwhelming? We want to eat healthier, fuel ourselves with nutritious foods and promote health, but where do we start?

Let’s look at every morning as a new beginning; a fresh slate that doesn’t depend on what we ate or did the day

before. We get a chance to let yesterday go and make new decisions for our health and happiness today. We don’t have to abandon what we started in January because we had a few slip-ups. All is not lost. We can simplify our goal and begin with a small step in the right direction. Let’s start with the morning!

These delicious recipes are full of vegetables and other foods that support a healthy body and mind. I strive to get 50-75% vegetables on my plate at each meal, and these are fun ways to make that happen at breakfast. Starting your day like this will set you up for a day of healthy choices.

Root Veggie Egg Nests Serves: 2 • Total time: 25-30 minutes INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of spiralized sweet potato, loosely packed 2 cups of spiralized carrot, loosely packed (I used purple and yellow here) 1 TBSP avocado oil (or other high heat cooking oil)

2 high-quality eggs (organic, pastured) Sea salt and pepper

Optional for serving: a side of greens Peel your carrots and sweet potato. Spiralize your vegetables in a spiralizer to look like long noodles.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with avocado oil.

Add spiralized vegetables and cook until tender (around 10 minutes).

22 | The Brick Magazine

Form the vegetables into two “nests” with an indentation in the middle to hold the egg.

Crack an egg inside the nest and cover and cook until the whites are fully cooked (4-6 minutes). You can cook longer if you want yolk fully cooked as well. Transfer to a plate. Add the side of greens. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and enjoy!

** Note: You can use any root vegetables that you like: parsnips, rutabaga, and beets are also delicious in this. If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can buy already spiralized raw veggies at select stores or use a peeler or large grater for more of a hash brown look.

Sweet Potato Toast (savory, spicy and sweet)

Serves: 2 • Total time: 35 minutes (cook time: 30 minutes)

INGREDIENTS:

1 sweet potato

Avocado oil (or other cooking oil) Sea salt

Desired toppings

INSTRUCTIONS:

PICTURED:

Cucumber, smoked salmon, capers, pinch of coarse sea salt Avocado and local kimchi from the Brinery, a pinch of coarse sea salt

Almond butter, banana, and cacao nibs, a pinch of coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and dry your sweet potato.

With skin on, slice sweet potato lengthwise about ¼ inch each. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and lightly coat both sides with oil.

Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for about 10 more minutes. The edges will start to brown, but you don’t want them to burn. Remove from oven, transfer to a plate and add desired toppings. Sprinkle with sea salt as needed.

Other fun ideas: Yogurt, berries, and a drizzle of almond butter, coconut butter, or crushed pecans Poached egg, tomato, onion

and chopped herbs

Avocado, arugula, and prosciutto Pesto, tomato, ricotta

** Meal Prep Tip: Make a few batches of the potato toasts at the beginning of the week and freeze individually so you can grab one, toast it, top it, and go. These are great for an easy weekday breakfast.

ELIXIRS I start every new day with an elixir of some sort. In winter, I love to cozy up with a warm mug and take some time for myself before the bustle of the day. It is part of my morning ritual.

Having a slow-living, self-loving mindset while drinking it will only amplify the benefits. If you have a few minutes, create your own ritual; light some sage or palo santo, grab a journal and set some intentions for how you want your day to look, be and feel.

Now, the key to a tasty and satisfying elixir is to mix protein, fat, superfoods, and adaptogens to support your unique body needs. If you don’t have an ingredient, leave it out or swap for a replacement. The alchemy of mixing and matching to discover which consistency and flavors you enjoy while making a body- and mind-supporting drink is delightful. Collagen is a fantastic source of protein and is great for hair, skin, and nails. Chaga mushroom is the king of mushrooms with its high content of antioxidants. It is also a powerful immune-modulator, meaning that if your immune system is under- or over-active, the Chaga mushroom helps bring it into balance. Maca powder is lovely for stamina and has been found to help balance hormones. Cacao is rich in magnesium, which helps relax smooth muscles. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar, and coconut butter is a satisfying and wonderfully delicious fat. This elixir can be a bit stimulating so is best in the morning.

Choco Immunity Elixir 1 tsp raw Cacao powder 1 tsp. Maca powder 1 tsp. raw Chaga mushroom powder 1 TBSP Collagen Hydrolysate 1 TBSP Coconut butter ¼ tsp. Vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract A few dashes cinnamon 1 ½ cups of hot water Optional: For a touch of sweetness add a bit of raw honey Add all ingredients to a ventilated blender and blend until frothy.

Alternatively, use a whisk to mix ingredients until completely blended.

Serve and enjoy!

Lisa Nogueira is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach as well as a Licensed Massage Therapist who is dedicated to helping clients live their best lives through health and lifestyle coaching and a unique selection of bodywork modalities.

She hosts group programs online and in person to help clients make their self-care a priority, clean up their eating and live healthier, happier lives. Her no-guilt approach to health is taking small steps for creating a lifestyle, leaving room for the sweeter things in life, and simplifying health and wellness into an approachable and fun adventure.

For further inspiration follow her on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/lisa_nogueira/ Join her free Facebook community for support, recipes and small step ideas for change https://www.facebook.com/groups/lisanogueirawellness/?ref=bookmarks February 2018 | 23

BOTOX & BEYOND ®

by Lisa Profera MD

T

he New Year is well underway, and it’s now time to focus on you a bit more. I hope that the health tips I shared in my last two articles have helped you feel better on the inside. Now it’s time to take a look at the outer you.

Aging happens to as us all, and as we age, not only does our skin lose collagen and elastin, but we also lose fat and bone structure. Our face is the first to show signs of aging.

These factors, in addition to the effects of gravity, cause deflation and a diagonal descent of all structures, resulting in an older-looking face.

The ideal “upside-down triangle of youth” is flipped, and becomes the “pyramid of aging.” Besides wrinkles, other signs of older facial

24 | The Brick Magazine

architecture include flattening of the cheeks, hollowing of temples, orbits and sides of cheeks, and irregularity of the jawline and jowls. So how can we turn back time?

We are fortunate that most aesthetic procedures performed today do not involve surgery and have minimal discomfort and downtime. 80% of cosmetic treatments are nonsurgical, and many of them can be done proficiently by practitioners that are not plastic surgeons. That being said, the knowledge, skill, and experience of the person injecting are very important. There are many critical structures in the face that are positioned close together; a thorough understanding of facial anatomy is a must!

Your safety and comfort should be a priority. Medical history and risk factors should be evaluated, and you should be provided with a detailed explanation of the procedure and possible side effects. Make sure all of these happen before signing consent and having the procedure.

Botox® (Onabotulinumtoxin A) is best for reducing or effacing wrinkles. It is also great for treating some forms of tension and migraine headaches, TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) issues (related to jaw tension and clenching), and bruxism (grinding of teeth). There are other brands of neuromodulators on the market, but they all work in a similar fashion.

For the sake of simplicity, I will not go into the subtleties of the other

brands (Dysport®, Xeomin®). Please note that 1 unit of Botox® is not equivalent to 1 unit of Dysport®, so one cannot compare pricing this way. Botox® is a toxin derived from the bacteria (Clostridium botulinum) that cause the paralytic disease known as botulism (most commonly from food poisoning). Micro-doses of this toxin are generally safe when carefully injected into the small muscles of the face.

Neuromodulators cause relaxation of the muscles they are injected into by temporarily paralyzing them.

Once the muscles relax, the wrinkles that run perpendicular to the muscle fibers are reduced. Some wrinkles (rhytides) may disappear altogether.

Younger people are even choosing Botox® injections for wrinkle prevention, partially paralyzing muscles before wrinkles even have a chance to form.

Botox® made in the USA by Allergan has been thoroughly researched and is FDA-approved. High-quality Botox® administered by an expert injector is not cheap, but it is very effective.

Botox® injections are approved for treatment of forehead lines, glabellar lines (often called 11s) and periorbital lines (crow’s feet). Other areas that may be treated include the lines along the sides of the nose (bunny lines), creases under the lower eyelid (jelly roll), wrinkles around the mouth (laugh lines, smoker’s lines), rumpled chin, and platysmal bands (located in the upper neck below the jawline).

Results typically last for 4-6 months.

With any procedure, there are side effects, so make sure you understand what they are.

When comparing pricing, one may find cheaper Botox® or other neuromodulators out there. As with almost everything, you get what you pay for. Beware of very cheap or almost “too good to be true” prices; the product used may be

manufactured in another country, sold on the black market, or diluted.

Remember, this is a neurotoxin that is being injected into your face; do you really want to cut corners when it comes to this?

Wrinkles caused by sun damage, smoking and overall loss of skin elasticity most likely will not be improved with Botox® alone. When the matrix of the skin or underlying structures has been compromised, relaxation of the muscle is not enough.

One must look beyond Botox® to the world of injectable fillers. The combination of Botox® and hyaluronic acid fillers work synergistically to address almost all of the issues associated with facial aging, and the two together may increase the longevity of desired outcomes. Fillers help to add volume back into the face by supporting the underlying matrix and, in the case of Juvederm Voluma®, can help support bone structure as well. Once again, you have to be selective about the expertise of the injector and the products used. I prefer using FDA-approved, reversible HA (hyaluronic acid) fillers. Some of the older fillers on the market are not reversible, so if they are injected into an artery or another critical structure, there is no easy fix. The consequences of poor product placement can be quite serious (blindness, vascular compromise, tissue necrosis). Hyaluronic acid is dissolved by the enzyme hyaluronidase, which acts as an antidote to HA when injected into the same area. It is very important for the injector to have this readily available.

There are several different kinds of HA fillers available that are used for different reasons; discuss the use with your doctor to determine the best choice for you. Results with HA

fillers can last for 12-18 months or longer.

Of course, the earlier you start correcting the effects of aging, the less expensive it is since less product is required. Delaying treatment for years or decades will cost more in the long run. Once things have gone too far, a face-lift may be the only option.

Be proactive and consider fillers early on. It is amazing to see what great results a bit of Juvederm Voluma® to the cheekbones does to correct downstream changes in the lower face. Of course, genetics and lifestyle decisions such as smoking, sun exposure, and nutrition play a role in facial aging.

When looking for a practitioner for non-surgical facial rejuvenation, you need to decide whether you want a “wrinkle-manager” or an artist.

Merely injecting an isolated area of the face without addressing the entire face may not give you the results you are looking for.

The “artistry” of non-surgical facial rejuvenation lies in the injector’s skills at assessing the big picture: facial proportions from multiple angles, evaluation of age-related changes at each level (bones, muscles, fat, skin), habits of facial expression and animation, etc. The goal of excellent Botox® placement is effacement of wrinkles while preserving natural

February 2018 | 25

muscle movement. There’s nothing more distracting than watching a person speak or express themselves with asymmetric eyebrows, a drooping eyelid or a distorted smile. The same goes for filler placement. Unless you are in LA or a place where the “overinjected” look is in, you might not want “fish-lips” or “chipmunk cheeks.” In my opinion, the best results are subtle.

Your friend may comment, “You look great, is that a new hair-style?” or “You look fabulous, are you using a new skin care product?” They’ve noticed an improvement, but it is not obvious that you had work done.

So the next time you look in the mirror, ask yourself: “Does my external appearance reflect how I feel on the inside?” Do others think you appear tired, worn out, sad or angry? This is especially important for anyone who interacts with people

26 | The Brick Magazine

as part of their business, whether you are in sales or service. Even if you are a busy multi-tasking mom, what kind of nonverbal messages are you conveying to the people in your life?

Recently I had a mom tell me that her nine-year-old son commented to her that she always looks angry, when in fact, that was not the case at all. That was when she decided she needed to do something about it.

Non-surgical facial rejuvenation does not have to be purely a matter of vanity; it can be done for practical reasons as well. And what’s wrong with wanting to look as young as you feel? Perhaps there is an event coming up like a wedding, a milestone birthday or a high school reunion. My advice is to plan, as some of these procedures should be done weeks or months ahead of time.

Botox and fillers are the new “hair-

dye” of our time. You can choose to erase the effects of aging just like getting rid of your grays.

Lisa Profera MD Owner and Founder of PROJUVU MD Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine Please note that the information in this article has been designed to help educate the reader regarding the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that the author and any other entity referenced here are not liable for the misconception or misuse of the information provided. It is not provided to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. The provider of this information shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity concerning any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this information. The information presented is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling or care. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified healthcare professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

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TURN YOUR FAMILY’S GETAWAY INTO A VACATION

RATHER THAN A TORTUROUS TRIP

R

by Randi Rubenstein

ecently, my family enjoyed a lush vacation in the Bahamas. The water was crystalclear, the weather was similar to a perfect day in San Diego, and the adult naps were plentiful.

children are 19, 16 and 11. I’m joking!

Well, sort of. I will share with you my top 3 best tips for enjoying your next out-of-town family getaway, even if you still have little people tugging on your leg 24/7.

The reason I’m referring to our Bahamian winter getaway as a vacation and not a trip is because my

First of all, can we establish that there is a big difference between a vacation and a trip? A vacation

28 | The Brick Magazine

involves rest and replenishment. A trip involves taking your family to a different geographical location and often includes even more work for the mama than your typical daily routine at home. This is the scenario we want to avoid at all costs. It’s exhausting, not fair, and no fun for anyone. Because as we all know, an overworked and exhausted mom

frequently finds herself in the parent gap: the gap between the parent you want to be and the one you currently are when you are exhausted and your kids are getting on your last nerve.

Chances are, you’ve dropped a decent amount of cash on this trip as well as the time it took to plan and travel to the divine destination in hopes of making special memories.

So, without further ado, here are my top 3 tips to make the most out of your memorable family getaway:

TIP #1: SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS – “LESS IS MORE.” I know you have that fantasy of filling photo albums with amazing memories doing tons of super cool activities in exotic locations. However, trust me when I tell you that playing Julie, the cruise director from The Loveboat, will never amount to that with little kids. Someone will always have a tummy-ache or a tantrum as you are about to embark on your adventurous day. You will find yourself frustrated, disappointed and maybe even feel downright resentful.

No fun.

The memories happen during the in-between moments in life. That

$1,000 day of swimming with dolphins usually ends in a hunt for the pharmacy carrying Calamine lotion needed to treat the skin rash your little one with the sensitive skin got from the extra-salty water.

Schedule a basic activity like playing on the beach or visiting a pretty park in the morning. In the afternoon, run your lil’ guys like puppies before an early dinner.

TIP #2: PRIORITIZE SLEEP Little people and big people require lots of sleep. Period. Little kids are exhausting to care for, and when they are exhausted, they are simply…No. Fun. At. All. Flexibility regarding naps and bedtime schedules sounds great in theory and is usually a nightmare in reality. Prioritize rest at all costs.

Plan a good ol’ fashioned siesta after lunch for the whole familia. If your teeny ones are beyond the napping phase, this is your green light to hook them up with a great Disney flick while mom and dad read, rest, and regroup.

Enjoy an EARLY casual dinner and honor the same nightly ritual as you do at home; bath, books, and bedtime before 8:30 PM. Put yourself to sleep by 10:30 PM as well. I know you don’t want to. Do it anyway.

TIP #3: SAY NO WAY TO MARTYRDOM In our society, there is a phenomenon

regarding women doing too much for others and not giving the same love and nurturing to ourselves.

This is especially prevalent for women caring for kiddos. We do EVERYTHING. Subconsciously, we think it’s our job to think, plan, and do it all. Stop doing this immediately.

Newsflash: There is a better way, and it takes the martyrdom out of motherhood.

Creating a family team at home and on vacation is key. Delegate and teach your people how to fish and make meals for life rather than constantly providing a bunch of fish dinners. Yes, it takes more time to teach and encourage your 3-year old to dress herself. Yes, it is frustrating that you have to spell out the small daily tasks and responsibilities to your partner. Take a deep breath, direct, teach, and ask for what you need.

Embrace your role as the pack leader AND support every valuable member of your team by delegating tasks small and large. Allowing each to add to the collective whole builds confidence and connection.

This is the final tip that will strengthen your family’s foundation no matter where you find yourself geographically – at home or in an exotic rainforest. Spending time together as a cohesive team will have you vacationing together for years to come and creating precious memories for a lifetime.

Randi Rubenstein helps fed up parents learn tools to raise confident, kind, and self-motivated kids by closing the parent gap - the gap between the parent you want to be and the parent you currently are during the REAL triggered moments with your kiddos. But you never yell at your kids, right? As a parent coach and author, Randi helps parents keep cool and replace old patterns. You can find her at www.randirubenstein.com/

February 2018 | 29

Self-Care

THE IMPORTANCE OF

by Sharon Lawlor

T

oday is a cold winter day.

I’m curled up in my favorite blanket drinking herbal tea that my friend Megan lovingly created, letting my mind explore the topic of self-care. Some would say selfcare is a form of self-love, where we consciously and intentionally honor ourselves — in a sense, shower ourselves with love.

I feel such a tenderness to life after reading the above quote, like the love we would give to a newborn baby.

“Do you stop to smell the roses? Are we gentle with life’s delicate balance?

Do we honor the present state of being, and adore the beauty?”

30 | The Brick Magazine

“Our Soul is like a soft and gentle flower; it needs to be nourished, cared for, tended to, with sufficient sunlight, fresh air and freedom to bloom into its most precious and beautiful form. This, my friend, is self-love.”

— Miya Yamanouchi

Do we treat our lives this way or do we push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion?

stunted, parts of the plant dying off, limp and lifeless.

What is self-care anyway?

If the flower did this same thing, its magnificent flowers would never open! Do you think the plant would look healthy, green, and vibrant if it was never watered or didn’t have light? No way! The growth would be

Wikipedia.org says, “Self-care is learned, purposeful and continuous.

In philosophy, self-care refers to the care and cultivation of self in a comprehensive sense, focusing

“Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first; then we can give from our surplus, our abundance.”

— Jennifer Louden

“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life; it will improve the lives of all those around you.”

— Robin S. Sharma

in particular on the soul and the knowledge of self.”

Self-care is something that can’t be squeezed in around the “important things.” It is a core need that must be prioritized.

1

Put it on your calendar. I know that if self-care isn’t on my calendar, then it will not happen. Are you the same too? I have clients that schedule a year of appointments in advance because there is such a benefit to rhythms. I like doing that myself as well. Plus, it frees up my mind knowing that it is taken care of and I can use my mental energy somewhere else.

2

Take care of yourself before helping others. If you are a caregiver for children, clients, patients, or loved ones, you need extra self-care. It is impossible to give and give without taking care of yourself. So, make sure to find a way to add it to your life.

3

Take time off. For me, there are times I need to retreat and get away to dive deeper and have quiet.

It is essential to my soul. Do you know what feeds your soul?

4

Ask yourself: if anything was possible in your life, what would your self-care look like for you? You are the creator/co-creator, artist, and conductor of your life.

Every moment is a seed of potential and new possibilities.

I had asked my chiropractor, Sherry Yale, D.C., from TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, MI her thoughts on selfcare too. “Spiritual and emotional factors are primary,” she states. “Be aware of the people you’re close to — do they support you or cut you down and undermine you? It can be subtle or more obvious.” Begin removing your energy from the relationships that cut you down or undermine you; this is an important part of self-care.

From across the Atlantic, my friend Vanessa Matthews, a coach from the UK, says self-care is about “loving yourself from the inside out.”

“It’s the deep inner work, digging into all the internal beliefs you have about being unlovable, unworthy, unacceptable and so on. Giving yourself the time, care, and, attention to connect with your soul and acknowledge your genius. From there you automatically live differently, make choices that reflect the inner love and alignment you feel inside. It’s at that point that external self-care

such as spa days, long baths, nice clothes, exercise, etc. becomes about so much more than just cheering yourself up or filling the gaps in your self-worth.”

I love how she spells it out. Doesn’t this feel so much more expansive than forcing ourselves to do more and be more even when we are exhausted?

Sometimes we can walk this journey ourselves, and other times we need a guide to walk with us. Diving deep into our emotions and going through our darkness can be transformational.

So, if you need support, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask.

Stepping on the path of selfdiscovery is the fuel of my work in the world. Next month I’ll dive deeper into exactly what it is that I do, and how I do it.

Want inspiration when it comes to self-care? Follow me on Instagram @tranquil.being. Do you have a question or have a topic you want me to explore in a future article? Email me at connect@tranquilbeing.com.

Sharon Marie helps clients create spaciousness within for them to pause, connect to their heart, and feel a new sense of peace. She brings so much compassion and understanding to her clients as she holds space for them on their journey.

Her suite is the perfect space holder for her work, providing a safe and sacred container for her clients to fully relax. Sharon’s eclectic mix of modalities include healing massage and bodywork, infrared sauna, medicine walks in nature, the natural rhythms and elements in nature, the wisdom of the seasons, and creativity for healing.

Sharon Marie, Founder and Creative Director at Tranquil Being. Contact her through email connect@tranquilbeing.com or call 734-761-8753. She’s located at Tranquil Being, 320 Miller Ave, Suite 185, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

February 2018 | 31

FORGET OVERCOMING, EMBRACE YOUR BUSINESS CHALLENGES: FROM ZERO TO $16M WITH TONI MORELL

by Kristen Domingue

O

ur conversation with Toni Morell, one of three Zingerman’s Mail Order managing partners, reminded us of the importance of not only following our passions, but paying attention to where they intersect with our strengths. Morell oversees the managers running the day-by-day operations of this $16M business with 90 yearround staff and over 400 people during the holiday time.

Here’s how she got started, and how she’s keeping it all going.

FOLLOW YOUR BIG IDEA, EVEN IF IT’S HARD AT FIRST. People often ask, “When you got started, were you nervous?” The truth? I wasn’t. My husband and I were doing this together so I knew if we messed up it’d be fine, we would figure something out. But I got really nervous when we hired our first team member. If we made bad decisions and crashed and burned, we’d take our family down and hers.

At that point, I wrote all the checks and wondered if we would make it payroll to payroll because we were so new, and the biggest expense we had was our internet connection — $1,200 per month! I remember having a small panic attack every time I wrote that check. I also remember making decisions about when to pay it so we could make payroll and afford internet without running out of money. I laugh now because we’ll spend that on one shipment of something, and spend $250,000 on just paper!

Though I had a business degree, I wasn’t initially trying to start a business. I was just looking for work after my 32 | The Brick Magazine

husband and I moved to Michigan.

I saw a job for the retail manager at Zingerman’s Deli and applied.

What’s unique about Zingerman’s Community of Businesses is that if you decide you want to become a partner in a new business within the Community, the company’s response is to teach you how to go for it.

At the time I became a partner, I was trying to figure out my next step during the dotcom boom and was considering a move to San Francisco. I went to a conference about running an online business, and I heard something that completely surprised me: “If you’re going to do a website for your brick-and-mortar food business, create it as a separate business. Don’t try to make it a department, you have to look at it as a business in its own right, which needs all facets of your brick and mortar.”

I thought, “We can create a Zingerman’s mail-order business website.” Before pitching it to Zingerman’s founders, my husband and I agreed — if they’re in, we’re in: we’ll stay in Michigan and build this company.

Since the Zingerman’s catalog company started in 1995, it meant the mail-order company had a built-in fulfillment mechanism. In the beginning, we’d literally print orders from the website, enter them into the mail-order system, and they’d ship it. At some point, we grew to be the same size as the catalog business, and it made sense to merge them.

HOW WE DO 50% OF OUR YEAR’S BUSINESS IN 6 WEEKS. After a few years of being in business, it was clear that we weren’t going to change the seasonality of the mail-order food business, and we just needed to embrace it. Half of the year’s business is done in the six weeks before the year ends, so we realized early we needed to be good at ramping up, ramping down, and onboarding people.

trusted each other with what we’re doing, the better it has been. When we all work on the same things, it doesn’t work as well as when we’ve clearly defined our roles.

At present, the three managing partners and eight managers meet on a weekly basis and discuss everything.

We’re an open book about the numbers, but also an open book about decisions. We use the weekly forum to bring issues to the table and hope to come to a consensus between the eleven of us.

Over the years, we’ve perfected an approach to manufacturing called “Lean” (a method developed by engineers studying the Toyota car manufacturing company’s methods for increasing profits and productivity through waste minimization.) We use a Lean technique called One-Piece Flow that ensures we get it all done without having excess at the end of the season.

I want to make decisions together, so we’re all invested in the direction of the organization. There’s so much power in the group, we’re not command-and-control partners, and the people here want to be a part of the organization.

Having their say and being heard provides people with a sense of ownership.

(Author’s note: The One-Piece Flow technique is when one piece is completed before production of a second piece is begun, requiring pieces be made-to-order with high efficiency rather than made and held with moderate efficiency.)

WE EMBRACED OUR CHALLENGES, AND THEY BECAME OUR STRENGTHS.

One thing we’ve learned by implementing the Lean processes is that the person doing the work is the best person to improve the work and create efficiency. The reality is, I can’t create the most efficient way to pack a box if I’m not packing 100 boxes a day. But the person who is doing that will have the right answers. Sometimes we don’t have the answers in the office, so we have to go to where the problem is to solve it rather than making decisions at the leadership level. We don’t often think of all the things that affect that decision because we’re not where the work is.

I’d rather someone come up with an idea, run it for a week or two, and come back with real information than have the team get analysis paralysis.

WE DIVIDE AND CONQUER LABOR; WE COME TO CONSENSUS ON DECISIONS. When it came to figuring out what each partner does, we started with what we’re each passionate about and what our strengths are. In the last few years, we’ve focused on the strengths of everyone in the organization. Our thinking is that someone could be terrible at public speaking and work for years on getting better, only to go from terrible to mediocre.

But if this isn’t that person’s strength, it’s really not what they should focus on; they should work where their strengths are.

The biggest realization we had as we grew is that there was nothing we could do about the seasonal nature of our business. So, we embraced it and made a list of the things we’d need to get good at for it to work for us.

We’re always going to hire hundreds of people in the busy season. Because of that, we spent years streamlining our hiring process to make it an amazing experience for the applicant and the managers.

We also spent time streamlining our training so it could be effective. One of our goals was 80% effectiveness in the first 30 minutes a seasonal staffer begins work. It took us years to get there, but we knew things would never work if it took weeks of knowledge transfer to train them — they were only with us for six weeks of every year.

Another challenge we’ve experienced is that given the nature of our business cycle, we sometimes lose great people, at times, to other businesses within the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. But at one point, I realized my job is to create great leaders, and if I’m doing that well,

Over the years, the three managing partners haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, and when we have disagreements, it can sometimes trickle down to the managers and frontline staff, leaving them feeling like things aren’t in alignment.

However, the more we’ve defined each of our roles and

Zingerman’s Mail Order February 2018 | 33

they won’t always stick with us. So, we have somewhere between 10-20 people who’ve left our organization to work elsewhere within the associated business community.

At first, this was hard to experience. But then I realized it’s actually a great thing; we encourage people to write visions and be passionate about what they’re doing in their lives. If they’re doing what they truly want, sometimes they won’t stay with us. Before I changed my mindset about this, it felt like they left me. After I really embraced the fact that my job is to create great leaders, I felt proud when I looked out at community-wide events and saw how many people started in the mail-order business. What’s also great about this is that now we have advocates for our business within the wider organization, and other business units are starting to ask for more information about how we do things.

THE REALITY OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE: EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME. I have heard people say work-life balance is important. I’ve accepted that it’s more like work-life integration. I work the standard nine-to-five but will get business calls at 9 o’clock at night sometimes. I know that’s part of what I signed up for, so if that’s when I need to be available, I’m there. It also means I can take the time in the mid-afternoon and do something too. My business allows me this flexibility; I don’t keep track, I just try to make sure I’m doing both, all the time.

ADVICE TO THOSE JUST STARTING OUT — IT TAKES MORE THAN PASSION There’s power in knowing your strengths and knowing what they are not, and then figuring out how to have people in the organization or resources out of the organization help you where you struggle. In the beginning, we had to do everything because it was just two of us, but we tried to keep in the back of our minds, “What’s the first thing we’re going to give up because we know we can’t do it all or be good at it all?” It’s hard in the beginning because we held it all so dear, but we couldn’t have grown without a team.

real estate • lawsuits • business • employment

Legal Insight. Business Instinct.

Tish.Law

407 North Main Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

(734) 663-4077 There’s power in teams. Just because you’re the entrepreneur, it doesn’t mean you can’t ask everyone around you what they think or ask for help. We practice a consensus decision-making model, and sometimes that’s at cross purposes with why people want to be entrepreneurs — they want to be the boss, the final decision-maker, the person in charge. If we all make decisions together, I’ve found that we make better decisions and create more investment from everyone in the organization.

Whether you know your passion or not, after speaking with Morell, we’re convinced following your strengths will lead you to where you’re meant to go. Morell had many advantages when she got started — a distribution unit built into the business community she was a part of, a solid partner, great training from Zingerman’s, and a business degree.

Leveraging not just your strengths, but also your advantages and even your challenges will help you create the right business and grow it, no matter your starting place. Here’s to making the most of what you have!

Toni Morell

34 | The Brick Magazine

Kristen M. Domingue is a copywriter and content marketing consultant in the New York City area.

When she’s not delivering on client projects, you can find her cooking up something gluten-free or in an internet rabbit hole on entrepreneurship or astrology.

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