January 2017 Syracuse Woman Magazine by Lorna Oppedisano

January 2017

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The Health & Wellness Edition

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January C O N T E N T S

Letter from the Editor.............................................................. 6

Past SWM Events...................................................................... 7 Fashion Forward: Workout Wear........................................... 8 WISE Woman: Jill Sneider....................................................... 9

Platter Chatter: Original Grain............................................. 10 Special Section: Happily Ever After.................................... 12 Special Feature: Burnout Part Three................................... 19 CNY Latina: Rosemary Arroyo-Pérez.................................. 20 Special Feature: Organizing ................................................ 21

In Her Own Words: Healthy Resolutions............................ 22 Cover Story: Tiffany O Cagwin............................................ 25 Syracuse Reads: The Misfit Miracle Girl............................. 32

For a Good Cause: White Scarf Women............................ 34 Inspire: Alana Hughes........................................................... 36 Inspire: Kathy Ozzard Chism................................................ 40 Inspire: Dr. Laura Martin........................................................ 44

Movers & Shakers.................................................................. 49 Upcoming Events.................................................................. 50

FEATURED ENTREPRENEUR Jill Sneider

Owner, Fresh Twist by Jill

clear mark of an entrepreneur is that when you see a problem, you create a solution. Thirtyeight years ago, Jill Sneider created a revolutionary product for new moms—a diaper bag with a removable changing pad built into the top of the bag. She obtained a patent and made sales, but decided the time was not right for her to be an entrepreneur. Jill has returned to entrepreneurship with Fresh Twist by Jill, her newest venture into seeing a problem and creating a solution. She offers her clients a fresh new look and feel to their space, without buying anything new! Jill had a full-time career in the field of social justice and was a longtime employee and educator at Syracuse University. She has worked directly with people her entire career and has always enjoyed creative pursuits on the side. After decades of service to the University, Jill decided it was the right time in her life to retire and transition her side business into a full-time gig. For years, Jill had been helping

creative eye and ability to connect with people is what I bring to this job,” she says. “I’m able to find out what’s important to clients and redesign their space in a way that they had not been able to envision themselves.” Facing challenges is part of any entrepreneurial journey and those daily challenges keep Jill moving forward in terms of personal growth. “During my entire career I had been part of a team,” says Jill. “Being a solo entrepreneur is so different.” Jill has learned the importance of being patient and building a strong network of mentors and fellow entrepreneurs to keep her inspired. The WISE Women’s Business Center helped Jill develop a business plan and learn financial issues like budgeting and accounting, and it continues to offer her connections, support and coaching.

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44 The Health & Wellness Edition

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January 2017

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LETTER from the Editor

call a “health freak.” Salad is a favorite food of mine. For the most part, I work out every morning. I have a daily course of vitamins that rivals Chris Traeger’s arsenal. (Pardon the years old reference; I’m currently marathoning “Parks and Rec.”) But I’ve also been known to eat half a pizza in bed while watching hours of Netflix (“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” anyone?). I think the key is this: everything in moderation. That includes one of the most important — and often overlooked — aspects of life, selfcare. It’s like our cover woman, O Yoga founder and owner Tiffany O Cagwin, said: You can’t be of service to others if you’re not first taking care of yourself. Taking time for you and your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing isn’t selfish. It’s healthy. The new year is upon us, and — as cliched as it might sound — it’s a chance for a clean slate. Use that gym membership. Eat more greens. Go get a massage once a month. Give yourself permission to watch that Netflix show everyone’s been raving about, but you’ve put on the back burner thanks to a heavy workload. As Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle would say, “Treat yo self.” And treat yourself well. This month, O Yoga’s Tiffany shares her story of what yoga has done for her life, and what she aims for O Yoga to do for the community. “It’s a nonaggressive way to go about understanding your body,” Tiffany said about yoga. “You just start to find peace with yourself through your practice.” Platter Chatter brings us inside the new downtown restaurant Original Grain — fondly known as OG. Owners Chris Bily and Eric Hinman discuss with us the importance of having healthy options in the Syracuse dining scene. Inspires Dr. Laura Martin, Kathy Ozzard Chism and Alana Dee stress into the importance of different aspects of health. With her medical practice, My Care Syracuse, Laura strives to treat each patient as the whole person they are, and not judge them simply based on their struggles and ailments. Kathy, owner of Soul Soothings, author and wellness coach, not only helps her customers and clients, but is also involved in efforts to build a school in Uganda. Alana, who’s had her own struggles with health, works daily as a job coach for young adults, and also assists people in reaching their goals as H2 Fitness cofounder and personal trainer. This month also welcomes Kate D. Mahoney’s memoir, “The Misfit Miracle Girl: Candid Reflections,” into the world. I’m happy to call the past SWM cover woman and contributor a friend, and couldn’t be more proud of her. Flip to Syracuse Reads for a peek inside the book, and her thoughts on the process of writing it. So, as we enter the new year, give yourself the permission to relax, be healthy and happy, and create the best possible you!

Lorna

On Our Cover: Tiffany O Cagwin was photographed by Alice G. Patterson of Alice G. Patterson Photography at O Yoga in Syracuse. Special thanks to Jillain Pastella Salomone, owner of J. Luxe Salon, for Tiffany’s makeup styling.

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The Health & Wellness Edition

PAST SWM Events

Friday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 20, The Junior League of Syracuse hosted its 21st annual Holiday Shoppes at the NYS Fairgrounds. Photos provided by The Junior League. SyracuseFirst held the seventh annual Buy Local Bash at the F Shed at the Regional Market on Monday, Nov. 28.

Photo provided by SyracuseFirst. Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 launched its first Syracuse chapter at the Crowne Plaza on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Photos by Alice G. Patterson. On Wednesday, Dec. 7 the WBOC celebrated the holidays in style at Sky Armory. Photos by Alice G. Patterson.

January 2017

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FASHION FORWARD Workout Wear

Where to Wear and Where Not to Wear By Ann Marie Stonecypher

Photography by Dan Doyle Photography

he holidays are behind us. The resolutions are firmly in place. If you’re one of the many who asked Santa for fancy workout wear to help tackle your No. 1 resolution, but are too unmotivated to follow through, you’re not alone. I have a key tag that claims I belong to a gym, but I haven’t set sneakered foot there in years, so I’m not judging anyone. The good news is that workout gear has found its way into everyday dress under the pithy moniker: Athleisure wear. My hope is to give you some guidance to utilize the clothes you bought with good intentions, and look good doing it. Full disclosure: I’m one of those people with a silly number of yoga pants, but I wouldn’t know a downward dog from Under Dog. I do know the pants are comfortable. They’re convenient for a visit to the grocery store, chores around the house or a protracted trip to the mall to try on clothes. They work for me! You know I love to play with the rules, so here are a few guidelines for wearing your Athleisure wear out and about. Most are for you, but some can impact the people around you. A friend recently texted me to say she was sitting in a coffee shop reading, when a woman walked in wearing yoga pants — and nothing underneath but what God gave her. That’s too much to take in while innocently trying to enjoy a latte and scone. This leads me to Rule No. 1: A lot of workout clothes are made of not only unforgivingly clingy fabric, but can also be very sheer, even in dark hues. They might be black, but that doesn’t mean they’ve got you covered. Do remember to undie-up and check yourself in a mirror – 360 degrees please. Rule No. 2: Certain articles of athletic wear are really just for the working out. Bra-style crop tops should stay at the gym. The Gigi Hadid’s of the world operate under another set of rules. They can go from gym to cafe in their crop top, have the paparazzi snap their picture and send every bit of clothing, chapstick and bottled water in the photo shooting up in the NASDAQ. The reality for us mere mortals is we need to keep our midriffs covered when we dash from the gym to the drug store, gas station or wherever. A cute coverup or long-sleeve hoodie like the one donned by model Emilya is a stylish and comfy choice. Rule No. 3: Comfort doesn’t necessarily mean fashion chaos. Coordinate your workout clothes like you would your everyday clothes. I put the same forethought into wearing these clothes as I would if I was wearing non-athletic wear. Fit still matters. As with your regular clothes, they shouldn’t be too tight or too oversized. There’s a lot of fun and stylish workout clothing out there, it all wears and washes well and it’s comfortable. I imagine it would feel nice if I actually worked out in this stuff! Rule No. 4: Workout wear doesn’t mean wear to work. Unless you actually work at a gym, wearing this to work is usually a no-no. The bottom line: Workout wear has come a long way from the baggy gray Champion sweatshirts and pants of my youth, and has worked its way out of the gym and into our lives. If you follow a few simple rules, wearing them outside the gym is no sweat. SWM

Ann Marie Stonecypher is an award-winning business woman and the owner of AMS Models & Talent. She is also a stylist, inspirational speaker, two-time breast cancer survivor and freelance writer. She lives in the Syracuse area with her children Taylor and Steven, and her dog Cocoa. If you have any style questions or comments, email Ann Marie at info@amsmodels.com. Model Emilya Washeleski appears courtesy of AMS Models and Talent.

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The Health & Wellness Edition

WISE WOMAN Jill Sneider

FEATURED ENTREPRENEUR Jill Sneider

Owner, Fresh Twist by Jill

PHOTO BY CINDY BELL PHOTOGRAPHY PAGE DESIGN BY GRIT BRANDS

wise words of wisdom… “Learn to be okay with being out of your comfort zone—that’s often when one moves forward.” – Jill Sneider

WISE WISE HAPPENINGS: HAPPENINGS: Check out wisecenter.org/events for a complete list of upcoming events!

The Building Blocks for Starting a Business

Women in Creative Businesses Roundtable Discussion

Mastermind Groups Program Matchmaker

Women as Career Changers Roundtable

January 10, 12:00-1:00PM January 25, 5:30-7:00PM

January 12, 12:00-1:00PM January 26, 12:00-1:00PM

January 18, 12:00-1:00PM

January 19, 12:00-1:00PM

Ask the Attorney: “Partnerships: What You Need To Know Going into Business with Someone Else” January 31, 12:00-1:00PM

A PROGRAM OF THE FALCONE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. Call (315) 443-8634.

January 2017

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PLATTER CHATTER Original Grain

ORIGINAL GRAIN CHRIS BILY, COFOUNDER

Photography by Steven J. Pallone

It’s not what you can’t eat. It’s what you can eat.” —Eric Hinman, Original Grain cofounder

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

ORIGINAL GRAIN

Healthy, Grainy Goodness By Lorna Oppedisano

riginal Grain, Syracuse’s newest health-conscious eatery, is poised at the crossroads of LA and NYC — well, sort of. Located at the former Tim Horton’s location on the corner of Salina and Fayette Streets, on the edge of Armory Square in the heart of downtown Syracuse, OG brings restaurant goers a menu of unique, healthy options in a crisp, bright and airy space, all revolving around the OG brand. Think the “bohemian vibe” you’d find in LA mashed with the “raw and beat boy, broken skate deck” from NYC. “It’s fun when you can walk into a space and be fully engulfed by the brand, and it feels as though you’re transformed into another area or place in the world,” OG cofounder Chris Bily said. The idea for OG was inspired by some conversations between Chris and cofounder Eric Hinman about healthier options in Syracuse. After they began taking inspirational trips to LA and NYC, the duo realized how to solve the problem of a lack of healthy restaurant options in the area: create one themselves. Their mouths started to water, and the wheels were set in motion, Chris explained. The duo opened OG on Aug. 29. The location, 302 S. Salina St., was the perfect pick to achieve the vibe and create the space they’d envisioned. It was downtown, appealing to their target demographic of young professionals who live or work in the city. The team resurfaced the existing infrastructure that Tim Horton’s had left behind. The space wasn’t intimidatingly large, but had enough square footage to comfortably accommodate diners. The next step was to cultivate the OG brand. Both men being “suckers for branding,” Chris admitted with a laugh, they understood the importance of providing an immersive experience for anyone who might set foot in the space.

While only Chris, cofounder of Armory Square’s Modern Malt, had experience as a restauranteur, Eric — who’d been a “frequent flier as a customer” in the culinary world — was familiar with providing and promoting a customer experience, thanks to his work as partner/cofounder of Urban Life Athletics. He’s enjoyed the learning process of entering a new business, he said. A large piece of the OG brand is, of course, the focus on the healthy food. The menu offers a variety of bowls, brekkie bowls, nori wraps, sandwiches, smoothies, toasts, local spirits and more. Not familiar with some of those terms? Not to worry; OG proudly features unique ingredients and encourages their customers to throw caution to the wind and venture into trying new foods. Both Chris and Eric suggest newcomers try the Great Swell, featuring ahi tuna, cucumber, radish, avocado, carrot, edamame, cilantro, spicy sauce, sesame seeds and a sesame-ginger dressing. The duo stressed the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. “We really want to educate people here [in Syracuse] about how important it is to eat healthy, and that it goes far beyond just being lean,” Eric said. He explained that a healthy diet affects physical and mental performance, as well as energy level throughout the day; in turn, those things affect creativity, business decisions, home life and more, he said. Chris and Eric want to show people that following a good diet doesn’t have to mean eating carrot sticks, they explained. With the fun ingredients compiled to create the eclectic menu, OG is truly an adventurous experience. “It’s not what you can’t eat,” Eric said. “It’s what you can eat.” SWM To learn more about Original Grain, as well as upcoming events hosted at the restaurant, visit originalgrainsters.com or facebook.com/originalgrainny. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

January 2017

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SPECIAL SECTION Happily Ever After

Planning a wedding? You can experience it just the way youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always dreamed about it with these local businesses!

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

January 2017 January 2017

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

January 2017 January 2017

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

Heathy Cake and Eat It, Too

SPONSORED CONTENT

By Murphy’s Specialized Pastry

uring the wedding planning process, you may ask yourself, “How can I have my cake, and eat it healthily, too?” Here at Murphy’s Specialized Pastry, we have some tips on healthy cakes and pastries to keep your wedding body fit! Naked cakes can be very eye-catching, and with the minimal amount of buttercream, can also be healthier. For more of a rustic-style wedding, fresh fruit can be added to the fillings and the outside for extra garnish, so the focus centerpiece of the room — besides the bride and groom, of course — will be your tiered, trim cake. Speaking of fruit, something new coming to “fruition” is, in fact, fruit cakes. We’re not speaking of the doorstop and paperweight from yesteryear. Whole fruit cut down in layers and stacked with fresh whipped cream can also keep those pounds off. When talking about baking, there are also ways to keep an eye on calorie counts and carbs. Applesauce, banana and avocado are great substitutes in recipes! It’s not a one-to-one ratio, but a little research can go a long way. Low sugar and sugar-free items can help curb the fact that sugar gets metabolized into fat. Gluten-free items are also a handy way to get those carb counts low. Here at Murphy’s Pastry, we do offer a variety of gluten-free options for wedding cakes, as well as dessert bars! From cheesecakes, our signature duos, to vanilla and chocolate cake! So as you start planning your healthy wedding day, remember there are a variety of options out there to get a fun and still delicious cake to cut into with your special someone! SWM

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The Health & Wellness Edition

SPECIAL FEATURE Burnout Part Three

Sometimes Deep Breathing Doesn’t Cut It By Nicole Christina

n this last installment of the series on burnout, we continue exploring ways to prevent burnout, and how to find calm and peace in this crazy world. We don’t bounce back from burnout after a nice pedicure. It’s a serious syndrome that negatively affects every aspect of our lives and relationships. It’s particularly evident in women who do most of the care taking. I’ve also seen burnout on the rise in the human service field. At least 75 percent of chronic illnesses have a major stress component; determining what your body and psyche need to function properly is not a luxury. It’s basically as crucial as brushing your teeth. The picture of perfection

As a psychotherapist, I see people who are desperately trying to live up to an impossible ideal. They hold a fantasy of needing to be the perfect woman, enjoying the perfect life, wearing the perfect yoga pants. That poster you see in Wegmans of the happy family is the ultra-retouched, nostalgic version of that impossible ideal. That’s why it’s so powerful. No family I know actually looks like that. Trying to replicate the image — and other unrealistic versions of reality — is a shortcut to burnout. Family is a mixed bag, and that’s on a good day. If we can enjoy what is good while also accepting the parts we don’t like, we invite a calming atmosphere that serves us and those around us. Realistic expectations

I want to make a case for lowering expectations to a more manageable level. Many of my

clients try to do too much without considering what it might emotionally and physically cost them. So how do you decide what to take on? Martha Beck, a quirky and brilliant writer, suggests checking in with your body in an unusual way. When you feel your gut tighten and constrict, you know it’s too much, she says; your body is sending you a “no” message. She describes this as “shackles on.” Alternatively, when you agree to take on a project and your body feels at ease, it’s a clear case of “shackles off.” It’s amazing how clear the message is when you actually pause to acknowledge it. Unfortunately, many of us override this warning and agree to host the party, organize the carpool or make the birthday cake anyway. This causes us to feel overwhelmed and — even worse — have a sense we shouldn’t feel that way. We are left with vague discomfort and resentment. Even if we achieve the glossy version of a holiday gathering, we start reaching for perfection all over again for the next event. There’s no way to put the perfectionism to rest; it’s a moving target. Asking ourselves some questions can be helpful. What is the most important part of this event? What are my expectations? Are they reason-

able? Would I expect this from someone I love? What judgment am I afraid of? Asking yourself these kinds of questions can help you arrive at a more comfortable and reasonable expectation of yourself. Spiritual force

There are stress reduction techniques out there — like abdominal breathing, spending time in stillness and nature, and learning a handcraft. But I’ve noticed that those tips and tricks are simply not enough in this intense world. There’s too much to negotiate emotionally — too much anxiety over the complex, overwhelming problems we face in the world. That’s why I want to underscore the importance of spiritual practice. Stay with me here. Don’t be alarmed. I’m not here to convert you. I’m not selling any organized religion. Rather, I’m suggesting you find comfort in the idea that science suggests everyone and everything is connected. For better or worse, we’re all part of this big, messy, confusing puzzle. Are there ways you can take comfort in the possibility of a greater force larger than yourself? The power and diversity of nature? The unexplainable? The mystery? If the basic belief is that we are all alone here, it’s going to be a very tough road. And feeling alone leads us to unhealthy

numbing behaviors that we’re all too familiar with: too much Facebook, too many cookies, too many cocktails….you get the idea. I recognize the objections. What if it’s not true? Isn’t that a crutch? What if we really are all alone? To me, it boils down to what side I would rather err on. Feeling connected and a part of nature when I walk my dogs is comforting, and reassuring. I’ll take that chance. A feel of the future

Here’s another suggestion to ward off burnout. Try projecting yourself into the future and postulating about what you might regret most. It’s a great litmus test to determine where to direct your time and focus. At the end of my days, will I regret not making invitations by hand, planting my entire yard with annuals, washing my windows every spring? Most hospice patients remark they wish they would have worked less and spent more time with family and friends. Consider what brings you the most joy and skip the rest. That mindset can go a long way in preventing burnout. As always, I welcome comments and suggestions on your experiences with burnout. I am developing a new webcourse looking at this important issue. If you would like to be a part of that project, please contact me. SWM

Nicole Christina, LCSW, is a local psychotherapist and writer. Check out her latest webcourse: “What Diet Programs Don’t Tell You (Intro to Mindful Eating).” You can learn more about her at NicoleChristina.com.

January 2017

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CNY LATINA Rosemary Arroyo-Pérez

Healthy Family By Marisol Hernandez

Photo provided by CNY Latino

osemary Arroyo-Pérez, a first generation Puerto Rican hailing from New York City, fell in love with Syracuse when she moved to the area as a teenager 31 years ago. She loves the city and all it stands for — a city with a rich history of accepting people from different countries and cultures. “You hear all different languages being spoken,” Rosie said with a smile, “and I think that is a beautiful thing, to be able to accept people not only for who they are, but also for what they can contribute.” For Rosie, faith is at the center of her life, followed by family, and then everything else. Fulfilling her responsibilities and maintaining a sense of balance is difficult at times, Rosie admits, but it’s nowhere near impossible. She reaches her goals with meditation, exercise, a healthy diet and a close-knit circle of friends. “As a Latina mom and Puerto Rican, we are very passionate people. I am a loving person who gives lots of love to my children, teaching them right from wrong and raising them with those values of respect,” she said. “Being respectful to not just your parents and your siblings, but being respectful to anyone outside of that. Being faithful, giving and loving others is very important She’s served on the mayor’s Syracuse Commission for Women, in our family.” is a member of St. Lucy’s — a parish known for helping those who Rosie had a difficult childhood growing up in New York City, are less fortunate — and has volunteered at many community but it helped her become the woman she is today. She’s proud of events. She is currently serving her sixth year term as a board that person. member for Welch Terrace, a not-for-profit housing program “I had a wonderful grandmother, wonderful aunts and my aiming to serve individuals afflicted by mother, who are very strong-willed chronic illnesses. women,” she said. “So I succeeded Rosie’s firsthand experience helping beyond the odds of what was expected I think that it is a beautiful thing, people in her family address health issues of me after getting married and having to be able to accept people not has no doubt shaped her outlook and a child at a very young age.” volunteer work. She’s been there for her Rosie and her husband, Miguel A. only for who they are, but also husband through any health problems Perez Jr., succeeded in completing college, for what they can contribute.” he’s encountered. Rosie’s mother is setting an example for their daughters, diabetic and suffers from COPD and Samantha and Bianca, both of whom — Rosemary Arroyo-Pérez, NYS emphysema. Rosie helps her the best followed in those footsteps to earn she can; after all, she gave Rosie life and degrees. Their son, Miguel III, is currently Department of Health employee raised her children the best she could in his sophomore year in high school. with what she had, Rosie said. In more than a 25-year career with the “My husband always jokes with me. New York State Department of Health, He calls me Florence Nightingale, because I am always running Rosie has become known as one of the most prominent HIV/AIDS to help others if they need me. We help one another. If you need counselors and educators in her field. anything, you can give the Perezes a phone call,” Rosie said. “Even if In 2015, she was awarded the Commissioners Excellence Award we can’t be present, we will be there any way we can. We love our by the New York State Department of Health commissioner for community, and having that close-knit community of friends and her contributions to the NYSDOH Health Equity Planning and Symposium Steering Committee. The work was in response to racial family has been important to us.” SWM and ethnic health disparities, with an aim of achieving health equity This article was provided by the CNY Latino newspaper, the only Hispanicin African American and Latino communities. oriented publication in Central New York. The Spanish version of this article Over the years, Rosie’s volunteered in a number of positions that can be read in the January edition of CNY Latino, in both the traditional reflect her interest in public health and bilingual and community paper version and the digital format at cnylatinonewspaper.com. outreach efforts. 20

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The Health & Wellness Edition

SPECIAL FEATURE Organizing

10 Habits For a More Organized 2017 By Carrie Luteran

o you start every new year resolving to get organized, only to lose steam by February, feeling defeated for not achieving your goals? This year, try a different approach: develop organized habits that will serve you for the entire year and beyond! Pick just one of these techniques to focus on, and once it’s become part of your routine, select another. Even making a few positive changes can go a long way toward a more organized 2017.

Give everything a home – Take some time to look around your house for the items that always seem to be left out, and give them a permanent home. Cultivate the habit of always putting things back in their place. If you try this and certain items are still consistently left out, consider the next tip.

Make things easy to get to – Are the things you use most frequently also the most accessible? The hair dryer you use every morning probably won’t find its way back to its spot if something has to be moved out of the way first.

Touch things once – It might seem easier to throw your clothes on a chair instead of hanging them up at the end of the day; but after a week, you end up with a big pile of wrinkled clothes to contend with. Instead of setting things down to deal with later, take a few minutes to address them immediately.

Prep for next time – Wash dishes right after you eat, fold laundry when it comes out of the dryer and refill toiletries when you unpack from your trip. It won’t happen 100 percent of the time, but the more you work to make this a habit, the easier your tasks will become.

One in/one out – When you bring something new

into your home, resolve to get rid of one similar item. A new pair of shoes means donating one you already have. A side benefit is you will become much more selective about bringing new things home!

Always be decluttering – Develop the habit of assessing your things as you use them. If you try on a shirt and realize it doesn’t fit, don’t put it back in the closet. Keep a perpetual donation box in your house, and add to it as you find things you no longer need. When the box is full, take it to the drop-off location.

Unsubscribe ruthlessly – Take a look at your electronic and paper subscriptions, and ask yourself if you actually read them and find them valuable. Unsubscribe from anything that isn’t making your life better, and you’ll have less clutter to deal with.

Turn off notifications – Research has found it takes more than 20 minutes to get back on task after a distraction. Silence your phone and turn off notifications on your computer while working. All those messages will be waiting for you when you take a break, and you’ll find you get more done in less time.

Schedule time to process email daily –

Block out a specific time each day to go through your messages. If they can be dealt with in a minute or two, process them immediately; if they will take longer, add them to your to-do list.

Plan for tomorrow – Take a few minutes before leaving work to write down what needs to get done the next day. Every night, look at tomorrow’s schedule and collect anything you’ll need to have with you. A few minutes of advance preparation makes for a much more relaxed morning. SWM

Carrie Luteran makes spaces totally functional and fab. She provides interior design and professional organizing services to the Syracuse area through her company, Pretty Neat. Learn more at prettyneatsolutions.com or call (315) 400-1966. January 2017

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IN HER OWN WORDS Healthy Resolutions

Healthy Resolutions

This year, we asked the SWM community to share their healthy New Year’s resolutions. Here’s what they shared:

I’m transitioning my family to an electric alkaline based diet! Also, I’m eliminating the use of chemicals in our home by switching to natural alternatives for cleaning supplies, air fresheners and beauty products (shampoo and soap).

— Alexis Emm Owner, Alexis Emm Photograffi

I have already started my New Years resolution. My goal is to combine physical and mental health by exercising and reading more motivational reading books. I plan to educate myself on emotional intelligence and keep a diary of what I am eating so I am more conscious of it.

— Chanel Rhodes Liberty Mutual Insurance

My New Years Resolution is to become healthier in both the way I eat and my fitness habits. Since becoming a part of the coaching staff for the Bishop Grimes volleyball program this year, I want to better inspire my girls to constantly strive to be the best they can be. To do that, I need to also work on myself!

My resolution for the New Year is to take more time to recharge and refresh and take in the beauty of the world and people that surround me. I believe that will give me more energy and passion to do what I do everyday, and a better appreciation of the wonder that is in our world.

I will “save the world a little each day” and make our planet healthier by recycling items accepted in the blue bin (magazines, newspapers, junk mail, cardboard, pizza boxes, cereal boxes, #1 and #2 plastic BOTTLES, #5 plastic tubs, and metal cans). I know my small efforts will add up to a healthier future for my entire community, especially if I share my recycling knowledge with others.

Researching programs like the Hippocrates Health Institute’s “Life Transformation 3 Weeks” to start my new year off with. The last two years of building a new business has left me mentally and physically depleted, and I’m in need of a reset! Next year, I aspire to be unstoppable because I will be healthy!

— Courtney Henson Owner and wedding planner, Magically Yours

— Frieda Weeks Founder, Hope for Heather

— Kristen Lawton Public information officer, Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency

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— Tammy Lynn Wilkinson Founder, artistic director and producer, Theatre Du Jour

The Health & Wellness Edition

January 2017

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The Health & Wellness Edition

COVER STORY Tiffany O Cagwin

TIFFANY O CAGWIN FOUNDER AND OWNER OF O YOGA

Photography by Alice G. Patterson

It’s not about trying to achieve perfection... You work from the periphery to the core: physically, mentally [and] emotionally.” —Tiffany O. Cagwin, founder and owner of O Yoga

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COVER STORY Tiffany O Cagwin

Photography by Alice G. Patterson

It’s a nonaggressive way to go about understanding your body. You just start to find peace with yourself through your practice.” —Tiffany O Cagwin, founder and owner of O Yoga

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

The Power of Yoga By Lorna Oppedisano

Finding peace in turmoil When Tiffany tells the story of yoga and O Yoga, she explains

it starts with her own story, long before she discovered her passion. Early in life, Tiffany mastered a different type of peace. When her parents divorced at a young age, she learned to play the role of peacekeeper, gaining knowledge about the “complexities of relationships” that many don’t realize until adulthood. Her parents shared joint custody of their daughter until Tiffany was 12. At that point, she had to make the decision of staying in Ohio with her father or moving to a farm in New Mexico with her mother, who was pregnant with Tiffany’s first sibling. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to be an older sister, Tiffany opted to move. A few years later, when she was 15 years old, Tiffany’s life shifted gears again. The young scholar had aspirations of going to an Ivy League university. But one day, she came home from school and her mother surprised her with an executive decision: going forward, Tiffany would be homeschooled. While Tiffany was disappointed that her life took that turn, and admits she’s pondered the “what if” of staying in traditional education, it was during that time that Tiffany experienced her first meditative moments. Some days, she would ride her horse into the mountains, and spend the day exploring. There was no noise, Tiffany recollected, no chaos. It was the first time she had that in her life. “It was substantial enough then as a 15-year-old to know I could feel the difference in my body, being quiet,” Tiffany said, explaining that in those experiences, she learned to be simultaneously still and alert, feeling the movement of the horse and her own breath. “That was probably my first real mind-body connection, and understanding of stillness and meditation.”

Unbalanced body When Tiffany turned 17, she decided to return to Ohio.

While working full time and attending community college part time, she started experiencing stomach pains. It was a persistent problem. Having trouble eating, she lost weight. Tiffany was down to about 85 pounds when she ended up in the hospital back in New Mexico. Her entire body was inflamed; if she had gotten there much later, the doctors told her, she could have died. Tiffany was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. For the next couple decades, it was a “nonstop battle,” she said, explaining that she was given drug after drug in attempts to provide her with relief. Many were experimental medications. Her health was not in balance. “I think the toxicity of the meds was also contributing to how poorly I was feeling,” she said. “It was a struggle for a lot of years. I lived at the doctor’s office and the hospitals. I became very, very comfortable with floating in and out of those.” Despite the dramatic prognosis — “This is what it is, and you’re probably going to have to have your colon removed,” they told her, “It doesn’t matter what you eat. This is just the life you’re facing.” — Tiffany stayed optimistic. Going back to college in Ohio — now full time — she earned a degree in teaching, and led a fourth grade classroom for a year. Then she got sick, and found herself in the hospital again. Around that time, something told Tiffany there had to be another method to fight Crohn’s besides the medley of drugs and long stints at the doctor’s office and hospitals. She started research into alternative healing, and discovered the macrobiotic diet, a diet

January 2017

Photography by Alice G. Patterson

iffany O Cagwin’s practice is based in love. The owner of O Yoga followed this love from a tumultuous childhood, to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease in her late teens, to the ultimate realization of her calling in life — her dharma, she said — in founding her studio. Even her business model is to love people, she says, only half joking. Tiffany’s journey to love, yoga and the balance the two provide wasn’t straightforward or easy. But the power of yoga, she explained, is connection to the true essence of self. “It’s a nonaggressive way to go about understanding your body,” Tiffany said. “You just start to find peace with yourself through your practice.”

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COVER STORY Tiffany O. Cagwin

The Power of Yoga continued from page 27 rooted in whole grains, vegetables and greens. It was the first time she’d heard about inflammatory foods, and the idea that what you eat can control inflammation in your body, she explained. She hired a macrobiotic chef and went all in, Tiffany remembered. “I was just at that point where I was like, ‘This is all or nothing for me. I can’t keep living like this. I’ve got to figure this out,’” she said.

Struggle with self image The diet helped curb the Crohn’s symptoms to an extent; but emotionally, Tiffany was still reeling from years of struggles with her body image. Because of the medicines, she went through periods of extreme weight loss and extreme weight gain. Feeling like she had very little control over her own body, she began to develop eating disorders in college. “I craved a lot of sugary, terrible foods with the drugs, and so I’d put on a ton of weight, and then crash diet, and it started to create this cycle,” she said. Even after she began to feel relief from Crohn’s, the ingrained habits had created a deep pattern that was hard to break, Tiffany explained. It wasn’t until she found yoga that Tiffany really felt she had regained control of her body. “I kind of felt like it was something I was going to struggle with my whole life, because I could see that it was never going to go away,” she said, explaining her fear of consistent returns to body image obsession and calorie counting. “And then I started doing yoga, and it almost stopped instantly with the regular yoga practice. It just became a nonissue.”

Discovering her practice Tiffany stumbled upon yoga seemingly by chance. She’d moved to Syracuse and had her son Caden with her first husband. It was during a visit to the hospital that someone suggested she try yoga. She’d already gained some control of her body with diet; they suggested practicing yoga to deal with the chaos of life. It began with a curious Tiffany following along with basic yoga poses from a DVD in her home in Syracuse. Even with just a physical practice, she began to sense changes in her body. She didn’t delve into any sort of related philosophy for years, but she still felt stronger, healthier and calmer from the beginning, she explained. Tiffany didn’t want to beat up her body anymore. “It’s hard for me to understand how I worried the way that I did, or looked at my body that way,” she said, thinking back to a time before she’d discovered yoga. “I was battling myself. There was no peace. There was no acceptance of just really loving who I was.” Yoga practice, along with her healthy lifestyle, has led Tiffany to be symptom-free of Crohn’s for the last six years.

For a while, the physical practice was enough for her, but eventually Tiffany started getting curious about the philosophical aspects of yoga. So she bought a book and began to study. She eventually enrolled in teacher training with the Himalayan Institute, a distance learning program, and it looked like Tiffany was on track to becoming a yoga instructor. The program was slated to end with a month-long trip to India, and she was ready to embrace it. But then she was offered a job in Boston. Having worked full time in administration at Syracuse University College of Law, Tiffany saw herself following that track in her professional life. “I just dove right back in. I saw this career path unfolding. I loved the MBA program, so I was getting really involved. It was great to be back in school,” she said. “All the ambition took over.” Yoga was moved to the back burner.

O Yoga But then one fateful day, Tiffany was walking along on her lunch break, and saw a sandwich board promoting a yoga class. The teacher was Ame Wren, and the school was Boston Yoga School. Tiffany followed the sign’s direction into the class, and she was home. It was the most nurtured she’d felt until that point in her life, Tiffany remembered. Looking back, she realized that until then, she wasn’t living her purpose. The heaviness of experiences life had thrown her way had encumbered and covered her. When she started practicing yoga regularly with Ame, that all changed. “It just lit me up. There was a spark. It was this fire in me that just knew that…” she trailed off, her eyes sparkling, as she tried to capture the right words. “The best way I can describe it is that I’d felt so dark and heavy, and then yoga started to liberate me.” On the path to teaching yoga once again, Tiffany enrolled in teacher training at the Back Bay Yoga Studio in the summer of 2011. But because of family matters, she had to move back to Syracuse soon after, leaving the beloved yoga community she’d come to call home. On a retreat to Costa Rica, she talked to Ame and another teacher, Sarah Sturges, about her predicament: she’d be certified to teach, but have no yoga community once she returned to Syracuse. Ame answered: “Open a studio. Make the community.” Sarah immediately agreed: “Yes. And you need to call it O Yoga.” Tiffany hadn’t had any aspirations of becoming a business owner; but out of pure curiosity, when she arrived home from the retreat, she started looking into possible Armory Square real estate locations and crunching the numbers. On a weekend trip to Syracuse, she found the perfect space on Walton Street, and with no concrete business plan in mind, signed a year lease. She told some acquaintances in town she was

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The Health & Wellness Edition

moving back and opening a studio. Soon word spread, and on opening weekend, O Yoga was packed. Since then, the community has grown in leaps and bounds. In 2013, O Yoga moved to its current central location at 1003 W. Fayette St., doubling in size and adding space for teacher trainings, which Tiffany offers through the Boston Yoga School. In September 2016, O Yoga expanded to a second location at 4465 E. Genesee St. in DeWitt. Through the entire journey of O Yoga, Tiffany’s aim has been to show people yoga is for everyone. The community aspect of the classes offers a supportive energy from people of all different ages and levels of physical fitness. The message of class at O Yoga is that it’s your own practice. “It’s not about trying to achieve perfection,” Tiffany explained, adding that it’s about inquiry and working from the outside of your body inward. “You work from the periphery to the core: physically, mentally [and] emotionally.”

The importance of self-care Along with O Yoga, Tiffany’s own practice has grown over the years. Very recently, she’s developed a stronger desire to delve deeper into teaching and her own study of yoga. The longterm goal, she hopes, is to turn the administrative side of the business — things like marketing, accounting and social media, all of which she oversees now — to someone else, and be able to focus more on the mission of O Yoga. In November, Tiffany finished the first five-day immersion in a long program of study with Nikki Costello, a teacher in New York City. All roads have led to Nikki, she explained; many teachers Tiffany’s connected with and admired have studied with Nikki. “It’s given me a clarity in my path that I haven’t had before,” Tiffany said. “I’m very excited. It’s just a whole new depth.” Since her new study began, her teaching methods have shifted as well, she remarked. Initially, she was worried that a change in direction would deter people from her classes, but her students love it.

For Tiffany, yoga is no longer just a physical practice. Now she uses activities like Crossfit for exercise, giving herself permission to work slower, deeper and more intelligently and effectively in her yoga practice, she explained. With the help and encouragement of her husband and fellow O Yoga teacher, Tyler — “He is the rock I stand on that allows me run the businesses and help people the way I do,” Tiffany said fondly — she’s also delved deeper into the practice of meditation. Yoga, Crossfit, meditation: they’re all part of Tiffany’s self-care, another practice by which she swears. With the schedule she keeps, Tiffany stressed the importance of carving out time for yourself, be it an hour-long massage, 10 minutes in child’s pose or a session of light therapy. “I think sometimes when we don’t rest, we don’t know the power of it,” she said, stressing that when you take care of yourself, you’re of more service to others. “There’s so much that I’d love to share with people. But overall — if I could just get one message across to people — it’s just to take seriously self-care.” SWM

To learn more about O Yoga, including class schedule, workshops, teacher trainings and rates, visit theoyogastudio.com. O Yoga is located in Syracuse at 1003 W. Fayette St., 5th Floor, and DeWitt at 4465 E. Genesee St.

January 2017

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

January 2017 January 2017

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SYracuse reads The Misfit Miracle Girl

New Year, New You! By Kate D. Mahoney

“C

lean Plate,” “Blank Slate” and “Fresh Start” are just a few of the tag lines and catchphrases that pop up on the covers of January magazines around the world. We gravitate toward them because there’s nothing wrong with the idea of fresh or clean. Let’s face it: those peppy words are more inviting than “Same Stuff, Different Day” — although the phrase deserves merits all its own. Life is relentless, and the fact that we can keep anything fresh or clean in our busy lives is worth celebrating all year round.

So, what about the Old Year and the Old You? Aren’t there things you want to hang on to that are less dramatic than Brexit and more meaningful than post-holiday peppermint bark sales? Come January, perhaps we are too open to throwing out the baby with the bathwater. This month, I am celebrating the release of my memoir, in essence a book about life that has already been lived. The story is as much about the past as it is the present and the future. My point is I wouldn’t have anything to celebrate if every year I subscribed fully to the concept of out with the old and in with the new. I had to stay connected to everything that brought me to today. At the same time, I needed to let go of past ideas about what the future would be so I could pivot and create a future as an author. It’s all very thrilling, isn’t it? People keep asking me if I’m excited about my book. The word doesn’t resonate with me in this context. It’s not that I’m not enthusiastic about it. But much like the hype around the New Year, I feel we choose to put a lot of energy on the product instead of the passion or the possibility. Maybe that’s the artistic actor in me who gets hopped up on everything and anything that can be learned in process. What excites me isn’t the book itself; it’s the messages in the book. Parts of this book came pouring out of me as though I was reliving the experiences in real time. Writing about my parents brought me joy and I felt as though I was dancing through the pages as I wrote. Other pieces were easy to recount on a keyboard, yet I may never be able to read them aloud without tearing up. Stepping back into an old version of myself sometimes brought difficult memories and emotions back into the spotlight. Even in retelling bits of the story that weren’t great at the time, I’m so grateful for every part of my life. What excites me most is the moments when a person tells me that my story gave them permission to let go of feelings like fear or anger or own feelings, whatever they may be. Either way, what excites me is human connection through story. It always has. Thousands of words and thousands of pages never made it into the final draft. I had to write a lot to get to the actual writing of the book. My speech writing and monologue writing was a different style. Plus, it was not grammatically correct. Not even close. Punctuation exists for a reason; but until this book, what I wrote for things like voiceover work was never meant to be seen. The arrows, the dashes, the bold “BREATHE” after emotional lines were for my eyes only. I’m sure I’ll do a stage play about all this someday. When that time comes, I’ll be a newer me in another year. Parts of this life will be in that story, and parts of this story will be in that life. SWM

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My Eleven O’Clock Number An excerpt from Kate D. Mahoney’s “The Misfit Miracle Girl”

y miracle doesn’t make me less human: If anything, it makes me more human. Being a survivor means even though I believe in something that is greater than myself, I’ve come to recognize that I am a part of that something, and the part I play is significant. It matters. I matter. I’m still going to buy the tee shirts and support the causes. I’ll light the candles, join the celebrations and wipe the tears. I’ll continue to have moments when I walk into a room and feel I don’t belong because to others my survival may appear to have come at the expense of another, or they might think my status is being used to disconnect rather than empower. I will always hold in high regard the church communities that raised me. My story has never been about losing or gaining faith anyway. Mine is a story that humanizes faith, the divine comedy and tragedy. Whether you worship a God that takes shape as trees or moon; whether your decisions are influenced by a holy book or other sacred text; whether you believe in science or coincidence over spirit; my role as a survivor is to always allow space in my mind and my heart for your beliefs. My label of survivor means nothing if I wear it contextually and compete with anyone else on their journey. My moniker of Miracle is nothing if I use it to separate myself from the rest of humanity and the circumstances within that. My job is to serve above all else as a reminder to you that you deserve and have the right to believe in yourself. What you do, what you say, what you think, what you feel and what you believe matters. You matter. You have a voice. Don’t be a jerk, though. Pay it forward. If you matter, then let the person next to you know they matter. You don’t have to agree with them. How hard is it, really, to leave a small part of yourself open to the reality that everyone around you is surviving something? If per chance, it’s nearly impossible, think of how it feels to know that someone else believes in you and supports whatever it is you are trying to survive. Try to embrace equality and love as the root. Maybe you’re still in the doubt and fear place. I get it. Well, I got miracle, actually. So, no worries; I’ll believe enough for both of us, for all of us. SWM Learn more about Kate’s story on her website katedmahoney.com. This excerpt is from the recent book release of “The Misfit Miracle Girl,” published by Divine Phoenix with Pegasus Books and printed with publisher permission. Got Miracle? is a service mark registered to Kate D. Mahoney. This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Visit Kate’s website for signed copies.

Q+A SWM: When did you realize you had to write this book? Kate: I always knew I would tell a story. The book path was a result of an intro-duction over lunch, and an agreement to help me tell it. I still don’t feel like an author; but I’ve been and always will be a storyteller. SWM: What was the biggest challenge in writing? Kate: There are so many challenges, each a humbling lesson to learn in the creative process. The first editor to read through my manuscript told me my story was very compelling, but I had no idea what a semicolon was. I allowed myself to be temporarily destroyed by my own fear and judgment on that point. I had to give myself permission to own the fact that I wasn’t an author; there were things I didn’t know. The outcome now is there are still things I don’t know. That’s why there are editors! That’s why there’s a team of people who get together to publish a book. Once I figured out the nuances of when it was good to be alone and when it was helpful to tap into the resources of others, much of my fear and judgment went away. My memory of the process on the whole will be that it was fun. Learning how to take my voice from the stage to the page was a challenge. I tend to write the way I speak. I alone have access to the intel of my personal thoughts and emotions, so I hear inflections in my voice that make a point or envision my hand on my hip or an eye roll that would convey a message in person. I had to rewrite a lot of that in a voice that could reach people who didn’t know my speaking style. Transforming the exaggerated physical elements of performance into words on a page resulted in a couple drafts of my manuscript and more than a few moments of hurry up and wait. We are not meant to create and critique simultaneously. For me, it was typically a day or two of what seemed to be euphoria, followed by an equal portion of what seemed to be despair, which ultimately leveled out with acceptance, growth or relief. At no point did wondering what people would think serve me well. There’s a story that lives in all of us. If we pay close enough attention and let it, it writes itself. SWM: What did you discover about the Misfit Miracle Journey in the process of writing? Kate: At any given time, I operate to some extent in the past, the present and the future. What I’ve survived, the way I live today and the hopes I have for the future play well together when I write. That was an unexpected gift to get from this process and certainly one I’ve since carried in my day-to-day. It’s a choice to focus on any one part of our own history. Our experiences and feelings exist in us all the time; we have the power to tap into them and utilize them to help us continue to grow. SWM: What can we expect from Kate the Author next? Kate: My passion for patient and caregiver advocacy is steering me toward the creation of a pocket guide for people in medical crises. I have a manuscript based on interviews I did with my dad about his life on Capitol Hill, and have started interviews with my mom about her journey through the history of early childhood education. I see story wherever I go. Whatever comes next, you can expect a continued blend honesty and humor. If you can’t laugh and be real, what’s the point?

January 2017

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For a Good Cause White Scarf Women

United in White By Lorna Oppedisano

Photography by Alice G. Patterson

t’s corny, but it’s true, Kelly Grace Smith warned before she began to tell the story. It starts years ago, in the seventh grade at Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School. Auditions to seek out the Susan B. Anthony speech presenter had been held, the ambitious preteens’ ideas carefully weighed, and Kelly was chosen the winner. She took her spot at the podium. When she started speaking, she immediately had the attention of the audience. She finished talking, and the room erupted with applause. “I just knew,” Kelly remembered, “I knew in that moment that I would need to use my voice in different ways to support people, because people could hear my voice, in the figurative and the literal sense.” Kelly’s had different careers and experiences since — the key to a happy life and empowerment, she explained. She was in politics for a number of years, and eventually followed a calling to life coaching, a field she’s been in for the last two decades. Kelly’s also worked in media and is a published author. Her latest project, White Scarf Women, was spurred by politics, but has little to do with it. Considering Kelly’s own career in government, it’s no surprise that her daughter Audrey got involved with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Florida, where the 25-year-old is working to earn a master’s degree in criminal justice. When the result of the was a candidate, she encountered words and actions that would not presidential election was announced, Audrey was devastated, likely have been directed toward her male counterparts. Kelly said. She had been through similar experiences and was Issues that women face are more apparent now, Kelly said. familiar with the feeling of being shaken up by politics. While there’s still struggle, that struggle can transform into chance She gave her daughter some advice. for something better. “I said, ‘Well, the best way to move through “The thing about it is — and I teach this in this is to create something positive out of it,’” Women can change the my classes — one of the greatest tools you can she remembered. ever develop is turning a challenge into an world when we grasp Kelly knew that more politicized efforts like opportunity,” she said. Pantsuit Nation existed, but her aim was to hold of things like this, In this case, the challenge is to recognize unify all women, regardless of their voting history, differences and the opportunity is to rise above and support women to beliefs or personal background. them, heal and move together. She knew that women on both sides of the really shift the culture.” For the White Scarf forward Women project, that moveaisle were feeling angry and betrayed, but she also ment is gradual for now. Kelly understands —Kelly Grace Smith, knew that they have “an infinite capacity to rise giving people the option to join the movement is above challenges.” After all, she explained, they do certified life coach, important, and that some people still need time. it every day. Women have to make decisions and “It’s really corny,” she admitted again with a writer, mentor and be flexible every day. smile, “but I really think women can change the The act of donning a white scarf — a symbol of teacher world when we grasp hold of things like this, “our shared respect, acceptance and value of one and support women to really shift the culture.” another” — is another conscious choice. In Tibet, Women are impactful, Kelly explained. American women make a white scarf is given as an act of friendship, Kelly explained. a day-to-day difference in the world around them, and in turn, She hopes that her White Scarf Women project will encourage women around the world look to them as role models. women to support and empower themselves and each other. “So shouldn’t we be respecting and empowering women at the “If we can’t do that, then don’t we become like the people — not same time that we’re setting an example? Not as a burden; all we just men, but the people in the world — who have dismissed or have to do is set an example,” Kelly said. “Let’s show the world this disrespected us just because we’re women?” she proposed. is who we are. Let’s show ourselves this is who we are.” SWM When she was in public office, Kelly — the first woman to hold the position of Town Supervisor in DeWitt — became familiar with To contact Kelly and learn more about White Scarf Women, visit kellygracesmith.com. double standards held toward her because of her gender. When she

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January 2017

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INSPIRE Alana Hughes

ALANA hughes

Photography by Alexis Emm

H2 FITNESS COFOUNDER AND PERSONALTRAINER

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The HealthThe & Wellness Health &and Wellness Bridal Edition Edition

Pushing Fitness Boundaries By Samantha Mendoza

very morning at 4:30 a.m. when Alana Hughes wakes up, “Our first classes had three or four people,” Alana said. “But soon we had 30 people. I didn’t expect it to explode the way she looks in the mirror and greets herself with words of that it did.” encouragement. Alana became certified as a personal trainer and group fitness “Good morning, beautiful!” she says with a smile. “How are you instructor, and began combining her passion for education with doing today, girl? Are you ready for this?” her new love of fitness. While H2 Fitness leads workouts for It’s a simple routine that takes no more than a minute; but to groups of all ages, from business professionals to senior citizens to Alana, it’s a powerful exercise that reminds her to spread positivity and practice self love — and it’s fuel for the 12-hour routine ahead. college students, one of Alana’s favorite sessions is the after-school program she leads at Meachem Elementary School twice a week. As a cofounder and personal trainer at H2 Fitness, Alana leads Using beach balls, yoga balls and tic-tac-toe boards, she teaches a morning workout session before running to her day job at Nottingham High School. She then heads to Meachem Elementary kids math through fitness, having her students run and crab-walk School across town for an after-school fitness program, conducts an up and down the hallway to compete in problem-solving relays. “Kids are supposed to move. They’re supposed to be active,” adult boot camp class and leads a personal training session before Alana said. “And by incorporating fitness into the curriculum, finally returning home around 9 p.m. they’re learning how to problem-solve and having fun while That’s four workout sessions in a single day, in addition to her doing it.” career as a job coach for young adults. A year after starting the business, Alana faced a major setback: Alana always knew she wanted to be an educator. But growing up with two Southern she was diagnosed with Lupus. With swollen parents in a household that smothered feet and achy joints, she thought that her fitness each meal in gravy or hot sauce, career was over. The advice that I want to give fitness was the last thing on her mind. “I felt like I had been hit by a bus,” Alana When she began studying math and people is to encourage yourself recalled. “I had just started the business. I was working with the kids that I had always education at Onondaga Community every day. Keep pushing, wanted to work with. And I was being told College and the State University of that I had to stop everything.” New York at Geneseo, she became less stay positive and spread love. But memories of her father and commitactive, and her unhealthy eating habits Give it out like water.” —Alana ment to improving the health of her caused her to gain 48 pounds. It wasn’t until her father passed Hughes, H2 Fitness cofounder community gave Alana strength to keep away from congestive heart failure in going. Surrounded by the encouragement and personal trainer of family and friends, she slowly got back to 2008 that she realized something had her daily routine. Although her disease to change. occasionally flares up and keeps her from leading classes, “I looked around my family and said, ‘We have to do better,’” she still shows up to each workout session. Alana remembered. “She works really hard to overcome her challenges and fight She recruited the help of her high school friend, fitness instructor JT Houston, to help her lose weight. After avoiding him for months Lupus,” JT said. “She’s full of energy, and that’s why she’s so inspiring. People see her and think, ‘I can do it, too.’” as she mentally prepared herself for the changes she was about to Alana began her fitness journey to improve the health of her make, she finally joined him for a workout — and got sick. family, and six years later, she’s accomplished so much more. “I literally threw up,” Alana said with a laugh. “It was the most The motto of H2 Fitness is “Getting our city fit,” and in addition intense workout I had ever done in my life. I didn’t think I was to helping one of her sisters lose more than 100 pounds, going to make it through it.” Alana has spread her message of healthy lifestyle choices to The first — and most challenging — step in her fitness journey hundreds of people across Central New York. complete, Alana began joining JT consistently for personal “The advice that I want to give people is to encourage yourself training, and in 2011, he approached her with the idea of starting every day,” Alana said. “Keep pushing, stay positive and spread love. a fitness business. As a math major, Alana agreed to take care of Give it out like water.” the paperwork while JT led fitness classes. But as word-of-mouth The next time she looks in the mirror, she just might tell herself spread, their classes became more and more popular, and JT the same thing. SWM encouraged Alana to start helping him train. For more information, visit h2fitness.net.

January 2017

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INSPIRE Kathy Ozzard Chism

KATHY OZZARD CHISM

Photography by Alexis Emm

SOUL SOOTHINGS OWNER, AUTHOR AND WELLNESS COACH

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Healing the World By Lorna Oppedisano

“So I’m lit up. I can’t stop now,” she said, eyes alit with the bout eight years ago, Kathy Ozzard Chism was diagnosed with memory. “So, of course, Kathy thinks big. We helped a little island. degenerative arthritis after a decade of often debilitating pain. Now let’s help the whole world!” Four of her organs almost completely shut down. Her ability Kathy created a small pay-it-forward charity; they would help a to assimilate nutrients from food stopped. Based on two different group, and then ask that group to recommend another group in X-rays, two different doctors told her she’d be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. It was almost all due to stress. need of assistance, and so on. The efforts impacted people from Peru to New Orleans to California. But now, thanks to discovering a naturopath with 30-plus years The organization led Kathy to connect with Mpagi Edward of experience healing people under his belt, Kathy guides visitors Edmary, a wrongly convicted man who’d been held on death row around her shop — Soul Soothings — with ease, and in turn aims for almost 20 years. He was aiming to build a school in Uganda for to help them heal their ailments, whatever those might be. children orphaned by death row and AIDs. Initially overwhelmed “The Universe has been very kind to me in this whole journey,” by the prospect, Kathy explained it was a huge undertaking, and Kathy reflected with a smile. “Truly, even a year and a half ago, if could take a long time. He responded simply: “That’s OK, Kathy. somebody had said I was going to open up a shop at 59 years old I’m a very patient man.” and do this, I would have said they were crazy.” Now — almost nine years later — they’ve built a large portion of Kathy has lived many past lives in this lifetime, she said with a the school, including a well that the whole village uses. In the past four laugh. From fourth grade teacher to flight attendant to professional years, the school has impacted 125 children. calligrapher to massage therapist to Now retired from the charity she author, wellness coach and business originally founded, Kathy, the U.S. owner, her resume boasts a range of I feel like there’s an awakening director of the school and orphanage, experiences and knowledge that’s led going on, and I was brought here to and Edward are about $150,000 away Kathy to her current calling. But one constant remained intertwined be a little part of it. And I’m excited from achieving their goal, and looking for a larger nonprofit with boots on throughout her path: she aims to be a about being a part of it.” — Kathy the ground in Uganda to help on healer, both of people and of the world. their mission. It all started when she was living in Ozzard Chism, Soul Soothings Closer to home, Kathy also heals Miami during Hurricane Andrew. owner, author and wellness coach people on a personal level. Kathy was safe, but saw people around After she began her own six-year-long her in need. She drove to the store day after day, filled her car with groceries, and started to tour her friends’ process of recovery in California, she moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to family. She’d had the idea of opening a holistic healing shop houses, dropping off whatever they needed. But then she thought there, but wasn’t physically capable at the time. about the other people who were suffering. The Universe had other plans for her. Reconnecting to her college She traveled to areas of Miami she’d never been to before, and opened her car — brimming with supplies — to them. sweetheart via a mutual friend, Kathy was guided to Upstate New “It was awesome,” Kathy said with a smile, thinking back to the York. One day, she was driving along, and heard her deceased root of her philanthropic endeavors. “The feeling of love between mother’s voice in her mind. people of all walks of life that happens after an event like that “‘Sweetie, it’s time to open your shop now,’” Kathy recalled the unfortunately doesn’t last forever, but it lasts for a while. It creates message. “I had such a heartpull to it. It was just, ‘Yes!’ There wasn’t such a sense of community, healing and grace, and you see how even any question.” the world could really be. I was enchanted with it.” Kathy originally opened shop in Fayetteville in November 2015, But then eventually, she had to return to work, and life had to and then moved to her current location on May 16 of last year. She offers a variety of gifts, books, healthy necessities and more. return to normal. She also sells fine art, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Years later, when Grand Bahama Island, where she’d lived during Ugandan school. her early flight attendant days, was decimated by hurricanes, Kathy knew she had to do something. She contacted a friend who Kathy has no doubts she is meant to be in this area, she said, still lived there, and pitched an idea: “If I can get money to you, explaining there are many people like her in California or can we do something for the worst hit settlements on the island?” Austin. But here in Upstate New York, she perceives a new sense of awareness. Her friend immediately agreed, and Kathy started reaching out to people she knew, sending self-addressed stamped envelopes enclosed “I feel like there’s an awakening going on, and I was brought here to be a little part of it,” Kathy said. “I’m very excited about being a in her letters. A mere six weeks later, they’d raised $10,000. part of it.” SWM For more information, visit kathychism.com. Soul Soothings will reopen for the spring season on March 11. January 2017

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INSPIRE Dr. Laura Martin

Dr. Laura Martin

Photography by Mary Grace Johnson

DO, FOUNDER OF MY CARE SYRACUSE

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Treating the Whole Person By Lorna Oppedisano

ith more than 20 years of experience in a variety of medical and had her support network of family around to help care for her fields under her stethoscope, Dr. Laura Martin now leads children when she needed a hand. her own practice, My Care Syracuse. And in the course Laura eventually began seeing patients who were on Suboxone, a drug used to help those struggling with addiction. In 2000, of treating her patients, she strives to be an educator as well as a laws were passed to allow office-based opioid treatment. This meant medical practitioner. people would no longer have to go to clinics to receive help. “I consider my job almost as teacher,” she said, explaining that “You’d have to want to walk into the building that’s hidden her office has the access to the medicine, but she wants people to be in tune with their bodies. “We try to put it in layman’s terms, down the way that everyone knows is the methadone clinic, and teach them what’s going on.” be seen going in and out of there,” Laura said, referring to the While a small portion of Laura’s patients are those struggling days before the new laws. “I think that people avoided treatment with addiction, she stresses that her practice is in primary care. because of it.” Her goal is complete care — “the whole gambit,” she said — Now doctors are simply required to attend a course to be able to for all patients. treat 30 patients with addiction problems in office. Laura took the Laura started down her path in medicine at an early age. class. A year later, she applied for a new waiver, and was able to see Since middle school, she’d had an interest in science. Following it up to 100 patients. New legislation was recently passed that will to college at the State University of New York at Albany, she took allow Laura to see up to 275 patients. a short break after graduating to be sure she was on the right path. When local addiction specialist Dr. Ronald Dougherty planned “I realized that I could choose to do to retire, he reached out to Laura. all kinds of other things. I looked into “He sent some very nice people my way,” Laura said. “I was able to see some everything else, and still felt pretty strongly I like it when people come people who were successful — working, that [medicine is] what I wanted to do,” back and hug you and say, had jobs, had families, were very active in Laura said. their community.” In 1989, she earned a doctorate from ‘My life is better. Thank Just like she would any other patient, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic you.’”—Dr. Laura Martin, DO, Laura looks at those who come to her Medicine. During the next few years, she encountered her first inpatient addiction founder of My Care Syracuse with addiction problems as people with treatment during residency at Wyoming a medical ailment, and treats the whole Valley Family Practice Residency in patient. She keeps an eye on their blood Kingston, Pa. pressure. She makes sure that spot on their skin isn’t cancerous. She ensures they get their mammograms. It was at a time before medicine could help people suffering from addiction like it can now. Laura said it as “pretty brutal,” “It’s all those things that come together to make you the healthiest person you can be,” she said. describing the days of pain people suffered from withdrawal. Laura stressed the importance of counseling for addiction patients She didn’t like it, partly because she didn’t see an end treatment as well, to help people get to that “aha moment,” when they look that worked. in the mirror and see a new person. “I do things when they work. I like it when people come back Now that Laura runs her own practice, which she opened a and hug you and say, ‘My life is better. Thank you,’” Laura said. “I don’t like doing things that seem to cause such suffering and little more than two years ago, she’s truly in her element. She gets almost hopelessness in a sense.” to work in primary care, helping everyone from those struggling Laura’s career has given her experience in everything from with addiction to elderly patients to those diagnosed with cancer. emergency rooms to urgent cares to rural medicine. She’s spent She aims for her office to treat every patient as a complete person. time delivering babies. She’s worked in women’s health care. “We really try to make it very homey here. We try to work She’s partnered with Planned Parenthood, and currently with patients and try to make them feel like we care about them. I think that’s what we wanted to do when we came here,” collaborates with ACR Health. Laura said with a smile. SWM In 2004, she returned to the area for family reasons, and began working at North Medical Center. Being a single mother of four, For more information on My Care Syracuse, visit mycaresyracuse.com. North Med was the perfect fit. She worked with a great team,

January 2017

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Movers and Shakers Stephanie Hook joins SOS Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists recently announced that Stephanie Hook, DPM, joined its Foot & Ankle team. Stephanie is board-certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and is skilled in rheumatologic conditions, pediatrics podiatry and diabetic foot care. Prior to joining SOS, Dr. Hook spent eight years providing podiatry services in Central New York.

St. Joseph’s Health welcomes new psychiatrist St. Joseph’s Health welcomes psychiatrist Archana Kathpal, MD, to its Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program. Archana earned a doctor of medicine from Government Medical College, Patiala, India, and a master’s of science in clinical psychology from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif. She completed her residency in adult psychiatry at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine – Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, N.Y. and completed fellowships in child/adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., respectively. Prior to joining St. Joseph’s Health, Archana worked as a psychiatrist at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y.

Leadership Greater Syracuse graduates 26th class Forty-six citizens recently graduated Leadership Greater Syracuse. The LGS Class of 2016 celebrated their graduation on Wednesday, Nov. 16. LGS now boasts nearly 1,300 alumni who have completed the annual community leadership training program since 1991. Leadership Greater Syracuse also recently announced its class of 2017. For more information on both classes and the leadership training program, visit leadsyr.org.

Michelle Salyer joins St. Joseph’s Health

First woman named bishop of Episcopal Diocese of CNY The Right Reverend DeDe Duncan-Probe, Ph.D., was consecrated as Central New York’s 11th Bishop on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Liverpool. She is the first woman to hold this position in the Diocese of Central New York. Prior to becoming bishop, the Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe was the Rector of St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Va., and held a number of leadership positions in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Previously, she served as a youth director, an educator and cofounded an engineering consulting firm with her husband. She holds a doctorate from Oxford University and two master’s degrees, from Pepperdine University and from The General Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Chris Probe, have three children.

Crouse appoints diversity, equity and inclusion recruitment/retention coordinator Crouse Health recently appointed Twiggy Eure to the position of diversity, equity and inclusion recruitment/retention coordinator. In this new role, Twiggy will coordinate and guide efforts to define, assess, foster and cultivate diversity and inclusion throughout the Crouse Health system. Twiggy most recently served as talent management coordinator/ personnel analyst for the Syracuse City School District. She has also held the positions of practice manager/human resources manager for St. Joseph’s Physician Health, PC, and executive team member for Destiny USA. A recipient of the 2014 YWCA Diversity Achiever’s Award and graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse, Twiggy holds a master’s degree in instructional design, development and evaluation from Syracuse University.

Michelle Salyer recently joined St. Joseph’s Health as director of managed care. In this role, Michelle is responsible for leading managed care and value-based payment contract negotiations, managing payer relations to ensure proper payment, supporting revenue cycle functions, monitoring and improving the payer performance and educating the system on third party payer regulations, contract terms and updates. Michelle holds a master of science in health communication from Boston University, and most recently served as senior director of hospital and risk based contracting at EmblemHealth. She brings more than 15 years of experience to her new position.

January 2017

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UPCOMING SWM Events Wednesdays in January 1 Million Cups

When: 9 to 10 a.m. What: Presentations by local early-stage startup companies aim to draw feedback from peers, mentors, educators and advisors. Open to the public. Cost: Free admission. Where: Syracuse CoWorks, 201 E. Jefferson St., Syracuse. Info: 1millioncups.com/syracuse.

Fridays, Jan. 13 through Feb. 10 New Year Bootcamp

When: 1 to 3 p.m. What: Program includes pre- and post-fitness assessments, nutrition handbook, wellness discounts on private conditioning, yoga and training sessions. Cost: $225; Spa Mirbeau members, $150. Where: Mirbeau Inn & Spa, 851 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles. Info: mirbeau.com.

Saturdays in January Yoga with Heart

When: 10:30 a.m. to noon. What: Taught by yoga instructor Dara Harper in Angela Fraleigh’s exhibit. All skill levels welcome. Cost: Members, $10; nonmembers, $15; first class, free. Where: Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison St., Syracuse. Info: everson.org. For more on Dara Harper, yogawithdara.com.

Wednesday, Jan. 4 WBOC Monthly Meeting

When: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. What: This month, certified professional coach of Success Ignited, Susan McCauley, plans to discuss the work-life dynamic with “Eight Essential Keys For Success.” Cost: All access member, free; guest, $25; member, $10. Where: Genesee Grande, 1060 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. Info: wboconnection.org.

Saturday, Jan. 21 From Beethoven to Brahms

When: 7:30 p.m. What: Awadagin Pratt to be featured in performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. Music Director Lawrence Loh to lead Symphoria in Polina Nazaykinskaya’s Winter Bells and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. Cost: $52 to $66. Where: Crouse-Hinds Theater, 421 Montgomery St., Syracuse. Info: experiencesymphoria.org.

Sunday, Jan. 22 Birth Planning 101

When: 2 to 3:30 p.m. What: Class aims to cover various birth options, birth preferences, writing a birth plan and more. Presented by Syracuse Doula Chicks. Cost: Free. Where: Natur-Tyme, 3160 Erie Blvd. W., DeWitt. Info: syracusedoulachicks.com; register through Natur-Tyme, 488-6300.

Monday, Jan. 23 Regina F. Goldenberg Music Series

When: 7 p.m. What: The Silverwood Clarinet Choir, with guest conductor Travis Newton, presents “Music – Uniting the World.” Cost: Free. Where: Temple Concord, 910 Madison St., Syracuse. Info: templeconcord.org.

Tuesday, Jan. 24 Women as Career Changers Roundtable

When: 1 to 4 p.m. What: Discussion of “So You Want To Start Your Own Business…” Cost: Free. Where: WISE Women’s Business Center, 235 Harrison St., Syracuse. Info: wisecenter.org.

Sunday, Jan. 8 Cancer: A Ride Inside for a Cure

Thursday, Jan. 26 A Closer Look

Tuesday, Jan. 10 The Building Blocks for Starting a Business

Friday, Jan. 27 Believe in Syracuse’s Fourth Birthday Party

Tuesday, Jan. 10 & Wednesday, Jan. 11 Pre-Theater Dining

Friday, Jan. 27 GetLIVIN Speaker Series: Ben Reilley

When: 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. What: Proceeds from high-intensity, indoor cycle marathon to be donated to CancerConnects, Inc. and Camp Kesey at Syracuse University. Cost: Single riders, $30; two to ten riders, $25 each; fill a class, $20 each. Where: Towne Center Fitness Studio, 311 Town Drive, Fayetteville. Info: stupiddumbbreastcancer.com. When: Noon to 1 p.m. What: Introduction to entrepreneurship aims to teach basic ideas on marketplace need, target marketing, unique selling points and building support team. Cost: Free. Where: WISE Women’s Business Center, 235 Harrison St., Syracuse. Info: wisecenter.org. When: Seating available, 5 p.m.; last available seating, 7 p.m. What: Fine dining experience inspired by Famous Artists’ Broadway Theater Series Mamma Mia! Cost: Three courses for $30. Where: Sky Armory, 351 S. Clinton St., Syracuse. Info: skyarmory.com.

Thursday, Jan. 12 Empowering a Billion Women 2020 January chapter meeting

When: 6 to 8 p.m. What: Evening to focus on goal setting, with featured speaker Amy Collins. Where: Northwestern Mutual, 34 Aspen Park Blvd., E. Syracuse. Info: Jennifer Evans and Lynn Bowser, syracuse@ebwchapters.com.

Friday, Jan. 20 Snow Leopard Soirée: Luau

When: Cocktail reception and silent auction, 6:30 p.m.; dinner and live auction, 8 p.m. What: Friends of the Zoo winter fundraiser features gourmet dining, live music, auctions and animal greeters. Cocktail attire and animal prints encouraged; black tie optional. Cost: $220; reservations required. Where: Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 1 Conservation Place, Syracuse. Info: rosamondgiffordzoo.org or call 435-8511 ext. 132.

When: 7 p.m. What: Film screening, followed by a panel of local experts working in Onondaga County with victims of human trafficking. Cost: Free. Where: Palace Theater, 2384 James St., Syracuse. Info: wearebettertogetherblog.wordpress.com. When: 5:30 to 9 p.m. What: Includes free food and beverage samples, live entertainment and the third annual Believe in Syracuse awards. Cost: $5; Believe in Syracuse members, free. Where: Museum of Science and Technology, 500 S. Franklin St., Syracuse. Info: believeinsyracuse.org. When: Noon to 1:30 p.m. What: Owner of Life of Reilley to speak on experience of opening a local distilling and wine company. Cost: $25, includes food. Where: The York, 247 W. Fayette St., Syracuse. Info: getlivin.com.

Friday, Jan. 27 Jeff Dunham: Perfectly Unbalanced

When: 8 p.m. What: International comic/ventriloquist performs. Cost: $45.50. Where: The Oncenter War Memorial Arena, 800 S. State St., Syracuse. Info: oncenter.org.

Sunday, Jan. 29 Music of the Masters When: What: Cost:

2:30 p.m. Features the music of Haydn and Beethoven, along with performance by principal trumpet John Raschella. $35; senior, $26; student, $5; ages 17 and younger, free.

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