14 minute read
WRAPAROUND WELLNESS
Multifaceted WELLNESS
By BETH A. KLAHRE | photo by TERAH HOOBLER
Empowering others through podcasting, coaching, and yoga
ACKIE DECONTI, host of “Elixir Podcast,” founder of Madre & The Muse that offers Ayurvedic wellness consultations, and cofounder of terra sol sanctuary, sees the light in everything. “I see the good. I always try to see the other person’s perspective. J There are lessons to be learned from every interaction and we are all here to help each other,” she says.
As a self-proclaimed “lover of many things,” DeConti’s multifaceted passions can be traced back to her childhood. DeConti was born in Connecticut, grew up in South Florida, and moved to North Carolina to pursue a degree in education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Growing up, DeConti loved her grandfather’s garden and birdhouse. It was her connection to nature. She took piano lessons. She was a Girl Scout. She loved crafting, the theater, and singing.
“I remember spending days blasting Whitney Houston songs and singing along behind closed doors. My friend and I would walk down our street carrying our keyboards and performing. I played mini piano concerts for my dad,” she laughs.
Music was, and still is, a big part of her life. DeConti and her guitarist-husband, BRETT JOHNSON, perform together throughout the Wilmington music scene.
Even starting her own business has roots in her childhood. DeConti’s entrepreneurial spirit first surfaced when she went door-to-door selling mulch to
the neighbors at age seven.
Inspired by mentor KRISTIN COOPER-GULAK, DeConti achieved her yoga certification in 2010. She began to dabble with the interconnection of yoga and Ayurveda, an alternative medicine with roots in India.
In March 2021, DeConti completed training for her Ayurvedic wellness coach certification from the Shakti School and started Madre & The Muse. DeConti says that holistic wellness appealed to her because of the interconnected nurturing and nourishing modalities.
“Western medicine has a place, but there are ways to bring about healing with herbs, sunshine, exercise, yoga, and breathing. Befriending nature. This is subtle and powerful medicine,” she says.
The name for her Ayurveda business came easy for DeConti.
“Madre is Mother Earth, who provides. The Muse is all the things around us that spark inspiration and creativity like cooking, music, wildflowers, art. It’s the whole experience of doing and creating that is the destination that takes us back to our true self,” DeConti says.
DeConti’s clients fill out intake forms that touch nearly every aspect of life including diet, sleep, and relationships. Together with her clients, DeConti outlines a journey plan that she says is not drastic, but one that mindfully creates little shifts in routine. Recommendations often include nutrition, daily habits, meditation, breathwork and movement practices, art journaling, and even just listening to music.
In addition to consultations, DeConti offers an Ayurvedic-infused yoga teacher training program. She also offers smallbatch goods available at The Crafted Outpost in Wilmington.
In January 2020, DeConti embarked on a journey to share inspiration through stories on her “Elixir Podcast.”
“An elixir can be something you take that makes you feel a certain way. Each episode of my podcast serves a purpose,” she says. “When people tell their stories and we just listen to each other, we create connections.”
“Elixir Podcast” listeners are both friends and strangers and vary from entrepreneurs to environmentalists.
DeConti’s podcast guests have been business owners, musicians, artists, and people who are in the process of creating and don’t yet know their endpoint. Nothing is scripted. “We just talk. I explore how each guest got to where they are. My hope is listeners can see themselves in something they hear during the podcast,” she says.
Just like Madre & The Muse, “Elixir Podcast” is collaborative with the intention to inspire. As is terra sol sanctuary, a yoga studio that DeConti co-founded with two friends, REBECCA NIAMTU and ALEXIS ABBATE, where she incorporated live music into her weekly yoga classes.
While she says it may seem cliché, DeConti suggests that everything you are looking for is already within.
“Take time to tune your desires back into your life. Respark your muses. Notice moments when you are feeling really good and do more of that,” she says. “Filling your cup, whatever that looks like for you, inspires others to do the same.” W
This profile appeared in a recent WILMA Wellness newsletter. To sign up for daily WILMA emails, go to WILMAmag. com.
LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE WITH STYLES FROM LUXE!
Schedule your private appointment now for a Luxe Style Review! 910.477.0157
photo by Jamie Hansen, c/o Karon Tunis
WAY WITH WORDS
SERIES COMBINES COMICS & SPOKENWORD POETS
by KATIE SCHMIDT
Throughout the 2022 summer season at Thalian Hall is a onetwo punch of comedy and spoken word: the Comics and Poet Series.
Presented by the same team behind Port City Comedy Jam, this new series brings a rotating cast of local comedians and poets together for five nights of hilarity and creativity rooted in unifying themes (Relationships, Freedom, Truth, Right or Wrong, and Really?).
KARON TUNIS, a local talent manager and producer, saw when she launched Port City Comedy Jam in 2021 that the Wilmington community was hungry for a new comedy platform. After a local comic, ELLIE COLEMAN, reached out to Tunis asking for representation, Tunis had to break the news that, because of the level of people Tunis was representing at the time, Coleman didn’t have enough “skin in the game.”
“She told me, ‘Well that’s the problem – how do I get skin in the game?’” recalls Tunis (left). “That pricked my heart. So, that evening I came up with Port City Comedy Jam.”
Held at Front Street Market & Produce, the event has run for the past year as an open-mic opportunity for local comics to perform and essentially get their “skin in the game.” The monthly event has proven successful, with local comedians growing in notability and even booking shows at renowned comedy venues, like Gotham Comedy Club in New York City.
With the success of Port City Comedy Jam secured, Tunis had the mental space to reminisce a little and revisit a trend from the nineties – comedy shows that also featured spoken-word poets.
“YASIIN BEY (previously Mos Def) is a friend of mine and a poet,” Tunis explains. “I remembered he and Russell Simmons always used to put poetry in front of their comedians, which I thought was a novel idea that had unfortunately been lost over the years.”
In an effort to bring the popular event format back, Tunis contacted MIKE MORELLI, the facilities manager for Thalian Hall, and pitched him on the idea with a small catch.
“I asked to not have the venue on what would be considered prime dates of the week,” Tunis says. “I wanted it Mondays, Wednesdays, Sundays and to brand it as a sort of offbeat thing. I also think the theater should not be dark during those times, and he agreed.”
For Tunis, one of the most important elements of the event is the philanthropic piece.
“I am hoping that people understand that entertainment can be benevolence. Some of that for us is in proceeds going to The OOPS Foundation, but there’s also this piece for the overall community,” she says. “The arts bring about camaraderie and joy, and that is very important for us, especially in the current world climate. Any kind of love and laughter that my middle-aged crazy lady can bring to a town that I truly love? I’m going to do it.”W
COMICS AND POETS SERIES
THE RUTH & BUCKY STEIN STUDIO THEATRE AT THALIAN HALL July 3 | 3 p.m. July 27 | 7 p.m. August 17 | 7 p.m. August 29 | 7 p.m. Proceeds benefit The OOPS Foundation. Info and tickets: thalianhall.org/comics-poets-22
TAKE
by 5BY KATIE SCHMIDT photo by ARIS HARDING
ANGELA FERNOT is the editor-in-chief and art director of a local comic book series, Tales of Cape Fear. A talented comic artist herself, she knows that commitment to artistic vision can sometimes leave one’s head in the clouds. For Tales of Cape Fear, Fernot has effectively wrangled a team of artists, designers, writers, and editors and grounded them long enough to create an incredible and unique storytelling opportunity.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO COMICS? “I have always drawn and knew that art was going to be a part of my life. I just wasn’t sure how big of a part. By the time I was in middle school, a friend of mine introduced me to manga, or Japanese comics. And I was like, ‘This is it.’” WHAT DID THE EARLY STAGES OF YOUR CAREER LOOK LIKE? “First, I attended The Kubert School, which was founded in 1976 by Joe Kubert, one of the renowned comic artists of his time. … It’s a three-year trade school, and it was basically a boot camp for artists. It was great, but it was also a scary time because I remember seeing what my peers were doing and doubting if I was cut out for it. Also, our class had over thirty students, and only three of them were women, which was a good representation for the industry at the time. I just wasn’t sure what my career in art – or even my future – was going to look like.” YOU MENTIONED BEING ONLY ONE OF THREE WOMEN IN YOUR CLASS AT KUBERT – WERE THERE ANY FEMALE INFLUENCES DURING THIS STAGE OF YOUR LIFE? “Right after graduation, yes. Her name is JEAN STROCCO. She is the co-owner with her husband, Greg Hildebrandt, of an online art gallery. She represents artists and owned a publishing company in the eighties and nineties. … She’s an incredibly powerful woman, and I was the first female employee she hired at the art gallery. Naturally, I was like, ‘How do I be more like her?’ and it evolved into a deeply meaningful mentoring relationship. … It wasn’t until I stepped away from that business and moved to Wilmington that it became really clear what my purpose was.” AND THAT IS … ? “Well I was at Memory Lane Comics one day, and I was talking to JAKE MONTSINGER, one of the owners, about the possibility of putting out a local comic. We started talking about it, and I honest to goodness don’t remember who said what first, but both of us were basically like, ‘Should we make a book?’ … With Jake’s trust and support, and the lessons I had learned working with Jean, I was fortunate enough to be the one to steer the ship that is Tales of Cape Fear.” I KNOW THERE ARE THREE ISSUES OF TALES OF CAPE FEAR AVAILABLE NOW, BUT WHAT’S NEXT? “Well, in the immediate future it’s the fourth installment, which we are starting to work on now alongside our first zine. But one of the big elements of this project for me has been helping artists and shaping their growth. I want to stay in that space, maybe in a business capacity. Tales of Cape Fear is the way to raise awareness of who local artists are and what we’re doing, but I would love to develop some sort of entrepreneurship program.” W
ANGELA FERNOT’s full profile will appear in an upcoming WILMA Roundup email. To sign up for daily WILMA emails, go to WILMAmag.com.
THE HOA
OUTLAW
by TIM BASS illustration by MARK WEBER
Tim Bass is coordinator of UNCW’s bachelor of fine arts program in creative writing.
W“When owning a property in a Community Association,
you have a responsibility of maintaining harmony within the community.”
So began the “courtesy notice” I got from my homeowners association. I’d committed two “non-compliant issues,” capital offenses in HOA land. The letter had a ten-digit “reference number,” like a criminal indictment. “It is the duty of the Association, as outlined in your community’s governing documents,” the letter continued, “to enforce the use restrictions and applicable rules and regulations that have been put in place for your Community.” HOAs get lots of criticism, much of it deserved. Somewhere right now, a rigid board of directors and a defiant homeowner are locked in an endless battle over a swing set painted orange, or whether an iguana counts as a service animal, or some fan’s pitiful mission to fly a New York Jets flag from the porch. My HOA isn’t that bad. They run a clean operation. Their annual meetings are boring and uneventful. They put up bunting on the Fourth of July and plant pansies in the winter. But they send a clear message: There’s a rule for everything, and everybody must comply with every rule every minute. Each time a different HOA president takes office, it’s like a new sheriff comes to town. In my community, it’s usually some geezer who dreamed of a career in law enforcement but wound up in engineering or chemical manufacturing. Now he’s retired, and he’s our problem. He hooks his thumbs into his khakis, climbs into his Lexus, and heads out at 15 mph to lay down the HOA law – spotting crabgrass, rusty barbecue grills, bird droppings on mailboxes, and the unauthorized operation of golf carts in authorized rights of way.
Trash can visible from the street? Non-compliance. Mildew on a windowsill? Non-compliance. Dog hasn’t been washed in a month? And no pedigree? Big-time non-compliance.
I got busted for weed (“Please clean up flower beds”) and for a missing house number I took down to replace the outdated original. Never mind that I don’t have flowers, or that the full house number is painted in glowing white on each side of my bird-dropping-free mailbox.
I wanted to tell that snooping board in non-compliant language where they could stick their governing documents. However, that would only earn me closer scrutiny by the Nitpick Patrol. In no time, they’d cite me for eating store-brand cereal, forgetting to floss last Thursday, and washing darks with lights.
Besides, I couldn’t ignore the shameful truth: I had not maintained harmony within the community, and at high noon the board had drawn its citation pad to duly enforce the use restrictions and applicable rules and regulations. If I didn’t clean up my act (and my flower beds), my next stop might be HOA jail, where I’d face hard time raking out the sand traps on the 12th fairway. My mugshot would appear on the community website as HOA Outlaw of the Month.
Sometimes we have to play by the rules, even the ones put in place just so somebody can enforce them. So, I weeded. I put up new house numbers. I pledged to walk the straight and narrow for the sake of my soul, the good of my community, and, most important, the approval of the HOA.
WILMA’S
SPONSORS’ CONTENT
NATURAL RELIEF FOR PERIOD CRAMPS.
WILMINGTON’S ANTIQUE MALL
With the largest selection and closest antique store to downtown Wilmington, there are fresh finds for old souls, collectors, and lover of all things cool at Azalea Antiques & Art. Located at 2817 N. 23rd St. Unique pieces from vendors all across the Cape Fear region and beyond. Conservation, community connection, conscious consumerism; it’s a hope, a passion, and our mission. MyPeriodPal are reflexology bands that naturally relieve menstrual pain. Reflexology is the application of pressure to nerve endings that correspond with an organ in the body. MyPeriodPal are Doctorrecommended and also sold in doctor’s offices in New Hanover and Pender counties. MyPeriodPal are drug-free, provide immediate relief, are 98% effective, portable, affordable, and vegan (unlike pain meds). www.myperiodpal.com Use coupon code WILMA at checkout for discount and free shipping.
WILMINGTON’S ONLY CBD BAR
LIV CBD offers NC Beer and Wine on top of CBD and Delta-8 products. Events include: Wednesday’s Trivia 6:30 until 9, Thursday’s Open Mic Night from 6 to 9, and Live Music every Friday from 7 to 9. A Boutique CBD experience with a Certified CBD Coach. www.livcbdnc.com. LEARNING SHOULD BE PERSONAL
Whether your child needs support with math, reading, writing, college test prep, or homework, Sylvan Learning makes education personal. We’ve been helping students gain confidence and motivation for over 40 years! Contact us today for a free consultation. www.sylvanlearning.com.