Tag archives: health
The other day I was working with a client who has been battling debilitating insomnia as a side effect of a chronic illness. As part of our check-in, I asked her how she had been sleeping since I had last seen her. “Well, last night I only got about six hours,” she replied. “Six hours!?” […]
In a world of destination spas, Cal-a-Vie in Vista, CA, can certainly hold its own in this ever-growing luxury sector. This small but mighty 500-acre health spa makes each occupant of its 32 villas feel as if their every wish can and will come true. Just driving up to the Italian-style villa to check in […]
There’s something entirely appropriate about the upcoming Peace Sticks workshop taking place near Kids’ World in Alameda Park. That’s because the practice puts partners together to silently toss the painted sticks back and forth in various combinations that highlight connection through movement and play – something with which kids are quite familiar – and cultivates […]
The holidays have a funny way of sneaking up on us. One minute we are sipping chai tea and admiring fall leaves, and the next we are juggling party planning, gift lists, airport pickups, and those surprising drop-ins from houseguests who somehow forgot to mention they planned to stay for three days. During this season […]
As they placed the electrodes onto my hosed down vest (to help the electrical current conduct more efficiently), images of every spy movie I had ever seen flashed before my eyes. My host and local resident, Jillian Muller, gleefully shouted at me to fire up my glutes and to crank it up. And fired up […]
The other night I was at a meeting and two different people at the table were doing the clickety click clack of their pens. You know what I am talking about. It is an unconscious habit, like whistling and passing gas, that only brings relief to those doing it, and annoyance to those around them. […]
We all carry grief – whether from personal loss, ancestral wounds or the sorrows of the world. When grief remains unexpressed, it can weigh heavily on our bodies, hearts, and spirits. Many of us express our grief in solitude – or not at all. But in community, people can create a safe and sacred space […]
On Thursday, October 9, Karen Neary RN and her team held a celebratory party for Montecito Med Spa’s 3rd year in business at Coast Village Circle. I attended the event, which was packed with their clients, friends, newbies, local businesses and of course Beth Sullivan, executive director of the Coast Village Road Improvement Association. Neary […]
Like millions of other acolytes, I was among the literary lovers who began reading the Harry Potter series prior to them being brought to cinematic life. In my mind, Hermione was pronounced, “Her-Mee-Oh-Ne.” Not being English (at least by birth), I had never heard the name before and only had my (lack of) wits to […]
Last week, a dear friend of mine drove her eldest child off to college. It is every parent’s dream – your child is healthy and strong enough to leave the nest, to embark on their own adventures, to experience independence and to become whoever it is they are supposed to be. It is a testament […]
When I started graduate school, my children were three and five years old, so each semester I would escape to The Ojai Valley Inn for two nights as a “Am I Crazy, What the Hell Was I thinking” reset. Last week, I went back with my daughter after a seven-year absence and driving up the […]
Just opened, Next Health Montecito, at 559 San Ysidro Road Suite C, is owned and operated by locals Zahra and Nick Salisbury, Next Health Area Developers. Next Health CEO and Founder Dr. Darshan Shah and Co-founder Kevin Peake explain the concept of their centers, “Our mission is to empower people to achieve optimal vitality and […]
Step into Groove Pilates, and the first thing you’ll notice isn’t the state-of-the-art reformers or the sleek tower units that look like steampunk yoga machines. It’s not even the bright natural light streaming, or the glimpses of the glistening Pacific and mountain scenes peeking through the second-story windows above Coast Village Road. It’s the energy. […]
Recently I was watching a clip from Chicken Shop Date which, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend for an occasional fix of content junk food. The host, Amelia Dimoldenberg, was talking with the actor Andrew Garfield about relationships – when they began to muse over the “hilarious” notion of sharing a bed with […]
A few years ago, I ran into a couple that my husband and I knew from our “pre-kid” lives in Los Angeles. They were visiting Montecito and had ridden their bikes to the lower village to have lunch together. As they walked into the restaurant, their hands found one other, instinctively entwining by their sides. […]
A few months ago, I attended a Talkcast at Jane Restaurant downtown. According to Jane Chapman, founder and co-host, “Talkcast is a podcast club” that meets at Jane on the third Wednesday each month. I had heard about these women-only events before, but whenever I went to buy a ticket, they were always sold out. […]
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) officially broke ground on its new Westside Clinic at 621 W. Micheltorena Street on Friday, May 30. The event marked a major milestone in expanding access to healthcare for underserved communities on Santa Barbara’s Westside. Community leaders, including SBNC CEO Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez, and Co-chairs Janet […]
Tune in to the news and there’s plenty to be worried about. With the underpinnings of civil society crumbling, political and economic unrest, and climate change rocking the planet, of course we feel unsettled. It’s hard to feel at ease when the ground underfoot is unsteady – metaphorically and literally. It’s also hard to be […]
Recently I attended a party for a dear friend. It was a well-attended gathering and a wonderful chance to reconnect with old friends from my two decades in Montecito. However, I was gravely concerned at how many women were alarmingly thin. This wasn’t “Oh, I have started to do Pilates” thin. This was, “Is this […]
At the recent Budget Workshops, County Health presented their 2025-2026 budget that included $119M in spending and 539 full-time employees. Given the scale, I thought I would sit with Director, Dr. Mouhanad Hammami to learn a bit more about what they do. Dr. Hammami’s urbane charm and dapper style – he really is the best […]
