I love paddling Walter, my well-worn, 17-foot foot Solstice, and not just because it’s an inspiring upper body workout. In less than a minute, kayaking transports me into the silence, the rhythm of the waves, one stroke on my right, another on my left, over and over, inhaling, exhaling, sometimes repeating the mantra, sometimes sending my breath to a tight spot on my torso that’s begging 
for attention.

It’s back in the saddle again. Time to round up those fresh jeans and head into a new season of denim—a favorite in our wardrobes, year after year. The stars of this season’s fashion rodeo lineup are extra relaxed, playing like a modern Western with more options than ever. Here are some ways you can ride high and get in the denim spirit right now:

Flying down the beach in her purple and pink cape, 9-year-old Chloe Bredeson’s energy and spirit just might defy gravity. Her ability to soar through life is just one of the superpowers that has earned her the nickname Super Chloe.

Go big and go bold. It’s the mantra of jewelry designers everywhere this year. The bigger the bauble the better. From pearls to pendants, jewelry is once again making a big fashion statement—popping up not only on celebrities strutting their multimillion-dollar sparklers on the red carpets, but in the accessory wardrobes of women who are scoring great finds from local artisans and vintage flea markets.

I saw the funniest sign recently. But it wasn’t funny for long because I started to think about it. It read, “Everything happens for a reason, sometimes the reason is you’re stupid and make bad decisions.”

Take a minute to think about a frustrating relationship you have with someone. 
Your frustration probably stems from the other person not meeting your expectations, which may or may not have been shared with the person. In fact, most expectations are not explicitly communicated because the holder assumes they are self-evident—any reasonable person would hold these expectations. Therefore, too often we learn about the expectations of others and the importance of these expectations when we fail to meet them. Here (right) are some examples that may sound familiar... 

Platelets are bloods little particles that help create blood clots when necessary. Platelets also contain many Growth Factors, which we can use for rejuvenation purposes.

While out celebrating one night, I found myself sitting around a table at a local restaurant with seven beautiful, strong, self-confident women who serve on a non-profit board of directors with me. We were enjoying a fun night for a change and the conversation immediately turned to men—their habits, new family roles, relationships, all the normal issues a woman encounters whether she is married, engaged, dating or single. As we delved into one scenario, a friend exclaimed, “You need to read this book Why Men Love Bitches. It changed my life.” 

Spouses, children, siblings and BFFs are not the only creatures who don’t respond positively to the negative vibes of a yeller. 

Graduating from college is one of life's most thrilling events. Finishing my degree, walking the aisle and receiving a fancy document in a leather-bound case remains one of the high points of my life. 

I want to tell you three real-life stories to make one big point about the mind-body connection. It's real. It's not waiting to be proven some day—it has been proven, with scientific rigor, time and time again. Your mind and body are communicating with each other right now, inside you, hormonally, chemically, energetically, whether you're aware of it or not.

Here’s the deal (no pun intended).  I know something about spending money and not much about saving it. The areas in my life that are extreme have nothing to do with couponing. I’ve been guilty of standing in the grocery line, huffing and rolling my eyes, while a sweet thrifty lady painstakingly un-crumpled her wad of coupons—one by one—and laid them before the equally annoyed cashier. Long ago, I watched my mother doggedly paste S&H Green Stamps into her savings book and determined I would live a coupon free life.  However, aren’t the things we most strenuously resist the very things we need to surrender to? I’ve realized what’s crazy is not being “smart” about saving money. I decided to investigate couponing with an open mind.

Dr. Amit Sood—professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine—grew up and went to medical school in Bhopal, India. Throughout his medical training, he writes, he experienced “the scourge of poverty, malnutrition and disease,” which created tremendous suffering in his country.

Dear Carrie: For the past three years, my 29-year-old daughter has been working for a good company that offers a 401(k), but she still hasn’t started to contribute. She says she can’t afford it. How can I persuade her to get going?

You are sitting in a meeting, much like many other meetings you have attended. The topic is important and the participants are highly regarded. You leave the meeting without saying a word. Why?

You know what to do in a medical emergency, but do you know what to do when faced with a big fat financial crisis?

Penn Center has championed education and civil rights for African Americans since the Civil War. In 1862, the U.S. Navy declared victory at Port Royal Sound, South Carolina and freed 32,530 slaves from plantations in the Beaufort District. White inhabitants fled the Lowcountry. Northern abolitionists recognized the need to educate the freed slaves, and the Philadelphia-based Port Royal Relief Committee sent funds and a progressive young woman named Laura Towne to teach former plantation slaves “habits of self-support” and to “elevate their moral and social condition.”

“I’m just not creative,” laments an attractive, successful businesswoman and mother. The sentence drops off with a sigh and a shrugged shoulder. The conversation slinks it’s way to a less deflating topic. This woman has created a beautiful home, a happy family and a thriving accounting business. What is she talking about? And if she’s not creative, what does “being creative” actually mean?

Summer is always the best time of year to dive into a trilogy and best selling author Mary Alice Monroe has touched the hearts of readers, once again, with her heartwarming third entry of her Lowcountry Summer Trilogy. She take readers on a journey to Sullivan's island, showing off our picturesque Lowcountry and charming way of life. Grab all three books for wonderful insight into Mamaw's summer girls—Dora, Carson and Harper—and explore their individual lives and their ever-changing plans for the future as summer comes to a close. Be careful, you may not be able to put the books down!

From bangles to bucket bags, fedoras to flatforms, it’s time to pack it all in and escape—even if it’s to your own backyard or the little outdoor cafe down the street. Lighten up your wardrobe and lighten up your attitude. Here are 10 hot picks to chill out in this summer:

Carolyn Trosdal died July 10, 2014, but she is still very much alive in the hearts of Nancy Golson, Mary Vaux and Patsy Hodge. “Now, you know we’re not her only friends,” said Patsy. “Lord knows, she’s got so many friends,” chimed in Nancy. “And her family, y’all, you can’t forget to mention her family,” asserted Mary.

There’s something special about the relationship a man has with his chair. Curiously, we wanted to see some of the chairs our local Beaufort County men are attached to, and therefore, went looking for a few good men. We did a good job finding them, and not only did they have a favorite “chair,” creative as it may be, but a lot of heart as well!

In fact, it’s 250 pounds of flesh. That is the combined weight loss of Rose Carlin (100 pounds) and her daughter Annie Carlin Emison (150 pounds) since this mother-daughter team decided to “change their minds and change their lives.”

If you were asked, “What is the one thing you would change to feel more confident at work?” what would you say? One of the most common answers I get is, “to be less emotional.” I can’t help but say, emotions are good—they are your friends. Our emotions are what enable us to connect with and feel each other. But for many women in the workplace this doesn’t feel true.

It was a damp February day. The atmosphere, however, inside a Hampton Lake home buzzed with excited conversation and warmth. Pat Roth, Carolyn Day, Barbara Hege, Mary Blake and Darice Ahrnsbrak, all retired business women, were ecstatic. After an extensive search, they discovered an astounding way to quickly raise funds to award local charities. The answer—100+Women Who Care.

At Healthy Lifestyle U, The Juiciness of Play is one of our most popular courses, especially in summer, when everyone’s looking for a reason to play hooky. 

When a new fashion season arrives, chances are a new handbag is on your shopping list. But before you snag a bag that’s all wrong for you, check out these do’s and don’ts for wearing the all-important accessory that goes everywhere with you— day in and day out.

Acacia Woodley is a 7^th grader in a public middle school in Palm Bay, Fla. Nicknamed “Tiny”, she is the founder and leader of Tiny Girl, Big Dream, Inc., which she started in 2012 at the age of 10. Her company creates colorful custom Friendship Benches, which are finding their way to schools across America and Canada. Acacia said, “I wanted to create a place where a child can go if he or she is being bullied or having a bad day, and others can come sit on the bench to show friendship and support.” Her big dream is to place friendship kits and benches in schools around the world.

Close your eyes and recall an image of Wonder Woman. Beams of light flash from her bracelets as she combats an unruly miscreant. Next, imagine a young girl in a wheelchair. Her eyes glow with the promise of youth as her body battles a villainous opponent like leukemia. Lastly, visualize a mother caring for her ailing child. Her love for her daughter radiates as she fights to keep hope. Each one of these images depicts a hero, and though the first is fictional, the second two are very real. Thankfully, one local organization is giving these brave warriors a supercharged week in Hilton Head.