I Studied How French Women Eat, And This is What I Learned

Prefer to listen? Click below. On my first trip to Paris, one would think that I would’ve been most captivated by the architecture, fashion or art. But, non!  I couldn’t stop watching French women eat. I’d stare at them at the café or watch them through the window of a brasserie. Yes, I was even the […]

How one outfit can change your life (or How to Shake Things Up).

Prefer to listen? Click below. I stood in front of a dressing room mirror in a little boutique in Soho and stared at the reflection. Who is that girl? I was wearing a form-fitting Alexander Wang dress. It hugged every curve my mama had given me. And I felt like I was on top of the world. Until…… My […]

Combining Ambition and Ease:8 Work lessons from the French

Prefer to listen? Click below. Being a driven, ambitious woman can be a huge blessing. It can also feel like a curse when you don’t know how to manage your time, energy and life. I know because I was the exhausted woman trying to keep up with what all the other moms were doing, impress […]

It’s About More Than the Purchase

Prefer to listen? Click below. Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity. A few weeks ago, I hit State Street in Santa Barbara with some friends on a mission: to find something beautiful to buy that delighted my heart.  I tried on shoes, sniffed […]

Frenchie Friday: Living an Elegant Lifestyle in the Middle of Nowhere

Prefer to listen? Click below. I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. We often hear, “Home is where the heart is” and more than ever in my life, this so resonates with me. I thought I’d end up in New York City or Paris, but two years […]

Frenchie Friday: Even Elegant Women Get Pissed Off (A Rant about Self-Help)

Prefer to listen? Click below. The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for new and richer experience. Yesterday, someone asked me:  “What’s pissing you off these days?” Out of my mouth flew these words:  “the whole self-help industry.” And, […]

Frenchie Friday: What Does Your Wardrobe Say About You?

Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman. I’m no stylist, but give me the opportunity to help a woman express and awaken her personal beauty and finesse, and I guarantee she will rethink what’s possible in her life. Everything is energy.  The fabrics, styles and colors that you […]

12 Ways To Have Je Ne Sais Quoi

She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city. Je ne sais quoi. Most likely, you have heard the phrase before, but what emotion does it evoke for you? For me, it’s two-fold: it’s that special French feminine essence, but it’s […]

Frenchie Friday: Dress for Romance

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. Since injuring my back a few weeks ago during my epic wake boarding attempt, I found myself living in yoga pants.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love my yoga pants (when I’m doing yoga) but day after day?  Ugh […]

Frenchie Friday: Move Like a French Woman

Walk like you have three men walking behind you. Without fail, every time I go to France, I lose weight . . . all while sipping wine and eating decadent food. What’s the magic?  There is no magic.  It’s rather simple. I move . . . a lot! And, it feels like heaven, not a […]