6 People to Remove from Your Table of Excellence

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” ― Epictetus Let’s pretend that you have a beautiful table set – candles are burning in crystal, a bouquet of red roses adorns the center and six perfectly place settings are awaiting your guests.  Louis Armstrong is […]

10 Ways to Experience Paris Like a Local

Prefer to listen? Click below. I am not your typical tourist in Paris. Sure, I’ve visited the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Eiffel tower.  But, I’ve never been to the Moulin Rouge, and I have no desire to go.   I don’t often frequent Le Printemps or the Galeries Lafayette.  I prefer small boutiques to large department stores. When traveling (and in life), my […]

One of the Craziest (and Best) Things I Ever Did!

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. I was talking with a close friend about my upcoming Paris retreat.  We both agreed that women are hesitant to say “yes” to the gift of travel. Believe it or not, I use to be one of those women.  In […]

Learn the Art of Intellectual Foreplay

Words really flattering are not those which we propose but those which escape us unthinkably. Sitting at a dinner party in the South of France many years ago, I was captivated by the conversation.  All the topics that I was taught were off limits at any social function — sex, religion  an politics – were […]

French Feminine Secret: Work to Live

Prefer to listen? Click below. People who know how to employ themselves always find leisure moments, while those who do nothing are forever in a hurry. I just e-mailed a friend of mine who lives in the South of France, and here is the automated response I received: Bonjour, je suis en vacances du 28/7 au […]

French Feminine Secret: What’s Under Your Clothes Matters

May I get a little personal? What are you wearing underneath your clothes?  Yes, I’m talking about your bra and panties. Now, let me ask you another question.  Would you be proud or horrified if something happened, and the world was staring at your current state of lingerie affairs? If you are a woman that […]

French Feminine Secret: Be A Unique Piece of Art

Style is knowing who you are, what to say, and not giving a damn. I love sitting at a Parisian cafe and people watching taking special notes on a French woman’s style.  One by one, they walk by, possessing their space with confidence and an ease that says to the world, I am who am I […]

French Feminine Secret: Stop Chasing Happiness

Prefer to listen? Click below. If only we’d stop trying to be happy wecould have a pretty good time. Cheer Up. Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Put on a Happy Face! Smile, dammit! Dust yourself off and put a smile on that face of yours! Rah-rah-rah! Just reading this exhausts me.  And, it certainly doesn’t create a sense of joie de vivire. Yet, these […]