Dearest friends and beloved Women’s Mafia members,
I am so pleased to invite you to attend the Women’s Mafia Red Party. This is our 9 year anniversary event and we are so proud to be celebrating nine years of style, substance and philanthropy! The event will feature a fashion presentation by celebrity couturier Maggie Norris, who has dressed icons such as Nicole Kidman, Beyonce, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Aniston and Michelle Obama. Photographer Becky Yee will host an on-site Pin-Up Photo Booth and illusionists Ben Nemzer and Cassandra Ruiz will dazzle the crowd.
We are raising funds for Reach Within, a charity with sites in Grenada and St. Vincent that helps vulnerable children develop social and emotional skills to succeed in life. Co-hosted by The Men’s Collective and The Ladies Collective, and held at the glamorous Gansevoort Park Avenue, the event promises to be fun, magical and memorable.
Tuesday August 5th, 7-10pm
Gansevoort Park Avenue, at 29th and Park, Penthouse 1
Meet longtime Women’s Mafia member and inspirational leader Leora Edut of Goddess On The Go! Her next event is this Sunday July 20th. Read about Leora’s unique life story and mission and join us this Sunday! www.goddess-onthego.com
Women’s Mafia: You are a very talented and well known makeup artist, who is also a motivational speaker and social entrepreneur with Goddess On The Go, how did you get into those fields?
Leora Edut: Wow thank you! With makeup I fell into that by accident. I had no experience with it and I kind of was a little hopeless when it came to that. When I moved to NYC I was impressed by how well women put themselves together so I took a class and fell in love with it. In Detroit I was a manicurist from the age of 17 and was big time into nail art and airbrush so the color transition and being in the beauty business prior helped out. When I moved to NYC 12 years ago I was in kind of a dark place, luckily I have 2 older sister who had been doing transformational work and they introduced me to it. From me it was the first time I was able to let go of the suffering I experienced in my childhood and a lot of guilt and shame that I was carrying. I had never felt SO good in my life that I spent the next 8 years learning and unlearning limiting beliefs around money, love, happiness, relationships etc etc About 4 years ago I reached a point where I was like Hey, I know myself pretty well know I’m starting to feel a little bored and disconnected. What is my next lesson? It happened to be about sisterhood something I was didn’t believe truly existed. I started a small weekly Goddess group with about 7 women. These ladies weren’t people I would have normally chosen as friends yet I couldn’t deny how good I felt when I was around them. This began a whole process of letting go of having to be the “perfect women” or the “strongest.” I could show all parts of myself my vulnerability my hilarious and dynamic side and I was fully accepted and loved by these gals. I realized that so many women I knew did not have access to this type of community and I wanted to create it! Our first event was 2 years ago July 2012, I initially thought this was gonna be my side business but the first event brought out 35 women, the second event manifested 55 women, and the next event sold out with over 100 women. I realized that there was something bigger then just myself this was a need for women to gather, feel safe with one another, and celebrate the HECK out of life! Makeup has not become my 1 a week hobby where I get to paint and be artistic it’s actually made me appreciate it so much more!
Women’s Mafia: What is the mission of Goddess On The Go? Any events recently that particularly moved you?
Leora Edut: The mission of Goddess On The Go is for women to awaken and know in their bones they are important and deserving of taking great care of themselves. Its not just a massage or a manicure we need to authentically feel good. We actually need to slow down a lot more and connect with other women who we can open up and receive from. Its SO key for us to receive! From my own personal journey until I found this community I was more into doing things that made me look good instead of feel good. My ego was running the show 90% of the time. I felt disconnected from life from nature, from my spirit, and from other people. My pleasures were sugar and alchol and I knew something had to shift or I wasn’t going to truly be happy in this lifetime.
Women’s Mafia: When did you realize you could make your passion your career?
Leora Edut: One day I was sitting in my coach Dawn Copelands office and she asked me how I felt about Goddess On The Go becoming my main income. In my head I didn’t believe that could come true right away, however a month later was when we had that 3rd sold out Goddess On The Go and I chose that I would no longer put a glass ceiling on where this movement could expand to What is the wildest/bravest thing you’ve done? A month ago I traveled to Hawaii by myself. I visited 3 different cities and had to drive through a forest that was pitch black while it was raining pretty heavy. That took some serious trust of the universe!
Women’s Mafia: You do so much between your charity work, events and makeup career – what energizes you?
Leora Edut: What energizes is the way I take care of myself. I make sure I start off every day with meditation, journaling , and reading something that inspires me. I have FUN every day and love to try new things whether it be an improve class or traveling to a country I’ve been drawn to visit. The women I keep in my circle are living pretty kick booty lives as well so we energize each other a lot!
Women’s Mafia: If you could have anyone as a special speaker at a Goddess On The Go event, alive or dead who would it be?
Leora Edut: Marianne Williamson or Oprah they are both my sheros! Lastly, what can the Women’s Mafia help make happen for you? To spread the message to other women about the importance of coming together to do something good for ourselves. In ancient times there was the Red Tent where women took care of each other and really had each others back. When we take the time for ourselves first we are more open to receive and have extra energy to share in our important relationships!
The Women’s Mafia connected with stylist and fashion editor Engie Hassan of EngieStyle just before and after she styled the incandescently popular Miss-World-come-Bollywood-Star-Meets-Pop-Princess Priyanka Chopra for the launch party of her new video “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and a sneak peak of Priyanka in her charming new advertisement for the new Beats By Dre Pill XL.
Engie filled us in that her inspiration for Priyanka’s look at the star-studded fete on April 28th at the Tribeca Grand. I was going for a “Retro Hollywood Glamour meets Fun Fashion Flair” aesthetic shares Hassan, “Priyanka is definitely a trailblazer, as a Bollywood actress and crossover musician as well as a humanitarian, and I wanted her look to reflect that, hence the dazzling turquoise blue fringed Tamara Mellon dress offset with her natural yellow diamond earrings by Diamond Envy, her gold Tanzil Rab bracelet and her purple Louis Vuitton shoes. A classic updo and the perfect smokey eye was the ideal compliment.” Hassan added that Priyanka was “delightful” to work with and looked wonderful in many options.
We are proud to say that the Huffington Post lauded Priyanka’s look and Engie’s styling that evening. Congrats Engie!
Are you a Women’s Mafia member with great, big news to share? Get in touch with us! We have lots of requests but we accommodate as much as we can.
Priyanka Chopra with Nick Cannon - photo via Huffington Post
Tuesday May 13th, 6-9pm at 180 Lafayette Street, between Broome and Grand Street rsvp: marcy@womensmafia.com
Call (212) 680-0117 to book your hair appointment (Press Appointments Available too!
Special Event-Only experiences for Women’s Mafia Members and guests. Featuring Photographer Amber De Vos, Esthetician Lora Condon and Designer Kristi Vosbeck
Have a life-changing hair styling experience with renowned hairstylists Yaniv, Yoni and their impeccable team at Y Gallery Salon. Makeup available too! (Packages below)
Book a Portrait Session with Celebrity Portrait Photographer Amber De Vos (Packages below)
Hand Massages & Skincare Consultations by Award-Winning Esthetician Lora Condon
– Experience Lora’s “Magic Hands” treatment with reflexology, Reiki and premium natural ingredients
– Try the new natural line Beauty Buster Skincare and have the opportunity to buy!
– RSVP to request this service and experience Lora’s award-winning skincare
Shop with Women’s Mafia featured NYC designer Kristi Vosbeck!
Y Gallery Salon Packages – Exclusive Prices for Women’s Mafia members and guests:
About our special event photographer: Amber De Vos of A. De Vos Photo, Inc. is committed to providing excellent service and reliable, result driven products all the while creating fun and memorable experiences for everyone. Amber loves to help her clients attract the right attention, make more money and feel great doing it! Amber is known for her strong background of working in the world of fashion and celebrity: shooting for Patrick McMullan and Women’s Wear Daily, and having her photographs featured in People Magazine, Page 6, Vogue, Gotham, InStyle, Style.com and more!
RSVP to the event (marcy@womensmafia.com) and let us know your interest level. If you are interested we will book you “Big Shot Breakthrough Call” with Amber where you will get clear on what your visual goals are. You’ll come away with one great idea on how to move your public image forward.
All interested guests who pre-reserve can experience a complimentary expert 15 minute Photo Session and proofing session on site – then you can select the images that you want to purchase for retouching!
If you would like to pre-book with Amber you can also avail yourself of her signature pre-session assessment exercise, her how-to video and checklist sent out beforehand, and ensure that you will have images ideal for your favorite Social Media and Dating sites!
Make sure to RSVP and book your hair, makeup, photo and skincare appointments to ensure you get the service you desire. :-)
Ed note: Sara Shikhman and her clever, controversial and daring new company Rent A Gent is off to a roaring start and is taking the media by storm. Longtime Women’s Mafia member, model and actress Lorianna Izrailova scored an exclusive interview with Sara and we have the skinny on her superstar start-up.
By Lorianna Izrailova
WM: What’s Rent A Gent?
SS: Rent a Gent is a new entertainment service for successful women. All of our gents are handsome, smart, and talented. Their skills range from cooking, bar tending, cleaning, dancing, singing, to poetry, karate and breakdancing.
WM: How’d you get the idea for Rent A Gent?
SS: I attended a few boring bachelorette parties where the oily guy who showed up at the door looked nothing like the guy we selected. I also had an ex’s birthday party to attend and wanted to bring a super hot date, the kind that would turn heads, but could’t find anyone on short notice.
Rent A Gent Founder Sara Shikhman
Women’s Mafia: Is Rent A Gent only for single women?
Sara Shikhman: Rent A Gent is for any woman who’s successful, confident and has a busy social calendar.
WM: Is Rent A Gent expensive?
SS: It’s less expensive than a pair of Louboutins.
WM: Is Rent A Gent available outside of NYC?
SS: Rent A Gent is currently available in NY, NJ, PA, DC, DE, MD, and VA. We are rapidly expanding to other locations including Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
WM: How many gents are there?
SS: We currently have 22 gents with a range of talents, selected from the over 1000 who applied to work with us.
WM: What’s a gent?
SS: A gent is a gentleman who’s handsome, smart, and talented.
WM: Valentine’s Day is coming up, is this a busy time for you?
SS: Since we’ve opened a few months ago and appeared in magazines and on TV the service is becoming more and more popular.
WM: What makes these men so special?
SS: They represent the top 1% of the men who applied to work with us, they are tall, have six packs, look even better in person than on their pictures, and are intelligent.
WM: What can the gents do?
SS: Each gent has his own unique set of talents. We are only limited by our own imaginations here. Want him to paint your toe nails? He can do that too.
WM: How do you find these guys?
SS: We post our job ads on the major career websites, plus the acting and modeling boards.
WM: What’s the craziest thing anyone has booked a gent for?
SS: Skydiving.
WM: What’s the most common activity people do with a gent?
Get Ready for WONDERSHOW Featuring an extraordinary line up of the city’s hottest magicians and variety acts.
Nov. 22nd, Doors 7pm, $15. 21 and over
Galapagos Art Space 16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY (DUMBO)
Developed by award-winning producer Patrick Terry, don’t miss the mind-blowing illusions of rising star RYAN DUTCHER (MTV), the exquisite sleight of hand of New York’s own DAVID SCHWARTZ, and the inspiring miracles of international sensation ANDREW GOLDENHERSH (The Magic Castle), & much more! See a video teaser here.
Illusionist Ryan Dutcher in NYCAurora Black
Presented exclusively at DUMBO’s gorgeous Galapagos Art Space, WONDERSHOW is an experience like no other – and will showcase the best in underground performers as well as established professionals, like the incredible ASI WIND, a recent winner of the Merlin Award for “Most Innovative Show” – an honor whose previous recipients include Penn & Teller, Criss Angel, and David Copperfield. In addition to being one of the world’s most acclaimed mentalists, Asi also served as an advisor on David Blaine’s new TV special and recently wrapped a sold out run of his hit show Concert of the Mind.
The line up will also include a special appearance by FRANCIS MENOTTI, known far and wide as one of the most respected entertainers working today. As well as spellbinding burlesque by New York City’s naughtiest ballerina, AURORA BLACK. WONDERSHOW’s creator, Patrick Terry will serve as the Master of Ceremonies chaperoning the night’s spirit of all things astounding and confounding.
Producer and Magic Man himself, Patrick Terry
Like nothing you expect and everything you imagine, this unique variety experience, continues to be the city’s most exciting destination for magic, mischief & mystery.
I had the privilege to interview the founders of an exciting new online dating application called Piccee, which harnesses the power of beautiful, evocative images to express our emotions and begin conversations based on subliminal connections. It’s a fascinating new site that could be a big game changer – sign up for a free trial now! Women’s Mafia members and friends can use the early access code 747 for a limited time. www.piccee.com
Women’s Mafia: Can you briefly tell us a little bit about each of the founders and the key role they play at Piccee?
Dr. Ronnie Edell — co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Piccee — is a long-time human behavior specialist and relationship expert, and a bestselling author who has appeared on “Oprah” numerous times as well as all other major national, regional, and local media. His first book, “How to Save Your Marriage from an Affair: Seven Steps to Rebuilding a Broken Trust,” was the first book in the nation on infidelity written by an expert. His bestselling second book, “The Sexually Satisfied Woman: The 5-Step Program for Getting Everything You Want in Bed,” was praised by “The Reader’s Catalog” as one of the best books in print in its category, with the annotation, “Unique in its reliance on the power of the woman.” Dr. Edell is the visionary force behind Piccee.
Craig Lauer — co-founder, COO and CTO of Piccee — was formerly CTO for Dr. Patrick Soon- Shiong, the healthcare visionary and Los Angeles’s wealthiest billionaire. Earlier he served in multiple executive roles — including VP of Technology and VP of Engineering — in multiple key divisions of Fortune 500 company Qualcomm. Craig oversees the Piccee Technical Team, which as if by magic turns the vision of Piccee into practical reality.
Barbara Edell — co-founder and EVP of Piccee — was an earlier co-founder, with Dr. Ronnie Edell and Craig Lauer, of Vision Maker Consultants, a high-tech consultancy to Fortune 500 companies and major U.S. government agencies during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. She has also been an educator and a counseling specialist as well as an entrepreneur for various different businesses. Barbara brings a unique perspective to Piccee and an invaluable female touch.
Matt Dawson — co-founder and President of Piccee — is an extremely popular fitness and wellness professional with a Klout score of 72 and a Twitter feed (@Matt_Dawson) with, at this writing, well over 12,000 followers. Matt is Piccee’s resident Social Media Impresario — he helps promote the Piccee experience through the major social media outlets.
Piccee Founders: Matt Dawnson, Barbara Edell, Dr. Ronnie Edell and Craig Lauer
Images that two users chose to describe family (left) and religion (right).
WM: Piccee is an image-focused dating site, rather than text. How does this help people find a good match? What else distinguishes Piccee from the myriad of other digital dating products on the market?
First, you don’t have to write a single word of a profile. Many people struggle with writing text- based profiles. Many individuals don’t like to read text-based profiles. Also, in a text-based profile there are too many opportunities to lie or dissemble. A picture is worth a thousand words. A single picture illustrating an important life-concept — Love, Family, Childhood, Commitment — or even a more lighthearted aspect of ourselves — Food, Travel, Activities, Bucket List — tells us volumes about an individual. Add 16 of these pictures together (or more) and the result is a kaleidoscopic window into another soul. It is very difficult to “fake” yourself using a picture profile. These profiles also allow people to assess another person instantaneously because they engage the right side of the brain, home of visual imagery and intuition. Also, right-brain communication, which is emotional, is the key to interaction in relationships. People cannot communicate as well using left-brain logic. Think of Mr. Spock from the old “Star Trek” series. It is only on those few occasions when he actually felt feelings that we had to root for him and we felt he was “one of us.”
Most importantly, when we see a collection of pictures in a profile that really resonate with us — pictures that we might have chosen ourselves — we feel that this person is a simpatico, someone we could talk to, someone we might have something in common with. This is how relatedness and intimacy begin.
Also important: Piccee fosters authentic communication. Each topic keyword was carefully chosen by Dr. Edell based on his many years of research and field experience. Pictures are chosen by searching through a database of over 1 million images — or you can upload your own. A Piccee picture profile doesn’t convey “this is what I do”; it conveys “this is who I am.” And members can message each other based on the pictures in their profile: “Why did you choose a picture of a hobby horse to illustrate Childhood?”
Images that two different users chose to express “Conversation.”
WM: There are some human behavior and bio-psycho-social theories behind Piccee. Can you briefly explain some of the important philosophy behind the product?
First and foremost is right-brained communication, which engages the visual mind — and the heart. We see a picture of a puppy, we have a feeling — “Oh, how cute!” If this illustrates Love, it is a clear dimension of a person’s experience of love. The picture profile itself uses principles of Gestalt, “the psychology of the whole,” popularized by Fritz Perls in the 1960’s, and earlier by other great thinkers in the fields of philosophy and human behavior. We assess personality from a composite view. We want to see all facets of the diamond, not just one. But Piccee is not meant to be a tool for analysis in any way — it is a tool for fun, and for meeting people. We have purposely kept it light, even though soul-to-soul or heart-to-heart communication can be quite profound.
At the same time, the visual nature of Piccee allows us to return to the splendor, wonder, and awe of that picture-book world of childhood, with its rich visual imagery that seemed to surround us everywhere — we see the world with fresh eyes as we can only do through our visual minds. It is perhaps this return to the sense of wonder and play of childhood that makes people excited most about Piccee.
WM: You recently launched the product on September 1st, so it’s all just begun. It’s an exciting time, but we’d still like to ask where you see the company in five years?
The core of our mission is to enable people all over the world and of all ages to communicate in ways that foster intimacy. Doing so will help people to experience the magic of love. Today, we’re focused on helping single people in the United States. In five years, we fully expect to be global and to grow beyond singles to couples and marriages. Communication is so vital to intimacy, we see this as a lifelong mission. Just as Facebook has become a platform for sharing, and Twitter a platform for personal broadcasting, we see Piccee as becoming a platform for fostering authentic, intimate communication.
WM: Lastly, as I always ask, what can the powerful women in the Women’s Mafia help make happen for you?
The powerful women in the Women’s Mafia can honestly assess and evaluate Piccee and, if they feel it offers something positive to themselves and their friends, spread the word and allow their friends the opportunity to potentially meet someone who can bring them great joy, fulfillment, and love. There is no greater gift in the world than love, and if Piccee allows members of the Women’s Mafia to give that gift to others by proxy, then we cannot be happier. We need more happiness and love in the world.
Pip’s Place NYC is not only the new and upcoming popular bakery; it’s the Gluten Free Cakery!
By Juliana Harris
Pip’s Place is an upscale bakery and all of the treats are 100% gluten free! The owner and founder Denise always had a passion for baking. Denise opened Pip’s Place after her daughter, Olivia aka “Pip”, was diagnosed with Celiac disease and was on a new dietary restriction including gluten free foods. She wanted her daughter to still enjoy her favorite treats, so she spent years experimenting and changing her recipes to gluten free while still tasting the same as before. Denise loves baking these tasty gluten free treats for not only her daughter, but for the rest of the world who shares the same dietary restriction. It’s important to her that everyone is able to enjoy their favorite desserts no matter what their dietary preference or restrictions are.
The healthy and delicious bakery has two convenient locations right here in Manhattan. One is located on First Avenue in between 89th and 90th street, and the second location is at east 39th street and Lexington Avenue. The unique bakery delivers to all 5 boroughs of New York and ships throughout North America. The Bakery has been featured in in the press numerous times including: The New York Times, Daily News, CBS, Next Magazine and Sean Weber’s Snack Fixation.
Pip’s Place is the bakery to visit if you’re looking to enjoy something that’s usually impossible to find: treats that are both deliciously sweet and healthy!
Q&A:
Women’s Mafia: Where/how did you get the inspiration to make gluten free treats?
Denise: Olivia, my daughter whose nick name is Pippi is the reason I started Pip’s Place. This is for her and everyone like her who has to eat gluten free.
Women’s Mafia: What else makes Pip’s treats unique besides the gluten free aspect?
Denise: Pip’s treats are special because they are 100% certified gluten free but they taste like they aren’t. Most of our recipes are my family recipes baked for generations not gluten free. I spent 5 years trying to get them to taste like the past so Olivia could enjoy her favorites.
Women’s Mafia: How would you like Pip’s Place to evolve in the next 10 years?
Denise: I believe Pip’s Place will become a National company over the next 10 years. We had 51,000 guests in our first location during the first 12 months. I can only imagine how many people we could help enjoy great tasting, home made gluten free treats if we had a Pip’s in every major city!
Women’s Mafia: Describe your creations in 5 words.
Denise: special, heart-warming, passionate, community, joy
Women’s Mafia: Who/what influenced you the most to open up this bakery?
Denise: My husband and children were the driving force because the kids grew up having only home made treats. My husband wanted me to find a new passion because our last child (Pip) was leaving for college and I needed to fill the void. And, my friends, who loved what I baked and encouraged me to go for it.
Women’s Mafia: What aspect of this business do you enjoy most?
Denise: I enjoy 2 parts – first the kitchen. The smells take me back to when my children were small or when I was a child and visited my nana’s house. I also enjoy my customers. I love the community that I have created – the stories, the encouragement and the relationships.
Women’s Mafia: Do you have any successful tips that Women’s Mafia members can learn from?
Denise: As a women starting a business after being a stay-at-home Mom for 22 years – don’t be afraid. Follow the dream and don’t give up. As a gluten free baker – don’t quit when you fail the first, second or fifth time. You will get it – keep tweaking the recipe.
I would suggest that being gluten free isn’t a diet, it is a life style and being able to help so many people maintain their health and give them real, freshly baked treats is worth all the work.
David Tlale presented his third collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this winter. This Fall collection is a mix of stunning evening gowns and really chic day-wear. Tlale featured a wide range of rich materials and colors. In a collection that combines the best of 70’s working girl style with forward-thinking necklines, proportions and color combinations, Tlale created clothes perfect for the smart individualist. We liked the gold detailing, the inventive accessories and statement jackets that are present in the whole collection. Tlales collection was really strong, easy to combine and definitely ready to wear.
Raoul Calleja is a unique photo artist and one of the co-founders of the Independent Designers Pop Shop, a bi-monthly retail event taking place in New York. Raoul has a unique style to his artwork that draws inspiration from his domestic and international travels and time spent living in New York. As the Creative Director and Founder of Vernakular Photo Designs he works with other photographers to create merchandise that showcases their work. Their photos have been transposed onto a variety of objects including: leather wallets, passport holders, door mats, t-shirts, journals, and messenger bags.
Raoul graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto and then embarked on a four-year adventure throughout Asia. After returning from Asia he worked for a navigation software company where he traveled across 34 states taking pictures of America’s heartland allowing him to produce his early series, Highway Americana. Some of his other work has showcased the quaintness of old Cuba through pictures of vintage cars and unpaved, narrow city streets. His photographs of New York capture the urban texture and grittiness of America’s largest city.
The Independent Designer Pop Shop is going on now through Sunday, February 24th, with more events to follow in the coming months. Find out more about Raoul’s work with Vernakular Photo here: www.vernakular.com/photographers/.
