Life + Culture

Leading Through Listening

Seacoast business leaders built confidence, compassion, and their companies with help from mentors Article by Ann Kathryn Kelly | Photography by Kevin Edge It’s May, the month that celebrates women—often, mothers—in our lives who made an impact on us. Six Seacoast business leaders share who tops their lists, with some fathers in this roundup getting the shout-out!  The biggest commonality? They all cite the importance of fully listening—a critical social skill that helps them seek to...

Health + Wellness

One Size Does Not Fit All

How two nurse practitioners are taking a tailored approach to hormones and wellness Article by Hannah Kanfer | Photography by Kevin Edge Hormones can be an intimidating topic, but you’re not alone. According to Northwell Health, 80% of women will experience a hormone imbalance at some point in their lives. One way to address this is through Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). We sat down with Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA, and Anna Goodkin, APRN, CRNA, of The Vital Elements to...

Local Services

The Hands that Feed

The women of Plates for Change fight to end childhood hunger in our community Article by Susan Gallagher | Photography by Kevin Edge When Liz Levey-Pruyn handed the check to the elderly couple who operated Footprints Food Pantry, they burst into tears. Standing among the sparsely stocked shelves and a broken-down freezer, they glimpsed a bright ray of hope for the first time in months. This torrent of gratitude would be the first of many to come in Levey-Pruyn’s philanthropic work with Plates...

Life + Culture

Where We Walk Now

Historian, community leader, and Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, JerriAnne Boggis brings Black history into public consciousness and inspires community connection Article by Rebecca Ingalls “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” — Zora Neale Hurston JerriAnne Boggis is a storyteller. But do not imagine her sitting in a comfy chair by the fire, reading a hard-backed book to encircling children. Imagine her creating a fire all its own...

Arts + Culture

Taking Humor Seriously

Harnessing the power of comedy to inspire growth and establish connection Article by Judith Rubenstein | Photography by Melissa Koren and Stephanie Lazenby Several times a year, eight to ten strangers gather at 3S ArtSpace in Portsmouth to begin a journey of self-exploration and -expression. Over the next five weeks, these individuals will support one another in a unique and intimate way—through humor. The group is participating in a workshop series called Couch to Mic™, learning to reveal...

Life + Culture

Keeping the Vibe Alive

WSCA-LP, Portsmouth Community Radio, is a hivemind of creativity and endurance, led solely by volunteers Article by Rebecca Ingalls | Photography by Kevin Edge Photography September 12, 2004. After a four-day barn-raising, Tim Stone and collaborators stood in tears, cheering as the airwaves caught the 106.1 FM frequency for the first time and WSCA-LP, Portsmouth Community Radio, was born. Led by Stone, the project had taken years. Fundraising. Navigating FCC barriers. Volunteer collaboration...

Life + Culture

Angels of the Animals

Saving suffering animals in Nicaragua is a mission of the heart for NicaLove founder Julie Burke Article by Susan Gallagher | Photography by Mary Jo Brown and Julie Burke It was on her third visit to Nicaragua that Julie Burke first saw the dog. Mangy, ragged, and emaciated like the others on the dirt roadside, this one seemed to know her—his unwavering eyes bored into hers. When the same dog turned up on the patio of her Nicaraguan second home, she knew it was fate. The newly named Flaco...

Finance + Legal Services

From Bike to Boardroom

Business owner and board director Monica McCarthy finds joy in the intersection between work and play Article by Ann Kathryn Kelly | Photography by Kevin Edge “I’ve never seen a demarcation between work and play,” Monica McCarthy observes during our phone conversation on a winter morning. “I do what I love and love what I do.” It’s this mindset that defines both her firm—Seascape Capital Management in Portsmouth—and her personal journey. “One thing spills into another,” she continues...

Home Services

Set In Stone

Edziu Sentkowski has the eye and skill to make a modern stonemason Article by Susan Gallagher | Photography by Visionfinity Media Here in historic New England, where echoes of stonemasons from centuries past reverberate in the countless fieldstone walls garnishing the countryside, Edziu Sentkowski fits in like a finely set stone. A proud second-generation stonemason himself, he has spent more than two decades absorbing the age-old skills of his father and other gifted stonemasons, perpetuating...

Home + Design

A Shared Vision

Expertise in design and construction is a family affair for Sage and Cashman Development Article by Rebecca Ingalls | Photography by Kevin Edge Photography & Freebird Photography When Bev Fowler and Jordan Cashman, owners of Sage—a full-service interior design studio in downtown Portsmouth—tell their origin story, they weave their words together like two people who’ve known each other all of their lives. It’s no surprise, then, to learn that they are not only business partners, but also mother...