Life + Culture

What if $25 Could Change a Life?

Kiva Turns Small Loans into Big Opportunities for Entrepreneurs Worldwide Article by Mike Burcham | Photography by Kiva Foundation Building a business is extremely difficult. There are countless things to consider and figure out: What product or service will you offer? Who will produce or provide it? What is your market? What is your business plan? How much money is it going to take to get started, and where will that money come from? Now imagine trying to answer all of those questions while...

Life + Culture

Finding Hope

Highly Favored Foundation Helps Families Move from Crisis to Stability with Acts of Kindness, Compassion + Connection Article by Tera Michelson | Photography by Provided When Alberta Ablordeppey arrived in the United States from Ghana in 2012 to attend college, she saw America as a land of opportunity. But after settling in Butler County, she discovered another reality: some families in her new community were struggling. One encounter in particular stays with her. At a local grocery store, a...

Life + Culture

Meet the New Editor

A.J. Lape of Liberty Township Joins City Lifestyle Team Article by A.J. Lape | Photography by Len Kaltman + Provided Fact vs. Fiction I chase stories in real life and make up trouble on the page, with 20+ books behind me. Reporting taught me to dig for truth. My characters know good hides in bad, bad in good—and truth is trickier than a balanced meal. Murdle + Murdoku Current obsession: crime-solving logic puzzles! I proudly ace the elementary, feel like an idiot on intermediate and...

Health + Wellness

Executive Therapy for High-Performing Professionals

In my work as an executive therapist, I hear a version of the same story from accomplished professionals: the career is working, the family is cared for, and yet there is very little left over for the person carrying it all. Leadership brings purpose, influence, and achievement. It also brings constant decisions, competing demands, and the expectation of being composed under pressure. When work follows you home and rest feels out of reach, success may be taking up more space than your well-being...

Travel

Southern Comfort

Experience Authentic Georgetown, Kentucky with a Trip to the Birthplace of Bourbon Article by Michelle Moody | Photography by Michelle Moody + Georgetown/Scott County Tourism Bourbon is a drink rooted in history. Its rich flavors, deep amber color and American roots make it a favorite spirit for sipping. Take a trip just ninety minutes south to the birthplace of bourbon to discover the charming town of Georgetown, Kentucky—the perfect place for a weekend getaway. Elijah Craig is credited as...

Food + Beverage

The Soul of Sourdough

How One 200-Year-Old Starter + Two Lifelong Friends Keep Tradition Alive Article by A.J. Lape | Photography by Cara Jonas Photography Sara King and Gena Petruk have shared more than four decades of friendship—from kindergarten through Badin High School, to marriages, raising children and conversations around the kitchen table.Today, they live just five minutes apart, where one more guest often joins them: a 200-plus-year-old friend named Mother. Mother is Gena's sourdough starter, a living...

Food + Beverage

Order Up

Cincinnati-Based Chowdown Brings Support + Success to Restaurants Around the Country Article by Bill Furbee | Photography by Provided by Chowdown Cincinnati Digital food community Chowdown Cincinnati helps elevate and promote independent restaurants by providing both full-scale marketing initiatives and enabling vocal exchanges among its followers. For eight years, it has impacted thousands of bistros, gastropubs and fine dining establishments along the way. “At its heart, Chowdown exists to...

Style + Beauty

Woven with Purpose

Tillage Clothing Blends Effortless Comfort With a Deeper Mission of Hope + Awareness Article by Lisa Fletcher | Photography by Erica Almquist + Matthew J Capps Photography Some clothes are made to be worn. Others are made to be lived in. For Abby Farr, the difference begins with how a piece moves, feels and fits into everyday life.  “When I design, I’m thinking about how it will actually function for the person wearing it,” she explains. “It flows, is easy to care for and the luxurious...

Style + Beauty

The Legacy of the Accessory

Inside Timmy Wood’s Beverly Hills World Article by Heather Spinks | Photography by Kohta Rincon Photography If you want to truly know someone, don’t look at what they wear, look at what they carry. Often getting dressed is governed by a quiet set of rules: what’s appropriate for the office, what’s expected at a dinner party. Accessories, by contrast, remain untouched by these unspoken social rules. The handbag you reach for each morning is one of the few style decisions made entirely on...

Style + Beauty

East Meets West

Local Designer AK Couture Takes Your Closet Global with Indian-Inspired Fall Fashions Article by Tera Michelson | Photography by Kohta Rincon Photography In a stunning new fall collection, local designer AK Couture introduces intentional, thoughtful design that unites culture and couture. East meets West in the original designs by Amrita Chehil, founder and owner at AK Couture in Mason. She takes local closets global with the history and traditions of her native India. The traditional Indian...