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		<title>Julia Haart</title>
		<link>https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/julia-haart/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[R. Couri Hay]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:54:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fashion & Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[body+ by Julia Haart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fashion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[julia haart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[my unorthodox life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netflix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shapewear]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://rcourihay.com/?p=18185</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Julia Haart My Unorthodox Life Netflix Show &#38; Shapewear +Body Julia Haart, who left her insular Orthodox Jewish community at age 42 and was [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/julia-haart/">Julia Haart</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Julia Haart</strong></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>My Unorthodox Life</strong></h2>
<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-18187 aligncenter" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-200x300.jpg 200w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/04272023_BODY_Shot_03_0409-scaled.jpg 1708w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></p>
<h4><strong>Netflix Show &amp; Shapewear +Body</strong></h4>
<p>Julia Haart, who left her insular Orthodox Jewish community at age 42 and was the subject of the Netflix reality show <em>My Unorthodox Life</em>, is relaunching her shapewear line +Body , which she had put on the back burner as she dealt with her very public divorce from tycoon Silvio Scaglia.</p>
<p>“I did a soft launch, and then before I did the official launch, the s**t hit the fan in my life, so to speak, and I just put everything on hold,” Haart explained. She used the hiatus to improve the product. “Think how the Apple iPhone constantly gets upgrades; since I was restarting anyway, we perfected things and made little tweaks to make the product even better, so the current product is just extraordinary.”</p>
<p>The line, <a href="https://bodybyjuliahaart.com/">+Body by Julia Haart</a>, with five styles currently available, is a gamechanger, a totally new concept in shapewear – its delicate, colorful look, lightweight fabric and technological innovations are like nothing on the market.</p>
<h4><strong>Attractive Shapewear</strong></h4>
<p>The first thing you’ll notice when perusing the website is that the garments are pretty. So pretty, they can be worn as-is, as a dress or top, or under clothing as shapewear. The thin, lacy fabric holds you firm with its exclusive PowerBond<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2122.png" alt="™" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> 2.0 technology. And forget the blandness of traditional shapewear &#8211; the pieces come in vibrant colors thanks to a special dying technique Haart’s team developed.</p>
<p>Haart has created an entirely new category: luxury shapewear that’s designed to be seen. The innovative garment construction eradicates the back-center seam, adds padded bra cups – in various sizes, for a perfect fit &#8211; and offers a deep-V underwire that supports and shapes the body while offering unrivaled comfort.</p>
<h4><strong>Thin, Comfortable Fabric</strong></h4>
<p>+Body fused all the layers of typical compression garments into one single layer. “It&#8217;s as thin as a piece of paper. It&#8217;s powerfully compressing, but comfortable,” said Haart. “It actually learns your body and heats to it and puts more pressure and power in the places where you need it most. So the more you wear it, the more comfortable it gets.” +Body is so thin, you could wear it under anything, but it&#8217;s not adding girth.</p>
<h4><strong>Choose Your Cup Size</strong></h4>
<p>Most shapewear is sold by clothing size, but not by cup size. Shapewear compresses, so if you&#8217;re wearing shapewear that includes your breasts, but is not your cup size, you&#8217;re getting what is termed “pancake boob,” flattening out your breasts. Some brands leave a cutout, so you have to wear a bra plus shapewear. “What we&#8217;ve done is juxtapose the two and created a hybrid that is sold not only by dress size, but by cup size, so you could buy an extra small DD or an extra small B. It&#8217;s literally created to enhance every curve of a woman&#8217;s body,” Haart said.</p>
<p>+Body sizes range from extra-small to 3x-large – and choose your cup size.</p>
<h4><strong>Like Liposuction, Tummy tuck &amp; Boob Job</strong></h4>
<p>One celebrity called it “liposuction, tummy tuck, and boob job in a $198 dress.&#8221; “It smooths you out, and you&#8217;re pushing everything up into the breast and then properly holding them in place because it&#8217;s the right cup size,” said Haart. “It&#8217;s an actual bra, you&#8217;re improving the cleavage. It solves every problem that shapewear has.”</p>
<h4><strong>Activism in</strong> <strong>Ukraine &amp; Rwanda</strong></h4>
<p>In addition to her business pursuits, Haart is an activist, lending her voice and fundraising for a number of causes, including women’s issues like abortion rights; she’s on the board of the ERA and is a member of the International Associated Press for Honest Reporting. She’s been on the ground in war-ravaged Ukraine, having delivered medical supplies and ambulances, and opened a women’s shelter there.</p>
<p>She recently went to Rwanda with The Body Agency Collective, which is involved in ensuring women&#8217;s sexual health and wellness globally, delivering menstrual cups and other products, and educating people about sexual wellness and AIDS. <a href="http://bodybyjuliahaart.com"><em>bodybyjuliahaart.com</em></a></p>
<h4><strong>Ameon Skincare Brand Ambassador</strong></h4>
<p>Haart formed a partnership with the skincare brand AMEON, founded by Alina Mehrle, a cancer survivor whose skin improved dramatically after her oncologist recommended cryotherapy. “I&#8217;m really excited about it. It&#8217;s an incredible product,” Haart said. “ Alina walked out of that ordeal stronger than ever and determined to turn that diagnosis into something positive.”</p>
<p>The partnership came about when Haart met Mehrle’s husband, a Ukrainian film director, in an elevator. He’d done a documentary about the situation in Ukraine, and asked Haart to help him get the word out. She held an event for that, and met his wife there, and that&#8217;s how the AMEON partnership came to be. “It actually came about through activism for Ukraine,” she said. “But I love the product,” she added. “I really believe in it. I very rarely advertise for brands. I do it very, very infrequently, because I don&#8217;t want to advertise something I don&#8217;t believe in.” <a href="http://ameonskin.com"> <em>ameonskin.com</em></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/julia-haart/">Julia Haart</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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		<title>Jean Shafiroff Fashioning a Better World</title>
		<link>https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/jean-shafiroff-fashioning-a-better-world/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[R. Couri Hay]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:21:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philanthropists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fashion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jean shafiroff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philanthophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[socialite]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://rcourihay.com/?p=18070</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Jean Shafiroff is known globally for her philanthropic work, and her dedication to making the world a better place for the less fortunate. She [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/jean-shafiroff-fashioning-a-better-world/">Jean Shafiroff Fashioning a Better World</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeanshafiroff/?hl=en">Jean Shafiroff</a> is known globally for her philanthropic work, and her dedication to making the world a better place for the less fortunate. She is also known for her great love of fashion and style – and the clothing she wears. Today, the First Lady of Philanthropy, as she is known, is the champion of several causes, focusing on four areas: women’s rights, rights of under-served populations, animal welfare, and health care. She is also involved in supporting causes that support the arts and LGBTQ rights.</p>
<p>Jean serves on the boards of the served on the board of The Jewish Board, a large mental health service charity, for 28 Southampton Hospital Foundation, years and now is one of its Honorary Mission Society of NYC, Couture Council of<br />
the Museum at FIT, French Heritage Trustees.</p>
<figure id="attachment_18077" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18077" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Picture1-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18077" class="wp-caption-text">Oscar de la Renta</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jean has been honored several times—by many different charities and organizations. The list honoring her includes the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Humane, Southampton Hospital Foundation, Mission Society of NYC, French Heritage Society, Urban Resource Institute and countless others.</p>
<p>Jean Shafiroff is also the author of a book called Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life by What You Give, which has an introduction by Georgina Bloomberg. “Philanthropy is multifaceted,” said Shafiroff. “The premise of my book is that anyone can be a philanthropist. If you do not have financial resources to give, you can give your time and knowledge. However, if you have resources, I believe you have an obligation to give.”</p>
<p>Jean Shafiroff first got started in philanthropy at a young age. While attending Catholic school, the nuns taught her the importance of helping those less fortunate. She also counts her parents as good role models; her father was a music school teacher, and her stay-at-home mom volunteered at the local church and school.</p>
<figure id="attachment_18076" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18076" style="width: 200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Picture12-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18076" class="wp-caption-text">Dolce &amp; Gabana</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jean Shafiroff ’s desire to be of help to society led her from a young age to volunteer with various charities, and then to start serving on the board of directors of a number of them. She also volunteered at her daughters’ schools.</p>
<p>“When my children went off to college,” said Shafiroff, “I became much more involved in charity work. I started to join different charity boards. Today I serve on seven charity boards, two honorary charity boards, and one advisory board. Each year I chair eight to ten charity galas, and then host and underwrite several large cocktail parties in my homes. I have done a great deal of volunteer fundraising and have raised quite a bit of money for several charitable organizations. It has been hard work; however, it is very fulfilling to know that you are helping by changing the lives of the less fortunate.”</p>
<p>“When you serve on a charity board,” she said, A charity has to be run like a business. All decisions have to be made in the most professional manner. I am on many boards that receive government funding. I take all charity work very seriously.”</p>
<p>But charity events can be fun and social. “You meet many people who generally have similar values,” said Shafiroff. “The people attending are interested in philanthropy and helping others. They want to see changes made in the world.</p>
<figure id="attachment_18075" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18075" style="width: 200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18075" class="wp-caption-text">Fern New York</figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="https://www.danspapers.com/2022/03/jean-shafiroff-discusses-philanthropy/">Jean Shafiroff</a> is a fashion lover who is noted for wearing elegant and interesting gowns to different black-tie charity events. Fashion can help elevate an event.</p>
<p>Shafiroff makes an effort to support lesser-known and emerging fashion designers. “If we want to give lesser-known and young designers an opportunity, we have to create a platform for them,” she said. “I realize that part of my job as a member of the Couture Council and the Museum at FIT is to promote different designers. I believe in this and enjoy doing it. It’s just like someone who supports the arts; I support the work of lesser known and emerging fashion designers.”</p>
<p>Shafiroff first got involved in fashion as a vehicle for philanthropy in 2010, when she became a board member of the Couture Council at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “All my life, I have loved fashion,” she said.</p>
<p>As a member of the Couture Council of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she makes an effort to buy the clothing of lesser-known designers and also emerging designers. In 2008, she started buying the couture of the very talented young designer, Victor dE Souza.</p>
<figure id="attachment_18074" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18074" style="width: 200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jean-4-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18074" class="wp-caption-text">Malan Breton</figcaption></figure>
<p>“In 2008 I remember buying a pink gown of his that I wore to the French Heritage Society Gala. Bill Cunningham put my photo in The New York Times, probably because of the gown I was wearing,” she remembers.</p>
<p>In 2009, she attended Victor dE Souza’s runway show during New York Fashion Week and fell in love with the finale gown on the runway. It was a cranberry-hued, one shoulder silk gown covered with tiny flowers. “At the end of the show, I went to Victor, and I said, ‘I’d like to buy that gown,’ and he said, “Okay.” He sold that very gown to me,” she recalls. “I love that gown and now have it in my collection.”</p>
<p>Bill Cunningham, the late New York Times fashion photographer and documenter, captured Jean Shafiroff at galas frequently. “Mr. Cunningham seemed to recognize the work of lesser-known and emerging designers, and tried to give them a platform,” she said.  I am most grateful for their support.”</p>
<p>As she became more involved in philanthropy, Jean Shafiroff began purchasing more and more gowns from independent designers, but also continued to purchase beautiful gowns from designers such as Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.</p>
<p>When she co-chaired the Mission Society of New York City’s Bicentennial Gala at the Pierre Hotel in 2012, she wore his gown. She continues to buy his clothing and wears it to many events she chairs and attends.</p>
<p>Jean Shafiroff also wears the designs of Malan Breton, a very talented Taiwanese-born designer who is a Goodwill Ambassador to Taiwan, and a former Ambassador to the UK Parliamentary Society for The Arts, Fashion and Sports. He has held runway shows in different cities around the world. Most recently, he held fashion shows at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. He has dressed stars for America’s Next Top Model, the Golden Globe Awards and the 73rd Tony Awards. Shafiroff met Breton many years ago at a charity event, and they became friends.</p>
<p>Jean has often worn gowns by Malan Breton to the Viennese Opera Ball in New York City, an event she has chaired for many years. She also wore a striking black couture gown of Breton’s to the American Ballet Theater Gala and then a beautiful golden green gown to the recent Carnegie Hall Gala.</p>
<p>Another young highly talented designer she has supported along the way is Esé Azénabor. Ese was born in Nigeria and grew up in Canada. A self-taught bridal designer, she recently opened her latest boutiques on Madison Avenue and in Southampton. Shafiroff first discovered Azenabor’s designs when she sauntered into the designer’s Southampton boutique one summer day. “I loved her clothing, and I bought a big pink hand-painted gown that I wore to the Angel Ball in 2023,” said Shafiroff, who recently walked in the runway for Azenabor’s New York Fashion Week show at the Rockefeller Center in September 2024, wearing a white gown covered in a rainbow of floral patterns.</p>
<p>She also supports the work of Venezuelan designer, Nabys Vielman. “He moved to New York City a few years ago and slowly we’ve developed a friendship,” said Shafiroff. “He is very talented, and I like to support his work.”</p>
<p>Most recently she started to purchase the work of self-taught fashion designer, Ron Dyce. Ron creates a new modern look. I now also consider Ron Dyce a wonderful new friend.</p>
<p>Jean Shafiroff also supports the work of a number of FIT graduates. Recently she wore a gown by young designer Ashley Plasse, who uses the art and craft of embroidery in her designs. Jean Shafiroff wore her dress as she walked down the runway at a New York Fashion Week event entitled Catwalk FurBaby, an Elysian magazine initiative to raise funds for different charities. All the models walked down the runway with dogs. Shafiroff was no exception. Her dog, Rosita, walked the runway with her.</p>
<p>“I was a model, and I enjoyed wearing Ashley Plasse’s dress,” said Shafiroff. “In the show, I represented the New York Women’s Foundation. In a way, I was also representing FIT by wearing a dress created by one of their very recent graduates. The dress was just beautiful.”</p>
<figure id="attachment_18073" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18073" style="width: 199px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/5-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18073" class="wp-caption-text">Malan Brento</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jean Shafiroff has also worked on a photo shoot with Fern Clausius, an evening wear designer who founded her own brand called Fern New York. Fern graduated from FIT in 2019. “I’m constantly going on the websites of young designers and checking out their work,” she said.</p>
<p>One way that she has discovered new designers is at an annual event she hosts. Over the past six years, Shafiroff has hosted Times Square Fashion Week. The annual event shows the work of emerging designers.“We showcase emerging designers and promote diversity at this exciting event.”</p>
<p>She isn’t just a model on the runway, but a model in life. Many women look up to Shafiroff as someone they aspire to be. “I love the philanthropic work I do; it has created purpose in my life, and I believe it’s what I should be doing,” she said.</p>
<p>“Follow your passions. If you’re working full time, do what you can. Perhaps you can volunteer once or twice a month. Next try to become involved with some junior groups, because you’ll probably enjoy being with people your own age.  All of this is in my book Successful Philanthropy, <a href="https://parkmagazineny.com/dr-bianca-molina-a-plastic-surgeon-with-a-delicate-touch-and-a-mothers-understanding/">How to Make a Life By What You Give.</a></p>
<p>Jean Shafiroff owns a large gown collection. She plans to donate this collection to a museum one day. “The gowns are all pieces of art. Many are couture gowns. Fashion is art,” said Shafiroff. “I think they tell the story about my love affair with philanthropy and fashion.”</p>
<figure id="attachment_18072" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18072" style="width: 200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/6-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18072" class="wp-caption-text">Ese Azenabour</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jean Shafiroff has already been in touch with a few museums about her couture collection. In 2016, she loaned an Oscar de la Renta gown to the de Young Museum in San Francisco for a retrospective about the designer. This year, she donated a dress to the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
<p>She plans to write a book that blends the world of fashion and philanthropy, outlining her relationship with fashion designers. For sure, it will be most interesting. Jean Shafiroff has over 1.2 million Instagram followers where she promotes philanthropy, positivity, and fashion. She can be followed @JeanShafiroff</p>
<p>To learn more about Jean Shafiroff, go to JeanShafiroff.com</p>
<p>Fashion Designers on Jean Shafiroff</p>
<p>Fashion Designers who have designed dresses for Jean Shafiroff speak to Park magazine about why the First Lady of Philanthropy inspires their designs and work.</p>
<p>“Jean Shafiroff is one of the kindest, most loving people in fashion.She has a caring heart and uses it in aid of many. I am grateful for the many moments I have had the honor of sharing with her. As it will stay in our archive as a very special moment with Jean Shafiroff.</p>
<p>“Jean Shafiroff inspires me for many reasons! She is a wonderful, classy woman with a heart of gold. Art is so multifaceted, and for Jean I believe collecting couture is the same as collecting paintings, wearable art that has a story behind it. It’s my honor to dress someone like that.”</p>
<p>“Jean Shafiroff is not only an inspiring woman, but a beautiful lady with nobility of soul. Indeed, she radiates a bright light on those of us who’re privileged to be around her. Thus, what a great pleasure it’s for me to have designed a few couture looks for this woman who’s a symbol of New York.”</p>
<p>“For years I’ve watched Jean at galas and red carpet events in larger-than- life gowns that truly catch the eye.   However, she was not afraid to try a new style, be daring, and lean into a different side of herself. It was inspiring to see her transform and connect deeper with her inherent femininity when she wore my designs.”</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/jean-shafiroff-fashioning-a-better-world/">Jean Shafiroff Fashioning a Better World</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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		<title>Aphrodise by Frank Schilling</title>
		<link>https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/aphrodise-by-frank-schilling/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[R. Couri Hay]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:14:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hospitality & Luxury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel & Experiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[champagane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frank schilling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury wines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://rcourihay.com/?p=17954</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The “Forrest Gump” of Sparkling Wine When life serves you lousy champagne, make your own bubbly is Frank Schilling’s philosophy. When sampling sparkling wines to [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/aphrodise-by-frank-schilling/">Aphrodise by Frank Schilling</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-17957 alignleft" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed-238x300.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="300" srcset="https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed-238x300.jpg 238w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed-814x1024.jpg 814w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed-768x967.jpg 768w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed-1220x1536.jpg 1220w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-Zoomed.jpg 1612w" sizes="(max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p><strong>The “Forrest Gump” of Sparkling Wine</strong></p>
<p><em>When life serves you lousy champagne, make your own bubbly</em> is Frank Schilling’s philosophy. When sampling sparkling wines to serve at his Cayman Islands restaurant, Mykonos, Schilling simply wasn’t satisfied with anything on the market. So he made his own. The sparkling <em>rosé</em>, called Aphrodise, is made from the Xinomavro grape grown in northern Greece and Macedonia.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A noble, popular wine grape in that region of the world, Xinomavro is rarely used in sparkling wines; Aphrodise is the first bubbly version to be produced on a large scale. Characterized by very small bubbles, they’ve found that people who normally don’t like <em>rosé</em> <em>or champagne do enjoy Aphrodise.</em> “It&#8217;s imminently drinkable,” says Schilling. “You can literally guzzle it and you feel great as you&#8217;re drinking, and you feel pretty darn good after.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A serial entrepreneur, Schilling has hardly had what you’d describe as a linear career path. After making a fortune in domain names early in the Internet age, he became a restaurateur on a whim, and now, he’s a vintner. “I always say we&#8217;re the Forrest Gump of the champagne business because we&#8217;re literally bumbling into everything we do,” he said, laughing.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach</strong></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-17955 alignright" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aphrodise1.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />While building out his restaurant Mykonos, a large 320-seat venue on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, during the height of the pandemic, Schilling realized that it would be a struggle to find a single source to supply the quantity of sparkling wine required for all those mimosas at brunch. When they finally did find a source, it was expensive and of poor quality.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>They began tasting different varietals and stumbled onto the dark red Xinomavro grape and found that some vintners had started experimenting with a blonder version perfect for sparkling wine. They tweaked it – it was a bit too sweet – and came up with what is now Aphrodise.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Ibiza &amp; Las Vegas</strong></p>
<p>Most important: people liked it. “We started to share it and people were like, ‘This is so good,’” Schilling said. “And that&#8217;s how we kind of bumbled into the business.” He sent 90 bottles to friends for a birthday party in Ibiza; the recipients insisted they’d never use more than 10 bottles. “These grown men in their 40s and 50s started drinking this stuff, and in a day and a half it was all gone, and we knew we had a winner. It&#8217;s an absolutely true story.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Next, Schilling debuted the wine at a wedding-industry trade show in Las Vegas, to introduce the product. People lined up, 100 deep, all day long for samples. A well-known wedding planner with a booth nearby invited the Aphrodise team to work with them, and they’ve now signed a partnership deal. “So we’re kind of these serendipitous, sort of accidental champagne curators,” Schilling says.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>After more than 20 years in the domain-name game, Schilling hungered for a change of focus. “I have a creative instinct and I&#8217;d always wanted to create a consumer product. I didn&#8217;t really think I&#8217;d ever get into the liquor business.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Mykonos</strong></p>
<p>He also never expected to own a restaurant. On his daily walks during the Covid lockdown, a vacant building on a prominent corner drew his attention. He thought it was perfect for a restaurant – in fact, a dining spot already in the works there had been scuttled by the pandemic, and the building was available, so Schilling bought it along with some neighboring properties and cobbled it into a “giant glass box” along the main drag.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He named it Mykonos because of his experiences there, at places at are convivial and celebratory, but are enjoyed by local families as well as tourists. “I wanted to create a venue that was a destination and a gathering place. And we did, we built something very residential, truly beautiful.” Finishes are sophisticated, and the space can accommodate a large crowd, which is not that common in the Cayman Islands.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>120-acre Malibu property</strong></p>
<p>Schilling has started many different businesses over the years. “I’ve tried lots of things. Not everything worked, but many things did,” he said. Among his many business interests is a 120-acre parcel of land in Malibu that he intends to sell via auction.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>“I bought it years and years ago and I&#8217;m not doing anything with it,” Schilling explained. It’s along the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway over Encinal Bluffs. “It&#8217;s beautiful land, but out of all the projects that I want to do, building the ‘Iron Man’ house in California is not one of them anymore. I&#8217;m kind of East Coast-centric now.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://drinkaphrodise.com"><em>drinkaphrodise.com</em></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/aphrodise-by-frank-schilling/">Aphrodise by Frank Schilling</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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		<title>Suzanne Somers on The Art of Aging Well with Grace &#038; Vitality</title>
		<link>https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/suzanne-somers-on-the-art-of-aging-well-with-grace-vitality/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[R. Couri Hay]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 18:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fashion & Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[alan hamel]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[hollywood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hollywood news]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[suzanne somers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wellness]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Suzanne Somers on The Art of Aging Well with Grace &#38; Vitality Suzanne Somers is a role model for us all. At 74, she [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/suzanne-somers-on-the-art-of-aging-well-with-grace-vitality/">Suzanne Somers on The Art of Aging Well with Grace &#038; Vitality</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-17944 size-medium" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suzanne-Somers-246x300.jpg" alt="" width="246" height="300" /></p>
<h2>Suzanne Somers on The Art of Aging Well with Grace &amp; Vitality</h2>
<p>Suzanne Somers is a role model for us all. At 74, she looks and feels terrific. A well-known and respected authority on health and wellness, Suzanne and her 85-year-old husband, Alan Hamel, are showing us a new way to age. They have sex twice a day. Several days each week the couple hold live Facebook and Instagram sessions from their 92-acre Palm Springs compound, sharing stories on Hollywood, health, family and more.</p>
<p>Suzanne has been ahead of her time consistently throughout her 50-year career. In the late 1970s, she created the now-iconic role of ditzy Chrissy Snow in the sitcom <em>Three’s Company</em>, and then was fired when she dared to ask ABC for pay commensurate with that of the male cast members. She never looked back, forging ahead to build a highly successful career in multiple fields.</p>
<p>A prolific author, Suzanne has written 27 books, 14 of them <em>New York Times</em> bestsellers, focusing on health and helping readers to find products, education and services to improve their lives. Covering topics such as mental health, weight loss, nutrition, beauty, integrative cancer protocols and more, her books have been translated into many languages throughout the world.</p>
<p>A savvy serial entrepreneur, Suzanne was one of the very first celebrity entrepreneurs to understand and apply the power of infomercials and shopping on television. She introduced her weight loss program, beauty items, apparel, jewelry and personal fitness products to consumers on Home Shopping Network in 1992, quickly becoming one of the network’s top-selling brand names. Over the years, she expanded her product offerings to include vitamins and supplements.</p>
<p><strong>Suzanne Somers</strong></p>
<p>Suzanne’s famous 1990s sensation, the ThighMaster®, is still as popular as ever, with over 10 million sold worldwide. She has since developed thousands of products in multiple categories that can be found on her website.</p>
<p>Finding opportunity in adversity, Suzanne completely changed her lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis in 2000, and now follows a strictly organic diet. “I eat as though my life depends upon it, because I believe it does,” she says. Her further research revealed that in addition to the food supply, toxins are also present in commercial skin care and hair care products, as well as in cosmetics. So, she developed her own line of organic, toxin-free beauty products for hair, skin and nails.</p>
<p>Suzanne introduced mainstream America to bioidentical hormones (BHRT) and continues to educate women and men on the life-saving benefits of this natural alternative to help turn the clock back – from the inside out.  She follows a detailed regime of alternative and integrative medicine, including supplements, enzymes, peptides and more.</p>
<p>After Suzanne was fired from <em>Three’s Company</em> in 1980, her husband Alan declared that they would never work for anyone else again, and ever since the duo has run a lean, efficient company, one of America’s greatest success stories of a female owned-and-operated business. Caroline Somers, their daughter-in-law, has been president of SOMERS Companies for 30 years, overseeing product development, web sales and marketing.</p>
<p>In short, Suzanne Somers was and continues to be a trailblazer, establishing herself as a brand decades before modern-day influencers like the Kardashians latched onto the concept.</p>
<p><strong>Suzanne Somers</strong></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-17324 alignright" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suzanne-Somers-157x300.png" alt="" width="157" height="300" srcset="https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suzanne-Somers-157x300.png 157w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suzanne-Somers-535x1024.png 535w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Suzanne-Somers.png 618w" sizes="(max-width: 157px) 100vw, 157px" />How to age successfully</p>
<p>Aging is an inevitability, and we’ve come to expect that we’re going to get sick as we get old. Suzanne Somers challenges us to entertain the idea that we can age without illness, that we can live out our lives with vitality, keeping our minds and bones in top condition.</p>
<p>“I have to say that since I embraced health, I have never enjoyed life more,” she says. “I like the way I look. I like the way I feel. I like my energy. I have wisdom. I have perspective, and I can tell you that aging can be so incredible if you know how to approach it. It takes a little bit of work. It’s about health; about shifting your thinking and understanding what it is that’s making us sick and how we can combat it.”</p>
<p>Suzanne strives to view everything in life as an opportunity. When life threw her a curve with a breast cancer diagnosis over 20 years ago, she asked herself how her diet and lifestyle habits led her to play host to this disease.</p>
<p>Examining her lifestyle, she realized that she hadn’t been getting enough sleep, kept up a stressful schedule with long hours, partied a lot and wasn’t concerned about the chemicals in the food and beauty products she consumed. She knew nothing about hormones, which play an important role in keeping us healthy as we age. “Now that I’ve put all the pieces together, I realized I was such a likely target,” she says.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Sleep, hormonal balance, eating right</strong></p>
<p>Each person’s body is different, but some key factors for aging successfully are eating right, getting a proper amount of sleep, and maintaining hormonal balance. “These are all connected,” Suzanne stresses.</p>
<p>“We have to learn the language of our bodies. Itching, bitching, lack of sleep, sweating, bloating, forgetfulness, being dried up; that’s the body talking,” she says. Those symptoms are your body telling you it needs some help.</p>
<p>“Listen to your body,” she advises. “You can’t sleep unless you balance your hormones,” she explains. Once your hormones are balanced you can start going to sleep earlier, which reduces cortisol and insulin levels, allowing weight loss.</p>
<p><strong>Hormones</strong></p>
<p>“Hormones are not just for menopausal women,” Suzanne declares. “Hormones are for all of us, they’re the juice of youth, governing every aspect of our lives and emotions and health.” If we’re cavalier about our hormones and don’t keep them balanced, it creates chaos, with sickness and emotional upheavals and stress, making it difficult to embrace life.</p>
<p>“Perimenopause is actually a great stage of life if you have balanced hormones,” Suzanne says. “If you get your hormones back, your brain thinks you’re reproductive, everything is working nicely, but you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant,” she explains. “You can have all the fun you want.”</p>
<p>At this phase of life, hair loses some luster, wrinkles begin to appear, and there are bloating and mood fluctuations. “I threw things!” she says. “I can’t believe I threw things; I’m so even-tempered now. I’m so wonderful to live with now.”</p>
<p>However, perimenopause is the phase when many women develop breast cancer; it’s when Suzanne was diagnosed.</p>
<p>Now she wishes she’d started on hormones in her thirties. “As we decline, we can now fill the tank with bioidentical hormones; not too much, not too little – exactly; optimal health. It’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened. It means that we can remain even all the way through, and as you get older you just need a little more.”</p>
<p>And balanced hormones help to maintain a normal sex drive. “When you don’t have hormones, you don’t care about sex. I mean, you can do it, but you’d rather have a smoothie.” She knows, she’s been there. “I didn’t like being there. I used to really like it, and I had three miserable years.”</p>
<p><strong>Eating right</strong></p>
<p>What we eat is so important, and nature provided us with herbs and spices to make food more flavorful. Thyme, rosemary, tarragon, mint, turmeric, chives, cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon are nature’s antioxidants. “It’s as though nature knew we’d be bombarded with free radicals and chemicals coming into our bodies all the time. Bringing these antioxidants into your food helps eliminate free radicals.”</p>
<p>If she goes to a restaurant whose food is not organic, she later takes a course of antioxidants to counterbalance the effects of her meal.</p>
<p>A simple change in your diet, taking in omega-3 oils like olive, flax, or coconut oil, helps to keep cell membranes pliable, allowing air and water to flow through and flush chemicals that enter the body from food or the environment. Too many malfunctioning cells can lead to diseases like cancer, from lack of nutrition, hydration, and oxygen, explains Suzanne. “We need air and water in our bodies to be more energetic.”</p>
<p>Suzanne also takes fish oil daily, morning and evening. “People say, ‘<em>Fish oil, ugh! It’s something our mothers made us take, cod liver oil</em>.’ Our mothers had wisdom!” she says, laughing. Plus, these days it tastes much better.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Making simple dietary changes is easy, she says. For instance, smear an organic chicken with olive oil, rosemary and thyme (or whichever herbs you prefer), add sea salt, and cook in the oven. “When I eat this meal, I think it’s like healthy medicine I’m eating,” Suzanne gushes. “It’s just so delicious.”</p>
<p><strong> </strong><strong>Wellness can be exciting</strong></p>
<p>You can make wellness exciting, something that you look forward to doing. “My routine is estrogen every day. That’s my happy mood,” Suzanne says. “And I’m telling you it’s nice to live with a woman who’s in a good mood every day because I didn’t used to be. So, now I know the difference.” She also applies progesterone at certain times each month, which helps to eliminate water weight.</p>
<p>“That combination of estrogen and progesterone makes you feel really good, and there are days when you get a glint in your eye, and look at your husband and go, ‘Hello, sailor!’” she laughs.</p>
<p>“Aging is amazing. Aging is something you should aspire to and look forward to and want.”</p>
<p><strong>Suzanne Somers &amp; Alan Hamel aging beautifully</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure id="attachment_17943" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17943" style="width: 181px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-17943" src="https://rcourihay.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-181x300.jpg" alt="" width="181" height="300" srcset="https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-181x300.jpg 181w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-619x1024.jpg 619w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-768x1270.jpg 768w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-929x1536.jpg 929w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-1238x2048.jpg 1238w, https://rcourihay.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SuzanneSomers141-scaled.jpg 1548w" sizes="(max-width: 181px) 100vw, 181px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17943" class="wp-caption-text">Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel</figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="https://parkmagazineny.com/the-art-of-the-scent-how-formosa-fragrance-blends-french-perfumery-excellence-with-the-natural-beauty-of-taiwan/">At this stage</a> in her life, Suzanne has something one can only acquire with age – wisdom. Her life’s purpose is sharing her knowledge, teaching others of all ages how to have an active, energetic life filled with energy, vitality, health and wellness. Millions of fans and followers access this information through her books, website and social media platforms.</p>
<p>On her social media platforms, Suzanne and Alan offer an up-close look at their daily lifestyle. Mornings start with organic coffee – in bed – with scenic views of desert mountains and herds of big-horn sheep drinking from shallow springs. They delve into their boxes of supplements to concoct gut-healthy smoothies.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Every Tuesday, Suzanne gives Alan a shot in the behind – of testosterone. “We can’t film on Wednesdays because we just might be in bed ALL day!” she quips.</p>
<p>You’ll see them take their golf cart to the organic garden. Where they come up with natural solutions for keeping the critters from eating the plants. They dance in the kitchen while Suzanne whips up one of her healthy, delicious meals. Alan often snacks on fruit and nuts, spoiling his appetite – however, you can’t argue with his health! He’s clearly doing something right.</p>
<p>Suzanne and Alan dote on one another. They are attached at the hip and haven’t spent a night apart in decades. That might seem odd, but they are happy being always together. They consider themselves “wonderfully co-dependent.” At 5pm every night, they meet at Big Al’s Bar – a special spot on their property, where they share a tequila and chat about their day.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging/blog/suzanne-somers-on-the-art-of-aging-well-with-grace-vitality/">Suzanne Somers on The Art of Aging Well with Grace &#038; Vitality</a> appeared first on <a href="https://rcourihay.com/staging">R. Couri Hay</a>.</p>
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