Featured Stories

By Katie McKy For Ann Brand, the founder of Ann Brand Mindfulness, mindfulness is academic, personal, and professional. Brand earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with an emphasis on child development and families. She was studying “experience and expression of emotion” at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD. There, she plumbed the research that shows “mindfulness supports attention and memory, emotion regulation, stress reduction, and positive relationships among other things.” That’s when it became personal, for Brand was “suffering from grief after her mother’s death.” “The experience of grief after the …

By Katie McKy Many women dream of launching a business one day, of rolling the dice and being their own boss. Given that almost 20% of new businesses fail in their first year, and over 30% percent fail in the first two years, where does a fledgling entrepreneur summon the courage? Amy Wahl is a local woman well-positioned to answer this question, for she launched a business. Then another. And another. And another. “I have Pink Orchard Salon, a chair rental salon for independent stylists, Pink Orchard Boutique, Banbury Candle Company, and a brick and mortar art studio where I …

By Katie McKy Toni Mattson, born and raised in Medford, WI, loved horses from the get-go. “I grew up horse-crazy, and at the age of five, our parents leased ponies for my sisters and me,” Mattson said. “My little mare was named Heidi. It was love at first sight, and she’s what cemented my love for horses.” Mattson and her husband, Bill, bought Pinewood Stables in 2002, 67 acres south of Eau Claire, and renamed it Trinity Equestrian Center, a proclamation of faith. The property looks a lot like a Kentucky ranch, with its white fences. It has a 17-stall …

By Katie McKy Becoming your best self is never easy. It’s never a straight, paved road. Fortunately, you’re not alone. There are women in the Chippewa Valley who can blaze your way, marking your turns and explaining why you are making them. If you need a savvy woman to guide you in estate planning, contact Maggie McLoone of Weld Riley, S.C. or call her colleague Jennifer Brown, who practices family law, for help with many family issues. Need some savvy in investing? Tap Katie Noe of River Prairie Wealth Partners. Want to know your options for looking your best? Call …

Less spent on THE DAY can mean much more for days ahead. By Katie McKy I recently attended a wedding where the bride and groom traveled in a royal-looking carriage pulled by two white horses with glittering harnesses. It took them to a wedding venue overlooking Lake Geneva. A band? Of course. Catered? Naturally. The cake? It looked like it was decorated by the Fabergé egg folks. The décor? Pretty enough to make Martha Stewart say, “It’s a good thing.” Photographers? Two. A week later, after their honeymoon which cost thousands more, they tromped up four flights of stairs to …

Mickey Judkins of Details and detailsdirect.com By Katie McKy In 2020, 5ive for Women profiled three Chippewa Valley businesswomen to see how they were adapting to the changing conditions of the pandemic. Mickey Judkins, founder and owner of Details and detailsdirect.com, was one of them. Details in 2020 Judkins closed Details on Water Street for about two months when the pandemic began, but continued shipping online orders from the Details website, detailsdirect.com. Judkins had done e-commerce through her website since 1995, and that allowed her to survive financially when a major portion of her business, the brick and motor retailing, …

By Tera Busker If you would have told me a year ago that I would be basking in the glory of icy water for my mental health, I would have told you that you had lost your marbles. But here we are chest-deep in a 36-degree river on a 17 degree, blustery January day in Wisconsin. You may be asking yourself, “Why are you doing this?” Did I lose a bet? Was I forced to do this? Have I lost my mind? Nope, nope and on the contrary. I am doing this to strengthen my mind. Let me explain… A …

By Katie McKy When they’re strong, family ties bind us through the good times and bad, but they can be rigid and restrict our growth. An example is the mother who asserts that you’ll always be her baby, when you’re 30…and even 70. Worse, some parents treat you as if you’re still their baby, regardless of your achievements and stature. A sister can also lock you in the past, as she perpetually complains about what a brat you were when you were seven. Most friends, however, don’t remember when you were seven, and more importantly, they don’t treat you as …

By Katie McKy Mother’s Day is coming and “World’s Best Mom” t-shirts and coffee mugs will sell well. Buying such a generic gift is quick and easy, but it won’t convey the depth of your gratitude. Now, unpacking your gratitude for your mom isn’t easy for several reasons. One: How do you truly thank someone for cleaning your bottom thousands of times? Then there are the long-forgotten minutiae of motherhood, like the countless times your mother wrestled your wriggling feet while she tried to adjust your socks so they were just so. Two: Revisiting all your mother did for you …

Metalsmith Liz A local artist turns to teaching too. You can work on your creative muscle, from your childhood on, until the cognitive equivalent of biceps and pecs pop like the rocks. That’s what Liz Stingl, preferably known as Metalsmith Liz, did, for she was born into a creative family. Her mother is an accomplished seamstress and her father does pastels portraitures and stain-glass. So, Metalsmith Liz was raised in a creative space by creative parents. “I am grateful that I had constant art supplies at my fingertips and went to many art fairs. I have always loved art. When …