Just lean in By Trish Dolasinski for North Valley Magazine “Don’t hold back, just lean in,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, in her nonfiction book, Lean In. Sandberg refreshingly clears the path that offers an enlightening journey for all women, whether in the workplace or at home, while including benefits for the men who support them. In fact, the single most important career decision a woman makes is ...

  The Magic of Color: Inspired by Nature By Heidi Rawson for North Valley Magazine As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Nature is the inspiration for all ornamentation.’ We all want to live in an inspired space, one which momentarily lifts our spirits, in a place we can call home.  I want to share with you some of my tried and true designer secrets for creating a fabulous space inspired by the colors of n ...

Making Your Food Appealing    By Stephanie Studer for North Valley Magazine Did you realize the food photos you see in your favorite cookbook or magazine are meticulously styled and constructed with your appetite in mind? That fork on the plate, and those extra crumbles of cheese on the salad did not land there by mistake, but instead lay there hoping you realize them and crave a bite! The art of styli ...

Say goodbye to dry! By Stacey Brooks for North Valley Magazine Summertime in Arizona is always rough on my skin. Literally! It seems like no matter how much sunscreen or moisturizer I apply my skin continues to peel and flake. Let’s be honest, dry skin is NOT attractive! So, I’ve been on a mission to get my skin back in tip top shape. Here’s a quick and easy exfoliating body scrub I’ve been using at home. O ...

Seven Secrets for nurturing a relationship that you want to live in  By Val McKinley for North Valley Magazine After 23 years of marriage, I divorced, and was later fortunate to fall in love with my current husband. We each brought two teenaged children to the marriage. Life was filled with much joy. After several months, reality set in, and I began to realize that my first marriage had started out as lovin ...

The inspiring power of the fallen  By Sara Frederick for North Valley Magazine This summer, my kids and I always drove home from camp through an intersection loaded with supermarkets and condominiums.  As I slowed for traffic one day, I saw a grey-haired woman on the sidewalk with her head on her walker.  She stood up, shuffled three steps, and put her head back down.  My dashboard thermometer showed a balm ...

I’m Married… Now What? By Amina Michele  for North Valley Magazine There’s so much fun and excitement surrounding your wedding day, but how do you keep the flame burning over the years? After the honeymoon stage, most couples get caught up in work, kids, and day-to-day activities. As a newlywed and entrepreneur, I completely get it, I am one of those who practices ‘active listening’ when my spouse calls and ...

Based on the huge response to our search for a sixth Team North columnist, North Valley Magazine is having readers decide who they’d like to see round out the team. To do this, we’re asking all those interested in becoming a Team North member to submit 1) 300-word sample Team North column on their preferred topic 2) A couple high-resolution headshots 3) 100-word bio. We’ll post this material here on the blo ...

By Sondra Barr  The North Valley Magazine crew had the pleasure of meeting Erika Monroe-Williams at her Paradise Valley estate recently to photograph and interview her for our June/July '13 cover story. Photographer Scott Whitney, stylist Shannon Campbell, and I were impressed by how sweet and down-to-earth this former news anchor is, as she welcomed us into her home and her life. Of course, home is where M ...

Much like the areas we serve, we’re evolving at North Valley Magazine. Our revamped website is just one example. Streamlined, easier to navigate, and more user friendly, it’s a reflection of over nine years experience serving the North Valley local information that celebrates the communities of Anthem, Carefree, Glendale, Paradise Valley, and Scottsdale. Our growth into the East Valley also illustrates our ...

1. Lauren Annis, 18 Lauren is a freshman at Paradise Valley Community College. She hopes to transfer to Arizona State University to study journalism and broadcasting.   2. Khemika Kemawong, 22 Khemika was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She is going to school in the Valley and is studying early childhood management and administration.   3. Kristy Letterly, 20 Kristy was born and raised in Scottsdale. S ...

Scottsdale’s Arie Luyendyk Jr. on racing, romance, and life post Bachelorette By Sondra Barr Race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. is on the fast track. Fresh from his memorable stint on ABC’s The Bachelorette, this man-about-town is looking forward to getting back to what he does best. While his ardent female fans fervently hoped it would be as the handsome, dashing romancer on the upcoming season of The Bache ...

      Applause and praise abounded at a recent concert of the Arizona Wind Symphony (AWS) in Tempe. The group of 80 adult band members had performed the Arizona Centennial Overture, an original piece commissioned to honor the state’s 100-year celebration. “One audience member actually caught me after the concert and said that the piece was her favorite because of how it described all of Arizo ...

1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a deeply touching, hugely successful 2006 New York Times best-selling memoir based on Walls’s unconventional childhood and upbringing. Born in Phoenix, she was raised by an alcoholic father and an eccentric and free-spirited mother who were both incapable of providing stability, financially or otherwise, for their children. But the novel is not about Walls’s parents ...

When the school year begins in 2012, Ballet Arizona will be in a new location closer to downtown Phoenix. The former furniture warehouse at Washington between 28th and 29th streets is undergoing a renovation to get ready for students and professional dancers. Soon, they’ll be tripping the light fantastic instead of tripping over sofas and lounge chairs. “Right now, we’re basically in a shopping center with ...