Almost every “expert” on this site is someone I’ve known, and in some cases worked with, for many years. They’ve seen me through dramas, traumas and highs. Some are extraordinarily credentialed; others have the personal experience, common sense and insights that I’ve dubbed worthy of a graduate degree. All are “real” in the very best sense of that word.
Bruce Mandelbaum, L.Ac., LMT
An acupuncture practitioner and deep tissue massage therapist in New York and Connecticut, you may recognize Bruce as a guest expert on "The View" and "The Today Show."
When I had a rotator cuff problem, my sports doctor recommended Bruce. That was 6 years ago. Long story short > with a combination of acupuncture and muscle therapy, Bruce succeeded in resolving my original problem along with others -- tennis elbow, lower back pain, computer-related ailments . . . not to mention stress. One friend swears he helped her quit smoking! He swears acupuncture also gets rid of crow's feet and laugh lines -- haven't tested him on that yet.
Credentials wise, Bruce is fully licensed - L.Ac., LMT, Diplomate of the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He has 25 years experience treating chronic back and neck pain and sports injuries, internal disorders and stress related problems. His philosophy of acupuncture incorporates traditional Chinese within a Western paradigm. The result is a better understanding by the patients who can utilize what they've learned to continue the healing process on their own.
Email bruce@snoety.com
If you're a snoety subscriber, he'll give you 20% off your first treatment.
Cindy Levine
Former Chief Operating Officer for JP Morgan's U.S. Private Bank and several Investment Banking Businesses (Telecom, Media & Technology, Financial Sponsors and Global Emerging Markets). Married with two sons, ages 21 and 17. Cindy stepped off the "working mom" treadmill in 2005 at age 50, and her personal journey of change and reckoning with "what's next" began.
Cindy is one of the most down-to-earth and funny people I know. (This, in spite of the fact that she was COO of JP Morgan’s U.S. Private Bank.) Sharing sons who are good friends and a fondness for cold vodka martinis, we got acquainted over dinners where we talk about life, family, careers and what’s next. The first time we met was at the airport picking up our kids. I had just come back from the beach and was a distinct mess. The second time I saw her she laughed and said: "You clean up real nice." For me, it was instant "like".
Retiring in June 2005 and now at a new job, Cindy has been on her journey of "what's next". The two years since have been ones of personal discovery, pursuit of new interests, plenty of false starts, more than a few moments of self-doubt and a new job. She's passionate that change is good, energizing and empowering . . . and hard for most of us. Her plan is to share resources that can help tackle individual transitions and bring us together as a sharing community. If anyone can pull that off, it's Cindy.
You can reach Cindy through cindylevine@snoety.com
College Panel
College Crowd is written anonymously by a panel of male and female college students willing to tell you what they call "the unvarnished truth." They’re probably a lot like your kids – bright, cynical, at highly-rated schools across the country, with a variety of tastes, interests, thoughts, and focus and a range of ideas of what "future" actually means. In College Crowd they focus on the present. Sex. Drugs. Partying. Studying. Jealousy. Parents. Honesty. Money. Nothing is off the table. They write about their generational issues and field your questions.
Domenica Castaldo Ellison
As a top fashion and styling consultant at luxury retailer, Barneys New York, Domenica’s clientele includes a list of who’s who in NYC, across the country and throughout the world.
Many years ago, Domenica approached me on the sales floor at Barneys. That turned out to be my lucky day, because now she’s their top fashion and styling consultant (her office is filled with your fantasies). And no wonder. Her background is full of stints with global high style personalities and brands: Faberge, Elizabeth Arden, Revlon, Saks Fifth Avenue, Donna Karan, Vera Wang, Michael Kors ... leading to a client list that includes many people you’ve most definitely heard of. Yet, she’s never deserted me. With great fun, skill and humor, she directs me away from those items she deems "awful" and towards those I would have never picked out for myself but inevitably end up wearing the most. An added plus, she insists my canary arms and sagging butt aren't a problem. Domenica welcomes my pals as well. So, if you tell her you’re a friend of snoety, I can assure you a warm welcome.
Email domenica@snoety.com
Ed Mills
Founder of Edward I. Mills + Associates and winner of multiple national architectural and interior design awards, Ed's work has been featured in magazines such as: Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Town and Country, Architectural Record, and Progressive Architecture. Internationally he's been seen in Global Architecture magazine for his work in places as diverse as Cap Ferrat, France; Enry, France; and Guadeloupe (West Indies).
When you tire of wanting that hot new architect who'll learn on your dime and have an ego the size of Mt. Rushmore with about as much flexibility, get to know a grown up, Ed Mills. He's extremely knowledgeable -- a guest, critic and lecturer at Harvard, Yale, Pratt, Carnegie Mellon, RISD and . . . too many to count. He's been published in most architectural magazines, won numerous competitions and judged many more. He's a major talent with drawings and exhibitions in major museums and institutions throughout Europe. He's had international clients and designed the apartments of some of the heavyweights of NY as well as normal New Yorkers (if New Yorkers are ever normal), so he's experienced in the most difficult of circumstances. And, not necessarily last, I call him a Renaissance man because, if you like, he'll regal you with his extensive knowledge of wine, food and historical architecture worldwide. Enough said.
Reach Ed through ed@snoety.com
Francine Russo
Writer for Time magazine's baby boomer section, "Generations," columnist for Time.com and writer for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Village Voice, Family Circle, and The Atlantic. Francine's even appeared on "Oprah" and has a book on siblings facing the aging of their parents due out from Bantam during 2009.
Francine, who I've known for at least 10 years, is one of those rare and interesting people who is always learning, growing and changing. Along the way she chronicles life and how we live it. She's built a pretty impressive list of credentials (see above) and is currently working on an upcoming book being published by Bantam, tentatively titled: Twilight of the Family: Aging Parents, Sibling Storms, and the Birth of the Next Generation Family. She's reported on human behavior; the marital stresses of care-giving; housing and travel strategies for retirees; best bicycles for boomers; college kids who stick you with their geriatric cats and turtles; and adult children in their 30's and 40's who won't take their stuff out of your closets - no matter how much you beg them.
Along with an impressive career, Francine's had a full family life -- a lot of happiness (2 wonderful marriages, 2 kids now out of college; 3 step kids ditto, a son-in-law, the prerequisite pets, a sister) and sadness, too (both parents gone; widowed twice). Who better to talk (and sometimes even be rude) about Family than Francine?
Contact Francine via francine@snoety.com
Jeff Parker
An Information Architect who's lectured at New York University, Jeff has been practicing interface design for web and software applications for eight plus years. He's worked with web and advertising agencies, Fortune 500 companies and prestigious institutions like Pitney Bowes, Bear Stearns, Schering Plough, Merrill Lynch, Fordham University, Goldman Sachs, Dresdner Bank, Union Bank of California, PricewaterhouseCoopers, American Red Cross, MTV, JP Morgan, and Time Warner.
Most "techies" tend to obfuscate everything by using lots of three syllable words and talking too quickly. Having worked with Jeff for more than 8 years, I can tell you he's a different breed. He's developed the architecture for scores of websites for agencies from the east to the west coasts, and there's a reason he's always in demand. Yes, he's knowledgeable and exceptional at what he does. But for our purposes, he knows how to explain complex things in a way that even novices understand. He's going to tell us the practical stuff we really do need to know (so we don't have to bug our kids). While Jeff now lives in San Francisco with his wife Katy, he's originally from Arkansas, like I am. Found out we've even fished the same lakes.
Contact Jeff through jeffparker@snoety.com
Mario Diab
With a new salon in Soho, Mario's most recently been featured in Bobbi Brown's best-selling book: Living Beauty and seen on "The Today Show" and in Allure, Gotham, Brides, and The New York Post.
Originally recommended to me by a hair color marketing executive, Mario hasn't succumbed to that insufferable "I'm so cool" that New York celebrity stylists tend to burden us with. So what if he's worked in New York, Paris, Dubai, and DC on the likes of film stars, models, "idols" and politicos . . . so what if he's been featured on "The Today Show", in Allure, Gotham, Brides and The New York Post. . . Mario remains a warm, welcoming personality who's more concerned about your hair than you are. Added bonus: he's as adept at styling as he is at coloring.
Contact Mario at mariodiab@snoety.com, and if you're a snoety subscriber, he'll give you a 20% discount on your first makeover, cut and/or color. Tip from snoety: his products are unique and amazing, too. View Mario's website at www.mariodiab.com.
Michele Ostrove
Founder and editor-in-chief of Wine Adventure magazine and a writer for national and international food and travel publications. Featured in the new book, Women of the Vine by Deborah Brenner. Heard and seen on radio and TV: “The Grapevine” in Santa Barbara, “The Wine Ladies” in Ontario, “Good Libations” in Phoenix, KSRO’s “The Wine Guy” in Northern California, and NBC-TV's “Streetside San Diego.”
It’s always great when your kid introduces you to someone you like. That’s how I met Michele Ostrove, whose son had given me a copy of Wine Adventure magazine, the first wine magazine for women, where Michele was co-founder and editor-in-chief. Along with her wine expertise (she earned a chapter in the new book, Women of the Vine) she’s also knowledgeable about food-travel-lifestyle-for-women, having written articles for National Geographic Traveler, More, Sunset, and many other publications. Isn’t it nice to know we have someone else to burden with our wine-buying decisions and who can guide us to great wine/food/travel experiences? Just what snoety needed!
If you’d like to reach Michele contact her via michele@snoety.com
Stefanie Bryn Sacks
A Culinary nutritionist and a professionally trained chef with a Masters of Science in Nutrition from Columbia University, you may have seen Stefanie on Discovery "Health's National Body Challenge", ABC Eyewitness News' "Seven On Call," ABC News for National Soy Month, the TV Food Network and WOR-710's "Health Talk" or in publications such as Body and Soul Magazine, Teen Vogue, Oxygen, Self and Red.
When I first met Stefanie, I felt instant chemistry. This turned out to be well-founded. Within two weeks she had figured out a way to diminish my gastric distress. Turned out I had a problem with tannins (berries, tomatoes, vinegar, aged cheeses, chocolate, red wine) -- all the things I consumed on most days.
Stefanie jokingly calls herself a food therapist; I call her simply amazing. A little background: my husband is a bit of an extremist when it comes to food, yoga, the cosmos, and life, generally. So when he wanted to bring culinary nutritionist Stefanie into our lives, I was -- oh-another-one-- less than enthusiastic. He, of course, failed to tell me she had enormously impressive credentials -- a Masters of Science from Columbia University and she is a graduate of AnneMarie Colbin's Natural Gourmet Institute (the leader in health supportive culinary arts and theory). Plus she is affiliated with NYC's Beth Israel Continuum Center for Health and Healing; in addition to her private practice, she develops food and nutrition education programs for public and private schools and consults with community based organizations and corporations on food and nutrition related projects.
To guide you through a food lifestyle change, Stefanie will start with an in-home evaluation and move on to shopping education and hands on cooking instruction (using healthy -- actually tasty -- ingredients I was thrilled to introduce to our pantry). She'll even rid your cabinets of the "bad stuff" to make room for the healthy alternatives!
If you're a snoety subscriber, Stefanie will give you 10% off on your first consultation. Contact stefanie@snoety.com. View Stefanie's website at www.stefaniesacks.com.
Susan Burdick
Susan and her husband Bruce Burdick, both industrial designers, have been partners in The Burdick Group, one of the most fascinating design consultancies in San Francisco. Creating interiors, furniture and exhibits, they've attracted amazing clients that literally circled the globe, and to service them, so have they … traveling all over Europe and throughout Asia, and even the good ‘ol USA. Where their work didn’t take them, their passion for architecture, food, and trying out unexplored places did – from Northern India to Africa to the Baltics, Mexico, Tahiti, and islands beyond. And now that they limit their work to very special clients, they have even more time to travel, which is what they continue to do.
Unlike yours truly, Susan actually relishes the planning and logistics involved in taking a trip – be it a relatively simple one or something more complex like a boat trip down the Irrawaddy River (in Burma), a small boat charter along the Mediterranean in Turkey or a balloon adventure in Capadoccia, Turkey. All the more special, Susan brings her design sensibilities to her trip planning – always looking for unique places to stay and interesting places to visit. As a result, for years, she’s become the “go to” person for her friends (like me) who need travel advice.
Because we wanted an experienced traveler for our “Travel” area, rather than a travel agent, we’re thrilled Susan is with us. She’s going to share all her know how – the practical stuff she’s learned the hard way to make it that much easier for us.
Bon Voyage (or whatever) … have a great time!
Email susanburdick@snoety.com