Life + Culture

The Black Poster Project

Article by Kris Pepper | Photography by Lisa Ambrose and Kris Pepper Dee Gillen created the Black Poster Project after losing her son, Scott, to an overdose. While preparing for an overdose awareness event in 2019, she felt it would be an impactful visual to have posters of lost loved ones displayed behind the event speakers.  What began with 50 awareness posters is now up to nearly 700. Each poster that enters the display is made at the request of the grieving family at no cost to them. The...

May 2024

Health + Wellness

OHM Fitness

Suit Up and Transform Your Body Article by Kris Pepper | Photography by Jeremy Lebled Strength training for women continues to be an important topic in the health and fitness world. Developing strength can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis as we age. The Hospital for Special Surgery website states, “Strength training builds better bones, keeps joints in proper alignment, helps improve sports performance, and reduces the risk of injury.”   Both women and men who want to...

April 2024

Beauty

Beauty in Balance

Ran Rubenstein, MD Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Specialists Article by Kris Pepper | Photography by Charissa H. Yong According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 26.2 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic and reconstructive procedures were performed in the United States in 2022, and a 19% increase in cosmetic surgery procedures since 2019. No matter what your thoughts are on plastic surgery, we all can agree that cosmetic treatments that were once best-kept secrets are now...

April 2024

Health + Wellness

Pure Barre

Get Connected to a New Type of Workout! Article by Kris Pepper | Photography by Clara Wang Step inside Pure Barre in Park Ridge, and you’ll get a healthy dose of spirit and energy—before you even set your grippy-socked foot onto the studio floor. The excitement is contagious as people congregate and chat before and after their workouts. Co-owned by Kim Seelig of Park Ridge, Pure Barre offers a full-body, low-impact (yet high-intensity) workout that strengthens and tones muscles while boosting...

April 2024