Who Runs the World...Women Who Dream

Courage is the ability to connect with another human and share our truth. I discuss this in the book and live it weekly on socials.  If we take a step back and evaluate our lives, it is in the moments of connection that yield the keys forward, unlocking healing, learning, growth, resources, and, ultimately, our next steps toward a better life. The value of our connections are predicated on honesty and a willingness to be seen. 

I made a promise years ago, after cancer, to be courageous and live a life I was proud of. This includes opening myself up, connecting, releasing my judgements, and letting others see me. What others think of me, of course, is none of my business, but I go to sleep a little lighter knowing that my experiences are being used as resources for others. I am here to remind you that our stories have the ability to heal and our truth is our power. 

How can the same story sound different? Well, listen for yourself. These conversations are with three incredible women and each one captures a unique point. AND!!! Remember the “choose our own adventure” books when we were younger? Listen to the podcast with the phrase that resonates with you most: 

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This is a nourishing conversation and a new one. Instead of going back to how I built the life I am living now, we start from where I am today. This is an honest dialogue between two dear friends with an exciting announcement towards the end. 

I have known Brittany Driscoll of the Girlfriends and Business podcast for a few years. She cohosts the show along with Drybar founder Alli Webb and Lite Pink founder Lori Harder, which is a must-listen and one of the top business podcasts on the charts today. Brittany is the cofounder and CEO of Squeeze, is a top tier entrepreneur - and I am proud to call her my friend. Our conversation is honest; we laughed, dropped a few F-bombs, and most importantly we discussed the days that followed the book release. This conversation is important to me because it is safe and I really open up about the sensitivities that follow completing a dream. I don’t think many people discuss this and I am. Take a listen if you want to feel like you’re at the table with us dreaming, sharing, and supporting.

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Do you ever cross paths with someone for the first time and instantly sense a connection? I am grateful for these kismet moments. For me, these are little signs we are on the right path. It was an honor to have such a fun and transparent conversation with the sensational Aliza Licht of the Leave Your Mark podcast. 

We discuss everything from gymnastics to Michael Angelo, to the days of living in operating rooms to my visualization ritual that has helped me achieve my wildest dreams. If you are wanting an expansive conversation into visualization, then this is a conversation for you. Tune in to listen and start thinking about how you want to leave your mark!

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I feel like this has been the theme of my life and if you are at the “I am not sure'' phase - or the “I am paralyzed with fear” phase - this is the podcast for you. This is an honest glimpse into how I built my career, with all the life pivots and waking up from autopilot, with a fellow creative Caylie Lane of The Life and Style podcast.

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Expansive conversations are a companion to us during tough times and they also can breathe new life into our day. To listen to a few more vulnerable conversations, feel free to click through below: 

1. If you need a light filled pick me up. . .
   Listen to my conversation with Mallory Ervin on her Living Fully podcast. 

2. If you want to incorporate more mental wellness and self-care. . .
   Listen to my conversation with Alex Elle on her Hey Girl Podcast. 

3. If you need additional support and comfort  with your own life pivots and courage. . .
   Listen to my conversation with Julie Soloman on The Influencer Podcast.

4. If you want an honest conversation about religion, politics, and everything unplanned for while sitting with us over a glass of wine at dinner. . .
   Listen to a grounded dialogue between friends with Elsie Larson on her A Beautiful Mess Podcast. 

5. If you want to learn how I protect my energy and you can too. . .
   Listen to a loving conversion with Caroline Hobby on her Get Real Podcast.

Culinary immersion with Alyssa Rosenheck, Maneet Chauhan, and The Bitter Southerner

Heritage is often tied to our culinary traditions. We love and learn through food. I remember growing up in the kitchen with my mom. It became less about what she was cooking and more about the stories that traveled with family recipes. This is where I learned and took pride in my Jewish and Italian heritage, and this is when we would sit around the table and light candles to commemorate the living traditions that were not only time-honored but helped shape a foundation for identity and resilience. 

I recently had the pleasure to explore a culinary mecca in Nashville with my dear friend Maneet Chauhan. For those who aren't familiar with Maneet, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and turn to page 286 of The New Southern Style to see how this changemaker is shifting the culinary landscape in the South. Together we explored the important neighborhood in South Nashville along Nolensville Pike, which is home to one of the largest refugee resettlement populations in the United States. 

According to Avi Mediratta at Vanderbilt University, refugee groups who are  Sudanese, Somali, Kurdish, Bosnian, and Hispanic have come to smaller Southern cities “partially because in 2001, the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) chose three nontraditional locations in the South as new targets for incoming refugees. The idea was that new refugee communities could be built in these cities and have a relatively larger political influence in smaller cities rather than large ones.”

Exploring this neighborhood and all it has to offer through the lens of a foodie was a gift in and of itself. Maneet and I were with The Bitter Southerner’s crew as we blocked off our afternoon, tuned out the outside world, and dialed into what mattered most — connection to food and connection to heritage.  

Here are the spots we visited during our time together:

• Surati Indian Street Food

• Patel Brothers

• Taqueria Express Food Truck

• K&S World Market

• La Conchita Panaderia y Pasteleria

• Baraka International Market & Bakery

• Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine

To read more about our must visit food markets and restaurant list, check out the beautiful feature with The Bitter Southerner, and for a few of my family recipes, click here or here to watch. 

If you’re inspired to donate to an organization that supports refugees in Nashville after reading and watching — as I hope you are — here are three to explore:

• Nashville International Center for Empowerment

• Casa Azafran

• World Relief

To help refugees around the world, head here for a comprehensive list.

Subscribe for updates, announcements & book tour locations!

Alyssa’s debut Coffee Table book, The New Southern, Out now via Abrams!

How to Battle Burnout with Creativity with Alyssa Rosenheck and Soho House

It is such an honor to be a Soho House Expert when it comes to Creativity! I was recently asked to share my tips on how to counteract burnout with creativity. As a proud member, I am grateful for the community Soho House continues to cultivate and share (not to mention their swoon-worthy aesthetic) .  

I like to return to my “Why” with most things in life. And full transparency, I struggle when I turn on the news. I feel heavy and helpless when I read misinformation on social media. It is hard these days to take a casual scroll for inspiration without running into stress and feeling the weight of the world. It is very easy to spiral from there, but I am here to say PAUSE and return to our baseline — Conscious Consumption and Creativity. 

Here is the good news: We have so many tools at our fingertips to alleviate our daily stress! Creativity is one of them — one I didn’t discover until later in life. One of the quickest ways to feel connected to ourselves and others is through creativity. Creativity may be used as an antidote to stress and stress is often a precursor to burnout. Creativity connects us to ourselves by helping us identify our inner needs.  It allows us to be present, process our feelings while offering a calming and nourishing practice. 

For more information and my quick and easy steps — Watch a Two Minute Video I created for Soho House. Save this for later when you need a kind and gentle companion to self care. 

For my two main tips to consider this week…

How to incorporate more creativity into our daily lives? 

1. Work with your hands: this can be cooking, gardening, floral arranging, making a vision board, and or framing artwork in your home.

2. Learn a new skill - photography, a new instrument, learn to write a song, morning pages, poetry, painting, and or styling.

I am so grateful for your time as you watch this video, and allow creativity to make the world feel a little more nourishing for you this week! I encourage ALL of us to incorporate more creativity into our lives, and, for those who have a copy on hand of The New Southern Style, check out pages 312-315 for “childlike is the new grown up” with additional  tips on ways you can do this TODAY!

Treat yourself! I am offering signed and personalized copies of THE NEW SOUTHERN STYLE that may be purchased through our local Nashville book store, Parnassus Books. They ship nationally and this is the perfect gift that will reconnect you to your creative power and cultivate the strength of community. This is a gift that keeps giving.

Subscribe for updates, announcements & book tour locations!

Alyssa’s debut Coffee Table book, The New Southern, Out now via Abrams!

A Mini Film For YOU!!! (and How To Launch A Book in a Pandemic)

Video: Josh + Keturah Bishop, A Window In a Tunnel

If 2020 has taught us anything, it has been a lesson on hope, community, creative courage, and compassion. With all the pain we felt with lives and jobs lost, racial uprisings, tornadoes, bombings, and trauma — I still found small moments of hope. I believe it is important to celebrate and communicate what we accomplished this year during what felt like an impossible time. 

What were these moments for you? What did your moments of joy look like?

For me, I published a book in the middle of a global pandemic. I documented this for you since we were unable to physically be together, but remained connected regardless of a canceled book tour. I want this minidocumentary to serve as an expansive reminder of how resilient we are. Save it and refer back to it when you, yourself need to be reminded of your innate gifts and the community you have around you. I will look back at this moment in time with pride and resilience, and have it serve me as a wellspring of courage for future moments. How we take up space and the change we want to see in the world starts with us and comes from within.

Looking back, I wrote this book for this specific time in history. It is disguised as a design book but it is actually so much more. My images, my words, our conversations are meant to challenge old beliefs. This is a book grounded in cultural change, where we humanize and honor our differences through the lens of creativity. This book is for you, and I hope it inspires more creative courage, more hope, and more community in your own life. 

A special thank you to my team that believed in me and worked hard to support this vision and project. Enjoy, and let this video serve as a connection point to the community we’re building together!

For the holidays, I am offering signed and personalized copies of THE NEW SOUTHERN STYLE that may be purchased through our local Nashville book store, Parnassus Books. They ship nationally and this is the perfect gift that will reconnect you to your creative power and cultivate the strength of community. This is a gift that keeps giving.

Subscribe for updates, announcements & book tour locations!

Alyssa’s debut Coffee Table book, The New Southern, Out now via Abrams!