Why do I still feel guilty? (And how to stop it) | CAROL

Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. STOP APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR CHOICES, as long as they are choices you’ve made purposefully. Own them, proudly and respectfully. We are more than a product of our families, our societies, or our generations. We each have our own unique set of needs, passions, interests, values, and beliefs. Examine all of them and decide if any of them need to be challenged or pursued.

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My Second Mid-Life Crisis: How To Survive the Roller Coaster of Aging | CAROL

These decade milestone birthdays are tough ones for many of us, especially when how we feel does not match up with our associations of age. I remember when my grandmother turned 50 and said that she was “half a hundred.” Now that I’m a full decade past that, I am sometimes not sure how to resolve this disconnect between how old I am and how I feel.  So, here are a few of my tips for aging gracefully.....well, if not quite gracefully, at least with a sassy attitude :)

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Hello, Is Anybody Listening? | COURTNEY

Courtney Kenefick is an Editor and Special Projects Manager at the design magazine Surface  in New York City. Courtney joined Surface in 2015 as their assistant fashion editor. Previously, she worked as an assistant fashion editor at Travel and Leisure magazine, and interned for the magazines SeventeenWomen’s Health and SHAPE. Courtney graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In her spare time (which is never enough) Courtney likes to run, travel, cook, read, watch football, and do yoga. She is obsessed with her nieces and nephews and tries to see them as often as she can. 

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Make Your Mark | DEVIN THORPE

We at The Villa are so pleased to introduce to our growing Villa community our friend and like-minded passionate do-gooder, Devin Thorpe. Devin is a corporate social responsibility advocate, a crowdfunding speaker and trainer, a published author, new media journalist, Forbes contributor, and, ardent champion of social good.

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Share The Load | International Women's Day 2018

Recently, a French cartoonist’s feminist comic strip, “You Should’ve Asked”, went viral. Originally posted in French, it has since been translated to English and shared over 200k times on Facebook. “You Should’ve Asked” addresses the Mental Load – an invisible responsibility carried almost exclusively by women. For International Women’s Day 2018, our team at the Villa Blog decided to look more deeply into this topic. We’ve collaborated on this post, as well as the short video that summarizes our own collective experiences.  

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Sell Everything and Start Over in Italy At 56 | LISA CONDIE

After ending a 23 year marriage, Lisa made an abrupt decision to sell everything she owned and move to Italy. She was terrified - but it felt right. She started all over again with little to her name. Since, she's started her own successful touring company in Tuscany, become a featured writer for Huffington Post, won a spot in the "50 over 50" out of thousands of applicants, and made an appearance on The Today Show. Lisa's story teaches us that it's never too late to reinvent yourself and life isn't over until it's over.

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I never thought I wanted to be a mom | KISKA

Kiska lives in London, England with her husband and baby son. While she was born and raised in the United States, Kiska’s love affair with England began in college where she spent a semester abroad in London. Her husband is a native Brit and they lived in the U.S. prior to moving to London. Her story will resonate with many women, especially millennial women, who are not necessarily following in their parents footsteps. Instead, they are doing it in their own way. 

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Meet the Girls Series | MAKESH

This is Makesh. Makesh is 13 years old and one of the Girls on Fire Leaders. She loves to design t-shirts and would like to model. Her job at Girls on Fire Leaders is to design their t-shirts. She also hiked with us one day and was happy and laughed A LOT! We'll be posting videos of her and other GOF leaders very soon!

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Africa | THE VILLA

There is an old African proverb: “The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.”  And what our hearts have seen this past week in Kenya is almost impossible to describe in words.  We can’t think of any way better to describe what we have seen than through photographs.

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