My Reinvention personal project is about women who reinvent themselves midlife. Becoming a photographer in my 30s completely changed my life… for the way better…and I wanted to encourage people to never feel it’s never too late…we’re only going around once! I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Melissa Weinstock for around 5 years and have watched her go through a complete transformation from working at lululemon next door to our studio to owning her own fabulous athleisure brand, grace+GRIT. She also handled breast cancer with an incredible level of grace (and grit!). I was so interested to know more about how she handled these two major events while also being a mom of three teens…and what’s next now that she’s come out the other side. Please enjoy our interview below and enjoy some photos from our shoot where she brought her daughter, Sylvie, to model some of her grace+GRIT wear!

Make-up: Nicole Moleti Wardrobe: grace+GRIT.

Tell us how you reinvented yourself.

Right out of college I had a hard-core dream job as a business consultant, and then I shifted to stay-at-home-mom after having my second baby. After baby #3, I started a non-profit with two of my best friends, and when baby #1 went off to college two years ago, I ultimately fulfilled my dream of opening my own store. It wasn’t as seamless as those two sentences, but I can honestly say that it was a lot about being vulnerable and surrounding myself with smart, strong and good people.

I like to move and grow and honestly, I never want to stop. When I didn’t even realize I was itching, I was offered a job by lululemon before they opened in West Hartford Center. The job fell into my lap- literally when I was grocery shopping and met the soon-to-be store manager. (There’s a lesson right there- ALWAYS BE OPEN!) I loved working again- it was the beginning of my reinvention and incredibly refreshing to be pushed out of my comfort zone. The job was so much more than selling stretchy pants and lit a fire within me- I had to set one, five and ten year goals, take initiative to do things I had no idea how to do, and follow the lead of inspiring women twenty years my junior. I fell in love with retail and was literally evaluated on how much yoga I was practicing, so I, of course, fell in love with that too.

Fast forward three years and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was determined to keep working and made it through two chemo treatments, but my depleted immune system simply couldn’t handle the holiday season in West Hartford’s hottest store. I stopped working but yoga continued to be my saving ‘grace’ and helped me through my biggest battle to date, which I’m happy to say is fully behind me.

Add two more years and I take a magical yoga class with Kim Charboneau, co-owner of The Yoga Shop. Afterwards, we chat over granola, and I confide that I miss working. She asks me, on the spot, to open my own athletic wear boutique inside the West Hartford studio. I was terrified, yet bursting with excitement- that feeling when you know you have to go for it… that’s reinvention, right?

READ MORE OF OUR INTERVIEW HERE

My Reinvention personal project is about women who reinvent themselves midlife.  Becoming a photographer in my 30s completely changed my life…and I think sometimes you don’t know what you should be doing until 30/40/50.  Some of my subjects have made similar decisions, actively pursuing their dreams…some have had to change by necessity or new circumstance.  We did a photo shoot for Marie Claire magazine with Heather Abbott last year at her Newport home and I immediately felt she was a great inspiration and a great fit for the project which I hope inspires women to believe in themselves and take action.

It’s almost been two years since the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  Heather Abbott was watching the marathon with friends, and the second blast hit her lower left leg.  Injuries were so bad she had to have the lower leg amputated.

Heather’s such a nice, upbeat person–and she’s been a huge inspiration to others in a role that’s redefined her life.  She’s grown The Heather Abbott foundation to support fellow amputees pay for their medical costs and live life to the fullest.  Many people don’t realize the high costs that amputees face.  Please visit her website and consider donating:  www.heatherabbottfoundation.org.

As part of the Reinvention project, we asked Heather some questions about her experience and life.  Wonderful, thoughtful answers–thanks so much Heather!!

What have you learned about yourself since the bombing?

A lot.  I’ve learned that I’m more resilient than I ever imagined that I could be.  I’ve learned which people I can count on and really value in my life.  I’ve been amazed at how many people I’ve met who have chosen careers that provide physical or emotional help to others, rather than focusing on contributing to Corporate America and making money.  And I’ve learned to become a much more compassionate and understanding person, especially as it relates to dealing with people with disabilities.  I’ve also learned that shoes and clothes and hair and make up are still important to me, amputee or not 🙂

How did all this change your feelings about your life’s purpose?

How is your rehab going?

Any formal rehab is pretty much finished at this point.  I haven’t visited the PT regularly in quite a while, however I do still take advantage of certain workshops to improve my gait and/or running skills.  At this point, I’m still learning to navigate through everyday life and unexpected circumstances as an amputee.  Snow and ice are always a challenge and trying to integrate some of the physical activities that I enjoyed with two legs has been …interesting… to learn to do with one (yoga, for example).  It was really only after completing most of my physical rehab that I’ve begun to deal with the emotional part.  Understanding that my life will really never be the same, that an actual person did this to me on purpose and that I’m part of the American population that’s considered “handicapped” really didn’t hit me until about a year after the bombing.  So, that type of rehab is ongoing and I’m learning to deal and live with those aspects as time goes on.

In photographing my reinvention project I meet people who re-evaluate their life’s purpose, oftentimes focusing their energy and passion to help make other people’s lives richer.

Over the past two years I’ve had pleasure of getting to know a little about a wonderful woman, Linda Gelfond.  As Linda writes…”It seems that more often than not, in today’s world, we have come to recognize that life’s various twists and turns are not only surprising, but also expected.  Moreover, these changes have come to be celebrated. The challenge is to catch these curves balls and create a whole new ball field, in which we not only function, but also thrive.  I began my professional life as a CPA and internal auditor, with a career at a Wall Street firm.  I now find myself an educator, working with children who are struggling readers, and wholly committed to an array of not-for-profit activities. I work hard to make a real difference in the lives of children and their parents.  I’m indeed fortunate to have these opportunities, but wise enough to have grabbed opportunities that add meaning and depth to my life.  So much so, that if my personal circumstances hadn’t changed, my life wouldn’t have become so fulfilling.”

Linda added a terrific quote by Maria Robinson that sums up reinvention:  “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.�

One of the non-profits that Linda works with is Project Cicero, which each year “collects 150,000 books and distribute to 1,000+ NYC public school teachers who teach in under-resourced schools.”  Please spread the word about the good that Project Cicero does.

Thanks so much Linda for your participation in my project and your wisdom!!

We had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Heather Abbott, who lost her lower leg from the Boston Marathon bombing one year ago, for Marie Claire’s April 2014 edition.  A super friendly woman, Heather has not only coped with healing herself, she’s been an inspiration to so many others,   A super friendly woman, Heather has not only coped with healing herself, she’s been an inspiration to so many others, sharing her story with the world from the Rachael Ray show to the season opener of the Boston Red Sox.  We are excited that Heather will be part of Jane’s Reinvention project coming soon.  Please visit Heather’s Recovery Fund site where you can read more about her progress and leadership.  Way to go Heather!!  See more photos from the shoot here!

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Shelley Dodd, our good friend and design muse for our new studio in West Hartford Center, had her turn in our natural light studio for our reStore project.  Shelley’s a West Hartford-based interior designer with an amazing design sense–she had a strong vision for the store from the beginning and we love all the elements she chose to make it beautiful…thanks so much Shelley!!  Shelley and her husband Matt and their three adorable kids live in West Hartford.  For a design consultation you can reach Shelley at belle_dodd@comcast.net.

The puzzle for us was always my Husband’s job as the work opportunities up here aren’t quite as diverse and plentiful as in Connecticut.  I wouldn’t take no for an answer and just kept believing it would work out, and eventually when he approached his boss about moving he was offered the opportunity to work from home – perfect! It’s been a bit of a transition for my business to still try and work with clients in Connecticut but it’s worth the extra logistics to be up here without a doubt.

Well we miss you a lot but looking forward to more weekends away together!  You can check out Amanda’s business, Orchard Cove Photography, here.

Man und Machine–Jim Burns and his German LÄGLER wood floor sander, the Mercedes of sanders, spent a lot of time transforming our studio floor…no more blue industrial carpet!  Thank you Jim!  Jim’s business, JB Flooring is out of Granby, CT.  Jim’s been in the business for many years but also raced motorcross!  He can be reached at 860.209.7326.

When it comes to West Hartford Center, RLMCo are the local experts by far.  Richard Mahoney ran the commercial real estate management company until he passed away in 2011, and this tribute in the Hartford Courant shows how much he helped make West Hartford Center a better, more vibrant place over the past decades.  Today RLMCo is run by Richard’s son Mike, and his other son Dan is the property manager or “Mr. Fix-it” as he described the pitch his dad and brother made to bring him into the family business.  Dan’s  recently put in a thermopaned window to bring lots more light into the space…thanks Dan!  Love your beard by the way!  Dan’s hobbies include woodworking and raising labs (close to our heart…wonderful family dogs!)…you can check out Dan and his wife’s non-profit at labrescuect.com.  RLMCo is located at 10 North Main Street in West Hartford Center.

If it’s Tuesday afternoon then John Bollash is getting his Zen on, wallpapering to the New Age sounds of WWUH (91.3 FM), the University of Hartford’s college station.

We met John a few years back when he wallpapered our dining room and bathroom.  For the new studio, Shelley, our designer, pitched the idea of papering the ceiling with a big patterned Anthropologie wallpaper.  We almost passed on it…but at the last minute went for it, got John on the phone and he got it done.  So here’s reStore #2:  John of John Bollash Wallpapering in Manchester (phone 860.645.9343).  Thanks John, love the wallpaper!

For the past month we’ve been busy getting our new studio ready in West Hartford Center.  I wanted to do a personal photo project on the fixing-up process, so being a people photographer I decided to focus on the people who helped bring it all about.  I’m a big fan of small business so I am thrilled that everyone has been so open to being photographed.  Here’s installment #1 of my reStore project: Seamus.

His name is Paul but his company is Seamus Painting.  Actually his middle name is Seamus and that’s what his family calls him…besides, as he says, Paul’s Painting just doesn’t have the ring that Seamus Painting has.  Paul’s an upbeat, personable guy who’s dad to three boys and lives in West Hartford.  He coaches basketball and baseball, the latter with the West Hartford Little League–where he’s also helped to create the Miracle League baseball field on Trout Brook Drive–the first such field for special needs kids in New England.

Seamus Painting provides power-washing and interior and exterior painting….and his crew did a great job on our studio!  You can reach Paul / Seamus at 860.965.1362 or seamuspainting@comcast.net.  Thanks Paul for a fun shoot!