When it comes to defining beauty, there is perhaps no harder lesson to teach your daughter. My Anna is, of course, beautiful. Inside and out. But as a very young child she’d sit on my lap and look out at the world not quite sure what to make of it. I knew this because I could feel her heart, her hesitation, her confusion. I contrasted her need to stay close with other kids in our Mommy + Me classes who merrily played, giggled and crawled about while Anna sat safely in the warmth of my arms. I knew this would shift, of course, for my child is someone who always takes her time. Now that she’s 24 she has not only gotten up and gotten bold with a heaping helping of badass courage that takes my breath away—she has explored time and again what it means to her —happy, comfortable in her own skin. This is her beauty. As always, Anna (like her brother Dylan) is my teacher.

I share this as I now live across the country from my kids, having moved to Claremont CA last fall. The reasons that brought me here will perhaps be discussed and described another time. Suffice it to say that my journey is fueled by my search to find the beauty of life—my own, others, the world. This desire has led me to explore the magnificence of living in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the possibilities that the west coast offers, and the opportunity to take graduate school classes and live in a new home with new friends, Raven and Veronica—Millennials who are getting their PhDs. I love listening to how these young women perceive the world and learning about their dreams and vision of the beautiful future they are creating for themselves

In this first issue of 2020 issue of Inkandescent Women magazine, I invite you to explore the concept of what it means to be beautiful. You’ll glean insight from our cover story feature on soccer phenom Joanna Lohman, as well as the 8 women in our sidebar articles who share their thoughts and insights on the topic. It’s deep, it’s personal, it’s beautifully complex—as we all are.

To pave our way, I turn to the magic of Byron Katie, who in her wisdom and exercises of inquiry always provides the deepest understanding with the simplest ideas. She says: “If you realized how beautiful you are, you would fall at your own feet.” I’ll meet you on the mat. Love, Hope