Leah Stacy
Leah Stacy is an editor, a journalist, a professor and a media entrepreneur. She’s a wife, a daughter, a devoted friend, a sister and a cat mom. She’s a pioneer, an initiator and a tastemaker. She is easily one of the most effective millennials we know. And then, as if Leah’s resume was not already impressive enough, she recently co-founded and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Rochester, New York’s newest online food & drink culture magazine, Boomtown Table, while also co-creating Upstate Social, the city’s first social media conference of its kind, now in its second year. As a professor at Nazareth College in upstate New York, Leah works to develop and teach new media courses never taught before at the school. She has dedicated her entrepreneurial prowess to opening up new conversations in her community. It’s her "head-hustle-heart" philosophy that naturally inspires this conscious communication. Leah is a woman doing it all and doing it all well. Although her calendar is packed full every day, she still made time to share with P+S the seven things making her life great right now. 1 | ERA Organics Natural Face Moisturizer-- This is like yogurt-meets-the-best-face-lotion-you’ve-ever-tried stuff. (Seriously, it even smells like yogurt.) I’ve struggled with sensitive skin– breakout prone, dry, t-zone– my entire life, and always had to switch lotions according to season. (Holler New York four seasons life!) I started using this lotion about a year ago when I was getting dry patches on my eyelids and it completely transformed my skin. Dryness goes away with just a dab of this, and it works better than any zit zapper, too. The best part? I can buy it through Amazon Smile and a portion of the cost is donated to my local food bank.2 | Getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night-- I keep reading the phrase “sleeplessness is not a badge of honor” on social media these days, and I’m glad that news is getting around. I used to feel bad if I worked until 1 or 2am and then slept until 9 or 10am the next day. I’m a night owl who doesn’t function well on little sleep. Women need sleep– even more so than men. (It’s a proven, researched fact.) So if I’m hustling until the wee hours of the morning you better believe I’m going to sleep in. Because I deserve it.3 | Lavanila The Healthy Fragrance-- I never thought I’d be one of those chicks with a rollerball perfume in her purse (isn’t that for like ... grandmas?) but I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to the Lavanila rollers. I found them through an Ipsy subscription and one ended up in my bag one night when I was out on the town. Turns out, it won’t leak and it has a lasting (but not overwhelming) scent. I was hooked! I wear True Vanilla in colder months, but I’ve just switched to Vanilla Coconut for the warmer months.4 | My better half-- Okay okay, I know it’s cheesy, but it’s just true. My husband is currently out of town for work and I’m sitting here thinking about how much I rely on him for advice, enjoy his home cooked meals (he’s a much better chef than I am), and cherish his general friendship. We’re going on year eight together and I think it’s really easy to take the other person for granted at this stage in a relationship. His absence is a good reminder to treat him– every single day– in a way that shows how much I value and love him.5 | An Audible subscription-- I’m commuting to another city for six weeks to teach a summer session course at a large university and while I’m psyched about the gig, I’m not so keen on the drive. My husband recommended we get an Audible subscription so I can listen to “all those books I was going to read this summer” while I’m in the car for that three hour, three-days-a-week commute. Looks like it’s finally time for me to dig into the Harry Potter series!6 | Unplugging to spend time with people-- My iPhone was broken for about two weeks not too long ago, and it meant I couldn’t access apps or social media or a browser unless I was connected to WIFI. Until that happened, I didn’t realize how much I was using that little contraption– in the car, at dinner or happy hour with other people, at my parents’ house... Bottom line, I should have been spending time with the humans in front of me, not the ones in my little shiny screen. Since most of my work is based on the Internet, it does become very easy to work ALL THE TIME. Now, I’m leaving my phone in a pocket or purse a lot. Sometimes, I even leave it in the car or at home. The notifications will still be there when I get back.7 | Matcha-- Rochester, NY is not what I’d call a ‘warm’ city– at least not for a solid seven months of the year. I rely on hot beverages, hot showers, and down-filled parkas to keep me happy enough to function most months. When we get a break from snow in the late spring and summer, I don’t feel like drinking coffee (unless it’s a good cold brew). I usually switch to tea, and this year I’m looking forward to iced Matcha. It has more caffeine than coffee, without the jittery letdown. Peak productivity, here I come!Photo credit: Olya Myers Photography
