Lacey Johnson

‘Shark Tank’ Contender Daymond John Gets Candid About His Private Moments to the Top

Written by Lacey Johnson | Aug 10, 2018 | Cover Stories, Success

It was Good Friday 1989. Standing on the pavement outside of the Colosseum Mall, on the corner of 165th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York, a 20 year-old tried to be discreet as he examined his wad of cash. He thumbed through the crumpled bills, counting them and smoothing them out one-by-one, disbelieving that he was turning a $40 fabric purchase (funded by long hours spent working at fast-food restaurants and busing tables), coupled with days buried in his mother’s basement while curled into a sewing machine, into $800 worth of hat sales. But he knew it...

Woolworth on 5th: This Iconic Southern Eatery Welcomes All to Sit at Their Table

Written by Lacey Johnson | Aug 8, 2018 | Diversity, Food

“A lady named Francis came in to show me where she was when a white woman put a cigarette out on her arm,” says Tom Morales, successful restaurateur and Founder of TomKats Hospitality in Nashville, Tennessee, while attempting to convey the sense of purpose and responsibility he holds for his most recent venture — the renovated Woolworth on 5th. “She still has the scar from it, too. But when I took her to the lunch counter and showed her around the restaurant, she was all smiles.” Although the majority of Nashville residents likely remember the 30,000-square-foot building at 221...

Self-Love Expert Lori Harder Wants You to Harness Your Tribe & Soar

Written by Lacey Johnson | Aug 7, 2018 | Empowerment, Health & Beauty, Spotlight

In a tiny town in Michigan, there once lived a girl who had dreams too big for the labels she had been asked to hide behind. Her childhood was laced with anxiety, religious oppression, and the ache of unbelonging. Some days she escaped the pain and teasing with binge eating. Other days she amplified it with thoughts that tormented her, hissing, “You’ll never be good enough.” She wanted to be one of those girls — the desired and invited ones. The ones granted a seat at any table of their choosing. But under the layers upon layers of bullying...

Cactus Moon Retreat in the Mojave Desert Has Become a Magical Place for Thousands

Written by Lacey Johnson | Aug 7, 2018 | Travel

How does a born and bred New Yorker, who is accustomed to its swarms of bodies filling the subway, its ambitious spirit and its frenetic pulse, come to be one who creates an atmosphere of serenity in the high desert of California — where the yucca plants are abundant, and the rabbits scurry across the terrain in meditative quietude? “I came to Southern California 27 years ago and I didn’t get it at first. I missed walking amongst people in the street. But I learned that there is a different kind of energy — one where people come to...

CEO & Founder of Lovesac Offers Stunning Advice for Every Entrepreneur

Written by Lacey Johnson | May 8, 2018 | Business, Spotlight, Success

A little more than a week after graduating from high school, an 18 year-old Shawn Nelson was reclining into his newfound freedom, lounging on the couch one summer morning, watching “The Price Is Right” while munching on a bowl of Captain Crunch. Wouldn’t it be funny to make the world’s largest bean bag, he thought. The idea popped into his head in an unremarkable way, much like most ideas do. Except, rather than letting it pass over him like a cloud, he asked that it loop back through a few more times before, finally, reaching up and grabbing a...

Producer Tony Brown Is Asking the Biggest Names in Music History to Take a Seat

Written by Lacey Johnson | Apr 27, 2018 | Arts & Entertainment, Spotlight, The American Dream

The year was 1975. Elvis Presley and his band members were gathered at his Palm Springs, Calif. ranch home, playing through some of his most beloved gospel songs. During a short break, Presley turned his attention to his newbie pianist, 28 year-old Tony Brown. Brown had recently transitioned from his first major gig with the Oak Ridge Boys to play with The King, who he recalls as being “the most beautiful, coolest cat I’d ever seen,” and “someone who never quite figured out he was Elvis Presley.” Presley called out to Brown without warning, asking, “What are you doing...

Lewis Howes: From a Career-Ending Injury to Spreading Global Greatness

Written by Lacey Johnson | Apr 27, 2018 | Business, Cover Stories

Lewis Howes settled into his chair on the set of “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” positioned across from its iconic host. His heart raced as the cameras rolled. It was not the first time he had walked across that stage and engaged in a dance with Degeneres, his hip bumping playfully against hers. And it was not the first time she would interview him about his turbulent and winding journey to becoming a New York Times bestselling author and internationally celebrated podcast host – recognized in 2013 by President Barack Obama as one of the Top Entrepreneurs Under 30. This...

The Smithsonian American Art Museum: Where the Imaginations of Americans Live On

Written by Lacey Johnson | Apr 2, 2018 | Arts & Entertainment

In the frenetic hub of downtown Washington, D.C., less than a mile from the White House, where politicians pass by with their briefcases and cups of coffee, and tourists pass by with their curiosities, there reverberates the heartbeat of American art. Stretching across two city blocks, it stands a dignified playground where the ghosts of American imaginations, past and present, are not buried, but live on without reservation. The craftsmanship of more than 7,000 pioneers are venerated inside – from Italian Renaissance contender Leonardo da Vinci, to abstract expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler to fashion and portrait photographer (and popular...

Holler & Dash Is Serving Up Hot Biscuits, Modern Style & Age-Old Tradition

Written by Lacey Johnson | Jan 8, 2018 | Business, Food, Success

Cracker Barrel’s executive team gathered around a table inside of their home office in Lebanon, Tenn., strategizing for methods to continue growing the brand while broadening their demographic. It was 2015 and the company was nearing $3 billion in annual revenue. But Millennials were predicted to become the leading spenders in the years to come, and many of them only ever frequented the Old Country Store with their parents and grandparents. How was Cracker Barrel going to capture their attention? The executives tossed ideas around the room, only the best ones landing onto the whiteboard. Soon, a concept emerged...

Become Your Healthiest Version This Year, Starting Right Where You Are

Written by Lacey Johnson | Dec 30, 2017 | Empowerment, Health & Beauty, Inspiration

“Please unleash the demon that has taken up residence in my neck. I’m desperate,” I begged the stranger sitting in front of me, in between grimaces. The stranger, Brendan Sweetman – a well-respected therapist in the field of bodywork – was referred to me by a trusted healthcare provider. I had been experiencing intermittent episodes of painful muscular tightness for several years. On that day, my discomfort level was so bothersome, I was unable to focus on fast-approaching deadlines. Sweetman assessed my posture while inquiring about my history of injuries and activities. Then he proceeded to ask more personal...