Weavings #12

Our lives are not handed to us fully formed. Instead, we have the opportunity to weave them into existence: to merge our passions with the world’s needs. This week’s Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast guests have done just that. Listen in to show #12, “Weavings,” and be inspired!

Guests include: Jill McGowan, Clothing Designer, of Jill McGowan, Inc., Alex Rheault of the Quimby Colony and Maine College of Art (MECA) and Sarah Armentrout of Carlisle Riding Academy and EQuest.

Guests

Jill McGowan, clothing designer

Jill McGowan

Jill McGowan, Clothing Designer, started Jill McGowan, Inc. in 1994 with two guiding principles: to create beautiful clothing that is comfortable & fashionable, and to make clothing of quality that will endure fashion changes and wear well.

Her first line of clothing was a series of white shirts. This line was inspired by her work as a patternmaker in the men’s shirt industry. After comparing her work on men’s shirts to women’s clothing of equal price, she realized the genuine need to improve the standard of women’s clothing. Jill’s shirts and seasonal collections are now available in over 300 speciality stores around the country and her work has been featured in several publications including Women’s Wear Daily, Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times, Victoria, Real Simple, Rescue and More magazines, and the online fashion site: Daily Candy, Maine Magazine, Down East and the Boston Globe.

Jill McGowan Retail, the company’s flagship store, opened in November 2010 in Freeport Maine.

Artist, curator and writer Alex Rheault serves at Chair of Illustration and assistant professor at MECA

Alex Rheault

Alex Rheault of the Quimby Colony and MECA is an artist, independent curator and writer living in Portland Maine since 2001.

Alex serves as Chair of Illustration and assistant professor at MECA, is the artistic director of Quimby Colony’s Fashion, Costume, and Textile arts program, and founder of drawing room, a roving community-focused art project. Alex is dedicated to inclusive and collaborative projects and brings people together through communal creative acts. She celebrates the curiosity, passion, and willingness we all possess, and strives to support expansive thinking, open-ended process-focused activities. Alex adapts experimentation with materials to build skills, working with themes that ground a sense of connection, and in turn, inspire discovery and awareness.

More from the Show

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Our “Give Back” segment featured Sarah Armentrout of Carlisle Riding Academy and Equest.  Sarah, along with husband Nick, co-founded Equest Therapeutic Riding Center in 1998. Sarah served as Executive Director for all of Equest’s 12 years. As Head of School in their new enterprise, Sarah combines her passion for horses with a desire to serve her community, and today is involved in all aspects of managing Carlisle Academy, from organizational oversight to fiscal and strategic planning. Sarah has been in the field of equine-assisted therapy since 1995 when she was first certified as an instructor for Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH, Int.).

Now an Advanced Level PATH instructor with a keen interest in developing the para-equestrian sports side of the program, Sarah enjoys helping her students reach their personal goals. Prior to Carlisle Academy and Equest, Sarah managed the Corporate Giving Program and eventually directed the Corporate Communications Department at Tom’s of Maine. She currently is Vice Chair of the York County Grantmaking Committee of the Maine Community Foundation

Our financial wellness tip of the week is brought to you by Tom Shepard of Shepard Financial. While Dr. Lisa Radio Hour business advisor, Marci Booth of BOOTH Maine, offers better business tips, Ted Carter of Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes shares important talking points, and Black Bear Medical covers health and fitness updates.