The Patterson family is a tribe of women unlike any I’ve ever met. The bond between the six fierce sisters makes it clear to any outsider that to these women, family always has and always will come first. It’s a loud family full of big feelings, big opinions, and big love, and at the head of it all is Patricia Patterson, a matriarch in the truest sense of the word. I met Dr. Sandra Combs at Roebling Point Books & Coffee on a rainy Sunday, laughing at times, tearing up at others, as she talked about the mother that made her family what it is today.
I’m overjoyed to see Dr. Sandra Combs walk through the door of Roebling Point Books & Coffee on a rainy Sunday morning in February. I’m good friends with her whole vivacious family, and while she stands in line for a large coffee, we gush about her daughter Emily, who just found out she’ll be having a baby girl this June. We make our way to the comfy armchairs in the next room, and as she begins to tell me about her journey – sharing her gift as a speech pathologist, finding a home in Covington, and more – her bracelets jingle like a soundtrack to her words.
Read MoreWhether it be through music or civic leadership, our team was able to experience a wonderful week in Cincinnati. Check out the happenings of the week reported by our team below.
Read MoreFive years. That’s how long I’ve celebrated Mother’s Day with a baby-shaped hole in my heart. My arms have endured countless blood draws; my fingers have cramped from filling out piles of paperwork; and my hands have been thrown up in the air from complete exhaustion and anger more times than I am proud to admit. My arms are empty, and this year, I celebrate with a heart that aches deeply yet overflows with joy and hope.
Read MoreAngelica greets us with a smile and a toddler on her hip. The little boy, who I later find out is named David, keeps tapping her cheek as we climb up the stairs. I marvel at her ability to balance the active toddler and climb three flights of steps. Her journey to the U.S. began 16 years ago, and if one thing stands out among those 16 years, it’s the moments of family she’s experienced.
Read MoreRachel began her career in geriatric care at Glen Manor Home for the Aged in Bond Hill. She has a master’s degree in health and human services and is a licensed nursing home administrator, but she will tell you that her best experience – where she learned the most about aging – was working in Israel and the Chicago Housing Authority. Today, Rachel works for Queen City Home Care as a geriatric care manager and marketing coordinator, crediting her long career to the many seniors who have touched her life over 25 years. She’s a huge piece of the stories of innumerable seniors throughout Cincinnati.
Read MoreFrom those first steps to that first heartbreak to the first moment we master a generation-old family recipe, mothers have been through it all. Our relationships with our mothers vary: whether we can’t get enough of their advice and support, or sometimes it feels like we have too much of it, moms continue to shape the stage that we dance upon.
Read MoreThere is so much to celebrate in the spring – from moms and dads to college grads, to birthdays and holidays and summer looming just around the corner. That is why we are delighted to share with you our first ever Women of Cincy Gift Guide, where we’ll showcase a seasonal roundup of goods and experiences either made or sold by local women-owned businesses.
Read MoreAt various points during the interview, trains rattle by the house, and we pause when they whistle their arrival. When they fade into the distance, Budhi continues, sharing with us her love story, journey, and the differences between the life she led in Nepal, and the life she’s created in Cincinnati.
Read MoreWhen I say Emily is something else, I mean it. I decide this after she tells me she changed her middle name to Killer Whale in the second grade. Killer whale, Egyptologist, zoologist – these were the dream jobs of Emily Maxwell, and I think she is achieving them in her own way. Emily has been able to pursue a lot of her passions through writing and photographing for CityBeat, and now WCPO. She is a photojournalist and hiker by day, and I am convinced she is a killer whale by night.
Read MoreFrom the indie rock festival that took over the city to Laila Hameen's powerful one-woman show, it was a busy week for Cincinnati. Check out the sights and sounds reported by our incredible team.
Read MoreOn a rainy Cincinnati day washed in diluted sunlight, Mariam Alzoubi sat down with Women of Cincy editorial resident, Lauren Lewis, to share stories about her life in Syria, her journey to the United States, and the adjustments she’s made since starting a new life in Cincinnati.
Read MoreLeslie Stevenson made history last year when she became the first African American to run for City Council in Norwood. And in November, Norwood voters made history when they elected her, the first African American Council member in the city’s 129-year history.
Women of Cincy recently had a chance to talk with Stevenson about Norwood’s past and present, and how her work in the nonprofit sector led her to public service.
Read MoreAs children, we’re taught to never give up, to never quit, to always keep trying. But sometimes, giving up is exactly what we need to do. Sometimes, giving up is the healthiest thing we can do.
In the upstairs room of Rohs Cafe, I was joined by four women, students at the University of Cincinnati, who graciously volunteered to discuss their faith. That’s not an easy conversation in this day and age. But with Zara Ahmed, Jessica Friedman, Carrie Shephard, and Faryaal Zindani, it was a conversation that flowed with ease and understanding.
Read MoreOn a gray, chilly, “spring” day we were afforded the chance to visit the Women Helping Women office and to speak with a bright light in our community, WHW’s president and CEO of Women Kristin Shrimplin. She’s a voice who speaks when others may not be able to do so for themselves. We learned about the mission of the agency and their Light Up the Night Superhero Soiree on April 26.
Read MoreA happy childhood didn’t keep Rachel Roberts from leaving her hometown of Cincinnati the moment high school was over. From her start as a ski bum and whitewater rafting guide to her positions in the corporate world, she built a life in Colorado that hit all the adult milestones – some good, some not so good. She married, divorced, and discovered yoga. But it was on a solo trip around the world where she finally found her future and her way back home.
Read MoreThe Welcome Project is a social enterprise that trains our newest neighbors, immigrants, and refugees who call Cincinnati home in fabrication and art skills as well as store management. Their new, refurbished space reopened this past weekend on April 14th in the heart of Camp Washington.
Read MoreThe first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. Americans were becoming more aware of the many ways in which their actions were harming the environment.
Read MoreIris Book Cafe was the perfect spot to spend a cold and rainy Sunday morning, surrounded by books and the comfortable crowd while sipping coffee, listening to Julie Fay’s story, and looking at pictures of her past projects in Over-the-Rhine and her current project: the Imperial Theater in Mohawk.
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