Ali Landes in her office at UTA. Photographed by Isaiah Teofilo

You started the Wendy walk to help raise awareness and funds for liposarcoma and other rare sarcomas in order to help save your mother’s life. How did you turn the walk into the major non profit that it is today?

We started the walk to bring light to a dark situation for my family. We wanted to show my mom that there was hope and positivity in the world for her. We wanted to make our own difference and create our own luck. When we started, we were doing this just for our mom, we did not even realize this affected so many other people. As the years moved on and we met more and more families struggling with sarcoma we shifted the focus from our family to their families. Another reason the walk expanded so much was because of our very dedicated volunteers and supporters. Each email they wrote, each post they made on social media made Wendy Walk into the organization it is today. It is because of our committed friends and family telling their friends who told their friends that the organization has grown.

Dealing with the death of a parent can be such a difficult thing to grapple... What were / are some of your coping mechanisms?

I believe that it is important to move through something in order to be able to move on to a better place. For me it helped to talk about my mom and talk about all the ways that she had impacted my life. I decided to think about my mom as still present in my life although she was not physically there. This really enabled me to go on with the knowledge that my mom is guiding me through life. I went to a grief group that met once every two weeks for a year, which was helpful. Reaching out to other’s who had lost parents is what helped me heal the most. Sharing our feelings over mothers day, birthdays, engagements and weddings has been so helpful to me throughout this process.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

The best piece of advice I have ever received is to know when to let go and trust that if I do all the footwork that the results are out of my hands. I also have been told to write down all the things I am fearful about and out of my control in order to clear my head and organize my thoughts, so that I can focus on what I can control.

What do you like most about being a woman?

I like the bond and connection I am able to share with my girlfriends. I feel that being a woman has given me the gift of so many close friendships. I also loved being a daughter and a granddaughter, and all the incredible special and powerful lessons I learned as a granddaughter and daughter in my family I feel lucky to have a sister, and experience the bond of sisterhood as well. I feel that as a woman I can help to carry on my family values and the traditions that are so important to all of us.

What is an ideal woman to you?

An Ideal Woman to me is someone who is sincere, kind, funny, and inclusive. 

Who are you currently crushing on?

Growing up I always hoped to be someone who was involved in many different causes, someone who had a large circle of friends, and someone who had a busy career and brought the community together. I learned that from my mom who modeled this behavior every single day for me. She was able to balance family, work, friends, and her own pleasure and enjoyment. She was humble, sincere, and kind and was even able to be vulnerable. She was extremely well educated, but was never condescending or judgmental. She taught me to be passionate, self supporting, compassionate, and above all not to gossip about others.  Of course she will always be my ultimate ideal woman.

However, through her I met a woman named Joannie Burstein and she is someone I truly admire. Joannie is a very successful talent manager, although she is humble, down to earth and very easy to talk to. One of the main reasons I admire Joannie is that she has the ability to be a powerful woman, without cutting others down. Her energy and positivity pulsates through her, and she is full of creative ideas and ways of helping other people. I think it would be easy for someone like Joannie to be complacent with her success, and become aloof and distant from young people because she has made it in her career. Joannie is the opposite. She is accessible, willing to teach, to communicate and to help others achieve the success that she has been able to achieve. From spending time with Joannie you can tell that although she works in “Hollywood” she cares more about insides than outside appearances. I admire when someone uses their success to do good and to be a light. Not in a way that is bragging and self serving, but in a way that lifts the people around them up. I feel that Joannie Burstein is an excellent model for working women who are trying to be successful in their careers and in life.

Ali's Picks:

                       

Click here to learn more about Wendy Walk and how to get involved. 

One of the ways to maintain our Ideal Womaness is to keep our minds at peace. This weeks Ideal Woman, Ellie Burrows, helps us do just that!

Ellie is a certified personal development coach, writer, and is the Chief Executive Officer of MNDFL; a meditation studio in New York City. 

Ideal Woman Ellie started off as a high executive in the film business for a number of years. Ellie focused on the business side of film: producing, selling, financing and finding new talent. Ellie started to notice that her meetings began to evolve into coaching sessions around effective communication and interpersonal relationships. She quickly realized those conversations were her favorite part of her job so she chose to pursue "mindfulness" in a more meaningful way.

Ellie quite her job to traveled the world as a spiritual tourist to see what she could find. After traveling the world, Ellie went back to school to get her Certificate in Coaching from New York University. 

Struggling with her practice Ellie was finding it incredibly hard to meditate in her own home. She wanted to meditate in a space that wasn’t religious and didn’t involve a weekend-long commitment. Realizing she needed a space where she could drop into with a community that was interested in exploring meditation in a contemporary context she began to think about having her own studio and what that would look like.

Ellie had an idea! Loving the feeling of group meditations and the format of boutique fitness studios—with the ability to reserve a spot online or dropping in and joining class; she join forces with Lodro who ran the Institute of Compassionate Leadership, a non profit where Ellie was volunteering. Together, they created MNDFL. 

MNDFL, exists to enable humans to feel good. Ellie and the meditation studio aim to give its students the tools to approach their day with more mindfulness in a format that fits into their hectic lifestyle without forgoing authenticity.

Ellie is an Ideal Woman because she helps other become more mindful and at ease! 

Ellie has a crush on Ally Bogard

I am surrounded by so many women who inspire me, but the word crush is rather nuanced. A crush is an intense thing - it's something something that makes us almost giddy. There's an energy to it - it's addicting. With that in mind, I'm crushing hard on Ally Bogard.

Anyone that meets this woman, immediately crushes on her too. Ally is a true teacher and a real deal embodiment of the divine feminine, her connection to that which we cannot see is palpable. She teaches at our studio, MNDFL, but she also teaches yoga and has a private practice coaching, mentoring and providing council to individuals.

We recently did an event at the studio in partnership with THINX and Ally lead a group of women through a lecture and meditation - she stirred the hearts of each and every woman who was in the room. Masterful in the way she weaves ancient and modern wisdom together, she can make you feel like you're the only person in a room of 1,000,000. She's the kind of woman I'd want to build a fort out of blankets with and stay up all night talking to. She's all light and she always leaves me wanting more. 

In the wake of the most significant women’s health decision in twenty years, IDEAL WOMAN celebrates Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and all the women who fought so hard to defeat obstacles to abortion access in the United States!

A little history.

In 1973, the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, which held that a woman’s decision to have an abortion was protected under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. In 1992, the Supreme Court decided Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which held substantial obstacles to abortion access violated the constitutional right to abortion.

Ever since then, conservatives have done everything in their power to eviscerate Roe and Planned Parenthood. In 2015 alone, 396 provisions to restrict abortion were introduced around the country, and 57 were enacted.

In 2013, the Texas legislature passed a law severely limiting abortion access in the state. Specifically, the law imposed two practically-insurmountable obstacles to abortion access for poor women in rural Texas.

First, the law created an “admitting-privileges requirement,” which meant that any doctor performing an abortion had to have active admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles from the place where the abortion was performed. Why is this important? Because in poor, rural communities, there ARE NO HOSPITALS within 30 miles of the health clinics that offer reproductive health care services, including abortion.

Second, the law required every health care facility offering abortion services in Texas to meet incredibly onerous building specifications (to essentially become mini-hospitals). This “surgical-center requirement” further threatened abortion access throughout the state.

Before the Texas law was passed, there were more than 40 licensed abortion facilities in the state (for 5.4 million women of reproductive age). If the admitting-privileges requirement and surgical-center requirement were allowed to take effect, that number would be reduced to SEVEN.

SEVEN facilities in a state that covers nearly 280,000 square miles.

Thankfully, today, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Whole Woman’s Health et al. v. Hellerstedt et al., holding that NEITHER of the Texas provisions offered medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon abortion access each would impose. Writing for the majority, Justice Breyer stated that each provision “places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access, and each violates the Federal Constitution.”

In a concurring opinion, Justice Ginsburg explained the facts: complications from an abortion are both rare and rarely dangerous. Many medical procedures, including childbirth itself, are far more dangerous to patients, and yet not subject to either an admitting-privileges requirement or a surgical-center requirement. “Given those realities,” Justice Ginsburg wrote, “it is beyond rational belief that [the Texas law] could genuinely protect the health of women, and certain that the law ‘would simply make it more difficult for them to obtain abortions.’”

Three cheers for women’s health and meaningful abortion access! If you want to know more about these critical issues, check out this useful video (by another IDEAL WOMAN, cartoonist Hallie Jay Pope); and watch IDEAL WOMAN Dawn Porter’s amazing documentary TRAPPED.

Women’s rights are human rights!!!

LA is a vast and sprawling city with an art scene that is growing at a rapid speed. As exciting as it is, it’s almost impossible to keep up with what is happening when and where! Thanks to Shelley Holcomb and Alex Benzer we now have Curate LA to look to!

Curate LA is a new digital platform and iPhone app that categorizes the LA art scene by date and location. In 2014 Ideal Woman Shelley was inspired by a website made by Alex Benzer called Represent LA, which is a map of the Los Angeles tech scene. At that time, Shelley felt that the artists work she really enjoyed seeing were not being well-represented in the media or well-circulated in art publications. Shelley wanted to create a platform that fundamentally supported the artists and artist-run spaces through out  LA. Together they created Curate LA.

On any given week, Shelley can be spotted at 5-10 art events around LA. "I wasn’t exposed to much art growing up in Mississippi and I think I’ve been trying to make up for lost time." She says,"I enjoy the full experience:  the art, the variety of spaces, the slew of different people, their dogs, the cheap beer/wine. Curate LA is a way for me to share these experiences with everyone else."

As a fellow LA art screener, this app is a lifesaver! You don’t have to shift through all your emails to make calendar reminders; you can open the app on any given day and know everything that’s going on art related and where. Not to mention the icon is supper cute!

Shelley is an artist, a curator, and a co creator. She fell in love with art and found a way to make it more accessible and easier to navigate. "I know what it’s like to be a newcomer to this city and trying to navigate the scene which can be very intimidating. My hope is that Curate LA makes it easier for people to explore," Shelley states. 

Shelley is a beautiful Ideal Woman who is warm, friendly, and a woman making a big technological difference in the art world.

Shelley has a crush on Delia Derbyshire

Delia Derbyshire was a badass who was way ahead of her time. In the early 1960s, she broadcasted other-worldly sounds across the BBC airwaves anonymously under the umbrella credit 'special sound by BBC Radiophonic Workshop'. 

She was interested in the perception of sound and the communication of emotions using purely electronic sources like tape recorders and microphones. If you’ve ever heard the  instantly recognizable Doctor Who theme, then you’ve heard Delia Derbyshire’s work.

I admire her because she was an artist and pioneer in the early era of experimental electronic music in an industry and culture that was predominantly male-driven. She’s the kind of lady I’d like to vibe out with. 

Veronica Fernandez by Eric Swenson

The art world is an interesting and difficult place to navigate. Because of this, many art collectors use an art consultant to help guide them through the art world. In Los Angeles, there are many art consultants, but this fine woman has always stood out to me. Veronica Fernandez is always glamorous, kind, smart, and is a strong independent woman!

Veronica specializes in building contemporary and post modern collections for her clients around the world.

Since 2005, she's traveled extensively, seeking out culturally rich destinations and gathering information related to the direction of contemporary art trends before they become known elsewhere.

Through her advisory, Fine Art Advising Services, she offers expert advice for those interested in acquiring artworks and cultural artifacts through a collaborative and educational approach with her seasoned clientele base from the U.S. as well as Canada, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, UAE and Qatar.

Her expertise and projects have received attention in ArtNews, Artforum, Artforum.com, Angeleno, Art Review, Tema Celeste, BlackBook.com, Art+Culture, Architectural Record, Palm Springs Style, The Los Angeles Times, The San Antonio Express News, The Hollywood Reporter, among others. She’s also written for several publications on topics ranging from collecting contemporary art to interviewing artists and other cultural influencers.

Veronica states, "My collectors are as close to me as my own family. I protect them from making mistakes and I push them to be better collectors - whether that be by showing them challenging work, encouraging them to spend outside their comfort zone, even suggesting that they build / radically remodel their spaces in order to  accommodate additional artwork. Likewise, they challenge me and help me to evolve. It's priority that we are direct and respectful of each other in to establish a trusting foundation and longstanding relationship. We spend holidays together, celebrate birthdays - there's a fine line between my work and my personal life which is an arrangement that has actually fulfilled me greatly. You become conscientious about making the best choices at all times when there is nothing separating you from your work."

Veronica is an ideal woman because puts her heart and sole into everything she does. She thinks about art and her clients not as work, but as her loves. As Steve Jobs said, "The only way to do great work, is to love what you do" and that is why Veronica is the best at what she does!! 

Veronica has a crush on Elizabeth Dee

My Ideal Woman crush would have to be NY gallerist and all-around dynamo, Elizabeth Dee. The amount of respect I have for her is beyond measure, she's the definition of progressive, a leader and someone I admire given her confidence in thinking outside of the box, never shying away from perceived risks.

I first met Elizabeth 6 years ago when I'd expressed interest in the work of (another incredible woman), Alex Bag. Immediately I was struck by Elizabeth's passion and found her excitement infectious. Being an advisor for over a decade now, I've encountered hundreds of art professionals, each with their own style of presenting work, informing me about artists and conducting business overall; it's in each of these areas, and many others, that Elizabeth's star shines pretty sickeningly bright.

Artists.
With a penchant for keenly understanding artists' work and their needs, Elizabeth has assembled a rock-solid roster of individuals expressly dealing with conceptual, political and social concerns since opening her gallery back in 2002. Ryan Trecartin, Josephine Meckseper, Adrian Piper, Julia Wachtel, John Giorno, Gabriele Beveridge and the collective Leo Gabin are just a handful of the talent that's caught her attention and, because of her, they've caught mine. She's someone who knows how to talk about work intelligently but with a beautiful sense of wonderment, too.

Independent.
Elizabeth also co-founded one of the most ambitious contemporary art fairs, the Independent. Along with her gallerist responsibilities, she had the foresight to create a new type of art fair six years ago, a time when the artworld was complicatedly navigating through a recession. Art fairs haven't really ever been characterized by adjectives like "civilized" and "democratic", but Elizabeth was able to develop a respected, modern and flexible model for an art fair that now takes place in New York and Brussels several times throughout the year. She's a unique gallerist deeply invested in creating, expanding communities and nurturing conversation.

Harlem.
I'd say Elizabeth is someone who sets trends because people value her savvy, her inability to sit still, her business ethics and knack for always being ahead of the curve. She probably doesn't see herself as a trendsetter (and she'd be way too humble to agree), but she possesses a certain kind of magic that makes you want to get involved, to be a part of positive, progressive growth and change in whatever form that may be. I'm excited to see how Harlem receives her now that she's moved her Chelsea gallery to the area. Her program will impact a larger audience than ever before; she possesses a huge opportunity to be a critical part of a cultural conversation in a way that the Chelsea space wasn't able to. It'll be no surprise when we hear about other galleries following her lead. She just has a rare sense of foresight that makes you pay attention to whatever she's doing. You can't NOT pay attention to what she's doing. That's the definition of success in my book.

Style.
I also value Elizabeth's sense of style. It's understated but all right there in the details! It's professionally edgy and sometimes dangerously demure. This is how I see my colleague, friend and Ideal Woman crush extraordinaire, Elizabeth Dee.