Cover Stories
Stories That Inspire
If you’ve ever spent time observing infants or having a conversation with a toddler, it’s clear these tiny humans are nothing less than incredible. Their minds are like sponges, and everything they learn from birth through their formative years is part and parcel of a bigger picture. It’s why creative and diverse learning is essential for growth. Little Creek Playschool has honed in on these aspects to build a place where children have an opportunity to tap into this type of innovative, early education.
Based out of London, the virtual playschool takes diversity, creativity, and growth to the next level.
There’s a French proverb that says, “Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.” Directly translated, it means, little by little, the bird builds its nest. This strong advice conveys that no matter how slow your progress, if your efforts are continuous in any endeavor, you can achieve whatever you want. And no one could understand this concept better than business executive and renowned entrepreneur Rajeev Lakhanpal.
Since the world went on lockdown, the number of people starting businesses has sky-rocketed. Building a business however, it’s not as easy as it may seem, and the visions concocted by the brain doesn’t leave much room for reality.
More than skin deep: Dr. Rada Shakov, MD & Dr. Emil Shakov, MD of The Youth Fountain wellness center
Entering the second year of pandemic-living has left people all around the world wilting under the pressure to adapt to what is now being considered “the new normal.” For most, it feels anything but normal. To combat the virus, countless spaces in the health and wellness world had to be shut down for public safety, leaving many people unable to gain the help and relief they need. These unprecedented times are tough and mentally challenging. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and there is a deep two-way connection between the brain and skin that can cause issues for both what shows up on our body’s largest organ and how we react to it.
We often identify ourselves based on what we do, believing it is our identity. This fixed identity is often tied to the core of our sense of self when defining who we are. Sometimes we are seen as being one thing, when we have more to offer. Renown classical pianist Lili Liu knows this dilemma all too well. Her identity reaches far beyond the practice room or the global stage. Lili is constantly on a mission to reinvent herself, to grow and seek out new ways for self-expression.
In an industry that is typically male-dominated and favors Western music sensibilities, many of today’s finest instrumentalists are women of Asian descent. Artists like Bokyung Byun are changing the game and marching to her own beat.
Bokyung Byun is a classical guitarist who enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after guitarists of her generation. Born in Seoul, Korea, Bokyung began playing guitar at the age of six. At eleven, she took the stage for her first solo recital, leading to an early start in her teen years performing numerous concert tours around Korea, to enthusiastic response, including millions of views on YouTube.
The line crossing art and reality blurred during what felt like a real life horror movie, the pandemic of 2020. Amidst the Coronavirus, in order to relieve anxiety and cope with fears many people gravitated towards watching thrillers. 2011’s Contagion quickly became one of the most streamed films due to the eerie parallels mirrored onscreen with the global virus playing out in real time offscreen. A new subgenre even emerged called ‘quar-horror’ that probed at what is scary about staying home. For Actor and producer Anis Maknojia, he was able to cope with the pandemic through creating the horror short Jack.