Features

Giving back is in Rachel Gregersen’s DNA. She refers to her company, Beyond Shades, which has a showroom in Oak Brook, as the “little company that could.” Gregersen opened Beyond Shades after working for billion-dollar home fashion companies, and while she started small, she’s beginning to see a larger plan unfold. She views her commitment

As the old saying goes, the camera adds 20 pounds. Video conferencing use that increased exponentially during the pandemic revolutionized the way we communicate and spawned a number of trends. Home offices were converted into studios. Innovative, waist up wardrobes were invented to offer an aura of professionalism. For the most part the business world

Long before the lawn chairs are set up and the spectators arrive, the Barrington Fillies 9U softball team takes the field for yet another practice, ready to conquer a new set of physical and mental drills and skills specifically designed to prepare them for the big game. And waiting for them is their coach, Lisa

It’s no secret that lower-income families face all kinds of challenges, from meeting the rent to putting food on the table. Every day can present a lack of one sort or another. And that includes diapers. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three American families struggle to adequately diaper their children. It’s

Trendsetter Kristen Noel Crawley has always had her eye on the latest beauty trends and, in her early 20s, the North Shore-based maven started sharing her favorite finds on social media. Crawley slowly began to garner a loyal following on Instagram—today nearly 500,000 strong—and later caught the attention of ELLE magazine, which offered Crawley her

In 1970, two years before his son Mark won seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Arnold Spitz told Sports Illustrated, “Swimming isn’t everything, winning is.” Of course, winning is when you’re pitting your ability against the bodies shooting through the water next to you. But sometimes, the competition isn’t another athlete, it’s