Karen Verechia
Personal Coach, Yoga Instructor and Thai Massage Therapist

Hometown: West Deptford, New Jersey

Lives on: Hilton Head Island

Family: Married to Buddy for 35 years; one daughter, Dominique (married and living in Rock Hill); and Bronz, a German Shepard mix adopted from the shelter.
You’ve been referred to as the island’s Yoga Guru.

“You have to find joy in everything you do. Whether it’s laundry, washing the dishes, or going to Walmart,” Christina Roberts responded when I asked how she gets through life. She laughed and said, “Walmart now has a pick-up option, and I don’t mind getting my groceries that way.”

Christina is the mom of seven children aged 5 to 22. Her children are Olivia 22, Christian 17, Trinity 16, Dakota 14, Jackson 10, Christopher 7, and Emerson, 5. The age range means Christina has a grown daughter, who teaches Special Education in Hawaii, …and a preschooler! In addition, her three youngest sons are all autistic.

Born in Chapel Hill, N.C., Samantha Love Kaufman spent her first ten years as a California girl. Her family moved to the beautiful Lowcountry in 1976, where her late father, Dr. Glenn Neil Love, established himself as one of Beaufort County’s first obstetricians. A graduate of Auburn University in public relations and communications, Samantha’s degree has served her well. She has more than 25 years of experience marketing island real estate properties, and currently enjoys working in her family’s local long-standing real estate business–The Love Family at Sea Pines Real Estate—Beach Club. “We find people want to work with us because we’re family,” she said with pride.

Everyone prays it will never happen to them. On February 17, 2013, Carly Elizabeth Hughes took her last breath in her mother Irene’s arms, as her spirit floated into the light. She was only 24, a recent college graduate, and eager to make a difference in the world.

Although a rare form of gastro-esophageal cancer took her life after a short four-month battle, Carly’s dreams were destined to manifest through her mom. It was unimaginable for Irene Vouvalides to think about a life without Carly, her only child. Carly’s death initiated Irene’s spiritual quest to find answers and opened the door to her own passion and purpose in life. After months of deep grieving, Irene found an online support group. Helping Parents Heal is a non-profit organization that offers bereaved parents the opportunity to attend group meetings, along with resources to support them through the healing process. The organization also encourages grieving parents to share the spiritual experiences of their children in the afterlife.

Tracy Robinson
Member Representative at the Beaufort Jasper YMCA of the LowcountryFamily: I’m a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, and US Army Veteran!

You’ve been the front desk “Face” of the Beaufort Jasper YMCA for 17 years now. What first attracted you to the job and what makes you stay?
Believe it or not, it was my dream to be the Volunteer Director of the YMCA because of my ability and love of interacting with others. I wasn’t sure I would like it at first, but after my interview with my then supervisor, Ryan Bell, and his confidence in me to be at the front desk, the job began to grow on me. No job is perfect, and there have been bumps in the road, but I have stayed because I truly love what I do. I love to make people smile and get their joy pumping from within.

Haley Langford is a lovely breath of fresh air; a spirited blend of tender-hearted philanthropy and sweet sense of humor. This proud Ridgeland, SC girl became a viral sensation, capturing more than 50,000 social media hits, when she created weathergirl Hale McClaine during Hurricane Florence. She raised more than $5,000 for North Carolina hurricane victims with her self-proclaimed ‘wacky-tacky’ and likable persona. She humbly recounts the events that followed, but Ms. Langford’s heart for service is clearly evident throughout the life she leads every day.

I highly suggest you sit down and really read this article. Find a nook to snuggle in, a coffee table to put your feet up, and point your undivided attention to this page. This story is about what humankind needs more of:

Sharon Brown is not your run-of-the-mill kind of woman. She is a woman who has overcome obstacles most can never navigate. From her mother dying to becoming an alcoholic at the age of 14, to being a full blown addict to run-ins with the law, Sharon can now hold her head high because her story defies the rule of cause and effect. “Because He delivered me, I would tell my story on national TV,” she said.

In Japan, there is a process called Kintsugi: the art of repairing broken pottery with liquid gold or silver. The fragments are joined together and the object is given a new, more refined aspect, and is regarded as even more beautiful than before. Like broken pottery shards, human scars can give us new perspective, make us more resilient and beautiful, and further the growth of our soul.

From divorce and single-parenting, to mitral valve prolapse and two subsequent TIA’s (ministrokes), to a plane crash that almost claimed her life, and most recently the death of her son, Janet Adams certainly has her share of scars.

Do you keep tabs on the number of little blessings you’ve delivered in your 16 years of practice?
I began residency with the goal to track my first 100 deliveries. Little did I know that goal would be reached well within the very first year. I estimate having delivered at least 2,000 babies thus far in my career.

When you’re not wearing scrubs, what’s your fashion style?
For those of you who do not know me, I love, love, love to shop! When not in the hospital, I’m usually not wearing scrubs. On any given day in the office, my staff would agree that my style is more of a conservative cosmopolitan.

“Am I your wish come true?’ 4-year-old Jasper Purdy asked his Mom, Alice Gray Gregory.

“You are my wish come true,” Alice Gray responded, giving her son a smile that brings a whole new meaning to being #blessed.

Alice Gray’s journey to motherhood was long and not without challenges. “I always knew I wanted to be a mom,” she said, and she ran the gamut trying, including the arduous trials of failed fertility treatments. Finally, after more years than she had planned, Alice Gray decided to give open adoption a try.

Mary Lou Willetts opens her door dressed head to flats in a symphony of creamy vanilla shades: gold and pearl earrings, coupled with a string of pearls to finish her petite frame. Classic. Vintage music is playing when her twin sister, Patricia Peck (Pat, as she prefers) walks through the same door a moment later. Before I can ask the obvious, Mary Lou waves away the invisible question and smiles. “No, we didn’t call each other first. We do this all the time.” Pat is a near mirror image of her twin, all the way down to her creamy hues and twisted pearls around her neck. Beautiful.

The spirited identical twins, born 88 years ago to Leo and Violet Marie Thibodeau, spent their laughter-filled childhood in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Mary Lou and Pat have always been each other’s best friend— besties as we now say. “We never really needed others because we had each other,” said Pat. Her twin agrees. “Our friendship is the best. We can always call each other,” she continued. “I may not always be available at that minute, but that’s okay. I always get back to her.”

In Japan, there is a process called Kintsugi: the art of repairing broken pottery with liquid gold or silver. The fragments are joined together and the object is given a new, more refined aspect, and is regarded as even more beautiful than before. Like broken pottery shards, human scars can give us new perspective, make us more resilient and beautiful, and further the growth of our soul.

From divorce and single-parenting, to mitral valve prolapse and two subsequent TIA’s (ministrokes), to a plane crash that almost claimed her life, and most recently the death of her son, Janet Adams certainly has her share of scars.

Denice Brown is a fighter. She moves through life with a positive attitude despite it all. The monumental hardships Denice has endured compares to the worst of the worse. She is a fighter—optimistic and tenacious. Despite it all, she not only gets out of bed each morning, she manages to get through most days passing along her bright smile, which can easily light up a room.

She’s just turned 30, but one wouldn’t know it from listening to her story. It’s also nearly impossible to believe that, just six years ago when she arrived on Hilton Head Island, this vibrant, energetic, and quite eloquent young woman didn’t speak a word of English.

#AgainstAllOdds indeed!

Meet Adi Aliu, co-owner and operator of Gringo’s Diner in Coligny Plaza who has managed to action pack more … well … life into her young life than many people do in an entire lifetime.

What bad odds did you beat?
At 34 I was diagnosed with endometriosis with a prognosis of no cure. I was in pain 30 days out of each month and walked with a cane for some time, but I refused to believe the prognosis and also refused conventional medical treatment: a complete hysterectomy and hormone therapy for the rest of my life. I believed inherently in the body’s ability to heal itself, so I began what would be years of research and learning about the ways the body heals. I became an herbalist, healed my endometriosis completely, and have since used my knowledge and experience to help others overcome chronic illness, prevent disease, and deal with weight issues using foods and herbs as medicine.

According to an article by Indy500 From the Independent, health is No. 3 on the most worried about list. Good health is a key part of life; it’s what keeps us alive. According to the same article, general happiness is No. 10 in the line of worry. Happiness is what keeps the world turning.  

What if you could tend to both your health and happiness, as they sort of go hand-in-hand, in one place? Jackie Ruka, originally from New York, can help you to be worry-free with a positive outlook on any situation. Jackie is one of the best personal development and lifestyle coaches, making her “America’s Happyologist.”

When did you decide to be a doctor?
I decided to pursue a career in Medicine when I was in junior high school. There were some health issues going on in my family at the time, and my brother was having some issues, as well. It was our family doctor who was able to recognize how those health issues were affecting my brother and address it. That sold me on family medicine.

You’re a Direct Primary Care physician. What's that?
Direct Primary Care has been a lifesaver for me. I was frustrated with the way Medicine has become a business based not on patient needs, but rather on the number of visits or procedures you do. In Direct Primary Care I have the ability to sit and spend time with my patients, listen to ALL issues and concerns they have, and help guide them to the appropriate care. We can go back to good old-fashioned, common sense medicine, where the needs of the patient come first. It has made practicing medicine fun again.

Louanne LaRoche met with me at a coffee shop in Bluffton less than 24 hours after her return from a trip to Belize. No jet lag for her; she was rested, relaxed, and serene. We ordered coffee and she told me her story.  

Louanne is a successful artist, collector, art consultant, and former gallery owner. She is married and has a son who is studying for his Masters’ degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

Having lived in Belize 17 years ago, Louanne’s recent trip with her family was a homecoming of sorts, and included a visit with friends and hiking up steep Mayan ruins in very hot, humid weather—a joyful experience for Louanne, and one she couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams just a few years ago. 

Anytime you abandon something in your life, there is a risk you will look back and say: I sure wish I had made a different choice. However, when you access your courage and begin to move forward in a new direction you have chosen for yourself, at some point you will become confident you are doing the right thing. You will notice that the universe is conspiring to support you. This is certainly true in the case of Dr. Gala Gorman, co-founder of the Delta Discovery Center on Hilton Head Island.

Mariah Midyette is 15 years old and already on her way to becoming a doctor!  The Beaufort teenager was honored in July with an invitation to attend a conference sponsored by Harvard University for promising students interested in health care professions. The three day Congress of Professional Medical Leaders was held in Lowell, Massachusetts, and was designed to offer outstanding high school science students — “teen medical prodigies” according to the press release — the opportunity to come together to meet with professional mentors and professors who can advise them.  

Mariah had a ball! Her favorite part of the Congress was watching an actual surgery, a hysterectomy, performed by a surgeon who was assisted by a robot. Mariah and the other attendees watched the surgery in a stadium, and even munched on complimentary popcorn! Although the surgeon had warned that watching the surgery might make some of young students a little squeamish (seeing the blood and internal organs of a real person), Mariah wasn’t bothered in the least. Before attending the Congress, Mariah met her fellow attendees on social media in a private Facebook group setting, and says it was lots of fun to meet the other students in person. A field trip to the Harvard campus was another highlight of her trip, and it made a lasting impression on the future physician.

She earned her under graduate English degree at UGA, did her post grad work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), cut a distinguished upward swath through the technology career industry—including a stint at IBM—and for the past year, she’s been serving as Vice President of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. Whew. It doesn’t take a degree from MIT to see that our August #smartypants theme fits Michelle Wycoff to a tee. We can’t wait to hear her roar.

Were you always known as “The Smart Girl” in school? I wore glasses sometimes with the frame masking-taped together in the middle. I probably looked smart! I won my first science fair when I was nine. I built a computer motherboard and explained binary code to my class. In the 1970s, computers weren’t as pervasive as they are today. I think I shocked everyone, including my teachers.

Melissa Murray is a #smartypants, for sure! She’s a busy, young, professional educator enjoying a few precious days of vacation this summer with her husband and 5-year-old twins, Genevieve and Josephine. She has many projects going on in her mind, and excitedly talked with me about them.

She and her husband, Stephen, are leaving very soon to a friend’s destination wedding in Botswana! She is busy arranging the two sets of grandparents to tag-team babysit and keep the twins busy while they are gone. She admits to some “mommy guilt,” but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Africa.

She’s a powerhouse of passion in the world of book publishing; founder of the Bluffton Book Festival, and business owner extraordinaire of ROCK Inked. Rockelle Henderson brings a tenacious, #smartypants spirit to all that inspires her.

Originally from central New Jersey, Rockelle moved to the Lowcountry 11 years ago. From a young age, her mother, Pennie Sherrod, also a local resident, instilled in Rockelle a love for the written word. So it’s not surprising how much she loves books! She was 17 years old when the fascinating world of promotion and publication drew her in. She earned an internship with NBC Radio at New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Rockelle helped with daily program set up and fell in love with all aspects of the business model. “I was hooked!” she said.

How did you become a competitive shooter? When I met my husband, he was a patrol sergeant with our local sheriff’s office, and he only had every other weekend off. On most of those weekends, he competed in various shooting matches, and in order to get more time with him, I would tag along. At one match, there was a girl on his squad, and I said to Heath, “I could beat her.” And he agreed! Before we knew it we were spending all our time together shooting or training.

What’s your most memorable moment on your competitive shooting journey?
I would have to say coming in eighth at the 2017 Brownells Ladies’ Multigun Fall Fest. It may not seem that impressive, but this competition is stacked with professional shooters and strong junior shooters. And I won a gun!  My eighth place finish awarded me a Gen 5 Glock 17—my first prize table gun.

Joyce “Joycie” Mungari—also known as Coach—has proven that the road less traveled was the right one for her. This path was directly influenced by her father when he taught Joyce the game of football at age five and called it a love story. When her parents divorced, Joyce’s father might not have been around, but her love for the great game of American football still coursed through her veins.

Sondra Sykes Meek’s novel, Model Marine, is something else! I downloaded it on Kindle the day before our interview, and I could not put it down. The fictional story of a young woman who enters the Marine Corps and encounters horrific combat experiences is written with such authenticity and precision. Sondra, who also joined the Marines as a teenager and also saw combat, says the novel is not autobiographical, but there are truths in the story. “The Marine Corps is my family,” she explained. “And I wanted to write a book that was accurate and passionate.”

Halie Cooler is one happy local, born and bred. Her roots run deep, and her affection for the Lowcountry is a love story in motion. Her earliest memories are of being surrounded by the gorgeous Okatie River and her close-knit family. “It’s freedom when I’m near the water,” she says. “Being out here makes me realize how small I really am.”

I Love My Life: Because I have really learned to slow down and savor it. I love working hard, playing hard, and appreciating the smallest things brings me happiness like the view of my vegetable garden at sunset; the first sip of coffee in the morning; the colors of a thunderstorm against the bright green marsh grass in summer; romping around with my dog, Olive. Creating space for myself to slow down has really given me so much joy.

Stacey Canaday looks like a typical busy mom on any given Saturday: her hair’s in a ponytail, and she’s wearing shorts, a tee shirt and running shoes. We meet in her office on Bay Street, in a beautiful antebellum home at the foot of the bridge that houses the offices of Tupper, Grimsley, Dean, and Canaday, P.A. Attorneys at Law. Yes, this young mom is a partner in one of Beaufort’s oldest and most prestigious law firms. That alone is quite an accomplishment for the Beaufort native, who is also married and the mother of two boys. But wait! There’s more! She’s also Commodore of the Beaufort Water Festival this year. (July 13-22)

Beth Shipman is an icon in the Lowcountry. She is an easy going, fun and relaxed lady, who did an extraordinary thing to change Daufuskie Island, and the people she impacted will forever have a special place for her in their hearts. I got the chance to head over to Daufuskie, where Beth took me on a grand tour of the island via golf cart.

Beth was raised on Hilton Head Island in Sea Pines. She was a lively child, and loved where she lived—she new it was special. After graduating from the College of Charleston, she landed a job at the historic Melrose Plantation, and officially moved to Daufuskie in 1990 to settle down with her then husband Brian Shipman, a Haig Point boat captain.