Gambel Girl

Age is just a number, right? I feel younger, healthier and more self-assured than my years might suggest.

Often it is difficult to visit someone who does not remember. But does that really matter? I recently read “The Present Moment in Dementialand,” which explains: You probably don’t remember your first birthday party, but your parents celebrated it.

It is always nice to receive compliments, and during our 10th anniversary, I am particularly proud of our staff, for whom I hear praise regularly.

With Mardi Gras 2019 wrapped, the Gambel Girls needed a dose of creativity to avoid withdrawal. A story from The Dubai 100 was inspiration: create three-word horror stories.

Although Mardi Gras is over, merriment continues. Next month marks the tenth anniversary of Gambel Communications.

What an exciting time to be a New Orleanian! On the heels of our 2018 Tricentennial, we are experiencing the convergence of Mardi Gras and our amazing Saints.

If there were a word of the year, thus far in January, “lifting” would be it. We lifted towering smokestacks on the Riverboat Louis Armstrong which is scheduled to welcome guests this spring. The same day, we lifted the final beam of 731 St. Charles Ave., a historic New Orleans building conversion, and later lifted the hopes of school counselors with a panel discussion on addiction presented by Longbranch Healthcare.

While most people associate a new year with resolutions, I relate it to the anniversary of my cancer. And while most think of 13 as unlucky, that number is a blessing to me as it signifies the years I have been in remission from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

With so much hate in the world, can one person make a difference? Entrepreneur Peter Shankman says yes, and it…

Gambel Communications is proud to be completing its second year publishing The New Orleans 100. This milestone is made sweeter because Tod Smith, general manager of our presenting sponsor, WWL-TV (CBS, Tegna), recently was awarded The 100 Companies’ inaugural Visionary Award.

While the traditional Thanksgiving meal in Southeast Louisiana is turducken, sweet potatoes, oyster dressing and pecan pie, Camellia Beans, best known for its iconic red beans, will serve red beans and rice across five New Orleans Council districts on Thanksgiving Eve.

Personality styles vary depending on individual abilities, group dynamics and opportunities. At our recent staff retreat, we surveyed the team to identify each staffer’s personality as it relates to four animals, providing a lens for examining – and appreciating – others.

As midterms approach, female candidates lag behind their male counterparts. A recent panel of women elected officials revealed some interesting observations. Women:

My visit to Africa this summer was the trip of a lifetime: a safari in the Serengeti, sailing and snorkeling in Zanzibar and a city experience in Cape Town.

One of my friends likes nothing more than to ensnare me in wearying debates. Given that we are polar political opposites and his strong opinions – and his 6-foot 5-inch frame – overpower me, I often opt for restraint.

Some people call me a networker extraordinaire, and that moniker has helped me make great connections. While meeting new people is good for business, it’s important to steward your existing relationships.

World Elephant Day highlighted the fact that in 1800, there were 26 million elephants in Africa; in 1900, 5 million; today, less than 500,000. Fifty-five elephants are killed for their tusks daily.

Our country seems more divisive than ever. Where are the days when we could respectfully debate, even learn from a different perspective rather than turn contrary views into shouting matches? A business professional’s political conversation and activity should reflect what he or she is comfortable with while remaining steadfast in one’s beliefs.

I sit in my office with phones and internet down. Staff has scattered to coffee shops, and our provider cannot service us until tomorrow. I feel anxious, angry and out of touch. Disconnected is distressing. The irony is that on my trip to Africa, I’m looking forward to respite from cords and cables. Research indicates benefits of powering down:

At my recent Sweet Briar College (SBC) reunion, I was impressed at the masterful reinvention of this small liberal arts college for women in Virginia. To remain relevant today, SBC has shifted from a traditional curriculum to Leadership Core, which is designed to foster lifelong learning, innovation, ethics and empathy.

I love napping and wish my office had a comfy couch. While there are drawbacks to napping, such as waking up feeling groggy or napping so long that it interferes with your nighttime sleep, there are also some benefits:

Growing up in New Orleans meant cabbage ball during spring. It was not until I went away to college that I realized this was a New Orleans tradition, primarily played in Catholic schools, which usually had fenced-in playgrounds.

International dignitaries recently gathered to celebrate New Orleans’ Tricentennial. Our then mayor, Mitch Landrieu, said, “There is nothing stoic about New Orleans. It’s all rhythm, all music, all the time.”

This month, I will have an amazing experience — crewing on the tall ship Oosterschelde, traveling from Pensacola to commemorate New Orleans’ Tricentennial.

Last year, the number of drug overdose deaths outnumbered the number of murders in greater New Orleans. Every day, men and women addicted to drugs and/or alcohol come to Bridge House/Grace House helpless and broken, seeking a safe place to recover.

The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has revived the country’s contentious gun control debate, this time activated by students in the Parkland, Florida school.

I got to know Lindy Boggs in the 1970s when she became the first woman elected to Congress, winning her late husband Hale Boggs’s seat.

With two Gen-X sons and a staff of mostly millennials, I recognize their different perspectives. That’s why the designation, Xennial, speaks to me. This micro-generation born between 1977 and 1983 represents a “mix between pessimists and optimists,” according to Australian sociologist Dan Woodman.

For years I went out of town for Mardi Gras because realistically, it is challenging to get work done among the distractions. About five years ago, I decided to re-immerse myself in Carnival, even starting my own tradition – Lundi Gras lunch at the Hotel Monteleone. Here my personal and business lives collide, bringing together a diverse group that now reconnects each year.