Style Substance Soul | An online gathering of women who strive to look good, feel good, do good.

Since our amazing trip to Australia with Oprah, our group of 302 Ultimate Viewers has made the commitment to participate in an annual Ultimate Day “O” Service in order to give back in any way we can.

For example, in Chicago, a group volunteered at PAWS – twice! – and Atlanta viewers painted a gorgeous mural for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and spent the day with the elderly residents at Nursecare. Here, in San Diego, we started working with the Girl Scouts to help 11-year-old Miriam Mendoza spread the word about preventing domestic violence. … read full story →

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I feel we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the KONY 2012 video which has gone viral over the past couple of days – and the criticism of Invisible Children, the organization behind it.

So, first, here is the video. It’s received more than 50 million views on YouTube and Vimeo alone, and has pretty much taken over Facebook. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it now. It’s 29 minutes long, and more gripping than any half hour TV show.

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From now on, March 3 will be known as Wangari Maathai Day. Previously called Africa Environment Day, the African Union voted to rename this day in memory of Professor Maathai for her commitment to good governance, environmental responsibility and peace. In her honor, we are reposting an article we wrote upon her death last year.

We’d like to take a little time today to pay tribute to Dr. Wangari Maathai, who, sadly, passed away on Sunday from ovarian cancer at the age of 71. We feel a very personal connection to Dr. Maathai as we featured her during our very first week of StyleSubstanceSoul.com — three years ago yesterday. … read full story →

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Ssubi bags and beads are handmade by patients of the Asili Health Center in Uganda. Using colorful recycled paper and natural fabrics, these artisans are working hard to transform their lives. Ssubi fills in the gaps by supporting projects that are less likely to be funded by large international organizations. Proceeds... read full story →

Thanksgiving has always been my family’s holiday. We love the food, the time of year and the fact there is no religion or rules involved. For us it was about family and food, two of our favorite things. Our Thanksgiving stories usually revolve around both. The stories begin in the morning... read full story →

We are so grateful for all of you, and wish you a happy holiday filled with family, friends and food. We'll be back on Friday with the first of our highly-anticipated holiday gift guides. Look for one each day from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, and make sure you're signed up so... read full story →

I had the pleasure of visiting Miriam Mendoza the other night during her aMaze Journey workshop at the San Diego Girl Scouts Conference Center. I showed her all of the wonderful, encouraging comments about her poem, Speak Out, and she was so appreciative. She was also empowered by the letter... read full story →