Founder & Creator Happy Place Creative Studio

Our founder, Abby Spivak, earned degrees in Fine Arts, Art History, and Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Her unique background combines time spent in Art and Fashion departments at Ralph Lauren, Teen Vogue Magazine and Cosmopolitan Magazine, a decade in Product Development designing and producing clothes at Macy’s and five years as the Global Marketing Lead for GapKids and babyGap managing international creative campaigns. Abby has fostered a lifelong passion for all things creative; making things and expressing herself through drawing, painting, and crafting is Abby’s true definition of a happy place. Yearning for a creative outlet during her corporate years, she founded Further Lane Paperie, a design business dedicated to hand-painted invitations, paper goods and personalized items. In becoming a mom of two, constantly crafting in both normal and unprecedented times, she identified her desire to combine her two passions: art and kids. Happy Place Creative Studio is the culmination of this dream; a realization of a decades’-worth of ideas, projects close to heart and a desire to pass along the joy and excitement that she finds in making art and crafts to the next generation.

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Hadley & Martha are the co-founders of The Parlour, a modern Mahjong movement built around connection and community.

Longtime friends and natural hosts, they share a passion for bringing people together and making Mahjong feel approachable and fun! Their teaching style is clear, encouraging, and thoughtfully paced, creating a relaxed environment where players of all levels feel comfortable learning and playing.

At The Parlour, Hadley and Martha believe Mahjong is more than a game. It’s a reason to gather, slow down, and connect. They are delighted to welcome players to the table, whether it’s your very first hand or your fiftieth.

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Pause to be Present helps people thrive, boost their wellbeing, and find calm in today’s stressful world through a highly accessible approach to mindfulness, meditation and personal growth. Mindfulness has made an enormous impact in the lives of co-founders Cheryl Brause and Stephanie Falk – so much so that they wanted to share this transformative practice with as many people as possible! It has helped them personally navigate relationships, parenting, business, and, most importantly, the way they relate to themselves and how they choose to liveour lives.

Cheryl Vigder Brause, Co-Founder, Chief Mindfulness Officer, is one of the leading experts on mindfulness in the tri-state area. Formerly a corporate litigator and investment banker, Cheryl has created and led hundreds of programs and taught mindfulness locally and nationally to thousands of adults, teens and children in schools, businesses and privately to help people livehealthier, happier lives.

Stephanie Falk, Co-Founder and Chief of Engagement Officer, oversees the business aspects of this thriving mindfulness and meditation company including community engagement, corporate wellness, marketing, development, client relations, and special events. Stephanie has held leadership roles in non-profit, consumer products, retail marketing and public relations.

Pause to be Present’s offerings merge ancient practices, modern psychology, and relatable practices to promote greater wellbeing, joy and fulfillment in all aspects of the lives of our like-minded community. Pause to be Present offers live in-person classes at Community of Play, online daily classes, customized private workshops and wellness retreats, all led by expert teachers in a supportive setting.

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