Life's Accessories

Sometimes a one-of-a-kind necklace becomes a two-of-a-kind necklace. Tune in to this week's episode as Rachel and Stephanie welcome Meghan Jarvis, a psychotherapist, podcaster, TEDx speaker, and writer. Meghan shares the story of a very special necklace her father gave to her mother. Find out what happens when her father had the necklace re-made at the end of his life because he thought the origin...

Author and screenwriter Jane Rosen has a knack for telling stories through accessories. In her book Nine Women One Dress , a little black dress connects her characters. In A Shoe Story , shoes act as a device to tell a story, chapter by chapter. It's no wonder that Jane chose shoes as her accessory for this episode of the pod. Rachel and Stephanie appreciate that Jane chose shoes as an accessory c...

Rachel and Stephanie welcome jewelry designer Sarah Hendler, whose eponymous jewelry line was partially inspired by her grandmothers Ethel and Shirley! Tune in to learn about how grandma Ethel's love of chunky costume jewelry, and grandma Shirley's taste for fine jewelry helped to shape Sarah's jewelry collections. Sarah's chosen accessory is a mainstay of her collection, the 5 Point Pave Spear Ti...

In this episode, Rachel and Stephanie welcome award-winning actor, producer and activist Alysia Reiner. Alysia is best known as SAG award winning "FIG" on 7 seasons of Orange Is the New Black. Did you know that Orange Is the New Black was the second series ever streamed on Netflix?! She also played the role of Agent Sadie Deever in Ms. Marvel and she just finished her 5th season as Sunny on B...

On this episode of Life's Accessories, Rachel and Stephanie welcome two sisters, Ellie and Carrie Monahan. Ellie shares the "Boy Toy" belt that was part of her Madonna Like A Virgin ensemble (think 1983 MTV Music Video Awards) that she wore for her 1980s-themed wedding rehearsal dinner. Carrie shares the Juicy Couture charm bracelet which, as she describes, represents the aesthetic of her middle s...

In this episode, Rachel and Stephanie welcome author, essayist and lover of all things Nantucket Julie Gerstenblatt to the pod! Julie's debut novel, Daughters of Nantucket , released on March 14, 2023 and it is a not to miss book of historical fiction which examines the live of three fascinating women on the great island of Nantucket during the great fire of 1846. This book promises to be the grea...

In this episode of Life's Accessories, a real-life doctor joins Rachel and Stephanie. Psychologist Kira Bartlett tells the story of her cozy purple cardigan sweater and its symbolism related to her career journey. And because this is a podcast about meaningful accessories, they discuss healthy -- and unhealthy -- attachments. Dr. Kira Bartlett is a New York state licensed clinical psychologist wit...

Sometimes the most meaningful accessories in our closets serve as reminders of loved ones we've lost. Rebecca Soffer has one such item in her closet and in this episode, she shares the story of her late mother's Italian leather boots with Rachel and Stephanie. Rebecca is the cofounder of Modern Loss, which offers creative, meaningful and encouraging content and community addressing the long arc of...

Rachel and Stephanie welcomed the extraordinarily hilarious Alec Sulkin, a comedy writer and producer best known for his work on the animated Family Guy television series and the movies Ted and Ted 2. Alec shares the coveted picture he has of him with Tom Brady, which was taken on the Ted 2 movie set, in which Tom Brady had a cameo. This wide-ranging episode covers Boston sports, comedy writing, w...

Do you know what a push present is? Do you want to know what a push present is? In this check in/jam session episode, Rachel and Stephanie talk about their push presents i.e. gifts their husband gave them to commemorate the births of their children. Rachel recalls trying to find new mom friends back in the days of mom dating in baby music class but she couldn't get past some of the push presents t...

Elizabeth Mayhew of The Dutchy of Millbrook, an artisanal bakery in New York’s Dutchess County, joins Rachel and Stephanie on today's episode. Elizabeth shares her charm bracelet which, as Elizabeth says, is a monument really to her life. Talk about a life's accessory! For many years, Elizabeth served as a contributing editor at NBC's Today Show and as a monthly columnist for The Washington Post’s...

On this episode of Life's Accessories, Rachel and Stephanie welcome lifestyle and entertaining expert Maureen Petrosky, who shares with us a beautiful and timeless watch which was given to her by her mother. Maureen -- who is timeless herself -- is an Entertaining & Lifestyle Expert on NBC’s Today Show. She is the author of three, soon-to-be four best-selling books and a creative brand strateg...

On today's episode of Life's Accessories, Rachel and Stephanie welcome guest Rachel Barenbaum. Rachel is not only an author, book reviewer and podcast host, she is a Harvard University graduate who is also a National Squash Team Champion! Rachel tells the story behind her championship ring, and the meaning behind it. Rachel shares what it was like to compete at the collegiate level, and how her lo...

Who can forget that iconic blue velvet dress worn by the late Princess Diana when she danced with John Travolta at a White House event in 1985?! Rachel and Stephanie certainly cannot! On today's episode, Rachel and Stephanie travel across the pond, and welcome Claudia Joseph, London-based journalist, author, and genealogist, whose latest book, Diana: A Life in Dresses , chronicles Princess Diana's...

On this special episode, Rachel and Stephanie celebrate the one-year anniversary of Stephanie's appearance on Rachel's baking show! They give you the behind-the-scenes story about how they met, and the events leading up to their launch of the Life's Accessories podcast. Hear how the passing of Queen Elizabeth II (may she rest in peace!) and Covid may have played a role in bringing this podcast to...

On this check in/jam session episode, Rachel and Stephanie explore the wonderful, adorable and sometimes painful world of headbands. Both Rachel and Stephanie wore headbands for way too long because they thought they were super cute but really they just hurt their heads, A LOT! Why do we we wear these items that are so uncomfortable (4 inch heels anyone?) Why does it take us so long to figure out...

American fashion designer, entrepreneur, retail pioneer, author, and family storyteller/podcast host Liz Lange joins Rachel and Stephanie for this episode of Life's Accessories. Liz shares the story behind her special rope and gold bracelet, and her love for all things gold (plus rope belts and kaftans!) when it comes to fashion. Hear what Liz has to say about her 2020 acquisition of Figue, a New...

On this episode of Life's Accessories, Rachel and Stephanie have double the fun with sisters and and entrepreneurs Kimberly and Alexis Kissam, the owners of Isabel Harvey, an accessory boutique in Wellesley and Nantucket, MA (and online at www.isabelharvey.com). Alexis shares a bracelet full of charms from special places she's traveled, and Kimberly shares sister bangle bracelets which were given...

Rachel and Stephanie take a deep dive into their first big girl bags. For Stephanie it was the Burberry hobo bag she bought after saving up for it while working in Washington D.C for a boss who encouraged her to reward herself for a job well done. Rachel purchased the oversized Kate Spade black nylon bag from Bloomingdales in New York City while working in magazine publishing. Rachel felt a bit li...

Fashion and beauty executive turned writer Christine Morrison joins the pod to talk about and Ann Demeulemeeester dress, which she bought her last day in Chicago in a fancy boutique she was scared to shop in right before she moved to New York City and her life completely changed. This dress has been with Christine for nearly 25 years as she navigated a career in fashion and beauty, moved to multip...

In this episode Rachel and Stephanie welcome author, podcaster, bookfluencer, entrepreneur, CEO, publisher, bookstore owner, and mom Zibby Owens. Zibby shares the story behind her beloved grandmother Gagy's special clover necklace. Zibby inspired Rachel and Stephanie to wear their grandmothers' special necklaces too. Zibby, the founder of the "Mom's Don't Have Time To" brand, talks about how she h...

Rachel and Stephanie discuss the forbidden fashion fruits of their childhood. For Stephanie it was those very trendy neon socks which her mother did not feel were appropriate. We still don't really understand why. For Rachel, it was Guess Jeans, the iconic 1980s designer denim, which everyone else proudly wore back in the day. Rachel and Stephanie question why they were not allowed to have said it...

Entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and brand strategist Christina Geist joins the pod and shares her stacks of bracelets, designed by her childhood friend Brett Lauren of her eponymous jewelry line. Christina talks about her evolution as the founder and CEO of Boombox Gifts, children's book author, and her work as the co-founder of branding and design workshop True Geist. A creative...

Columnist, writing teacher and podcast host Nina Badzin comes on the podcast to talk to Rachel and Stephanie about her tennis racket! A tennis racket is an accessory? Yes it is, and it has allowed Nina to connect with her late father, to reflect on high school regrets (who hasn't regretted something from high school!!) and helped her make new friends in adulthood. Nina says tennis people are the b...

International bestselling author Joanna Rakoff joins the pod to tell Rachel and Stephanie about a life changing, powerful dress that she has worn so much it is disintegrating! Joanna got out the BEAUTIFUL dress by Finnish designer Ivana Helsinki and wore it for this very special episode. Joanna explains how the dress gave her the courage to get a divorce and start a new life, to attend a big meeti...