Fashion. Food. Decor.

Local therapist releases first book to help readers implement change in their lives

Licensed independent social worker and cognitive behavior therapist Joanna Hardis never thought she would write a book. 

That changed when she experienced being ghosted on her 51st birthday during a trip to Canyon Ranch Spa in Tucson, Ariz., by someone she had been dating for a few months, she tells Jstyle. Hardis’ book, “Just Do Nothing: A Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way” came from interactions between her personal and professional life. It was released Aug. 24.

“I am an anxiety disorder specialist with a special concentration in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and I had been really interested in this concept of distress tolerance and helping people shift their relationship with stress and discomfort,” Hardis says in her Cleveland Heights office “… Then, I had that personal experience of three months after dating someone, getting ghosted which was … just horrible. So then, I was met with so much distress and discomfort of my own that it was just this perfect marriage of personal and professional, and it came to me that this is what I could write about.”

In Chapter 1 of the book, Hardis writes that when she got ghosted, she had been divorced for over 10 years and had been dating for several years when the incident happened. Things “seemed different” with this connection and she had hope, she describes.

Three days before her birthday trip, she began to think she was being ghosted and up until her departure, she was left with the same familiar pain as when her marriage fell apart. Her date did not meet her in Arizona.

“… Tightness in my chest, my stomach clenching, the lump in my throat and trouble getting a deep enough breath,” she writes of how the experience affected her physically. 

She realized that to get through this, she did not need to research ghosting or call her therapist. But, she needed to go through the process of allowing – allowing things to happen and feeling the emotions associated with them, and not pushing them away, she writes.

Read more about Hardis' experience and her book at jstylemagazine.com.

📥 Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get Jstyle's free newsletter delivered to your inbox at noon every other Thursday at jstylemagazine.com/signup.

Bold nails for fall and winter

People are ditching their basic manicures and getting creative with nail art this season, says Jamie Spaid, founder of Manifest at the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights.

“A lot of people are having so much more fun with it now,” Spaid notes of nail designs. 

Emerging nail art trends include swirl styles, modern art, leafy florals for fall and leopard print designs. And, no finger is exactly like the last with the popularity of “mix-and-match” nails, she explains. 

“They’re just playing around with different designs on each nail,” Spaid says. “It doesn’t necessarily have to match.” 

As for this season’s go-to colors, “any shade of brown is in,” Spaid says, along with olive colors and deep burgundy.

See more fall nail trends at jstylemagazine.com.

Chanukah pajamas for the entire family: 2023 edition

Lior Zaltzman writes for Kveller: "This is my fourth year in a row of curating Chanukah pajama offerings from around the internet, and it does fill me with Jewish joy to see how many more offerings we have this year. But also, I have to say: I wish there were more colorful options, and some more 'outside of the box' thinking when it comes to Chanukah motifs, especially in a year when spreading Jewish pride feels, for so many of us, more important than ever. I want more diverse Hanukkah offerings (it’s never enough, it will never be enough!!)."

Mendel's to be featured in ChaiFlicks kosher food, lifestyle series

🎥 Take a look inside Mendel's KC BBQ

'Reimagined' Lopez to open in Chagrin Falls

Restaurateur Brad Friedlander will reopen a reimagined Lopez restaurant at 506 E. Washington St. in Chagrin Falls later in November, according to a news release.

Lopez first opened in 1980 in Cleveland Heights by Friedlander and his then-partner, Craig Summers.

“Lopez was incredibly novel in 1980 and we are committed to bringing back the best parts while also exploring entirely new aspects of traditional Mexican cuisine,” Friedlander said in the release. “I can’t tell you how many people still reach out to me about a favorite Lopez dish or recipe.”

Screenshot / Google Maps

The cutest Chanukah stuff at Target this year

Dollar Tree's thrilling Chanukah items, ranked

'Frost' at the Cleveland Botanical Garden – Join the Cleveland Botanical Garden for its all new holiday experience featuring holiday lights and immersive, themed rooms. The family-friendly, ice-capped garden experience opens Nov. 18 and runs through Dec. 31.

'Girl From the North Country' – The Tony Award-winning musical that reimagines 20 Bob Dylan songs is on stage at the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland through Nov. 19.

Cheese & Wine Fest – Taste CLE will host its east side cheese and wine festival on Nov. 19 at Landerhaven in Mayfield Heights. The event features more than 50 cheeses and wines available for tasting, live music and food.

Cirque du Soleil - Corteo – Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession imagined by a clown. The theatrical performance runs Nov. 22 through Nov. 26 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.

Turkey Trot – A Cleveland tradition since 1982, the annual Thanksgiving-day race returns Nov. 23. With 5 mile, 5K and 1 mile distances available, the event offers races for runners of all experience levels.

2023 Avon Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show – The Nov. 25 show will feature artists and crafters selling original handmade items at the Emerald Event Center in Avon. A portion of proceeds will benefit Smiles for Sophie Forever.

The Women IN Philanthropy MaIN Event – During the Nov. 29 program, Judy Immerman Payne will be honored as the recipient of the 2023 Irene Zehman Volunteer Award.

Barrel Aged Beer Hop College – Learn about the history and sensory characteristics of barrel aged brews, and enjoy a guided tasting of some recent releases and rarest cellar pulls on Nov. 29 at Great Lakes Brewing Company.

'Surface Identities' – Street art is particularly popular in Israel, where graffiti walking tours take tourists and locals to see the different forms of expressions on walls throughout many cities and neighborhoods. “Surface Identities: Studio Works by Israeli Street Artists” is on display through December at the Roe Green Gallery at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood.

Hairspray – Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy comes to Connor Palace at Playhouse Square from Dec. 5-10.

Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl – The seventh annual event in Lakewood is Dec. 9.

Menorah Lighting Ceremony with Downtown Chabad– Celebrate the festival of lights at Public Square with Downtown Chabad's annual menorah lighting ceremony on Dec. 12. For the holidays, Public Square features an ice skating rink, lighting display, hot cocoa, unique pop-up experiences and more.

2024 campaign closing celebration – Join the Jewish Federation of Cleveland on Dec. 13 to celebrate what the Jewish community accomplishes together in this year’s Campaign for Jewish Needs. General campaign chair Beth Wain Brandon and others will share the results from the campaign before revealing the grand total. The recipient of the Amb. Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Young Campaigner of the Year Award will also be recognized.

Pickle in the Land – About 30 courts and more than 1,000 participants will fill the Huntington Convention Center from Dec. 15-17, hosted by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Rock Entertainment Group and Topnotch Events. 

The Harlem Globetrotters – The 2024 world tour brings the Harlem Globetrotters to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Dec. 28.

Wild Winter Lights at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo – Through Dec. 30, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will be decorated with more than one million holiday-themed lights. Guests have the option of exploring the lights on foot or in a personal vehicle.

Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work and Impressionism – The Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition explores the livelihoods and societal perceptions of women who worked as laundresses in 19th-century Paris. It's on view through Jan. 14.

Daniel Arsham: Score and Sound – Daniel Arsham’s exhibition, on view through Jan. 27 at The Sculpture Center, juxtaposes the themes of past and future, resonating with echoes of Cleveland’s rich musical and sporting traditions.

The ORT America-Ohio Region 52nd Annual Brunch on Oct. 29 at Beechmont Country Club in Orange was attended by over 150 people and raised $163,000 for ORT’s Kfar Silver Youth Village, a rural boarding school near Israel’s border with Gaza home to 1,100 students, 250 of which are boarding students from outside of Israel.

CJN Photos / Abigail Preiszig

Jstyle is a periodical supplement to the Cleveland Jewish News and published by the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company.