Four Women Live Life off the Beaten Path but on the Right Road
Words by Jessi Devenyns & Abby L. Johnson Photos by Eric Morales
Wherein lies one’s motivation and reason to pursue her chosen path through this life? Is it intrinsic or extrinsic? For these four women, it is both. Their internal compasses guide them to search for meaning in the everyday, and, sometimes, it is found in the smallest details that have been overlooked by countless others. Although these women have a clear sense of direction and an uncanny ability to breathe meaning into the mundane, at the end of the day, it is the people whom they encounter along the way who sustain their drive to forge a path pursuing careers outside of the ordinary.
Creating the Soundtrack of Her Life:
DJ Cassandra Puts a Unique Spin on Her Musical Career
When Fleetwood Mac released their hit “Go Your Own Way” in 1977, they could not have known the inspirational anthem that it would become. Although the song is about breakups, the tune’s recognition that it takes solitude and determination to forge your own path is a sentiment that speaks to Cassie Shankman.
“There have been many times when I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this?’” admits Cassie, a composer with a classical music background who went her own way when she pivoted her career trajectory and reinvented herself as DJ Cassandra in 2019. “Then I turn around, and I’m DJ-ing for 150,000 people.” Cassie freely admits that forging her own path has led her to become both a mental health advocate as well as an informal support system for fellow DJs. Continue reading here…
Opening Up an Incubator:
Artist Reji Thomas Makes Space for Creatives
When Reji Thomas opened her glass art studio in Austin in 1979, she didn’t expect to create an artist incubator. It was something the community needed, so it just evolved.
Reji runs on creativity. Her so-called ‘Reji-proof briefcase’ is a catch-all bag filled with her daily inputs and outputs. Old magazines for inspiration and a large drawing pad filled with the beginnings of ideas take up most of the space. She thinks in visuals, pulling her papers from the bag and sketching out the direction of her thoughts as she speaks with a pen, moving with assurance: a diagonal line as she talks about moving from California to Texas in the late 70s, a circle to emphasize the metaphors she so easily speaks. At some point, an oversized pair of eyeglasses crop up on the page underneath her hands. “I’d love to design glasses,” she smiles.
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Space for Community:
Chef Sonya Coté Feeds Body and Soul
Over the past ten years, Chef Sonya Coté’s menus at Hillside Farmacy, Eden East, Eden West, and now Store House Market & Eatery have become a benchmark for farm-to-table cuisine in the Capital City. That’s because, for Sonya, serving guests is more than just putting food on plates.
For her, cooking is about commitment to community. And commitment looks like fresh Texas produce, supporting her staff, and the friendship of each guest who orders a dish.
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More Than Just Sleight of Hand:
Nicole Cardoza Reclaims Inherent Magic
What is magic? Nicole Cardoza, the 33-year-old who fields this question, is warm and welcoming as she explains that magic happens when a person is well and happy within their mind, body, and emotions. As a yoga nonprofit founder turned investor turned magician, she is plenty qualified to advise on maintaining balance and well-being despite life’s twists and turns. Achieving this balance is hard. However, Nicole believes that everyone deserves to be well. After all, to do well, you must be well. Implementing wellness in her own life and sharing her practices with her community through various creative endeavors are the heart behind Nicole’s work.
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