What Works

Sherry Stanley is on a mission to give immigrants the best life possible.By Anna Patterson Louisville locals are familiar with the hustle and bustle of Churchill Downs. The roar of the stands on Derby day. The parade of perfectly groomed horses mounted with brightly dressed jockeys.But what most are not familiar with is what happens on the backside of the track.Churchill Downs employs about 1,000 maintenance and “behind the scenes” track workers — 70-80 percent of them are Spanish-speaking immigrants from Guatemala and other Latin American countries. Many of these workers do not speak English [...]

By Lucy M. Pritchett  What works for a woman will be different in each stage of life. For instance, Jennifer London is a new mom, and what is working for her right now is an app called Baby Nursing. It is geared for breastfeeding moms and lets the new mother track nursing progress, growth, diaper changes, and doctor’s visits.“This app really helped me at first because I didn’t know what was normal,” Jen says. “It tracks feedings and all the other things that go along with our daughter’s progress. Right now I’m transitioning from breastfeeding [...]

By Lucy M. Pritchett Claire Alagia's interest in pursuing a real estate career came from her father's involvement in the business. Photos by Patti HartogClaire Alagia spent 25 years with Bittner’s, an interior design firm helping people take their homes from fair to fabulous. She retired as CEO in 2011 and took five years off to care for her father during his illness. It is perhaps not so strange that she transitioned from the business of interiors to real estate and now is a realtor with Wakefield Reutlinger Realtors.Although she wasn’t part of the design team [...]

By Lucy M. PritchettPhotos by Patti HartogDeborah Lutz admits to having a penchant for things that edge on the creepy. To wit: the framed display of butterfly wings fashioned into a blue and yellow design that hangs on her living room wall. Or the two soft-brown moths, each the size of your palm, that are forever frozen — framed and under glass — that reside in her bedroom.Then there is her collection of miniature black-and-white photographic portraits of straight-backed Victorian women in black dresses and stiff collars. These too decorate the white walls of her [...]

By Anna Patterson Brittany Kotheimer MacWilliams is cultivating a new generation of musicians. Photo by Melissa Donald  Concertgoers in the crowded theater applaud as you take the stage. Behind you sits a full orchestra, awaiting the conductor’s downbeat. Your dress swishes as you raise your violin to your chin. You are the soloist, the one everyone has come to hear.Oh, and you are also 10 years old.Brittany Kotheimer MacWilliams began playing the violin at age 3. Her relationship with the violin was not an instant love affair — like many children, Brittany did not always enjoy [...]

By Anna PattersonThe dull roar of talk combined with interjections of grinding coffee does not make for an ideal interview setting. But when I sit down with Shannon Higgins in this crowded coffee shop, the noisy atmosphere fades into the background. I am transported into Shannon’s story — her incredible journey of abandonment, imprisonment, homelessness, motivation, courage, and overcoming.After being given away by her birth mother at infancy, Shannon went back and forth between foster homes and state custody. She was adopted at age 3 by pastor Earl Higgins and his wife. But five years [...]