Living The Authentic Life

We are thrilled to have two talented transcontinental women on the podcast this week: renowned artist Elizabeth Waggett and fashion designer Max Trowbridge. Max Trowbridge shares her story from beginning her career as a fashion designer in London to launching the conscious woman's ready-to-wear brand Eve & Max in Dallas, TX and Elizabeth Waggett is back on the podcast to talk about feminine strength, resilience & her new art collection. Both originally from England and currently residing in Texas, join us as we talk about our shared loves of fashion, art and sustainability.

Rob Chramosta films on location at the Monaco Legends Watch Auctions in Monte Carlo, Monaco with Davide Parmegiani and Adam Victor of Monaco Legend Group. First he is joined by Davide Parmegiani, chairman of Monaco Legend Group, one of the watch industry’s most prominent experts and dealers. They speak in depth about the extraordinary Patek Philippe chronograph watch Chramosta brought from the shadows of history to the cover of the Exclusive Timepieces Monaco Legend Auctions catalogue cover. This rare cushion-shaped, single-button design owned/worn by Sir Henry Seagrave, Harry Gordon Selfridge, and Amelia Earhart spent over 50 years with a US collector and his family. When Rob Chramosta came on as a partner he leveraged his expertise, global contact database and guidance to help substantiate the prior ownership. Rob then speaks with Adam Victor of Monaco Legends Group Watch Department about the most rare and outstanding pieces within the auction. They share stories of what they saw as the most interesting trends in world market, the most surprising prices paid, the “deals” from the auction and list a few of their favorite pieces. Rob shares, “I have been buying and selling watches since I was 13 years old and this Patek Philippe is by far the rarest piece I’ve ever sold. Selling such a historic watch with a racing heritage in Monaco for over $1.8 million dollars is the dream of a lifetime. This has been the most exciting sale of my career. I’ve spent years studying vintage pieces and curating collections for myself and my clients. It means so much to me to be entrusted with selling such a rare timepiece with its history. I get to travel the world and make a living doing what I love. It’s the greatest gift.”

Our Special guest is Courtney Zavala- beloved Houston media star and skin care creator of “The Courtney Mask” This week we sat down and talked about the newest chapter of Courtney's life which may very well be her best yet. She shares intimate stories of her journey from TV reporter to morning news anchor to talk show host. She is glowing from the inside out, living her best life as a beauty mask creator, social media content creator, emcee, community advocate, wife and mom. We discuss the ever changing real world of balancing priorities, connecting with people we meet in a meaningful way and identifying what brings you the most joy.

Varda Fields is a fashionable yet complex woman with a purpose who is head of special projects and development at Rosewood Funeral Home in Houston, TX. The fashionably international Varda Fields is a woman who has worn many hats throughout her life. From her position in the Air Force to intelligence officer to police officer to mother working in fashion industry to finally landing in the roll of head of special projects and development at Rosewood Funeral Home in Houston, she is a complex woman with a purpose. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, Varda moved to the United States and eventually landed in Houston 35 years ago. Join us as we discuss her journey from days filled with darkness to a life filled with life and love. She talks about the similarities between Israelis and Texans. She pointed out we both have pride in our countries, traditions and love of the people who live in our community. She believes when we talk through our differences and find common ground, we can all better understand one another’s journeys and feel compassion for each other, even when we’ve lived seemingly different lives.

Join Rob & Donae with special guests, as they take you on a fascinating journey of luxury live from the Miami Beach Antique Show. It's a must see for anyone serious about buying and selling preowned luxury collectors pieces. The magnitude of brands including Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Hermes, Chanel are equal parts eye candy and history lesson. We talk you through our guide to curating an exceptional collection of vintage and estate luxury watches, jewelry and handbags. The Vintage Contessa & Times Past is an independent reseller of authenticated luxury products. We are not affiliated, associated, endorsed by, or in any way connected with any brands, companies, or agencies of the resale products we offer. All brands, product names and logos are trademarks or service marks of their respective holders, and all copyrights are reserved by the original owners of the brands.

Hilary Magner, Co-Owner of Squash Blossom, Vail's Prominent Jewelry Store since 1973 is this week's podcast guest is former Houstonian turned Vail-local, Hilary Magner, co-owner of Vail’s 50 plus year old Squash Blossom jewelry store. Many people dream of leaving the big city to raise a family in a smaller vacation town but few actually have the dedication to live it out. After over 10 years in the energy business traveling weekly, Magner and her husband Kevin decided to make a big change and moved their young family to the Vail Valley. Hilary’s husband, Kevin, whose father who was a jeweler, grew up working with watches and jewelry as part of his DNA. This husband and wife team took their combined retail experience working together at Neiman Marcus Austin and their passion for jewelry to the heart of Vail Village. Join us as we talk about watches, jewelry, working with your spouse, and running a 50 year old business open 7 days a week while raising two young boys.

Gracie Cavnar is a go-getter who is changing the way Houston’s children eat their food. Instead of focusing on a problem, Gracie brainstorms solutions and works tirelessly to create radical change, which is why we call her the original disruptor. In 2005, she and her husband Bob Cavnar founded the Recipe for Success Foundation, a nationally recognized nonprofit which is dedicated to changing the way children understand, appreciate and eat their food, and helping the community provide healthier diets for them. Join us as Gracie shares her fascinating story from starting modeling as a young child to pioneering a mission to remove soft drinks from vending machines in schools, to creating Hope Farms, a 7-acre urban farm in view of downtown skyscrapers with programs to teach, empower and inspire healthy eating. Visit Recipe4Success.org to learn more about her annual Fashion in the Fields brunch benefiting the Recipe for Success Foundation coming up on April 21, 2024 at Hope Farms.

This week’s Living the Authentic Life podcast guest is the impeccable model, stylist, fashion runway producer behind Houston’s most memorable fashion show moments, Tamara Klosz Bonar. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary celebration of her and her partner, Lenny Matuszewski’s collaboration with the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Reflections on Style Luncheon, Runway Show and Chic Boutique. Each year Houston’s most stylish women donate pieces of clothing and accessories from their personal collections to be featured in a runway show at River Oaks Country Club then sold at the Chic Boutique. Tamara and Lenny select & style the most interesting pieces in such a fresh modern way, sometimes women are even known to buy back their own donations. This year’s theme is “Girls with Pearls” and the event benefits local underserved children and families in the Greater Houston area. If you are passionate about fashion and making a difference in your community—you will be enthralled by her story combining fashion production with helping those in need.

Amir Taghi is a Texas born, New York based, women's luxury clothing designer. Amir's work and tenacity speaks for itself—the native Houstonian showed a collection at New York Fashion Week and graced the pages of Vogue—all before he graduated high school. Over the past decade Amir's designs and craftsmanship have continued to evolve with each new collection making a name for himself with sophisticated designs, a unique connection to his clients, and a fresh point of view. Drawing from a line of influences from his Persian culture and Texas upbringing, Amir Taghi is an artist of his craft - creating feminine shapes, draping and custom prints. Join us as we talk about his journey from a 15-year-old wunderkind to an established name and coveted designer.

Vibrant wardrobe stylist Valerie Dittner joins us as this week's podcast guest, sharing her love of preowned, vintage, sustainable fashion. She and I launched our fashion careers at similar times and have grown our businesses in parallel ways through a combination of shared passions and collaboration with like minded people. We dive in depth quickly, talking about the impact the world of dance had on both of us gowning up with a “costume outlook” on dressing. We both continue to be influenced by vintage styles as we approach each day's wardrobe choice as a way to express ourselves to the world while actually being active working modern women. Her signature dark locks and classic bright red lip are reminiscent of classic old Hollywood Movistar glamour mixed with a big dose of modern day chic. As a busy working mom of 2, she really is a woman who does it all and looks fabulous while doing it and helping her clients do it too‼️ Watching her Instagram inspires me to be more courageous, mixing classic styles with mixed patterns, adding both high and low designers and choosing both casual and dressy looks to create signature “Valerie Dittner” looks. We both agree, when we look our best, we actually begin to feel our best, so why not do it every day?