about-me

About Me

Oh, Darling! Photography

My twin sister and I were born in Paris in 1979, and grew up in France, England and (mostly) the suburbs of Michigan. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2001, I moved to New York City. I launched my career at Cosmopolitan, where my editorial responsibilities included stopping good-looking men on the street and asking them sexy questions. After working for women’s magazines for three years, I became the editor-in-chief of Bene, an award-winning national magazine about Italian life and style. From 2005 to 2007, I launched and ran the quarterly, which covered Italian food, wine, fashion, design, travel and lifestyle. In January 2008, I left Bene to focus on branding work for companies such as Unilever, Huggies and Yves Saint Laurent; and write and blog for magazines, including Glamour, New York, Budget Travel and Cookie. I was the relationships blogger for Glamour.com for two years, and also blogged for Conde Nast Traveler. Here’s my portfolio website with my magazine and branding work. My husband and I now live in in a teeny apartment in Manhattan with our toddler son.

Contact Me

Please feel free to email me, and please take a look at the FAQs below. The answer may be waiting for you! If you're interested in advertising, my larger ads and partnerships are handled by Federated Media. For details about the 160x60 ads, please email me. Thank you!

Praise for Cup of Jo

Founded in 2007, A Cup of Jo is a daily blog that covers fashion, design, food, travel, weddings, relationships, motherhood and lifestyle. My readers are enthusiastic, style-conscious young women who love shopping online and discovering new things. Cup of Jo receives almost 1 million unique visitors per month and more than 4 million page views per month.

FAQ

How did you build a blog readership?
People ask me that all the time, and unfortunately I don’t have an easy answer. I just have been blogging for almost six years, and I try to post consistently. The growth has been slow, steady and organic. I think the best advice is just to stay true to your own voice, since then your blog will feel authentic and seem different from other blogs. I also wrote about blogging as a career here.

Do you have any advice about blogging overall?
Sure! My biggest tip is to be authentic. When you write a post, imagine your mom or best friend reading it. Does it sound like your voice? Does the topic fascinate or inspire you? Is the post clear and enticing and visual? Do you have a point of view that’s different from other bloggers? People will like reading your blog—and you’ll enjoy writing it—if you’re true to yourself and your posts come from the heart. Write about what you love. (I wrote about blogging as a career here.)

How did you become a magazine writer? Do you have any tips about starting a magazine career?
I did an interview about my career which might answer some of your questions. I also love the websites mediabistro.com and ed2010.com. They have great advice about pitching stories and interviewing; plus, they have job and internship listings. Good luck!

Can I meet with you to talk about getting started in magazines?
Meeting with readers used to be one of my favorite parts of blogging, but unfortunately I’m unable to meet with everyone who reaches out nowadays, due to time constraints. I really hope the above interviews and websites will be helpful. Good luck!

Where can I find a bike?
If you’d like a new bike, I’d recommend Public or Linus bikes—both make great city bikes (light, comfy, reliable, cute!).

Where did you find the giant pink balloon in your blog header?
The pink balloon in our engagement photos was our photographer Max Wanger’s brilliant idea. You can find similar giant round balloons at the online shop Stumps Party.

I’m coming to New York. Where should I eat? Stay? Play?
Here's the Cup of Jo Guide to New York with all our favorite places. Have a wonderful time!!

Where should I shop for a wedding dress in New York?
Lovely in the West Village is amazing, and J.Crew has a wedding boutique at 769 Madison Avenue. (P.S. Congratulations!)

Will you please write about my project or product?
If you email me with a link, I’ll be very happy to consider it. Thanks!

Can I submit an item for a giveaway?
I’m not accepting giveaway submissions at the moment, but thanks for your interest!

Why was my comment removed on Cup of Jo?
Cup of Jo is a positive place to swap inspiration and ideas. I encourage constructive criticism and debate, but if your comment is thoughtless or offensive, I will remove it.

Can I email you about something else entirely?
Yes! I adore getting emails from readers, and I really try to respond to them. Unfortunately, I’m not able to respond to every single one (which is why I set up these FAQ, which I hope are helpful). I get many, many emails from readers daily, and, while I love them, sometimes it’s impossible to respond to all of them, while still juggling work, marriage, a toddler, and plain old life responsibilities. Please forgive me if I wasn’t able to reply, I so appreciate your emails and thoughts! xoxo