Category: News and Features

Posted in News and Features

Life Coach Leah Harper Releases Memoir to Help Others Deal with Trauma and Begin Their Healing Journey

Posted on by Amanda

Leah Harper is an area faith-centered life coach who specializes in helping women find peace, purpose, and healing. As a certified life coach, she works with clients individually and in retreat-like settings to help them build confidence and emotional resilience, navigate life transitions, view self-care as a non-negotiable, and be free from burnout and overwhelm. 

“I’ve hosted a total of seven women’s retreats at Kraus Farms. I incorporate horses because it helps the women learn to slow down, and to spend time in nature with a larger animal that they have to learn to trust. It’s been a beautiful experience,” Leah says. 

She has also written a book called Through a Daughter’s Eyes, that is part memoir and part guided workbook that is designed to help women that are walking through life carrying invisible wounds while trying to hold everything together.  

Prior to her work as a life coach, Leah spent 10 years as a Child Life Specialist, helping children and families facing fear and uncertainty in hospital settings. In 2020, just days before the world shut down due to the global pandemic, Leah left her position at the hospital to be a stay-at-home mom. 

But not long after that transition, she began to feel the effects of not only the pandemic and helping her then five-year-old son with his virtual schooling, but also the overall demands of motherhood. Leah began slipping into a mother and wife that was tired, stressed, and snapping at the ones she loved. 

“I recognized that I needed to work on some inner stuff and acknowledge the internal little girl within me that I had ignored my entire life.”

Leah Harper in a green shirt and jeans
Leah Harper is a certified life coach and she has written a memoir called Through a Daughter’s Eyes. Photo via Leah Harper Coaching on Facebook.

She points to the pain that surfaced during that time as pivotal to her healing and her future. It’s what led her to work with a life coach, which she attributes to helping her learn emotional regulation and other coping skills, leading her deeper into her faith, and helping her take the next step in her career. 

“I’ve really been coaching people throughout my whole career, but I didn’t actually see it that way at the time. Working with my life coach was such a valuable experience that I knew that would become my next step in life,” Leah shares.

After working with her own life coach, Leah made the decision to pursue her formal training to become a life coach so she could help other women and has been a life coach for two years. She has certifications through the Take Action Coaching Academy and SSLS Mindset and Life Coaching. 

About the memoir

Around the same time she began working with her life coach, Leah began documenting some of her painful childhood memories on her phone and sharing vulnerable posts on social media. The responses she received from her social media posts made her realize how many women are dealing with their own trauma and don’t understand what they should do with it. 

Soon after, Leah decided in addition to her life coaching business she could help even more women if she compiled the videos she’d recorded of herself sharing parts of her story into a book. Through a chance meeting at a women’s networking group, Leah found Little Black Book Publishing and the publishing company helped her share her story with the world.

Through a Daughter’s Eyes is a memoir that follows Leah from early childhood through her late thirties as she reckons with the lifelong impact of her father’s addiction, abandonment, and eventual imprisonment for murder. Leah shares moments from her life with honesty and vulnerability and does so in a way that will resonate with women who have experienced childhood trauma, have felt guilty about succumbing to the stresses of motherhood, or grappled with how to become a cycle-breaker for themselves and their families.

She weaves stories of what it was like to grow up as a little girl who admired a father struggling with addiction, with the latter portion of the book moving toward healing, forgiveness, and spiritual awakening, and a guided workbook to help readers begin their own healing journey. 

If you would like to learn more about Through a Daughter’s Eyes, it is available for purchase on Leah’s website. You can connect with Leah on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, or learn more about her life coaching business on her website.

Posted in News and Features

Volunteers Needed for Summer Camp Put on By Nonprofit That Supports Children and Families Affected by Childhood Cancer

Posted on by Amanda

When a child gets diagnosed with childhood cancer, the diagnosis affects the entire family. While no family wants to imagine the unthinkable happening, the reality is that children get diagnosed with cancer every day and it puts families in a spot where their entire world shifts, yet life still continues. There are bills to pay, jobs to work, school to attend, and everyday obligations, in addition to the well-being of the sick child and the rest of the family, as well as financial considerations, and the list goes on.

HIS KIDS Cancer Support Group was founded in 1984 and it is a nonprofit that helps ease the financial burden of treatment by providing food, holiday gifts, and other needs to families.HIS KIDS founders Jim and Connie Miles lost their daughter Marcia to childhood cancer in 1982 and for over four decades the nonprofit has helped families navigating childhood cancer.

Another part of the organization’s mission is to bring hope and joy to all family members at all stages of their childhood cancer battle- from diagnosis, throughout treatment, and beyond through uplifting events and therapeutic programs, including its annual Camp HIS KIDS summer camp.

Camp HIS KIDS campers and support staff group shot.
Camp HIS KIDS is a week long summer camp experience for children with cancer, as well as their siblings. This year the camp will be held in Franklin County and the organization is currently seeking camp volunteers. Photo via HIS KIDS on Facebook.

The camp provides a unique experience by giving both children with cancer as well as their siblings an opportunity to meet other kids that are going through the same circumstances. The camp is therapeutically designed to meet the emotional and social needs of campers as well as the physical ones, with activities planned by an art therapist, counselor, recreation specialist, and an early childhood education specialist. 

Camp HIS KIDS was located at a campground in Illinois for several years, but in 2026 it will be held at a campsite right here in Franklin County. Camp HIS KIDS relies on around 50 volunteers to make the week long event a success for children, and the nonprofit is currently seeking volunteers for the July 19-24 event.

There are numerous ways to make an impact as a volunteer, and the organization is seeking day volunteers to help out in various roles. Volunteers may help with things like activity setup to more specialized roles for photographers, lifeguards, and camp nurses (must be an RN). If you’re unable to physically volunteer, you may support the camp with a monetary donation. The organization has an Amazon wish list filled with supplies needed for camp. View the wish list here.

Anyone interested in volunteering for Camp HIS KIDS should apply online.

More about Camp HIS KIDS

Camp HIS KIDS has been twice awarded the Stellar Performance Award for Best Special Needs Camp in the St. Louis area, and is a member of the Children’s Oncology Camping Association (COCA) which strengthens children’s cancer camps through networking, education, and advocacy.  In 2017, the organization was awarded Gold Ribbon Camp Status for exceptional oncology camping and was re-certified in 2022. 

Find out more about HIS KIDS by visiting its website, or follow the organization on Facebook.

Posted in News and Features

It’s Patio Weather! Here Are 8 Patios to Check Out in Franklin County This Season

Posted on by Amanda

Although it’s been a rainy week so far, we’re fully in patio season in Franklin County and I wanted to put together some suggestions on where to eat and drink outdoors in the area.

Muddy Banks Brewing, Sullivan
The outdoor dining area is ample and includes tables under an overhang to provide shade, as well as an area with cornhole boards and space for kids to play. And, there’s more than beers available to sip on at this brewery. The non-alcoholic options include iced tea, lemonade, coffee, and bottled craft sodas. In addition to the craft beer selections, there’s also cocktails and mead. Pair your bevy with any of the delicious menu offerings that include burgers, wings, salads, and appetizers.

Oak & Front Kitchen + Bar, Washington
Located in downtown Washington, Oak & Front has a lunch and dinner menu, as well as brunch offerings. Find coffee, tea, and soft drinks as well as a selection of wines and cocktails to sip on the patio that faces Front Street.

Hagie’s 19, Union
The varied food menu ranges from pub style bites like mozzarella sticks, wings, and toasted ravioli, as well as mains like burgers, wraps, salads, pizzas, and entrees. Drink choices include tea and soft drinks, as well as beers and cocktails. Hagie’s patio features fans and heaters, as well as roll-up windows that let in sunshine and can be opened or partially closed depending on the weather.

Undergrounds Espresso Bar, Washington
Tucked on the corner of Front and Cedar Streets, the patio at underGROUNDS Espresso Bar is the perfect spot to sip on an iced coffee or other drink. The menu also includes breakfast and lunch offerings like frittatas, sandwiches, and salads, as well as delectable pastries.

Cobb salad and an iced latte at underGROUNDS Espresso Bar’s patio. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

John G’s Bier Deck, Washington
With both an upper and lower deck that each gives diners a spectacular view of the Missouri Riverfront, John G’s Bier Deck is a place to unwind with friends, family, and pets. Dine on everything from shareable appetizers to burgers and sandwiches, or enjoy the daily special, any of which will go well with the beer selections or other beverages available.

Pacific Brew Haus, Pacific
This partially shaded outdoor dining space has a mix of high and low-top tables, many of which have attached umbrellas for additional shade, as well as bar seating at the outdoor bar. Find a food selection with items like burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pastas, and more. There’s a varied bevy menu that includes beer, wine, cocktails, sodas and other soft drinks.

Mangia Bella at Elijah McLean’s, Washington
With a covered eating space and climate controlled area, this outdoor dining space really sets the vibe. This former private mansion turned fine dining establishment offers guests a menu of items like pastas, soups, salads, and entrees with an Italian flare, as well as an extensive wine menu, cocktails, and non-alcoholic selections.

River & Rail Tavern, Labadie
Located in the heart of downtown Labadie, the patio faces Front Street, giving diners a prime view of the historic buildings in the area and features a number of tables complete with umbrellas for shade. Choose from casual dining fare like burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, wraps, and pizza, as well as a wide beer selection, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks like sodas, lemonade, and tea.

Honorable mentions

Old Bridgeview Brewing, Washington
While it’s not a patio, when the weather is nice the large roll-top windows at the front of the brewery are often open. They allow in a gentle breeze from the riverfront and there are tables along each window, giving you the feeling of sitting outside, while still being under roof.

Enjoying a couple beers at Old Bridgeview Brewing in Washington when the windows are open is a unique experience. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Riverbend Coffee, St. Clair
The coffee shop offers sidewalk seating via a couple of bistro-style tables that the establishment will place on the sidewalk in front of the business when the weather cooperates.

I know this isn’t a full list of places to dine outdoors in the area. If you have a favorite patio dining space that isn’t included here, leave a comment on my Facebook page and be sure to tag the restaurant in your comment so I can follow them!


Posted in News and Features

Cultivate a Green Thumb at the Community Garden in St. Clair

Posted on by Amanda

In 2021 I fell in love with gardening, but at that time, it did not love me back! In those days I was living in a second floor apartment with only a balcony to use as a growing space. I purchased a few containers, some herbs, and a couple plant starts (tomatoes and one cucumber plant) and was confused and discouraged when everything died.

In the late winter of 2022, I went to my local library and borrowed as many books on gardening as I could get my hands on. I figured out what I did wrong with my first container garden. The long story is that basically it was hot and sunny on my balcony, which I thought was a good thing, but since I was growing stuff in plastic containers, that just made the plants overheat and wilt. Combine that with how I knew nothing about the important role that pollinators play in a garden, and well, before everything died, I had a whole lot of leafy plants and not much fruit.

Later in 2022 when we moved to Franklin County and into a house with a yard, I was determined to successfully grow my own food. While I’ve had ups and downs thanks to pests (squash bugs are the devil’s minions, you won’t convince me otherwise!), and crazy weather patterns (I’m looking at you summer of 2025), I’ve mostly been successful. One year I had so much success with pickling cucumbers that I ended up with over four dozen jars of refrigerator pickles 😀 I gave a lot of those away!

Tomatoes, zucchini, and watermelon plant starts I was gifted from a fellow gardener I met at the community garden. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Even though I have a yard now, I still take advantage of the free garden beds at the community garden in St. Clair. If you didn’t know, the Scenic Regional Library St. Clair Branch has a community garden with around 20 or so garden beds that are able to be “checked out” from the library, the same way you’d check out a book, DVD, or other library materials using your library card. I like gardening at the library because it’s a slightly different environment than my home garden in that the area gets sun throughout the entire day, and it has other gardeners there, which is something I don’t get at home.

For me, that’s such a bonus because when I’m tending to my community garden bed in the middle of the brutal summer heat, battling weeds and pests, it’s reassuring to see a fellow gardener doing the same to their garden bed. Conversations naturally occur over commiserating about things like squash bugs or pesky squirrels and birds taking nibbles out of your tomatoes.

There are a couple drawbacks to having a garden space that isn’t at your own home, mainly that you have to remember to make a trip to the library to check up on your growing space, as well as water and maintain it. If checking out a garden bed isn’t something you’re interested in, there’s also a seed library inside the library that you may get a few seeds from for your home or community garden bed.

If you’re not familiar, a seed library means that there’s a variety of seed packets – everything from heirloom tomato varieties to lettuce and other greens, and flower seeds – and this can also be accessed with your library card.

Visit the Scenic Regional Library St. Clair Branch at 515 E. Springfield Road in St. Clair to find out more, or just to take a stroll through the community garden to take a peek at what’s growing.