Sharing Women's Stories: Holl and Lane.
Today is International Women's Day, a day when women are celebrated and respected around the world. Every day women everywhere, including the US, are faced with prejudices. It's unfortunate that in the 21st century women are still being silenced because of their gender but there are people that are giving a voice to women and sharing their stories, struggles and successes.
One of those is Sarah Harltey, Editor and chief of Holl and Lane magazine.
Where are you From?
I live near Pittsburgh, PA with my husband, and son Henry, and also work full-time for an architecture firm.
Why did you start Holl and Lane?
After becoming pregnant with my son, I realized that when I talked about my struggles with pregnancy on my personal blog, my readers really responded to that and felt that they could share their struggles with me, too. So I searched for a magazine that also did that. I wanted a magazine that wouldn't just show the pretty parts of life. I wanted to have open conversations about the tough things in life, too, so that other women would know it's okay to be vocal about their struggles. And when I realized that didn't exist, I created it.
What is the mission?
The mission is to connect women through shared experiences. I strongly believe that each time you share a piece of your story, you're allowing another woman to say "me, too" and that's SO powerful.
What do you hope women gain from sharing their experiences with one another?
The ability to see that it's okay to struggle, it's okay to go through these things and that it is all completely normal. Our lives don't look like we portray them on Instagram and THAT'S OKAY. I hope that women will be able to connect with one another in a new way by being so open, honest, and vulnerable.
How do you hope Holl and Lane will impact the world?
I'm hoping that H&L will be able to start real conversations around the topics that are often stigmatized and swept under the rug - things like mental health, infertility, body image, addiction. These things are all a fairly common part of life, but yet people don't talk about them out of fear. But if we were more open about these things it allows us to have real conversations and make real changes.
Holl and Lane is artfully designed with thoughtfully written pieces from women from various walks of life. Stories from single parents to the dating woman with beautiful photographs to go with each story.
It is a magazine that will leave you inspired and moved to tears.
It is genuine and raw.
Intertwined between the pages of the stories are inspiring quotes from women and mothers that have and are making a difference in our world. Some of my favorite quotes were, "Knowing what must be done does away with fear."-Rosa Parks and "If you don't like the road you're walking, pave a new one."-Dolly Parton.
And I am so excited to announce that one of my stories will be published in an upcoming issue on March 20th. Get your free mini issue here.
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