????️ Wellness for cancer survivors

To your health

Wednesday, Aug. 26 — Welcome back! It’s the end of August (cue Noah Kahan), and there’s just a hint of fall in the air. The cooler weather is very welcome after a long and sweltering summer.

The term “self-care” gets tossed around flippantly these days because, well, late-stage capitalism. But it can and should be more than just boutique fitness classes and exorbitantly priced skincare products. This week’s feature highlights two local organizations that offer wellness services for cancer patients and survivors.

As I reported earlier this summer, Atlanta’s sound bath market is booming. For my first-ever Rough Cut, I tried the Floating into Mindfulness sound bath at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta. Check out the video from my experience.

Vogue absolutely ate (see what I did there?) with this photo shoot of Bad Bunny and his dog at an Italian restaurant.

Everyone watches women’s sports. The University of Georgia women’s soccer team broke the NCAA attendance record last Thursday night. A crowd of 25,433 people attended the team’s 6-0 victory over James Madison University at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

I’m obsessed with this story about an 89-year-old German widower turned TikTok star, who started posting about Gen Z trends to cope with grief.

Two months ago, Olympian and former professional middle-distance runner Jenny Simpson went into sudden cardiac arrest at a community pop-up race in Raleigh, N.C. In this interview with CBS Saturday Morning, she talks about the rare congenital condition that caused the event, the life-saving care she received, and why that race was her last-ever mile.

Is dry brushing the newest skincare trend? Experts claim it helps to exfoliate skin and improve circulation.

The 2026 TOUR Championship kicks off on Thursday at the East Lake Golf Club. I’ll be on-site on Friday covering the East Lake Foundation’s community wellness initiatives, so come say hi.

Be well!

Laura

“One more day home won’t hurt.” On any single morning, that’s true. The problem is it’s never a single morning. Jeremy Salzman, Psy.D., on how school avoidance builds and what actually helps. Intown Psychology, Free consultation. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Two Atlanta Nonprofits Providing Wellness Services and Support for Cancer Patients and Survivors

This feature was important, but difficult, for me to write. I met Dara Metcalfe McCord more than 15 years ago, when we both worked at Urban Body Studios. She and her best friend Abby worked in the massage room next to our private instruction space, and they were constantly popping in to tell us to quiet down. Dara and I became fast friends—she was my Sag sister. We shared a passion for pets, the ukulele, and New Orleans.

When Dara was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, she co-founded Future Perfect Integrative Wellness. The nonprofit offers retreats, grief and healing circles, massage therapy, yoga classes, and other wellness services for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Dara passed away earlier this year, but her legacy lives on in the community and network of care she built for other cancer patients.

 Read my story about how Future Perfect Integrative Wellness and another local nonprofit, The Grief House, offer support for local cancer survivors.

A confident school year starts now SPONSORED BY INTOWN PSYCHOLOGY

School refusal almost never starts with refusing school: it starts with a stomachache, then a slow morning, then one day home. The day home works. That relief is the lesson. It teaches the brain that staying home was right, so tomorrow the pull is stronger.

If you have already let some days go, you have not broken anything. Nearly every parent does. Try partial instead of perfect. In the building, even late, even for one class. Keep the pediatrician in the loop.

➞ Contact Jeremy Salzman, Psy.D. Intown Psychology, for a free consultation.

Field Finalized for 2026 TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club

 The field is set for the 2026 TOUR Championship, with the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings qualifying for the season finale at East Lake Golf Club, starting Thursday. Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Wyndham Clark are the favorites.

 Check out our story for a list of the complete field, broadcast times, and ticket information.

“One more day home won’t hurt.” On any single morning, that’s true. The problem is it’s never a single morning. Jeremy Salzman, Psy.D., on how school avoidance builds and what actually helps. Intown Psychology, Free consultation. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Morehouse, Atrium Health to Open New Teaching Hospital in Southwest Atlanta

Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health have received approval to open a new teaching hospital at 675 Metropolitan Pkwy SW, which will include a network of primary, urgent, and specialty care.

Atrium Health is committing more than $700 million in capital and clinical investment to bring the Level III trauma center to Southwest Atlanta.

The new hospital will open with 50 beds and the capacity to expand to more than 700 as community needs grow. It will deliver comprehensive acute care, including around-the-clock emergency and Level III trauma care, obstetrics and a neonatal intensive care unit, adult critical care, advanced imaging, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology, and endoscopy.

 Find out more about the hospital’s plans here.

The Short List

 “Sterling Point” is filling the early 2000s WB hole in my heart. The teen drama takes place on a remote Canadian island, and the relaxed summer fashion is on point. So is the hair. Fellow curly haired girlies, take note of these tips from Bo Bragason’s stylist.

When I first heard singer-songwriter Ken Pomeroy’s “Cicadas” on “Reservation Dogs,” I was floored. That haunting soprano. Those devastating lyrics. She just released a new album, “Tonight’s News.” It’s a compact collection of songs that inspired her (including one of my all-time favorites, Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio”). Oh, and she can act, too: Catch up on the first season of “The Lowdown” on FX before the second one drops this fall.

Like almost everyone in my friend circle, I’m absolutely gutted about Dolly Parton’s death. She’s known for her solo music. But I especially loved her work with two other pioneering country-folk queens, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Here’s a video of the trio performing “The Sweetest Gift.”

The Rundown

 Honor the legacy of Ahmaud Arbery at the Run With Maud 5K Run/Walk on Aug. 29 at Shirley Clarke Franklin Park.

 Atlanta-based WKND eBikes is hosting its first community pop-up at Huckleberry’s Corner Store on Aug. 29. Take a complimentary test ride and get a sneak peek at the brand’s debut bike collection between 4 and 7 p.m.

Join Jess Pfeffer and Ruby Velle for SETTLE + Sound on Aug. 30. Get tickets here for the sound healing experience at Bella Cucina in Buckhead Village.

Get ready to flow with Golda Kombucha on Sept. 3 at Cultured South taproom. Sign up for the all-levels vin-yin classes, then wind down with a complimentary glass of kombucha.

 Sign up here for sunset yoga at Piedmont Park’s Active Oval on Sept. 4. Robert Yoga will lead the all-levels class.

Enjoy a sound bath with certified reiki master and sound practitioner Felicia Holden at Decatur Healing Arts on Sept. 5. Register here for the calming session, which will be held in a Himalayan salt room.

Flow and cuddle with adorable puppies at the Atlanta Humane Society’s puppy yoga class on Sept. 12. Reserve your spot here.

Craft a lantern to march in the annual Beltline Lantern Parade at a free, drop-in workshop on Sept. 13 at the Lee + White Food Hall.

 Monday Night Brewing is hosting the second annual Gluten Freedom Festival ATL on Sept. 27 at Monday Night Garage. Expect a line-up of gluten-free food and beverages plus lawn games, live music, and more.

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