Capturing the passion points in the human experience


Seeing a friend after a long time apart, taking the first bite of dessert, hearing a song that sends excitement through your body, gathering with loved ones to share a homecooked meal. These are moments.

Although seemingly small, these moments make up the human experience, and when looking back on them, these simple seconds are what make life most profound.

Moments Magazine was born as a tribute to these experiences, recognizing the simple passion points in a person’s life by taking time to slow down to appreciate the every day in a world that seems to be moving so fast. I hope you enjoy this short series of people in their moments, powered by StrataBrand on its one-year anniversary.

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Rebecka Larsdotter- Trusting Her Heart’s Purpose

One of my favorite things to do is take myself out on a solo date. I try to make a point to do it once a week. Sometimes it’s to dinner, sometimes an activity, but there is something about those few hours in my week that I truly treasure. The best part of going out solo? You never know who you will meet or what kind of experience you will have. Last week’s solo date of choice was to a jazz club (a very common choice for me).

I walked into the club, sat at the bar, ordered an old-fashioned, and settled into my seat to get lost in the music. Just as I was taking the first sip of my drink, I noticed another woman sitting in front of me was also flying solo. She was bobbing her head to the music and seemed captivated by the technique and the runs that the jazz quartet was performing.

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Max Davidson – A Man of Many Tricks (literally)

Every week, I enjoy a morning run in Central Park with my running club. I always look forward to it because the group is constantly growing and gaining exciting members. As I began my five-mile run last week, a new voice ran up next to me and asked if I was training for any upcoming races. After having some small talk about running and what I do for a living, I asked him what he does, “I’m a magician.”

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Bob Smith- History Maker

“As a teenager, I was a bit of a rabble-rouser, still am, I guess,” Bob said with a chuckle. Bob Smith was a civil rights leader in the 1960s and continues to advocate for what he believes in. On a first-name basis with the likes of those such as Congressman John Lewis and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bob has lived and breathed history alongside some of the most beloved leaders of our time.

Meeting someone who has experienced history firsthand is not something that happens every day, so I asked Bob to tell me about his journey growing up in Mississippi in the 1960s during the civil rights movement.Read More

Katie McKinney- Professional Lover of Life (and her grandchildren)

“I just want extra minutes with you!” Katie said as she insisted on giving me a ride to the airport instead of me taking an Uber. Those 35 minutes with her are irresistible to pass up because Katie is not just my ride to the airport; she is one of my favorite people in the world. And surprise, Katie McKinney is my fascinating grandmother.

I have yet to come across another person who treasures life quite like Katie. She is the essence of what Moments Mag stands for. She takes every small moment and cherishes them with all she has. As she drove me to the Indianapolis airport after spending the Thanksgiving Holiday together, I asked her a few questions.

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Sage Klein-Being Sustainably Fashionable

Sage Klein is not your average college student. Her weekends are not filled with football games and tailgates, but rather, an effort to make a difference for the environment through selling secondhand clothing.

Hailing from the Tahoe area in Northern California, Klein has been exposed to sustainability from a young age, “It is a really environmentally cognizant area.” she continued, “Growing up, my grandma was really into thrifting, same with my mom, so I grew up with it being a part of my life.”

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Robert J. Bernstein- The Supernatural Empath

It is not every day that you see a person walking around a gym holding a book and making enthusiastic conversation with everyone around them. Usually, most people are “in the zone” while working out and not really engaging with others—however, Robert Bernstein is not most people.

Robert approached me at the end of my workout, telling me he had just joined the gym. There was something childlike and curious about how he spoke, and he broke down the walls of each person he spoke with. It’s not often you witness people crack their focus in a workout to talk to a stranger. From the moment I sparked up a conversation with Robert, I knew he loved people and deeply understood and connected with them. As we talked, I looked at the book tucked under his arm. I could see the title of it peeking out, Uniquely Normal.

Intriguing.

I said, “What book is that?” He answered, “It’s my book; I wrote it!”Read More

Chris Colton- Playing with Time and Practicing Weaknesses

Talent. That’s what I heard on a rainy day in a Tribeca loft when Chris Colton got lost in playing the piano for 10 minutes. He seemingly melted effortlessly into his song and totally transcended reality into what seemed like another realm—quite a sight to see.Read More

Jamal Alnasr- The Music Man

After a few years of living somewhere, a person tends to have their usual go-to spots in the neighborhood, and for me, one of those spots in New York is Village Revival Records on Bleecker Street. I have been collecting vinyl records for about five years, and when I moved to New York, I was keen on finding a place that could keep my collection going. Granted, when I moved to New York, it was the middle of 2020, and few places were open. However, one place that I found myself stumbling into on a cold November afternoon two years ago was none other than Village Revival Records.Read More

Ellie Polsky- Healing with Creativity

It’s no secret that the past two years have influenced people around the globe to have an awakening of sorts. Whether it was changing careers, moving to another city, or pausing to connect with themselves and others on a deeper level, there has been a tone shift in how many perceive the world around them.

Enter Ellie Polsky, a west-coast native now turned Brooklynite. Polsky started selling jewelry out of her car in San Diego just two years ago during the pandemic, “I was in a really dark place, and it was a way for me to kind of find an escape out of my head.”Read More

Steve Carrington- Sound is King

August in New York is hot, hazy, and filled with people holding on to the last bits of summer. Today was particularly warm. The sky was blue and alluring. Even on such a picturesque day, New Yorkers sought shade and a cool breeze wherever they could find it. Walking through Washington Square Park, I noticed people gathering under trees or finding a shady spot on a bench to sit and eat lunch. But the thing I noticed most? This distinct, clear, and captivating sound of a saxophone coming from the northwest corner of the park. I peered in that direction and saw a large group of people braving the sun, gathering around what seemed to be a jazz duo.

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