FLM CONTRIBUTORS
Shelley Rosen, is Founder and CEO of Luxe Bloom www.luxebloom.com. Luxe Bloom offers natural, long-lasting rose arrangements to luxury business operators on a monthly recurring basis. Prior to founding Luxe Bloom, Shelley led Airlift, a brand strategy firm. Shelley was also an executive at McDonald’s Corp for over ten years. She directed directing global strategic planning efforts in the areas of innovation, global brand strategy and issues management. Shelley’s leadership experience and proven track record helped to develop and implement new business strategies to create wealth for both emerging and traditional brands. Today she leads strategic planning for a newly emerging global restaurant company called Just Falafel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Atima Kamra is both a full time practicing dentist and a wine educator in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her passion for wine dates back almost 20 years when she had the great fortune to sample some beautiful bottles that changed her outlook from that day on. Her interest continued to grow, motivating her to pursue formal certification as a WSET certified educator. After moving to Halifax, a group of friends asked her to put on a "Wine Class," which proved to be a tremendous success and rewarding experience. Since then, she has been active in the food and wine community during her free time, continuing to host classes and organizing dinners/tastings for private , charity and corporate events in intimate settings and grand venues.
Michele Lomax is FLM's Assistant Editor and frequent contributor. She's also an attorney and yoga instructor. While she used to call Chicago home, Michele has spent the last couple of years living in Costa Rica and traveling the world creating her own “Eat, Pray, Love” adventures, while mastering the art of location independence. Through it all she's found it’s essential to have patience, discipline and a sense of adventure, really good wifi and a healthy dose of humor. A frequent travel feature writer, Michele is happy to share her local style knowledge with all.
Roopa Weber is a first time children’s book author who has created the Penny the Peacock series. Roopa’s inspiration for Penny came from the values and love provided by her mother. She wanted to find an avenue to instill her mother’s wisdom in her own daughter and carry the message forward generationally. And, so she wrote.
The main character is a lovable peacock who, through her adventures, realizes that the simple things in life are the ones to treasure the most. Messy Penny is the first book of the series and focuses on how true beauty comes from the happiness in one’s heart. The series is designed to promote and foster self confidence in children of all ages. Roopa lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and young daughter.
Courtney Borquet volunteers to organize the Walk with a Tico project. She also volunteers as the President of the nonprofit organization CEPIA that works with children and their families in poverty based out of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Courtney can often be found in her real estate office RE/MAX Tamarindo, surfing, doing aerial dance, or on the beach with her children