MARCH 2023

WESTWOOD – Good afternoon and thank you for joining us! Welcome to Boston Area Driving, B.A.D. for short. I will be your instructor today – Jay’s the name, though most folks just call me Bandit. For your first lesson today, we’ll go on a guided tour of the 02090, and see up close some of the tricky roads and intersections that B.A.D. drivers will need to navigate. Now, let’s hop into Smokey the Sedan and get started. Please buckle up!
 

We will begin our trip on the highway. As you know, Route 128 has several exits that lead into town. You’ll have to use your phone or an old map to find the right one, though, since they changed all the numbers again and no one who lives here can remember any of them.
 

And yes, I said 128, not I-95. It’s 128. And Pine Hill! And Youlden’s! And Convenient!
 

Okay, back to our drive. Let’s take the East Street exit. See those lines and arrows in the road as you come up the ramp? Good. Now make sure you disregard them, and instead choose whichever lane is clear. Then simply go around everyone, quickly swing into the middle of the rotary, then slow down. This way, you can pass the cars in the other lane; cut off traffic already in the circle; and block those trying to get to the next exit spoke. It’s the B.A.D. driver hat trick!
 

Next, we go north on Washington Street towards Dedham. Right on Elm, then right again onto Route 1 – here we encounter one of the most important liquid locales. No, it’s not a beer run from Texarkana to Atlanta; it’s the Dunkin’ Donuts and Mary Lou’s Coffee drive-thrus, right next door to each other. The key to remember here is that when you are in the Dunkin’s line, stay very close to the car ahead of you. This ensures no one can cut in, and also forms a barrier which blocks the Mary Lou’s customers, preventing them from exiting. They don’t mind, though. In fact, they often put up one finger to show you that you are number one!
 

Back to the road we go – hey, did you know that Route 1 is the longest north-south road in America? You do now! Anyway, take a right on Everett Street, towards Washington and the bottom of Clapboardtree. We reach the lights. Now, when the first one turns green, proceed under the bridge. Note that at the second light – the main crossing – the left lane is left-turn only.
 

But don’t let this deter you! Most see it as more of an idea or a suggestion, than an actual rule. So just avoid those going eastbound and down, and take that beeline. Trust me!
 

You know, clapboard isn’t even a type of tree. And have you ever thought Lake Shore Drive should really be…Pond Shore Drive?
 

Sorry. Got off point there. Last part of our journey now; up Clapboardtree, past Xaverian Brothers, approaching Nahatan Street. Hark, we hereby rein in thy steed at ye olde 18th-century horse-and-carriage intersection. Yonder are two churches, eight stop signs, some completely misunderstood short chutes, and many of the longest backups in town.
 

Complete stops? Maybe. “No left turn”? More like “No clue, just following others.”
 

Traffic backed up to Dela Park? Just cut through The Maze! You won’t save any time, but you do increase your chances of stumbling upon a block party or a basketball game, where there are sure to be many shots taken.
 

Well, folks, this completes our route! Congratulations, B.A.D. drivers, you have all passed the first test! Next week, we’ll attempt to navigate nasty Route 109 in our Westwood Operators Roadway Standard Ethics class. After that – and surely Buford T. Justice would agree here – our B.A.D driving will be certified W.O.R.S.E.!
 

Westwood Living? No…thank YOU for living in Westwood. See you next month, and Iook forward to hearing from you any time at jayresha@comcast.net.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament was an enormous part of my life for 11 years when I worked in Michigan and there’s nothing like covering March Madness. Everything about the intense four-week cycle is awesome when you have a vested interest.

It starts with Selection Sunday, a day where every team is sitting on pins and needles because they either don’t know if they’re going to get in the tournament or they don’t know where they’re headed to play or who they’ll face in a matter of days. In a single moment, your agenda just pops on the screen and suddenly, you’re booking travel plans.

The first weekend can take you to some random places, and I’ve enjoyed a number of interesting first and second round venues – Worcester, Dayton, Denver and Charlotte, just to name a few. Once you figure out your travel plans, you spend a few days preparing and then hit the road for a really unique and memorable experience.

What I love most about the first weekend is the dichotomy between the big schools and the small schools. Historically, Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas…. they show up and take things in stride. Business as usual, right? They’re supposed to be here.

The fun comes in watching the lower-seeded schools and everyone associated with them live out their dreams. Passionate bands and cheerleaders, players soaking in every moment of practice on the big court with bright lights – and then… holy cow, what if they pull off an upset?

I’ve seen a few, but my most memorable came in Worcester when Vermont knocked off Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 tournament. You can’t match the insanity or excitement when a Cinderella knocks off a traditional powerhouse to advance. Watching the Catamounts squeeze the Orange and soak in that achievement was emotional, energizing and unforgettable. It’s one example of many over the years.

The second weekend gets even better as the venues are larger, the games more intense and the talent typically top-notch. Your best bet to watch high-level action in person is to wait outside the arena after the Sweet Sixteen matchups and buy tickets from fans of the schools that were eliminated that night. They’re not sticking around! Suddenly, you’ve got a seat to an Elite Eight matchup where you get to watch a team punch its ticket to the Final Four.

And what a spectacle that is! I’ve been to five Final Fours and each was remarkable. Say what you want about the NCAA, and there’s been a lot said, but Final Four weekend is a fantastic celebration of basketball, well worth a trip to check it off your bucket list. History is always made as games that are talked about for decades unfold in front of your eyes.

March Madness hasn’t always resonated with fans in Massachusetts because our local teams so infrequently make a big splash, but if you’re a basketball fan, I strongly encourage you to check out any one of the three weekends. You’ll never forget it.

One of the great beauties of life is putting together the puzzle of a community’s people and understanding from where they came and what motivation lights their fire every day. Like most of us, Anna Schickel has a unique description of her background and what led her to open Your CBD Store Needham in 2019.

“I’m a speech pathologist with a bad back,” said Anna.

Sometimes, it is that simple. Life deals you a hand, at first deemed challenging or troublesome, and that hand leads you down a new path. In this case, Anna’s new path included a natural, holistic way to address pain that’s made an enormous difference in her life, and the lives of hundreds who believe in the power of CBD, a non-addictive, plant based product derived from the hemp plant.

“I was an athlete growing up,” said Anna. “I played sports year-round my whole life, and then I had a back injury when I was 23. I was put on painkillers for a couple months and I just decided that was not the route I wanted to go, so I threw them all in the trash, and went for the holistic approach – physical therapy, chiropractic, just anything natural. A few years later, I reinjured my back and for two years, couldn’t find any relief, and that’s when I discovered CBD. A friend of mine opened a CBD store and I chose to use the product she recommended. Overnight, my back pain went from a ‘level 8’ every day to a ‘one.'”

That dramatic improvement may or may not be the result for all people, but Anna’s personal experience should be an eye-opener that, at least, makes you wonder if CBD might help you. Anna’s conversion to CBD treatment was so encompassing, she focused her attention on opening her own CBD store, serving as a guide and educator for others dealing with any number of issues.

“We hear amazing success stories in our store, which is the best part of the job, helping people feel better,” said Anna. “That’s our goal – to get you a product that’s going to help you feel better. People come in who are struggling to sleep. We have great products for insomnia. We have products for pain and inflammation. A lot of people are struggling with sports injuries or arthritis and just getting older and everything that comes along with that. People are using it for anxiety. I mean, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have anxiety these days. We have new products for for weight loss and relaxation. It’s helping people on so many different levels for a wide variety of issues. We even have pet products!”

Located on the corner of Great Plain Avenue and Maple Street, Your CBD Store Needham is welcoming in its decor and immediately comforting thanks to the educational approach the staff takes to dealing with customers. In many cases, there’s a basic misunderstanding of cannabinoids and it takes an expert to unravel the unknown.

“When customers come in, we educate them on what CBD is and how the product works in their body,” said Anna. “Then we show them each individual product and there are specific products for the different issues people are dealing with. For example, we have our water soluble that is great for anxiety, because it’s fast-acting, it takes effect in five minutes. We’ve had people have success who’ve had tremors – they use our water soluble. We have one that’s called the Neuro, it has CBG in it, which is another cannabinoid that improves focus and mood, and provides uplift. There’s very specific products for each individual issue.”

When she opened Your CBD Store Needham, Schickel decided to associate with the highest-quality brand because people in our region demand and expect the best.

“The brand we source, the SUNMED brand, is in Your CBD stores all over the country. Each location is individually owned. SUNMED is very high quality, which is why I wanted to go with this particular brand. It’s lab tested. Every bottle has a QR code on it, so you can retrieve the lab report, which is very important when buying CBD. It’s also CO2 extracted, the cleanest extraction method in the industry, as opposed to alcohol or ethanol as a solvent to extract it from the plant. It’s also organic, made with organic hemp. Several of our products are USDA-certified organic, so it’s a very good quality brand.”

When dealt an unexpected hand, don’t be afraid to pursue the new path. What you find along the way can be life-changing.

You can learn more about Anna and Your CBD Store Needham by listening to our conversation on the Westwood Living Podcast Network, found on SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube. Visit yourcbdstoreneedham.com for more specific information about the Needham location. They also offer free shipping and delivery!

You never forget that first impression. It was 2015, and touring Westwood searching for a new home, we approached the driveway of a house for sale on Highview Road. Another car pulled toward us, parking along the side of the road. Out of the driver’s seat popped Theresa David, the listing agent, and immediately you could sense her high energy. As we poked around the house, Theresa shared with us all the facts and features of the home – the history, why things were built a certain way, how she thought we could maximize certain spaces. Theresa has a friendly presence about her and while we didn’t end up buying that home, she had made an impact.

Years later, we ran into each other and I recalled the experience on Highview, how I remembered her helpful and cordial nature and how she made a positive impression.

“My clients are my family and that’s how I do my business,” said Theresa. “I love working with people and helping them find what works for them. Sometimes it might not work, but there’s a reason.”

A believer in fate, Theresa takes that approach to her work, understanding the journey to the finish line when buying or selling a home isn’t always smooth and people need a steady, experienced agent by their side. Her own journey to real estate dates back 35 years, when she left a job in finance shortly after the crash of 1987.

“Back in October of ’87, I was trading commodities for Cambridge Commodities,” said Theresa.

“When the crash happened, I couldn’t find a job anywhere in the financial industry because nobody was hiring. A friend of mine was going to Greece and he said, ‘Get your real estate license and cover my listings while I’m gone.’ It was in Brockton. It was great and I learned so much. I was the top salesperson. Back then the average price was $134,000, so you had to close at least three sales a month, if not five. I did love it, but I wanted to go back into finance.”

With that initial sales experience under her belt, Theresa returned to finance, and became a Financial Consultant for Merrill Lynch, and continued to enjoy helping her clients, this time with their portfolios.

“If you’re buying a bond or stock, you don’t know what the value’s going to be down the road,” said Theresa. “You’re just putting your faith in a company based on the numbers and the analytics of it all. In real estate, it’s not really selling. It’s whether it works for your clients’ needs and that’s what I really enjoy.”

Theresa ultimately re-entered the real estate world in 2008, and almost 15 years later, she is now a Vice President at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, with a new office located at the corner of High Street and Gay Street. She and her husband have lived in Westwood since 2007. When they moved from Hingham with their five children, the Davids were immediately drawn to the magnetic characteristics that set our town apart.

“With our excellent schools and our convenient location, Westwood real estate value will always remain strong,” said Theresa. “Everything is five minutes, one side of town to the other, to the highway. You can get on and off, you can hit 95, 93, the Jamaica Way, the train at University or Islington. It’s just so easy and it will always remain that way.”

The other major selling point was the quality of the school system.

“Two of our kids graduated from Hingham, but the other three went through the Westwood Public Schools,” said Theresa. “When we came here to Westwood, you could tell the teachers taught because they loved what they did. You could feel that. Each of my three children had different needs and Westwood Public Schools catered to each, from an IEP to valedictorian and everything in between. So that’s why Westwood will always hold its own.”

Over the past year, especially, the Westwood housing market has been fascinating to watch. Families are making big decisions, sometimes earlier than expected, to maximize their assets and move because demand has been high. Almost every day, Theresa is asked for advice – Is now the right time to sell? What should we do?

“In Westwood there is no right ‘time to sell..’ It works out as it should,” said Theresa. “If everything lines up, then yes, it’s the right time. Sometimes it’s not. Naturally supply and demand plays a role. You come on the market when there’s not much inventory because the buyers are still out there. It is actually still very busy, very competitive. But you have to think about your own life. Where am I going? Does this make sense for us?”

That’s where having an extended member of your family is vital, a person with a trusted network of attorneys, lenders, contractors, service providers and insight into local market trends and pricing strategies.

“It’s all about your network, communication and your reputation,” said Theresa. “If I’m not excited about these homes, how is a buyer going to be excited about them? That’s why I bring a little enthusiasm when somebody walks in. I provide exceptional customer service to each and every one of my clients. It’s that simple, and I’m grateful.”

You can reach Theresa David by phone at 781-910-9406 and learn more by listening to our conversation on the Westwood Living Podcast Network, found on SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

 
Bailey Medeiros has witnessed and experienced it time after time – stereotyping and pre-judgement. Driven to succeed, Bailey blazed an unorthodox trail, through high-profile exposure as Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and NFL Cheerleader, to her current role as an associate at one of the world’s top law firms, Kirkland and Ellis.
 

“When I was an undergrad student at Bryant University, I majored in finance and was assigned to manage a $1.5 million equity fund with my classmates,” said Bailey. “Most of my peers managing the fund were male and I realized how under-represented women were in various industries, like finance.”
 

While taking classes at Bryant, Bailey also spent two years as a Patriots Cheerleader. She represented the organization at countless charity events, making media appearances and traveling to Houston and Minneapolis for a pair of Super Bowls. After her second season with the squad, Bailey focused on academics and her pursuit of a law degree.
 

“I was often stereotyped as an NFL Cheerleader and people were commonly surprised to hear I had aspirations of attending law school,” said Bailey. “Based on all of these experiences, I decided to start a foundation to encourage females to pursue male-dominated careers and to help them push back against preconceived notions and stereotypes.”
 

The Women’s Empowerment Scholarship launched in 2018 and immediately made an impact. In the four years since, the foundation has awarded more than $90,000 in academic grants to more than 40 recipients of all ages, each of whom endured a rigorous application review process to qualify for financial aid.
 

“I’m in awe of what the organization has grown into,” said Bailey. “In 2018, I had the idea of giving a scholarship to a high school senior graduating from my alma mater in Monson, MA. I never thought the organization would turn into something that would impact women all across New England, and I never thought we would be able to surpass $55,000 awarded in such a short period of time, if ever! It’s truly been a dream come true and something that would not have been possible without the Board of Directors and our many supporters.”
 

As a large community embraced the cause and supported the mission, Bailey remained on course, graduating ninth in her class at Bryant in 2019 and graduating cum laude from Boston University School of Law in 2022. While balancing an intense workload this past winter, Bailey also competed for the title of Miss Massachusetts USA and was named first runner-up.
 

“I’ve always set out to prove to people that there is much more to me than what meets the eye,” said Bailey. “I’m thrilled to be an associate at the world’s largest and most profitable law firm, representing clients in private equity matters. The road hasn’t been easy, and it’s far from over, but I’ve developed an enormous amount of strength and resiliency. I’m excited to help bring more women into the fields of law and private equity.”
 

Holly Sprow, currently a fourth-year student at the Tufts University School of Medicine, was among the group of women who earned academic grants from The Women’s Empowerment Scholarship in 2021.
 

“I was looking for local scholarship opportunities in the area and happened to come across The Women’s Empowerment Scholarship,” said Holly. “It really resonated with me after some of my own experiences at work. Being a part of this empowerment community was really appealing to me and having the scholarship money to put toward my medical education has been so impactful and I’m very grateful.”
 

“Thinking back on what we have been able to do in the past four years, I have no doubt we’ll be able to surpass $100,000 in scholarships awarded,” said Bailey. “As we do that, I hope to grow both our network of supporters and scholarship recipients. I hope to develop and host mentoring events to help inspire and cultivate the next generation of female pioneers. I’m excited for everything that is to come!”