1.How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I have 2 girls – Ava (who is 14 and in 8th grade) and Lyla (who is 12 and in 6th grade.)
2.How long have you lived in Short Hills/Millburn/Livingston and what made you decide to live here?
We have lived in Short Hills since 2002 so 17 years! Like most families, we chose Short Hills for the great schools and easy train commute into NYC.
3.Tell us about your business and what other local things you are involved in! And how did you get started?
I am a Personal Stylist with J. Hilburn Custom Menswear, and I help men look good in clothes that fit. I help guys dress with confidence each day knowing that everything in their wardrobe is made to their measurements and fit preferences. I discovered J. Hilburn after quitting my corporate job in the NYC fashion industry to spend more time with my kids. I realized the Stylist role was the perfect fit for me in terms of offering me the flexibility I needed in my life.
In addition to being a Men’s Stylist I also help men and women fall in love with their hair again with Monat anti-aging hair products. Monat (Modern Nature) offers naturally based products that will thicken thinning hair, re-grow hair and repair damaged hair so you can go back to having a full head of healthy and soft hair just like you did when you were younger.
https://joychang.jhilburn.com/
4.Favorite thing to do when you need “me time”?
I like to get a massage at Woodhouse Spa in Summit to help get the knots out of my neck and shoulders! I often go with my sister so it’s actually great “sis time.”
5.Favorite place for dinner with kids?
My younger daughter has Celiac so she needs to eat gluten free. One of our favorite places to eat where we all enjoy the food is The Racquets Club of Short Hills where we are members.
6.Most enjoyable place to hang out?
I am happy hanging out anywhere as long as I’m with my friends or family and it involves wine, music and preferably warm weather.
7.How do you balance your career and being a mom?
I try to fit in as many of my client appointments, team meetings or work calls as I can when the kids are in school. It’s not easy, and it doesn’t always work perfectly. In fact often my client appointments do happen on the weekends, so I schedule them around my kid’s soccer games or other commitments. I just try to do the best I can each day, and thankfully I get a lot of support from my family.
8.Proudest mommy moment(s)?
Honestly what makes me happy is when parents of one of my daughter’s friends go out of their way to tell me how sweet, kind, polite, generous, etc. my daughter is. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.
9.Can’t believe that happened mommy moment!
When my younger daughter, Lyla, was 3 we were rushing to get to Story Time at the Barnes and Noble in Livingston Mall. In our rush to get out the door I didn’t realize that Lyla wasn’t wearing any underwear. And of course that day she was wearing a little sundress. The whole time we were there I just prayed that my daughter wouldn’t raise her dress up and flash the entire group!
10.Best advice you have gotten from a mom?
It’s important to take the time to care for yourself. Your life can’t revolve only around the kids 24/7. Schedule some time for yourself and keep yourself happy, healthy and sane. That, in turn, will make you a better mom (and better wife!)
11.Best piece of advice you can give other moms!
Savor and remember the little moments. Get a journal and write down just a few highlights or thoughts from each and every day. I started doing this 5 years ago, and I love looking back and remembering the memories of not just the big milestone events but also the little mundane things that happened. I only wish I had started doing this earlier so I would have something to look back on from when my kids were really little.
12.One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I love to talk now and I am totally an extrovert, but as a kid I was quite shy.