November 2025 Edition
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Member Spotlight – Meet Dora Pruce
Tell us all about yourself!
Our family—Jim, Dora, Addison, and Peyton —moved to Chagrin when our oldest, Addison, was entering kindergarten. We wanted a place where we could raise our girls and let them embrace the small-town feel that Jim and I both experienced as kids. Jim grew up in Chardon, and Dora grew up in Oberlin. We met in college at the College of Wooster (Go Scots!), where Jim played basketball and majored in Finance, and Dora majored in Political Science. Our paths took us to different cities after graduation, but eventually we ended up back in Northeast Ohio. We are die-hard Cleveland sports fans through and through.
Jim is a financial planner at Clearstead in Cleveland, and Dora just started her own business venture, CapSquare Advisors, offering government relations services to nonprofits in the Cleveland area.
If you could pick the perfect setting to retire and just live life with no obligations, where would it be and why?
We will be empty nesters in a few short years, so we are chatting about this more and more. While we have family in Florida, we don’t think that’s the place for us. We are thinking about everything from Arizona to Colorado, to “up north” in Michigan.
Why Wembley?
We have been members at Wembley since the early days-we love the true sense of community the club brings. At Wembley, there is no judgment, there’s flexibility and understanding of life schedules, and we have personally experienced how strong and supportive the community is.
Our oldest, Addison, graduated from Hawken in 2025 and is settling into college life at Connecticut College, where she will continue to swim. She got her start swimming for the Wembley Waves when she was 5 years old, loved her time on the swim team (The Bainbridge Invitational is THE swim meet of the summer!), and has really enjoyed coaching for the last few years. She LOVES her time with the kids! Peyton, a sophomore at Gilmour, was also a member of the swim team in her younger years and now enjoys playing basketball. She was also a lifeguard at the Wembley pool this summer.
Jim rekindled his love of tennis during the pandemic and has met a great group of friends through the sport.
Dora is a loyal fitness class attendee and treasures the relationships she has built with the women she has met through this community.
Staff Spotlight – Meet Grace Andrews
The Spin Sister
FUN FACT
If you see me at a wedding, know that I can be relied upon to either perform the Bad Romance dance or do The Worm!
FAVORITE EXERCISE
I love a compound strength exercise. Many of us think that doing intense cardio is the best way to burn calories, but to me, there is nothing better than the way you look and feel when you are strength training “smarter.” Compounds that work multiple muscle groups give you a full body workout and burn calories longer. Some of my fave moves are the alternating dumbbell snatch, squat thrusters, and single-leg deadlifts.
You can find Grace at Wembley teaching a variety of different classes. She not only teaches strength and spin but is also a yoga instructor! Great music, strong minds and bodies, and lots of smiles!
Mondays – Cycle and Strength at 6:00 pm
Wednesdays – Cycle 45 at 6:00 pm
Sundays – Cycle at 9:00 am & Yoga at 9:45 am
One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped (save the oil!)
1 small white onion, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 1/2 to 4 cups vegetable broth*
8 ounces small pasta shape (such as gnocchetti sardi or orzo)
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup heavy cream
freshly-grated Parmesan
Instructions
Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Add 1 more tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil to the sauté pan. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Simmer. Add 3 ½ cups of the vegetable broth, pasta, and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring more frequently as the pasta continues to cook and absorb the broth, until the pasta is 1 minute shy of being al dente. If the pasta seems to need more broth to finish cooking, you’re welcome to add a ½ cup extra (or more) as needed.
Finish. Stir in the spinach, basil, heavy cream, and cooked chicken until the spinach is wilted and the pasta is al dente.
Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with lots of fresh Parmesan, and enjoy!
Wellness Tips
Grounding for Stress Reduction
Direct contact with natural surfaces (bare feet on grass, sand, or soil) has been shown in small studies to reduce cortisol, improve sleep, and lower inflammation markers. Even 10 minutes outside barefoot may help calm the nervous system.
The Power of Nasal Breathing
Breathing through your nose (not your mouth) boosts nitric oxide production, which dilates blood vessels, improves oxygen delivery, and supports endurance performance. Athletes who train nasal breathing often report better recovery and cardiovascular efficiency.
Featured Work Out – Grace Andrews
Weighted Vest Spin/Cycle
I have been teaching spin for ten years, and during that time, my body has undergone numerous changes, including periods when I hit a fitness plateau. Recently, in an effort to “level up” my spin workouts, I have started wearing a 12-lb weighted vest during my Wednesday 6 PM cycle class. On other days, I combine spinning with strength training or yoga, but on Wednesdays, it’s a stand-alone activity. I have found that adding the weighted vest to my workout is a way to elevate something that has become routine for me, and I notice immediately that it’s a tougher workout. If you’d like to try, come see me on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.!
Wellness Tools
Letting Go – Like Autumn Leaves Meditation by Vishali Gupta
Just as autumn trees release their leaves with ease, we too can practice letting go — of resentments, misunderstandings, and attachments that no longer serve us.
In yoga and Buddhism, this art of relinquishment is called Vairāgya — dispassion and freedom from clinging. Letting go frees the heart and mind from attachment to people, outcomes, or identities, creating spacious awareness and natural compassion.
Through gentle self-discipline and mindful awareness of our thoughts and habitual patterns, we can gradually shift from what is heavy and undesirable to what nourishes and uplifts us.
Suffering does not arise from what we lack, but from what we hold onto. So today, instead of asking, “What should I add to feel better?” ask, “What can I release to feel better?”
Return often to the cleansing breath: inhale for 4, exhale for 6. With each exhalation, imagine a leaf drifting away — your body lighter, your mind calmer, your heart freer.
Vishali is a yoga instructor at The Wembley Club, Chagrin Falls. She also writes and dialogues for Insight Timer, The best meditation app with the world’s largest free library of more than 250k guided meditations.
Listen to this month’s guided meditation by Vishali on Insight Timer
How to Navigate Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
By: Dr. Mark Hyman with the Hyman hive.
This guide is designed to help you understand and confidently navigate one of the most important transitions in a woman’s life. Perimenopause and menopause aren’t illnesses or conditions to “fix” — they are completely natural stages that unfold as reproductive hormones shift. Still, the changes can bring a wide range of physical and emotional experiences, and it’s common to feel unsure about what’s normal or what you can do to feel your best.
Inside, you’ll learn what’s happening in your body from your reproductive years through menopause and beyond — including how to recognize the symptoms of perimenopause, what menopause actually is, and whether testing can provide clarity. We explore key health areas like metabolism and weight, cardiovascular and bone health, and those frustrating “mystery symptoms” that often go unexplained.
You’ll also find a thoughtful overview of hormones: the critical roles they play, how their decline affects your day-to-day life, and the latest on hormone replacement therapy so you can make informed decisions about your care.
Eat with the Season
By: Gary Brecka
Apples & Pears
These fruits help keep blood sugar steady, support heart and brain health, and even give your skin that healthy glow thanks to their soluble fiber (pectin).
Grapes
Grapes are full of polyphenols and resveratrol, which help support heart health, improve circulation, and sharpen cognitive function. Eat them for recovery after an active day.
Sweet Potatoes & Squash
Both are rich in beta-carotene, potassium, and resistant starch, which help balance hormones, maintain steady energy levels, and nourish gut health. They also support vision and immunity.
Beets
Loaded with nitrates and folate, beets help increase blood flow, improve stamina, and speed up recovery.
