Last month, we started discussing nuggets to lessen the fear of public speaking. These are proven practices I use with coaching clients and talk about in my presentation seminars.

Some of you have noticed that in the last several months, we’ve debuted a couple of new columns in our Business Connection section: It’s All Relative and Talking Points.

Steve Scorfina, antique 'picker,' was once the lead guitarist for legendary rock band REO Speedwagon, and later, the iconic ‘70s St. Louis band, Pavlov’s Dog.

Itching and scratching are bad enough. But did you know that fleas also can lead to tape worms or carry diseases like bartonella, and even the plague?

As I’ve stated in previous columns, speaking opportunities are business, career and leadership opportunities. No one ever challenges that statement. Why would they?

Colonial Marketplace, LN’s longtime digs, is continuing to see new tenants sign on amid the homestretch of renovation on the dining, retail  and office plaza.

Just when it seems like the ethnic design trend has run its course, these out-of-the-ordinary patterns demonstrate their staying power. In fact, designers say ikat, susani, and batik-inspired patterns are so enduring, they’ve become staples in American design, just like traditional and modern.

Versatile, comfortable and flattering, denim is not just for cowboys or weekend wear anymore. denim has undoubtedly become a staple in everyone's closet. And for spring, denim (and its sister, chambray) is more popular than ever, showing up in every shape and style. Pair your denim with white accessories for a fresh way to wear this much-loved fabric this season.

Thank you for the great spread in LN for our Change Begins with Me exhibition opening. You have been wonderfully supportive and we couldn’t be more pleased with the impact. You are the best. (2/8/13 issue, p. 7)

The fear of public speaking is a fear worth confronting and overcoming because speaking opportunities are business, career and leadership opportunities. My clients’ stories confirm this. I often hear, I’m tired of seeing coworkers who are less qualified than me and don’t contribute as much to the company getting promotions, bonuses and leadership opportunities that I don’t receive. One of the reasons is they are giving presentations, even if the presentations are not that good!

What do Mikhail Gorbachev, Madeleine Albright, Frank McCourt and Walter Cronkite all have in common? They’re among the many famed past speakers at the St. Louis Speakers Series, presented by Maryville University. We spoke with Bill Conrow, the originator of the series, about how it emerged, some memorable moments, and a sneak peek at the 2013-2014 season.

Survey after survey cites the fear of public speaking at the top of the ‘Fear List’ most people have. Some say they would rather die than stand in front of an audience and deliver a speech. This is unfortunate because it holds many back from reaching their potential.

Aerodynamics seems to be shaping most cars these days. And for sedans and coupes, that means a sharply raked rear window, which, in turn, translates to a relatively small trunk opening, making it hard to insert and remove large objects. An easy solution to this problem is the hatchback. Long popular in Europe, this extremely functional body style is under-appreciated here in the U.S.

Do you remember what it was like when you moved in to your neighborhood? I do. It was a perfect early autumn day; and as we drove past the row of houses that would soon become a familiar landscape, columns of stately oaks and maples seemed to form a receiving line that guided us into our waiting home.

LN’s stomping grounds are about to get a lot more interesting, as Colonial Marketplace is getting a major renovation. Recently acquired by The DESCO Group, the plaza already is humming with construction crews, who are ensuring that the building will live up to the potential its stellar location provides. Steps from downtown Clayton, the historic plaza sits on the northwest corner of Ladue Road and Gay Avenue. “Our vision is to make it a boutique and restaurant destination,” says DESCO president and CEO Mark Schnuck. “With the Clayton business district, great access from 170 and Ladue Road, and nearby residential neighborhoods in Clayton, Ladue and University City, it’s a great property and a great location.”

The Crystal Cajun Cook-Off, one of the premier events leading up to the city's Mardi Gras celebration, was held Jan. 26, in the City Hall rotunda downtown. The contest featured 10 amateur and 10 professional chefs slugging it out in the kitchen for the title of best Cajun/Creole Dish. When the dust settled, Lumiere Place/River City executive chef and LN Cooks columnist JOHN JOHNSON top honors in the pro category, while chef GEORGE MACDONALD came out on top in the amateur division. Congrats to both chefs!

The headline for this column sounds like a dreadful (or possibly entertaining) reality television show. Unfortunately, it is something that every parent has experienced.  In fact, many may say that you have not earned your parenting stripes until you have suffered the pain of a problematic play date.

While it may seem obvious to showcase red items for the month of February, I have not completely abandoned featuring an actual trend. Red was big for fall and is continuing to be a strong color for spring (yes, spring is slowly arriving into stores).

In this week’s Tangential Thinker column, you’ll read about the latest crop of words and phrases that have been scorned by scholarly wordsmiths due to their misuse or over-use. Making the list this year is one of my favorite words, passion. Sadly, I have to agree that—just like the words, ‘awesome’ and ‘hero’—in recent years, passion has suffered its share of mishandling from our everyday vocabulary.

Maryville University doesn’t have the ancient ivy-covered walls or Greek columns. It doesn’t have a 100,000-seat football stadium or hold on a spot in the Final Four. You might even overlook it when considering some of the other colleges in St. Louis, and yet Maryville is consistently gaining national honors. In 2011, Forbes ranked Maryville one of America’s Best Colleges; Kiplinger’s followed, calling it one of the nation’s best values in private colleges; and now, U.S. News & World Report has declared it the No. 1 ‘over-performing’ university in the nation.

Why Speak?

Every year, a small college in northern Michigan compiles a list of words and phrases to eliminate from everyday vocabulary due to misuse, overuse and/or annoyance. In years past, words as mundane as ‘amazing’ or as trendy as ‘LOL’ made the list. Personally, I am of the opinion that any spoken text abbreviation should be banned. Do people realize that actually saying ‘by the way’ is shorter syllabically than ‘BTW?’

Most babies are born healthy, yet the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) estimates that one in 33 infants enters the world with some sort of birth defect. January is Birth Defects Prevention Month, and women are urged to take proactive steps to help ensure a healthy baby.

In the world of professional gardening, winter brings on different tasks. Hopefully, most of these jobs will be indoors when the weather is at its worst, as snow-shoveling and ice-chipping rank near the very bottom of our favorite jobs list. About the only things lower on that list are cleaning up the bird messes under the seed feeders, mucking out the pond on a cold spring day or spreading ripe manure in the heat of the summer. Gardeners usually use the winter season to plan future plantings, research new materials, order specialty items and peruse plant catalogs.

Trend section: Black & White Work Wear