Melanie Spring

Today I celebrate my sister, . After more than a decade of growing their first location on Capitol Hill, she & her husband/business partner, Michael, opened their second location in Alexandria.

Huge congrats to for all their magic of sharing the love of wine with the DC area & beyond.

Side note: they have a concierge service that is like a wine club but way better. So, even if you’re not nearby, they can rock your wine world.

Love you, Michelle! BEYOND proud of you & all your magic. 💕✨

Years ago, if you had asked me about women
I would have told you
it was hard to be around them.
They projected their beliefs on me.
I projected my trauma on them.
We were mirrors
neither of us wanted to look into.

Then I woke up.
Not all at once —
slowly,
the way dawn doesn’t ask permission.
I began to see the magic.
First in myself.
Then in them.
Then in the space between us
where something holy lives.

Now I host retreats
where women gather
to remember who they are.
They arrive carrying so much —
anxiety, worry,
old wounds dressed up as walls.
And then they see it:
their own views cost them everything.
Their own worries about what others think
kept them from the very thing they craved.
All it takes
is being willing to look at your own truth
to see it in someone else.

Now I have the deepest friendships.
The most powerful relationships.
The most magical experiences
with other women —
because I decided the growth was worth it.

These two women
I lovingly call my wives.
They have shown me
what it means to be held,
to be loved,
to be truly known.

It took me 45 years
to understand what intimacy feels like
when it’s delicious and loving
and whispers —
you are worthy.

On this International Women’s Day,
I wish you the tenderness
I feel in the presence of other women.
No gossiping.
No lying.
No posturing.
No hiding.

Pure and innocent magic —
because you’re worth it.

[photo of me, & .mcnickle by ]