Women You Should Know: Lesley Jane Seymour
Many of you may know Lesley Jane Seymour from her tenure as the editor of More magazine (2008-2016). Prior to that she served Editor-In-Chief for Marie-Claire, Redbook, YM, was the Beauty Director of Glamour and a copywriter and senior editor at Vogue. Her resume is impressive, to say the least!
When More magazine folded in 2016, Lesley spent some time figuring out how to best serve and connect with women in mid-life and beyond, who had been the core of More’s readers.
CoveyClub
Last year, she founded CoveyClub, an online networking, learning and support resource for women. I had the opportunity to speak with Lesley, and ask about CoveyClub, and about her inspiration and goals for this online community. It was such a pleasure to speak with her! She is very warm and personable, and very passionate about this project.
“Women our age are so often isolated,” she told me. “You’ve heard the expression ‘Sandwich Generation’? We’re often caught between caring for older kids, and possibly our parents or other older relatives. And often while working full or part-time. But at the same time, we’re looking at what’s next with our own lives. We have no time to find and meet new people or create new communities. When we’re contemplating reinvention, where do we go for advice and support or business contacts? Or for help coming back after a divorce, death, or other loss?” Her hope is that CoveyClub can be that place.
Learning, Sharing, Networking
Just as with a print magazine, there’s a new digital issue each month, with articles on just about any topic you can imagine, from business to beauty to activism to health and sex.
More than just an online magazine, CoveyClub also offers weekly “Coffee & Conversation,” a live video salon every Thursday evening. Experts weigh in on a variety of topics, and then members have the opportunity to join the conversation.
There are live events, such as the recent makeup workshop, “Reinvent Your Look” held in partnership with Giorgio Armani cosmetics in NYC. And coming up soon, a Spa Retreat in Arizona, and a MeetUp in Minneapolis.
There’s Lesley’s List, a private networking roster where women can share their skills and expertise with those seeking help.
Lesley’s goal is that the connections made online will carry over into the real world, such as women creating CoveyClub gatherings in their homes, or organizing other outings and meet-ups.
Many of the features of CoveyClub are free with a simple sign-up, but there are also paid memberships that provide access to more of what CoveyClub has to offer. (Membership info here.)
CoveyClub now has 3300 members, and is growing every month. I think Lesley’s onto something great here!
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I loved More magazine! It really filled a lot of gaps for women over 40. It was informative and positive and there is nothing else comparable now. Thank you for the information about this new digital magazine and club. I definitely plan on looking into this.
It broke my heart about the magazine folding! I will certainly look into the club. Thanks so much for the info.
Thanks for the heads-up, Susan – I just joined the Covey Club!
Thank you for the info. I just joined Covey Club.
When it comes to “women we should know,” I have been lucky enough to count Lesley among my dearest friends for decades.
She is a remarkable, intelligent, creative, generous, kind woman who is an inspiration. The thing about Lesley is that she is on our side. She is a supporter and an encourager. She wants to see others succeed: she actively supports and helps. Lesley is never all talk. She makes things happen. Covey Club is all about reinvention and you’ll see how brilliantly she is making our lives more interesting and fun, just like she did at MORE and every place else she made her indelible mark.
Maybe I should stop now. I could go on and on. . .
Dear, dear Susan, this is a great post. Thank you for sharing. xo
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the innaugural Covey Club here in Washington, D.C. and found Lesley to be as warm, interesting, and inspiring as she came across in the Editor’s Letters of More. If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Covey Club online and in person. Thanks for the feature of a woman with an inspirational mission of connecting other women, much like you do with your blog. Cheers!
Another great magazine is Red, a U K publication that I discovered in Italy in 2010. I returned home to Northern California and have it held for me at a local bookstore every month.
Thanks for sharing this. I subscribed to More from the first to last issue and am delighted to know Lesley is still on patrol for the rest of us! I joined Covey Club immediately then watched the Coffee and Conversation episode with Dr. Ellen and Carmindy. Lots of great skin care tips! Highly recommend. I formed a group of about 12 recently retired women two years ago to help us transition to our Next Chapter (our name now). We meet every two months for wine and hors d’oeuvres. Everyone had anxiety about losing her career identity. But today, without exception, no one wants their old job back. Exciting to see all the new paths we are discovering!
Oh dear, at 66 I think I might be beyond Lesley’s target demographic. But I like that she’s back. Thanks, Susan.