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grace k. mcconnell

@gracekmcconnell

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NE Ohio documentary photographer 🏳️‍🌈
your friendly neighborhood hype-woman

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How did I become a rower?

By becoming a runner first. 🍂🏃‍♀️

I ran my first marathon at 18, and it changed something for me.

Before that, 26.2 miles sounded completely out of reach. Then I finished one.

I think that was the first time I really understood that feeling intimidated by something doesn’t mean you’re incapable of it.

That mindset followed me into swimming, cycling, triathlons, ultramarathons, and eventually ocean rowing.

@ultramarathon said it best. 🎧 Sound on.

I still have plenty of moments where I look at what’s ahead and think, how am I actually going to do this?

Maybe that part never goes away. You just get a little more willing to try anyway.🧡

📸 @gracekmcconnell

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PAY WHAT YOU WANT tickets for SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER are now available! In addition to our Sunday matinee on October 25, we have two pay what you want opportunities on Sunday, October 25 and Monday, October 26 at 7:30 PM! Usually, this opportunity happens at the door only, but due to high demand, we’re making these tickets available NOW! If you want to reserve a pay what you want seat in advance, please transact through Venmo (@SeatofthePants) CashApp ($SeatofthePants), or Zelle (847-456-2030) being sure to indicate which performance you’d like to attend! Best availability is currently for the Sunday evening performance. Photo by @gracekmcconnell

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Our first mainstage of the season opens TOMORROW! Here's a sneak preview of our production of SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, courtesy of @gracekmcconnell's stunning photography.
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER is a pulpy, salacious period piece from American icon Tennessee Williams. Catharine Holly has witnessed the murder of her cousin Sebastian, which has sent her to a psychiatric hospital. When his mother, Mrs. Venable, invites a psychiatrist to question Catharine about her story, the young woman paints a picture so graphic it’s almost unbelievable. Mrs. Venable wishes to have her son’s secrets remain hidden, but how far will she go to preserve his memory in this haunting piece of writing? Find out this weekend through November 1! Tickets can be found with the link in our bio.

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Taking a break from calipering coffee seeds (more on that soon) to post an expression of gratitude toward everyone who has subscribed to @aviary.coffee's 2027 season thus far.

Reservations for the complete season remain available (2026 members bought all of the major+minor reservations during early access).

2027 will be our third year operating using this model—and it's likely to be the last as we pivot toward new ways of thinking about how to run a coffee roasting business. Even as the subscription has grown in numbers and cost, I'm ecstatic that each year we've retained more than 50% of our subscribers, a rate far higher than the industry average.

I started this model to enable us to take greater risks and engage differently with the supply chains in which we work. It's easy to cup through arrivals and cherry-pick only the best ones and reject everything else. It's hard to show up every year and do the deep work, rebuilding supply chains where they've collapsed and find a way to stay the course even in years when the coffee might not reach its highest potential. That's when we show our mettle—and our skill.

The subscription also supports work outside of Aviary. On my blog, I've drifted toward producing longform content that requires hundreds of hours of research and synthesis and I have a number of pieces in the works—time for which Aviary subsidizes. Aviary covers the hosting costs and domain fees that make it possible to keep the entirety of the blog free and open.

And the Aviary model has supported work that benefits the broader industry in other ways:
- pro-bono support and postharvest advice for producers in Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ethiopia, India and Vietnam
- A full-ride scholarship for one attendee to @raisethebar_coffee
- Donation to @cruzrojaccordoba relief efforts following the 7.4 earthquake in Colombia
- Subsidizing a 3 month internship for @2j.camilo6 to work at the world-class processing station @ratnagiri_estate
- Sponsorship of @ositocoffee Copa de Oro

(...continued in comments)

📸 @gracekmcconnell

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People often ask what makes Spice different, + it's easy to say the food.

But to us, the culinary team, the service team, + the guests are all equally important parts of the same experience. Great food matters, but so does the way you’re welcomed, cared for, + made to feel while you’re here.

That’s hospitality, and it’s what makes Spice, Spice. 🌱

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September part 2…and the first days of October 🩷 @allieprim @allieprim_art #cle #cleveland #fall

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Having a big goal on the horizon is rocket fuel for training 🚀

After nearly 20 years of endurance challenges, my body feels ready for this.

So right now, training is about giving myself the best possible chance to feel good out there.

Because to me, the strongest athletes aren’t always the ones winning.

They’re the ones who can still smile their way through something really hard.

That’s what I want out there.

Not just to survive the Pacific, but to have enough left in me to enjoy it, take it all in, laugh, sing, dance, and appreciate how lucky I am to be there.

The more work I put in here, the more fun I’ll have out there. 🌊

📸@gracekmcconnell

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Partnership announcement! 🌊

We are SO excited to share that Coastin will be managing the social media for the incredible Katie Spotz.

She rowed the Atlantic solo, swam 325 miles down the Allegheny River, completed multiple Ironmans, ran 100 and 200 mile ultramarathons, cycled thousands of miles across countries and continents, and set a Guinness World Record for completing 11 ultramarathons in 11 consecutive days.

And behind so many of these challenges has been a much bigger purpose: raising money and awareness for clean water 💧

Now comes her biggest adventure yet. Katie is preparing to row around 10,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, solo, setting off from Peru around December 2026 / January 2027 and aiming to reach the finish line in Cairns, Australia around 6 to 8 months later.

The goal is to raise $1,000,000 for clean water, and Coastin has the absolute privilege of helping tell that story. To say we’re excited about this one would be a bit of an understatement.

Welcome to the Coastin team, Katie! 🩵

📸@gracekmcconnell

#CoastinMedia #SocialMediaAgency #SocialMediaManagement #Fundraising #KatieSpotz

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When does the Pacific row begin? When the Pacific lets me. 🌊

There are 119 days until New Year’s Eve, and I’d love to be rowing into the New Year.

But ocean rowing doesn’t really work on a perfectly scheduled departure date. As launch gets closer, we’ll be watching the weather and waiting for the best window to leave Peru.

Maybe that’s late December. Maybe it’s early January.

After all the preparation, there’s still one thing I can’t control: the Pacific.

And when it says go, I’ll go. 🚣‍♀️🌊

📸 @gracekmcconnell
🌦️ weather routing @simon_rowell_weather

💧 $10 gives one person clean water for a decade. Help us reach 100,000 people. Link in bio.

Supported by @sawyerproducts, @moen, @skylightfinancialgroup, and @yachtclubperuano. And to Marci 🧜‍♀️ & Senney 🦈, thank you. 🩵

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This August is one for the books 🌅📸🧜‍♀️🏐🌺 #cleveland #summer #august #photography #snapshot

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Years of swimming, triathlons, and the Coast Guard… and I’d still prefer my hair dry. Detangling saltwater hair is its own arm workout. 😂

📸 cover @gracekmcconnell

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Packing for rowing solo across the Pacific. Ocean rowing is basically an all-you-can-eat buffet with some rowing in between 😂🌊

📺 Watch the full video on YouTube
📸 Cover @gracekmcconnell

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