For our first ever double feature of My Perfect Ten, we're spotlighting the co-founders & editors of the beautiful In Kind magazine, Leah Melby Clinton & Hannah Weil McKinley. In Kind is a biannual, modern lifestyle magazine devoted to career, style, motherhood, and living a life that matters. It includes stories, interviews, and essays focused on the conversations women in their orbits are having with each other about life, work, family, and more. Get to know more about Leah & Hannah and their community by subscribing to their weekly newsletter, In Kind on Monday.
Leah Melby Clinton, Editor & Founder
I’m a writer, an editor, a wife, a sister, a friend—and a mother. My entire career has been spent in media (including stints at ELLE and Glamour as well as Margaux and Ralph Lauren), yet through all of my reporting and interviewing and musing, I began to feel like something was missing as I settled into my 30s, had my first child, and started to yearn for something slower; more traditional, yet not traditional.
Suspicious that there were others out there like me—women who were pulled in different directions by wanting to focus on themselves and their family simultaneously—I started to formalize the conversations I’d been having with people, collecting them in a place that would arrive, physically, in your mailbox.
That’s how In Kind was born. Lovingly edited and reported and written, driven forward by what we want to know and talk about, we’re hoping it resonates with kindred spirits. Women who know that life has continued to become richer and more rewarding with children and the challenges they bring—but also haven’t abandoned themselves. Women who still see the person they used to be, who know she is worth investing in and loving.
Hannah Weil McKinley, Founding Editor
I’m a storyteller who's always been innately interested in style. I grew up loving magazines. wallpapering my childhood bedroom in fashion editorials. That’s where my day job has taken me for over a decade in fashion media, where I spent years at the helm of POPSUGAR Fashion and then at the Editorialist.
After the birth of my first daughter in 2018, I felt a seismic shift in the stories I wanted to consume and the storytelling I wanted to do. I was compelled to share more candidly—about motherhood, about womanhood, and about the things that go along with it. My approach to writing changed, as did my conversations with women and mothers who felt similarly: looking for inspiration, while seeking a kind of community.
I craved both an escape—a deep dive into the hobbies and interests I had before I became a mother—and also a place to explore exactly what I was feeling as a new mom. I wanted a space that let me have both. It’s that connection that makes In Kind so special, a curation of creatives and entrepreneurs and their stories that bring us all a little closer, while acknowledging the many complicated, beautiful parts of being a woman navigating motherhood and the life she wants with it.
Leah & Hannah's My Perfect Ten
1) L: The Buff Plus - I’m typically a naked-nail kind of girl, but that doesn’t mean I just forget about my nails (please!). This guy is my favorite deskside essential.
H: The Sole Mate - The most luxurious and easy little treatment before bed. It’s become a favorite part of my nightly routine!
2) L: Rue de Verneuil Bag - I own two of these wonderfully made, super luxe-feeling canvas totes, and I’m forever glad I decided to give it a spin. It’s chic and elegant, the canvas means you’re not always in a state of anxiety about hurting it, and they look just under the radar enough.
H: Blakely Made Back Home Print - I fell in love with Blakely’s beautiful work for our cover of the new issue of In Kind and now this piece, too.
3) L: Margaux The Penny - I’m a Margaux girl through and through, and this wildly soft, wildly comfortable loafer is one of my most-worn, most-favorite shoes. Talk about quiet luxury.
H: In Kind Magazine - The new issue of In Kind ships later this month and it’s filled with stories Leah and I have been thinking about since early this year. It always amazes me when it comes to life and makes its way out in the world.
4) L: In Kind on Monday - Our weekly newsletter has become one of my favorite things to work on. It’s another vehicle to talk to some incredible women, and the feedback we get from our community on it makes me so, so proud.
H: Citizen's of Humanity Horseshoe Jeans - I have lived in these jeans for the better part of two years. The horseshoe is surprisingly flattering—the pants I just can’t quit.
5) L: Compression Sleeves - I love wearing compression socks, but I also love wearing sneakers and want to see a sliver of ankle, but a sock. These calf sleeves are one of my newest obsessions—you hardly notice them with a midi dress (and definitely not under jeans), and I love how wonderful they make my legs feel.
H: The Gratitude Journal - I started a gratitude practice during Covid and have found that it is the thing that keeps me grounded through all of the ups and downs.
6) L: Caddis D28 - Hannah and I both own these blue-light blocking glasses, and I really love them. I think they make a difference, though I wouldn’t be shocked if you told me it was a placebo effect (they live at my desk, and I feel like I mean business when I put them on).
H: Second Life Podcast - It often seems like some of the most accomplished people just woke up and founded companies. I love these conversations that give us the back story on how some of the most successful women got started.
7) L: J.Crew Hair Clip - I have long, thick hair, and these are far and away the best clips I’ve found at keeping my hair up. I buy them in bulk, and they’re perpetually scattered around my house, in my bags, on my desk...
H: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - This book has stayed with me long after I first read it. It beautifully captures the relationship between therapist and client and begs the question: Why wouldn’t you seek out the same if you needed it?
8) L: Radically Content - This book changed my life, which sounds dramatic but is so true. The ambitious, driven, busy-busy-busy women I know, myself included, struggle to enjoy the moment and realize that where we are now is where we wanted to be a year ago. When I shifted my constant questioning from “am I happy?” to “am I content?”, I felt a huge shift (you can always be happier, but you can’t be more content).
H: Dorsey Silver Rivere Necklace - This was the first Dorsey piece I bought myself, the one that made me totally fall for the brand. I wear it often and with everything, and get compliments each time I do.
9) L: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm - This gorgeous balm has made me truly enjoy washing my face. I’ve used it for a couple of years and don’t think I could go back to anything else.
H: Flora Ex Machina Royal Ghee Gold - My sister has been my go-to wellness expert for over a decade, then she bottled up her expertise and launched a line of her own products using the modalities she’s been trained in. This ghee is loaded with nutritive ingredients—and it’s delicious.
10) L: Paravel Weekender - I’m a tight packer, so this chic little bag works for me if I’m just away for a couple of days. And for a longer trip, I love that it fits over the handles of a rollerboard (wildly better than bumping a bag along or slinging it over my shoulder).
H: Vertly Muscle Soak Bath Salts - I’m a big believer in baths as a relaxation ritual, and this soak, with its heavenly smell, is my absolute favorite.
