How do women find the time to “do good” these days and have fun?

Enter Mary Jo Wallo.

Mary Jo Wallis is your basic renaissance woman.  In addition to surfing, snowboarding and running her own investment company in San Diego she has taken on the mantle as a national leader to Fight Frump (and Give Back!), or do “Altruism with Attitude!”  How, you ask?  Yes the sports play a role but there’s also her vision as co-creator of The Blue Thong Society, a national social and philanthropic women’s organization that’s grown since its inception in 2006 to 300 chapters and 5000 members.

Mary Jo joins Real Women on Health! as our featured guest this week, where she’s going to talk about The Blue Thong Society, give tips on what women can do to “Fight Frump!” by finding like-minded women and giving back, and tell us how BTS  was born.  A hint: it all started at her 50^th birthday when a friend noted that it could be time for the gift of a red hat.  Mary Jo laughed and said a blue thong was more her style…..and the rest, as they say, is history!

We’ll also hear from clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine and private practitioner in New Haven, Connecticut.  Dr. Mary Jane Minken, widely known in the field of gynecology and as a leader in women’s health education both inside and outside the medical community, is giving a couple of minutes of her time to talk to us about powering your pelvic core….

Join Kelley Connors, host, Real Women on Health! with Cassie, Mary Jo and Dr. Mary Jane Minkin,  this Wednesday, May 12th at 8 pm – 9 pm EST streaming live on your computer or, if you live near Fairfield County, Connecticut  listen “on the AM dial” at 1350/1400.

Our show is sponsored by Zestra, essential arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals that is clinically proven to improve desire, arousal and satisfaction for 70% of women.  Check this out and use promo code ZPASS5 at check out!

Have you heard about Jenny Sanford’s new book “Staying True”?

Just recently, Jenny Sanford talks to the women on “The View”. Open communication can create opportunities for healing and understanding – even in the most difficult of situations. Jenny Sanford’s release of her new book highlights her journey in coming to terms with her husband’s affair with his mistress from Argentina. And, her ability not to be a “victim” turns out to be inspiring for many women.

Yet, many women have opinions about how Jenny Sanford got married in the first place as Mark wanted to get rid of the word “fidelity” in their vows.

What’s your opinion on this? Should she have married him despite his inability to say that he would be faithful in his marriage. As Jenny says, everyone has doubts about getting married:))

Better yet, what would you have done?

I asked one of our Real Women on Health! experts, Janis Spring, PhD, that same question as she is the author of the best-selling “After the Affair”. Janis said, “I haven’t read Jenny Sanford’s new book, but on the question, should you marry someone who wants to delete the idea of fidelity from your vows?”, I’d start with wanting to know the meaning of that partner’s objection. It may mean tons; it may mean little. After all, most people enter marriage swearing fidelity, but, often, end up having affairs. Other people question whether they can promise fidelity but stay true to their partner. I’d say, verbal promises and commitments provide no guarantee of fidelity but, while the wedding bells are still ringing, if one partner has serious doubts about the likelihood he’d/she’d stay faithful, I’d say the other partner who values fidelity should have as much discomfort with their willingness to tie the knot.”

Dr. Spring is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology, a recipient of the Connecticut Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Practice of Psychology, and has served as a clinical supervisor in the Department of Psychology at Yale University. She received her B.A. from Brandeis University, magna cum laude, her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut, and her post-graduate training from Aaron Beck, M.D., at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania. In private practice for more than three decades, Dr. Spring is known for the richness and originality of her clinical skills and trains hundreds of therapists each year. She is a popular media guest on programs such as NPR, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper 360, and the CBS Early Show, and she presents regularly at such public venues as The Smithsonian Institute, Harvard’s Continuing Education Conferences, Smith College School of Social Work, and Kripalu Institute. She and her husband live in Westport, Connecticut, and have four sons.

“Reinvention…Restoration…Relaxation..or Get Real!

Upcoming on-line radio show this Wednesday, February 3rd at 8:30 pm EST

The women-to-women on-line radio show will be dynamic conversation to help women de-code the meaning of Reinvention for their own personal and professional lives. The outcome of the show will be greater insights into how women can access and embrace their true self in attaining personal wellbeing.

We realize that women have many different ways of thinking about Reinvention…and we’re going to explore them all!

Join us live and online for our next RealWomen on Health! online health salon and radio show with Suzanne Douglas Harris, MBA, Personal and Professional Life Coach and Susan James, Co-Founder, Self-Discovery Group, LLC in a dynamic conversation with Kelley Connors, MPH, Women’s Wellness Coach and Cassie Holm, Women’s Advocate and Communications Strategist.

Suzanne brings a distinctive blend of expertise, solid experience and personal empathy, especially around career and life changes.  Susan brings a mastery of cutting edge techniques that put her at the forefront in the field of human consciousness evolution and “true self” facilitator of leaders around the world.   They’ll be the catalyst for you to explore “reinvention” in your own life.

Just dial in on Wednesday, February 3rd at 8:30 pm EST to www.blogtalkradio.com/realwomenonhealth. If you have not registered yet, please do so and you’ll receive a link that will allow you to listen through your computer. If you would rather use a phone to listen, just dial (646) 929-2625 and you’ll be connected to our conversation. You can choose to listen or talk!

Welcome to our on-line radio show and women’s health and wellness community where we give women the platform to share their voice, experience and professional expertise with women “like us”.

Our host and founder, Kelley Connors, is a women’s wellness coach and women’s health advocate who brings real women together with experts on health to create new conversations that are educational, inspirational and fun.   Cassie, the show’s co-host,  is a communications strategist who’s worked on the front lines of women’s health, diabetes, sexual health, breast cancer and more.  She adds commentary from the latest published women’s health research to help fuel the conversation, supporting women’s desires for credible information.

Together, they aim to transform the women’s health conversation to one that inspires not just “talk” but “action”.   We’re all about women becoming more proactive – no matter their health challenges.

OUR TOPICS: Our topics range from prevention to treatment, wellness to reinvention and re-vitalization.  There’s no topic that’s taboo and no topic we won’t consider important from a women’s perspective.  We’re here to bridge the gap between your life and your health and to encourage and support women in being their own best health and wellness advocates.  While the topics are health-oriented, Kelley, Cassie and their real women guests bring charisma, personality and pizzaz to create a fun, light atmosphere so women feel comfortable to share their stories.

HOW WE DO IT: Real Women on Health! is in tune with who the experts and advocates in areas of women’s health that women tell us are important to them, like sexuality and intimacy, cancer survivorship, environmental health, skin care, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions that affect women in ways that are not easy to discuss in a healthcare setting.

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT: Most important to women is privacy.  We know where women prefer to remain anonymous in describing their issues and we respect their privacy.  That’s why we use both the telephone and the computer to create our live conversations – and women can, indeed remain completely “nameless” on our calls.  Also, we have content partnerships with the nation’s leading health organization, HealthyWomen, which grants us access to leading healthcare professionals and researchers who are on the front lines of women’s health issues – both treating women as patients and leading research trials that impact women’s health and healthcare.

So, we bring in healthcare experts that are world re-known and locally re-known to add credibility to our “candid conversations” among women.

Finally, we wrap up our conversations with a re-cap of action steps and post a call to action with resources on our blog.  So, if you miss a show, you can find out more on our blog on a page called Well-Care Tips.

Interested in joining us?

Here’s how you can participate in the community:

1.  Find out about our on-line radio shows first!   SIMPLY LISTEN RIGHT NOW THROUGH YOUR COMPUTER!

2.  Share Your Story: e-mail me kelley@kc-health.com and tell me about yourself and your health and wellness experience. Let’s discuss how you want to share your story with other women.

3. Receive Our Updates on Events and Stories:  email me at kelley@kc-health.com to receive our monthly Real Women on Health! updates, radio shows and events.

4.  Be an Expert or Advocate:  email me if you’re a women’s health advocacy group leader who would like to express your point of view on our show.   Or if you’re a researcher or healthcare professional,  you’re invited to share your expertise with others to spark dialogue and inspire action!

When I invited Lori and Sheryl to contribute to our Real Women on Health! community, I was struck by my naivite about talking to a loved one or friend who is coping with a cancer diagnosis.

But,  that’s no longer.

I was with  my dad when he was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare leukemia that is partially curable with Gleevec.  In last month since his diagnosis, I’ve struggled to find a way to talk to him about anything…without being overly concerned or too dismissive, too humorous and too serious.

I’m feeling like there’s no perfect way to talk to a loved one or friend and much guilt about my own apparent health…. at least for today.

So, it was with relief when Sheryl Kraft outreached to me to see how we could collaborate on an upcoming radio show on how to help a friend with cancer.  As a breast cancer survivor of many years and women’s health writer and advocate at HealthyWoman.org, Sheryl was enthusiastic about helping friends talk with their friends who might have just been diagnosed..or are in the throes of a long, active treatment cycle for any type of cancer.

Sheryl suggested we contact Lori Hope, Lung Cancer Survivor, and Author of “Help Me Live:  20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know”.

Always the filmmaker, one of Lori’s first thoughts after being diagnosed with lung cancer was, “I should make a documentary about this.”   When her therapist urged her to deal with the disease first and worry about documenting her journey later, Lori dropped the idea. But soon after, when a well-meaning friend said something to Lori that made her extremely anxious, and when people continually asked her whether she had smoked, and regaled her with tragic stories about people who had died of lung cancer, she revised her thought somewhat: “Someone really ought to write a book about what people with cancer need others to know!”

About nine months later, Ten Speed Press publisher Kirsty Melville took Lori’s seminar on documentary production at Bay Area Video Coalition in San Francisco, and asked Lori whether she had ever considered writing a book. After several meetings, Help Me Live started to come to life.

Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know, tells intimate stories of words and actions that have made a tremendous difference to people with cancer. Designed to help caregivers, friends, and loved ones of cancer patients and survivors communicate more effectively and compassionately, Help Me Live does not prescribe behavior, but encourages compassion, respect, and listening.

Please join us on Thursday evening, November 19th at 8:30 pm EST for a 45 min conversation with Lori and Sheryl.  Come prepared to share your story, your own struggles and your own victories with us.

We’ve watched the ad and witnessed the controversy.  Now, we’re asking: “What’s next?”

Earlier this year, Rethink Breast Cancer released a memorable and infamous public service announcement (PSA) that was seen around the world.  Produced with the visual and sensual focus on “boobs” – specifically those of Aliya-Jasmine Sovani, host of MTV Canada – it quickly became the subject of heated and passionate commentary.  Some suggested that it was overly sexualized, male-focused and objectified women.  Others argued that the PSA breathed fresh life into a breast cancer communications strategy that has become tired, unappealing and unrealistic.

The Rethink PSA was successful because it reminded us that, yes, breast cancer has a sexual component. Women like Ms. Sovani who are between the ages of 20 – 49, are regularly diagnosed with breast cancer.  They not only deal with the physical impact of a breast cancer diagnosis, but they must navigate the sexual issues associated with the disease.  For example, the actress Christina Applegate decided to have a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year.  She has openly discussed the impact of her decision on her relationship with her boyfriend and body image.

Rethink’s PSA was memorable, but we can’t afford to let the conversation begin and end with boobs.  We need to find ways to grab the attention of young men who are impacted by breast cancer, but don’t think about it much.  We need to boldly and forthrightly talk about the intimacy issues associated with a breast cancer diagnosis.  We need to bring people wedded to traditional breast cancer awareness strategies together with those who have decided to tear up the playbook.

It’s time to have a candid conversation about “what’s next” in breast cancer awareness communications.  We believe the following questions must be addressed more broadly:

• How can we develop initiatives that acknowledge the sexual health issues associated with breast cancer while fully embracing women’s bodies in a larger context?
• What can we do to move past (or leverage) “shock and awe” campaigns and generate meaningful action?
• What do we need to do to get young men more involved in the fight against breast cancer?

Consider this an open invitation to men, health influencers and women’s health advocates to continue the conversation about issues raised by the Save the Boobs PSA in an open forum.

There are three ways you can help.

1. Spread the word about this open letter via your on and offline social networks (blog, tweet, chat and talk about it)
2. Signal your support for this open letter by leaving your virtual signature below
3. Participate in a conversation on this issue with Kelley Connors’ through her online talk show, Real Women on Health. We’re looking for input from representatives of breast cancer awareness organizations like the Susan Komen Foundation and Rethink.  Once we get enough interest, we’ll schedule the program.  (We’ll know you’re interested if you Tweet, blog and comment about this letter.)

Thank you in advance for your attention and support.

Kelley Connors

President, KC Healthcare Communications, LLC (www.kc-health.com)

Founder, Real Women on Health (www.blogtalkradio.com/realwomenonhealth)

Fard Johnmar

Founder, Envision Solutions, LLC (www.envisionsolutionsnow.com)

Founder, The Path of the Blue Eye Project (www.pathoftheblueeye.com

Does your loved one exhibit Alzheimer-like symptoms, and are you having trouble with diagnosis?  Is your loved one “too young” for Alzheimers?

Meet Sharon Denny, Program Director for the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias.  Sharon will be joined by Dr. Bradley Boeve, Chair, Division of Behavioral Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to  discuss the symptoms and impacts of  a little known disease called Frontotemporal Dementia.

FTD strikes at a younger age than Alzheimer´s. Cases have been seen as early as 21 and as late as 80, but the disease typically hits during the 40s, 50s and 60s – when children are still in the home. 

The 60-min show will highlight a soon-to-be-released documentary film called “Planning for Hope” about FTD and include the real-life experiences from the film’s creators, Susan Grant and Cindy Dilks, as well as the perspective of Sheila Bourgeault, whose husband died in early 2009 from FTD.

This 60-minute on-line radio show, themed “It’s not Alzheimer’s.  FTD, the Other Dementia” will be a conversational forum open to all, especially those who are interested in learning and spreading the word about FTD.  To listen to the on-line radio show, please register for the radio show first.  Once you’ve registered, you will receive an email instructing you with the next steps.  Please leave us your comments about the show!

As a listener, this show will offer you the support and resources you need to create a new pathway for you to explore, or new information you can bring to your existing healthcare team.

Or, if you’re caring for someone with FTD you’ll find new resources and support you need to  not only care for your loved one, but for yourself as caregiver.

I recently spoke with Hillary and learned about her struggles, her triumphs and now, her determination to help others heal through personal transformation and self-empowerment.  Here is a sneak preview of her story that she will share with us live in our on-line radio show on October 8th at 7:30 pm EST.

The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis initially left Hillary feeling angry, as if she’d been “given a sentence.” But she had two choices—either to be proactive or let her illness control her life. She embraced the former.

A recent New York Times article, “My Brain on Chemo, Alive and Alert”, held my feet to the fire to recognize the routines in my life I sometimes abhor.  Only good health affords us the priviledge of ignoring gratitude and bliss in favor of blurred images of how we spend our precious time here.

That’s why, when Marisa at HealthyWomen told me about Mary Beth Maida, a breast cancer survivor, and her book, “Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls”, I knew I had to bring her story to you all.  Like Lisa Martinez says, “we are all survivors of breast cancer” since we know more women each year who are diagnosed with this condition, threatening to affect one in eight women over a lifetime.  That’s way too common but the good news is that more women are surviving today, based on earlier diagnosis and earlier, better treatments.

With that said, women’s health research shows and personal experience magnifies the fact that personal empowerment is absolutely key for women surviving breast cancer.   Enter Mary Beth and her partner Debbie Kiederer, a dynamic and passionate duo who have just launched Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls – the first-ever community dedicated to women who want to look and feel their best while they deal with the side effects of cancer treatment.  They believe that every woman dealing with cancer deserves to look and feel as close to normal as her energy and her spirit will allow.

Marybeth Maida is a journalist and breast cancer survivor who has worked in television, film and web for more than 20 years. She is Chief Operating and Strategy Officer for Public News Service, an independent, state based network dedicated to producing news in the public interest; President of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and vice president of the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation. Marybeth lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.

Debbie Kiederer is a 25 year veteran of the retail cosmetics industry, a digital strategist, and Founder and Principal of ChalkDust Consulting. She is an executive board member of the Hunt Hill Farm Trust, Skitch Henderson’s Cultural Center; an advisory board member of the New Canaan YMCA Diving Parents’ Association; board member of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and a
member of Cosmetic Executive Woman (CEW) and the Metropolitan Executive and Professional
Registry. Debbie lives in New York with her husband and children.

Join us on September 26th at 9:30 am EST for our on-line health salon and radio show “Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls” with Mary Beth and Debbie and bring your friends.   Support for our friends and our family members surviving breast cancer is what Real Women on Health! is all about!

Be sure to bring your own tips with you to share with us in this on-line, telephone health salon! It’s free, fun, and worth 30-min of your time to share with others and learn what others are doing to stay well and be their best.

Jasmine Jafferali, MPH is a wellness consultant with her own column in the Chicago Examiner focused on women’s health. Through her writing and coaching, she helps women, moms, children and families achieve healthier lifestyles.

Suffering from bi-weekly migraines and digestive issues, Jasmine took charge of her health after conventional medicine failed her.

She follows a gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free diet and has freed herself from migraines, fatigue and pain. In her spare time, she loves being outdoors with her family and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen.

When: Monday May 11 th, @ 7 :30 pm EST – 8 pm EST

Join the conversation with Jasmine and Kelley on the Live Show.

You can ask your questions directly by registering in at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vb85e8cab.0.0.hmki94bab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com&id=preview first. Your user name and password will be emailed to you. You can then log in to the show, by going to http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vb85e8cab.0.0.hmki94bab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com%2Frealwomenonhealth&id=preview. When you would like to participate live, you must also dial (646) 929-2625. Please note, this is a New York number. Local/long distance charges from your phone company will apply**.

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