Ann Quasman's WomanTalkLive A more conscious conversation

WTL Wrap-Up: “Where’s My Nest Egg? – Why Boomer Women Need to Re-Think Their Finances – TODAY”

Ann and Leonard Raskin

One thing is very clear from all of the information that’s out there … women (especially Baby Boomer women) will list the following as their top financial concerns:

• They are afraid they will become a “Bag Lady” (and, this even happens with women who have enough to see them through their retirement years).
•  They are very concerned about health coverage and healthcare and about what it will cost during their retirement years.
• Being “financially single” (never married, widowed, divorced) and going it all on their own can seem frightening to them.
• The possibility of losing their job seems very real in today’s economic climate.

My guest this past week, Leonard Raskin, the CEO of Raskin Global and Women Getting Wise on Wealth, says the above concerns come from women of all ages regardless of the amount of funds they have – however, they are the BIG concerns for the Baby Boomers, who are living a very different life from that of their mothers.

According to the statistics, only 12% of women feel “very confident” that they will have enough monthly income to live comfortably throughout their retirement years and only 20% feel “very confident” that they will have enough money to take care of basic expenses during retirement.

When asked what can we do now? – Leonard says it is time to wake up and get serious.  No more hiding our head in the sand or pretending it doesn’t bother us.  It’s time to get educated and put our plan together.  And, the sooner the better.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the September 8th show.

Tune in to hear some good tips on your next steps.  Get proactive on taking care of you.

And… if you’re in the Baltimore Metro area, join us for the next educational session hosted by Women Getting Wise on Wealth – a series just for women.  Coming up on Wednesday, September 12^th from  6-8 pm at the offices of Raskin Global in the Hunt Valley area, the topic is Investing in Your Future.  No pressure.  No sales.  It’s education, discussion and getting you on the right track.

WTL Wrap-Up: “Seven Sips to BLISS”

Dharlene Marie Fahl

This past Saturday night in the studio was one of those “full” nights of activity.  I was joined in the studio by two fabulous women before I even began talking with my guest, Dharlene Marie Fahl, a Certified Tea Specialist and author of Sereni-Tea: Seven Sips to Bliss. 

Mare Cromwell stopped by to fill us in on the MidAtlantic Women’s Congress for Future Generations coming up the weekend of September 28-30th in Washington County, MD – an opportunity for women to come together, create and discuss the legacy we want to leave for those who follow and to connect with the International Women’s Congress happening that same weekend in Utah.

Also joining me was Colleen McKenna of Intero Advisory, who I met when she was the organizer for the incredible Baltimore WOW (Women of the World) festival hosted by the BSO in March.  I always love having company in the studio and Colleen is one of those women who always make everything a little more lively and exciting.

Our guest, Dharlene Marie Fahl, is one of those women who loves life and is contagious with her energy.  Colleen and I were just settling in to hear what Dharlene had to share with us when all of the lights in the studio went out and everything shut down for about 20 seconds or so.  Yikes!  Evidently, a thunderstorm of epic proportions was going on outside and we didn’t even know about it!  When the lights came back on, I am sure my eyes were as big as saucers.  I know Colleen’s were!  The emergency generators kicked back in, settings were adjusted and we were back on air.

What was almost funny was that Dharlene Marie was not even aware we were gone since she was calling in by phone and the phone line had not been affected.  And, because she is one of those fabulous guests who just flows with info, she didn’t miss us!  What is sad is that we and anyone listening that night missed a bit of what she was sharing.  However, when we got back up and running, Dharlene Marie still had plenty to share.

As a tea specialist, Dharlene Marie has traveled the world and visited the tea fields of India, China and Japan.  What she has learned is that tea is a great bridge for people – in that sitting down with a cup of tea can help people forget language and cultural differences for a moment.  The ceremony of having a cup of tea can open the door for a different type of communication and community.

Dharlene Marie also discussed the “energy” of tea – that of calming and soothing – compared to the energy of coffee.  Feminine vs masculine.  Yin vs Yang.  We couldn’t help but compare our own culture of “hurry-up, busyness, get it done” to the energy of coffee and why it’s so popular in the U.S.  Perhaps, making time for tea could be called for now to balance out some of this energy and bring some calmness to our lives.

With that in mind, Dharlene Marie shared some of the ideas from her book on how in the time it takes to sip a cup of tea – about 15-20 minutes –  we can start to tap into calmness, tap into ourselves, and give ourselves permission to tap into our own bliss.  Done on a regular basis, that practice alone can change our lives.

Dharlene Marie has a generous heart and is sharing a mp3 of her guided tea meditation just for you.  To receive it, just drop her an email at dharlenemarie@gmail.com and let her know you’re ready to tap into your bliss.

We are hoping that enough of the show on Saturday was salvaged so that we can share the podcast with you later this week – either on Wednesday or Thursday.  If so, it’ll be in the podcast archive – the September 1st show.  If not, I’ll just have to have her back on the show later on to share all of her good info and more again!

In the meantime, add having a quiet cup of tea to your day and enjoy the gift.

        
Colleen McKenna                         Mare Cromwell

WTL Wrap-Up – “Rock Your Scar. Pay It Forward.”

Amy Tippins

My guest, Amy Tippins, founded RockScar Love Designs®, a clothing company focused on helping others with any type of physical, mental or emotional scars embrace the lessons those scars represent and celebrate their own strength and resilience.

As a liver and tissue transplant patient, Amy has dealt with all three of those types of scars, and over the past twenty years, she has learned to embrace and appreciate her path.

Now, her mission is to reach out to others and encourage them to use their own scars as stepping stones to a bigger, more passionate life.  Reaching out a hand, telling your story, listening to someone else tell their story… all of these things can open the door for healing.

Take part in the ScarsSexy Campaign.  Check out the video and share it with others.  Share your own story.  Pay your strength forward.

All of us have had struggles.  Some of our scars are deeper than others.  Would we have chosen this “scar” to learn our lesson?  Probably not.  But, in embracing the scar, yourself, and the lesson… a whole new world opens up.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the August 25th show.

Listen in and be inspired.

WTL Wrap-Up: “Band of Sisters: There for Each Other” – A Conscious Conversations Café Show

Jas Boothe, Ann, Sandra Cager & Ashley Dyer

We never know where the road of life is going to lead us.  We have hopes and dreams, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out as we expected.

That’s true for all three of my guests in this past week’s Conscious Conversations Café show.

Each woman made a decision to serve her country in the military and each one faced adversity beyond her biggest nightmare:

Jas Boothe, a single mom preparing to deploy to Iraq, lost her home and all of her belongings to Katrina.  Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Sandra Cager, a mother and a victim of domestic violence who made the decision to leave her husband, and later lost her job and faced eviction.

Ashley Dyer, who wanted to serve in the military more than anything – signing up when she was just 17 years old  – became a victim of repeated Military Sexual Trauma while on her tour of duty overseas.  Returning home and later feeling she was getting her life under control, her benefits and services for PTSD stopped, and she lost everything.  Everything.

Jas Boothe was determined to help women just like herself and ultimately created an organization to provide services for homeless women veterans – Final Salute, Inc.  Sandra and Ashley consider Jas and her organization to be a gift from heaven for just when things were at their darkest for both women, Jas and Final Salute were there to help both of them.

As sad as their stories are, each of these women have an incredible strength. They are determined not to be identified as victims…but, as survivors who are creating new lives.  Going forward, they want to be there to support other women veterans who face adversity.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the August 18th show.

Listen in and be inspired and find out how you can support the work being done by Final Salute, Inc., and all about a fundraiser coming up in October – the Ms Veteran America Competition – celebrating and honoring the woman beyond the uniform.

WTL Wrap-Up: “Where X = Girls: The Formula for Getting Girls Going in Math & Science (and why we so desperately need it)”

Judy Carroll, Su Kim, Susan Bishop & Erikka Bishop

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition represents the broadest and most unified voice in advocating for policies to improve STEM education at all levels. An alliance of more than 500 business, professional, and education organizations, the Coalition works aggressively to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. One of STEM’s priority goals is to:

Encourage and inspire more of our best and brightest students, especially those from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, to study in STEM fields.

And one of these underrepresented groups is girls – who often grow up believing that science, technology, engineering and math professions are simply not for them.

Is it because girls are just not interested science and math? Or, is it because of the very subtle, out-dated, BUT STILL PRESENT messages our society has been sending to girls about what is and what is not a female-appropriate career literally since women first entered the workforce. Whether a girl hears her parent comment that science or engineering are very difficult to master, or she gets the feeling from peers that it’s not “cool” to get excited about math and science, the messages we send to girls about what they should and shouldn’t be interested in are pervasive.

Joining guest host Susan Bishop this week were Su Kim, Judy Carroll and Erikka Bishop, three women with direct experience in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. We talked about why so many girls grow up believing those fields are not for them, what the STEM Education Coalition is doing to attract girls to those fields and how parents, teachers and other mentors can support and encourage a girl’s interest in science and math.

While our guests’ experiences were very different, each had a story to tell regarding the messages they grew up hearing about science and math, what it was like to be a woman in a male-dominated field and also how things are changing.

What was especially heartening to hear is that once girls are introduced to science and math in a positive, imagination-sparking way, the girl herself is the first to say, “I CAN DO THIS!”

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week – around Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.  It’s the August ^11th show.  It could help you understand the issues surrounding girls and STEM fields – and perhaps you’ll even be the one who inspires a future FEMALE Nobel prize winner.