Colleen, Ann & Kim

Before the show last week, I was feeling kind of weepy.  And, even though I am totally excited about the future, there was some “sadness” for leaving something I love doing here in Baltimore.  After spending a bit of each Saturday night at the studio for the past 7 years, what would I do on Saturday nights going forward???  (That was just a rhetorical question… I’m sure I’ll figure out the answer!)

Before heading out for the show, I packed up a bottle of prosecco and three goblets – after all, I may have been weepy, but I do like to celebrate.  Imagine my surprise when I met one of my guests, Colleen McKenna, in the parking lot with you guessed it, a bottle of prosecco and three goblets.  Umm… a fun night, for sure!  We headed into the studio and a few minutes later, Kim Fabian, my other guest shows up.  With what, you ask?  A bottle of prosecco!  Talk about fabulous minds being in sync!  So, we sipped prosecco and talked and talked and talked about the fun of doing the show, fabulous guests, the support of so many wonderful listeners, readers and sponsors, Girls Gone Great, Conscious Conversations Café, and finding my voice to be an advocate for sexual assault/domestic violence victims and survivors.

Looking back, I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap it all up here in Baltimore – with good friends, good memories and prosecco.

But, stay tuned… I’m not through talkin’ yet.

Guests:  Colleen McKenna, Principal of Intero Advisory

Kim Fabian, Senior Vice President, Junior Achievement of Central Maryland

Heather Lynette Sinclair & Ann

Taken advantage of and being abused as a child, a teenager and a young adult would leave many totally broken down; however, my guest has become a tireless advocate and activist for victims’ rights.  She is the force behind Lynette’s Law for Maryland, a grassroots movement that seeks to spread awareness about sexual exploitation by mental health professionals.  You may be shocked to hear not only her personal story and what gave her the momentum to start this movement, but the fact that therapist abuse happens more often than we would believe possible.  And, depending on state laws and the various governing state boards for mental health professionals, many times the recourse is slight and a professional predator can continue inflicting harm on clients and patients. Listen in to hear about what Lynette’s Law for Maryland currently does to protect clients and what the plans are for 2014.  In addition, Heather will be launching a national non-profit, the National Alliance Against Exploitation by Professionals (NAAEP) to provide support and advocacy to victims/survivors of therapist abuse.

Guest:  Heather Lynette Sinclair, Founder, Lynette’s Law for Maryland

Taylor, Ann, Amy & Danita

I can’t think of anything much better than to spend an evening in the studio with three fabulous women and cookies.  More specifically… Girl Scout cookies.  Yum.   On this show, we were able to hear all about the brand new and improved Girl Scout cookies that millions of Americans have been enjoying for as long as we can remember.  What’s exciting is, they’ve gotten healthier and there are now new options available for those with special dietary needs – vegan and gluten-free.  Taylor shared her selling strategies that will help her reach her personal best cookie sales this year; Danita talked about the value “cookie selling” has for the girls and all of the skills it teaches them and shared specific info on the healthier new cookie lineup; and, Amy educated us on who will really be loving these gluten-free cookies.  Listen in and find out how you can get your own cookies (yep, there’s even an app to let you know where to find them) or how to donate boxes to members of the military, firefighters, EMS personnel, police women and men, teachers and other special people in your community.

Guests:

Taylor Williams, a 16 year-old junior from Howard County, MD who is a real cookie-selling veteran

Danita Terry, the Director of Communications & Media Relations for Girl Scouts of Central Maryland

Amy Lettman, MS, RD, LDN, CDE with the Diabetes Center of The Maryland Metabolic Institute at Saint Agnes Hospital

Anne Katherine

With the internet, we are learning that our lives will never be the same.  There are incredible resources available to us that we couldn’t even dream of in the past.  And, with that has come emails, social media, and texting which can be wonderful sources of connections for us but can also take over our time and our lives if we aren’t able to set some limits.  Let’s face it…none of this stuff that is supposed to make our lives easier is going away.  In fact, everyday, new programs and apps show up and invite themselves into our lives.  Tune in to hear some practical advice on how to establish healthy boundaries and protect your safety and your sanity.  Is it time to take your life back and put your attention on the real relationships and connections that make a difference to you?

Guest:  Anne Katherine, therapist and author of Boundaries in an Overconnected World

Ann & Leonard Raskin

So often we receive our annual social security statements and stick them somewhere that feels like an official holding place for them.  But, when was the last time you really paid attention to what info was on that statement, and if it was even correct? My guest enlightens us about the importance of paying attention to those statements right now, being aware of what we are entitled to under various situations such as divorce or widowhood, what our children may be entitled to, how to increase our future benefits and how to make the wisest choices for payment distributions in the future.  Just another part of being money smart and wise about your finances.

Guest:  Leonard Raskin, CEO of Raskin Global and Women Getting Wise on Wealth

   
          Lise                    Lori and Ann

Being the skeptics that we are, my guest co-host, Lori, and I were anxious to talk with our guest about her book, Living Happily Ever After Separately.  If a couple can’t live together in the same house, how can they keep a marriage together long-term living apart?  Well, after talking with Lise, we’re amazed at how she and her husband, Emil, came up with a solution to save their marriage and their family… because they love each other.  They just can’t live in the same house together.  She likes a Zen paradise.  He likes to have every tool he could possibly ever need in plain sight – whether it’s on the kitchen table or the floor of the bedroom.  And, you know it’s those little things that will drive you crazy.  Living apart but spending lots of time together each week, they’ve developed a new respect for each other that had been missing in their relationship.  The constant bickering is basically gone.  They can appreciate each other. By the end of the show, Lori and I were thinking that we know lots of women who could take on this relationship model.  And, what about those couples who still love each other but think there are only two choices – stay together and slug it out or get a divorce?  Could this be an option for them?  Could that marriage be saved?  Maybe so.  Listen in.

Guest:  Lise Stryker Stoessel, educator, speaker and author of Living Happily Ever After Separately

Guest Co-Host:  Lori Hollander of Relationships Work

Ann with Ferrier Stillman

With the repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) back in June 2013 allowing for married same-sex couples to have the same federal benefits and tax advantages as heterosexual couples, and with more and more states legalizing same-sex marriages, it’s imperative that same-sex couples who are planning on marriage consider their new planning options.  Aren’t those planning issues the same for straight and same-sex couples?  Well, “yes” and “no” – depending on where you live, where you get married, where you move to, and if you ever get a divorce – based on current law.  With so much changing and so much still unsettled, now is not the time to wing it or even try to figure it all out yourself.  The best advice? Get good advice.

Guest:  Ferrier Stillman, co-chair for the Family Law Dept. at Tydings and Rosenberg in Baltimore

Lori & Bob Hollander with Ann

We’ve been there ourselves or we know at least one person who has been stuck carrying old relationship baggage wherever she goes – even into brand new relationships.   And then, she wonders why the new relationship is beginning to resemble the old one.  This past week, the WomanTalk Live Relationship Experts joined me to talk about this dynamic which can rob happiness from our life and spoil our chance of having a loving, long-lasting relationship.  While baggage carrying is important to know about, even more important is knowing what to do to unload it before reaching out to another.   Lori and Bob believe you have to face AND embrace all the feelings about ending a hurtful relationship and pull back in and self-soothe.  In fact, they shared five steps to help a newly single woman or man process the old and prepare for the new. Need some help unpacking the baggage?  Listen in.

Guests:  Lori and Bob Hollander of Relationships Work

Alyse Campbell and Ann

In addition to what we suspect keeps many women from scheduling a first mammogram or getting on an annual schedule after age 40 – fear of possible pain or busy life schedules – for women in poorer, underserved communities, many more factors come into play.  The mission of my guest last week is to overcome those factors and encourage women to get their mammograms.  Addressing insurance issues, providing transportation if needed, making sure the women have a good meal on appointment day, and providing a closely knit team of supporters every step of the way, is what makes it easier for these women to put their good health in the forefront.  Spreading the gospel about breast help is also taking place in a variety of ways from churches to high school football and basketball games, to health fairs and beauty salons.   Wherever women show up – the message is getting out there through the Breast Link Program.  Tune in and hear about this important program that’s making a real difference in the lives of so many women.

Guest:  Alyse Campbell, the Connector for the Susan G. Komen Breast Link Program at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore

Shanita, Ann, Jo Ellen & MB

You know the saying…. if you want something done, you ask a busy woman.  And my three guests are perfect proof of that saying.  Curious to find out what sparks the “volunteer” spirit in someone, I found that giving back was something they either learned at an early age from their families or as a recipient of someone else giving back to them, they vowed they would pay it forward.  And, they have.  The incredible mission of Habitat for Humanity to provide affordable, safe and clean housing to families and help revitalize communities, and teach the skills of financial and homeowner responsibility is what makes these women passionate about being a part of the program.  Over and over again, they each said to see what happens during the process of a Habitat project is enough to warm the coldest heart.  Been thinking about doing some volunteer work?  Tune in and hear what it can mean for the ones you help and for your own soul.

Guests:  Jo Ellen Soesbee, CEO/Founder of ToolBox TomGirl, Inc. and Habitat volunteer

Mary Burch (MB) Harmon, an English as a Second Language (ESL) adjunct professor at Notre Dame of Maryland University’s English Language Institute, world traveler, and Habitat enthusiast and volunteer

Shanita Modlin, a Habitat homeowner and the Volunteer Engagement Manager for Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake

Other Habitat links to check out:

Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake Women Build

Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat Global Village