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.

I am so extremely grateful for my opportunity to host WomanTalk Live and connect with so many incredible souls and know I’ll take so many wonderful memories with me as we head to Vermont.

If you missed the show, you can listen to the podcast which will be posted in the podcast archive later on this week.  It’ll be the final show in the archive – the December 28th show.

But stay tuned… there will be more to come.

Wishing you all the most magnificent 2014!

Back at the end of July when I thought about finishing up the show at the end of the year, it seemed a ways off.  But, you and I know that time flies and the last show of the year AND the last WomanTalk Live show on WCBM in Baltimore is coming up this Saturday.

Joining me in the studio this week to close it all out will be two of my good friends, who, coincidently, have been guests and/or guest hosts on WomanTalk Live.  But, friends first – Colleen McKenna and Kim Fabian.

We’ll be doing some reminiscing, talking about what’s next (I’m not finished talking yet), and about the women who have inspired us all along the way.

I can’t think of a better way to close the door on 2013, to wrap up my time on the show in Baltimore after seven fun years, and to make way for the new – and being able to do it with good friends.  Grateful… that’s me.

Hope you can join us.  The more the merrier!

Tune in on Saturday, December 28th, from 6:07-7:00 pm ET on Talkradio 680 WCBM Baltimore or “Listen Live” online.   

 You can also download the WCBM 680 app at iTunes or for Android  

*****

Be sure to check out last week’s show – Lynette’s Law: Catching the Professional Predator – when I talked with Heather Lynette Sinclair who is the founder of Lynette’s Law for Maryland, a grassroots movement that seeks to spread awareness about sexual exploitation by mental health professionals.  Heather is a passionate advocate and activist for victims’ rights.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it’ll be in the podcast archive soon!  Promise!  It’s the December 21^st show.

bittersweet |ˈbitərˌswēt|
adjective
• arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain: the room, with all its bittersweet memories

It’s the end of the year when it’s quite normal to reflect on the past and to give some thought to what’s ahead.  I’m doing both of those things, and the best way to describe it is bittersweet.  Excited about the future and sad to leave the things I love so much when we head to the north country of Vermont.

Having the opportunity to do the WomanTalk Live show in Baltimore for seven years has been one of the most fun, rewarding and growth-inducing experiences I’ve ever had.

Blessings beyond what I would have ever imagined from incredible educational and inspirational guests to a big network of listeners, readers, new friends, old friends, social media connections, and even my mailman who listens on Saturday evenings.

And, I will be forever grateful to the Sponsors and WomanTalk Live Experts who have kept me on the air and shared their wisdom with listeners and blog readers along the way.  They are the best, for sure, and many of them have turned into real friends, which makes them even more special.

I count my lucky stars for this network of friends that have grown over the past seven years and I hold each of you in my hands and my heart as the precious gifts you are.

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”  ~  G. Randolf

Thank you for all you’ve shared with me and been to me.

Looking forward to us coming together in the next chapter.

Joining me this past week was a young woman whose life has not been easy.  Taken advantage of and being abused as a child, a teenager and a young adult would leave many totally broken down; however, she has become a tireless advocate and activist for victims’ rights.

Heather Lynette Sinclair 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 for victims/survivors of therapist abuse.

If you missed the show, you can listen to the podcast which will be posted in the podcast archive soon.  It’s the December 21^st show.

In times of innocence or maybe too much trust in those we believe are here to protect us/support us/keep us safe, there are more reminders for all of us just about everyday that just because someone is a teacher, a priest, a coach, a doctor or the nice person who lives down the street…there are predators out there.

Joining me in the studio this week to talk about the issue of predators in the mental health professions is Heather Lynette Sinclair who is the founder of Lynette’s Law for Maryland, a grassroots movement that seeks to spread awareness about sexual exploitation by mental health professionals.

Heather’s movement created a two-bill legislation package that aims to require criminal history checks for all mental health professionals and to criminalize sexual exploitation by those same professionals.

House Bill 56, Lynette’s Law, was passed into law by the Maryland General Assembly in April 2013 and now requires those criminal background checks.  But, there’s more to do.

In addition to her lobbying and advocacy work, Heather is in the process of forming a national non-profit, National Alliance Against Exploitation by Professionals (NAAEP).  The mission of this group will be to empower both professionals and the public by spreading awareness about the sexual exploitation and boundary violations within the mental health profession and to empower victim-survivors of therapist abuse by advocating for their emotional, educational and legal needs.  NAAEP seeks to push legislation that will require the mental health profession to be held to the highest legal and ethical standards possible.

Join us this week to learn more about Heather’s important and much needed work and find out how your voice can be heard to support this issue.

Tune in on Saturday, December 21st, from 6:07-7:00 pm ET on Talkradio 680 WCBM Baltimore or “Listen Live” online.   

 You can also download the WCBM 680 app at iTunes or for Android  

*****

Taylor, Ann, Amy & Danita

Be sure to check out last week’s show – Well, If You’re Going to Eat Cookies… – when I talked with 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 and Amy Lettman, MS, RD, LDN, CDE with the Diabetes Center of The Maryland Metabolic Institute at Saint Agnes Hospital, about the new, healthier Girl Scout cookies and the business of cookie selling.

If you missed the show or you want to share it with a friend, it’s in the podcast archive now.  It’s the December 14th show!

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