Welcome to this episode of Alopecia LIfe. Today's guest is Sarah Durrett. I reached out to Sarah a few weeks ago after she posted a video of herself shaving the last of her hair off after living with alopecia areata for several decades. The video is super raw, and I truly felt with her in the moment while she shared. It had a strong effect on me, and I knew for those who hadn't yet seen it and were going through something similar - it would be super helpful. 

When our hair is actively falling out, it's difficult to understand the sense of loss we are experiencing. People around us often tell us, "It's just hair." or "At least you don't have something more serious." Logically, we know this (as adults), but it doesn't mean on a scale of 1-10, it's not a 10 for us in the moment. With kids, it may be even more confusing. Our parents or other family members may be encouraging a final haircut to get rid of the wispy hair that is stubbornly sticking out of our head. It's a big deal to take this next step. When do you know it's the right time to Brave the Shave? Today, Sarah shares what led up to it, and how she is feeling now.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with Sarah and me today. Shaving is a very personal choice when living with hair loss. I never did, but looking back I wish I would have taken control instead of having that last strand of hair remain on my head until alopecia decided it would for me. Showers and bathing can be traumatizing when clumps of hair are found in the drain. I want to thank Sarah for being brave and sharing her experience with all of us. For ways to reach out to Sarah, I've posted those links in the show notes. I've also attached the video here in the comments.

For parents - If you are ready for your child to shave and they aren't - I encourage you to wait until they are. Sometimes they need to know it's an option, and other times they will refuse and that is completely up to them. It may sound harsh, but your discomfort needs to take a back seat to the wishes of your child. On the other side of this, your child may totally want to shave, and you may not feel ready. With your discomfort aside and whether they do or don't want to shave, your kiddo can experience freedom around a choice when experiencing hair loss, and that's something truly empowering.

Sarah's YT Video
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.durrett

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. I've been waiting to share this episode with all of you because I knew it was important to release it at this unusual time in the US that has been so full of unrest. I'm editing this the week before our presidential election, at a time where a lot of stress and imbalance is working to right itself. Although this week has already played out and I have no idea of the outcome while editing, my wish is that today's guest, Jen Baradi, provides you with the same sense of calm and peace I felt after being with her in person and interviewing her here on the podcast. 

I met Jen a few months ago in Toronto, and I knew she would be perfect for the podcast to share all she has discovered while living with alopecia for the past 38 years. She has discovered greater well-being and support along the journey through mindfulness, yoga, and iRest® meditation practices. As an educator, Jen taught internationally for 20 years and first developed an interest in combining yoga and education while completing postgraduate research on the effects of yoga on academic achievement. After repatriating back to Toronto, she took time for wellbeing and for deepening her yoga practice. She has awakened to a path of integrating wellbeing, awareness, and education.

Whether you're here in the US, in another country, or in Canada where Jen lives, we could all use a moment of space to just breathe. 

Thank you for sharing your time with Jen and me today. To discover more for yourself, connect with her through www.jenbyogi.com. Additional ways to reach out to Jen are located here in the show notes, along with the YouTube link to the movie we spoke of, "Attack from Within."

*ADDITIONAL INFO FOR COMMUNITY TO CONNECT WITH JEN:

Discover ways to live with greater wellbeing this season with Jen:

Resources to Just Be (*for CANAAF Alopecia support group online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jenbyogi.com (*for private clients / groups / organisations / educational institutes)

Two Yogis Talking about Life Youtube (*for vodcast with new episodes inspired by iRest®️)

Doggos.ca (*for puppy & yoga playdates at Puppysphere, studio 2)

Vivayalive.com (*for recorded online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jabumind app (*for recorded iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Oise.utoronto.ca/wellness/past-recordings (*for hybrid & recorded online Yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

YouTube Video - Attack from Within 

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Sharlay Sloss. Sharlay is a certified doula, teacher and author. She is dedicated to fostering positive and healthy environments where children can express themselves and fully embrace self-love. As a teacher, she has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Heart Award for her dedication and commitment to children and their families.

Sharlay lives in Virginia  with her husband, two children and dog Remy. Today, we'll be talking about her new book, Hair-Free Horace. If you're an avid listener of the podcast, you know how often I share about books as resources. The reason I love books so much is because I know how much I wanted and needed something to look at and read or hear when I was diagnosed. This continues to be a need almost 40 years later for our young readers and families who have been diagnosed with alopecia. Featuring them here on the podcast is another way to help serve the alopecia community. 

Thanks again for sharing time with Sharlay and me today. To find your copy of Hair-Free Horace or to get in touch with Sharlay, I've provided those links here in the show notes. 

Hair-Free Horace Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

https://www.hairfreehorace.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharlay-sloss-ab101912/

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Dr. Elyssa Green. Dr. Elyssa is a woman making a significant impact in the world of alopecia. After being diagnosed with alopecia in 2022, she shaved her head and embraced the beauty of baldness. Even though that sounds like an easy 2-step process, she shares the personal challenges and triumphs that led her to help others struggling with the diagnosis and all that comes with the hair loss journey. Dr. Green established Bald Bozz Beauty or B3 to advocate and bring awareness to alopecia. The mission of B3 is to provide highlights in the areas of Style, Health, and Education that impact the bald community. It's exciting to have her here today to share more. 

Thank you for sharing your time with Dr. Elyssa Green and me today. For ways to reach out, the links are here in the show notes, along with her website to find out more.

Contact:
https://www.instagram.com/baldbozzbeauty/
FBbaldbossbeauty
https://www.tiktok.com/@baldbossbeauty
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elyssagreen/
https://www.bthree.org/

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to Season 6 of Alopecia Life. Each September, I have a back-to-school episode and find a guest to share how to make the transition easier. Historically, these are the ones that parents ask me about the most too. Our guest today is Jodie Lee. Jodie is a dedicated educator with 15 years of experience as a high school teacher. She is a passionate advocate for celebrating diversity and fostering inclusivity in schools. Jodie is the proud mother of two daughters, and her youngest, Makenna, was diagnosed with alopecia. When Jodie registered Makenna for school, she searched for a book that would highlight her daughter's bravery in confidently walking into school looking different from her classmates. Unable to find a suitable story, Jodie took matters into her own hands and wrote one herself. This endeavor was not just about her daughter's experience but also about the many challenges that students face in school environments.

In 2022, Jodie expanded her mission and founded *Different at School*, an organization dedicated to celebrating what makes each of us unique. The organization focuses on educating others about the diverse challenges students face while encouraging all students to become strong individuals of character.

Jodie is the perfect guest for this season's back-to-school episode. 

Thank you for sharing your time with Jodie and me today. You can find all of the ways to connect with Different at School here in the show notes. As always, we love seeing your questions and comments over on socials.

Instagram

Facebook 

Different At School Website

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Our next guest is Ava Hanssen. I first heard about Ava when the Children's Alopecia Project reached out to say thank you for featuring them on her race car. Her racing background is super interesting, and after hearing more about who she is and what she wants to accomplish in the racing world, I thought you would all be excited to hear more about her racing, especially if you're like me and have a fairly limited bit of knowledge around the racing world. Ava started racing go karts at 4 years old, and her competitive nature now has her racing an F1600 going upwards of 130mph at the age of 14. Here's more from Ava.

Thank you for sharing your time with Ava and me.To learn more about Ava, follow her on social media, and even perhaps offer sponsorship for her racing endeavors, please check out those links here in the show notes. Her racing accomplishments are pretty impressive.Thanks again to Ava for raising awareness for the Children's Alopecia Project.

https://avahanssenracing.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ava.hanssen.31

IG: https://www.instagram.com/_ava_hanssen_/

Recent News Story: CBS58 News

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. For those who have listened to past episodes, you may remember the 3 healthy habits to have in our lifestyle toolbelt that Integrative Nutrition and Gut Health Coach, Lisa Taylor, provided to all of us to start and continue a self-healing journey. Lisa is back to share about her upcoming FREE masterclass in March, along with her 12 week Alopecia Warrior Self-Healing collective group program. I believe we are becoming more empowered with our health. There's more information, more insight into root cause, along with more resources for us to be the healthiest version of ourselves. It's exciting to be able to bring the information that Lisa has to Alopecia Life listeners, especially when we are in a time of so much input and noise around gut health and it's easy to get confused by it all. Lisa has always been able to make the process of healing as easy as it can be without overwhelm, which is one of the reasons I continue having her back. 

Thank you so much for sharing your time with Lisa and me today. For those who are looking for more information to the Masterclass in March, those links can be found here in the show notes, along with a link to the website and her Facebook community.

Register for masterclass (registration ONLY open until : www.reversemyalopecia.com
Join my free Facebook community: Alopecia Warriors for Holistic Healing
Learn more about my self-healing programs: www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com 

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you for joining us for this first Alopecia Life episode of 2024. It's a new year, and I'm so excited to have a feel-good story for you today. Our guests today are Allison & Anthony. I found out about this fabulous family within a group where Allison shared about the hat collection that was growing exponentially after they started a small ask of their friends and family to help support Anthony. Due to the number of hats they were receiving, she knew she wanted to find more kids who might be interested in receiving a hat so she could send them one. When we originally spoke, they were about 2 weeks into their diagnosis. The hat collection was up to 1500 hats and they were looking to donate what they could. Today's interview was at the 6 week mark, and I was impressed to learn more about what's now become Operation Hat Drop and the kindness of the D'Alessandro family and to share it with all of you.

*More from Allison: "What started as a hat collection for our son to help him cope with alopecia, has morphed into a movement of kindness. People from all walks of life have come together to help Anthony and other children like him, smile, through the gift of hats...As long as there are hats to send, we plan to keep going!"

Thank you for sharing your time with us today. Throughout the interview, Allison shared about the importance of education and awareness, and the ability to do that with Operation Hat Drop has been an amazing opportunity for them to do that as a family. 

For those of you who are interested in sending a new hat to Anthony or to another child, please check out the show notes for the mailing address. If you are interested in receiving a hat, please reach out on Instagram  @operationhatdrop to request one. All their contact information can also be found here in the show notes. The alopecia community is one filled with amazing help. If you would like to support them as they ship the hats out, I know the gesture would be appreciated. I'm curious about the unique ways in which this can happen.

IG @operationhatdrop

email: [email protected]

(NEW) Hats can kindly be sent to:

358 Atlantic Ave

Massapequa Park, NY 11762

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. A few months ago, I was talking with Kylie, another CAP mentor, who expressed an interest in helping college-bound kids share their alopecia story in the essay portion of their college application. I thought it was a fantastic idea, and got to work looking for the perfect podcast guest to speak on this topic, and found Jill Shulman. Jill is the author of College Admissions Cracked: Saving Your Kid (and Yourself) From the Madness. She is an established College Admissions expert who offers an empowering, low-stress approach to succeeding in the admissions process. She has so much knowledge and experience around the topic, and I can't wait for you all to meet her and hear what she has to share. 

*More About Jill: Jill is the founder of In Other Words, a college essay coaching service, and has evaluated thousands of applications in admissions offices at top colleges. She has taught writing at The New School and City University of New York; appeared in the news at Forbes, the La Times, CNN, and NEPR; written for the New York Times, Family circle, Parents, and O the Oprah Magazine. Jill has recently launched IntrepidApplicant.com to help decrease anxiety for students writing the college application personal essay. 

Thank you so much for sharing your time with Jill and me today. To find out more about Intrepid Applicant, order her book, or take advantage of all the free resources she has on her website, check out the show notes for her website and ways to find her on social media. We also have a link here in the show notes for The Price You Pay For College by Ron Lieber with practical advice and outstanding reporting.

Website JillShulman.com

Book College Admissions Cracked: Saving Your Kid (and Yourself) From the Madness

Intrepid Applicant for writing a knockout college personal essay

https://www.facebook.com/jillmargaretshulman

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. The time for gatherings is here. Holidays, work parties, get-togethers with friends and family that "should" be fun. But...sometimes these gatherings turn into colossal upsets due to well-meaning or misguided family and  friends. Of course, there does tend to be one total ass-hat who likes to take up space too. The early days of being diagnosed can be increasingly difficult with all of these events that we're expected to attend. 

Over the years, I've heard from others living with alopecia that they don't feel supported, and that holiday meals are overtaken with conversation about their hair loss, re-growth, what they are choosing to wear on their heads, and the new treatment options that are available. 

For those who are listening and are looking for ways to support us...here are a few do's and don't's. 

Don't - Touch our head unless you've been given permission. Don't stroke our wig, ask us to be free and take our hat or scarf off, and definitely NEVER lick our heads in a drunken gesture of affection. Yes, that has happened to me. Not cool. 

Do - Ask us how our life is outside of our hair loss. We are so much more than our hair. Smile at us, include us in conversation about food, sports, television shows, and the things that interest us. Don't be weird.

For those of us who are on the receiving end of comments from colleagues, and family members who just don't quite get it yet, establish some boundaries. Not everybody is out to get us, as we know, but sometimes it feels like that. Determine whether it's time to educate, give them the bird, or just walk away and take time to yourself in a safe place or with a safe person. My hope is that you have a safe person who has your back. If you know there's always that auntie who just can't keep her comments to herself, roleplay with your safe person to come up with a response that feels right. Education can be taken on by family or a trusted friend too, and sometimes that may look like them taking that challenging person aside and telling them that google exists for a reason, and go look it up to get educated, point them to some helpful resources, or just tell them to shut the hell up. 

However you choose to spend your holidays, know that your boundaries can be set and expanded on. You are not alone. Take your safe person, have some quick answers, and enjoy the season. I'd love to hear your good and bad holiday stories of things that have been said or done. Let's connect over all of these things over on the FB Alopecia Life group page, on Instagram or through reaching out to me in person. 

If you're looking for resources to point family to, I have a FREE Alopecia 101 course that maps it all out for them. I've put that link here in the show notes. https://www.alopecialife.com/alopecia-areata-online-course/

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/