Today's guest is Jon Paul Crimi. Our conversation could have been centered all around his life as a former Celebrity Trainer and world-renowned Sober Coach because admittedly, that's some pretty cool stuff. Instead, we talk about alopecia and the impact it had on his life when it hit him in the middle of building an acting career, in the midst of drug addiction and excessive drinking, and led him down the road to recovery and to a self-discovery of his life's work to help those suffering from addiction, abuse, PTSD and other trauma.

*This episode is full of very mature and real world issues, which I love, but may not be appropriate for young listeners. 

Right now, in a world where our breath is confined behind masks and questioned as to how much risk is involved when it's released or taken in, leads to another frame of thought. Can our breath heal us from things like trauma & crippling emotional misery?  It's one that Jon Paul doesn't ever have to question. It's been said, that having one session of breathwork with JP can transform your life more than 20 years of therapy ever has. Let's hear how he does it in today's episode of Alopecia Life.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. You may be wondering if breathwork is for you. Throughout our lives, we seek ways to feel better, to process, to even forget and avoid. If you are looking for an introduction to breathwork, especially if you are struggling with either your own alopecia or a diagnosis for your child, Jon Paul has made it even easier to access a class with him. He has extended a coupon for us to take advantage of. When registering, please add the coupon code of ALOLIFE (all caps) to get $10.00 off. Last week, I registered and was unable to attend LIVE. So I watched the replay in a quiet space, free from distraction the next day. It was awesome, and I look forward to doing it again. Please make sure to follow his advice for teenagers. Try the class first to get a feel for it. It was physically and emotionally intense, and something to experience for yourself before introducing it to them. For ways to reach Jon Paul, please see the links in the show notes to find out more about him or register for a class.

https://www.breathewithjp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jonpaulcrimi/

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/

Today's guest is Shirleysia Jones, owner of the Alopecia Hair Society. Shirleysia has transformed her business over the last two years, dedicating her time to those living with hair loss, offering support, and shining a light on the wig industry and medical insurance. She and I talk about the proper terminology when working with your insurance company, and she shares with us how working with the Alopecia Hair Society can help streamline the process. 

Thank you for listening today. For ways to connect with the Alopecia Hair Society and Shirleysia, please check out the show notes for her contact information. She has also provided Alopecia Life listeners with a discount code of "Alopecia" when looking to work with them. Thank you Shirleysia.

https://alopeciahairsociety.com/
https://msha.ke/alopeciahairsociety/#links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alopeciahairsociety/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alopeciahairsociety

Email: [email protected]

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/

Today's guest is Miss Stamford USA, Renee Reyes. Renee has a passion for plants and community service. She is going to continue to break barriers in the pageant world while competing, bald for Miss USA and Miss Universe. Listen in to hear more about her outreach efforts, the alopecia non-profit program that is coming together, and much more.

*Mature content when talking about social media trolls at minute 9

Thank you for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. Check out the show notes for ways to connect with Renee, ask a plant question, find out more about the non-profit, or even donate 5 bucks to her outreach diaper drive for families in need. 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/renee.reyes.94009

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

IG Plant Blog: https://www.instagram.com/prickleparty/

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/

Today, our guest is Natalie Lahr. Natalie has had androgenic alopecia for over 11 years. Throughout the episode we talk about how she came to be known as Alopecia Fashionista, how beginning college while dealing with hair loss felt, and she has great advice for those who are ready to start wearing toppers or wigs. 

Thank you for listening to this episode with Natalie Lahr. She provides a lot of value with her content. To find out more, read her blog, or check out her YouTube tutorials, her linktree information is listed below in the show notes. 

https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2Falopecia_fashionista&e=ATPcYaHehBOHGUMRSqukA7GIZFjbwu2TU7wlD-zCzojxl7JMNitvWgDQkMtBACRTOdY58OONcVO4aG6csm3Ayg&s=1

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/

Today's guest is Maddie Woytovich. Many of you may remember her from last year's podcast and are familiar with the beginnings of the Children's Alopecia Project. Today, we are catching up with Madde. We're also talking about Children with Alopecia Day, a day to celebrate the children who are living with alopecia, but also a day to share photos and connect with our community. We are never alone in our alopecia journey.

Thanks for listening today. In the past, we've seen people make a special cake for their child, read a book in school, or dress a certain way in celebration on this day. We would love to hear the unique ways you all celebrate. Please share them on the public Alopecia Life FB group or on Instagram. If you prefer to privately share with us, feel free to message me, Maddie, Jeff or Betsy directly. We always love hearing from you. 

Check out our show notes to learn more about the Children's Alopecia Project and to find Maddie on Instagram. 

https://www.instagram.com/mwoyt/

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.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 this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Deja McClendon, professional volleyball player with Athletes Unlimited, former Penn State player, and from my limited time with her - I can tell she's an all around lovely human. Deja and I discuss volleyball, her alopecia story, and her athlete cause during the month of March supporting the non-profit, Bald Girls Do Lunch. You may hear throughout the interview my excitement as I talk with her about this new way of playing - where players change teams each week, gain points as individuals and as a team, and so much more. The bonus of the athlete cause and female athletics in this league is the icing on the cake. For young or old athletes who've developed alopecia, Deja has some great advice toward the end of the interview. 

Deja McClendon/Bald Girls Do Lunch Give Lively

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dejamcclendon18

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

Athletes Unlimited: https://auprosports.com/

Thanks again for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. We aired this episode before the end of the month to share about the athlete cause. Her Team points and individual points contribute to the end of the season Give Lively campaign for Bald Girls Do Lunch. I've posted that link in the show notes. This is a great opportunity to support women in sports and raise alopecia awareness at the same time. Every dollar counts.

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/

Today's guest is Caroline Alanis. March is Autoimmune Awareness Month, and Caroline and I talk about the Color Street Autoimmune Awareness Inner Strength nail art that is available only during the month of March. She also shares her alopecia story and how important it is to remember positive feedback with self-affirmation. Caroline discovered the impact of how sharing her own story could help others after becoming a member of the International Alopecia Community in 2015. 

Caroline is married, has three grown daughters, and is now a grandma. She also works as an office manager of a State Farm Agent office. She tells her story in Click For Hope Caroline's Story. 

More from Caroline: "I used to think my lack of hair was an imperfection. I now know that it is my STRENGTH. I have always known God wanted me to stand out, but I was always afraid...
these days, I am no longer afraid to not have my wig on, I embrace it. I am a woman who is defying what society calls "beautiful". I can honestly say now, no one's definition of pretty has a hold over me anymore. Here I am, no longer bound, no longer afraid, no longer ashamed. I am free. I am my own kind of beautiful."

Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life. If you want to reach out and purchase Color Street Autoimmune Awareness nail art this month, please check out Caroline's link in the show notes. The more purchases that are made, the increased chance of continuing awareness for alopecia. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation is the recipient of Color Street's giving back campaign. So by purchasing March awareness art, those dollars go to the continued efforts NAAF is making to raise alopecia awareness. I just ordered my set from Caroline's Color Street website. It was super simple to do as a guest, and I just used PayPal. 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.m.alanis

IG:  https://www.instagram.com/sweetcee1967/

Website: https://www.thebaldienailstylist.com 
Photo Credit:  Gabrielle Alanis Photography 

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 listening to Alopecia Life. Without you, this show wouldn't be as much fun. This has already started out to be an exciting podcast season. Guests have included Skyler Weaver as he makes his way through central and south America to raise alopecia awareness, and authors Betsy and Suhani sharing about their debut publications. We've also talked about experiences with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) by patients who have had success, along with a follow-up interview with a compounding Pharmacist who explained the ins and outs of LDN. Suzanne with Hair-We-Share educated us about the proper way to donate hair to make it into a wig, and Heather told us all about the Helper Hair Box. The idea of beginning the school year with alopecia is a little less complicated after hearing 9-year-old Ohna and her mom, Skye, talk about what works for them. Annie Alopecia shared what inspired her to start her own online support group, and Dr. Angela and Dr. Thomason let us in on their vision of combining their medical training and their lived-experiences with their webinar series, Let's Talk. Danielle, Damon, and Connolly were especially excited to be featured in the Humans of New York piece that over 243,000 thousand people connected with, and they told us all about it. So far, it's been a great season!

I love podcasting, and am already looking forward to the 2nd half of season 2. With that being said, I am taking a little hiatus to schedule interviews, explore more topics, and take a much-needed break after the ups and downs of 2020, I would also love to hear from you. Please get in touch, post a comment here or on the Alopecia Life FB group page about topics you would like to hear more about. I can also be reached by private message if you prefer. I'll have contact information in the show notes for your convenience.

*What burning questions do you have?

*Who would you like to hear interviewed?

*What would you like to hear more about? 

I look forward to exploring and sharing all of this with you in upcoming episodes. 

https://headonlifecoaching.com/contact/  

https://www.instagram.com/alopecialifecoach/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2048660141909847

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 sharing your time with me and today's guests, Dr. Angela Rodgers and Dr. Renee Thomason. Both are board certified family medicine physicians who have lived with alopecia areata for over 20 plus years and are also working the frontlines during this COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Thomason strongly focuses on mindfulness and strength based practices as a physician and in her personal life. Her discovery of keeping a wholesome mind and resilient spirit has been a guide to navigate different obstacles in life, especially while helping others who are living with alopecia. 

Dr. Rodgers has been a NAAF support group leader in Sacramento, CA for the last 10 years.  She helped create the Health and Research Ambassador (HARA) program that advocates for educating and addressing the psychological aspect of medical hair loss in clinical and pharmaceutical spaces.

Today, we're excited to share about their webinar series, Let's Talk, along with their personal stories of alopecia.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of Alopecia Life. The webinar series link can be found in the show notes, along with their email address. Their first episode of 2021 is coming up next week, January 27th. To register, click on the link here in the show notes, especially if you are interested in hearing about dating, alopecia, and creating work/life balance in your job.
Webinar Series Registration Link - Adulting 101 with Alopecia January 27th

Webinar Series on YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/user/naaforg/videos

Connect: [email protected]
Dr. Renee Thomason - https://www.instagram.com/drreneethomason/
Dr. Angela Rodgers - https://www.instagram.com/angelarrodgers/

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 listening to this first Alopecia Life episode of 2021. There's a lot of collective hope in the world right now, and today's guests are perfect for keeping that hope going. Last month, many of us who follow newsfeeds about alopecia were super excited to see the Humans of New York Facebook page featuring Danielle, Connolly, and Damon. Most of the world's population is still in the dark about what alopecia areata is, and by sharing their story with Humans of New York, awareness exponentially rose by the thousands, and by the time this episode releases, those numbers will rise to beyond 253,000. When talking after the interview, Danielle mentioned that she would like to "do more," which is something that resonates with so many of us who have been diagnosed or have family members with alopecia. We want to help others, especially in those early days. What better way to do that than by sharing their story on this huge HONY platform? We are thankful that Brandon Stanton saw this story as valuable and as one that would inform the lives of his readers. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you have questions or comments you would like to share with me, Danielle, or any of the boys - we are all happy to answer them in the Alopecia Life FB group or on Instagram. I've also linked to the Humans of New York pages for you to read the story if you haven't had the opportunity to do that. 

https://www.humansofnewyork.com/

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

https://www.instagram.com/humansofny/

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/