I am dedicating today's episode to Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time in October to bring attention to a critical issue affecting our community.

Here are some sobering statistics:

• More than 10 million people in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence each year.
• An average of 24 people per minute are victims of intimate partner violence, which includes rape, physical violence, or stalking.
• One in four women and one in seven men have been victims of severe physical violence in their lifetime.
• On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receive more than 20,000 calls nationwide.

Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that affects people from all walks of life, regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic status. We'll be discussing how we can all be part of the solution.

Leaving is the Most Dangerous Time

Concrete things you can do for a domestic violence victim:

• Offer to help them create a safety plan.
• Help them find a safe place to stay.
• Help them gather important documents.
• Connect them with professional resources.
• Respect their decisions.

Resources:

Journey Center for Safety and Healing:

24-Hour Helpline: 216-391-4357 (HELP) Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Website: https://www.journeyneo.org

To Donate: Go to https://www.journeyneo.org/donate

Todays's guest is Lavonne Urban, clinical psychotherapist and owner of Advanced Marketing Solutions, LLC. She works with medical practices, mission-driven businesses, and women in leadership to help them build scalable, values-aligned, and operationally brilliant systems––without losing their soul (or their sanity). She sits on Board of Directors of Journey Center For Safety and Healing.

On this podcast, I get to talk with so many great people. And today is super-great because I get to introduce to you a woman who is funny and fierce and on fire: Gina Barreca – author, professor, humorist and feminist.

Gina has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, BBC and Oprah. She's also appeared on "American Masters" and "This American Life." Her work has been published in most major publications including the New York Times. Her blog for Psychology Today has over 8 million views and counting. Author of eleven books and editor of seventeen others, she is an important voice for our time.

People Magazine called her "smart and funny." Ms. Magazine notes her "characteristic wit and wisdom." And the Chicago Tribune raves, "Barreca learned to do what any sassy smarty-pants would: challenge stale ideas and press buttons."

Today we will talk about

• how Gina got her start in the "humor business"
• how women use humor differntly than men
• why it's imporntant to make stories out of painful moments
• how NOT to use humor
• and why humor is more important now than ever

We will touch on a few of her books, but the real gem of the collection, the book I can't wait to talk about, is her latest book: GINA SCHOOL.

GINA SCHOOL comes out on October 7th, 2025. If you'd like to pre-order a copy, simply follow the link to Mac's Backs-Books, my favorite indie bookstore here in CLE: https://macsbacks.com/book/9781960456410

NOTE: Mac's Backs-Books will notify you when your copy is available or it can be shipped directly to you.

ABOUT GINA BARRECA

Gina Barreca's classic on women's humor, They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted, was followed by Perfect Husbands (And Other Fairy Tales), Sweet Revenge, Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League, and It's Not That I'm Bitter, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World. Author of eleven books, she's also the editor of seventeen others, including Don't Tell Mama: The Penguin Book of Italian American Writing, and the Fast Women series for Woodhall Press. Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English Literature at the University of Connecticut, Barreca has been published by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Harvard Business Review. You can find her in the Library of Congress or in the make-up aisle at Walgreens.

Did you know that many eye diseases are silent? You might not even realize you are developing eye damage. That's why Dr. Sue Saliba encourages her patients to get a comprehensive eye exam every two years and every year if they have diabetes.

Here are some other thoughts from Dr. Saliba:

• Always wear sunglasses when outdoors, even on cloudy days. Get a good pair that protects you from 100% UVA and UVB light.
• Dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are very important for eye health, in particular for preventing macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older US adults.
• The AREDS2 study proved the importance of taking supplements such as Ocuvite and Preservision in patients who have macular degeneration (MD). It is also recommended to take these supplements if you have a family history for MD.
• Studies show that following the Mediterranean diet can slow both the wet and dry forms of MD. Taking Omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil can also help. (Always speak with your doctor before taking any new vitamins or supplements.)
• Dry eye syndrome can now be treated with several new prescription eye drops. These drops are much more effective than over-the-counter drops.
• Dr. Saliba says, "Contact lenses don't cause dry eyes! If you first treat dry eyes, many patients can return to wearing contact lenses."
• For blepharitis, Dr. Saliba recommends special eye wipes. Medication can also be given to treat mites, often the cause of a red, irritated eyelash line. If these measures don't work, there are special devices used in the office that can eradicate the problem.
• If you spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen, take frequent breaks (every 20 minutes) and look into the distance. Use eye drops regularly. Consider wearing special glasses that will help block the blue light emitted from computers, iPads, etc.
• Final take home message from Dr. Sue: Be sure to get regular eye exams!

For further information, Dr. Saliba can be reached at (440) 684-0080.

If you suffer from anxiety, insomnia, chronic inflammation, or autoimmune issues, enhancing your Vagus Nerve just might be the key to feeling better.

Today the brilliant Dr. Navaz Habib tells us all about the very mysterious and completely necessary Vagus Nerve. Actually, there are two vagus nerves that travel from your brain, down either side of your neck (near the carotid arteries) then branch out to every organ in your body.

Most of the Vagus Nerve signals travel FROM your organs back TO your brain. Your brain needs good signals from the Vagus Nerves in order to make decisions about your organ function and decide what to do next to optimize your health.

Some major roles of the Vagus Nerve include:

• Controlling inflammation
• Boosting your immune system
• Improving your Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
• Connecting your microbiome and your brain

The Vagus Nerve is a crucial part of the parasympathetic nervous system, the state when you "rest and digest." Healing your body ONLY occurs in the parasympathetic state. You can't heal if you are stuck in the sympathetic nervous system, the flight-flight state.

Dr. Habib shares with us some of the best ways to enhance the Vagus Nerve:

• Eat "green, clean, and lean." Avoid highly processed foods, especially soy, corn oil , canola oil , and other inflammatory oils like seed oils.
• Find ways to incorporate movement into your day. The key is to move just a little more each day. Dr. Habib says, "Movement is life!"
• Practice deep breathing techniques, especially the 4-7-8 pattern. Make sure your breathing is nasal, diaphragmatic, and includes long exhales.
• Try using Noninvasive Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Dr. Habib uses a device called Truvaga. This small handheld device will help you shift from the sympathetic state to the parasympathetic state. (Disclosure: Dr. Habib does speak on behalf of Truvaga.)

Dr. Habib says the best way to measure your Vagus Nerve function is to measure something called Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

A high HRV is associated with better health and increased resilience. Reduced HRV is associated with poorer health including cardiovascular disease, anxiety, stress, and autonomic dysfunction.

Devices that measure HRV include:

• Chest strap devices
• Fitbit and Garmin
• Apple watch and Samsung watch
• Oura ring

Dr. Habib owns an Oura ring, while his wife prefers the Apple watch.

You can reach his website at https://www.drnavazhabib.com.

If you're experiencing hair thinning or bald spots, here are some things Dr. Kyei would like you to know:

First, losing your hair is just a symptom. If you're experiencing hair loss, you deserve a DIAGNOSIS.

See a dermatologist for a complete history and scalp exam. You might also need lab work and a biopsy.

DON'T WAIT! If you're experiencing hair loss, get an evaluation within 3-6 months.

Avoid hair dyes with peroxide, ammonia and PPD. Pulling hair tightly in braids or ponytails can inflame hair follicles and cause hair loss.

If hair loss occurs at menopause, check your hormones, including DHEAS and testosterone.

Treatments that Dr. Kyei recommends:

DHT blockers

Minoxidil

Saw Palmetto

Topical steroids

Spironolactone

Hormone Replacement Therapy

PRP: Platelet Rich Plasma

She regularly recommends Nutrafol as it has good data behind it.

She does not recommend collagen for hair growth. There are no good studies to support its use.

Check www.EWG.com for a list of safe, non-toxic hair products.

If you're interested in an appointment, you can reach Dr. Kyei at

Cosmopolitan Dermatology

3461 Warrensville Center Rd. Ste 100

Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

216-417-3250

We all have a morning routine, but we're not always intentional about it. Maybe you wake up and lie in bed and scroll on your phone and get slightly depressed about other people's Instagram posts. Or maybe the alarm goes off and you don't want to get up, so you keep hitting snooze. You might get up right away, but feel anxious about the day or you start to feel down for no real reason. Before you know it, these feelings can start to consume you, feelings that cast kind of a shadow over the day.

What helps is to have a daily practice that grounds you. So, I came up with the idea for each of us to become a Diva. The word diva comes from the Italian word "divina" meaning "goddess." Today the word has come to mean a woman who is strong, self-sufficient, and unapologetically bold.

I'd like you to start your day like a Diva. So what does this really mean? To help you out, I created an acronym. You guessed it… D-I-V-A. In this episode, I'll take you through each letter:

D is for Deep Breathing

I is for Intentions

V is for Very grateful

A is for Ancestors

If you're looking for more help with anxiety, I highly recommend the following books:

—Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear and Worry by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT.

—Anxiety Happens: 52 Ways to Find Peace of Mind by John Forsyth PhD and George Eifert PhD.

—Calm in the Chaos by Rheeda Walker, PhD, et al.

—Don't Panic by David D. Burns, MD.

Today's episode is for every woman who thinks she needs to do it all, for every woman who is exhausted and burned out. I'm talking to you if are constantly putting yourself last.

Living this way caught up with today's guest, Natalie Fink. Working full-time and taking care of a husband and two children, she felt worn out, like she couldn't go on. She knew something was terribly wrong.

I'd like you to listen to her story:

how she reframed the way she was thinking.

how she changed the way she was living.

how she was able to bring her health back.

Natalie says:

—You can't do everything on your own.

—Ask for help.

—It's okay to put yourself first.

—Make your health a priority.

Natalie ended up being diagnosed with Graves' disease, a serious autoimmune disorder. She started conventional treatment, but when she asked her doctors if there was anything else she could do, they told her no. No special diet. No vitamins. Nothing else she could do. She wouldn't accept that. She knew that wasn't the right advice.

She did her own research and reviews for us what she found—that you can't just take pills from your doctor. To truly feel better, you deserve a holistic approach that addresses personalized nutrition, stress, sleep, movement (what we used to call exercise), and connection.

About Natalie: She is a Functional Nutrition Health Coach whose mission is to help driven professional women who are struggling with autoimmune disease or a multitude of chronic symptoms start to heal and get back to their vibrant confident selves. She obtained her certification at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, where she built on her personal experience with autoimmunity and trained in techniques on coaching, behavior change, nutrition and lifestyle modifications that cultivate a balanced approach to health and wellness. She is also an Autoimmune Protocol Certified Coach, trained in dietary and lifestyle shifts that have been proven to reduce symptoms in a variety of autoimmune conditions.

Since June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, I put together an Alzheimer's update. Today's guest is Dr. Sarah Hopp, a brilliant NIH-funded neuroscientist and researcher. She starts by discussing why Alzheimer's disease is more common in women. She also reviews what "goes wrong" in the brain during Alzheimer's: the formation of amyloid plaque outside of neurons and neurofibrillary tangles inside neurons. She also discusses why Black Americans are at higher risk for Alzheimer's and has a theory for this racial disparity.

Dr. Hopp reveals her area of research: to identify specific pathways that can be targeted to treat or prevent Alzheimer's. Specifically, she studies important immune cells called microglia, calling them the "garbage collectors" of the brain.

NOTE: At the time of this interview, funding for Dr. Hopp's research had just been "frozen." When I spoke with her recently, the funding for her research had been renewed, but not for her teaching program and it had to be shut down. I was both sad and angry to hear this, such a loss for both her and her students.

Dr. Hopp asks us to contact our government representatives and tell them to support scientific research. She asks us to remember that funds from NIH support not only Alzheimer's research, but all kinds of treatments and vaccines that improve the quality of our daily lives.

DON'T MISS PART TWO OF THE EPISODE where Dr. Carolyn discusses a breakthrough test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease: a brain biomarker called p-Tau 217. This new blood test is now available to consumers and is just as accurate as more invasive testing (using CSF from a lumbar puncture or undergoing a PET scan).

This p-Tau 217 can also diagnose Alzheimer's disease early––20 years before symptoms of cognitive decline appear. Levels of tau also appear to correlate with the progression––or reversal–– of Alzheimer's disease.

Don't miss the case report of a patient who was able to reduce her p-Tau level and thus give herself a better prognosis. This is an exciting development, because with early detection using the new p-Tau 217 blood test, we now have more time––using lifestyle interventions or drugs––to prevent this devastating disease.

References:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady3217

https://erictopol.substack.com/p/predicting-and-preventing-alzheimers

Are you an exhausted caregiver? You're not alone. In the United States, sixty percent of caregivers are women. Being a caregiver is hard work; it requires a great deal of patience, strength and courage. It's hard to keep going, to keep caring for a loved one. Caregiver burnout is becoming all too common.

Today's guest, Kristi Horner, founder of Courage to Caregivers, is here to help. She had a brother who suffered from mental illness and eventually died by suicide. It was out of the terrible pain of losing her brother that Courage to Caregivers was born.

Courage to Caregivers is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing caregiver burnout. They offer both one-on-one support and family support. They can help you problem-solve the difficulties of your situation. They can guide you to valuable community resources. They can help you focus on your strengths and encourage you to add more self-care.

Support is also available to professional caregivers like nurses, doctors, psychologists, and social workers. In addition, resources are available to those who suffer from suicide loss.

FROM THE COURAGE TO CAREGIVERS WEBSITE (https://www.CourageToCaregivers.org):

"It takes COURAGE to say YES to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol." Brene Brown

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." Helen Keller

SAY COURAGE AFFIRMATIONS

Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts:

I embrace the day with confidence and courage.

I am doing the best I can at this moment.

Inhale courage. Exhale stress.

USE TOOLS TO CULTIVATE COURAGE

These tools include: How to Breathe, Move, Meditate, and Let It Go.

(Find all twelve tools at https://www.CourageToCaregivers.org.)

DON'T FORGET SELF CARE

Prevent Caregiver Burnout with these six suggestions:

1. Move your body
2. Change Your environment
3. Mindful breathing
4. Healthy eating and hydration
5. Get enough sleep
6. Build a dependable support network

FIND OUT YOUR CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Go to https://www.viacharacter.org and take the survey.

NEED MORE HELP?

Courage to Caregivers offers both individual and group/family support.

Call Courage to Caregivers: 216-536-7699

Register on the website: https://www.CourageToCaregivers.org

Send an email:

Kristi Horner: [email protected]

Jenny Woodworth: [email protected]

You won't want to miss this special episode on how to take care of your skin!

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. Shannon Trotter, a board certified dermatologist, is here to correct any skin mistakes you might be making. She also tells us about her favorite skincare products. Her secret is this: first cleanse your skin, then use one product to do the rest!

She takes time to sit down and answer our questions about skin:

When should you worry about moles and other skin changes?

How do you know if you are using the right sunscreen?

Are you making a mistake by avoiding the sun?

What is the one food you might be eating that causes wrinkles and skin sagging?

Collagen products are all over the internet. Should you be using collagen face masks and supplements? And what should you look for in a collagen powder?

What skincare routine do you recommend?

What are the essential skincare products for those of us who don't have a lot of time?

Dr. Trotter recommends the following daily skincare routine (CPRR):

1. Cleanse
2. Protect (sunscreen)
3. Repair (moisturizer)
4. Renew (antioxidants)

Her favorite skincare products for use in the morning:

1. Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield (SPF 50)
2. Supergoop Mineral Sunscreen (SPF 30)
3. Elta MD UV Restore Broad Spectrum Facial Sunscreen (SPF 40)

Her favorite retinols for use at night: (First double cleanse, then apply retinol, then moisturize)

1. Cerave Skin Renewing Retinol Serum (with Hyaluronic acid and Ceramides)
2. Paula's Choice 1% Retinol (with Peptides and Vitamin C)
3. Youth to the People ( with Retinol and Niacinamide) Good for sensitive skin.

References:

https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/skin-cancer/skin-cancer-symptoms.html

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/

https://scriptherald.com/2025/03/12/why-heavy-metals-in-collagen-powders-are-a-concern-and-how-to-avoid-them/