Express Yourself!

Have a dream and follow it. Have a plan and stick to it. Have a goal and achieve it. Every January, people make resolutions to lose weight, earn more money, sleep more hours, travel to distant lands, and spend more time with loved ones. By the beginning of April, most of those great intentions have been long forgotten. Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Jia show us how to create goals and make them achievable, whether it be in business, art, school, or relationships. Book Smart reporter, Maria Wong discusses the book, Willow, whose main character has the goal of stopping self-harm. Make a goal to be there for your friends. A new sports reporter is introduced today, Katie Lyons with her segment Lion Roars. Katie discusses setting specific goals as an individual and as a team and gives easy ways to do just that. Remember, don't have to break records. Goals are best when they are challenging yet also achievable.

What do you hope for? What is hope? How can we instill more hope in ourselves and others? Asya Gonzalez, Katelyn Darrow, Maria Wong, Zahra Hasanain, and Brigitte Jia offer variations on the theme of hope. You'll hear about how volunteering with a charity offers hope to those less fortunate, books with themes of hanging on to hope, how to heal from the inside out with hope, and the association of hope and art. Personal perspectives, youthful insights, and phenomenal passion is our gift of hope to you. Offer hope to others and you'll find it in yourself.

Imagination is the inspiration for ingenuity. Asya Gonzalez and Katelyn Darrow host an invigorating conversation with author, lawyer, translator, and programmer, Ken Liu, about his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, the first in a silk punk epic fantasy series. Zahra Hasanian reads the chapter, The Gift of Imagination from Cynthia Brian's book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference to glean the importance of parents encouraging the wild imaginations of children. Brigitte Jia explores the links between art and imagination, specifically with abstraction. Don't play it safe in life. Allow yourself the time to dream, to look up at the stars, and to believe in the unbelievable. We are never too old to invent a playful approach to living. Imagination is the beginning of reality.

You can dream, and you can plan, but faith is the crucial catalyst that creates the reality. Cynthia Brian We can exist without faith, but we can't live without it. What is faith? How do we find it? How do we keep it? Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Gia discuss the gripping, coming of age, and engaging story in the book, Queen of Water, with Book Smart Reporter, Maria Wong. The conversation highlights how even through terrible, heart and spirit breaking conditions one can be faithful, strong, and survive. Dani Wong's story, The Gift of Faith from Cynthis Brian's book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens is read and analyzed by Asya showing us how even in the darkest times, faith is a beacon of light. In Art Attack, the hosts tackle the role of faith in creating great art, despite setbacks and criticisms. "Faith invigorates our souls, energizes our minds and shapes our dreams."- Dani Wong

Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Peanuts are alive and well! Hosts Brigitte Jia and Zahra Hasanian interview Hadley Belle Miller, the voice of Lucy, in the new peanuts movie. br They also read Joel Goodman's story, The Gift of Humor, from Cynthia Brian's book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens and talk about what constitutes humor. In Hope Heals, Zahra shows us the healing effects of laughter. Instead of from "grim and bear it" adopt an attitude of "grin and share it." Laughter and humor are the best medicine. http://www.peanutsmovie.com/

Being a volunteer for Be the Star You Are! 501 c3 charity offers major benefits to the individual. Hosts Jennifer Lee, Zahra Hasanian and Courtney Cheng reminisce about how they have grown as people because of their involvement. As hosts and reporters of Express Yourself!™, they have learned to be spontaneous, timely, and prepared as they interview guests. You'll hear about the early years of this teen radio broadcast, how to be grateful for all the little things in life, and plans for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. Reporter Asya Gonzalez credits Express Yourself!™ with helping her to win her national award as one of America's top teen entrepreneurs as she runs her design business, Stinky Feet Gurlz. Make a donation today to Be the Star You Are!® charity at http://www.bethestaryouare.org/donate.htm. It's obvious that gratitude works. Be grateful and enjoy a happy Thanksgiving!

What is the meaning of care, and how do you heal both inside and out? Hosts Brigitte Zia and Zahra Hasanain read from Be the Star You Are!® for Teens the chapter, The Gift of Healing by prominent physical therapist, Arlyn Van Dyke about his childhood accident that lead to him becoming a healer. They then travel across the pond to the Emerald Isle with a fascinating interview with author of The Summer King, Orla Melling. Melling's books of young adult fantasy weave spiritual themes with high adventure in the tradition of her favourite author, C.S. Lewis. Her bestselling series The Chronicles of Faerie was listed among the American Library Association's Top Ten Fantasy Books for Youth and Top Ten Youth Books for the Environment. Art can be very calming and serene and in our last segment, Art Attack reporter, Brigitte shows us the power of healing art.Each and every one of us harbors a doctor within. Heal thyself!

What is the meaning of joy, and what is true happiness in life? Hosts Brigitte Jia and Caiseen Kelly investigate cheerfulness. They read the chapter, The Gift of Happiness by MJ Ryan from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for TEENS written by Cynthia Brian. Health Rap reporter Alex Pawlakos brings the research indicating that happiness strengthens our immune system, combats disease, disability, while reducing stress. Zahra Hasanaian, our Hope Heals reporter discusses the importance of passion for a truly happy life. If you want to live long and blissfully, think happy. Pharrell Williams has it right-happiness is the truth.

Skeletons, pumpkins, and ghosts! Oh my! It's Halloween and the favorite holiday of our hosts Asya Gonzalez and Caiseen Kelly. After a fun discussion about creating costumes and childhood pranks, Art Attack Reporter, Brigitte Jia, takes us back in history to discover how Halloween came about. Special guest is Disney star, Sophie Reynolds. Sophie Reynolds is one of the newest members of the Disney family as the sweet and fun-loving 'Ashley' on "Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything" with Cameron Boyce. She also talks about her upcoming Halloween movie to be shot in Canada. Make this a spooktacular Halloween. Be safe and have a scary night!

Remember Kermit, the Frog moaning about the difficulty of being green? In today's show, host Asya Gonzalez looks at what it means to be green in a variety of ways. She kicks off the program reading the chapter, The Gift of Green by Cynthia Brian from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for TEENS and follows up with numerous ways to be pro-active stewards of our earth. Economics Tune-Up Reporter, Alex Pawlakos looks at being environmentally astute from the viewpoint of our wallets. Save the environment and save cash. "Go green to save green." Our special guest, Good Morning America producer, Mary Pflum Peterson, shares her love of Kermit with her compassionate and eye opening memoir, White Dresses, an exploration of a complex family history. She discusses her deep bond with her intelligent mother, a former nun, and gives us a peek into the underlying ailment of hoarding. Every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver."