Feedback with Dan Holzman

Today on FEEDBACK, we are turning the tables.  For decades, Lisa Scheid has been the one asking the questions, telling the stories, and helping this community understand the people, issues, triumphs, and challenges shaping Berks County.  Lisa tells her story spanning 20 years as a reporter and editor at the Reading Eagle to her current position of Managing Editor of Spotlight PA’s Berks County Bureau.  Our second hour of FEEDBACK is a conversation about resilience, health, entrepreneurship, integrity and what happens when personal struggle turns into purpose.  Joining us is Jennifer Witmyer, CEO of Archwood Soapery and Filthy Vegan, whose journey into skincare and haircare formulation began not from a business plan, but from anger, survival and a fierce determination to create products she believed were safer, cleaner and more transparent for consumers.

Our first hour of FEEDBACK is our Chamber Member Spotlight!  Dallan Yoh, Director of Membership for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), introduces us to Pattie Guarino, Owner of Focus on Sports Photography.  Pattie shares her personal journey from x-ray technician to sports photographer and what it took for her to grow her twenty-year business of capturing the moments for athletes, families, and community.   Hour two of FEEDBACK brings Jessica King to us.  Jessica King, a licensed social worker, speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of ElderCARE Collaborative.  Jessica’s power message challenges women to rethink the patterns that keep them overextending, over performing, and undervaluing themselves.

Our first hour we are joined by Lily Otu, Founder of The Working Mom Village, a growing community created to support professional mothers though honest conversations, connection and shared experiences.  The second hour of FEEDBACK is jam packed with information about Medicare and retirement planning.  Perfetto Insurance brings their wealth of experience to the discussion with Jessica Walb, Director of Medicare and Health and Financial Services and Dennis Mulally, Financial Advisor. 

Our first hour is a conversation about resilience, identity, confidence, and turning a deeply personal experience into a mission that has impacted children and families around the world.  Joining us is Jeff Woytovich, co-founder of Children’s Alopecia Project, an organization dedicated to building self-esteem, providing support, and creating community for children living with alopecia and their families.  In our second hour we are talking about one of the most iconic landmarks in Berks County, the Reading Pagoda, and the ongoing efforts to preserve, restore and reimagine its future for generations to come.  Joining us is Joey Miranda, President of the Reading Pagoda Foundation, who is here to provide an update on the restoration work, the progress made, and what this beloved symbol means to the city of Reading and the entire community.

Joining us in the first hour of FEEDBACK is Gary Hawkins, Owner and Executive Director, Griswold Home Care.  Gary’s work supporting seniors and families has given him a front row view into the emotional realities many older adults face, including loneliness, isolation, grief, cognitive decline and the importance of meaningful human connection.  Gary has made it his mission to provide resources and education platforms such as his YouTube show Dementia Clarity, and of course helping seniors create their legacy with the Our Berks Legacy project.  Our next hour is a conversation about courage, instinct, teamwork, and the extraordinary moments when lives can change in an instant.  Joining us is Cindy Zimmerman, a Clinical Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department at Chestnut Hill Hospital, whose quick action on the Pennsylvania Turnpike recently helped save the life of Erin Jasinski during a medical emergency on a busy highway.  Erin joins us as well and talks about how that moment not only saved her life medically but how it also turned her life around mentally as well.  Powerful stories.

Today’s conversation is on that many women and families may deeply relate to, but one that too often remains hidden behind shame, silence and unrealistic expectations around motherhood.  Join us in the first hour of FEEDBACK are author Crystal Lynette Rance whose book Mom Truths: The S#!t No One Talks About opens honest conversations about the realities many mothers experience, and Allison Maynard, whose deeply personal chapter in the book shares her experience with postpartum OCD and the emotional struggles that followed the birth of her child.  In our second hour of FEEDBACK  we are covering the topic of the alternative to incarceration - drug treatment court recovery housing.  Funded by COCA and licensed by Department of Drug and Alcohol programs, the treatment court recovery housing provides 24/7 intensive case management and recovery support services.  

Today’s conversation spans over the full two hours of FEEDBACK.  It is one of the most difficult and important stories we have ever had on this program.  Joining us is Mary McHale, who has courageously spoken publicly about surviving sexual abuse by a priest within the Catholic Church and the lifelong trauma that followed.  Mary’s willingness to speak publicly has helped bring visibility to survivors everywhere and has made her a powerful voice in Pennsylvania’s continuing conversation around accountability, trauma recovery and legislative reform.

Our first conversation is about one of the most emotional and difficult decisions many families will ever face, how to care for aging loved ones and navigate senior living options with compassion, dignity, and clarity.  Joining us is Kirk Campfield, owner of CarePatrol of Reading and Berks County, an organization dedicated to helping families navigate senior care options and placement decisions during often overwhelming and uncertain times.  In our second hour we are talking about something every single person experiences, but many people  struggle to understand or navigate in healthy ways, anger and emotion.  Joining us is Kate Short, licensed professional counselor, speaker and advocate for emotional awareness and mental wellness. 

In our first hour of FEEDBACK we are talking about food, culture, and the kind of hospitality that turns a restaurant into something much more than a place to eat.  Joining us is Giovanni Giannotti, owner of Salute Ristorante Italiano, this interview reflects Giovanni’s passion and perseverance behind building something authentic and meaningful, while also preserving culture and connection through food and hospitality.  In our second hour, it’s a celebration of Nurses!  Joining us are three incredible nurses from Reading Hospital and Tower Health whose stories represent different generations and journeys with the nursing profession.  Hannah Rodriguez shares her perspective as a new graduate from nursing school, preparing to officially begin her career this summer.  Courtney Ruck, Division Director of Critical Care Nursing, has spent nearly two decades in nursing and recently earned her doctorate, while mentoring and developing the next generation of nurses and Sue Bailey.  Sue is the longest serving nurse at Reading Hospital and is approaching an extraordinary milestone - 50 years of service!  It’s all about CARE and the human touch today on FEEDBACK.

The first hour of FEEDBACK is a conversation about love, loss, resilience, and what it means to carry light forward even after unimaginable heartbreak.  Joining us is Lauren Conrad, Founder and Executive Director of the C the Light Foundation, created in honor of her husband Kyle, who passed away from cancer in September 2022 at just 39 years old.   Through grief, motherhood and building a mission rooted in Kyle’s legacy, Lauren has discovered that pain and purpose can exist side by side, even life’s darkest moments can become a source of hope and impact for others.  The second hour of FEEDBACK we are joined by Scott Hoh, Founder of Resolution Law Group.  Scott shares wisdom from the new chapters of his book Legacy of Love around the topics of Senior housing and care decisions and real estate and house clean outs.