Fit As A Fiddle

Tameka Mclean, a former foster youth and Motivational Speaker, joins us today in a heartfelt conversation about how she has built an organization to support individuals to thrive no matter their background or life challenges. Tameka shares her story and tips on how she was capable of sustaining herself while having to endure the weight of a heavy load (trials, tribulations, turmoil, and trauma). 

Tameka is the author of the book “11 Steps to Self Sufficiency” and the Founder/Executive Director & CEO of Poppy Muse Inc. Poppy Muse, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization aiding in the stabilization of young women transitioning out of foster care. The organization's work is led by foster care alumni - the founder, board members, and team all have lived experience in the system. Amidst all of life's challenges, Tameka obtained a Degree in Computer Applications Management, and is also an alumna of LIM (Laboratory Institute of Merchandising). 11 Steps to Self-Sufficiency is a book that has a focus on guiding foster care youth and young adults toward an adulthood of self-sufficiency. 

Connect with Tameka:

poppymuse.org

11stepstoself.com 

While it’s easy for some of our listeners to understand that there is inherent social injustice in the public school system in America, it is still a topic that is fraught with intense political, economical and ethical conversation. What we do know for sure is that there is always room for improvement at schools to progress our future society. Teacher burnout is real and so are statistics that point to increased detention, suspension, and dropout rates amongst children from communities of color. 

Today we have Indu Viswanathan, Ed.D join us today to chat about her 20 years of working in the field of education as a teacher, curriculum developer, teacher educator, and nonprofit research director. While we both felt like we barely scratched the surface conversing about the educational system in America along with the impact of practices of meditation and breathing techniques, there is so much that Indu brings light upon today. Instead of punishing students for behavior, Indu suggests we should be transforming students' outlook. She discusses her research and doctoral work and how it evolved over the years as she delved deeper into the literature. 

Indu’s research focuses on immigration, education, and the transnational consciousness of second-generation Indian American teachers. She examines how American education and media reinscribe colonial-era biases about Hinduism, often actively silencing indigenous Dharmic perspectives and expression. Indu is concerned by how this impacts the lives and identities of Hindu American youth and is committed to generative inter-community engagement.

Connect with Indu at:

https://understandinghinduphobia.org/

Twitter: @indumathi37

Instagram: @indu37 

medium.com/@induv

Music is often a powerful medium for promoting healing and creating activism of all kinds within popular culture. As we move more and more into a world of technology, we can sometimes lose sight of how vast the nonhuman world still is and our impact on our diverse biosphere. On today’s episode, we have Priya Parrotta, a writer, musician and activist dedicated to promoting environmental consciousness across borders. She composes, sings and produces music to convey the magic and power that is possible when people embrace their connections to the Earth and explores themes such as encounter, hybridity and creative resistance. 

Priya was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico where her experiences with nature, particularly the ocean, shaped her understanding of the universe. She speaks to us on how her research on climate change, geopolitics, and colonialism impacted her music. She dives into how humans have used the natural environment to build wealth for a few elite members of society. She advocates for us to rather understand the role that we play in our ecosystem, how our actions affect other beings, and how we can be active participants in the natural world. Woven into today’s show, we also get to listen to two of Priya’s original musical compositions.

Priya is the Founder and Creative Director of Music & the Earth International. Music & the Earth is an initiative which produces decolonial and multicultural resources for environmental awareness and healing. Priya’s work is informed by her close connections to South Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Latin Caribbean. She authored her first book, The Politics of Coexistence in the Atlantic World, at the age of 25. Her second book project is titled To Dream Again: Imagining Island Solidarity Through Music. Priya has been nominated for the United States Artists Fellowship, and has been recognized internationally for weaving bridges between music and diverse branches of environmental thought and action.

Connect with her:

Priyaparrotta.com

facebook.com/musicandtheearth

musicandtheearth.org/to-dream-again

climatesoul.com

vimeo.com/594219240

The last 2 years shed light on how lack of childcare acutely hurt working mothers. It showed there is no gender equality. It showed that 2 million women left the workforce. But none of this is new. 

The US has policies that do not support working mothers. We have no universal childcare, and women still do most of the physical and mental work of parenting. Half of the gender pay gap is due to motherhood. Fathers still get a pay bonus while 1/3 of US births result in trauma and 1/4 of women experience postpartum depression.

Today I had the privilege of sitting down with one of the founders and the CEO of Phoebe, a place that helps working mothers transition to support their mental and physical health along with their professional development. Phoebe was founded by women who forged successful careers in law, banking, and more and they understand the intensities of high achieving careers and how to make that viable as working mothers in this country.

Emily is a Harvard MBA and an entrepreneur on a mission to close the wage gap and accelerate working mothers all the way to the boardroom. She is the founder of Phoebe, a tech company that radically shifts the paradigm of how women are supported through life’s greatest transitions. Prior to founding Phoebe she had a 13-year career in global finance.  As an Investment Banker, she co-lead large cross-border deals, as Manager of Investor Relations for a multinational beverage company, she held meetings with thousands of investors across the globe. 

You’ve probably come across an orthosis at some point in your life, whether it was an insole for your shoe or a brace for your knee. But there is so much more to the world of orthotics and prosthetics in helping people function and move optimally. On our show today is Andrew Myers, a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist with over 35 years of clinical experience.

We discuss different types of orthoses, both for the upper and lower limbs, and their uses. Andrew dives into his unique experience working with high level atheletes and how he works closely with physical therapists in the plan of care for return to play. He also talks about the need for proper orthopedic evaluations and how orthotics can help people prophylactically as well. 

Andrew is a graduate of New York University and has been a senior executive for several public and private companies in the orthopedic rehabilitative field.  Andrew owns and operates two organizations, Eschen Prosthetic and Orthotic Labs and New England Orthotic and Prosthetic Systems.  Combined, these two organization have 27 locations across New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts making it one of the largest independent orthotic and prosthetic companies in the Northeast. Andrew’s primary focus has been working with practitioners to deliver clinical excellence and the formation of patient-centric programs which enhance the lives and outcomes of patients. 

Connect with Andrew:

www.eshenpo.com

@eschen_neops_po

 If you think of “physical therapy” and immediately think of a massage, hot pack, or exercises, then this episode is for you! There are many flaws in the healthcare system, particularly due to insurance policies, paperwork requirements, and most importantly, the money-making outlook that often overpowers quality patient care. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Physical therapists in particular can make massive changes in the healthcare industry by just taking a few simple steps. 

I had the great pleasure to sit down and chat with an old friend who I studied with at physical therapy school at Columbia University, Dr. Joe Lipsky. Joe talks to us about how having phenomenal health and wellness does not have to be fancy, expensive, or have barriers. He says that, in fact, it can be one of the simplest things if people are educated the right way. 

Joe dives into issues within the industry, how we can overcome them, and how working in a multidisciplinary team is truly the way to move forward. Joe is currently working on co-authoring a book titled “Trust Driven Care” with Dr. Josh Saturlee. The book is about bringing awareness and a practical solution to the huge issue of lack of client centered communication in healthcare.

Joe uses the combined experiences from his doctorate and continuing education to deliver a unique blend of rehabilitation and performance therapy to clients. In addition, Joe is also the Head of Client Care at Reload where he focuses on sales and the client experience. 

Connect with Dr. Joe Lipsky:

www.reloadpt.com

www.facebook.com/ReloadPTFitness 

@dr.joelipsky 

@reload.pt

We all experience some level of stress and worry throughout our lives. But when these thoughts begin to interfere with our daily activities and lead to anxiety, it’s important to analyze why and come up with solutions! Today we are joined by Dr. Terri Bacow, a clinical psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist, to discuss ways that you can tackle your anxiety head on. 

Dr. Bacow shares her new book, Goodbye Anxiety, a guided journal with evidence-based strategies and interactive writing sections so you can understand where your anxiety is stemming from and intervene. While the book is targeted for teenagers and young adults, I can tell you that everyone can benefit from the fantastic exercises and thought experiments presented in the book. In the episode, Dr. Bacow addresses the presence of Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs), the need for perfectionism, and the importance of self-compassion. She also offers actionable steps people can take right away when anxiety starts to creep up in their day. 

Dr. Bacow received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Boston University and serves as the Director of Training at the Hallowell Center, a clinic known as an epicenter for the treatment of ADD and related disorders. In addition, she is a Clinical Instructor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an Adjunct Instructor in Applied Psychology at New York University’s Center for Counseling and Community Wellbeing. She has authored several peer reviewed papers based on her research and sees clients in her private practice on the Upper West Side. Dr. Bacow is uniquely interested in helping clients with transitional stages of life, including adjustment to college and new parenting, and enjoys writing and speaking about these topics.

Check out Terri’s first episode on Fit As A Fiddle: 3 Going on 13: Raising Threenagers

Connect with her at: drterribacow.com

If you think it’s a workout, well my dear, it most certainly is not. And the reason you might think so is because of the misuse of the word in the money-making Western world. Yoga is a broad term that originates from the Indian spiritual tradition well before 1000 BC that simply cannot be boiled down to a paragraph or even a book, let alone a word. The ancient Hindu texts written in Sanskrit and archeological evidence from South Asia suggests that our ancestors have been practicing aspects of “yoga” for thousands and thousands of years. It’s a science, it’s a technology, it’s a philosophy, it’s a way of life, it’s a comprehensive system, and most importantly it’s a means to understand ourselves and our space on this planet. 

This episode with Arpan Gauchan, a Hatha yoga teacher, helps spread more awareness to the Western world about her perspectives on how the word yoga has been incorrectly adapted in America. Arpan says "Once you experience the benefits and lightness in being Yoga and meditation offers, moving forward in inquiry to deepen your understanding about yourself comes naturally and this is its biggest gift. You use what is readily available to you, your body-mind to transcend it and that is why yoga is so far from being a physical practice. Yoga welcomes all and it isn't exclusive to the young, super fit or super bendy. It gives me great joy to share with my students what I have learned over the years as a  practitioner of Yoga and a student of Vedanta." 

Arpan currently teaches at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in PA. Arpan is originally from Nepal and mostly lived in India working in the Film and Advertising Industry in Mumbai. In her time in India, she got drawn to Yoga and Ramana Maharshi's teachings on self-inquiry. Subsequently she spent a few years in South India, immersing herself in Ramana's teachings as well as getting certified as a Yoga teacher. She then moved to the US and worked in the Ramana Maharshi Center.

How important is it for you to be able to move around in your environment and do the things you love, and with less pain? I hope the answer is “very much!” The art and science of movement is fascinating and complicated. Physical therapists (PTs) dedicate their lives to optimizing movement and improving quality of life. But there are lots of things that people misunderstand about PTs, and the field itself has evolved so much over the years that we don’t blame the world! Today on the show we are very excited to chat with Jen Fraboni, PT, DPT, an internationally-renowned physical therapist who specializes in helping people overcome chronic pain and maximize physical performance. 

Jen is the founder of two transformative programs, “The Mobility Method” and “The Optimal Body,” she brings a unique, whole body approach to strength, mobility and pain-free living. In 2019, Jen was named one of the top 50 most influential healthcare professionals. Jen’s easily accessible approach has garnered her more than half a million followers on social media and millions of views of her health and fitness videos. Jen has been featured in Shape Magazine, Self Magazine, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness and in 2020, graced the cover of Oxygen Magazine. She has recently been featured on Good Morning America and NBC. Dr. Jen is the co-host with her husband, who is also a Doctor of Physical Therapy, to a popular podcast called "The Optimal Body Podcast.”

Connect with her at docjenfit.com

(Note the podcaster that we discussed in the show is Aaron LeBauer)

Today we experience the spiritual journey of Sej Saraiya, an award-winning ethnographic and fine-art photographer and filmmaker who has spent the last several years traveling to the deep interiors of Asia and the Americas, capturing images that tell stories of remote cultures. Sej and I join together in an enthralling conversation about her journey understanding the role of women  in indigenous communities where resilience, environmentalism, tribal coexistence, and faith become themes of her new documentary releasing in April 2022.  

Sej’s photographic work has taken her where not many dare to go, bringing back wisdom and intimate portraits of the last tattooed headhunters of remote India, the medicine women of British Columbia, the shamans of the Venezuelan Amazonas, and such globally revered leaders and humanitarians as Their Holinesses the Dalai Lama and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; all with the broader vision of sharing and preserving our world’s wealth of wisdom, cultures, and lands. 

She speaks in a variety of forums, holds workshops, and moderates or contributes to panels at universities, museums and festivals. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Her photographs have been exhibited in the U.S. and India and hang in the homes of private collectors worldwide. 

Connect with her at:

Sejalsaraiya.com

@SejSaraiya

vimeo.com/sejsaraiya