Heather Solves Everything - Season 5: Mindful Eating

Today, I’m taking this show into a personal realm. This show is for the ladies. I have my friend Kari Martinez in the studio with me to talk about my personal problems. Well, mine and everyone else’s. Kari is a Registered Dietician and today she is going to answer our questions about menopause.

Now, this is a problem solving show but today seems like we are solving a mystery. Forbes Magazine says that by 2025 there will be one billion women on the planet experiencing menopause, and I will refrain from making any kind of joke about that. Instead, I am turning to an expert for answers to your questions and mine about what the heck we are supposed to do when this happens.

Although I guess that’s not really fair because my guest can only answer our questions about what to eat. Kari Martinez is a registered dietician based in Atlanta, GA, where she is the owner of BloomRD, an integrative nutrition practice specializing in a comprehensive and holistic approach to helping her clients create optimal health. 

I met Kari when we used to work together, and she became my go-to expert on autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, hashimoto's, fibromyalgia, and other chronic conditions. She also specializes in stubborn weight issues and gastrointestinal conditions, and not only do I refer my clients to her, she is my personal dietician as well! 

She knows what she is talking about, yall. She earned her Masters in Nutrition and Public Health at Columbia, has been a licensed dietitian since 2013, earned her Certified LEAP therapist credential at Oxford Biomedical, and continues to be a lifelong learner in the field of Functional Nutrition.

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Today we are talking about $25,700. That’s the threshold of what the United states considers to be living in poverty for a family of 4. 

That includes minimum wage workers, sometimes even holding down multiple jobs. This includes seniors living on fixed incomes. It includes people who are suddenly out of work and scrambling to get a new job before their savings runs out. 

We know that poverty doesn’t discriminate, but it also doesn’t affect everyone equally. Poverty affects women more than men. In 2018 the poverty rate for married couples was only 4.7% - but for single-parent families ranged between 12.7% and 25% with the higher percentage being for households headed by women.

Nearly 4 million people living with a disability live in poverty. That’s the problem we are tackling today, along with ways we can use what we’re good at and passionate about to be part of the solution.

My guest today is Freddy Branham, the Executive Director of ECHO Outreach Ministries, a faith-based organization that works against poverty and FOR economic opportunity for at-risk populations. He’s a graduate of Florida State University with degrees in Finance and Management Information Systems, and began a career in business development for the technology field.  He got his start in human services when he managed the school nutrition program for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Now, he brings an employer-led business perspective to the social services arena. He works to connect the strengths and networks of the private sector to the efforts of non-profits beyond donations and into collaboration. 

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Today’s topic… scares me. It might scare you, too, and I want you to know that some of our conversation today might be troubling. But I encourage you to listen, because it’s important, and you can help solve a big problem today.

We’re talking about a billion-dollar global business, one that is surrounded by controversy, which affects millions of people worldwide, and it’s scary to say, but Florida is one of the nation’s leaders. It’s scary because this business is human trafficking.

Human trafficking can happen to anyone but some people are more vulnerable than others. Today we’re going to hear from Robin Hassler Thompson, Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center. We’re going to learn what we need to know about this problem, clear the air on some myths and truths, hear about an important way we can all help, and discover how we can be a hometown hero and build a safer community.

Robin Hassler Thompson, M.A., J.D., is the Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC), an anti-trafficking non-profit she co-founded in 2015. She co-chairs the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking and is a member of its Social Services Committee. In 2001 she traveled to Bangladesh on a U.S. State Department mission, which included a visit to a trafficking rescue shelter in Dhaka. This so inspired her that since, she has directed and collaborated in many anti-trafficking projects, trains extensively, and has authored publications and curricula, including a course for the Florida Medical Association. 

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As we record this episode, my phone is still buzzing with updates from family and friends who are cleaning up in the wake of Hurricane Ida, which came ashore Louisiana's coast on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

As many of us can recall, Katrina devastated the New Orleans region, in some places rendering it almost permanently inhabitable. The social and economic factors of that reality stand side by side with the physical infrastructure of the buildings, roads, and bridges that have to withstand powerful storms in that area.

I remember driving through the rubble of Hurricane Katrina, seeing houses that had been demolished and thinking through the different scenarios that may have given the structures a better chance of survival.

As we face issues like climate change, increasingly stronger tropical storms, sustainability issues in construction, and the ever-present elephant in the room of affordable housing, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to do about it.

Well this is a problem-solving show, so today I have as my guest one powerhouse member of a team that has a really exciting solution to a lot of those problems. We’re going to talk about innovations in building, dignified housing, and the power of collaboration.

Kyndra Light is the CEO of Gulf Coast Additive Manufacturing & Design, a company specializing in the support and application of 3D printing in the construction field. And Precision Building and Renovating.

She holds a master's degree in Leadership and Policy from Florida State University and a graduate certificate in Additive Manufacturing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, she possesses multiple certifications in community development and has over 20 years of experience in executive strategy solutions. She has been widely recognized for her work in education and community housing development as well as work in the advancement of fair-trade and environmental conservation practices in the construction industry. No matter what the job, she jumps in with passion and excellence as a standard. 

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I have two guests with me today to talk about something that some people might feel uncomfortable discussing, but we are NOT afraid to talk about it. This is a problem solving show, and we are going to solve some problems here today.

I’d like to welcome Amaya Waymon, a high school student at Rickards High School. Amaya is the founder of the Girl Flo Project, which aims to end the problem of period poverty, that is the lack of access to sanitary products in schools and throughout the community. We’re going to hear about the inspiration for her work, some of the challenges she has faced, and how we can help. Welcome, Amaya!

Also joining us is Dana Brooks, a partner with Fasig Brooks law firm, who heard about Amaya’s project and wanted to support her. In fact, she feels so strongly about the rights of women to have access to hygiene products that she sued the governor of Florida in 2017 to remove the luxury tax hygiene products  which resulted in a change of the law.  We’re going to talk about how women can work together to make sure everyone has what they need. Welcome, Dana.

The School of Public Health at the University of Michigan shares that 1 in 5 girls miss school due to lack of menstrual products, because they are not able to afford pads, tampons, or liners. Instead, many people are forced to use items like rags, paper towels, toilet paper, or cardboard. Others ration sanitary products by using them for extended amounts of time. If this has you squirming in your seat, good. It should. Because everyone deserves to be able to menstruate with dignity. 

Period poverty encompasses not only this lack of access to products, but also inadequate access to toilets, hand washing receptacles, and hygienic waste management.

The reason this public health crisis is yet to be addressed is largely due to stigma and shame. Amaya, Dana, and countless others agree that access to menstrual products is a right, and feeling clean, confident, and capable during one’s period is a necessity. Today we are going to explore how they’re addressing the problem, and share how you can be a problem solver with three tips for smart activism.

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Over half of people in the workforce are dealing with today’s problem. 

Some people blame COVID, and others say it was a problem way before we all got on the roller coaster of 2020.

Some people say it’s not even a big deal and to just suck it up. 

It’s now described by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon. They say that  “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Today my guest is Mary Barley, the Employee Wellbeing Coordinator for Leon County in Florida and the Executive Director of Working Well, a non-profit organization based in Tallahassee, FL that helps organizations design and deliver employee well being programs.

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Today on the program we are diving into a subject that we’re often told not to talk about. It can be a difficult subject to discuss, even with friends, for fear of being misunderstood, judged or pigeon-holed, or not being as informed or educated as others. 

Sometimes this topic is something people don’t even want others to know about them, and in other cases it is the first thing they want people to know. 

We’re talking about RELIGION. This episode is called DEVIL’S ADVOCATE and I am looking forward to discussing some of the most compelling questions about religion today with Rev. Sheldon Steen, pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church and doctoral candidate in Religion of Western Antiquity at Florida State University. 

Rev. Steen has been working in ministry for fifteen years, earning a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Columbia Theological Seminary. He began his professional work in youth ministry in Florida and Georgia, and then as the Pastor of Jasper First Presbyterian Church in Jasper, Florida. 

After serving as a Parish Associate at Faith Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, Sheldon directed the campus ministry at UKirk Tallahassee, serving Florida State University and Florida A&M University. He joined Christ Presbyterian Church in June, 2020, leading the northeast Tallahassee congregation through the COVID-19 pandemic and at a time when almost every element of our lives, including our spirituality, is politicized. 

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Today we are out for adventure, into the great blue yonder, over the river and through the woods, with Jeremy Rogers, a Tallahassee firefighter with a love for the outdoors that he has turned into an organization called Tallahassee Adventure Club.

We’re going to hear his story of life transformation from the military to mountain climbing, learn about the importance of outdoor experiences for kids, and learn how we can help local kids connect with the outdoors in meaningful ways.

Now, the idea for this show came when I was recently at a summer camp with my son, and the day came for us to go swimming at the lake. For some kids, this was a regular occurrence, and for others it was the first time they had ever been in open water. Seeing their initial trepidation, fear, beginnings of confidence and trust, and eventual joy that they were not sinking, made me pick up my phone and call Jeremy, because I wanted to explore this topic more and revitalize our conversation about the Tallahassee Adventure Club.

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Today in the studio is someone who I admire for her eco-friendly ways. Her name is Alix Kalfin, and the reason I have invited her here today is because the problem we are solving is creating environmentally sustainable habits.

Alix has gone from doubter to advocate and I am curious about why, how, and what her advice is for people like me, who want to do better but don’t know where to start.

In addition to being an inspiration to me, Alix is the mom of two boys, wife of a wildlife biologist -slash - powerlifter, and a business owner. She is an advocate for local community projects, and especially passionate about the Alzheimer's Project, where she manages communications and social media through her consulting firm, AK Social Strategies. 

Now yall know that Heather Solves Everything is a show about tapping into your unique strengths to solve the everyday problems that we all face in life. Today, we’re going to talk about how to start small to go big in how we manage our relationship with the earth.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.