In Her Words

Lorah (loo-RAY) Gerald was given up by her birth mother to be adopted. She understood that. What she did not understand was her birth mother’s desire to never speak with her again.

TRIGGER WARNING: EXPLICIT DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE.

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Sydney Cummings Houdyshell has drawn more than one and a half MILLION subscribers to her YouTube channel featuring regular workouts aimed at real women. Sydney offers a refreshing dose of authenticity and unabashed encouragement. She went to WVU on a track scholarship and has worked her butt off (literally) to get where she is. And my sense is… she ain’t done yet! COUNT ME AS A FAN! 

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Emily Swann breastfed her own cooing baby boy while talking about her classes for new moms. She says moms are off the charts anxious about feeding their infants and finding some time for sleep. 
Emily’s public parenting has drawn plenty of side eye from people critical of her approach. Emily is a bona fide lactation expert (an RN with NICU experience) who comforts young mom’s awash in anxiety over getting it right. 
You can find her @loveofbreastfeeding on Instagram or at her website TheLoveOfBreastfeeding.com

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Alice Yu moved from NC to the big city of Chicago and competed in the Miss Asian Chicago pageant uplifting Asian Women and SHE WON! She’s the QUEEN! I met Alice Yu through my youngest two kids when they were at Chapel Hill and she was musical director for an a cappella group. She went to UNC undergrad, Duke for Med School and then off to Northwestern for her internship. For episode 199 - our first ever reprise of a wide ranging conversation - from Chinese Medicine to Broadway Musicals! TOO. FUN! CONGRATULATIONS DR. ALICE!!!

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Julie J is half of the mom comedy team “The Family Jewels” (check out their new podcast on the Queen City Podcast Network). She talks candidly about growing up raising calves on a Virginia farm, her decision to have kids, her “surprise divorce” and her reluctance to be a comedy partner! A quality conversation!

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Shelby Perry lost an eye three years into her sober journey. She had to be thinking “And I got sober for THIS???” She gained a whole new outlook, launching a business EYEHESIVE.COM AND finding a whole new community THE ONE EYE GANG. She is a walking talking inspiration! Just listen!  

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Kim Matone desperately needed good mental health care as a teenager with Type One Bipolar Disorder. She needed it again as a young mom with Post Partum Depression. And thank God she got the help she needed! She is now a mental health professional herself helping girls and women who are right where she was. TRIGGER WARNING:  FRANK TALK OF SUICIDE. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

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Jaime Lane always loved and respected her elders. She was always close. When her grandparents died, holidays were hard. So she launched her own non-profit charity to connect with seniors right in the height of COVID isolation. SEASONS OF GIVING took off like a big ole rocket, growing exponentially. She’s made SOOOO many friends. Just listen!

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Julia Barno describes herself as “culturally Jewish” after growing up with a divorced Mom in Buffalo NY. She went to a decidedly Jewish summer camp where she once met Larry David. Her family turned to her for reliable laughs to defuse tension. Julia was a natural. Now comedy is a calling she dares to answer. We sit down in her office in her Plaza-Midwood home in Charlotte and the conversation takes off like a rocket. What. FUN.

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I became friends with Dr. Margaret Brennan decades ago in Nashville because she graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School and practiced as a cardiologist. 

I met Margaret through my dear friend Dr. Maggie Stolz. Both women are devoted Irish Catholics who practice their faith through their kindness in helping others heal.

Now Margaret’s own cancer has reoccurred and she has to trust other doctors. I left this conversation in tears. Margaret’s attitude is remarkable. She knows she only has 2? 5? 7? years to live. But she’s using her own experience to fight for better patient care for all families. 

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