SecondWind with Joyce

As women age, we're often pushed aside and forgotten about as if our value diminishes with time. Our guest for this week's episode, Valerie Albarda, has made it her mission to remind aging women of our worth, and make sure we are seen and heard in a society that dismisses us. She talks about how the different aspects of our identity, namely race, age, and gender, can play a role in what she calls the "invisible woman syndrome".

Valerie Albarda likes to think of herself as a midlife women's advocate. She tries to inspire women to embrace this time in life, and to squash the notion that just because we're midlife, it doesn't mean we have to be in crisis. She was recently diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and that changed her world. Even with this, she didn't consider herself in crisis. Valerie began researching and reading about MS so that she can become an advocate and ally for those also dealing with the disease, especially midlife women. "I'll get even more granular: I advocate for midlife women of color who have MS because the medical community often treats us as disposable people; collateral damage in the healthcare system. I don't like that."

Albarda is also a TEDx alumna. She recently completed her Talk in October 2020, and it started airing in February. "My talk, "The Invisibility Trifecta," tackles the invisible woman syndrome as it relates to women of color (hence, the Trifecta: midlife women of color). I grew up in Maryland with my parents and four sisters. I didn't go to college straight out of high school. At the age of 37 1/2, I was determined to get my degree. I completed an accelerated degree program in 2.5 years and walked across the stage to get my BS in Management 2 months shy of my 40th birthday."

Currently, by day she works as a senior writer for a large home improvement retailer. On her off hours, She devotes most of her time to her website, Midlife-A-Go-Go, her podcast, MS work and spending time with her family. She's a wanderlust at heart and she can't wait to embark on her next adventure.

"I do think that we need to embrace that notion that midlife does not mean that we are at the end of our life, and that there are so many wonderful things still left for us on the horizon." Valerie Albarda

What You'll Learn from This Episode:

• Valerie's journey through her multiple sclerosis diagnosis
• How to enjoy midlife and skip the crisis
• Why women in their midlife stage tend to feel like a they're a "disposable demographic"
• Steps you can take to redefine who you are
• What the "invisible woman syndrome" is and how race can exacerbate this issue
• Why Valerie wants both midlife women and other demographics to hear her message
• What it is like to have health concerns be dismissed, and why you should always be your own biggest advocate

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Effortless Happiness: How to Find Your Voice and Finally Ask For What You Really Want Paperback or Kindle copy.

It's easy to forget about practicing self-care when your busy schedule prohibits you from adding much more to your to-do list. On today's episode of SecondWind, we have Hope Flansburg on to discuss everything relating to self-care from body positivity to work-life balance. She reminds us that making time for ourselves doesn't have to be such a time consuming task.

Hope is an author, Wellness and Self-Care Educator, and owner of Hope for Health Wellness. She plants seeds of hope by teaching others how stress impacts their emotional and physical health, while sharing complimentary layers of self-care to promote healing. She wants to help you decrease stress, anxiety, and improve overall health to live the quality of life you crave free from continued symptoms and deteriorating health.

Hope began writing sixteen years ago as part of her own healing process. She now uses her fiction romance novels to bring a voice to the exact scenarios that break us. Through stories of vulnerability, courage, and healing, these books can be used as a tool for social emotional awareness, and to inspire and empower others. With an exquisite mix of suspense, darkness, lightness, and personal growth, she sends the message that existing is reason enough to receive abundance in this life, and out of our darkest times can come our greatest achievements.

You hear all the time that it is really important to own our "no", but I think what's even more important is that we know what our "yeses" are. If we can define our yeses, it'll help us find that balance of where we're giving our time, where we're giving our energy, and so we don't get led to burn out and overwhelm all the time to where we feel that we aren't showing up and giving the love that the people around us deserve as well" - Hope Flansburg

What You'll Learn from This Episode:

• What it was like becoming a single parent with twin girls
• How to turn your darkest times into something great
• Why you should start manifesting and create vision boards during tough life transitions
• How Hope incorporated her love of love, spirituality, and self-help into a novel
• Our society is impacted by the "disease of being busy" or stress and anxiety
• We tend to focus so much on loving others more than loving ourselves
• How Hope helps those who feel their busy schedule prevents them from practicing self care

Free Offer: Calm The Noise Webinar - Get free access here

Featured on the Show: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube |

Effortless Happiness: How to Find Your Voice and Finally Ask For What You Really Want Paperback or Kindle copy.

At some point we may find ourselves becoming unsatisfied with some aspect of our lives. On today's episode, Natasha Scripture shares how she felt accomplished in her career, but struggled to find her ideal partner. What started out as a desire to ground herself has turned into a 9 month journey of self expansion far away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. She speaks on her culture's belief that you need to be married to be complete, and how she learned to feel whole on her own.

Natasha Scripture is an author, poet, health coach and former aid worker. As an emergency spokesperson for the United Nations, Natasha covered humanitarian crises around the world, including conflicts and natural disasters in Ethiopia, Haiti, Libya, and Pakistan. Before the UN, she worked as a writer, producer and editor for a variety of organizations, including the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera English, TED, National Geographic and Condé Nast Publications. She has been interviewed by CNN, ABC News, BBC Radio, the Irish Examiner and Women's Health (Australia), among other news outlets, been published in the New York Times, The Telegraph, Marie Claire, Glamour UK, The Sydney Morning Herald, Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, the New York Post and The Atlantic, among other publications, and been featured in Marie Claire, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Sunday Times Style magazine.

What You'll Learn from This Episode:

• How reaching her mid-thirties changed Natasha Scripture's outlook on her life
• How being on a "Man Fast" can change your dating life & relationship with yourself
• The journey to self acceptance & realizing you are enough
• Why people tend to change after going through something difficult
• The healing effects of nature and a change of scenery
• Perfection can be boring and flaws can be endearing
• How incorporating daily practices of gratitude can lead to abundance

Featured on the Show: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Effortless Happiness: How to Find Your Voice and Finally Ask For What You Really Want Paperback or Kindle copy.