The Women's Current

‘Gaslighting’ Is it a real thing? This word has seen a resurgence over the past few years and is becoming widely recognized. Most recently it’s being used in the political arena. But let’s not forget where it came from and how it is a real thing. Think back to the 1938 movie Gaslight. Robin Stern, Ph.D. is the author of ‘the Gaslight Effect – How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life’. Robin helps us identify the characteristics and lets us in on how to stop other people from getting inside our head.

Robin is the Co-founder and Associate Director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an Associate Research Scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale. She is a licensed psychoanalyst and co-developer of RULER, an acronym for the five key emotion skills of recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions. Robin does consulting work with schools nationally and across the globe as well as with large corporations including Facebook and Google. Robin is the co-founder of Star Factor Coaching, a model of leadership coaching anchored in the skills of emotional intelligence and was a founding member of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, creating and facilitating professional development programs for aspiring women leaders.

You have an idea, one that would benefit your community but really, how do you even fathom raising the money? Why not trust neighbors to know what’s best for their neighborhood? Erin one of the inaugural fellow recipients of the Obama Foundation, co-founded ioby, a Crowdfunding platform allowing for civic participation. ioby connects local leaders with support and funding from their communities to make neighborhoods more sustainable, healthier, greener, more livable and more fun.

Erin was the environmental editor at Men’s Journal magazine and a freelance writer on climate change and other environmental issues. She also worked as a community organizer and public information officer at the Save Our Wild Salmon in Portland, Oregon. Erin and her co-founders were awarded the 2012 Jane Jacobs Medal for New Technology and Innovation.

What does it take to pack up your car and move across the country for a dream? Jackie did just that. Always a homebody, she had decided to go to college not far from her Connecticut family home. But Jackie had the feeling that she was missing out on something. With determination she packed up her car and moved to San Diego, California. Nope, no job waiting for her. That didn’t stop her from setting out and getting hired by a top boutique hotel on the beach in San Diego. Getting her feet wet, so to speak, and turning the hotel from  #11 on Trip Advisor to #3, Jackie knew that she wanted to go back East. New York City was where she landed and she is now taking Manhattan by storm. Jackie tells shares her story of perseverance, determination and knowledge of treating people right. All of which have turned into the company that she started. A company that provides unique experiences for people who actually put down their cellphones and meet new people while giving back to the community.

We are living longer these days. What does ‘successful aging’ mean? We have childhood, adulthood and…? How about Elderhood?  Elderhood now can span forty years of our lives or more. Louise is the author of the New York Times bestseller Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life. Louise lets us in on breaking through some of the myths that surrounds age and numbers. It’s not a disease. Let’s debunk the myths. Let’s re-examine the meaning of aging.

A practicing geriatrician, Louise has served as director of the Northern California Geriatrics Education Center, is a Harvard-trained geriatrician and award winning author. Louise has recently appeared on morning shows including NBC’s The Today Show.

“Vocal Versatility and an omnivorous curiosity.” - The New York Times

“Adventurous mezzo-soprano” and “raconteur” – The New Yorker

Is it possible to shrug off a trauma? Is it possible to silence yourself after you’ve been raped? That’s what Lucy Dhegrae tried to do. She was 19, in her sixth week as a college freshman when she was drugged and raped by a student athlete. Having heard and read about other victims who had been trashed after reporting having been raped by an athlete, she remained silent. Ten years passed before the effect hit her. She suddenly lost her singing voice.

Three years, a variety of therapies and $25,000 later, she can and does talk about it. Now Lucy is on a mission with her music, exploring how music can address the aftermath of trauma; Mind and Body. Lucy shares her story so that other survivors, especially college students, will have the confidence to believe in themselves. “We can’t continue to stay numb to this. We just can’t.”

Lucy is an Artist in Residency at National Sawdust for the 2019-2020 season, presenting a muti-concert project. She was the 2018 recipient of the University Of Michigan School Of Music’s Emerging Artist Award and among the first cohort fellows with Turn the Spotlight, a new mentorship program for young professionals. Lucy is an extraordinary woman.

Can life transitions affect relationships? How can we tell the difference between anxiety and depression? Can we navigate relationships when bipolar disorder is involved? Marni helps us navigate these bewildering and sometimes traumatic times. What is negative self-talk and how do we manage to do this even when something wonderful has happened? Find out about the impact of our own unconscious sabotage. Marni is a graduate from Cornell with a B.S. in Human Development and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, specializing in health psychology, from Washington University in St. Louis. Marni is a frequent contributor to the Good Men Project, Fulfillment Daily (Science Backed News for a Healthier Life) and Memory Well.

What would you do if you walked into your kitchen and saw the words: Nurturing, Healing and Love? And they had been written by you 6 year old son who died a hero during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting? For Scarlett, it was to start the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. She began a journey to spread the message that Jesse left, those three words being the formula for choosing love and promoting social and emotional education in schools and communities. A journey that has turned personal tragedy into a positive impact in the world.  Scarlett is the recipient of the International Forgiveness Award, The Live Your Legacy Award and the Common Ground. Scarlett is the author of ‘Nurturing Healing Love’, the story of her journey.

How can a recovering addict finally get and keep the sparkle in her eye? You may remember Wendy as the face of Snapple Beverage during the 1990’s. What would you do if your job gave you so much free time that you were bored? How about replying to every single piece of fan mail that was addressed to the company. That’s how Wendy got to be ‘The Snapple Lady’. But how did Wendy get there? She was an addict, drugs, drinking and food. And Wendy was 13 when the addictions started. Wendy takes us back to the beginning and boldly and openly speaks about addiction, self-worth, recovery and that sparkle that she finally saw in her eyes. A sparkle that she has never lost.

Narcissism, sometimes so elusive to recognize. But is it or are we just not willing to accept this in those surrounding us? Angie calls herself ‘Queen Beeing’ for a reason. What would you do if the narcissist turned out to be your own parent? It took 35 years to discover and some harrowing times. Angie lets us into her personal journey of deception, ‘gaslighting’ and discovery. Hear how she saved herself and in turn is helping others.

She had the perfect marriage. Really, they were madly in love. Several years later she filed for divorce. The realization that part of the compromise in the marriage was losing herself, Elizabeth knew that she had to save ‘herself’ and her self-worth. With her sons and much heartache to come, Elizabeth left the comfort of her home and started a discovery of self-awareness and so much more. Like so many women, Elizabeth had left all of the financial decisions to her husband and like so many women, she faced huge surprises. Soon to have her masters in Art Therapy, Elizabeth’s journey is still ongoing as she helps empower others along the way.