Episode 35 & Episode 36 (Airs 12/10/2024) ~ Is the cost of that $$$$$ eye cream worth it and is sunscreen safe to use? Our guest Dr. Fayne Frey, answers those questions and more. Commonly known as “The Ralph Nader of the Skincare Industry,” Dr. Frey is a New York–based, Ivy League–trained, board-certified dermatologist and skincare consultant and a nationally recognized expert in the effectiveness and formulation of over-the-counter skin care products. Refuting marketing claims that skincare products are vital to being attractive, she’s also committed to promoting a skin-positive image—for women of every skin tone and type, at every age. “Kindness matters. Health matters. Accomplishments matter,” she assures. “None of those things come in a tube or bottle.”

Episode 33 (Airs 10-22-2024) & Episode 34 (Airs 11-12-2024) ~ Christina Cameli is a certified-nurse midwife in Portland, Oregon. As a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, her healthcare practice focuses on caring for those in perimenopause and postmenopause. Christina delights in supporting people where they are in their understandings of their body and their menopause transition, while educating around the many known and unknowns regarding midlife health. She talks about women’s unique physiology and why the nurse-midwife model of care is so effective in meeting the needs of women of all ages and adolescent girls.

Episode 32 – Airs 10/8/2024 Guest Barbara Bernstein talks about what inspired  her revealing documentary, Once a Braided River. Our conversation with her is focused on the environmental threat posed by the CEI Hub’s 100+ storage tanks situated along the Willamette River, a superfund site. Barbara is an award-winning independent audio producer, musician, composer and radio producer. Based in Portland, Oregon, she reports on the environment, social justice and human rights issues and hosts the weekly environmental radio show Locus Focus, heard on KBOO, KMUN and other community and public radio stations. If you don’t know the history of the CEI Hub and want to understand the environmental threat posed by the hazardous chemicals and fuels stored at the HUB, you’ll want to listen.

Episode 30, Part 1 (Airs 9/10/2024) & Episode 31, Part 2 (Airs 9/24/2024) – Our guest Amrita Stark is a board certified community pediatrician at Child and Adolescent Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. Dr. Stark sees all ages: newborns to college students and has served families in Clark county and beyond for 10 years. She is passionate about health equity and inclusion, antiracism, reproductive health,  LGTBQ+ health and supporting families and children from all walks of life. Her approach to patient-doctor communication is fascinating and inspirational. There was so much to learn from her we ended up with two episodes. 

Episode 29 – Our guest Dr. Kelsey Herman is the owner of Healing Steps and President of the non-profit entity, Healing Opportunities Foundation. She is a lifelong equestrian who enjoys riding, training, and rehabilitating rescue horses as well as educating people about horses. Dr. Herman blends her expertise in equine and occupational therapy to improve the lives of her patients. In this episode she explains what “occupational” therapy is and how it intersects seamlessly with mental health and physical therapies. She received her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Pacific University in 2019 and is experienced in both pediatric and adult rehabilitation. A large part of her professional experience is in outpatient pediatrics with an emphasis in Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, ADHD, and behavioral concerns.

Episode 27 ~ Part 1 and Episode 28 ~ Part 2 Our guest, Colonel Deb Lewis (USA Ret.), empowers thousands of women and their families with practical leadership and battle-tested strategies and tips to successfully navigate life’s challenges. A trailblazer from West Point’s first class with women, she served 30 years in the US Army and led a $2.1B construction command in combat. Colonel Deb is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on mental toughness, dedicated to transforming negative forces that keep us from achieving more into powerful opportunities for positive change in our lives.

Episode 25 – Part 1 and Episode 26 – Part 2 – Desiree Hellegers has taught at WSU Vancouver since 1993. Hellegers has a doctorate in English from the University of Washington and is a poet, essayist, director of the Collective for Social and Environmental Justice at WSU Vancouver, and of The Thin Green Line is People, a digital archive of the Pacific Northwest climate justice/fossil fuel resistance movement. She is also a member/producer with the Old Mole Variety Hour on KBOO Radio. She joins us to talk about her work and aspects of climate change, health equity, areas of local concern and militarism’s impact on climate collapse.

Dr. Myra Rich on a recent hike in the Colorados.

Episode 22 ~ May 14, 2024. Guest Sarah Desjarlais joins us to talk about her own experience raising her fostered and bio children and the changes in the foster care Washington state program. For those interested in looking into becoming a foster parent, this conversation is honest and real. If you are not ready to take that plunge, Sarah offers multiple ways for community members to participate in supporting children transitioning into and living in foster care. As the executive director of the non-profit Fosterful, she shares her passion for helping these resilient children and supporting their foster moms and dads along their journey. She talks about her organization’s programs and direct supports and how easy it is to become a volunteer in whatever timeframe someone is able to offer.

Kitty Norton in front of her RV.

In The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance, Rebecca recounts the entangled histories of her immigrant ancestors and the Lakota of South Dakota. In the process she produces a revealing testament on the true cost of the settlement of the American West. Her book is much more than a compelling history lesson. Through her research and intentional examination of facts, actions, privilege, power and consequences, she invites each of us to measure our own distance from the actions and inactions of our ancestors. Rebecca answers three questions for herself and for us. What are the stories we tell, what are the ones we don’t, and why?

In this hopeful two-part episode focused on treatment approaches and improved survival, Radiation Oncologist Dr. Carol Marquez quickly dispels any confusion about screening techniques, treatment options and genetics. Topics include advances in radiation, chemo, anti-nausea meds, immunotherapies and promising research currently underway. With a Professor’s grace, she brilliantly converts complex information into accessible and meaningful health education. Dr. Marquez informs, inspires, offers patients hope and, perhaps most importantly, allays our fears.

Dr. Huang is trained in the epidemiology of aging and studies the impact of sensory loss on cognitive and mental health in older adults. In her role as a Core Faculty Member at the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health,  Huang oversees scientific analyses and development of manuscripts utilizing data from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) randomized trial as well as the associated Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS). 

We women love hard. It’s what keeps us going, but it can make us heart, soul and body sick too. It can be the right partner and still feel wrong, so how do we make it right? If you have questions like these, we promise our guest, Dr. Loretta Shields, has some answers. With a Doctor of Philosophy degree in public health, she is an expert in how “relationship health” affects physical and mental health. She also has a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling. Her approach provides tools and techniques to help people become their best selves in their relationships. She doesn’t just “get” us. She knows how to help.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Susan Stearns, Chief Executive Officer of Pink Lemonade Project, joins us to talk about breast cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and the support that is available in our community for survivors and their families. Stearn encourages us to “know what’s normal” and talks about new data regarding “patient age” at occurrence, the disparities that exist in care for women of color, genetic risk and much, much more. This show is for the women and men who will develop breast cancer and the people who love them. 

Heart attacks and strokes are the first and third causes of female deaths. A large number of these deaths could have been prevented, yet health officials say women are not listening. Our guests are Ambassadors for the AHA’s GoRed for Women heart health campaign. Each has a compelling story to tell. Each of these episodes provides critical information all women need to know. Our families love and depend on us. Why not learn a few simple steps we can take to manage our risk and better care for ourselves? If you can’t do it for you, do it as a role model for the young women coming up.

Hidden just off the I-5 freeway in the small town of Ridgefield, Washington, you will discover absolutely delicious coffee at the Lava Java Cafe and meet the charming and talented owner, Phuong Tran. The winner of the 2005 U.S. Barista Championship, she went on to place seventh in the World. A renowned specialty coffee consultant – although she confesses she enjoys tea as well – her overriding passion will always be coffee. Phuong shares her story of dreamer to entrepreneur with a rare openness and authenticity all will appreciate. Caution: This episode may cause side effects that include an intense desire to quit your job.

Episode 37 (Airs 12/24/2024) & Episode 38 (Airs 1/14/2025) ~ Stella Cope grew up in New York City, where she attended Columbia University. For most of her adult life, she has been a passionate social justice advocate. She and her husband live in Vancouver, Wash., where she serves as the Board Vice President of the Queer Youth Resource Center, a non-profit organization supporting queer youth and their allies in Southwest Washington. She also volunteers with Triple Point, another allied nonprofit group. In our interview Stella shares why she is so committed to providing support in any way possible and the importance of lifting up youth within the LGBTQ+ community.