Alopecia Life

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Our next guest is Ava Hanssen. I first heard about Ava when the Children's Alopecia Project reached out to say thank you for featuring them on her race car. Her racing background is super interesting, and after hearing more about who she is and what she wants to accomplish in the racing world, I thought you would all be excited to hear more about her racing, especially if you're like me and have a fairly limited bit of knowledge around the racing world. Ava started racing go karts at 4 years old, and her competitive nature now has her racing an F1600 going upwards of 130mph at the age of 14. Here's more from Ava.Thank you for sharing your time with Ava and me.To learn more about Ava, follow her on social media, and even perhaps offer sponsorship for her racing endeavors, please check out those links here in the show notes. Her racing accomplishments are pretty impressive.Thanks again to Ava for raising awareness for the Children's Alopecia Project.https://avahanssenracing.com/FB: https://www.facebook.com/ava.hanssen.31IG: https://www.instagram.com/_ava_hanssen_/Recent News Story: CBS58 NewsSupport the Show.Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. For those who have listened to past episodes, you may remember the 3 healthy habits to have in our lifestyle toolbelt that Integrative Nutrition and Gut Health Coach, Lisa Taylor, provided to all of us to start and continue a self-healing journey. Lisa is back to share about her upcoming FREE masterclass in March, along with her 12 week Alopecia Warrior Self-Healing collective group program. I believe we are becoming more empowered with our health. There's more information, more insight into root cause, along with more resources for us to be the healthiest version of ourselves. It's exciting to be able to bring the information that Lisa has to Alopecia Life listeners, especially when we are in a time of so much input and noise around gut health and it's easy to get confused by it all. Lisa has always been able to make the process of healing as easy as it can be without overwhelm, which is one of the reasons I continue having her back. Thank you so much for sharing your time with Lisa and me today. For those who are looking for more information to the Masterclass in March, those links can be found here in the show notes, along with a link to the website and her Facebook community. Register for masterclass (registration ONLY open until : www.reversemyalopecia.comJoin my free Facebook community: Alopecia Warriors for Holistic HealingLearn more about my self-healing programs: www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you for joining us for this first Alopecia Life episode of 2024. It's a new year, and I'm so excited to have a feel-good story for you today. Our guests today are Allison & Anthony. I found out about this fabulous family within a group where Allison shared about the hat collection that was growing exponentially after they started a small ask of their friends and family to help support Anthony. Due to the number of hats they were receiving, she knew she wanted to find more kids who might be interested in receiving a hat so she could send them one. When we originally spoke, they were about 2 weeks into their diagnosis. The hat collection was up to 1500 hats and they were looking to donate what they could. Today's interview was at the 6 week mark, and I was impressed to learn more about what's now become Operation Hat Drop and the kindness of the D'Alessandro family and to share it with all of you.*More from Allison: "What started as a hat collection for our son to help him cope with alopecia, has morphed into a movement of kindness. People from all walks of life have come together to help Anthony and other children like him, smile, through the gift of hats...As long as there are hats to send, we plan to keep going!"Thank you for sharing your time with us today. Throughout the interview, Allison shared about the importance of education and awareness, and the ability to do that with Operation Hat Drop has been an amazing opportunity for them to do that as a family. For those of you who are interested in sending a new hat to Anthony or to another child, please check out the show notes for the mailing address. If you are interested in receiving a hat, please reach out on Instagram  @operationhatdrop to request one. All their contact information can also be found here in the show notes. The alopecia community is one filled with amazing help. If you would like to support them as they ship the hats out, I know the gesture would be appreciated. I'm curious about the unique ways in which this can happen.IG @operationhatdropemail: operationhatdrop@gmail.com(NEW) Hats can kindly be sent to:358 Atlantic AveMassapequa Park, NY 11762Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. A few months ago, I was talking with Kylie, another CAP mentor, who expressed an interest in helping college-bound kids share their alopecia story in the essay portion of their college application. I thought it was a fantastic idea, and got to work looking for the perfect podcast guest to speak on this topic, and found Jill Shulman. Jill is the author of College Admissions Cracked: Saving Your Kid (and Yourself) From the Madness. She is an established College Admissions expert who offers an empowering, low-stress approach to succeeding in the admissions process. She has so much knowledge and experience around the topic, and I can't wait for you all to meet her and hear what she has to share. *More About Jill: Jill is the founder of In Other Words, a college essay coaching service, and has evaluated thousands of applications in admissions offices at top colleges. She has taught writing at The New School and City University of New York; appeared in the news at Forbes, the La Times, CNN, and NEPR; written for the New York Times, Family circle, Parents, and O the Oprah Magazine. Jill has recently launched IntrepidApplicant.com to help decrease anxiety for students writing the college application personal essay. Thank you so much for sharing your time with Jill and me today. To find out more about Intrepid Applicant, order her book, or take advantage of all the free resources she has on her website, check out the show notes for her website and ways to find her on social media. We also have a link here in the show notes for The Price You Pay For College by Ron Lieber with practical advice and outstanding reporting.Website JillShulman.comBook College Admissions Cracked: Saving Your Kid (and Yourself) From the MadnessIntrepid Applicant for writing a knockout college personal essayhttps://www.facebook.com/jillmargaretshulmanSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. The time for gatherings is here. Holidays, work parties, get-togethers with friends and family that "should" be fun. But...sometimes these gatherings turn into colossal upsets due to well-meaning or misguided family and  friends. Of course, there does tend to be one total ass-hat who likes to take up space too. The early days of being diagnosed can be increasingly difficult with all of these events that we're expected to attend. Over the years, I've heard from others living with alopecia that they don't feel supported, and that holiday meals are overtaken with conversation about their hair loss, re-growth, what they are choosing to wear on their heads, and the new treatment options that are available. For those who are listening and are looking for ways to support us...here are a few do's and don't's. Don't - Touch our head unless you've been given permission. Don't stroke our wig, ask us to be free and take our hat or scarf off, and definitely NEVER lick our heads in a drunken gesture of affection. Yes, that has happened to me. Not cool. Do - Ask us how our life is outside of our hair loss. We are so much more than our hair. Smile at us, include us in conversation about food, sports, television shows, and the things that interest us. Don't be weird.For those of us who are on the receiving end of comments from colleagues, and family members who just don't quite get it yet, establish some boundaries. Not everybody is out to get us, as we know, but sometimes it feels like that. Determine whether it's time to educate, give them the bird, or just walk away and take time to yourself in a safe place or with a safe person. My hope is that you have a safe person who has your back. If you know there's always that auntie who just can't keep her comments to herself, roleplay with your safe person to come up with a response that feels right. Education can be taken on by family or a trusted friend too, and sometimes that may look like them taking that challenging person aside and telling them that google exists for a reason, and go look it up to get educated, point them to some helpful resources, or just tell them to shut the hell up. However you choose to spend your holidays, know that your boundaries can be set and expanded on. You are not alone. Take your safe person, have some quick answers, and enjoy the season. I'd love to hear your good and bad holiday stories of things that have been said or done. Let's connect over all of these things over on the FB Alopecia Life group page, on Instagram or through reaching out to me in person. If you're looking for resources to point family to, I have a FREE Alopecia 101 course that maps it all out for them. I've put that link here in the show notes. https://www.alopecialife.com/alopecia-areata-online-course/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you for listening to today's podcast. Back in September of this year, I re-interviewed Skye from season 2 of Alopecia Life to get an update on how things had changed for Ohna from when she was 9 until now at 13 with regards to school. Back then, It was 2020, and we were talking about back-to-school at a very strange and uncertain time. Today's interview is with Skye only. Ohna has given us the go-ahead and trust to share about her experience through Skye's own perspective. As we move into the holiday season, I know having a back-to-school podcast is a little off-topic, but the wisdom she shares is always good information to file away for any season.Please note, there are a couple F-bombs thrown into the interview. Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Deanna Beattie of Freedom Wigs. Freedom Wigs has a unique origin story and an even more unique continuation of that story. As I was talking with Deanna, I discovered more about her as a mother, about someone who has a commitment and passion to provide a superior experience with Freedom Wigs, and takes into consideration knowledge, empathy, and respect for what goes into the process of making something so personal when someone is looking for a way to capture who they are with a hair piece. Thank you for sharing your time with us today. Here's our interview.Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life today. I enjoyed learning more about Freedom Wigs, and I hope you did too. We would love to hear your feedback in the comments in the Alopecia Life FB group or over on Instagram. Those links that Deanna and I spoke of throughout the episode are available in the show notes. https://freedomwigs.com/USA website for Freedom Independent Agents in the USAhttps://freedomhairagentsusa.com/ New Zealand websitehttps://freedomwigs.com/contact/independent-agentsFor Har Donations in the US - Elouise will pack up the hair and send it to Australia to the Variety Foundation. Freedom Wigs is working on their connections with the Variety Foundation in the USA, but it is still a work in progress. Please reach out to Elouise to get the Hair from You to Me PDF to know the best method to cut and send your ponytail.Top Knotch Hair SolutionsAttn: Elouise Johnson31785 Byers Rd.Menifee, CA 92584(951) 805-1333Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Four years ago, Skylar Weaver set off on his mission to raise alopecia awareness while traveling through central America. As with most adventures and intentions, things come up that cause us to change direction, take a new route, and that's just what happened 7 months into the trip. It was great catching up with Skylar to see what the trip accomplished, not only for his own wellbeing, but also for the families and groups he met throughout the trip. Let's welcome Skylar back to Alopecia Life.Thanks for spending your time with Skylar and me today. To find out more about Adventures for Alopecia and to follow Skylar on social media, those links are here in the show notes.https://www.projectafa.org/https://www.instagram.com/sky_earth_water/https://www.facebook.com/AdventuresForAlopecia/https://www.facebook.com/weaverskylarI've also added the Argentina group that Skylar spoke about during the interview for you to take a look at. https://www.instagram.com/vivirconalopecia.argentina/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. It's the month of September, and as many of you know - it's Alopecia Awareness Month. Today's guest is Eryn Barclay. She is a wife and mother, and works full-time for the Walt Disney Company in the entertainment department as a cosmetologist. Eryn shares with us about the origin of Lou & Doe. How it started and the significance of what it has grown into in the last year. Sometimes, we wonder what we can do during alopecia awareness month, and this is a great example of an idea that took shape and has morphed into something that extends beyond the month of September. Let's welcome Eryn to Alopecia Life.Thank you for sharing your time with us today. To follow Eryn on social media, ask any questions about wigs, or to find more information about Lou & Doe and the body gel on the website, those links have been provided for you here in the show notes. http://www.louanddoe.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lou_and_doe/Facebook:Lou&DoeTikTok: SparklespreadersSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to Season 5 of Alopecia Life. In this first episode, our guest is Dr. Sherri Barrow. Each season, around this time of year we talk about back-to-school and how we can make the school experience a good one for our kids. Looking back as a kid who lived with alopecia areata since the age of 7, I know I needed more support in school.  I'm sure many of you would agree based on your own experience - there was very little to no support. Some things have changed since then. There are more resources and ways to thrive in a school environment while living with alopecia, and Sherri is here to talk to us about 504 plans here in the US. She is extremely qualified, and her advice of exactly what to ask for can be the difference between success or a prolonged challenge while figuring out what our kids need. A little more about Sherri: "Sherri Barrow has more than 20 years of experience in business, training, and education. She attended Purdue University for her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She holds a master's degree in School Counseling from IUPUI and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University. In addition, has her LMHC in Indiana. This makes her uniquely qualified to empower scholars to find and develop their talents while being a strong, compassionate servant leader to students, families, and educators she is blessed to serve. She believes that all students can be successful if they are given an opportunity to explore their passion and purpose, which becomes their why.Sherri is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School Counseling Master program at Ball State University. She helps future school counselors develop their skills and knowledge to impact youth nationwide and abroad. She previously served in a college and career readiness role as the Future Center Coordinator in Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). The Future Center is an initiative within each of the 4 IPS reinvented high schools where students and alumni access programming to prepare them for IPS' 3 E's (Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment). These centers bridge the gap for equitable services for our youth in Indianapolis.Sherri is also a motivational speaker who shares her message of resiliency and forgiveness with audiences seeking more significant outcomes and successes in their daily lives."If you have questions about 504's after this episode, please feel free to reach out. There a lot of options, just as Sherri mentioned, and we'd love to help you find solutions.Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Next week will be the beginning of Season 5 for Alopecia Life and the beginning of Alopecia Awareness Month. I'm excited to bring you episodes with new and continuing conversations around living with alopecia areata. Thank you so much for listening over the last 4 years. I look forward to another season filled with amazing guests and topics that help us all understand there is a community of support out there who understands.Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. This is one of the last ones for the summer of our Stories from Camp series. It was super cool to tune into the sounds of nature again - kids playing a game, birds chirping, and the hum of dragonfly wings. Today's guest is Baylee, and she is being interviewed by Angelique and Abbee who do a great job of asking questions on the fly. Baylee has the sweetest personality, and provides some very touching insight into what it's like in school, along with a health journey that we didn't know about until our time recording. I love interviews like this, where questions and answers are somewhat surprising. I've always felt that having alopecia can allow for a unique and empathetic perspective on life, and it really came through as I listened to this episode and how each of the girls supported each other. Let's welcome Angelique, Abbee, and Baylee.Thank you again for sharing your time with us today. Interviewing for a podcast isn't as easy as one would think. I loved the satisfied sound of high fives at the end of the interview saying it was a job well-done. I'm sure the girls would enjoy hearing from you. Feel free to share any thoughts or questions with them over at the Alopecia Life Facebook group or over in the comments on Instagram. Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this next episode of Alopecia Life and the Back-to-School recap #2. This is 2020's episode where I interview Artist and Animator, Lydia Hibbert and Kerry Montgomery, the Psychological Wellbeing lead from Alopecia UK where we chat about the importance of raising awareness in a way that kids can relate to. Through their Talking About Alopecia animation, which features voices of children living with alopecia, alopecia awareness has been able to make a difference in a strong and unique way. Whether it's your first time listening or are here for a second time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you feel has made the biggest difference in your child's life, or in your own when you were in school. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2e23-back-to-school-with-alopecia-uk-young-animators-club/id1479093384?i=1000531058813This episode is sponsored by the Alopecia Roadmap for families. I developed this course over a year ago as I was working with parents of children living with alopecia. I was listening to similar situations and concerns come up time and time again, and felt an online course would be effective in reaching even more families and fitting into their busy schedules. Feel free to find out more by heading over to https://www.alopecialife.com/alopecia-areata-online-course/ If you're looking for more resources for school, you can navigate through the website to find videos, a list of books to take into the classroom, and other ways to continue to help your child, all free of charge. I've linked the Young Animator's Club, Alopecia UK, along with the Talking About Alopecia animation here for your convenience. https://younganimatorsclub.com/about-us/https://www.alopecia.org.uk/https://www.alopecia.org.uk/news/new-animation-film-talking-about-alopecia?fbclid=IwAR2gdqVxIneycTfMF0dq3JP7-ct_MvpT2eHblLrfO9idC_MWeLoXQXjQ3aASupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 It's that time of year again for kids as they head back to school. Going back to school is often one of the biggest pain points for families, especially if their child has been diagnosed during summer break. This is the first recap of 4 of our back-to-school episodes set up to remind us that even though we cannot control our child's hair loss, we do have the capability of making the education experience better for them, no matter how old they are. These episodes are all setting up for the release of our 5th year of Alopecia Life and the first episode being our back-to-school episode that will release on September 7th.Thank you again for Educator, Jennifer George for sharing her wisdom with all of us back in September 2019. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e002-back-to-school-with-jennifer-george/id1479093384?i=1000449494869This episode is sponsored by the Alopecia Roadmap course that has been designed specifically to navigate alopecia areata for families - whether it be for school, sports, doctor visits, and even things like family dynamics. To find out more, come on over to Alopecia Life to check it out!https://www.alopecialife.com/alopecia-areata-online-course/  Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's second episode of Teen Talk is with Abbee Tolman. As she shares her story with us, you may feel memories pop up around sharing about your own hair loss, friendships that have been gained and lost, and the strong sense of self that comes from living with alopecia. I feel lucky to be invited in to listen to Abbee's story, and I have a feeling you will be too. Let's welcome Abbee to Alopecia Life. Thank you so much for sharing your time with Abbee and me today. If you're a parent who has been wondering what the experience may be like for your child, Abbee's perspective gives us a peek into what it's like to live with alopecia at this age. Feel free to join us over on the Alopecia Life Facebook group to comment about your own experience of living with alopecia as a teenager. We'd love to hear your stories. If you would like to leave a comment for Abbee,you can do that over on FB or reach out on Instagram.Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. We are sitting outside on a perfect day in the Pacific Northwest at the second annual kids CAP camp out on Orcas Island. Today's guest is Brandon James.He is dad to Kennedi and AJ. Brandon's thoughts about Kennedi being viewed as different than other kids was at the top of his mind after hearing she had been diagnosed with alopecia. He's here to share the not-so-easy beginnings, and the journey to embracing Kennedi's alopecia and how he continues to encourage her fierce confidence.Brandon is a veteran law enforcement supervisor, and often teaches police-related courses which includes educating others about alopecia. In our first Stories from Camp episode a few weeks ago, you were introduced to Kennedi and her strength. and personality. Now, let's welcome Brandon to Alopecia Life. Thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. As always, your comments and questions are welcome over in the Alopecia Life Facebook group or on Instagram.Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Joyel Crawford. Some of you may have already watched her recent Tedx Talk. Others may have purchased her book "Show Your Ask" - Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career. It's very cool to see the many ways her work in leadership also relates to her alopecia diagnosis. Check out the show notes for all the awesome ways Joyel is impacting the career and leadership world. Thanks for joining us today for this fun conversation.  More about Joyel: Recently awarded for the third time as one of the Best Career Coaching Services in Philadelphia by Find My Profession in 2023, Joyel Crawford of Crawford Leadership Strategies grows leaders for a living. She is a Certified Professional Career Coach, Certified Virtual Presenter and Leadership Development Consultant, TEDx Speaker and the Amazon Bestselling author of “Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.” Before her consulting career, Joyel supported professionals within all functional groups for 18 years at Verizon Wireless. Throughout her career, she mainly worked in HR. Joyel hosts a podcast called “Career View Mirror®.” She also holds PHR,DISC, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Birkman Assessment certifications. Her career advice is featured in Forbes, Black Enterprise, The Wall Street Journal, Essence, Newsweek, and many more.Thank you for sharing your time with Joyel and me today. I want to thank Danielle, from the Humans of NY Interview back in season 2, who recommended I reach out to Joyel aftering watching her Tedx Talk. All the ways to follow, and connect with Joyel are here in the show notes. Come on over to the Facebook Alopecia Life group or on Instagram to comment about this episode. These are both great ways to keep the conversation about alopecia going. Website: https://www.crawfordleadership.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyelcrawfordTwitter: https://twitter.com/joyelcrawford Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrawfordLeadershipStrategiesLLCTEDx Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/joyel_crawford_why_we_should_go_bald_togetherLink to Book “Show Your Ask”: https://www.amazon.com/Show-Your-Ask-Advocate-Yourself/dp/B09HPKVTFPSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. I'm super excited to have two guest hosts, Abbee and Angelique interviewing Kennedi for today's stories from camp. I wanted to have teenagers interview the younger kids who felt comfortable sharing about their alopecia experience to gain a different perspective from them as a group. It couldn't have gone better, especially for it being their first time. Last episode, you got to know Angelique a little bit better, and Abbee's episode will be released very soon. Throughout the episode, Kennedi's personality shines through, and you can read more about her in the show notes. Please welcome Abbee, Angelique and Kennedi.*A little bit more about Kennedi from her dad, Brandon: "Kennedi is a proud alopecia areata bald girl! At 7-years-old, Kennedi attended her first alopecia conference at NAAF Seattle where she first met other kids with alopecia. After nearly a year of convincing her parents, Kennedi shaved her head completely bald. She is proud to rock her bald! Kennedi is now 11 and is preparing to begin middle school in the fall. Kennedi enjoys being social and active, and currently participates in hip hop dance class and jiu jitsu, and plans to participate in drama and theater programs in the fall. Kennedi is full of energy and sass, and completely loves her bald head!"Thank you for sharing your time with us today. As I edited and re-listened, I pictured them sitting there - openly sharing about their experience and so at ease. You can hear the birds chirping, and the children playing on the beach. 20, 30, 50 years ago, this wasn't something we would have heard. I'm so thankful for the change that has happened over time. So thankful that there is a space where kids and adults can feel free to no longer hide their feelings and experience with hair loss. I hope you enjoyed listening as much as I did. If you have questions or comments for the girls, come on over to the Alopecia Life Facebook group or on Instagram. I'm sure they'll be excited to see them.  Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this first episode of Alopecia Life - Teen Talk with our guest, Angelique Staggs. I am excited to have the perspective of teenagers on the podcast to share what living with alopecia looks and feels like for them. Angelique is one of the two guest hosts who interviewed children at CAP camp at the end of May, and I look forward to sharing those episodes with you very soon. Please welcome Angelique to Alopecia Life. Thank you for sharing your time with Angelique and me today. Feel free to comment over on the Alopecia Life Facebook group or on Instagram. Comments are super validating, and allows more guests to share their experiences with all of us. Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Some of you have been here from the beginning, and others have just recently discovered this podcast. Right now, I'm excited to be at the tailend of the 4th season. When I started, there were no podcasts dedicated specifically to alopecia that had any true longevity. It was so important to open up conversations about alopecia so that all of you would feel connected to the guests and the topics that surround alopecia. Alopecia Life has always focused on interviews with everyday folks just like you and me who are experiencing autoimmune hair loss, love someone with alopecia, and other inquiring minds who just want to find out more about it. I'm super excited to see more podcasts being released with hosts who have alopecia and who are continuing these conversations. More expansion in the space is so important and necessary. So today, I'll be sharing about what's new in podcasts for all of us living with alopecia. It's awesome and exciting to know there is room for more and that we each have something unique to offer. Today, I'm sharing about a few specific ones, but there are others who get honorable mention here in the links. Those Bald Chicks with hosts Kristen and Paige share about their own personal alopecia stories, along with ones from guests.They feature The Bald Pack Journals and add a lot of humor to their episodes. Alopecia Connection, with host Frank Cornine is also running strong. I appreciate that much of the focus, besides making connections while living with alopecia, are interviews with men and  boys. Historically, many of the resources, including books and other media focus on women and girls. So Frank's podcast is a fantastic opportunity for boys and men to hear stories that hit home.The Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation recently released Alopecia's Audacity podcast, with hosts Sara, Christal and Lauryn. Their tagline is A Breath of Fresh  Air from Those Without Hair.Rocking Your Bald with Jenn just came out last week, and the focus is on fun, encouraging and educational conversations about alopecia. I've linked all the shows here and a few others to make them easy to find. I know I appreciate all the support I receive from all of you, and know they will too. Listen to More Alopecia Life EpisodesThose Bald ChicksAlopecia ConnectionAlopecia's AudacityRocking Your BaldHair TherapyTalk Hair LossAwaken to Hair Growth with Alopecia AngelThe Women's Hair Loss ProjectSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Our guest today is Jamie Way. Last year, I noticed Jamie posting quite a bit about his young daughter's alopecia and how they were doing a deep dive into her health. We actually interviewed last year, and the recording ended up not being usable. It took us another year to record, and with that a lot more information has surfaced that we hope will be helpful to those of you wishing to explore some potential triggers. Their journey has not been an easy one, and listening to the interview really puts this in perspective. The intensity of wanting to know can often feel overwhelming, something that each of us can relate to after receiving a diagnosis for ourselves or our child. The questions, the research, the inability to sit and wait and ultimately accept there's nothing else to be done is a hard pill to swallow. After lab work, pharmaceuticals, and natural treatments - whatever families decide to do, they often take a break, a breath, and wonder what's next? Autoimmunity is so complex. Do we throw everything we have at it? Do we change our diet? Do we just sit with it and solely work on building confidence? For Jamie and his family, it became his mission to find his daughter's triggers, and he shares them with all of us today.Thank you for sharing your time with Jamie and me today. Throughout the interview, Jamie mentioned mentors who helped guide them, along with an article he wrote for Change The Air Foundation. He also has a website where he provides resources for testing should you wish to go that route. All of those links are here in the show notes. Jamie's discovery of a toxic home led them on an arduous, yet fulfilling journey of healing that he wouldn't trade for the world. Realistically, we understand that jumping through all the hoops of healthcare, paying for all of these tests independently are cost-prohibitive for many of us. I appreciate that Jamie shares all of this with us, and encourages first steps to be testing your own body to initially keep the costs down. Change the Air Foundation Alopecia ArticleSimply Toxic Guide to Heal ToxicityToxic - Book by Neil Nathan--Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. In past seasons, I've interviewed authors of books with characters who have alopecia or are written by authors with alopecia. Today, in this author spotlight, I'm talking with Marciano Flores and Mathew Flores. You may recognize Marciano's voice from an episode we did last month, and he is here to share about his first of hopefully many chapter books that feature his family and upbringing, and includes a character who is living with alopecia. I'll let Marciano and Mathew tell you more. Thanks again for sharing your time with Marciano, Mathew and me today. You can find ways to connect with both of them or purchase a copy from the links in the show notes. https://www.instagram.com/el_panzon2023/https://www.facebook.com/marciano.flores.18--Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and today's guest, Rebecca Saunders. Rebecca is known as video ninja in the digital world, and the impact she has made in this space has grown exponentially in the last few years. Today, she shares with us her alopecia story, along with some great advice about living authentically and "leaning into the uniqueness of you." Of course, there are some fantastic tips on how to share your own alopecia story through video in a way that features you in this same authentic way. Thank you for listening. For all the ways to reach Rebecca, please check out the show notes for those links. Website: rebeccasaunders.comSocials: LinkedIn | InstagramSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to Alopecia Life. Throughout generations, families are often presented with opportunities to change the way things were done before, by having a similar experience present itself. Many times, it's handled in the same exact way, and other times it's handled in a completely different way based on new information, and a sense that there could be a more positive outcome if we make new decisions. Today, I have an amazing family who not only share a common bond of living with alopecia through several generations, but also one that includes and shares culture, traditions, and coming of age experiences with all of us throughout this episode. Please welcome Marciano Flores & Stephanie Munos-Flores, Briana Munos-Flores, Ed, Vanessa and Bella Vargas. To read more about each of today's guests, their abbreviated bios can be found here in the notes. Feel free to comment/ask questions over at our Alopecia Life FB community where complete bios can be found, or over on Instagram.Briana: Briana was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at the age of 4. After a few tries with herbal remedies and topical creams, her and her family decided to let her bald head fly free. Briana's parents knew someone that had alopecia, which helped them understand what Briana had and made it easier to choose how to raise her. Briana is bald and proud. She has never felt ashamed of her head or felt the need to hide it. The confidence she built after her diagnosis has helped her pursue a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a masters from USC. She has worked in multiple universities, and has found her passion in helping students find their path in college.Bella: When I was about 7 years old, I started to get bald patches which was the first sign of my alopecia. They progressively worsened, and being the carefree 3rd grader I was- shaved my head and started 4th grade bald. I was not so concerned or conscious about my head until I grew older, and filterless children of course eventually said something. Going into middle school, I began experimenting with wigs and became very self-conscious until the start of high school and I decided to not wear wigs any more. With my decision to not wear wigs any more, I also decided to get micro-bladed eyebrows which were previously drawn on. Having to draw in my eyebrows was hard especially because I wouldn't be able to leave the house unless they were perfect. Throughout high school, however, I have become more confident in my alopecia and choose to not wear hats or a wig in certain places. The place I feel less confident though is school. I still go beanie-less every now and then, especially with my junior ROTC, but not every day. Eduardo:  I am Isabella Margarita Vargas' Father. I had no idea what alopecia was until Bella the alopecia was here. When this all started we were bombarded with advice and ways to "fix" this. From home remedies to very prominent doctor recommendations...Vanessa:  I was 1st introduced to alopecia as a kid, my cousin Marciano had a daughter, Briana. I do remember her with hair when she was little and a transformation over the years from hats and head coverings to nothing at all by the time she was in High School... Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today, our guest is Alyssa Carpenter. On social media, you may know her as Clean Conscious Bald Beauty. Alyssa is a proud wife, entrepreneur, and alopecia warrior of over 10 years. As both an Alopecia Awareness and Clean Beauty Advocate, she uses her platform to share her passion for learning & educating about unnecessary toxins in our everyday world. After getting a diagnosis of alopecia, many of us jump to cleaning up our diet, looking to eliminate harmful foods that may be causing inflammation. One thing that many of us don't even consider is what we are putting on our bodies. Today, Alyssa gives us some helpful hints on ways to easily start a practice of clean and conscious living.Thank you for sharing your time with Alyssa and me today. For ways to find out more about Alyssa, toxin-free living, and about Crunchi products, check out the show notes for all those links. www.cleanconsciousbaldbeauty.comShop Crunchi: www.crunchi.com/alyssacollierIG: @cleanconsciousbaldbeautyFB: Alyssa CarpenterFB Group: Clean Conscious Bald BeautyThese resources can also be helpful getting started:www.safecosmetics.orgewg.orgYuka (app)Think Dirty (app)Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Summer Yang. When Summer developed alopecia in kindergarten, she also met one of her best friends. Years later, when they were both experiencing hair loss - one from alopecia, and the other from leukemia - their friendship became even stronger from their shared experiences. Summer is here today to share about her alopecia, along with the Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Her campaign ends on Friday, March 10th.Summer is a sophomore in high school who finds a passion in learning multiple languages. She enjoys reading, traveling, listening to music and shopping for the perfect jacket. After school, she volunteers with the Asian Hall of Fame, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and AAPA (Asian American Professional Association), while preparing for her fundraising campaign for Student Visionaries of the Year with LLS (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). In her free time, she creates YouTube videos on her Channel, Worship Asian Drama, focused on various Chinese and Korean drama suggestion lists and Chinese phrase tutorials.She hopes to share her story to inspire other girls to love themselves for who they are. She wishes to spread confidence and support within the community and create a safe environment to talk about alopecia.Thank you for sharing your time with Summer and me today. For those who would like to support the campaign or reach out to Summer with questions, those links can be found here in the show notes. It's awesome to see how much time, energy, and passion she has put into this, and I know she will appreciate hearing from you.  Fundraiser: https://events.lls.org/calso/svoyla23/syangi LLS' link: www.lls.orgsummeryang.lls@gmail.comSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Thank you so much for sharing your time with Alopecia Life today. Our guest is Erica Vargas. Erica is a relationship expert who went on a journey of self-love, self-discovery, and self-worth to support people to reveal and claim their heart's truest desire. Although this particular episode is lined up right near Valentine's day, love and relationships is a topic that resonates with us any time of the year. Throughout the episode, Erica shares about the importance of activating healthy relationships, especially when we are living with something, like alopecia, that often shifts who we are within those existing relationships with a partner, family members, and friends. Whether you're already in a relationship, looking to attract someone new, or wanting to know how to help your child as they approach dating in the future, this episode has some phenomenal advice for looking inward as a first step to a healthy relationship. Thank you for listening today. Throughout this episode, I shared a little more about my relationship with my husband, Cedar, than I ever have before. As I spoke to Erica, I realized there was a component of being "lucky" so-to-speak, to be with someone who gets me and was understanding of these changes that were happening. Although I actively chose someone who was compassionate and I thought knew could love me through anything, I don't think any of us really knows what loss of self really does to a relationship until it happens. The words "grace period" and "allowed" are ones that can be triggering for some. Is there a time limit on figuring it out? Not really. Whether we call it a grace period, or a period of growth, it's all the same - time that we each take to re-assess as we move forward. If our partner is with us through this process, they are also doing the dance as we figure it all out. I love the advice that Erica gives, saying "I don't know what this is going to look like, or how long this is going to take." There's so much power in saying, "I don't know." and having those around us patiently wait until we do.For those who are interested in working with Erica, she has a free masterclass coming up in just a few days, on January 23rd. She also has a February workshop that starts on February 12th. All those links are here in the show notes. Erica is happy to answer any questions by DM on Instagram or by email too. January 23rde - https://erica-vargas.mykajabi.com/man-menu-masterclassFebruary Workshop - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaovargas/Email: erica@ericaovargas.comSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this first Alopecia Life episode of 2023. Today, our guest is Natalie Diasti. We talk about one bold experience that many of us have already gone through, and one that so many others are still wanting to have, but just don't quite know how. The first time we choose to publicly be out in the world without anything on our head. The questions of, "What will people think?" or "How will they respond?" are all still there, but so is the perfect timing that sometimes calls to each of us. That moment that says, "If I don't do it now, I might never do it at all." This interview was filled with the realness of the moments of preparing to go out. The doubts that creep in, and that twist of emotions that builds that we are all so familiar with when learning to walk in the world in this new way. I'm so thankful Natalie chose to share her experience here with all of us on Alopecia Life today.*More from Natalie - "Hello there! “MOM!” is what my kids call me, but you can call me Natalie. I am an artist and a writer living in beautiful Tampa, Florida. I enjoy photographing nature, laughing with my improv friends and movie nights with my family. I love a good adventure just as much as I love some good snacks in bed with Netflix. I am what I call, the “back row kid.” In a stadium full of people, I have always loved to slink my way into the back row, unseen, and observe. Being a six foot tall woman has not made my “blend in with the crowd” lifestyle very easy. Now I am a bald, six foot tall woman and pretty much forced to get out there and not be ashamed or embarrassed of who I truly am. Throughout my alopecia journey I have often heard myself say, “this is not ME.” It's true, being bald is not me, but being bold IS and I am slowly learning how to move myself from the back row to the stage. Being bald does not define me. Being bold does. Funny how becoming bald has reminded me who I truly am and forced me to come out of my shell. I always try to find the silver lining in things and alopecia has made that rather hard. Negatives aside, I have learned that I don't need hair. I may want it, but I don't need it. No one does. Unless you live in the Arctic, then you would benefit from it. I am more than hair. You are more than hair. Looks do not define me. My actions, the way I treat others, my attitude, my heart and the way I live my life defines me. My hope is to take a bad situation, toss some glitter on it and brighten someone else's dark day. My Instagram is nellid11 and I would love to connect with you."After listening to this interview, I think we can all agree that sometimes it's not a one and done experience. It's a personalized process that each of us gets to decide on, without pressure from our co-workers, best friends, or family. It's completely up to us in our own time. I've heard thousands of stories of these first moments, and each of them is so special even if it didn't turn out the way we had hoped. I remember the first time I said to myself, "It's gotta be now." I was actually driving down to California to the NAAF conference with my daughter, my sister, and my mom. It was the first time anyone would be seeing my newly published book, Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. I did feel a sense of accountability... Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

It's the end of 2022. However you celebrate this holiday season, I'm wishing you happy memories and good company. Alopecia Life is taking a short break until January, and I look forward to sharing new episodes with you then.Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to Alopecia Life and part 2 of the Iron Protocol interview with Caitlyn Hartigan. Many of you have already gone over to the FB page to read the protocols, check your symptoms, understand what lab work to ask for, and how to read that lab work. Others have started looking at the information, and even more have started to wonder what ferritin has to do with their fatigue and anxiety. Thank you for hanging tight as we waited to release this next episode. At the end of the last one, Caitlyn was telling us about the myriad of symptoms that come with an iron deficiency, and she continues with that right here.Thanks again for listening to the 2nd part of the series on Iron, and for asking questions and looking for answers. As many of us do, including myself, sometimes we wait until a crash happens to spur us into action. Keep this information and resource in your back pocket for future reference for yourself, a friend, or a family member. You never know when you might need it. Caitlyn and I discussed future episodes covering a specific topic around iron, and we would love to hear from you about what that might look like. Come on over to the FB Alopecia Life group or @alopecialifecoach on Instagram to ask any questions and share your iron story. The links to find out more are here in the show notes. https://theironprotocol.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/3412143085483810https://www.instagram.com/theironprotocol/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this 2 part series of Alopecia Life around the topic of iron deficiency. A couple years ago, living with "low iron" caught up with me. I found myself unable to do simple tasks like walk my dog, go up a flight of stairs without feeling like my heart was beating out of my chest, and I had an incessant cough that wouldn't go away. I soon discovered that my Iron had dipped to an alarmingly low level, but there was more to the story than I realized. I didn't fit the puzzle pieces together until April of this year when my symptoms resurfaced, with additional ones that were perplexing. I had seen multiple general health care providers and a hematologist, and we still hadn't identified what the cause was. I'd been given a standard suggestion on how to take iron, every other day with some orange juice. It just wasn't cutting it. I soon found the Iron Protocol (for Iron Deficiency with or without anemia) on Facebook, and it was a total lightbulb moment. I had always wondered why I had low iron, and also why it didn't seem to ever bother my doctors over the years. I also wondered if it was deficient because I had two autoimmune conditions? Was it a factor in these conditions? I'm pleased to have Caitlyn Hartigan here to share what the Iron Protocol is, what ferritin is, how to identify some of the signs of low ferritin, how iron moves through our body, and quite a bit more. We've broken it down into two separate episodes because it's a lot of information, and we wanted to have time for questions that may have come up between episodes.This is a reminder that neither me or Caitlyn are medical professionals. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Let's welcome Caitlyn Hartigan to Alopecia Life.Thank you for listening to this first episode talking about iron and ferritin. After our interview, I jumped on the support pages I run and am part of and asked questions of the group members living with alopecia or who have a child with alopecia. For the past decade I've heard a large percentage of folks living with alopecia areata saying they had low iron. So it didn't surprise me that the poll revealed over 42% mentioned they have "low iron", and that a good portion of the group didn't know what ferritin is, or even that some had high iron. I hope those of you with iron and ferritin issues have your wheels turning, know what questions to ask of your healthcare providers, and are feeling hopeful. To find out more about Caitlyn and to check out the protocols on Facebook, the website, or to follow on Instagram, check out the links provided here in the show notes. https://theironprotocol.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/3412143085483810https://www.instagram.com/theironprotocol/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Thank you for spending your time with me and our guest, Angel Rosario, Jr., today. Angel was born and raised in Chicago. Both of his parents were born and raised in Puerto Rico. He started acting back in 2015, and credits his distinct look and presence that have given him amazing opportunities to alopecia. This interview was filled with a lot of laughter, moments of seriousness, insights about coping mechanisms while living with alopecia, and so much more. Angel's dog, Icee and my dog, Noodle both did some voice work throughout the episode.There's a lot of work that goes into pre and post production of a podcast. There are times when I am listening to a guest where I have a burning follow-up question and the moment passes by. After the interview, I may ask them these questions. When he said, everybody told him he just needed to "ignore them," I wanted to know what he got from that experience, or what he wished he would have heard. He sent a message on to all of us toward the end credits.Thanks again for listening. To find Angel on social media, you can find those links in the show notes. Check out his previous roles in Chicago Med, Mayans MC, Law & Order SVU. You'll be seeing a lot more of him this year, with the recent release of Black Adam & Cobra Kai,  and a still yet to be known hush hush project. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelrosariojr/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelRosarioJr91IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7639977/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

 Today's guest, VJ Hamilton, shares about her journey with multiple autoimmune conditions, and how it led her to pursue a combined passion of science, nutrition, and helping others as an autoimmunity nutritionist. The conversation took a couple twists and turns around the gut, cellular health, and an online community where others with autoimmunity can share their tips, tricks and bounce ideas off of each other. *More about VJ:  After 25 years of suffering from multiple autoimmune conditions that affected her energy, skin, hair and joints, VJ discovered after studying immunology, Functional Medicine and training as a Nutritionist that by uncovering the root cause of her issues, she was able to transform her health, and now lives free of symptoms.VJ now uses these same principles in her nutritional therapy clinic, The Autoimmunity Nutritionist, to help strong-willed women with autoimmune disease regain their strength and live a whole and symptom-free life. VJ is a keen health writer and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Telegraph, Glamour magazine, and many health magazines. VJ has also co-authored a book with other wellbeing therapists, called Empowerment in Health & Wellness, which provides practical wellness tips to thrive after a life challenge. In her free time, VJ seeks out culinary experience at home and away, and loves to recreate dishes at home with her friends and family. VJ is dedicated to her two twin pups and enjoys long walks in the country, Pilates practice, and singing with her local choir.Thank you for listening to today's episode. To learn more about VJ, join her online community, or be part of her self-paced online or LIVE Hair Growth Reviver Program which happens twice a year, check out the show notes for those links below. Feel free to ask any questions or comment in the Alopecia Life podcast FB group or on Instagram. VJ is tagged in those posts.Website: http://www.theautoimmunitynutritionist.com/Hair Growth Reviver Program: https://bit.ly/HairgrowthreviverFB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theautoimmunitycommunitieIG: https://www.instagram.com/theautoimmunitynutritionist/Support the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, ...

Today's guest is Jannica Olin. You may remember her from a bonus episode back in Season 1. I am so glad to have her back, talking about an exciting opportunity where she will perform her one-woman show, (IM) Perfekt next week in NY City. Jannica is a Swedish born actress and TEDx speaker, and is known as Hollywood's Bald Blonde. I'm super excited to share this interview with you, and to have you learn more about all Jannica is doing to encourage her audience to examine disempowering thoughts about identity, beauty and labels. *More About Jannica - A graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, Jannica has worked extensively in theatre, film, commercials and music videos in the US, UK, Australia and Sweden. In 2014, Jannica lost all her hair to Alopecia and went on an inward journey of finding her place in the world again, as a woman, and as an actor. What she uncovered through that journey, led to the TEDx Talk; Welcome To My New Normal, and centers around the idea: If I Am Not My Body, Who Am I? - when that which defines you is gone.Jannica's journey with Alopecia also inspired the one-woman show; (IM)PERFEKT which had its world premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2019 to sold-out houses and took home the Producers's Encore Award; the Critics' Choice Award and the Audience Choice Award, as well as a nomination for The Diverse Diva Award by The Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. (IM)PERFEKT has been invited to perform twice at Santa Monica Playhouse, and at the 28th annual Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. Jannica received a BroadwayWorld Regional Theatre Award nomination in 2020 for Performer of The Decade and Production Of The Decade. In 2017, Jannica was nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal's Women's Summit; an event that recognizes and honors outstanding professional women who have made significant contributions to their professions and the Los Angeles community.Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you happen to be in NY city or the surrounding areas, and want to go see Jannica's show next week on Friday, October 14th - the United Solo ticket sale link is here in the show notes for your convenience. To learn more about Jannica, watch her Tedx Talk, or read her interview with the Hollywood Reporter, check out the show notes below for all those links. I've also attached a link for Andy Grammar's music video, "Damn It Feels Good to be Me" where Jannica is featured being all she's worked to become. What a fun video to watch.Tickets to (IM)PERFEKT in United Solo: https://unitedsolo.org/imperfekt/Instagram: @jannica.olinwebsite: www.jannicaolin.comTEDx talk: https://youtu.be/rbyzkul4JIkInterview with the Hollywood Reporter: "Actress Jannica Olin Shares Her Personal Journey Living With Alopecia: “How Can This Become My Superpower?”https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/actress-jannica-olin-alopecia-imperfekt-1235127608/Watch Jannica's TEDx talk here: https://youtu.be/rbyzkul4JIkYouTube - Damn It Feels Good to be Me (Official Andy Grammar Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDza6TCO-RA Support the show

Many of you have been listening to Alopecia Life since the beginning, and others have just started sharing time with us. Thank you so much for being here. Each guest that comes onto the show is meant to give you, as a listener, some insight into their alopecia experience, and to let you know you're not alone. I love hearing back from those of you who have mentioned how helpful a certain conversation with a podcast guest has been, or that hearing about a product we mentioned has been a game-changer for you. Some of you know about my own alopecia areata experience, especially if you've already read my story in a book I published called, "Head-On, Stories of Alopecia." In the publishing world, it's now an ancient book after being out for over 7 years. But I think it's timeless in the world of alopecia. Shared stories and photos of people from all over the world living with autoimmune hair loss. Another way to connect when we feel so alone, want to learn more, and are looking  to have a helpful resource that is both educational and healing. As I hear about challenges people with alopecia or their loved ones are experiencing, I try to help resolve deep-rooted problems that are contributing to those experiences. Finding solutions for kids and parents who are experiencing problems on the playground or in school, allows for significant systemic change to happen within the educational system while working with families, teachers, and school adminstration. Calling and speaking to the senior policy advisor for TSA to find out what the process is for removing hats, or wigs at airports was highly enlightening, and I enjoyed hearing that this medical condition liason was interested in helping those in the alopecia community who fear not only the security line at the airport, but traveling all together. When a student soccer player is asked by a referee to remove their scarf in front of their teammates, a stadium full of people, and their opponents because it is a "rule". A rule that doesn't exist in the rule books or has been enforced for over a decade of playing for this child gets me...fired...up. This type of experience where someone is made to feel embarassed moves me, to where the only thing I can do is make a change so others don't have to deal with ignorant and blatant made up "rules."  That's what I'm working on this week, and the types of important issues I will continue to work on to serve the alopecia community and their support systems. I tend to be very quiet in what I'm doing. Writing a book, starting a podcast. I've even recently launched a course for parents and caregivers called the Alopecia Roadmap. Did any of you guys know that? I'm super proud to have a resource that can be accessed online, at any time to parents as they are seeking ways to navigate autoimmune hair loss with their child. It's a how-to guide to do alopecia. Not my way, but your way by accessing all the pieces of you and your child that make it possible to have alopecia be the best it can be. I cover a multitude of topics throughout the course. Things like how to talk about alopecia with family and friends; tried and true methods on how to decide on treatments, wigs, and alopecia-related decision making; how to create a comfortable school experience; and how to let your child lead all of this no matter how old they are.  My parents didn't have the types of resources that are availble today. These days, parents have more access to all sorts of information, to hair loss specialists, to a number of possible treatments and remedies. But you know what? The fear and sadness parents are feeling isn't so different than what my own parents once felt. It's time to realize you have access to ways to feel empowered to make a difference right now. You don't have to wait years to figure it all out as things Support the show

 It's still Alopecia Awareness Month, and what better way to spend it than with our guest,  Abby Wren, today. Abby is a creative makeup artist and outspoken advocate for inclusivity throughout the beauty industry, media, and beyond. For those of you who have seen her work, you might already know that her signature bald look has become her iconic canvas as she transforms herself into colorful, mind-blowing creations and characters. I won't share much more with you here in the intro because I want you to hear it from her during the interview. Here's today's episode. Random fun facts about Abby:- She and her fiancé got engaged this year, and gets to marry the absolute love and obsession of her life, Wade Holland, next year! She can't wait to be a bald bride!- originally lost her hair to alopecia totalis in 2006, it grew back and fell out several times before growing back almost completely, then fell out again entirely in 2018. She still get small cycles of regrowth, but not much.- She offers makeup workshops and tutorials for others with alopecia for free!- She used to have red hair before alopecia- She loves lemon EVERYTHING!- She just won a national eyebrow competition, (Benefit Brow Search) without having any eyebrows!Thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. All Abby's social links are listed here in the show notes, along with additional press articles that have been written about her. I've also attached some of the links for the products she mentioned throughout the interview. For anyone who has been inspired by the crazy hair day or Halloween suggestions to go all out, we would love to have you share your photos here with us.  Social Media:- Instagram: @abbywrenartistry- TikTok: @abbywrenartistry- YouTube: @abbywrenEverything About AbbyPress:Medium ArticleRefinery 29Mozilla FirefoxProduct Links:Mehron Paradise PaletteLatex Free Eyelash GlueGoof Proof Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil - BenefitPOWMade Brow Pomade - Benefit--Support the show

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. September is Alopecia Awareness Month, and today's guest is Frank Cornine. Frank was a teenager when his hair started falling out. Affter a decade, he found a local support group, and soon realized there wasn't something that specifically shed light on alopecia and what boys and men were specifically experiencing. Frank started the Alopecia Connection podcast earlier this year, and is looking forward to sharing interviews with men and boys, and others who are living with alopecia in order to connect each other through story. *More about Frank. - Frank Cornine is the host of Alopecia Connection, an interview-based podcast highlighting the stories of people living with alopecia.  Living in the Boston area, Frank has had alopecia universalis for over 20 years, beginning at the age of 17.  Frank began Alopecia Connection as a platform to publish a wide variety of alopecia stories to help those new to or struggling with the condition.  In his experience, discussing our shared experiences and connecting is a key component to moving through the feelings of isolation that can come with alopecia. Thank you for sharing your time with me and Frank today. The links to his socials and to his podcast are listed here in the show notes. Instagram: https:/www.instagram.com/alopecia_connection Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/alopeciaconnect Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/alopeciaconnection  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alopeciaconnection Email: alopeciaconnection@gmail.comAlopecia Connection Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alopecia-connection/id1623000711Support the show

Trigger Warning:  We discuss suicide in relationship to bullying within this episode. This is our back to school episode of Alopecia Life. It's the beginning of the school year here in the US, and for many of us around the world. Every year, I hear from parents whose children are new to alopecia. Starting school is a huge topic of discussion in my coaching. Questions like, "How do we share about alopecia in the classroom." and "How do we get the school to allow my child to wear a hat." In previous back-to-school episodes, we've covered topics like these, and I'll definitely put those links here in the show notes. I recently did a poll of over 6500 parents, where I asked what the biggest concerns were when starting school. Over half of the responses were around the topic of bullying. It's one that many of us are familiar with, and has recently been in the forefront in our alopecia community. Today's guest is Nate Webb, a resiliency trainer, a professional School counselor, and a certified digital safety educator. Nate endured relentless bullying as a kid. Bullies and social media almost ruined his life. Drawing from his experiences and from his studies as a professional school counselor and digital safety educator, he passionately educates schools about the dangers of social media, and how to transform their culture into a culture of kindness. Throughout today's interview, Nate and I talk about how to identify bullying when it's happening, what steps we can take as kids and parents at home and at school, and we also share some insight into what causes bullying. In this episode, we also discuss suicide in response to bullying. Please know that is not the main topic of discussion, but it may be triggering for some. instagram: @bulliesbe.gone email bullies.speaker@gmail.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-kindness-bullies-be-gone-podcast/id1507787925Alopecia Life Back to School Episodes:  https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e002-back-to-school-with-educator-jennifer-george/id1479093384?i=1000449494869https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e035-words-of-wisdom-from-a-9-year-old-back-to/id1479093384?i=1000490016344https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2e23-back-to-school-with-alopecia-uk-young-animators-club/id1479093384?i=1000531058813Support the show

 Welcome back to Alopecia Life and season 4. It's so great to be back, sharing about topics that are important to those of us living with autoimmune hair loss. I've been on a brief hiatus as I've been working on releasing a course for parents and caregivers of children living with alopecia. If you haven't yet checked out my website https://www.alopecialife.com/, feel free to head on over there to see what it's all about. I'm super excited to release episodes this season. Guests are always phenomenal, and I know they provide such great insight as they share their stories with all of us. I love talking about alopecia now, but throughout my life, as I lived with different levels of hair loss, I didn't want to talk about it at all. That all changed, when I met a group of friends who were living with alopecia too. Connection is important, for everyone, really. I know the last few years has really put that into perspective for the entire population. Connection to others, to not feeling alone, and so much more.No-one looks at what I do and wonders, "Gee. Why does she do this?" But some may wonder why I put my energy into very specific things. Head-On, Stories of Alopecia is 7 years old. I can't believe it's been out there for so long. When I didn't see a book that could provide inspiring stories and beautiful photos of people around the world living with alopecia - I knew it had to be done. When I was looking for podcasts that opened up conversations around alopecia and I didn't find something that fit - I decided to release one. Publishing a book and releasing a podcast didn't come easy for me. I knew nothing about either of them, and undeniably...they both had a steep learning curve. I had strong doubts, which I think was more about my evolving alopecia confidence, than anything else. Never talking about it, to always talking about it, and encouraging others to share their own stories so that each of us can help each other grow has become something that feeds my soul. To make those deep connections with text on the page or a voice through the airwaves. It's now part of who I am. Now, I'm adding something new. Something I care so deeply about that it's taken me over a year to create. My parents, who are awesome, didn't have a clue about alopecia. As we talked about before, there were very few to no resources when I was diagnosed. Over the last several years, as I've coached and mentored families, I've consistently heard the same questions and concerns that my own parents felt when I was diagnosed. I started wondering how I could help multiple people at once - families and children who were feeling lost, confused, and very alone. What would have helped my parents? What would have helped me and my sisters? How could I make it easier for these families so they didn't ultimately have to learn all of it on their own over several years or decades? Sometimes, we have to learn on our own to make the experience a better one. In this case, this added knowledge only gives you powerful options, a way forward in ways that make sense for you, your family, and your child. If we could have had a how-to model of doing alopecia, this would have been it. The Alopecia Roadmap course gives you video lessons that explain key knowledge, skills & resources, checklists to help navigate the first day of school, traveling, and doctor's appointments, and so much more. There are messages and knowledge from alopecia mentors, with a cameo appearance from Anthony Carrigan. Parents who have gone through the struggles have shared their letters to school and their insight about what to do in difficult situations so that you can be one step ahead. With anything I do, it's always a collaborative effort, and I'm so thankful for all who contributed their time and energy intoSupport the show

Welcome to Alopecia Life. Normally, I would have an episode releasing this week, but I've been so busy with an exciting upcoming project that I decided to take a short break. I want to thank you for listening in as the episodes are released, and look forward to resuming all of this very, very soon. If you are hoping to hear more about a certain topic, a product, or from an amazing person living with alopecia, please let me know by direct messaging me. Support the show

 Welcome to another episode of Alopecia Life with Integrative Nutrition & Gut Health Coach, Lisa Taylor. Last October, Lisa shared about gut makeovers and autoimmunity. Since then, Lisa and I have been wanting to connect again to share some lifestyle tools to add into our healing journey. The importance of self-care is often overlooked as we are going about our busy lives, and Lisa is here again to help us implement healthy habits into our daily routine. Thanks so much for spending your time with us today on Alopecia Life. Lisa took the time to prepare all of this information, just for Alopecia Life listeners, and it means a lot to have some ways to intentionally move forward with ease. The apps and sites Lisa mentioned to analyze skincare ingredients, along with Lisa's contact information, website, and the 20% discount she is extending for Alopecia Life listeners are all here in the show notes for your convenience. Free DIY Regrowth Recipes: yourbestlifewithlisa.ck.page/alopecialifeselfcare Ready to reclaim your health? Learn more about Lisa's 10-Week Alopecia Warrior Healing Collective program:  https://www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com/healing-collectiveInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbestlifewithlisa/Meditation Apps:https://www.headspace.com/https://insighttimer.com/Skincare:https://www.skincarisma.com/ingredient-analyzerhttps://thinkdirtyapp.com/https://www.ewg.org/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life.The past few weeks have been ones full of awareness around alopecia areata. It's brought to light more than we ever could have anticipated, especially around the complicated relationship amongst the black community and hair loss. This interview was scheduled months ago to be released today. Our guest deeply connects with the topic with understanding, representation, and also one of passion. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is an activist, a legislator, a survivor, and the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Throughout her career, she has fought to ensure that those closest to the pain are closest to the power - driving and informing policymaking. In Congress, she has been a champion for justice and healing. She has also turned her experience living with alopecia into action, becoming a leading voice fighting to raise awareness and support for the alopecia community across the nation.Congresswoman Pressley currently serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Committee on Financial Services. Prior to being elected to Congress, she served on the Boston City Council for eight years, and was the first woman of color elected to the council in its 100-year history. Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life today. We appreciate the time you've taken, to not only listen to Ayanna Pressley's personal experience of living with alopecia, but also of what we can do to make a difference for the alopecia community at large. To get in touch, follow Representative Pressley on social media, and to learn more about the Medical Wigs Act and Crown Act, those links are all here in the show notes, along with her interview with the Root. https://www.theroot.com/exclusive-rep-ayanna-pressley-reveals-beautiful-bald-1841039847Medical Wigs Acthttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/09/ayanna-pressley-fighting-for-medicare-to-cover-wigshttps://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/pressley-mcgovern-colleagues-honor-alopecia-areata-awareness-month-unveil-billCROWN Acthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3WoI6-AIpUhttps://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/video-rep-pressley-speaks-alopecia-areata-awareness-month-and-house-passagehttps://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-pressley-watson-coleman-lee-omar-moore-seek-support-vp-harris-passageSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Sheridan Ruth. She is both an alopecia coach and yoga therapist, and supports women with alopecia in their journey to feel more self-acceptance, step into their true power, and radiate confidence. Since losing her hair at 7 years old, Sheridan battled self-doubt, anxiety, insecurity, trauma, body image and mental health challenges. For years she felt disconnected from her body and inner wisdom and felt like she was searching for answers. She began to make her way through the challenges and into empowerment using yoga, meditation, and other mind-body practices. Through years of study, she built a deep understanding of the connection between the mind and body and has cultivated her own unique methodology that unites esoteric teachings with evidence-based western sciences, such as psychology.Today she is motivated to support women who are looking for internal and external confidence and ready to use holistic practices that create lasting change in their lives.Throughout the episode, we talk a lot about building confidence, and not only how it relates to our alopecia experience but our experience as humans who don't always have the tools to put into practice when anxiety and challenging life experiences come into play. We also share what is new with her practice, and where you can reach out to learn more. Thank you for sharing your time with us today. All of the ways to reach Sheridan can be found here in the show notes. www.sheridanruth.com - website www.sheridanruth.com/aca - alopecia coaching www.instagram.com/_sheridanruth_ - Instagram Free toolbox: pages.sheridanruth.com/empowerbundle   Work with Sheridan and participate in Acceptance & Confidence Ascension www.sheridanruth.com/aca Wisdom of Anxiety https://amzn.to/3JVksN6Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Thanks for listening to Alopecia Life today.  For the past 2 years, the month of March seems to bring an opportunity to share about very cool projects. This year, we have something that is time sensitive, and I wanted to make sure we all had an opportunity to share the project, especially before the end of March.Our guest today is Janessa St. Pierre. Janessa studied Film Studies at Concordia University in 2015 and then transferred to Capilano University for certification in Motion Picture Arts in 2017. She has been working in the film industry since then, and her goal is to ground all her stories and work in truth authenticity. I'll let her share more about who she is and what her latest project is.Thank you for listening to today's episode with Janessa St. Pierre. Her linktree is listed here to find her website, the crowdfunding project, and much more. Supporting a project like this continues to help raise awareness for the alopecia community as a whole. If you're able, I know she would appreciate any support you are able to provide. Keep in touch & follow her on social to see how the project is progressing. All those links have been provided here in the show notes.  https://linktr.ee/hairornohairhttps://seedandspark.com/fund/hairornohair#storyhttps://www.instagram.com/janessastpierre/https://www.instagram.com/hair.ornohair/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Thank you for sharing your time with me and guest, Teresa Younkin today on Alopecia Life. I met Teresa at a conference last year. We were talking about healthcare reform and what she does, and I was super impressed. What started out as personal advocacy for her family has led to something more expansive around healthcare. Teresa is super excited about the health information exchange, and she shares more about that with us today, along with how to ask for what we want to make the most of our doctor's appointments. Her life mission is to leave the healthcare industry in a better way than she found it, and she's certainly succeeding. Thank you for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. Check out the show notes for all the resources Teresa has provided, informing us about what has been put in place since the beginning of the year, along with what is coming up. If you have additional questions about what we talked about today, her contact information is here too.https://teresayounkin.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresayounkin/https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/new-protections-for-youhttps://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/understanding-costs-in-advancehttps://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/notices-you-may-get-whether-you-should-sign-themThis is a link to the form referenced in the link above: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/notice-and-consent-form-example.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/understanding-costs-in-advancehttps://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/payment-disagreements  This is important if you are paying for medications or services that are not covered and you are paying for them out of pocket.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life, and for sharing your time with me and our guest, Susan McLemore, today. A couple months ago, I was searching for something on Facebook, and I discovered Susan and a really cool thing she organized. I wanted to find out more, and we were both excited to talk about the community that supported her family after they were diagnosed with alopecia. I hear so often, after children are diagnosed, that parents want to do something, anything really...to support their child. They feel helpless and confused, and they want their child to be seen as amazing kids, not as someone who is lacking in any way. In this situation, a bond with a student led to building community around alopecia, and Susan's here to talk about it with us today.Thank you for listening today. If you're interested in finding out how to organize a ponytail cut-a-thon, Susan's contact information is here in the show notes. susanmclemore@gmail.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Today, our guest is Chel Campbell, who in 2010 after 12 years of being a parent of a son living with alopecia, led her to create the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation and build on her passion for unconditional acceptance and appearance diversity. In today's episode, we discuss the how and why behind AAAF, what they are looking to accomplish this year, how they've adjusted their outreach during the pandemic, and how she hopes that one day in the future there won't be a need for the foundation. You'll hear a lot of laughter during the interview, and we also spend some time acknowledging the sides of alopecia that aren't often talked about. *Please be aware that we discuss some mature & potentially triggering topics during this episode.Thank you for sharing your time with Chel and me today. Something really cool that they do, and that we talked about off-air, was their amazing sponsorship program. Each year, they reserve funds to donate to applicants who want to pursue an interest that would otherwise be unachievable without their financial assistance. It's a combination of awareness & empowerment. You can check out past sponsorships over on social media. If you're looking to get in touch with AAAF, Chel's contact information along with their social media handles can all be found here in the show notes. https://aaaf.org.au/https://www.facebook.com/aaafonlinehttps://www.instagram.com/alopeciaaaaf/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about Jada Pinkett Smith and submitted it to a couple different news outlets. Although it didn't get picked up, I thought I'd share it with all of you. After writing this article and recording for this episode, I can see that there have now been over 2 million interactions and views on her Instagram post that made the headlines. That is 3 times more than almost any other Instagram post she has had in over a year. Alopecia is certainly newsworthy!Here are the resource links mentioned in the article. https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/ https://www.naaf.org/ https://www.alopecialife.com/ Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. We have 3 guests here with us today, Frank Lombardo, the National Photography Manager and two of his team, Erin & Steve from Inter-State Studio & Publishing Company.Frank and I connected a few years ago when I was reminded of my own school photo experience after hearing numerous discussions come up about the unpleasantness of school photos. It may be strange to hear how traumatic a school photo can be, especially if your own experience was only one of fun anticipation and excitement. While I was extremely bummed out to hear kids still having the same kinds of things come up - photographers asking them to remove their hats, support staff not being knowledgeable about alopecia, no real communication between home and school, and the results being a photo where it's evident the child is just not a happy camper - I wanted to know who to talk to and what could be done to change things.I found Frank, and the follow-up conversations I had with him, and his whole-hearted openness to make school & sport photos a better experience for children with alopecia was so easy. I'm happy to have all three team members share with all of us today. Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life today. Thank you to those who wrote in and shared your own school photo experience with me. Listening to what was a problem back in the day, and continuing to hear similar stories today is something that needs to change. Thank you to Frank, Erin, and Steve for helping be a catalyst of change. We appreciate you.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

Welcome to Week 3 of December giveaways. If you haven't yet entered, and still want a chance to win any of the items I've talked about over the last 3 weeks, please sign up and choose your top 3 at the link found on the Alopecia Life Facebook group or in the BIO on Instagram. Enter to win until December 20th. https://alopecialife.ck.page/23a8dee253The month of December has some very interesting days of celebration. In light of National Cupcake Day on the 15th and National Cover Anything with Chocolate Day on the 16th, this week's winners will have a choice of a copy of Jessica Rose's What to Bake When...A Baking Handbook for the Basic Bitch. Jessica's interview back in Season 1 Episode 11 Love Sweet Mess shared about her life with alopecia along with the origin of her cookbook. I must say, opening the book to read the entertaining recipe titles didn't disappoint, and they also delivered on taste. Super yummy! I'll post that episode link here to listen for the first time or to have a re-listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e011-love-sweet-mess-with-jessica-rose-ward/id1479093384?i=1000458781715This week, we also have more awesome children's books. These titles are all great for taking into the classroom to share about alopecia with classmates or just adding it to the local or school library to help raise awareness. My Two Brows was so generous to donate a number of eyebrow tattoos in multiple colors. So definitely add those to your wishlist if you've been wanting to try them out. I can send you multiple color options too. I have a few head scarfs from Inspirational Head Coverings that were donated. They have elastic and tie at the back, and should fit a range of head sizes. Please come on over to choose your top 3 items (whether they were announced in week 1, 2, or today). I want you to get something you have put on your list.Follow this link to do that. https://alopecialife.ck.page/23a8dee253Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)

It's week two of December giveaways.                                   .We have some more awesome stuff this week, but you can enter and choose your top 3 items (no matter when they're announced). I have multiples of most items, and I want you to get the item of your choice if you are a winner. There's no need to be worried about seeing massive emails from me in your inbox either. Although I love having you on my list of people to contact when I have a cool giveaway or something amazing to announce and offer, you can always choose to unsubscribe at any time. This week, I have autographed copies of Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. Six years ago, I collaborated with amazing people from around the world who wanted to share their stories so that others who were being diagnosed with alopecia, their families, and communities would know more about this autoimmune condition that really isn't talked about. Growing up, I never saw anyone who looked like me around my city, on television, or in magazine articles, and I didn't want that to be the way it was for those who were newly diagnosed. Head-On, Stories of Alopecia is a great addition to your coffee table or local library to raise awareness. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is follow the link on the Alopecia Life FB Group or in the BIO on Instagram. I also have more brows from Jason of My Two Brows, more children's books, headwash from Melissa from C3, and a HeadBlade razor. For those of you who are trying to keep your regrowth or loss even looking, I've heard this is the best blade for that. Thanks again for listening and for being such great listeners.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham)