Podcast appearances and mentions of melissa barker

In this episode of "The Psychedelic Couch," Melissa Barker discusses her journey of healing from sexual trauma using psychedelic-assisted therapy. Melissa shares her harrowing yet transformative story, beginning with childhood trauma, compounded by an assault at 17, and subsequent traumatic relationships throughout her 20s and early 30s. Despite these challenges, Melissa embarked on a profound healing journey in her late 20s, engaging in therapies such as EMDR, EFT, breath work, and Kundalini yoga, ultimately being diagnosed with complex PTSD due to the extensive trauma she endured. A significant turning point in her healing journey came with the intentional use of psychedelics. Initially exploring these substances alone, Melissa describes a pivotal MDMA journey in December 2022, facilitated by a trusted guide. This experience allowed her to release deeply held trauma, access repressed parts of herself, and foster a deeper sense of trust and safety. Melissa also recounts the challenges of integrating these profound experiences, emphasising the importance of working with protector parts within the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework. She highlights the delicate balance between accessing traumatic memories and ensuring these protective aspects of the psyche feel secure and supported. The episode further explores the complexities of navigating the psychedelic space, including the potential risks of working with less ethical practitioners. Melissa's story underscores the necessity of finding trustworthy guides and the transformative potential of psychedelics when used responsibly and with proper support. Overall, this episode offers a compelling narrative of resilience, healing, and the profound impact of psychedelics in trauma therapy, providing valuable insights for listeners interested in the therapeutic potential of these substances. ---------- Dr. Melissa Barker, EdD is an entrepreneur, activist, and emerging voice in the growing psychedelics movement. Dr. Barker is the founder of The Phoenix Project, a community-led mental health tech platform that's now in the process of developing AI-assisted support for trauma survivors who are utilizing psychedelic therapy. Her experiences with ketamine, MDMA/MDA, psilocybin, and LSD (alongside her work helping other survivors) spurred her into a deeper understanding of what healing from sexual trauma, abuse and violence means for women, particularly in today's current climate. Dr. Barker has appeared on The Psychedelic Podcast by Third Wave, Sex Love Psychedelics, and many others. She recently co-anchored the panel “MDMA Saved My Life: Psychedelics & Healing from Sexual Trauma” at SXSW 2024 alongside Sutton King, Dr. Sunny Strasburg, and Dr. Cat Meyer. Follow Melissa:   @drmelissabarker  and at   www.iamphoenixproject.com Follow The Psychedelic Couch: @thepsychedelicouch 

BEHIND THE BUMP - Today we interview the candid Melissa Barker as she generously shares her story of secondary infertility, repeat miscarriages and a genetic diagnosis which led to a heart-wrenching risk. Hosts: La & Jayde Topics discussed: secondary infertility, recurrent miscarriage, emotional wellbeing, IVF, Fragile X Syndrome, TFMR (Termination For Medical Reasons). Have sex and get pregnant. It's easy right? Not for 1 in 6 of us. From the makers of Beyond the Bump, we bring you Behind the Bump. A place to share stories and shed light on miscarriage, IVF, infertility and more. If you're trying to conceive, if your friend is doing IVF, or if you love a moving story, Before The Bump is the podcast for you.  Join our Facebook group HERE Behind the Bump is proudly sponsored by Ovunet Fertility! I'm so happy to let our beautiful listeners know that Ovunet has given you all a 10% discount for your first treatment cycle!  The initial consultation is also free of charge and further appointments and testing are not only eligible for bulk billing but are shared with your current GP for seamless care. Exclusive BTB Ovunet link: https://www.ovunetfertility.com/btb

In this Psychedelic Podcast episode, co-host Joseph Anew speaks with entrepreneur and Phoenix Project founder Dr. Melissa Barker about transcending trauma with psychedelics. Joseph and Dr. Barker explore questions like, Why do traditional therapies fall short of repairing deep wounds? What can psychedelics do for trauma that other modalities can't? How can survivors choose between ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and other psychedelic medicines? And what role do microdosing and community play in long-term healing? This conversation unveils the trauma-healing trajectory as survivors overcome suffering, embrace their whole selves, and emerge as autonomous leaders. Dr. Melissa Barker, Ed.D.: Dr. Melissa Barker, EdD is an entrepreneur, activist, and emerging voice in the growing psychedelics movement. She is also the founder of The Phoenix Project, a community-led mental health tech platform created by trauma survivors for trauma survivors. Dr. Barker's personal journey healing from sexual violence led her to psychedelics, including ketamine, MDMA/MDA, psilocybin, and LSD. She's currently utilizing her experiences to build Phoenix, the first AI companion designed specifically for trauma recovery and psychedelic integration. Highlights: Dr. Barker's personal trauma history and its impact on her mental health. How psychedelics accelerated Dr. Barker's healing journey. Dr. Barker's transformative experiences with ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and MDA. Integrating powerful psychedelic experiences into daily life. Addressing issues of psychedelic access, safety, and reciprocity. Exploring The Phoenix Project & the importance of community healing. Dr. Barker's seven stages of trauma recovery. How The Phoenix Project got its name, and what's to come in version 2.0. Kundalini yoga's role in Dr. Barker's and Joseph's healing journeys. Dr. Barker's message of hope to trauma survivors. How to connect with Dr. Barker. Key Links: The Phoenix Project: https://www.iamphoenixproject.com/     The Phoenix Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam_phoenix_project/?hl=en    Dr. Barker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmelissabarker/?hl=en Episode Sponsors: BiOptimizers - Get 10% off Magnesium Breakthrough Psyched Wellness - use code THIRDWAVE23 to get 15% off.

To be competitive in real estate, agents should see themselves as their own “brand” but does this mean you need to spend $4k on a website?  On today's edition of 'Dear Schmoopy' The world's smartest women bring on Melissa Barker of  W.E. Inc to lend her professional marketing advice to a listener.   Got a Question for Schmoopy?  Email

Dr. Melissa Barker is an advocate for psychedelics + the improvement of protocols for complex PTSD. In this episode, you'll hear our personal experiences with trauma, therapy + how psychedelics helped.  If you have a loved one experiencing the pain of trauma + sexual assault, perhaps this will provide the words they need to hear. In this episode, you'll hear: The embodied practices that can support a trauma survivor How the word “trauma” can become an excuse to remain disempowered Pop psychology + the cultural blocks that get in the way of people being able to receive the help they need The Phoenix Project - A free community with resources for integration tips, self-healing topics + psychedelic integration The difference between PTSD + Complex-PTSD How psychedelics have the potential to transform our understanding of trauma processing Melissa's personal experience with MDMA + ketamine for processing trauma Healing from narcissistic exes + cultivating internal safety Psilocybin is a tool to create a deeper relationship with the self Hypervigilance + processing the trauma after a breakup Taking responsibility for our healing and not outsourcing it to others Trauma survivors processing enmeshment and losing the sense of self Pearls of wisdom for trauma survivors to help understand themselves THE SKINNY ON OUR SEXY GUESTS “Trauma is not the monster in the room. Trauma is the catalyst to growth and inner transformation.” – Dr. Melissa Barker Dr. Melissa Barker, EdD is an entrepreneur, activist, and emerging voice in the growing psychedelics movement. Dr. Barker is the founder of The Phoenix Project, a community-led mental health tech platform created by survivors for survivors. Dr. Barker holds a doctorate in Transformative Leadership. Her doctoral dissertation (Leading Through the Dark: Hope and Healing after Personal and Collective Trauma) focuses on how trauma survivors are finding sustainable healing, especially in the shadow of the pandemic.  From 2018 to 2019, she served on the Board of Directors for STAND! For Families Free of Violence, a Bay-area nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic abuse. In 2014, Dr. Barker filed a Title IX Civil Rights case against UC Berkeley for mishandling sexual violence cases on the college campus. In total, 31 brave survivors came forward, and four years later, the Office of Civil Rights found UC Berkeley had violated Title IX. Dr. Barker's personal experience of sexual violence and her resulting PTSD diagnosis led her to explore such modalities as somatic therapy, IFS, and mindfulness-based psychotherapy. She eventually discovered the incredible therapeutic power of psychedelics and began implementing them to integrate her trauma. Her experiences with ketamine, MDMA/MDA, psilocybin, and LSD (alongside her work helping other survivors) spurred her into a deeper understanding of what healing from sexual trauma, abuse and violence means for women, particularly in today's current climate. She is now in the process of developing a new iteration of The Phoenix Project that utilizes revolutionary tech to support psychedelic integration for trauma survivors and to connect them with the community and resources they need. Dr. Barker has been featured in HuffPost, Forbes, Nasdaq, and as one of Thrive Global's “Social Impact and Nonprofit Leaders to Watch”. She's been interviewed on Third Wave and Only One in the Room podcasts. She was a featured Mentor on the psychedelics track at SXSW in 2023.   WANT MORE? Guide for vetting your psychedelic practitioner: ⁠https://learn.sexloveyoga.com/Vetting%20Your%20Guide Join me for an erotic couples retreat where you and your beloved explore the sacred arts of tantra and BDSM and unlock its synergistic power in the bedroom and beyond... Love + Leather: ⁠https://learn.sexloveyoga.com/LoveAndLeather --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sexlovepsychedelics/message

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open with a few news items from the National Genealogical Society. In Family Histoire News, David reports on a study that showed how rents were once paid in England using eels! Then, Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the site of an interesting new project that may allow you to touch the tombstone of your early New England ancestor. The 1931 Canadian Census is out! David shares how it is being indexed. Then, imagine a man who was in both the Civil War and World War I. It actually happened! David will tell you all about him. Dual citizenship can help you travel. Hear what countries you can obtain it from. Finally, the UK has an issue with China over sunken war ships. Find out what it is. Next, Fisher visits with Dr. David Duffy of the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and the University of Florida. In studying sea turtles, Dr. Duffy and his team discovered that high quality turtle DNA can be found in the sand on beaches. They then decided to see if the same held true for humans, testing footprints of volunteers. Indeed it did! And then there's the matter of human DNA being left in a closed room in the air. Dr. Duffy describes the research, police interest, and ethical questions they're dealing with. Next, Melissa Barker, “The Archive Lady,” is back from Houston County, Tennessee. Melissa talks about the silver lining of the pandemic for archives, and some of her recent acquisitions including one that's hard to believe. David then is back for Ask Us Anything. That's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show!

Melissa Barker, VP of Practice Development at the recruitment firm the Duffy Group, discusses the factors combining to slow down public sector hiring, and what employers can do to pick up the pace – from shortening the time applicants wait for a response, to how employers can be more proactive/creative in finding and engaging candidates – which is to say,  making public sector work more appealing to Gen Zers and millennials who tend to be “values-driven." 

Melissa is a Positive Psychology Coach, who works with individuals and couples to enhance the quality of their life. Through applied positive psychology and coaching psychology, Melissa works with her clients to develop their wellbeing in ways that are personally meaningful, sustainable and energising.   With a Masters Degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and a Bachelor of Human Resources Management, Melissa also specialises in positive psychology within workplaces. She has over 12 years' experience in human resources, and is currently the Positive Psychology Advisor at the Starlight Children's Foundation where she implements evidenced-based strategies to support the mental health, wellbeing and positive impact of individuals, teams and the organisation. 

  Erin and Stacy are joined by the CEO of W.E. Inc, Melissa Barker to get the scoop on how to become more visible as a female entrepreneur. Melissa built her business out of necessity and is on a mission to help women entrepreneurs succeed.    Find out more by going to: https://womenentrepreneursinc.com/   This Episode is brought to you by Nick Cann Photo  https://www.nickcannphoto.com/      

This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Melissa Barker, who is known affectionately as The Archive Lady and is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian, currently working at the Houston County Tennessee Archives & Museum. The two discuss how archives and genealogy overlap, how you can preserve your ancestor's heritage through archives, and how sometimes an archive can help you discover something about your ancestor that you never knew.Related Episodes:Episode 56  Disaster Preparedness for the Family ArchiveEpisode 82: Building an Archive for Our TimesLinks:Houston County Historical SocietyA Genealogist in the ArchivesSign up for my newsletter.Watch my YouTube Channel.Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.About My Guest:Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives & Museum. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady to the genealogy community. She lectures teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual presentations across the United States and other countries for various genealogy groups and societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well-known published book reviewer. She has been a Professional Genealogist for the past 17 years with expertise in Tennessee records. She has been researching her own family history for the past 32 years.About Maureen Taylor:Maureen is the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She's been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany's top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website, and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles, and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.comDid you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Support the show

Are you a woman in business? Are you're wondering what it would take for you to become visible? Founder and CEO of Women Entrepreneurs Inc. Melissa Barker joins Dolores Hirschmann in today's episode to talk about the global platform she uses to connect women entrepreneurs to the people, resources, and opportunities they need to build a business that fuels their life. Whether you're on the verge of starting your business on simply looking to venture into the industry, this conversation with Melissa will give you the knowledge you need to become visible in 2022 onwards. Listen in and learn more as they empower each other and talk about the amazing things that can happen when a woman is seen or heard.

So many women's groups...which ones are truly worthwhile? On this episode you'll hear about one group I recently joined – Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE) - founded by a powerhouse woman in business, Melissa Barker.  #womenarebettertogether   I wouldn't normally promote any one group.  But after speaking with Melissa and experiencing WE for myself, I couldn't help but want to tell every woman I know about this extraordinary organization!   Meet Meredith Rigdon, the Greenville SC Market Director. Busy + productive mom of 2. Besides working with WE she is the Founder & President of Narrative Strategic Communications, Inc. (providing content marketing and public relations) and the Founder of Team Rigdon with real estate brokerage Foothills Property Group.  Prior to her entrepreneurial ventures, Meredith worked in corporate America working with some of the world's most respected brands. Listen to hear us chat about: - the mission & vision of WE    - the myriad visibility & networking opportunities available through WE (including: speaking, grants & awards) - the extraordinary ROI possible with your WE membership   PLUS we chat about how Meredith 'does it all' (hint: Christ is at the very center of it all).   >> Join (or learn more): https://womenentrepreneursinc.com/ (get 1 month FREE, use Promo Code: WELCOME22)     >> Get Featured on the Podcast: https://judyweber.co/get-featured >> Grab my Joyful Scaling Podcast Resource Guide (most popular episodes categorized by topic): https://judyweber.co >> Watch my Million Dollar Year Masterclass: https://youtu.be/RnhepkLxoE0

We're back, and we're talking about the badass ladies of the silver screen (and beyond) - stuntwomen. Amy covers modern-day daredevil, Melissa Barker. Shelby talks about the first American professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson.  Intro Song: What I Do by Kristy Krüger © ℗Just Like Freddy Music ASCAP Instagram: herstorythepodcast

We're back, and we're talking about the badass ladies of the silver screen (and beyond) - stuntwomen. Amy covers modern-day daredevil, Melissa Barker. Shelby talks about the first American professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson.  Intro Song: What I Do by Kristy Krüger © ℗Just Like Freddy Music ASCAP Instagram: herstorythepodcast

Host Scott Fisher opens a loaded show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historical & Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open Family Histoire News with news of a pair of twins who were adopted out. They attended school together and have known each other for decades. Enter DNA! Then, Ancestry.com is reindexing their US Probate Records Index. Hear what this may mean to you. DNA has again stepped in solve a nearly 40-year-old Colorado double murder case. And the suspect is still around. Then, a collector in England is looking to find descendants of people pictured in some 400 wedding pictures. Plus, hear where you might be able to find letters written by your relatives during all the wars in America’s history. Fisher next interviews David Rencher, director of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. David fills us in on the monumental success of RootsTech Connect and how the numbers continue to grow. He also talks about new services the Library is offering or will be offering that will make it more of a global genealogical source. Then, the Archive Lady, Melissa Barker, visits with Fisher about some of the latest contributions to her archive in Tennessee. Melissa explains what you might find in your ancestral archives and offers some important tips for making the most of your visits there. Next, Crista Cowan of Ancestry.com, (an Extreme Genes sponsor) talks about a new partnership with The Home Edit ladies, and how spring cleaning can apply to family history. Crista then reviews some of the latest updates to existing Ancestry databases as well as what’s new. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Amy Honey is a pull, no punches, powerhouse, speaker and trainer in the areas of customer engagement, body language, behavior modification, sales and habit transformation. She has extensive background in high ticket sales and is known by her peers as a powerful closer, Amy is also passionate about helping girls and women find their courage just as she had to do starting at the age of 16, when she found herself alone and independent through her own resourcefulness, she still managed to graduate from high school. Her passion for personal growth, travel and transforming lives has taken Amy all over the world, helping people transform their lives through behavior, observation and habit change.   Learn more about Amy. Learn more about The Passionistas Project. Full Transcript: Passionistas: Hi, and welcome to The Passionistas Project Podcast, where we talk with women who are following their passions to inspire you to do the same. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington. And today we're talking with Amy Honey, a pull, no punches, powerhouse, speaker and trainer in the areas of customer engagement, body language, behavior modification, sales, and habit transformation. She has extensive background in high ticket sales and is known by her peers. As a powerful closer, Amy is also passionate about helping girls and women find their courage just as she had to do starting at the age of 16, when she found herself alone and independent through her own resourcefulness, she still managed to graduate from high school. At age 20. She became a single mom and chose to put her family's welfare first while overcoming numerous obstacles in an unreceptive marketplace. It was during these life challenges and her entrepreneurial journey that she crossed paths with personal development and discovered her love for speaking and training her passion for personal growth travel and transforming lives has taken Amy all over the world, helping people transform their lives through behavior, observation, and habit change. So please welcome to the show Amy Honey. Amy: I'm so happy to be here. Passionistas: Oh, we're so happy to have you. What are you most passionate about? Amy: Personal growth. My path through that is sales. Do you ever watch any of chef Ramsey, Gordon Ramsey stuff? He does this show called Kitchen Nightmares and he goes in and what that shows really about is about personal growth, but his, his avenues through cooking, you know, so that's his version of it. So I think everybody has their version of personal growth. Passionistas: Talk about your journey through life, where you started out your experiences, that we talked about a bit in the intro at the age of 16, becoming independent, and why personal growth has become such an important concept to you through your journey? Amy: I probably started in sales at two years old. I was just like, I was just in, I was just, I loved the idea of being able to create something and then, and then make money for my time or my creation. And so even as a little kid, I made like pet rocks and sold them to my family, or like we would travel through Germany were my dad was a military. So we traveled and I was, I was adopted. So it's my, I'm a single, an only child. Oh, come into play later. So we were traveling through Germany and we had this like VW bus and it had this rack in between. So my parents was very difficult for my parents to get to the back of the, of the VW bus, you know, camper and the frigerators right there. So they would ask me for food and I would just charge them. So it was like, it'd be like a nickel, like, okay. Yeah. And I would like walk up with my little, you know, you know, I'm like eight years old and I'd walk up with my little paper and say, you know, okay, I'll take your order, you know? Okay. That'll be five cents, you know, whatever, but they paid it because they didn't want to get it into the back of the bus. Little did I realize supply and demand, but I learned it very early on, I guess. And and so then from there, uh, later on, I actually started out. So, so it was a dance instructor. So I'm really into dance. I'm really into moving energy. So I became a dance instructor at age 13. So very young, my dad, since the time I was three taught jazz, tap, ballet, gymnastics. I taught everything. I started assistant teaching at 13. And then by the age of 16, I was teaching my own classes. And then at the same time I was working two jobs, so, and going to high school. So I was working on the phones for Kirby vacuum cleaner. So I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners on the phone from the age of 14. And then at the age of 16, I was allowed to go door to door. So I wasn't allowed to do door to door sales until I turned 16. So this is back in the eighties, dating myself here. So at that point, I just was good at talking to people because for me, it was about connecting. And then at age 16, I'm out on my own. And I moved out on my mom and dad's house. I just they're great people. We just had large differences in opinions. It's very interesting DNA to me is very interesting because my parents are really good people, but I got the opportunity to meet my birth family about five years ago. And now I'm really, really close with my brothers. I've got four brothers that never knew I existed. And so what I found so interesting is that I'm so much like them in the way that I think about the world and my sense of humor and all that stuff it's naturally in your DNA. Right. And so there was just a difference of opinion. And so when I moved out at 16, I always felt like it, like I did something wrong. This is my fault. I'm a bad kid. I'm horrible person. But in the meantime, I am putting myself through high school. Like I still worked. I still graduated high school on time. So, you know, it was, I was just had a really, I always had a really strong work ethic anyway, but I also had an ethic of like, okay, I just, whatever it takes to get it done, like whatever it takes to get it done at the same time, I started really seeking at that point. Because I really thought something was wrong with me. Like I was, something was wrong with me. So I started seeking and I sought out counseling and I sought out, you know, which was also kind of like wrong. Like if you went to counseling, like by my parents' standard, you know, you were wrong or you needed to be fixed or something goes wrong with you. But I don't think that we put enough emphasis on the importance of mental health. So I just started seeking and I, I started finding books and I remember one of the very first books I read way back, when is a book called peeling, the sweet onion. And it was always all about the layers of who we are and how we're going to forget it kind of over and over and over again, and how to really become more of, of the center of who we are, like getting the layers of the, kind of the crap off, you know? And so that was one of the very first and it's, it's an old book and it's not really popular these days, but it's still super relevant, like really super relevant. So, and then I just, you know, went on to Tony Robbins and you know, all of these other people. And then I started working in the seminar industry, doing sales, like doing sales, but doing coaching because for me, sales is not just like getting the number, like it's funny. Cause like I get on, like I talk to my family all the time. I was just talking to them last night and you know, all sale. I had a good day or I had a bad day, you know? Uh, and, and my daughter was asking me, well, what, what makes it good is like, if you just get a sale and I said, no, no, it's the conversation. If I can get on the phone and help somebody and have a great conversation and they don't buy anything from me, I had a great day because I impacted somebody's life in a way. So to me, sales is about service and connecting the right people with the right products and figuring out the right flow of energy with the sale. So maybe that right flow of energy might be a no, but when you come to the highest point of service with that person, and you're not just looking at them as a transaction or a number, when they are ready, they will come back to you and maybe they never will be ready and that's okay too. But if you push them into a sale, you're going to it's, it's just, it's horrible, bad karma on you. I think bad energy on you. You're, that's where you're going to get higher cancellations. You're going to get people complaining about your company. You're going to get all these things, right. So to me, it's just not worth it to push a person into a sale. Passionistas: And then when did you start public speaking? Amy: I've been a teacher since a young age. So I was in front of groups of people with no problem and teaching dance. And I teach zoom by owned. I owned a gym. So, you know, just I've always been in front of people, not a problem. I was also a stuntwoman. And so I'm don't have any problems being in front of cameras. That's my husband and I are both stunned, Exxon actors. So I just never had a problem being in front of people. But when I started working in the seminar industry, I was forced to get in, you know, we would have to intro the speaker. So it was like all of a sudden I had to introduce a Les Brown or somebody and I'm just, Whoa. Okay. Okay. So it was just kind of run into it. And then I just started speaking. And for me, I just think when you can speak to a group of people, it's a lot easier than trying to one-on-one because there's always things like a, every single, every single business. I believe that we have to educate our clients because an educated client is a good client and when they understand it and they're educated enough. And so I feel that there's things that every single business repeats over and over and over again. So if we can take those things that we repeat over and over again, and I end make a video or, or get them as together as a group and say it, you're not exhausting yourself saying it over and over and over again to each client. Passionistas: Tell us a little bit about being a stunt woman. What attracted you to that world? Amy: I was always into fitness. I wanted to do martial arts from non-time. I was a real little kid, but I was, I had to do, you know, I had to dance. So dancing was the thing or piano, piano, piano for a while. It was not ladylike to do martial arts. So it wasn't allowed to do martial arts. So as soon as I turned eight, well, as soon as I turned 16, I moved out. But by the time I was 18, I had my feet underneath me and I'd graduated high school and stuff. And so at that point I was like, Oh, I can take martial arts. No, one's stopping me. I can pierce anything. I want, I can get tattoos. So yeah. So I did, I went and started taking martial arts. And at that same time I was body doubling as an actress. So I was living in Oregon at the time and I was on this movie set and I met a stunt coordinator on the movie set, Steve, his name was Steve, really super nice guy. And I was like, huh, that's interesting. And so I was, I was an extra on the set. So as I was body doubling and I met this I met the stunt coordinator and he said to me, and I started just digging and asking questions. And he said, look, if you're really interested, why don't you fly out to LA and meet with our stunt guys and see what you think? And I said, Oh, okay. And so I booked a flight to LA and it was so funny. Cause I'm like, I'm 51 years old. Now I think I was 22 or 23. At that time I weigh a lot more now than I did then. So I was probably like 105 pounds, like soaking wet, five foot tall, I'm little. And so I get on this plane, I get on the plane. This is 1994. It's like, get on the plane and no one's on the plane. And I'm like, this is really bizarre. Right? Well, come to find out, that was the 1994 earthquake in Northridge that had just happened that morning. So everybody canceled their flight, right? So like I'm on the flight by myself and I'm heading to LA and they've got this guy, his name was big. Wayne picking me up at the airport. This is a guy I've never met before. Right now, big Wayne is like a massive dude. He kind of looks like the rock and is probably about as big. And I walk up and he's holding the sign and I'm like, this is how every horror movie war starts like, Oh my God, what? I'm like, I'm just like, I'm walking into this thing. I don't know this guy. I'm getting in the car with a stranger. I'm in a strange town. I was just like, what was I thinking? Like I'm freaking out at this point, like inside my heart is like, but I'm like, no, no, I trust my gut. I trust my gut. So he took me out to eat with a couple of the other stunt actors. And it was very interesting because they wanted to know my philosophy on life. Like they wanted to know if I believed in fate, they wanted to know if I believed in circumstance. They wanted to know if I believed if I created my own reality at that point, like I was really young, but they wanted to know these things because they weren't going to trust me with teaching me some of these things. If I didn't believe that things happen for a reason that you're in the right place at the right time that you trust yourself. Because it's very important when you're doing choreography with another stunt actor, you have to trust that when they're supposed to Zig, they're going to Zig. And when they're supposed to zag, they're going to zag. Otherwise you're going to collide and people get hurt. So that's how I learned. And so the kinds of stunts that I do were our high falls and lighting myself on fire and fight scenes. Passionistas: What projects did you do? Amy: Oh gosh. Like I did a lot of a lot of TV and I did quite a few like Showtime, HBO movies. And I couldn't even tell you some of the titles because they have what's called a working title. And then, and then, and then it goes to print crime strike was one of them like any like cops reenactments. I played in a battered woman a lot because I get beat up really well. So I can really, I can really sell, I can really sell a punch. There's a really cool chase credit card commercial. And it's actually a friend of mine. Her name is Melissa Barker and she's gets hit by a car and she comes off and she's like, yeah, you know, like you can't, I can't predict everything what's going on, but I can predict what's in my wallet kind of thing. And um, so she's actually a really big stunt woman. And she, she was one of the girls I trained with early on and with her and her husband, Eric, Betsy's another big stunt guy. So yeah, she's still going strong. I'm 51. I don't bounce. Like I used to. And um, and I got out at a point when, you know, I realized that most stunt people have broken their back at some point. So I was like, yeah, I think I'm going to cash it in quit while you're ahead. Passionistas: Your husband was also a stunt person. Did you meet him in that industry? Amy: The funny thing is we did not. We actually met, do you know who, uh, Joey Dispenza, Dr. Joe Dispenza. He's written a book called breaking the habit of being yourself. He's a, he's a speaker. And again, it's personal growth. So we met doing personal growth. That was really funny. Cause we were at this thing where he was talking and I think we were like the youngest people in the crowd. So like, we were both like 36 at the time. And so we were like the youngest people there and everybody else was like, well, over 60. And so we were just like, Hi, a young person. And so, and it was like, he was like, Oh yeah, I'm a star. I'm like, Oh my God, I'm gonna stop a woman. So that was interesting. But he did, he is from Australia and he did stunts for a live action shows. He did some movies, but he mostly did live action. So he did, he was a Warner brothers movie world. He opened up the universal Japan. He went to Indonesia. So he was a stent, a livestock action performer for years where he did shows daily after it, that you eventually opened your first business together. Passionistas: So what was the first business you started together? Amy: It was the gym that we started together before that we were kind of doing our own things, but then I'm an entrepreneur and a big risk taker. And it's funny, he's a stunt man, but he's not risky. So I'm more of a rule breaker and a risk taker. And he's more by the book by the rules. So jumping off a building is not risky to him. As much as like purchasing a brand new business is scary, scary to him. So, uh, so he always worked for the people kind of thing, but now he's learned to be an entrepreneur. So the gym was the first business that we opened together. Passionistas: Tell us about running your own gym, what was that like? Did you like doing that? Amy: Oh, I'm so glad we're not doing that. I loved helping the people. It was great, but God, it w like what a babysitting project that was because our gym was a little different. We were like our more high-end studio. So you didn't just come to the gym and work out when you wanted everything was classes. So I taught Zumba, I taught spin. I taught, I created my own classes like riding row, which was like a, like a spin and row class combined. And then I had employees and stuff, but Oh man, what a headache? What a headache and a brick and mortar. And I'm so happy that we do not have that during, like when the pandemic started, all I kept saying was like, I'm so glad we don't have the gym. I'm so glad we don't have the gym. We never would have survived it. Passionistas: Now while you had the gym, you developed the Five Elements of Health. So tell us about that and why each one is important? Amy: What Jamie says is you've got five elements of health, exercise, sleep, hydration, nutrition, and emotional environment. And when you get all five, you've got a grip on your health. That's what he says. You got a grip on it. Um, so they're all important, but the most Important one of course is emotional, uh, environment. And what emotional environment contains is the energy around you. Emotion, emotion is energy in motion, and it's the people around you. And it's your, it's your health space. And it's your, it's everything that has to do with your mindset. And the emotional environment is the most important one because you, it's almost like if you think of a triangle and you think of like, the emotional body is like at the top of the triangle and the physical bodies at the bottom. If you change the physical body, but you don't change the mind up here, you're just going to come back to that physical body that you were at before. So you could lose all the way you could do it. This is why people lose weight. And then they come right back to here. This is why people win the lottery and then spend all the money and don't have the money because they got the physical level, but they didn't do the mind level up here. So what I realized in that is that the mindset was the most important piece. So, so for me to really help people would be to focus on the mindset. So that's what we kind of shifted to, is focusing on the mindset. I worked with people that needed to lose hundreds of pounds. That is, it can be a slow moving boat. You got to kind of give them a wide berth and let them be able to, you know, come around to this new lifestyle. And it takes patience and it takes, but it's really takes shifting that mindset. And so this has changed. Nothing's going to change in the body and if it does change, it's just going to go right back to where it was at. If the mindset doesn't get changed along with it. And so, Passionistas: So is that what inspired you to create Improv for Impact? Amy: Improv for impact is more my husband's business, but it's a tool that I use in sales, Tai Chi. So improper impact. He's, he's always done improv, but when people think of improv, they think of comedy or they think of like, whose line it in any way, or they think of like comedians. Oh, that's funny. What I realized when I was recognizing it and watching what he was doing was I was like, Oh my gosh, what a brilliant way to, and a fun way to figure out what people's habits are that are holding them back from success. Because as he's playing the games, I'm watching the patterns. And what happens is when you play a game, there's always rules on the game, right? So anytime you add rules, it adds stress. But even though it's fun, stress, anytime we're in a moment of stress, like it, like if you think of like, like fun games where you're like, ah, and you're like, you're like kind of get a little stress. We always revert back to our habit in times of stress. So then I could identify, I easily identify what the habits were. So there's certain games where we can watch it or say, Oh, that's interesting that person doesn't like to take responsibility for things, or, Oh, that's interesting. This person always wants to push their idea, but they're not willing to listen to other's ideas or, Oh, that's interesting. This person always says no before they hear it out because in their head and this is, this really can help teams. It can help innovation with business. Because what we see, a lot of people do is like, say I'm an employee. And I come to the boss with an idea and the boss goes, well, we can't, no, that's not. We can't do that because in the boss's head, he's thinking, what's going to cost this. It's going to cost this. What are we going to do? Right. But if the boss had just said, yes, okay, well, let's figure out how that can happen. Maybe another idea is going to come out that maybe it's not that idea, but if he was open to it, instead of just immediately blocking that idea, he would be able to innovate and be able to come up with something completely new. I love Apple. What Apple did. Steve jobs came back. When he came back after he had been gone from his company for a while, they spent, I think, a few days on this. And they said, well, what business are we in? And they said, well, we're in the computer business. And he said, no, no, no, no. What business are we really in? We're what are we really in? What are we really doing here? And they took days to figure this out. And they spent time just minds, you know, brainstorming what they ended up coming up with was no, we connect people to their passions. And that's how they came up with the iPod. That was when they first came up with the iPod because, Oh, well, their passions are what their passions are, music, their passions or photos, their passions, or family emails, their passions are, you know, these kinds of things. So that's was, became their motto. And it was like, it was a different, innovative way of thinking about things. So if we can stop blocking that, then we can, then we can, then we can identify who in the companies doing these things. Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington. And you're listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Amy Honey. To learn more about Amy, visit her website amyjohoney.com. Now more of her interview with Amy. How can people transform their habits to, to connect better with their clients and communicate their values better? Amy: We teach about the energy of sales. So we teach about looking at the energy and then we also teach really active listening, truly active listening to somebody, and we teach them how to stop blocking them. So for instance, if I come to you and I say, Hey, Nancy, I got this great health product. Are you open to taking a look at it? And you're just like, no, I'm like, Oh, okay, cool. What, what interests you the most? Right. So like trying to connect on a different level, right? When somebody tells you no or blocks it, you have to accept it. So what I see a lot of salespeople do is they keep pushing. Yeah. But this is really good for you, but this is really… no, Nancy, this could really benefit you. Like really? You need to look at this, right? No, she already said no. Right, stop it. And just stop. Like sometimes it's better just not to sell. Passionistas: You really are passionate about helping girls and women find their courage. So how do you do that? Amy: And especially single moms because I was a single mom. So especially single moms. I met my husband when my daughter was 18. So how do I do that? How do I help women? I, I think that women are really powerful in who they are. And I love, I specifically love helping women and teaching women how to sell because we are, we are nurturers. We are naturally a nurture and we naturally create through pleasure. So men push, push, push hard, hard, hard, buy, buy, buy women don't function that way. So I like to teach women sales by just using their own nature of who they are. You know, don't try to be me. Don't try to be the other best salesperson in the world. You've got to be you to do it. And you are valid and you are valuable in who you are. And so that, so I, I, I, I, especially just, I mean, I work with companies and corporations, but I really am super passionate. Like when I see a woman, especially a single mom, I'm kind of like hone in on her. And I'm just like inner ear, like really amazing. You can do it. Passionistas: What's the philosophy of Sales Tai Chi. How does it work? Amy: So Sales Tai Chi right now, the main thing that we're training teams to do, we're training them how to recreate their live events to online, because it's just necessary right now. So how do you recreate that live event experience and do it online? Sales Tai Chi is all about the energy of the sale and the flow of energy and how to take whatever comes at you and move it into the energy that you want it to be moved into. So rather than blocking the energy of a no accepting the energy, turning the energy into what you want. And when, when you do get to know what I train our teams to do is to accept that no, you know, when you get objections, that's different than a no. When you get objections, you want to turn that objection and vet and validate their objection. Because if somebody says to you, Oh, I just, I just don't have the time right now. Well, that's just, that's an ex an objection in reality. It's an excuse because they just told me they really wanted this, but now they're telling you they don't have time. Right. So you never want to say, Oh, but you've got plenty of time. Or you got, because you're just invalidating their excuse and their excuse in their own head is really valid. So it's more about asking questions, you know? So when they, when they say, Oh, I don't have time. Oh, I know. Yeah. Time can be. That can be tough. Do you want more time? You know what I mean? So it's like, it's like accepting, accepting it. And if it's a no, except the no sales is like kissing, the other person has to be leaning in, or you can't kiss them. Passionistas: You talk about how I shouldn't try and sell the way you try and sell. So how does somebody tap into their, their personal strengths to figure out what their best approaches? Amy: So I would just ask you, like, when you're like, do you, do you sell anything right now? Passionistas: We sell a subscription box. Amy: Okay. Oh, cool. What's in it? Passionistas: It's all products from women owned businesses and female artists. Amy: I love that. That's great. Okay. So what is your favorite thing about the products? Like what are you most excited about that excites you about that product? Passionistas: To me, the most exciting thing about the subscription box is that we're supporting other women. Like it's just, you know, we, we beyond selling the products, we, uh, interview every woman in the box and we share their stories so that people are, aren't just buying the product. They're supporting the woman behind the product. And to me, that's what I love about doing the subscriber. Amy: What do you absolutely hate about selling? Passionistas: Asking people for money. Amy: Okay. Yeah. So then what I would do with you is I would shift your mindset around about that because are these products gonna serve that person? Passionistas: Yes.    Amy: So if you're not selling, you're not serving. So I would just help you shift that mindset around asking people for money because it is value. It is valuable, right? Passionistas: Oh, yeah. Amy: And then how do you sell as yourself is you just find the things that you like. So if you really love connecting with women, then just connect with them. You don't have to sell them anything. Right. Just connect with them. If that's your favorite part about it, and you hate asking money, but you love connecting, then just connect and then it's, it doesn't even feel like you're asking for my needs similar to like, you know, would you tell your best friend about a great movie that you just watched? Passionistas: Sure. Amy: So why wouldn't you tell them about the subscription box? So you're going to just tell your friends as if you were telling them about a great movie. I'll leave you with a little story. This was a kind of a big lesson for me. So when I did own the gym, I had a, I would help people lose hundreds of pounds. And I had a program that was $5,000. I'd be with you for a year. I guaranteed at least a hundred pounds of weight loss. So during that, I thought, you know what? I want to really help everybody. I really just want to help everybody and not everybody can afford me. So maybe I should just run like a free, almost weight Watchers type of a class on the weekends. So on Saturday I did an, a full hour. I had about 18 as a smaller town side, about 18 people that came during that entire year that I did that. I was there every week. Not one person lost one pound. And the worst part about it was there was a guy and he passed away at age 36, at 450 pounds. I feel like if I had sold him that package, that he would probably be here today because when people put, put money in the game, they're invested, they're, they're gonna do it. They're gonna, you know, and, and just think about the women that do buy your box and that why, like how excited are they when they get this box? I mean, who doesn't love to get a box of stuff where you're just like, I don't know what's coming and I can't wait. It's like opening. Right? Like, so tap into that excitement that the women feel that buy your box. And then that makes it a little bit easier to ask for the money because you know, they're going to be excited to get it. Passionistas: What advice would you give to a young woman that wants to be an entrepreneur? Amy: Go for it. Jump in with both feet. Don't hesitate. It's like stunts. Once you go to jump off that building, if you stop yourself in the middle of it, you're going to get hurt. Once you commit, commit and do it, don't hesitate that hesitation. That's like, there's, there is a lot of dead squirrels on the road to indecision, right? So don't hesitate when we hesitate. That's when we know, are we going to make the right decisions all the time? Probably not. That's okay. Stop beating yourself up about it. Take a little risk. It's okay. Get out there and do it. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Amy Honey. To learn more about Amy, visit her website, amyjohoney.com. Please visit ThePassionistasProject.com to learn more about our podcast and subscription box filled with products made by women owned businesses and female artisans — to inspire you to follow your passions. Sign up for our mailing list, to get 10% off your first purchase. And be sure to subscribe The Passionistas Project Podcast, so you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests. Until next time stay well and stay passionate.

Tune in to hear Ms. Barker and Maisi discuss FBLA's recent competition details, and why you should get involved with FBLA!

Although women are at greater risk for negative consequences following traumatic events, many often hesitate to seek mental health treatment. Survivors often wait years to receive help, while others never receive treatment at all. Untreated posttraumatic symptoms not only have tremendous mental health implications but can also lead to adverse effects on physical health. Female survivors may encounter physical symptoms including headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and sexual dysfunction. Although the mental and physical symptoms of PTSD-stress can be quite debilitating, trauma is often undiagnosed by health professionals due to a lack of training, time, and resources. In this episode, we’re talking to Melissa Barker, founder, and CEO of The Phoenix Project, a digital community that celebrates healing and authentic connections. Instagram: @iam_phoenix_rising  www.iamphoenixproject.com  Read about it in Forbes: How Mental Health Startup The Phoenix Project Is Making Mental Health Care More Accessible To All Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.  Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series.  Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. David’s been up late a lot recently working his DNA matches while Fisher has been going through some items retrieved from an old family Bible. They talk about their experiences. Family Histoire News begins with word that RootsTech now has four fascinating keynote speakers lined up for this coming year’s virtual conference, RootsTechConnect.  Then, a German man has learned that his family business was obtained by his grandfather, a Nazi, who virtually stole it from a Jewish family. Hear what this grandson has done. Ground Penetrating Radar has brought about another awesome discovery in Norway. Hear what it is. Next, History is running a fascinating article on the family of Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. It’s filled with eyebrow raisers. Then, David reveals a site for some amazing Civil War data. Might you have an ancestor in there? Next, Fisher visits with Lisa Murphy of Orem, Utah, an “Ordinary Person With An Extraordinary Find.” Lisa’s grandfather was a family enigma. He died without ever telling anyone exactly where he was from, and very little about the family itself. But along comes DNA and well… you know the rest. Hear the story Lisa and her family has learned about her long deceased grandfather’s origins. Then, Fisher talks new archive discoveries with “The Archive Lady,” Melissa Barker of Houston County, Tennessee.  Melissa is always digging up inspiring items in her archive to encourage people to get back to where many family treasures may be waiting. Hear what she’s found this time. David then returns for “Ask Us Anything.” The guys discuss Revolutionary War pensions and coats of arms. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Join me for this amazing conversation that I had with Melissa Barker, the Founder & CEO of The Phoenix Project. We talk about how we heal from past trauma, mindset, and resources to help us on our journey. Its a fun, yet powerful conversation. https://www.iamphoenixproject.com Crowd Funding: Help make Phoenix free for a year: https://ifundwomen.com/projects/phoenix-healing-survivors-trauma  https://scarlettevalentine.com/meet-my-guest-melissa-barker-of-the-phoenix-project/ https://scarlettevalentine.com/  

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard filling in for David Allen Lambert. Diahan talks about the newfound benefits with the latest edition of Dr. Blaine Bettinger’s Shared cM Project. Next, Fisher and Diahan talk about a great new article on Civil War female spies. Things apparently haven’t changed much in the last hundred years as Fisher shares a story about a California mayor who got in big trouble for not wearing a mask during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Next, Fisher visits with Beverly Hewett. Ten years ago she learned from her beloved Dad that he was not her biological father. She turned to DNA five years ago, and just this past week her bio-father was identified. She explains what she learned along the way to final achieve “the big reveal.” Then, Fisher catches up with Melissa Barker, “The Archive Lady” of Houston County, Tennessee. Melissa’s been a busy archivist during the pandemic. She tells us about some great things are awaiting us when we get to the back end of the lockdown at archives everywhere. CeCe Moore, star of the ABC-TV Series “The Genetic Detective” then talks about the next episode of her show. She calls the featured case her “favorite” because it results in the exoneration of a convicted killer, and the identification of the real killer. Diahan Southard then returns for Ask Us Anything. Naturally, it’s a question about DNA. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about finding records for the friends, associates, and neighbors of your ancestors in archives. Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, teaches us all about archives. Tune in to learn more about different types and levels of archives, what you might find there, and best practices for using them. Links What Your Ancestor’s Neighbors Can Tell You - handout by Melissa Barker RLP 55 – It’s Not All Online: Researching in Archives with Melissa Barker - previous podcast episode with Melsisa RLP 56 – Researching in Libraries and Archives: The Do’s and Don’ts with Melissa Barker - previous podcast episode with Melsisa Archive Grid - "ArchiveGrid includes over 5 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies." Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group - more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com Thank you Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following: Share an honest review on iTunes or Stitcher. You can easily write a review with Stitcher, without creating an account. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click "write a review." You simply provide a nickname and an email address that will not be published. We value your feedback and your ratings really help this podcast reach others. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you! Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below. Share the episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications of new episodes. Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Top 20 Genealogy Podcasts

Melissa Barker is the founder and CEO of The Phoenix Project, a social impact startup in the Bay Area, focused on empowering survivors of sexual violence, while connecting survivors to healing resources and community. Melissa is a survivor herself and is building Phoenix to make trauma-informed healing and care more accessible to survivors everywhere. She knows firsthand how hard healing can feel at times, but she also knows sometimes the only way out is through. She wants to create a space where all survivors can have access to high-quality healing and care, so that they may (re)find their joy. Melissa holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley in Interdisciplinary Studies, an M.A. from Saint Mary’s College in Leadership Studies for Social Justice. She is pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her doctoral research focuses on how survivors are finding healing in this post #MeToo world.In this episode we discuss:How sexual assault affected Melissa emotionally, physically, and psychologically.How she went into trauma response after her assault and what that looked like.Why it’s normal for survivors to blame themselves and how challenging it is to move through the shame.Why she felt at the time of her assault, it was a better option to consider suicide than speaking up and sharing.How her unhealed trauma revealed itself through the years and how it impacted her relationships.How she healed through trauma therapy and came to the conclusion there needed to be more resources out there for survivors. From that realization, she birthed the Phoenix Project: a digital space for survivors to come to be seen, witnessed, and empowered.Connect with Melissa:Website: www.iamphoenixproject.comInstagram: @iam_phoenix_risingConnect with Ashley:Instagram: @someday_ill_get_thereWebsite: www.ashleyrivard@gmail.com

Join Melissa Barker for a conversation about archiving and preserving records.  Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives. She lectures, teaches and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual webinar presentations across the United States for genealogical and historical societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well known Book Reviewer for the FGS Magazine FORUM and Utah Genealogical Association Magazine Crossroads. She writes a bi-weekly advice column entitled The Archive Lady published at Abundant Genealogy. She writes history pieces for her local newspaper The Houston County Herald called From the Archives. Her Professional Genealogy expertise is in Tennessee records and she is currently taking research clients. She has been researching her own family history for the past 30 years.  

Featured Guest Melissa Barker Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives. She lectures, teaches and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual webinar presentations across the United States for genealogical and historical societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well known book Reviews Editor for the FGS Magazine FORUM and Utah Genealogical Association Magazine Crossroads. She writes a bi-weekly advice column entitled The Archive Lady published at Abundant Genealogy. She writes history pieces for her local newspaper The Houston County Herald called From the Archives. Her Professional Genealogy expertise is in Tennessee records and she is currently taking research clients. She has been researching her own family history for the past 30 years. Contact Links Website – A Genealogist in the Archives Facebook – The Archive Lady Twitter – Melissa Barker Best Advice Ever Received “Find out what you love to do and figure our how to make an income at it.” One Action Genealogists Can Take Right Now “Watch webinars. They are a great educational tool which you can access right now from your home.” Recommended Book Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies and Solutions for Every Researcher by Drew Smith Advice “Always remember that not everything is online. You need to contact or visit an archive.” Action Item One thing that really struck me was how Melissa created a niche, that worked within her constraints, by promoting herself as a webinar-only speaker. I like the way she bucked convention by not following the traditional speaker path. ACTION: For your action item this week I want you to think out of the box the same way Melissa did. In her case, she chose to do webinars-only instead of in-person speaking events. Is there a path you're not following because of constraints due to a full-time job, family responsibilities, location, cost or something else? Try to think of a way around the problem.  You don't need to stick to traditional rules with your business. Make it your own and push yourself out of your comfort zone to make it happen. If you like, head to the TGP Action Group on Facebook and share your obstacles and we'll see if we can come up with solutions. News The Genealogy Professional podcast is now available on Spotify. Search for either Marian Pierre-Louis or genealogy to find it. Don't forget to follow! I'm trying to get on a bi-weekly schedule for the podcast. Eventually I'll settle on an exact release date twice a month. But in the meantime you can expect a new podcast generally every two weeks. Direct link to this post: https://www.thegenealogyprofessional.com/melissa-barker

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open the show with “Family Histoire News.” First up: great news that the University of North Carolina has begun a project to digitize thousands of slave deeds and bills of sale. It will be a boon to slave researchers.  Then, an Irishman who fought for the United States in World War I and was killed in France will finally get a tombstone in Chicago. Hear the details behind this man’s amazing journey. A family in Wisconsin was shocked to learn that their kinsman, who was killed in a plane crash in World War II on the grounds of “Downton Abbey,” Highclere Castle, will soon be honored at the site in England. And finally, a remarkable ancient building has been uncovered in Cologne, Germany. Wait til you hear what was once housed there! David then recognizes blogger Lara Diamond. Lara’s site, LarasGenealogy.blogspot.com, which she calls Lara’s Jewnealogy, features Lara’s insight into her Jewish background. Next, Fisher visits with perhaps the only genetic counselor who specializes in people who get unexpected results in their DNA testing. As the first in her field, Brianne Kirkpatrick shares some of her insight into the challenges many people face when they learn something from DNA they had never imagined. Then, Melissa Barker, The Archive Lady from Houston County, Tennessee is back to share some of her latest stories of acquisition, and a remarkable event from a century ago that drew her into a fascinating research project. Learn from Melissa what family items your local archives may hold. Finally, Fisher visits with Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority from TMCPlace.com. Believe it or not, when it comes to the holidays time is almost up! There are deadlines you’re going to need to hit to be certain your family home movies and videos can be digitized on time. Tom will get specific with you. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

The Building Charleston podcast takes a moment each week to meet the leaders changing the landscape of Charleston, SC with host Matt Chapdelaine from Laine Commercial Real Estate. In this episode, we focus on Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston, a group for women entrepreneurs in the lowcountry focused improving the skills and the successes of women as they build their own business. This weeks focus on women entrepreneurs comes to us from Melissa Barker, the founder of Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston and the founder of Show & Tell. We are joined in this episode by Pat Eardley, who has successfully run her business in Charleston, SC now for over 10 years - a landmark that only 4% of companies realize. In this episode we how the Women Entrepreneur of Charleston network is different from other networks, the challenges and opportunities women face when starting their own business, and we learn what Melissa & Pat's vision is for women business owners in Charleston, SC. If you like this episode and want to hear more - please like our podcast and subscribe to the Building Charleston Podcast. For more information on today's guests, please check out the following links: Our Sponsor: Popped Popcorn - 123POPPED@gmail.com - 843-697-8822 (Instagram: @123POPPED) Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston: https://www.womenentrepreneurscharleston.com/ Melissa Barker from Show & Tell: https://www.showandtellco.com/ Pat Eardley fro Shift HR: https://shifthr.com/ Laine Commercial Real Estate: https://lainecre.com/ Laine CRE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laineprop/ Building Charleston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingcharlestonsc/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/buildingcharleston/support

The head of UNCC talks about the shooting that rocked campus in April 2019 and his upcoming retirement. Panelists: Scott Dorney, Executive Director, North Carolina Military Business Center and Melissa Barker, Founder, Women Entrepreneurs Inc.

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to prepare for a visit to a library or archive. These repositories hold valuable records for genealogists - but many of us have not visited one before. Today we'll talk with Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, about how to make the most of your visit to any library or archive. Links A Genealogist in the Archives Blog http://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/   Melissa Barker's Legacy Family Tree Webinar Presenter Page for Webinar and QuickGuides https://familytreewebinars.com/melissabarker   The Archive Lady on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheArchiveLady/   Melissa Barker on Twitter https://twitter.com/TNArchivist   Melissa Barker, Certified Archives Manager and Professional Genealogist Specializing in Tennessee and Kentucky Research and Takes Clients E-Mail: melissabarker20@hotmail.com   Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group- more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guideby Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com   Thank you Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following: Share an honest review oniTunesorStitcher. You can easily write a review with Stitcher, without creating an account. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click "write a review." You simply provide a nickname and an email address that will not be published. We value your feedback and your ratings really help this podcast reach others. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you! Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below. Share the episode onTwitter,Facebook, orPinterest. Subscribe oniTunes,Stitcher,Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. Sign up for ournewsletterto receive notifications of new episodes. Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Top 20 Genealogy Podcasts

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about finding records in archives. Maybe you have already exhausted all the online records and are ready to find those additional records that haven't been digitized yet. In repositories like courthouses and archives, you may be able to find unique and relatively unknown records. Join us as we talk with Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, about how to find records like manuscript collections, voting records, photographs, school records, loose records, and more. Links A Genealogist in the Archives Blog http://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/   Melissa Barker's Legacy Family Tree Webinar Presenter Page for Webinar and QuickGuides https://familytreewebinars.com/melissabarker   The Archive Lady on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheArchiveLady/   Melissa Barker on Twitter https://twitter.com/TNArchivist   Melissa Barker, Certified Archives Manager and Professional Genealogist Specializing in Tennessee and Kentucky Research and Takes Clients E-Mail: melissabarker20@hotmail.com   Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group - more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com Thank you Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following: Share an honest review on iTunes or Stitcher. You can easily write a review with Stitcher, without creating an account. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click "write a review." You simply provide a nickname and an email address that will not be published. We value your feedback and your ratings really help this podcast reach others. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you! Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below. Share the episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications of new episodes. Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Top 20 Genealogy Podcasts

Extreme Genes host/creator Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. Fisher begins by talking about his recent visit to St. Joseph, Missouri for the Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society where he gave four lectures. David visited a sale of ancestral clothing and other stuff in New York City that brought in millions. It was from the family of Babe Ruth!  The guys then talk about the importance of the recent email sent out by GEDMatch about law enforcement. Find out what you need to do to support authorities with your DNA.  Next, the guys talk about three World War I soldiers whose remains have been found in France. Two have been identified by DNA and have received military funerals along with the third a century after their deaths.  David then talks about NEHGS and their involvement in creating a website for descendants of the 272 Africans sold into slavery by Georgetown University. (They’re now up to 314.)  Hear more about the project.  David’s Blogger Spotlight this week shines on Angela Buckley of Victorian-supersleuth.com. David describes Angela’s fascinating blogs. Next, Fisher talks with Kristine Bartley of Des Moines, Iowa. Kristine explains how she came to spearhead a project to put tombstones on the graves of over 300 children in a local cemetery who died over a hundred years ago. Fisher then visits with Rebekah Heath, a Connecticut woman whose hobby is… er… unusual. She researches missing persons and tries to identify them. Recently, she had her first big success. Find out what she did. Then, The Archive Lady, Melissa Barker, joins Fisher for another Ask Us Anything session… this time on archive family history research. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Thanks for tuning in! For this episode, we decided to combine both physical and disability abuse. Our Guest speaker was Melissa Barker! Wanna be a guest speaker? Contact us on instagram first! If you just want to say some of your thoughts, feel free to send a vocal message through the anchor app. National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-799-7233 https://www.thehotline.org/ Follow us on instagram! @politicsunscripted --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politics-unscripted/support

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open the show with “Family Histoire News.” First up: great news that the University of North Carolina has begun a project to digitize thousands of slave deeds and bills of sale. It will be a boon to slave researchers. Then, an Irishman who fought for the United States in World War I and was killed in France will finally get a tombstone in Chicago. Hear the details behind this man’s amazing journey. A family in Wisconsin was shocked to learn that their kinsman, who was killed in a plane crash in World War II on the grounds of “Downton Abbey,” Highclere Castle, will soon be honored at the site in England. And finally, a remarkable ancient building has been uncovered in Cologne, Germany. Wait til you hear what was once housed there! David then recognizes blogger Lara Diamond. Lara’s site, LarasGenealogy.blogspot.com, which she calls Lara’s Jewnealogy, features Lara’s insight into her Jewish background. Next, Fisher visits with perhaps the only genetic counselor who specializes in people who get unexpected results in their DNA testing. As the first in her field, Brianne Kirkpatrick shares some of her insight into the challenges many people face when they learn something from DNA they had never imagined. Then, Melissa Barker, The Archive Lady from Houston County, Tennessee is back to share some of her latest stories of acquisition, and a remarkable event from a century ago that drew her into a fascinating research project. Learn from Melissa what family items your local archives may hold. Finally, Fisher visits with Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority from TMCPlace.com. Believe it or not, when it comes to the holidays time is almost up! There are deadlines you’re going to need to hit to be certain your family home movies and videos can be digitized on time. Tom will get specific with you. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org.  The guys begin by talking about the participation of dead people in the recent Eagles Superbowl victory parade. Hear what that was all about! Then, “Cheddarman,” an ancient Brit, has had a DNA test which reveals something previously unknown about the early English. The guys then discuss the 2020 Census questions that are now emerging. Some delve into Caucasian ethnicity. Plus adoptees in New Jersey can finally obtain their original birth certificates. Hear how that new law is changing lives. David then spotlights blogger Melissa Barker, our friend “The Archive Lady.” Read her latest at agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com . Next, Fisher visits with LegacyTree.com’s Carolyn Tolman. Carolyn shares a recent success story of an African-American client. She explains the breakthrough to pre-1870 days and some of the great new tools that are aiding African-American research. Then, Fisher talks with author Loren Rhoads. She discusses research into her book “199 Cemeteries To See Before You Die.” What genie doesn’t want to know about this?! Then, Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority, takes on several great listener questions. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys begin with the story of a woman who recently visited her attic and discovered ancestral letters written home from the battlefields of the Civil War. Get the details. Then, a 425 year old letter has been discovered, and you won’t believe where. David explains. Then, the guys talk about the Search Angels of Facebook who are there to help adoptees find their birth families.  Plus, a fascinating contest is coming up for attendees at RootsTech. David has the 411.   Then, Fisher visits with Robin Mason, a fan of witches everywhere, but particularly in her home state of Massachusetts. Her site, WitchesMassBay.com, has become a great resource for anyone wanting to research their witchy ancestors, including walking tours of various towns, and lists of the accused and the executed. Find out what you need to know about how to research the witches of New England through Robin Mason.   Next, Fisher chats it up with Melissa Barker, “The Archive Lady” from Houston County, Tennessee. Melissa came kicking and screaming into the world of archives and now loves it! She wants to give you an idea of what ancestral material may be waiting for you to discover at your area archives. Her local discoveries are always fascinating, and her tips are invaluable. Then, Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority, talks up a unique program that allows you to insert audio files on photos! Think of what that can do for the value and usefulness of what has been kept in your family all these years. Tom and Fisher also have a special event planned for this year’s RootsTech, and you’ll especially want to know about it if you’re planning to attend. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #211 with Lisa Louise Cooke In this episode, host and producer Lisa Louise Cooke talks with Barry Moreno, Historian at Ellis Island. Hear about the life cycle of this busy U.S. immigration station (1892-1954) and Barry's research into thousands of Ellis Island employees—men and women—who worked there. HelloFresh: Visit  and use promo code gems30 to save $30 off your first week of deliveries. More episode highlights: Archive Lady Melissa Barker tells us about the National Archives Citizen Archivist program—and Lisa profiles a volunteer effort coordinated by the British Library to geo-tag thousands of old maps that are already online. A giant genealogy lost-and-found! Two listeners write in about rescuing old artifacts and returning them to those who might be interested. Military Minutes contributor Michael Strauss talks about Official Military Personnel Files for 20th-century US servicemen and women—files that were unfortunately partially destroyed. Hear what he learned about his grandfather. NEWS , reported by The Archive Lady, Melissa Barker of digitized maps from the British Library Collections—mostly 19th century maps from books published in Europe. Use Google Earth for genealogy! Check out these resources: FREE The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 2nd edition by Lisa Louise Cooke. This book has 7 full chapters on Google Earth! Available in  and  form. Google Earth for Genealogy Video Training by Lisa Louise Cooke. Available .     NEW FOR GENEALOGY GEMS PREMIUM MEMBERS “Share Your Life Stories More Meaningfully” Premium Video Every life is fascinating when it's well shared! Learn from the author of what stories you have that are worth telling--and several inspiring reasons to write them. Review different kinds of memories, why some memories are more vivid that others, and how to flesh them out. Learn tips for researching gaps in your memories, how to turn a memory into a good story, what to leave out and several ways to share your stories.   BONUS CONTENT FOR GENEALOGY GEMS APP USERS If you're listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus content for this episode is a preview of the new Premium video class, “Share Your Own Life Stories More Meaningfully” by Contributing Editor Sunny Morton. The and is only $2.99 for   MAILBOX: ROLAND'S HEIRLOOM RESCUE MAILBOX: NEW LISTENER PHOTO RESCUE PROJECT What can you do with a collection of unidentified photos? Return them to a loving home. In this case, it was a local historical society. Linda wisely kept the collection together because often there's power in what some of the photos may tell you about others. Get them digitized and online so those who want them can find them. The historical society put images on and . They even plan to display them for locals to look at personally and try to identify! Historical and genealogical societies can also share mystery photos on their websites (or their local library's website if they don't have their own) or on their blogs, Facebook pages or even in their regular newsletters. These are great conversation pieces, especially when you can later report that you have solved the mystery! ( for more tips aimed at supporting genealogy societies.) Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends . From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. RootsMagic is now fully integrated with Ancestry.com: you can sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site.   Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at . MILITARY MINUTES: OFFICIAL MILITARY PERSONNEL FILES The military service files for your ancestors who served during the twentieth century or later are located at the National Personnel Record Center in St. Louis, MO as part of the National Archives. The files are called the Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) and are available for each of the military branches; namely; Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Researchers should be keenly aware of the devastating fire that occurred on July 12, 1973 at the research facility that destroyed or damaged between 16-18 million service files from the United States Army and the Air Force. Remember that the Air Force wasn't officially organized until September 14, 1947. Before this date Air Force records were part of the United States Army Air Corps, then part of the U.S. Army.  . Overview of the holdings, media articles and PowerPoint presentations (download as PDFs) (Request an Appointment, Availability of Records, Copy Fees, Hours of Operation, Hiring a Researcher) (Online request for Veterans, Standard Form 180, or For Burials and Emergency Requests) (SF 180)   Zerbe H. Howard Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with Animoto.com. You don't need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You've got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at .   Watch the video below for an example of a family history video made with Animoto:              is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. : it's free to get started.   INTERVIEW: BARRY MORENO, ELLIS ISLAND HISTORIAN Barry Moreno is a leading authority on the history of , the famous receiving station for millions of immigrants to the United States from 1892-1954. He has worked in the Museum Services Division at Ellis Island for more than a decade. He is the author of several books, including , (including Bob Hope, Bela Lugosi, and Max Factor) and (which includes information on displaced persons).      Ellis Island: Historical highlights Prior to 1890, immigration was handled by the states (primarily New York, as most passed through the Port of New York). 1920-1921: New regulations cut down immigration dramatically. Each country had quotas that could not be exceeded. New regulations were passed requiring immigrants to have a passport from their home country have medical examinations pay a tax to the American Consulate in their home country.  During the last 30 years, Ellis Island mostly handled immigrants who were "in trouble." Starting in the 1930s some immigrants arrived by air (Colonial Airways from Canada). After WWII, Air France started service, and German and Italian airlines came in the 1950s.  Ellis Island was closed in 1954 by President Eisenhower. Immigrants who were still detained when it closed were sent to jails. After 1954, Ellis Island was still used by the Coast Guard for training and by the Public Health Services department.  Barry's research on workers at Ellis Island: Most employees were men. Interestingly, blue collar men tended to die before age 60, and better educated ones lived much longer.  Female employees were typically widows, unmarried or had husbands who did not support them. "Char woman" was a common role held by Irish, Swedish and German women. Char means "chores" (cleaning women). They worked often for about $400/ year with no pension, and lived to old ages. A nursery was opened at Ellis Island; many Christian missionaries worked there. Ludmila Foxlee (1885-1971) was one of them, a social worker with the YWCA. to read more immigrant aid workers at Ellis Island. Three more great resources for discovering the stories of your immigrant ancestors: Read this article and watch (for free) an award-winning, official documentary) If your search at doesn't retrieve your ancestors, head on over to . There you will find dozens of links to search resources, including the Ellis Island Gold Form for arrivals between 1892 and 1924.  Even the folks at Ellis Island refer researchers to Morse's site. Listen to Lisa's interview with Stephen Morse in In Lias's free (episodes 29-31), genealogist Steve Danko covers immigration and naturalization records in depth and even offers up some little-known tips about deciphering some of the cryptic notes researchers often find on passenger lists.   PROFILE AMERICA:   PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Diahan Southard, Contributor: Your DNA Guide Melissa Barker, Contributor: The Archive Lady Michael Strauss, Contributor: Military Minutes Hannah Fullerton, Production Assistant Lacey Cooke, Service Manager Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting this free podcast and blog! Sign up for our FREE newsletter: Enter your email & get my Google Research e-bookas a thank you gift! to receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter, with tips, inspiration and money-saving deals.  

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #210 with Lisa Louise Cooke In this episode: You've heard of “burned counties,” a phrase used to describe places where courthouse fires or other disasters have destroyed key genealogy records? In this episode, a listener presents the problem of her burned city—Chicago. Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard shares some of the latest buzz about DNA health reports you can get with your DNA tests for family history—and some opinions about them News from the Genealogy Gems Book Club Get-started Swedish genealogy tips from Legacy Tree Genealogist Paul Woodbury The Archive Lady Melissa Barker shines the spotlight on archival collections that haven't even been processed yet (and suggestions for getting to them) Five years away from the release of the 1950 US census, Lisa has tips on researching your family in the 1940s and preparing for its release MAILBOX: GEMS FOR YOU AND YOUR SOCIETY Gail mentioned the free step-by-step Great news! Your genealogy society or group may reprint articles from Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems blog! to learn more. MAILBOX: GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB by Frank Delaney (Thank you for supporting the free podcast by using our links to get your copies of these books.) by Frank Delaney   Book Club Guru Sunny Morton recommends the novels of Frank Delaney, beginning with (and now she's reading ). Frank is a master storyteller, and family history themes wind throughout his stories. Tip: he narrates his audiobooks himself. They are well worth listening to! But they're so beautifully written Sunny is buying them in print, too. MAILBOX: THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE Resource:  (an index of Cook County marriages and deaths) Recommended: : “I discussed a book specifically on Chicago research:  by Grace DuMelle. As I recall, it was a very comprehensive book and could give you good leads on where to look.” by Lisa Louise Cooke : Johnstown Flood story : Eastland disaster story and tips on researching disasters in your family history (includes mention of GenDisasters)   Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends . From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. RootsMagic is now fully integrated with Ancestry.com: you can sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site.     Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at . ARCHIVE LADY: UNPROCESSED RECORDS As an archivist, working in an archive every day, I get very excited when someone walks through the door with a records donation in hand. Many of our archives would not have the genealogical and historical records they have without the generosity of others that make records donations. Archives receive donations of documents, photographs, ephemera and artifacts almost on a daily basis. Many archives have back rooms full of unprocessed and uncatalogued records collections. Sometimes they are even sitting in the original boxes they were donated. These records collections have not been microfilmed, they are not online anywhere but they exist and the genealogist needs to seek them out. Images courtesy of Melissa Barker and Houston County, TN Archives. One tip that I like to share with genealogists is to ask the staff at the archives about these unprocessed and uncatalogued record collections. Many times these record collections haven't even been processed yet but the archivist might let you look through a specific collection. Be prepared, sometimes the archivist doesn't allow patrons to view unprocessed collections. But like I always say "It doesn't hurt to ask!" The archivist should know what they have in those collections and should be able to help you decide if a particular collection will be of help to you and your genealogy research. Many of our archives and archivists are very busy processing records, helping patrons, answer email and much more. Maybe the archive is short staffed and can't get to the unprocessed records as quickly as they would like. This is why there are record collections sitting on shelves in back rooms waiting to be processed. If you have made a research trip to an archive, it wouldn't hurt to ask about any new record donations or collections. There could very well be records in those boxes about your ancestors. If you are emailing or talking to the archives by phone, be sure and ask about any new records collections that have been processed or that have recently been donated and are waiting to be processed. Most likely you will have to travel to the facility to see the records but you can get an idea of what is available.  Archivists love to share the records in their care and usually know what is contained in those boxes that haven't been processed yet. The answer to your genealogical question could be sitting in a box of unprocessed records. I like to always encourage genealogists to put “unprocessed records” on their to-do list. As genealogists, we should leave no stone or box of records, unturned. DNA WITH DIAHAN: MORE DNA HEALTH REPORTS Recently, offered its customers a new $49 add-on product: a wellness report that promises to “empower you to make more informed decisions about your nutrition, exercise, and supplementation.” The report comes via a partnership with Vitagene, a nutrigenomics company. How does it work? When you order the report, Family Tree DNA shares the results of your  with Vitagene and gives you a lifestyle questionnaire. According to the site, “this information, along with your DNA raw data results, will be analyzed using the latest research available in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and genomics. You can expect your results to be available on your dashboard within one week of purchase.” At this point, the test is only available to those who have taken the Family Tree DNA Family Finder DNA test (we called to check with them specifically about those who , but the Wellness Report isn't available to them, either). Those who qualify will see a  option on their Family Tree DNA dashboard: There are several components to the Family Tree DNA and Vitagene Wellness Report. The site describes them as follows: Nutrition Report. “Personalized, actionable recommendations designed to help you reach your weight goals. Learn how your DNA affects traits such as obesity risk, emotional eating, weight regain after dieting, and more. Included Reports:  Obesity Risk, Alcohol Metabolism, Cholesterol Levels, Triglyceride Levels, Lactose Sensitivity, Gluten Sensitivity, Emotional Eating, Weight Regain After Dieting, Fat Intake, Sodium Intake.” Exercise Report. “Outlines the optimal physical activities for your body to start seeing better results, faster. Included Reports: Power and Endurance Exercise, Muscle Strength, Muscle Cramps, Exercise Behavior, Blood Pressure Response to Exercise, Weight Response to Exercise.” Supplementation Report. “Reveals which deficiencies you are more inclined to suffer from and recommends a supplement regimen that will help keep you healthy and feeling 100%. Included Reports: Full Supplementation Regimen, Vitamin D Intake, Vitamin A Intake, Folate Intake, Vitamin B12 Intake, Iron Intake.” And what about your privacy? According to Family Tree DNA's Q&A, “Your data is 100% secure and protected by industry standard security practices. We will not share your information without your explicit consent.” This is just one of many services that are cropping up or will crop up in the future to offer additional interpretations of our DNA test results. (23andMe was the first major company in the genealogy space to offer these– to read about their health reports, and click  and  to read about the company's long road to FDA approval.) Essentially, each DNA test you do for family history looks at a certain number of your SNPs, or little pieces of DNA (not your entire genome, which is costly and isn't necessary for genetic genealogy purposes). A nutrigenomic profile compares your SNPs with SNPs known to be associated with various conditions or ailments. (These genetic markers have been identified by researchers, many in academia, and deposited in ClinVar, a large, publicly-accessible database that itself is part of an even larger genetic database, SNPedia.) In this case of Vitagene, they are likely mining ClinVar for specific places in your DNA that pertain to nutrition, and were also evaluated as part of the Family Finder test. Of course, many factors affect your health, nutrition, exercise capacity, and other wellness indicators, not just your genes. The purpose of reports like these is to give you just one more piece of information to weigh personally or with your health care provider. When considering whether to purchase a nutrigenomics report such as this, I'd look carefully at what's promised in the report, as well as the company providing it and the cost. Vitagene does also sell vitamin supplements, so they have a clear motivation to tell you about what supplements to take. And, for your information, Vitagene also offers this . Of course, if it is health advice you want, for only $5 you can turn to  and receive a health report–based on any testing company's autosomal DNA report–that includes some nutritional factors. (I've blogged recently about Promethease and another inexpensive recommendation for DNA health reports.  to read it!) Or, I will just tell you right now, for free, without even looking at your DNA: Exercise more and eat more green vegetables and less ice cream. There. I just saved you some money. You're welcome. GEM: COUNTDOWN TO THE 1950 CENSUS: 5 TIPS Get a copy of a census record for yourself or a relative (1950-2010) This costs $65 per person, per census year. In addition to genealogy uses, census records are legally-recognized documents to prove your identity, citizenship or age if you're applying for a passport and you've lost your birth certificate or other situations like that. Order it through the . : How to obtain a copy of your census record Find your family in all possible records before and during WWII City directories, , , the , military enlistments, and even alien registrations or internment camp records for foreign-born residents during WWII. 5 places to find city directories: (subscription required) to see holdings at different libraries (may require copy service request, since originals may not circulate through interlibrary loan) Local public libraries/societies Find your family in all possible records AFTER the war City directories, yearbooks, deeds, divorce records (the ) Post-WWII draft registrations: to order copies of draft registration records for men born 1897-1957. Requires full name of applicant, address at time of registration (tip: get it from a city directory).  Help create location tools for the 1950 US Census ” Google your family's history during the 1940s and 1950s (FREE) Premium video: 2nd ed, by Lisa Louise Cooke (there's an entire chapter on YouTube) Follow-up your discoveries with Google and YouTube search questions. Example: You find your grandmother working as a telephone operator in the 1940s in a city directory. What would her job have been like? Search YouTube: It appears from these videos that operators essentially served as emergency dispatchers. When did 9-1-1 service begin? Search Google: LEGACY TREE TIP: START YOUR SWEDISH GENEALOGY to read Paul Woodbury's tips on the Genealogy Gems website. Receive $100 off a 20-hour+ research project from with code GEM S100. Expires Oct. 31st, 2017. PROFILE AMERICA: THE OPEN ROAD “The busiest spot on the Pennsylvania Turnpike,” Library of Congress photograph; image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. to see full citation. BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users If you're listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus content for this episode is a lightning-quick tech tip from Lisa Louise Cooke on how to undo that last browser you just closed and didn't mean to! The and is only $2.99 for PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide, Content Contributor Hannah Fullerton, Audio Editor Lacey Cooke, Service Manager FREE NEWSLETTER: Enter your email & get my Google Research e-bookas a thank you gift! to receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter, with tips, inspiration and money-saving deals.    

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with a welcome to several new members of the Extreme Genes Patrons Club. He’s then joined by David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org who shares “Family Histoire News.” David begins with the latest news from “Reclaim the Records.” The group that is making a name for itself forcing government entities to make indexes to records available to the public, has pulled off another big score. David will tell you what it is. Then, a pair of infants that shared space in a hospital on the day they were born have met up again. And now they’re married! Hear the details! Next… want a ride in a B17? You can, but it’s going to cost you. Find out where you may want to go. David then talks about a new idea for connecting to your ancestors that has caught fire on his blog… collecting coins from the years your ancestors were born. Find out what it has done to interest his daughter. David’s blogger spotlight this week is chiddicksfamilytree.wordpress.com, where Paul Chiddick asks “What Does the Future [of Genealogy] hold?”   Next, Fisher visits with Lisa Murphy of Orem, Utah, an “Ordinary Person With An Extraordinary Find.” Lisa’s grandfather was a family enigma. He died without ever telling anyone exactly where he was from, and very little about the family itself. But along comes DNA and… well… you know the rest. Hear the story Lisa and her family has learned about her long deceased grandfather’s origins.   Then, Fisher talks new archive discoveries with “The Archive Lady,” Melissa Barker of Houston County, Tennessee.  Melissa is always digging up inspiring items in her archive to encourage people to get back to where many family treasures may be waiting. Hear what she’s found this time. Then, Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority, returns to talk about audio… wire recordings, eight track tapes, vinyl records, and cassettes. Hopefully you’re not throwing any of these things away! Tom will tell you what you need to do with them things, and what NOT to do! That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org.  The guys begin the conversation with word of a milestone achieved by MyHeritage.com (one of the show’s sponsors). MyHeritage now has 8 billion records in their SuperSearch archives! David then reveals how a search for what do to with old pants pulled up a story about the discovery of the world’s oldest known trousers… from 3,000 years ago! Catch the details on the podcast. Then, DNA has again given us a remarkable discovery: The modern day identity of the people known in the Bible as the Canaanites! David will tell you who they are today. Next, a body has been found in Ohio… and you won’t believe how old it is! And finally, David talks about the recent discovery of bodies in a mass grave in London dating back nearly 500 years. He’ll explain the significance. Then, Fisher visits with blogger Kate Porter of Slatersville, Rhode Island. The author of genijourney.com talks about how her preconceived ideas concerning the life of her nomadic great grandfather changed as she got to know him through the records and other relatives. Fisher next visits with archivist Melissa Barker from Houston County, Tennessee. Melissa was something of a reluctant archivist when she first took the job of setting up an archive in her county. Now called the “Archive Lady,” Melissa offers great stories from her own archives and advice on what you might find in archives tied to your family lines through materials typically not yet found on line. Then, it’s Preservation time with Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com. Tom walks through a problem presented by a listener email about a century old large photo in a frame that is flaking apart.  What does Tom recommend to save this treasure? Listen to the podcast. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!  

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #205 with Lisa Louise Cooke This episode breaks two huge pieces of genealogy news and shares two great conversations: FamilySearch ends microfilm lending:  how you can get the records you need; RootsMagic adds Ancestry.com compatibility: sync your Ancestry.com tree to your master RootsMagic file and search Ancestry.com from within the software; Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, talks about visiting archives to explore original manuscript record treasures; Nicole Dyer shares a fun family history activity idea to do with kids—do you have a family gathering coming up that could use this inspiration? A SURPRISE IN MY MAILBOX! NEWS NEW PREMIUM VIDEO! Lisa Louise Cooke shows you how to use the free Google Earth Pro software to create your own historic map collection customized for your genealogy and family history research. By the end of this class you'll have a permanent collection of hundreds of gorgeous historic and vintage maps from around the world, organized and ready to use for family history. to watch a free preview of this full-length video class. Genealogy Gems Premium website members can watch the whole thing: to learn more. LISA: I thought the resolution of the jpg version wasn't good, so I just left this ad as text. The 4th Annual Northwest Genealogy Conference This episode today is brought to you by the 4rd Annual Northwest Genealogy Conference, hosted by the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society, north of Seattle in Arlington, WA. Centering on the theme, “Where Does Your Story Begin?” it's four days PACKED full of genealogy. There will be well-known and respected keynote speakers, including our friend and genetic genealogist Diahan Southard, speaking on DNA; Kenyatta Berry of Genealogy Roadshow fame, speaking on Caribbean research and using slave schedules in research; and Daniel Earl speaking on Putting History in Your Family History. Starting off with the Free Day Wednesday afternoon, Speaker Peggy Lauritzen will address beginner's issues in her Genealogy 101 presentation, which is also a good refresher for the more seasoned genealogists.  There will be such great genealogical information for all levels, AND it'll be lot of fun! Between classes take a chance to meet a distant cousin with the “Cousin Wall”. Participate in the genealogy-related scavenger hunt, the Wednesday evening meet and greet and the Friday dress-as-your-ancestor day, and much, much more! Go to  for details and to register. Check it out now -- registrations are limited, so it's good to get in early. It's August 16-19, 2017. It'll be a great show: don't miss it! INTERVIEW: MELISSA BARKER, THE ARCHIVE LADY Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Records Manager, the Houston County, Tennessee Archivist and author of the popular blog and bi-weekly advice column . She has been researching her own family history for the past 27 years. Preserve your own family archive: Items in danger: Original items in attics, basements What to preserve first: The most precious and original items you have! Restoration tips: Clean documents and photos with archival sponges. Lay the item perfectly flat. Gently place a finger or hand to hold it steady. Work with the sponge from the center outward, in small sections. Keep two-dimensional items as flat as possible. Encase fragile items in Mylar sleeves (buy from archival supply companies). Visiting an archive: Call ahead! Don't trust the operational hours from the website. Ask about parking – it's often very limited. Ask ahead about access to archival items of interest. Archive etiquette: Follow the rules. Be courteous when working with staff. Museums, societies, archives, and libraries may all have collections in back rooms you can't see—but you can ask for them. Vertical Files – in folders in cabinets Manuscript Collections – underused in genealogy! Ask for finding aid. Loose Records – the working papers of a court case, for example Unprocessed Records – not yet incorporated into the official collection Tips for using your mobile devices in archives: Ask for procedures for taking photos with your own device. There may be rules against this or a use fee. Capture the source information by photographs: cover page, page number, folder, box number, manuscript collection name, etc. BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users If you're listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus audio content for this episode comes from Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady,  with more about finding and using original manuscript records in your genealogy research. The and is only $2.99 for . Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. RootsMagic is now fully integrated with Ancestry.com, too: you can sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site. Learn more about Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with , the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at .   INTERVIEW: NICOLE DYER Nicole has been researching her ancestors and delighting in their stories for the past 15 years. Nicole volunteers at the Tucson Family History Center teaching a family history story time group for young children.    Lisa suggested the free program Jing for video screen capturing: (Full disclosure: this podcast blog contains affiliate links. We will be compensated if you make a purchase through our link. Isn't that an awesome way to help keep the free podcast free?!) and start a free trial Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with Animoto.com. You don't need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You've got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at .  is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. : it's free to get started. GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB: A FAMILY HISTORY MURDER MYSTERY! Journalist Helene Stapinski's new family history memoir:   A story of poverty and power, love, tragic decisions, and a courageous and desperate woman's leap for a new life across the ocean continues to unravel a past Helene explored in her fantastic first family history memoir, . Find a whole list of fabulous family history-inspired reading at the   PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer Lacey Cooke, Service "Happiness" Manager

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #204 with Lisa Louise Cooke Canadian expert Dave Obee shares the story of the Canadian home children tips on newspaper research. Also in this episode: New site features at MyHeritage, including improved DNA ethnicity analysis (it's free—upload your DNA!); An excerpt from the Genealogy Gems Book Club interview with Fannie Flagg about The Whole Town's Talking—and a great summer reading idea; A detailed get-started guide to British Isles research: Terminology and census/civil BMD record tips from Kate Eakman at Legacy Tree Genealogists Why so many weddings are traditionally held in June.   NEWS: DNA AND CATALOG UPDATES AT MYHERITAGE MyHeritage.com: and View an example of the new ethnicity analysis presentation here: (with additional details and commentary) (Newly-updated in 2017)   . This brand new, comprehensive guide helps you answer the question, "Which genealogy websites should I use?" MAILBOX: BOOK CLUB COMMENTS Companion video recommendations: video (click here to see the book) “ with author Chris Cleave,   by Alan Cumming For more information:   Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. In the works: soon RootsMagic will be fully integrated with Ancestry.com, too: you'll be able to sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site. Learn more or sign up for . Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with , the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at . INTERVIEW: DAVE OBEE Continuing our celebration of Canada's 150th birthday! is an internationally-renowned Canadian journalist, historian and genealogist. Dave is a columnist for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today (formerly Family Chronicle). Dave has also written about family history for Canada's History and Your Family Tree in the United Kingdom. Put Dave's books on your shelf - Canada research tips: Look in newspapers for ship crossings, notable people sailing, approximate numbers of passengers etc. Don't just rely on search engines for digitized newspapers. Browse the papers where you find some hits. Canada Home Children:   , an award-winning documentary () (watch it on YouTube)   LEGACY TREE GEM: ENGLISH PARISH RECORDS Visit Legacy Tree Genealogists: on English parish records, with several image examples and links to the resources Kate Eakman recommends.  provides expert genealogy research service that works with your research goals, budget and schedule. The Legacy Tree Discovery package offers 3.5 hours of preliminary analysis and research recommendations: a great choice if you've hit a brick wall in your research and could use some expert guidance. EXCLUSIVE OFFER for Genealogy Gems readers! Receive $100 off a 20-hour+ research project from  with code GG100, valid through July 31st, 2017. GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB: FANNIE FLAGG INTERVIEW by Fannie Flagg may hear this entire conversation in the upcoming BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users LINK IMAGE TO: If you're listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus audio content for this episode comes from Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, in honor of International Archives Day on June 9. The and is only $2.99 for   Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with . You don't need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You've got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at .    is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. : it's free to get started.   PROFILE AMERICA: June Weddings PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide, Content Contributor Lacey Cooke, Service Manager Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer  

This week Brett interviews long time listener of The Wellness Couch Melissa Barker about her journey from ‘always healthy’, to stressed out and fatigued, and back towards health again. Melissa shares how for her Paleo became an unhealthy obsession as she started to put too much pressure on herself with shift work, diet and her Listen In The post TPS 168: Real Life Paleo with Melissa Barker appeared first on The Wellness Couch.