Blog - Melanie Young- Fearless Fabulous You!

Fearless Fabulous You! This Super Model’s Career Is Blooming in a New Direction

On April 23, 2016 / Inspiring Women

One of the world’s top models, Frederique van der Wal has had a career that bloomed brilliantly in the world of beauty and fashion. Today, it’s blooming in an exciting new direction through her floral lifestyle company Frederique’s Choice. Flowers have always been a source of inspiration for this Dutch born beauty. In fact, when a flower in Holland was named after her- the Frederique’s Choice Lily – she became curious to learn more about the journey flowers take from bulb to vase. She conceived a television program with the Discovery Channel to follow the floral journey, visiting farms, greenhouses and flower auctions around the world. Today, Frederique’s Choice is a successful

Beauty Recipes from the Kitchen with Heather Marianna

On April 10, 2016 / Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Healthy Living

According to Beauty Kitchen Founder Heather Marianna “The kitchen isn’t just for cooking anymore.” I get it! Since I was a young girl in college with a limited beauty budget I was always looking for natural, homemade solutions to caring for my skin, hair and nails. I was a fan of the skin care authority, Aida Gray, who had legions of Hollywood actresses and clients and a book on natural beauty. Store brought products, from mayonnaise and yogurt to honey, sugar, oatmeal, banana and eggs are just some of the ingredients I’ve mixed in various concoctions and applied to my face.

When “Good in Bed” Means a Good Night’s Sleep

On April 2, 2016 / Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Healthy Living

These days my definition of being “good in bed” refers less to sex and more to getting a decent night’s sleep. Like many adults I am challenged with bouts of nighttime wakefulness (aka insomnia). And I am not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Insufficient sleep is a public health problem.” An estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder. Source The reality is: What most people are not getting enough of in bed is a good night’s sleep. Hopefully by having better Zzzzs you’ll feel more on your A-game. What I

Think Twice Before Booking Elective Surgery

On April 2, 2016 / Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Healthy Living, Men's Health, Women's Health

Many years ago I had elective surgery. While I was happy with the outcome, I had an unwelcome side effect: a pretty awful infection at the incision site that took weeks to clear up. I’m not alone. Many people have contracted nasty infections from surgical procedures. Serious infections can also result from everyday cuts and scrapes. When I was a very young girl I contracted blood poisoning after stepping on a pine needle walking barefoot in the yard and had to be hospitalized. My symptoms were a red line creeping up my leg from my foot and pain. Hearing the news this past

Menopause Should Not Mean Pushing the Pause Button on Pleasurable Sex

On March 27, 2016 / Aging Gracefully, Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show

According to a national study on sex conducted by Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion “Many older adults continue to have active pleasurable sex lives, reporting a range of different behaviors and partner types.” The same study reported that 46 percent of men and 33 percent of women over 70 report that they masturbate, and 43 percent of men and 22 percent of women in the same age bracket say they engage in sexual intercourse. You may be reading this and either nodding your head in agreement or shaking it in disbelief, especially if you are experiencing symptoms of menopause.

Lessons in SHEconomics- Why Supporting Women in Business Matters

On March 19, 2016 / Careers, Making Things Happen, Women at Work

In college I studied economics as part of my major, and I hated it! I just couldn’t wrap my head around discussing business calculations using the term “widgets.” I’d tell my professor, “Let’s speak a language I can relate to, like shoes instead of widgets.” In 1989, without having taken a single business course, I launched and ran a very successful public relations agency for over 20 years. I tell people my business education came from Street Smarts and the School of Hard Knocks. You find your niche and do it well and promote like crazy. You do something right; you learn to

New Cookbook Offers Meals To Heal and Help Cancer Patients

On March 17, 2016 / Breast Cancer, Nutrition and Diet

One of the toughest challenges for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer was enjoying food. Here I was a well connected professional food and wine consultant with a welcome seat at all the great restaurants in New York City, and food no longer appealed to me. It wasn’t that I stopped liking food. It’s just that while I was undergoing chemotherapy treatment the smells, sight and taste of many foods were off putting. I simply either had no appetite or was fearful of become nauseous from eating anything. Constipation from medication was a constant, and that only added to

The Bitter Truth About Sugar

On March 14, 2016 / Nutrition and Diet

I’m always game for a fresh slice of layer cake or fresh fruit pie. And I want to support my friends who are pastry chefs by tasting their dishes. I try and leave a little room for dessert when I dine out. But like many of us, I’m trying to reduce my sugar intake. And for good reason. Sugar is linked to a number of health issues. These include: Obesity. This in itself can lead to a litany of health issues from cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke to Type 2 diabetes. Increased triglyceride levels, which may increase your risk

Learn To Clear Your Love Hurdles

On March 13, 2016 / Attitude Adjustment, Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Happiness

Some people have love handles. Others have love hurdles. Love hurdles are the skips and starts, highs and lows we need to clear for a happier love life. It starts with loving yourself and projecting that love. Self love is not easy for some women. Many of us are loving to others but self-doubting or even self-loathing about who we are. We peer into mirrors and tear apart our appearances. We apologize unnecessarily. We compare our lives to others and worry about not keeping up, fitting in or being accepted. Lives that appear perfect are not. Flawless appearances are carefully

She Makes Soup with Soul- Elina Fuhrman- Fearless Fabulous Women

On March 4, 2016 / Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Healthy Living, Inspiring Women

The healing power of soup can never be underestimated. A warm bowl of chicken soup will ease a cold. A mug of nourishing bone broth may be the only thing a cancer patient in treatment can tolerate. A cup of tomato soup with a toasty sandwich brings back happy childhood memories. A simmering pot of vegetable soup laced with herbs and spices warms a kitchen and a few hearts around the table. And that’s just the warm soup! Then there’s the zing of a tangy gazpacho on a summer afternoon, the silkiness of chilled Spring pea soup and my memories watching my soup loving father’s

Nutritional Supplements: Hope? Hype? Help?

On March 4, 2016 / Fearless Fabulous You Radio Show, Nutrition and Diet

The word “wellness” may end up as the Word of the Year in 2016. The self- improvement industry is a $10 billion juggernaut, from books to products to services to make you look, feel and act better. Chefs have jumped on the bandwagon; so have many film and TV celebrities who are now “lifestyle and wellness experts.” I am the recipient of numerous pitches on how to improve your life, and I write about health and wellness regularly. It’s a topic that has been of primary importance to me all my life but even more so now as both a cancer

The Ultimate List of 10 Things To Do Now

On March 2, 2016 / Aging Gracefully, Finances, Making Things Happen

When my father passed away from cancer in 2009, I remember one of the most frustrating things my mother and I dealt with was getting access to his various accounts and unlocking his mobile phone. We didn’t know the passwords. I have forgotten passwords to numerous accounts. I reset one, carefully file it away and then forget where the file is on my computer. It happens all the time, and I’m still sound of mind. Imagine 20-30 years from now! It’s more than just passwords that you should share with someone you trust. If you become incapacitated at any age,