According the the website NerdWallet.com the average U.S. household consumer debt profile as of May 2015 is: Average credit card debt: $15,609 Average mortgage debt: $156,706 Average student loan debt: $32,956 In total American consumers owe $11.91 trillion in debt, an increase of 2.5% from last year. I fit into that group as do many others. Certified Public Account and personal financial specialist, Kemberley Washington learned to ditch her debt. Now she helps others make smarter financial management decisions and reduce their debt. Kemberly will discuss ways to manage and reduce your debt Monday, June 8, 9:28pmEST on Fearless Fabulous You! on www.W4WN.com and iHeart.com and the iHeart App. Kemberley and I are both
Read more →My brain-tenna recently shot up over a New York Times article entitled “Anxious Students Strain College Mental Health Centers.” The article reports that nearly one in six college students has been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety which has now surpassed depression as the most common mental health diagnosis among these students. Many reasons were given for the high anxiety among young people. Some are obvious with academic, financial, parental and social pressures being paramount. One reason that struck a chord was “fear of missing out” (FOMO for short). Now, fear of missing out is nothing new. I remember the fit
Read more →Who remembers Carnation Instant Breakfast? You just needed to add milk or water to these nutritious, artificially flavored, sugar laden meals-in-a-packet. My mother drank them before she took off for work. I drank them before I took off for school. We both tolerated the taste in the spirit of fast, nutritious and calorie conscious consumption. It’s still in the marketplace along with an assorted other liquid meal options. Flash forward. Today, I dread the idea of liquid meals. They remind me of being ill or watching my sick father consume Ensure (also a nutrient dense but sugar laden drink) during
Read more →Summer is a sun lover’s dream. I grew up in the South with a beautiful blonde mother who turned dark golden brown. Unfortunately, I inherited my father’s pale skin which burned and freckled (and later speckled). Skin cancer is on all sides of my family, and I am vigilant about skincare and sun protection. When I was a teenager no one discussed skin cancer. In high school we gals competed to see who could have the deepest tan. I slathered on the baby oil and my mom’s Bain de Soleil Orange Gelée (I will never forget the scent!). This was
Read more →I’m an adventure traveler. But sometimes the adventure comes with a detour I didn’t plan: getting sick. I’ve traveled the world and collected some amazing memories and photos for my scrapbooks. But sometimes I picked up a bit more than I wanted. I’ve had a few unplanned trips to doctors’ offices and pharmacies in various locations for an assortment of travel related conditions from food poisoning and many gastro-intestinal ailments to allergies, hives, rashes, nasty bug bites and even (ugh!) worms and scabies. I know! – Too much information! But you can never have to much information when it comes to
Read more →This week food media celebrity Sandra Lee shared the news that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 48. When any woman receives the news that she has breast cancer it’s a terrible shock. To share the news and say the words “I have breast cancer” out loud for the first time is incredibly painful. I think everyone chokes. I know I did for months. Ms Lee’s specific cancer, DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), is relatively common. It’s also considered noninvasive, and can normally be treated with a lumpectomy followed by radiation. After undergoing a lumpectomy, further tests revealed Lee’s margins were not clear
Read more →We’re dusting the Spring pollen off our outdoor grill in preparation for our first Memorial Day cookout. In my household my husband, David, mans the grill. This is probably because I haven’t taken the time to learn how to turn it on. But, according a 2014 GrillWatch survey by Weber-Stephens Product Co, 25% of Americans who grill are women. I figure it’s time to wo(man) up the grill this year to try my hand at grilling. I’ve invited my favorite Girl at the Grill, Elizabeth Karmel, to join me May 18 on Fearless Fabulous You! to discuss grilling tips. A
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“It’s quittin’ time!” “Who says it’s quittin’ time?” “I say it’s quittin’ time. It’s quitting time!” David and I have had this exchange more than once, not only about working too much but also about over-imbibing. Both David and I work in the wine and food business. We’re Frequent Flighters who’ve logged a lot of mileage both producing and attending professional wine events. We spit a lot. It’s allowed and appropriate. But sometimes it’s tough, especially when the day involves tasting many wines at different events. Last week we had a triple header- three tastings in one day. I was
Read more →How many of you have back pain? Or shoulder pain? It’s common and getting worse thanks to sedentary lifestyles and more time spent hunched over computers and necks stretched over digital devices. (Mea Culpa!) In fact, two studies published in 2014 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases on January 30 and March 30 reported that nearly one in 10 people across the globe suffers from an aching lower back. And, back pain is a leading cause of work related disability. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases anyone can have back pain, but some things that increase your
Read more →I have a special place in my heart for four kinds of women: Dreamers, Doers, Do-Gooders and Survivors. Judy Pearson and Karen Shayne are all four rolled up into two beautiful bodies of energy with huge hearts and super-sized souls. They are co founders of the Women Survivors Alliance and the annual National Women’s Survivors Convention (“Survivorville”) and publishers of Nou Magazine. Their mission is “to establish a network where women affected by cancer can find their voice, improve their quality of life and embrace their second acts.”
Read more →My mother (aka “The Purple Lady”) lives by her “Purple Rules” which means “Do unto others and for others.” Give graciously and generously to help others without expecting anything in return. According to the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University Even though women, in general, earn less than men, have less in retirement, and outlive their spouses, this study demonstrates that Boomer and older women appear to be more generous in giving to charity than comparable men, when we take these factors into consideration. “Philanthropy” is a big word that you think is applied only to the wealthy (as in a
Read more →With Mother’s Day approaching, I’ve decided to address an aspect of women that is continuing to grow and flourish. It is an ideal that my Mother, Sonia Young, passed on to me…”Do unto others.” Women are drawn to giving and giving back. According to studies conducted by The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy: single women are significantly more likely than single men to make a philanthropic gift; female-headed households are more likely than or as likely to give as male-headed households in every charitable subsector; married men and married women are both more likely to give and to make
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