Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Lanita, a young woman who has used her life-long love of dance to help her stay healthy. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! Check out these studies that agree with Lanita that dance is good for both physical and mental health.

Just be With Me with Petra Thomas In this episode, we share a special conversation with Petra, who has recovered from crippling depression and is now sharing her story in hopes of helping others who may be suffering. There is a content advisory for this episode.  Those who may find the topic of suicide distressing may want to skip this episode as it includes a brief discussion of suicidal thoughts. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. From the US, you can reach the lifeline by dialing 988 or online at 988lifeline.org Suicide risk factors and warning signs https://988lifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/ The World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Depression includes overviews of symptoms and treatments

Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Yolanda Ford about how she created a joy-filled life, including her choice to remain single for 77 years...and counting. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! Read how “Female Friendships Are the Unsung Secret to Longevity” in an Oprah Daily excerpt from Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy, by Sharon Malone, MD. This AARP article describes how dancing can be good for brain health.

Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Barbara Mondestin Krueger about her experience with rheumatoid arthritis.  She worked hard to create a treatment plan and care team to manage this chronic condition. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! You can find an overview of rheumatoid arthritis from Black Health Matters and check out Seven Ways to Manage RA During Winter from BlackDoctors.org

Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Susan Scott about the honor of serving as her loved one’s  medical power of attorney and the toll it took on her personally. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! The National Institutes of Health provides some general information on Medical Power of Attorney.  Each state has its own rules and guidelines. The National Cancer Institute discusses Cancer Disparities in the US If you are so inclined, please donate to support the important work of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund

Brenda and Elaine talk with Lorraine Wiley, a young woman who, after many frustrating years battling both yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, turned to her own faith and research skills to heal herself.  Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! Learn more about Bacterial Vaginosis from the World Health Organization. Through trial and error and a lot of research, Lorraine identified a regimen that helped her minimize the recurrence of her infections. Here are some tips on prevention.

Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Kezia Goodwin about the surprises and frustrations menopause brought for her.  Fortunately her village of friends have helped her find some humor and relief as she travels this road. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share it with your friends! Kezia mentioned the work of Queen Afua . Try the North American Society for Menopause and The Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause for more information.

Today Brenda and Elaine talk with Jacquelyn Howard. Her experience as a high-level leader at two of the US’s largest corporations was both fulfilling and demanding.  She shares with us her strategies for protecting her personal well-being in these oftentimes challenging environments. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! Jacquelyn referenced the work of University of Michigan researcher, Arline Geronimus, who spoke with NPR about her research on weathering.  Dr. Geronimus’ research is also explained in her book, “Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society” This article from The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education's Online Urban Education Journal highlights the importance of self-care for Black women leaders.

In this episode, the sisters talk to Maya Lewis, who was a competitive gymnast throughout most of her childhood.  She was diagnosed with scoliosis at 10 years old and had to learn to pay attention to the signals from her body to give it the care it needed. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! You can learn more about scoliosis from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases USA Gymnastics has published a Safe Sport Policy, which can help parents know their rights related to their child athletes.

Today’s episode is a conversation with Tracey Hawkins, a mother of two sons on the autism spectrum. Tracey has found a way to ensure her sons get the care they need while also caring for herself and others. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! For support, Tracey recommended reaching out to state health departments or The Autism Society. Please checkout the Thriving on the Spectrum app.

In this episode Brenda and Elaine talk with Safiya Noble about the road she traveled, physically and emotionally, to finally become pregnant with her son. The lows and highs of this journey have essential lessons for us all. Please follow Body Wealth on the podcast application of your choice and follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. It also really helps get the word out about Body Wealth if you rate and review the show. Or just share with your friends! Safiya mentioned the book The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric The Resilient Sisterhood Project is a reproductive health resource focusing on Black women. The Society for Women’s Health Research has a Guide to Fertility Health Care.

Tanya Landry joins Brenda and Elaine to discuss her road to finding relief from gastrointestinal symptoms that came on suddenly and were challenging to diagnose.  Please follow the Body Wealth podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram of Facebook. Tanya was ultimately diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  To understand how IBS is diagnosed and treated, check out this information from the Mayo Clinic. Tanya mentioned that the FODMAP diet plan was helpful to her.  Read an overview of the Low FODMAP Diet  from The Cleveland Clinic. Tanya did much of her research using the American Journal of Gastroenterology

Brenda and Elaine talk with Monica Johnson about her decision to be a primarily plant-based eater. She put a lot of thought into that decision and  shares her journey around food choices, disease prevention, and feeling good! Please follow the Body Wealth podcast on the platform of your choice and follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram. To learn about veganism in the Black community, check out this article on Saveur.com: “Black Americans are Leading a Vegan Movement” by Omnia Saed. October 13, 2022 Monica loves Tabitha Brown’s vegan recipes.  Check out some in this article on greenmatters.com: “Our Favorite Tabitha Brown Recipes, for Your Next Vegan Meal”  by Sophie Hirsch. May 1, 2023 or purchase Tabitha’s Cooking from the Spirit cookbook.

Today’s episode is the second in our two-part series on childbirth. Brenda and Elaine speak with Chavonne Alford, who has been working for years to recover from her traumatic experiences during childbirth. Please subscribe to Body Wealth on the podcast app of your choice and follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram. Organizations working to improve Black maternal health outcomes include Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Sister Song, and the National Birth Equity Collaborative  For more information on the history of racism in the US healthcare system, you can read the book Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America by Linda Villarosa. Please see this literature review of studies on Understanding How Discrimination Can Affect Health  The Momnibus Act is a legislative effort at the federal level to address the national crisis in Black maternal health care.

Today’s episode is the first in a two-part series on childbirth.  Black women are nearly three times more likely than White women to die in childbirth, so we are taking our time with this topic. In this episode, Brenda and Elaine talk to Maya Gold Patterson about how she prepared for pregnancy and delivery, and the challenges she faced delivering her first child during COVID. Please subscribe, and follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram. Los Angeles County has an African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Initiative, a coalition addressing the unacceptably high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths in Los Angeles County. CAPPA is an international certification organization for Doulas, Childbirth Educators and Lactation Educators. They maintain a directory of doulas and educators.    The momnibus act is a legislative effort at the federal level to address the national crisis in Black maternal health care.

Brenda and Elaine chat with Krista Bradley about her Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, which she wasn’t diagnosed with until she was an adult.  Krista explains how she manages her ADHD and why she sees it as a superpower. Please follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram and subscribe to/follow the show on the podcast platform on your choice. Krista mentioned so many useful resources in this episode.  Here are a few of them: Delivered from Distraction: Getting The Most Out Of Life With Attention Deficit Disorder By Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D. ADDitude Magazine Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a US-based non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ADHD. Krista is a fan of several ADHD-related podcasts. Check out  Faster than Normal Dr. Hallowell’s Wonderful World of Different–ADHD and Beyond

Martha Taylor joins Brenda and Elaine to talk about her problematic knee replacement surgery and the different ways she has managed pain in her seventies and eighties. Please follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram or visit our website, bodywealthsisters.com See tips for keeping your knee joints healthy from the Arthritis Foundation at https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/managing-pain/joint-protection/tips-for-healthy-knees/ The gel injections used by Marth Taylor are called Viscosupplementation Treatment. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons describes the procedure here: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/viscosupplementation-treatment-for-knee-arthritis/ The Mayo Clinic describes Five Alternatives to Knee Replacement Surgery

Brenda and Elaine chat with Kendra Plummer who discovered she had hypothyroidism when she was in college and now takes daily hormones to maintain her health. Kendra describes how she was diagnosed and what other life decisions that diagnosis has affected. Please follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram or visit our website, bodywealthsisters.com If you want to learn more about hypothyroidism, check out these two resources: The African American Wellness Project: Health Summary on Hypothyroidism National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Health Information on Hypothyroidism

Today we chat with Janyce Wardlaw about her years struggling with Imposter Syndrome and how she came to know her worth and feel confident showing up fully in all spaces.  Please follow @bodywealthsisters on Instagram.   If you feel you may be suffering from Imposter Syndrome  Try this workbook: Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life by Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin  and Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin  Read this article: Speaking of Psychology: How to overcome feeling like an impostor, with Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD, and Kevin Cokley, PhD What do you think? Is Imposter Syndrome a result of an internal narrative or a response to an affirming external environment?  Check out this article for thoughts on this question: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome

Bridgette Roux Collins joins Brenda and Elaine to discuss her osteoporosis diagnosis and the things she does to keep her bones strong.  The steps she’s taking might surprise you. Please follow us @bodywealthsisters on Instagram.   The U.S. National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) has a website dedicated to Bone Health and Osteoporosis  National Council on Aging online article on The Osteoporosis Risk Factors for Black Women; February 28, 2022.