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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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