Alopecia Life - SoundSage

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Today's guest is Lauren Lee. She is a student-athlete golfer at NCAA Divsion II, Western Washington University where she is a senior studying psychology with a minor in anthropology. She's lived with alopecia most of her life, and the journey of hair loss has shaped her resilience, confidence, and outlook on life. Balancing competitive golf and academics, Lauren has learned the importance of mental strength, self-acceptance, and finding joy in every challenge. Without sharing too much in the intro, I'll let Lauren introduce herself and share more of her story with you now.

Thank you for sharing your time with Lauren and me today. It's important to hear the low, lows to know the way alopecia can hit each of us. It's also important to hear the ways we can transition through the lows and challenges to come out the other side. Our stories make a difference. Lauren is passionate about using hers to inspire others to embrace who they are and to raise awareness about alopecia. Looking forward, she is excited to continue to grow on and off the course, hoping to inspire others to believe in themselves and embrace the beauty of individuality.

If you would like to connect with Lauren, her Instagram link can be found here in the show notes. A quick shoutout to Abigail Tolman who helped Lauren and I connect.

https://www.instagram.com/loreuhn.lley/

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome back to the podcast.I'm so excited to start Season 7 of Alopecia Life with a guest who has a passion for making the world a better place for children impacted by skin conditions and birthmarks. She also loves building relationships and collaborating with others since she believes we are better when we lift one another up so we can all become the best versions of ourselves. Dr. Alanna Bree is a Pediatric Dermatologist, Founder and President of Made A Masterpiece, Director of Pediatric Dermatology Collaboration at Sagis Diagnostics, as well as an Advisor and Speaker for CeraVe. In addition, she enjoys teaching about pediatric dermatology and raising awareness about the impact of living with a skin condition so the world can be a more understanding, accepting, and loving place for those with visible skin differences.

I met Dr. Bree a few months ago, and was quite taken with how she spoke about patients and families, along with her dedication to creating resources to help people living with all skin conditions, including alopecia. She shares so much throughout this episode, including some of the best ways to take advantage of a dermatology appointment that you've been waiting months for. Made A Masterpiece is not only a website that provides endless free resources for all skin conditions, it's also creating a method that will revolutionize how we raise awareness with technology and interactive play.

Thank you for sharing your time with Dr. Bree and me today. If you are looking to connect with Dr. Bree, find some of those amazing resources she shared with us today, and know more about the mission and passion behind Made A Masterpiece, those links are here in the show notes. If you are wanting to donate to the traveling museum, you can find those links here as well.

https://www.madeamasterpiece.org/
https://www.facebook.com/madeamasterpiece
https://www.instagram.com/iwasmadeamasterpiece/

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. It's been awhile since I've published an episode. I've been working on some big projects, and life has had a way of getting reorganized as time goes by. Thank you so much for coming back and for listening today. I'm excited to introduce Arron Johnson as our guest today. Arron shares his personal alopecia story with us from the point he was diagnosed at the age of 15. Over the last 25 years, Arron transformed from a teenager hiding behind du-rags and hats to a confident IT professional, successful entrepreneur, husband, and father. His faith-based approach to resilience has helped him through every challenge, from navigating workplace environments without head-coverings to building authentic relationships and starting a family. His book, Hairless But Fearless not only chronicles his personal transformation, but also offers practical strategies for individuals and families facing similar struggles.

Thanks so much for sharing your time with Arron and me today. To find Arron on social media, you can find him @therealarron, and find his book at http://www.hairlessbutfearless.com/. Those links can be found here in the show notes.

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. We are so happy to participate in this 3rd edition of Podcasthon! For one week, more than a thousand podcasts will highlight a charity of their choice, and today, I have the pleasure of welcoming back Jeff Woytovich with the Children's Alopecia Project.

In this episode, we talk about what's new for CAP, JAK Inhibitors, along with the ongoing conversation about community and how we continue to be supportive and focus on education. We talk about his recent outreach with a family in the UK and some of those details, and there's a full 10 minutes of discussion that had to be omitted because of the heated conversation we had around it. Both of us get fired up about this type of thing happening in this day and age. Let's welcome Jeff back to Alopecia Life.

That wraps up this special episode as part of Podcasthon. If you enjoyed it, feel free to visit http://www.podcasthon.org/ to discover hundreds of other associations through the voices of amazing podcasters. It's a pretty cool deal to be supporting charities of our choice. As always, CAP is the number one charity I choose to fund every year because camp and gatherings for kids and their families who have been diagnosed is something that means the world to me and has such huge benefits. The link for CAP's annual giving campaign is here in the show notes, along with the Children's Alopecia Project, camp, and so much more. If you want to schedule a get-together with Jeff in your city, that link is here too.

For those of you who are wanting an update about the family in the UK, they've received tremendous support from almost a dozen dermatologists and specialists, but at this point they are still waiting for social services to close the case. We are keeping them in our thoughts, and we hope for a swift resolution, and an opportunity for this school to receive the education around alopecia that is clearly so necessary.

https://childrensalopeciaproject.org/

https://form.jotform.com/Knjoz/cap-kid-group-get-together

https://alopeciapalooza2025.eventzilla.net/e/2138640318

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia LIfe. Today's guest is Sarah Durrett. I reached out to Sarah a few weeks ago after she posted a video of herself shaving the last of her hair off after living with alopecia areata for several decades. The video is super raw, and I truly felt with her in the moment while she shared. It had a strong effect on me, and I knew for those who hadn't yet seen it and were going through something similar - it would be super helpful.

When our hair is actively falling out, it's difficult to understand the sense of loss we are experiencing. People around us often tell us, "It's just hair." or "At least you don't have something more serious." Logically, we know this (as adults), but it doesn't mean on a scale of 1-10, it's not a 10 for us in the moment. With kids, it may be even more confusing. Our parents or other family members may be encouraging a final haircut to get rid of the wispy hair that is stubbornly sticking out of our head. It's a big deal to take this next step. When do you know it's the right time to Brave the Shave? Today, Sarah shares what led up to it, and how she is feeling now.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with Sarah and me today. Shaving is a very personal choice when living with hair loss. I never did, but looking back I wish I would have taken control instead of having that last strand of hair remain on my head until alopecia decided it would for me. Showers and bathing can be traumatizing when clumps of hair are found in the drain. I want to thank Sarah for being brave and sharing her experience with all of us. For ways to reach out to Sarah, I've posted those links in the show notes. I've also attached the video here in the comments.

For parents - If you are ready for your child to shave and they aren't - I encourage you to wait until they are. Sometimes they need to know it's an option, and other times they will refuse and that is completely up to them. It may sound harsh, but your discomfort needs to take a back seat to the wishes of your child. On the other side of this, your child may totally want to shave, and you may not feel ready. With your discomfort aside and whether they do or don't want to shave, your kiddo can experience freedom around a choice when experiencing hair loss, and that's something truly empowering.

Sarah's YT Video
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.durrett

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. I've been waiting to share this episode with all of you because I knew it was important to release it at this unusual time in the US that has been so full of unrest. I'm editing this the week before our presidential election, at a time where a lot of stress and imbalance is working to right itself. Although this week has already played out and I have no idea of the outcome while editing, my wish is that today's guest, Jen Baradi, provides you with the same sense of calm and peace I felt after being with her in person and interviewing her here on the podcast.

I met Jen a few months ago in Toronto, and I knew she would be perfect for the podcast to share all she has discovered while living with alopecia for the past 38 years. She has discovered greater well-being and support along the journey through mindfulness, yoga, and iRest® meditation practices. As an educator, Jen taught internationally for 20 years and first developed an interest in combining yoga and education while completing postgraduate research on the effects of yoga on academic achievement. After repatriating back to Toronto, she took time for wellbeing and for deepening her yoga practice. She has awakened to a path of integrating wellbeing, awareness, and education.

Whether you're here in the US, in another country, or in Canada where Jen lives, we could all use a moment of space to just breathe.

Thank you for sharing your time with Jen and me today. To discover more for yourself, connect with her through www.jenbyogi.com. Additional ways to reach out to Jen are located here in the show notes, along with the YouTube link to the movie we spoke of, "Attack from Within."

*ADDITIONAL INFO FOR COMMUNITY TO CONNECT WITH JEN:

Discover ways to live with greater wellbeing this season with Jen:

Resources to Just Be (*for CANAAF Alopecia support group online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jenbyogi.com (*for private clients / groups / organisations / educational institutes)

Two Yogis Talking about Life Youtube (*for vodcast with new episodes inspired by iRest®️)

Doggos.ca (*for puppy & yoga playdates at Puppysphere, studio 2)

Vivayalive.com (*for recorded online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jabumind app (*for recorded iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Oise.utoronto.ca/wellness/past-recordings (*for hybrid & recorded online Yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

YouTube Video - Attack from Within

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Thank you for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Sharlay Sloss. Sharlay is a certified doula, teacher and author. She is dedicated to fostering positive and healthy environments where children can express themselves and fully embrace self-love. As a teacher, she has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Heart Award for her dedication and commitment to children and their families.

Sharlay lives in Virginia with her husband, two children and dog Remy. Today, we'll be talking about her new book, Hair-Free Horace. If you're an avid listener of the podcast, you know how often I share about books as resources. The reason I love books so much is because I know how much I wanted and needed something to look at and read or hear when I was diagnosed. This continues to be a need almost 40 years later for our young readers and families who have been diagnosed with alopecia. Featuring them here on the podcast is another way to help serve the alopecia community.

Thanks again for sharing time with Sharlay and me today. To find your copy of Hair-Free Horace or to get in touch with Sharlay, I've provided those links here in the show notes.

Hair-Free Horace Amazon

Barnes & Noble

https://www.hairfreehorace.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharlay-sloss-ab101912/

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Thank you for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Dr. Elyssa Green. Dr. Elyssa is a woman making a significant impact in the world of alopecia. After being diagnosed with alopecia in 2022, she shaved her head and embraced the beauty of baldness. Even though that sounds like an easy 2-step process, she shares the personal challenges and triumphs that led her to help others struggling with the diagnosis and all that comes with the hair loss journey. Dr. Green established Bald Bozz Beauty or B3 to advocate and bring awareness to alopecia. The mission of B3 is to provide highlights in the areas of Style, Health, and Education that impact the bald community. It's exciting to have her here today to share more.

Thank you for sharing your time with Dr. Elyssa Green and me today. For ways to reach out, the links are here in the show notes, along with her website to find out more.

Contact:
https://www.instagram.com/baldbozzbeauty/
FBbaldbossbeauty
https://www.tiktok.com/@baldbossbeauty
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elyssagreen/
https://www.bthree.org/

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome to Season 6 of Alopecia Life. Each September, I have a back-to-school episode and find a guest to share how to make the transition easier. Historically, these are the ones that parents ask me about the most too. Our guest today is Jodie Lee. Jodie is a dedicated educator with 15 years of experience as a high school teacher. She is a passionate advocate for celebrating diversity and fostering inclusivity in schools. Jodie is the proud mother of two daughters, and her youngest, Makenna, was diagnosed with alopecia. When Jodie registered Makenna for school, she searched for a book that would highlight her daughter's bravery in confidently walking into school looking different from her classmates. Unable to find a suitable story, Jodie took matters into her own hands and wrote one herself. This endeavor was not just about her daughter's experience but also about the many challenges that students face in school environments.

In 2022, Jodie expanded her mission and founded Different at School, an organization dedicated to celebrating what makes each of us unique. The organization focuses on educating others about the diverse challenges students face while encouraging all students to become strong individuals of character.

Jodie is the perfect guest for this season's back-to-school episode.

Thank you for sharing your time with Jodie and me today. You can find all of the ways to connect with Different at School here in the show notes. As always, we love seeing your questions and comments over on socials.

Instagram

Facebook

Different At School Website

Support the show

Alopecia 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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Our next guest is Ava Hanssen. I first heard about Ava when the Children's Alopecia Project reached out to say thank you for featuring them on her race car. Her racing background is super interesting, and after hearing more about who she is and what she wants to accomplish in the racing world, I thought you would all be excited to hear more about her racing, especially if you're like me and have a fairly limited bit of knowledge around the racing world. Ava started racing go karts at 4 years old, and her competitive nature now has her racing an F1600 going upwards of 130mph at the age of 14. Here's more from Ava.

Thank you for sharing your time with Ava and me.To learn more about Ava, follow her on social media, and even perhaps offer sponsorship for her racing endeavors, please check out those links here in the show notes. Her racing accomplishments are pretty impressive.Thanks again to Ava for raising awareness for the Children's Alopecia Project.

https://avahanssenracing.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ava.hanssen.31

IG: https://www.instagram.com/_ava_hanssen_/

https://www.facebook.com/marciano.flores.18

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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and today's guest, Rebecca Saunders. Rebecca is known as video ninja in the digital world, and the impact she has made in this space has grown exponentially in the last few years. Today, she shares with us her alopecia story, along with some great advice about living authentically and "leaning into the uniqueness of you." Of course, there are some fantastic tips on how to share your own alopecia story through video in a way that features you in this same authentic way.

Thank you for listening. For all the ways to reach Rebecca, please check out the show notes for those links.

Website: rebeccasaunders.com

Socials: LinkedIn | 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/

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Welcome to Alopecia Life. Throughout generations, families are often presented with opportunities to change the way things were done before, by having a similar experience present itself. Many times, it's handled in the same exact way, and other times it's handled in a completely different way based on new information, and a sense that there could be a more positive outcome if we make new decisions. Today, I have an amazing family who not only share a common bond of living with alopecia through several generations, but also one that includes and shares culture, traditions, and coming of age experiences with all of us throughout this episode.

Please welcome Marciano Flores & Stephanie Munos-Flores, Briana Munos-Flores, Ed, Vanessa and Bella Vargas. To read more about each of today's guests, their abbreviated bios can be found here in the notes. Feel free to comment/ask questions over at our Alopecia Life FB community where complete bios can be found, or over on Instagram.

Briana: Briana was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at the age of 4. After a few tries with herbal remedies and topical creams, her and her family decided to let her bald head fly free. Briana’s parents knew someone that had alopecia, which helped them understand what Briana had and made it easier to choose how to raise her. Briana is bald and proud. She has never felt ashamed of her head or felt the need to hide it. The confidence she built after her diagnosis has helped her pursue a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a masters from USC. She has worked in multiple universities, and has found her passion in helping students find their path in college.

Bella: When I was about 7 years old, I started to get bald patches which was the first sign of my alopecia. They progressively worsened, and being the carefree 3rd grader I was- shaved my head and started 4th grade bald. I was not so concerned or conscious about my head until I grew older, and filterless children of course eventually said something. Going into middle school, I began experimenting with wigs and became very self-conscious until the start of high school and I decided to not wear wigs any more. With my decision to not wear wigs any more, I also decided to get micro-bladed eyebrows which were previously drawn on. Having to draw in my eyebrows was hard especially because I wouldn't be able to leave the house unless they were perfect. Throughout high school, however, I have become more confident in my alopecia and choose to not wear hats or a wig in certain places. The place I feel less confident though is school. I still go beanie-less every now and then, especially with my junior ROTC, but not every day.

Eduardo: I am Isabella Margarita Vargas' Father. I had no idea what alopecia was until Bella the alopecia was here. When this all started we were bombarded with advice and ways to "fix" this. From home remedies to very prominent doctor recommendations...

Vanessa: I was 1st introduced to alopecia as a kid, my cousin Marciano had a daughter, Briana. I do remember her with hair when she was little and a transformation over the years from hats and head coverings to nothing at all by the time she was in High School...

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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today, our guest is Alyssa Carpenter. On social media, you may know her as Clean Conscious Bald Beauty. Alyssa is a proud wife, entrepreneur, and alopecia warrior of over 10 years. As both an Alopecia Awareness and Clean Beauty Advocate, she uses her platform to share her passion for learning & educating about unnecessary toxins in our everyday world. After getting a diagnosis of alopecia, many of us jump to cleaning up our diet, looking to eliminate harmful foods that may be causing inflammation. One thing that many of us don't even consider is what we are putting on our bodies. Today, Alyssa gives us some helpful hints on ways to easily start a practice of clean and conscious living.

Thank you for sharing your time with Alyssa and me today. For ways to find out more about Alyssa, toxin-free living, and about Crunchi products, check out the show notes for all those links.

www.cleanconsciousbaldbeauty.com

Shop Crunchi: www.crunchi.com/alyssacollier
IG: @cleanconsciousbaldbeauty
FB: Alyssa Carpenter
FB Group: Clean Conscious Bald Beauty

These resources can also be helpful getting started:
www.safecosmetics.org
ewg.org
Yuka (app)
Think Dirty (app)

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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Summer Yang. When Summer developed alopecia in kindergarten, she also met one of her best friends. Years later, when they were both experiencing hair loss - one from alopecia, and the other from leukemia - their friendship became even stronger from their shared experiences. Summer is here today to share about her alopecia, along with the Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Her campaign ends on Friday, March 10th.

Summer is a sophomore in high school who finds a passion in learning multiple languages. She enjoys reading, traveling, listening to music and shopping for the perfect jacket. After school, she volunteers with the Asian Hall of Fame, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and AAPA (Asian American Professional Association), while preparing for her fundraising campaign for Student Visionaries of the Year with LLS (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). In her free time, she creates YouTube videos on her Channel, Worship Asian Drama, focused on various Chinese and Korean drama suggestion lists and Chinese phrase tutorials.

She hopes to share her story to inspire other girls to love themselves for who they are. She wishes to spread confidence and support within the community and create a safe environment to talk about alopecia.

Thank you for sharing your time with Summer and me today. For those who would like to support the campaign or reach out to Summer with questions, those links can be found here in the show notes. It's awesome to see how much time, energy, and passion she has put into this, and I know she will appreciate hearing from you.

Fundraiser: https://events.lls.org/calso/svoyla23/syangi
LLS' link: www.lls.org
summeryang.lls@gmail.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/

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Thank you so much for sharing your time with Alopecia Life today. Our guest is Erica Vargas. Erica is a relationship expert who went on a journey of self-love, self-discovery, and self-worth to support people to reveal and claim their heart's truest desire. Although this particular episode is lined up right near Valentine's day, love and relationships is a topic that resonates with us any time of the year. Throughout the episode, Erica shares about the importance of activating healthy relationships, especially when we are living with something, like alopecia, that often shifts who we are within those existing relationships with a partner, family members, and friends. Whether you're already in a relationship, looking to attract someone new, or wanting to know how to help your child as they approach dating in the future, this episode has some phenomenal advice for looking inward as a first step to a healthy relationship.

Thank you for listening today. Throughout this episode, I shared a little more about my relationship with my husband, Cedar, than I ever have before. As I spoke to Erica, I realized there was a component of being "lucky" so-to-speak, to be with someone who gets me and was understanding of these changes that were happening. Although I actively chose someone who was compassionate and I thought knew could love me through anything, I don't think any of us really knows what loss of self really does to a relationship until it happens. The words "grace period" and "allowed" are ones that can be triggering for some. Is there a time limit on figuring it out? Not really. Whether we call it a grace period, or a period of growth, it's all the same - time that we each take to re-assess as we move forward. If our partner is with us through this process, they are also doing the dance as we figure it all out. I love the advice that Erica gives, saying "I don't know what this is going to look like, or how long this is going to take." There's so much power in saying, "I don't know." and having those around us patiently wait until we do.

For those who are interested in working with Erica, she has a free masterclass coming up in just a few days, on January 23rd. She also has a February workshop that starts on February 12th. All those links are here in the show notes. Erica is happy to answer any questions by DM on Instagram or by email too.

January 23rde - https://erica-vargas.mykajabi.com/man-menu-masterclass

February Workshop -

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaovargas/

Email: erica@ericaovargas.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/

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Welcome to this first Alopecia Life episode of 2023. Today, our guest is Natalie Diasti. We talk about one bold experience that many of us have already gone through, and one that so many others are still wanting to have, but just don't quite know how. The first time we choose to publicly be out in the world without anything on our head. The questions of, "What will people think?" or "How will they respond?" are all still there, but so is the perfect timing that sometimes calls to each of us. That moment that says, "If I don't do it now, I might never do it at all." This interview was filled with the realness of the moments of preparing to go out. The doubts that creep in, and that twist of emotions that builds that we are all so familiar with when learning to walk in the world in this new way. I'm so thankful Natalie chose to share her experience here with all of us on Alopecia Life today.

*More from Natalie - "Hello there! “MOM!” is what my kids call me, but you can call me Natalie. I am an artist and a writer living in beautiful Tampa, Florida. I enjoy photographing nature, laughing with my improv friends and movie nights with my family. I love a good adventure just as much as I love some good snacks in bed with Netflix. I am what I call, the “back row kid.” In a stadium full of people, I have always loved to slink my way into the back row, unseen, and observe. Being a six foot tall woman has not made my “blend in with the crowd” lifestyle very easy. Now I am a bald, six foot tall woman and pretty much forced to get out there and not be ashamed or embarrassed of who I truly am. Throughout my alopecia journey I have often heard myself say, “this is not ME.” It’s true, being bald is not me, but being bold IS and I am slowly learning how to move myself from the back row to the stage. Being bald does not define me. Being bold does. Funny how becoming bald has reminded me who I truly am and forced me to come out of my shell. I always try to find the silver lining in things and alopecia has made that rather hard. Negatives aside, I have learned that I don’t need hair. I may want it, but I don’t need it. No one does. Unless you live in the Arctic, then you would benefit from it. I am more than hair. You are more than hair. Looks do not define me. My actions, the way I treat others, my attitude, my heart and the way I live my life defines me. My hope is to take a bad situation, toss some glitter on it and brighten someone else’s dark day. My Instagram is nellid11 and I would love to connect with you."

After listening to this interview, I think we can all agree that sometimes it's not a one and done experience. It's a personalized process that each of us gets to decide on, without pressure from our co-workers, best friends, or family. It's completely up to us in our own time. I've heard thousands of stories of these first moments, and each of them is so special even if it didn't turn out the way we had hoped. I remember the first time I said to myself, "It's gotta be now." I was actually driving down to California to the NAAF conference with my daughter, my sister, and my mom. It was the first time anyone would be seeing my newly published book, Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. I did feel a sense of accountability...

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/

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It's the end of 2022. However you celebrate this holiday season, I'm wishing you happy memories and good company. Alopecia Life is taking a short break until January, and I look forward to sharing new episodes with you then.

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/

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Welcome to Alopecia Life and part 2 of the Iron Protocol interview with Caitlyn Hartigan. Many of you have already gone over to the FB page to read the protocols, check your symptoms, understand what lab work to ask for, and how to read that lab work. Others have started looking at the information, and even more have started to wonder what ferritin has to do with their fatigue and anxiety. Thank you for hanging tight as we waited to release this next episode. At the end of the last one, Caitlyn was telling us about the myriad of symptoms that come with an iron deficiency, and she continues with that right here.

Thanks again for listening to the 2nd part of the series on Iron, and for asking questions and looking for answers. As many of us do, including myself, sometimes we wait until a crash happens to spur us into action. Keep this information and resource in your back pocket for future reference for yourself, a friend, or a family member. You never know when you might need it. Caitlyn and I discussed future episodes covering a specific topic around iron, and we would love to hear from you about what that might look like. Come on over to the FB Alopecia Life group or @alopecialifecoach on Instagram to ask any questions and share your iron story. The links to find out more are here in the show notes.

https://theironprotocol.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3412143085483810

https://www.instagram.com/theironprotocol/

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/

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Welcome to this 2 part series of Alopecia Life around the topic of iron deficiency. A couple years ago, living with "low iron" caught up with me. I found myself unable to do simple tasks like walk my dog, go up a flight of stairs without feeling like my heart was beating out of my chest, and I had an incessant cough that wouldn't go away. I soon discovered that my Iron had dipped to an alarmingly low level, but there was more to the story than I realized. I didn't fit the puzzle pieces together until April of this year when my symptoms resurfaced, with additional ones that were perplexing.

I had seen multiple general health care providers and a hematologist, and we still hadn't identified what the cause was. I'd been given a standard suggestion on how to take iron, every other day with some orange juice. It just wasn't cutting it. I soon found the Iron Protocol (for Iron Deficiency with or without anemia) on Facebook, and it was a total lightbulb moment. I had always wondered why I had low iron, and also why it didn't seem to ever bother my doctors over the years. I also wondered if it was deficient because I had two autoimmune conditions? Was it a factor in these conditions?

I'm pleased to have Caitlyn Hartigan here to share what the Iron Protocol is, what ferritin is, how to identify some of the signs of low ferritin, how iron moves through our body, and quite a bit more. We've broken it down into two separate episodes because it's a lot of information, and we wanted to have time for questions that may have come up between episodes.

This is a reminder that neither me or Caitlyn are medical professionals. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Let's welcome Caitlyn Hartigan to Alopecia Life.

Thank you for listening to this first episode talking about iron and ferritin. After our interview, I jumped on the support pages I run and am part of and asked questions of the group members living with alopecia or who have a child with alopecia. For the past decade I've heard a large percentage of folks living with alopecia areata saying they had low iron. So it didn't surprise me that the poll revealed over 42% mentioned they have "low iron", and that a good portion of the group didn't know what ferritin is, or even that some had high iron. I hope those of you with iron and ferritin issues have your wheels turning, know what questions to ask of your healthcare providers, and are feeling hopeful.

To find out more about Caitlyn and to check out the protocols on Facebook, the website, or to follow on Instagram, check out the links provided here in the show notes.

https://theironprotocol.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3412143085483810

https://www.instagram.com/theironprotocol/

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/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Thank you for spending your time with me and our guest, Angel Rosario, Jr., today. Angel was born and raised in Chicago. Both of his parents were born and raised in Puerto Rico. He started acting back in 2015, and credits his distinct look and presence that have given him amazing opportunities to alopecia. This interview was filled with a lot of laughter, moments of seriousness, insights about coping mechanisms while living with alopecia, and so much more. Angel's dog, Icee and my dog, Noodle both did some voice work throughout the episode.

There's a lot of work that goes into pre and post production of a podcast. There are times when I am listening to a guest where I have a burning follow-up question and the moment passes by. After the interview, I may ask them these questions. When he said, everybody told him he just needed to "ignore them," I wanted to know what he got from that experience, or what he wished he would have heard. He sent a message on to all of us toward the end credits.

Thanks again for listening. To find Angel on social media, you can find those links in the show notes. Check out his previous roles in Chicago Med, Mayans MC, Law & Order SVU. You'll be seeing a lot more of him this year, with the recent release of Black Adam & Cobra Kai, and a still yet to be known hush hush project.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelrosariojr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelRosarioJr91
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7639977/

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/

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Today's guest, VJ Hamilton, shares about her journey with multiple autoimmune conditions, and how it led her to pursue a combined passion of science, nutrition, and helping others as an autoimmunity nutritionist. The conversation took a couple twists and turns around the gut, cellular health, and an online community where others with autoimmunity can share their tips, tricks and bounce ideas off of each other.

*More about VJ: After 25 years of suffering from multiple autoimmune conditions that affected her energy, skin, hair and joints, VJ discovered after studying immunology, Functional Medicine and training as a Nutritionist that by uncovering the root cause of her issues, she was able to transform her health, and now lives free of symptoms.

VJ now uses these same principles in her nutritional therapy clinic, The Autoimmunity Nutritionist, to help strong-willed women with autoimmune disease regain their strength and live a whole and symptom-free life. VJ is a keen health writer and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Telegraph, Glamour magazine, and many health magazines. VJ has also co-authored a book with other wellbeing therapists, called Empowerment in Health & Wellness, which provides practical wellness tips to thrive after a life challenge. In her free time, VJ seeks out culinary experience at home and away, and loves to recreate dishes at home with her friends and family. VJ is dedicated to her two twin pups and enjoys long walks in the country, Pilates practice, and singing with her local choir.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. To learn more about VJ, join her online community, or be part of her self-paced online or LIVE Hair Growth Reviver Program which happens twice a year, check out the show notes for those links below. Feel free to ask any questions or comment in the Alopecia Life podcast FB group or on Instagram. VJ is tagged in those posts.

Website: http://www.theautoimmunitynutritionist.com/

Hair Growth Reviver Program: https://bit.ly/Hairgrowthreviver

FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theautoimmunitycommunitie

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theautoimmunitynutritionist/

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, ...

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Today's guest is Jannica Olin. You may remember her from a bonus episode back in Season 1. I am so glad to have her back, talking about an exciting opportunity where she will perform her one-woman show, IM Perfekt next week in NY City. Jannica is a Swedish born actress and TEDx speaker, and is known as Hollywood's Bald Blonde. I'm super excited to share this interview with you, and to have you learn more about all Jannica is doing to encourage her audience to examine disempowering thoughts about identity, beauty and labels.

*More About Jannica - A graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, Jannica has worked extensively in theatre, film, commercials and music videos in the US, UK, Australia and Sweden. In 2014, Jannica lost all her hair to Alopecia and went on an inward journey of finding her place in the world again, as a woman, and as an actor. What she uncovered through that journey, led to the TEDx Talk; Welcome To My New Normal, and centers around the idea: If I Am Not My Body, Who Am I? - when that which defines you is gone.

Jannica’s journey with Alopecia also inspired the one-woman show; (IM)PERFEKT which had its world premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2019 to sold-out houses and took home the Producers’s Encore Award; the Critics' Choice Award and the Audience Choice Award, as well as a nomination for The Diverse Diva Award by The Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. (IM)PERFEKT has been invited to perform twice at Santa Monica Playhouse, and at the 28th annual Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. Jannica received a BroadwayWorld Regional Theatre Award nomination in 2020 for Performer of The Decade and Production Of The Decade. In 2017, Jannica was nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women’s Summit; an event that recognizes and honors outstanding professional women who have made significant contributions to their professions and the Los Angeles community.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you happen to be in NY city or the surrounding areas, and want to go see Jannica's show next week on Friday, October 14th - the United Solo ticket sale link is here in the show notes for your convenience. To learn more about Jannica, watch her Tedx Talk, or read her interview with the Hollywood Reporter, check out the show notes below for all those links. I've also attached a link for Andy Grammar's music video, "Damn It Feels Good to be Me" where Jannica is featured being all she's worked to become. What a fun video to watch.

Tickets to (IM)PERFEKT in United Solo: https://unitedsolo.org/imperfekt/
Instagram: @jannica.olin
website: www.jannicaolin.com
TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/rbyzkul4JIk
Interview with the Hollywood Reporter: "Actress Jannica Olin Shares Her Personal Journey Living With Alopecia: “How Can This Become My Superpower?”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/actress-jannica-olin-alopecia-imperfekt-1235127608/
Watch Jannica’s TEDx talk here: https://youtu.be/rbyzkul4JIk
YouTube - Damn It Feels Good to be Me (Official Andy Grammar Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDza6TCO-RA

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Many of you have been listening to Alopecia Life since the beginning, and others have just started sharing time with us. Thank you so much for being here. Each guest that comes onto the show is meant to give you, as a listener, some insight into their alopecia experience, and to let you know you're not alone.

I love hearing back from those of you who have mentioned how helpful a certain conversation with a podcast guest has been, or that hearing about a product we mentioned has been a game-changer for you.

Some of you know about my own alopecia areata experience, especially if you've already read my story in a book I published called, "Head-On, Stories of Alopecia." In the publishing world, it's now an ancient book after being out for over 7 years. But I think it's timeless in the world of alopecia. Shared stories and photos of people from all over the world living with autoimmune hair loss. Another way to connect when we feel so alone, want to learn more, and are looking to have a helpful resource that is both educational and healing.

As I hear about challenges people with alopecia or their loved ones are experiencing, I try to help resolve deep-rooted problems that are contributing to those experiences.

Finding solutions for kids and parents who are experiencing problems on the playground or in school, allows for significant systemic change to happen within the educational system while working with families, teachers, and school adminstration. Calling and speaking to the senior policy advisor for TSA to find out what the process is for removing hats, or wigs at airports was highly enlightening, and I enjoyed hearing that this medical condition liason was interested in helping those in the alopecia community who fear not only the security line at the airport, but traveling all together.

When a student soccer player is asked by a referee to remove their scarf in front of their teammates, a stadium full of people, and their opponents because it is a "rule". A rule that doesn't exist in the rule books or has been enforced for over a decade of playing for this child gets me...fired...up. This type of experience where someone is made to feel embarassed moves me, to where the only thing I can do is make a change so others don't have to deal with ignorant and blatant made up "rules." That's what I'm working on this week, and the types of important issues I will continue to work on to serve the alopecia community and their support systems.

I tend to be very quiet in what I'm doing. Writing a book, starting a podcast. I've even recently launched a course for parents and caregivers called the Alopecia Roadmap. Did any of you guys know that? I'm super proud to have a resource that can be accessed online, at any time to parents as they are seeking ways to navigate autoimmune hair loss with their child. It's a how-to guide to do alopecia. Not my way, but your way by accessing all the pieces of you and your child that make it possible to have alopecia be the best it can be. I cover a multitude of topics throughout the course. Things like how to talk about alopecia with family and friends; tried and true methods on how to decide on treatments, wigs, and alopecia-related decision making; how to create a comfortable school experience; and how to let your child lead all of this no matter how old they are.

My parents didn't have the types of resources that are availble today. These days, parents have more access to all sorts of information, to hair loss specialists, to a number of possible treatments and remedies. But you know what? The fear and sadness parents are feeling isn't so different than what my own parents once felt. It's time to realize you have access to ways to feel empowered to make a difference right now. You don't have to wait years to figure it all out as things

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It's still Alopecia Awareness Month, and what better way to spend it than with our guest, Abby Wren, today. Abby is a creative makeup artist and outspoken advocate for inclusivity throughout the beauty industry, media, and beyond. For those of you who have seen her work, you might already know that her signature bald look has become her iconic canvas as she transforms herself into colorful, mind-blowing creations and characters. I won't share much more with you here in the intro because I want you to hear it from her during the interview. Here's today's episode.

Random fun facts about Abby:
- She and her fiancé got engaged this year, and gets to marry the absolute love and obsession of her life, Wade Holland, next year! She can't wait to be a bald bride!
- originally lost her hair to alopecia totalis in 2006, it grew back and fell out several times before growing back almost completely, then fell out again entirely in 2018. She still get small cycles of regrowth, but not much.
- She offers makeup workshops and tutorials for others with alopecia for free!
- She used to have red hair before alopecia
- She loves lemon EVERYTHING!
- She just won a national eyebrow competition, (Benefit Brow Search) without having any eyebrows!

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. All Abby's social links are listed here in the show notes, along with additional press articles that have been written about her. I've also attached some of the links for the products she mentioned throughout the interview. For anyone who has been inspired by the crazy hair day or Halloween suggestions to go all out, we would love to have you share your photos here with us.

Social Media:
- Instagram: @abbywrenartistry
- TikTok: @abbywrenartistry
- YouTube: @abbywren

Everything About Abby

Press:
Medium Article
Refinery 29
Mozilla Firefox

Product Links:
Mehron Paradise PaletteLatex Free Eyelash Glue
Goof Proof Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil - Benefit
POWMade Brow Pomade - Benefit
--

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. September is Alopecia Awareness Month, and today's guest is Frank Cornine. Frank was a teenager when his hair started falling out. Affter a decade, he found a local support group, and soon realized there wasn't something that specifically shed light on alopecia and what boys and men were specifically experiencing. Frank started the Alopecia Connection podcast earlier this year, and is looking forward to sharing interviews with men and boys, and others who are living with alopecia in order to connect each other through story.

*More about Frank. - Frank Cornine is the host of Alopecia Connection, an interview-based podcast highlighting the stories of people living with alopecia. Living in the Boston area, Frank has had alopecia universalis for over 20 years, beginning at the age of 17. Frank began Alopecia Connection as a platform to publish a wide variety of alopecia stories to help those new to or struggling with the condition. In his experience, discussing our shared experiences and connecting is a key component to moving through the feelings of isolation that can come with alopecia.

Thank you for sharing your time with me and Frank today. The links to his socials and to his podcast are listed here in the show notes.

Instagram: https:/www.instagram.com/alopecia_connection

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/alopeciaconnect

Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/alopeciaconnection

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alopeciaconnection

Email: alopeciaconnection@gmail.com
Alopecia Connection Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alopecia-connection/id1623000711

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Trigger Warning: We discuss suicide in relationship to bullying within this episode.

This is our back to school episode of Alopecia Life. It's the beginning of the school year here in the US, and for many of us around the world. Every year, I hear from parents whose children are new to alopecia. Starting school is a huge topic of discussion in my coaching. Questions like, "How do we share about alopecia in the classroom." and "How do we get the school to allow my child to wear a hat." In previous back-to-school episodes, we've covered topics like these, and I'll definitely put those links here in the show notes. I recently did a poll of over 6500 parents, where I asked what the biggest concerns were when starting school. Over half of the responses were around the topic of bullying. It's one that many of us are familiar with, and has recently been in the forefront in our alopecia community.

Today's guest is Nate Webb, a resiliency trainer, a professional School counselor, and a certified digital safety educator. Nate endured relentless bullying as a kid. Bullies and social media almost ruined his life. Drawing from his experiences and from his studies as a professional school counselor and digital safety educator, he passionately educates schools about the dangers of social media, and how to transform their culture into a culture of kindness. Throughout today's interview, Nate and I talk about how to identify bullying when it's happening, what steps we can take as kids and parents at home and at school, and we also share some insight into what causes bullying. In this episode, we also discuss suicide in response to bullying. Please know that is not the main topic of discussion, but it may be triggering for some.

instagram: @bulliesbe.gone
email bullies.speaker@gmail.com
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-kindness-bullies-be-gone-podcast/id1507787925
Alopecia Life Back to School Episodes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e002-back-to-school-with-educator-jennifer-george/id1479093384?i=1000449494869
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e035-words-of-wisdom-from-a-9-year-old-back-to/id1479093384?i=1000490016344
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2e23-back-to-school-with-alopecia-uk-young-animators-club/id1479093384?i=1000531058813

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Welcome back to Alopecia Life and season 4. It's so great to be back, sharing about topics that are important to those of us living with autoimmune hair loss. I've been on a brief hiatus as I've been working on releasing a course for parents and caregivers of children living with alopecia. If you haven't yet checked out my website https://www.alopecialife.com/, feel free to head on over there to see what it's all about.

I'm super excited to release episodes this season. Guests are always phenomenal, and I know they provide such great insight as they share their stories with all of us.

I love talking about alopecia now, but throughout my life, as I lived with different levels of hair loss, I didn't want to talk about it at all. That all changed, when I met a group of friends who were living with alopecia too. Connection is important, for everyone, really. I know the last few years has really put that into perspective for the entire population. Connection to others, to not feeling alone, and so much more.

No-one looks at what I do and wonders, "Gee. Why does she do this?" But some may wonder why I put my energy into very specific things. Head-On, Stories of Alopecia is 7 years old. I can't believe it's been out there for so long. When I didn't see a book that could provide inspiring stories and beautiful photos of people around the world living with alopecia - I knew it had to be done. When I was looking for podcasts that opened up conversations around alopecia and I didn't find something that fit - I decided to release one.

Publishing a book and releasing a podcast didn't come easy for me. I knew nothing about either of them, and undeniably...they both had a steep learning curve. I had strong doubts, which I think was more about my evolving alopecia confidence, than anything else. Never talking about it, to always talking about it, and encouraging others to share their own stories so that each of us can help each other grow has become something that feeds my soul. To make those deep connections with text on the page or a voice through the airwaves. It's now part of who I am.

Now, I'm adding something new. Something I care so deeply about that it's taken me over a year to create. My parents, who are awesome, didn't have a clue about alopecia. As we talked about before, there were very few to no resources when I was diagnosed. Over the last several years, as I've coached and mentored families, I've consistently heard the same questions and concerns that my own parents felt when I was diagnosed. I started wondering how I could help multiple people at once - families and children who were feeling lost, confused, and very alone. What would have helped my parents? What would have helped me and my sisters? How could I make it easier for these families so they didn't ultimately have to learn all of it on their own over several years or decades?

Sometimes, we have to learn on our own to make the experience a better one. In this case, this added knowledge only gives you powerful options, a way forward in ways that make sense for you, your family, and your child.

If we could have had a how-to model of doing alopecia, this would have been it. The Alopecia Roadmap course gives you video lessons that explain key knowledge, skills & resources, checklists to help navigate the first day of school, traveling, and doctor's appointments, and so much more. There are messages and knowledge from alopecia mentors, with a cameo appearance from Anthony Carrigan. Parents who have gone through the struggles have shared their letters to school and their insight about what to do in difficult situations so that you can be one step ahead. With anything I do, it's always a collaborative effort, and I'm so thankful for all who contributed their time and energy into

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Welcome to Alopecia Life. Normally, I would have an episode releasing this week, but I've been so busy with an exciting upcoming project that I decided to take a short break. I want to thank you for listening in as the episodes are released, and look forward to resuming all of this very, very soon. If you are hoping to hear more about a certain topic, a product, or from an amazing person living with alopecia, please let me know by direct messaging me.

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Welcome to another episode of Alopecia Life with Integrative Nutrition & Gut Health Coach, Lisa Taylor. Last October, Lisa shared about gut makeovers and autoimmunity. Since then, Lisa and I have been wanting to connect again to share some lifestyle tools to add into our healing journey. The importance of self-care is often overlooked as we are going about our busy lives, and Lisa is here again to help us implement healthy habits into our daily routine.

Thanks so much for spending your time with us today on Alopecia Life. Lisa took the time to prepare all of this information, just for Alopecia Life listeners, and it means a lot to have some ways to intentionally move forward with ease. The apps and sites Lisa mentioned to analyze skincare ingredients, along with Lisa's contact information, website, and the 20% discount she is extending for Alopecia Life listeners are all here in the show notes for your convenience.

Free DIY Regrowth Recipes: yourbestlifewithlisa.ck.page/alopecialifeselfcare

Ready to reclaim your health? Learn more about Lisa's 10-Week Alopecia Warrior Healing Collective program: https://www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com/healing-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbestlifewithlisa/

Meditation Apps:

https://www.headspace.com/

https://insighttimer.com/

Skincare:

https://www.skincarisma.com/ingredient-analyzer

https://thinkdirtyapp.com/

https://www.ewg.org/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life.The past few weeks have been ones full of awareness around alopecia areata. It's brought to light more than we ever could have anticipated, especially around the complicated relationship amongst the black community and hair loss. This interview was scheduled months ago to be released today. Our guest deeply connects with the topic with understanding, representation, and also one of passion. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is an activist, a legislator, a survivor, and the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Throughout her career, she has fought to ensure that those closest to the pain are closest to the power - driving and informing policymaking. In Congress, she has been a champion for justice and healing. She has also turned her experience living with alopecia into action, becoming a leading voice fighting to raise awareness and support for the alopecia community across the nation.

Congresswoman Pressley currently serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Committee on Financial Services. Prior to being elected to Congress, she served on the Boston City Council for eight years, and was the first woman of color elected to the council in its 100-year history.

Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life today. We appreciate the time you've taken, to not only listen to Ayanna Pressley's personal experience of living with alopecia, but also of what we can do to make a difference for the alopecia community at large. To get in touch, follow Representative Pressley on social media, and to learn more about the Medical Wigs Act and Crown Act, those links are all here in the show notes, along with her interview with the Root.

https://www.theroot.com/exclusive-rep-ayanna-pressley-reveals-beautiful-bald-1841039847

Medical Wigs Act
- https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/09/ayanna-pressley-fighting-for-medicare-to-cover-wigs
- https://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/pressley-mcgovern-colleagues-honor-alopecia-areata-awareness-month-unveil-bill
- CROWN Act
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3WoI6-AIpU
  - https://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/video-rep-pressley-speaks-alopecia-areata-awareness-month-and-house-passage
  - https://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-pressley-watson-coleman-lee-omar-moore-seek-support-vp-harris-passage

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Sheridan Ruth. She is both an alopecia coach and yoga therapist, and supports women with alopecia in their journey to feel more self-acceptance, step into their true power, and radiate confidence.

Since losing her hair at 7 years old, Sheridan battled self-doubt, anxiety, insecurity, trauma, body image and mental health challenges. For years she felt disconnected from her body and inner wisdom and felt like she was searching for answers. She began to make her way through the challenges and into empowerment using yoga, meditation, and other mind-body practices. Through years of study, she built a deep understanding of the connection between the mind and body and has cultivated her own unique methodology that unites esoteric teachings with evidence-based western sciences, such as psychology.

Today she is motivated to support women who are looking for internal and external confidence and ready to use holistic practices that create lasting change in their lives.

Throughout the episode, we talk a lot about building confidence, and not only how it relates to our alopecia experience but our experience as humans who don't always have the tools to put into practice when anxiety and challenging life experiences come into play. We also share what is new with her practice, and where you can reach out to learn more.

Thank you for sharing your time with us today. All of the ways to reach Sheridan can be found here in the show notes.

www.sheridanruth.com - website
www.sheridanruth.com/aca - alopecia coaching
www.instagram.com/_sheridanruth_ - Instagram
Free toolbox: pages.sheridanruth.com/empowerbundle
Work with Sheridan and participate in Acceptance & Confidence Ascension www.sheridanruth.com/aca
Wisdom of Anxiety https://amzn.to/3JVksN6

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Thanks for listening to Alopecia Life today. For the past 2 years, the month of March seems to bring an opportunity to share about very cool projects. This year, we have something that is time sensitive, and I wanted to make sure we all had an opportunity to share the project, especially before the end of March.

Our guest today is Janessa St. Pierre. Janessa studied Film Studies at Concordia University in 2015 and then transferred to Capilano University for certification in Motion Picture Arts in 2017. She has been working in the film industry since then, and her goal is to ground all her stories and work in truth authenticity. I'll let her share more about who she is and what her latest project is.

Thank you for listening to today's episode with Janessa St. Pierre. Her linktree is listed here to find her website, the crowdfunding project, and much more. Supporting a project like this continues to help raise awareness for the alopecia community as a whole. If you're able, I know she would appreciate any support you are able to provide. Keep in touch & follow her on social to see how the project is progressing. All those links have been provided here in the show notes.

https://linktr.ee/hairornohair

https://seedandspark.com/fund/hairornohair#story

https://www.instagram.com/janessastpierre/

https://www.instagram.com/hair.ornohair/

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Thank you for sharing your time with me and guest, Teresa Younkin today on Alopecia Life. I met Teresa at a conference last year. We were talking about healthcare reform and what she does, and I was super impressed. What started out as personal advocacy for her family has led to something more expansive around healthcare. Teresa is super excited about the health information exchange, and she shares more about that with us today, along with how to ask for what we want to make the most of our doctor's appointments. Her life mission is to leave the healthcare industry in a better way than she found it, and she's certainly succeeding.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. Check out the show notes for all the resources Teresa has provided, informing us about what has been put in place since the beginning of the year, along with what is coming up. If you have additional questions about what we talked about today, her contact information is here too.

https://teresayounkin.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresayounkin/

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/new-protections-for-you

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/understanding-costs-in-advance

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/notices-you-may-get-whether-you-should-sign-them

This is a link to the form referenced in the link above: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/notice-and-consent-form-example.pdf

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/understanding-costs-in-advance

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/payment-disagreements This is important if you are paying for medications or services that are not covered and you are paying for them out of pocket.

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life, and for sharing your time with me and our guest, Susan McLemore, today. A couple months ago, I was searching for something on Facebook, and I discovered Susan and a really cool thing she organized. I wanted to find out more, and we were both excited to talk about the community that supported her family after they were diagnosed with alopecia. I hear so often, after children are diagnosed, that parents want to do something, anything really...to support their child. They feel helpless and confused, and they want their child to be seen as amazing kids, not as someone who is lacking in any way. In this situation, a bond with a student led to building community around alopecia, and Susan's here to talk about it with us today.

Thank you for listening today. If you're interested in finding out how to organize a ponytail cut-a-thon, Susan's contact information is here in the show notes.
susanmclemore@gmail.com

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Today, our guest is Chel Campbell, who in 2010 after 12 years of being a parent of a son living with alopecia, led her to create the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation and build on her passion for unconditional acceptance and appearance diversity. In today's episode, we discuss the how and why behind AAAF, what they are looking to accomplish this year, how they've adjusted their outreach during the pandemic, and how she hopes that one day in the future there won't be a need for the foundation. You'll hear a lot of laughter during the interview, and we also spend some time acknowledging the sides of alopecia that aren't often talked about.

*Please be aware that we discuss some mature & potentially triggering topics during this episode.

Thank you for sharing your time with Chel and me today. Something really cool that they do, and that we talked about off-air, was their amazing sponsorship program. Each year, they reserve funds to donate to applicants who want to pursue an interest that would otherwise be unachievable without their financial assistance. It's a combination of awareness & empowerment. You can check out past sponsorships over on social media. If you're looking to get in touch with AAAF, Chel's contact information along with their social media handles can all be found here in the show notes.

https://aaaf.org.au/
https://www.facebook.com/aaafonline
https://www.instagram.com/alopeciaaaaf/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about Jada Pinkett Smith and submitted it to a couple different news outlets. Although it didn't get picked up, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

After writing this article and recording for this episode, I can see that there have now been over 2 million interactions and views on her Instagram post that made the headlines. That is 3 times more than almost any other Instagram post she has had in over a year. Alopecia is certainly newsworthy!

Here are the resource links mentioned in the article.
https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/
https://www.naaf.org/
https://www.alopecialife.com/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. We have 3 guests here with us today, Frank Lombardo, the National Photography Manager and two of his team, Erin & Steve from Inter-State Studio & Publishing Company.

Frank and I connected a few years ago when I was reminded of my own school photo experience after hearing numerous discussions come up about the unpleasantness of school photos. It may be strange to hear how traumatic a school photo can be, especially if your own experience was only one of fun anticipation and excitement.

While I was extremely bummed out to hear kids still having the same kinds of things come up - photographers asking them to remove their hats, support staff not being knowledgeable about alopecia, no real communication between home and school, and the results being a photo where it's evident the child is just not a happy camper - I wanted to know who to talk to and what could be done to change things.

I found Frank, and the follow-up conversations I had with him, and his whole-hearted openness to make school & sport photos a better experience for children with alopecia was so easy. I'm happy to have all three team members share with all of us today.

Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life today. Thank you to those who wrote in and shared your own school photo experience with me. Listening to what was a problem back in the day, and continuing to hear similar stories today is something that needs to change. Thank you to Frank, Erin, and Steve for helping be a catalyst of change. We appreciate you.

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Welcome to Week 3 of December giveaways. If you haven't yet entered, and still want a chance to win any of the items I've talked about over the last 3 weeks, please sign up and choose your top 3 at the link found on the Alopecia Life Facebook group or in the BIO on Instagram. Enter to win until December 20th. https://alopecialife.ck.page/23a8dee253

The month of December has some very interesting days of celebration. In light of National Cupcake Day on the 15th and National Cover Anything with Chocolate Day on the 16th, this week's winners will have a choice of a copy of Jessica Rose's What to Bake When...A Baking Handbook for the Basic Bitch. Jessica's interview back in Season 1 Episode 11 Love Sweet Mess shared about her life with alopecia along with the origin of her cookbook. I must say, opening the book to read the entertaining recipe titles didn't disappoint, and they also delivered on taste. Super yummy! I'll post that episode link here to listen for the first time or to have a re-listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e011-love-sweet-mess-with-jessica-rose-ward/id1479093384?i=1000458781715

This week, we also have more awesome children's books. These titles are all great for taking into the classroom to share about alopecia with classmates or just adding it to the local or school library to help raise awareness. My Two Brows was so generous to donate a number of eyebrow tattoos in multiple colors. So definitely add those to your wishlist if you've been wanting to try them out. I can send you multiple color options too. I have a few head scarfs from Inspirational Head Coverings that were donated. They have elastic and tie at the back, and should fit a range of head sizes.

Please come on over to choose your top 3 items (whether they were announced in week 1, 2, or today). I want you to get something you have put on your list.

Follow this link to do that. https://alopecialife.ck.page/23a8dee253

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It's week two of December giveaways. .

We have some more awesome stuff this week, but you can enter and choose your top 3 items (no matter when they're announced). I have multiples of most items, and I want you to get the item of your choice if you are a winner. There's no need to be worried about seeing massive emails from me in your inbox either. Although I love having you on my list of people to contact when I have a cool giveaway or something amazing to announce and offer, you can always choose to unsubscribe at any time.

This week, I have autographed copies of Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. Six years ago, I collaborated with amazing people from around the world who wanted to share their stories so that others who were being diagnosed with alopecia, their families, and communities would know more about this autoimmune condition that really isn't talked about. Growing up, I never saw anyone who looked like me around my city, on television, or in magazine articles, and I didn't want that to be the way it was for those who were newly diagnosed. Head-On, Stories of Alopecia is a great addition to your coffee table or local library to raise awareness. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is follow the link on the Alopecia Life FB Group or in the BIO on Instagram.

I also have more brows from Jason of My Two Brows, more children's books, headwash from Melissa from C3, and a HeadBlade razor. For those of you who are trying to keep your regrowth or loss even looking, I've heard this is the best blade for that.

Thanks again for listening and for being such great listeners.

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. It's the month of December 2021. Traditionally, across much of the globe, December has been a season of family and friend gatherings and gift-giving. For the first 3 weeks of this month, I'll be doing some of my own gift-giving to Alopecia Life listeners, courtesy of some awesome donors. Over the past 3 seasons, I've collected super cool items from guests who wanted to share with all of you. Everything from cookbooks from Jessica Rose, to headbands from Chris Healy and the LongHairs, headwash from Melissa of C3, and eyebrow tattoos from Jason of My Two Brows, and so much more. https://alopecialife.ck.page

This seems like the perfect time to share all of this abundance with you. Throughout the month, I'll be sharing about what is available for the week, and you can sign up at any time for an opportunity to win. Choose your top 3 items between now and December 20th. If you win, I will select one of those items for you and pop it in the mail. Come on over to The Alopecia Life Facebook group to find the link in the show notes or the link in my BIO on Instagram, and remember to check your email for a confirmation. https://alopecialife.ck.page

This week's giveaways are Headbands from the LongHairs, Children's books from authors who have alopecia and/or have main characters with alopecia like Francie Puts on her Courage by CAP co-founder Betsy Woytovich or My Hair Went on Vacation by Paula Quinn amongst others, and eyebrow tattoos from My Two Brows. I'll also feature those episodes in the comments for the week.

I'll contact you in person, and I'll also give winners a shout-out! Listen in each week to hear and watch for what is being offered up. I look forward to hearing and connecting with each of you. Happy December!

Thanks for listening.

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Today's guest is Dr. Britney Hale Koehler (known as Dr. Hale). She is a residency trained optometrist and fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. As the spouse of an Army optometrist, she has practiced in Florida, Texas, Washington state and Hawaii over the past 8 years. Her connection to the alopecia community began 6 years ago when she was diagnosed with alopecia areata, resulting in an ongoing and challenging journey of hair loss and regrowth. We are talking about eye health and alopecia today. The loss of our brows and lashes play an important role in eye health, and Dr. Hale is giving us ideas on how we can help improve our own eye health now and for the future.

Thank you for spending your time with Dr. Hale and me today. She has provided some great resources, and there are even more in the show notes. Please feel free to leave comments over on the Alopecia Life Facebook page or on Instagram. Dr. Hale is happy to answer any questions that come up after listening.

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/dry-eye?sso=y

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/types/alopecia/treatment

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/why-are-my-eyelashes-falling-out

https://www.naaf.org

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/ss/slideshow-alternative-treatments-for-hair-loss

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6388561/

https://www.verywellhealth.com/alopecia-areata-remedies-88328

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Today's guest is Jason Berndt, the founder and creator of My Two Brows. If you've lived with alopecia areata that has progressed to totalis or universalis, you have probably experienced the loss of your eyebrows. In past research I've done, it was discovered that the loss of eyebrows and lashes were almost more devastating than the loss of head hair. In today's episode, Jason and I talk about his company, My Two Brows, his own alopecia story, and how a deep dissatisfaction around what was being offered to people without eyebrows, especially people with alopecia, led him to start his own company.

Thank you for sharing your time with us today. To find out more about Jason's story, take advantage of the discount ALOLIFE Jason has provided to Alopecia Life listeners, or to reach out and find more information about My Two Brows, check out the links in the show notes. If you have any questions, post them in the FB group or on Instagram for Jason to answer. He's very receptive to answering questions and finding answers for those who are asking.

https://mytwobrows.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MyTwoBrows

https://www.instagram.com/my_two_brows/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Lisa Taylor. She is an Integrative Nutrition & Gut Health Coach, and the founder of Your Best Life with Lisa. Gut health has been gaining traction over the last few years as a possible trigger for autoimmunity. With a standard North American diet that lacks essential nutrients, and the introduction of toxins in our personal care products, pollution in the air and so much more - our gut is taking a beating. Lisa is here today to share about her personal transformation after leading a high-paced, high stress life that culminated in many diagnoses, one of which was alopecia areata.

More about Lisa: "Lisa's health journey began five years ago when she discovered a bald spot on her scalp the size of a loonie. After about a month, she'd lost most of her hair to a massive Autoimmune induced, Alopecia Areata flare.

Fast forward to today and Lisa's living her best life - with hair! Something told her to reject the traditional "treatment" of steroid injections in the scalp and to see a Naturopathic Doctor instead. From there, Lisa healed her gut and made healthy changes to both her diet and lifestyle. The total health transformation that followed was incredible to Lisa. Chronic symptoms she'd been dealing with for years disappeared and she had regrowth across her entire scalp! Lisa's amazing health transformation inspired her to attend the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach so she can empower others to harness the power of food and lifestyle; in order to manage chronic disease, reclaim their health, and truly thrive. Lisa believes (and is living proof) that a healthy gut along with healthy diet and lifestyle habits are the foundation for good health. When used correctly, they have the power to heal the body and completely transform our health."

Thank you for joining us today on Alopecia Life. For more information about Lisa's group program and 1-on-1 coaching, please check out the show notes for those links.

More info on Your Best Life with Lisa: www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com

Download Lisa's free guide to thriving with Alopecia: yourbestlifewithlisa.ck.page/podcast
Download Lisa's healing guide to 4 critical changes you can make today: https://yourbestlifewithlisa.ck.page/alopeciacritical

Follow Lisa on Instagram for lots of gut healthy, holistic Alopecia management content: https://www.instagram.com/yourbestlifewithlisa/

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I'm excited to have today's guest with us for this episode. Anthony Gilding has an important role as the first director of science and research communication at the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation His experience in research along with his own alopecia diagnosis has put him in a unique position to help on both a personal and professional level. Today's episode covers a bit about research, his story of hair loss, and a population within our own alopecia community that hasn't yet connected.

Thank you for sharing your time with Anthony and I today. I appreciate Anthony's honesty as we approach National Coming Out Day that is recognized on October 11th every year. Some may be asking if we need a day to celebrate coming out. Others may wonder if we need a day or month to celebrate alopecia areata. Anthony and I both agree that right now, a day, a week, a month - whatever it may be is necessary to say, "See me. This is who I am." But the hope for the future is that we don't need a special day to share who we are with the world.

To find out more about the research efforts and results Anthony is working on, or to reach out to him on social media, you can find those links in the show notes.

https://www.canaaf.org/about-us/

IG - @anthonygilding2

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Thank you for sharing your time with today's guest Nicolas Roman Srut and me. I can't think of a better way to round out Alopecia Awareness Month than having Nicolas as our guest. Throughout the episode, we talk about how he became an internet personality with over 5 million followers, how building confidence in others has the effect of building our own, and more about his alopecia story. You may be wondering how the popularity of "Puebes" came to be, and you'll definitely hear more about this during the interview.

More about Nicolas - "After years of being insecure about his baldness in his early life, he has transformed the confidence he now has into the comedic and inspirational content that motivates millions of people all across the world today. He has an organization known as The Naked Confidence Campaign, where he personally coaches hundreds of people with Alopecia to grow in their confidence and self-love. So far, he has helped numerous people get rid of their wigs, shave their patchy heads, ditch their fake eyebrows, and truly walk with Naked Confidence. He will soon transform The Naked Confidence Campaign into a live event that will be available to anyone, not just people with Alopecia, to learn to grow in their self-confidence, take charge of their lives, and change the beauty standards of society forever."

Thank you for listening today. Now that we all know about the origin of Puebes, we'd love to hear if something like this has happened to you, and how you chose to respond. I know how I've responded to super inappropriate questions in the past, usually with my eyes pretty squinty and a pregnant pause. Feel free to share your thoughts and experience in the comments on Instagram, or over at the Alopecia Life FB group. For those of you who aren't already following Nicolas on TikTok and Instagram and would like to, you can find him @xtheromanempire. To find out more about The Naked Confidence Campaign, check out the show notes for the link to his website.

https://www.thenakedconfidencecampaign.com/

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Welcome to Season 3, Episode 2. September is Alopecia Awareness Month. That means lots of events to raise awareness for alopecia, and one of them is brought to you by Hailey Portonova, a competitive barrel racer and rodeo announcer & organizer. Every year, she has a race that focuses on alopecia & raises funds for the Children's Alopecia Project, bringing over 320 racers and their fans. This year is no different, and I'm super excited to have her here to talk about alopecia, growing up racing, and the event.

More about Hailey: Hailey is a native Arizonan who has called the desert her home for 22 years. She recently graduated from the GCU Honors College with her B.A. in English for Professional Writing and a minor in Literature. When she’s not writing, Hailey competes in rodeos and jackpot barrel races. Riding has given her the confidence and platform to spread awareness about alopecia.

This year’s race will be held on September 25 at the John Volken Academy Arena. You can find more information about the race at QCBRA.com or on Facebook at Queen Creek Barrel Racing Association. In addition, you can find Hailey on Instagram @thehaileybop as well as on Facebook at Hailey Portonova.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. Hailey's event is coming up on September 25th. Definitely if you are local to Arizona, and want to go support her in person to be part of this - that would be super cool. For those of us who are many miles away and still want to contribute to the success of the event, raise awareness, and benefit the Children's Alopecia Project, contact her at the links in the show notes, or you can actually just send her any dollar amount straight to Venmo @Hailey-Portonova. I did that just seconds ago. Events like these are a way to raise awareness in a fun & casual way, but the impact is enormous. Thanks again Hailey, and the Queen Creek Barrel Racing Association.

Venmo: @Hailey-Portonova
http://www.qcbra.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017828684641
https://www.instagram.com/thehaileybop/

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Welcome to Season 3 of Alopecia Life and the beginning of Alopecia Areata Awareness Month. This is Deeann Graham, your host of Alopecia Life. I've lived with alopecia for the past 43 years, but I didn't come to terms with it until I met other people who could relate and share their mutual experiences with me. After meeting others who understood and realizing there was still so little information out there, I published Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, a coffee table book full of stories & black & whitephotos from others around the world to help those who still felt alone with their diagnosis.

Recognizing that everyone has different ways of absorbing content, I launched Alopecia Life because I know that information can give us so much power over something that seems out of our control. I'm super excited to bring you Season 3. Over the last 2 seasons, we've talked with fun & amazing alopecia role models who are raising awareness, authors of books, health coaches, non-profits like the Children's Alopecia Project and The Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation. This season, we will continue to bring you interviews with people making a difference in the alopecia community & provide you with valuable resources. Whether you've just been diagnosed, are a parent or caregiver of a child living with alopecia, or have had it for ages, Alopecia Life is here to share what you're looking for to make informed decisions and to let you know you are never alone while living with alopecia. Thank you for joining us, and as always - feel free to engage with us over on the Facebook Alopecia Life group page or on Instagram @alopecialifecoach. Contacting me at https://www.alopecialife.com/podcast/ is also a great way to share what topics you are interested in hearing more about. Thanks again for listening, I appreciate you.

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Thank you for sharing your time with us today on Alopecia Life. The 2020 school year started off highly unusual for most of the world. Our kids were home for extended periods of time. Now that we're ramping up for the 2021 school year, school spirit, ways to express who we are with or without hair within the walls of the building and out on the playground or sports field can come rushing back. Author, Norene Paulson, writes a story to share Bea and how she finds solutions in her new book, What's Silly Hair Day With No Hair. It is such a pleasure to interview authors who are sharing a message and raising awareness of alopecia. Norene loves words. As a former language arts teacher, she was fortunate to share that love with middle school students for almost 20 years. Now, as a picture book author, she continues to share her love of words with young readers.

Throughout the interview, we talked about inclusion, problem-solving, and ways to look at what can limit all of us, not just children, when we are left out,so-to-speak, from the celebrations. I've posted a few photos of ways parents and children have shared their unique ways of celebrating crazy or silly hair day. I'd love to see what you and your family have done. Feel free to share your photos in the comments.

To purchase What's Silly Hair Day with No Hair or to get in touch with Norene, check out the links below.
www.norenepaulson.com (website)
https://amzn.to/3p20XI0 (Amazon)
https://bit.ly/3aj1XU6 (Bookshop.com)
https://bit.ly/34st3Er (Barnes and Noble)

To contact Norene:
https://www.facebook.com/norene.paulson
https://www.instagram.com/nrpaulson/
https://twitter.com/NorenePaulson

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Today's guests, Lydia Hibbert and Kery Montgomery collaborated to come up with something pretty phenomenal. Lydia is an artist and animator who specializes in learning and teaching in the creative arts, and the founder of Young Animators Club. Kerry is the Psychological Wellbeing Lead at Alopecia UK. Together, they created an award-winning animation and the Alopecia UK Schools Pack alongside parents and young people to raise awareness of the psychological impact of alopecia. I hope you're just as excited as I am to welcome both Lydia and Kerry to the podcast.

To check out the animation, please see the link in the show notes, along with one for Young Animator's Club and Alopecia UK. Before the interview with Lydia and Kerry, I was excited about the work they were doing. After the interview, I could clearly hear how much effort it takes to make something great, and the energy that Kerry gives to continue to not only increase awareness, but to also make the psychological impact of alopecia more manageable and hopefully effortless when in school. It's something we can all appreciate.

https://younganimatorsclub.com/about-us/

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/news/new-animation-film-talking-about-alopecia

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Today's guest is Melissa Riley. For the last 4 years, Melissa has been the Vice President of the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation. She shares about her experience with CANAAF, how they've adapted their support groups to be effective during the pandemic, and how they've also added something new and exciting that will be a great service to those living with alopecia in Canada.

Thank you for sharing your time with us today on Alopecia Life. For more information about CANAAF or how to find out more about their wig library, please reach out to them. All that contact information is here in the show notes.

https://www.canaaf.org/

Contact: melissa@canaaf.org

To support Deeann & the Alopecia Life podcast with Buy Me a Coffee, here's that link https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deeanngraham

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Today's guests on Alopecia Life are Nicole Leinbach and Claire Reyhle, the mother/daughter duo who were inspired to write Shadow Siblings: Discovering Your Unknown Superpower. After her brother, Jackson, was diagnosed with alopecia, Claire discovered that superpower, and wanted to help acknowledge the roles that shadow siblings can fill in a family, how to express it, embrace it, and make it your own.

Thank you for listening today. Books like Shadow Siblings, give us an opportunity to open difficult or confusing conversations and to bring light to topics we don't know how to do that with. Siblings are so often flailing in the wind when their sister or brother are given a diagnosis, of in this case alopecia, but so many other diagnoses too. If this is something that you would like to introduce to your family, open up those conversations, and find resolution with, check out the show notes to get your copy and read more about their mission.

They have an amazing and generous fundraising opportunity to extend for a charity, organization or school of your choice. Contact Nicole to find out how to do this.

https://shadowsiblings.com/
https://shadowsiblings.com/pages/videos?fbclid=IwAR16jqTfxn-EqJ5SNKmpRsBjp-n79_vU48qoaveCH5j0sz-GVllSxYZW4Fk
https://www.instagram.com/shadow_siblings/

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Thank you for sharing your time with us today. Our guest in this episode is Judy Geisinsky. She is the founder of Milano Wigs. A few months ago, I had some requests from listeners asking to know more about wigs. At the same time, I was contacted by someone who wanted to share about Milano with our listeners. Normally, I don't talk much about wigs. My expertise is next-to-nothing. When I was young, Shriner's hospital paid for my first and last custom-made wig from a salon. I know a lot of work went into replicating what my hair looked like before it fell out, but I remember it also being extremely uncomfortable and super sweaty in the hot California sun. As an adult, the ones I chose to wear were itchy, tight, cheap & synthetic, and they never gave me a sense of security while wearing them. In fact, while I carried my son on my back when he was a toddler, I had the unfortunate experience of my wig being quite literally ripped off my head while we stood in the middle of a grocery store.

After hearing Judy's story and more about Milano, I realized this was exactly what many of you are looking for while searching for wigs in the sea of information that is out there. It was awesome to hear about alternatives to what I had experienced, especially when obsessing about how secure I felt when leaving the house in a wig.

Thank you again for spending your time with us today on Alopecia Life. Find the links for Milano Wigs on social media within the show notes, and please make sure to take advantage of the New Client discount available on their website.

http://www.mcwigs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/milanowigs/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUc794RwBnEw4GjL1i-4Fkw

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Today's guest is Jon Paul Crimi. Our conversation could have been centered all around his life as a former Celebrity Trainer and world-renowned Sober Coach because admittedly, that's some pretty cool stuff. Instead, we talk about alopecia and the impact it had on his life when it hit him in the middle of building an acting career, in the midst of drug addiction and excessive drinking, and led him down the road to recovery and to a self-discovery of his life's work to help those suffering from addiction, abuse, PTSD and other trauma.

*This episode is full of very mature and real world issues, which I love, but may not be appropriate for young listeners.

Right now, in a world where our breath is confined behind masks and questioned as to how much risk is involved when it's released or taken in, leads to another frame of thought. Can our breath heal us from things like trauma & crippling emotional misery? It's one that Jon Paul doesn't ever have to question. It's been said, that having one session of breathwork with JP can transform your life more than 20 years of therapy ever has. Let's hear how he does it in today's episode of Alopecia Life.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. You may be wondering if breathwork is for you. Throughout our lives, we seek ways to feel better, to process, to even forget and avoid. If you are looking for an introduction to breathwork, especially if you are struggling with either your own alopecia or a diagnosis for your child, Jon Paul has made it even easier to access a class with him. He has extended a coupon for us to take advantage of. When registering, please add the coupon code of ALOLIFE (all caps) to get $10.00 off. Last week, I registered and was unable to attend LIVE. So I watched the replay in a quiet space, free from distraction the next day. It was awesome, and I look forward to doing it again. Please make sure to follow his advice for teenagers. Try the class first to get a feel for it. It was physically and emotionally intense, and something to experience for yourself before introducing it to them. For ways to reach Jon Paul, please see the links in the show notes to find out more about him or register for a class.

https://www.breathewithjp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jonpaulcrimi/

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Today's guest is Shirleysia Jones, owner of the Alopecia Hair Society. Shirleysia has transformed her business over the last two years, dedicating her time to those living with hair loss, offering support, and shining a light on the wig industry and medical insurance. She and I talk about the proper terminology when working with your insurance company, and she shares with us how working with the Alopecia Hair Society can help streamline the process.

Thank you for listening today. For ways to connect with the Alopecia Hair Society and Shirleysia, please check out the show notes for her contact information. She has also provided Alopecia Life listeners with a discount code of "Alopecia" when looking to work with them. Thank you Shirleysia.

https://alopeciahairsociety.com/
https://msha.ke/alopeciahairsociety/#links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alopeciahairsociety/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alopeciahairsociety

Email: Alopeciahairsociety@gmail.com

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Today's guest is Miss Stamford USA, Renee Reyes. Renee has a passion for plants and community service. She is going to continue to break barriers in the pageant world while competing, bald for Miss USA and Miss Universe. Listen in to hear more about her outreach efforts, the alopecia non-profit program that is coming together, and much more.

*Mature content when talking about social media trolls at minute 9

Thank you for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. Check out the show notes for ways to connect with Renee, ask a plant question, find out more about the non-profit, or even donate 5 bucks to her outreach diaper drive for families in need.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/renee.reyes.94009

IG: https://www.instagram.com/reneefelicity/

IG Plant Blog: https://www.instagram.com/prickleparty/

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Today, our guest is Natalie Lahr. Natalie has had androgenic alopecia for over 11 years. Throughout the episode we talk about how she came to be known as Alopecia Fashionista, how beginning college while dealing with hair loss felt, and she has great advice for those who are ready to start wearing toppers or wigs.

Thank you for listening to this episode with Natalie Lahr. She provides a lot of value with her content. To find out more, read her blog, or check out her YouTube tutorials, her linktree information is listed below in the show notes.

https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2Falopecia_fashionista&e=ATPcYaHehBOHGUMRSqukA7GIZFjbwu2TU7wlD-zCzojxl7JMNitvWgDQkMtBACRTOdY58OONcVO4aG6csm3Ayg&s=1

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Today's guest is Maddie Woytovich. Many of you may remember her from last year's podcast and are familiar with the beginnings of the Children's Alopecia Project. Today, we are catching up with Madde. We're also talking about Children with Alopecia Day, a day to celebrate the children who are living with alopecia, but also a day to share photos and connect with our community. We are never alone in our alopecia journey.

Thanks for listening today. In the past, we've seen people make a special cake for their child, read a book in school, or dress a certain way in celebration on this day. We would love to hear the unique ways you all celebrate. Please share them on the public Alopecia Life FB group or on Instagram. If you prefer to privately share with us, feel free to message me, Maddie, Jeff or Betsy directly. We always love hearing from you.

Check out our show notes to learn more about the Children's Alopecia Project and to find Maddie on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/mwoyt/

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/

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Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Deja McClendon, professional volleyball player with Athletes Unlimited, former Penn State player, and from my limited time with her - I can tell she's an all around lovely human. Deja and I discuss volleyball, her alopecia story, and her athlete cause during the month of March supporting the non-profit, Bald Girls Do Lunch. You may hear throughout the interview my excitement as I talk with her about this new way of playing - where players change teams each week, gain points as individuals and as a team, and so much more. The bonus of the athlete cause and female athletics in this league is the icing on the cake. For young or old athletes who've developed alopecia, Deja has some great advice toward the end of the interview.

Deja McClendon/Bald Girls Do Lunch Give Lively

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dejamcclendon18

IG: https://www.instagram.com/dejabeja/

Athletes Unlimited: https://auprosports.com/

Thanks again for listening to this episode of Alopecia Life. We aired this episode before the end of the month to share about the athlete cause. Her Team points and individual points contribute to the end of the season Give Lively campaign for Bald Girls Do Lunch. I've posted that link in the show notes. This is a great opportunity to support women in sports and raise alopecia awareness at the same time. Every dollar counts.

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Today's guest is Caroline Alanis. March is Autoimmune Awareness Month, and Caroline and I talk about the Color Street Autoimmune Awareness Inner Strength nail art that is available only during the month of March. She also shares her alopecia story and how important it is to remember positive feedback with self-affirmation. Caroline discovered the impact of how sharing her own story could help others after becoming a member of the International Alopecia Community in 2015.

Caroline is married, has three grown daughters, and is now a grandma. She also works as an office manager of a State Farm Agent office. She tells her story in Click For Hope Caroline's Story.

More from Caroline: "I used to think my lack of hair was an imperfection. I now know that it is my STRENGTH. I have always known God wanted me to stand out, but I was always afraid...
these days, I am no longer afraid to not have my wig on, I embrace it. I am a woman who is defying what society calls "beautiful". I can honestly say now, no one's definition of pretty has a hold over me anymore. Here I am, no longer bound, no longer afraid, no longer ashamed. I am free. I am my own kind of beautiful."

Thank you for listening to Alopecia Life. If you want to reach out and purchase Color Street Autoimmune Awareness nail art this month, please check out Caroline's link in the show notes. The more purchases that are made, the increased chance of continuing awareness for alopecia. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation is the recipient of Color Street's giving back campaign. So by purchasing March awareness art, those dollars go to the continued efforts NAAF is making to raise alopecia awareness. I just ordered my set from Caroline's Color Street website. It was super simple to do as a guest, and I just used PayPal.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.m.alanis

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sweetcee1967/

Website: https://www.thebaldienailstylist.com
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Alanis Photography

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Thank you so much for listening to Alopecia Life. Without you, this show wouldn't be as much fun. This has already started out to be an exciting podcast season. Guests have included Skyler Weaver as he makes his way through central and south America to raise alopecia awareness, and authors Betsy and Suhani sharing about their debut publications. We've also talked about experiences with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) by patients who have had success, along with a follow-up interview with a compounding Pharmacist who explained the ins and outs of LDN. Suzanne with Hair-We-Share educated us about the proper way to donate hair to make it into a wig, and Heather told us all about the Helper Hair Box. The idea of beginning the school year with alopecia is a little less complicated after hearing 9-year-old Ohna and her mom, Skye, talk about what works for them. Annie Alopecia shared what inspired her to start her own online support group, and Dr. Angela and Dr. Thomason let us in on their vision of combining their medical training and their lived-experiences with their webinar series, Let's Talk. Danielle, Damon, and Connolly were especially excited to be featured in the Humans of New York piece that over 243,000 thousand people connected with, and they told us all about it. So far, it's been a great season!

I love podcasting, and am already looking forward to the 2nd half of season 2. With that being said, I am taking a little hiatus to schedule interviews, explore more topics, and take a much-needed break after the ups and downs of 2020, I would also love to hear from you. Please get in touch, post a comment here or on the Alopecia Life FB group page about topics you would like to hear more about. I can also be reached by private message if you prefer. I'll have contact information in the show notes for your convenience.

*What burning questions do you have?

*Who would you like to hear interviewed?

*What would you like to hear more about?

I look forward to exploring and sharing all of this with you in upcoming episodes.

https://headonlifecoaching.com/contact/

https://www.instagram.com/alopecialifecoach/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2048660141909847

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Thank you for sharing your time with me and today's guests, Dr. Angela Rodgers and Dr. Renee Thomason. Both are board certified family medicine physicians who have lived with alopecia areata for over 20 plus years and are also working the frontlines during this COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Thomason strongly focuses on mindfulness and strength based practices as a physician and in her personal life. Her discovery of keeping a wholesome mind and resilient spirit has been a guide to navigate different obstacles in life, especially while helping others who are living with alopecia.

Dr. Rodgers has been a NAAF support group leader in Sacramento, CA for the last 10 years. She helped create the Health and Research Ambassador (HARA) program that advocates for educating and addressing the psychological aspect of medical hair loss in clinical and pharmaceutical spaces.

Today, we're excited to share about their webinar series, Let's Talk, along with their personal stories of alopecia.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of Alopecia Life. The webinar series link can be found in the show notes, along with their email address. Their first episode of 2021 is coming up next week, January 27th. To register, click on the link here in the show notes, especially if you are interested in hearing about dating, alopecia, and creating work/life balance in your job.
Webinar Series Registration Link - Adulting 101 with Alopecia January 27th

Webinar Series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/naaforg/videos

Connect: alopeciatalk@gmail.com
Dr. Renee Thomason - https://www.instagram.com/drreneethomason/
Dr. Angela Rodgers - https://www.instagram.com/angelarrodgers/

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Thank you for listening to this first Alopecia Life episode of 2021. There's a lot of collective hope in the world right now, and today's guests are perfect for keeping that hope going. Last month, many of us who follow newsfeeds about alopecia were super excited to see the Humans of New York Facebook page featuring Danielle, Connolly, and Damon. Most of the world's population is still in the dark about what alopecia areata is, and by sharing their story with Humans of New York, awareness exponentially rose by the thousands, and by the time this episode releases, those numbers will rise to beyond 253,000. When talking after the interview, Danielle mentioned that she would like to "do more," which is something that resonates with so many of us who have been diagnosed or have family members with alopecia. We want to help others, especially in those early days. What better way to do that than by sharing their story on this huge HONY platform? We are thankful that Brandon Stanton saw this story as valuable and as one that would inform the lives of his readers.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you have questions or comments you would like to share with me, Danielle, or any of the boys - we are all happy to answer them in the Alopecia Life FB group or on Instagram. I've also linked to the Humans of New York pages for you to read the story if you haven't had the opportunity to do that.

https://www.humansofnewyork.com/

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

https://www.instagram.com/humansofny/

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Welcome to another episode of 2 Minute Tuesdays. One of the questions I hear often in my practice, especially when someone has first been diagnosed with alopecia areata is, "Is it normal for my scalp to feel this way when my hair is falling out?" The short answer is "yes." The long answer is this.

Inflammation and hair loss show up in different ways. Some people may feel burning. Others may feel numbness & tingling, and some may feel itching or bruising. It's not unusual to feel a combination of these, or maybe none at all. If your child complains of an itching and burning sensation, the spots that are having hair loss may also appear red and bumpy.

Within support groups there are many recommendations of topical products to ease the discomfort, but it's always advisable to seek medical advice from your healthcare provider. With alopecia, what works for one may not work for another.

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Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and our guests today, Annie Foss and Finny the dog who has a starring role right around the 16 minute mark. Some of you may know her as Alopecia Annie. She started the Alopecia Totalis and Universalis support group on Facebook after being diagnosed with alopecia in 2017. Although Annie considers herself just a "regular old gal," she is so much more, including "being an expert in her own experiences in life as an introverted empath." When I met Annie a few years ago, I could feel how important helping others was and continues to be for her. The challenges of running an online support group are many, and the way in which Annie began hers, so early in her alopecia journey, struck me as remarkable.

Annie is from a family of nine - the 4th of seven kids, growing up in Kenmore, NY, a village on the north border of the city of Buffalo. She has two daughters, a step-daughter and grandson. She lived most of her life in western New York, except from mid-2016 through Dec 2019, during which she lived in North Dakota for two years, then South Dakota, before moving back to WNY. She has worked in the business and education worlds, holding a masters degree in education but, primarily, in business.

A little more from Annie: "On April 1, 2017, I woke up to find much of the hair from the back of my head on my pillow. Two months later there was so little left that, on June 3rd, my husband shaved what remained. By the first week of September, my eyebrows and eyelashes were gone too. My world was turned upside down! Living in ND, where there was no support, I turned to social media. In October of 2017, I decided to start my own support group on Facebook for others like me, who experienced complete scalp hair loss - those diagnosed with AT or AU.

There are multiple auto-immune diseases among some of my siblings, including diabetes, alopecia areata and rheumatoid arthritis.

I don't need or want it to be the biggest alopecia group on Facebook. Just someplace where we know we're not alone, can feel safe to express ourselves on both good days and bad; a place where we can uplift each other and be human, living our best lives with AT or AU."

For those of you who would like to be part of the private Alopecia Totalis and Universalis FB community, that link is in the show notes. Within the episode, Annie mentioned a group that inspired her, Your Beautiful Life by Alexa, along with my book, Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. Those links can also be found in the show notes.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1921540048058779/?ref=share

https://www.facebook.com/yourbeautifullifealexaortiz

https://www.instagram.com/yourbeautifullife/

direct from me - https://www.headonpublishing.com/buy/

or from Amazon - https://amzn.to/3gEBfX2

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Welcome to Season 2 Episode 8 of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Suhani Parikh, and we are talking about her debut book, Shreya's Very Own Style. We discuss south Asian culture, food, alopecia, and how to instill confidence in our children while keeping those traditions that shape us and resonate with us, alive.

Growing up, Suhani always felt divided. Raised in a home where Indian traditions were taught just as much as American customs were followed, she was part of two distinct worlds. What took her time to figure out, was how to integrate these two worlds she belonged to. On this road to self-discovery, writing was where she found solace and created her own story free from the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding her and her journey with alopecia areata. Through stories like Shreya’s and more on the way, Suhani is determined to better prepare her daughters and other children to see differences as beautiful opportunities to learn about one another, all while loving themselves for who they are.

For many, this is the gift-giving season. My thoughts about gifts that double as resources for change and healing around alopecia is that they are awesome. Growing up, there were absolutely no resources available. That is not an exaggeration. There were no books, magazines, or movies that showed hair loss as a positive, as something to be embraced and perceived as another way of being normal. When I get the opportunity to talk to new authors writing books that will help our children, whether they have alopecia or not, raising awareness, and being change-makers in the world, I jump at the chance.Thank you for listening to today's episode. As you think about ways to help your child to accept, understand, and embrace their alopecia - consider Shreya's Very Own Style, or any of the fantastic books from authors I've interviewed here on Alopecia Life, that convey a message for change. Your child will thank you.

Modern Marigold Books at https://www.modernmarigoldbooks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmarigoldbooks/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernmarigoldbooks

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This is the second episode of our LDN series, and our guest today is Michelle Moser, RPh, FACA, FACVP. Michelle has been a pharmacist for over 30 years, and is the owner of Makers Compounding Pharmacy in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and is sharing all about LDN with us today. I had off-hand heard about Low Dose Naltrexone, LDN, within the alopecia community, but I didn't know anything about it. In my research, I discovered a resource literally right down the road from where I live, and I was so excited to learn more and share it with all of you.

Please know, this episode is for information only. I always encourage you to do your own in-depth research on anything you hear, read, or has been suggested to you. What's right for you and your family is so individualized.

To find out more about LDN, please check out these show notes for the links Michelle mentioned.

https://makerscompounding.com/
https://ldnresearchtrust.org/
https://www.facebook.com/makerspharmacy
https://www.instagram.com/makerspharmacy/
https://twitter.com/makerspharmacy
https://www.linkedin.com/company/makerspharmacy/
https://www.ldnpnw.com/
08/27: LDN & Dermatology https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xeFPPuju2n9JbdbCwm_WQ7InDrjOaaa81nNNq6Vbn0YQHQYgJ0S6i0T5f2B6jJwt?startTime=1598575808000
07/30: LDN & Autoimmune, Chronic Pain
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tcEuJO-v_DI3SIfGtASDUKB4W9S7LK6s0iUf-aIJxUvjUyYAYVSgZLJBYuV3v6I6yTL9bXINYiBtFMa8?autoplay=true&startTime=1596157245000
LDN Book: https://www.ldnpnw.com/product-page/preorder-the-ldn-book-volume-2

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This is the first episode in a 2 part series about Low Dose Naltrexone or LDN. Several months ago, I discovered a FB page called LDN and Natural Healing for Alopecia Areata. After becoming a member and researching the page to find out what LDN was (which was still pretty vague), I asked who had seen results from using it. A handful of people volunteered their experience, and only one said they had seen growth from using it.

Today's guests are Laura Krippner, A-CFHC and her son, Harrison. Laura retrained as a health coach after spending years seeking solutions for chronic autoimmune diseases for herself and her family. Laura was the one person who reached out to me to share her positive experience with LDN and alopecia, and I was delighted to discover her passion for helping others with autoimmunity, especially in the area of hair loss.

https://practicalhealthcoach.uk/

In part 2 of the series, Our guest is Michelle Moser, a Pharmacist for over 30 years and the Owner of Makers Compounding Pharmacy, where medications are made for specific patient needs. In our next episode, Michelle will share about her professional experience with LDN and how it works, and why this molecule is so exciting when we're talking about chronic inflammation.

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Today's guest is Suzanne Chimera. She is a Cosmetologist and has worked with Manny Roberts Hair Replacement since 1994. Suzanne started Hair We Share in 2014 after 20 years of working with clients with all types of hair loss. Her goal was to take away the financial burden associated with quality wigs. The mission of Hair We Share is to help maintain dignity, confidence and self-esteem to those affected by medical hair loss. Hair We Share is the only not-for-profit that services people of all ages with any type of medical hair loss. Suzanne works tirelessly to include anyone who needs her service.

I reached out to Suzanne in early June when I was feeling like so many of us. Out of control, wanting to help with regards to BLM, and on a small level, I realized I could do my minute part by learning about the possible disparities there may be in the hair loss community. This episode covers a lot, from the challenges of hair donations and processing, the correct way to donate a ponytail, and the desire for hair donations that will suit the needs of underserved populations that are looking for a more genuine image reflected back to them in the mirror.

To find out more about Hair We Share, please check out the show notes for their website and social media links. If you are interested in donating your hair to this great cause, please print off their how-to directions to make sure it is a smooth process. I was amazed at how important the details are after talking with Suzanne.

https://hairweshare.org/

https://www.facebook.com/hairweshare

https://www.instagram.com/hair_we_share/

Rai Bausch's Hair: A Documentary on Hair Donation YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P81b8cgtWwQ

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Our guest today is Skyler Weaver. He was diagnosed with alopecia as a teenager, and it took a toll on both his emotional well-being and self-confidence throughout high school. After years of wanting to go on a motorcycle trip of grand proportions, he decided to start the non-profit, Adventures for Alopecia to combine his dream of traveling 16,000 to Patagonia and raise awareness for alopecia at the same time.

If you know of anyone in Central or South America living with alopecia, contact Skyler so they can make a connection. Finding someone who can help you feel less alone can be a helpful part of the journey. If you are in a position to help with Skyler's mission, please check out the show notes to find out how to donate. If you're just being introduced to Skyler and his travels, his website is a great way to check out where he is and how he's doing. Feel free to share.

https://projectafa.org/

https://www.instagram.com/adventuresforalopecia/

https://www.facebook.com/AdventuresForAlopecia/

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Today's guest is Betsy Woytovich. She is the Director of Alumni relations at Berks Catholic HS, co-founded the Children's Alopecia Project with her husband, Jeff, and she just recently fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a published author with her book, Francie Puts on Her Courage.

https://amzn.to/2DSTxFj

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/

Please check out the links in the show notes to find Francie Puts on Her Courage. If you purchase a copy through Amazon, it would be awesome to take the extra few seconds to leave a review for Betsy. Those are like gold for us authors.

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This is an episode of 2 Minute Tuesdays. When I interviewed Pharmacist, Michelle Moser, back in August, we talked about upcoming events that would allow listeners to find out more about LDN or Low Dose Naltrexone. The full interview won't be released until late November, but if this soundbite is making you wonder what we're talking about, please check out the link in the show notes to be part of their summit on October 17th.

https://www.ldnpnw.com/

Through the end of September, enter the code MAKERSRX to save $100 on registration for the LDN PNW Summit.
https://makerscompounding.com/

https://ldnresearchtrust.org/

https://www.facebook.com/makerspharmacy

https://www.instagram.com/makerspharmacy/

https://twitter.com/makerspharmacy

https://www.linkedin.com/company/makerspharmacy/

LDN Book: https://www.ldnpnw.com/product-page/preorder-the-ldn-book-volume-2

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Today's guest is Heather Scott. She has had alopecia since the age of 3. Over the last year, Heather was compelled to help others who are living with hair loss, but she wasn't quite sure what that would look like. The puzzle pieces aligned, and she is here today to share about how the Helper Hair Box came to be.

Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/helperhairbox/helper-hair-box?ref=project_build#

Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/helperhairbox/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helperhairbox/

Website: http://www.helperhairbox.com/

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It's Season 2. Last season, we shared about alopecia and romance, the connection between our gut and autoimmunity. We opened up conversations about faith, family, grieving, marathon-running, and discovering our hidden talents to build confidence. We acquired some new methods to deal with stress, and shared ways to help our children advocate for themselves when sharing about their diagnosis. We also spoke with authors, filmmakers, social workers, body-positivity role models, parents who are working to figure it all out, and so many more change-makers in the alopecia community.

In Season 2, we have so much more to explore and share with you. You can expect to hear more interviews with amazing people who are living with alopecia, along with folks who are making a difference within the alopecia community and continue to offer support to those who are newly diagnosed or who have been living with alopecia for ages,

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This is a super special episode. It's the last one for Season 1 and it's also the first one for Alopecia Awareness Month. Today's topic comes up often, and is one of the biggest concerns that surfaces every year - transitions to school. Starting school for the first time, moving up from one school to another while living with alopecia, and how parents would like those transitions to go. We are also in the midst of a global pandemic. No matter where you are in the world, this is a huge deal. One prevailing thing remains to be true, our kids will most likely be back at school one day soon, and we want that to be the best experience it can be for them.

Today's guests are 9-year-old Ohna and her mom, Skye. The interview actually happened back in April when we were all in the early stages of quarantine. There is still a lot of uncertainty about when things will return to a semblance of what it used to be. Today, Skye and Ohna share some insight on what has helped them along the way for school and activities outside of school, and Skye offers an open discussion about her experience as a Physician's Assistant, and how that guided some of their decisions.

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This is an episode of 2 Minute Tuesdays. This excerpt is from an interview I did recently with Betsy Woytovich. This year, with Covid, Jeff Woytovich of the Children's Alopecia Project, Betsy's husband, isn't able to do school visits as he has in the past. But, he will be traveling to visit CAP kids on his CAP tour from Reading, PA to Redding, CA September 14th-the 24th. If you want to be one of his stops along the way, listen in to hear how to do that. It's quick and easy. I've attached the link in the show notes.

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/events/?fbclid=IwAR24b4Lh4Ws-K3i53C8Ez6_vkjEDhnmZGVIcoqbWz1NeoX7f6dTUatstLSw

https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/ODgxMzc=?fbclid=IwAR2bimInfLoRCJovHnE9gL37JkjBecJFfTQUDxX7OLeOlSeTQrzZFBwYkr4

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Welcome to Episode 34 of Alopecia Life. Today, our guest is Dr. Candy Lewis Williams. She is the founder of the Lotus Concept, a Board-Certified Naturopathic Doctor, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Master Herbalist, and a thirty-five year veteran Trichologist. Her expertise as a well-known educator and guest lecturer has taken her across the US with appearances on the Dr. Oz Show as a leading expert in hair loss solutions, alternative and complementary medicine. After being diagnosed with alopecia areata 26 years ago, Dr. Candy now provides first-hand experience on autoimmune conditions and hair loss.

So often, I hear a lot of confusion from adults, as well as parents of children living with alopecia around the topic of functional medicine. What is it? How is it different? In today's interview, Dr. Candy clarifies the differences, and she gives us an idea of what an appointment with her might look like.

https://thelotusconcept.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Dr.CandyLewisWilliams

https://www.instagram.com/drcandylewiswilliams/

https://twitter.com/TheLotusConcept

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Today's guest is Ann Hedly. She is a homeschooling mother of 3 boys, and she has a bachelor of fine arts in Dance & Choreography. Practicing the art of relaxation guides how she responds to having alopecia, and with her work as a home educator and yoga instructor. She also made the documentary, Mop Cap, An Alopecia Story which premiered at the Maine International Film Festival in 2017 and is now available on demand worldwide.

I know 2020 has added stress to my life, and if you're experiencing something similar, thiis episode is a great way to start a simple meditative practice. While I interviewed Ann, it was so relaxing to listen to her voice, and to hear over 20 years of wisdom that has been gained by putting intentional meditation and yoga into action. We're all in for a treat today, especially if you're looking for ways to decrease stress and tap into something we each have inside of us.
https://annhedly.com/

https://www.instagram.com/annhedly/

https://www.instagram.com/mopcapfilm/

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Today's guest is Carrie Corboy, a clinical pharmacist practitioner. Carrie and I started talking a few months ago because of her experience as a pharmacist working in a cannabis dispensary. Carrie is also an employee of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Family of Companies, along with an employee at Restore Integrative Wellness Center.

Over the last year or so, I have had parents ask me about the safety of CBD oil, whether it is effective for treatment of alopecia, whether it is best to use as a tincture, a capsule, or a salve. When I'm not qualified to answer these questions or I don't know the answers, I ask someone who does. Today, if you have been wanting to learn about CBD, this episode is a great introduction, and as always, we encourage you to do your own research to find the solution that works best for you and your family.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriecorboy/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cec-pharmd-llc/?viewAsMember=true

https://www.instagram.com/dr.apothecarrie/

Book with recipes:

The Medical Marijuana Dispensary: Understanding, Mediating and Cooking with Cannabis, Laurie Wolf, file:///C:/Users/cdr%20ebay/Downloads/USP%20Cannabis%20Guidelines.pdf

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Welcome to this special bonus episode with Mary Marshall. Many of our listeners will know Mary from her awareness work by starting International Alopecia Day aka IAD back in 2010. What started out with 8 countries contributing photos from their day of celebration, has grown to include over 41 countries in 2019.

We know this year will be very different from past years of celebration with our support groups, but this one is a great opportunity to celebrate in big ways with our loved ones who are our biggest supporters while practicing social distancing. It would be awesome to surpass the 41 countries and show Mary how much this day means to all of us.

All the links to FB pages for the International Alopecia Community page, the Bald Mannequin Project, and the YouTube videos are included here in the show notes, along with the email address that goes directly to Mary. Please make sure to submit your photos from August 1-15th to be included and to follow those pointers that Mary shared (casual photos with a sign saying IAD 2020 and your city and country name). Thank you again Mary for putting a special day on the calendar just for us.

Email Photos to Mary August 1-15th: internationalalopeciaday@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/InternationalAlopeciaDay

https://www.facebook.com/groups/930540900291475

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gChdzyUVXpQ&fbclid=IwAR0f8g2N2EXJB9YxJZHLO14ONryZ0iaxELNykzIltZNwyq0Wx5Fruocv2ew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzvWYmm-n9g&fbclid=IwAR1QhJvkU9dFTG9PbOIBTzzoUF-RMUnEoaBL5CyG1zFFrxPD3FjILoDhIC8

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The first time I saw her perform, I actually looked around to see if everyone else was witnessing what I was. It's the sound and movement of someone who has found the place they were meant to be, and I was so lucky to be part of it. Molly Tuttle's debut album, When You're Ready, released just over a year ago. She wrote or co-wrote all 11 songs, and if you haven't had an opportunity to hear it yet, I encourage you to take a listen.

Today, Molly and I talk about music, of course, but also about living with alopecia, and how sometimes the amount of time we sit with something, allows for a bigger capacity to open up & share with the people there to support us, whether it be friends, family, or fans.

www.mollytuttlemusic.com

https://www.instagram.com/mollytuttle/

https://www.facebook.com/molly.tuttle.7

https://twitter.com/mollytuttle

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Today's guest is Melissa Stern. She and her partner, Adam are the founders of C3 Comprehensive Cranium Care. I met Melissa in person last year at the NAAF conference. She wanted to introduce their head wash to the alopecia community in a more formal way, and she was looking for advice on how to do that. I'll admit, when I saw the email, I was a bit skeptical. Over the years, I've been asked to promote product a lot, and if I don't have supportive testimonials from the alopecia community and a personal experience, I just don't do it. I got to know Melissa, and she allowed me to ask a lot of questions, not only about their head wash, which was never intended to be for people living with alopecia, their mission statement, and I asked her if she had done more extensive tests for people who have skin issues with their scalp. I am a mama-bear of sorts and super protective about responsible product recommendations. I kind of put her through the ringer, and she handled it with an extremely open mind, allowing my questions for the alopecia community to guide how she might present it at the conference.

Other key points about us:

— Chicago-based indie grooming brand

— Certified cruelty free by Leaping Bunny / USDA BioPreferred certification in process / made in USA

— Certified woman owned business

— We donate 1% of proceeds to The Children's Alopecia Project

Use code ALOPECIALIFE for 50% off entire first purchase

Using this link will automatically apply the discount to the shopping cart: https://cranium.care/discount/ALOPECIALIFE or people can enter the code at checkout.

www.cranium.care
Instagram: @cranium.care
FB: https://www.facebook.com/craniumcare
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craniumcare/

Comprehensive Cranium Care® (C3) is transforming bald from stigma to stunning with the premier line of skincare products for bald, shaved and buzzed domes. Whether you're bald by choice or by circumstance, you deserve a stellar grooming experience that addresses your unique skincare needs. Our vision for C3 is informed by the varied experiences of our customers, and our concern for human and environmental health. That's why our products are formulated to be simple and effective, with nothing artificial -- no b.s., and no marketing nonsense. Beyond providing excellent products, C3’s bald positive #OwnYourDome movement speaks to countless men and women experiencing hair loss, and empowers them to know that they can look and feel amazing just the way they are.

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Today's guest is Kelci Parker. She is the Director of Talent & Development at Comedy Central. She was born and raised in Southwest Michigan to a college football coach and elementary art teacher, to whom she credits her creativity and drive. After graduating with a degree in screenwriting from the University of Michigan, she moved to Los Angeles with aspirations to write, and everything went as planned until she was given an opportunity to shift from being a writer to helping others find success through development at Comedy Central. In this episode, Kelci and I talk about timing, with alopecia and her career, how our upbringing can absolutely influence how we walk in the world and share alopecia in our community, and what having core friends can do for all of that.

https://www.instagram.com/kelciparker/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelci-parker07/

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Today's guest is Janelle Hardy. She is the creator and teacher of an online transformational memoir-writing course called the Art of Personal Mythmaking. This process uses body-based trauma-informed writing prompts, fairytales and themed modules to support creative folks who are interested in healing from their lifestories as they write their memoirs.

So many times we talk about healing - healing from trauma, healing from schoolyard bullying, and from the pain inflicted on us by comments from our peers, and during episodes of Alopecia Life, we talk about effective ways to heal, to move through the feelings, and guests have talked about what has helped them, saved them, allowed them to move forward. Sometimes that's sports, or art, music, or dance. Other times, it's writing. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, writing is another art form that allows many of us to process. I'm super biased when I say all Alopecia Life guests are awesome, but Janelle is an extra shot of amazing. She has found the balance of knowing who she is, using what she's learned, and then returning that by giving us insight into how we can tell our own stories in ways that allow us to remove the self-sensoring, reframe negative feedback, and to have it become a piece of ourselves that we can then share with others or keep it all for ourselves.

Website: http://www.janellehardy.com/
Personal Mythmaking Podcast: https://www.janellehardy.com/podcast/
The Art of Personal Mythmaking - online course: https://www.personalmythmaking.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janellehardyart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janellehardybodylove/

It’s time to stop waiting for inspiration to strike and get started now! https://www.personalmythmaking.com/10-impactful-writing-prompts

10 trauma-informed tips so you can write and heal. https://www.personalmythmaking.com/writing-through-painful-memories

Workshop: Outline Your Memoir: a free 2-hour on-demand workshopUse fairytales and your body to identify themes in your life, organize your thoughts, outline your memoir, and start writing!https://www.personalmythmaking.com/oym-ondemand

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Welcome to the #4 bonus episode reading of Head-On, Stories of Alopecia with Marlina Rogers. I love stories that shift and change over time, and I also fully appreciate the pieces of our stories that remain the same. Marlina talks about both here in this episode.

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Thank you for joining us for Episode 27 of Alopecia Life with Anthony Carrigan. My first interaction with Anthony was on New Year's Eve back in 2014. At the time, I didn't know who he was. Jannica Olin, a story contributor for Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, thought he would be a great addition to the book, and after a conversation with him, it was easy to understand why. After all, he was calling me on a holiday while he was helping his mom move. If that wasn't an indication of what a great guy he was, it's become even more evident to me over the past 6 years while we've sat around campfires and mentored kids at camp that he is someone who shows up, engages, and truly cares.

This interview was done back in February, when our world wasn't totally upside down with the pandemic. Anthony's optimism during the interview is a breath of fresh air right now, and he shares so much about alopecia, how his outlook on his appearance affected Hollywood's ability to accept looking different, and how we can all access deeper meaning when we embrace our unique difference.

https://www.facebook.com/anthony.carrigan.5

https://www.instagram.com/carriganagain/

https://twitter.com/Anth_Carrigan

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Thank you for listening to this third bonus episode reading of Head-On, Stories of Alopecia with Mimi Rivard. She shares her experience as a mother & health practitioner when her son, Andre, was diagnosed with alopecia. What has she learned, what would she do different, and what advice does she have for parents when their child is living with a visible difference.

Mimi is a mom of 4 kids and a Nurse Practitioner. She has spent the better part of her 30 year career caring for people with HIV. Andre was diagnosed with alopecia soon after a febrile illness.

Having a background in medicine was helpful, but support from other parents and the Children’s Alopecia Project helped keep things in perspective. Mimi is extremely pragmatic and tries to live each day like it could be her last.

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Our guest today is Traci Lee. Where do I start when I introduce Traci? She is an award-winning producer, a journalist, and previously oversaw NBC Asian America at NBC News. She helped launch MSNBC.com's first website, I'm going to stop here because you'll learn so much more about her as you listen. I met Traci last year, and I was super impressed not only by our casual conversation about alopecia, but the investment she has put into sharing Asian-American history is something that drew me in even more. So today, you get a fantastic history lesson, talk about alopecia, a peek into what it's like to interview Matt Damon, and insight into a little-known podcast that grew exponentially by unforeseen circumstance.

https://traciglee.com/

https://www.instagram.com/traciglee/

https://twitter.com/traciglee

https://twitter.com/dawsonsspeakpod

https://www.facebook.com/tracigarlinglee

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Welcome to Episode 25 of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Maddie Woytovich. Many of you will know her as the face and motivation behind the Children's Alopecia Project that began 15 years ago when she was first diagnosed. Listen in to hear how Maddie discovered who she was after heading to college and what happened after posting a body positivity photo online that led to a collaboration with a major fashion brand.

Check out our show notes to find Maddie on IG.

https://www.instagram.com/mwoyt/

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/

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Thank you for joining us for this second bonus episode reading by Andre of his story in Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. Andre was 10-years-old when he wrote his story, and when he and I spoke on the phone about the book, I was struck by his maturity. Today, at 15, he continued to inspire me as we recorded a brief interview about where he is now, and he shares some great insight and information on ways we can all move forward.

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Our guest today is Integrative Nutrition and Hormone Coach, Jill Grunewald. She is the author of The Essential Thyroid Cookbook and her areas of specialty include alopecia, Hashimoto’s, Graves, adrenal dysfunction, and digestive health just to name a few. Jill's Reversing Alopecia course is one of many she offers for those living with autoimmune disease.

Today, we talk a lot of science. It's common to hear about low iron or ferritin levels, and Vitamin D deficiencies when researching autoimmunity, but Jill has introduced some additional information that I found fascinating. This is an episode that may find you listening and re-listening to figure it out like I did.

www.healthfulelements.com

www.thyroidcookbook.com

www.reversingalopecia.com

https://dutchtest.com/

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I'm super excited to release some Alopecia Life bonus episodes over the next few weeks. For years, I had hoped to hear the voices of people who wrote stories for Head-On, Stories of Alopecia and to share those readings, and this is the perfect opportunity. These story-tellers may be in a completely different place than when they originally wrote, and many of them were very young children when they contributed their story.

Today, Jannica Olin shares the story she wrote, and also a continuation of who she is today. She and I also did a follow-up interview that will be published at a later date. Feel free to let us know what you think of this bonus material. We are super excited to share it with you.

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Our guest today is Kylie Bamberger. Some of you may know her personally, and others will know her from one of the most iconic alopecia photos that has been shared thousands of times over. Today, she and I cover a lot of ground, including how to break stigmas and how to know when you are ready for the next thing (whatever that may be for you). Sydney, Kylie's daughter is definitely doing some voice over work during our interview, and you can occasionally hear her sweet voice in the background.

https://www.instagram.com/kyliebamberger/

https://www.facebook.com/kybamberger/

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Today's guest is Alicia Gleeson-Chernesky. Alicia has been traveling the world working as an accountant by day, and trying to help change perceptions about hair loss by night. We all know that losing our hair is not easy, and Alicia knows that first hand after initially letting hair loss impact her self-esteem and confidence. Now, she has set out on a global mission to find solutions to help others with hair loss or hair imperfections along the way.

March is National Reading Month, and all our guests this months have authored a book, and Alicia's is "Mum, where is your hair". You'll learn more about that today, along with Alicia's adventures, and find some answers to those travel-concerns that come to mind when dealing with hair loss - wearing hair pieces or a hat when going through TSA and much more.

For your free electronic copy of "Mum, Where is Your Hair?"
https://www.amazon.com/Alicia-Gleeson-Cherneski/e/B07XBQPZ87

Website: http://hairandnowglobal.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairandnowglobal/

@HairandNowGlobal

#HairandNowGlobal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HairandNowGlobal/

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Welcome to Episode 21 of Alopecia Life with Sophie Van Tiggelen. Sophie is a passionate foodie, recipe developer, author, and photographer. Diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2009, she used the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) to reverse her condition and today, Sophie lives a full and vibrant life free from the anxiety and flare-ups.

Over and over I've been asked about the autoimmune protocol diet and its effectiveness, and I had very little personal experience with it. But I have friends with alopecia and other autoimmune diseases that have had great success with it. I knew I wanted someone who could speak about it openly and with a personal connection, and Sophie fit the bill.

With her food and lifestyle blog, A Squirrel in the Kitchen, Sophie shares her AIP experience and empowers others to develop new habits to promote good health and wellness. She has developed simple strategies to be successful on AIP. Her mission is to make the Autoimmune Protocol - and all it encompasses - more accessible and sustainable for anyone looking for a more nutritious, delicious, and more health-conscious life.

Blog: A Squirrel in the Kitchen https://asquirrelinthekitchen.com

Membership: AIP Made Simple https://www.aipmadesimple.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/asquirrelinthekitchen/

Instagram: @squirrel_kitchen

Pinterest: SquirrelKitchen

https://www.subscribepage.com/aip_yes_no_food_lists

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Welcome to another episode of 2 Minute Tuesdays. Does having alopecia areata make us more susceptible to the coronavirus or COVID-19?

Everyone is individual. Our lifestyles will determine whether we are more at risk, but simply having alopecia areata does not make us more susceptible to getting it. If you have other underlying conditions, are on immunosupressants like Methotrexate or Xeljanz, to treat your alopecia, your system is suppressed and potentially more compromised.

Consult the CDC for more information, and always consult with your physician for more specifics. This and the information here is not to be used in place of advice from a medical professional, but rest easy in knowing that alopecia areata alone does not make you a happy host for COVID-19.

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Today's guest is Alysicia Cunningham. Alysicia is an author, filmmaker, and photographer who has worked hard to bring her message of, "I am more than my hair" to the author world and film circuit. She and I connected several years ago about our individual projects, and the backstory to what motivated her to share about alopecia struck me as unique. You'll find out why after listening to today's episode.

http://www.alyscia.com/

www.instagram.com/AlysciaCunningham

www.instagram.com/iammorethanmyhair

www.facebook.com/AlysciaCunninghamimages

www.facebook.com/IAmMoreThanMyHair

www.youtube.com/alysciacunningham

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Today's guest is Jeff Woytovich of the Children's Alopecia Project. I had an opportunity to interview him in person, which gave us a new and unique sound quality. It was beautiful and cold during the first week of November here in the PNW where we had our very first CAP camp. You can hear the kids running around, chairs being moved, and fun conversations in the background.

Jeff and Betsy Woytovich are founders of the CAP. The impact that CAP has on the alopecia community, our families and the kids, and even mentors is amazing to witness. Thank you for listening.

http://www.Facebook.com/ChildrensAlopeciaProject

http://www.Twitter.com/CAP_Alopecia

http://www.ChildrensAlopeciaProject.org

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Today's episode is with Angelina Quezada and Brendon Reynolds. One of the first things I hear in support groups, forums, and with my own clients after they are first diagnosed is the concern of "Will anyone love me?" or "Will anyone fall in love with my child if they are bald?" and most often, "Will my partner continue to be attracted to me?." Oftentimes their confidence is pretty low, and today's story really emphasizes that finding love has very little to do with alopecia, and is more about compatibility and attraction.

Sharing an alopecia diagnosis does go a long way in breaking down those walls we may put up to protect ourselves, especially in the early days. Today's episode with Angelina and Brendon really speaks to that.

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For over 20 years, our guest, Allison Waggoner, was a host on home shopping networks like HSN and Evine. She is the best-selling author of over 9 In the Kitchen cookbooks and now works with the number one lifestyle brand, Beekman 1802.

Allison shares with us what it's like to have alopecia and be on live television, what changed her outlook about living in the limelight with hair loss, and what it took to realize her worth.

https://www.facebook.com/allison.liveontv/

https://www.instagram.com/allisonwaggoner/

https://beekman1802.com/

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The McCain family shares their connection of having alopecia, and how it can strengthen and build a unique confidence in each of us. Kevin the 2nd talks about starting Arch Angel Hats to represent a guardian angel to protect us from all our insecurities.

https://archangelhatcollec.wixsite.com/mysite

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Episode 15 features Health Coach & Stylist, Rachel Bronston. Listen to find out what it took to find deeper meaning as a woman living with hair loss and working as a hair stylist, how Rachel found her niche and of all things, her soul mate.

http://innerflamecoaching.com/

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Meeting others who understand, seeing mentors who are living great lives, and not having to keep wondering if you are alone - all of that just by going to a 3-day camp. Shira Udin and her son talk about the transformations of community, and the ability to come home and make a difference for others who are living with alopecia areata. Zachary took on a project that went in a direction they never could have predicted. Find out more by listening to this episode.

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/capkidgroups/

shiraudin@gmail.com

https://www.mightycause.com/story/Zachforcap

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Join mindset mentor, Jacqui Letran, as she shares methods of how to identify disempowering beliefs and find ways to quiet our inner critic and move forward. Jacqui's former career as a nurse practitioner led her to become an award-winning author, speaker, and mindset mentor. She now dedicates her life to helping clients create powerful and resilient mindsets. The modalities she uses are based on the subconscious and conscious minds, along with the 4 faulty beliefs.

https://jacquiletran.com/

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In this special edition episode, our guest, Kevin Bull shares how growing up able to play outside and experience nature and also competing in track and field led him to find his way to the walk-on line on American Ninja Warrior. He gives us a peek inside what it takes to audition and how much dedication it takes to continue to compete. You may wonder how he handles being one of the faces of alopecia that is so prevalent in the media, and he answers those questions too. If you want to know a little about his dating life, he gives us the inside scoop. Keep listening to hear answers to questions that his fans have asked too.

https://www.instagram.com/kevin_the_bull/

https://www.facebook.com/Kevin-the-Bull-703850822994845/

Kevin Bull is best known for his regular appearance on the Popular Television show American Ninja Warrior. After his breakout performance on cannonball alley, winning several episodes, and being named to the US national team, he became known as a fan favorite. Kevin has also appeared in Spartan Team Challenge, Team Ninja Warrior, and several charity episodes and commercials.

Through High School and College, Kevin Competed in Track and Field ending his career as an All-American and California State Champion in the Decathlon, Pole-Vault, and 4x400m relay for Division 2.

He has launched two businesses, Pitfall Obstacle League, and DojoBoom/Defy in Thousand Oaks, CA, and he is a huge advocate for the Children's Alopecia Project (CAP), helping children who live with the same uncommon condition he does while also raising awareness.

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Jessica Rose Ward developed alopecia at the age of 12 and soon discovered baking was a great outlet for her frustration while never feeling like she fit in after being misdiagnosed for many years. In this episode, she shares what helped her accept alopecia and what guides her in moving forward. The question, "What will Jessica bring?" is always on the forefront of her mind (and everybody else too) when she is attending any gathering. If you're interested in some creatively-named recipes and amazing ideas, the link to her cookbook that is available on Amazon is posted below. Reach her on social media at the links listed below too.

Find the Book - https://headonlifecoaching.com/alopecia-products-resources/

Website - https://www.lovesweetmess.com/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbtrKlKbLVdqnt4guYXKUWg

IG - https://www.instagram.com/reallyjessicarose/

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Alexia Kerwick, a teenager who is a Polynesian dancer, voice over actress, and so much more. She shares how dance, family, and finding your own way after being diagnosed is an important piece of moving forward. As a host, I tend to hear and feel how the entire family is affected when a child is diagnosed, and Alexia gives a little different perspective on this.

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Today's guest presented a hair product for men on Shark Tank, competed to win "the most hair donated to a charity in 24 hours" Guinness book of world record, and donate all of that hair to Children with Hair Loss. The Longhairs founders use their platform and their hair as a resource to help others who are living with hair loss by donating $1.00 of every sale to CWHL.

To find the Longhairs, check them out at

IG and Twitter: @thelonghairs https://www.instagram.com/thelonghairs/

Website: https://thelonghairs.us/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/YoLonghairs/

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So many times, we hear people annihilate alopecia areata, and even when we are first diagnosed it's a tough one to wrap your brain around. On this episode of 2 Minute Tuesdays, we tackle the pronunciation, spelling, and whether or not it's capitalized, and why. This is episode 3 of TMT. Thank you for tuning in.

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Caitlin Riley-Klepac, LMSW shines a light on alopecia and mental health. She expresses the need for all versions of alopecia to be represented and acknowledged. Caitlin also reveals the gap in the medical community for the patient needs vs. what clinicians are providing.

Show mention: The Absent Body by Drew Leder https://headonlifecoaching.com/alopecia-products-resources/

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When Amy Johnson developed alopecia areata in her early twenties, she felt very alone. She soon discovered Alopecia UK, a small charity that was ready for expanding its reach. Amy started as a volunteer, and her passion and dedication for raising awareness led to a position on staff as communications and fundraising manager. Along with the AUK team, they organize the Big Weekend, a trip to Alton Towers, and numerous other awareness events. During the interview, Amy shares about the alopecia flash mob in Liverpool. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the link below. It's hard to not respond to Cyndi Lauper's True Colors and the message they are spreading.

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/alopeciauk/
https://www.facebook.com/AlopeciaUK/
https://www.alopecia.org.uk/video-with-banner

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Did you know that over 2% of the world's population will experience alopecia at one point in their lives? That equates to over 147 million people worldwide, and affects genders equally. The feeling of being alone with our alopecia experience can be overwhelming. Depending on where you live, 2% may look like 16 people, or it may look like 126,000. Listen to hear more about the city you live in, and come engage in conversation over at the Alopecia Life FB group to figure out how many people may be living nearby. You're never alone!

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Today's guest is Lindsay Walter. Lindsay has run over 37 marathons and is now training to run her first 100 mile Ultra Marathon. After feeling like she had been hiding under wigs for over 20 years, running allowed her to embrace who she was and live wig-free. Find out what makes her so competitive along with what drives her to the finish line. You'll be surprised by the answer!

Find Lindsay on social media at https://www.instagram.com/lindsayhannah3/

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If you haven't yet had the pleasure to meet Rosie and Paula Quinn, this is a great opportunity to learn more about them and their charity, Coming Up Rosies. Their non-profit is dedicated to put smiles on the faces of children (and adults) who are living with hair loss, whether it be from cancer or alopecia. When presented with an opportunity to shift the focus from Rosie's loss to her love of art, Paula designed a scarf from Rosie's artwork for her to wear on the days she didn't feel like inviting comments. When Rosie asked about the other children who could benefit from a project of their own, it was the beginning to a mission and inspiration that has turned into something bigger than expected. If you're looking at a charitable cause, this may be the perfect fit.To find out more about Coming Up Rosies, see the links below.

https://www.cominguprosies.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cominguprosies/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
‪#‎smilingwithrosie‬

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In the beginning, it's a challenge to find the support we need. Most of the time, no one in our family understands and friends just don't get it. Support groups provide a great place to meet people just like us. Our guest, Megan Simón - the NAAF support group leader for Portland, Oregon gives us some tips for what to look for in a support group. As a support group leader, Megan provides the perfect balance of flexibility and sticking to an agenda each time they meet, which makes for a great combination. If you're looking to start your own support group or find one in your hometown or online, this episode will help you find what you're looking for.

https://www.childrensalopeciaproject.org/capkidgroups/
https://www.naaf.org/find-support/support-groups
https://www.canaaf.org/alopecia-support-groups/
https://www.alopecia.org.uk/groups-info
https://aaaf.org.au/support-groups/

Contact information for Megan: alopeciapdx@gmail.com

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Our first 2 Minute Tuesday session is a little Alopecia 101. Some listeners are tuning in for the first time and don't know anything about the autoimmune hair loss condition, alopecia areata. This episode gives listeners some simple answers to their questions.

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This week I talk with Melvin Dolberry, Jr. about basketball and his time with the Harlem Ambassadors, his faith, and the bold move his 2nd grade teacher took to make an impact on him. What's next for Melvin? Check him out on social media to find out more.

https://www.instagram.com/mdolberryjr/
https://twitter.com/MDolberryJr
https://www.facebook.com/niiwg

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Starting school tends to bring a set of emotions with it. Sometimes it's excitement, and sometimes it's a feeling of uncertainty about how our hair loss is going to be perceived. "Will people notice I have a bald spot, or will they make fun of me?" Our guest, Jennifer George, has been an educator for over 20 years and currently works as an assistant principal in a large middle school in Calgary, Alberta Canada. We discuss 504 plans and IEPs, and Jennifer shares how we can help our kids advocate for themselves while they are living with alopecia.

To find out more about the Children's Alopecia Project Calgary Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CAPGreaterCalgary

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What is Alopecia Life all about? Here's a sneak peek of what you can expect. Cool conversations with people living with alopecia, interviews with coaches, clinicians, and specialists in their field, along with parents and their children as they are living with the autoimmune hair loss condition, alopecia areata.

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Alopecia Life: Recent Episodes

Host: Deeann Graham

https://www.facebook.com/marciano.flores.18