Lifestyle By Design: Helping You Solve Everyday Challenges | Occupational Therapy | Health And Well-being | Self-help

Dr. Raul Fernandez is the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at BU’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and a lecturer in Wheelock’s Higher Education Administration program. He is an accomplished educator, with thousands of people having attended his workshops at campuses, conferences and organizations around the country and internationally. He is an elected Select Board Member in Brookline, MA and an appointee to the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. He is also the co-creator of the popular Wide Lens film series at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which seeks to explore underrepresented perspectives through film and conversation. Raul’s signature workshop Blind Spots challenges participants to examine their background, beliefs and biases while identifying areas where they can do the work and grow. He’s facilitated versions of Blind Spots and other workshops for deans, faculty and administrators, doctors an

Ty is an award-winning children’s book author, literacy advocate, and captivating motivational speaker. In 2011 he founded Big Head Books, LLC, a literacy organization that aims to introduce children to the joys of reading. He is the co-founder of the Read or Else movement and Danny Dollar Academy. In this episode, Ty shares how helping his son start a lemonade stand led him to a career writing children's books on financial literacy. Learn more about Ty at tyallanjackson.com

Author Adrienne Kisner joins us again to share her latest YA novel, "The Confusion of Laurel Graham," in which A teen copes with her grandmother's coma by becoming obsessed with a mystery bird that she cannot identify. Adrienne shares the inspiration of her novel, as well as an excerpt. She also updates us on what she's been up to including some new projects in the works. To find out more about Adrienne and her books visit http://www.adriennekisner.com/.

Our guests Tamara Calhoun and Cynthia Abbott Gaffney discuss their work related to gunshot survivors and how they are meeting that and other health needs for their clients. They also discuss their experiences in a doctoral program in Occupational Therapy. Tamara Calhoun shares her work on engaging African American youth in rehabilitation following gunshot wound trauma. Cynthia Abbott Gaffney shares about her work in expanding the role of telehealth in client health management.

Gigi and David join us from Nashville to share their entrepreneurship journey. David is building a continuing education management platform and Gigi is building an online network that connects rehab therapists and consumers to connect with each other. The pair share how they started their journey of building a business and where they are now in the process.

Heidi shares her personal journey of coping with different challenges such as health and life transition and discussing how to figure out what love for yourself looks like in order to create a sense of well being and live life to its fullest. She also shares practical self care tips that anyone can do.

Kathryn Ellis is an OT, and Certified Sexuality Counselor. She runs a training program on Sex and Intimacy for Occupational Therapists. You can learn more at sexintimacyot.com or by following her at @sexintimacyOT on social media.

Anne Kim, Joyce Hu, and Ioana Moldovan join us and discuss their process for writing their children’s book “You Are So Brave.” You Are So Brave! follows a young girl named Ellie and her favorite toy, Leo the lion, as they visit the doctor for their yearly checkup. Together, they learn how to be brave as they use elements of mindfulness and understand that challenges are easier when you are with someone you love. You can order copies of the book online through Amazon.

Adrienne Kisner, author of Dear Rachel Maddow, joins us live in studo at Boston University to discuss her debut YA novel, about a high school girl who deals with school politics and life after her brother's death by drafting emails to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. You can find copies of the book at your local bookstore, or online. 

Dr. David Bernstein and his wife Melissa join us to discuss his latest book, “The Power of 5: The Ultimate Formula for Longevity & Remaining Youthful. The duo discusses tips for aging gracefully, including healthy eating habits that are showcased in recipes on Melissa’s blog, “The Power of Five Test Kitchen.” For more information visit http://www.davidbernsteinmd.com/books/powerof5/.

In this episode we get to know Roberta Saphire, an attorney and Camille Baron, a financial advisor, both from the Boston/Providence area. Their show, The Law, Your Money, and You delves into practical advice and tips for managing your finances, and they share with us tips on how to avoid scams, planning for retirement, and how they are helping local communities. Find out more and watch episodes of their show on http://www.sharontv.com/program/law-money-you/.

This episode features a “Burns Night” celebration in honor of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. He is best known for writing poem/song "Auld Lang Syne." Fiddles McGinty by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Artist: http://incompetech.com/.

This episode joins Karen on a service-learning trip to Morocco lead by Dr. Said Nafai and Dr. Mohamed Brahimi. Karen met occupational therapists and students from around the globe at the first Occupational Therapy conference in Morocco organized by Dr. Said Nafai and Elizabeth Stevens-Nafai. Said also joined our episode to discuss service learning and was present during a powerful visit to a transitional care home for women in breast cancer treatment. Find out more about Said’s work at otmorocco.org.

Nicole Kelly and Sarah Tuberty are the hosts of a new podcast launching this week called Disarming Disability. Their goal is to deconstruct social stigma on disability and to voice, educate, and empower individuals to generate a more knowledgeable, understanding, and inclusive society. Their weekly podcast will authentically discuss topics related to disability on the societal platform. You can find out more online at disarmingdisability.com, on Facebook at @disarmingdisaiblity, and on twitter at @disarmdisable.

Samora Kasmir joins us for a conversation at Boston University on how she became an Occupational Therapist with the US military as part of the US Public Health Service and how others can do the same.

In this episode, we meet Shelley Francis, an audiologist and author of No Child Left Unwrapped. Shelley has been practicing audiology for over 25 years and specializes in working with highly sensitive children. Shelley believes everyone is born with their own unique gifts that can go unnoticed or undeveloped due to developmental differences and societal beliefs. Shelley discusses how empathy and compassion can help sensitive children cultivate and develop their gifts.

While at the Assistive Technology of NE conference in RI, we meet Tracy Lee Allard, Mary Anne Lewis and Patrick Lewis. Tracey was the keynote speaker of the conference and is an actress with Asperger’s Spectrum Disorder who hopes to change misconceptions about Autism/Asperger’s. Tracy got her start public speaking at 8 years old and can be seen in Sam and Mattie's teen zombie movie. Patrick is a 27 year old who is blind/cognitively challenged. His mom, Mary Anne, who is an occupational therapist and his other family members helped him create a business called, Purely Patrick where he makes specialty food items. You can learn more at www.purelypatrick.com

Our guest Helene Vincent discusses her decision to run for City Council in Boston's 8th district.

In this episode we hear from Vanessa Grijalba on her personal and professional journey toward incorporating occupational therapy into the practice of treating obesity.

In this episode, we meet Richard Mangino. He was the first person in Massachusetts to obtain a hand transplant when he was 65.