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Sylvia & Me

Sylvia & Me

Author: Sylvia Beckerman

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Sylvia & Me, conversations with extraordinary women who are changing the world by making a difference in their lives and the lives around them. Life changing events can be frightening, exciting, overwhelming; a range of emotions. They are usually followed by decisions made by some bold, strong, independent, persevering women who open the door to a new journey. We’ll be taking journeys through conversations with these women. ‘Sylvia & Me’ can be found on most popular podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play and iHeart Radio. And our website, https://lifeapres.com/podcast Listen, subscribe for free and take us with you wherever you are.
127 Episodes
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Sick while single

Sick while single

2024-01-3036:25

Medical bias and discrimination come along with living single in a couple’s oriented society. Dr. Joan DelFattore is single by choice. She had never been moved to do anything, until they tried to kill her. That got her attention. ‘Diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer, I went to a well-known highly regarded medical oncologist and he really got on a tear about my family situation. When I said no to having a husband, children, siblings or living parents, he questioned how I would manage. I explained about the friends and extended family who had been very supportive through my surgery. My social support was more than many married people get from their spouse.’
When Freedom Speaks

When Freedom Speaks

2024-02-1334:48

The First Amendment and freedom of speech are being battled daily. But the First Amendment is not just the written or spoken word, it's also the freedom of expression. Lynn Greenky started her professional career as a lawyer. Ten years ago Lynn began teaching an undergraduate course about the First Amendment. She was disturbed about the lack of civics education in the U.S. Lynn is the author of When Freedom Speaks: The Boundaries and Boundlessness of Our First Amendment Right.
The Women and Vietnam

The Women and Vietnam

2024-03-1231:31

March is Women's History Month. Let's take a moment to acknowledge the forgotten heroes of the Vietnam War- the women veterans. Approximately 10,000 women served in Vietnam as nurses, medical personnel, and military intelligence in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Award-winning author Kristin Hannah's newest historical fiction, The Women, sheds light on the untold stories of these brave women.
Politics of Adoption

Politics of Adoption

2024-03-0537:34

Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. The title is quite powerful as is its author, Gretchen Sisson, PhD.  Gretchen has been making waves with her groundbreaking studies on abortion and adoption in the US. Her work sheds light on the experiences of women who have relinquished their child for adoption since Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court's dissent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health from Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor cited Gretchen's research. The stories of relinquishing mothers reveal a larger societal problem of our country's refusal to care for families at the most basic level.
Recipe for a Good Life

Recipe for a Good Life

2024-02-2734:10

What ingredients do you need? It really doesn't take a lot for this particular recipe, the Recipe for a Good Life. Bestselling Canadian author Lesley Crewe is making her American debut and we could all use this recipe. This may be her 15th novel for her Canadian readers, but I can definately say, her new American readers will catch up. For Lesley her writing started as an exercise for understanding her world and in doing so, we get an invitation to look into ours. How many of us think that only writers get writer's block like the protagonist in her latest novel? And how many of us get into the weeds while trying to find that 'grand, elusive goal? Lesley's recipe is a simple one that comes with huge victories from within ourselves. In our conversation she lets us in to one of the most unthinkable time of her life. And shows us how even from our darkest moments, we can shine a light.
Dr. Brooke Grindlinger, Chief Scientific Officer of the NY Academy of Sciences didn't take the conventional female scientist’s route. Instead of the traditional, academic path, Brooke pursued her passion of science communications. Brooke is breaking barriers faced by women in STEM and works with young female scientists pursuing their own 'unconventional' paths. By leveraging her voice and platform, Brooke engages and educates audiences, emphasizing the importance of science in shaping the future.
This week a fun, interesting, warm conversation with author and fellow podcaster Fern Bernstein. 2019 saw her debut memoir Mah Jongg Mondays: a memoir about friendship, love and faith. And this past October her second book Staunch: The Edies of Grey Gardens. Fern hosts the podcasts Mah Jongg Mondays and Grey Gardens: Don’t Just Be A Lady…Be A Legend.
A Mother’s Pursuit

A Mother’s Pursuit

2024-01-2338:46

Megan Nix is the author of Remedies for Sorrow: an Extraordinary Child, A Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother’s Pursuit Of The Truth. Her daughter Anna was born very small and deaf. Anna has CMV (congenital cytomegalovirus). CMV is the leading cause of birth defects in the U.S., a virus contracted through a toddler’s saliva. The medical system doesn’t disclose the existence of CMV to the public.  It believes that additional stress during pregnancy could cause harm. A secret kept from pregnant women.
Married vs Nonmarital

Married vs Nonmarital

2023-10-0354:20

Jaclyn Geller, Ph.D. - Embracing Nonmarital History Jaclyn Geller, Ph. D. is an expert in the field of marriage research and marriage history. She is the author of Moving Past Marriage: Why We Should Ditch Marital Privilege, End Relationship-Status Discrimination, and Embrace Nonmartial History. A person can be in a committed relationship and not want to get married. And it’s not because they are against marriage. The bonds that create a family are there. They just don’t want to get married.
Making Love vs Porn

Making Love vs Porn

2024-01-1642:28

Making love, porn and sex education. Add access to porn with society's reluctance to talk about sex. The result, porn becomes sex education by default. In comes Cindy Gallop founder of MakeLoveNotPorn. ‘Pro-sex. Pro-porn. Pro-knowing the difference.’  A candid conversation on knowing the difference. At the 2009 TED conference, Cindy launched the MakeLoveNotPorn web site in a 4-minute TEDTalk. Her talk has been described as "one of the event's most talked about." She later published a TED book, Make Love Not Porn: Technology's Hardcore Impact on Human Behavior.
Debut short story author Kelly Sather's 'Small in Real Life' explores the complexities of the human experience. The collection of nine short stories set in LA, Southern California, blends intensity and humor, invoking the myth and melancholy of L.A. glamour. Each story follows characters searching for power, fame, love, and redemption, no matter the consequences.  Kelly Sather is a former entertainment lawyer and screenwriter. Her work has appeared in various publications, including Santa Monica Review, Pembroke Magazine, J Journal, PANK, and on ZYZZYVA.
Sharing voices with a fellow podcaster. A few months ago, I was invited to be a guest on Jackie Tantillo’s podcast. The topic was one that I’ve often mentioned in passing but never delved into…my mom. Should Have Listened To My Mother … wonder what my boys would have to say? ‘Are you here today because of or in spite of your mother?’ How many of us have asked ourselves that question? How many of us are able to answer that question? I became curious about Jackie and why she had chosen the name and subject. And so I invited Jackie to be my guest on 'Sylvia & Me'. The great thing about hosting a podcast is being able to share our voices and our listeners. In today’s world, being able to explore and expand together is a wonderful feeling. ‘Are you here today because of or in spite of your mother?’ How many of us have asked ourselves that question? How many of us are able to answer that question? I became curious about Jackie and why she had chosen the name and subject. And so I invited Jackie to be my guest on 'Sylvia & Me'. The great thing about hosting a podcast is being able to share our voices and our listeners. In today’s world, being able to explore and expand together is a wonderful feeling.
A Trilogy, 3rd Time Around and we have Internationally bestselling author Alka Joshi. The Jaipur Trilogy to be exact: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris. 2020 saw the publication of Alka's debut novel The Henna Artist, 10 years in the making. The last of the trilogy was released this past October. The rest is, as they say, history. Named one of Forbes 2023 Women 50/50, Alka says 'Life takes unexpected turns, and some only take place in your 60s.' Alka Joshi is a graduate of Stanford University and received her MFA from the California College of the Arts. She has worked as an advertising copywriter, a marketing consultant and an  illustrator. Alka was born in India, in the state of Rajasthan. Her family moved to the USA when she was nine, and she now lives on California’s Monterey Peninsula with her husband and two misbehaving pups.
Molly Wadzeck Kraus is a freelance writer with ADHD who is always looking for an exciting topic or idea to spark her next hyper-fixation. She writes about mental health, parenting, politics, animal welfare, reproductive rights, pop culture, and dabbles in poetry & creative nonfiction. Born and raised in Waco, Texas, Molly currently resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York with her husband and three children. When there’s so much to talk about, how do you choose? Molly caught my attention on Instagram. Reading her poem ‘Now that I have a son’ urged me to contact her. I knew there was a great conversation to be had. Turned out, I was right. For our conversation I wanted to take a few of her essays and expand on each topic.
Ana Homayoun's latest book Erasing the Finish Line: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admission explores erasing the faulty finish line. Explaining how we can help children build their own blueprint for success, Ana discusses important skills. Executive functioning skills Building social capital and fostering genuine connections Buoyancy – the ability to bounce back from disappointments
SOLD by Patricia (Patty) McCormick is one of the most banned books for the 2022 - 2023 school year. It’s the story of a 13-year-old girl in India who is sold into sexual slavery. The book addresses the global issue of child trafficking. There is no graphic dialogue in the book. Patty writes for the YA (young adult) audience. She is the author of several critically acclaimed novels. Her novels vary in topic including genocide, self-harm, and child trafficking. Banning books on such topics does a disservice to our youth. When Patty speaks at schools, young adults realize they are not alone.
For most of us (especially women), our relationship with food is complex, as is our perception of what we should look like. To break it all down, I spoke with Cole Kazdin, Award-winning journalist and author of What’s Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety. Women of all ages and backgrounds struggle with a preoccupation with food and body anxiety. Cole was one of those women. She suffered from disordered eating. People would tell her how great she looked and asked for her secret. Her secret was quite a secret…she purged after eating.
‘Troublemaker: A Memoir of Sexism, Retaliation, and the Fight They Didn’t See Coming’ written by Lisa along with Tucker Booth. Lisa tells her story of a toxic working environment. It’s a story that so many have lived through. A story that not many have the courage or the ability to take the repercussions that come along with using your voice. Lisa Cornwell is an Award-winning on-air sports media reporter. The trouble came to a head after seven years with the Golf Channel. December 31, 2020 was her last day at the Golf Channel. So on January 1, 2021 Lisa was ‘free to speak up for the many women who have been marginalized, belittled, berated and treated like second class citizens’. She had been one of those women. Now she was giving a voice to women. And not just in the field of sports media, but to all women working in a toxic environment.
We're Back! It's almost the end of summer. Labor Day is around the corner and so our hiatus is coming to an end. And a new season of my podcast is upon us. Tuesday, September 5th, Sylvia & Me is back with more extraordinary and inspiring women: Lisa Cornwell - Award-winning on-air sports reporter and author of Troublemaker: A Memoir of Sexism, Retaliation, and the Fight They Didn't See Coming  Cole Kazdin - Four-time Emmy winning television journalist and author of What's Eating Us: Women, Food and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety Jaclyn Geller, PHD - Associate Professor of English at Central Connecticut State University and author of Moving Past Marriage: Why We Should Ditch Marital Privilege, End Relationship-Status Discrimination, and Embrace Nonmarital History And this is just the beginning. There's nothing I love more than having conversations with extraordinary, inspiring women.
What better way to give thanks to being able to use your voice. International bestselling author Wendy Walker sets out to interview me, Sylvia Beckerman, CEO & Founder Life Après and Après Divorce. Author of psychological thrillers, Wendy has been a guest on the podcast numerous times and a speaker at several Life Après and Après Divorce events. So the question is...who better to uncover the story behind the story? Why the journeys? And what was the beginning? 135 episodes later...135 extraordinary women and now for some answers. How a shy, divorced, single working mom of two found her voice and in turn, created a platform for so many women. A journey that started at the age of 65 and I'm still going strong six years later. Who knows what's next.
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