Sherrie Palms: April 7, 2011

April 7th Sherrie Palms was the guest on Unspoken Issues to talk about POP (Pelvic Organ Prolapse) 

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Sherrie Palms is the Founder/President of APOPS, Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support Inc, a nonprofit foundation for pelvic organ prolapse support, an award-winning author of the book Pelvic Organ Prolapse: The Silent Epidemic, and the Community Leader of the MedHelp.org Urogynecology Forum.

As a women's pelvic floor health advocate, Sherrie devotes her time to all avenues of establishing recognition of pelvic organ prolapse and providing support pathways for women in various stages of POP. Many women don’t even know they have a pelvic organ prolapse until its too late. There are 4 grades of pelvic organ prolapse. If you are feel a ‘bulge’ or a tennis ball feeling in the vagina, go and see your gynaecologist, physiotherapist or medical advisor straight away. Do not delay this as it will get worse.

Men if you think Kegels aren't for you, boy you couldn't be more wrong. First women that regularly use kegel exercise have hmm should we say more vaginal control, meaning men your women can really 'grab' on. Another thing most men do NOT know about kegels is how kegels can help with ED (erectile dysfunction). Don't just take my word for it you can learn how kegels can help men with ED and what could be more fun than practicing your kegels with your woman?

Sherrie Palm’s book Pelvic Organ Prolapse is so easy to read, and most women can identify themselves at some stage in her book. Her book is easy to understand and the way she has written this leaves you not only understanding your own body better but understanding why you need to deal with your pelvic organ prolapse. The book is written in such a way that it leaves you feeling that you still have your dignity in dealing with such a ‘taboo’ subject.

When not spreading the word about this health concern, Sherrie can be found coaching the kids on her local Special Olympics group basketball team, training her puppies, or taking digital photos of nature in northern Wisconsin.

For more info about APOPS or Sherrie Palm, go to

http://www.pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org
http://www.sherriepalm.com

To download a free chapter of the symptoms of POP go to http://pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org/library/free_chapter_from_pelvic_organ_prolapse_the_silent_epidemic

Guys don't wait if you are wondering if maybe it isn't IBS or you feel a bulge go to the POP Risk Factor Questionnaire page on APOPS site: http://pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org/pop_risk_factor_questionnaire

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Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook

Pelvic Organ Prolapse facts:

* Millions of women worldwide suffer with POP. 300,000 surgeries are performed annually in US alone, yet most women have never heard of it until they are diagnosed.

* Half of all women over 50 have at least 1 of the 5 types of POP but the condition can affect any woman of childbearing age.

* Vaginal childbirth is the leading cause, followed by menopause and numerous other common causes.

* Though the condition has been around for thousands of years, women often suffer in silence with embarrassing symptoms, as they are not aware the condition exists.

* POP impacts women physically, emotionally, sexually, socially, and financially.


“Awareness of pelvic organ prolapse,” continued Ms. Palm, “can only occur when we share what we know with others. Women keep their symptoms to themselves because of embarrassment; once the causes and symptoms of POP become common knowledge, they will feel more comfortable approaching their physicians when they experience indicators of POP. Knowledge is power. It is my hope that as we continue to do what women do best-network, guide, and provide support for each other-POP will soon become common knowledge.”

Sally Marks: March 31, 2011

March 31, 2011 Sally Marks,Author of

Erase Negativity And Embrace the Magic Within


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Sally is is a public relations professional and an award-winning journalist who graduated with honors from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. In journalism, she has won awards for news writing, editorial writing and headline writing. Her screenplays, The Heir, Voices from Hell and Gay for a Day have won five awards and placed in two national and one international competitions. Her first book, Paco el pato, Frank the Duck, is a bilingual children’s novel that was used in the Montessori International School curriculum in Mesa, Arizona. Erase Negativity is her second book. which speaks about how to reduce negativity and embrace happiness. Her book includes heart felt and powerful experiences of individuals who have faced dramatic challenges, but did not lose hope. Using these compelling biographies, as well as practical advice and simple exercises Sally through her book Erase the Negativity guides the reader on an internal journey toward adopting a more joyful way to live.

And as Sally says "Who wants to be a grouch?" We all know that doctors, scientists and spiritual leaders agree that those who live an optimistic life are happier and healthier, but it isn't always easy to change. Sally Marks wrote Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within to assist people with tips on how to erase negativity, as well as share some snippets from her book.

You can learn more about Sally's book here and follow her on her blog

You can download the podcast at iTunes

Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook

Remember Together We CAN Bridge the Gender Gap

Nikki Leigh: March 24, 2011

March 24, 2011 

Love Coach and Sexpert: Nikki Leigh
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Thursdays @7pm/EST

Nikki Leigh is the best at helping men and women better understand their sexuality and how it affects their lives.

Nikki Leigh said to me that she 'only wants to help people. Help people realize that better relationships and better feelings about themselves are very possible.' You don't want to miss this show.

Nikki is an award winning fiction and non fiction author, and brings over 16 years of promotional experience and over 8 years of online promotional experience to each project. In addition to business books and novels, Nikki Leigh is the author of Book Promo 101 and Book Promo 201.

Along with those impressive credentials, Nikki Leigh is also a certified Love Coach and works with single and married, men and women to help them understand themselves better and to improve their most personal relationships.

In the summer of 2008 Nikki heard about Dr Ava and Loveology University for the first time and she thought to herself " Who doesn’t want to learn more about these topics, sex and love?" and off she went.

As a relationship coach, Nikki works with people to help with many different problems. Some of the things she focus on include:

Learning to love yourself, to accept yourself as you are

Learning how to set and reach goals to improve your quality of life

Learning to get in touch with your sexuality and “feel comfortable in your own skin”

Learning to deal with inhibitions, self respect and/or self esteem issues

Helping men and women better understand their sexuality & how it affects their lives

Work with individuals, couples, build a solid foundation for a long term relationship.

Although Nikki has written many books I was blow away after reading Nikki's e-book 'Make It Happen! Discovery More Love and Passion', and I can hardly wait to read her newest work of art in progress 'Kissing From Head to Toe'.

You can download the podcast at iTunes

Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook

You can get more info on Nikki Leigh here

Follow Nikki on Twitter or Facebook

You can purchase 'Make It Happen...' on Amazon & Kindle. (free from Nikki with opt in)

Purchase 'Art of Kissing from Head to Toe- Report' Kindle (free from Nikki with opt in)

~~Remember TOGETHER we CAN make a difference~~

Brenda Jones: March 10, 2011

Breast cancer survivor Brenda Jones  was a guest on Unspoken Issues; Thursday March 10th to discuss her homemade kimono style Hug Wraps designed to give dignity to cancer patients. Cancer patients from all over the world are requesting her Hug Wraps.

When Brenda is asked how did she come up with this ideal she will simply tell you she was a angry cancer patient and then credits Millie; a fellow cancer patient at the time Brenda was and a very special friend of Brenda's that has since departed this world for the next.

Brenda Jones is a delightful person and I count myself lucky for getting to know Brenda and to be able to help spread the word about Hug Wraps

Hug Wraps are designed for cancer patients and are made to replace those cold, thin hospital gowns.

Made in a kimono style with warm flannel material, Brenda’s Hug wraps come down to the hip and made with brightly colored and eye catching patterns because she feels you need to wear something that is louder than cancer.

Brenda shows that her heart is bigger than cancer ever could be and you can also assist in giving a nice warm hug by stopping by Hug Wraps and see how you can help, get info, or just to say hi and thank her. Thanks to Brenda many cancer patients no longer has to wear those cold thin hospital gowns… they can be warm and comfortable in Hug Wraps warm made with love.

And remember Hug Wraps now is a 501c(3) Non-Profit Corporation. Any donations are tax deductible, what better way to let a cancer patient know they are more than a cancer patient? A Hug Wrap says “I matter!" So don't delay, stop by Hug Wraps today and give a warm hug to someone in need.

You can download the podcast at iTunes

Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook

Susanna Barlow: March 3, 2011

March 3rd, 2011

Unspoken Issues was honored to have

Susanna Barlow author of

'What Peace There May Be',

as our guest.

Susanna is the 23rd child of 46 children, the quintessential middle child. Growing up in a Mormon fundamentalist religious home shaped her life values and her views on everything. Her book What Peace There May Be placed as a finalist in the 2010 Indie Excellence Awards in the Memoir Category and is a riveting account of her coming of age, surviving and surrendering. She is currently writing her second book detailing her marriage within the polygamous culture and her motivation to leave the religion.

She speaks about recovering from childhood abuse, forgiving, healing and her own ability in parenting six children. Also, she discusses the myths and realities of the polygamous lifestyle which she is not practicing.

See her comments about her book on The Polygamy Story Channel

Visit her site: Susanna Barlow

See her comments on the Sister Wives reality show: Susanna Barlow comments

Ms. Barlow has been interviewed across the United States and Canada on radio, Good Things Utah, Keynote Speaker in Portland Oregon for an abuse recovery group, book clubs, approached by different polygamy groups helping transition those who have left. Susanna is married and the mother of six children, writer, author, painter, teacher and also has written plays. Her book is available at The King’s English, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Susanna has been a keynote speaker for an abuse recovery group in Portland Oregon and most recently spoke at The Successful Mothering Convention. Ms. Barlow has been contacted by local polygamy groups one of them” Holding Out Help” and was asked to be in their DVD which is going out to churches and schools. In addition Susanna Barlow has been interviewed on Good Things Utah, across the nation on radio as well as Canada. Her book is getting into libraries in different states and also seen in Publishers Weekly.

National Geographic’s cover story for February “Polygamy in America” and also aired a documentary “Inside Polygamy: Life in Bountiful.” Susanna has family members in both areas featured in the article Colorado City and the documentary filmed in Bountiful Canada.

Susanna lives in Bluffdale, Utah with her husband, six children and their dog.

You can download the podcast at iTunes

Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook

Steve Kirkland: February 3, 2011

Even after leaving prison, most ex-offenders still carry a ball and chain: debt.

About 650,000 prisoners walk out the jailhouse doors each year. Most owe money to a variety of creditors, and their offender status limits their means to repay.

"Repaying Debt," a 2007 report by the Council of State Governments' Justice Center, found that "people released from prisons and jails typically must make payments to a host of agencies, including probation departments, courts and child support enforcement offices." Three-fourths of those owing child support, restitution and supervision fees have difficulty paying these debts.

Legal liabilities are not all the formerly incarcerated usually face. The report acknowledges but doesn't measure other balances "commonly owed but not explicitly part of a sentence imposed by a criminal court, such as transportation and housing payments or consumer debt."

Larry Lawton Founder of Reality Check Program said "They are already so behind, so give up and say 'forget it, I can't pay this debt back.' They get bitter ... They go back to crime."

This is but one obstacle formerly incarcerated face, the Sentencing Project, (url is http://www.sentencingproject.org/) a national organization that works on criminal justice issues, estimates that 5.3 million Americans—one in 41 adults—have lost their voting rights because of a felony conviction. And while each state has its own laws regarding the restoration of a felon’s civil rights, Virginia has one of the harshest sets of laws that make restoring your civil rights after a felony conviction a slog through a bureaucratic wasteland.

Civil rights include the right to vote, hold public office, serve on a jury and serve as a notary public. They do not include the right to possess a firearm.

Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that do not automatically restore convicted felons’ civil rights. Most states restore these rights upon the completion of a prison sentence, probation or parole. In Virginia, felons convicted of a nonviolent offense must wait three years after completing all court obligations—sentencing, fines and probation—then file an application for the restoration of rights to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

If your conviction is for a violent offense —or a drug manufacturing or distribution offense—the process is much more difficult, and still the penalties continue.

I was at Movie Gallery the other day, as I was waiting in line the lady before me was asked for id, the only ID she had was her ex-felon card.

Felons get issued CARDS they MUST carry around, even after they have served their time for their crime.

It got me to thinking..is it fair how society discriminates against ex felons? If your feeling out an application you have to list if you've ever been convicted of a felony. If you list yes..then there is a mighty good chance you wont get the job. Someone I knew was also just fire from movie gallery because even though he was hired with a known felony..once corporate ran a background check..they found out about it and he was fired even though he had been already working there for 3 months. His felony was committed 10 years ago, and he served his time.. why should he still be punished for it today

why should any criminal not be given the same rights as someone AFTER they have SERVED THEIR TIME. That the whole reason for prison/probation/fines right? To pay for your crime. Should you have to pay for a stupid mistake for the rest of your life? Especially one committed when in college or younger?

Laws passed by Illinois politicians, other state legislatures and federal legislators have made seeking a fresh start harder. A few examples:

· In the land of Lincoln, ex-felons were barred from getting licenses to work as barbers or cosmetologists and other Illinois professions. Some of the restrictions were changed last year, but significant barriers remain.

· In Florida and seven other states felons lose the right to vote permanently. One in 4 Black men in Florida cannot vote because of felony convictions.

· Federal law prohibits felony drug offenders from receiving public aid, public housing and grants to go college.

· Forty-two states are enforcing a lifetime welfare ban for federal felony convictions for drug use or sales in full or in part. Twenty-two states enacted the ban without any modification, such as reinstatement after one-year of ineligibility, or passing regular drug tests.

Today I'm very lucky to have a courageous guest brave enough to speak of this exact unspoken issue from personal experience.

31 years ago, a young 19 yr old Steve Kirkland living in the heart of Dixie land in Mississippi did a stupid thing, like most 19 yrs old but this 19 yr old 31 yrs late is still paying. Steve was convicted of grand larceny and he doesn't deny he was young and made mistakes but why should he and his family continue to pay? Steve hasn't been in a bit of trouble since that day and even now, well I think maybe Steve would be better to talk about this and lucky for Unspoken Issues Steve came and told his story. (download the podcast of this interview here)

Donna Newman: October 28, 2010

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Unspoken Issues has dedicated the entire month to Women and their Breasts. We've covered breast cancer, breastfeeding in public, women topless in public and we just had to find a great way to wrap this month up, and thanks to GoTopless.Org we have a awesome closer.

GoTopless.Org is a  US organization dedicated to the belief that in order for America to be a truly equal society, women should be able to bare their breasts without fear of being arrested. Nadine Gary the director of GoTopless.Org said "It's a matter of fairness, We want equal topless rights for all or none," and I happen to agree.

Go Topless has been around since 2007, and its big push is Go Topless Day, an annual event held on the Sunday closest to Aug. 26, which is Women's Equality Day, the anniversary of the day women were given the right to vote. 

Gary admits that it's one thing for the laws to be changed to reflect a woman's right to choose to go topless, but it will be harder to get women to actually do it.  She is aware that America has a lot of "body-conscious" women who may not want to go topless, but the point, she says, isn't to make all women bare their breasts, but to make the option legal.

GoTopless.Org not surprisingly gets a lot of support from men, and Gary admits that some guys who attend a Go Topless rally initially act like boobs.

"Some of them take pictures at first, but then they get used to seeing women's bodies and return to normal within an hour," she said.

This year I was lucky enough to participate in Austin's Go Topless Day and I meet some wonderful people, women and men alike.  I knew right then I had to have GoTopless.Org as a guest on Unspoken Issues, as Unspoken Issues is all about equality between the genders through open and honest conversations. We believe that  by enlightening men you empower women for there are so many myths and falsehoods that keep the genders separated, in the dark if you will by all the restrictions placed upon us to remain silent about unspoken issues.

And this week show I am honored to say that Unspoken Issues  will have Donna Newman as our guest from GoTopless.Org. I couldn't think of a better way to wrap-up this month's dedication to Women and Their Breast.

This is one show you don't want to miss and for you guys that would like more info check out GoTopless.Org site and don't forget to take time to look at the petition that will be presented to President Obama August 26, 2011.

You can download the podcast at iTunes

Or watch the recorded video at Unspoken Issues on FaceBook