by Karen Creamer | Jan 1, 2018 | Being BRAVE, Catching women being brave, Clarity, The BRAVE Interviews
My name is Carrie Frail. I’m 37 years old but I feel like I’ve lived several lifetimes.
I was a teenage rebel, who rushed headfirst into any and everything.
I went to college, dropped out, and then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force by age 18. I was married by 19, a mother by 20 and bought an idyllic family home by age 23.
Everything seemed to be great on the outside, but internally I struggled daily.
Later diagnosed with a slew of mental illnesses from Bipolar Disorder to anxiety, I was also an addict. Since I had to maintain a security clearance for the government, I pursued my addictions legally…alcohol, prescription pills, attention from men, bad relationships, shopping…anything I could do to not feel so empty and broken. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Dec 4, 2017 | author, Being BRAVE, books, Brave books, Catching women being brave, Interviews, The BRAVE Interviews
This month’s interview is with Amy B. Wells, RN!
I am an author and nurse anesthetist.
I’ve had many phases in my life. I was an accountant for a long time (hated it with a passion). I stayed at home with my children for about five years, then went to nursing school when I was in my late thirties. After that, I worked in the ICU for three years before going to anesthesia school. I’ve been a nurse anesthetist for a little over six years. I am married with two teenagers and a grumpy old tom cat and currently live in the suburbs of Houston.
My latest endeavor is writing. I’ve self-published four novels and I have started blogging on my website https://amywellspublishing.com/ Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Nov 19, 2017 | Blood Pressure, health
The American Heart Association has announced new blood pressure guidelines.
What does this mean for you?
Usually, when new guidelines for blood pressure are announced, what is really happening is that the bar is being lowered to make more people who were healthy a minute ago be hypertensive now.
I call it “The Patient-ification” of healthy Americans.
By the prior guidelines, you would be diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) if you got readings (usually three consecutive, but I have heard of someone being handed a prescription for Norvasc after one high reading) of 140/90 or higher. Now the guidelines have dropped the range to allow doctors to diagnose you with hypertension if your blood pressure reading is higher than 130/80. Seriously, now “nearly half of American adults” will be considered to have high blood pressure. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Nov 2, 2017 | Being BRAVE, Catching women being brave, Interviews, The BRAVE Interviews
This month’s interview is with Debra Lockwood Spencer.
My name is Debra Lockwood Spencer (pictured above, left).
My brave thing happened when I was 17 years old, while spending nine weeks in South America as an exchange student.
It was the summer before my senior year in high school, and I was fortunate to be living with a wonderful family in a prosperous suburb of Lima, Peru. During that time, I got to know a number of American exchange students, along with members of their host families. We went on cultural and social outings together and met at dinners and parties. Other than Marisol and Ceci Raffo, my “host sisters”, my two best friends were Maya Puyo and Paula Hawkins. Maya had attended my high school as an exchange student during the previous year, and Paula was the American student the Puyo family was hosting. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Oct 8, 2017 | author, Being BRAVE, books, Catching women being brave, Clarity, Interviews, no fear, online courses, relationships, The BRAVE Interviews
This month, we are meeting Allyson Bright!
- WHO are you? I’m 36. An artist, a woman in love, a widow, a crafter, a teacher, and a seeker of joy. I live in Wisconsin with my boyfriend, TJ, and my Beagle, Gracie.
- WHAT is your One Brave Thing? It’s hard to pick just one – honestly, it’s been a journey. I was 32 when my husband died by suicide. After that, I found that I had to face new fears and learn how to create a new life for myself.About nine months after he passed, I went away for a week by myself. I was having trouble trusting my own decisions and I knew I needed to leave my comfort zone in order to move forward. The trip was transformational and ultimately led to my decision to leave my home in Iowa and move to Wisconsin for a fresh start. Art journaling and crafting were such a vital part of my healing process, and I really wanted to share that with others. My ultimate brave thing was to leave my day job in order to start a business teaching art classes and offering coaching services.
- WHEN did you do it? I started my company, Determined to Shine, about 18 months ago. It’s been a bit of a crazy journey, to be sure. But without a doubt, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
- WHERE did it occur? Right here in Madison, Wisconsin.
- HOW did you make it happen? One step at a time! Determined to Shine has grown into so much – weekend retreats, several online workshops, and even one-on-one coaching services. Sometimes it can seem like all of that happened at once, but it’s been a gradual process. For those looking to make a career change – don’t let the size of the task overwhelm you! Pick apart each task into small chunks, and just get started.
- WHY did you do it? The idea for Determined to Shine had been in my mind for several years. Ultimately, I realized I was just going to have to take a leap and be willing to fail. I didn’t want to wake up in three more years and still be talking about it. Taking that leap was terrifying, and I had to build my plan along the way. But everything that’s worth anything is scary. Determined to Shine has brought so much joy into my life and the lives of others – I can’t imagine what life would be like if I hadn’t done that one brave thing.
Thank you, Allyson, for sharing your brave story with us!
Allyson is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Scrapbook Projects Illustrated.
You can find Allyson’s FREE online class here: 30 days of Art Journaling. I have taken this class myself and I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend all of Allyson’s classes. Find them all here: http://www.determinedtoshine.net/
Check out Allyson’s online book club: Get Artsy Book Club Keep reading
Karen Creamer
