50, Now What?!

In today’s episode, we welcome Ingrid Green to educate us on Sickle Cell Anemia and spread the word about the work she does on the disease with the American Red Cross. 

Ingrid walks us through exactly what Sickle Cell Anemia is, how it affects those that have it, how it’s currently treated, and what work is currently being done to improve those treatments. We also discuss the current stigmas surrounding giving blood in the African American community, and why making the decision to give blood could be the difference in life or death for someone experiencing a Sickle Cell pain crisis. 

On this episode of 50, Now What!? We welcome Alicia's friend Jessica Bodiford back onto the podcast. As well as being a producer and playwright - she is also a fellow podcaster, and joins us today to discuss her new project, The Bible Rewind Podcast. Each episode of the Bible Rewind covers and challenges different topics found in the Bible, as discussed by experts and historians to serve as a starting point for further exploration. 

In this episode, Alicia and Jessica discuss both of their personal histories with religion and the bible before focusing on one of the subjects covered in The Bible Rewind Podcast: Sexual Assault and Rape in the scripture and church culture. Jessica takes us through examples of stories in the bible that enable problematic rhetoric the church upholds to this day, and how that has personally affected both of us as we navigated growing up in such an environment. 

As a courtesy to my listeners, while we find these conversations very important, there will be explicit conversations of sexual assault and rape in this episode. 

Be sure to follow The Bible Rewind Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Today we’re honored to welcome the author of “Sonata for a Damaged Heart”, Kisha Stewart. In 2011, Kisha suffered a heart attack at an abnormally young age of 31, only two weeks after having a child. In this episode, we discuss some of her experiences that she outlines in this moving memoir, the concept of strong woman syndrome, what it means to live in the in between, and why pregnancy is the ultimate stress test for your heart and what you need to do to be ready for it. 

Just because we have crossed the 50-year milestone in our lives, does not mean that we have to be done coming up with and pursuing goals. That’s why we are so excited to welcome Jean-Marie Jobs onto the program to discuss what goal setting, and the subsequent pursuit of those goals, can look like as we continue into our 50s and beyond. 

In this illuminating conversation, we discuss the power of intention, how to find clarity of purpose and being, and strategies being present in the present while avoiding tripping on a theoretical future. We also discuss why it’s okay to still be learning and growing at our age and the beauty of slowing down and embracing the journey. Jean-Marie also relates her expertise to her recent battle with breast cancer, where she explains why facing your own mortality can be a greater gift than you may ever realize. 

On this episode of 50, Now What!? Alicia sits down with Kyomi O’Connor, Author of “A Sky of Infinite Blue: A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self.”

In today’s episode, Kyomi graciously shares the emotional challenges from her childhood and family in Japan, and her subsequent journey to the United States to find a way to start over for herself. While working as a researcher living out of a tiny apartment in Bethesda, Maryland, she met her future husband Patrick - a British cancer researcher who was instrumental in holding space for her to begin to heal her generational trauma and what it means to feel loved. 

Their journey together led to San Diego, California where the two adopted the practice of Buddhism and a commitment to helping others. Unfortunately Patrick had his own journey with brain cancer, and passed away after a three year battle in 2016. Kyomi was able to break through her grief through writing, which led to the incredible “A Sky of Infinite Blue”, which began to bring meaning back into her life. 

Kyomi’s story is authentic, raw, and shared in hopes to show that there is always a way to make it to the other side of grief and hard times if you keep digging.