Brushstrokes of Balance: Let's Please Talk About Menopause

Wen Shen is on a mission to raise awareness about menopause, as a boom of women hit mid-life in the U.S. 

(The following is an edited excerpt from John Hopkins University's blog - HUB. Emily Gaines Buchler is the author of the article.) 

When Shen is the director of the Women's Wellness & Healthy Aging Program at Johns Hopkins, she will appear in the PBS documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause to help sound the alarm about the dire need for more research on and support for women in and beyond midlife and debunk misinformation and stigmas surrounding this natural life phase that all women who live through midlife go through.

The M Factor is the first-ever widely publicized documentary on menopause in the United States. Given the dearth of quality resources and information available to women and even health care providers nationwide, this reality doesn't surprise Shen and her colleagues. It comes on the heels of a proposed bipartisan U.S. congressional bill, The Menopause Research and Equity Act of 2023, for the National Institutes of Health to review existing research on women at midlife—and to fund additional research to fill in knowledge gaps, "of which there are many," Shen says.

 

Read more about The M Factor.

About 'Brushstrokes of Balance: Art of Women's Health'

If you have a story, new research, or artwork ideal for Brushstrokes of Balance: The Art of Women's Health - send your pitches to TamikaCodyJournalist@gmail.com. Please include "Women's Health" in the subject line.

Brushstrokes of Balance: The Art of Women's Health

As women age, they must carefully maintain a delicate balance to support their health. But how? 

Navigating the intricate world of women's health, especially during life stages like perimenopause and menopause, can be overwhelming. Despite these transitions' profound impact on our lives, mainstream media often sidelines these conversations. As a journalist currently experiencing the shifts of perimenopause firsthand, I understand the emotional, physical, and mental toll this can take.

My new column, Brushstrokes of Balance: The Art of Women's Health, will serve as a space to explore the diverse facets of women's health. Through articles, news, research, and artistic expression, this column will highlight stories that empower women to control their well-being and understand how their bodies evolve in their later stages of life. 

Given that this art influences some of these discussions, I also plan to showcase artists who use their work to explore the nuances of women's health.

My goal is to explore the science, the stories, and the art of finding balance in a time when women's bodies and minds are undergoing significant transformation. 

Welcome to a digital nook where women's health is not just discussed behind closed doors but celebrated, explored and understood.

If you have a story, new research, or artwork ideal for Brushstrokes of Balance: The Art of Women's Health - send your pitches to TamikaCodyJournalist@gmail.com. Please include "Women's Health" in the subject line.

Stories of Survival - How Ina Garten Changed my Life

 

For the revamp and return of Better Said Than Written, I plan to share stories from and about people who overcame complex life challenges—Stories of Survival. 

The goal is to help others who may be going through their own struggles. Some people are strategically looking for inspiration or a blueprint for moving forward in their life’s journey.

Take a moment to think about it. As we navigate through life, there are moments when we just don’t know what to do. No matter how much we consult our friends, family, or therapist, Google, or ask ChatGPT for advice, it's the real-life stories from strangers that help us get through troubled times.

Real-life stories like the one Molly Wadzeck Kraus published in the opinion section of the L.A. Times. Molly shared a personal story about how a cooking show saved her from anorexia and depression.

While reading the piece, I thought, “Now this is perfect for S-O-S…stories of survival.”

The show - Barefoot Contessa.

The headline - How Ina Garten Changed my Life.

Molly Wadzeck Kraus, thank you for sharing your story of survival.

Better Said Than Written · Stories of Survival: How Ina Garten Changed my Life

Brushstrokes of Balance: Melinda French Gates Organization Launches Action for Women's Health

“To fully exercise power over their lives, women need to be mentally and physically healthy. And yet, women’s health is being neglected everywhere.”  Melinda French Gates.

Chicago, IL, October 9, 2024 – Pivotal, a Melinda French Gates organization, launched Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million global open call that will fund organizations around the world improving women’s mental and physical health. The open call is a key component of the $1 billion French Gates announced in May to advance women’s power globally. Applicants must register by December 3, 2024.

“To fully exercise power over their lives, women need to be mentally and physically healthy. And yet, women’s health is being neglected everywhere,” said Melinda French Gates. “More than 1 billion women and girls suffer from malnutrition. Reproductive health care is being denied in the U.S. and other countries. And globally, a woman dies in childbirth every two minutes. This is unacceptable, but there is reason for hope. Organizations around the world are taking innovative approaches to addressing these challenges, and this open call is about getting them the resources they need to scale up and reach as many people as possible.”

Today, women worldwide experience inequities across all aspects of their health—from spending more years in poor health to facing barriers to access services and treatments. These inequities can negatively impact women’s daily lives as well as their economic prospects and prosperity, their ability to engage in their communities, and their opportunities to achieve their goals. 

Learn more about Pivotal and how to apply: 

https://www.leverforchange.org/learning/news/pivotal-launches-250-million-action-for-womens-health/ 

About 'Brushstrokes of Balance: Art of Women's Health'

Kieta Rivens: Knocking on Virtual Doors

When the coronavirus pandemic forced nearly everyone to isolate, shelter in place, limit social gatherings, and work from home, the extra downtime gave many people time to think about what’s next for their lives, to think about that next opportunity, that next idea. 

And people were definitely putting their thoughts into action. The Census Bureau reported that in 2020, more than 4 million new businesses were created in the United States - the highest the country has on record.  

Before the pandemic, people would attend networking events and industry conferences to share their goals, ideals, and aspirations to find the perfect window of opportunity to take the giant leap. 

By mid-March 2020, in-person networking came to a screeching halt. But that didn’t stop Kieta Rivens, founder of the natural hair care company, Verified Beauty. 

In 2020, Essence magazine reported that Black consumers are switching from general products to those that specifically cater to them. As a result, the Black hair care industry in the United States pulled in nearly $2 billion in 2018. 

Kieta, a mother, wife, and a full-time lead infant teacher in North Carolina launched her company amid the pandemic.

In this episode, Kieta shares how she knocked on virtual doors to spread the word of her new business and the one affirmation that kept her going.

Better Said Than Written · Kieta Rivens: Knocking on Virtual Doors

You can find Kieta spreading the word about her business at the following:

Website: https://verifiedbeautyllc.com/ 

Instagram: @verifiedbeautyllc 

Facebook: Verified Beauty LLC

Customer Service: 704.840.2219