Category: Health

Check Out Episode 5 of Our Podcast, “Self-Hate and Female Rivalry”

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Hi again, everyone!

While half of our dynamic duo is still on her hiatus (during which time, she’ll be creating and starting her own online nutrition-based education/coaching system – Go, Nikki!), the other half, Kate, is here to give you our fifth podcast episode, “Self-Hate and Female Rivalry.”

This podcast episode focuses on how we, as the female gender/sex, are taught to aspire to a particular body image and ideal weight, and the damage that we do to our own bodies and lifespans by pursing those ideals in an unhealthy way.

The episode also details the competitive and destructive nature of the female psyche when it comes to interacting with other women, whether it’s about hitting certain milestones “first,” being the very best mom/homemaker/spouse, being a superior female because you’re a working professional (as compared to a stay-at-home mom), and even between other women in your profession.

Kate spends the hour detailing how destructive these methods can be, not only to the women we direct our negative energy towards, but also to ourselves.

We need to be kinder and more loving, not only towards others, but towards ourselves. There’s no unlimited amount of happiness out there. We can all succeed without tearing one another down. Let’s lift each other up, and become better role models for the next generation of women/females out there.

As always, we hope you’ll enjoy this episode of the podcast, just as we hope that you’ll stay tuned for the next one. We’re still planning to ask some pretty awesome guest co-hosts to come in for the next few episodes, so make sure you’re following us via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, or Tumblr to keep up with us! Remember – our episodes are also available to stream on iTunes and Google Play.

We’d love to continue receiving your feedback as to past episodes, as well as suggestions for upcoming episodes. Feel free to hit us up via social media, or by sending us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

Stay well, friends, and remember – be kind to each other, and to yourself!

Me at PSU home meet

Referenced resources:

  1. Roxane Gay, “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body”
  2. Ashley Graham, “A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like”
  3. Jen Mann, “People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges” ***CORRECTION – Kate’s reference to Jenny Lawson and her hilarious and bravely honest books were in error – she meant to reference Jen Mann and her hilarious and bravely honest book. Her bad.***
  4. “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie” (available on Hulu)
  5. Gabrielle Union, “We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True”

Episode 4 – Being Your Own Health Care Advocate

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Hey, everyone!

Well, half of our dynamic duo is here to give you our fourth episode, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate.” In it, Kate talks about the power that medical professionals have over our lives, and the faith that we put in them for that reason. She discusses her own experience as a disabled person and a lifelong patient, as well as the need for you, as adults, to have some frank conversations and make some fairly morbid decisions in order to make sure that your intentions are followed in the case of an emergency, as well as to protect your children or those you take care of in case of an untimely death or incapacitation.

Kate also goes on to discuss just how important it is to do your own research about your health, and to feel confident and empowered enough to become your own health care advocate; to ask the questions you need answers to; to make sure that your health care professional hears what you’re saying and knows what you’re feeling.

Our health care system is far from perfect, but it’s far more advanced and effective than it was in years past. Just like the legal profession and the law enforcement field, there are incredible professionals working within an imperfect, sometimes broken system. It may not be the individual professional’s fault, per se, that the system needs repair, but that doesn’t change the fact that the system can fail you at times. That’s why we, as patients, need to be informed and proactive in trying to collaborate with our health care professionals, so that we can work together with them to ensure that we receive the best medical treatment available.

We hope you’ll enjoy this episode of the podcast, just as we hope that you’ll stay tuned for the next one. We plan to ask some pretty awesome guest co-hosts to come in for the next few episodes, so make sure you’re following us via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, or Tumblr to keep up with us! Remember – our episodes are also available to stream on iTunes and Google Play.

Also, as always, we’d love your feedback as to past episodes, or suggestions for upcoming episodes. Feel free to hit us up via social media, or by sending us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

Stay well, friends!

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P.S. Kate wants to thank everyone who came to the hospital to visit her after her spinal surgery at the end of March, as well as everyone who sent her good wishes, positive thoughts and prayers for her recovery. You all helped her get through a tough time, and it’s so appreciated!

Stay tuned for Episode 4 of our podcast, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate”

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Hey everyone!

Kate is on the mend from her spinal surgery, and we are getting ready to record our next podcast episode, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate.”

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Whether you’re a professional patient like Kate, or are a relatively healthy person (and thus, are fairly unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the health care system), it’s important to know some basic, yet helpful tips on how to be better prepared for emergencies, how to become a more informed, educated patient, and how to ensure that your questions and concerns are addressed.

Our next episode will focus on how to be your own health care advocate.

Are you doing all that you can to advocate for yourself with medical personnel? Have any of you felt dismissed or unheard when you tried to voice your concerns? Has anyone been caught off-guard when a medical emergency happened and you weren’t prepared to make such a huge decision in so little time? Do you have the proper legal documents prepared to explain what kind of life-sustaining measures you’d want performed on you if you weren’t able to voice them yourself?

We’d love to hear your stories, positive or negative, about being your own health care advocate. Please feel free to leave a comment below, send us a message via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Google+, or write us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

And as always, we’d love to hear your suggestions for future episode topics.

Wishing you and yours nothing but health and happiness!

Best,

Nikki and Kate