Women Walking

Debbie Ventimiglia and Courtney Park-Jamborsky
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Personal Journals

Women Walking is a collection of conversations with women who are in the middle of something — a transition, a reckoning, a beginning, an ending. Hosted by Debbie Ventimiglia and Courtney Park-Jamborsky, the show sits at the intersection of movement and meaning: what shifts inside us when life asks us to change. Each episode is a walk alongside someone who’s figuring things out in real time. No polished “after” stories. No tidy arcs. Just honest talk about identity, work, relationships, grief, joy, and the small decisions that move us forward. If you want stories that feel like a deep breath and a long walk with someone who gets it, this is your place.

  1. Jul 7

    Episode 21 Walking Through What We Carry: The Body's Story

    Send us Fan Mail Amber Kelly, a craniosacral therapist based in England, joins me for a conversation about what our bodies hold — tension, old experiences, stress we didn’t realize we were carrying. Amber works with gentle, hands‑on approaches to the nervous system, and she has that steady presence you can feel even through a screen. I recently tried her embodied energy healing offering — and as someone who usually thinks this kind of thing is a little woo‑woo, I was surprised by how it shifted things in me. Small, quiet changes, but real ones. This episode is about the stories our bodies keep, what softens when we pay attention, and how support can show up in ways that are subtle and human. Amber is offering Women Walking listeners a special rate for the embodied energy healing session we talk about. Book a session with her here: https://amberkelly.co.uk/event/embodied-energy-healing. You can use the code WomenWalking26 for the discount. Check out Amber's other offerings on her website: www.amberkelly.co.uk  Follow Amber on Instagram: @amberkellytherapy If you're interested in reading more on craniosacral therapy, check out these articles: Perspetives on the effects and mechanisms of craniosacral therapy: A qualitative study of users' views - from the European Journal of Integrative Medicine:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876382014003060 Craniosacral therapy for chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials -from the National Library of Medicine:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6937867/

    Episode 21 Walking Through What We Carry: The Body's Story

  2. Jun 30

    Women Walking Episode 20- Forest Therapy: What Changes When We Slow Down

    Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, we explore Forest Therapy as a research-supported practice that helps regulate the body, quiet the mind, and create room for reflection. My guests, Darlene Rooney-Keller and Lori Ventimiglia, both certified guides, talk about what a walk actually looks like, how it supports people in times of transition, and why this slow, intentional time outdoors can shift how we move through our lives. Darlene Rooney-Keller: https://www.naturehealsforestbathing.com/ Lori Ventimiglia: https://www.heartsongnaturetherapy.com/ If you want to explore the peer-reviewed studies on the health benefits of Forest Therapy, or find a certified guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy check out these links: 🌿 Peer‑reviewed Research on Forest Therapy IJERPH – forest bathing studies — https://www.mdpi.com/search?q=forest+bathingEnvironmental Health and Preventive Medicine — https://ehpm.karger.com/Nippon Medical School – Forest Medicine — https://www.nms.ac.jp/english/department/forest-medicine.htmlNature – nature & health research — https://www.nature.com/search?q=nature+exposure+healthFrontiers in Psychology — https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology🌎 Find a Certified Forest Therapy Guide Near You ANFT guide directory — https://www.anft.earth/guide-directory

    Women Walking Episode 20- Forest Therapy: What Changes When We Slow Down

  3. May 12

    Episode 19: A Soulful Conversation about Connecting with our Grief

    Send us Fan Mail Today, we're joined by Robyn Hubbard, a grief therapist whose work feels like an exhale. Robyn meets grief in the body, in the nervous system, in the places we tighten and brace, in the places that long for softening. She reminds us that grief isn't something to push past, it's something we walk with, slowly, honestly, at the pace our bodies can hold. This episode is a gift for anyone feeling stretched thin or overwhelmed. Robyn helps us understand why transitions stir up old grief, how to come back to ourselves when everything feels like too much, and what it means to "companion" ourselves and each other with gentleness instead of fixing.   She also offers a short grounding practice at the end, something you can return to whenever you need a moment of steadiness. If you've been carrying a lot lately, this one is for you.  Pass this one onto a woman in your circle who could use it. See the link to Robyn's beautiful website here: https://robynhubbard.com/  where you will find more information about her offerings, including:  A Grief Retreat in Murrieta, Southern California October 11-18, 2026 A link to a FREE Grief Guide

    Episode 19: A Soulful Conversation about Connecting with our Grief

  4. May 5

    Saiqa's Story: Love, Loss, and What Comes After

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Women Walking, we speak with my longtime friend and global health colleague, Saiqa Panjsheri, about walking through some difficult life transitions. Saiqa shares her family's extraordinary story of fleeing Afghanistan, growing up with a visible physical difference, and the resilience woven through generations of her family. She also speaks with honesty and grace about the loss of her husband, John, to suicide three years ago--what happened that day, how she and her son survived the unimaginable, and what it means to rebuild a life in the aftermath. This conversation is tender, raw, and full of the kind of truth that helps us feel less alone.   If you're not in a place to hear someone speak openly about suicide today, please take care of yourself and come back when you're ready.  And listen in to a bonus "Thank You" at the end where Saiqa describes how the women in her "tribe" continue to walk with her.

    Saiqa's Story: Love, Loss, and What Comes After

  5. Apr 9

    Women Walking Episode 17: Back to the Path - The NYC Tip-to-Tip Challenge

    Send us Fan Mail After months of talking with women navigating transitions, Courtney and I decided it was time to get back to what started Women Walking in the first place: actually walking. In Episode 17, Courtney and I take on the NYC  Tip-to-Tip Challenge—a 15-mile walk  from Inwood Hill Park to Battery Park, inspired by the Broad City route. One day. One power bar. Park to park, river to river, rediscovering the rhythm, clarity, and connection that only shows up when your feet are tired. If you've ever wanted to see NYC in a completely new way, this walk will do it!!

    Women Walking Episode 17: Back to the Path - The NYC Tip-to-Tip Challenge

  6. Feb 24

    Women Walking Episode 16: Notes from a Career Crossroads

    Send us Fan Mail In Episode 16 of Women Walking, I’m joined by Grace Tran, a global health professional whose steady thoughtful voice you may already know from LinkedIn posts.  Grace opens up about what happened after the Trump Administration’s executive orders that dissolved USAID and the long humbling  journey that followed: 400 job applications, 19 interviews, rejection, uncertainty, and the very real logistics about moving her family to Portugal while rebuilding her career.   But this isn’t a “pivot” story. Grace talks candidly about resilience and writing publicly while still in the thick of things. She writes and talks about starting her consulting company, not as a “reinvention,” but as a practical next step. The conversation is steady, honest, and real. It’s what so many women need right now.  Check out Grace’s LinkedIn posts here https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-tran-0912?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

    Women Walking Episode 16: Notes from a Career Crossroads

  7. Feb 10

    Women Walking Episode 15: Dementia, Caregiving, and the Gentle Turn Toward Comfort‑Centered Care

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Women Walking, I sit down with Lillian Cotter — a neonatal intensive care nurse, mother, and wife — for a conversation that is as tender as it is instructive. Lillian opens the door to her family’s journey through her husband Michael’s dementia, a path that ultimately led to his death in 2024. As someone who walked through a similar road with my own mother, who lived with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), another devastating neurological disease, I recognize the emotional terrain Lillian describes — the slow changes, the daily caregiving decisions, the anticipatory grief, and the fierce love that carries you through. Together, we talk about what it means to love someone through decline, to navigate the realities of caregiving, and to face end of life with honesty, compassion, and a comfort-centered approach to care.  Lillian’s story is deeply personal, yet profoundly universal — a reminder that caregiving is both a burden and a gift, a heartbreak and a profound act of devotion. This episode is for anyone walking beside a loved one through dementia, PSP, or any neurological illness, and for anyone navigating the realities of serious, life-limiting conditions.  It's for caregivers seeking guidance, companionship, or simply the reassurance that they are not alone. Lillian brings vulnerability, clarity, and hard‑earned wisdom to a conversation that touches the heart and steadies the spirit. Lillian has also asked that we share links to several excellent caregiving resources: The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How Learn from Love and Loss 👉 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Grieving_Brain.html?id=7ngsEAAAQBAJ Insight Memory Care Center: A nonprofit in Northern Virginia providing specialized day programs, caregiver support, and education for famililies navigating dementia 👉 https://www.insightmcc.org/ LionHeart Eldercare & Consulting: A Northern Virginia care-management practice that helps families coordinate medical care, navigate dementia, and support agin loved ones with safety, dignity, and independence.  👉 https://lionhearteldercare.com/

    Women Walking Episode 15: Dementia, Caregiving, and the Gentle Turn Toward Comfort‑Centered Care

  8. Jan 27

    Women Walking Episode 14: The Power and Presence of Palliative Care with Dr. Farrah Daly, Palliative Care Neurologist

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we walk alongside Dr. Farrah Daly, one of the first neurologists in the U.S. formally trained in palliative medicine and a leader in the growing field of neuropalliative care. Her work sits at the intersection of medicine, compassion, and transition, making her an ideal guide for a conversation about how we care for people living with serious neurologic illness, and how we care for the families walking beside them. Dr. Daly shares what first drew her to neurology and the quieter pull that led her toward palliative care. Together, we explore what neuropalliative care really looks like in practice, from supporting people with conditions like ALS, PSP, and Parkinson’s, to the profound impact of home‑based care, where presence, dignity, and relationship take center stage. We talk about the emotional labor of caregiving, anticipatory grief, and the often‑invisible weight women carry as they support loved ones nearing the end of life. Dr. Daly reflects on how palliative care has evolved beyond its old end‑of‑life frame, and why understanding the difference between palliative care and hospice can transform a family’s entire experience. As Vice President and President‑Elect of the International Neuropalliative Care Society (INPCS), she also lifts up the systemic challenges, and quiet revolutions shaping the field today: the need for patient‑centered models, equal seats at the table for families, and better support for clinicians in low‑resource settings. This is a conversation about walking with people through some of life’s most vulnerable transitions, and about the grace, clarity, and courage it takes to show up—again and again--with dignity at the center.

    Women Walking Episode 14: The Power and Presence of Palliative Care with Dr. Farrah Daly, Palliative Care Neurologist
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5
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

Women Walking is a collection of conversations with women who are in the middle of something — a transition, a reckoning, a beginning, an ending. Hosted by Debbie Ventimiglia and Courtney Park-Jamborsky, the show sits at the intersection of movement and meaning: what shifts inside us when life asks us to change. Each episode is a walk alongside someone who’s figuring things out in real time. No polished “after” stories. No tidy arcs. Just honest talk about identity, work, relationships, grief, joy, and the small decisions that move us forward. If you want stories that feel like a deep breath and a long walk with someone who gets it, this is your place.

Information

  • Creator
    Debbie Ventimiglia and Courtney Park-Jamborsky
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Women Walking
  • Show Website
    Women Walking