The Well Woman Show Giovanna Rossi: wellness and leadership coach

On the show today, I interview Sweta Vikram, a Doctor of Ayurveda and author of 14 best-selling books. The goal of her work is to alleviate stress and elevate the overall quality of her clients lives through Ayurveda-based health and wellness coaching. Sweta specializes in addressing disordered sleep, anxiety, digestion, appetite, and mood. With a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Columbia University and a post-graduate degree in Sports Nutrition, she applies her expansive knowledge to shape her approach. Sweta’s upcoming book, “The Loss That Binds Us, set to release this month is a heartfelt guide through grief. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NBC, as well as a documentary collaboration with Dr. Deepak Chopra.
On the show we discuss:
Self-care, trusting women’s wisdom, and menopause from an Ayurvedic perspective.Her new book called “The Loss That Binds Us” about grief and loss after experiencing the deaths of her father and father-in-law.How Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to health issues, looking at all contributing factors rather than just treating individual symptoms.
Also happening next month, 100 Women Albuquerque will be meeting May 1st at 5:30pm in Albuquerque to amplify our impact and assist under-supported organizations. Come be inspired by the collective power of women. Join us to meet like-minded women committed to making a difference. Members can nominate local nonprofits and, promote a business or event during our meeting – I’ll be there facilitating the community sharing portion of the event and I’d love to see you there!
www.100WomenABQ.org
Ready to make a meaningful impact while staying active? Girls on the Run Rio Grande is all about empowering young girls through running, building confidence, and promoting healthy habits.
Here’s how you can be part of the action:
Our SoleMates adult running group kicks off on April 13th. Find all the details on our Instagram @girlsontherunriogrande or Facebook at Girls on the Run Rio Grande – Central New Mexico. This is a casual running group that benefits the young girls in our community. Your registration gives you access to our community, free coaching, free race registration, discounted coffee and so much more!
Save the date for May 11th! Join us for the Ladies Night 5K, where your registration directly supports Girls on the Run Rio Grande. Expect a fun run with music, vendors, celebration and more!
On May 19th, join us and our girls for the End of Season 5K hosted by Wise Pies Pizza. Keep an eye on our social media or visit WisePies Pizza Run for updates.
This is your chance to be a part of empowering the next generation of strong, confident girls!
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies – a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlife.com/quiz

Coming up on the Well Woman Show this month, I Interview Jennifer Lunden. She is the recipient of the 2019 Maine Arts Fellowship for Literary Arts and the 2016 Bread Loaf–Rona Jaffe Foundation Scholarship in Nonfiction, Jennifer Lunden writes at the intersection of health and the environment. Her essays have been published in Creative Nonfiction, Orion, River Teeth, DIAGRAM, Longreads, and other journals; selected for several anthologies; and praised as notable in Best American Essays. A former therapist, she was named Maine’s Social Worker of the Year in 2012. She and her husband, the artist Frank Turek, live in a little house in Portland, Maine, where they keep several chickens, two cats, one Great Dane puppy, and some gloriously untamed gardens. Her new book is “American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life.”
We discuss:
Chronic illnesses affecting women like MECFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) and long COVID.Gender differences in healthcare and medical training that lead to delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment of illnesses.Illness stigma, the importance of recognizing women's experiences, and empowering personal narratives for societal change and well-being.
Jennifer Lunden’s book is “American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life.”
She also recommends “Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing,” by Jen Soriano.
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies - a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlife.com/quiz
As always, all the links and information are at wellwomanlife.com/330show

On the Well Woman Show this week in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, I interview Raquel Benavidez
Let’s talk a bit about International Women’s Day recognized each year on March 8. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting women’s needs worldwide. UN Women recently called on investing in women as the best solution to face growing crises – really centering women in the solutions. In a news release from the United Nations, UN Women stated that in a year where almost half of the population lives in a country undergoing an election, this International Women’s Day is a crucial opportunity to define the future we want. As conflict, climate change and polarizing societies are eroding decades of progress in gender equality, UN Women is calling on “Invest in women: Accelerate Progress” to realize the gender equality dividend for all.
Ensuring pay equity is important to businesses not just from a legal compliance perspective, but also because research shows that employees have a high level of awareness around pay equity issues (and legislation), and are more likely to want to work for employers who are transparent about pay equity. As employees become more willing to talk about their pay with their coworkers, transparency from employers about pay, and pay equity, will become a critical differentiator for employers seeking to hire top talent in the future. Learn more at Family Friendly New Mexico.
Now, in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, Raquel Benavidez is on the show today. She’s an advocate and leader for Latina Equal Pay and CEO of Bien Loca Industries, a medical and recreational cultivation and processing company with delivery/distribution and retail licenses in New Mexico. On the show we discuss:
The importance of self-awareness and discernment in embracing one’s unique identity while letting go of negative traits.Reevaluating competition, while advocating for women and addressing challenges women face in male-dominated fields.Fully embracing one’s unique perspectives and abilities without worrying what others think in order to effectively express oneself and one’s leadership.
For the full interview, including a deep dive into the Four Agreements work Raquel has been leading, listen to Episode 329 available on NPR podcasts tomorrow, 3/13.
Raquel recommended The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. ,and
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies – a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlife.com/quiz
As always, all the links and information are at wellwomanlife.com/radio

Hello Well Women!
Today on the show I interview Viva Asmelash. She is a passionate workplace consultant and certified inclusion strategist specializing in forward-thinking employee engagement, equity-centered strategic planning, values-driven branding, and critical team conversations. Viva’s professional purpose is to create environments where people feel truly seen and are inspired to be their best and most authentic selves. She often facilitates inclusive executive group coaching, delivers engaging keynotes and panel discussions, and crafts org-wide education experiences for clients like IDEO U, MiQ, and Reading Partners. As the co-founder of Liberation Labs, she proudly co-designed the first-of-its-kind Culturally-Aware Feedback Training™. She also co-authored the viral 2023 Harvard Business Review article, Creating Psychological Safety for Black Women at Your Company.
As a first-generation Eritrean-American, Viva leverages a unique, lifelong perspective on race, gender, culture, belonging, privilege, and education access. With this lens and her breadth of experience, she takes deep care in helping teams evolve their people + inclusion ethos and efforts—all in hopes of planting seeds for collective liberation and joy.
We discuss:
How to Gain awareness of how identity factors into our pathways to emotional and psychological safety at work
How we can Swap "saviorism" for solidarity
And why making workplaces safer and better for Black women actually benefits everyone.
In celebration of Black History Month, I also want to highlight past episodes featuring the work and lives of Black women.
265 The Urgency For Equal Rights - Carol Jenkins was President and CEO of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women’s Equality, which aims to amend the U.S. Constitution to include the Equal Rights Amendment, something many Americans believe already happened.
298 How to Make and Keep Friends with Dr. Marisa G. Franco author of NYT bestselling book Platonic
303 When Black Women Thrive at Work with Ericka Hines, author of Black Women Thriving, a report and call to action which seeks to define what it means for Black women to thrive in the workplace and determine how they find joy, success, and stability at work.
245 Leading Inside the Beltway with Dr. C Nicole Mason, the past president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a leading voice on pay equity, economic policies, and research impacting women.
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies - a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlife.com/quiz

Today on the show I interview Sylvia Ghazarian, Executive Director of Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, the largest national independent abortion fund. As former Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women for 12 years, she has championed policy advocacy on healthcare, poverty, domestic/sexual violence and human trafficking in Los Angeles. Sylvia is from California, and identifies as middle eastern and a woman of color.
We discuss:
Importance of our national abortion fund and the need to destigmatize this common health procedure.Thinking Bigger Than Roe as we head into what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v Wade.How leadership development and career paths can be formed in unexpected ways.
She recommended the book Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown and the documentary The Burning Times.
Some other podcasts about Roe vs. Wade:
326 50 Years of Ms Magazine with Kathy Spillar
296 Reclaiming Abortion as Healthcare With Joan LaMunyon Sanford
 
I want to personally invite you to the Bioneers Conference. As Bioneers celebrates its 35th-anniversary conference, the urgency of transformative change is starkly evident. It is more important now than ever that we connect and scale brilliant social movements to enact the kinds of breakthrough solutions that this earth needs. The clock is ticking. The call to action resounds: We must recognize our collective power, understanding that what we do to one another resonates with our treatment of the Earth.
Previous episode with Nina Simons, the co-founder of Bioneers, https://wellwomanlife.com/captivate-podcast/297show/
Register now for #Bioneers2024 at conference.bioneers.org Use discount code WellWoman20!
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies – a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlife.com/quiz

Hello Well Women! Today on the show I interview Kathy Spillar, the Executive Director of Feminist Majority, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment, and non-violence. One of the founders, Spillar has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. In December 2001, the Feminist Majority Foundation became the sole publisher of Ms. magazine (founded in 1972). And they just published their new book: “50 Years of Ms. The best of the pathfinding magazine that ignited a revolution.
The Well Woman Show is thankful for support from Collective Action Strategies – a consulting firm that supports systemic change so that women and families thrive, and by the Well Woman Life Movement Challenge Quiz at wellwomanlifecom/quiz
As always, all the links and information are at wellwomanlife.com/radio