Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Jerry Giordano, on air from March 18th
With personal insights and a lot of humor, Jerry talks about why we do what we do and how it’s sabotaging our relationships and ourselves. Jerry has put his 7-word philosophy into practice by interviewing over 200 people from the ages of thirteen to ninety-four.
He had tried everything—every form of therapy, seminar, retreat, life coach, past-life regression, psychic reading, and self-help book available—but no matter how much he learned or how many breakthroughs he thought he had, the same emptiness remained. It wasn’t until he hit rock bottom, losing his mother to cancer and watching his fiancée walk away in the span of weeks, that he realized something profound: everything he had been doing was a left-brained approach—logic trying to fix an emotional wound. No amount of analysis could resolve what was buried deep in his unconscious. It was through mindfulness and meditation that he finally saw the truth—his easygoing, people-pleasing persona wasn’t who he really was; it was a mask, one he had worn for so long that even he had mistaken it for his true self. That’s when he discovered the 7 Words approach, a method that led him to uncover the unconscious story running his life. For the first time, he wasn’t just treating symptoms—he was rewriting the script that had been controlling him all along.
Jerry Giordano is an award-winning advertising and branding copywriter as well as a creative director who has lived and worked in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, and Dallas. He has worked for some of the largest advertising agencies in the world, including Ogilvy and J. Walter Thompson. He was also the in-house Creative Director for the National Football League (NFL) and has helped propel an impressive array of powerhouse brands including Duracell, Kraft Foods, American Express, Maxwell House Coffee, Philip Morris Corporate, Fox Studios, Food & Wine Magazine, International Paper, the United Way, Hardees, the British Tourism Authority, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and countless others.
Being a polymath with an unquenchable curiosity has led Jerry to become a keen observer of the human psyche and the ensuing behaviors. Typically, his work starts with the notion that “he knows nothing,” which allows him to consider everything—sifting through content to find the gem. Jerry is a collector, inspector, and connector of dots, which he credits to much of his success as an advertising creative and the author of Your 7 Words to a Happier You. Jerry was a co-producer of one of the world’s first TEDx events, has penned four screenplays—including a top 10 finalist at the SLAMDANCE film festival—studied sketch comedy professionally at Second City in Chicago, and has performed sketch comedy in NYC and regularly on the main stage at the Comic Strip in LA.
He collects quotes and old cameras, photographs manhole covers (street art) from around the world, and is obsessed with the JFK assassination (which he will gladly discuss ad nauseam over a scotch or coffee). Jerry also meditates regularly. Though originally from New Jersey, he now lives in the moment.
“As a psychotherapist, introducing a number of clients to their 7 Words has been an effective tool for uncovering their unconscious stories and circumventing their sabotaging lifelong patterns. The discovery of my own words was the breakthrough I was unknowingly in search of for decades! Jerry’s writing exudes an uncommon vulnerability, clarity and authenticity, and this book takes self-help/self-discovery to a transcendent level.”— Melissa D. Borski, MRC, CFRC, LPC
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Their Story Matters with Sara Troy and her guest Pamela Blake, on air March
Collection of 5 Novels Published Posthumously as a Tribute to her husband by Pamela Blake who Receives Critical Acclaim
Pamela talks about:
Grief and the journey of finding the best way to honor a loved one who has passed is a profound theme explored in his work. Each of his books presents intriguing storylines and themes that captivate readers, making them relevant even decades after being written. His coming-of-age novel, A Map of the Edge, set in 1969, delivers a powerful message about self-discovery and transformation. Looking ahead, his dystopian novel Tomorrowville imagines what the world might look like in 2088, offering a thought-provoking glimpse into the future. Blending mysticism with mystery, Things Unseen adds a unique twist to the murder-mystery genre. Notably, the cover of Things Unseen received recognition, winning the BIBA 2024 Fiction Book Cover Award.
Pamela Blake, PhD, is the CEO of Utamatzi Inc, an independent publishing imprint dedicated to bringing creative, high-quality fiction to readers in the global marketplace.
Prior to forming Utamatzi several years ago, Dr. Blake was a Technical Fellow with The Boeing Company, from which she retired in 2020, after twenty years of employment. She is an expert in quantified performance assessment of imaging sensors and in the development and application of algorithms that exploit the underlying physics and phenomenology for automated feature and object recognition.
She holds a BA in Physics from Willamette University in Salem, OR, and MS and PhD degrees in Geology/Geophysics from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dr. Blake resides in Huntington Beach, California.
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation; if you enjoyed this show, please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Fibromyalgia has been a mysterious disease, causing pain throughout the body and deep in tissues with no apparent cause. A large proportion of the medical community has believed that the disease was psychosomatic, and people essentially think that they are in pain. But, a small biopharmaceutical company, Intidyn, or Integrated Tissue Dynamics, have found what they believe to be the root cause of the disease.
Researchers from the company and Albany Medical College have found that the skin of female patients who report pain from fibromyalgia has a unique neurovascular structure or blood flow to the nerves. The scientists believe this structure may be the ultimate cause of the pain experienced with the condition.
“Instead of being in the brain, the pathology consists of excessive sensory nerve fibers around specialized blood vessel structures located in the palms of the hands,” said Dr. Frank L. Rice, president of Intidyn and the senior researcher on the study, in a press statement
Blood vessel constriction can be controlled by nerves in the skin. Patients with Fibromyalgia have an abnormally high number of nerve endings surrounding a blood vessel bridge in the skin.
“This discovery provides concrete evidence of a fibromyalgia-specific pathology which can now be used for diagnosing the disease, and as a novel starting point for developing more effective therapeutics.”
A few years ago, the company published a report in the journal Pain about a case involving a woman who was born without special nerve endings that were at the time believed to be important for touch. But the woman was fine and able to carry on with her life. She did have nerve endings near the fine capillary blood vessels in her skin, which had previously only been believed to control blood flow in blood vessels. “We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidence that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain,” Rice said.
Current targeted drugs, made by Eli Lilly and Forest Labs, are serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) that work on the brain. But they can also act on the nerve endings near blood vessels in the skin. “Knowing how these drugs were supposed to work on molecules in the brain,” Dr. Philip J. Albrecht, Ph.D., added, “we had evidence that similar molecules were involved in the function of nerve endings on the blood vessels. Therefore, we hypothesized that fibromyalgia might involve a pathology in that location.” As the results demonstrate, they were correct.
The team at the company looked at skin samples from women with fibromyalgia collected by the Albany Medical College and examined by a special microscope technology. What they saw was a staggering increase in nerve endings at the sight of blood vessels within the skin. These sites control the flow of oxygenated blood between small blood vessels within the skin. They can cause the blockage of this bridge area to allow the skin to radiate heat or open it up to keep heat in when cold.
“The excess sensory innervation may itself explain why fibromyalgia patients typically have especially tender and painful hands. But, in addition, since the sensory fibers are responsible for opening the shunts, they would become particularly active under cold conditions, which are generally very bothersome to fibromyalgia patients,” said Albrecht.
But these special shunts or bridges do much more than regulate heat in the body; they could be blocking blood flow to the muscles deep within the tissue.
“In addition to involvement in temperature regulation, an enormous proportion of our blood flow normally goes to our hands and feet. Far more than is needed for their metabolism,” noted Dr. Rice. “As such, the hands and the feet act as a reservoir from which blood flow can be diverted to other tissues of the body, such as muscles when we begin to exercise. Therefore, the pathology discovered among these shunts in the hands could be interfering with blood flow to the muscles throughout the body.
This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue, which are thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation in fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain.” The hyperactivity in the brain may account for the insomnia many patients with the condition experience.
Finding an actual physiological basis for fibromyalgia autoimmune disease will be a positive revelation for many who have been told that their pain is only in their head. With time, researchers will be able to further dissect the causes of the pain from the disease and may develop pharmaceuticals to deal with the actual cause of the pain.
PLUS.
Over 5 million people are affected by fibromyalgia in the U.S and the numbers are keep on increasing. There are numerous uncomfortable signs of Fibromyalgia. It is recognized as an unseen illness as people cannot see the way where people hurt from the disease. Usually, Fibromyalgia is a quite severe situation that the victims experience and its signs should be identified.
We have compiled the list of few of the worst symptoms and also added their coping methods. After that we have compiled the list of all of the fibromyalgia symptoms and categorized them.
Here is the Overall List of Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
GENERAL
1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level 2. Cold hands and feet (extremities) 3. Cough 4. Craving carbohydrates 5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events 6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth 7. Edema 8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia 9. Fatigue made worse by physical exertion or stress 10. Feeling cold often 11. Feeling hot often 12. Frequent sighing 13. Heart palpitations 14. Hoarseness 15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low) 16. Increased thirst 17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70) 18. Low body temperature (below 97.6) 19. Low-grade fevers 20. Night sweats 21. Noisy joints – with or without pain 22. Poor circulation in hands/feet 23. Profuse sweating 24. Recurrent flu-like illness 25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion 26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies) 27. Sore throat 28. Subjective swelling of extremities (feels swollen But can’t find anything) 29. Sweats 30. Symptoms worsened by air travel 31. Symptoms worsened by stress 32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes 33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms 34. Tremor or trembling 35. Unexplained weight gain or loss
PAIN
36. Abdominal wall pain 37. Bad hip pain 38. Burning Nerve Pain 39. Chest pain 40. Collarbone pain 41. Diffuse swelling 42. Elbow pain 43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain 44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing 45. Headache – tension or migraine 46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage 47. Joint pain 48. Lumpy, tender breasts 49. Morning stiffness 50. Muscle pain 51. Muscle spasms 52. Muscle twitching 53. Muscle weakness 54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe 55. Pain that moves around the body 56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg 57. Restless Leg Syndrome 58. Rib Pain 59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out) 60. Sciatica-like pain 61. Tender points or trigger points 62. TMJ syndrome 63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places NEUROLOGICAL 64. Blackouts 65. Brain fog 66. Carpal Tunnel 67. Feeling spaced out 68. Hallucinating smells 69. Inability to think clearly 70. Light headedness 71. Noise intolerance 72. Numbness or tingling sensations 73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light) 74. Seizures 75. Seizure-like episodes 76. Sensation that you might faint 77. Syncope (fainting) 78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears) 79. Vertigo or dizziness
EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION
80. Bumping into things 81. Clumsy Walking 82. Difficulty balancing 83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.) 84. Directional disorientation 85. Dropping things frequently 86. Feeling spatially disoriented 87. Frequent tripping or stumbling 88. Not seeing what you’re looking at 89. Poor balance and coordination 90. Staggering gait
SLEEP
91. Alertness/energy best late at night 92. Altered sleep/wake schedule 93. Awakening frequently 94. Difficulty falling asleep 95. Difficulty staying asleep 96. Excessive sleeping 97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night 98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments 99. Fatigue 100. Light or broken sleep pattern 101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night 102. Narcolepsy 103. Sleep disturbances 104. Sleep starts or falling sensations 105. Teeth grinding 106. Tossing and turning 107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep 108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares
EYES/VISION
109. Blind spots in vision 110. Eye pain 111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another 112. Frequent changes in ability to see well 113. Night driving difficulty 114. Occasional Blurry vision 115. Poor night vision 116. Rapidly worsening vision 117. Vision changes
COGNITIVE
118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving 119. Confusion 120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words 121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present) 122. Difficulty following directions while driving 123. Difficulty following oral instructions 124. Difficulty following written instructions 125. Difficulty making decisions 126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak 127. Difficulty paying attention 128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture 129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence 130. Difficulty recognizing faces 131. Difficulty speaking known words 132. Difficulty remembering names of objects 133. Difficulty remembering names of people 134. Difficulty understanding what you read 135. Difficulty with long-term memory 136. Difficulty with simple calculations 137. Difficulty with short-term memory 138. Easily distracted during a task 139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally 140. Feeling too disoriented to drive 141. Forgetting how to do routine things 142. Impaired ability to concentrate 143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings 144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next) 145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence 146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors 147. Poor judgment 148. Short term memory impairment 149. Slowed speech 150. Staring into space trying to think 151. Stuttering; stammering 152. Switching
EMOTIONAL
158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings 159. Anger outbursts 160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause 161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage 162. Decreased appetite 163. Depressed mood 164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless 165. Fear of someone knocking on the door 166. Fear of telephone ringing 167. Feeling worthless 168. Frequent crying 169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms 170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities 171. Irrational fears 172. Irritability 173. Overreaction 174. Panic attacks 175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition 176. Phobias 177. Suicide attempts 178. Suicidal thoughts 179. Tendency to cry easily
207. Alcohol intolerance 208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch) 209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing 210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc. 211. Sensitivities to foods 212. Sensitivity to light 213. Sensitivity to mold 214. Sensitivity to noise 215. Sensitivity to odors 216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.) 217. Sensory overload 218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes 219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes 220. Vulvodynia SKIN 221. Able to “write” on skin with finger 222. Bruising easily 223. Bumps and lumps 224. Eczema or psoriasis 225. Hot/dry skin 226. Ingrown hairs 227. Itchy/Irritable skin 228. Mottled skin 229. Rashes or sores 230. Scarring easily 231. Sensitivity to the sun 232. Skin suddenly turns bright red
Cardiovascular (Heart)
233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope 234. Fluttery heartbeat 235. Heart palpitations 236. Irregular heartbeat 237. Loud pulse in ear 238. Pain that mimics heart attack 239. Rapid heartbeat
HAIR/NAILS
240. Dull, listless hair 241. Heavy and splitting cuticles 242. Irritated nail beds 243. Nails that curve under 244. Pronounced nail ridges 245. Temporary hair loss
OTHER
246. Canker sores 247. Dental problems 248. Disk Degeneration 249. Hemorrhoids 250. Nose bleeds 251. Periodontal (gum) disease
Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on air fromMarch 11th
Over the years, people have made Avatars of my image. I have been having fun with Chat CPT on what they think I look like based on our conversations. Here, I share them and ask you which one do you think is me.
So, I thought I’d have a little fun this week. I have had a few avatars done of me throughout my life. Many years ago, I had a wonderful one created by Daryl Stevenson, whom I interviewed. He’s a caricaturist, and he captured me at a time when I was still blonde. Someone else did one for me as well, though I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly who it was. That one had me with short hair, kind of gray, and looking a little bit dowdy.
Then, I had ChatGPT generate a picture of me. I provided a picture of myself during an interview, with my hair the way it is now. It came up with one that looks a lot younger than I am, but with gray hair. The reason I like this one is that, even though my face appears younger than my 70 years, it really captures the essence of me.
I am an old soul, one who has traveled through countless lifetimes, gathering wisdom from the echoes of ages past. My essence carries the depth of experience, the whispers of ancient knowledge, and the understanding that comes only from having walked many paths. And yet, within me, there still lives the unbridled spirit of a child—free, untamed, and ever hopeful.
I dance with wonder, my heart alight with the belief that possibilities are endless, that dreams are not just fleeting thoughts but seeds waiting to bloom. I embrace life with passion, with the same wide-eyed curiosity I have always carried, knowing that each new day is a canvas, ready to be painted with bold strokes of adventure, love, and discovery. Though time may have shaped me, it has never dimmed my fire; instead, it has refined it, making it burn ever brighter.
I resonate with this one, it captures my youthful spirit.
Here’s an artistic interpretation of you, capturing your wisdom, warmth, and visionary spirit. I incorporated autumn hues in your hair, a golden aura, and symbols of your storytelling and podcasting work. Chat ?
Here’s another version, capturing your soulful presence in a cozy setting, surrounded by the warmth of autumn and the essence of your storytelling work. Let me know if you’d like any adjustments or another variation! ?
Chat.
Here’s your portrait with striking blue eyes, radiating wisdom and warmth in your storytelling setting. Let me know if you’d like any other refinements! ?
Here’s an artistic interpretation of what I see based on your image! It captures your vibrational energy, wisdom, and passion for storytelling.
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Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest, Sunshower Rose, on air from March 11th
The Transformative Power of Art
Art is more than just a visual expression—it is a language of the soul, a bridge between the seen and the unseen. Whether through watercolor, digital mediums, or performance, art captures the essence of human experience, reflecting our emotions, stories, and intuitive wisdom. It is a tool for self-discovery, a means of connection, and a legacy that transcends time.
Like the work of Sunshower Rose, who has immortalized faces, moments, and messages through her artistry, creativity is a gift that speaks beyond words. It is a reminder that art is not just what we create but how we bring our essence into the world.
Sunshower Rose, a professional artist since the early 1980s, is best known for designing the City of Sedona, Arizona logo in 1988. Specializing in watercolor, she later incorporated digital techniques using Photoshop. A respected art tutor in Verde Valley, Arizona, she has also performed in art concerts, comedy, and mime.
Her legacy includes collaborative digital artworks and a deep connection to intuitive creativity, receiving ‘Writings’ from her art. Her book, Sunshower’s Art Speaks, is set for release in March 2025.
With a focus on the human face and figure, she has drawn and painted approximately 200,000 faces, earning global recognition for her caricature work at events and online. Since 2001, she has also been active in the wellness industry, becoming a field leader and trainer in alternative health and network marketing.
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All of our shows/interviews are done by donation; if you enjoyed this show, please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
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