In The Ladies' Room With Dr. Donnica

A big day in the ladies' room because we have a Grammy nominee, a married couple, and a gender reveal! Sekou Andrews is a world-renowned spoken word poet who has performed for Barack Obama in Oprah's backyard. His video "Flawlessly Fallen" was inspired by his wife Stacy's miscarriage, and you must watch it!  Sekou and Stacy join me in the ladies' room to share their very personal story of having a miscarriage and how most people don't know what to say when their friend has one. So they end up not saying anything and what a lonely experience that can be. They talk about their journey into this new pregnancy during the age of coronavirus and what that means for doctors' visits and kicking dad out of the room. 

Dr. Lucy McBride is a Washington DC internist who graduated with honors from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. Subsequently, she spent a year studying pharmacology as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Cambridge in England, followed by residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After several years practicing Emergency Medicine at Hopkins, she joined Foxhall Internists in Washington DC. She has special interests in hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and women’s health. She recently came out with a daily newsletter about COVID-19 that has now gone viral. She gives advice not only about coronavirus but also keeping up your mental health during the pandemic. A lot of people are experiencing anxiety and trauma from the quarantine. Everyone is going through a state of loss, whether that be the loss of a loved one, the loss of your daily routine, the loss of your high school graduation. Though the loss can vary in degrees of heaviness, we still have to acknowledge that loss. 

Here to discuss PTSD with us today is Dr. Una McCann, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she is also the Co-Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Sleep Research. Previously, she held positions as a research psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and as Chief of the Unit on Anxiety at the National Institutes of Mental Health. She is an editorial board member for 6 different medical journals, and widely regarded as a pre-eminent expert on depression and anxiety. We discuss how PTSD is an anxiety disorder. Una goes through the criteria for what is considered PTSD and the behavior that comes with the disorder. They talk about why some people go through traumatic experiences and develop PTSD and why others don't. 

Dr. Lynn Seeley is the CEO of Myovant Sciences. She is an endocrinologist with over 20 years of drug development and biopharmaceutical company leadership experience. Prior to joining Myovant, she served as Chief Medical Officer of Medivation for 10 years where she led the development of XTANDI® (enzalutamide) for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Today Lynn and Donnica are taking a break from talking about the pandemic to go back to the basics of the ladies' room:  period talk. Women don't talk about their periods enough so often women are silently suffering from really harsh period pains. Lynn encourages women to be more open about their periods so that they can know their period better. So they open up and share their own period horror stories so you can feel ready to share your own!

Dr. Beverly Zavaleta is a board-certified family physician, author, mother, and long-time advocate of patient education. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and she now works as a hospitalist in Texas. In 2015, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, and she underwent grueling chemotherapy, which led to her writing her book Braving Chemo. She talks about her journey with breast cancer. When she first got her diagnosis, she was shocked and started building her support team. Beverly and Donnica break down the different vocabulary used with cancer to make your diagnosis easier to understand. The entire experience inspired Beverly to take action and write her book. She felt that she had to share her experience both medically and emotionally to help others in their cancer journeys.

Dr. Ava Shamban is a celebrity dermatologist in California who is still working hard in the pandemic. She has been taking a number of telemedicine phone calls to help people with their skin from home. We're all washing our hands more than ever. Ava goes over the best way to not only wash your hands but how to moisturize after to keep your skin healthy. She goes into the many benefits of wearing a face mask beyond protecting from coronavirus. Ava talks about the first signs of coronavirus and how to know what to look out for.

Nina Sossamon-Pogue has a wealth of experiences behind her: She has been a member of the United States Gymnastics Team, a successful corporate executive, an investigative reporter, an Emmy Award-winning news anchor, and was voted Charleston’s Favorite News Anchor for 10 consecutive years. She has also flown through the eye of Hurricane Andrew, covered the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, experienced a life-altering injury, been downsized from a beloved job, gone through a divorce, and been a single mom. She talks about how she was able to overcome the unimaginable. She was the driver in a devastating accident in her co-anchor’s driveway—that crushed the skull of her friend’s baby boy. This led to despair and suicidal thoughts. But it also led to a miraculous full recovery for the baby and herself. Through this, she learned that everything in your life is just one chapter of your lifestory with a ton of blank pages ahead.

Our guest today is expert couples’ counselor & psychologist, Dr. Sarah Rattray. A native New Yorker, she relocated to the west coast in the 1980’s where she got a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the CA School of Professional Psychology and has been a practicing clinical psychologist for more than 3 decades. She joins the podcast today to discuss building the foundation of good communication in a relationship that creates a safe space for all members. Listening is a huge part of a relationship. What does your partner need from you right now? Do they need you to listen and be there or take action with you? Being able to understand their goals will allow you to be a better partner. When we're all locked in with our significant others and family members, how do we still respect each other's space and time?

Dr. Jacqueline Jones is an NYC ear nose and throat doctor with too many awards to list. To name a few, she's received Top 100 Black Doctors in the United States Award, the Talk of the Town Award, Yelp Patient Satisfaction Award, and the Teacher of the Year Award from Weill Cornel Medical Center. She's also currently quarantining at home with her children during the pandemic. She goes through what it means to be a mom and a doctor during this time. No one wants to think about emergencies with their children, but they do happen. And when emergencies happen, it's always better to be prepare. Dr. Jacqueline Jones goes through ways to be prepared for when something unexpected happens. 

Jessi Gold, M.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine. Today, she joins Dr. Donnica in a conversation about dealing with anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic. They talk about the difference between social distancing and physical distancing. Even while we are physically apart from friends and family, it is still important to check in on people and continue strengthening your relationships in new ways inside the confinements of the pandemic. During these extreme times, Jessi has noticed how the pandemic has affected the mental and physical health of her patients when they are being forced to slow down and spend more time at home with themselves and their families. 

My guest today is a friend of the show, who millions know as “Dorothy the Organizer”: the fearless-yet-endearing efficient problem-solver on the hit show “Hoarders” on A&E. We’re chatting today during the week that Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gov. Andrew Cuomo & even President Trump anticipated would be one of the toughest weeks of the coronavirus outbreak. But I’m going to talk with Dorothy about the week that was the toughest for her: her personal experiences of being a patient--& the wife of a patient--with Coronavirus. We’re going to get her top tips for planning & preparing for the tough weeks ahead. We’re also going to talk about how you can best put your time to good use while staying home during this pandemic decluttering & better organizing your home.

Award-winning YA writer Karen Blumenthal steps In the Ladies' Room today to discuss abortion as it pertains to women's health. Her book “Jane Against the World: Roe v Wade & the Fight for Reproductive Rights" takes a comprehensive look at abortion without all of the politics. Karen and Dr. Donnica discuss the history of Planned Parenthood in America and talk about the importance of a woman having control over her own body.

For more information: www.lisalindahl.com Today’s guest is a visionary who’s pioneering invention launched a major industry & helped level the playing field in business & sports for millions of girls & women... including me and--if you’ve ever worn a sports bra--you too. Her new book tells the amazing story behind the creation of the Jog bra, an entrepreneurial victory for which she will be inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2020. As an inventor, Lisa is not a one-hit-wonder. In addition to inventing the sports bra in 1977, she patented a medical garment for breast cancer survivors in 2000. Unleash the Girls: The Untold Story of the Invention of the Sports Bra and How it Changed The World (and Me) takes us back to 1977 when women, whether they wanted to go to the gym, compete in sports, or jog had no protection against bouncing, chafing, sweaty breasts.  Lisa’s story takes us through the many challenges, ups and downs, and successes of launching a business by women for women

In 2013, Chloé Temtchine, a YouTube sensation and award-winning singer/songwriter, had just finished an album with Smash Mouth’s Grammy-nominated Greg Camp. All set to go on a world tour with him, Chloé suffered severe shoulder & chest pain and was rushed to the ER; she was in congestive heart failure. She was told she had Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), a rare and fatal lung condition, little time left to live, and that she would have to be on oxygen for the rest of her life. It’s an understatement to say that Chloé’s world was turned upside down in an instant. She had spent the previous five years dealing with a variety of physical symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain, dry cough, racing heartbeat, fatigue, and water retention) that left many respected and acclaimed doctors at some of the most prestigious medical institutions perplexed. Chloé’s doesn’t want her story to be about the years of doctor-hopping, misdiagnoses, or landing in the Critical Care Unit. She wants it to be about what happ

For more information: www.Christine4Congress.com We need more doctors in The House... of Representatives. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Christine Mann, a family physician who is running for the US Congress from Texas District 31. Dr. Mann is a family practice physician in Cedar Park, Texas with 30 years of experience training and working in the healthcare industry. She is the daughter and granddaughter of veterans; a wife and mother of three and was a single mother during medical school and residency. She was a small business owner for 11 years. In addition, she has been involved in various community service and political activities for two decades, working at the local, state, and federal levels to enact policies to benefit her communities. It is no surprise that her campaign motto is Empowering People for Progress!

Carri Levy is the creator of Behind the Mystery: Rare & Genetic, a national television series devoted to rare and genetic disease awareness. Carri started her career in television as a producer for Designing Spaces in 2006, and transitioned to producing The Balancing Act’s “Choose Health” series in 2011. A year and a half into her role at The Balancing Act, Levy took a hiatus to care for her daughter, Ilana, whose health was deteriorating due to a rare and undiagnosed disease. It was during this time that Levy made it her mission to find out everything she could about rare diseases.

We have had many distinguished guests In The Ladies’ Room, including 2 Olympic Champions and 1 U.S. Cabinet Member.  Today we are pleased to welcome our 1st U.S. Ambassador, Nancy Brinker, who is even better known as founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She is a breast cancer advocate, a breast cancer warrior, and a breast cancer survivor and thriver.  She is also our first guest who is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient as well as a member of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. 

Truth time: How many of you made a New Year’s resolution to lose the same "x" pounds that you resolved to lose last year. . .the year before...or even 10 years ago? And how many of you are still sticking to that resolution a whole week into 2020? Although there are a gazillion diet books on the market, Dr. Janice Asher and Jae Rivera’s book is the only one I know about where the authors themselves actually lost 170 lbs. combined and kept it off for years.

Dr. Dara Kass is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia University School of Medicine, the director of Equity and Inclusion of Columbia’s Emergency Department, and the founder of FemInEM, an advocacy & resource site for women in emergency medicine. Previously, she was the director Undergraduate Medical Education at NYU and an Assistant Program Director at Staten Island University Hospital. She is active in both the Academy of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and the American Association of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

Dr. Mary Lake Polan is a rock star amongst American physicians. Dr. Polan has had a distinguished medical and business career. After earning her Ph.D. in molecular biochemistry and biophysics at Yale University, Dr. Polan continued there as a postdoctoral fellow and then became the first woman to complete a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Yale. Following fellowships in gynecologic oncology and reproductive endocrinology, she joined the Yale faculty.  She later became department chair of Ob/Gyn at Stanford University for 15 years and subsequently returned to the Yale School of Medicine faculty where she is still a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.