Dear Followers, Often when I lecture about The Self-Empowered Woman, listeners are intrigued by Edna O'Brien's life story (Chapter 17). Her latest book, Country Girl (Little, Brown & Company, $27.99, 357 pp) is her first memoir, and a riveting tale of the challenges she faced on her way to becoming a literary icon. O'Brien was born in County Clare (in a town that had no library, three groceries and 27 pubs) in the West of Ireland in … [Read more...]
185: The Self-Empowered Woman: Race to Erase MS
May 27, 2013 By
Dear Followers, A million apologies for neglecting this blog for over a month. Instead of excuses, I'll just give you an explanation--the entire month of May has been consumed with festivities. But now that Tony's birthday has come and gone--and our suitcases are finally unpacked--I can explain why I wasn't able to focus on the blog the way I'd like to. In April, I wrote an article for The Palm Beach Post about Annette Funicello’s death … [Read more...]
184: The Self Empowered Woman: Pat Summitt
April 19, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Everyone knows that I love to spread the word about interesting women who have chosen to live high-achieving lives, and today's profile is of a truly remarkable Self-Empowered Woman. For 38 years, Pat Summitt was the woman's basketball coach for the University of Tennessee, and is considered by many to be the most successful coach in N.C.A.A. history. She has had 1,098 career victories and has won eight national championships. In … [Read more...]
183: The Self-Empowered Woman: Mousketeer
April 12, 2013 By
Dear Followers, An article I wrote in connection with Annette Funicello's death appeared in yesterday's Palm Beach Post newspaper. Since most of you know about my decades-long wrestling match with MS, I thought I'd share this with you: The Mousketeer with MS When I heard that 70 year old Annette Funicello had died on Monday, I was—like millions of her fans—saddened. But because I suffer from the same disease (Chronic Progressive Multiple … [Read more...]
182: The Self-Empowered Woman: Stevie Nicks
April 5, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Like most baby boomers, I spent years enjoying the music of Fleetwood Mac, especially the vocals of Stevie Nicks (like me, a child of the Southwest but a true California Girl). So when I saw her episode on Oprah's Master Class, I was sure that she more than qualified for inclusion as a Self-Empowered Woman, albeit a complicated one--hope you agree! Stephanie Lynn Nicks was born on May 26th, 1948 in Phoenix, Arizona, and … [Read more...]
181: The Self Empowered Woman: Cindy Crawford
March 22, 2013 By
Dear Followers, As many of you may remember from reading about Tyra Banks in The Self-Empowered Woman, oftentimes a pretty face is a great deal more than just another pretty face. Case in point, Cindy Crawford, who at 47 has become an international household name. Born in DeKalb, Illinois on February 20, 1966, she grew up in a family with her two sisters and a younger brother, Jeff. When Crawford was ten years old her little brother died of … [Read more...]
180: The Self-Empowered Woman: Mystique/Lean
March 14, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Welcome to Women’s History Month! For today’s post, instead of introducing you to a historical woman who was a real trailblazer, I’d like to highlight two important books—published almost exactly 50 years apart—that symbolize the progress women in America have made over the past half century. The first book, which has just been republished with an introduction by Anna Quindlen, was credited with starting second-wave … [Read more...]
179: The Self-Empowered Woman: MAKERS
February 27, 2013 By
Dear Followers, In case you missed Tuesday night's three-hour program (MAKERS: Women Who Make America), I strongly urge you to check local listings for when the program will be re-aired on your PBS station. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the show outlines the progress that women in America have made since the 1950s. Starting with the publication of Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique (which hit book stores 50 years ago this month), MAKERS … [Read more...]
178: The Self-Empowered Woman: Hillary Clinton
February 17, 2013 By
Dear Followers,Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but I've been down for the count with a nasty case of flu--I'm finally on the mend, and overdue to write about yet another high-achieving woman. And thanks to the suggestion of my faithful French follower, Philippe Drevet, this short blog will remind all of us of what an amazing woman Hillary Clinton is.I wrote about Hillary's mother (Dorothy Rodham, 1919-2011) in November, 2011, shortly … [Read more...]
177: The Self-Empowered Woman: Emma Goldman
January 31, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Today I'd like to introduce you to a genuinely unique Self-Empowered Woman who devoted her entire life to fighting against the status quo. Emma Goldman was born on June 27th, 1869, in what (today) is called Lithuania, but at the time of her birth was Russia. Emma's mother, Taube, had been married and widowed (and the mother of two young girls) before she met Abraham Goldman, the man her family had "arranged" for her to … [Read more...]
