Ep.70 | Going From Wife to Widow...Now What? with Rachel Engstrom
Release Date: 06/01/2021
Ep.75 | Why Bitcoin is Bigger than Bling with Justin Rhedrick
The Adverse Effect
The Conversation: Gaining More Control of Your Money In our last episode, we talked about different ways to gain control of your money, from stocks to forex and more. In this episode, we’re going to add another tool to your money freedom toolkit, Bitcoin. Whether you love Bitcoin, are confused by it, or hate it, this digital money has changed lives. One of those lives is Justin Rhedrick. Justin Rhedrick aka “Bitcoin Vegan” was a man who was tired of being trapped. He spent two years in college, only to learn that...
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Ep.74 | Tapping into Your Financial Power...No Matter How Much You Have with Kevon L. Chisolm & Kevon Kamari Chisolm, Jr.
The Adverse Effect
The Conversation: Tapping into Your Financial Power...No Matter How Much You Have Money is one of the most essential things we need to survive, but is one of the things most of us know so little about. Most of us don’t know what’s in our 401(k), yet it’s OUR 401(k). Many of us believe the stock market is only for certain folks, yet place our bets on winning a lotto ticket. Many of us look our paycheck, and lose it before we can even think of a “budget” On top of this, the majority of us believe that...
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Ep.73 | Building Bigger Dreams with No Limits with Reggie Calhoun Jr.
The Adverse Effect
The Conversation: Building Bigger Dreams with No Limits In our first episode with Reggie Calhoun, Jr, we talked about his dream of creating his own college. Reggie shared how he was able to ignore the critics and naysayers who tried to get in his way. Reggie is back. This time, his dream has grown even bigger. Reggie’s dream of starting a college prep academy that focused on helping student athletes has now expanded into a college that offers Associates, Bachelors, and certificates programs (online and on campus) along with branches...
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Ep.72 | COV1D-19...One Year Later with Dr. Galiatsatos
The Adverse Effect
The Conversation: COV1D-19….One Year Later In this follow-up episode, Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos (“Dr. G”) is back to talk about COVID-19. This time around, he is sharing what the medical community has learned about the disease that completely changed the world. Dr. G will be sharing how to handle the huge amount of information (and misinformation) that comes from the media, vaccinations, and how we can stay healthy going forward. If you’re someone who has vaccination concerns or are confused about news about the virus, this quick episode will help give you the...
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Ep.71 | Following the Flow of Your Life with Alienor Salmon
The Adverse Effect
“We need to do things that are uncomfortable or you will never grow.” - Alienor Salmon, Former UN researcher, Dance Ambassador, Author The Conversation: Learning to Flow With Life For most of us, a “comfort zone” might be speaking on stage or doing a Zoom call on a bad hair day….but what about leaving a high-profile job to go dancing around the world in a country you’ve never been to? Alienor Salmon knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. She was going to work with the UN. She did everything right: graduate college, spoke multiple languages, and...
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Ep.70 | Going From Wife to Widow...Now What? with Rachel Engstrom
The Adverse Effect
"Ultimately good can come from bad….” - - Rachel Engstrom, Widow, Author, Cancer Advocate The Conversation: Navigating Towards Your Hope We are used to stories of a widow after a couple reaches their advanced years, but imagine if that couple was in their 20’s and 30’s? Imagine if the husband in that scenario went through the up and down journey of acute lymphoblastic leukemia-chemo, losing their hair, having to relearn how to walk, losing weight drastically, and having to get treatments regularly through the week? ...
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Ep.69 | Advocating for Your Health with Keyonna Renea
The Adverse Effect
"You are the CEO of your health and life...” - - Keyonna Renea, Photographer, Patient/Wellness Advocate on a Mission The Conversation: Fighting for Your Health….Despite the System Keyonna Renea knew something wasn’t right with her body, yet physician after physician ignored her. They assumed she was too young or just ignored her. Years later, Keyonna Renea was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That 9-year long journey between a doctor’s visit and a diagnosis transformed Keyonna from a patient into a patient advocate. Going through the...
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Ep.68 | Black on Black Education with Evalaurene Jean-Charles
The Adverse Effect
"I don’t think educators, as a collective, realize how much power we have….” - - Evalaurene Jean-Charles, Educator, Activist, Researcher, and Change Maker The Conversation: Is Our Society Learning to Fail….or Failing to Learn? As teacher and educational activist Evalaurene Jean-Charles. points out, teachers have to navigate a very complex and tricky world of politics, parents, and students. They have to follow the rules of politicians who have never stepped in a classroom, parents who want the best for their kids, and students who are...
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Ep.67 | Heal Black Man Heal with Dr.Nino Rodriguez
The Adverse Effect
"All my life I’ve been trying to figure out….when there’s no blueprint” - - Dr.Nino Rodriguez, Social Justice Educator, Activist, Community Organizer, Transformational Coach The Conversation: How Do I Heal Myself When I Don’t Know Where to Start? When we get a scar, there’s usually something we can get to fix it: Band-Aid, cast, or a call to the doctor. But how do you heal your life? In this raw and revealing podcast, Ken talks with Dr. Nino Rodriguez, a social justice educator, researcher, and...
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Ep.66 | Never Give Up with Ashley Tyrone Head
The Adverse Effect
Here, at The Adverse Effect, “Adversity made me” is one of our mantras. Time and time again we have listened to the stories of guests who have been deeply affected by adversity, and yet have gone on to do extraordinary things. Our guest on today’s episode is proof that how you begin your life is not how you have to end it. Born the youngest of 3 sons to a happily married couple, Ashley Tyrone Head should have had a normal, loving upbringing. But the tragic death of his mother, when he was just 2 weeks old, set off an unbelievable chain of events. Raised by a single...
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"Ultimately good can come from bad….”
- - Rachel Engstrom, Widow, Author, Cancer Advocate
The Conversation: Navigating Towards Your Hope
We are used to stories of a widow after a couple reaches their advanced years, but imagine if that couple was in their 20’s and 30’s?
Imagine if the husband in that scenario went through the up and down journey of acute lymphoblastic leukemia-chemo, losing their hair, having to relearn how to walk, losing weight drastically, and having to get treatments regularly through the week?
Now imagine that you, as the wife, are diagnosed with endometriosis.
Now, imagine that your husband’s cancer returns...but he doesn't return.
What do you do in this situation?
How do you handle the finances?
How do you navigate health insurance?
How do you handle the funeral?
In this powerful episode, author and advocate Rachel Engstrom shares the chaotic journey she went through as a hopeful 25-year hopeful to a widow navigating her own illnesses at the same time while trying to keep it all together.
Rachel shares how she did it and how she used that experience to help others better navigate the world for the better when your world continues to turn upside down.
Insights
- Supporting your significant other during a cancer diagnosis
- Getting support...when you’re the primary caregiver
- Dealing with illness...when your significant other is also dealing with illness
- Life….when cancer comes back
- Making the hard decisions as a primary caregiver
- The things you don’t know...until you become a widow
- How to start finding yourself after you lose someone
- Turning adversity into advocacy
Takeaways of the Conversation
- Get support even if you are the primary support We all need help
- Find the resources The healthcare system can be a scary system to navigate. Look for advocates that are inside and outside of the healthcare system to help you
Keep fighting for your light Even when you feel overwhelmed, know that there is
always wishing you a better future
The Homework:
Rachel talked about the power of finding hope after experiencing major losses in her life. She also talked about how she used the hope she found to inspire hope in others.
If you look hard enough, I’m sure that you can find it in your own life.
To prove it, take a moment to reflect on your life’s story. Imagine if someone were to screenplay of your life and asked you to answer the following questions within 5 minutes
- What songs would you choose in your screenplay?
- What actor/actress would you choose in your screenplay?
- Who or what would be the villain?
Think through your answer at a later time and see how you could recreate it.
If you feel comfortable, share your victory on social media with the hashtag: #changeismynarrative .
About Our Guest:
Rachel Engstrom is an author who turned her story of grief, pain, and loss into advocacy and resources for others
You can find her at https://linktr.ee/wifewidownowwhat and her book at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08K6477RL/.
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