BLOG | be-the-star-you-are

May 8
4 min

• Oceans and Magic Connections

• • Since childhood host, Andrea Smith, was drawn to the ocean. It’s mystical presence, its infinite size, its deep blue waters dazzling underneath the sun enchanted her. Oceans inhabit 72% of our Earth. The sea provides over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. It is home to over 230,000 species and scientists predict that there are up to two million species that we haven’t discovered as 80% of the oceans remain unexplored.

Cynthia Brian

May 2
3 min

Travel and Yoga NiTravel and Yoga Nidra

Hosts Maggie Campione and Diya Hituvalli travel the world, sharing where they’ve been and where they want to go as soon as pandemic restrictions are lifted. The hosts interview Julie Lusk about her book, Yoga Nidra Meditations which offers deeply restorative rest and relaxation that feautres fourteen of the best Yoga Nidra experts in the world. Providing amazing insights on yogic sleep and how to build your own practice, Yoga Nidra Meditations helps you foster spiritual devel

Meditations for the Soul and KeepMeSafe APP

Cynthia Brian

Apr 23
3 min

Meditations for the Soul and KeepMeSafe APP

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/130853/meditations-for-the-soul-and-keepmesafe-app Host Diya Hituvalli interviews Neale Lundgren, PhD about his fascinating life and new book, Meditations for the Soul. The book guides you on a journey through accessible meditations to help you experience the deep joy and fulfillment that comes when we live in the immediate now. Included are 30 awakening exercises designed to help you activate your soul’s senses, become more present to you

Cynthia Brian

Apr 11
3 min

Technology, A.I., Data Mining

Diya Hituvalli and Siri Phaneedra host a fascinating program dedicated to technology and emerging technologies. Diya especially is fascinated by artificial intelligence with its unlimited possibilities to detect disease, eliminate world hunger, and make life easier through automation. She unveils the free app she developed, KeepMeSafe, a women's safety tool that utilizes voice recognition and location tracking to prevent sexual assault available in the iOS app store. The host

The Outdoors, Easter, and Mindful Growing

Cynthia Brian

Apr 4
2 min

The Outdoors, Easter, and Mindful Growing

Happy Easter and Passover! Andrea Smith hosts a special spring show that focuses on the outdoors and gardening. She reads Cynthia Brian’s Easter Parade article (https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2021/03/30/easter-parade/) that provides information on how to keep wildlife out of your garden. She then interviews Joann Calabrese with her book, Growing Mindful, a handbook on garden and green world mindfulness practices. It contains an abundance of activities rooted in sensing the won

Cynthia Brian

Mar 28
2 min

Body Image

“You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself, and see what happens” Louise Hay What does body image mean? Body image refers to a person’s perceptions, beliefs, and attitude of their own body. Your body image is what you think and how you feel when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. This includes how you feel about your appearance; what you think about your body itself, such as your height and weig

Cynthia Brian

Mar 22
4 min

Mindful Beauty with Dr. Debbie Palmer

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/129248/mindful-beauty-with-dr-debbie-palmer “Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart” Kahlil Gibran What do you consider beautiful? Dermatologist and author, Dr. Debbie Palmer, talks with hosts Andrea Smith and Maggie Campione about her book Mindful Beauty, the all-natural antioxidant skincare collection that she created, Replere, and about combining her work as a medical doctor and osteopath to discover root causes of sk

Cynthia Brian

Mar 14
3 min

Passion and Storytelling

What is your passion, and how can you access it? Your passion is unique to you. Andrea Smith and Diya Hituvalli host a program focused on finding our passion and storytelling. They launch the show with a reading of the Gift of Passion fromCynthia Brian’s book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference. They then interview Business Growth Strategist, Parul Agrawal, who discusses her teen years growing up in India, her arran

Cynthia Brian

Mar 7
3 min

Crystals

Crystals harness the energy of the Sun, the Moon, and the Oceans. Humans connect to this energy. As long as we have existed as a species, we have had an affinity with stones and crystals. The use of talismans and amulets date back to the beginnings of humankind, although we have no way of knowing how the earliest of these objects were viewed or used. Host Andrea Smith interviews Hollywood producer, director, and author of Crystal Power, 12 Essential Crystals for Health and He

Cynthia Brian

Feb 27
2 min

Meditation, Asking, Surrender

Have you ever been so stressed that you have difficulty focusing on one task, and your heart and mind races? Have you caught yourself pacing back and forth? With school being virtual for many, unemployment being high, and our plans being altered monthly, weekly, and sometimes even daily, anxiety and stress are affecting many people all over the world. It is at this time we look within ourselves and all around us and find our “calm place” or our “happy place”, somewhere that w

Cynthia Brian

Feb 20
3 min

Mental Health

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close. Today’s topic is perhaps one of the most important topics and often the least talked about. Mental health plays a vital role in our overall well-being. Host Maggie Campione converses with reporters Nihal Gill and Arjin Claire about their research with mental health. Spark the Interest reporter, Nihal, shares the statistic that one out six adolescents are affected by menta

Cynthia Brian

Feb 14
3 min

Valentine's Day and Activities

E xpress Yourself!™ and host Andrea Smith welcome a new reporter, Diya Hituvalli with her segment, Silver Lining. Diya shares fun historical and trivia facts about the celebration of Valentine’s Day, a celebration that began with the Romans who, on February 14th, executed clergyman Valentine who was performing banned marriages for soldiers. Diya offers facts and fiction with humor and wit. Both teens offer tips about how to celebrate during the pandemic, whether with a partne

How to Survive Happily during the Pandemic

Cynthia Brian

Feb 7
3 min

How to Survive Happily during the Pandemic

In this hour, teen host Andrea Smith brings to light a positive outlook on everything that is going on around COVID-19. Starting off with an update about COVID-19 and vaccines, Andrea explains what is important to know about the situation at hand right now. She then follows with a segment on mindfulness and self-love, two things that we all need right now. Finally, she wraps up the show with some of her favorites including ways to hang out safely with friends right now includ

Cynthia Brian

Jan 31
2 min

Allergies and Humor

Do you know how to identify a life-threatening allergy to food or other substances? Hosts Arjin Claire and Andrea Smith take a deep dive into the real dangers of allergies. Arjin has had extreme food allergies to tree nuts, dairy, eggs, and peanuts since he was a child. He recalls an almost fatal encounter with a KIND bar as a teen and offers tips on how to recognize and avoid accidents that could be fatal by being honest and diligent. The duo take a break by offering a selec

Cynthia Brian

Jan 23
3 min

Diplomacy and Empathy

“Alone we can do so little, together, we can do so much” • Helen Keller Host Maggie Campione talks about diplomacy and believes that there has never been a better, or worse, time to love politics. In the midst of political divide in our country, a global pandemic, a new administration, and the capitol riots that happened two short weeks ago, there are so many problems in our country that tensions are high and people are equipped with sources to have debates with family, frien

Wellness and Toxic Nursing with Cheryl Dellasega

Cynthia Brian

Jan 10
3 min

Wellness and Toxic Nursing with Cheryl Dellasega

At the beginning of each new year, many people make a commitment to health and wellness. Siri Phaneendra offers her personal tips to optimum health, including meditation. She interviews relational aggression expert, Cheryl Dellasega, author of Toxic Nursing, who has written many books about the issues facing women. Cheryl describes bullying behaviors, offers tools to diffuse conflict, and advises on how to make the workplace more tolerant, positive, and compliant. Toxic Nursi

New Year’s Celebration with Pop Singer, Shevyn Roberts

Cynthia Brian

Jan 2
3 min

New Year’s Celebration with Pop Singer, Shevyn Roberts

Bye, bye 2020 and thank you for being part of our Express Yourself! galaxy. Host Siri Phaneendra celebrates the beginning of 2021with reporter Nihal Gill who talks about his goals for 2021 plus an energetic and fun interview with pop star, dancer, and actress, Shevyn Roberts who presents a positive performance package. You’ll hear her remix, Runnin Outta Time and be awed by her energy, exuberance, and experiences. Shevyn offers advice on getting into the entertainment industr

Cynthia Brian

Dec 26, 2020
3 min

Puppies for Christmas

It’s a wonderful time of the year! Despite the challenges of 2020, we have so much to be grateful for. Hosts Andrea Smith and Arjin Claire talk with reporter, Nihal Gill as he shares how, after their beloved dog was killed, they adopted a rescue puppy which brought them great joy. Dog trainer and author of 101 Rescue Puppies-One Family’s Story of Fostering Dogs, Love, and Trust, Kathy Callahan, describes the sheer bliss of being a foster family for dogs and puppies. Kathy off

Cynthia Brian

Dec 20, 2020
2 min

STAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

WITH EXPRESS YOURSELF! Express Yourself!® teen radio host, Andrea Smith relives happy memories of Christmas’s past with traditions from her Argentinian and Scottish families. Christmas is her favorite time of the year and she shares her excitement with the world. The Gift of Magic from Cynthia Brian’s book, Be the Star You Are! 999 Gifts of Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, is read bringing the wonder and awe of this blessed season to life. Andrea i

Cynthia Brian

Dec 12, 2020
3 min

Self-Acceptance-Summer of L.U.C.K.

Self-acceptance is recognizing who we are. Hosts Andrea Smith and Siri Phaneendra talk with reporter Jack Pawlakos about refocusing thoughts and energy on our uniqueness, special skills, talents, and abilities to develop personal self-acceptance. The hosts interview publicist and author, Laura Segal Stegman with her middle grade debut novel, Summer of L.U.C.K. about three kids finding their way to self-acceptance with the help of a ghost who haunts a magical carnival. Laura s

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• Oceans and Magic Connections

Travel and Yoga NiTravel and Yoga Nidra

Meditations for the Soul and KeepMeSafe APP

Technology, A.I., Data Mining

The Outdoors, Easter, and Mindful Growing

Body Image

Mindful Beauty with Dr. Debbie Palmer

Passion and Storytelling

Crystals

Meditation, Asking, Surrender

Mental Health

Valentine's Day and Activities

How to Survive Happily during the Pandemic

Allergies and Humor

Diplomacy and Empathy

Wellness and Toxic Nursing with Cheryl Dellasega

New Year’s Celebration with Pop Singer, Shevyn Roberts

Puppies for Christmas

STAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Self-Acceptance-Summer of L.U.C.K.