Archive for January 2023

As we strive to understand, include and serve our community, we look to you as an essential resource for the things that matter to you, our audience.  This special series of We Live Here centers the voices, concerns, perspectives and experiences of Women.

Living life in a larger body, especially as a woman, comes with scrutiny and assumptions about acceptability, worthiness and quality of life.

Ebbi Nicole, Founder & Chief FLUFFtivist of Fluffy GRL Movement celebrates, elevates and educates the plus-size experience through events, workshops and storytelling in brave spaces.

Today we follow the story of one woman who intentionally de-weaponized and reclaimed the word FAT as an adjective.

What does Empower the Fluff mean to you?

To Empower the Fluff means to fill the void and unapologetically amplify the voices of this marginalized community that still experiences socially acceptable hate (fatphobia) on micro and macro levels.

A huge thank you to Ebbi Nicole for sharing your story with we live here. For more from Ebbi and the FlffyGRL movement,  be sure to give a listen to her new podcast Ebbi & Flow wherever you get your podcasts!  , FlffyGR is a local movement that seeks to celebrate body diversity and build a community for plus-sized women. Learn more at empowerthefluff.com

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of “We Live Here Women”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE”!

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will give the annual State of the State address on Wednesday, outlining his budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.

Some of those goals will have broad bipartisan support, including raises for state employees and an emphasis on child care in regard to workforce development.

Assistant House Minority Floor Leader Richard Brown, D-Kansas City, is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. He discussed the policies he would like to see passed regarding child care, as well as other House Democratic goals.

Here’s some of what Brown talked about on the show:

• His background as a teacher, including how he ended up running for a Missouri House seat.
• The overall goals of House Democrats as well as his expectations for working across the aisle this year.
• Republicans’ efforts to make it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution through initiative petition changes. Brown thinks that could backfire for Republicans in the future.
• House Democrats’ efforts to pass gun control bills, including what legislation Brown thinks has a chance, even with a Republican supermajority.
• What bills related to education he expects to see and what he wants to focus on, including addressing teacher pay and the four-day school week that some Missouri school districts are pivoting to.
• The multiple bills filed by Republicans barring transgender girls from participating in sports that align with their gender identity. Brown calls the bills discriminatory.

Brown first ran for the Missouri House in 2016, beating then-Democratic incumbent Bonnaye Mims in the primary. He was elected as House assistant minority floor leader before the 2020 legislative session.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Brown was a public school teacher for 23 years in Kansas City.

[WLHA 013]: We Live Here Auténtico! | Ben Molina | Bolivian Born… Made in STL

Today we’re joined by Ben Molina. Originally from Bolivia, Ben is passionate about elder care and his work at the Alzheimer’s association is making a difference in the Hispanic community

Ben opens up about his journey with depression, finding love and his calling in his field. He discusses the challenges of a disease that disproportionately affects Hispanics and gives us some advice on the conversations and planning that we should start to have in our own families.

Ben’s superpower is Empathy! “I don’t know how I discovered it. I was always very sensitive to other people and very observant of other people. Also, my mom had a wonderful way of always encouraging us to think positive about people and situations. It’s helped me a lot in the field of social work”, says Ben.

What does living Autentico mean to you?

About Ben

Ben Molina is a Bolivian-born St. Louis City resident. He’s been living in St. Louis for 8 years. Ben has a master’s degree in social work from Washington University and currently serves as Program Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Missouri Chapter. Ben is also on the Board for Social Work Leaders in Healthcare.

Mentioned in this episode:

What is Alzheimer’s.

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers

Hispanic Americans and Alzheimer’s

https://www.alz.org/help-support/resources/hispanics-and-alzheimers#:~:text=Approximately%2013%25%20of%20Hispanics%20who,with%20Alzheimer’s%20or%20another%20dementia

Latinos & Alzheimer’s Disease: New numbers behind the crisis

https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/sites/default/files/Latinos-and-AD_USC_UsA2-Impact-Report.pdf

Links to power of attorneys/ financial: https://missourilawyershelp.org/legal-topics/durable-power-of-attorney-for-health/

Poder Notarial Duradero para el Cuidado de Salud y Directiva de Cuidado Médico

https://missourilawyershelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Durable-Power-of-Attorney-Full-Booklet-4-25-17-Spanish.pdf

Connections:

Connect with Ben Molina

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennmolina

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of “We Live Here Autentico”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE” for you each week!

Music Guide:
SEGMENT 1
Good as Hell-Lizzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QskZIrbRt7c
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande – Rain On Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs

SEGMENT 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tgspkNRIcc&ab_channel=KaceyMusgravesVEVO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0X03zR0rQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwSV1QBd8M&list=OLAK5uy_m4wNZ2nJPQ9ACIaRbcxcsMxZM6oC6MsSk&index=5&ab_channel=NLaFourcadeVEVO

SEGMENT 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msl2fl3h59I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfH2AuhXfw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83S-KtvGM2M&ab_channel=CeliaCruzVEVO

Missouri House Majority Leader Jon Patterson is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked about the start of the 2023 legislative session and his goals.

Patterson is a Republican from Lee’s Summit who was recently elected majority floor leader. He first won election to the 30th District House seat in 2018 and was subsequently reelected in 2020 and 2022. His district includes a portion of Jackson County.

Here’s what Patterson talked about on the program:

• Whether acrimony among legislative Republicans would subside in 2023, allowing the party to pass legislation that failed to make it past the finish line over the past two years.
• The possibility of additional tax cuts and Democratic criticism of the idea. Patterson also discussed whether some of the state’s surplus could be used for one-time grants for local initiatives on crime or education.
• The prospect of raising teacher salaries and the uproar over school districts adopting four-day school weeks.
• Efforts to yank away local control from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Before a ballot initiative passed in the 2010s, a state-appointed board was in charge of overseeing the department.

Patterson is a surgeon who is originally from Jackson County. He received his bachelor’s and medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

While Patterson’s district has historically been fairly Republican-leaning, it’s gotten more competitive in recent years as Democrats have gained ground in suburban areas around the state. He won his first election by about 6 percentage points and prevailed in his subsequent contests by wider margins.

As House majority leader, Patterson has substantial power over what gets debated on the floor. It’s often a steppingstone to becoming House speaker.