This "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio features award-winning author and popular blogger Dana Bowman who chats about her memoir “How to be Perfect Like Me,” where she candidly recounts how her alcoholic relapse impacted her family, relationships, and her sense of self-worth.

From the moment their children are born, mothers are under tremendous pressure to be “perfect.” They are expected to keep their emotions in check during grocery-aisle tantrums, engage their children regularly with Pinterest-worthy activities, and eschew jarred baby food for organic, homemade creations. Living up to these kinds of expectations is challenging enough without also having to manage the coping mechanisms we employ to handle this kind of pressure. For moms who struggle with alcoholism, parenting can prove to be especially challenging.

Humorist Dana Bowman candidly details these struggles in HOW TO BE PERFECT LIKE ME (A Central Recovery Press paperback), the follow-up to her award-winning memoir, “Bottled.” Offering comic relief and encouragement to moms seeking a coping mechanism for the day-to-day expectations and monotonous schedules of family life, Bowman draws on her hilariously relatable experiences to guide readers to insightful conclusions. Parents from all backgrounds will appreciate Bowman’s playful sarcasm and unbridled observations. More at https://momsieblog.com/

Celebrate National Wellness Month with this episode of Big Blend Radio's HEART HEALTHY LIVING WITH DR JACKIE Podcast. Hear about fun and healthy habits that can create routines that reduce stress, boost energy, and improve one's overall wellbeing.

Dr. Jacqueline Eubany is a board-certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist, and author of the best-selling book, "Women and Heart Disease: The Real Story." More: https://womenandheartdiseasebook.com/

New episodes of "Heart Healthy Living with Dr. Jackie" air every 2nd Wednesday at 12pm PST. Follow the Podcast: https://hearthealthyliving-drjackie.podbean.com/

This "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio features parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith, who discusses the concepts in her book “Gentle Discipline: Using Emotional Connection – Not Punishment – to Raise Confident, Capable Kids.” GENTLE DISCIPLINE provides an empowering framework that will enable parents to become an expert on their own child’s behavior and discipline so that they may respond in a way that is both effective and gentle. More: https://gentleparentingsite.wordpress.com/

In honor of International Youth Day, this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio features Kristen Welch, who along with her husband Terrell, founded Mercy House Global. Each month they partner with fair trade, faith groups across the globe to bring their Mercy House Global subscription members high quality items. These artisan groups represent young girls and women in hard situations, including those rescued from human trafficking, and those who live in extreme poverty, who are in need of work in order to support themselves and their families. MHG Clubs (formery Fair Trade Friday) were created as a way to financially support the rescue and care of abused, pregnant teens in their maternal rescue center in Kenya. More at https://mercyhouseglobal.org/

On this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio, award-winning attorney Ida O. Abbott discusses her book, “Retirement by Design: A Guided Workbook for Creating a Happy and Purposeful Future." Retirement can be one of the most monumental life transitions a person experiences, however, we don’t have to stick to the status quo of seeing it as a time of loss. All of the personal and professional opportunities that characterize a person’s life until the point of retirement can transition into this season of life, but intentionality and planning are key in keeping this process smooth sailing. “Retirement by Design” incorporates strategy and intentionality into designing the way we think about and plan for retirement. More: https://idaabbott.com/

This episode of Big Blend Radio shares the story of Fay Fuller, the first woman to climb Mount Rainier in Washington. She first reached the summit on August 10, 1890, and climbed the mountain again in 1897. Read by Big Blend Radio host Lisa D. Smith, from this story: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/climbing-above-paradise/

This episode is featured on Big Blend Radio's "Big Daily Blend," "Women Making History," "Way Back When," and "Parks & Travel" Podcasts. Check out the Big Blend Radio Network of Shows, here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork

In honor of today being International Day of the World’s Indigenous People and National Women's Day, we are revisiting this episode of Big Blend Radio featuring filmmaker/photographer Deborah Anderson who discusses her award-winning documentary “Women Of The White Buffalo." The film focuses on how the matriarchal society upended by centuries of genocide and colonialism has disenfranchised the Lakota women and simultaneously reinforced their roles as the backbones of their communities and the keepers of their people's ancient wisdom. These are the powerfully rich stories of the brave women and children living in one of the poorest counties in the United States. More: https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/home/

It's National Family Fun Month which offers us all a good reason to deep dive into our Family History! Spending time with grandparents, aunts and uncles or cousins? Maybe ask them about some of those forgotten family stories and then follow up on them. Today's episode of Big Blend Radio's WAY BACK WHEN History Show features genealogist and writer Aryn Youngless who specializes in piecing together ancestry mysteries and crafting keepsake family history books. She combines genealogy research with a passion for telling captivating stories. More at https://www.genealogybyaryn.com/