Laurie Kelley

I Love Ladybugs

Laurie Kelley January 8, 2023

I really do. I think they are the prettiest of bugs, and look so comical, with their bright red shells. In my household, we believe they bring good luck.

I also love LadyBugs, the national program designed for women with bleeding disorders. I remember years ago when it was just introduced, by such great women in our community who truly care. And nowadays it is operated by Comprehensive Health Education Services (CHES), and good friend Janet Brewer.

LadyBugs is beginning their Winter Webinars, starting with a fun opening session with our sponsors and a sneak peak at the SHEmophilia initiative. Topics will include:

  • January 26th, 7:30pm ET – Opening Night
  • February 23rd, 7:30pm ET – Bleeding Disorder Breakouts 
  • March 23rd, 7:30pm ET – Reproductive Health 
  • April 27th, 7:30pm ET – ReBalancing the Body with Diet with Medexus

Who’s invited to Register?

Any woman who has a bleeding disorder, carries a bleeding disorder or cares for a loved one with a bleeding disorder.

How to attend?

Join this session from your home as it will be hosted via Zoom.  If you just want to watch, that’s okay.  We love to see faces, but you can leave your camera off.  Registration is necessary so we can plan accordingly. 

You don’t want to miss these events! Register here.

Merry Christmas to all!

Laurie Kelley December 25, 2022

Christmas holiday banner with golden balls and spruce branches on dark background hannazasimova

Leadership… Start When They are Young!

Laurie Kelley December 18, 2022

I was invited last week to attend the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Youth Leadership Graduation. This was a Zoom event, and it was so nice to see Dawn Rotellini, Brendan Hayes from NHF, and all the beautiful young people who have completed the program.

Have you heard of it?  The NHF website states: NHF’s National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI) provides young people (18-24 years old) in the bleeding disorders community with leadership opportunities to encourage personal growth, effect change, and positively influence others. The National Youth Leadership Institute is a two-year program designed to assist young people from the bleeding disorders community in becoming well-trained, recognized leaders. 

Each graduate gave a statement about what the program meant to them, and what they accomplished through it. It’s pretty amazing to hear these young people speak about how they gave back to their community, mentored others, traveled to attend events, and most impressively, advocated at the state level about healthcare costs and employment concerns.

To meet this year’s Youth Leaders, go here.

If you are interested or know someone who could benefit from this program, encourage them to apply.

I’ve been studying leadership for decades, and even wrote a book about it, for those in developing countries. If you are a leader in the making, you might like to read it too, because leadership transcends age and borders. Leaders are not born, but are made, forged even. And leaders are readers! Order here.

Congratulations to all the NYLI graduates!

Popular Podcasts

Laurie Kelley December 11, 2022

Meghan Markle has been in the news way too much over her podcast “Archetypes.” Thirty seconds of it on YouTube was enough for me. I’m not much of a podcast person anyway; I’ve done a few and have not once listened to myself! I have listened to some good ones from Outside Magazine, but overall, podcasts are too slow and conversational for me. I like reading because I can absorb information a lot faster than listening to someone spoon feed me.

But… podcasts are popular!

You should check out a few, especially if you are a podcast person.

Probably the most popular in hemophilia is BloodStream, launched and operated by Believe Ltd. It’s incredibly broad in scope, with interviews with experts from all parts of the bleeding disorder community. Have you checked it out yet? Go here to try it out.

The BloodFlow might be the newest podcast in the community. It’s for young adults, and brought to you by Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA). The first podcast was launched on July 23, 2020, focusing on mental health issues. To listen to the podcast, search “The BloodFlow” on any podcast app. And if you have an idea for a podcast subject and want to be a guest, email advocacy@hemohiliafed.org!

Podcasts are increasingly popular. The number of people listening to podcasts surged in late 2020 and in 2021, thanks to the pandemic perhaps. Currently, 41% of people in the US listen to a podcast every month, and 28% listen weekly. According to Insider Intelligence, around 144 million people in the US will be listening to a podcast every month.

Give it a try! (But I’d suggest skipping Archetypes)

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