Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. We are so happy to participate in this 3rd edition of Podcasthon! For one week, more than a thousand podcasts will highlight a charity of their choice, and today, I have the pleasure of welcoming back Jeff Woytovich with the Children's Alopecia Project.

In this episode, we talk about what's new for CAP, JAK Inhibitors, along with the ongoing conversation about community and how we continue to be supportive and focus on education. We talk about his recent outreach with a family in the UK and some of those details, and there's a full 10 minutes of discussion that had to be omitted because of the heated conversation we had around it. Both of us get fired up about this type of thing happening in this day and age. Let's welcome Jeff back to Alopecia Life.

That wraps up this special episode as part of Podcasthon. If you enjoyed it, feel free to visit http://www.podcasthon.org/ to discover hundreds of other associations through the voices of amazing podcasters. It's a pretty cool deal to be supporting charities of our choice. As always, CAP is the number one charity I choose to fund every year because camp and gatherings for kids and their families who have been diagnosed is something that means the world to me and has such huge benefits. The link for CAP's annual giving campaign is here in the show notes, along with the Children's Alopecia Project, camp, and so much more. If you want to schedule a get-together with Jeff in your city, that link is here too.

For those of you who are wanting an update about the family in the UK, they've received tremendous support from almost a dozen dermatologists and specialists, but at this point they are still waiting for social services to close the case. We are keeping them in our thoughts, and we hope for a swift resolution, and an opportunity for this school to receive the education around alopecia that is clearly so necessary.

https://childrensalopeciaproject.org/

https://form.jotform.com/Knjoz/cap-kid-group-get-together

https://alopeciapalooza2025.eventzilla.net/e/2138640318

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Welcome to this episode of Alopecia LIfe. Today's guest is Sarah Durrett. I reached out to Sarah a few weeks ago after she posted a video of herself shaving the last of her hair off after living with alopecia areata for several decades. The video is super raw, and I truly felt with her in the moment while she shared. It had a strong effect on me, and I knew for those who hadn't yet seen it and were going through something similar - it would be super helpful.

When our hair is actively falling out, it's difficult to understand the sense of loss we are experiencing. People around us often tell us, "It's just hair." or "At least you don't have something more serious." Logically, we know this (as adults), but it doesn't mean on a scale of 1-10, it's not a 10 for us in the moment. With kids, it may be even more confusing. Our parents or other family members may be encouraging a final haircut to get rid of the wispy hair that is stubbornly sticking out of our head. It's a big deal to take this next step. When do you know it's the right time to Brave the Shave? Today, Sarah shares what led up to it, and how she is feeling now.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with Sarah and me today. Shaving is a very personal choice when living with hair loss. I never did, but looking back I wish I would have taken control instead of having that last strand of hair remain on my head until alopecia decided it would for me. Showers and bathing can be traumatizing when clumps of hair are found in the drain. I want to thank Sarah for being brave and sharing her experience with all of us. For ways to reach out to Sarah, I've posted those links in the show notes. I've also attached the video here in the comments.

For parents - If you are ready for your child to shave and they aren't - I encourage you to wait until they are. Sometimes they need to know it's an option, and other times they will refuse and that is completely up to them. It may sound harsh, but your discomfort needs to take a back seat to the wishes of your child. On the other side of this, your child may totally want to shave, and you may not feel ready. With your discomfort aside and whether they do or don't want to shave, your kiddo can experience freedom around a choice when experiencing hair loss, and that's something truly empowering.

Sarah's YT Video
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.durrett

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Alopecia Life. I've been waiting to share this episode with all of you because I knew it was important to release it at this unusual time in the US that has been so full of unrest. I'm editing this the week before our presidential election, at a time where a lot of stress and imbalance is working to right itself. Although this week has already played out and I have no idea of the outcome while editing, my wish is that today's guest, Jen Baradi, provides you with the same sense of calm and peace I felt after being with her in person and interviewing her here on the podcast.

I met Jen a few months ago in Toronto, and I knew she would be perfect for the podcast to share all she has discovered while living with alopecia for the past 38 years. She has discovered greater well-being and support along the journey through mindfulness, yoga, and iRest® meditation practices. As an educator, Jen taught internationally for 20 years and first developed an interest in combining yoga and education while completing postgraduate research on the effects of yoga on academic achievement. After repatriating back to Toronto, she took time for wellbeing and for deepening her yoga practice. She has awakened to a path of integrating wellbeing, awareness, and education.

Whether you're here in the US, in another country, or in Canada where Jen lives, we could all use a moment of space to just breathe.

Thank you for sharing your time with Jen and me today. To discover more for yourself, connect with her through www.jenbyogi.com. Additional ways to reach out to Jen are located here in the show notes, along with the YouTube link to the movie we spoke of, "Attack from Within."

*ADDITIONAL INFO FOR COMMUNITY TO CONNECT WITH JEN:

Discover ways to live with greater wellbeing this season with Jen:

Resources to Just Be (*for CANAAF Alopecia support group online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jenbyogi.com (*for private clients / groups / organisations / educational institutes)

Two Yogis Talking about Life Youtube (*for vodcast with new episodes inspired by iRest®️)

Doggos.ca (*for puppy & yoga playdates at Puppysphere, studio 2)

Vivayalive.com (*for recorded online yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Jabumind app (*for recorded iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

Oise.utoronto.ca/wellness/past-recordings (*for hybrid & recorded online Yoga & iRest®️ Yoga Nidra Meditations)

YouTube Video - Attack from Within

Support the show

Alopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/