Three keynote speakers energize the main stage including registered dietitian, author and TV host Zonya Foco, Amy Dee, author, musician, and retired Psychiatric RN, and Melanie Carvell director of the Sanford Women’s Health Center in Bismarck, six-time All American triathlete and physical therapist.

Get the boost you need to live and experience health wellness everyday on May 23, 2016. Register for the Women's Health Conference. 

Attendees of the Women’s Health Conference may experience drumming for emotional wellbeing, the connection of mindfulness and the role of kindness on health, a story of personal faith and a demonstration of healthy cooking using local ingredients. On Monday, May 23, eight speakers share their expertise to motivate and coach women towards better health.

Music Therapist, Emily J. Wangen, of Grand Forks, teaches communication, socialization and empowerment through the connective power of group drumming during her breakout session at the Women’s Health Conference.   

Emily explains, “Music therapy can include drum circles, music and imagery, assistive relaxation to help people with Parkinsons, Alzheimers, those with a traumatic brain injury, or issues with mental health or special needs.”

“The conference challenges attendees to new health goals,” said committee chair Mary Ann Foss and retired director of Women’s Way of North Dakota, “we strive to provide a variety of speakers with tools and resources for women to connect opportunities for wellbeing.”

It’s well documented that stress can have long-term negative consequences on health. Chery Hysjulien, PsyD describes how mindfulness and learning to live more mindfully can counter those negative effects.

Kelly Meyer leads attendees in an exploration of the many benefits of kindness: the healthy physical and mental benefits and how kindness builds relationships.  Women discover and experience a deeper meaning of kindness, where it actually begins and how one develops an authentic expression.
 
Local recipe developer and writer, Sarah Nasello prepares a few favorite recipes using North Dakota ingredients, grown by ND female farmers and CommonGround volunteers. Attendees will take home healthy recipes and a delicious taste of North Dakota.

Judy Siegle, author, two-time Paralympian, and professional speaker, shares her inspiring message of faith and describes the power, purpose and joy her faith provides in everyday living. 

“Women learn from each other, we boost each other’s motivation,” continues Foss, “We gain inspiration from the expert knowledge of energetic speakers and we leave with the motivation to make healthy lifestyle changes. Women who take time for themselves to recharge and reinvigorate their health habits experience better long-term wellbeing.”

In addition to the breakout speakers, three keynote speakers energize the mainstage including registered dietitian, author and TV host Zonya Foco, Amy Dee, author, musician, and retired Psychiatric RN, and Melanie Carvell director of the Sanford Women’s Health Center in Bismarck, six-time All American triathlete and physical therapist.

Women are invited to focus on their wellness during the Women’s Health Conference on May 23. To register and learn more about the fitness and nutrition workshops on Sunday click the Home page or contact Reach Partners 701-271-8170. Conference tickets are $45; Workshop registration is limited.

Local recipe developer and writer, Sarah Nasello prepares a few favorite recipes using North Dakota ingredients, grown by ND female farmers and CommonGround volunteers at the Women's Health Conference, May 23, 2016 in Fargo.

Sarah Nasello shares her love of food, family, storytelling and North Dakota through her blogs, “Home with The Lost Italian” and “Lost on the Prairie.” Sarah is passionate about connecting with others through the universal language of food, and as a city girl she welcomes any opportunity to forge new friendships with the food producers of our region – our farmers.

CommonGround volunteers are North Dakota women growing the very foods we find in the produce section and along the aisles. These women are the farmers and ranchers who love, care for these prairie lands and feed the community, state and the world.

Last summer, Sarah and her husband, Tony produced a five-course meal for an event organized by CommonGround North Dakota, called Banquet in the Field. The purpose was to bring city and country folks together, to learn from one another, especially for us city dwellers, and to discover the stories of the people who feed the world from the crops grown here.

Banquet in a Field allowed people to connect, tour plots of eleven crops, taste foods featuring each crop, engage in conversations with farmers who grow the crops and ask questions about food production. The crop plots, planted by Peterson Farms Seeds, included potatoes, flax, canola, sugar beets, pinto beans, soybeans, corn, sunflowers, durum, spring wheat and barley.
 
During the Women’s Health Conference attendees of “Local Recipes with North Dakota Ingredients,” will learn about the recipes Sarah developed for the Banquet in the Field, her process, love for food and the connections between our ND growers, the food they produce. Each will take home healthy recipes and a delicious taste from North Dakota.

Sarah and her husband, Tony, are co-authors of the cookbook “Party on the Prairie” and Sarah’s writing is also featured throughout the region in their weekly food column for The Forum newspaper. Sarah is passionate about connecting with others through the universal language of food, and as a city girl she welcomes any opportunity to forge new friendships with the food producers of our region – our farmers. Sarah is proud to be a 5th generation North Dakotan and lives in Fargo with Tony and their eleven year old son, Gio.

The Possibilities of Kindness | Kelly J Meyer
Did you know that ‘kindness’ can make us happier, healthier and slow aging? Let’s play with the benefits of ‘kindness’ both in the giving and receiving to understand our whole created self where we can be and live in kindness.

In the book, ‘The Healing Power of Doing Good,’ Allan Luks acknowledges conventional wisdom that when we help others, we help ourselves and by doing good unto others we experience an emotional response of feeling good. Beyond the personal, social, ethical and moral expressions of kindness, research over the past years now shows when care for others we actually care for ourselves.
Studies found, the positive effect of giving money to another actually elevates the giver’s happiness, more than if she spent the money on herself. Yet, it’s not only the philanthropic acts that offer health benefits. Compassion can be a buffer to stress and effect blood pressure, cortisol and heart rate. Practitioners who express empathy can reduce the duration of her patient’s cold.

Where does kindness actually begin and how does I develop authentic kindness?
At the Women’s Health Conference, Kelly Meyer leads attendees in an exploration of the many benefits of kindness: the healthy physical and mental benefits and how kindness builds relationships.  Discover and experience a deeper meaning of kindness, where it actually begins and how one develops an authentic expression.  Simple acts of kindness increases in social connectedness and being able to forgive. We are genetically wired to be kind not only to others but also toward ourselves. Compassion, gratitude, empathy and forgiveness are all a part of the deeper meaning of kindness. Attendees will be inspired to begin anew to live authentic lives of kindness to others and ourselves.

As a lifelong student, Kelly Meyer a former career counselor, now facilitates small group conversations with individuals with a curiosity for connection and seeking growth.  Kelly is an avid reader, her guided group dialogue includes works of Brene Brown, Danielle Laporte, Elizabeth Gilbert, Paulo Coelho, and Napoleon Hill.  Joy and authentic connection are themes in her personal life, and as a former camp counselor her vivacious attitude has never waned. Kelly met her husband Jeff at camp, raised a daughter (getting married in May) and twin boys, now in college.

Her kindness habits include daily meditation, daily readings of A Course in Miracles, yoga, taking walks with her husband of 28 years, and making choices daily from a place of joy. When she isn't traveling by hot air balloon, she may be performing marriage ceremonies', or learning more about Ayurveda and Qigong.

Stress can have long-term negative consequences for our health.  Mindfulness and learning to live more mindfully can counter those negative effects.

All of us experience stress on a regular basis.  Not all stress is bad stress.  Eustress (good stress) is stress that we feel able to cope with, feel challenged by and is welcomed. It has been linked to well-being and life satisfaction.  Distress is when we perceive the stressor as negative and we feel inadequate to deal with the stress.  Our bodies’ physiological response (the “fight or flight”) helps us survive.  However, when activated too frequently it can have long-term negative consequences for our health.  This workshop will describe those negative consequences and teach you how the practice of mindfulness, and living mindfully, can counter these effects.

Dr. Chery Hysjulien is an RN and clinical psychologist specializing in integrative health care at Sanford Health.  Dr. Hysjulien graduated from nursing school in 1979 and remains licensed as a registered nurse.  She obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology in 1997 and has done extensive training and education in mind/body and integrative health care.

Dr. Hysjulien has spent her medical career as a champion of holistic integrated approaches to patients and training medical staff about integrative healthcare.  Dr. Hysjulien practiced with a wide range of fields including eating disorders, cardiac, neurological disorders, genetic disorders and other medical disorders. However, her passion lies in working with oncology patients and teams. She has spent the last 20 years developing integrative holistic cancer care.

Join Dr. Hysjulien at the Women’s Health Conference to identify the negative consequences of distress and learn how the practice of mindfulness, and living mindfully, can counter the effects.  Register today...

All-In with Judy Siegle, MSW
Judy shares how an all-in faith gives her power, purpose and joy in everyday living and how it will do the same for you.

Judy Siegle was a high school basketball star when her life changed in the blink of an eye. A devastating car accident left her a quadriplegic. She went on to turn personal tragedy into a life of significance and success.  Drawing on lessons she has learned and using her skills as a leader, Judy has equipped audiences around the world to shatter their own barriers and to lead with influence and vision.

Judy is a two-time Paralympian, holds four national records in wheelchair track, and has a twenty-year health care career. As a Chair Corps Representative for Wheels for the World, she has traveled internationally on distributions and conducted wheelchair drives that have collected over 1500 wheelchairs.   She serves as an active volunteer in her community as a Rotarian and board member of Hope, Inc., a sports program for persons with physical disabilities. Judy is author of Living Without Limits.

Learn how an all-in faith gives power, purpose and joy in everyday living. Register to join Judy Siegle at the Women's Health Conference on May 23, 2016 at the Ramada, Fargo.

"And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”