In today’s complex, profit-driven healthcare system, obtaining quality care is more challenging than ever. It led Teri Dreher, an RN with more than 36 years of critical care nursing experience, to become a professional patient advocate in 2011. Now, she’s published a how-to book for healthcare consumers to help them advocate for themselves and their families.

“Patient Advocacy Matters: The Ultimate How-to Guide to Protect Your Health, Your Rights, Your Life and Your Loved Ones” is designed as a resource for individuals trying to navigate today’s confusing, often-intimidating healthcare system.     

“It’s too easy for patients to get lost in the shuffle,” says Dreher, founder and CEO of NShore Patient Advocates (NorthShoreRN.com), the largest advocacy firm in the Chicago area. “I wrote this book to give the average person the tools they need to look out for themselves and their loved ones in various healthcare settings.”  

People like Darla, whose surgeon was unconcerned when she continued to hemorrhage after cancer surgery (Dreher, her ICU nurse, wound up with a ten-day suspension when she questioned the doctor’s decisions; Darla later passed away.) Or the 92 year old whose son hired Dreher as her advocate when his mom kept falling. (After studying her 14 medications—five which can cause vertigo—Dreher asked the woman’s doctor to review them. He discontinued several meds and recommended a nutritionist; now the woman is living safely in her home with support.)  [Read more…]

Salespeople Don’t Leave Companies, They Leave Managers!

Did you know?

• $11 billion is lost annually due to employee turnover
• Companies with engaged employees outperformed those without by up to 202%
• 71% of all employees are not fully engaged
• 80% of employees dissatisfied with their direct manager were disengaged

With staggering numbers like these, it’s easy to see how important employee engagement is in today’s workplace. And employees are not just looking to feel engaged with their company as a whole, but more particularly, with their direct manager and leaders. Yet increasing employee retention rates do not always allow for the development of a great sales culture. How do sales managers create such a culture of engaged employees to ensure the team not only stays but thrives?

Enter Engage Me: Strategies From The Sales Effectiveness Source by internationally recognized sales consultant and speaker Kevin Higgins.

A practical, how-to guide based on attitude, skills and sales management disciplines, Engage Me is a must-read for today’s sales executives and leaders. Higgins, the CEO of DoubleDigit-Sales, a world-class sales training organization, has trained thousands of salespeople from Fortune 100 companies around the world over the past 20 years and believes management must drive sales development.



[Read more…]

Chronic multitasking and ever-increasing demands on a person’s time and energy have caused a neurochemically-based dependence on sources of stress and stimulation to provide fuel for chaotic lifestyles. While this may boost performance in the short term, studies consistently show that when stress hormones are elevated over time, they create the worst form of internal wear and tear: decreasing productivity, wasting time, and even killing brain cells. As a result, modern society is tired and wired, suffering from physical exhaustion while mentally amped up and unable to get adequate rest.

In her new book, Stressaholic: 5 Steps to Transform Your Relationship with Stress, Dr. Heidi Hanna, author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Sharp Solution, reveals the impact of chronic stress on the body, mind, and spirit and delineates how a simple shift in mindset can dramatically improve readers’ relationship with stress.

“Do you constantly feel as if there are not enough hours in the day? Are you constantly connected to a technologic communication leash? If you answered yes, you are not alone,” says Dr. Hanna. “The vast majority of workers say they would not want their boss’s job, while more than a third of workers say their jobs are harming their physical or emotional health and nearly half say job pressures are interfering with their personal relationships. Medical experts estimate that 75-90% of doctor visits are stress related!”

Stress in and of itself is not bad, and is actually utilized for growth when balanced with adequate recovery. The solution to stress addiction is to build in and prioritize optimal rest and relaxation on a holistic level—body, mind, and spirit—in order to consistently recharge and create a more resilient operating system.

With easy to implement tips and real world examples of people and organizations who have turned stress into success, Dr. Hanna’s Stressaholic Recovery Process restores system-wide resilience against stress in five simple steps:

• Rest to balance brain chemistry with strategic relaxation and recovery
• Repair to calm and nourish cells with energy-enhancing nutrients
• Rebuild to strengthen mental and physical fitness to optimize energy
• Rethink to optimize perspective to see stress as a challenge instead of a threat
• Redesign to develop “BEATs” that provide structure for ongoing energy management

Dr. Hanna poses the question, “Why is it so hard to slow down and pay attention to what’s most important to us? Stress can easily turn into an addiction, especially in our 24/7, constantly connected society. Like any other stimulant to the brain, the impact of stress causes a release of chemicals that provide a surge of energy, which is initially helpful. The problem is, the human system is not designed to be in a chronic state of stress. What once was our greatest ally – our stress response – has become one of our greatest enemies. We can win the war on stress without limiting our progress by creating healthy balance in our lives, and Stressaholic provides guidance for your journey – from exhaustion to enlightenment!”

Heidi Hanna, PhD, has trained thousands of individuals on practical ways to incorporate nutrition, fitness, and positive psychology strategies to improve productivity and performance. Dr. Hanna is CEO and founder of SYNERGY, a coaching and consulting company that specializes in customized health and wellness solutions for individuals and organizations. As an experienced speaker, Dr. Hanna has been featured at many national and global conferences, including the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit and the ESPN Women’s Leadership Summit..

Hang out at any office water cooler around the world and you’ll likely hear talk of sustainable living and the fossil fuel industry’s effect on our planet.  The dangers of energy depletion represent a real threat … if not today, then in our future. In the opening of his long-awaited new release, The Omega Project, NY Times bestselling author Steve Alten dares to imagine the world after oil reserves run dry. But that’s only the beginning…

The Omega Project is an energy future based on cold fusion, managed by a high-tech “thinking” computer named GOLEM, designed to “preserve and protect the human race” by overseeing mining operations on the moon.  When GOLEM inexplicably determines that the mission will take place on Europa, Jupiter’s ocean moon, the artificial intelligence selects six men and six women to make the journey – but the computer is hiding its true objective…

GOLEM’s creator, Robert “Ike” Eisenbraun, is assigned to join the Omega crew on a training mission in an underwater habitat beneath the Antarctic Ocean to determine if the computer has gone rogue. The mission requires the Omega crew – and Ike to be cryogenically frozen for 30 days.

Ike awakens, only everything has changed. The ice is gone – and so is humanity; evolution run amok.  Alten’s extensive research into a post-human Earth is fascinating, but the reader must wait  until the very last page to know whether  Ike is dreaming or a cataclysm occurred while he was asleep – and 12 million years have passed!

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will help fund the first human trials for a potential cure for solid tumor cancers using cancer-killing cells called granulocytes.  Readers can donate directly to the cause at www.ZapCancer.org.

Steve Alten, a native of Philadelphia, earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State, a master’s degree from the University of Delaware, and a doctorate from Temple University. Alten is the bestselling author of the MEG series. The series is an international best seller and Hollywood has purchased the movie rights.  Alten is also the founder and director of Adopt-An-Author, a free nationwide teen reading program. Available in all book stores and at Amazon.com and BN.com.

Ah, the lazy days of summer have finally given away to brisk, colorful autumn days.  To celebrate, we are very excited to announce our first annual Fall Reading List for our readers. The list below contains some of the most entertaining and/or enriching books to read this fall. Read anything good lately? Let us know in the comments!

Carol’s Alzheimer’s Journey

When most people thing of love that sustains through Alzheimer’s disease, they think of The Notebook, but the reality of this disease’s effect on relationships is not something we often see. In his new book Carol’s Alzheimer’s Journey, Donald H. Ford details his courtship, relationship and marriage with his “dream girl” Carol and how they handled her Alzheimer’s diagnosis as a team. Ford has a Ph.D. in psychology and worked with Carol to develop a plan of care that would take care of her physical needs while ensuring that she lived a satisfying life, despite her illness.

Anxiety 101: The Holistic Approach to Managing Your Anxiety and Taking Back Your Life

This book presents readers with an overview of the condition that affects approximately sixteen million Americans and provides a comprehensive list of the wide variety of integrative holistic treatment options available. Dr. Eudene Harry combines her experience in modern medicine and passion for holistic care in this handbook for anyone who suffers from anxiety. Dr. Harry has practiced medicine for more than 20 years and is currently the medical director of Oasis Wellness & Rejuvenation Center, an integrative holistic lifestyle clinic in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Harry is board certified in both emergency and holistic medicine, and completed her medical degree and residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. She is the author of two books: Live Younger in 8 Simple Steps (July 2012) and Anxiety 101 (June 2013). For more information, visit www.livinghealthylookingyounger.com.

Stuck

At one point or another you’ve probably stepped back to look at your life and thought “is this all there is?” In Stuck by Stacey D. Atkinson, she introduces readers to Odette Leblanc – a 23-year-old store clerk – whose recent “promotion” to supervisor brings the mundane predictability of her life into sharp focus. But everything changes when Odette meets a mysterious doryman and his cat on the beach, followed by an unexpected run-in with an American sailor. Each man will undeniably change the course of her life, and so will the selfish actions of her bingo-addicted mother, an impressionable younger sister, and a team of damaged co-workers. Author Stacey D. Atkinson was born and raised in a rural village in New Brunswick, Canada, where she lived with her mother, sister and a pack of cats in an old farmhouse with acres of land for roaming. She later moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to attend art college, where she met her husband, David. She now lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with frequent trips home to the Maritimes. For more information, visit http://www.staceydatkinson.com.

It Really Is That Complicated

It Really Is That Complicated, by Charles Rawlings, reveals that relationships are nearly doomed from the start! There is a natural conflict that inevitably develops once two individuals enter into a romantic relationship. Rawlings offers his thoughts on this widespread travesty, and why it may not mean the death of marriage after all.

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: A Mother’s Lessons, Learnings, and Insights from her Daughter’s Battle with Cancer

Kenna Marriott and her daughter had planned to coauthor a book about the struggles of living with cancer. Unfortunately, the two never got the chance to make this dream a reality. On May 24, 2008, Marriott’s daughter, Jeannine, succumb to her illness after a courageous seven and a half year battle. Driven by grief, recovery and a desire to help others while paying tribute her daughter, Marriott penned Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda; a story of the lessons learned and insights gained from her daughter’s battle with cancer. “This book brings up challenges that are often not discussed, including the stress of continuous treatments and hospitalizations on the patients and family, the impact of cancer on self-esteem, relationships with children and even the sex life of a couple impacted by cancer.”

Mindshift: Your Life Doesn’t Have to Suck

What can help you lose weight, quit smoking, sleep better and become more organized? For more than 20 years, Dr. Marty Lerman has used hypnotherapy to help clients make positive changes in their lives. He writes about his experiences in the new book Mindshift. Clients experienced changes such as the elimination of phobias, staying focused at work and changes in overall attitude and more. Hypnosis can also be used to foster positive health and lifestyle changes such as weight loss, major stress reduction and improved sexual performance. Mindshift is a roadmap to unlocking the unconscious mind and making unprecedented life changes.

Trying to Catch the Wind

Trying to Catch the Wind by Josef Ferri, tells the true story of the author’s one-true love, whom he is unable to be with. Set against the political and social upheaval of the 1960s, Ferri recounts his own struggle to find love and happiness in a tumultuous and chaotic personal world.

On one fateful evening in his youth, Joe instantly gets enthralled with a young woman as he spots her from across the room. After sharing anything but a typical teenage conversation, the two realize that there is something powerful occurring. As the two young lovers began what would hopefully become a long-lasting, loving relationship, fate and destiny intervened. From the night of their innocent and romantic first date a short time later, these star crossed lovers were faced with huge obstacles. The two were nearly killed by a drunk driver while returning from their first date riding on Joe’s motorcycle.

Journey with Ferri as he takes you back to the most memorable and heartbreaking time of his life in Trying to Catch the Wind.

Josef N. Ferri is a lifelong resident of Buffalo, N.Y. and has taught for six years in the English Department at the University of Buffalo.

The Garnet Ring

After a disastrous abusive marriage, author Jean Farwell could not believe her luck the second time around when she married the love of her life. Luck ran out when her husband contracted three deathly autoimmune diseases. Jean had no medical training, but she did have something stronger – the love and devotion to her husband. The Garnet Ring: From Honeymooner to Caretaker with Love, details the miraculous ways she was able to keep him alive years after what the doctors predicted. “People should not give up on love, even though you’ve been hurt in the past,” Jean says. “I believe many of us often can do more than we ever dreamed of, when we have the right inspiration to do so.”

Resonance Alchemy: Awakening the Tree of Life

Take a life changing journey with Katherine Parker and her debut book Resonance Alchemy: Awakening the Tree of Life (Balboa Press) that begins with a spontaneous out-of-body experience, an encounter with celestial Light Beings and a mysterious gift of coded information and concludes with a new understanding of the seven stages of inner alchemy and a simple yet profound process of alchemical transformation that can be used to transform any life situation, moving the practitioner from the “lead” of a consciousness of separation to the “inner gold” of unity with their own Divine Nature.

Woman, Can I Tell You Why?

Wedding season is up and running. Sadly with over half ending in divorce, perhaps having answers to some crucial questions would aid in saving some of those relationships. Harlon Bell’s new book, Woman, Can I Tell You Why? is a book for those who seek to get on the path to better decisions, relationships and life. Bell’s goal is to empower and engage people in healthy conversations about relationships. Woman, Can I Tell You Why? provides unbiased content that covers nearly two hundred questions on topics that touch the lives of every woman, single or married. For men and women alike, Woman, Can I Tell You Why? is a riveting book that will answer your own “whys” of life.

The Ride, the Rose, and the Resurrection

In June 2007, David Stieler and his wife, Carole, were victims of a hit-and-run motorcycle accident that left Carole with a serious traumatic brain injury, and David facing possible amputation of his foot. At first David regarded the accident as a tragic, unbelievable experience but the closer he examined the events prior to and following the incident the more the crisis felt like a story about miracles of faith and healing that he was supposed to tell. The Vow, a movie based on one couple’s real life story following a serious automobile accident that occurred in November 1993, debuted last year as the top movie of the weekend, earning $41.7 million. To author David Stieler that couple’s experience felt eerily similar to his own. The Ride, the Rose, and the Resurrection is a memoir about how one all-American couple overcame a near death hit-and-run motorcycle crash, and found the strength to push forward despite their injuries, subsequent health and emotional issues, and a constant battle with an insensitive insurance bureaucracy whose primary objective was to cut its losses, even if it came at the victim’s expense.

A Bit of Irish Gold

In A Bit of Irish Gold, Phyllis Karsnia uses her own family’s love story as inspiration. This fictionalized biography follows Matt Donahue’s journey through oppression, love and freedom. Beginning in 1888, the reader emerges in Matt’s adventure of leaving repressive Ireland to pursue the American Dream and along the way he falls in love with a beautiful young Irish lady, Annie Rice, whose love is put on hold as Matt establishes himself in rural northern Minnesota. Will their love make it across the pond?

Menopausal Killer Sharks 

Author Jan Atkinson is reminding the women of today that menopause doesn’t have to just mean hot flashes, but rather the start of a new adventure. In her new book, Menopausal Killer Sharks the narrative follows four women facing the trials of aging, dating and death, while trying to find what makes them happy in life. These four friends narrate how jiggly butts, saggy breasts and a potpourri of men translate into the golden years of life.

Mac Hacks

Want to take real control of your Mac? Mac Hacks by Chris Seibold (@AppleHacks) will help you dig below the surface to tweak system preferences, mount drives and devices, and generally do things with your system that Apple doesn’t expect you to do. With a little effort, you can make your Mac and its applications perform exactly the way you want them to. There are more than 50 hacks in this book that show you how to fine-tune the interface, work with multimedia, set up your network, boost security, and perform a few tricks with Unix.

On Becoming NaughtABimbeaux

Alone? On a Friday night? With a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a broken heart? No single woman wants to find herself in this discouraging scenario. Yet, many women end up here after following the advice of countless relationship books that tell women that to have the perfect man they must become the perfect woman. In her debut book, On Becoming NaughtABimbeaux: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Prince Without Ever Kissing Another Frog, mental health professional, educator and once certifiable bimbo, Morgan Rose clarifies why the reader chooses men incapable of a conscious relationship, how she can shift her self-sabotaging pattern, and how she can recognize and attract a man capable of what true love requires. On Becoming NaughtABimbeaux weaves together relationship research, therapeutic guidance, women’s true stories, germane quotes and, when appropriate, humor. Rose’s voice as an author sets readers at ease as they dive into a journey into their past in order to find the prince of their future..