Express Yourself!

Hosts Brigitte Jia and Joven Hundal start the show with Zahra Hasanian's Hope Heals segment to discuss her activism implementing diversity at her school through her EquiTeam program. Zahra works passionately to move the campus forward with a progressive empathetic vision. Author and blogger, Lee Wind joins the conversation with his soon-to-be published (October 2018) crowd funded book that was too...

"When ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls." Anais Nin Joven Hundal hosts a fascinating program that speaks to the elements of escape. He reads Malika Demings chapter from the new book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World where she writes about escaping from a turbulent childhood environment and her d...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr "Any instance of inequality is worth writing about, sighing about, crying about, even laughing about," writes Zahra Hasanian in the forthcoming book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers that host...

Family IS everything! Today's episode of Express Yourself! with hosts Joven Hundal and Katie Choo brings the importance of family to the forefront. They first read the chapter by former EY host Asya Gonzalez from Cynthia Brian's forthcoming book, Be the Star You Are!-Millennials to Boomers Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World then interview the energetic award winning author of several book...

"There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid. " L .Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Courage is not just physical bravery. Hosts Brigitte Jia and Joven Hundal launch this episode by reading the chapter, The Gift of Courage by Afsana Rahman from the forthcoming book, Be the Star you Are! Millennials to Boomers Posit...

"The vision is that people should have the ultimate in convenience. Being able to get the things they care about." Bill Gates Millennials don't remember a time without all of the tools of expediency. We are steeped in comfort and convenience while waiting anxiously for the next exciting invention that will enhance and augment expediency. Hosts Joven Hundal and Brigitte Jia read Cynthia's Brian's c...

"Spring is the time of plans and projects." - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina It's a time of rebirth. A renaissance of nature. Winter has waned and spring has sprung. Cherry blossoms, daffodils, and warmer weather are finally here. Brigitte Jia and Joven Hundal begin th program with Robert Frost's poem, "A Prayer for Spring". Then read Cynthia' Brian's newspaper article, "Spring Forward" as they conver...

Do you live in a big city or a small town? Consider the constants in your life that are unique to your community. Hosts Brigitte Jia and Katie Choo read and discuss Joven Hundal's chapter The Gift of Community from the forthcoming book, Be the Star You Are! for Millennials and Boomers. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a nation to build that village, and a world to found that nation...

By any proper civilized standard (but what does that mean now?) we are objects of horror. But our nerves are completely steady. And we are still alive." ― Pat Barker, The Ghost Road • Is post traumatic stress disorder really a disorder or is it an illness? Hosts Brigitte Jia and Katie Choo interview Rosemary Sword, co-author of The Time Cure" to find out what PTSD is and what can be done to overco...

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt When you shut your eyes and ponder the future of our globe, what does it look like? Hosts Joven Hundal and Katie Choo investigate technology and trends that seem like science fiction today but could be reality tomorrow. Author of Monople, Bailey Stone Barnard, explores this theme metaphorically in the nove...

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." —Thomas Merton • What is art? Do you think of paintings, sculptures, animation, or museums? What about music, dance, acting, cooking, voice, nature? Culinary arts and performing arts are definitely forms of art. Hosts Brigitte Jia and Joven Hundal notice the small things influence what we all consider as art. Brigitte also rea...

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ― Lao Tzu If love is all we need, then learning how to develop satisfying and enriching relationships needs to be at the top of our list. Host Brigitte Jia, a brilliant artist and violinist who has just returned from performing a concert in Carnegie Hall, (yes, the way to Carnegie Hall is practice, p...

Are you aware of your world, the people, and the opportunities around you? Debut host, Jack Pawlakos, and host Katie Choo tackle the topic of awareness from many different perspectives. They read the chapters, The Gift of Awareness, from two Be the Star You Are!® books, both with varied takes on what awareness is and how we can see more clearly. From Cynthia Brian's chapter in the book, Be the Sta...

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." ― Voltaire Through stories of their experiences, host Joven Hundal's grandparents have instilled in him fundamental values. He is appreciative of all that his family has endured in order to make the lives of their children better. He reads his chapter The Gift of Appreciation from the forthcoming book,...

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Immanual Kant Humans and animals are one family. Katie Choo brings us a plethora of information about the numerous careers available and they are not all vet related. In World Watch, Joven Hundal focuses on domestic wild animals such as sea otters, seals, and sea lions, cougars, bison, crocodiles, alligators, eagles and megafauna. Host...

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." ― Denis Waitley Hosts Brigitte Jia and Katie Choo, both independent, creative, and confident teens, explore the importance of helping youth discover their own abilities and face their own struggles. Does independence suit some kids more than it does others? Do other cultures parent differ...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ― Margaret Mead Change comes only with the will of the people, and our actions as individuals contribute to the strength of a collective force that has the power to drive the world in a fresh new direction. Express Yourself! launches a new year with hosts and report...

For last year's words belong to last year's language / And next year's words await another voice." ― T.S. Eliot Hello 2018! It's a brand new year and we all get a fresh start. Hosts Joven Hundal and Brigitte Jia interview author Deborah Blake with her book, A Year and a Day of Everyday Witchcraft, 366 Ways to Witchify Your Life. "Witchify" may not be a "real" word but her daily tips are fun, produ...

"Moon and stars are giving light. With gifts of nature's giving, we complete the cycle of living. Let us give from our mind, hands, and heart to the world." Chitrabhanu Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, or nothing at all, December is a month of joyfulness. Host Brigite Jia doesn't celebrate Christmas as her family honors the Chinese New Year. Past/Present Reporter Chelsea Pelchat...

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Immanual Kant Everyone needs to find a safe place and in today's episode host Katie Choo interviews Marlene Richter, Executive Director of Noah's Animal House, the first animal sanctuary to be built onsite with a domestic violence shelter in the United States located in Nevada. Noah's Animal House allows victims of abuse to find shelte...

"Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are." ― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger Hosts Brigitte Jia and Zahra Hasanian interview You Tube sensation, Chelsea Crocket who has written a book,Your Own Beautiful. In a culture where media is constantly telling young women they have to look a certain way to be beautiful, there is a lot of pressure to conform...

"Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity." —Hippocrates If you could heal yourself from all ailments, would you? Host Brigitte Jia interviews healing medium, Anysia Marcell Kiel, author of Discovering the Healer Within: Use Chakras and Intuition to Clear Negativity & Release Pain. In the interview we discover ways to balance our physical health with our psyche healt...

Certified Relationship Coach & Award-Winning Diversity Advocate Chris Armstrong joins Brigitte Jia for a lively conversation on the meaning of communication and relationships. He speaks about the correlations between relationships and self-worth/self-esteem and the importance of teaching others about how you wish to be treated. Brigitte talks about the role of self-confidence and individuality in...

It's hard to believe the Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio has been broadcasting every Tuesday at NOON PT on the Voice America Kids Network since its debut on November 21, 2011. Created by veteran radio host and producer, Cynthia Brian, the program began with two teen hosts and five teen reporters, all volunteers with Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 literacy and positive media message charity, who had ze...

Did you love coloring as a kid? Well why limit your artistic talents to childhood? Hosts Katie Choo and Brigitte Jia interview author of Color and Conjure and Magical Destinations of the Northeast . The book is about manifesting your desires with magic and creativity. Combining simple spells with enchanting symbolic imagery, this innovative book provides 50 spells with colorable images for love, m...