Today on Express Yourself! Teen Radio, we bring you a very special program celebrating the win of Be the Star You Are!® as the Top NONPROFIT of the YEAR. Hosts Sharanya, Keerthi, Saanvi Phaneendra, and Julia all had the honor of being in attendance at the awards ceremony where the mayor, Town Council, Chamber, and County Supervisors presented Be the Star You Are!® with several plaques and proclamations. The four hosts share their experiences with volunteering for Be the Star You Are!® and being radio reporters/hosts on this international radio broadcast, Express Yourself!™. Julia and Sharanya read speeches that they presented at the awards ceremony, which brought tears to everyone. Keerthi and Saanvi Phaneendra talked about what inspired them to join Be the Star You Are!® and why they adore participating. Finally, two prominent volunteers who also attended the awards ceremony, Ella and Sean joined the conversation. Ella was the chairperson for the incredibly successful shoe drive, and she’ll chair the upcoming 25th-anniversary celebration at the Pear and Wine Festival on September 28.
Sean is the photographer and videographer for Be the Star You Are!®. You can check out his videos at www.youtube.com/Bethestaryouare
Express Yourself! Teen Radio is produced by Cynthia Brian of Starstyle Productions, llc as an outreach program of Be the Star You Are! charity. To make a tax-deductible donation to keep this positive youth programming broadcasting weekly to international audiences, visit http://www.bethestaryouare.org. Dare to care!
Tune in LIVE weekly to the upbeat, positive lifestyle broadcast where producer and host Cynthia Brian showcases strategies for success on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®. Available wherever you listen to your favorite programs!
Criminals are bombarding citizens with phone calls, emails, texts, and letters in an attempt to drain bank accounts. The scams and fraud are increasingly sophisticated. Artificial intelligence has upped the fraud game. How can you protect yourself?
After working with hundreds of clients over two decades, functional nutritionist and food psychology specialist Sue Van Raes has realized that what we eat is not just about food. More than ever, it’s about our relationship with food, and that relationship has become increasingly stressed. Cynthia Brian interviews Sue about her book, Food and Freedom. a journey to reclaiming our wholeness so that we can experience more integration, mindfulness, and personal fulfillment around food and in life.
Mothers are considered the heart of the home. Mothers Day is dedicated to honoring the women who are our mother figures or instrumental in our lives. Although not a federal holiday, it is a day to express our gratitude to those who perform the toughest job in the world…being a mom.
Bio: Sue Van Raes
Sue Van Raes, author of Food and Freedom, is a functional nutritionist, food psychology specialist, and psycho-spiritual practitioner who works with clients locally, online, remotely, and through her women’s wellness, yoga, and nature retreats. Her work has been featured by People, Reader’s Digest, Chopra, The Sacred Science, and Livestrong. https:/www.bouldernutrition.com/
April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” William Shakespeare
Gardeners refer to April showers bringing May flowers, and that is a truism. As an avid gardener, I believe in April powers as gardens burst into life with abundant floral reveals marking the beginning of a vibrant growing season.
In late 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture updated hardiness zones based on weather conditions between 1991-2020. The upward trend in warming temperatures is no surprise, yet our area has remained at zone 9b. The zones are a recommendation for hardiness when planning your planting. To find specimens that will thrive in our gardens, I advise buying local at your preferred nursery as you’ll find natives and plants that are acclimated to our climate. Also, local nurseries employ knowledgeable garden gurus who can answer your questions to help you be more successful. Wherever you are making your purchase, keep in mind that our 9b hardiness zone is only one factor when you are searching for the best plants for your yard. Your garden may experience a micro-climate different from your neighbors. Always familiarize yourself with the light, soil, and water requirements of your garden.
Intentional use of native plants that have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over millions of years creates the most productive and sustainable wildlife habitat according to the National Wildlife Federation. Entomologist, Dr. Douglas Tallamy, and his team have identified what we call keystone plants, the 14% of native plants that support 90% of butterfly and moth species. Our ecosystems suffer without these keystones. You can search by zip code for necessary natives at www.NWF.org. Our live oak trees alone can host 275 species of caterpillars! Consider scattering seeds of sunflower, aster, fleabane, and lupin. Plant strawberries, trillium, goldenrod, dogwood, roses, and berries as well as fruit trees including apricot, cherry, peach, and plum as hosts to moth and butterfly caterpillars and pollen for bees. When broadcasting seeds either by hand or hydroseeding, don’t cover the seeds or rake them. Do a light compression either with pieces of cardboard, a lawn roller, or even your feet. Yes, the birds and squirrels will consume some of your seeds. Sharing is caring. These seeds require light and air to germinate properly. Seeds that are buried too deeply struggle to access necessary nutrients and may die.
Nature awes me as I walk around my garden. Wildflowers are in glorious abundance. So much is in flower that I don’t know where to point the camera. Western redbud, sour, choke, and sweet cherries, prune, horse chestnut, tulip magnolia, mock orange, and crabapple are just a few of my trees that showcase stand-out blossoms, many intoxicatingly fragrant, and all of them populated with pollinators. My camellia has been repeatedly blooming since December. It was planted as a one-gallon plant several years ago and is now seventeen feet tall and twelve feet wide. When planting anything, make sure you understand how large the plant will be at maturity so that you dig the hole in an area where it will grow and thrive.
My roses, which I heavily pruned in February, are also blooming. Not to be overlooked, forget-me-nots blanket shaded areas while woodland hyacinths, also known as English bluebells and sea foam statice have naturalized in sunny locations dressed to impress the garden in shades of blue and purple. Supporting the butterfly and bird population, the white clusters of viburnum flowers provide nectar for the flitting butterflies while the forming black berries feed the birds. California poppies, calendula, tulips, daffodils, potato vine, anemones, Dutch iris, bearded iris, Calla lilies, periwinkle, a variety of succulents, and masses of weeds carpet my meadow hillside and orchard. I’ll be busy for months to come!
The wisteria is budding and by the time I write my next article, I imagine a glorious gauze of lavender pea flowers cascading over the pergola. When growing wisteria, it is essential to consider the sturdiness of the structure where your vine will twine. Wisteria forms a thick trunk with stems that become woody as they seek climbing support. Arbors, fences, trellises, and even trees become their ladder. To maintain its shape and size, as well as to encourage flowering, wisteria needs regular pruning.
One of my favorite edible wild species that powers on in April is allium triquetrum, wild ramps, also known as the three-cornered leek. Foragers are fond of this delicious triangular onion stem, yet it can be invasive. If you cultivate it, make sure it doesn’t escape. These wild onions closely resemble the lance-shaped leaves of Lily of the Valley which is not an allium and non-edible. Lily of the Valley is poisonous with white, bell-shaped flowers, whereas the ramps produce umbels of small white flowers. All alliums have a very distinct onion smell. If you think you are gathering ramps but there is no onion smell, do not taste it. Always be certain of what plant you are eating as there are many plants poisonous and toxic to humans that resemble edible ones.
Although it’s early, I’m experimenting with growing tomato seedlings. I started with a couple of plants in March and will continue adding to my plot through June to determine when the best time is to grow this favorite fruit. As you plant your tomatoes, peas, and beans, support them with strong cages or wire. Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily and are best spaced two feet apart. They will do well in large containers or pots of fifteen gallons or more.
Our mild weather, warm sunshine, occasional showers, diverse plant species, wildflower displays, lavish blooms, plus the humming, buzzing, singing, crowing, croaking, cawing, and hooting of wildlife make this gorgeous month a time of vitality, color, and renewal as youthful April powers!
Cynthia Brian amongst the weeds and the blooms of Earth Day!
For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her newest children’s picture book, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available AT A DISCOUNT now at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.
Do you like to experience adventures or are you afraid of new trails? Host Keerthi navigates the realm of adventures. Keerthi states that we are all called to adventure in our unique ways. Sometimes it comes as a whisper, a gentle urging to explore beyond the familiar. Other times, it arrives as a thunderous roar, impossible to ignore. But regardless of its form, the call to adventure beckons us to step outside our comfort zones, to embrace the unknown with open arms. Kirpa and Milan provide the various meanings of the word “adventure” and share adventures they’ve taken together in Yellowstone. They admit what scares them and where they’d like to travel. Saanvi Phaneendra does her segment of “Space Spotlight” as she showcases the adventure of each planet in the solar system. From daring flybys to the deployment of rovers and potential future manned missions, we’ll explore what humanity has achieved and what we plan to achieve in our quest to understand our neighbors in space.
Whether you skydive or dive in swimming pools, every day can be an adventure if you decide to explore.
Tune in LIVE weekly to the upbeat, positive lifestyle broadcast where producer and host Cynthia Brian showcases strategies for success on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®. Available wherever you listen to your favorite programs!
Be the Star You Are! was founded by Cynthia Brian in 1999 and has been serving the community, country, and world with an all-volunteer staff since that time. In 2024, BTSYA was the winner of the Nonprofit of the Year Award. Listen to the backstory and the successes. Congratulations to the volunteers, donors, and supporters.
You probably eat lettuce and maybe spinach, but in springtime, there are so many delicious greens that are packed with nutrients that it’s time that you upped your intake. Goddess Gardener Cynthia Brian shares the interesting and flavorful supergreens that are proven to help you stay strong, lean, and disease-free.
As teens begin thinking about college, they often ask their counselors or parents what would be the most lucrative major for financial success. Is it business, computer science, law, medical, or something else? What are the best fields to pursue? Find a glimpse of what majors lead to the best opportunities in longevity with high earning potentials.
When you are looking for upbeat, life-changing, and mind-stretching information, you have come to the right place. Host Cynthia Brian takes you on a journey of exploration that will encourage, inspire, and motivate you to make positive changes that offer life-enhancing results. It’s party time on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®. And YOU are invited! Join us LIVE 4-5pm Pt on Wednesdays or tune in to the archives at your leisure. Come play in StarStyle Country. Catch up with all broadcasts on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/starstyle-be-the-star-you-are!/id669630180?mt=2
StarStyle® Empowerment is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.”~ J.K. Rowling
A MESSAGE from Founder/Executive Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN
As a steward of our beautiful earth and a gregarious gardener, April is a favorite month because it signals a time of awareness of the need to care for and appreciate our delicate planet. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and in 2022, two of our youth poets, Sharanya Roy, Ruhani Chhabra and I were chosen to participate in a global celebration that included the soon-to-be crowned King Charles! (Check out the videos at www.youtube.com/Bethestaryouare) That was thrilling.
This April, Be the Star You Are!® once again was surprised with an award. What exciting news it was to be notified by Katie Bidstrup, Executive Director of the Moraga Chamber of Commerce that out of 80 nominations, Be the Star You Are!® was the winner of the 2024 NonProfit of the Year and the Child Day School was the winner of Business of the Year. How marvelous that both entities empower excellence in youth! Thank you, Katie!
At the awards reception on Saturday, April 13, volunteers, donors, supporters, friends, and family were honored by the Chamber Board, Mayor, Council Members, and County Supervisors. Teen volunteers introduced themselves and the programs that they were involved in. Two of our Express Yourself!® Teen Radio Hosts, Julia Howe and Sharanya Roy, gave heartfelt, emotional speeches about the profound and powerful impact that volunteering with Be the Star You Are!® had on their lives. I was so personally touched, that I was in tears.
People in attendance were also deeply moved. The positive comments about the teens were profuse and well-deserved. The Town Council stated, “Your selection as Moraga’s 2024 Nonprofit of the Year is a very positive reflection on your critical positive contribution to our community.”
As one supporter kindly wrote “Cynthia, it was a real pleasure to visit with your outstanding group. As we said to your crew on the way out, “we feel much better about the future of the United States.” You have a wonderful program.” Yes, kudos to our well-spoken and amazing youth!
The future is bright because teens express themselves. Tune in to our teen radio broadcasts where teens talk and the world listens.
In the photo L to R: Keerthi Eranivan, Sharanya Roy, Julia Howe, Sean Kwok, Ella Kalpakjian, Cynthia Brian, and Saanvi Phaneendra. Not pictured: Charvi Saxena
Eleventh grader, Sean Kwok, volunteers as a videographer for Be The Star You Are!®, and has chosen the organization because it gives other youth like him a belief in positive media and literacy. His favorite pastimes are running track, doing sound for theatrical tech, and Youth & Government. He also loves filmmaking and hopes to pursue it as a major in college. He encourages others to take a look at the BTSYA website and look through all the great ways people can find the great messages and programs that Be the Star You Are!® has created!
Check out the videos Sean has created for BTSYA with more to come.
We all have a role to play in preserving our environment for future generations. While many corporations are dealing with long-term sustainability, there are simple things we can do that will have an impact on everyone’s tomorrow. Pick one of the following to do today to be kind to our environment.
Alternatives to Driving
· Walk or ride a bike
· Carpool or use public transportation
· Save gas by watching your speed (Note: speeding reduces mileage by up to 33%)
· Combine errands to make fewer trips
Home Energy Savers
· Turn off lights when you leave the room
· Reduce drafts with caulk, insulation, or weather stripping
· Look for energy-efficient appliances when replacing old ones
Other Ways To Save Our Planet
· Eat locally-produced food
· Recycle items you no longer use
· Use cloth napkins at home instead of paper
Reduce paper consumption by using technology with less printing of documents or using both.
Karen Kitchel is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She purchased the book, No Barnyard Bullies, as a gift for every kindergarten student where she is a volunteer teacher. www.scatteringkindness.com
PRESALES FOR NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK
The third book in the children’s picture book series Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventure is Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!,a delightful tale based on the true story of a baby fawn who is rescued by children and shares a secret superpower. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit Be the Star You Are!® charity. While the book is being published, presale orders are discounted through May 20th. The regular price is $14.95 but the presale price is only $11.95. Buy your copies now, ask for autographs, and reap the extra rewards. Visit https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.
INSPIRING BOOK PACKAGES
Are you looking for first-edition book packages as keepsakes or gifts? Be the Star You Are!® offers our special book package containing six books in our most popular two series for adults, teens, and children.
FREE DEBATE PROGRAM FOR K-12 WITH ELOQUENCE ACADEMY
Be the Star You Are!® is excited to announce a new program in collaboration with the Eloquence Academy for a FREE debate program for students. Keerthi Eranivan, our talented debate volunteer, is the BTSYA chairperson, who will spearhead our partnership in this new program. Eloquence is sustained by a strong belief in our mission and the power of speech and debate. Otherwise known as forensics, debate is a popular extracurricular activity in MS and HS nationwide, as well as in undergraduate, graduate, and other post-secondary organizations. Beyond the technical aspects of competition, debaters are known to enter the workforce with edges over others: increased communication skills, increased confidence, higher SAT scores (both on the math and reading section of the standardized tests), a higher GPA, and a better chance of attending and graduating from college. This program collaboration aims to offer debate programs to students aged K-12 providing the opportunity to experience the activity and supplement their academic and developmental growth. For information visit https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs
For more information about Eloquence Academy visit www.eloquenceacademy.org and Instagram: @eloquenceacadem
Keerthi chairs the Eloquence Debate Partnership with Be the Star You Are!®
SPRING SHIFT
by Britney Phan
I shift and the environment shifts with me. The beginning of spring signals new opportunities for growth as I look for ways to reinvent myself. The changing of the leaves and the blossoming of the flowers; animals, once hibernating, emerging from their caves—all these serve to remind me of the fact that, not unlike the perpetual shift of the seasons, personal growth is also a cyclical and continuous process.
If we are products of our environment, then it stands to reason we should also protect it. Our environment plays a direct role in the shaping of our identities. I have personally experienced the calming effects of nature myself while taking a stroll through the park after a particularly dreary day; in that sense, taking care of the environment is an act of gratitude for all the ways the Earth has helped and shaped us. If not for us, then our responsibility to the environment should come from the need to take care of it for future generations: after all, how can our children appreciate the beauty of sitting beneath a tree if there are no trees left for them to enjoy?
Britney Phan with her family above is a volunteer writer with BTSYA and an undergraduate student at Fordham University, where she intends to major in English. Her interests include writing, reading, and spending time with her sister.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF POSITIVE RESULTS
With no paid staff and all volunteers, since receiving our 501c3 status in 1999, Be the Star You Are! has:
*Collected and donated 1575 pairs of shoes to women in poverty around the globe.
*Broadcast 2700 unique hours of positive programming through radio broadcasts.
*Published 7 signature award-winning books, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens, Be the Star You Are!® Millennials to Boomers, No Barnyard Bullies, Family Forever, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, and Miracle Moments®,
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” – Dolly Parton.”
In the constantly evolving landscape of the 21st century, adaptability has emerged as a crucial skill set, indispensable for success and survival. As we step into the year 2024, the need for adjustment and flexibility has never been more pronounced. Sharanya hosts a full hour discussing the importance of adjusting and adapting. From technological advancements to socioeconomic transformations, from global crises to individual challenges, the ability to adapt stands as a beacon of resilience in an uncertain world. In addition to external forces, personal growth and development also necessitate a willingness to adapt. Life is inherently unpredictable, and unexpected setbacks, failures, and transitions are inevitable. Throughout history, the ability to adjust has been essential for human survival, progress, and resilience in the face of changing circumstances, environments, and challenges. Adjust and adapt!
Tune in LIVE weekly to the upbeat, positive lifestyle broadcast where producer and host Cynthia Brian showcases strategies for success on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®. Available wherever you listen to your favorite programs!
Are you planning a vacation? Do you know what to pack? Your medications are critical items that must be planned. TSA will allow certain meds, but find out how to pack so you aren’t left in the lurch.
April powers on as gardens burst into life with abundant floral reveals marking the beginning of a vibrant growing season. Find out what’s happening in the landscape. Be prepared to be awed.
Are you constantly swimming upstream? Are you holding on to things that don’t work? Are you beating your head against a wall? Find out how to let it go and let it flow.
Writer, Vera Kochan wrote the article about BTSYA winning NonProfit of the Year!
Moraga’s Nonprofit of the Year, Be the Star You Are!, is a 501(c)(3), and the brainchild of Lamorinda Weekly’s own Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian. Her career credits extend to book author, producer, interior designer, radio host, and more.
While working with kids in 1995 as a casting director, Brian noticed that many of them had issues, especially with literacy. She was reading a lot of self-help books at the time and wanted to get the same message out to kids and women. By calling her charity Be the Star You Are!, she was planting a seed that “every person is unique. They have their own beauty and flame. We all have it — we are enough.”
Brian founded BTSYA! in 1999, along with her teen daughter, Heather Brittany, with the idea of empowering at-risk youth through literacy and positive media. “Had I had a crystal ball back in 1999 to foresee how challenging it would be to manage a nonprofit corporation solely with volunteers and donation dollars, I know I would not have taken the first step in creating Be the Star You Are!,” she stated. “Thank goodness that I am not clairvoyant. I am a huge believer in being different, thinking outside the box, and valuing our individuality. My goal has been to provide encouragement, opportunity, and direction to women, families, and youth through increasing literacy, decreasing violence, providing positive media choices, and enhancing quality of life.”
BTSYA!, is run by an all-volunteer staff that began by collecting and distributing books to nearly 118 organizations nationwide. It also produces positive-message radio programs that range from “education and advisement, to inspiration and guidance by covering every aspect of life, from abuse through money management, health, environmental stewardship, relationships, parenting, business skills, art, music, and entertainment.” They support all ethnicities and have no religious or political agendas.
While Brian hosts one of the radio shows called, “StarStyle-Be the Star You Are!, the other one is hosted by teens. “Express Yourself” is intended to give youth a voice while teaching them to be confident, authentic reporters and writers. Both programs feature authors, artists, activists, musicians, and entrepreneurs that are making positive contributions to humanity.
“We’ve done so many outreach programs,” stated Brian. “We even have teens tutor teens. There are so many opportunities to help people. I support the kids and listen to what they want to do. Their suggestions have been important to the programs. We’re constantly evolving and changing to make it relevant to the times. We also have a teen book review program.” She estimates having coached over 70 kids/reporters for radio over the years, and they have gone on to jobs all across the country. BTSYA! is always ready to welcome more volunteers.
As an author, Brian is working on her eleventh book. Her first book, “Be the Star You Are!” was launched in 2001. Since then, she’s written inspirational books that include teens’ stories, gardening books, and picture books for children.
BTSYA! operates through contributions, in-kind donations, and proceeds from fund-raising events. They are not state or federally funded. For more information or to make a donation visit:www.bethestaryouare.org, or email:info@bethestaryouare.org.
The Moraga Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a coffee/pastry reception to celebrate the honorees on April 13 between 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Moraga Library’s Community Room, 1500 St. Mary’s Road. Please RSVP by visiting:www.Moragachamber.org.
Listen to Next at the Mic with Bonnie D. when she interviews three radio broadcast hosts including, Cynthia Brian in the episode Now You’re Talking! A fun hour when the questions are turned to the people who are usually asking the questions!
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