On this episode of BoneTalk, BHOF CEO Claire Gill talks with Natasha Williams, CEO of Phoenix Hipwear and a member of BHOF’s Corporate Advisory Roundtable. For more than a decade, Natasha has led innovations in hip fracture prevention, starting with a soft hip protector that became New Zealand’s market leader and a preferred choice in U.S. senior care communities. Most recently, she and her team launched Phoenix Hipwear Active, designed for women 55+ who want to stay active through walking, hiking, biking, traveling, and pickleball while reducing their fracture risk. Claire and Natasha discuss this new product, the technology behind it, and how it’s helping women protect their independence and live vibrant, active lives.
On this inspiring episode of Bone Talk, BHOF CEO Claire Gill welcomes author, advocate, and former BHOF trustee Barbara Hannah Grufferman to share how walking can help transform bone health, boost connections, and reshape how we age. After a wake-up call about her own low bone density, Barbara became a passionate advocate for movement, aging well, and building community. She’s completed 17 marathons since turning 50 and now serves as Special Advisor to the BHOF Board and Team Captain of the Be Bone Strong™ initiative, leading efforts to launch walking clubs nationwide while proving that fitness can be fun, inclusive, and doable at any age.
This Bone Talk episode explores the important connection between bone health and sarcopenia, a condition that causes significant loss of muscle mass and strength beyond normal aging. Guest expert Dr. Stuart Phillips, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at McMaster University, shares insights from decades of research on how exercise and nutrition influence muscle and body composition. Although osteoporosis often gets more attention, sarcopenia also plays a major role in mobility, independence, and overall quality of life. Dr. Phillips explains how even small amounts of regular physical activity can make a meaningful difference as we age.
On this episode of Bone Talk, BHOF CEO Claire Gill is joined by Kristen "N'ylah" Singharat, Philanthropy Manager for Delta Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. In 2018, Delta Phi Lambda selected osteoporosis awareness as their national philanthropy focus, partnering with American Bone Health, which later merged into the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF). This partnership has provided valuable educational resources, helping members become peer educators who inform their communities about bone health.
Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, sat down with Jenna Zaffino, a board-certified health and wellness coach, to discuss building a powerful vision for wellbeing after an osteoporosis diagnosis. Receiving such a diagnosis can be daunting, but it can also be a transformative opportunity to prioritize health and create a fulfilling life. Jenna shares how a diagnosis often creates fear and uncertainty, but it doesn’t have to define your future. She emphasizes acknowledging that initial fear while also exploring what brings joy and meaning to life.
In this episode of Bone Talk, host Barbara Hannah Grufferman is joined by Shona Hendricks, a sports scientist and head of athlete success at CoachParry.com. Shona also leads live online strength training classes and is the creator of the Running Through Menopause training framework. Unfortunately, losing muscle mass is part of aging. It happens to all of us, but it accelerates as we hit our 50’s. The good news is that there are things we can do to mitigate, and even reverse, the muscle loss.
In this episode of BoneTalk, National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) Trustee Barbara Hannah Grufferman is joined by longtime friend, Mark McEwen, to talk about the power of resilience when it comes to matters of the body and mind. You’ll be inspired by all that Mark has done and how he’s overcome his health challenges. You’ll also hear about Barbara’s personal story and the events that motivated her to connect with NOF. Like many women, she was not aware of the loss of bone density until she had an accident. The resulting injury and subsequent treatment was just the beginning of her story. Both Barbara and Mark share insights into how to they approach challenges to lead impactful and fulfilling lives!
In this episode of BoneTalk, host Barbara Hannah Grufferman is joined by Dr. Daniel Lieberman, author of “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding.” Dr. Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a pioneering researcher on the evolution of human physical activity, tells the story of how humans never evolved to exercise – to do voluntary physical activity just for the sake of better health. Yet due to modern innovations and lifestyle changes, we must now choose to exert energy for the sake of our health.
An osteoporosis diagnosis can be scary and perhaps overwhelming. Whether you or a loved one has been affected, it can often be an emotional journey that requires a shift in perspective and lifestyle changes. Where do you turn for help? Here at the National Osteoporosis Foundation, our online support community, hosted by Inspire, is over sixty thousand members strong. In this episode of Bone Talk, we are joined by two of our community volunteer moderators, Pam Flores and Sarah Purcell. Pam and Sarah share some of their own osteoporosis experiences and how the NOF online peer-to-peer community can help you find answers and support.
On this episode of Bone Talk, Dr. Heather Johnson, an actively practicing gynecologist in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, joins Claire Gill, CEO of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, to talk about how changes that occur in the body due to menopause can affect our bone health. For example, the loss of estrogen impacts our bodies in a variety of ways. Bone is living and always growing in our body and estrogen (or the lack of) impacts the balance of breaking down and building up our bones.
After years of managing a consistent health regimen that included things like good nutrition, appropriate supplements and regular exercise, Theresa Reagan found out this past fall that she has osteoporosis. While she allowed herself the space to feel sad and upset, she also quickly made up her mind to take this challenge head on. As we start the new year, we can’t help but feel inspired by her optimism, focus and dedication to finding a positive path forward. Listen to how she dealt with her initial diagnosis and then developed an action plan for her bone health.
In this episode of Bone Talk, we are pleased to welcome Sherri Betz, a member of the NOF Ambassadors Leadership Council. Sherri is a physical therapist, Pilates teacher, and geriatric certified specialist. She specializes in exercise for older adults and teaches community-based classes for osteoporosis, balance, and fall prevention. In the beginning of her career, she became inspired by a physical therapist she worked with which led her to pursue a degree in physical therapy.
Most women are familiar with the more common symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes, sleepless nights and mood swings, but it is so much more than that. It changes everything, often in surprising ways. Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a women’s health expert, joins us for a deep dive on how menopause affects women, head to toe, inside and out, in ways that most women don’t even think about.
Menopause changes everything. Not only do many women experience some of the more common – but temporary – symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes and mood swings, but there are some surprising ways menopause impacts our bodies in much deeper ways. We know, for example, that bones can get thinner and weaker with the drops in estrogen, and just about everything gets drier. But menopause affects our brain health and functioning in ways we are only starting to understand.
This podcast episode is created in support of World Osteoporosis Day, commemorated annually on October 20. The theme for World Osteoporosis Day 2020 will shine a spotlight on osteoporosis as a “family affair” with caregivers often providing the majority of care and the disease ultimately affecting multiple generations. We are thrilled to have a delightful and impressive mother/daughter team with us. Their story is engaging and inspiring indeed.
October is National Menopause Awareness Month, an opportunity to educate women about changes that can occur in the body during this phase of life. The average age of menopause is 51 and can bring on hormonal fluctuations and hot flashes, among other things. During this time, declining estrogen levels can cause bone loss, in turn increasing your risk of osteoporosis. In this episode, we are pleased to be speaking with Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey about the connection between bone health, menopause and osteoporosis.
Join Claire Gill, CEO of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, as she hosts Dr. Eric Wise and Karen Lake in this episode of Bone Talk. Dr. Wise is an expert in minimally invasive spine care and interventional pain management, as well as a board-certified Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Wise currently practices at Northeast Pain Management in Bangor, Maine. Karen is a patient of Northeast Pain Management and resident of Maine.
More than 53 million Americans care for a friend or family member with a disability or health care need. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the fact that our institutions are not prepared to support family caregivers. Many caregivers are “sandwiched” between caring for an aging parent or older adult while also raising children. In this episode, we discuss caregiving challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide information on support and resources available.
Did you know that broken bones of the spine are the most common type of fractures in people with osteoporosis? In this episode, National Osteoporosis Foundation CEO Claire Gill interviews Dr. Tom Schuler, president of the National Spine Health Foundation and CEO and founder of the Virginia Spine Institute. They discuss the relationship between overall bone health and spinal health while offering useful tips on some of the most important things people can do at every stage of life to protect their spine.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation is excited to once again be named as an official charity partner of the 2020 TCS New York City Marathon – which will celebrate its 50th anniversary on November 1. To commemorate this milestone year, NOF has recruited dedicated women over the age of 50 to join its ‘Be Bone Strong’ team. The team is committed to showcasing the critical importance of bone health in active aging.
