Healthy Living with Yoga Anita

Sometimes life gives you a yoga lesson when you least expect it.

Recently I scheduled a guest for my radio show, Healthy Living with Yoga Anita. We confirmed the time, I prepared for the conversation… and when the moment came, they simply didn’t show up.

No message. No explanation.

For a moment, I felt disappointed. But yoga teaches us that the real practice isn’t just on the mat—it’s in how we respond when things don’t go the way we planned.

Instead of holding onto frustration, I took a breath and practiced letting go. One of the principles of yoga, aparigraha, reminds us not to cling too tightly to expectations.

So I chose to release it, refocus, and keep showing up.

Because the next conversation might be the one someone really needs to hear.

Have you ever been ghosted or disappointed by someone? How did you handle it?

🎧 Listen to Healthy Living with Yoga Anita for conversations about wellness, inspiration, and living a healthier life.

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This week on Healthy Living with Yoga Anita, I’m joined by Shari Duffy and Kyrah Altman of LEAD (Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do Inc.).

When Shari’s daughter, Megghan, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at just 23 years old in January 2020, her mission didn’t stop — it grew stronger. Years earlier, Megghan and Kyrah had founded LEAD while still in high school after recognizing the lack of resources and support for young people and families facing a terminal cancer diagnosis.

A graduate of Fitchburg State University, Megghan was passionate about mental health advocacy and became a mental health counselor. Today, LEAD honors her legacy by providing free resources, mental health support, and coping strategies to young adults navigating life-altering diagnoses.

💛 LEAD is currently gathering data to measure the effectiveness of their FREE course — and they need participants and feedback to help expand beyond Massachusetts and reach people nationwide and globally.

👉 Take Megghan’s Course (FREE):
https://leadslearninglab.teachable.com/p/megghans-course

To support the mission, Shari also publishes adult coloring books through ShariB Creatives on Amazon, with all proceeds going directly to LEAD to keep the course free.

Let’s shine a light on this beautiful legacy of empowerment, advocacy, and love.

🎙️ Healthy Living with Yoga Anita – Community Spotlight!

This week I interviewed Arthur Pierce, Choir Director at Leominster High School and founder of the award-winning show choir, Ignition. Arthur began teaching locally in 2000 at St. Leo School and St. Anna School before joining Leominster Public Schools. After attending Show Choir Camps of America in Ohio, he launched Ignition—now in its third year and already earning top honors, including a recent bronze medal! 🏆

We were joined by student song captains Miriam Rosenbaum and Dusk Costa, who shared how they prepare, collaborate, and grow from judges’ feedback. Students even help inspire themes—last year featured Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and this year’s powerful show is Fallout, set in a dystopian future.

Arthur also created the Flamingo Show Choir Festival, celebrating Leominster’s landmark and bringing talented performers together. Choreography support comes from Julie Boyd, Zach Moore and Heather Mahan. 

🎟️ Don’t miss the Flamingo Festival on March 7th!
Tickets: https://onthestage.tickets/show/leominster-music-department

✨ Support our amazing local students and the arts!
📻 Catch Healthy Living with Yoga Anita Saturday mornings on WLPZ 95.1FM.

#Leominster #ShowChoir #SupportTheArts #StudentLeadership #healthylivingwithyogaanita #YogaAnita #CommunitySpotlight #WLPZ #MusicEducation #LocalTalent

🎙️ New Episode: Healthy Living with Yoga Anita

This week, I sit down with Derek Craig, owner of Canvas and founder of the nonprofit Coff33 Corp. Derek is a Leominster native, LHS football alum (Class of 2006), whose journey took him from Central Massachusetts to Texas and into a career in specialty lighting—working on major projects including the African American Museum in Washington, DC.

After a life-altering eye infection that led to near-total vision loss, Derek returned home and transformed adversity into purpose. Through Coff33 Corp, his mission is to cultivate creativity, innovation, and community by creating an inclusive space for artistic expression and collaboration.

We’re also joined by Ascenzio Valeri, a friend of the program—musician, poet, and published author of My Descent Before Ascension. Ascenzio recently recited his poetry on WGBH (PBS), sharing powerful words rooted in resilience and self-expression.
🔗 Learn more about Ascenzio: https://respectedrejectz.com/

This episode is a heartfelt conversation about creativity, community, overcoming challenges, and the healing power of the arts.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-living-with-yoga-anita/id946777214
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3svd2Z30ttYt1n25vg8C8h
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthyLivingYogaAnita
or your favorite podcast station

#HealthyLivingWithYogaAnita #PodcastInterview #CommunityHealing #CreativeCommunity
 #NonprofitSpotlight #Resilience #OvercomingAdversity #ArtAsHealing #LeominsterMA
#CentralMass #PoetryAndPurpose #InclusiveSpaces #CreativeExpression

✨ New Episode: Healthy Living with Yoga Anita ✨

This week, I’m joined by Damary Rosado — scientist, mom, poet, and author of Unraveling My Soul: “Silence the Mind and the Heart Will Sing.”

Originally from Puerto Rico and now a longtime Fitchburg resident, Damary shares her powerful healing journey. After losing her mother at just 12 years old to a drug overdose, her aunt encouraged her to write as a way to process grief. That practice eventually became her book of poetry — a deeply honest expression of loss, faith, and hope.

Shortly after publishing her book, Damary faced another unimaginable challenge when her daughter was diagnosed with Flu B, which progressed to sepsis, organ failure, dialysis, and a two-month coma at Boston Children’s Hospital. Through daily prayer, unwavering faith, and the incredible medical team, her daughter made a miraculous recovery and returned to school at the Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction in Worcester this past December.

Damary now shares her story to inspire others to lean into faith, creativity, and community during life’s most difficult moments. A conversation filled with courage, love, and healing you won’t want to miss.

📍 Recorded with gratitude to The Cellar, Fitchburg
🎙️ Special thanks to Brittney Stumpf
🏥 Honoring the care team at Boston Children’s Hospital

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