December 21, 2025 • 37 mins
The Academy Awards are ditching broadcast television and heading to YouTube; Plus, how to deal with stress and grief at the holidays, and how to be more accommodating when hosting people with disabilities at your holiday events.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News,
a big change and entertainment's biggest awards night. Kfi's Heather
Brooker joins is now to talk about the Oscars leaving
network TV for YouTube, Heather or what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Oh man?
Speaker 5 (00:24):
I'm always happy to be here with do you know that?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I mean, there was a time where the Academy Awards
were the only thing people would watch when it was broadcast.
It was the top show people wanted to watch, the
Academy Awards. That's been changing, of course, like most major events,
there are now a lot of other choices people can make.
If they had those choices back in the day, they
might have made alternative choices too. But this seems like
(00:47):
a pretty significant change in tradition for the Academy Awards
to leave network television to stream exclusively on YouTube starting
in twenty twenty nine. What is this about?
Speaker 6 (00:58):
Well, you know, you're right. The oscar were absolutely event television.
People would gather around the TV to see who was
wearing what, you know, and to some extent they still do.
But now people are gathering around their phones to look
and see what the highlights are going to be. People
are not staying to watch necessarily the entire show anymore.
Speaker 5 (01:18):
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
There's a lot of things that we watch now in
reruns or in highlight reels essentially, and I feel like
the Oscars is sort of falling into that trap. So
what's interesting is that they made this decision in a
year where in twenty twenty five the Academy Awards had
its highest ratings in five years. They had just over
nineteen point seven million viewers, and that's pretty significant. And
(01:43):
then for them to go to that and make such
a big change like this, it's I think it's really
indicative of the direction that the industry is going in.
So many people are leaning into streaming platforms, online content,
and I think this is really indicative of the way
(02:03):
things are, the direction Hollywood is going, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I mean we've known that sports events and you know NFL,
major League Baseball, they have moved to streaming deals. Netflix
carrying games, Amazon Prime carrying games. You don't hear a
lot about YouTube doing this sort of thing as it
relates directly to the entertainment industry. What is it that
(02:26):
YouTube might see in the Academy Awards specifically.
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Well, I think we're going to see a couple of things.
Speaker 6 (02:32):
First of all, you know, people forget that YouTube is
the sort of the og breakout star of social media.
You know, remember when we used to have like my Friends,
and then there was my Space and then the like
you know, smaller variations of the social media we know now.
But YouTube has been around for so long and it
has been constant, constantly growing. It now has a reach
(02:55):
of two billion people around the world. So if if
you're at the Academy and you're wanting to find a
way to one reach younger people, which they definitely are,
and reach more people, there really is no better partnership
than to get together with YouTube because you're instantly going
to be live to potentially two billion people who can watch,
(03:17):
you know, on the subway on the way home, or
you know, watching while they're at work and whatever it
might be. And so it's a really great collaboration. It's
really interesting too here that you know, ABC has aired
the Academy Award since nineteen seventy six, so for them
to break from ABC in this way and do something
(03:37):
so radically different, it's definitely going to shake up the show,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, was this something that ABC wanted? I know that
there are major events that go out to bid. Maybe
a network NBC, CBSABC, Fox or one of the cable
networks will win the rights to something for a certain
number of years, and then it comes back up and
the other network will outbid. Is this something that was
put out to bid or network kind of over award shows?
(04:01):
They certainly don't pack the ratings punch they used.
Speaker 5 (04:04):
To well, And I think that's the key right there.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
You know, even though this year the Academy Awards had
their highest ratings in five years, it still doesn't get
a lot of eyeballs.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Now that being said, it's a level.
Speaker 6 (04:16):
Of prestige, So I don't think that ABC probably wanted
to let it go. You know, it's uh, it's become
synonymous with ABC and the Academy Awards. I mean, they're
they have so many of their people from their shows
and you know Disney films that are involved in the
in the ceremony itself, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for many years.
(04:37):
I think that they probably didn't want to let it go.
But when the Academy is faced with potentially generating you know,
tens of millions more dollars, getting younger viewers, sort of
reinvigorating the the products.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You know.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
Uh, it's it's a no win situation. It's a it's
a win win situation, I should say. Rather for the Academy, well.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
YouTube is a good viewing experience. I will confess that
I do subscribe to YouTube's premium. I don't do YouTube TV,
but I do subscribe to the premium. I don't get
the commercials, and I really use YouTube a lot. It's
got a lot of content on there. It's it's a
great platform. I know that they can handle this. But
(05:20):
with this YouTube and the Oscar situation, with Netflix taking
over Warner Brothers possibly, I mean, this is the this
this is the rise of the online platforms taking over
those legacy brands.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
Yeah, it absolutely is.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
And I think, you know, one of the things that
you know, the negative side I've heard of this and
that we you know, you kind of might lose is
you know, Hollywood is steeped in tradition, and there is
this sort of idea of you know, it goes even
into the casting rooms. You know, you're you're an a Lister,
B Lister, A C Lister, and they like to sort
(05:57):
of categorize people in this way. When you open it
up to YouTube, you're essentially saying we're also going to
open it up to potential influencers and YouTubers and people
who have been content creators on the app, which is
a different level of talent and skill than say, somebody
who has been studying film and performing in films their
(06:17):
whole life. So the question is does it sort of
take away from the prestige of the ceremony, And I
think in some ways it might, And I wonder I'm
really going to be curious to see at that time
are the big stars still going to go Are they
going to go to the YouTube Academy Awards? Like you know,
(06:37):
it'll be interesting to see the branding and the developments
that happen over the next few years, because there's definitely
going to.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Be a lot of changes in Hollywood, as.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
You mentioned, especially with the potential Warner Brothers Netflix deal.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The deal also provides digital access to some Academy Museum
exhibitions and programs. It digitizes some of the Academy a collection,
which has more than fifty two million film related items
of history and tradition. They're going to YouTube speaking of
history and tradition. As Christmas Day approaches, that used to
be a significant day for cinema. I know a lot
(07:09):
of movies would be released on Christmas Day, Heather, is
this something that is still happening this year?
Speaker 6 (07:15):
Yes, So this is traditionally when a lot of the
studios release their their bigger pictures. You've got your July
you know, June July summer blockbusters that come out, and
then the holidays because everybody is going to be wanting
to get away from their families, you know, take a
break for the holidays and go see a movie, So
the studios hold on to their big juggernaut films to
(07:36):
release them. So right now, your choices are Avatar, Avatar,
Fire and Ash Is out right now. You've got Marty Supreme,
the new Timothy Schallamey movie. You've got The Housemaids darring
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seifried. There are a lot of
great options at the box office this weekend. And do
(07:58):
you are you gonna go see movies?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I've never gone to the movies on Christmas Day? I mean,
is is it pretty busy out there.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
It's pretty busy.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
A lot of people go. I think it's a tradition
for a lot of families.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I might hit the one downtown that might not be
as crowded.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
If you go, What are you going to see? I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Maybe that Timothy Challomey movie. I tend to like his movies.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Yeah, you know, I auditioned for that movie.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
The Marty Supreme. Yes, for the role of Marty.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
For the role of Marty, and they went with Shallo May.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
What was the I mean, like, what does that audition
look like?
Speaker 6 (08:30):
I want you to watch it, and I want you
to tell me if you can guess which role audition for.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh, it was like a roll with small okay, small line,
a small role, a few scenes, one scene.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
A couple of small scenes.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Okay, okay. I'll see it and I will report back
if I get that correct. Yes, please do, Heather Brooker,
Marry Christmas to you and you will be doing wake
up Call during the weeks. You got the early shift
next week some of the days, right.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
That's right, Yes, everybody, please tune in.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
I've got some fun things planned over the holidays, and
of course we'll have all of the news of the
day starting at five am on wake up Call. And
also everybody can listen to my show entertain Me with
Heather Brooker, where I talk about all things entertainment from
Sokal to the silver screen.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Heather Brooker from KFI News, Thanks so much.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Thanks Michael Monks.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's the most stressful time of the year. How are
you doing out there on the roads, at the stores,
at your home. A local expert helps us work through
holiday stress.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
If you tend to lose your mind a bit this
time of year, you're not alone. The American Psychiatric Association
reports forty one percent of adults say they anticipate more
stress at the holidays. So how do we deal with it?
Ull to med Health Services. Behavioral health expert Francis Shinchia
(09:50):
joins us now to talk about it. Francis Hinchia, thank
you so much for taking some time for KFI.
Speaker 7 (09:55):
Thank you for having me. Michael, happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know, I don't know what it is about this
time of year. I love Christmas, but I have to
confess for the context of this conversation. I was sealing
up some packages to send to my family this week,
and that mailing tape it got stuck. I couldn't get
it back into the slot. It was a disaster. I
(10:17):
lost my temper. And here I am literally wrapping Christmas
presents to send to my nieces and nephews, a moment
of joy, and I lost my mind. What is it
about this time of year that can send us over
the edge so easily?
Speaker 8 (10:32):
Yeah, I mean it's a high, high anxiety, tense time
of year.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Right.
Speaker 7 (10:41):
It's joyous, but it's also full with a lot of stressors.
I mean, ranging from going to the mall.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I mean that in itself is quite quite the task
during this holiday season, looking for parking, fighting over the
last of whatever you're trying to pick up at the store.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
Right, it's just a lot of stress during this time
of year.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
I know that experts like you might suggest that we
should figure out what's causing the stress. We were just
talking about it more broadly, But are there common stressors
that we should be looking for?
Speaker 8 (11:15):
Yeah, I think a lot of it comes around, like
the planning around the holidays. I think people have like
this idea of the way the holidays supposed to look,
from picking up the Christmas tree to the guest list
for the dinner for the holiday dinner. And I think
people can be easily overwhelmed with multiple tasks because not
only are we trying to take care of our holiday tasks,
(11:39):
but we're also still having our regular lives.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
Right. We still have the stress from home, we have
stress at.
Speaker 8 (11:45):
Work, and so now we're adding an additional holiday stress.
So I think that's really what tends to make people
eventually just reach a breaking point like you did with
the tape.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It was a literal literally almost a breaking point. That
mailing tape almost got mailed into outer space. And then
I snapped back, Thank goodness, I was able to get
control of myself, like what are you doing? Get ahold
of yourself and calm down. It was fine. Is this
time of year and the stress around it, is it
more difficult for folks who typically have behavior or stress
(12:20):
issues or does it affect all of us?
Speaker 7 (12:23):
I think that's a really good point.
Speaker 8 (12:24):
I mean, I would say that people who tend to
struggle with stress in general tend to be even more
stressed during the holidays. People who are more on the
anxious side, are going to be more easily triggered, and
are going to experience an anxiety or response to something
that maybe someone else would just not really have a
reaction to.
Speaker 7 (12:44):
So yeah, I think that you do raise a good point.
Speaker 8 (12:47):
It's people prone to anxiety and people prone to struggling
with stress in general who struggle more. But definitely I
think even those who don't necessarily experience that there's just
like these added elements during the holidays that can put
people on edge. Right, like again, driving in traffic, it's
(13:09):
just worse during the holidays.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
You're likely to kind of maybe experience more world rage
than usual.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Our guest is Francis Tincia, a behavioral health expert at
Ultimate Health Services here in Los Angeles. What should we
notice about the physical condition related to stress? What should
we notice when it's starting to bubble up so that
maybe we can get a handle on it before it explodes.
Speaker 7 (13:32):
Yeah, really good question. I think it's really being a
tuned to yourself and your cues. So knowing what are
some indicators to you that you're kind of out of
your frustration tolerance range, right, whether it might be noticing,
oh I'm experiencing much more muscle tension than usual in
my shoulders, or.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
I'm starting to get like these weird digestive issues that
tend to flare up during high anxiety or stressful times.
Speaker 7 (13:59):
So being a tuned to your body and these are
like these red flags for you that are telling you, hey,
you're probably really stressed out and better check in and
figure out how to manage this. Headaches for sure, tension headaches.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I know that personally, I will often use maybe a
depressing day or a stressful day as an excuse to
eat something I shouldn't be. My understanding is that pros
like you would discourage us from turning to that type of.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Comfort, right, right, Yeah, we can't use the excuse it's
the holidays, right and have that extra piece of cake
or maybe even pour that drink because we sort of
give ourselves a past during the holiday season. Yeah, these
things are probably not highly encouraged and definitely keeping within
a minimum.
Speaker 7 (14:48):
There are other healthy coping skills that we can utilize.
Speaker 8 (14:51):
And really kind of tapping into skills that you've put
in place in the past during stressful times. It might
range for some people it's going for a really good
run For on people, it's just zoning out into some
enjoyable television for a little bit, right, So it could vary.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
It's different for everyone.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Is there any pre game that you might recommend for
folks who recognize that they're prone to stress or anxiety
at certain types of events parties, Christmas parties, public events
where they're going to be lights and crowds, or big shopping,
but it's something you need to do. Is there anything
to prepare for those types of things that you know
can be triggering for your stress.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
That's a good one too. Yeah. I think really grounding
and centering yourself prior is super important. Carving out some
time for yourself to really check.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
In and have a moment of reflection as to why
you're even doing this, right, why are you going, why
are you doing the shopping? Well, what's the meaning behind
it all?
Speaker 7 (15:53):
And also just having a moment where you can have
some quiet to it down a little bit. Some people
really love meditation, it really works for them. It's mindfulness
practice is great for this. It's sort of regulating your nervous.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
System, taking those deep breaths and also checking in with
yourself during the event and after as well. It's not
just one moment of regulation. It might have to be
continual moments of regulation.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
If this is something that people experience frequently and even
outside of the holidays, but maybe it's amplified this time
of year. When is it okay to recognize or I
should say, when should we recognize that, Hey, this isn't
just a stressful day, This isn't just an anxious day.
I might have a personal issue that is worth talking
(16:47):
to a professional about.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
Yeah, so, if you're experiencing this.
Speaker 8 (16:53):
Restlessness, rumination, nervous system activation more than not, it's probably
time to speak to a professional. Right So, if it's
consuming a good chunk of your day, good chunk of
your week, and it's going on without end, I think
it's time to check in. It's time to check in
(17:14):
with someone and to also know that we all experience
some form of anxiety to some degree.
Speaker 7 (17:20):
Anxiety is a total normal experience.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
But when it's consuming us more than need be, then
at that point I think it's time to get some help.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Francis Hincia is a behavioral health expert at all to
med Health Services here in Los Angeles. Francis, thank you
so much for the time I wish you a happy
and stress free holiday season. Thanks so much for the time.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
Likewise, Mi goal, take care happy holidays.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
The holidays can also make us sad as we remember
good times with people who are no longer here. Dealing
with holiday grief is next on Michael Monk's Reports.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is a joyous time of year, but because of that,
we may be feeling sadder than usual, because people who
used to bring so much joy to our lives are
no longer here. Michelle Bryant Johnson is an expert on that.
She used to live in Irvine. She's now based in
Georgia and joins us to talk about it. Michelle Bryant Johnson,
(18:26):
thank you so much for spending some time here with KFI.
Speaker 9 (18:28):
Thank you, thank you for having me. I'm really honored
to be on your show, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
We're pleased to have you. You know, Christmas, what is it?
The most wonderful time of the year, they call it,
but it is also a time of great challenges because
maybe because it is so wonderful and you develop these
really warm, wholesome memories and then somebody who may have
played a big role in that is no longer with us.
And I know, as an executive coach who focuses on mindset,
(18:57):
that you might have some advice for people who are
pro coaching this holiday with a spirit of sadness. I mean,
what is what is tip number one? As we deal
with raw grief?
Speaker 9 (19:07):
Yes, yes, absolutely it's real. It's you know, especially if
it's if it's recent for me my husband past five
years ago, but it never really goes away. It may
get better over time. But a tip is, you know,
loss is a grief is represents love and loss, and
(19:28):
so the key is not to dismiss it, to embrace
how you feel and give yourself grace. Maybe it may
be celebrating in a different way, whether you are where,
you change your scenery, whether you honor that person with
(19:49):
something special that they enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You lost your husband, as you noted a judge in
Georgia very well respected there and lost them during COVID
five years ago. Was what was your first holiday like
without your husband?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Honestly our world was turned upside down, totally overwhelmed, not
only with his the with COVID and being so it
was still the early stages. It was twenty twenty. So
in fact, he passed from COVID and he only had
it for like a week, so there was no vaccine,
(20:25):
there was no medicine, and he found out on Thursday
day toiling positive on Monday. He was gone on Wednesday.
So it was totally a shock for us. But how
we spent clearly Christmas was very different. But we came
together as a family, honored him, Our community embrace you know,
(20:49):
it was already embracing us, but they really came together.
So we were in many ways we were a little
overwhelmed with all the love, but so really we were.
We were living on the greatness of his work.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Do you find that the holidays can be triggering for
you or other folks just because it resurfaces emotions much
more strongly than let's say, a day in August.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
It can.
Speaker 9 (21:18):
It's possible, and that's okay. One of the rituals or
traditions we would do at Christmas was go cut our
cut down our own Christmas tree. So when Harris and
I had when the boys were little, we have two sons,
we would go and it was a whole day of
riding the hay ride, hot chocolate, cutting down the tree,
(21:39):
and you pack your own tree and cut it. Yes, absolutely,
that's very different. But what's really cool this year my son,
my oldest son, lives you know, in the in the city,
not about an hour away. He came out with his
new wife, so they just got married. If you months ago,
(22:01):
they went to the tree Christmas tree farm, cut down
the tree and brought it to my house and set
it up. I was away and when I came home,
the tree was up, and I was like, oh, how
wonderful it was for he to just do it, because
you know, you know, I love the tree. I have
the decorator, of course, but if he went in, they
(22:23):
set it up to surprise me, and that was that
was beautiful. And so again it was it was a
nod to what our tradition was, but just in a
different way.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
That's a really interesting point to raise because holidays in
particular are rooted in traditions, and they may be just
national or cultural traditions or your own family tricians, who
carves the turkey, who puts the star on the tree,
those sorts of things. When should people feel ready for
that tradition to transition whenever you're ready.
Speaker 9 (22:54):
There's no timeline on grief. There's no timeline on how
you feel. The he is to embrace how you feel,
don't deny it, get help. We went through therapy, counseling,
all of the above, but I also made a decision
of how I wanted to feel, and I did not
(23:17):
want to be sad. I wanted to honor his legacy
and celebrate his legacy, and through that we established a
scholarship fund and we're doing some things in the community
to honor that.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Our guest is Michelle Bryant Johnson. She lost her husband,
a judge in Georgia during COVID five years ago. She's
an executive coach who focuses on mindset and we're talking
today about dealing with grief at the holidays. You said
something interesting there, You decided you didn't want to be sad.
That sounds easier said than done. Explain that to me.
Speaker 9 (23:53):
Yes, yes, And I really don't want to sound insensitive
because everyone experiences grief differently and processes it differently, which
is totally fine. How you process it is total. You
know what's good for you or what works for you
is what works for you. That's why I help, embrace,
(24:13):
help if possible. But I know that given the wonderful
life we had together. We were married thirty two years,
you know, there was just so much greatness, and to
let that be dimmed by the horror of the of
(24:35):
how he died, it was just not It wasn't It
wasn't good to me. It wasn't good. So I wanted
to focus on celebrating his work.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
You know, somebody like your your husband who you lost
five years ago, it has an impact on the broader community.
And that brings me to a question that I had
for you, because this week, it's the week before Christmas,
and it has been a difficult I feel like there
are a lot of difficult weeks these days, unfortunately around
the world, but this week in particular, has just been
(25:07):
a wallop after another. We've got, you know, the attacks
in Australia, we have the attacks at Brown University right
here in southern California. Used to live here in Southern California, Irvine.
With the killings of Hollywood celebrities, Robin Michelle Reiner. You know,
it's just been a lot. But that kind of grief
(25:28):
while we may feel it as humans, it's not so direct.
Is there any worry from professionals like you about how
people deal with this mounting stress because of all of
these tragedies, and how do we deal with that. It's
not our mom, it's not our spouse, it's not our child.
(25:49):
But it's just a lot.
Speaker 9 (25:52):
Yes, it is a lot, and so for one, give
yourself a break. You may not want to consume a
lot of the a lot of what's happening all at
one time. It's great to be aware, it's always important
to be aware, but the constant reminder of the negativity.
(26:12):
You want to feed your mind with positivity. And so
I actually wrote a book, thirty three Affirmations for Wellness
and Empowerment, and you can find that. They can find
that on my website at Michelle Bryant Johnson dot com.
You change the narrative, you change what you're thinking and
what you're saying to yourself. But you guard. You have
(26:35):
to put up guard roads. You have to guard you're
what you're listening to. You have to guard people that
you're around. You know, because I've had to make adjustments.
You know, some people you may not be You shift
in life, you make shifts and so but but it
does begin within as in terms of how you want to.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Feel well, I guess fightings of comfort and joy can
mean a lot of different things, and so it is
absolutely relevant to whether you're celebrating happiness or honoring the
loss that you've experienced at some point. Tiss the season. Indeed,
Michelle Bryant Johnson, thank you so much for taking the
time to share these tips with us as people navigate
(27:18):
their heavy hearts during the holidays.
Speaker 9 (27:20):
Well, thank you, thank you so much for having me
and I wish all the best for your listeners and
your community, and certainly if I can be of help,
resources on my website will be you know, I'm happy
to share.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Is there a way to make your holiday gatherings more
accessible to people with disabilities? Up next, how to treat
all your friends the same as we get together to celebrate.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
As we crack out the eggnog, the gingerbread, cookies, the
boo oose and welcome people to our homes or businesses?
Are we doing enough to make sure it's available to everyone?
Jan Garrett is the Deputy director of the Pacific eighty
A Center. She has no arms or legs and has
some advice on how we can be more inclusive to
people with disabilities. She's with us now to talk about it.
(28:19):
Jan Garrett, thank you so much for being with us
here on KFI tonight.
Speaker 10 (28:23):
Thank you for inviting us. We're pleased to be here.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
This is the season for a lot of gatherings, and
I'm sure that just about all of us have people
in our lives who might be less abled or have
some sort of disability that prevents them from doing things
the way fully abled people might do. I've got a
friend who has MS, My best friend who can't go
(28:47):
to the rooftop at my apartment building. I love the rooftop,
love taking guests there, but there is a flight of steps,
the elevators and go all the way, and it prevents
that I'm wondering, let's just start with that example. What
do you do when you feel like you've got something
you want to offer guests, but you do have somebody
that might not be able to participate.
Speaker 10 (29:08):
Yeah, that's an excellent question.
Speaker 11 (29:10):
I think the real key when you're having guests, or
if you're having holiday parties for the office you know
things like that, is you need to consider what kind
of accessibility you have at the location that you're choosing
to have your gathering or your holiday party, and if
you want to have it at a location that not
everyone can get to, like for example, your rooftop that
(29:32):
you mentioned, you need to consider perhaps changing that location
because it's doubtful that you'll be able to get an
elevator to go all the way up to the rooftop
in time for your gathering.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And so what type of what
could be the result as it relates to a personal
relationship if you do have an event that is not
fully accessible to someone you care about.
Speaker 11 (29:57):
Well, I think if you're having a pro the event
at your own home, that is something that's not really
covered by the ADA, but it is something that a
lot of people that have friends with disabilities should definitely
consider and want to include their friends with disabilities. So
consider the access that you have there. But certainly, if
(30:20):
you're a business, if you're a state or local government
and you're having a holiday party, you are covered by
the Americans with Disabilities Actor ADA, and you want to
make sure that those holiday parties are covered from an
accessibility standpoint for people who use mobility devices or maybe
people who have vision disabilities. But also you want to
(30:41):
consider that if you have people that have hearing disabilities
that you're providing you know, sign language interpreters or other
ways that people can engage in communication at the party.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
You're the deputy director of the Pacific Ada Center, and
this is at least partially funded federally to help provide free,
confidential technical assistance and information and training on the Americans
with Disabilities Act to folks here in California as well
as other Western states and territories. I'm talking more broadly.
It's that seems related to very significant legal policy that
(31:15):
people have to be following. But I mean a lot
of our listeners may never encounter something as formal as
as that. Do you help folks who might be ignorant
or curious about how to be better neighbors and friends
to people with disabilities?
Speaker 10 (31:32):
Oh?
Speaker 11 (31:32):
Absolutely, because we want to encourage inclusion of people with
disabilities in all aspects of society. And that's just not
you know where you work or maybe where you shop
or your transportation options, but where you socialize.
Speaker 10 (31:46):
You know who your friends are and where you go
for that.
Speaker 11 (31:49):
And a lot of people just don't know what they
don't know, and they want to be inclusive. They don't
want to be ablest in their in their attitudes or
in their events that they have.
Speaker 10 (32:01):
But they need to be.
Speaker 11 (32:04):
I think educated in what they need to do so
that they can be more inclusive and so that they
can know better what they maybe don't know now, and
we certainly can help them with that to be more inclusive.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
How would you describe I mean, you are somebody who
I guess would qualify for some of these technical requirements,
but I also I want to be careful with the
language I use. I don't know if it's disabled. How
would you describe your situation?
Speaker 11 (32:33):
Well, personally, I am a person with the disability. I
use a wheelchair for mobility, and so, yeah, we talk
about people with disabilities or people without disabilities. Some people
prefer you know person first, as in a person with
the disabilities. Some people prefer, you know, blind person, so
they prefer to have the disability first. It really just
(32:55):
depends on the preference of the person. But you know,
the majority of the time, what you should do is
refer to somebody by their name, get to know them,
know what their name is, as opposed to putting putting
labels on people, but people prefer different types of language.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Well I'll just call you Jam then, how about that.
That's great, all right? And what's it like for you
at the holidays? I mean, as somebody with disabilities, what
are the holidays like for you? Are you mission driven?
Are you still focused on what the Pacific Ada Center does?
Are their personal snubs that you've ever encountered? Are their
(33:30):
feelings of being left out?
Speaker 7 (33:32):
Well?
Speaker 10 (33:33):
With me?
Speaker 11 (33:33):
I mean I I generally am able to access anything
that I want to. Certainly though when I when I
shop during the holidays, I encounter barriers because a lot
of the merchants are stocking their their merchandise and they
put things in the aisleways and block things they may
not intend to, but they're trying to sell as much
(33:55):
merchandise as possible. So I certainly have experienced frustration with
not being able to get through aisles and move around.
And you have experience not being able to go to
a friend's house for a holiday party because their house
was not accessible.
Speaker 10 (34:11):
So that does happen. But there are a lot of.
Speaker 11 (34:14):
People that I know that have accessible houses and that
can invite people over and be able to have everybody
join in on an accessible holiday party.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I imagine it must be difficult for able bodied friends
who might, let's say, just live in a historic home.
They don't have people with disabilities over with the frequency
that would require any type of additional infrastructure to their home,
let's say a ramp for example. And then there's this
annual event that they love to host for their friends,
and to know that they can't have jam over if
(34:49):
if there's not some special accommodation provided. You mentioned earlier
in this interview that folks should consider moving their events
so that they are accommodating to folks. But in those
situations where it's not well, well, I guess it's anything
as possible, of course, but it's just not feasible. Let's
say that for the folks who do what they do,
(35:09):
what is the type of message that is acceptable to
someone with a disability When you explain I can't accommodate this.
Speaker 11 (35:19):
When you say my house just does not accommodate you,
yeah to come for the holiday party, I think what
you should consider doing is consider is there a restaurant nearby?
Is there another location nearby where you can offer accessibility,
and that is different from just having a home that
(35:39):
is accessible.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Well, let me ask you this before we let you run.
What is the biggest misconception people might have about folks
with disabilities when it comes to entertaining them or having
them as guests at their events or their homes.
Speaker 11 (35:52):
Well, I think the biggest misconception is probably that people
with disabilities are all the same or they all have
the same needs. People do have different needs and different
abilities to access things and different things that they want
to do and attend. So don't put everybody with a
disability in one bucket. Make sure that you're making you
(36:13):
know that you're talking to the individual and knowing what
it is that they want, what they can do, and
what they prefer.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Jan Garrett is the deputy director of the Pacific a
DA Center. This is a partially federally funded organization that
provides free and confidential technical assistance, information and training on
the Americans with Disabilities Act here in California and other
Western states and territory. Jan, I do appreciate the time
that you gave us. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
Speaker 11 (36:42):
Thank you so much, and we encourage people to go
to our website at Ada Pacific dot org to find
out more.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's it for this edition of Michael Monks Reports. I
thank you all for joining us every Saturday night. I
wish you the merriest of Christmases. I'll be back doing
the news for you on Monday and Tuesday before taking
a little Christmas break, but I'll return to this chair
for our last episode of the year next Saturday night.
A Michael Monks from KFI News will catch you next
(37:08):
week for more Michael Monks Reports, KFI Am six forty
on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News,
a big change and entertainment's biggest awards night. Kfi's Heather
Brooker joins is now to talk about the Oscars leaving
network TV for YouTube, Heather or what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Man?
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Oh man?
Speaker 5 (00:24):
I'm always happy to be here with do you know that?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I mean, there was a time where the Academy Awards
were the only thing people would watch when it was broadcast.
It was the top show people wanted to watch, the
Academy Awards. That's been changing, of course, like most major events,
there are now a lot of other choices people can make.
If they had those choices back in the day, they
might have made alternative choices too. But this seems like
(00:47):
a pretty significant change in tradition for the Academy Awards
to leave network television to stream exclusively on YouTube starting
in twenty twenty nine. What is this about?
Speaker 6 (00:58):
Well, you know, you're right. The oscar were absolutely event television.
People would gather around the TV to see who was
wearing what, you know, and to some extent they still do.
But now people are gathering around their phones to look
and see what the highlights are going to be. People
are not staying to watch necessarily the entire show anymore.
Speaker 5 (01:18):
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
There's a lot of things that we watch now in
reruns or in highlight reels essentially, and I feel like
the Oscars is sort of falling into that trap. So
what's interesting is that they made this decision in a
year where in twenty twenty five the Academy Awards had
its highest ratings in five years. They had just over
nineteen point seven million viewers, and that's pretty significant. And
(01:43):
then for them to go to that and make such
a big change like this, it's I think it's really
indicative of the direction that the industry is going in.
So many people are leaning into streaming platforms, online content,
and I think this is really indicative of the way
(02:03):
things are, the direction Hollywood is going, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I mean we've known that sports events and you know NFL,
major League Baseball, they have moved to streaming deals. Netflix
carrying games, Amazon Prime carrying games. You don't hear a
lot about YouTube doing this sort of thing as it
relates directly to the entertainment industry. What is it that
(02:26):
YouTube might see in the Academy Awards specifically.
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Well, I think we're going to see a couple of things.
Speaker 6 (02:32):
First of all, you know, people forget that YouTube is
the sort of the og breakout star of social media.
You know, remember when we used to have like my Friends,
and then there was my Space and then the like
you know, smaller variations of the social media we know now.
But YouTube has been around for so long and it
has been constant, constantly growing. It now has a reach
(02:55):
of two billion people around the world. So if if
you're at the Academy and you're wanting to find a
way to one reach younger people, which they definitely are,
and reach more people, there really is no better partnership
than to get together with YouTube because you're instantly going
to be live to potentially two billion people who can watch,
(03:17):
you know, on the subway on the way home, or
you know, watching while they're at work and whatever it
might be. And so it's a really great collaboration. It's
really interesting too here that you know, ABC has aired
the Academy Award since nineteen seventy six, so for them
to break from ABC in this way and do something
(03:37):
so radically different, it's definitely going to shake up the show,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, was this something that ABC wanted? I know that
there are major events that go out to bid. Maybe
a network NBC, CBSABC, Fox or one of the cable
networks will win the rights to something for a certain
number of years, and then it comes back up and
the other network will outbid. Is this something that was
put out to bid or network kind of over award shows?
(04:01):
They certainly don't pack the ratings punch they used.
Speaker 5 (04:04):
To well, And I think that's the key right there.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
You know, even though this year the Academy Awards had
their highest ratings in five years, it still doesn't get
a lot of eyeballs.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Now that being said, it's a level.
Speaker 6 (04:16):
Of prestige, So I don't think that ABC probably wanted
to let it go. You know, it's uh, it's become
synonymous with ABC and the Academy Awards. I mean, they're
they have so many of their people from their shows
and you know Disney films that are involved in the
in the ceremony itself, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for many years.
(04:37):
I think that they probably didn't want to let it go.
But when the Academy is faced with potentially generating you know,
tens of millions more dollars, getting younger viewers, sort of
reinvigorating the the products.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You know.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
Uh, it's it's a no win situation. It's a it's
a win win situation, I should say. Rather for the Academy, well.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
YouTube is a good viewing experience. I will confess that
I do subscribe to YouTube's premium. I don't do YouTube TV,
but I do subscribe to the premium. I don't get
the commercials, and I really use YouTube a lot. It's
got a lot of content on there. It's it's a
great platform. I know that they can handle this. But
(05:20):
with this YouTube and the Oscar situation, with Netflix taking
over Warner Brothers possibly, I mean, this is the this
this is the rise of the online platforms taking over
those legacy brands.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
Yeah, it absolutely is.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
And I think, you know, one of the things that
you know, the negative side I've heard of this and
that we you know, you kind of might lose is
you know, Hollywood is steeped in tradition, and there is
this sort of idea of you know, it goes even
into the casting rooms. You know, you're you're an a Lister,
B Lister, A C Lister, and they like to sort
(05:57):
of categorize people in this way. When you open it
up to YouTube, you're essentially saying we're also going to
open it up to potential influencers and YouTubers and people
who have been content creators on the app, which is
a different level of talent and skill than say, somebody
who has been studying film and performing in films their
(06:17):
whole life. So the question is does it sort of
take away from the prestige of the ceremony, And I
think in some ways it might, And I wonder I'm
really going to be curious to see at that time
are the big stars still going to go Are they
going to go to the YouTube Academy Awards? Like you know,
(06:37):
it'll be interesting to see the branding and the developments
that happen over the next few years, because there's definitely
going to.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Be a lot of changes in Hollywood, as.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
You mentioned, especially with the potential Warner Brothers Netflix deal.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The deal also provides digital access to some Academy Museum
exhibitions and programs. It digitizes some of the Academy a collection,
which has more than fifty two million film related items
of history and tradition. They're going to YouTube speaking of
history and tradition. As Christmas Day approaches, that used to
be a significant day for cinema. I know a lot
(07:09):
of movies would be released on Christmas Day, Heather, is
this something that is still happening this year?
Speaker 6 (07:15):
Yes, So this is traditionally when a lot of the
studios release their their bigger pictures. You've got your July
you know, June July summer blockbusters that come out, and
then the holidays because everybody is going to be wanting
to get away from their families, you know, take a
break for the holidays and go see a movie, So
the studios hold on to their big juggernaut films to
(07:36):
release them. So right now, your choices are Avatar, Avatar,
Fire and Ash Is out right now. You've got Marty Supreme,
the new Timothy Schallamey movie. You've got The Housemaids darring
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seifried. There are a lot of
great options at the box office this weekend. And do
(07:58):
you are you gonna go see movies?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I've never gone to the movies on Christmas Day? I mean,
is is it pretty busy out there.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
It's pretty busy.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
A lot of people go. I think it's a tradition
for a lot of families.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I might hit the one downtown that might not be
as crowded.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
If you go, What are you going to see? I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Maybe that Timothy Challomey movie. I tend to like his movies.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Yeah, you know, I auditioned for that movie.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
The Marty Supreme. Yes, for the role of Marty.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
For the role of Marty, and they went with Shallo May.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
What was the I mean, like, what does that audition
look like?
Speaker 6 (08:30):
I want you to watch it, and I want you
to tell me if you can guess which role audition for.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh, it was like a roll with small okay, small line,
a small role, a few scenes, one scene.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
A couple of small scenes.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Okay, okay. I'll see it and I will report back
if I get that correct. Yes, please do, Heather Brooker,
Marry Christmas to you and you will be doing wake
up Call during the weeks. You got the early shift
next week some of the days, right.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
That's right, Yes, everybody, please tune in.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
I've got some fun things planned over the holidays, and
of course we'll have all of the news of the
day starting at five am on wake up Call. And
also everybody can listen to my show entertain Me with
Heather Brooker, where I talk about all things entertainment from
Sokal to the silver screen.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Heather Brooker from KFI News, Thanks so much.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Thanks Michael Monks.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's the most stressful time of the year. How are
you doing out there on the roads, at the stores,
at your home. A local expert helps us work through
holiday stress.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
If you tend to lose your mind a bit this
time of year, you're not alone. The American Psychiatric Association
reports forty one percent of adults say they anticipate more
stress at the holidays. So how do we deal with it?
Ull to med Health Services. Behavioral health expert Francis Shinchia
(09:50):
joins us now to talk about it. Francis Hinchia, thank
you so much for taking some time for KFI.
Speaker 7 (09:55):
Thank you for having me. Michael, happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know, I don't know what it is about this
time of year. I love Christmas, but I have to
confess for the context of this conversation. I was sealing
up some packages to send to my family this week,
and that mailing tape it got stuck. I couldn't get
it back into the slot. It was a disaster. I
(10:17):
lost my temper. And here I am literally wrapping Christmas
presents to send to my nieces and nephews, a moment
of joy, and I lost my mind. What is it
about this time of year that can send us over
the edge so easily?
Speaker 8 (10:32):
Yeah, I mean it's a high, high anxiety, tense time
of year.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Right.
Speaker 7 (10:41):
It's joyous, but it's also full with a lot of stressors.
I mean, ranging from going to the mall.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I mean that in itself is quite quite the task
during this holiday season, looking for parking, fighting over the
last of whatever you're trying to pick up at the store.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
Right, it's just a lot of stress during this time
of year.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
I know that experts like you might suggest that we
should figure out what's causing the stress. We were just
talking about it more broadly, But are there common stressors
that we should be looking for?
Speaker 8 (11:15):
Yeah, I think a lot of it comes around, like
the planning around the holidays. I think people have like
this idea of the way the holidays supposed to look,
from picking up the Christmas tree to the guest list
for the dinner for the holiday dinner. And I think
people can be easily overwhelmed with multiple tasks because not
only are we trying to take care of our holiday tasks,
(11:39):
but we're also still having our regular lives.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
Right. We still have the stress from home, we have
stress at.
Speaker 8 (11:45):
Work, and so now we're adding an additional holiday stress.
So I think that's really what tends to make people
eventually just reach a breaking point like you did with
the tape.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It was a literal literally almost a breaking point. That
mailing tape almost got mailed into outer space. And then
I snapped back, Thank goodness, I was able to get
control of myself, like what are you doing? Get ahold
of yourself and calm down. It was fine. Is this
time of year and the stress around it, is it
more difficult for folks who typically have behavior or stress
(12:20):
issues or does it affect all of us?
Speaker 7 (12:23):
I think that's a really good point.
Speaker 8 (12:24):
I mean, I would say that people who tend to
struggle with stress in general tend to be even more
stressed during the holidays. People who are more on the
anxious side, are going to be more easily triggered, and
are going to experience an anxiety or response to something
that maybe someone else would just not really have a
reaction to.
Speaker 7 (12:44):
So yeah, I think that you do raise a good point.
Speaker 8 (12:47):
It's people prone to anxiety and people prone to struggling
with stress in general who struggle more. But definitely I
think even those who don't necessarily experience that there's just
like these added elements during the holidays that can put
people on edge. Right, like again, driving in traffic, it's
(13:09):
just worse during the holidays.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
You're likely to kind of maybe experience more world rage
than usual.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Our guest is Francis Tincia, a behavioral health expert at
Ultimate Health Services here in Los Angeles. What should we
notice about the physical condition related to stress? What should
we notice when it's starting to bubble up so that
maybe we can get a handle on it before it explodes.
Speaker 7 (13:32):
Yeah, really good question. I think it's really being a
tuned to yourself and your cues. So knowing what are
some indicators to you that you're kind of out of
your frustration tolerance range, right, whether it might be noticing,
oh I'm experiencing much more muscle tension than usual in
my shoulders, or.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
I'm starting to get like these weird digestive issues that
tend to flare up during high anxiety or stressful times.
Speaker 7 (13:59):
So being a tuned to your body and these are
like these red flags for you that are telling you, hey,
you're probably really stressed out and better check in and
figure out how to manage this. Headaches for sure, tension headaches.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I know that personally, I will often use maybe a
depressing day or a stressful day as an excuse to
eat something I shouldn't be. My understanding is that pros
like you would discourage us from turning to that type of.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Comfort, right, right, Yeah, we can't use the excuse it's
the holidays, right and have that extra piece of cake
or maybe even pour that drink because we sort of
give ourselves a past during the holiday season. Yeah, these
things are probably not highly encouraged and definitely keeping within
a minimum.
Speaker 7 (14:48):
There are other healthy coping skills that we can utilize.
Speaker 8 (14:51):
And really kind of tapping into skills that you've put
in place in the past during stressful times. It might
range for some people it's going for a really good
run For on people, it's just zoning out into some
enjoyable television for a little bit, right, So it could vary.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
It's different for everyone.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Is there any pre game that you might recommend for
folks who recognize that they're prone to stress or anxiety
at certain types of events parties, Christmas parties, public events
where they're going to be lights and crowds, or big shopping,
but it's something you need to do. Is there anything
to prepare for those types of things that you know
can be triggering for your stress.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
That's a good one too. Yeah. I think really grounding
and centering yourself prior is super important. Carving out some
time for yourself to really check.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
In and have a moment of reflection as to why
you're even doing this, right, why are you going, why
are you doing the shopping? Well, what's the meaning behind
it all?
Speaker 7 (15:53):
And also just having a moment where you can have
some quiet to it down a little bit. Some people
really love meditation, it really works for them. It's mindfulness
practice is great for this. It's sort of regulating your nervous.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
System, taking those deep breaths and also checking in with
yourself during the event and after as well. It's not
just one moment of regulation. It might have to be
continual moments of regulation.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
If this is something that people experience frequently and even
outside of the holidays, but maybe it's amplified this time
of year. When is it okay to recognize or I
should say, when should we recognize that, Hey, this isn't
just a stressful day, This isn't just an anxious day.
I might have a personal issue that is worth talking
(16:47):
to a professional about.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
Yeah, so, if you're experiencing this.
Speaker 8 (16:53):
Restlessness, rumination, nervous system activation more than not, it's probably
time to speak to a professional. Right So, if it's
consuming a good chunk of your day, good chunk of
your week, and it's going on without end, I think
it's time to check in. It's time to check in
(17:14):
with someone and to also know that we all experience
some form of anxiety to some degree.
Speaker 7 (17:20):
Anxiety is a total normal experience.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
But when it's consuming us more than need be, then
at that point I think it's time to get some help.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Francis Hincia is a behavioral health expert at all to
med Health Services here in Los Angeles. Francis, thank you
so much for the time I wish you a happy
and stress free holiday season. Thanks so much for the time.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
Likewise, Mi goal, take care happy holidays.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
The holidays can also make us sad as we remember
good times with people who are no longer here. Dealing
with holiday grief is next on Michael Monk's Reports.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is a joyous time of year, but because of that,
we may be feeling sadder than usual, because people who
used to bring so much joy to our lives are
no longer here. Michelle Bryant Johnson is an expert on that.
She used to live in Irvine. She's now based in
Georgia and joins us to talk about it. Michelle Bryant Johnson,
(18:26):
thank you so much for spending some time here with KFI.
Speaker 9 (18:28):
Thank you, thank you for having me. I'm really honored
to be on your show, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
We're pleased to have you. You know, Christmas, what is it?
The most wonderful time of the year, they call it,
but it is also a time of great challenges because
maybe because it is so wonderful and you develop these
really warm, wholesome memories and then somebody who may have
played a big role in that is no longer with us.
And I know, as an executive coach who focuses on mindset,
(18:57):
that you might have some advice for people who are
pro coaching this holiday with a spirit of sadness. I mean,
what is what is tip number one? As we deal
with raw grief?
Speaker 9 (19:07):
Yes, yes, absolutely it's real. It's you know, especially if
it's if it's recent for me my husband past five
years ago, but it never really goes away. It may
get better over time. But a tip is, you know,
loss is a grief is represents love and loss, and
(19:28):
so the key is not to dismiss it, to embrace
how you feel and give yourself grace. Maybe it may
be celebrating in a different way, whether you are where,
you change your scenery, whether you honor that person with
(19:49):
something special that they enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You lost your husband, as you noted a judge in
Georgia very well respected there and lost them during COVID
five years ago. Was what was your first holiday like
without your husband?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Honestly our world was turned upside down, totally overwhelmed, not
only with his the with COVID and being so it
was still the early stages. It was twenty twenty. So
in fact, he passed from COVID and he only had
it for like a week, so there was no vaccine,
(20:25):
there was no medicine, and he found out on Thursday
day toiling positive on Monday. He was gone on Wednesday.
So it was totally a shock for us. But how
we spent clearly Christmas was very different. But we came
together as a family, honored him, Our community embrace you know,
(20:49):
it was already embracing us, but they really came together.
So we were in many ways we were a little
overwhelmed with all the love, but so really we were.
We were living on the greatness of his work.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Do you find that the holidays can be triggering for
you or other folks just because it resurfaces emotions much
more strongly than let's say, a day in August.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
It can.
Speaker 9 (21:18):
It's possible, and that's okay. One of the rituals or
traditions we would do at Christmas was go cut our
cut down our own Christmas tree. So when Harris and
I had when the boys were little, we have two sons,
we would go and it was a whole day of
riding the hay ride, hot chocolate, cutting down the tree,
(21:39):
and you pack your own tree and cut it. Yes, absolutely,
that's very different. But what's really cool this year my son,
my oldest son, lives you know, in the in the city,
not about an hour away. He came out with his
new wife, so they just got married. If you months ago,
(22:01):
they went to the tree Christmas tree farm, cut down
the tree and brought it to my house and set
it up. I was away and when I came home,
the tree was up, and I was like, oh, how
wonderful it was for he to just do it, because
you know, you know, I love the tree. I have
the decorator, of course, but if he went in, they
(22:23):
set it up to surprise me, and that was that
was beautiful. And so again it was it was a
nod to what our tradition was, but just in a
different way.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
That's a really interesting point to raise because holidays in
particular are rooted in traditions, and they may be just
national or cultural traditions or your own family tricians, who
carves the turkey, who puts the star on the tree,
those sorts of things. When should people feel ready for
that tradition to transition whenever you're ready.
Speaker 9 (22:54):
There's no timeline on grief. There's no timeline on how
you feel. The he is to embrace how you feel,
don't deny it, get help. We went through therapy, counseling,
all of the above, but I also made a decision
of how I wanted to feel, and I did not
(23:17):
want to be sad. I wanted to honor his legacy
and celebrate his legacy, and through that we established a
scholarship fund and we're doing some things in the community
to honor that.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Our guest is Michelle Bryant Johnson. She lost her husband,
a judge in Georgia during COVID five years ago. She's
an executive coach who focuses on mindset and we're talking
today about dealing with grief at the holidays. You said
something interesting there, You decided you didn't want to be sad.
That sounds easier said than done. Explain that to me.
Speaker 9 (23:53):
Yes, yes, And I really don't want to sound insensitive
because everyone experiences grief differently and processes it differently, which
is totally fine. How you process it is total. You
know what's good for you or what works for you
is what works for you. That's why I help, embrace,
(24:13):
help if possible. But I know that given the wonderful
life we had together. We were married thirty two years,
you know, there was just so much greatness, and to
let that be dimmed by the horror of the of
(24:35):
how he died, it was just not It wasn't It
wasn't good to me. It wasn't good. So I wanted
to focus on celebrating his work.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
You know, somebody like your your husband who you lost
five years ago, it has an impact on the broader community.
And that brings me to a question that I had
for you, because this week, it's the week before Christmas,
and it has been a difficult I feel like there
are a lot of difficult weeks these days, unfortunately around
the world, but this week in particular, has just been
(25:07):
a wallop after another. We've got, you know, the attacks
in Australia, we have the attacks at Brown University right
here in southern California. Used to live here in Southern California, Irvine.
With the killings of Hollywood celebrities, Robin Michelle Reiner. You know,
it's just been a lot. But that kind of grief
(25:28):
while we may feel it as humans, it's not so direct.
Is there any worry from professionals like you about how
people deal with this mounting stress because of all of
these tragedies, and how do we deal with that. It's
not our mom, it's not our spouse, it's not our child.
(25:49):
But it's just a lot.
Speaker 9 (25:52):
Yes, it is a lot, and so for one, give
yourself a break. You may not want to consume a
lot of the a lot of what's happening all at
one time. It's great to be aware, it's always important
to be aware, but the constant reminder of the negativity.
(26:12):
You want to feed your mind with positivity. And so
I actually wrote a book, thirty three Affirmations for Wellness
and Empowerment, and you can find that. They can find
that on my website at Michelle Bryant Johnson dot com.
You change the narrative, you change what you're thinking and
what you're saying to yourself. But you guard. You have
(26:35):
to put up guard roads. You have to guard you're
what you're listening to. You have to guard people that
you're around. You know, because I've had to make adjustments.
You know, some people you may not be You shift
in life, you make shifts and so but but it
does begin within as in terms of how you want to.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Feel well, I guess fightings of comfort and joy can
mean a lot of different things, and so it is
absolutely relevant to whether you're celebrating happiness or honoring the
loss that you've experienced at some point. Tiss the season. Indeed,
Michelle Bryant Johnson, thank you so much for taking the
time to share these tips with us as people navigate
(27:18):
their heavy hearts during the holidays.
Speaker 9 (27:20):
Well, thank you, thank you so much for having me
and I wish all the best for your listeners and
your community, and certainly if I can be of help,
resources on my website will be you know, I'm happy
to share.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Is there a way to make your holiday gatherings more
accessible to people with disabilities? Up next, how to treat
all your friends the same as we get together to celebrate.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
As we crack out the eggnog, the gingerbread, cookies, the
boo oose and welcome people to our homes or businesses?
Are we doing enough to make sure it's available to everyone?
Jan Garrett is the Deputy director of the Pacific eighty
A Center. She has no arms or legs and has
some advice on how we can be more inclusive to
people with disabilities. She's with us now to talk about it.
(28:19):
Jan Garrett, thank you so much for being with us
here on KFI tonight.
Speaker 10 (28:23):
Thank you for inviting us. We're pleased to be here.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
This is the season for a lot of gatherings, and
I'm sure that just about all of us have people
in our lives who might be less abled or have
some sort of disability that prevents them from doing things
the way fully abled people might do. I've got a
friend who has MS, My best friend who can't go
(28:47):
to the rooftop at my apartment building. I love the rooftop,
love taking guests there, but there is a flight of steps,
the elevators and go all the way, and it prevents
that I'm wondering, let's just start with that example. What
do you do when you feel like you've got something
you want to offer guests, but you do have somebody
that might not be able to participate.
Speaker 10 (29:08):
Yeah, that's an excellent question.
Speaker 11 (29:10):
I think the real key when you're having guests, or
if you're having holiday parties for the office you know
things like that, is you need to consider what kind
of accessibility you have at the location that you're choosing
to have your gathering or your holiday party, and if
you want to have it at a location that not
everyone can get to, like for example, your rooftop that
(29:32):
you mentioned, you need to consider perhaps changing that location
because it's doubtful that you'll be able to get an
elevator to go all the way up to the rooftop
in time for your gathering.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And so what type of what
could be the result as it relates to a personal
relationship if you do have an event that is not
fully accessible to someone you care about.
Speaker 11 (29:57):
Well, I think if you're having a pro the event
at your own home, that is something that's not really
covered by the ADA, but it is something that a
lot of people that have friends with disabilities should definitely
consider and want to include their friends with disabilities. So
consider the access that you have there. But certainly, if
(30:20):
you're a business, if you're a state or local government
and you're having a holiday party, you are covered by
the Americans with Disabilities Actor ADA, and you want to
make sure that those holiday parties are covered from an
accessibility standpoint for people who use mobility devices or maybe
people who have vision disabilities. But also you want to
(30:41):
consider that if you have people that have hearing disabilities
that you're providing you know, sign language interpreters or other
ways that people can engage in communication at the party.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
You're the deputy director of the Pacific Ada Center, and
this is at least partially funded federally to help provide free,
confidential technical assistance and information and training on the Americans
with Disabilities Act to folks here in California as well
as other Western states and territories. I'm talking more broadly.
It's that seems related to very significant legal policy that
(31:15):
people have to be following. But I mean a lot
of our listeners may never encounter something as formal as
as that. Do you help folks who might be ignorant
or curious about how to be better neighbors and friends
to people with disabilities?
Speaker 10 (31:32):
Oh?
Speaker 11 (31:32):
Absolutely, because we want to encourage inclusion of people with
disabilities in all aspects of society. And that's just not
you know where you work or maybe where you shop
or your transportation options, but where you socialize.
Speaker 10 (31:46):
You know who your friends are and where you go
for that.
Speaker 11 (31:49):
And a lot of people just don't know what they
don't know, and they want to be inclusive. They don't
want to be ablest in their in their attitudes or
in their events that they have.
Speaker 10 (32:01):
But they need to be.
Speaker 11 (32:04):
I think educated in what they need to do so
that they can be more inclusive and so that they
can know better what they maybe don't know now, and
we certainly can help them with that to be more inclusive.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
How would you describe I mean, you are somebody who
I guess would qualify for some of these technical requirements,
but I also I want to be careful with the
language I use. I don't know if it's disabled. How
would you describe your situation?
Speaker 11 (32:33):
Well, personally, I am a person with the disability. I
use a wheelchair for mobility, and so, yeah, we talk
about people with disabilities or people without disabilities. Some people
prefer you know person first, as in a person with
the disabilities. Some people prefer, you know, blind person, so
they prefer to have the disability first. It really just
(32:55):
depends on the preference of the person. But you know,
the majority of the time, what you should do is
refer to somebody by their name, get to know them,
know what their name is, as opposed to putting putting
labels on people, but people prefer different types of language.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Well I'll just call you Jam then, how about that.
That's great, all right? And what's it like for you
at the holidays? I mean, as somebody with disabilities, what
are the holidays like for you? Are you mission driven?
Are you still focused on what the Pacific Ada Center does?
Are their personal snubs that you've ever encountered? Are their
(33:30):
feelings of being left out?
Speaker 7 (33:32):
Well?
Speaker 10 (33:33):
With me?
Speaker 11 (33:33):
I mean I I generally am able to access anything
that I want to. Certainly though when I when I
shop during the holidays, I encounter barriers because a lot
of the merchants are stocking their their merchandise and they
put things in the aisleways and block things they may
not intend to, but they're trying to sell as much
(33:55):
merchandise as possible. So I certainly have experienced frustration with
not being able to get through aisles and move around.
And you have experience not being able to go to
a friend's house for a holiday party because their house
was not accessible.
Speaker 10 (34:11):
So that does happen. But there are a lot of.
Speaker 11 (34:14):
People that I know that have accessible houses and that
can invite people over and be able to have everybody
join in on an accessible holiday party.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I imagine it must be difficult for able bodied friends
who might, let's say, just live in a historic home.
They don't have people with disabilities over with the frequency
that would require any type of additional infrastructure to their home,
let's say a ramp for example. And then there's this
annual event that they love to host for their friends,
and to know that they can't have jam over if
(34:49):
if there's not some special accommodation provided. You mentioned earlier
in this interview that folks should consider moving their events
so that they are accommodating to folks. But in those
situations where it's not well, well, I guess it's anything
as possible, of course, but it's just not feasible. Let's
say that for the folks who do what they do,
(35:09):
what is the type of message that is acceptable to
someone with a disability When you explain I can't accommodate this.
Speaker 11 (35:19):
When you say my house just does not accommodate you,
yeah to come for the holiday party, I think what
you should consider doing is consider is there a restaurant nearby?
Is there another location nearby where you can offer accessibility,
and that is different from just having a home that
(35:39):
is accessible.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Well, let me ask you this before we let you run.
What is the biggest misconception people might have about folks
with disabilities when it comes to entertaining them or having
them as guests at their events or their homes.
Speaker 11 (35:52):
Well, I think the biggest misconception is probably that people
with disabilities are all the same or they all have
the same needs. People do have different needs and different
abilities to access things and different things that they want
to do and attend. So don't put everybody with a
disability in one bucket. Make sure that you're making you
(36:13):
know that you're talking to the individual and knowing what
it is that they want, what they can do, and
what they prefer.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Jan Garrett is the deputy director of the Pacific a
DA Center. This is a partially federally funded organization that
provides free and confidential technical assistance, information and training on
the Americans with Disabilities Act here in California and other
Western states and territory. Jan, I do appreciate the time
that you gave us. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
Speaker 11 (36:42):
Thank you so much, and we encourage people to go
to our website at Ada Pacific dot org to find
out more.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's it for this edition of Michael Monks Reports. I
thank you all for joining us every Saturday night. I
wish you the merriest of Christmases. I'll be back doing
the news for you on Monday and Tuesday before taking
a little Christmas break, but I'll return to this chair
for our last episode of the year next Saturday night.
A Michael Monks from KFI News will catch you next
(37:08):
week for more Michael Monks Reports, KFI Am six forty
on demand
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