Anna Marie's Sunday Focus

In this Focus, Ty Garth, founder of O.L.L.I.E (Only Living Life in Excellence) Lifestyle, talks about the group, as well as the O.L.L.I.E. Life Youth Mentoring Program, and the difference it's making in the lives of young men between 12 and 18. Ty talks about the need to pour into young people who may have never had a male role model in their lives. They learn not only how to navigate their lives with more knowledge and confidence,...

Anna welcomes Robyn Householder, President of the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, who discusses the latest scams, including sneaky ways thieves get your information. 
Some of her advice to avoid being scammed includes not responding to an unsolicited email, call or text from someone you don't know, hanging up and calling the organization itself rather than taking someone's word that they're...

In this episode, Meagan Rust, Interpretive Director of  Nashville's Frist Art Museum, tells about current and upcoming exhibitions at the Frist, as well as the numerous related events and hands-on activities. The Frist features the Martin ArtQuest, videos, exhibition talks, tours,special nights with live music (It IS Nashville), and dining, all in adition to simply seeing the exhibitions.  Also coming up in November is an...

Anna talks with Gabe Horton, Executive Director of Pawster, which is a pet fostering non-profit for pets whose person is in a crisis situation.   He discusses the reasons one might find themselves unable to care for their pets, including loss of housing, leaving a domestic violence situation, or health crisis.  Listeners also learn how they can support Pawster, either financially or as a foster pet parent.  It t...

Anna's guest is Paige Zulandt, Regional Communications Director of the American Red Cross of Tennessee. She shares some easy-to-remember tips to be ready for the extreme heat we have in Tennessee summers. They include preparing NOW in case you lose electricity or air conditioning in the heat and how to find places to cool down.  She also discusses learning CPR. 

Summertime also means more injuries and fewer blood donor ap...

Anna speaks with LPC-S David Wood,  the Regional Director of Family Care Center, the largest outpatient Mental Health provider in Tennessee,. In this interview, they discuss issues effecting older persons.  Many men don't last very long in retirement; they feel the need to be contributing.  Some late in life get stuck on regrets, without realizing there is still time to do things.  They also discuss the value of...

Dr. John Lazar,  Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville  speaks about lung cancer, treatments, causes, and risk factors. The lung cancer rate is higher in Tennessee and other Southeastern states because the smoking rate is higher.  He discusses an unexpected rise of lung cancers in women of a particular demographic with NO obvious risk factors who are, nevertheless, developing t...

Anna continues her discussion with financial advisor Paris Jackson of Northwestern Mutual.  They talk about where to start if you're already struggling with your finances. Situations arise that are out of your control, like illnesses, or job loss, as well as poor choices that lead to debt. Also, the issue of college loans now coming due is a whole new problem for budgets.  Jackson tells us where to start, and how to set u...

Anna chats with Fahad Tahir, President and CEO of Ascension St. Thomas Hospitals, He discusses their new hospital planned for Clarksville, making access easier for residents of Montgomery Country without having to drive to Nashville.  They currently have same day surgery centers there, but will be able to more complex surgeries require overnight stays.  Tahir also talks about the mission of St. Thomas, being they are a no...

Kimberly Fielding, founder of Kicks and Flutters Mobile Ultrasound, discusses her service.  They allow Nashville-area residents the flexibility to choose where to have your ultrasound, and who to invite. The At-Home Pregnancy Ultrasound Boutique offers 4D, 3D, & 2D technology, progress packages, live ultrasound gender reveal parties and live ultrasound baby showers. All services are in-home or at-venue and are provided by ...

In this week's Focus, Ann speaks with Daniel Fielding, speaker, accomplished podcaster, and the author of the insightful book, "The Asset Mindset: A Special Forces Perspective for Achieving Success." Daniel brings his unique experiences as a Special Forces Green Beret and celebrity bodyguard to offer practical, step-by-step guidance on developing a powerful mindset for achieving your goals.

His website is HERE. 
Also his po...

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month and Anna continues her interviews on the topic. This week, her guest is David Wood, licensed therapist and Regional Director of Family Care Center, the largest outpatient behavioral health provider in Tennessee. They talk about how the mental health needs change throughout one's life, from the simple needs of a small child, through the teen years, adult years, and senior citizen years.

See omnyst...

With the current economy on shaky ground, finances are a worry to all Middle Tennesseans. Anna chats with Paris Jackson, Financial Advisor at Northwestern Mutual. 
This visit, Paris gives some insight on the current financial situation. With tariffs, a dropping stock market, new laws affecting investments, and rising costs of foods and goods, what do we do? She gives advice about how to react when we look at our 401k balanc...

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Anna speaks with LPC-S David Wood, the Regional Director of Family Care Center, the largest outpatient Mental Health provider in Tennessee, In this interview, he gives some insight on why May can be extra stressful. He also discusses women's mental health issues, which can often be linked with caregiver roles, and the realization that women have needs that often go unexpressed and unmet.H...

Anna discusses the lifesaving gift of organ donation with Emily McKinley, Director of External Affairs, at Tennessee Donor Services.
Their goal is to save and improve lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. As a non-profit organ procurement organization, they serve more than 6 million people in Tennessee and Virginia.  Emily tells us what organs can be donated, how it can save or change lives, and how the families of ...

Anna chats with Kimberly Wells, Vice President of Women's Services at Ascension Saint Thomas.  They discuss the Women's Health services offered, things and their efforts to make medicine easier through the use of Navigators who advise patients about what options are available. They also talk about women may not have known, what they should be checking, and a free event on Thursday, May 8th at the Pinnacle. It's called HerHealt...

This month on Focus we're honoring National Donate Life Month, with interviews that give you more information about organ, eye,  and tissue donation and transplantation. In this interview, Dr. Jacfranz Guiteau, a kidney transplant surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, discusses kidney disease, treatments and transplantation.

He discusses what's new, why transplants are needed, who can donate, what it'll cost to donat...

Our Place Nashville empowers adults with developmental disabilities by providing affordable housing, work that is meaningful, and inclusive communities in which to live.  Isolation is a frequent problem for this group. 

Executive Director Jordan Collins tells Anna about the non-profit, and explains that half of the residents are neurodivergent (“friends”) and the other half are neurotypical (“housemates&...

Allied Behavioral Health Services is committed to offering diversity-informed, strengths-based, and affirming therapy for all clients. Executive Director Alison Peak, LCSW,ISH-E, says their therapists have experience in helping clients of all ages navigate life transitions, family stress, identity exploration, and relationship issues as well as mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, and trauma. They have four locatio...