DENISE DENTON THIERY
ANN PAPAYOTI
began writing a weekly column in 1988 for the Campbell County Recorder, a local newspaper based in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. As a stay-athome mom, the column provided her an outlet to connect with the world beyond my rural home until early 2000. When her youngest son entered first grade, Denise became a secretary in the Guidance Department at the local high school, where she worked for 22 years. Later, for two years, she served as a staff writer for the Fort Thomas Living, a local monthly magazine. Denise subsequently worked in syndication for the Senior Wire News Service. She authored humorous essays for three books and has been published three times in Reminisce Magazine. In 2018, Denise started blogging, and in 2020 and 2022, she served as a preliminary judge for the humor writing competition at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, held every other year at the University of Dayton in Ohio. In 2022, Denise won first place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ online humor category, and in 2023, she placed third in the same competition. Now, as a grandmother, she continues with her passion for writing, and I am honored to have Denise share her inspiring and empowering story,“ How Humor Contributes to My Life’ s Journey!” for our Nana’ s Wisdom section. is the founder of SkyView Coaching and hosts a weekly podcast, Soul CPR Healing Out Loud, on the Bold Brave TV Network. She is also an international life, leadership, and relationship coach, speaker, writer, educator, and co-author of The Gift of Shift, an intimate self-help book. Ann is an Expert Contributor for YourTango Media and has been featured in MSN, Google, Yahoo, and Apple News. She has spoken at conferences, summits, and commemorations, both live and online, throughout North America. Ann captivates, educates, and inspires thousands by sharing her personal experiences of loss, transition, and triumph, and she helps them attain their personal and professional goals. Known among her friends as the go-to girl if you are experiencing problems, Ann could have started her own‘ Dear Annie’ column decades ago. Little did she know then that listening with empathy was an invaluable, innate skill that would become the foundation of her life’ s work. Ann’ s remarkable life journey and passion for family love are hallmark examples. Ann returns with insightful advice to help“ Feeling the Pressure” about meaningful aging with fulfilling days and also“ Tired in Texas” about reframing one’ s thinking about friendship connection and self-wellness in her advisory column,“ Dear Annie.
ALYSIA LYONS wears many hats. She is a mother, a business owner, an author, and a life coach. Being a mom has been the greatest, most rewarding one. Besides seeing her son, Zander, thriving, she is joyful about motherhood. Alysia ' s personal motherhood journey began when she said yes to a home-based business after being fed up with Corporate America. She was attracted to the freedom and flexibility of working for herself. One of Alysia ' s most rewarding contributions to life is giving life. After finding out the difficulties families faced in having babies, she decided to become a surrogate mom for parents who wanted a family but were facing maternity challenges. Alysia tapped into her motherly instinct and realized she could make a difference in these families ' lives. Acting on her maternal love, she became a surrogate mom for four fortunate families and, with the last one, gave birth to twin girls. Alysia returns with an inspiring
and refreshing look at how mothers could use the season of Spring to truly recharge and reenergize themselves with her insightful story,“ Motherhood in Bloom: Cultivating Joy, Balance, and Energy This Spring,” in our Mom Support Group section.
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