Oysters used to disgust and terrify me. Why would anyone eat such a weirdly booger-y food? Once I got to know them and their unique backgrounds, there was no turning back though. And discovering the right beverage pairing puts the already celebratory experience over the edge. For this story, I loved learning even more about these sea bugs from a few local purveyors and hope that others who are oyster-averse can discover a love for them as well.

The latest on important screenings for women.

Mai Zong Vue's journey to becoming the voice for refugees around the world started in a refugee camp in Thailand. It lit a fire inside of her for advocacy once she and her family landed in Wisconsin, and pushed her to build programs that helped educate and acclimate people like her, while still holding on to their culture and heritage. After decades advocating and helping to create policy at the international level, she's re-focused her efforts on the local Hmong community and is giving herself a chance to reflect on the impact she has had.

When Margarita Avila moved from Mexico to Madison as a teenager, she immediately had to learn how to navigate: a new language, new education system, health system, finances. She also knew that finding mentors and others to help her navigate were the key paving a path to college and beyond. Now as the director of workforce development at Madison's Latino Academy for Workforce Development, she uses what she learned as a teenager to help other immigrants make connections, work with mentors, and find success.

As a college basketball player, Jeannie Cullen Schultz never saw herself in construction management. But after chatting with other female leaders in the industry she began to see opportunities to make a difference at her own family's business, JP Cullen. As one of the few twenty-somethings, and often the only woman at a build project site, she learned the value of making her voice heard, building connections, and constantly learning. Now she's a mother of five, co-president at JP Cullen, and dedicated to getting more women at the table and in the field.

Community Action Coalition Fights for Food Security

Writing the "Wellness for All Women" piece for BRAVA Magazine's July/August issue reinforced how sheltered I am from the impact of systemic racism. I knew Wisconsin had the highest preterm birth rate in the country for Black women. I'm aware that Black, Latinx, and Native American communities have greater health risks due to social disparities. But hearing firsthand stories of discrimination and microaggressions—and the research that backs them up—opened my eyes.

Some COVID-19 patients experience symptoms long after they’ve cleared COVID-19. Experts aren’t sure if these long-term effects are permanent or not, but the scientific, medical, and social communities are banding together to find patterns and answers.

I explored a few complementary services to understand how they can enhance the standard, compartmentalized approach we’re used to - a primary care doctor supported by specialists for different conditions and systems of the body - and tune our bodies into the energy and environment around us to promote healing.

Vulnerable Minds and the growing need for adolescent psychiatric treatment.

Madison is a hot bed for game development companies. As women and marginalized groups find their voice in this historically male-dominated industry they are changing what games look like and challenging the old stereotypes of what gaming means.

After losing her husband in a Med Flight helicopter accident, Dr. Stacey Bean let her grief fuel a journey of discovery. That journey led her to the start of Indigo Trails, a place where she can help others through grief and suffering using horses to provide healing for the heart and soul.

I got to write a lot of quirky pieces as a contributor to Magic City Magazine in Billings, Montana, but this was by far the quirkiest. Pig races and the political drama that surrounds them is truly a story made in Montana.

When a cancer diagnosis hits, life shortens and the important things come into focus. Stephanie Achten and Amy Frank know this firsthand. Both were diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35, and both came out on the other side, holding tight to the second chance at life they were given.

Communities across America are struggling to contain the opioid crisis. I spoke to two local women who are fighting towards recovery and two mothers who lived through the reality of lives cut short by opiate addiction.

Analiese Eischer, Teri Larson Jones, Katie Hensel, Lisa Peyton Caire