Woody Weingarten gets out his upbeat message

'Rollercoaster' author to do hourlong talk-radio interview, then speak at caregiver confab

November's key phrase for me is "getting out the message."

Why?

Because I, Woody Weingarten, will be on the VoiceAmerica talk radio network in a live interview from 2 to 3 p.m. Nov. 11, and then I'll be the main speaker at the 8th annual Healings in Motion caregivers conference at 1 p.m. three days later, Nov. 14, in Stockton.

My message is that men can successfully be caregivers for their ailing partners, that they and their partners and their relationships can all survive, and that there can be light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

That combo message is also the main thrust of my VitalityPress book, "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer," which is aimed at male caregivers. 

Cheryl Jones

The interview — to be conducted by Cheryl Jones, host of "Good Grief" — will be archived on the VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Channel and on iTunes afterwards.

Jones says her program aims to "share how [interviewees] have walked through their own exquisite pain and what they have gained as a result." 

Her interviews, she adds, allow listeners to "come away ready to follow our own dreams to a deeper, more meaningful time on this beautiful earth!"

Mary Nicholson

The conference, which carries the theme "Inner Safari: A Joyful Day to Relax, Retool and Renew," is — according to the organization's website — "tailored to prevent burn-out, assist caregivers in developing skills and gaining the knowledge necessary to fulfill caregiving responsibilities."

It actually will encompass the hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m and will feature other speakers, workshops, body massages, improv comedy and vendor booths — at the Robert Cabral Center. 

Last  year's confab drew about 400 participants; it is hoped that this year's will be even larger.

Healings in Motion was founded by Mary Nicholson following a brain aneurysm, stroke and grand mal seizure — after she'd served as a caregiver for her husband, who'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.