Latest Issue

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2024 - RELEASED NOW

A bi-montly publication for women, to women, and about women which focuses on topics of interest to women and is geared towards a multi-generational audience.

Suzanne Jambo
Thank you, Focus on Women Magazine, for recognizing AMAZING humanitarians & awarding me too. It was ANGELIC to be in your midst. Joslyn Wolfe you’re a GEM. Your Team is the BEST. May God bless awardees & all beautiful ppl doing their bit in making our world a better place❤️🙏🏾

The Power of Forgiveness: Why a Psychologist Advises Letting Go (and a Free Workbook to Get Started)

By Stephanie Friedman

Your husband forgot your birthday. A semitruck cut you off in rush hour traffic. Your dog went to go cuddle with someone else as soon as you started petting him. No matter what offense has been committed against you (and no matter how serious it is), it’s tempting to hold onto a grudge. It even feels good — at first. Satisfying as it may be to silently shoot daggers at those who’ve wronged you, you may want to rethink that reaction (and cut your dog some slack — he doesn’t know what’s going on). We’re not basing this suggestion solely on instinct. Choosing forgiveness doesn’t just sound like the right thing to do, it actually invites a plethora of science-backed health benefits: selfish advantages, if you will. To glean more insight on the power of letting go, we spoke to psychologist Everett Worthington, who co-authored the largest-ever study on forgiveness as a mental health intervention. “Intervention studies that aim to help people forgive have been linked to reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms and to increases in well-being, flourishing, hope, and sleep quality,” he explained. Read on to dive further into the effects of forgiveness, hear more from our interview with Worthington, and get his free, downloadable forgiveness worksheets.

Great Stories, Well Told!

For the past 35 years, Everyman Theatre has been a home to Great Stories, Well Told! built right here in Baltimore.

We are excited to bring you another great season of plays to celebrate the magic we’ve created together for more than three decades: a legacy of incredible theatre for the community that celebrates the actor and features a Resident Company of Artists. Only a handful of theatres nationwide can boast that they feature an ensemble of professional actors like ours who, because of their distinctive familial bond, history, and trust in each other, can push each other to deliver the highest caliber of work. This is our secret sauce. This is the essence of Everyman. Everyman Theatre is a non-profit organization with a resident ensemble of artists from the Baltimore/Washington area dedicated to presenting high quality plays that are affordable & accessible to everyone.

21st Annual Casey Cares Rock & Roll Bash

October 19th - Rams Head Live

Severna Park native serves with the next generation of U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighters

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Ensign Brian Tinkler, a native of Severna Park, Maryland, is serving in the U.S. Navy where naval aviators learn the skills they need to fly missions around the world. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anna-Liesa Hussey Tinkler, a 2019 graduate of Severna Park High School, joined the Navy one year ago. Tinkler also earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland College Park in 2023. “Growing up around Annapolis, I knew very early on that was what I wanted to do,” said Tinkler. “Also, given the fact that I share a birthday with the Navy, I knew it was the only service for me. In high school, I learned about ROTC and I fully committed to this career." Skills and values learned in the Navy are similar to those found in Severna Park. “I got some military exposure during Junior ROTC in high school, but the most important lesson I learned was to really know what I wanted to do,” said Tinkler. "It is important to try to be as knowledgeable as possible but being able to admit when I don't know something has helped make me humble and more receptive to instruction." Today, Tinkler serves as a student pilot assigned to Training Air Wing Four (TRAWING 4) located at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. TRAWING 4 comprises four training squadrons that conduct Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced flight training for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard pilots. “I wasn't sure originally which community I wanted to join,” said Tinkler. "However, during the summer between my junior and senior year, I was attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 out of NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia and I fell in love with aviation after they gave me a ride in a T-34. I am so happy where I am and grateful for this opportunity to be in the naval aviation community." The air training program focuses on the increased complexity of today’s aircraft. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.” After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter attack jet, the F-35 Lightning strike fighter jet or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. These aircraft take off from and land on Navy aircraft carriers at sea. Navy aircraft carriers are designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea. With more than 5,000 sailors serving aboard, the aircraft carrier is a self-contained mobile airport. Aircraft carriers are often the first response to a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America. Tinkler serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security. “We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.” Tinkler has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service. “I am most proud of being able to fly the Cessna and meet the standard the Navy demands,” said Tinkler. "Going from someone who had no idea what went into flying to someone who is almost ready to go solo, I'm very proud of that." Tinkler can take pride in serving America through military service. “Being able to play a part in keeping the freedoms and liberties we have as Americans is an honor,” said Tinkler. Tinkler is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible. “I want to thank my parents, Cynthia O'Carroll and Scott Tinkler, for pushing me through college and for always being available to talk when times got tough,” added Tinkler. "I also want to thank Ensign Brock Weinstein, a fellow student naval aviator, for being a great source of information. He came into the program as a private pilot and he had a lot of knowledge that he passed on to me."

Explainer: How Does Extreme Weather Affect Our Brains?

By Farah Samir

This summer, Egypt is facing unprecedented heat, with extreme weather impacting mental health. This year’s scorching temperatures underscore the significant effect of weather on our cognitive health. Extreme heat profoundly affects our brains, leading to irritability, heightened anger, and reduced patience. This is evident in our behavior and language, with phrases like “this made my blood boil” indicating anger and “we have to blow off some steam” showing the need to release frustration. A study by researchers at University College London found that rising temperatures trigger a stress response in our brains. This response can lead to swelling and other types of deterioration, negatively impacting cognitive health. But why does this happen? Research published in The Lancet Planetary Health found that even a one-degree increase in temperature above normal raises the chances of depression and anxiety. Although the study focused on Bangladesh, the findings apply worldwide. As climate change gets worse, the link between weather and mental health problems is expected to grow stronger. The connection between heat and mental illness is not so intuitive. Researchers reviewed 332 reports on 19 neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, and migraine, and psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. They found that higher temperatures worsen most conditions. One key factor is sleep quality. Without air conditioning, quality sleep becomes hard to achieve, affecting even those without mental health issues. Poor sleep leads to memory loss, lack of focus, and increased irritability, creating a cycle of frustration that negatively impacts mental health. Heat also affects serotonin, a key mood regulator. Serotonin sends skin temperature information to the brain’s control center, which manages shivering and sweating. Disrupted serotonin levels can influence aggression and mood. In other words, climate change is not only a threat to our environment but also to our mental health. More needs to be done to educate people on how to mitigate these effects and protect our well-being.

Egypt’s Ping Pong Scandal: Olympic Athlete Reveals Wrongdoings by National Association

By Shereif Barakat - Image Credit: Omar Assam/Instagram

Egyptian table tennis champion and 2024 Olympics quarter-finalist. Omar Assar, publicly exposed how the national table tennis federation hindered his and his teammates’ medal prospects. In an interview with talk show host Amr Adib on 12 August, Assar highlighted how Egypt’s Table Tennis Federation (ETTF) derailed the national team’s preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics through a series of questionable actions. Assar, 33, revealed that ETTF failed to “invest a single pound” in player preparation for the Olympic Games from January 2024 onward — a period the athlete considers crucial to condition players for the tournament. The three-time African table tennis champion went on to explain that the federation canceled the essential preparatory camp in Germany just three days before its scheduled start. The federation also failed to replace the camp with any training program held in Egypt, Assar added. The athlete also mentioned that a Minister of Youth and Sports sent an auditor to ETTF’s headquarters after complaints, with the person being given a record of expenses for accommodation, travel, and food for athletes in Germany, despite the camp’s prior cancellation. Assar identified the lack of training and preparation as a reason for failing to secure a medal. ACCUSATIONS OF NEPOTISM Near the end of the interview, Assar publicly requested that a suitable president be appointed to the federation, indicating incompetency by the current administration. He expressed his desire for a federation president who can develop a support system for top athletes and develop a strong technical team to handle the financial side of the federation. To illustrate his point further, the athlete revealed that the current president’s brother was appointed Technical Director of the federation, creating difficulties in communication between the players and the federation. “If I want to raise a complaint to the Technical Director over an issue with the federation, it is now difficult due to the familial relation between the director and the president,” Assar explained. He added that the coach’s son is an assistant responsible for submitting players’ applications to tournaments – often forgetting to submit certain athletes. EGYPT’S SPORTS MINISTRY RESPONDS Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports responded swiftly to the player’s complaints, publishing a social media press release on 13 August in response to the controversy. The ministry announced an investigation into the alleged “irregularities in the operations of the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation.” These include issues such as “non-receipt of financial dues,” “lack of discipline in organizing training camps,” and “nepotism in the appointment of administrative and technical staff.” The ministry also confirmed that it is preparing a detailed report that will include an objective assessment of the federation’s administrative duties, including the “disbursement of support,” “training camp organization,” and the “selection criteria for staff.” The findings will be made public and legal action will be taken if needed.