-New Course Schedule for 2024
-Article: My Friend Howie Cured My Arthritis
-Susan's Award from the NAACP
|
|
|
|
WMF® and
Adv. WMF®
2024
Advanced WMF®
March 20-21, 2024
Westlake Village CA
$3,250
Women Moving Forward®,
July 16-18, 2024
Westlake Village CA
$4,250
Advanced WMF®,
Oct. 16-17, 2024
Westlake Village CA
$4,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MCC© and PR©
In Person 2024
Productive Relationships©
March 19-21, 2024
Westlake Village, CA
$4,250 USD
Managing Corporate Change©
April 30-May 2, 2024
Westlake Village CA
$4,250 USD
|
|
Advanced Men's Course©
October 21-23, 2024
Catch up day Via Zoom
$4950 In-Person
Ojai, California
|
|
|
|
|
Women's Leadership Retreat®
Section 1 & 2
WLR® Section 2
April 2-4, 2024
Ojai CA
$4,950 USD
2 spaces left
WLR© Section 1
Nov 12-14, 2024
Ojai Ca
$4,950
FULL
|
|
|
|
|
2024 Courses All Public
Workshop Schedule
Productive Relationships©
March 19-21, 2024
Westlake Village, CA
$4,250
Advanced WMF®
March 20-21, 2024
Westlake Village, CA
$3,250
Women's Leadership Retreat® Section 2
April 2-4, 2024
Ojai, CA
$4,950
2 Spaces Left
Managing Corporate Change©
April 30- May 2, 2024
Westlake Village, CA
$4,250
Women Moving Forward®
July 16-18, 2024
Westlake Village CA
$4,250
Advanced Women Moving Forward®
Oct 16-17, 2024
Westlake Village, CA
$3,250
Advanced Men's Course©
October 21-23, 2024
Ojai, CA
$4,950
Women's Leadership Retreat® Section 1
Nov 12-14, 2024
Ojai CA
$4,950
FULL
|
|
Howard Cured my Arthritis!
(The Power of Friendship)
I have had significant arthritis in my left foot for at least 4 years. It took hiking off the table one my lifelong loves. It made just walking around the mall or a stroll along the beach with Susan more problematic than enjoyable. I had gotten orthotics, tried 5 different running shoes, CBD oil with slight temporary improvement then it would regress to the original pain.
So, here’s where it gets weird. As the pre-work for the Advanced Men’s Course© this year I had chosen The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. They are the two profs at Harvard that currently shepherd the now 80-year longitudinal study on longevity and happiness. I tripped over a quote about the book that intrigued me. It said the most important factor for a long and happy life is friends. Statistically more important than diet, exercise, or smoking! Buddies are more important that smoking, really?! Think for a minute how much we agonize over what we eat and if we missed a workout. Does anybody worry about your “coffee with friends” portion of your work life balance? But the book made it clear you live longer and are happier based on how much friend time you have.
The book subtly asks some tough questions about the state of your friendships. It really made me think. Susan would frequently come back from her swimming (religiously 3 days a week) and talk about her “friends” at the pool. They are other women who she chats with in line as they wait to get into their lanes. She had stories about the status of these women’s husband’s health. I had nothing to compare to this. Susan would take time regularly to have lunch with friends. I never did this. As I read the book my deficiencies became glaring. One of the challenges as you get older is natural interaction where you make friends become rarer. I am still in touch with the guys I played Rugby with 50 years ago. But I don’t have sports to create these friendships “naturally” anymore.
I got so freaked out by my lack or friend time that I had to take action. Yes, I had to make playdates with two guys my age. Don’t get me wrong I spend lots of time with family. But the friend thing really took effort and overcoming the weirdness of making playdates! At lunch with Howard one of my selected friend candidates we were chatting about our aches and pains as men of a certain age do. I was complaining about my foot and how nothing I do seems to help, and it was really effecting my quality of life. Howard and I share the same podiatrist and Howard asked me if I have tired the “cold Laser” treatment our podiatrist offers. I said what the hell is that? He gave his rough explanation that sounded like non-sense but keep in mind I am desperate.
Despite my being in my doctors’ office for my foot problem multiple times I had to hear about this treatment from my friend not the doctor! Howard’s nudge had me inquire and get 7 sessions of MLS Laser (correct terminology) treatments and low and behold my arthritis is cured. I have zero pain the vast majority of time. I occasionally get a twinge or am sore after a long bike ride but nothing like before. MLS Laser (see link below) has been FDA approved since 2002 for arthritis, back pain and other conditions. But it took a chat with my friend Howard to make me aware. Is this why people with friends live longer? Could it be that simple? Well of course it reaches far beyond my silly little example, but it does point to the power of friendship.
As we head into the holidays, I encourage you to take stock of how much friend time you have these days. The preponderance of thought from the men at AMC© this year was they all had more friend time when they were younger. Data shows long hours of work push friend time off the list. Is that true for you? The sad fact is that 15% of young men say they do not have even one friend, not one. This percent is up from 3% in 1990. Men die from deaths of despair 3 times as often than women do. Men drink and drug alone. There is no one to call 911, there is no one to say “that’s enough” there is no one to say let’s go to a movie.
The book is The Good Life by Robert Waldinger MD and Marc Schulz PhD
As always we invite your commnets.
|
|
Susan's Award from the NAACP |
|
I was honored to receive the 2024 Ventura County NAACP Small Business Award. It was given to me at the NAACP Banquet in October.
I was surprised and humbled by this award. I was asked to make a speech.
Here is a link to the speech I made:
I sincerely hope you will all join your local NAACP and The National NAACP. It is my pleasure to be a member of both and to join in the fight for Civil Rights!
Thanks to all of my family and friends who came to the Banquet and celebrated with us.
|
|
Susan Van Vleet Consultants, Inc.®
An International Consulting Company
692 Camino Verde
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, USA
PHONE (303) 660-5206
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
