BigSwitch

Being at the right place at the right time is good, but being the right person at the right time is better. Recently, a number of professional publications and forums, from Variety to our own Women on the Web, addressed the topic of change and reinvention among the world's corporate ranks. Within all sectors, opportunities are being created while others disappear. Once corporate titans are now turning their hobbies and personal passions into philanthropic and thriving careers in education and entrepreneurship, to name a few.

May is a Big month for healthcare. The business of healthcare, its reform and vision for the future and even the benefits of humor and care for caregivers (National Nurse's week was May 6-12th) are all topics at the forefront of the media spotlight, public consciousness and national as well as global policy agendas. However, it's a familiar face with a familiar message that is once again, gaining prominence and resonance on the health front. Dr. Dean Ornish has been gracing magazine covers including Time, Newsweek and People for decades.

In an age when the medical community was combating heart disease with costly high-tech interventions, Dean Ornish was something of a throwback. His simple, inexpensive program of lifestyle changes--which featured a low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet, aerobic exercise, and daily stress management--contrasted sharply with such invasive and potentially risky (and expensive) treatments as bypass surgery, angioplasty, and cholesterol-lowering medications. The holistic regimen that Ornish recommended appeared not only to halt the progress of atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty substances within the arteries) but actually to reverse it. Dean Ornish first began developing his unique approach to heart disease in the late 1970s while he was still a student, attracting considerable attention for his therapeutic tactics, which also encouraged patients to "open their hearts" in the emotional sense. He believed that the stress-management aspect of his program, designed to combat social isolation as well as daily pressures, yielded untold benefits.

Today, mainstream medicine and government policy makers are taking notice, primarily due to more accurate, advanced findings that support the efficacy of Dr. Ornish's protocols. In March, Dr. Ornish along with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Andrew Weil, testified before the Senate health reform hearings chaired by Senators Harkin and Mikulsk. It's reported that after the presentation, the dialogue with the Senators went on for more than an hour, as they were highly intrigued and engaged.  In a presentation entitled Alternative Medicine Joins the Mainstream Dr. Ornish recently shared the stage with Deepak Chopra during the renowned Milken Conference in Los Angeles.

In his new book The Spectrum Dr. Ornishshows how and why cancer, chronic disease and aging can be reversed using "Nutrigenomics" a system of changing diet and lifestyle to "switch" different genes on or off. Dr. Ornish explains how combining a whole-foods, low-glycemic, plant-based diet along with exercise, relaxation, stress management and connecting to friends and family can beneficially change genes.

To help prove his system of nutrigenomics, Dr. Dean Ornish made a study of prostate cancer at his Preventive Medicine Research Institute. Dr. Ornishstudied 93 men who decided not to have conventional treatment and divided them into two groups. One group didn't change their diet or lifestyle. The other group made the changes that Dr. Ornish prescribed. Dr. Ornish found that the PSA levels (a marker of cancer) went down in the nutrigenomics group but went up in the control group, and that prostate cancer growth was reduced by 70%, providing optimism that early stage prostate cancer can be slowed, stopped, and even reversed through nutrigenomics. Now more than ever, Dr. Ornish's message is (once again) raising interest, discussion and awareness in both the public and scientific realm. To discover why "your genes are not your fate" and other incredible and enlightening health and lifestyle information, bring Dr. Dean Ornish to your organization through BigSpeak today.

BigMomma

BigSpeak's Angela Chee has taken on many roles in her life - Journalist, TV Host, News Anchor - even appearing in a few major motion pictures. But her latest job title may prove to be the most challenging of them all: Mom. To that end, Angela has created TheZenMom.com a website for moms to find a little peace and balance in their journey through motherhood. ZenMom not only dispenses wisdom to harried mothers everywhere, but is also a blog/forum for first-time moms to address their infant issues. Because, as Angela states, "If you're a mom, you know motherhood isn't always so Zen."

BigList

Time Magazine has once again published its list of the World's 100 Most Influential People. Among this year's roster of cultural icons, artists and thought leaders are Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, personal finance guru Suze Orman, late night comedy leader Jay Leno, energy and environmental sage Amory Lovins, and renowned business strategist Ram Charan. To bring the insight of these and many other icons of influence your organization, call BigSpeak today.

BigIssue

Rounding out BigSpeak's impressive list of a-May-zing professional "women in transition" is Marilyn Tam. As a young Chinese immigrant with a tenuous grasp of English, she ultimately worked her way up the male-dominated corporate world to become the CEO of Aveda and later, president of Reebok Apparel. These days, as more companies and organizations realize the economic value and importance of leadership, utilizing the diversity of talent available, leveraging connections in the marketplace and being a socially conscious and green business, Marilyn is being sought out to speak and consult based on her rich global experience and background working in the corporate, entrepreneurial and non-profit worlds. She also has the added value of being a passionate speaker as well as an inspiring role model with great stories to share with the world.