Shermin Kruse is a partner at the law firm of Barack Ferrazzano, the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel Butterfly Stitching, a contributor to the Huffington Post, co-founder and director of the peace organization, Pasfarda Arts and Culture Exchange, a director of the international refugee center Heshima Kenya, and a director of the ACLU of Illinois. Shermin, spent her childhood in Iran dodging rockets and the morality police and immigrated with her family. Kruse graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. In addition, she is a frequent speaker and writer on issues relating to human rights and women in leadership. Kruse is globally dedicated to raising awareness. Shermin was named by BizWomen Magazine as one of the top 100 “Women to Watch” in the US and is one of Chicago’s most influential women in business.
Martha Chandran-Dickerson, was born in India, raised in Europe and East Africa, and now resides in America. As a global citizen and Indian Christian, she is an anomaly. Issues pertaining to faith, culture, diaspora and identity have perpetually intrigued her. As an outlier, the innocuous, however haunting question, “where are you from?” still confounds her. Her eclectic background informs her views and she embraces diversity wherever she encounters it. As a daughter to a Statistician and an Economics Instructor, she abandoned the sciences, and embraced the arts, initially pursuing journalism but eventually becoming an educator, as a writing consultant. She is also a freelance writer. When she isn’t tutoring students, or putting pen to paper, she's mothering her boys. She hopes to pursue her PhD in English, with a Postcolonial emphasis and aspires to write a memoir about her meanderings through the peaks, plateaus and valleys of her borderless life.
CONTRIBUTORS
Erika Fay is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and certified Transformational Life Coach with over 16 years of experience working with men, women, couples & athletes. As a professional speaker, Erika specializes in helping people build dreams, accelerate results and create richer, more fulfilling lives. Erika graduated from Purdue University and obtained her Master of Arts degree from St Mary’s University in San Antonio Texas and is certified as a Transformational Life Coach by the Life Mastery Institute. As founder and owner of Erika Fay, LMFT & Associates, a relationship therapy practice, Erika believes that everyone has the capacity to create loving relationships and lead fulfilling, happy lives. In her free time, she is an endurance athlete and competes in numerous triathlons and marathons. www.erikafaylmft.com
Heather Reid is a writer, freelance editor, essayist and avid home cook with a particular passion for baking bread. She has a degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and has worked as a newspaper editor and advertising executive with a specialty in digital marketing. Her work has appeared in various parenting magazines and a collection of her essays can be found at www.heatherreidwrites.com. Most importantly, she’s the proud mother of two precocious and hilarious little boys who keep her ninja skills on point.
The Little IUD & Implant Success Secret
You Never Knew
By Kai Tao
ecently, I attended a fancy fundraiser, hustling for my new social impact startup, Juno4Me. In the 90 minutes I was there, sipping sparkling water out of a crystal glass and eating bite-sized hors d’oeuvres, networking with attendees about my work on expanding contraceptive access, six well-resourced, 30 to 40-ish year old women voluntarily shared their sentiments about the Intrauterine Device (IUD). Completely unsolicited, they eagerly shared their personal stories. “I got my Mirena IUD replaced just last week, can’t imagine using anything else.” “I got my first IUD when I was in college and it’s the best decision I ever made.” “My IUD is a lifesaver. I love my IUD.” “Do I have to remove my IUD by 50?” “I have awful periods, so thankful for my IUD”.
In contrast, I was doing a home visit for a six month old infant who had been referred for a developmental delay. Upon arriving at the studio apartment, there were 4 children under 5 years old. The infant was in her car seat; apparently, she’s there 24/7 for risk of her siblings trampling over her in the cramped living conditions. Thus, the mystery of why the infant wasn’t sitting up on her own was quickly solved.
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