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Woman gets a Woman gets a window with a view in career shift
It is fair to assume that Mark Twain knew a little something about changing careers. His respect for the process was revealed when he warned, ''Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.''
Linda Woods graduated from the University of Louisville in 1971 with a degree in accounting. Her lengthy employment as an accountant for United Press International ultimately delivered her to Music City in 1984. When the local office closed not long after her arrival, Linda went to work for the Nashville Bar Association. However, after almost 25 years of counting beans, she grew restless and bored with the endeavor. Her gregarious nature began to pale as the long hours of isolation and tedium spent in her windowless office took their toll.
Making a new career from scratch is a notorious challenge. Although Linda was not sure at the time what she was going to do, she was certain that she had to do something.
Linda began to perform as a stand-up comedian. Before long, however, the combination of late nights, smoky clubs and alcohol made her sick. When faced with choosing between her rut and an early grave, the disappointed entertainer needed little help grasping the concept that bored is far less permanent than dead.
Determined to improve her health, Woods became acquainted with EarthSave International in the mid-1990s. EarthSave is a nonprofit vegetarian association that educates and encourages people to embrace plant-based diets. She soon founded the organization's Nashville chapter. During her early efforts to convert the carnivores of Davidson County, Linda met Harry Stephenson, sales manager for WAMB 1160-AM radio. The conversation evolved from its original topic, the airing of a few public service announcements, to the possibility of creating a talk show for the 50,000-watt station. The weekly program would provide the host opportunities to interview a variety of experts and authors concerning the latest and most natural methods of health care, as well as holistic healing techniques. Holistic medicine emphasizes treating the person as a whole, with special regard to the interconnections between the mind and body. Holistic approaches pay particular attention to the role of patients in their own care: a positive attitude, proper diet and effective exercise. Linda embraced the notion and began enlisting sponsors.
On May 2, 1998, ''Windows to Wellness with Linda Woods'' aired for the first time. Her use of humor and her genuine capacity to simplify the complex have gained her conversations with such notables as Dr. Bernie Siegel and local psychologist Peter Scanlan. A world leader in the field of mind/body medicine, Deepak Chopra, also joined Linda to discuss the integration of proven natural healing traditions with the best Western medical practices. On another show, Dr. Dean Ornish illustrated how proper nutrition could actually reverse heart disease. And during a time when job concerns are among the biggest issues for Americans, coach/healer Janet Amare explained in promoting a new book that you can invent a job that is much more than just financially successful. You can create your ''soul purpose,'' the work you really love.
Every Saturday, from noon to 1 p.m., Linda Woods opens a new window to wellness by interviewing a national expert or local practitioner trained in a healing modality, and candidly shares her personal experiences with the audience. While the former stand-up comedian still spends most of her time sitting down, she now has a window with a view.
''You can have everything in life you want just by helping others get what they want.'' — Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
Henry Piarrot is a Hillsboro Village merchant who each week profiles an ordinary Middle Tennessean doing extraordinary things. Please send all story recommendations to hpiarrot@home.com.
Reprinted with permission
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