The Weekly Show: 11/15/24

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to the weekly show here on iHeartRadio
on ninety three nine Light FM, one oh three five
Kiss FM and Rock ninety five to five. I'm Paulina,
and every week we're here to discuss a variety of
topics that matter to Chicago Land, from health, to education,
to finances and so much more in between. Today on
the show, we have Ryan Gorman chatting with Teresa Walters,

(00:21):
a vice president of health and Human Services at Music Heres,
and they're joining the show to discuss various services for
musicians and those in the music industry facing financial hardships.
We're also talking to doctor Janet S. Wright, director of
the CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and
we're talking about offering vital information about heart evolved disease

(00:42):
from an overview of the condition to signs, symptoms, and
a breakdown of those most at risk. And I'll be
chatting with doctor Tony Farmer Thompson, President of Strayer University,
and we're going to be talking all about how half
of us workers are worried about gaining the skills needed
to advance their career. So how can you do that right?
Because a new survey suggests a disconnect between the upscilling

(01:05):
opportunities employers provide and what employees need. So let's kick
off the show.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
We're joined by doctor Janet Wright, director of the CDC's
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Doctor Wright, thanks
so much for coming on the show, And I want
to start with a specific condition. What can you tell
us about heart valve disease?

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Well, Ryan, let's go on a tour. Let's go into
that beautiful heart of yours and ours. So each heart
has four heart valves, and with every feat of the heart,
the valves open and close. Their mission in the body
and in life is to direct blood flow through the heart,

(01:47):
out into the body and up to the lungs. Heart
valve disease occurs when one or more of those heart valves,
those little leaflets that blow back and forth, become sickened
or scarred. That may mean that the valve in does
not open fully, obstructing blood flow, or it doesn't close

(02:07):
tightly and it allows blood to leak backwards. That lowers
the efficiency of a heart as a pump and put
strain on the heart. That is part valve disease.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
So what's the difference between heart valve disease and heart
disease overall, and then more specific conditions like heart attacks
and strokes.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
So heart disease is a broad term, and heart valve
disease is a type. Heart attacks come from progressive clogging
of the arteries of the heart, but interestingly, there is
an overlap. People who have very high cholesterol not only
develop those clogs in their arteries, but they also have

(02:48):
an accelerated degeneration of their heart valves, especially the aortic valves.
So we really like to think about the heart in
a holistic way, and that's why the things that you
would do to prevent heart disease overall, good exercise every
day and healthy diet and no smoking, all of those
things also help reduce the risk of heart valve disease.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Are there certain people who are most at risk for
heart valve disease?

Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yes, there are. Some individuals are born with a slightly
misstatemented valve that over time, many years of those heart
beats going back and forth, those valves opening and closing,
that they develop more severe forms of heart disease over
the arc of their lifetime. We know that older people,
especially over the age of sixty five. Again likely because

(03:40):
of wear and tear on the valves, are more likely
to have heart valve disease. A group of people that
where it's not as well known is that individuals have
had radiation treatment to their chests for cancer, may have
undergone or may have sustained some damage to that eventually,

(04:01):
over several years, may result in heart valve disease. And
then they're infectus pauses, the bug that causes throat streptococcus
can get into the bloodstream and sort of housekeeping on
one of the vowel belieflets and cause some arms. So
those are some examples of folks at slightly higher risk.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
I'm Ryan Gorman with doctor Chanet S. Wright, the director
of the CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.
What are some of the signs and symptoms of heart
valve disease?

Speaker 3 (04:31):
You know, Ryan, I mentioned I love the heart and
I think it's a work of art, a thing of beauty.
But I have to say the heart valve disease is sneaky,
and by that I mean if symptoms can be subtled,
they can also be very slow in developing, so they
develop over us years and most of us. I mean
humans are resilient organisms. We pushed through, we soldier on.

(04:56):
People are so busy and we cannot say attention to
the way we feel. So let me make sure that
your listeners know what the class six symptoms of part
valve disease are. First of all, the sense of fatigue
that seems greater than it should be. You might brush
it off as a bad night's sleep, but if there's
a pattern of an increasing fatigue, that's a sign technically,

(05:20):
sense of shortness of breast or air hunger. When you
climb stairs or go up the same hill that you're
used to climbing, if you're more short of breath than
you were in the past, register that and consider that
a symptom to discuss with your doctor or nurse. Likewise,
a sense of test heaviness or pressure with exertion, or

(05:42):
a flippy skippy heart one that's racing or missing a beat.
And then finally, a symptom of an advanced heart valve
problem is a sense that you're going to pass out
or even a blackout. Any or all of those symptoms
used to take and discuss with your healthcare team.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
If you notice that you're experiencing those symptoms, or you
notice something might be a little off with your heart
or your body, what steps should you take?

Speaker 3 (06:12):
I want to be very explicit about this because this
is your way to protect yourself from harm from undetected
heart valve disease. When you go to your visit for
any reason, elbow issue, your ache, ask the doctor or
the nurse to take a list into your heart. It
takes only a few minutes. They are skilled in the

(06:36):
art of hostable station. That means listening to the heart
and detecting sounds of potential heart valve problems. If you
go and you the person examines your chest but they
don't say anything, ask the question out of my heart
vowel sound? Or do I have a heart murmur? If
the answer indicates the possibility of a heart vowel problem,

(06:58):
then you ask what next? What should I do about that?

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Aside from that, when you go to the doctor getting
your heart listen to are there other proactive preventative steps
that everyone can take to deal with the potential for
heart valve disease?

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Yes, And I want to be clear, I've got to
say a few things, but I want everyone to know
you cannot self diagnose heart valve disease, you have to
have somebody put a stethoscope onto your chest. That said,
you can keep your heart healthy by doing the things
that you've heard about a long time, trying to eat
a good healthy diet, being physically active, and being stressed,

(07:37):
not smoking. The annual checkups or regular checkups are really
important and really important to carry your symptoms, your sensations,
your impressions of the way you feel. Make sure you
convey that to your healthcare team. In addition, having regular
checkups at the dentist is incredibly helpful because terms exists

(08:00):
in our mouths, and as I mentioned, they can get
into the bloodstream. Go set up house keeping on a
heart valve and cause some damage. If you are prescribed
antibiotics for strip throat or for some other infection, make
sure you fill that prescription and complete the entire course
of treatment. That is your best way to keep those

(08:20):
germs from causing harm to your heart.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
I'm Ryan Gorman with doctor Janet s Right, director of
the CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Can
you talk a little bit about the CDC's efforts to
raise awareness of heart voul disease.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
Yes, Ryan. In fact, the reason we're on this track
is that we know that about five million people of
the US are diagnosed each here, but we know that
some subsets of the population are less likely to have
their condition diagnosed. It's not that they're more likely to
have it, but they're less likely to get diagnosed and treated.

(08:57):
And among those groups are women more than men. Individuals
who are African Americs and are black, Hispanic or Latino
and Asian individuals are again less likely to be diagnosed
and treated. So I want to make sure your listeners
know that if they belong to any of those groups,
that they should know the signs and symptoms, and most

(09:19):
importantly ask for that stethoscope on the test when they
have an office visits.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
What else do you focus on in the division for
Heart Disease and struct prevention outside of what we're talking
about today with hard valve disease, if you ask, we have.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
Been intensively working on hypertension control. One out of two
adults in the United States, one out of two of
us as high blood pressure, and only one out of
four of those with high blood pressure has it under
safe control. Control is absolutely possible with lifestyle and maybe
with medications if needed. And it's really important for people

(09:58):
to pay attention to their blood pressure, monitor it at
home and crede those readings with their healthcare team to
make sure they prevent cartifacts, strokes, menta, complications of pregnancy
and more.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
Again, Doctor Janet s Right, Director of the CDC's Division
for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. You can learn more
at CDC dot gov slash Know your Heart at CDC
dot gov slash Know your Heart. Doctor Wright, thank you
so much for taking the time to come on the show.
Really appreciate it much, Brian forgetting the word out. I'm
joined by Teresa Walters, the vice president of Health and

(10:34):
Human Services at Music Cares. You can learn more at
Musiccares dot org. Teresa, thanks so much for coming on
the show and let's beak in with an overview of
how this organization came about and the work that you do.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Thanks Ryan, it's such a pleasure to join you today.
So Music Cares is the leading philanthropic organization and we
provide a safety net to music professionals. We were founded
over thirty years ago go by the Recording Academy, and
we were really born out of a recognition that the
humans behind the music need more support, and so over

(11:09):
the course of the last thirty five years, music Hares
has provided more than three hundred thousand services to music professionals,
and we've distributed over one hundred and thirteen million safety
net assistance.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
So I'm sure many people listening when they think of
the music industry and musicians, they think of Taylor Swift, right,
But tell us a little bit about that process. You know,
not everybody gets to that point. It can be a
long and arch was difficult road, and during that time

(11:47):
sometimes assistance is needed.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
Right, absolutely, And I think what you raised is such
an important misperception that's out there that those who work
in the music industry are all financially secure, that there's
a safety net, and that there's a lot of high
visibility success. But the reality is that for the overwhelming

(12:09):
majority of people who help to bring music to life,
there's a lot of variability in this industry. And so
Music Cares is really a life changing and in some cases,
life saving resource for music professionals as they're navigating any
number of unanticipated life circumstances. And there are three ways

(12:29):
that we really help. The first is that we've got
an incredible team of trained clinicians who offer customized care
and financial assistance as music professionals navigate financial or medical,
mental health, and substance use hardships. And this means support
for things like basic living needs, medical bills, therapy, substance

(12:52):
use treatment, even equipment replacement if your gear is lost
or stolen, because we know that lost or stolen gear
can have a catastrophe, get catastrophic impact on your ability
to really make music and cover your bills. But secondly,
we work with hundreds of healthcare providers throughout the United
States to offer free preventive healthcare services. So although many

(13:15):
folks who do work in music have insurance coverage, they
oftentimes have catastrophic or inadequate coverage, so that means they
may not have coverage for things like dental cleanings, vision, hearing,
vocal or even physical therapy care. And then the last
thing is we work with partners and experts across the

(13:35):
US on a range of educational programming as well as
weekly virtual support groups just to help us all navigate
some of the complexities of a life and career in music.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
I'm Ryan Gorman with Teresa Walter's vice president of Health
and Human Services for Music Cares. You can learn more
about all the work they do and support that work
at musiccares dot org. Are their qualifications for aid and
if so, what would they be?

Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah? Thanks Ryan. So, music Cares is available to everyone
who works in music after five years employment or once
you have credit on six commercially released recordings, and music
professionals means everyone. So that's your singers and musicians, but
it's also managers, crew engineers, tour bus drivers, folks at

(14:27):
the label, even makeup artist. It's really everyone who helps
to bring music to life. You're not required to be
a member of the Recording Academy, even though we are
an affiliate of the Recording Academy. So regardless of your genre,
your profession, how many days a week you play, and
whether or not you're signed to a label, Music Cares
is here for you.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
And I'm assuming there have been times where something like this,
this safety net for those who are trying to make
their way in this really difficult industry, it can be
a game changer.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
For Yeah, it's so true, and there are literally tens
of thousands of individuals that Music Cares has provided safety
net support to over the course of the last thirty
five years. Because confidentiality is absolutely paramount and we are
a HIPPO compliant organization, you'll never hear us talking about

(15:23):
individual stories unless it's in tandem with that music professional.
But I can tell you on a daily basis, we
are truly helping to save and change lives of music professionals,
whether that means some basic things like helping to cover
someone's rent after they lose a gig, or maybe even

(15:43):
helping to cover a medical bill for a longstanding health
condition that they've had. We also help to refer and
connect people to therapy as well as covering the cost.
And then we also help people to access substance use treatment.
And because we know of the demands of this industry,

(16:04):
we've got options for both in and outpatient substance use.
So if a one month's stay isn't the right option
for you, we've got other choices. And even for folks
who may be really familiar with music Cares and some
of the ways that we connect and help folks, there
may be ways that you're less aware of, and so
for example, at music Cares, we can help to cover

(16:26):
childcare costs. We all know anyone who's a parent out
there knows that there's such a significant portion of our
household budget that gets taken up by childcare. And we
never want folks to lose work or lose a gig
because of difficulty in accessing childcare. But we also cover
the cost of preventive screenings like mammograms or cervical cancer

(16:48):
or colonoscopy. So we always want folks to take care
of their health and really be sustained in this industry
long term. And the last thing I'll just mention is
that even if Music Heres isn't the right resource, we
actually work with dozens of partners and so we can
connect you with resources that are out there to help.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
Tell us about this initiative that you have. The Day
that Music Cares. What's that all about?

Speaker 4 (17:12):
Oh amazing? So the Day that Music Cares is something
that's so important and so special to us here at
Music Cares. It is our annual day of service. It
is an opportunity for all of us in the music community,
as well as our friends, family, and anyone who loves
music to join around the world in a day of service.

(17:34):
This takes place the last Friday in April, and you
can learn more by visiting the Music Cares website. We'll
have more information coming out in the coming weeks and months,
but this is a chance for music to really give
back in all of the ways that matter to us,
both individually and then collectively as a community.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
I'm Ryan Gorman, joined by Teresa Walters, vice president of
Health and Human Services for Music Cares. You can learn
more about the work they do and support that work
at musiccares dot org. What about the Resilience on the
Road toolkit?

Speaker 4 (18:09):
So we all know touring is a love hate relationship
for so many people who work in music. It's this
beautiful opportunity to connect with fans, to be out in
the community, but it's also frankly, really challenging. It can
be physically and mentally and socially isolating for so many people.
So we developed Resilience on the Road really as an

(18:33):
opportunity to provide music professionals with tools and resources and
tips to both prepare for touring and then to also
stay physically, mentally and socially healthy while they're out on tour.
So we've got resources in there that are curated by experts,
wonderful things like little activities to help you be intentional

(18:56):
about your day, stay healthy, find good ways to eat
even if you're eating at a gas station, how to
get some exercise. It's a wonderful resource and would encourage
folks to check that out. It's available in our website
Musiccares dot org.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
I've got two more questions for you, and let me
start with those who are in the music industry who
feel like after hearing our discussion, they could utilize some
of the services you provide. What should their next step be?

Speaker 4 (19:25):
So as a next step, they can visit our website
musiccaars dot org, or they can reach out for help
directly to our email relief box, which is Musiccares Relief
at musiccares dot org or call our one eight hundred
number which is one eight hundred six eight seven four

(19:46):
two two seven, and as part of that outreach, they'll
be connected to a member of our health and human
services team who can help them with next steps to
access support.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
And then for those who want to support the work
the you're doing, how can they go about helping out?

Speaker 4 (20:03):
Wonderful There are so many ways to contribute to Music Cares.
The first is that we really appreciate and value all
financial contributions, So if you're interested in donated, please feel
free to learn more at our website and you can
make a donation there. There are also incredible ways to
get involved with your friends and bring them to be

(20:24):
a part of a fun event to contribute to Music Cares.
The second that I would mention is spreading the word
and word of mouth. So many people who come to
Music Cares have heard about us through a friend in
the industry, and there's that sense of trust. So if
you've used Music Cares, if you know of a friend
or a colleague who's used Music Cares, please help us to.

Speaker 5 (20:45):
Spread the word.

Speaker 4 (20:46):
And then the last thing I'll mention is to please
join us on the day that Music Cares and contribute
to your community in an active service in whatever way
feels valuable and impactful to you.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Again, everyone can earn more at Musiccares dot org. That's
Musiccares dot org. Teresa Walters, vice president of Health and
Human Services for Music Cares, with us here on the show. Teresa,
thank you so much for the work you're doing and
for taking a few minutes to talk to us. We
really appreciate it.

Speaker 5 (21:16):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (21:17):
So much.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
Ryan.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
Hi, It's Paulina here with iHeartMedia Chicago and today I
am chatting with doctor Tony Farmer Thompson, and we are
so excited to have you, President of Strayer University.

Speaker 6 (21:27):
How are you today, I'm doing well, Paulina, How are you?

Speaker 1 (21:31):
I'm doing so well. I'm happy to have you on
the show today because we're talking about a topic that
I think is so relatable to just a lot of
a lot of people in the workforce right and it's
about feeling stuck in your career. So I do have
information here I want to share with the listeners in
the audience. Fifty percent of American workers are concerned about
advancing their careers and gaining the skills they need to

(21:53):
do so. And the ability to continuously upgrade our skills
is called upskilling. Actually no idea and a lot of
workplace uses do not provide opportunities for employees to upskill.
So stray Or University recently conducted a survey on this
issue in the workforce, and you're here today to talk
about the survey and then of course the benefits of upskilling.
So can you give us a little bit of a

(22:14):
background and kind of what that term is upskilling?

Speaker 5 (22:18):
Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 6 (22:20):
Upskilling refers to any educational programming that's designed to specifically
expand and employees' capabilities or competencies in a key area,
ultimately minimizing the skill gap. And when that happens, Paulina,
it advances the career of the employee as well as

(22:42):
it advances the employee within the industry, thereby effectively driving
up the personal economic mobility of the employee. Now, what's
challenging is that technology and workplace practices are evolving as
such a rapid hey, so much so if it comes
hard for employees to continuously upskill to meet the workforce demands.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Yeah, I can see that. I think what you know
from my perspective of looking at this right as an
employee of a company, I think that would only benefit
the employees. So how does it benefit my employer and
also myself?

Speaker 5 (23:22):
You're right, it absolutely benefits both.

Speaker 6 (23:25):
So upskilling helps the employee by advancing their career while
at the same time accelerating the organization's mission or even performance.
In addition to that, LinkedIn conduct conducted a survey and
put out a learning report, and it said that ad

(23:45):
inten people say that learning adds to adds purpose to
their work, which is fantastic, and another seven and ten
said learning improves their sense of connection to the organization.
So by encouraging learning and growth, employers are actually helping

(24:06):
get that those skills into their organization. They're equipping their employees,
and they're having the employees be more connected to the
organizational goals.

Speaker 5 (24:19):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (24:20):
So then if we're you know, kind of talking about
the concern about gaining new skills, I can see I'm
you know, just sort of putting a scenario out there.
But if if I am working for a company and
that company, right, maybe has myself go and sort of
just you know, gain new skills, maybe go to like
learn new things, which is beneficial for both of us.

(24:41):
Like we just talked about what are the concerns, right,
Why are the employees concerned about us gaining new skills?

Speaker 6 (24:47):
Yeah, they're concerned because, as you know, the world of
work is constantly changing and that makes it more difficult
for workers to stay on top of the rapid advances
in technology, elogy and the evolving skills.

Speaker 5 (25:01):
So the employee is trying.

Speaker 6 (25:03):
To thrive and advance their career and it's just difficult
to stay on top of it, and as a survey indicates,
half of US workers are worried about being able to
gain the skills they need, despite the fact that seventy
four percent say that they are receiving upskilling opportunities from
their employer. So what this indicates is there is absolutely

(25:28):
a disconnect between the skills that employers are providing and
the upskilling that employees say they need.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
Absolutely, and what's the best way for employees to talk
to their employers if they're looking for upskilling opportunities?

Speaker 6 (25:46):
The first thing you said to Paulina is to absolutely
go speak with someone that I encourage employees to go
to someone in their organization. Human resources is a great
there are a great groups of a great asset and
have the conversation what skills does the organization need today

(26:07):
that it doesn't really have? Where are we seeing a
skill gap as a company, and hey, are there any
forecasted skill gaps for the future that we can know about.
The employee should then take that information and conduct research
and say, what is the best way for me to
obtain these skills that have been mentioned to me? Is

(26:27):
it a class, is it a certificate? Is it a decree,
how long will it take and what's.

Speaker 5 (26:33):
The cost investment.

Speaker 6 (26:35):
Once they have that information consolidated, they can go back
to their employer and confidence and say, hey, I conducted
some research and I'm hoping you can tell me how
you can support me developing these specific skills. And a
lot of times employers will absolutely point employees to benefits

(26:59):
and like a tuition benefit program where in the employer
pays for a portion or all of a degree or
upskilling program for an employee. And then finally, the employee
must make a commitment to continually check in and say, hey,

(27:19):
I've acquired these new skills and here's how I see
that I'm able to benefit the organization differently better with
these new skills.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
I love it absolutely. And then really quick, what type
of skills then do employees say they need or they're
looking for.

Speaker 6 (27:38):
Employees are saying they need technology skills first to advance
in their current jobs, followed by hard skills, and then
communication skills. And the challenge here is that the upskilling
provided by employers is typically in house training, so you
can see how that may or may not sufficiently address

(27:59):
those skills that are identified by the employee. Again, making
tuition assistance a great option. It creates optionality, flexibility, and
autonomy as employees are able to decide where, how and
when to learn to acquire those skills.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Wonderful. I love it. And then where can we go
to learn more and to you know, get more information
regarding upskilling?

Speaker 6 (28:27):
Upskilling dot com is the site you can go to.
There are tons of tips and great information for employees
as well as employers.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
Awesome. We appreciate this so much. Thank you doctor Tony
Farmer Thompson for your time today. We appreciate it. Thank you, Paulina,
thank you so much, and thank you for listening to
another episode of the Weekly Show here on iHeartRadio. We
do the show every single week, so if you would
love to be featured or know someone that should be
who's doing amazing things in our community, you can contact

(28:58):
me at Paulina at iHeartMedia and I will try my
best to set up an interview with you to get
you on the Weekly Show. We post this interview in
all previous episodes up on our iHeartRadio app. Simply just
search for the Weekly Show and share with everyone. Thank
you so much and we'll talk to you again next weekend.