This week on Healthy Living with Yoga Anita, I’m joined by Shari Duffy and Kyrah Altman of LEAD (Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do Inc.).

When Shari’s daughter, Megghan, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at just 23 years old in January 2020, her mission didn’t stop — it grew stronger. Years earlier, Megghan and Kyrah had founded LEAD while still in high school after recognizing the lack of resources and support for young people and families facing a terminal cancer diagnosis.

A graduate of Fitchburg State University, Megghan was passionate about mental health advocacy and became a mental health counselor. Today, LEAD honors her legacy by providing free resources, mental health support, and coping strategies to young adults navigating life-altering diagnoses.

💛 LEAD is currently gathering data to measure the effectiveness of their FREE course — and they need participants and feedback to help expand beyond Massachusetts and reach people nationwide and globally.

👉 Take Megghan’s Course (FREE):
https://leadslearninglab.teachable.com/p/megghans-course

To support the mission, Shari also publishes adult coloring books through ShariB Creatives on Amazon, with all proceeds going directly to LEAD to keep the course free.

Let’s shine a light on this beautiful legacy of empowerment, advocacy, and love.

🎙️ Healthy Living with Yoga Anita – Community Spotlight!

This week I interviewed Arthur Pierce, Choir Director at Leominster High School and founder of the award-winning show choir, Ignition. Arthur began teaching locally in 2000 at St. Leo School and St. Anna School before joining Leominster Public Schools. After attending Show Choir Camps of America in Ohio, he launched Ignition—now in its third year and already earning top honors, including a recent bronze medal! 🏆

We were joined by student song captains Miriam Rosenbaum and Dusk Costa, who shared how they prepare, collaborate, and grow from judges’ feedback. Students even help inspire themes—last year featured Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and this year’s powerful show is Fallout, set in a dystopian future.

Arthur also created the Flamingo Show Choir Festival, celebrating Leominster’s landmark and bringing talented performers together. Choreography support comes from Julie Boyd, Zach Moore and Heather Mahan.

🎟️ Don’t miss the Flamingo Festival on March 7th!
Tickets: https://onthestage.tickets/show/leominster-music-department

✨ Support our amazing local students and the arts!
📻 Catch Healthy Living with Yoga Anita Saturday mornings on WLPZ 95.1FM.

#Leominster #ShowChoir #SupportTheArts #StudentLeadership #healthylivingwithyogaanita #YogaAnita #CommunitySpotlight #WLPZ #MusicEducation #LocalTalent

🎙️ New Episode: Healthy Living with Yoga Anita

This week, I sit down with Derek Craig, owner of Canvas and founder of the nonprofit Coff33 Corp. Derek is a Leominster native, LHS football alum (Class of 2006), whose journey took him from Central Massachusetts to Texas and into a career in specialty lighting—working on major projects including the African American Museum in Washington, DC.

After a life-altering eye infection that led to near-total vision loss, Derek returned home and transformed adversity into purpose. Through Coff33 Corp, his mission is to cultivate creativity, innovation, and community by creating an inclusive space for artistic expression and collaboration.

We’re also joined by Ascenzio Valeri, a friend of the program—musician, poet, and published author of My Descent Before Ascension. Ascenzio recently recited his poetry on WGBH (PBS), sharing powerful words rooted in resilience and self-expression.
🔗 Learn more about Ascenzio: https://respectedrejectz.com/

This episode is a heartfelt conversation about creativity, community, overcoming challenges, and the healing power of the arts.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-living-with-yoga-anita/id946777214

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3svd2Z30ttYt1n25vg8C8h

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthyLivingYogaAnita

or your favorite podcast station

#HealthyLivingWithYogaAnita #PodcastInterview #CommunityHealing #CreativeCommunity
#NonprofitSpotlight #Resilience #OvercomingAdversity #ArtAsHealing #LeominsterMA
#CentralMass #PoetryAndPurpose #InclusiveSpaces #CreativeExpression