May 2021 Clips

Ready to move in and still in development, this month tackled housing in the Valley.

Two Developers Seeking Planning Approval to Build Nearby Apartment ComplexesAppeared in North 32nd News and The Scottsdale Standard

Springs at Deer Valley Opens in Time for Summer Move-Ins – Appeared in Deer Valley Times

Modified Movement – media coverage

A mutual friend introduced me to Ashley Sayaloune earlier this year, where I learned about her upcoming yoga studio, Modified Movement. She takes an adaptive approach to yoga and well-being. Her goal? To make staying engaged in fitness accessible for those who struggle with a traditional approach. Ashley focuses on learning for those with chronic pain, chronic illness, and disability. She is working on creating special classes for cancer patients, first responders, and veterans.

Check out some of the coverage we’ve gotten for the Modified Movement grand opening:

Image by ElisaRiva from Pixabay

The Damaging Representation of Dissociative Identity Disorder in Hollywood

Originally shared on Facebook, April 11, 2021.

Recently, Apple announced that they cast Tom Holland in an Apple TV+ show called ‘The Crowded Room.’ In the series, Holland will portray Billy Milligan, the first person acquitted of a crime because of dissociative identity disorder after being arrested for raping three women at OSU in the 1970s.

People with DID have expressed concern about Apple’s choice to represent Milligan’s story on the show because when DID gets recognition in the media, it is often shown as dangerous, violent alters. (Split is an example of the damaging portrayal in popular media.) Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, the APA re-classed DID in 1994. The first season will be the telling of Milligan’s story based on the 1981 biography, ‘The Minds of Billy Milligan.’ There are other books about DID available.

DID is currently one of the least diagnosed disorders out there, coming in at about 1% of the general world population. Researchers believe the number is higher due to lack of understanding of DID/misdiagnosis, trauma response/fear preventing patients from seeking help, lack of mental health care, and many systems being unaware without help.

Diagnosis of DID typically happens in women in their early 30s, though the onset of dissociative symptoms occurs between 5 and 10 years old. The average emergence of alters occurs around the age of 6. It’s very important to remember that DID is trauma based. This is not something people are born with. This is something that occurs when a child goes through trauma in the formative years.

The other problem people have with the show is the spread of misinformation. We all know someone who watches fictional representations of reality and thinks it’s true. If you watch the show, please keep in mind that this story takes place in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s and a lot of information is outdated.

This means that the show will probably call it multiple personality disorder. It will talk about how they believed DID worked then, and not the structural dissociation that many DID specialists believe is actually the case now. This show won’t bridge the gap between MPD and why the APA re-classed it.

It is important to understand that this portrayal is scary for a lot of DID systems. The DID community comprises traumatized people who already live in fear or sharing their diagnosis. They know the portrayal in popular media will affect how someone takes the news. These are people who, when they tell someone, feel the need to say, “I want you to know I would never hurt you because I know what people think…”“Well, how could they have represented it better?”

NFL star Herschel Walker revealed his DID diagnosis in 2008. He wrote a book about coming to terms with his diagnosis and hoped it would educate the public and break down stereotypes about the disorder. Why couldn’t they tell his story instead?

Home Run Stadium Batting Cages

Local Batting Cages Affected by Pandemic Starts GoFundMe

Home Run Stadium’s GoFundMe campaign aims to raise $45k to complete vitally needed repairs on cages and facility

MESA, Ariz. – The landmark and veteran-owned Home Run Stadium Batting Cages have been serving the East Valley community at the same location for over 35 years. But now they are turning to the community they love for help with much needed repairs on the cages and the facility.

Because of a series of events causing traffic to the business to dwindle over the past several years, Home Run Stadium has fallen behind on costly but needed routine repairs on the cages and facility. Owner Roc Rothchild says it has been a series of unfortunate timing, but that his goal is to get the cages back on track to continue serving the community for many years.

Complications for the batting cages began in 2017, when Metro Phoenix Light Rail started construction on an expansion along Main Street that took the street down to a single lane in some places.

“Like many of our neighbors, we saw a decrease in traffic,” says Rothchild. “Our revenue dropped over 50 percent compared to years past.”

Construction concluded in May 2019, and Rothchild says business began to return to the area.

“It was the blessing we needed to start the return to normal,” he shares. “We eagerly looked forward to our Spring 2020 season, where spring training and little league would bring our revenues back up.”

Rothchild explains that spring is where the business generates about half of its earnings each year, and the 2020 season would give them the boost they needed to get back on track after the long-term construction.

But the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading rapidly by the spring season, having a devastating ripple effect when it caused many sports to delay or cancel their seasons entirely. When they vitally needed the spring season revenue, earnings for the cages dropped more than 80 percent and remained that way through the rest of 2020.

Rothchild says some repairs he would like to make with the funding include replacing baseballs and softballs, repairing netting on the cages, patching the parking lot, and repairing the asphalt inside of the cages. Other items include repairing the pitching machines, repairing the storefront sign, and generating the funds needed for advertising and marketing.

“Our commitment to the community is that through these funds, we will be able to make these needed repairs and continue operations,” he explains. “Because the community is so very important to us, any funds over and above what is needed to complete the needed repairs will be donated to local little leagues and veteran non-profit organizations in the East Valley.”

Those interested in donating to the restoration of the cages can do so by visiting https://gofund.me/16ad0fb6. Rothchild says any help is appreciated, from donations to sharing the fundraiser to spread the word.

For more information, visit www.mesabattingcages.com. To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow on Facebook at Home Run Stadium Batting Cages and Twitter at @HomeRunStadium.

Local Yoga Studio Takes Adaptive Approach to Exercise for Those Living with Chronic Illness

Locals are invited to attend the May 15 grand opening celebration to learn more

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Individuals with chronic illness and injury often struggle with the ability to enjoy daily activities. Ashley Sayaloune is working to create yoga programs and classes to make exercise and well-being more accessible in her new studio, Modified Movement.

“I am extremely passionate about helping people feel empowered to live without feeling limited by their bodies, illnesses or a new phase of life,” she says.

She designed Modified Movement classes with the deeper intention toward healing the limitations that limit a person’s mobility and activity. No experience needed, as Sayaloune works with each client to make sure that they are not going to exercises or poses that are beyond their current skill level or capabilities. The studio offers 60-minute weekday drop-in classes, a five-pack bundle on 60-minute classes at a special price, and 90-minute weekend drop-in classes.

While teaching classes and laying out the plan for creating her own studio, Sayaloune realized how unique her method of teaching was. As the sole educator at Modified Movement, she knew she needed to be adaptive herself to help her clients with all of their well-being needs and goals.

“There are many types of yoga and studios all over the Valley, but very few offer classes that offer complete support for injuries and illnesses,” Sayaloune shares.

Sayaloune began teaching classes for public and private clients nearly seven years ago, and shares that she noticed many of her new clients had limitations that made it difficult for them to take part in classes. It became her goal to change her teachings to not only empower them in class but improve their movement to get back to the activities they enjoyed.

“My dream is to offer new and different condition-focused classes moving forward, helping as many Phoenicians as possible. I would like to offer free classes to those struggling with cancer and the Valley’s first responders,” Sayaloune shares, adding that she would like to add special classes for cancer patients and first responders later this year.

Those interested in Modified Movement can join the grand opening celebration on May 15 from 4 – 6 p.m. To RSVP, please visit https://forms.gle/XtdMHwVAu32bfwsW8. For more information, visit Modified Movement at www.modifymymovement.com. To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow on Facebook at @modifymymovement and Instagram at @modifiedmovement.

Clippings of newspaper articles for April 2021

April 2021 Clips

From infrastructure to tackling environmental issues… April’s clips also cover routine budget hearings and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company hiring in the Valley.

TSMC Begins Hiring for North Valley PlantAppeared in The Upper Westsider, Deer Valley Times

Peoria City Council Approves Contract Amendment to Expand Reclaimed Water PipelineAppeared in The Upper Westsider

A Small Business Makes a Big Impact in Keeping the Community CleanAppeared in The Upper Westsider

Phoenix Hosting Virtual Budget Hearings in April for 2021-22 BudgetAppeared in North 32nd News, Deer Valley Times, North Tatum Times

Meeting Me

I am Jenna-Lee, a motivated freelance journalist, digital audience analyst and public relations professional based out of Phoenix, Arizona.

Working in non-profit public relations and communication, small business social media management, and political media relations and communication has taught me how to effectively develop my skills in diverse situations allowing me to adapt to my client’s needs at a moment’s notice.

I believe that visual storytelling can be one of the most honest and compelling ways to convey a message. My passion for photography and multimedia has afforded me the skills and drive to create beautiful and effective visual elements and multimedia pieces to tell individual or organizational stories that connect with the average viewer.

A portion of my studies have focused on digital audience development, research, and engagement. The skills I have developed allow me to strategically grow digital audiences and analyze engagements to determine where organizational changes might be needed to enhance a brand’s online presence.

My professional goal is to be in a position where I can use words and visual media to convey powerful stories to the readers and viewers. I think that the sharing of knowledge is extremely important and that it is our job in communications to create a hunger among the readers and viewers to learn and experience more from the world around them.

I was born and raised near St. Louis, Missouri and attended Jefferson College, where I graduated with an Associates of Applied Science in Culinary Arts in May 2012. In 2019, I graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication,  where I earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications.

If you are interested in speaking with me about a story pitch, public relations, or social media management needs, you can visit the contact page.