Available for Interview

Barbara Gardner, M.S.

Biologist, Writer, Speaker, Mom

Author of: A Mothers Book of Love

The book that helps Moms, guides Daughters, and supports Employers.  The updated 2008 version is now available.

In A Mothers Book of Love, I speak directly to the young female in a very personal style, just as a mom would talk to her.  My intent is to answer questions and make lives easier.

	•	For Daughters:

	As a biologist and the mother of two adult daughters, I saw the need for an enlightening book to explain to a young woman her biology so that she can better understand herself; to give her direction to make good decisions; and to point out the basics in career planning and finances to give her a good start in life.

	•	For Moms:

	Moms need all the help they can get when it's time to discuss sensitive biological issues with her daughter.  This book is her best resource.

	•	For Employers:

	Many employers say that their young female employees just don't know enough about themselves.  They can use this book in mentoring and as an employee incentive.

Critical Talking Points:

1.  What should a young woman know to reduce unintended pregnancies?

The female body wants to be pregnant and uses ingenious methods to make that happen.  With the biological information in this book, a girl will understand herself well enough to impede the process.

	She should:

	•	Build a strong belief system that will be her guide.

	•	Understand what body chemicals do to her such as oxytocin (the feel-good peptide generated by touch), and estrogen and testosterone (sexual hormones.)

2.  What can a young woman do now that will make the biggest impact on the rest of her life?

	•	Discover her independence and learn who she is as a young adult before searching for a partner.  If she moves directly from home to school to marriage, she will easily transfer her dependency on others.

	•	Make good use of her twenties because they are the best years to learn, retain information, think abstractly and solve problems.   The female Science Nobel Prize winners took advantage of that time ..... "they filled their brains in their twenties, and then had their babies"  -  A Mothers Book of Love, page 194.

	At age 27, Albert Einstein published four papers in one year including his Theory of Relativity.  Later in his life he was known to have said: "Truly novel ideas emerge only in one's youth."

	•	Adolescents require 9 or 10 hours of sleep each night to function at their peak. Sleep is the time for cell growth and repair, storing the day's memories, and building neurotransmitters for tomorrow.

	•	Pay attention to exercise and good nutrition for your entire life.  A young female loses upper body strength soon after she stops playing softball and basketball.  Almost half of women gain weight in their early twenties.

	•	Learn that core personality is made up of temperament and character.  Does her personality fit the career she chooses?  What can she expect from her man after assessing his temperament and character?  She can not expect him to change.

3.  Do men and women think alike or differently?

Men and women do think differently.  It's biologically "built in."   Males have an innate ability to focus on a problem to the exclusion of all interfering disturbances while females have a more wide-angled view.

4.  How can a young woman understand and use these differences advantageously throughout her life?

Estrogen makes her a better communicator than her male counterpart.  She should consider using these special talents in her career choice, for example a reporter, therapist, attorney, or diplomat.  She can develop a management style that includes her diplomatic, manipulative, problem-solving capabilities, and let the men continue with their more dictatorial and decisive styles.

5.  What Financial Basics and Career Basics should a young woman know?

The most important Financial Basic she should know at this stage in her life is credit card quicksand.  Irresponsible use of credit cards can suck the financial life out of her forever.  As for Career Basics, she should know how to sell herself to an employer.  Also, she must prepare to financially support herself and those for whom she is responsible.