By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
The First Lady of Vestavia Hills has launched a new radio talk show aimed at providing women with information and encouragement to empower them to realize their potential.
Diane Zaragoza, the wife of Vestavia Hills Mayor Alberto “Butch” Zaragoza, is the executive producer of Women Reaching Out, which aired its first show in January on WHPH 97.7 The Peach. The talk show for women airs from 7-8 a.m. each Sunday.
The idea for Women Reaching Out came to Zaragoza in January 2013, shortly after she retired from a more than 40-year career in health care.
“After I retired, I took a 14-day cruise to New Zealand, and the idea came to me to start a radio show,” Zaragoza said. “I wanted to do something to reach people on a deeper level, and I thought a radio talk show would be a good way to do that.”
Zaragoza returned home from her cruise energized by the idea of creating an outlet for women to talk to and help each other.
“I came home and started talking to other women in high positions and presented them with my vision for the talk show, and everyone liked the idea and recognized that there’s a need there. Women need to talk about the challenging times we’re facing, and they need a resource when they don’t know what to do. We want to be that resource.”
Zaragoza then went about assembling a team for the talk show and secured air time on the family-owned The Peach radio station in Pelham.
During her search for on-air anchors, Zaragoza sought the advice of her longtime friend Edie Hand, a business woman, speaker, television personality and author.
Hand has written several inspirational cookbooks and novellas and has been the chief executive officer of Hand N’ Hand Advertising since 1976. She has also been involved in the Alliance for Women in Media for more than 30 years.
“Initially, I didn’t think Edie would have the time to be an anchor on the show, so I was just calling her for advice and to kind of vent about not being able to find an anchor right away,” Zaragoza said. “I was overjoyed when she said she would help and be the anchor.”
Hand said the talk show idea was “right up her alley” and that she was immediately intrigued when she heard Zaragoza’s idea.
“Women Reaching Out is about giving hope to people in hopeless situations,” Hand said. “The point is to share our stories and experiences and bring in people on the show who can share their wisdom.”
Next, Zaragoza met Susan Flowers, the show’s co-host.
“I knew when I met Susan that she would be perfect for the show,” Zaragoza said.
Flowers is married to Birmingham native Robert Flowers. The couple lived in Hawaii for 32 years before moving to Birmingham.
Flowers has more than 25 years of experience in both radio and television production and has worked on air and behind the scenes as host, producer and voice-over actor.
“When I started talking to Diane about what she wanted to do with the show, I knew this was the opportunity to help other people that I had been praying for,” Flowers said.
To round out the talk show’s staff, Zaragoza contacted her friend Susan Vawter about being a co-host.
“Diane and I share the same point of view on so many things, and I was looking for a philanthropic outlet and a way to really start some conversations between women in our community,” Vawter said.
A native of Birmingham, Mich., Vawter has worked as a real estate agent, a model and an industrial designer specializing in automotive design. She is now a physical fitness instructor.
“I felt like I had a lot of life experiences to bring to the table and to share with our listeners,” she said. “I wanted a way to really connect with people and be a public servant.”
In the age of emails, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Vawter said she was attracted to the idea of the radio talk show because it offers a chance to engage people in meaningful conversations.
“Even though we are more connected than ever in some ways through social media, in some ways, we are really more disconnected than ever,” she said. “I think there’s a real need for people to listen to each other deeply, and I hope that’s what we can accomplish with this show.”
Vawter said the show is about much more than talking, however.
“What makes it unique is that we are giving our listeners resources as well as really listening to their concerns,” she said.
Guests on Women Reaching Out so far have included Lauren E. Miller, author of “99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out,” and Christy Swaid, a former professional athlete and world champion in extreme sports and founder of Healthy Eating Active Living, or HEAL, an early disease prevention program for children.
George Schofield, the author of “After 50 It’s Up to Us,” talked about the transitions of life on the show on Jan. 26.
“We want to continue to bring in these wonderful guests who have so much to offer our listeners,” Zaragoza said. “If we don’t have an answer, we can point our listeners in the right direction to get the help they need.”
While the goal of the show is to empower women so that they can make decisions to change their lives and the lives of others for the better, Zaragoza said that Women Reaching Out can offer pearls of wisdom to anyone.
“Men can gain a lot from our conversations, too,” she said. “If nothing else, it will give them an idea of all the challenges women face and how they can also offer encouragement to the women in their lives. This show is for everyone.”
All of the Women Reaching Out shows are archived and can be heard at www.womenreachingout.com. For more information, email info@womenreachingout.net.
