Celebrating everyday women

While working as a realtor for 22 years, Dacey Zouzas of Chelmsford said she was consistently inspired by tales of personal and professional perseverance from the women she met. So when she saw an ad looking for volunteers to produce public access shows a year and a half ago, Zouzas (left) became a television host and producer in order to share their stories.

"I wanted to do something to celebrate these everyday women who are working and raising families, and moving forward no matter what cards they've been dealt," she said. "I wanted to bring their voices front and center."

Since launching "Dacey's Divas" through Chelmsford TeleMedia in June 2006, Zouzas has broadcast 40 episodes. Guests have included businesswomen, politicians, philanthropists, leaders in education and nonprofit organizations, athletes, musicians, artists, and survivors of cancer and other illnesses.

"They're all my favorite guest," Zouzas said. "Even the women who may not have endured hardship are still go-getters and survivors in other ways. We all have our struggles, but the key is learning from those experiences and bettering yourself from them."

"Dacey's Divas" is broadcast at various times on Chelmsford Cable Channel 8, Dracut Cable Television Channel 8, Lowell Cable Television Channel 8, and Westford Cable Television Channel 8. For more information, visit divas.us.

HOLIDAY STRESS RELIEF: When she was growing up in New York, psychotherapist and life transition coach Roberta Taylor fondly remembers, her grandmother took her to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center every winter. "My memories of that time are magical," she said. "Nothing can compare to them."

Aside from stress brought on by family gatherings, gift-giving obligations, pressure to decorate, and other demands, Taylor said holidays can trigger depression in those "wishing for what we had or mourning what can never be." A Waltham resident who is in private practice at Pathmaking for Life in Wellesley, Taylor will present ways to manage holiday stress at a workshop this week at the Reading Public Library.

Rather than succumbing to commercialism, Taylor suggests finding alternate ways to create human connections, such as sharing a favorite recipe with a child, forging rituals that can be remembered by the next generation, and writing special notes of gratitude to the important people in one's life. It's also imperative, she said, to respect our bodies' need for proper rest, nutrition, and exercise, while recognizing our own value in others' lives.

"Holidays can be bittersweet," Taylor said, "but no matter how old we are or how much money we have, we all have an opportunity to create more sweetness in our lives."

"I'll Be Calm for Christmas: Tips for Managing Holiday Stress" will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday. While the event is part of the Reading Public Library's "LiveWires: For Boomers and Beyond" program for residents 55 and older, adults of all ages are welcome. For more information, call the library at 781-944-0840 or visit pathmaking.com.

ANIMAL PERSUASION: When she was a kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Valarie Giogas of Burlington said her favorite part of the job was reading to the children. So when she got the idea for a children's book, she decided to write one of her own.

"In My Backyard," which was recently published by South Carolina-based Sylvan Dell Publishing, is a rhyming counting book that teaches the group and baby names of 10 animals commonly found in rural and suburban backyards. Designed for ages 4 to 8, the 32-page book also includes a memory game along with information about how to care for an injured animal and ways to identify backyard wildlife.

Giogas said she got the idea for the book while driving her son time and again past the same geese on the way to preschool. One day, she informed him they were passing a "gaggle" of geese.

"He laughed hysterically at the word gaggle," said Giogas, the mother of three children from 4 months to 8 years old. "And when the geese had babies and I told him we were passing a gaggle of goslings, that sent him into hysterics again. That's when I thought, this could make a good book."

Giogas spent two to three years writing "In My Backyard" and waited 18 months between the time it was accepted for publication until it was distributed.

Giogas will read from "In My Backyard" at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Barnes & Noble in Nashua, and at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16 at Barnes & Noble in Framingham. For more information, visit valariegiogas.com.

People items may be submitted to Cindy Cantrell at cantrell@globe.com.