Speaker to address balanced living

— Author and speaker Suzette Brawner said she dedicated to helping people enjoy their lives, and she’ll soon bring that zeal when she visits Newport.

Brawner, an Arkansas native, will present the keynote address at the Women’s Health Expo & Vendor Fair at Arkansas State University-Newport’s Student-Community Center, 7648 Victory Blvd., from 4:30-8 p.m. Sept. 22. The expo is presented by Unity Health.

The event will host a dinner at 6 p.m., with Brawner’s presentation taking place at 7 p.m.

Brawner, who grew up in Little Rock and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, will present a keynote address titled Finding Your Balance, which will cover comparing oneself to others, judging other people and not taking life so seriously. She now lives in Branson, Missouri.

“Everybody struggles for balance, but women more so than men, and I just feel like this will be a good opportunity to step away and celebrate this women’s event, have some fun with some friends and meet new people, and hopefully laugh and enjoy the evening,” said Brawner, who will be presenting in Newport for the first time for the expo.

Brawner said she wants to help women find a lighthearted perspective to life. Though men and women may face the same stress in life, Brawner said she has found that women verbalize their emotions toward it more.

“I don’t know if women are just more vocal about it or if we have an innate sense that we’re caregivers,” she said. “We feel like we let people down if we don’t say yes to everything. Women get caught in that comparison trap. Everyone’s capacity is different. We judge others. It’s a vicious cycle. People are so serious about everything, and [we need to] take it apart and laugh at ourselves.”

Keeping up with the Joneses is an issue women must cease because everyone faces challenges, she said.

“The Joneses are running in the same crazy circle that we are,” she said. “We’re all fighting the same battle. As women, we need to encourage each other and just set some boundaries and enjoy our lives.”

Being off balance is a multigenerational issue, she added.

“I talk to women in their 70s who are comparing themselves to women in their 70s,” she said. “I spoke at an event recently, and a woman came up to me and said, ‘I never thought about my value and worth until you said that.’”

Brawner, who received her degree in education from UA, where she met her husband, said she has always wanted to encourage others.

“Even back in high school, I was involved with speech and debate, and I knew that I wanted to encourage people,” she said. “I was one of those people — I knew I could do it all but I just couldn’t do it all at once. I had our three kids, and I jumped into the speaking and writing arena.”

Brawner said she’s often mistaken as a Christian comedian, but she wouldn’t describe her presentation style as that, she said.

“I’m more of a Mark Twain-ish, humorous person,” she said. “I like to laugh through a funny-bone lens. Life is funny. If everybody would lighten up a bit, we’d be a lot better off. I tend to deal with life with humor.”

Balance is key to healthy living, said Brawner, who added that she hopes attendees leave the expo enlightened.

“Stress is a direct influencer or subinfluencer of health issues that we deal with now,” she said. “If they just walk away with one thing, [I hope it’s] laughing at things as opposed to internalizing. Instead of taking stuff so seriously, laugh and throw it off. If they could walk away with one thing that would make one adjustment on learning about their value, how not to put yourself in that comparison.”

Registration for the the Women’s Health Expo & Vendor Fair is $20. For more information, visit unity-health.org/harris-medical-center.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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