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Local mom writes to build kids’ self-confidence
BY KRISTINE CANNON
Progress Staff Writer
Scottsdale mom and marketing professional Erin Stremcha has recently released her first book, “Power Up,” an affirmation book written for children. Launched April 29, “Power Up” features 29 pep talks that aim to boost children’s confidence and self-esteem, helping them to embrace self-love and push away self-doubt. And to celebrate the release of the book, which takes place just in time for Foster Care Awareness Month, Stremcha also launched her “Buy a Book, Donate a Book” program. As part of the program, whenever someone purchases a copy of “Power Up,” Stremcha donates a copy to charities that support foster and abused children. “By purchasing this book, you are helping equip children who otherwise may not have the family support they need to feel loved, supported and valued,” Stremcha said. Readers of “Power Up” will be greeted by eye-catching, minimalist visuals by illustrator Nicco Fritsch with nearly 30 short but powerful affirmations such as: “You are loved,” “You are valuable,” “You are strong,” “You are deserving,” “You can celebrate you,” “You can make a difference,” and “You can stay true to who you are.” To further discussion, each affirmation is paired with notations for parents, children and tweens to expand upon. “Designed for children and parents to use as a tool together, you can reference any of the 29 affirmations when they need it most, push away self-doubt, and gain a healthy dose of self-esteem,” the book description states.
Scottsdale mom and marketing professional Erin Stremcha has recently released her first book, “Power Up,” an affirmation book written for children.
(Dillon Driscoll) Released just in time for Foster Care Awareness Month, sales of “Power Up” will benefit foster children. (Erin Stremcha)
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Fitness expert’s book teaches water exercises
BY KRISTINE CANNON
Progress Staff Writer
For 30 years, Jodi Books-Stokes has made a name for herself as one of Scottsdale’s more well-known fitness experts. Not only was Books-Stokes the fitness manager and aquatics director at Hyatt Gainey Ranch and Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, but she also owned Goddess Fit women’s gym facility from 2014 to 2018. She also conducted private, one-on-one workouts over Zoom as part of her personal concierge fitness business called Jodi Stokes Fitness. But what many of her clients might not know about the Scottsdale resident and longtime fitness expert is that she has been working for the last 18 years on a book that she finally published this month. “Water Exercise” guides readers through easy, step-by-step instructions on how to tone up, lose weight, and increase your strength, flexibility and cardio endurance in the water. “I want people to ‘take the plunge’ with me into a healthier life this spring and summer when their backyard pools are ready to be used,” Books-Stokes said. “My dad taught me so much about looking beyond physical limitations. Our body is truly a miraculous thing. Take care of it and it will take care of you.” The idea for the book began when Books-Stokes developed a water exercise program to help her father manage his post-polio syndrome symptoms, which included frequent falls. “Although he was in incredible shape from riding his bike and swimming, the falls were painful and debilitating,” she explained. After flying from California to Arizona to guide him through her water exercise program, Books-Stokes was able to help him build up his strength and mobility. “I wrote out a program for my father that consisted of stick figures and water mark waves with definitions of exercise protocol. With what seemed remedial had become ingenious to my father as he laminated the pages and placed them in a water-proof binder,” she said. She had the book copyrighted in 2002 but publishing it didn’t come easy – let alone quickly. Tragedy struck Books-Stokes’ family, forcing her to put her book on hold. “My father and my sister both passed away tragically within a four-year period. My father-in-law and mother also both fought lung cancer soon after that,” she said. “My book was forced to take a back
Jodi Books-Stokes has spent the past 30 years helping her clients get healthy, including teaching them how to exercise
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MAY 16, 2021
Video, podcast series will focus on Arizona veterans
BY MIKE PHILLIPS Progress Contributor
Arizona veterans have a new information source thanks to a video series launched recently by the city of Scottsdale. “VeteransAZ” is a fast-paced 30-minute program featuring veteran profiles, interviews and news nuggets geared to the state’s veterans community. The program is an initiative of Scottsdale’s Veterans Advisory Commission, which is tasked with providing information and education about veterans and veteran programs and services. While it may originate in Scottsdale, the scope of the video program is geared to extend beyond city boundaries. “We’re going to use the show to showcase veterans program throughout the state,” said Kelly Corsette, the city’s communications and public affairs director. Corsette is a Navy veteran and is the staff liaison to the Veterans Advisory Commission. Although out only a few weeks, Scottsdale’s video program has already been picked up by six other municipal television stations, spanning a region from Casa Grande to Show Low. The program is also being distributed as a podcast. The first episode – released on March 29, Vietnam War Veterans Day -- served up an eclectic mix focused on individuals who served in that conflict. It featured interviews with Scottsdale resident Mike Burns, a Marine infantry captain during the war, and Anthem resident Tom Kirk, an Air Force captain who spent more than five years in a Vietnamese POW camp after his jet was shot down. The debut program also featured a profile of Winslow native Jay Vargas, a Marine veteran who received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. You can watch the video at ScottsdaleAZ.gov/veterans. The city’s veterans web page also features a news feed, a veterans resource guide and a list of veterans organizations. Corsette said if you have topic ideas for future episodes of VeteransAZ you can email him at KCorsette@ScottsdaleAZ.gov Scholarships honor fallen Hotshot firefighters. The Hotshot firefighters who perished in 2013 fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire shared a special bond. Three of their members were part of another brotherhood. Jesse Steed, Travis Turbyfill and William Warneke were all U.S. Marine veterans. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation seeks to honor those men and is launching a campaign to establish three Honorary Scholarships in their name. The Scholarship Foundation is the nation’s oldest and largest provider of needbased scholarships to military children. The Foundation invites community members to pay tribute to Steed, Turbyfill and Warneke by donating to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Granite Mountain Hotshots Honorary Scholarship Fund. Any amount is welcome and one hundred percent of all funds contributed will be restricted to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Honorary Scholarship Fund. To make your donation click on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Arizona Campaign landing page. -- mcsf.org/ arizonacampaign Please select “Contribute” and enter the amount you want to donate. In the designation drop down menu select “Granite Mountain Hotshots Honorary Scholarship Fund” and complete your Billing and Payment information and submit.
For more information, contact Barb Witten at barb.witten@datocwitten. com or 443-454-5996.
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Stremcha describes the book as a “great conversation starter.” “The pep talk in the book ‘You Can Give to Others’ is about helping and serving others. You are opening the doors of communication with your children about giving to charities and cultivating empathy,” she explained. The inspiration for the book stems from Stremcha’s two sons. About two years ago, Stremcha wrote a shorter version for one of her sons when he turned 10. But she didn’t realize the impact the book had on him until the family was quarantined amid the pandemic. It was at this time that Stremcha would notice her son turn to the book as a tool to self-soothe whenever he got in trouble or was disciplined. That’s when the light bulb went off: Not only would Stremcha write and publish a longer version of the affirmation book but she’d also give the book to children who needed it most. The way the donation program works is, net sales from the digital and printed sales of “Power Up” are used to purchase more books that are then donated to the local organizations that support foster children. Stremcha also welcomes monetary donations, which can be given in $20 increments on her website, elstremcha.com. “I recently thought to myself: There’s never been a better time in the world to give back to causes you feel strongly about. That is why my goal is to help all 19,000 Arizona foster children feel loved, supported and gain self-esteem,” Stremcha said. According to the Arizona Department of Child Safety’s semi-annual report published in March, there are more than 14,000 children in foster care in Arizona, nearly 22 percent of whom have been in out-of-home care for more than 24 months. Last year, Gov. Doug Ducey declared the month of May as Foster Care Awareness Month to raise awareness and recognize the importance of ensuring Arizona kids of all ages have the opportunity to grow up with a nurturing family. “All Arizona kids deserve to live in a safe, supportive and loving home,” Governor Ducey said at the time. Stremcha hopes to make a positive difference for those children with her book and donation program. “I have published a book that affirms children and helps to unlock that power within them and be inspired by the most powerful voice in the world — their own!” Stremcha said. “Power Up” is available for purchase on Amazon for $2.99 for the eBook and $19.99 for a hardcopy.
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seat for many years in order to keep my family intact.” Now that she has finally published “Water Exercise,” it is available on Amazon and getting positive reviews. “It is challenging to maintain a regular exercise program in the extreme heat of an Arizona summer, but Jodi has found a way to provide her clients with consistent, challenging, and effective exercise with her water exercise program,” said Rachel Boyer Shuman, a Scottsdale resident and one of Books-Stokes’ clients. “I actually think my body and muscle tone has changed more significantly working out in the pool than it has doing any other consistent exercise.” “After seeing so many people of all ages with a myriad of injuries, I am a firm believer in the many health benefits of water exercise,” Books-Stokes said. “Working out in water provides you with an incredible full-body workout that is easy on the joints due to its buoyant nature.” “Water Exercise” features exercise durations, body targets and photos of every movement. “Water exercise is enormously beneficial because everything you do in the water is a ‘double concentric contraction,’ meaning that you have no gravity to pull you down, which is called eccentric contraction,” Books-Stokes explained. As Books-Stokes promotes her new book, she also continues to design personalized fitness programs for her clients of all ages and fitness levels. During the pandemic, these programs went virtual. “I would drive over to my clients’ homes and drop off sanitized fitness equipment for them to use and then I would drive back to my home so that we could continue our private, one-on-one workouts together,” she said. And as the weather warmed up, the workouts transitioned to the pool. Books-Stokes also currently works as the fitness expert at LifeScape Premier in Scottsdale, where she works with clients with Parkinson’s Disease and autoimmune disorders. Books-Stokes encourages people of all ages to “take the plunge into water fitness.” “I want to make a difference in the world and helping people to become healthier in mind, body, and spirit is truly a gift.”
