Debra Erickson came to the PCC SBDC for help in turning her business idea into reality. Now, Debra welcomes you into The Blind Kitchen community: where vision loss does not have to end your love of cooking! With 62 adaptive kitchen tools and a library of helpful strategies and specialized knowledge, The Blind Kitchen allows blind and vision-impaired people to cook safely, confidently, and independently. This is Debra's story. 

All around the world, people face different types of crises every day. Some people lose their jobs. Others deal with the death or sickness of loved ones. Still, others suffer from untreated mental illnesses pushing them closer and closer to despair. When people start thinking about suicide as their only option, they need help.  

The human brain constantly develops throughout our lifetimes, starting while we're still in the womb. It forms one million neural connections every second of every day, and the body then reduces those connections to create the most efficient brain pathways.

Yolanda Holmes came to the PCC SBDC for help in developing her business idea. Since then, she's participated in the Business Design Series and Business Builders training programs, while working directly with her small business advisor Jackie B. Peterson. Now, after the launch of her first location and obtainment of Women-owned, Minority-owned, and Emerging Small Business Certifications, she's ready to expand her vending business! This is her story. 

Biology impacts the way humans act because it motivates them toward activities and actions that benefit the personal survival and reproduction of the species; therefore, if you understand how the people in your orbit function biologically, you may determine their motivations for their behavior. 

Kristin Henningsen, MS, RH (AHG), E-RYT, IYT,  is a clinical herbalist, yoga therapist, writer, & educator, who first fell in love with plants in the desert southwest.  There she was inspired to complete her graduate work, researching the Ethnobotany of the region.  In addition to studying Indigenous herbal medicine in the Southwest, she has worked in academia and for non-profit organizations in the field of botanical research all over the country.  

Inflammation is a local response to cellular damage that includes, in large part, capillary dilatation, penetration by white blood cells, redness, heat, pain, swelling, and stiffness. But, what causes it? And what can be done to treat it?

We live in a chaotic and stimulating world. The pace of life perpetually accelerates, and our whole civilization becomes more and more frantic. We are a nation of insomniacs, unable to shut off our mental chatter. And for those in chronic pain, the situation is only worse. The pain makes sleeping yet more difficult, sleep deprivation emboldens the pain and the cycle continues. Officially, insomnia is, “difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep, associated with impairments of daytime functioning or marked distress for more than 1 month.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that in excess of one-quarter of us report occasional sleep problems, while nearly 10% suffer from chronic insomnia. If we look just at adults, though, the numbers look more dramatic. The National Sleep Foundation sys that 58% of American adults experience symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week or more.