Shanna Groves with Deafinitely Talking and LipreadingMom.com talks with author, speaker, and life coach Karen Putz. Karen is the founder of AgelessPassions.com and the author of Success Wisdom, Unwrapping Your Passion, and more than 20 additional books, all available on Amazon and Karen’s website. Shanna Groves and Karen Putz discuss: – Finding your identity when living … Continue reading
It has been three months with my cochlear implant. The CI was activated at the end of July. Pre-activation, my hearing accuracy without the implant was at seven percent proficiency. A month after my the activation, I tested at 94 percent accuracy using the same hearing test as before. This week, three months after activation … Continue reading
I’m excited to announce that the very first Deafinitely Talking podcast has posted. In episode one, I talk with Dr. Anne McIntosh, founder of Safe’N’Clear. Anne is a Communication Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus and member of the deaf community. In 2012, Anne founded Safe’N’Clear, Inc., the only FDA-approved clear face mask … Continue reading
Let’s erase the stigma of hearing loss. In 2012, I launched a campaign called “Show Me Your Ears”. I have written extensively about my progressive hearing loss on this site. For a few years after the hearing loss diagnosis, I had initial reluctance to wear hearing aids or show them off to anyone, particularly in work … Continue reading
Announcing the soon-to-be-launched “Deafinitely Talking” podcast, featuring interviews with amazing individuals in the D/deaf and hearing loss community. The first episode will post here and on the Lipreading Mom YouTube channel in October 2025. Lipreading Mom’s Deafinitely Talking Podcast and YouTube Channel Lipreading Mom’s Deafinitely Talking Podcast on Spotify Watch These New Videos on the … Continue reading
The week after CI activation, I plopped a favorite CD into the car player that flashed the song’s name on the screen – a familiar song. When the opening instrumentals began, I was astounded. Instead of drums and guitars, I heard screeching static. When the vocalist sang, I could distinguish it from the opening music. … Continue reading
I recently engaged in the first interview for the Lipreading Mom YouTube channel. Interview guest was my husband, Scott. What is it like to be married when one spouse hears and the other spouse is deaf? I interviewed Scott about our 30 years as a hearing + deaf couple. Here is a brief interview excerpt: … Continue reading
What is the first sound you remember hearing? Auditory memory for hearing babies begins in the womb. They become aware of sounds, such as a loving mom’s voice. From early childhood on, I am amazed at the words, sounds, and conversations I remember. As my family’s car pulled away from the hospital, I remember my … Continue reading
It has been five days since the CI was activated, and I’m hearing all kinds of sounds that were silent before: birds chirping, the clicking of the car’s turn signal, the sound of running water from a faucet, and more. Voices currently sound like a robotic Donald Duck with echoes after each word. This is … Continue reading
The dark side of being a deaf extrovert is feeling cut off from people. When I can’t hear conversations, I feel isolated – while everyone else mingles seamlessly, hears the nuances in a speaker’s voice, and catches the joke. I nod along, smile like everyone else, and pretend to hear the punchline. I don’t want … Continue reading
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