For Seekers of Wisdom, Community & Conversations That Matter
Voices With Vigor:
Bryony Angell
A Conversation on Birding Culture, Conservation & the Human Side of Bird-Watching
When Voices Come Together, They Create Light With Sound
Wednesday, December 9, 2026 | 10:00 AM Pacific Time (1:00 PM Eastern)
In our modern world, individual voices often feel lost in an endless sea of noise.
One voice may be drowned out by a symphony of others, or swallowed up in darkness.
Yet when voices gather with intention, something beautiful happens:
They resonate with calm, reason, and hope.
This is where Voices With Vigor begins.
Our next chapter features the theme "Building Bridges With Birds: Ending the Year on a High Note" as we celebrate the growing community of Voices With Vigor and Susan Baumgaertel's dedication to meaningful dialogue…
A fitting moment to expand the conversation from wellness to birding culture, conservation, and the people behind a shared pursuit, and all the voices that matter.
About Voices With Vigor: A New Kind of Conversation Series
Voices With Vigor represents something rare in our digital age:
A return to the art of meaningful dialogue.
Inspired by the great conversationalists like Terry Gross of Fresh Air and the beloved Magliozzi brothers of Car Talk, this monthly series brings together extraordinary voices for intimate, unscripted conversations.
Each month, we welcome guests from diverse backgrounds: courageous trailblazers, physician entrepreneurs, visionary veterans, wellness advocates, resilient innovators, leaders who inspire, and so many others who share common threads of curiosity, kindness, dedication, and resilience.
What makes VWV special:
• Authentic dialogue over polished presentations
• Diverse perspectives united by shared humanity
• No sales pitches or commercial agendas
• Intimate format that prioritizes genuine connection
• Community building that extends beyond the screen
Merriam-Webster defines vigor as "active bodily or mental strength or force; active healthy well-balanced growth."
We believe our voices can be vigorous in spirit, in love, in creativity, and in purpose.
Important note:
While our current series remains free as a gift to our community, future VWV conversations will transition to a premium format.
These foundational conversations will eventually live on the website menopausemenu.com, but the live, interactive experience—the chance to ask questions and be part of the dialogue in real time—that's happening now, and only now.
A Conversation That Matters
Join Susan Baumgaertel for an intimate morning conversation with writer, speaker, and birder Bryony Angell…
A voice that bridges the worlds of journalism, public speaking, and wild bird conservation, along with the work of showing how everyday choices in travel, retail, and volunteering support a cause larger than ourselves.
In this FREE 60-minute live gathering, we'll consider:
• Birding culture – What birding culture is, and how people find connection through a shared pursuit
• Everyday choices that add up – How decisions in travel, retail, and volunteering translate into tangible conservation impact
• Small choices, wide reach – How something as simple as the chocolate or coffee we buy can support migratory birds through shade-tree agroforestry
• Building bridges – How traditional and newer approaches to birding can come together, and how generations connect through it
• A writer's path – Bryony's move from parenting writing to building a niche career around a passion
Meet Our Featured Voice: Bryony Angell
Bryony Angell transforms a lifelong love of birds, nature, and art into a career documenting the people and culture of birding for mainstream and birding audiences…
A story about following curiosity, trusting a passion, and turning it into a body of work.
Her bylines appear in The Seattle Times, National Audubon, Cornell's Living Bird, BWD (formerly Bird Watcher's Digest), the American Birding Association's Birding Magazine, and She Explores, and she brings research, communication, and networking to the North American and world birding scene.
Coming from a family connected to the birding and art worlds, she brings birds, nature, and art together in every conversation…
A perspective that shaped her belief that birding can be an expansive pursuit, open to new voices.
She began her writing career with parenting content for ParentMap magazine, then turned her focus to writing about birding culture, building on her connections in the birding community and her interest in connecting different generations of birders.
In 2020, she relocated to La Conner, Washington, and today she writes and speaks about birding culture and conservation from the northwest corner of the contiguous U.S.
When she's not writing, you'll find Bryony speaking at birding festivals—including the 2026 Biggest Week in American Birding, where she presented "Birding For Her: A Decade of Observation of Women's Visibility in the World Birding Scene" as part of the Spotlight series—volunteering with conservation initiatives through board and committee membership, and publishing her newsletter about birding culture.
Her recent work includes "The Rise of Easy-Does-It Birding" for Living Bird, "How to Go Birding by Boat in Western Washington" for The Seattle Times, and "How Bird Friendly Chocolate Sweetens the World for Birds and Humans Alike" for BWD.
At the heart of it all is a belief in making birding accessible to new voices, in connecting everyday choices to something larger, and in highlighting the people behind the pursuit…
A writer and speaker who showcases the people and culture of the birding world, in particular the voices of women.
Your Host: Susan Baumgaertel
Susan brings three decades of medical wisdom and a lifetime of curiosity to every conversation.
As an internal medicine physician with over 30 years of clinical experience, she has witnessed the full spectrum of human experience:
• The fragility and resilience, the fear and hope, the moments that break us open and the connections that hold us together.
• In 2021, Susan stepped away from direct patient care to expand her impact through myMDadvocate, a virtual consultation service that serves as a bridge between patients and the often-complex healthcare system.
• As a physician consultant, healthcare navigator, and medical advocate, she helps people navigate everything from referral advocacy to chronic condition management, from aging gracefully to supporting caregivers through their most challenging moments.
Her passion for supporting women through life transitions led to the creation of MenopauseMenu, a comprehensive resource offering evidence-based information and holistic support.
• This work culminated in her 2023 book, "The Menopause Menu"—an all-in-one guide that transforms medical complexity into accessible wisdom.
• In 2026, Susan launched her Substack, Juxtaposition in Medicine, where she writes as a physician-patient on the juxtaposition of humanity and medicine's complex systems: "Raw, real, reflective. With a sprinkle of serendipity."
Recognition and impact:
• Featured speaker at prestigious events, including the STAT News Summit in Boston, the ICCR Conference in New York City, the Doctors on Social Media (SoMeDocs) virtual Menopause Conference, the Massachusetts Health Care Advocates virtual meeting of the New England States, and the 5th Virtual Sjögren's Summit
• Recognized by Seattle Met Top Doctors, The Best Doctors in America, and multiple professional organizations
• Board President of Cancer Lifeline, recipient of their Inspirational Leadership Award and Volunteer of the Year
• Sought-after voice on national and international podcasts
Susan embodies the intersection of medicine and art, science and humanity, individual stories and universal truths.
She believes in the power of genuine conversation to illuminate what matters most.
"My aim is to weave the tapestry of my career in ways that support others, promote health, strengthen human connections, and enrich our collective voices."
What This Gathering Offers
This conversation comes to you as a gift…
No strings attached or hidden agendas.
Simply a birding writer and a physician-advocate sharing what they've learned about birds, conservation, and the people behind a shared passion, and the courage to build genuine connections while managing life's complex landscape.
✨ Live morning conversation between two thoughtful voices spanning nature, conservation, storytelling, and the wider currents of human experience
✨ Interactive dialogue where your questions become part of the story
✨ Insights into how a shared passion can connect people to nature and to one another
✨ Community connection with others who value authentic exchange
✨ Curated resources to continue your own journey of growth
Join This Circle of Voices
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM Pacific Time (1:00 PM Eastern)
Duration: 60 minutes of genuine conversation
Format: Live via Zoom (details sent upon registration)
Investment: Free—because some things are too important to put behind paywalls
Voices From Our Growing Community
“Dr. Baumgaertel provided a welcoming atmosphere and was clearly very well prepared as a host and guide of an extremely meaningful discussion! I felt her compassion, curiosity, nonjudgment, and support throughout the discussion, and I valued her contributions, which facilitated a deeply enriching dialogue. I am honored to have been a guest on Voices With Vigor. Thank you for the invitation and being an amazing host!” — Jillian R. (Texas)
"The ability of Susan to draw the speaker into meaningful dialogue was a sight to behold. Her knowledge of the industry and the in-depth knowledge of the speaker provided insights most would gloss over, while others would most definitely walk away with a broader and deeper knowledge of the challenges in the business side of healthcare delivery." — Ed B. (Atlanta, Georgia)
“I’ve been a guest on many programs, but this is the first where the host has a system for marketing and attracting live guests. I loved the thoughtful care before, during, and after the Voices With Vigor experience. The interaction with guests in the room made it feel like a talk show… which I loved. The engagement is wonderful, and the vibe is relaxed yet purposeful.” — Rebecca M. (Washington)
Why This Moment Matters
We live in times when authentic voices feel increasingly rare.
When genuine connection seems harder to find. When the noise threatens to drown out what truly matters.
Voices With Vigor stands as a quiet rebellion against all of that.
This conversation with Bryony Angell happens once—live, unrehearsed, immediate.
Miss it, and you miss the chance to be part of something that can't be replicated or reproduced.
This Conversation Calls To:
✨ Anyone drawn to the natural world who wants to connect that care to conservation
✨ People curious about birding and how to begin, whatever their starting point
✨ Those interested in the stories, community, and women's voices within a shared passion
✨ Writers and speakers interested in building a niche career around a passion
✨ Anyone ready to add their own voice to a wider conversation about nature, community, and conservation
This Moment Won't Come Again
Registration closes when we reach our intimate gathering size or at 9:00 AM Pacific on December 9th.
The beauty of meaningful conversation lies in its limitations…
We can't accommodate everyone, but we can create something special for those who choose to join us.
Questions You Might Have
Q: What makes this different from other online events?
A: This follows the tradition of great conversationalists—genuine curiosity, thoughtful questions, space for real dialogue. No scripts or sales pitches, simply two people exploring ideas that matter.
Q: What if I can't attend live?
A: The recording captures the content, but the live experience—the ability to ask questions, feel the energy of real-time dialogue—that's irreplaceable.
Q: How long will we gather?
A: Sixty minutes, including time for your questions to become part of the conversation.
Q: Do I need to be a birder or a healthcare professional to join?
A: Not at all. While Bryony writes and speaks about birding and some of our guests come from medical backgrounds, these conversations explore universal themes of purpose, connection, and authentic living that reach far beyond any single field. Whether you've watched birds for decades or have never picked up a pair of binoculars, you belong here.
Q: Will you try to sell me something?
A: Never. This is about paying it forward, the old-fashioned barter system of sharing what we know because it matters, not because it profits.
Q: I heard future events won't be free—is that true?
A: This "Building Bridges With Birds: Ending the Year on a High Note" conversation continues as a gift to our community. Future series may transition to different formats, but we believe these particular conversations are too important to put behind paywalls.
Q: How do I prepare?
A: Bring your curiosity and your favorite beverage. If you're drawn to learn about Bryony's work beforehand, reading her writing in Living Bird, BWD, National Audubon, or The Seattle Times, visiting bryonyangell.com, or connecting with her on LinkedIn will give you insight into her approach to birding culture and conservation. But neither is required—just come as you are.
Q: What about future conversations?
A: One to three voices join us each month, each bringing their own unique perspective to the themes that connect us all—resilience, creativity, purpose, community.
Your Choice, Your Voice
Two paths stretch before you:
One leads back to the familiar—the endless scroll of surface-level content, the webinars that promise everything and deliver little, the noise that drowns out what matters most. And later, when you realize what you missed, the opportunity to experience VWV in its founding spirit will have passed.
The other leads here—to a conversation that honors the complexity of human experience, that believes in the power of authentic voices to create light with sound. To a moment that won't come again, offered in a spirit that won't be repeated.
The choice, as always, is yours.
But this conversation happens only once, with these voices, at this moment in time, in this generous format.
Voices With Vigor – Creating light with sound, one conversation at a time.
Questions? Reach out at [email protected] or connect with Susan on LinkedIn.
We respect your privacy and protect your data. By registering for this event, you'll receive your free Zoom access link, be added to Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD's email list for updates about future Voices With Vigor conversations, and receive occasional wellness insights. You can unsubscribe anytime, and we never sell or share your information with third parties.
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