Genuine Pearl Girls
A 14-day cruise to New Zealand hardly seems the setting for a newly minted retiree to solidify her next career move. Then again, lulling off into retirement bliss never was Diane Zaragoza’s style.
Her May 2013 retirement from Noland Health Services, after a 40-plus had the time to invest in an idea she’d long considered — to start a women’s radio talk show.
While cruising the Tasman Sea earlier that year with three female friends, Zaragoza’s idea began to take root.
“On that trip, the four of us decided that we wanted to meet as many people as we could,” she said. “It was amazing how whenever we met someone, they just opened up to you and told you about their life.”
In general, Zaragoza knew she wanted the show to explore women’s interests. But unexpected events this past summer brought what was once a casual notion into sharp focus.
“My brother was very suddenly diagnosed with cancer, and six weeks from the day of diagnosis, he died,” she said. “He was 56 years old.”
From that period, during which she took her mother to his home each day, Zaragoza knew she wanted her show to accomplish more.
Zaragoza reconciled that if she were to pursue the idea of launching a talk show, it needed to focus on real life and real situations, however uncomfortable some of that territory might be.
“That’s when I first thought about the term ‘Women Reaching Out,’” she said. “Think about what we go through every day, whether we are single, married, whatever our season or station in life, there are so many situations where we are challenged to try and make the situation better.”
Focusing on what Zaragoza describes as sharing passion, perseverance and positive projections, she recruited three women who aim to deliver that every Sunday from 7 to 8 a.m. on 97.7 FM The Peach.
The show’s anchor is Edie Hand of northwest Alabama. Hand, who once partnered with Diane’s husband, Mayor Butch Zaragoza, on an anti-bullying campaign with Vestavia Hills City Schools, is an author, actress and three-time cancer survivor. Hand is also the second cousin of Elvis Presley.
She is joined by Susan Flowers, who recently moved to Vestavia after more than 30 years in Hawaii, where she hosted a radio show with her husband, a retired plastic surgeon.
Rounding out the hosting trio is Susan Vawter of Liberty Park. Vawter has modeled and also holds a degree in industrial design, which led her to a successful career with Ford Motor Company for which she did work ranging from marketing to auto design.
While Hand is in her 60s and Flowers and Vawter are in their 40s, Zaragoza is adamant that the show’s format has appeal to span the decades.
“It’s for all women. We are discussing all seasons of a woman’s life,” she said, recalling the show’s key catchphrase. “We want to teach women how to become genuine pearl girls who have got grit.”
The phrase comes from a favorite story told by Hand.
“She tells this beautiful story of pearls and how a strand of pearls represents the seasons in a woman’s life,” Zaragoza said. “Each pearl or season correlates to a different piece of scripture. It’s a poignant and relatable message, and one that we hope to build upon, with plans to eventually award a deserving woman in our community with the distinction of being the Genuine Pearl Girl of the Year.”