From Violence to Hunger: Empowering Women to Stand Up

"It's disgusting that people go to bed hungry in this country."

That's a sentiment that Kelly Le Brock has been passionate about for many years. She has been actively promoting efforts to ease hunger in America, through her Public Service Announcements (PSAs) as well as through things like the FoodTweaks app, developed by Jay Walker. You can use this app to count calories and those calories that you don't end up consuming actually go into a virtual "food bank," where funds are generated to feed the hungry.

Despite the huge hunger problem, there is light in Kelly's mind. "The American people really are all pulling together. Whether they have money or not, they have time, and they are making their time count."

Kelly's advocacy doesn't end there. She is also a great supporter of #SayNoUnite, which is an effort that enlists women in Africa to make bracelets and sell them on shopsoko.com. This allows these women to make some money of their own and escape the typically violent situations they live in. The financial support these bracelets provide is not the only benefit. These women are becoming more educated, and just more powerful in general. They are learning to say "NO" and realizing that doing so is completely within their rights.

Kelly, along with Nicole Kidman and Terri Hatcher, acts as a spokesperson for these women and for the organization. Why is Kelly so passionate about this? Her answer is quite simple. "Violence isn't sexy."

Another organization Kelly has recently become involved in is EmpowerWomen.org. This group helps women all across the globe learn information and skills to succeed in the typically male-dominated business world. For example, one woman in Uganda is making wine from pumpkins. The organization aims to arm women who are very suppressed with power and also some "back-up" from their sisters in America.

Aside from her passion for women's empowerment, Kelly is also very vocal about healthy living. But, to her, "healthy living" takes a very holistic approach.

"Healthy living isn't just about what you eat. It's what you think, what you feel, the people you place yourself with."

What brought her to this realization?

It began 30 years ago, when a violent act changed her health in a negative way, and she had to fight very hard to overcome the intense push towards pharmaceuticals (what she calls the "numb and dumb" way). After she had her first child, she decided to leave Hollywood and make a go of living an organic lifestyle, as well as a what she considers a safer way to raise her kids.

Living this way has been life-changing for Kelly and her family, but she still gets extremely frustrated with most of the doctors in America who don't think outside the box when it comes to treatment methods and options. "There are so many phenomenal things out there that patients are not getting."

One of those methods is a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which can be effective in addressing a number of health issues. For instance, cancer cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment. Kelly would like to see this treatment method offered as it is in Russia and China, where it is used to treat 86 ailments. In the U.S., this method is only allowed to be used to treat 13 ailments.

Overall, Kelly advises people to take action by being informed. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm informed."

Tune in as Kelly joins Andrea and Lisa to share more about what she's doing for women's economic empowerment, as well the advocacy she's involved in when it comes to hunger, health and wellness.