I was honored to be one of the keynote speakers at the Redondo Beach Women's March 2025 - https://www.facebook.com/thewomensmarchredondobeach/videos/1007512527453469
Wow, it’s been over three years since I started writing my personal ‘Her-Story’ (see below). I couldn’t have imagined that I would have run for Mayor of Redondo Beach in 2025 – it wasn’t on my radar or bucket list.
But the lack of democratic process to appoint a mayor, not following established protocol at City Council and Commission meetings, ongoing delays in legalizing cannabis dispensaries, waste of City staff resources because of City Council actions, sexism, witnessing the decline of Redondo Beach finances, and many other issues forced me to take a major stand for Keeping it Real in Redondo by running for Mayor.
I ran a very grass-roots campaign and didn’t win. However, I was able to surface issues in Redondo that needed to be addressed so we could have a better Redondo in the future.
Running for an elected position was a unique experience – and I give more credit to anyone who does run for public office – since it was not always pleasant. For example, a Planning Commissioner hiding behind the Redondo Chamber Unmasked group on Facebook attacked my age, my profession, my book on sex, my efforts to promote my candidacy, and anything else HE concocted about me. So sad that someone is so displeased with his own life that he spends his time writing parodies attacking other people. BTW as an appointed Commissioner, he should have the responsibility to act in a more ethical manner. But the ethics of some public officials don’t seem to be a high priority in Redondo Beach.
Also, since it is International Women’s Month, it’s important to point out that a man who ran for City Attorney (and thankfully lost) called a sitting City Council representative – ‘a stay at home mom city council member’ – as if this was a negative! This goes along with a City Council member appointing himself Mayor Pro Tem when it rightfully should have gone to the next in the rotation – a female City Council member. Also a few years ago a City Council representative (who became Mayor) called a female candidate for City Council a ‘dynamo’ – a name that followed her during her term and was used by Redondo Chamber Unmasked and others to disparage her. I go into more detail on the radio show Your Best Life including how the appointed Mayor tried to slut shame me on Facebook - https://hrnradio.com/media/JI022625.mp3 . You can't make this stuff up!
These are some of the reasons why in 2025, it is even more important during International Women’s Month/ Day to show up to learn from those who came before and to educate future generations of women not to tolerate this type of chauvinistic behavior. Do this for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren.
Please attend the Women’s March in Redondo
Saturday, March 8 at 10 AM at Veterans Park
Bring your own signs that reflect your feelings!
2022
I had written ‘My Story’ for Women’s Herstory Month in March (see below), but with what is happening with the Supreme Court and Roe vs. Wade, I needed to add more detail.
Last Sunday I attended a Rally for Women’s Rights in Redondo Beach which was organized by students from Redondo Union High. I found it perplexing that so many of the people were over 60. But when I reflected - it was the Baby Boomer generation and older people who lived in a world where abortions were illegal - before Roe vs. Wade. We experienced what it was like to look for/have illegal abortions. When I was a college student in Kansas – as many other young women – I kept a list of the few available traveling abortionist. I helped bring these women to campus and procured half-way decent places for the procedure, but I also had to rush women to the hospital after botched abortions. Sadly, some of these women were rendered infertile because of this. A few years later, when I lived in Ohio, I drove a woman to Manhattan, NY where abortions were legal. Back then, if one could afford it, some people went to Puerto Rico or other places where abortions were legal.
Thankfully, the younger generations didn't have to have the same experience until now and don’t understand how bad it was and how many lives were ruined by an unexpected pregnancy.
It is so difficult to see 50 years of hard work and support for women's rights being 'legislated away' by conservative 'religious' white older men whose sons are probably impregnating some of these women. On a separate but related note: from my 20 years of work in online child protection technology and managing a child pornography reporting hotline funded by the adult entertainment industry, I learned that ‘porn’ consumption is the highest in more conservative religious areas of the country and many of the consumers of sexual child abuse images came from the same group of men. THE SAME MEN WHO ARE TRYING TO RESTRICT WOMEN’S RIGHTS.
PLEASE DON’T ALLOW THE SUPREME COURT TO OVERTURN ROE VS. WADE!
Women’s Herstory Month – My Story
Because of my current pivot back to ‘Dr. Joan’ - now Cannabis Education for Baby Boomers aka Hot Sex for Seniors - I’ve been looking back at my life. WOW I realized that it has been one of many different chapters – very few which I could have ever imagined when I was growing up.
I always thought of myself as a typical middle-class girl who was raised in Long Island NY, went to Catholic school (K-12), and had a typical ‘Father Knows Best’ upbringing.
But then things changed. I refused to be a debutant, go to a good Catholic Girl’s college in the NE, or marry a nice Irish Catholic boy from a good family and have three children – that’s what was expected of me back then.
Instead, while at the University of Kansas I became the ‘Token Chick Leader’ on campus – my first entry into politics and public speaking. After graduation, I hitchhiked throughout Europe where I met my ex-husband. My marriage ended in divorce after 14 years.
Over the years I had several jobs that women hadn’t been allowed to hold in the past: sales for L’Oréal, a programmer at Bells Labs, sales for ADP. I was always a top performer and was used as an example of a unique aka token woman in business. While at ADP, I was promoted, moved from Denver to SF and took over a 10-state territory. My jobs required lots of business travel: 30 – 60% -- at a time when few women traveled for business.
I never felt that there was anything unique about me – I was every woman who created an opportunity and then taken a chance! You need to know that I was scared and questioned myself at each juncture. But I’m pragmatic, so I did what was necessary to get the job done well and earn money.
It was during this time that I learned my life mission: to be a role model for the next generations of women. I felt that I could contribute more by opening business opportunities for women rather than having my own children. I had my tubes tied when I was 30 - a very good decision for me as it allowed me the freedom many women didn’t have.
Throughout my life and career, I seemed to take the ‘Road Less Traveled.’ After ADP, I went back to my calling: being a therapist - my BA was in Psychology. I had stopped smoking via hypnosis, so I chose this modality and became a Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy; my thesis was Using Hypnosis for Sex Enhancement.
I felt that I could help more people if I became public-facing. In the ‘90’s I wrote a book on menopause for an infomercial project: ‘Taking Charge of Your Changes’ and ‘Recipes for Hot Sex’ and spoke at various conferences. I was even interviewed by Barbara Walters on The View
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4TgBzQvzG4). This was my first live TV interview – talk about being scared!!!
However, the reality was that I didn’t earn enough money doing this. So, in 2002, I took a job as the Executive Director of Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) - this changed my life and career direction once again. I managed a child pornography reporting hotline and established regulations for the adult entertainment industry as it relates to keeping kids out of and from viewing adult content. It was during this time that I advocated in DC and really learned about politics – an education in itself! My advocacy took me to the EU and Australia. I worked with FBI, DOJ, Interpol, etc. to bring child predators to justice and collaborated with the top experts in child protection, privacy, cybersecurity, free speech on Internet policies - all very heady stuff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhCa211k73Y.
I also finally took the time to give back to my community by participating in Leadership Redondo Class of 2008, starting an environmental non-profit Keep the Esplanade Beautiful, volunteering for candidates during election, and inadvertently became a Community Leader - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIMFCnBVCCk. During this time, I found myself being a mentor to several younger women and helping them through their life changes.
What a difference a decade makes – I am amazed that at my age I’m still having new chapters.
I had imbibed in cannabis off/on since college and always believed it was should legal. So, when it did in California in 2016, I wanted to figure out some way to get involved. I attended several cannabis events in LA and met some awesome people. I determined what I could do was bring my online child protection technology expertise to the cannabis industry. A great idea that was too soon for a fledging industry. Three years later, having invested much of my savings in this start-up business, and a pandemic, I needed to find a new gig.
Someone suggested resurrecting Dr. Joan – OMG a V-8 moment and another chapter.
So, for the last year, I have been focused on Baby Boomers Still Rock, and Hot Sex for Seniors and cannabis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzX3qN6GpY. Women finally have their own Viagra – cannabis – and can have great sex even in their 60’s, 70’s, and beyond - contrary to what we were told!! BTW you can learn more about my current chapter at https://www.facebook.com/drjoanirvine.
I decided to write this ‘blog’ because of last weekend. I attended a Mardi Gras event where my favorite local Rock and Roll band was playing. I danced up a storm with my younger friends – it was fun and great exercise, too. As I was leaving, I was stopped by three younger women. They told me that they had been watching me dance and wanted to be like me when they are my age. I was honored and so pleased I could be a role model for them.
It's not all been easy and there have been many challenges and ups and downs but only a few regrets. But overall, I have been fortunate. I reinforce this by using behavior modification techniques on myself. I start my day by dancing to ‘I Feel Good’ by James Brown or Tina’s The Best’ and looking at the ocean. This helps my body produce its own ‘feel good’ chemicals, so I am ready to “celebrate another day of living!”
‘I hope that this 'summary' of my life during this Herstory Month encourages other women to share their many chapters, take chances, and help other women have many of their own interesting chapters.
To Health, Happiness, and Hot Sex!
'Dr. Joan'
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