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The Punching Nun Group Blog
The FDA’s 20-Year HRT Misinformation Scandal: What Went Wrong?
For two decades, the national narrative around menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been shaped more by fear than by clinical nuance. When the FDA added “black box” warnings to estrogen- and progesterone-containing therapies in the early 2000s, the signal to the public was unmistakable: HRT was dangerous. The consequences were swift and severe. Prescriptions plummeted. Women dealing with debilitating menopausal symptoms backed away. And clinicians lost an opportunity to meaningfully integrate HRT into midlife women’s health. How One Study Sparked a National Misstep The decision was largely driven by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a groundbreaking but imperfect study examining older post-menopausal women—many years past natural menopause—and their response to combined estrogen/progestin therapy. Findings suggested increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. What regulators failed to do was contextualize the results: age of initiation, time since menopause, type of hormone, route of delivery, and individualized risk profiles
Service Is the Strategy: A Lesson for Healthcare
On a recent trip to New York City, I was reminded of a simple but powerful truth: excellent service is the difference between a business
Dark Humor, Rare Disease, and the Gold Lion: A Bold Win for Biogen—and Patients
Last week, my daughter, Fiona Cauley, added another feather to her cap. Her “dark humor” campaign for Biogen—developed in partnership with the agency behind Skyclarys—just
JoLane Cecconi
JoLane Brant CecconiApril 25, 1940 – April 3, 2025 JoLane Brant Cecconi, a woman of unwavering faith and boundless love, transitioned to heaven on April
Is AI-Generated Content Hurting Companies?
“Content is king” is not just an outdated adage embraced by aging marketing professionals. In reality, content still drives everything, especially engagement—that vital element necessary
Mother Cabrini, Creating a Vision for An Empire of Hope
I had the pleasure of watching a new movie (yes, at a theater like we did in the olden days) called Cabrini. Growing up Catholic,
The Marketing Personality
Working in healthcare for the past 25 years has been interesting psychologically. When working with clinical people, I’ve marveled at how neatly they tend to
The Blockbuster Effect
The Blockbuster Effect defined: when we trust that what is working now will always work. Everyone remembers those stores that rented thousands of movies housed in
Fundamentals of Marketing, Know Thy Audience
Just this week, a major consumer brand experienced the same sort of nosedive as “New Coke.” For those younger than my 57 years, New Coke
Heading Into 2023
Like most Americans, I wanted 2022 to end.
The chaos, threats of war, an economy in freefall, distrust of the institutions we once held dear and the schism between right and left have resulted in heightened anxiety in every quarter of our country. One thing we all seem to agree on is that a feeling of heaviness permeates every interaction, and the very soul of America.
Honors Convocation
Although more than 3 decades have passed, my experience at St. Vincent College continues to impact my life in many ways and my prayer is
Life in Rural Mississippi
This New Year, I’m on the farm worked by my husband’s family since the early 1800s. They settled this area before it was a state,
I Will Not Get the COVID-19 Vaccine
Why? Because it’s not actually a vaccine, it is a type of gene therapy called mRNA and it’s still in clinical trial—making half of Americans
Facts Over Fear: A Quiet Entrepreneurial Rebellion is Afoot
Parents right here in Middle Tennessee are slowly—and somewhat secretly—taking back their children’s education. Why? Because the majority of public schools have chosen not to
On Hope and Freedom
I’m writing this from a space the size of an old school dorm room, sitting in a narrow twin bed. It’s day 10 of a
The Legacy of George Floyd
I personally condemn all forms of racism, bigotry, hatred, discrimination, and violence—sins against God and humanity. Like so many other Americans, I am sickened by
Tennessee, The Volunteer State
We are 48 hours in from the devastating tornado that tore through Nashville and roared down I40 to Cookeville, taking more than 20 lives with
Addiction in Franklin, Tennessee
I’m crying tonight as I write this. A night out for pizza has become another lesson in the hideous tragedy of addiction. I live in
Amanda Cecconi invited to join Nashville Business Journal Leadership Trust
Franklin, TN (February 5, 2020) — Amanda Cecconi, Founder and Managing Partner of Punching Nun Group, has been invited to join Nashville Business Journal Leadership Trust,
Kobe Bryant: Girls Basketball Coach
January 26, 2020 — I woke to the tragic news that Kobe Bryant, his young daughter Gianna and 7 other people lost their lives. As
Living A Brand
Tonight, I sat at a favorite bar in a brand new boutique hotel in downtown Franklin, Tennessee, named after the same river that meanders east,
New Year’s 2020
After creating so much content for clients, it can be challenging to stop the presses for a moment to develop our content (the cobbler’s children
Central American Beauty
My daughter fell in love with the Nicaraguan people after nearly a year teaching at orphanages in the capital city and in the rural mountain
Gratitude and Letting Go
Tonight, I was able to stop time. I had to take my son back to college. It was dark and warm, with an early September
Social Media and The Business of Healthcare. A Double-Edged Sword.
Perhaps. Social media as a channel has been around for 40+ years. Consumer brands embraced social first, as a way to communicate with consumers and
Uniquely American: 911 and the Heroes of United Flight 93
“Are you guys ready? Ok, let’s roll!” Todd Beamer from Flint, MI Tom Burnett from Bloomington, MN Mark Bingham from Los Gatos, CA Jeremy Glick
The Death of Journalism
Dearly Departed, We are gathered here today to say farewell to journalism—journalism degrees, journalism as a career, any respect for the news in general. Dead,
City of Zombies
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the West Coast twice in the past few months. Typically, travel is business related but these were both pleasure
Something Sweet In Seattle
After a week in the Pacific Northwest visiting Vancouver and Seattle (the city British Columbians say is “just like here but 2 hours south”) I