My Fourth Act Podcast: Recent Episodes
Achim Nowak
I’m Achim Nowak, Executive Coach, Author, Mastermind Convener and host of the My Fourth Act Podcast. If life is a 5-act play, what will you do in your 4th act? Your childhood conflicts have been resolved. The big dramas of life are behind you. Most importantly, you’re not ready to stop.
Join me as I speak with exceptional humans who have created bold and unexpected 4th acts. Listen and be inspired.
Ann Sheybani and Walt Hampton are two smart, funny, and opinionated individuals who are married to each other. Ann Sheybani is a Harvard-trained author, book coach, and the owner/publisher of Summit Press Publishing.
Walt Hampton is a bestselling author, lawyer, spiritual leader, Executive Coach and the founder of Summit Success International. Together, their work and life are an inspiration to countless other entrepreneurs who seek a more authentic and bold life.
George Perlov was a quintessential New Yorker. A MPA from Columbia. The Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation at The Advertising Council. A condo in Park Slope.
Then fate and love propelled him into an entirely different life.It involves living in Brussels, Berlin and Florence. Starting his own firm, George Perlov Consulting. These days, George Perlov lives a fully European life. None of it was planned.
Dr. Giselle Faubel is a Harvard-educated Clinical Psychologist based in South Florida. She is the founder of HORSES AND PSYCHOLOGY and EQUUS FOR HUMANITY - both equine-assisted psychotherapy programs. Giselle's focus has been on providing ground-breaking interventions through a form of psychotherapy which utilizes horses as healers.
Equine-assisted therapy is successfully applied to individuals, families, and groups. Giselle's recent interest in the use of psychedelics to help heal PTSD has led her to create Equidelics - a next-generation integration of equine-assisted therapy with psychedelics.
On this episode of the MY FOURTH ACT podcast, I have the distinct thrill of speaking with 5 extraordinary women who jointly wrote a just-released book, “Women Unbound: Navigating Transitions Gracefully,” published by Balboa Press, an imprint of Hay House.It is a tale of how five voices, strangers at first, with decidedly different life journeys and experiences, joined in courage and kindness, and over a period of two years blossomed into a chorus of truth and tenderness.The extraordinary women?
- Maria Hernandez, a technology and innovation thought leader who served as Chief Innovation Officer for IBM Latin America.
- Lama Karma Chotso, an ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun for over 35 years, and the former leader of a Dharma center in Florida.
- Jennifer DiMarco: An executive with 30 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, and a special focus on quality and compliance.
- Sarah Lewis: An architect and urban planner, with 25 years of expertise in both the private sector and as a public sector planner in the Boston area.
- Catherine Seo, PH.D.: An educator, filmmaker, and passionate advocate for those living with lipedema and related chronic conditions.
It was my privilege to serve as a Mastermind host for these spectacular humans and write the Foreword for “Women Unbound.”
Danielle is an internationally acclaimed concert harpist and multi-faceted artist.
She was admitted to the young talent department of the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands at the age of 12. It marked the beginning of a successful international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and principal orchestra harpist. Danielle is the prizewinner of major national and international harp competitions. She has performed all over the world with renowned musicians and maestros, in cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, and Madrid. For 15 years, she served as the principal harpist of the Symphony Orchestra of The Hague, Netherlands.
In 2020, Danielle moved to the Algarve in Portugal where she offers harp concerts, sound journeys, 1:1 sessions, and movement classes. Here, she also created her intimate ‘Meditative Harp concerts,’ a ceremonial space that starts with a sound journey with sacred instruments and a heart opening meditation, followed by a meditative harp concert.
www.danielleriegel.love
Gary Chupik is internationally recognized as one of the top mental performance coaches in the world. He unlocks performance in professional teams, athletes and business professionals. Additionally, Gary has been an ordained minister for 27 years and Chaplain of the Seattle Thunderbirds for 7 years.
Gary’s clients include players, coaches and executives from the Houston Texans, Washington Huskies, Stanford University, USA Figure Skating, Seattle Mariners, and many, many more Additionally, Gary supports folks who feel stuck in their lives and desire a new “Gameplan for Life.”
www.garychupik.com
Damian Goldvarg, Ph.D., MCC, is an Executive Coach, leadership authority, keynote speaker, and learning facilitator. He is the author and co-author of eight books, including his just released Lead With a Coaching Mindset, How the Best Leaders Unlock Potential. published by Berrett-Koehler.
Damian is a luminary in the international coaching world and a leading proponent of the emerging field of Coaching Supervision. He is the Past Global Chair of the International Coach Federation (2013-2014) and was inducted into the ICF Circle of Distinction in 2018.
Devin C. Hughes is an award-winning speaker, workplace culture expert, best-selling author of numerous books including a memoir, “Contrast: A Biracial Man’s Journey to Segregate His Past,” and a former college basketball player.
After a successful career in a global pharmaceutical company, Devin left corporate life to found his own training and consulting firm where he inspires groups and helps organizations and teams to break down barriers and make communication easier through greater awareness.
Susana Cor de Rosa is a healer, author, and spiritual teacher from Lisbon. She is known for her work as a quantum activator and creator of the Unified Quantum Healing method.
After an intense early career balancing health work and law school, Susana experienced burnout and disconnection. This led her to a profound spiritual awakening and transformation. Drawing on studies in quantum physics, shamanism, and alternative therapies, she now helps others activate their potential and connect with their purpose.
Susana has worked with thousands of people globally, written three books, and leads programs focused on energy healing, consciousness expansion, and spiritual empowerment.
www.susanacorderosa.net
Gayla Morgan is a professional singer, composer/lyricist, producer and vocal arranger. Gayla just began an engagement as the vocal coach for Disney Cruises’ newest ship, Adventure, sailing from Singapore.
Gayla’s musical, “A Dog Story,” had an acclaimed off-Broadway run. Her singing career includes recording and touring for 5 years with the Grammy-nominated Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, a 6-member a capella singing group. Gayla’s professional life has her based in Colorado, New York City, Key West, and now, across the world.
Phelim McDermott is an actor and director from the UK. In 2023, Phelim was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director for My Neighbor Totoro.
Phelim has staged operas in many of the great opera houses of the world, including countless times at The Met (Akhnaten, The Hours, Cosi fan Tutte,The Enchanted Island) and the English National Opera. In addition, he has directed plays and operas in Germany, Spain, and Australia.
Phelim is a passionate advocate for the transformational work of Harrison Owen, who originated a simple conversational framework called Open Space Technology.
Laurie Fader has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including a Pollock-Krasner Award, an Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Assistance Grant, the Helen W. Winternitz Award for excellence in painting from Yale University, Great Meadows Foundation and artist’s residencies in France, Haiti, Hungary, and Italy. She lived in New York City for 25 years while teaching at Pratt Institute, then in Baltimore while she taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She was co-founder, Chair and Associate Professor at the Kentucky School of Art at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently she is a full-time practicing artist and has exhibited in the US and abroad.
www.lauriefader.com/
For the last 35 years, Rebel Brown has been a Growth Accelerator for Advanced Technology Startups. In the early days of Silicon Valley, Rebel often was the only female in the room. She has served as a Chief Marketing Officer and Go-to-Market Launcher for over 300 clients world-wide.
Rebel has authored 2 bestselling strategy and leadership books. These days, Rebel is passionate about applying the power of neuroscience for breakout results. A well-known horsewoman and serial owner of 3 horse ranches, Rebel announced earlier this year that she was selling her latest ranch in Templeton/California because it had become “an old dream.”
www.rebelbrown.com
Dr. Laurence Hillman was born into a lineage of archetypal thought. His father, James Hillman, is considered the father of American Archetypal Psychology. Laurence Hillman grew up in Zurich, where his father had studied with Jung and, subsequently, served as the Director of Studies at the C.G. Jung Institute.
As a professional archetypal coach, Laurence Hillman helps his clients understand their deeper purpose and their life’s calling. In his role as a consultant, he helps leaders and organizations understand their archetypal patterns and advises on high-level decision making in organizations. His tools for mapping archetypes include archetypal astrology for which he is one of the leading voices worldwide.
Laurence Hillman is the author of Planets in Play - How to Reimagine Your Life Through the Language of Astrology. Laurence also co-authored two other books including Archetypes at Work - Evolving your Story, One Character at a Time, which he wrote with Richard Olivier. He and Richard co-created Archetypes at Work™, a new cutting-edge method to assess and develop people and organizations to become fit for the future.
Rutherford Pascal is a seasoned Sales Leader in the pharma industry. His 35-year career led him to increasingly Senior roles, most recently as Head of Sales at Sanofi for their Respiratory and Gastroenterology Specialty Care portfolio.
Rutherford is passionate about leadership development and mentorship. For his next act, he launched Glass Walls Leadership in 2024. Rutherford is a certified John Maxwell Leadership Trainer, Coach and an inspirational keynoter, with his first book, "The P.I.D System," about to be published. As one of the most visible African-American sales leaders in his industry, Rutherford is committed to fostering diversity within his teams and the benefits of embracing a diverse workforce.
https://www.amazon.com/P-I-D-System-Preparation-Intentionality-Differentiation/dp/B0F8BBB7KV
In 1965, when he was 17, Perry Brass hitchhiked from Savannah to San Francisco where he spent a year living on the street, sleeping between parked cars or in SRO hotels, doing any job he could, and loving the freedom of it.
After Perry moved to New York, Perry joined New York’s groundbreaking Gay Liberation Front in 1969 and the staff of Come Out!, the first Gay Liberation newspaper. His poetry was published in many “gay firsts,” including The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse, the first mainstream collection of queer poetry. He has since published 23 books, most recently “My Life without Money and other poems.”
In 1972, Perry and two friends started the Gay Men’s Health Project Clinic, the first clinic for gay men on the East Coast, still active as New York’s Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. The Gay Men’s Health Project Clinic, organized and run by the men who used it rather than by doctors, became the model for many grass-roots health organizations in the gay community.
Michael Feeley had a successful career as an actor and model, performing and touring with stars such as Howard Keel, John Raitt, and Tovah Feldshuh. His theatre life was followed by a whole other 20-year-act as a professional recruiter in New York City.
These days, Michael divides his time between a home in the center of France and another one on Saba, a small Caribbean island where he owns a real estate sales and management firm, Saba Island Properties. In his capacity as a life coach, Michael worked with celebrated entrepreneur and author Seth Godin. Michael now supports other accomplished humans who are ready for a career or life change. His compelling and very aptly titled book, "The Next Act," is just out.
www.michaelfeeleylifecoach.com
The Reverend Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Jacksonville/Florida, graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1981 and was ordained in 1984. Russell has served congregations in Florida, South Carolina, Maryland and New York. He received a Doctorate of Ministry in 2013 from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC, with a Certificate in Christian-Muslim Relations from the Washington Theological Consortium.
Russell is a social justice pastor. He serves as Executive Director for the Florida Council of Churches. He is also the current president of the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice and chairs the Local and Regional Ecumenism Committee of the National Council of Churches.
In a delightful twist, Rosemary Ravinal, the world’s premier bilingual speaking coach, media trainer, and former VP of Public Relations for TelevisaUnivision Network, interviews Achim Nowak on his own MY FOURTH ACT podcast.
Achim sheds light on how he made a series of critical career pivots in his 20+ years as a personal-growth-entrepreneur. These pivots include his recent decision to be based in Portugal, spend time on non-business writing, and launch his first Portugal-based enterprise, The Lisbon Sessions. Rosemary Ravinal explores what prompted her to leave a powerful corporate insider role to launch her own firm and embrace her passion for public speaking.
Tania Rivilis is a Ukrainian-born portrait artist. In 2012, Tania moved from Russia to Germany where she started to paint. Tania’s lush and neo-romantic portraits quickly drew international attention and have been featured in group shows around the world. A solo show is opening this March in Madrid.
Tania won the prestigious William Lock Prize from the Royal Portrait Society in London, showed at Christie’s, and had one of her stunning art works shine on a billboard across New York’s Times Square. Recently, she has begun offering art workshops for other emerging painters in Europe.
Haleh Shoa and her family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, bringing only their cherished photo albums. These albums were lifelines to the past and their only tangible reminders of the life they left behind. These experiences helped shape Haleh’s passion for storytelling and memory-keeping.
After a successful career in advertising, Haleh followed her heart and founded Picturli, a photo organization, archiving, and design studio in Los Angeles. Through Picturli, Haleh has helped countless celebrities, families, individuals, and institutions safeguard their legacies by organizing, curating, and preserving their most meaningful moments. Our conversation was conducted against the backdrop of the raging Los Angeles fires.
www.picturli.com
Pier Paolo de Angelis is a true citizen of the world. Paolo started exploring the world in his early 20s, working in Europe, The Middle East, North and South America.
While serving as Chairman of the now iconic Kripalu Center in Lenox MA in the mid 90s, Paolo led the transition team that transformed the former ashram into the largest Yoga and Wellness program centre in North America. After he moved to Hawaii, Paolo ended up partnering with Amara to help develop The Path of Azul, a conscious movement practice as a path of personal transformation.
I am thrilled to be part of a marvelous new anthology, DARING METAMORPHOSIS (Angel Lab Editions), that will be released on December 17, in both French- and English-language editions. DARING METAMORPHOSIS is a collection of deeply personal essays about personal transformation and reinvention, with an inspired cast of international authors.
To celebrate this launch, I am releasing a special podcast episode on launch day with 3 colleagues who I greatly admiral: Brigitte Bojkowszky, a brand strategist from Austria, Richard Phan, a software engineer who lived through the dot.com bubble in Silicon Valley, and Sophie Roumeas, an exceptional poet, serial anthologist, and the creative force behind this book. We discuss the unexpected role that synchronicity has played, and continues to play, in our lives.
ORDER BOOK
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPVQFCQ6
Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DPVQFCQ6
Tracy and Derrill Thompson are creating the sort of international life that many folks dream of. Derrill is a former labor lawyer from Vancouver. Tracy is one of the founders of a Canadian software company, Beanworks, that specialized in accounts payable processes.
After Beanworks was acquired by Quadient in 2021, Tracy and Derrill moved to Setubal, an old commercial fishing port just South of Lisbon/Portugal. Tracy is an active community organizer in Setubal’s vibrant emigre community. To properly ring in 2025, Derrill and Tracy are launching their next dream business - a cocktail lounge in Setubal’s charmed Old Town named Gatsby Cocktailaria.
David Allen is the author of the global best-seller “Getting Things Done” and multiple follow-up books, most recently “Team: Getting Things Done With Others.”
“Getting Things Done” has sold over 4 million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, and is considered the single most influential Personal Effectiveness book of the 21st century. Allen’s simple process has transformed how millions of people do business and life. His work has been praised by luminaries like Daniel Pink and the Wall Street Journal’s former workplace culture guru, Sue Shellenbarger. 10 years ago, Allen and his wife Kathryn moved from Southern California to Amsterdam where they now reside.
Esmeralda Diaz-Aroca and Mike O’Neil are branding and social media strategists. Mike is a 2x Forbes Top 50 Social media influencer and LinkedIn Sales Navigator expert from Minnesota. Esmeralda is a former scientist turned Digital Strategy and Social Selling expert from Madrid.
Linkedin is their professional playground and where they initially connected. They first met in-person in Costa Rica during the pandemic. They are now married and reside outside of Madrid. Theirs is a truly global story.
Gregory Gilmore is a Transformational Life Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) Practitioner. In addition to his own practice, Gregory also serves as an RTT trainer for Marisa Peer. The founder of RTT, where he supports and guides other aspiring RTT practitioners.
Gregory is passionate about helping individuals get unstuck and reclaim their passion and confidence. His memoir, “King of the Sky,” will be released in 2025.
Ande Lyons is a 4x Business Founder, Startup champion, Host of the New England Podcasters Group, and the former Co-host of Boston’s Founders Live Pitch event.
Ande hosts the new proaging podcast “Don’t Be Caged By Your Age” where she challenges societal and internalized ageism and empowers folks to thrive after 65. She is passionate about shattering ageism everywhere.
Clare Maxwell is a former professional dancer and choreographer turned certified Alexander Teacher and Somatic Movement Coach. She helps professionals and performers to feel more fully at ease in their bodies.
Clare serves on the Somatics Faculty of Movement Research, a well-known NYC dance organization. An innovator in movement education and online learning, Clare has taught dance and the Alexander Technique in colleges, universities, hospitals and the NYC public school system. Clare has a lively practice in NYC and online worldwide.
www.embodiedlearningsystems.com
E132 | When Novels Want To Be WrittenCyrus Cassells is a Poet. Translator. Cultural Critic. Actor. Professor. Cyrus is best known for his 9 poetry books, most recently “Is There Room For Another Horse On Your Horse Ranch.” His books have earned numerous accolades, including the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, a Lambda Literary Award, and two Pulitzer Prize nominations.
Cyrus has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment of the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He is a Regents’ Professor and University Distinguished Professor of English at Texas State University. From 2021 to 2022 he was appointed Poet Laureate of Texas. Rome, Paris, Montreal, Mexico City and Hawaii are just some of the places he loves - and places where he has lived.
www.cyruscassells.com/
Charlotte Libov is a seasoned writer and keynote speaker, formerly at The New York Times, who specializes in writing about health and the Arts.
Ever since she left Connecticut for fabled Miami Beach 19 years ago, Charlotte has become a “South Beach gal about town.” Sing Out, her Facebook group that celebrates song, dance, and all forms of self-expression, has become an influential forum for all entertainers, from Broadway and cabaret legends to karaoke amateurs, who wish to promote their events. In her Fourth Act, Charlotte Libov has emerged as the epitome of an unabashed arts champion and influencer.
Bestselling author, keynote speaker, branding strategist and provocateur Tom Asacker has spent most of his career in the fascinating world of belief and behavior change, and how it impacts both personal and professional lives.
Tom is focused on helping people and organizations break free from self-deceptive thinking and reclaim their creative freedom and joy. His bestselling books include The Business of Belief, Sandbox Wisdom, and I Am Keats. Tom’s TEDx talk titled “Why TED Talks Don’t Change People’s Behaviors” has garnered just shy of a million views. Tom’s new book, Unwinding Want, is just out.
Carlos Gonzalez has been an Associate Professor of English at Miami Dade College for over 30 years. He describes himself as a "professor of joy, grief, wonder, listening. movement and sitting."
Carlos Gonzalez's expansive view of how a teacher serves is informed by his passion for mindfulness, physical exercise. nature, and deep personal exploration. In addition to his work at MDC, Carlos teaches meditation and writing in South Florida correctional facilities through Exchange for Change, a Miami-based non-profit, and facilitates letter-exchange-programs between his students at MDC and incarcerated humans.
Gayle Zalduondo is a creative soul and seasoned serial entrepreneur. Among her many accomplishments is co-founding an acclaimed and innovative furniture company, Urbanus, with Andrew Kelly. For 20 years, Gayle served as CEO and lead designer for Urbanus, creating furniture for national retailers such as Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. She and Andrew successfully grew Urbanus to a business employing 85 employees.
Gayle has since co-founded Miami’s Little River Box Company, a firm that has transformed shipping containers into restaurants, kitchens, bars, bathrooms and homes. She Is in the midst of exploring her next creative act. This exploration has included movement studies. personal transformation tools, and becoming a Path of Azul teacher.
www.gaylezalduondo.com
Ann Odell is a former architect turned celebrated brand strategist, futurist, and culture forecaster. She has led breakthrough creative strategies for endless Fortune 500 enterprises, working for Lippincott, CBX Worldwide, Gensler, Donovan/Green, and Estee Lauder.
Ann now operates as the head of her own firm, animated by the firm belief that for-profit enterprises have the power to be fundamental change agents. Ann resides in Manhattan, with one foot in Italy.
Johannes Leerink is a seasoned business executive from the Netherlands. After a fast-track career as a rising star at Procter and Gamble and Sara Lee, Johannes dropped out of corporate life. Influenced by the teachings of Landmark and Werner Erhard, Johannes founded and served as practice leader of Vantage Group Europe, a boutique organizational consulting firm.
Johannes has subsequently founded or co-founded other leadership laboratories such as Silk Leadership Lab and The Hidden Transit. In work and life, Johannes is animated by an ever-deeper exploration of inner healing, consciousness, and freedom.
www.thehiddentransit.com
Larry Duplechan is the acclaimed and iconic author of 5 queer novels. They include Blackbird (considered by many the first modern Black “coming-out” novel) and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Got ’til it’s Gone. Blackbird was adapted for film in 2014, starring Mo”Nique and Isiah Washington.
In 2023, Britain’s Team Angelica published Larry’s delicious and sweeping memoir, Movies That Made Me Gay. It does double-duty as an encyclopedic and highly personal act of movie criticism, and it asks the provocative question: Can movies actually make us gay? Larry is the perfect guest to help me contemplate Pride Month in 2024.
Malissa Smith is the author of A History of Womens’ Boxing, published in 2014. It is the first comprehensive history of the sport; Ring Magazine dubbed it “the Bible of Women’s Boxing.”
Malissa is a co-host of the popular WAAR Room podcast, a founding board member of the international Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, and contributed a powerful essay, “How Boxing Uncaged Me,” to a book we put out last year via Balboa Press, The Difference. Malissa’s follow-up to A History of Women’s Boxing, titled The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science, is out the first week of June and will be celebrated by an official book launch on June 15 at the iconic Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.
Paula Ayotte is a professional dancer, poler, actress, and model. After a career as a dancer in LA in her 20s, Paula left for Hawaii, studied microbiology, combined it with her passion for scuba diving and forged a new career in maritime research, often living on boats for months on end.
When Paula explored pole dancing as a hobby in her 50s, it turned out to be her ticket back to show business. In her late 50s Paula moved back to LA, performed in pole dancing competitions, found instant representation by commercial agents and, more importantly, immediately booked work as an actress, model, and dancer. Now in her early 60s, Paula is an avid pro-aging advocate.
www.instagram.com/paulaayotte
Anita Barbero is a Wellness Coach, Speaker and Corporate Wellness Consultant who integrates over 25 years of experience as a health fitness practitioner, yoga & meditation teacher, and workshop & retreat leader in her practice.
At ESPN, where high performance is key both in front and behind the camera, Anita served as an in-house Wellness Lead. She taught fitness, yoga, and meditation classes to employees at ESPN. In partnership with a ESPN Wellness team, Anita designed numerous innovative in-house wellness offerings including a pilot program for the Monday Night Football remote crew which offered onsite yoga, meditation, and personal wellness coaching.
www.anitabarbero.com
Grace E. Niwa is a former piano prodigy who received a Master's Degree in Piano Performance from Juilliard, made her Carnegie Hall debut - and then decided to not pursue a professional career in music. Grace's subsequent professional life of multiple pivots includes being the Principal of her own PR firm and serving as Principal in a Global Executive Search firm.
These days, Grace is the VP of Global Talent Acquisition, Talent Management and Early Career at the red-hot Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global pharma powerhouse. Grace arrived at Vertex after serving as VP of Talent Acquisition and Executive at the equally celebrated Flagship Pioneering. Grace is a disruptor and visionary in the highly competitive world of Global Talent Acquisition, with a drive and discipline that are animated by her early training as a concert pianist.
Rich Habets is a former management consultant from Maastricht/Netherlands who has roamed the world. He is a trusted advisor to CEOs, C-Suite leaders, and entrepreneurs who long to play a bigger game. Rich is opinionated, outspoken, and fearlessly questions the status quo - for others, and for himself. He has already lived several acts in his life, disrupted himself, and boldly pursued new visions for himself.
Geoffrey Roche is an executive in the healthcare industry who currently serves as the first Director of Workforce Development for Siemens in North America. Geoffrey is the son of a German-born nurse and a dedicated father to three sons. He is a powerful strategist in Healthcare who believes in creating change by fostering meaningful relationships. Geoffrey has already had an indelible impact on the healthcare field with his heart-centered approach - and he has several great acts ahead in his future.
www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreymroche
Jay Samit is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. Jay raises hundreds of millions of dollars for startups, sells companies to Fortune 500 firms and transforms entire industries. He is a former NASDAQ company CEO and Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte. Jay helped grow pre-IPO companies such as LinkedIn, held senior management roles at EMI, Sony and Universal Studios. Everyone from the Pope to the President calls on Jay to orchestrate positive change in this era of endless innovation.
Jay is also the international bestselling author of Disrupt You, published in ten languages, and Future Proofing You. During the pandemic, Jay began to create celebrated pop-art cartoons that brim with sly social commentary.
www.jaysamit.com
Mohit Mukherjee is the Founding Director of the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education, which he launched in 2006. UPeace is a UN-established university based in Costa Rica; it is the only UN-affiliated institution devoted exclusively for peace education.
Mohit, who holds a M.Ed. in International Education from Harvard, is a passionate educator in the areas of Social Entrepreneurship, Positive Leadership, and Organizational Happiness. His professional background includes management consulting, teaching high school, leading a venture-funded private-public partnership, and being VP of Programs at an incubator for social entrepreneurs.
Each March, Mohit hosts a Global World Happiness Summit at UPeace in partnership with The World Happiness Foundation. He was born in Greece to Indian parents. While he currently lives in the United States, he can often be found in Costa Rica at the physical home of UPEACE.
www.centre.upeace.org
Robyn Stratton-Berkessel is a luminary in an organizational change approach called Appreciative Inquiry. She wrote one of the definitive books about Appreciative Inquiry, Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions (Wiley and Sons). Robyn serves as adjunct faculty for the esteemed David Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry, housed at Champlain College. She delivered a powerful TEDx talk about "Playful Inquiry" and was the host of a brilliantly thoughtful podcast, Positivity Strategist.
As Robyn enters her 70s, she has embarked on a journey of self-inquiry and new discoveries. Instead of giving voice to others, Robyn is giving voice to herself. She calls this journey "unshackling myself."
https://positivitystrategist.org/
Heather "The Heat" Hardy held the WBO world featherweight title from 2018 - 2019. Heather works as a trainer and continues a career in professional boxing and mixed martial arts into her early 40s. Brooklyn-born and Brooklyn-based, Heather holds a BA degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College in Manhattan.
While in high school, Heather had aspired to become the first female pitcher for the New York Yankees. Mom to a teenage daughter, Heather has been a persistent voice for women's boxing and is an outspoken advocate for pay equity in women's boxing. In 2016, Heather partnered with Dove on their #MyBeauyMySay campaign.
www.heather-hardy.com
Janice Masters is a former psychotherapist of 22 years turned healer/guide. For the last 30 years, Janice has served women as what she calls a Spiral Path coach, mentor, and shaman to help them embrace their greatness and manifest miracles.
At 78, after a year of facing pernicious health challenges and having a double heart-valve-replacement surgery, Janice continues to learn her own life lessons and is courageously exploring her next act.
Ellee Koss holds a Ph.D. in Economics and has served for over three decades as an educator and management consultant. She is a true renaissance woman - an author, artist, activist, and coach.
In every aspect of her life, Ellee pushes the limits to draw out life's essence and fullness, and to surface the extraordinary. She and her husband, Oscar Gonzalez, divide their time between homes in San Francisco, Cape Cod and Puerto Cayo/Ecuador.
https://www.isysnet.net/who.htm
Laurie Pickle Evans is a former partner in a Miami law firm. Ian McCluskey is a veteran journalist and thought-leader champion who served as a South American correspondent for Time Magazine and the Sao Paulo Bureau Chief for Bloomberg news. Their current life looks little like their past acts.
Laurie founded Afrikids, a Miami-based nonprofit that is dedicated to helping educate and improve the lives of kids in Tanzania. Laurie and Ian met 6 years ago, became romantic partners, and Ian now serves as the Communications Director for Afrikids. How does a hugely accomplished professional couple juggle collaborating with partners in Africa and supporting a vital nonprofit organization?
www.afrikidsinc.org
Doo wop, Broadway, The Met. Larry Marshall is a veteran musical performer whose exemplary Broadway career began in 1968 with the musical Hair. 15 Broadway productions later, Larry appeared on Broadway and in the National tour of the recent musical Waitress.
Larry's many other Broadway credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Full Monty, The Color Purple, The Threepenny Opera with Sting, and Mother Courage with Meryl Streep for the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park's Delacorte Theatre.
Larry has had many turns as both performer and director with the opera Porgy and Bess. He has toured in this show nationally, internationally, in opera houses and on Broadway. Larry eventually earned Tony and Drama Desk award nominations for his portrayal of Sportin' Life in the Houston Grand Opera's production of Porgy and Bess. His film roles include playing Cab Calloway in The Cotton Club and Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar.
www.larrymarshall.net
Catherine Seo, PhD is the Co-Director of the Lipedema Project and Founder and Director of Lipedema Simplified, LLC. She is also the producer and director of the documentary The Disease They Call FAT. When confronted with almost certain immobility and complications from misdiagnosed lipedema, Dr. Seo traveled the world interviewing patients, doctors, surgeons, and experts and developed the film from her findings.
Dr. Seo holds a doctorate in Media Psychology. Her research has been focused on empowering women who experience distortions of body image represented in the media by applying self-compassion and other meditation techniques. She is currently working on a book about lipedema and developing a series of online courses for patients and healthcare professionals.
www.lipedema-simplified.org
Called ‘The Queen of Reinvention” by Fortune magazine, former entertainment exec-turned-coach Pamela Mitchell (aka ‘Coach Pamela’) is the nation’s premier expert in reinvention and founder and CEO of The Reinvention Institute.
She is the author of The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention: Essential Survival Skills for Any Economy (Penguin), a Harvard Business Review Top Shelf Recommended Pick. Her audiobooks Mastering the Skill of Reinvention and Pivot and Pursue It have been Audible Original top 10 bestsellers.
Coach Pamela has appeared on CBS, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and the Today Show, and been profiled and quoted in top publications including The New York Times, Businessweek, TIME, Men’s Health, and Real Simple.
www.planetreinvention.com
Jane Moore is the founder and owner of Papagayo Luxury where she curates custom luxury vacations and villa rentals on Costa Rica's exclusive Papagayo Peninsula.
Jane has, in some ways. lived many people's dreams - and created many people's dream business. After a 12-year publishing career in Los Angeles with National Geographic Magazine, Jane and her husband left for Costa Rica to live their expat adventure. Serendipity led Jane to managing her first vacation rental. Over 11 years later, Jane now resides in Miami from where she oversees an expansive Papagayo Luxury portfolio of handpicked homes in spectacular Costa Rican settings.
www.papagayoluxury.com
Eve Simon is an Expert in Leadership Transformation, Igniter for Innovation and Inclusion, Executive Coach, Author, TEDx Speaker, and Serial Entrepreneur.
German by nature, Californian by heart - that defines an unusual approach in everything Eve does. Eve works as a creative and systemic business builder with corporations, executives, and start-ups all over the world to empower radical self-awareness and agile leadership for a more sustainable business approach.
Prior to starting her own company ‘Inspirations Without Borders’ in 2005, Eve managed national marketing, communications, and change at telecommunication giant E-Plus, as they transitioned from start-up, through rapid growth, and into the maturity phase. She regularly travels between Dusseldorf and Silicon Valley.
www.evesimon.com
Evan Snow is an arts advocate, community builder, and creative entrepreneur who launched the Choose954 social movement to Cultivate Culture & Community in his native Broward County. Evan's initiatives have included the Fort Lauderdale Art & Design Week, AAF CreativeZen Inspirational Talks, & Zero Empty Spaces, a now national movement that converts empty storefronts into studios for artists.
He is also a founding board member of The Ocean Rescue Alliance & The 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project which works to deploy artistically crafted artificial reefs in the ocean off the coast of South Florida.
www.learningtochoose.com
Leah Komaiko's exceptional life includes doing stand-up and writing a memoir as well as 20 popular and bestselling books for kids, including the modern classic, Annie Bananie. Her books have been published by Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and St. Martin's Press.
These days, Leah helps both individuals and organizations to find their essential stories. She got her first hire ever as a story coach with a Fortune 100 company because she discovered the connection between a brand that sticks and a children's classic. A decades-long resident of Los Angeles, Leah just abandoned the bustle of LA and moved to a small town of 7,500 souls.
www.leahkomaiko.com
Stefanie von Fallois is a German-bornlife coach,psychologist and former nurse who now resides in Miami. She was for many years the head therapist at Dolphin Human Therapy (DHT), a world-renowned animal assisted therapy facility in Key Largo, Florida.
Stefanie currently serves as a guest therapist at Curacao Dolphin Therapy Center in Curacaowhere she coaches families and individuals facing unique difficulties in their lives. She has been recognized in European newspapers, TV specials and documentaries. Stefanie also supports clients in her private practice in Miami.
www.GoToStefanie.com
Doe Hentschel, Ph.D. is a former professional child actress who has had a sweeping career in Adult and Continuing Education, with tenures as the Dean of Adult and Continuing Education at SUNY Brockport and Dean of Extended and Continuing Education at the University of Connecticut.
For the last 20 years, Doe has been the Director of the Third Age Initiative at Leadership Greater Hartford, a program that develops, inspires, and engages older adults in meaningful ways in the community. Doe recently turned 80 and just published her first book Look, Ma! No Hands!
www.lookmanohands.net
www.leadershipgh.org
My new book, THE DIFFERENCE: Essays on Loss, Courage and Personal Transformation, co-edited with Rosemary Ravinal, is released today via Balboa Press, a Division of Hay House.
To salute this exquisite collection of essays, I have a chat with 3 of the exceptional contributors - Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle, Carl Ficks Jr., Malissa Smith - and my brilliant co-editor, Rosemary Ravinal.
What if you could have an audience with 10 successful humans who have inspired millions of followers around the world to lead more authentic, wholehearted and expansive lives? What if you could ask these individuals to pinpoint the ONE factor or experience that unleashed the greatest personal transformation in their lives?
THE DIFFERENCEis that audience.
www.thedifference-book.com
Jameson Currier is a celebrated gay writer, literary critic and publisher. He is the author of seven novels, five collections of short fiction, and a memoir. His writing is also included in many literary collections. Jameson's novel, The Third Buddha, about the aftermath of 9/11 in Manhattan and Afghanistan, was translated into French in 2021 and just awarded the Prix du Roman Gay in France.
Jameson’s reviews, essays, interviews, and articles on AIDS and gay culture have been published in many national and local publications. In 2010 he founded Chelsea Station Editions, an independent press devoted to gay literature. Books published by the press have been honored by numerous literary awards. Jameson divides his time between a studio apartment in New York City and a farmless farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. In recent years, Jameson has emerged as a prolific painter.
www.jamesoncurrier.com
www.chelseastationeditions.com
www.chathamjunction.com
Betsy Cohen is amother of 4 who lives in Palm Beach Gardens and loves cookie dough. In 2012, Betsy was given the opportunity to work part-time in the office of a bakery owned by one of the most talented pastry chefs in the country.
A few years later, Betsy launched Happylicious by Betsy, a gorgeously curated and very happy brand of edible cookie dough. It can be found atthe iconic Breakers resort in Palm Beachand ships to anywhere in the United States.
https://happylicious.com/
Andrew Quarrie is a Jamaican-born serial entrepreneur who champions equitable neighborhoods. He is the CEO/Founder of URBLANDIA - a needs analysis platform for real estate development.
Andrew hosts his widely distributed podcast - also titled “URBLANDIA" - where he focuses on social impact entrepreneurship within urban development. In 2016 Andrew also created and began hosting the annual Urbanism Summit, a conference and event series designed to cultivate transformative ideas for a new urbanism, with a strong emphasis on people and planet.
www.events.urblandia.com
Mike Trupiano is a comic actor from the United States who resides and works in Berlin/Germany. He is a voice-over artist, celebrated storyteller, writer, storytelling teacher and coach. Mike's first commercial job after leaving New York for Berlin found him locked in an elevator with world boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko.
Adopted when he was 3 months old, Mike's personal evolution as an adult was forever changed by his search for his birth family.Mike is the creator and host of the recently launched podcast Secret Son, an adoptee podcast about searching, identity, and secrets.
http://www.miketrupiano.com/
http://secretsonpod.com/
Leon Segal, Ph.D. is an innovation psychologist. As a founder of Innovationship, Leon helps organizations, teams, and individuals to imagine and design their futures. His vast expertise in the innovation field includes helming an IDEO office and teaching at leading institutions around the world. Innovationship’s slogan is "Strategic Innovation made personal."
Originally from Israel, Leon's work is informed by an eclectic past that includes being a pilot and a saxophone player. Leon's decades-long interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has led him to partner with other psychologists, guides and healers in the Jamaica Grief Retreats which foster the expression of grief and healing for parents who have lost their children. Consciousness and creativity are threads that weave through every facet of Leon's work and life.
www.jamaicagriefretreats.org
www.innovationship.com
Raj Raghunathan is a Professor of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Raj explores the impact that our judgments and decisions have on our happiness and fulfillment.
Raj's work has appeared in numerous top journals and mass media outlets. He writes about his views on happiness, creativity, and leadership on his popular Psychology Today blog, with over 2 million page views. Raj's six-week-long Coursera course on happiness - titled "Life of Happiness and Fulfillment" - has over 350,000 registered students from 196 countries and is one of the Top 100 Massive Open Online Courses of all time. His book If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?was released in 14 languages around the world.
www.happysmarts.com
www.mccombs.utexas.edu
Nina Simons is the co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Bioneers, a nonprofit that champions visionary and practical solutions for many of our most pressing social and ecological challenges. Nina is passionate about reinventing leadership, restoring the feminine, and co-creating a healthy, peaceful, and equitable world for all.
Throughout her remarkable career, Nina has worked with nearly a thousand diverse women leaders across disciplines, race, class, age, orientation, and more to create conditions for mutual learning and leadership development. She has written the first and second editions of “Nature, Culture and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership.”
https://www.ninasimons.com/
Dr. Edith Shiro is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Miami. Edith specializes in trauma and posttraumatic growth. She is the co-founder of The Trauma and Resilience Center, a board member of the World Happiness Foundation, and an active member of Cadena International, providing humanitarian aid and disaster prevention worldwide.
Edith has been a sought-after guest on numerous television shows, podcasts and radio programs. Her extraordinary book, “The Gift of Trauma: the path to Posttraumatic Growth,” offers a powerful 5-stage framework for recovering from – and thriving after – trauma.
What I learned from my grandparents about posttraumatic growth. Why not every tough experience is a traumatic one. How resilience may actually hinder posttraumatic transformation. What it takes to move through the 5 stages of posttraumatic growth.
https://dredithshiro.com/
Sam Yau is a retired business executive who splits his time between managing his investments and writing poetry. Sam has reinvented his life several times - from being a 6-month-old baby on a refugee boat from China to becoming the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation and eventually the Chairman of the iconic Esalen Institute in California’s Big Sur.
Sophie Rouméas is a French writer who loves to use words and her voice to guide people during meditation and hypnosis sessions. In 2021, Sophie wrote an anthology, "J’ai vécu la même chose que toi," with 12 co-authors. It celebrates the resilience of young women who have recovered from breast cancer and offers a message of hope to the families affected by this ordeal.
As Sam and Sophie became two souls in love, they co-authored a book of poetry about the experience, aptly titled “Souls in Love.”
https://www.samyaupoetry.com/
https://www.sophieroumeas.com/
For many, the Covid pandemic prompted a rethinking of how we serve the world. Peggy Horan's rethinking feels more radical than most. After decades of working with movement and touch, at the iconic Esalen Institute, Peggy entered her 80s eager to explore serving clients in an entirely new way. My inspiring conversation with Peggy initially released in the summer of 2022.
Peggy Horan is a 50+-year practitioner and teacher of Esalen Massage, student of yoga and movement, and a retired midwife. She was one of the founders of the Esalen Massage School. and is the author of "Connecting Through Touch: The Couples' Massage Book." Peggy first visited Esalen in 1966, and both her work and her personal journey are intimately entwined with the spirit and legacy of Esalen, the legendary human development institute in California's Big Sur.
Today, at the age of 82, in a time of virtual communication and sometimes physical distance, Peggy has studied to become a life coach.. She is exploring ways of serving clients without touch and working in prisons, where touch is not allowed.
"I love hugging people with my words," says Simon T. Bailey. That he does - and so much more.
Simon T. Bailey is an exceptional writer, business thinker, and one of the most successful motivational speakers in the world. Simon is a force of nature on stage - a channel of boundless energy coupled with deep and practical wisdom. Simon OWNS the stage - and then Covid momentarily shut down the playground where he excels.
Simon has come roaring back, more in demand than ever, as businesses host mega-events again. My poignant conversation with Simon was recorded in the summer of 2021, when the pandemic had shut down the speaking industry. Savor this richly personal conversation as a hugely successful figure contemplates his next acts under changed circumstances.
Simon T. Bailey is a former Disney executive, award-winning author, NSA Hall of Fame speaker, life coach, television host and philanthropist, and one of the most celebrated motivational speakers in the world.
With more than 30 years of experience, Simon has worked with over 2000 companies in 50 different countries. He has helped countless people find their spark and unleash their unique brilliance within.
simontbailey.com
I originally released my conversation with Lama Karma Chotso in June of 2022. I happily share it again to entice us all to reconnect with timeless spiritual wisdom as we launch into a new year.
Since Lama Karma Chotso and I spoke last year, she has decided to let go of her beautiful Buddhist Center in the El Portal section of Miami where she has lived and taught for over 20 years. With the re-release of ths MY FOURTH ACT podcast episode, I invite all of us to embrace the gift of impermanence and have the courage to let go of something we love.
Lama Karma Chötso is a fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist lama. She began to study the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in 1982 after meeting Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche in New York City. Lama took refuge with him there, and 4 years later he ordained her as a novice nun. Lama Karma Chötso entered a three-year, three-months meditation retreat held in strict seclusion in 1986 and completed the retreat in 1990.
Lama Karma Chötso has practiced buddhadharma for 35 years. She is also a musician and trained in thangka painting. Her community work includes serving as volunteer service chaplain for Hospice Care in Broward County and teaching meditation and tai qi to inmates at Broward Correctional facility. Her sangha, the Open Awareness Buddhist Center, gathered for over 20 years in a beautiful sanctuary in the El Portal section of Miami before closing its doors.
Since Lama Karma Chotso and I spoke last year, she has decided to let go of her beautiful Buddhist Center where she has lived and taught for over 20 years. With the re-release of ths MY FOURTH ACT podcast episode, I invite all of us to embrace the gift of impermanence as we enter 2023 and have the courage to let go of something we love.
https://lamakayc.com/
I originally released my conversation with Benja Kay Thomas in the summer of 2021, at a time when theatre had ground to a halt. Well, theatre came back with a vengeance, and so did Benja.
Benja Kay Thomasis an AUDELCO and OBIE-award winning film, television and stage actress. She fully committed to having a professional acting career later in life, at a time when many actresses say “there just aren’t any roles for me.” The moment Benja committed, she was on a roll. Benja is about to open on BROADWAY in a leading role in “Fat Ham,” James Ijames’ reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that became a bona fide hit Off-Broadway and won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“Fat Ham” is Benja Kay Thomas’ first Broadway show. Here, in her own words, is what opening on Broadway in a hit play means to her: This has been a dream of mine and it has been years and years in the making. I am humbled and grateful. The one things is: I didn’t give up. I didn’t give up. I DIDN’T GIVE UP! I say this to say it is NEVER too late to follow your dreams.
www.benjakay.com
Benja Kay Thomas Facebook Page
As a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty, known as Bob, writes obituaries, mostly about prominent people in business or economics, Bob has been a reporter and editor for more than 40 years at The Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune, in the U.S,, Europe and Asia.
In his just-published book, Yours Truly, An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story, Bob synthesizes what he has learned about a well-lived life by writing obituaries – and he exhorts all of us to write our life stories before someone else writes them for us.
www.wsj.com/news/author/james-r-hagerty
Suzanne Jewell is aglobal expert on strategic marketing whose life has increasingly fused her zest for business development with her passion for mindfulness. Her high-flying global career includes a stint as SVP with Cisneros where she helped launch DirectTV in Latin America and multiple years of supporting the efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Suzanne was thehost of Mindful Mornings Miami, a weekly radio program where she interviewed inspirational luminaries such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Marianne Williamson, Sharon Salzberg, Don Miguel Ruiz Jr., and Les Brown, among many others. She is the Founder of her own firm, The Mindful Entrepreneur, and currently serves asChief Experience Officer for South Florida’s glorious Patch of Heaven Sanctuary.
www.retreat.patchofheavensanctuary.org
Franchesca D’Amore is a certified professional life coach, medium, reiki master, card reader and a self-described“goddess extraordinaire.”Franchesca has been a serial entrepreneur in the health and wellness industry where, among many accomplishments, she had her own South Florida salon, The Hair Shop, and was Founding President of the non-for-profit Hairstylists for Humanity.
Franchesca is a proudly public trans woman and one of the subjects in the documentary “Open Dialogues: Stories from the LGBTQ community.” She has a long history of community activism and currently serves on the Board of Safe Schools South Florida and as Entertainment Director for Hollywood Pride
www.linkedin.com/in/franchesca-d-amore
Flora Proverbo is an anti-aging activist from Argentina who works to change the current storytelling about post-50 life. Her career instrategic planning and innovation began in Miami and led her to work in NYC, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Madrid, Moscow and Latin America, with major global brands like Nissan, Nestle and eventually serving as Head of Strategic Planning in Buenos Aires for the venerable Saatchi & Saatchi Agency.
Today. Flora helps companies and organizations to grow by satisfying the demands and needs of the elderly. She also founded Plateadas, a community for women over the age of 50 who share their stories and experiences with each other and make the most of this vibrant part of their lives.
www.ethnosstrategy.com
Karen Correa, Ph.D., has been a professional in the life sciences field for the last 30 years and currently serves as VP and Head of Global Clinical Operations for Takeda. Karen has another foot in the world of beauty pageants. She is a former Miss New Jersey and just this year competed again, and won, the title of Mrs. New Jersey. She continues to happily mentor other pageant contestants.
Karen is a committed life-long learner and a passionate champion for health equity. She is outspoken about her own journey of overcoming personal trauma and inspires others to find greater health, wellness and a deeper self-love.
https://drkarencorrea.com/
Stephan Thieringer is a German-born serial entrepreneur, business thinker, executive coach, investor, TEDx speaker, and the Founder and CEO of the Boston-based Human Innovation Garage. Stephan’s extensive professional expertise includes serving as Senior Lecturer in Management and Entrepreneurship at Suffolk University and, for a little while, as Director of Operations at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
His numerous awards include being named one of the world’s top 101 Coaching Leaders by the World Human Resource Conference and World Coaching Congress. Stephan is the outspoken host of his own podcast, Raw Rants. In 2020, a heart-attack and subsequent quadruple bypass surgery invoked an unflinching reflection on what matters in life.
www.humaninnovationgarage.com
Vitaly Geyman is an explorerwho celebrates creativity. Born in the Ukraine, Vitaly has spent large portions of his life in Australia, The United States and currently resides on a small island in Croatia. His career involves substantialwork with Amazon, Siemens, and Telecom Australia, serving as a Marketing and Management professor at RMIT University, and funding as well as managing several of his own start-ups in online retailing and online education.
Vitaly currently supports CEOs in running healthier and more successful businesses through his work as the Executive Vice President for Quantum Leaders. Vitaly’s work is informed by his studies as an actor and deep spiritual explorations. The 2 and 1/2 years Vitaly has just spent living on an enchanted island have refocused his outlook on what matters in life.
www.quantumleaders.com
Alan Hughes is an Argentinian-born chef, restaurateur, rock’n roller and inveterate world traveler. He began his career in some of New York’s finest restaurants – The River Café, Sarabeth’s, Union Square Café – and did a stint as private chef in Gracie Mansion, New York City’s mayoral residence, under mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins. In Miami, Alan founded One Ninety, a pioneering restaurant in the city’s Design District, and The Embassy. Alan hosted an online cooking series for Yahoo en Espanol titled Cook N’ Rock, contributed to award-winning cookbooks and produces highly entertaining and deeply personal culinary segments for his YouTube channel from every part of the world – all while performing in rock n’ roll clubs everywhere. What I have learned about life from cooking in famous restaurants, on private yachts, in the homes of the wealthy. How I became a restaurateur. Why I continue to travel the world. How becoming a grandfather and the death of my mom have impacted my life. https://www.chefalanhughes.com/ (https://www.chefalanhughes.com/)
Dr. Rachel Carlton Abrams is a family-practice physician who is also board-certified in holistic medicine. She is the founder and medical director of Santa Cruz Integrative Medicine and Chi Center, where she specializes in holistic approaches to health and sexuality. Rachel has authored and co-authored 5 marvelous books including “The Multi-Orgasmic Woman,” “The Man’s Guide to Women,” “BodyWise,” and “Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love,” the latter co-authored with John Gottman, his spouse Julie Schwartz Gottman, and Rachel’s own husband, the writer and editor Doug Abrams. What happens when such a highly accomplished human takes a sabbatical? https://www.doctorrachel.com/ (https://www.doctorrachel.com/)
When she was 18, Lori Pratico began her artistic career as a billboard artist in her hometown Philadelphia. Lori is self-taught. These days, her artwork is recognized around the country, represented by galleries and shown at Miami’s Art Basel. Her artwork has been published in Marie Claire, Juxtapoz and Professional Artist Magazines. A serial entrepreneur, Lori started her first business at 21, creating in-store merchandising for the second largest home video retailer in the country. Today Lori runs the non-profit she founded, Girl Noticed, Inc, a national community mural and arts outreach program for girls and women. Girl Noticed celebrates the inherent value of females and affirms the deep need to notice and be noticed. Why my path has been a rebel path. What I know about the power of community. When I knew that I deserved to be noticed. How my daughter inspired me to come out. https://girlnoticed.org/ (https://girlnoticed.org/)
Jeannine Otis has been a substantial voice in music for over 40 years, effortlessly performing and recording in jazz, classical, dance, gospel and pop genres. She has toured as a vocalist with great musicians who have served as mentors including Grover Washington Jr., Arthur Prysock, Kool and the Gang, Joe Chambers and Donald Byrd, Rudy Mwangozi, Finnish Jazz composer Heikki Sarmanto and Vishnu Wood and his band Safari East. Jeannine appeared on Broadway in "This Joint is Jumpin" and toured throughout Europe as the Strawberry Woman in "Porgy and Bess," singing in many of the great opera houses including those in Rome, Cologne, Venice, and Modena. Her recording MAGIC SONG with Heikki Sarmanto was re-released by The Warner Group worldwide in 2017, and her selections are included in over 12 jazz compilations. Jeannine's passion for working in communities led to fruitful collaborations with Eve Ensler and celebrated composer Elizabeth Swados. For the last 30 years, Jeannine has also served as Music Director at Manhattan's iconic St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, the second-oldest church in the city. When I knew that music was in my blood. How I ended up recording rap before anyone knew what rap was. Why I cherish the work I do in diverse communities. How my role at St. Mark's Church saved my life. https://jeannineotis.com/ (https://jeannineotis.com/)
Andy Ruffner was born just outside of Cincinnati - and other than leaving town for undergraduate study and a M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Maryland, Andy spent several of his adult decades back in Cincinnati. He worked in Healthcare, Workplace Training, HIV prevention, most recently as Project Director for the Early Intervention Program at the University of Cincinnati's Department of Emergency Medicine. Andy also taught Sociology, Education and Counseling as an Adjunct Professor at Xavier University, University of Cincinnati and the Art Academy of Cincinnati. And then, in his early 50s, Andy and his now-husband David Weaver left all of this behind to live in a South Florida beach town. Andy did not move for the perfect next job or career advancement - Andy moved for a way of life. He relishes his new life in his beloved Hollywood Lakes neighborhood and currently serves as Director of Education for the World AIDS Museum in Ft. Lauderdale. Why I can't seem to get away from working with HIV/AIDS. How losses in my personal life gave me the courage to move to South Florida. Why I feel called to a life of community service. How the need for freedom and flexibility shape my life choices. https://worldaidsmuseum.org/about/ (https://worldaidsmuseum.org/about/)
Runa Bouius is a serial entrepreneur and visionary thinker from Iceland. Her life of adventure and exploration has unfolded in wildly different settings – Reykjavik, Santa Fe, Los Angeles. For 20 years, Runa was a trailblazer and the industry leader in Iceland’s beauty and wellness industry. After her husband’s death, at the height of her commercial success, Runa moved with her sons to Santa Fe and embarked on a no-holds-barred soul journey. These days, Runa resides in LA where she co-founded the Conscious Leader Network, the Conscious Capitalism LA Chapter, the Together Network.and her own True Power Institute. She serves as a mentor to CEOs and other visionary professionals who are hungry for a more purpose-driven world. After 3 very distinct life acts, Runa is ready for her own FOURTH ACT. How I went from studying dance to becoming Iceland’s top beauty industry entrepreneur. When I couldn’t ignore my inner emptiness anymore. What I learned about shamanism and soul wisdom. Why I am passionate about redefining the true meaning of personal power. https://truepowerinstitute.com/ (www.truepowerinstitute.com)
Sue Elliott, a seasoned publishing pro, has launched more than a dozen publications from scratch and served as Editor-in-Chief for countless other publications. Her publication “Law of Attraction,” a personal-growth magazine, was sold in ALL major retailers everywhere. In “Overhaulin’: The Magazine,” Sue took fans of the Discovery Channel TV show behind the scenes and helped them learn how to build the cars they loved. Somewhere during this 25-year publishing career, Sue came to understand that there were loving, divine forces at play. She calls them the angels – and she took the step of publicly coming “out of the spiritual closet” as an Angel Coach. How I became a Managing Editor of magazines right out of college. What I love about muscle cars. Why I would name “Law of Attraction” differently today. How my identity as an Angel Coach came to me. https://www.myangelcoach.com/
Bill Benda is a seasoned emergency physician, family doctor and integrative physician. His life has been spent practicing medicine in some magical places. For a time, Bill lived in California’s Big Sur region where he served as a physician at the Big Sur Health Center and at Esalen. In recent years, Bill has lived on South Florida’s Gold Coast where he has served as an Emergency Physician in West Palm Beach as well as an Associate Professor of Clinical Medical Bioscience at Florida Atlantic University. For the last two decades, Bill has been a passionate public advocate for integrative medicine. At 68, he is ready for more magical places and his next act. What I learned from nature when I was a boy. Why I cannot live a life without purpose. What I love about emergency room work. Why I am such a firm believer in integrative medicine.
Kathie Klarreich is a journalist and the author of Madame Dread: A Tale of Love, Voodoo and Civil Strife in Haiti. She spent half of her 24 years as an investigative journalist living in Haiti. Her reports from Haiti have been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, ABC, CNN and on NPR’s All Things Considered and Fresh Air. In 2014, Kathie founded Exchange for Change, a nonprofit that offers semester-long writing classes in South Florida correctional institutions and runs letter-writing exchanges between prisoners and students in local academic institutions. What I love about being a witness to extraordinary events. How I became Madame Dread. The moment I knew I had to get out of Haiti. Why I am so passionate about how writing empowers and gives us a voice. https://www.exchange-for-change.org/ (www.exchange-for-change.org)
Susan Howell is a former Senior Special Agent who spent 26 years working for both the IRS and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General. Her career included working many cases, including finance-related crimes. At age 50, with a lifetime of money-knowledge under her belt, Susan retired and stepped into her next act. She founded MoneyMaestra where she teaches people a holistic approach to heal their relationship with money and attain financial freedom. How "Charlie's Angels" influenced my life. What it was like to "live Miami Vice." How we get to create the life we want. Why I am so passionate about creating financial freedom. http://moneymaestra.com/ (www.moneymaestra.com)
Suzanne Evans is a mom, wife, sister, entrepreneur and risk taker from North Carolina. She went from working as a secretary in Manhattan to surpassing the seven figure mark as her own business woman in just over 3 years. Suzanne’s business hit the Inc 500/5000 for five years straight, and she wrote a NY Times best-selling book along the way. Suzanne’s current firm, Driven Inc, blends business, strategy, lifestyle and storytelling to help people build vibrant businesses, fueled by Suzanne’s no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is candor. What I learned from my farner parents. Why having too much time on your hand is not a good thing. What business looks like when you're willing to fail. How my son is teaching me to simplify my life. https://driveninc.com/ (www.driveninc.com) http://suzannesgift.com/ (www.Suzannesgift.com)
Jaime Manrique is a Colombian-born novelist, poet, essayist, and translator who writes both in English and Spanish. The Washington Post hailed him as “the preeminent Gay Latino writyer of his generation.” His work has been translated into fifteen languages and includes the novels Latin Moon in Manhattan, Twilight at the Equator, Our Lives Are the Rivers, and Cervantes Street; as well as the memoir Eminent Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig, and Me. Jaime’s honors include Colombia’s National Poetry Award, a 2007 International Latino Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Bill Whitehead Award from the Publishing Triangle. Jaime lives in Manhattan’s West Village and is a distinguished lecturer in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at the City College of New York. Why love is what endures. How I came to write historical novels. What I cherish about teaching young writers. Why I long for the gifts of companionship. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Manrique (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Manrique)
Marta Sanders is a celebrated cabaret performer who this spring was awarded a MAC Lifetime Achievement Award (MAC awards are the Tonys and Oscars of the professional cabaret world). Marta is also a licensed New York City tour guide. She has fashioned a life that allows her to combine her exceptional guiding skills with her celebrated cabaret artistry. Marta moved to New York City in 1969 to study musical theatre. She went on to sing in night clubs and cabarets around the world. Marta made her Broadway debut in 1978 as an original cast member of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Most recently, Marta has teamed with the irrepressible Leanne Borghesi for their acclaimed duo cabaret act, titled Show Broads. https://www.martanyc.com/ (www.martanyc.com)
In 1963, smack in the thick of the civil rights movement, Neal Goodman, Ph.D. found his passion for social justice while attending high school in New Jersey. Neal served as Professor of Sociology at St. Peter’s University for 33 years before retiring in 2005. Along the way, Neal Goodman has become an internationally recognized authority on global mindset development and cultural competence Global Dynamics, the company he co-founded in 1983 with his wife Varda Goodman, implements programs that support global mindset development, cultural competence, and diversity and inclusion in Fortune 500 companies around the world. This spring, at the age of 75, Neal sold his beloved Global Dynamics firm to make room for the next chapter in his life. Why I believe my work picked me. What I love about having lived an unplanned life. How my ignorance helped me out. A few things I plan to explore after the sale of my business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-goodman-ph-d-54366a (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-goodman-ph-d-54366a)
Jim Zupancic had an exceptional career as an Operational Excellence executive with renowned manufacturing companies. By the time he was 34, Jim was the VP of Operational Excellence for a billion-dollar global enterprise. And then, Jim walked away from this life. Jim taught math in a public school in North Carolina. He married his husband Christopher. They adopted their son Xavier. And at the height of the pandemic, without the promise of work, Jim and Christopher sold their house and belongings and moved their family to Thailand. Why I am passionate about operational excellence. What authenticity looks like for me. How my husband and I adopted our son. Why we chose to move to the opposite end of the world in the midst of a global pandemic https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-r-zupancic/ (www.linkedin.com/in/james-r-zupancic/)
The daughter of Filipino immigrants, vicki abadesco! has become an internationally recognized leader in the field of social-emotional learning, anti-bullying, and creating a more empathy-based world. Vicki brings over 35 years of experience teaching life skills to young people and adults. More importantly perhaps, vicki is a gatherer, storyteller, leader and community builder. She is a fellow for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. In 2000, vicki co-founded an extraordinary organization, Soul Shoppe, that has impacted over 600,000 young people across the United States with its work. In a world of Highland Parks, Uvaldes, Buffaloes and AK 15s, we need more vicki abadescos! Why empathy was always a core value for me. How my upbringing in a tough community shaped my adult choices. What I know about teaching self-management tools to youth. How I stay centered and energized while running a not-for-profit organization. https://www.vickiabadesco.com/ (www.vickiabadesco.com) https://soulshoppe.org/ (www.soulshoppe.org)
Melanie Roche is an internationally renowned energy healer in private practice who integrates mind-body healing, meditation, therapy, and movement. Melanie served on the faculty of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Miami and Tokyo, and she helped inaugurate the Integrative Health and Wellness Program at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach. A cancer survivor, Melanie is the author of “Thriving Through Cancer: Tools and Practices to Feel Better and Improve Your Quality of Life During Cancer and Beyond – An Integrative Method.” Her acclaimed talk at TEDxRotterdam exhorts the power of social genomics. The Shift Network just launched Melanie’s course: “The Radiant Human Template.” Melanie and her husband James searched the US and Europe for their right place to call home. They ended up in Amsterdam. Why I always return to what the body knows. How I shift out of moments of darkness. What my journey with cancer keeps teaching me. Why Tracking is such a powerful everyday life tool. https://melanieroche.com/ (www.melanieroche.com)
Blair Glaser is a former actress, writer, executive and organizational consultant, and a leadership mentor. She specializes in helping leaders step into their authority and create truly collaborative cultures that move the mission and the bottom line forward. Blair’s life includes multiple acts – living in an ashram, getting a graduate degree in drama therapy, becoming a licensed psychotherapist, entering her first marriage in middle age, and after decades of living in New York City and upstate New York, packing up with her husband and moving to LA. Blair was the first online actor-advice columnist when her weekly column “Ask Blair” appeared on Playbill On-Line. Recent writing has been featured in Shondaland, The Muse, Greatist, Huffington Post, Insider, PopSugar, among others. How intimacy is a supreme animator for me. What I have learned about the seductions of a cult. Why I celebrate the notion of authority. The opportunities of doing a Covid reset. https://blairglaser.com/ (www.blairglaser.com)
Lama Karma Chötso is a fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist lama. She began to study and practice the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in 1982 after meeting Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche in New York City. She took refuge with him there, and 4 years later he ordained her as a novice nun. In 1986, Lama Karma Chötso entered a three-year, three-month meditation retreat held in strict seclusion. Lama Karma Chötso’s sangha, the Open Awareness Buddhist Center, convenes at a beautiful sanctuary in the El Portal section of Miami which it calls home. Her extensive community work includes having served as professional volunteer Service Chaplain for Hospice Care in Broward County and teaching meditation and tai qi to inmates at Broward Correctional facility. The beauty of the Buddhadharma practices. What happens when attachment begins to melt away. The gifts of changing our view. How I continue to learn new things after 40 years of serving as a lama. http://miamibuddhism.org/ (http://miamibuddhism.org/)
Martina McGowan, MD is a seasoned physician, mother, grandmother, poet, writer, ceramicist, public speaker, and an activist in the fight against social, racial, and sexual injustices. A celebrated leadership blogger for more than a decade, Martina released her debut poetry collection in 2021. “i am the rage: a black poetry collection” is a poetic exploration of living inside injustice. Her book has received several awards – Nautilus Book Award (silver, poetry), International Book (winner, poetry, Social Change category), Royal Dragonfly (poetry), a Goodreads Choice Award nominee, and was recently awarded the 2022 Honor Book for Best Poetry Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. How writing helps me channel my rage. The power of safe spaces. What being a physician taught me about deep listening. How I am learning to have more fun. https://martinamcgowan.com/ (www.martinamcgowan.com)
It took a spiritual emergency for Lisabeth Reynolds to fully embrace her creative gifts. In turn, Lisabeth ended up working for decades as a clown under the guise of her alter-ego, Lizzie the Clown. Lisabeth is also a beloved private writing and journaling teacher, has authored 3 books, and has spent many years teaching writing workshops in South Florida's Senior communities. She divides her time between homes in Boynton Beach and Western Massachusetts where she is fueled by the gifts of nature and the presence of brilliant artists. How a spiritual emergency released unimagined streams of energy in me. Why I believe in the gifts of journaling. How my cervical dystonia is teaching me to give up control. What I love about being a clown.
Philip Smith is an acclaimed visual artist from Miami where he was born and currently resides. Philip’s work has been widely exhibited in the US and abroad, including in the Whitney and Beijing Biennials, and he is represented in permanent collections of the Whitney, Museum of Fine Arts Dallas, the Perez Art Museum, among many others. Philip also served for a short while as Managing Editor for GQ Magazine in New York where he hobnobbed with the glitterati. He wrote an exquisite memoir, “Walking Through Walls,” published by Simon and Schuster. It details his extraordinary childhood growing up with a curious and eccentric father who discovers that he can talk to the dead and heal people. His memoir is currently under development for a weekly tv series. Why I had to carve out a mundane public identity. What happens to you when your parents lead a madcap life. How my Dad introduced me to spirit communication. How I choose my intention as an artist in these very troubled times. https://www.philipsmithart.com/ (www.philipsmithart.com)
Steve Kuusisto is an acclaimed poet, teacher and disability activist. He is the author of the memoirs Have Dog, Will Travel; Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening, and Planet of the Blind, a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year” that landed him on Oprah, a feature story on 48 Hours and endless international media. A Fulbright scholar with an accomplished teaching career, Steve is also the author of the poetry collections Only Bread, Only Light and Letters to Borges. He currently teaches at Syracuse University where he holds a professorship in the Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies What life was like when I pretended to not be blind. Why I reject the tabloid version of disability. What I keep learning about being fully present. How I continue to explore my cognitive interests. https://stephenkuusisto.com/ (www.stephenkuusisto.com)
Peggy Horan is a 50+-year practitioner and teacher of Esalen Massage, student of yoga and movement, and a retired midwife. She was one of the founders of the Esalen Massage School. and is the author of “Connecting Through Touch: The Couples’ Massage Book.” Peggy first visited Esalen in 1966, and both her work and personal journey are intimately entwined with the spirit and legacy of this legendary spot in Big Sur. Today, at the age of 82, in a time of virtual communication and sometimes physical distance, Peggy studies new coaching methodologies. She is exploring ways of serving clients without touch or working in prisons where touch is not allowed. How life at Esalen set me free. What I have learned about the many dimensions of touch. How pandemic life opened me up to new explorations. Why I want to work in prisons. https://www.peggyhoran.com/ (www.peggyhoran.com)
Darrell Gurney is seasoned recruiting veteran, career advisor and spiritual counselor based in Southern California whose work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CBS MarketWatch and CNN Money. After 3 decades of successfully shepherding folks from every walk of life through their career transitions, Darrell faced his own. Born was his book “The Back Forty: 7 Essential Embraces to Launch Life’s Radical Second Half,” Darrell stepped into a deeper purpose and passion for his life. How I cultivated my Back Forty. What it takes to transform our “becauses.” What happens when we fully embrace our gifts. When we summon the courage to shine. https://thebackforty.com/ (www.thebackforty.com)
Dr. Margarita Gurri is a Misbehavior Expert from Cuba who solves people problems. Margarita does this with an unbeatable combination of wisdom and wit. Margarita is a clinical psychologist, passionate about ethics, has written numerous books, hosts 2 podcasts and is a Certified Speaking Professional. Cuban-born and Miami-raised, Margarita represents the best of what makes Miami such a vibrant global city. A true renaissance woman, Margarita keeps boldy exploring new playgrounds and refuses to retire. About the importance of grace under fire. What happens when Freud’s “Analysis of Dreams” hits you on the head. How I came to embrace my own bawdiness. When everything other than family is simply icing on the happy cake. https://drredshoe.com/ (www.drredshoe.com)
Heather Zoccali, a dancer and movement teacher, was thrust into a family caregiver role from the time she was a child. In 2017, Heather founded The Arch Foundation (TAF) after becoming a full time caregiver to her eldest son, Connor. Connor was injured in a vehicle-pedestrian accident while walking to school on March 10th, 2015, resulting in a catastrophic spinal cord injury. In 2018, Heather founded the Caregivers Program for No Barriers USA. Heather’s mission is to encourage and provide tools for often-forgotten self-care and foster individual empowerment. Her insights are invaluable for all FOURTH ACTers as we navigate our own lives while tending to our elders. The beauty of forgiveness and releasing guilt. The many aspects of self-love and self-compassion. The gifts of being a caregiver. The power of choosing our own narrative in life. https://nobarriersusa.org/about/people/heather-zoccali/ (www.nobarriersusa.org)
Faisal Hoque, born in Bangladesh, came to the US at the age of 18. Faisal is an accomplished serial entrepreneur, noted thought leader, well-published writer, and one of Ziff-Davis’ Top 100 Most Influential People In Technology. His #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller “Lift – Fostering the Leader In You Amid Revolutionary Global Change” was just released. Faisal’s acclaimed book “Everything Connects,” initially published by McGraw Hill in 2014, will be released by Fast Company Publishing in 2022. Faisal is having a moment this year! Why I return to the ancient spiritual texts. What my mom and my son are teaching me about resilience. How I started to connect the many invisible dots in life. https://faisalhoque.com/ (www.faisalhoque.com)
Ruth Yunker is an author, humorist, yogini, fashionista, photographer – and that is just scratching the surface. Ruth has written two humorous travel memoirs, “Me, Myself and Paris” and “Paris, I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Ways.” Both are about surviving Paris as a single woman. In her latest book “Baby, I’m the Boss of Me,” Ruth takes on the joy and humor of aging. At the age of 72, with 2 divorced husbands and adult children she adores, Ruth is single and free. And what does that look like? When old dreams yearn to be fulfilled. Why Paris kept calling me. What sobriety has unleashed. How I experience my freedom now.
Ellen Watson is a globally recognized healer and healing arts educator. In 1984, with 3 marriages behind her, Ellen found her way to the ground-breaking Esalen Institute in Big Sur where she learned to embrace her wounded healer within. For 30 years, Ellen lived at Esalen and served as staff chef, gardener, bodyworker and all-around mover and shaker. Just as Ellen’s life was changed by the legendary teachers she met at Esalen, Ellen has become a trainer and mentor to the next generation of healing arts practitioners around the world. Before Covid, Ellen spent the bulk of her time living in Bali and teaching throughout Asia and Europe. How I transcended the patterns of my North Carolina past. Why I love to invoke and include all forms of energy in my work. What I know about touching essence. How Bali changed the course of my life. http://www.movingventures.org/ (www.movingventures.org)
Dana P. Rowe is an acclaimed American musical theatre composer whose works have been performed all over the world. His musicals “The Fix” and “The Witches of Eastwick” were both nominated for London’s Olivier Award and produced by legendary theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh. “The Witches of Eastwick” is receiving a new concert staging in London’s West End this June. In recent years, Dana has combined his passion for composing with a passion for coaching – not as a vocal coach, but as a coach and mentor to other creative entrepreneurs who wish to expand their impact in the world. What happens when we crash and burn from success. Why loving what we do is the prerequisite for a sustainable life. How transcending our hidden promise sets us free. https://www.danaprowe.com/content/ (www.danaprowe.com)
Mavis Tsai is a psychologist, senior research scientist, author, TED speaker and one of the creators of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. In 2015, Mavis founded the Awareness, Courage and Love Global Project. Active in 92 cities around the globe and ever-expanding, ACL is a non-profit organization that aims to address loneliness as a major health issue and foster more meaningful connections with others and ourselves. What happens when we share our true selves. When social isolation shortens our longevity. How the war in Ukraine has impacted me very personally. Why I believe in the path of non-judgment. https://www.livewithacl.org/ (www.livewithacl.com)
Liz Brunner is an Emmy award-winning Journalist, Executive Communications Coach, Motivational Speaker and Podcaster. If you have lived in the Boston area, you will remember Liz as the co-anchor of the #1 rated 6pm newscast at ABC-TV In Boston’s highly coveted media market. In 2013, at the top of her game, Liz abandoned her blooming tv career to launch her own business, dedicated to helping people find their authentic voice, and wrote her inspired best-selling book, Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams into Your Next Chapter. How I have reinvented myself numerous times over. Some of the challenges I navigated as a highly visible media personality, How I continue to better know my own authentic voice. What helped me take the leap into entrepreneurship. https://lizbrunner.com/ (www.lizbrunner.com)
Melanie DewBerry had an exemplary career as a coach trainer and mentor with CTI, one of the most prominent coach training companies in the world. She co-founded the first coaching magazine, Choice, and was selected as an author by Hay House Publishing with her book “The Power of Naming: A Journey Toward Your Soul’s Indigenous Nature.” All she has done and all that she IS have guided Melanie to her vocation as an Indigenous Ceremonialist. What does it look like to be an imperfect student of love? How do we follow the Native American way of life? What is your indigenous soul? How do we travel the path of the peaceful warrior? https://melaniedewberry.com/ (www.melaniedewberry.com)
Thomas Vozzo has a lite before and after becoming the CEO of Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang rehabilitation program in the world. Prior to Homeboy, Tom served as an Executive Vice President with Aramark, a 13 billion dollar revenue leader in the food services industry. Serving as the first-ever CEO of Homebody Industries has taken Tom on a profound spiritual journey, with many lessons about leadership, life and love. Loyola Press just published Tom’s deeply moving book about the insights he has gained, The Homeboy Way. The moment I knew I was done with corporate work. What I have learned about the different sides of America. How every human connection has the power to change a life. Why one-size-fits-all solutions are obsolete. https://homeboyindustries.org/ (www.homeboyindustries.org)
At what point in our lives do we become an elder? Does anyone really want to listen to elder wisdom? And what does it actually look and feel like to be a "modern elder?" I get to explore these salient questions on the MY FOURTH ACT Podcast with a very wide range of very cool peeps. I knew I had to speak with Chip Conley, the former Head of Hospitality and Global Strategy at Airbnb. Not only was Chip instrumental in helping Airbnb become the global mega-brand it is today - Chip also wrote THE book that single-handedly reclaimed the word "elder" for our modern times: Wisdom at Work: The Making of A Modern Elder. Here are 3 brilliant guests who help me bust some misconceptions about what elder wisdom is - and what it isn't: Chip Conley, 61: Former Head of Hospitality and Global Strategy at Airbnb, Founder of the Modern Elder Academy Steven Petrow, 64: Acclaimed Washington Post & New York Times columnist, author of the best-selling Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old Marge Schiller, Ph.D., 83: Appreciative Inquiry Thought-leader, Author, Intergenerationalist
It all began with Tom Asacker's provocative question: What if the stories you tell yourself are all wrong? What if your story of what life should look like no longer meets your soul's desires? Hear 3 richly accomplished humans tell me how they shifted into completely unexpected new lives. Tom Asacker, iconic business thinker and bestselling author of 6 books, Adriana Machado, former CEO of GE Brazil, Sam Yau, former Head of the Board at the pioneering Esalen Institute.
Mark J. Silverman has LIVED renewal, more than most. From making millions to being homeless. From being gay to straight to gay again. From banishing addiction to embracing sobriety. A sought-after Executive Coach, podcaster and best-selling author, Mark has a passion for helping others master overwhelm. The possibility of liberating renewal is at the heart of this passion. Why I had to stop being “the nice guy.” How I keep my demons at bay. What everyday renewal looks like in my life. https://www.markjsilverman.com/ (www.markjsilverman.com)
Fran Keogh, 70, is living a gorgeously eclectic life. Former radio host, voice-over talent, alpaca farmer, laughter yoga teacher, health coach, and a business life coach and speaker – Fran has reinvented herself multiple times. As a mother of 4 and grandmother, Fran celebrates the power of intuition, empathy and humor in her work and passionately claims her elder wisdom. The beauty of falling into things. The courage of asking for exactly what you want. The joy and terror of doing things you have never done before. https://frankeogh.com/ (www.frankeogh.com)
Jeffrey Davis, a sought-after speaker and thought leader on the creative process, is the Founder of Tracking Wonder Consultancy where he works with organizations and individuals to advance their best ideas and best lives with integrity and wonder. Wonder, according to Jeffrey, is the antidote to hustle culture, a balm that connects us to our deepest purpose and drive. Jeffrey’s just-released book Tracking Wonder offers wisdom and very practical tools for cultivating and experiencing more wonder in our everyday lives. The rewards of reconnecting with your Young Genius. Our biases against wonder. Why bewilderment is wonder, too. http://trackingwonder.com/ (www.trackingwonder.com)
Charles Horton, a Texas business maverick, launched his first business at a New Mexico flea market at the age of 16 and was a self-made millionaire at 30. His financial retail group was twice featured in the INC 500 as one of the fastest-growing corporations in America. A serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker and firewalk instructor, Charles ended up buying F.I.R.E., the business that taught Tony Robbins how to firewalk. Charles is one of only 6 Certified Master Firewalk instructors in the world. He has taught thousands of people how to firewalk and face their fears. What prompted me to launch a business when I was 16. Why I finally firewalked after being absolutely terrified of doing so. What made me close shop in Dallas and start a brand new life in South Florida. http://www.charleshorton.com/ (www.charleshorton.com)
Leeatt Rothschild is a citizen of the world and the Founder of Packed with Purpose, an agency that champions the act of doing good into the gifts we choose to give. Packed with Purpose was born out of Leeatt’s desire to create social impact while recognizing the importance of gifting in fostering meaningful relationships. Leeatt’s work is informed by her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay and her role as a Social Impact Executive when she served as VP of Advisory Services with Mission Measurement. What happens when we channel our inner adventurer and risk-taker. The rewards of learning from and in other cultures. The power of listening to the thoughts we cannot stop. https://packedwithpurpose.gifts/ (www.packedwithpurpose.gifts)
Originally from the UK, Jayne Warrilow is one of the world’s most exclusive business coaches, with a passion for resonance in all of its forms as the key driver of individual and organizational success. Author, Speaker and the Founder of Coaches Business School, Jayne has supported CEOs and senior executive teams around the world, best-selling authors, trailblazing coaches, entrepreneurs and people who simply want to make a difference. And she just recently fully embraced her connections to spirit and spirit communication. What I learned from being chronically ill. How wildly successful people experience energy. Why I could no longer deny my relationship to signals from spirit. https://coachesbusinessschool.com/ (www.coachesbusinessschool.com)
Susan Thorn, R.N. is a registered nurse, former competitive bodybuilder, and currently serves as the Director of Employee Health Services at Community Health System in Fresno, a giant health enterprise with over 8500 employees. Susan entered her 60s in the midst of the Covid pandemic while working on her Doctoral dissertation in Industrial and Organizational Engineering and, at the same time, finding new love. “Last year was the best year of my life,” Susan asserts. How did Susan maneuver the multiple facets of her life in a time when so many people felt overwhelmed? How did her commitment to fitness and competitive bodybuilding strengthen her resilience? What animates her hunger for continuous learning? https://bricolageht.com/ (www.bricolageht.com)
After owning a thriving pediatric practice for nearly 20 years, Juan Jose Reyes, MD, took a radical departure. He closed his practice, studied mindfulness to better manage his stress, and became a mindfulness teacher. Juan’s passion for photography, in turn, led him to launch The Miami Street Photography Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the world, with an equally successful sister festival in Milan. Spurred by the success of these festivals, Juan just launched PhotoWhy, an App that connects photography enthusiasts from around the world with iconic photographers. What prompted me to leave a highly successful medical career. How mindful practices have changed the way I live my life. What I have learned about running a business as a serial entrepreneur. https://www.photowhy.com/ (www.photowhy.com)
Zachary Minor, a professional actor with a silky, mellifluous voice, has spent the last 3 decades teaching “life skills” to Rockstar athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NFL. Zach has personally touched the lives of countless legendary athletes through this work. Zach and his wife Wicki were die-hard Manhattanites, residing in a beautiful loft in Tribeca, enjoying the seductions of Manhattan life – until they decided to move on. Part of their FOURTH ACT journey involves settling into a full-time bucolic life in the country, 2 hours North from Manhattan, entirely different from what they might have imagined in the past. What I have learned from mentoring famous athletes. How becoming a stepdad to 2 young adults changed me. What prompted us to radically change the rhythm of our lives. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-minor-0059959/ (Zachary’s LinkedIn)
Bija Bennett has been a champion of the wellness industry for over 3 decades, since before wellness became fashionable. Bija has written 4 internationally acclaimed books including Emotional Yoga: How the Body Can Heal the Mind, translated into 11 languages. Bija is known for her longtime professional association with Dr. Deepak Chopra, launched a Yoga Therapy program for him in Boston, served as Program Director for the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center, and taught George Harrison how to do yoga. A lifelong learner, Bija currently writes for Rolling Stone, Ageist Magazine and numerous other publications. How a young athlete restructured herself into a dancer. How music and the 5 senses shaped a richer experience of life. What lifelong learning and legacy look like when you have lived an extraordinary life. https://www.bijab.com/ (www.bijab.com)
Ozlem Brooke Erol, born in Turkey and now a Southern Californian, passionately champions a more purposeful world. Ozlem worked at IBM for 11 years and held positions as VP of Sales and Marketing in several other companies. Ozlem left her native Istanbul at the age of 33 to come to the US with her family. A happy corporate drop-out, Ozlem launched two businesses that support a greater sense of personal purpose and more humane places of work. Brooke is a contributing author to Doug Kirkpatrick’s book “From Hierarchy to High Performance” and the solo author of “Create a Life You Love: Reflections on Living Life to the Fullest.” How do you know when it’s time to leave a prestigious job? How do we go about clarifying our inner purpose? What happens when a move to another country strips us everything we thought mattered? https://www.purposeful.business/ (www.purposeful.business)
After 25 years as a chiropractor, Dr. Tom Garcia, 63, fully stepped into his shamanic Self. He sold his practice and now serves the world as a Shamanic Teacher and Guide.Tom helps people from every walk of life to reclaim the sacred via fire ceremonies, fire medicine circles and wellness retreats. How do you embrace your shamanic nature? What sort of courage is required to “come out” as a shaman? How does our exploration of the sacred impact everyone in our lives? https://reclaimthesacred.com/ (www.reclaimthesacred.com/)
At an age when many actresses say “there are no more parts for me,” OBIE and AUDELCO award-winner Benja Kay Thomas decided to go for it. Benja has fashioned an acclaimed career that includes work in film, television, regional theatre and very notably on the New York Stage, where she has acted in choice venues like The Public Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and the Atlantic Theatre Company, in the works of beloved playwrights like Robert O’Hara and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis. What does it take to commit to a professional acting career late in life? What are the rewards of being in a hit play? How does a performer adapt and grow during a pandemic shut-down? https://benjakay.wixsite.com/mysite-2 (www.benjakay.com) https://www.facebook.com/Benja-Kay-Thomas-Performer-294499343479/ (Benja Kay Thomas Facebook Page)
Paul Zelizer, 53, is one of the first global business coaches to focus on the needs of conscious entrepreneurs and social impact businesses. He is the former Director of Social Media for Wisdom 2.0, one of the premier mindfulness brands in the world. In 2017, Paul founded the Awarepreneurs community when he saw the need for more honest conversations about combining conscious business practices with the dynamism of the social impact movement. Paul is also host of the popular Awarepreneurs Podcast. How a psychotherapist became the Head of Social Media for one of the world's most admired mindfulness brands. Why synchronicity will happen in the most unlikely places. How radical self-care fuels a life of less work and higher social impact. https://paulzelizer.com/ https://www.awarepreneurs.com/
Ande Lyons is a 4x Business Founder, Startup champion, Podcaster, the radiant Live Stream Host of Startup Life, and Co-host of Boston’s Founders Live Pitch event. A seasoned Startup pro, Ande is committed to amplifying diverse Founder’s voices. She is passionate about helping Startup founders of any age maximize the joy and minimize the heartaches of their Startup journey. Why launching a FOURTH ACT startup is a brilliant idea. How I fully embraced being a public personality. What I know about resilience and adaptation from my 4xFounder journey. https://andelyons.com/ (www.andelyons.com)
Cassis Birgit Staudt is a German musician, composer, performer and teacher. Cassis won a Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for her work as a producer for filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, and she was the muse behind the Oscar-nominated film Ferry Tales. Cassis has composed symphonies as well as film scores for many award-winning films. Her life spans both New York and Berlin, in pursuit of a lifestyle that integrates all of her passions and talents. What happens when you have an inner climate change? How do you weave multiple threads through your professional life? How does life change when you leave a city and lifestyle you thought you could not ever leave? https://www.outsideleft.com/ (www.outsideleft.com)
Miami-based Bruce Turkel, 64, is a global branding expert, riveting Keynote Speaker, and the author of five acclaimed books on branding. Bruce is a regular on-air contributor at CNN International, Fox Business, and CCTV (China Central Television). Bruce’s newest book, “Is that All There is,” takes an intimate look at his own life and that of others who have reached a high level of success – and then change their lives. How do we step away from a career that is wildly successful? What does living a little more in the moment look like? Why Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” is a gloriously hopeful song! https://bruceturkel.com/ (www.bruceturkel.com)
Malissa Smith, 67, is a retired civil servant who served as the Agency Chief Contracting Officer for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. An amateur boxer, Malissa trains at the world-famous Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. Malissa wrote A History of Women’s Boxing, the definitive history of female boxers. Malissa is a Founding Board Member of The International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame and a member of the Women’s Boxing Rating Committee, Ring Magazine. Her FOURTH ACT includes her own continued boxing, more writing, and becoming a caretaker for her husband who lives with dementia. What exploration looks like when you have the Explorer gene. When you cross multiple new frontiers while in your 40s. When you unexpectedly become a global public figure in the world of female boxing. How boxing unleashed an expansive sense of Self. https://girlboxing.org/ (www.girlboxing.org)
After a 30-year career as a trial lawyer, Carl Ficks, 57, quit his law practice this spring. A life-long athlete, committed long-distance runner and cyclist, Carl has stepped into a whole new Act. In his new venture, No Surrender, Carl helps busy professionals reclaim their wellness. How bicycling through the pandemic opened the door to new possibilities. What I learned in Paris about stepping off the check-list. How being a competitive athlete and lawyer fuel the playground of my FOURTH ACT. https://carlficks.com/ (www.carlficks.com)
Debra Olshan Cooper, 64, has a storied life. Born in Beverly Hills, a Runway Model in Paris and Milan, Muse to Roberto Cavalli, PR Frontwoman for Elizabeth Taylor, groundbreaking AIDS Charity Promoter and the top Fashion Publicist in Manhattan. Debra’s FOURTH ACT? She now takes her storytelling mojo and helps students craft their authentic stories – and lives – via her firm Your Career Design Lab. And she continues to tell GREAT stories. What Debra learned from working with Elizabeth Taylor in the midst of the early AIDS crisis. The rewards of crafting a great story. The veracity of divine downloads. What happens when we slow down. https://yourcareerdesignlab.com/ (www.yourcareerdesignlab.com)
Dan Smolen, 60, is a self-described Future of Work sherpa who advocates for people doing meaningful work. Dan’s wonderfully eclectic past includes on-air radio reporting in college, stints working for advertising and marketing agencies and founding his own Executive Recruitment Agency, The Green Suits. Dan left headhunting in 2018 to launch The Dan Smolen Experience and his Dan Smolen Podcast where he celebrates work that is profound, protects the planet, empowers people and is fun to do. Dan is very much living his own expansive FOURTH ACT. Why we can dream at any age. How side hustles have the power to unearth vibrant levels of meaning and joy. Why your best work life may very well be ahead of you – in your FOURTH ACT! https://dansmolen.com/ (https://dansmolen.com/)
Marge Schiller Ph.D., 83, is an Appreciative Inquiry thought-leader and professional grandmother. Marge has been an Appreciative Inquiry practitioner, consultant and collaborator for over 30 years, with a passion for intergenerational learning partnerships. Marge is the co-author of 2 books, Appreciative Leaders: In the Eye of the Beholder and Stan and the Four Fantastic Powers, a children’s book which she co-wrote with her grandchildren Sarah and Max Schiller. Why intergenerational collaborations energize me so much. Why plerking is the ONLY way to work. What fresh discernment is showing up in my FIFTH ACT. http://margeschiller.com/ (http://margeschiller.com/)
Adriana Machado, 52, is one of Latin America’s most celebrated women business leaders. Former CEO of GE Brazil and an outspoken advocate for an impact economy, Adriana went on to found the Briyah Institute, a B_Corp that bridges innovation, practice and purpose to inspire leaders to transform their organizations. Adriana serves on multiple Boards where she supports causes like Alzheimer’s prevention. She is a wife, mother and resides in Miami. How dance training shaped a business leader’s adult life. The rewards of mentorship and a “We Can Do This” mindset. The moment it becomes clear that you MUST follow your beliefs and convictions. https://www.briyah.institute/ (www.briyah.institute)
Meredith Bell, 69, is a beloved leader in the Personal Development field. Her firm, Strong for Performance, which she has helmed with 2 other colleagues for over 30 years, helps companies develop the people side of their business. Meredith is also an author and just recently released the 100th episode of her own marvelous podcast, aptly named Strong for Performance Podcast. Each conversation is illuminated by Meredith’s richly caring and purpose-driven soul. How a clear personal mission statement informs every moment of our lives. How our knowing of purpose deepens over time. Why retirement is out of the question when a life of service is so fulfilling. https://growstrongleaders.com/ (www.growstrongleaders.com)
Steven Petrow, 63, is an award-winning journalist and book author who is best known for his Washington Post and New York Times essays on aging, health, and civility. His just-published sixth book, https://stevenpetrow.com/books (Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old) is a funny and poignant FOURTH ACT page-turner. Steven is also an opinion columnist for USA Today, where he writes about civil discourse and manners. His 2019 TED Talk, “https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_petrow_3_ways_to_practice_civility?language=en (3 Ways to Practice Civility)” has been viewed nearly two million times and translated into 16 languages. I Won’t Color My Hair (Even If It Worked for Diane MeSawyer). I Won’t Lie About My Age (Even on Dating Apps). I Won’t Burden My Family With Taking Care of Me. Just some of Steven’s I WON’Ts. What are yours?
Diane Primo is the groundbreaking CEO of Purpose Brand Agency, an award-winning Chicago-based public relations, branding and digital marketing firm. She is the only African American female CEO of a purpose-driven communications agency. Diane understood and harnessed the power of purpose long before purpose became "sexy." Diane is also involved with a variety of organizations that support her commitment to eradicating homelessness, helping underserved populations and furthering gender equality. In 2020, Diane was recognized with the Ragan Communications Top Women in Communications Trailblazer Award. How do we live a life that is fueled by purpose and true authenticity? In the face of too many possibilities, how do we choose what to say YES to and what not? Why does purpose matter at every stage of our lives? https://purposebrand.com/ (https://purposebrand.com/)
Alisa Alexander, 53, is the quintessential performer. Alisa is a motivational speaker. A recording artist. A woman of faith. And she is a consummate expert in the professional development field. For the last 16 years, Alisa has worked in the Corporate Headquarters of the iconic Mary Kay Cosmetics. Alisa creates and hosts events that empower, celebrate and uplift a global workforce of over 5000 women in every part of the world. Mary Kay’s work celebrates the power of entrepreneurialism and our ability to chart new ACTS at any stage in our lives, no matter the circumstances. Why school is never out for the pro. Why success doesn’t have a look. And what happens when we bring all of our Selves to every moment! alisainspires.com
Kent Schwendy, 53, is an Engineer, former US Air Airforce Captain, Champion for Sustainable Housing, Beekeeper and writing his first historical novel. As the CEO of a non-profit in Hartford/CT, the Corporation for Independent Living, Kent helps to create and sustain affordable, accessible and independent housing. The apiary in the back of his garden is home to half a million bees. Kent is also completing the first draft of a historical novel. And he just started teaching a course on beekeeping at Cornell University. What happens when we decide to travel in multiple lanes? How do we shift from I WILL DO THIS WHEN I RETIRE to WHY NOT NOW? What are the rewards of being a Contrarian? https://www.cil.org/ (www.cil.org)
Chip Conley, 60, was Airbnb’s Global Head of Hospitality and Strategy. Chip helped grow Airbnb into a hospitality company with more than a million hosts in 191 countries. He is a TED speaker and the author of multiple best-selling books including his most recent, “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder.” When Chip was hired at Airbnb at the age of 52, he claimed the role of an elder in a company of mostly twentysomethings. Chip has reclaimed the power of elderhood ever since. In 2018, he founded the Modern Elder Academy in Baja California Sur, a wisdom school dedicated to helping people navigate midlife and their FOURTH ACTS. How can midlife become a calling instead of a crisis? How do we repurpose wisdom? And how do we live a life that is as deep and meaningful as it is long? https://www.chipconley.com/ (https://www.chipconley.com/) https://www.modernelderacademy.com/ (https://www.modernelderacademy.com/)
Denise Gallagher, 67, is an artist, occupational therapist, sublime photographer – and more importantly perhaps, a seeker and explorer. Based in small-town Fairfield/Iowa, Denise has fashioned an expansive life that includes extended travel escapades around the world. Travel not to sightsee, not to work. Travel to just live and BE – and take rapturous photographs. What’s it like to live in a small town where 1/5 of the residents are serious meditators? What sort of mindset is required to embark on epic world travels and make it all up as you go along? What freedoms do we discover in such travels? https://www.denise-healer-artist.com/ (www.denise-healer-artist.com) https://www.trilliumawakening.org/profile/DeniseGallagher/ (www.trilliumawakening.org)
Rosemary Ravinal, 66, is a consummate public relations pro with 3 decades of bilingual, bicultural communications expertise. She has worked with everyone – Telemundo, HBO Latin America, The Latin Grammys, Lifetime, Sony Ericsson, MSNBC, Azteca, Republica Havas. Rosemary is the Past President of the Hispanic Public Relations Association and most recently served as the VP of Public Relations for Univision. At a time when some folks retire, Rosemary launched her own Communications Training firm, simply called Rosemary Ravinal. What happens when our sense of Self doesn’t match the outer acclaim we receive? What sort of inner journey lifts us out of depression and doubt? How do we embrace and dance with the solitariness of being a FOURTH ACT entrepreneur? https://rosemaryravinal.com/ (rosemaryravinal.com)
Luis Gallardo, 49, is the Former Global Chief Marketing Officer for Deloitte. He has been an advisor to CEOs, thought leaders, Nobel Laureates, political and institutional game changers on strategic personal positioning and brand building. After leaving Deloitte, Luis founded the World Happiness Foundation and World Happiness Fest. He is the Author of “Happytalism and The Exponentials of Happiness” and the Director of the Gross Global Happiness program at the United Nations University for Peace. How do you step into a post-corporate life? How do we realize a world with greater happiness? What sort of courage is required to venture more and more deeply into the unknown? https://gallardo.world/ (https://gallardo.world/)
Eileen McDargh, 72, is a Rockstar motivational speaker, hope merchant, truth teller, and the Founder and Chief Energy Officer of The Resiliency Group. Since 1980, Eileen has helped organizations and individuals transform the life of their business and the business of their life through conversations that matter and connections that count. She has spoken on stages all over the world and been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. Eileen’s marvelous 8th book, “Burnout to Breakthrough,” was published by Berrett Koehler last fall. What are the rewards of stopping the chase? What happens when adventure becomes “venturing in?” What are some simple resiliency habits that fuel an energized life? https://www.eileenmcdargh.com/
Dr. Belinda Harris, 66, is an Academic, Former School Principal, Psychotherapist, just-retired Professor in the University of Nottingham’s School of Education, and the outgoing Chair of the UK Association for Gestalt Therapists. For several years, Belinda worked closely with the world-renowned Gestalt International Study Center on Cape Cod where she co-led their senior leadership program and helped establish an education initiative. How do you stop doing “the same old work” once you retire? How do we honor our legacy as we courageously step into the unknown? What facets of personal rebirth are possible as we release our formal commitments? http://www.belindaharris.co.uk/ (www.belindaharris.co.uk)
Saamdu Chetri, Ph.D., 64, was born in a cowshed in rural Bhutan. After 5 years of working in the cabinet of Bhutan’s prime minister, Saamdu co-founded and headed Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Centre. The Centre’s focus on measuring the country’s GNH instead of GDP, and its framework for fostering happier countries, gained worldwide recognition. Saamdu is the author of 2 books, has been featured extensively in the global media, and generously shares his wisdom on mindfulness and happiness practices at conferences and institutions of learning all over the world. What are some of the secrets to creating cultures and countries that foster happiness? What are a few simple everyday practices that support mindfulness and invite happiness? How does a “happiness guru” experience inner peace and happiness?
Sam Yau, 72, has reinvented his life several times over – from being a 6-month-old baby on a refugee boat to a penniless student in a distant land, from the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation to the Head of the Board at Esalen, the pioneering and iconic personal growth center on the California coast. After facing an unexpected personal tragedy in 2016, Sam went into seclusion, only to re-emerge as a poet and publish a luminous first book of poetry, “Soul’s Journey.” How do we face unimagined loss and grief? What new gates will open for us when we allow the help of others? And how do we learn to fully listen to our soul’s whispers? https://www.samyaupoetry.com/ (https://www.samyaupoetry.com/)
Lynne Maureen Hurdle, 63, is a veteran conflict resolution strategist, TEDx speaker, communication coach and bestselling author. Over the past 30 years, Lynne has partnered with conflict resolution luminaries in every part of the world. In response to the George Floyd murder and the Black Lives Matter protests, Lynne created her “On the Matter of Race: White People Committed to Beginning the Journey Together” experiences. What began as a small-group Cohort has spawned waiting lists and group journeys on multiple continents. How do we shift from flying below the radar into boldly claiming center stage? What are the childhood dreams that persist? How does a FOR NOW mindset sustain our enduring passions? https://lynnemaureenhurdle.com/ (lynnemaureenhurdle.com)
Trisha Lewis, 63, is a British actress, writer, and communication consultant who champions confident authenticity. When she wasn’t getting the acting parts she desired, Trisha wrote her own one-woman shows and began to tour. At a time when some people plan retirement, Trisha launched a communication consultancy. Trisha hosts the Make It Real Podcast and just released her book “The Mystery of the Squashed Self.” What are all the ways in which we squash ourselves? How did Trisha Lewis fully claim her unique voice and vision? How do we find our communities of joy? www.trishalewis.com
Walt Hampton, J.D., 63, is a former criminal defense lawyer, author. speaker, adventurer and bonvivant who helps solopreneurs and entrepreneurs to grow and scale businesses that set them free. A longtime resident of the Hartford/Connecticut area, Walt and his wife Ann Sheybani now reside in rural Ireland. It serves as home base for their very global lives. What impulses propel you to trade one life for another that looks, smells and feels radically different? What gets in the way of dreaming the unthinkable? What inflection points in your life help you lean into what your heart desired? http://www.walthampton.com/ (www.walthampton.com)
Janet Gerson, Ed.D., 72, boldly explores her creative and intellectual passions through her work. After over two decades as a dancer, performance maker and community activist via her own dance company, Janet returned to Columbia University for a Doctorate in Education. She was the Co-Director of the Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University and currently serves as Education Director for the International Institute on Peace Education. Now, in her early 70s, Janet is emerging as an utterly exquisite painter. How do you create a life where you run with all of your seemingly divergent passions? What does it take to notice our hidden inner seeds and nurture them into visibility and maturity? https://www.i-i-p-e.org/ (www.i-i-p-e.org) https://www.facebook.com/janet.gerson.9 (https://www.facebook.com/janet.gerson.9)
Simon T. Bailey, 52, is a former Disney executive, author, life coach and serial entrepreneur. Shift Your Brilliance: Harness the Power of You, INC is one of Simon’s many acclaimed books. He is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world and a 2015 inductee into the National Speaker Association’s Hall of Fame. Simon champions a remarkable, unified world filled with purpose-driven people. What happens when you are temporarily robbed of one of your Superpowers? How far do you go to shift and adapt when a pandemic prevents you from getting up on a live stage? https://www.simontbailey.com/ (simontbailey.com)
What began in 1993 with 46 Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian teenagers who gathered at a camp in Maine to learn how to coexist has evolved into a legion of over 7300 alumni all over the world who are committed to transforming legacies of conflict. Bobbie, 78, is the "spiritual grandmother" to these brilliant young leaders. Her many awards include a Medal of Honor from King Hussein of Jordan. What drives us to stay engaged? What fuels our PURPOSE over long periods of time? And how do we adapt in a world that is changing? https://www.seedsofpeace.org/ (seedsofpeace.org)
Are your stories keeping you anxious and dispirited? How do you let go of “happily ever after” and step into being radically alive? Or, in the words of Mary Oliver, what is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?
I’m Achim Nowak, Executive Coach, Author, Mastermind Convener and host of the My Fourth Act Podcast. If life is a 5-act play, what will you do in your 4th act? Your childhood conflicts have been resolved. The big dramas of life are behind you. Most importantly, you’re not ready to stop. Join me as I speak with exceptional humans who have created bold and unexpected 4th acts. Listen and be inspired.