Moments With Marianne

Laurada Byers won a game show then travelled the world alone at the age of 20. In 1999, while stopping for ice cream at a convenience store, her husband Russell, a noted newspaper columnist, was murdered right in front of her. She suffered intense PTSD but pushed through it to create with her children the Russell Byers Charter School, which she opened in 2001. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013 she nevertheless went off to see the silverback guerrillas in Rwanda. Laurada is the founder of Warthog Productions- named after her favorite animal, who unabashedly bears life’s ugliness for all to see but twirls with joy none the less. https://warthogproductions.com

Jeffrey Keene’s amazing journey, is an adventure through the eyes of two people, one a Georgian, the other a Connecticut Yankee. Similarities between the two go far beyond coincidence. They think alike, look alike and even share facial scars. Their lives are so intertwined that they appear to be one. Half of this equation, Jeffrey J. Keene, is a present day Assistant Fire Chief in affluent Westport CT. The other half, John B. Gordon, Confederate general, Army of Northern Virginia, died January 9 1904. Jeff had never given reincarnation much thought, nor had he ever seen a psychic, but both these elements came together one Halloween night. https://www.confederateyankee.net

Shannon Kaiser is the bestselling author of five books on the psychology of happiness and fulfillment and an international life coach, speaker and retreat leader, helping people trust and believe in themselves so they can live their highest potential. She’s been named a top 100 Women to Watch in wellness by mindbodygreen and “your-go-to happiness booster” by Health magazine. She has also been recognized as a Must-Follow Instagram Account for Inspiration by Entrepreneur magazine and a Top Facebook Account for Daily Motivation by mindbodygreen. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Health, Vogue, Women’s Health, Self, Shape, Entrepreneur, Good Housekeeping and more.  www.playwiththeworld.comBryn Blankinship is the author of The Limitless Soul: Hypno-Regression Case Studies into Past, Present and Future Lives. Bryn Blankinship, CMHt, CI (pronounced Bren) is the founder and Executive Director of the Braithe Center located in North Carolina. She is a Certified Master Hypnotherapist, Int’l Instructor

Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready, an organization design and transformation firm that helps institutions like Johnson & Johnson, Charles Schwab, Kaplan, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Edelman, Airbnb, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and charity: water change the way they work. He is a cofounder of responsive.org, an investor in purpose-driven startups, and a friend to misfit toys. https://www.bravenewwork.com Hayim Herring, PhD, is an author, presenter and nonprofit organizational futurist, with a specialty in faith-based communities. A former congregational rabbi and “C-suite” nonprofit executive, Hayim blends original research and real-world experience to inspire individuals and organizations to achieve their greatest impact. He is a proven organizational visionary and entrepreneur and works to “create today's leaders for tomorrow's organizations.” http://hayimherring.com

Selene Calloni Williams, with a degree in psychology and master’s in screen writing, has authored several books and documentaries on psychology, deep ecology, shamanism, yoga, philosophy, and anthropology. A direct student of James Hillman, she studied and practiced Buddhist meditation in the hermitages of the forests of Sri Lanka and is an initiate of Shamanic Tantric Yoga. She is the founder and the director of the Imaginal Academy Institute in Switzerland. https://selenecalloniwilliams.com/en

After being told she would most likely wind up in a wheelchair due to several chronic health issues, Jenny Mannion took matters into her own hands. After transforming her life in a brief amount of time, she has restored and maintained her health for many years. Jennifer is a trained intuitive healer and conducts workshops and individual sessions to help others heal themselves. https://jennymannion.teachable.com/p/bliss

E.R. Ramzipoor is a writer based in California. She also works as a content marketer, writing about cybercrime and online fraud. She studied political science at UC Berkeley, where she researched underground literature in resistance movements and discovered the forgotten story of Faux Soir. Her writing has been featured in McSweeney’s and The Ventriloquists is her first novel. Carla Rachel Sameth has taught creative writing to incarcerated youth through WriteGirl and teaches at the Los Angeles Writing Project at California State University Los Angeles and with Southern New Hampshire University. Carla's writing has appeared in various anthologies and publications including Brain, Brevity blog, Child; Narratively; Longreads; The Nervous Breakdown, and MUTHA. Carla has an MFA from Queens University in Charlotte, and is a member of the Pasadena Rose Poets. https://carlasameth.com

James Sweigert is a new author, dynamic motivational speaker, and award-winning executive producer and director for film and television. To cope with the chaos and abuse from childhood trauma he turned to drugs and alcohol, which led to severe depression and a suicide attempt. This self-destructive pattern continued until he changed his story – and his life. www.jamessweigert.com.

Ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes teams up with the world’s favorite storyteller, Chicken Soup for the Soul, to bring you 101 real-life stories that will provide motivation, inspiration, and how-to advice for everyone from the everyday walker to the extraordinary marathoner! http://www.ultramarathonman.comCarol Novello is the founder of Mutual Rescue™, a national initiative that highlights the connection between people and pets in order to inspire and support life-saving efforts in communities across the nation and world. Mutual Rescue’s first short film, “Eric & Peety,” went viral around the globe and has been viewed more than 100 million times. A former senior software executive at Intuit, Carol earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and is proud to include several rescue animals in her family. www.MutualRescue.org.

Susanne Rheault is a psychologist with a specialization in organizational development and leadership effectiveness. For the past 30 years she has worked with senior executives across the private and public sector globally. Since 2007, Susie has been a Special Advisor for the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative supporting field offices in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland. In each of these countries, she has trained local staff to accelerate HIV testing and treatment uptake using a grassroots team-based approach. www.preciousproject.orgChef Iliana Regan has been described as the “Queen of Midwestern Cuisine.” She opened her first restaurant in 2012, had earned a Michelin star by 2013, and by 2016, she had been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. In Burn the Place, Chef Iliana Regan gives readers an inside look into her upbringing, her life in and out of kitchens, and the personal and professional struggles she navigated to find her place—and what happens when she does.

Helene Berger has held major positions of leadership throughout her life and is known as a powerful and inspirational speaker. She was President of the GMJF Women’s Department and President of the Miami Central Agency for Jewish Education. On the national level, she was the National Chair of the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA); on the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF) Board and Executive Committee, where she was National Chair of the CJF -Women’s Department; and for thirty years on the board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). https://www.heleneberger.com

Alden Mills is a three-time Navy SEAL platoon commander and was the CEO of Perfect Fitness. He is also a longtime entrepreneur, with over 40 patents, and has over 25 years of experience working on high-performance leadership, sales, and team-building. https://alden-mills.com

HeatherAsh graduated from UC Davis in Davis, California in 1988. Upon graduation, she entered the business media world and began noticing the conscious and unconscious bias against women as she traversed the corporate landscape. HeatherAsh was simultaneously experiencing an inner calling for understanding, which drew her to a long apprenticeship and teaching partnership with world renowned Toltec teacher Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the international best-seller, The Four Agreements. The internal power and strength that the Toltec teachings offer women rang true to HeatherAsh, causing her to challenge the roles and rules that society has defined for women. Over the past fifteen years, she has travelled the world leading workshops and lecturing to large audiences on how to integrate feminine strength into modern life. www.HeatherAshAmara.com

Utilizing her unique gift, Lynn Van Praagh-Gratton conveys messages of hope, healing, and love to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. These messages bring closure, peace, and love to people all over the United States and Canada. Lynn comes from a long line of highly gifted mediums. http://lynnvanpraagh-gratton.com

Diane Dewey holds her BA from Villanova University, the Honors Program in Liberal Arts. She later completed a certificate program from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, working for the Solomon. R. Guggenheim Museum and the National Academy, before founding her own art appraisal firm. Diane earned a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University in 2015. http://dianedewey.com/ Julie Berry is the author of The Passion of Dolssa, All the Truth That's in Me, The Emperor’s Ostrich, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, Secondhand Charm, The Amaranth Enchantment, and the Splurch Academy series. http://www.julieberrybooks.com

Judy Goodman, CPC, CSRC, CRC may possibly be one of the most gifted teachers, and motivational speakers today. She is a Certified Professional Coach, Relationship Counselor, Addiction Recovery Coach, Grief Support, and Hypnotherapist. Her access to the workings of the physical world and 'the other side' is absolutely amazing.  Judy works and teaches without the limits usually associated with the most talented.  A 'go-to person' for many people!  Born with a gift of seeing beyond the ordinary view of most people, Judy teaches 'beyond conventional wisdom.'  She may be without peer in her experience of the events and workings of the physical and spiritual realms. This extraordinary combination of gifts is very unique. www.JudyGoodman.com

Lama Palden Drolma is a licensed psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, and coach, she has studied Buddhism in the Himalayas with some of the most preeminent Tibetan masters of the twentieth century. Following a traditional three-year retreat under his guidance, Kalu Rinpoche authorized her to become one of the first Western lamas. She subsequently founded the Sukhasiddhi Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist teaching center in Fairfax, California. http://www.lamapalden.org

Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and a past Guggenheim Fellow. In 2000 he was awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior. Marc is also an ambassador for Jane Goodall's international Roots & Shoots program, in which he works with students of all ages, senior citizens, and prisoners and is a member of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute. He and Jane co-founded the organization Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies in 2000. http://marcbekoff.com

Palmer Kippola is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach who reversed her MS by removing her inflammatory root causes and healing her gut. She has created a framework for healing and preventing autoimmune conditions called F.I.G.H.T.S.™ which represent the root cause categories we can control: Food, Infections, Gut health, Hormone balance, Toxins and Stress. www.beatautoimmunebook.com

How would your life change if you were attacked by a raging grizzly? Greg J. Matthews has been an US Air Force and civilian firefighter, emergency medical technician, special operations rescue technician, rescue helicopter pilot, fugitive recovery agent, World Trade Center attack first responder, and international consultant on emergency management and security. He currently serves as the US Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division antiterrorism officer. He is the founder of Chase What Matters ministry www.ChaseWhatMatters.today