Are you ready to vulnerable?

Are you ready to share openly?

Are you trying to be your best self?

If so, then join us at our first live event since COVID, for a “town hall” style format, on Thursday November 2nd, 2023 at 7 p.m. to discuss the current state of the our minds and life.

As you may or may not know, The Academi of Life was founded as a place where people gather to discuss the things in life that matter most that we did not learn in school.

We are in the midst of one of the worst decline in history…mental health is at an all-time low, the respect for our fellow man is at an all time-low and decency and integrity are at an all-time low. We need to talk!

At this Town Hall meet-up, we'll discuss seven brutal truths about life that no one wants to admit, but need to hear.

1. WE ARE ALL MENTALLY UNWELL
2. YOU AND ALL THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW WILL DIE –AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN
3. PARENTING IS IMPOSSIBLE AND NEEDS DISRUPTION
4. LIKE BARBIE – WE MUST GET OUT OF THE BOX – “UNBOX”
5. NO ONE CARES ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT YOUR LIFE IS –YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF YOUR STORY
6. YOUR MONEY, SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT WON’T MATTER ON YOUR DEATHBED
7. WHAT REALLY MATTERS

The conversations will be brutally honest, insightful, meaningful and wise. Come prepared to talk. Come prepared to share meaningfully with each other. Come prepared to discuss ideas to improve our minds, souls and wellbeing. The dialogue will be guided by a select group of experts in the field of holistic self-development.

The event is limited to 50 persons.

The first person to register will win the “Design the Life You Love Kit” designed by an Academi of Life Scholarch, Ayse Birsel. The kit includes an Empathy Slippers, Optimism Glass, Sleep on it eye mask, What If? Pillow, Room Spray, and a Playful Rabbit.

The ticket price includes a Wordeee Journal + a Glass of Prosecco.

Note: The inspiration for the event was based on an article shared by a friend, published in Inc. titled “20 Brutal Truths About Life No One Wants to Admit.”

RE:MEMBER - where grief and beauty co-exist

Getting an email from filmmaker Katie Teague’s about her new film RE:MEMBER, I knew then, that I had take the Academi of Life programs off pause and do an event on GRIEF. You see, my family and I recently lost a member of our tribe. It left us crippled, devastated, traumatized yet grateful.

Katie Teague, the filmmaker, also recently suffered a terrible loss, her 18-year-old nephew Stephen was killed in a car accident, 20 seconds from home and one day away from leaving for his first year of college.

The film RE:MEMBER shares the story of the tragic loss suffered by Victoria Markham’s when she lost her 3 ½ year old son, Koa Markham to a car accident. This bereaved mother is on an impassioned mission to un-silence grief in our modern culture that has buried and forgotten the essential art of grieving.

She is determined to help us remember and create healthy ways of dancing with grief in ourselves and with each other, ways that take us beyond merely surviving to discovering post-traumatic growth, ways that allow grief to “ripen us into mature human beings’ as Francis Weller states in the film.

Grief is crippling, yet transformational, there is beauty, grace and joy in it. The film reminds us that grief and beauty co-exist. We will celebrate the memories of all those we’ve lost by screening the film RE:MEMBER on November 21, 2019.  Please join us to discover a healthier, more vital relationship with death and grief.

Filmmaker Katie Teague will be in attendance. Following the screening, she will moderate a panel of individuals who have experienced loss. Running time 79 minutes. Check out the trailer here.

 "To fully inhabit this life, I first had to grieve all that I had lost. If we cannot cross that threshold of grief, we live separate from our most vital self." - Francis Weller

SELF AWARENESS 101: The Path To Fulfillment & Ease

What constitutes a worthwhile, joyful and fulfilling life?

For each person the answer will be different, since there is no standard path to a calm, peaceful, and joyous life; everyone's path is different. Yet, a peaceful, calm,  joyful and fulfilled life is what we all seek and yearn for.

Joy is not something that can be pursued and it's also not a permanent state of chirpiness. It ebbs and flows with periods of great pain and suffering. This acceptance of the impermanence of joy is one of the keys to a life of fulfillment and ease.

Plus, there is an advantage to being joyful.  Studies have shown that when people are joyful and at peace they are more effective in life and also relate better to their classmates, friends and families.

This workshop is designed for TWEENS & TEENS -- students who believe there is value in investing in themselves - that they are worth it - and for those who yearn to be more joyful, more fulfilled and more peaceful in their lives at school and at home. Join us as we share insights for the path to joy, personal mastery and self-respect through happiness exercises, practices and tools.

You will learn about:

• Self Awareness & Self Acceptance
• What Really Matters in Life
• 
What Actually Makes Us Happy
• How Should We Treat Each Other
• How To Be Happier At School
• How To Overcome Those Difficult Moments - Resilience

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." -Lao Tzu

ABOUT

A transformative, groundbreaking Youth Well-Being Summit that will gather teens, young adults, parents, educators, the curious, and anyone interested in helping our young people thrive and flourish. We will share well-being tools, practices and ideas that can be applied to their lives, to make them happier, more meaningful and fulfilling.

The summit features 10+ speakers -- some of the worlds leading thinkers, educators, physicians and researchers from Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Riverdale School, and The Jed Foundation.

WHY ATTEND

The way our teens are living isn’t working. Anxiety is on the rise, teen suicide is on the rise and depression is on the rise. In this volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous world, increasing numbers of our young people are feeling isolated, exhausted, overwhelmed and disengaged.

We need new mindsets, new tools, new ideas, and new skills for coping and living in this era.

This groundbreaking Youth Well-Being Summit signals a new transformative journey for parents, educators and students. You will discover new models and tools for well-being and character education. You will make long-lasting connections, and discover new ideas and practices that will awaken the best in your teens and young adults.

Join us and learn what visionary changemakers are doing to help teens and young adults seek and give help, navigate mental health challenges, and prepare them emotionally to enter adulthood and fulfill their potential. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this important movement to help our kids survive, thrive and flourish.

AGENDA

12:00pm – 12:30pm                          Registration

12:30pm - 12:45pm                           Opening Remarks +

12:45pm – 1:10pm                             Dr. Oneeka Williams, Urologic Surgeon + Children’s Author

Not Even The Sky Is The Limit

1:10pm– 1:40pm                                 Dominic Randolph, Head of School, Riverdale

Helping Students Thrive & Flourish

1:40pm – 2:30pm                                PARENT + YOUNG ADULT BREAKOUT EXERCISE

2:30pm – 3:00pm                                SNACK BREAK, BOOKSTORE

3:00pm - 3:35pm                                 Teen Panel: Let’s Hear From the Young Adults –Teens Talk
Moderated by John MacPhee, Executive Director/CEO Jed Foundation

3:35pm – 4:05pm                                Parent Panel: Let’s Hear From the Adults – Parents Talk
Moderated by, Dr. Anna Yusim, Psychiatrist and Author

4:05pm – 4:50pm                                Laurie Santos, Ph.D. Professor Psychology, Head of Silliman College, Yale University

What Makes Humans Happy – The Science & Practice of Well-Being

4:50pm – 5:00pm                                Closing Remarks + Announcement

AN EVENING IN CONVERSATION WITH JOANNA BARSH 

Joanna Barsh director emerita at McKinsey & Company, where she has worked for more than 30 years, has written a remarkable book, Grow Wherever You Work - Straight Talks To Help With Your Toughest Challenges, in which she dispenses powerful, unvarnished advice for growing through the work challenges all aspiring leaders face.

“The business world is full of catchphrases: follow your passion; think positive; be authentic; suck it up; take more risks; network. All well-intentioned, but let’s be honest. This inch-deep advice just isn’t very helpful. How do real people succeed in the real world of work? That’s the question bestselling author, Joanna Barsh sets out to answer – not by asking motivational gurus, leadership experts, or well-established CEOs but by diving into the trenches with today’s boldest, brightest, up-and-coming leaders.”

Joanna heard stories of important work challenges from over 200 rising leaders in 120 companies and wrote this hands-on guide to help us:

• Handle rising pressure and recover from colossal mistakes
• Bounce back from poor performance reviews and use them to up your game
• Get people on board with you and your mission
• Deal with office villains like a superhero
• Take uncomfortable risks and dare to challenge
• Thrive when everything around you is falling apart
• Know when it’s time to find another job

She shares raw experiences and on-the-job coping strategies from a rich diversity of voices from all industries – immigrants and first-generation Americans; Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians; Ivy League alums and high school grads; and parents some of whom are single.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how ordinary people turn challenges into extraordinary opportunities for action.

A copy of the book is included in the ticket price.

Instead of unconsciously brewing resentment and bitterness, gain the tools to consciously create understanding, compassion, and love.

It comes when we read the ancient Book of Life.

The deck of 52 playing cards is actually the ancient Book of Life. It’s been hidden in plain sight all this time. And based on the numbers of our date of birth, we each are born with 13 cards to play.

When we know how to read these Cards, we know how to read our lives.

And, in our Cards, we can read our relationships too. This knowledge takes the lessons of Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus and The Five Love Languages to another level of clarity and self-empowerment.

Knowing our Cards to play:

• offers crystal-clear awareness about our patterns of love, so we can past superficial defenses to actually see each other clearly.

• shows us exactly what our love languages are so we know how to communicate love in our relationships.

You will walk away from this class knowing:

• How to manifest the loving partner you really want.
• What your love languages are.
• What are the love languages of the people you love.
• How to create loving synergy in all your relationships.

Let's Dance

Uncertain and chaotic times calls for furious and fearless dancing. It’s time to dance. We need to dance. Did you know that dancing provides moments of deep and simple joy? Did you know that dance moves also affect our bodily chemistry, creativity and emotions?

Join us Friday, December 15, 2017 and let’s dance.

The night will be a celebration of “the truism that the soul that moves so many of us, that we groove to, that animates our lives, that in some ways binds us as a global community — pop music — is the opposite of nativist.” We will celebrate ONENESS, cross-cultural understanding, harmony and peace in the world.

We will dance to world music, eat world food and sip on world cocktails. The dance party is strongly recommended for people who think they can’t dance. You are never too young or too old to party. Let’s close the year with unbounded, absolute joy!

WORLD MUSIC 

WORLD FOOD

WORLD DRINKS

WORLD DANCE LESSONS

FREE CLAIRVOYANT READINGS

SURPRISE GUEST

BRING  SPOUSE + PARTNER + FAMILY + FRIEND 

QUOTES ON THE VALUE OF DANCE 

Jorge Rodolfo De Hoyos Jr. Dance is a way to embody the universe and remember ourselves as nature.

Jim Tobin, Bay Area Dance Watch Dance allows me to stay creative in many ways and for me, that is more important now than ever before, as I grow older.

Tonya Amos, Grown Womens Dance Collective I discovered that dance is our connection to the earth, to the air, to culture, to the universe.

Lily Cai, Lily Cai Dance Company Dance awakens the human spirit. It is the one true way to express the human soul through motion and emotion. Dance is joy and happiness…and so much more.

Shreelata Suresh, Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy Dance is a means of collective meditation centering on beauty, sacred music, rhythm and harmony. Through dance we create an atmosphere of cross-cultural understanding, peace and harmony in the world.

Eric Solano, Parangal Dance Company To set self at ease and freely. A relaxation of the mind. Celebration of spirit. A travel around the world. An Inspiration. Reinvention. Life.

A portion of profits from ticket sales will be donated to I AM ACCEPTANCE COLLEGE TOUR, a mental well-being organization focused on initiating conversations with college students on the topic of mental health in order to educate and empower them to seek support. http://www.iamacceptance.org

Are you living the life you though you always wanted but feel that something is still missing? Considering all that you have, do you think you should be happier than you are? Have you achieved your professional or personal goals but still feel racked with insecurities, anxiety, or depression … and can’t figure out why? Are you tired of multitasking and always being on the go?

Harvard & Yale trained psychiatrists and authors, Dr. Srini Pillay and Dr. Anna Yusmin know just how you feel. And they have written two amazing books: Tinker Dabble Doodle Try and Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Helps You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life to help us understand these feelings. They will share their years of research and studies on how we can live our best lives: fulfilled and unfocused.

Description of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Helps You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life by Anna Yusmin, M.D., Standing at the intersection of empirical science and spirituality, Fulfilled puts forward a ground-breaking new approach to self-actualization, one firmly rooted in science and offering a unique balance of spiritual and concrete practices, including meditative exercises.

Over the past 15 years, psychiatrist Anna Yusim has made a startling discovery that flies in the face of most modern medical teaching, including her own. Her patients’ primary complaints, ranging from anxiety to depression to sexual dysfunction, often coincide with spiritual neglect—an all too common problem in Western cultures that champion intellectual development over spiritual care. Medical research is now substantiating what Anna has known to be true for many years: spirituality is a powerful path to healing.

Anna has developed a program that marries empirical science and spirituality for true healing. Filled with fascinating research, practical wisdom, and interactive exercises, Fulfilled will appeal to skeptics and seekers alike, and to readers who are looking for more meaning, joy, and contentment in their lives.

"More and more psychiatric professionals are recognizing the role of spirituality in treating anxiety and depression, part of a vital pushback against overmedication of Americans. I admire those like Dr. Anna Yusim who are leading the charge.” -Marianne Williamson –New York Times best selling author of A Return To Love

Description of Tinker Dabble Doodle Try by Srini Pillay, M.D., A fascinating tour through brain wavelengths and rhythm, mindsets, and mental relaxation, this ground-breaking book, demonstrates how specific kinds of planned unfocus stimulate cognitive calmness, jumpstart productivity, enhance innovation, inspire creativity improve ling-term memory, and of course, help you stay on target.

“Cognitive rest is the new exercise.” With techniques for training the brain to unfocus, concepts for scheduling busy lives, and ideas for controlling this new cognitive-toggling capability, this book will change how you think about daydreaming, relaxing, leaving work unfinished, and even multitasking. By unlocking the power of the unfocused mind, what you’ll discover is a greater freedom, a deeper intelligence, and a more profound joy in your life.

“Dr. Srini Pillay offers a brilliant, deeply researched, and even more deeply imagined blueprint for using one’s full mental armamentarium, conscious, unconscious, and all the undiscovered rest! A fantastic book!” -Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.,

We are in the midst of a global crisis of perspective. We have forgotten the undeniable truth that every living thing is connected. We are truly planetary citizens. Join us for a powerful film screening of PLANETARY and a conversation on Sustainable Investing.

PLANETARY is an inspirational cross-continental cinematic journey that challenges viewers to reconsider our relationship with our home as well as the urgency to shift our mindset in the face of climate change. In a stunning visual exploration, this documentary film interweaves imagery from NASA Apollo and Space Shuttle missions with visions of the Milky Way, Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayas, and the cacophonous sounds of downtown Tokyo and Manhattan, with intimate interviews from renowned astronauts and environmental experts.  PLANETARY sheds a new light on the ways our worldview is profoundly affecting life on our planet.

It invites us to meet the challenge of our time: to participate in the great transition to a sustainable, equitable and restorative economy that meets the needs and realities of all. PLANETARY also asks us to rethink who we really are, to reconsider our relationship with ourselves, each other and the world around us – to remember that we are PLANETARY. 

PLANETARY Associate Producer Jeff Gitterman, is also the co-founding partner of Gitterman Wealth Management, LLC, and a thought leader in the field of Sustainable, Impact, and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Investing. Jeff will be on hand to participate in a discussion and Q&A following a screening of a special 20 minutes short version of the film.

The first 20 people to sign up will receive a free copy of Jeff’s book: “Beyond Success; Redefining the Meaning of Prosperity” a wealth management premier for the Soul.

Variety: “A most impressive logistical and aesthetic feat”

Huffington Post: “For the first time I not only saw the fragility our planet, I felt it.”

Guardian UK: “deeply moving and beautifully edited” 

Examiner: “thought-provoking...visually enticing and multifaceted journey exploring the connection of all human beings to each other and all life on our planet.” 

This presentation contains general information that is not suitable for everyone.  The information contained should not be construed as personalized investment advice.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  There is no guarantee that the views and opinions expressed in this presentation will come to pass.  Investing in the stock market involves gains and losses and may not be suitable for all investors.  Information presented is subject to change without notice and should not be considered as a solicitation to buy or sell any security. 

Investment Advisory Services offered through Gitterman Wealth Management, LLC an independent registered investment advisory firm with the SEC. Securities Offered through Triad Advisors Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Gitterman Wealth Management, LLC is not affiliated with Triad Advisors Inc.

Money & Life Series: DEMYSTIFYING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Everything you wanted to know about financial statements but were afraid to ask. For new and old business owners ... and the curious.

Are You Afraid of Your Financial Statements?

I have spent a lot of time with business owners over the past 29 years and realized that many have a great instinct for business and are usually very successful. They get very excited when they talked about the product or service they are selling. But when the topic changed to the financial end of the business most got very quiet and uncomfortable.

Most when questioned about the financial statements will say, "I am not really interested in that stuff, I have people in my office who knows that stuff'. The truth is YOU need to know that stuff...it's critical, because if you don't, you are a sitting duck waiting to be taken advantage of.

In these challenging economic times, the importance of learning how to read a financial statement is a business imperative. As such, we have decided that this is an important 'Life' skill that should be offered at The ACADEMi of Life.

So we are including this service in our Life & Money series. We will offer private one on one session for business owners to sit down with us and ask ANY question they want without feeling the pressure of judgment from their peers. How many workshops, courses, and webinars have you attended on this subject, yet you walk away with unanswered questions! There are NO stupid questions in these sessions. This is a judgment free environment.

Register today for this important and valuable life skill.

Sessions offered Monday-Friday between the hours of 12pm - 7:00 pm for 90 minutes per session for the price of $349.00. Once you register you can schedule date and time.

HOW TO LOVE WELL

We’ve heard it said before, by poets and sages and songwriters: “All you need is love,” “love conquers all,” “love your enemies.” We know that love is the answer; we agree with the golden rule. So, why then, is it so difficult for us human beings to be the love we long to see in the world? Why do we struggle and fumble in our attempts to give and receive love with our mates, our kids, our friends and colleagues? These are always relevant questions, and they are even more pressing now, when we as citizens we are being called to love beyond the boundaries of difference.

It takes courage to love well—to love oneself, to love our family, to love people with whom we may disagree at work and in the world. Elizabeth Lesser, author and co-founder of the Omega Institute, has spent her life seeking understanding about what it means to be true to oneself and at the same time, authentically connected to others.

She’s a modern day ‘Anam Cara’, soul-friend in the Irish language. Her new book, Marrow: A Love Story, a mesmerizing and courageous memoir, is the story of two sisters uncovering the depth of their love through the life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant.

Join us for this magical evening as we explore together the complex question about what it really means to love, and the healing process of putting aside pride and defensiveness to make way for soul-baring and truth-telling. She will also share the deeper transformational lessons that can be learned from difficult moments.

Lesser will be joined in conversation by TED PRIZE storyteller and Executive Director of Women, Action, & the Media, Jamia Wilson.

We Will Explore 

• Insights into how to authentically communicate with people you love
• How to have the difficult conversations with the people you love
• How to develop stronger relationships with people you love
• When, if and how to say the ‘unsayable’ between 2 people
• How to steady ourselves in the presence of evil
• How to stand up for your moral integrity with love
• You don't have to wait for a life-or-death situation to clean up the relationships that matter

Out beyond the ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field I will meet you there. - Rumi

Everything in your life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be told. Many of us want to leave behind a record of our lives that we were here. Yes, our footprint.

In this memorable workshop, you will discover your own unique and powerful story. We will use the memoir form of writing to encourage you to live out loud and to help you comprehend the value of your life. “If you are not afraid of the voices in you, you will not fear the critics outside you,” so says Natalie Goldberg. Writing can let you hear your voice above the critics.

Did you know that there were health benefits to writing? There is recent evidence to support the claim that increased intellectual activity and brain stimulation i.e. recording one’s memories can lower the individual risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Through fun exercises, practical techniques and group discussion, this insightful, fun and practical workshop, will help you uncover the writer hiding in you. You will find your authentic voice, along with a way to express it. You’ll be surprised at how great a writer you can become.

We will also share how to become a published writer. You’ll learn all about the publishing industry from writing a query letter to finding a publisher.

Bring your favorite pen and a writing journal. All levels welcome.

“I don't think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories-of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die. Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.” - Natalie Goldberg

What is the value of achievement if we are unable to attain or maintain joy after having reached unimaginable success? How much of our education or scholarly research is applicable to passing the ‘tests’ we will be given throughout life, regarding parenting, love, resilience, aging, death, mental well-being, and self-awareness? Most of us would agree it would be inappropriate to address such topics in english class or before a  math exam, so where do these subjects get addressed?

The great thinker and Rhodes Scholar, E. F. Schumacher, believed that all through school and university we are given guidance about life and knowledge, and generally this guidance had little relevance to the things that people cared about or the way they conducted their lives - the way life is really lived. The ACADEMi of Life was founded to fulfill Schumacher’s observation, and to address these important topics … we created ‘a place’ where people can gather to discuss the things they care about --- the things that matter most in life, that they didn't learned in school.

So, on November 10^th, 2016 at our ‘6x10’ event, we will gather, to hear six speakers talk about the six things that matter most in life. Each speaker will present for ten minutes on one of the six topics. The event is designed to provoke, awaken and deepen our thinking about the essential life-skills we need to live a meaningful, peaceful, fulfilling and valuable life – you will be inspired, transformed, entertained and educated.

THE 6 THINGS THAT MATTER

Mental Well-Being: So many recent events have revealed that mental health is a critical well-being skill that must be addressed and valued. It is our belief that mental health is more important than getting good grades – it’s more important than IQ. There is no health without mental health.

Resilience: How do we hold it together in the face of extraordinary challenges and uncertainties? How rapidly do we bounce back and recover from hardship and adversity? Resilience, a critical skill we need in a life where the only constant is change.

Parenting: “There are few situations in life which are more difficult to cope with than an adolescent son or daughter during the attempt to liberate themselves.” We will share how to transform your relationship with your child into joy, empowerment and kinship and raise them to be their best, truest selves.

Self-Mastery: No one is perfect. Understanding and acceptance of our imperfect ‘dual-nature’ with the goal of continuous personal improvement is the secret to self-mastery. Leonardo da Vinci once said, 'the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment.'

Aging & Dying: A revolutionary examination of why we age, what it means for our health, and how we just might be able to fight it. An easy-to-follow plan to prevent and reverse the signs of aging will be shared.

Love: There is no other factor in medicine, “not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery”, that affects our health, quality and length of life more than feeling loved and cared for. Love matters.

Pernille Spiers-Lopez, former CEO of IKEA North America, and later Global HR manager for over 130,000 employees, comes to The Academi of Life to share how we can create the life we really want to lead --- a life that matters.

Are you tired of the way you are living your life? Are you looking to get the spirit of adventure and satisfaction back into your daily life? If the answer is yes, then are you brave enough to do something about it?

Pernille Spiers-Lopez knows how to reclaim your life. She did it. Removed from her family, friends, her children, and her own sense of self, as she climbed the corporate ladder to success, she knew something had to change. So she developed a toolbox to design the life she really wanted to live. Pernille also penned a book Design Your Life: A Guide For Creating Your Best Self about her journey of personal struggle and triumph.

Join us as Pernille shares tools that helped her take charge of her life, so that she could live the life she had imagined. She will also share how you can become a life designer by making conscious choices and real changes.

YOU WILL LEARN

• What it really means to live a ‘successful’ life.
• How to embrace imperfection and failures.
• How to be your best so you can bring that wisdom to others.
• How to find the courage to stand for who you are in good times and bad.

The class is limited to 25 attendees. Register early.

'Don’t spend your whole life searching for the right job, make it the most important job to design the right life.' Pernille Spiers-Lopez

We are beyond excited and thrilled to have creative business leader and iconoclast, Kevin Roberts, Chairman of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi (a company that works with more than half of the biggest 50 advertisers in the world) back at The Academi of Life. If you are a leader under enormous pressure, totally committed, intensely driven, highly intelligent and at times utterly miserable, don't miss this conversation... come CONNECT and be INSPIRED by Kevin Roberts.

He has written a new book 64 Shots: Leadership in a Crazy World a collection of value-accelerators for business and life. It is gathered as a 64 shot method from the astute observations and remarkable life of Kevin Roberts and from his new role as “Head Coach” for a team of about 45,000 employees. A provocative figure traversing the peaks of global commerce, media and sport, Kevin Roberts - creator of the groundbreaking idea and book Lovemarks - is recognized as one of today's most uncompromisingly-positive and inspirational leaders.

In 64 Shots, Roberts draws on the biggest ideas, toughest experiences and greatest influences of his life to present 16X4 stripped down, straight-forward and instantly-absorbable insights on how to bring order to the chaos of business and life. The punchy insights about winning - hitting readers lightly jab after jab - are an array of one-liners, sound bites, tweets, charts, quotes and historical reference points. They are loaded with Roberts' experience, story, brio, provocation and direction.

The language is extreme, brimming with the irrepressible attitude and provocation that fueled Roberts' meteoric career. While there is a sequence, the 64 shots are stand-alone signposts towards living an enterprising and winning life. Anyone can dip into the book anywhere and find value.

64 Shots - will you take them? As the musical Hamilton reminds us – “don’t throw away your shot.” So if you want a real ‘shot’ at leadership and life –don’t miss this provocative and inspiring conversation. Each attendee will get a signed First Edition copy of the book.

Early bird special of $89.00 until 5/30/16. After 5/30/16 price is $119.

Summit Description

A transformative One-Day Summit that will gather business leaders, business executives, business owners, educators and the curious to discover the emergence of a new era of leadership within a new type of organization.

The Agenda

Inspirational speakers, real-time tools, panels, group dialogue, stories and opportunities for genuine connection will be featured. We will explore topics like:

• Return on Character: The Real Reason Leaders and their Companies Win
• A Tale of Grace, Grit, Resilience & Entrepreneurship
• A Conversation on Diversity Identity: Beyond Race & Gender
• Beauty, Business and Love
• From Surviving To Thriving: How To Thrive at Work and in Life
• Doing Well & Doing Good
• The Power of Storytelling: Reconciliation of a Flourishing and Wilting Society
• Evolutionary Leadership: Leading from the Inside Out

Why Attend

The way we’re working isn’t working. In a volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous (VUCA) world, increasing numbers of people are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and disengaged. We need new mindsets, new systems, and new skills for leading and living in this era.

This groundbreaking Summit signals a new transformative journey for leaders and teams. You will discover new styles of leadership, skills and systems that awaken the best in people and organizations.

Join us as we examine the newest, most powerful approaches to unleashing productivity, performance, and innovation.

Register now for Early Bird Discount of $249 until September 16, 2015! 

Evening's Conversation:

Do you secretly dream about being in a meaningful, lasting, fulfilling relationship? One that feels easy, harmonious, safe, vulnerable, and deeply connected … and you are able to experience true intimacy.

Relationships are important and essential in our lives, yet many of us are not yet successful at it, but “we keep loving anyway -- we laugh and we cry and we break and we make our mistakes” – but we are all willing to “wait for it.”

If you can relate, then join us and discover:

• 3 Love-Magnet Secrets to healthy dating and meeting that special someone
• The spiritual meaning of a break-up -- what it’s trying to teach you
• How to grow and attract the love you deserve
• Feng Shui practices to invite lasting love into your life

At this fun, enlightening and provocative evening, you will learn why you shouldn't  give up on love and how the universe is actually conspiring to bring your true, healthy love. Each attendee will receive a special Valentine's Day gift.

The conversation will be moderated by Sarika Jain. Sarika is a Love & Relationship Coach for people who have it all, except a loving relationship with a life partner. She uses a personalized and holistic approach to partner with individuals to break through painful relationship patterns; heal their hearts; and learn relationship skills to attract healthy joyful and loving relationships.

Sarika is like any other New York City woman – driven and accomplished. After years at Merrill Lynch and the World Bank, she received her MBA from University of Pennsylvania and joined Bain & Company, where she helped transform businesses.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return"- David Bowie.

WHEN YOU’RE FALLING, RISE: The Art and Science of Resilience

Why do some people blossom through adversity while others fall apart? What mysterious power gets us back on our feet after we’ve been knocked down? What do we mean by “the art and science of resilience,” and the transformational possibility of growing to become our best selves in life’s most challenging moments?

Maria Sirois and Mark Matousek have spent decades exploring these urgent questions, in clinical practice, personal memoir, and interviews with some of the world’s great survivor artists. Combining their experiences here for the first time, Sirois and Matousek offer a road map to personal evolution in times of transition, using stories, practices, and principles of resilience.

Integrating the burgeoning field of positive psychology with the science of resilience, as well as spiritual wisdom, they provide a template for growth that incorporates the reality of what is most difficult in our lives with a scaffolding for thriving anyway. “When you tell the truth, your story changes. When your story changes, your life is transformed.”

Using brief writing exercises, Matousek will guide participants through the process of self-reinvention through radical truth telling and the shifting of what Emerson called “the angle of vision,” a critical skill for resilience. Sirois will discuss “the genius of the AND,” and the vital importance of introspection, inspiration, and beauty on the path of healing. She reminds us that while none of us is spared suffering, neither does the world withhold beneficence. Rising requires attention to both and the capacity to face the truth of one’s living with self-compassion and a fierce desire to grow.

Please join us for this extraordinary evening …..

Summit Description

A transformative One-Day Summit that will gather business leaders, business executives, business owners, educators and the curious to discover the emergence of a new era of leadership within a new type of organization.

The Agenda

Inspirational speakers, real-time tools, panels, group dialogue, stories and opportunities for genuine connection will be featured. We will explore topics like:

• Return on Character: The Real Reason Leaders and their Companies Win
• A Tale of Grace, Grit, Resilience & Entrepreneurship
• A Conversation on Diversity Identity: Beyond Race & Gender
• Beauty, Business and Love
• From Surviving To Thriving: How To Thrive at Work and in Life
• Doing Well & Doing Good
• The Power of Storytelling: Reconciliation of a Flourishing and Wilting Society
• Evolutionary Leadership: Leading from the Inside Out

Why Attend

The way we’re working isn’t working. In a volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous (VUCA) world, increasing numbers of people are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and disengaged. We need new mindsets, new systems, and new skills for leading and living in this era.

This groundbreaking Summit signals a new transformative journey for leaders and teams. You will discover new styles of leadership, skills and systems that awaken the best in people and organizations.

Join us as we examine the newest, most powerful approaches to unleashing productivity, performance, and innovation.

Register now for Early Bird Discount of $249 until September 16, 2015! 

Television legal analyst and attorney Lisa Green has written a compelling, hilarious and compassionate book: On Your Case: A comprehensive, Compassionate (and Only Slightly Bossy) Legal Guide for Every Stage of a Woman’s Life. The book offers something new: a witty, direct and empowering legal guide for women, filled with accessible information they can employ to understand and respond to common legal issues throughout their lives, from dating, marriage, and kids to jobs, retirement, aging parents, and wills.

Lisa Green has an urgent message for women of all ages, especially those who consider themselves fully briefed on nutrition, personal finance, good schools, and great bargains:

What about the law?

Whether or not you invite it into your life, the law will find you. When it does, will you be ready to respond?

Leveraging her professional training as a lawyer and her personal experience as a wife, ex-wife, mother, and daughter, Lisa explains common, even complicated, legal issues in practical, easy to understand terms. Sharing true stories, from jaw-dropping court cases to her own personal challenges, Lisa explains how readers can make the best possible decisions when problems arise. And legal problems will arise, Lisa counsels, so women need to get smart, and get ready.

In her warm, yet firm, voice, Lisa guides readers through the potential legal issues around:

• Relationships: Online dating, pre and postnuptial agreements, engagement and marriage
• Separation and Divorce: Splitting without anxiety, child custody and support, pet custody disputes
• Babies, Children and Teens: Pregnancy and adoption, advocating for a special needs child, misbehaving teens
• Work: Employment and household help
• Domestic violence
• Social media
• Midlife and elder care: Wills, Medical decisions and Power of attorney
• Legal Help: Hiring a lawyer, DIY

As Suze Orman demystified personal finance and put women in the driver's seat of their own financial future, Lisa Green now does for legal know-how. With On Your Case, Lisa empowers you by equipping you with the tools you need to take care of yourself, your assets, your family, and your career.

Don’t miss this powerful conversation. She will share the 3 legal documents every adult should have.

“Lisa Green’s compelling and breezily conversational book gives us the tool kit we’ve been waiting for to wise up and open our eyes. It’s a must-read for all women – and the earlier, the better.” – Lee Woodruff, New York Times bestselling author of Perfectly, Imperfect: A Life in Progress

Have you ever wondered why some people succeed when so many others fail?  Some of the most successful men and women you know were once considered failures.

The path to success is rarely easy or direct. Before making it big, Anderson Cooper couldn’t get an interview for an entry-level job at ABC, Warren Buffett would become physically ill at the mere thought of speaking in public, Rachel Zoe was her boss’s scapegoat for stealing, and Graydon Carter was thrown out of two universities.

These are a few of the many stories shared in Getting There: A Book of Mentors, an inspiring new book in which thirty leaders in diverse fields reveal their secrets to navigating the rocky road to the top. In an honest, direct, and engaging way, these role models describe the obstacles they faced, the setbacks they endured, and the vital lessons they learned along the way. They dispense not only essential and practical career advice, but also priceless wisdom applicable to life in general.

Beautifully photographed and edited by author Gillian Zoe Segal, Getting There also features stories from Michael Bloomberg, Frank Gehry, Marina Abramović, Daniel Boulud, Hans Zimmer, Sara Blakely, Matthew Weiner, Jillian Michaels, David Boies, Laird Hamilton, Kathy Ireland, John Paul DeJoria, Leslie Moonves, Wendy Kopp, Ian Schrager, and Jeff Koons, among others.

Getting There is for everyone—from students contemplating their futures to the vast majority of us facing challenges or seeking to reach our potential. So join us, as Gillian shares these unguarded, inspiring stories and distills the essential ingredients necessary to achieve success.

There will be a book-signing following the conversation and books will be available for purchase at the event.

Parenting is hard -- yet it’s one of life’s most rewarding and fulfilling experience.

It’s also, one of the most researched areas in the entire field of social science, yet there is no parenting manual. Current research shows that the most important thing a person can do to be a better parent is to focus on developing him or herself – to look inward.

For the past 23 years, Education for Excellence has offered Masterful Parenting Training^®, a dynamic growth and development course based on the premise that, as parents, “we teach who we are”. This uplifting and inspiring course supports parents in developing essential life skills they can teach their children by example -- qualities such as:

• Focused Listening
• Feeling Valued and Loved
• Assertive Communication
• Peaceful Conflict Resolution
• Forgiveness, Empathy, Acceptance and Joy
• Taking responsibility
• Making Conscious Choices

It is well known that children thrive in a supportive home environment created by parents who embody, and teach by example. So, join us for this important Self Mastery social and emotional learning program, if you want to know what it takes to develop the essential skills to help your child thrive and flourish. This in-depth introductory class will be lead by Dr. Marc Rosenbaum, founder and director of Education for Excellence.

The full 18-hour Masterful Parenting Training^®, parent leadership training, growth and development program will be offered in a 6 week workshop beginning April 28^th and continues for six consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6:30-9:00 pm. Details to come.

“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” – Peggy O’Mara

Social Disruption – Can You Handle It?

Marriage is being disrupted. Once upon a time in America, marriage was the norm for adults. But now, for the first time since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking these numbers in 1976, there are more single Americans than people who are married. About 50.2 percent — or 124.6 million American adults — are single.

Gender is being disrupted. The University of Vermont recently established a third category that students can identify as – it’s called ‘neutral gender.’ In this system people can choose a gender in adulthood, whereas our current system assigns everyone a gender at birth.

The family is being disrupted. The modern family is the new normal -- traditional families are history.

Media is being disrupted. There is a new balance of power online - the rising power of social network movements, the creation of online video ‘celebrities,' musicians, writers and more.

Business is being disrupted.  With the rate of change going on, do you think your company will be around in the next 5 years? Futurist, Dr. Peter H. Diamandis believes that 40% of fortune 500 will be gone in 10 years.

We are in the middle of significant shifts. The world has changed and will continue to change rapidly. Have we humans really caught up with or understand this incredible transformation? How do we adapt to this changing world and even thrive in it? What are the opportunities? Is disruption simply the theory of evolution? Let’s talk.

The conversation will be co-moderated by Sarika Jain. Sarika Jain is a trusted business and personal transformation advisor with several years of experience in the corporate strategy, facilitation and coaching space. She works with people and organizations on defining their vision, removing limiting belief systems, and successfully executing strategic plans, with a focus on gaining insight, meaning and purpose during the process. Sarika has a background in engineering, international development and management consulting, and is a Wharton MBA graduate, and has worked with Merrill Lynch, The World Bank, Bain & Co and Yahoo!.

ALIVE INSIDE, is a heart-warming and joyous documentary about the power of music to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity.

Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett, chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.

This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s.

An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, ALIVE INSIDE’s inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

Join us and discover that despite how it looks on the outside, if we are alive, there is always life left inside. We will be joined by the film maker for a Q&A following the screening. Running time is 78 minutes.

“In a world drowning in bad news about dementia – ‘Alive Inside’ is positively tonic – The Los Angeles Times

What is Positive Psychology?

According to Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center and a leading authority in the field of Positive Psychology:

 “Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.”

Even when things are going well many of us carry a constant inner dialogue that tends to be self-deprecating. Even if we exercise self-discipline in our diet and exercise, we rarely consider discipline of thought as a way to enhance our emotional health and well being. Yet, much of our personal freedom is blocked by negative thought patterns and beliefs.

Studies show that high school students who deprioritize their happiness to gain admission to top colleges are adopting harmful life habits that have led to a "mental health crises" on college campuses.  A 2013 report by the Yale College Council found that more than half of undergraduates sought mental health care from the university during their time there.

Numerous studies have also shown that nurturing positive skills can help pull people out of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.

Using positive psychology as the foundation for this workshop, we will cover the use of positive thinking to help us make peace with the past, seek contentment in the present moment and acknowledge a hopeful future.

Some of the happiness habits and tools you will learn:

•  Methods for controlling and changing our thoughts and behavior to become more positive
• Necessary steps to creating the balance that is right for us in our lives
• How to deal with pessimistic people and negative situations
• How to break negative patterns of thinking that are self-defeating
• Tips to live mindfully

Who should attend:

• Parents and their high school children
• Teachers, school counselors and camp couselors
• Anyone wanting to learn valuable happiness habits

Join us as we share proven tools to foster more well-being in your life and at work by being more positive, more engaged, have better relationships, find more meaning and accomplish more. Come explore ways to have a more positive mind-set.

“Every business and personal outcomes show improvement when the brain is positive. Training your brain to be positive is not so different from training your muscles at the gym.” –Shawn Achor

It’s In The Cards…

Learn how you can manifest and create the romantic relationship you yearn for.

•  What if relationships could be easier, much easier?
•  What if you could know for certain who is the right person for you?
•  What if you could have a massive ‘Aha’ moment to break through the limiting patterns, the icy-resistance and the stubborn confusion to enter a place of romantic clarity, peace and love?

You can.

Spiritual life coach, Alexander Dunlop, is back at The Academi of Life, and he is joined by his life partner Viki Scudiery. They will both reveal how the Law of Attraction and the mathematics of the playing cards helped them choose each other as life partners, and will also share how we can find the person of our dreams.

Following Alexander’s divorce several years ago, he decided to find a better way to select a partner and engage in a relationship. He decided to test out the Law of Attraction.  So, he did something very specific. Separately and simultaneously, Viki also leveraged the Law of Attraction in her own way.  Join us to find out exactly what they both did to attract each other.

Alexander also used a mathematical toolkit to give him the answers. This mathematical toolkit is found in the ordinary deck of playing cards. Unbeknownst to most people, the deck of cards represents a mathematical model of life.  It shows us the harmonics of our existence.

Once we align our life to the mathematical frequencies that underlie our lives, then we harmonize our lives to what is truly possible for us.

• It’s how we chose the right partner.
• In our relationship, it helps us understand each other’s shadow patterns, so that we can have compassion for each other.
• It helps us understand each other’s love languages.

Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover the secret to happy relationships! Join us and learn how to ‘play your cards right’ and find the man/woman of your dreams.

People of all ages are interested in love, relationships and marriage. We are either on the lookout for the right person or we are trying to make a marriage work over decades.

Finding lasting love can be a challenge, but is there a formula for creating a perfect match?

Cornell University professor Karl Pillemer, seems to think so. He asked over 700 people averaging 43 years of marriage each, to tell him the secret to a happy marriage and they poured their hearts out. He shares what he learned in his new book, “30 Lessons for Loving: Advice from the Wisest Americans on Love, Relationships, and Marriage.”

Here are some of the gems they shared:

• Marriage is hard. It takes spirit and resilience.
• Marriage is something that you work at and get better at, but it is never completed. And when you "look back from the finish line over a half century or more of marriage, lifelong marriage is incredibly good. It's almost indescribable. It's such a source of joy.

Pillemer gathered these insights and many others after spending the last four years conducting the Marriage Advice Project. The sample included some retirees who were widowed and some same-sex couples. It also included folks who had been happily married for years, and those who had been through multiple marriages and divorces.

The longest marriage was 76 years between a 101-year-old woman and 98-year-old man. Pillemer has been married for 36 years to his high school sweetheart, Clare McMillan.

So if you are, searching for a mate, in relationships where you are considering marriage, married and need some new tips, then join us for this fresh, wise, surprising and compelling conversation on “what makes for an amazing love life that stands the test of time.”

When All You Want Is Taken Away: A Personal Love Story of Discovery Through Loss

Sometimes change is deeply unwelcome, disrupting everything we have ever wanted. In Polly Young-Eisendrath’s case, her beloved husband and best friend gradually reversed his cognitive and emotional maturity as early onset Alzheimer’s disease swept through his neurons like a wild fire.

Polly and her husband were long-time practitioners of Buddhism and they came to embrace the inescapable without fanfare or self-pity as their love changed from a partnership, to him becoming profoundly dependent on her. She eventually placed him in end-of-life care.

Dr. Young-Eisendrath will share from her new book, The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery, a provocative and daring memoir, in which she shows how our most intimate relationships, often the source of our greatest pain, can prove to be our path to enlightenment.

The book also offers a new perspective on how to maintain engaged, reciprocal relationships—with a partner, parent, child, or friend—under any and all circumstances. Polly will also share lessons learned about the nature of personal love as a spiritual practice of vulnerability and equanimity that requires being a whole self and accepting another as a whole self, as well.

"Polly Young-Eisendrath illuminates love as a path—not a goal—of self and mutual discovery that goes to the very heart of our nature." - Barry Magid

Colette Baron-Reid started out as a singer in Toronto, Canada, and didn't realize her calling as a spiritual intuitive until she was 28. Since then, she has released three books on spiritual practice and for three years toured
as the opening speaker at publisher Hay House Inc. multi-speaker events and conferences. She has performed spiritual readings for over 50,000 people in nearly 30 countries, and released several music and meditation CDs.

She is most well-known for her lecture style, performing inspirational speeches based on consciousness and spirituality. She has the voice of an angel, is a "life strategist" as well as a world-renowned intuitive counselor, and her goal is to empower everyone she meets to be self-actualizing, awake and authentic. Deeply spiritual, Colette Baron-Reid encourages people to develop meaning and purpose in their lives.
Over the past 25 years, her words have reached nearly 150,000 people through speeches and one-on-one counseling sessions. A trusted advisor to an international coterie of celebrities, politicians and CEOs, Colette's mission is to deliver inspired self-revelation. Her purpose is to help individuals understand where they are, how they got there, where they are heading, and how to live life to its fullest potential and meaningful purpose.

Dubbed the "intuitive's intuitive" by W magazine, Baron-Reid is praised by many of her well-known clients for her objectivity, accuracy and highly detailed readings. She is the real deal when she makes a prediction, and her goal is to provide people with perspective on who they are, where their lives are going, and how they fit into the broader scheme of things. She is a storyteller and believes in the power of the poignant details that make up our lives. Clients are amazed when she can pick up on these intimate details in their lives.
As the year ends, join us for this playful yet informative and intriguing evening of conversation, music and readings. Colette will share with us how to access our divine intelligence, potential and power through our intuition. She will help us remember our future as we plan the New Year.

“We need to open our minds, she says, and explore our miraculous, spiritually profound world rather than denying it, fetishizing it or being afraid of it.” – Colette Baron Reid

We need to dance … dancing is food for the soul, ‘it’s silent poetry.’

Studies show that dancing is not only good for your physical health it also has an impact on your emotional center and generally enhances your mood and mental well-being when you move your body.

Specifically there are three elements in dancing that will improve your mind and body health:

1. it’s social (you meet people)
2. it’s physical (you are getting exercise )
3. it’s cognitive (you have to remember the steps)

When you engage in things that are social, physical and cognitive you will improve your brain.  A recent study led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine revealed that dancing reduced stress, depression, the risk of dementia and increases serotonin, energy, flexibility, strength balance and endurance.

In addition to the health benefits…dancing is so much fun….you feel so good after! So grab a friend and COME OUT AND PLAY … COME MOVE YOUR BODY, improve your mind and dance away your worries! This ZUMBA dance class promises to give you a mood boost, increase your vigor and make you happy.
We will do dances that are fun and can be done by anyone… remember, everyone can dance. Whether you’re a total dance novice or an experienced mover, you’ll learn new Zumba, Indian and Hip-Hop dance moves. Above all, we want to make sure you have major fun!

The one-of-a-kind class will be lead by the great Venezuelan dance master, Samuel Salazar. Sam is a Zumba Fitness instructor at the world renowned ALVIN AILEY Dance Center in New York City. His classes are attended by numerous celebrities including Beyonce Knowles and her sister Solange.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” – Freidrich Nietzsche

Everything in your life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be told. Many of us want to leave behind a record of our lives that we were here. Yes, our footprint.

In this memorable workshop, you will discover your own unique and powerful story. We will use the memoir form of writing to encourage you to live out loud and to help you comprehend the value of your life. “If you are not afraid of the voices in you, you will not fear the critics outside you,” so says Natalie Goldberg. Writing can let you hear your voice above the critics.

Did you know that there were health benefits to writing? There is recent evidence to support the claim that increased intellectual activity and brain stimulation i.e. recording one’s memories can lower the individual risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Through fun exercises, practical techniques and group discussion, this insightful, fun and practical workshop, will help you uncover the writer hiding in you. You'll get tips, skills and encouragement in this powerful workshop. You will also find your authentic voice, along with a way to express it. And you’ll be surprised at how great a writer you can become.

We will also share how to become a published writer. You’ll learn all about the publishing industry from writing a query letter to finding a publisher.

Bring your favorite pen and a writing journal. All levels welcome.

“I don't think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories-of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die. Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”  - Natalie Goldberg

SELF AWARENESS 101: The Path To Fulfillment & Ease

What constitutes a worthwhile, joyful and fulfilling life?

For each person the answer will be different, since there is no standard path to a calm, peaceful, and joyous life; everyone's path is different. Yet, a peaceful, calm,  joyful and fulfilled life is what we all seek and yearn for.

Joy is not something that can be pursued and it's also not a permanent state of chirpiness. It ebbs and flows with periods of great pain and suffering. This acceptance of the impermanence of joy is one of the keys to a life of fulfillment and ease.

Plus, there is an advantage to being joyful.  Studies have shown that when people are joyful and at peace they are more effective at work and also relate better to their coworkers and families. Happiness is the "key to fast tracking our professional and personal success."  A meta-analysis of 225 academic studies, found that "happy employees, have on average, 31% higher productivity; their sales are 37% higher; and their creativity is three times higher."

This workshop is designed for ALL individuals who believe there is value in investing in themselves - that they are worth it - and for those who yearn to be more joyful, more fulfilled and more peaceful in their lives at work and at home. Join us as we share two major secrets, insights and a methodology for the path to joy, personal mastery and self-respect through exercises, practices and tools.

You will learn:

• About Self Awareness
• About Self Acceptance
• 
About Self-Love ... the "kind that does not shrink from the needy and incomplete parts of the self, but accepts those with humility, interest and curiosity"
• 
That personal mastery is the primary component of achieving a life worth living

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." -Lao Tzu

“Potential is … dormant ability … reserved power … untapped strength … unused success … hidden talents … capped ability. All you can be but have not yet become … all you can do but have not yet done … how far you can reach but have not yet reached … what you can accomplish but have not yet accomplished. Potential is unexposed ability and latent power.”

Every human being, regardless of race, gender or spiritual belief, has the incredible capacity to accomplish far beyond what they think their limits are. In this class you will explore how to realize your potential in a free form, creative way. You will learn:

• How to find your deepest passion
• How to do and be your best
• How to break those self-imposed limitations
• How to push your limits, learn your own impossible and push that even further
• How to discover your talents and gifts

"Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action."  - Orison Marden

The experience of heartbreak--whatever its source--represents a kind of initiation, and a marked departure from a map that may once have felt clearly-marked into a forest that can be wild and unruly and breathtaking.

How we choose to enter the forest, and be in it, says a lot about the kind of shape we'll find ourselves in when we make our way out of it.

Whether your broken heart comes via the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a terminal illness, or some other profound loss, at this intimate Saturday afternoon workshop we'll meet each other right where we are. We'll lie down in the forest together and--with the help of writing experiments, contemplation, poetry and bearing witness--explore ideas of grief and anger, despair and forgiveness, freedom and gratitude. We'll clear out what needs clearing out in order to so that we might be sufficiently prepared to welcome what's longing to come to us next. And at the end of our time together (to borrow from T.S. Eliot), we'll "arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

Our gathering will be limited to eight. Bring only a journal and a pen, your curiosity and a willingness to be present for one another.

"But in myth, in ritual, and in theology, the broken heart is not a regrettable symptom of derailment, but is rather the starting point of anything that matters." -- Kimberley Patton, professor, Harvard Divinity School

LUCKY - A Documentary

LUCKY is a powerful documentary by journalist and film maker Laura Checkoway. Spanning five years on the streets of NYC, this intimate story of survival follows Lucky Torres, a homeless mother masked in tattoos who longs to rise from a life of darkness.

Lucky Torres grew up as an orphan in a system that made her feel like a nobody, but she has big dreams of becoming somebody. We meet her in her twenties, moving from shelter to shelter, struggling to provide for herself and her young son. With her sister Fantasy as her biggest ally, Lucky survives in a merciless city. We follow her daily grind, meeting various friends and girlfriends along the way. We learn about Lucky's contradictions and how she teeters on a tightrope between dreams and despair.

Join us for what is sure to be a life-altering experience as we witness a woman's struggle and harrowing search for stability.

Both film maker Laura Checkoway and the documentary star, Lucky will be available to answer questions following the screening. Running time 70 minutes. Check out the trailer here.

• Mentally ill
• Autistic
• Deaf
• Transgendered
• Disabled
• Down's Syndrome
• A Criminal
• A Dwarf
• A Prodigy
• Conceived from rape

• More than 20 million Americans use illegal drugs regularly
• 85% of drug users are not addicted
• Around half of all people with drug addictions are employed full time
• A huge proportion of people having difficulties with prescription drugs are women

"Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story."

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist. Her brother’s brain disorder and schizophrenia led Dr. Taylor to dedicate her career to studying severe mental illnesses. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. Dr. Taylor gave a presentation at the TED Conference, which has been watched by over ten million and has become the most viewed TED Talk to date. She was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Dr. Taylor was the premiere guest on Oprah's Soul Series webcast and was interviewed by Oprah and Dr. Oz on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She's now an artist as well as a scientist, creating anatomically correct stained-glass replicas of brains that are sold as fine art and also travels the country on behalf of the Harvard Brain Bank as the "Singin' Scientist.” Dr. Taylor is an adjunct lecturer at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

why attend:

• Learn how to get your brain to do what you want it to do.
• Learn who is who inside of you.
• Learn to access the right brain and improve the quality of your life.
• Learn new tools for your own personal empowerment.
• Experience a powerful story of the resilience of the human spirit.

"How many brain scientists have been able to study the brain from the inside out? I've gotten as much out of this experience of losing my left mind as I have in my entire academic career." - Jill Bolte Taylor

Is there life after death? As ancient as time itself, the idea of an afterlife remains at the core of most religions and belief systems, as humans have sought to find meaning and purpose in their existence on this earth-if any at all. Yet, as the world advances and people become increasingly dependent on science and technology, this question has been further argued and debated, as the rationality of scientific theory seems to disprove the very existence of the supernatural realm.

So the age old question remains: Is there life beyond our physical existence? And if so, is it possible to reconcile this "ancient" belief in an afterlife and the supernatural, with belief in the powers of science and medicine? According to Dr. Eben Alexander, the answer to both of these questions is a resounding yes.

Dr. Eben Alexander, a renowned neurosurgeon and former near-death experience skeptic, has examined these questions and more in his New York Times bestselling autobiography Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. In the book, Dr. Alexander captivates the reader with a real life account of his miraculous recovery from an inexplicable brain infection, and his even more astounding odyssey deep into the spiritual realm during the week that he spent comatose.

This experience seems to defy medical explanation, but Dr. Alexander, who has spent the last two and half years reconciling his rich spiritual experience with his knowledge of modern science, will explore how his journey is remarkably consistent with contemporary scientific understanding. His story offers a crucial key to the understanding of reality and human consciousness and it will have a major effect on how we view spirituality, soul and the non-material realm. He will explain why the symbiotic relationship between science and spirituality is necessary for true health. Through this discussion, we will learn how to probe deeply into our consciousness, so that we can have the power to transcend the limitations of this physical-material realm.

"This powerful story would be remarkable regardless of who went through the experience. That it happened to Dr. Alexander, a leading neurosurgeon, makes it revolutionary."

Finding Joe is a movie about the inevitable and often unexpected crossroads at which we often find ourselves in life -- the metaphorical fork in the road that forces a choice. It challenges us to leave what is familiar and journey into the unknown, to quest for something more. On this journey we generally have to face and overcome obstacles that forge personal transformation which ultimately brings us home to ourselves, but in a more highly realized fashion.

It’s a movie that both details the life’s work of Joseph Campbell, and inspires the audience to take a leap of faith—to endeavor to live an epic life. Finding Joe also reveals how transcendent myths brim with various metaphors related to challenge and breakthrough, like the of slaying dragons, killing wicked witches, finding treasures and meeting wise teachers. Each hero’s journey illustrates a quest that leads to the holy grail of self-discovery.

The movie also makes plain that one can never “win the ring” without one’s own effort -- no hero receives “the boon,” or gift of transcendence without having won it for oneself by overcoming inertial forces, especially fear.

Campbell was a highly esteemed mythologist. He studied the whole corpus of world mythology—all cultures, ancient to modern. His research and creative insight led him to discover a pattern out of which all myths related to human evolution are constructed. That pattern he called “the hero’s journey.”

Join us as Finding Joe takes us on the ultimate hero’s journey: the journey of self discovery.  It’s truly an inspirational and life enriching film -- running time 80minutes.

• Clarity
• Focus
• Creativity
• Compassion

After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Nightline anchor, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes in his life. A lifelong nonbeliever, he found himself on a bizarre adventure, involving a disgraced pastor, a mysterious self-help guru, and a gaggle of brain scientists. Eventually, Harris realized that the source of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, which had both propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business and also led him to make the profoundly stupid decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out.

We all have a voice in our head. It’s what has us losing our temper unnecessarily, checking our email compulsively, eating when we’re not hungry, and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. Most of us would assume we’re stuck with this voice – that there’s nothing we can do to rein it in – but Harris stumbled upon an effective way to do just that.

It’s a far cry from the miracle cures peddled by the self-help swamis he met; instead, it’s something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation. After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain, Harris took a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness.

He shares this journey in his new book: 10% HAPPIER: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story. 10% Happier takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, and leaves us with a takeaway that could actually change our lives.

“A compelling honest, delightfully interesting, and at times heartwarming story of one highly intelligent man’s life-changing journey toward a deeper understanding of what makes us our very best selves.”

– Chade-Meng Tan, author of Search Inside Yourself  

“Do you ever wake up in the morning and ask yourself: “Am I in the right job?” “At the right company?” “On the right career path?” “Doing what I am supposed to be doing with my life?” If so, you are not alone,” writes Louis Efron, Forbes Magazine contributor.

Numerous studies have shown that people dislike their jobs … Deloitte’s Shift Index survey indicates that 80% of workers don’t like their jobs and Arizona based “purpose” firm, Ignite, reports that more than 95% of workers in the U.S. are in the wrong roles. So why aren’t we in jobs we love?

In this class we will explore through narrative and exercises:

• What does a meaningful job - one that does more than pays the bills - really look like?
• How important is it to have a job that supports your personal values, uses your talent, and feels like what you were born to do?
• Why your dream job may not be as satisfying as you make it out to be.
• Whether to pursue a job for money, to build a resume, or for purpose.
• What you were passionately curious about as a child that you wish you could still do?

 "Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart." - Rumi

Jeff Madrick has written a compelling book: Age of Greed a Publishers Weekly Top Ten pick for Spring 2011.

Jeff Madrick makes clear in a narrative at once sweeping, fast-paced, and incisive, that the single-minded pursuit of huge personal wealth has been on the rise in the United States since the 1970s, led by a few individuals who have argued that self-interest guides society more effectively than community concerns. These stewards of American capitalism have insisted on the central and essential place of accumulated wealth through the booms, busts, and recessions of the last half century, giving rise to our current woes.

Intense economic inequity and instability is the story of our age, and Jeff Madrick tells it with style, clarity, and an unerring command of his subject. What’s different about the book, is that unlike other recent treatments of the financial crisis, it traces the origins of the problem not to the Bush or Clinton or even Reagan years, but all the way to the late 1960s.

The real scandal revealed by Madrick’s important book is not the well-known tales of dastards such as telecom analyst Jack Grubman or Internet stock promoter Frank Quattrone, but the more elusive and more consequential story of how the government came to abdicate this supreme responsibility.’

'The Age of Greed is a fascinating and deeply disturbing tale of hypocrisy, corruption, and insatiable greed. But more than that, it’s a much-needed reminder of just how we got into the mess we’re in—a reminder that is greatly needed when we are still being told that greed is good'. - Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, The New York Review of Books

"I will tell you the secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when others are greedy." - Warren Buffett

America is on the verge of losing yet another natural resource. In about ten years, three-quarters of American oldest generation will be gone. They will take with them lessons learned about living through illness, failure, poverty, loss and danger…and more basic things like lessons learned about work, love, parenting and growing old.

Dr. Karl A. Pillemer, a professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, created the Life Lessons Project in 2004, as a way of collecting practical advice from America’s elders. He knew that for the first time in history we humans have access to the accumulated wisdom of vast numbers of older people.

Pillemer, spent five years interviewing hundreds of elderly Americans, and found himself startled by their candor, their insights, and yes, their wisdom. He has summarized their thoughts in a book titled, 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.

Their advice ranged from:

• How to be happy on a day-to-day basis
• The secrets to a successful marriage
• Tips on raising children
• Ways to have a fulfilling career
• Strategies for dealing with illness and loss
• The importance of long-term care
• How to grow old fearlessly and well

His book has been getting a lot of buzz since released…it has hit a nerve! It’s been written and talked about on: CNN, PBS, Huffington Post, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Tampa Bay Times, Psychology Today, Blog Talk Radio and more.

"My grandmother would strongly agree with much of the collected wisdom, particularly the adage that happiness is a choice and that a practice of gratitude is intrinsic to being happy. I can't wait to read the book!" -Chelsea Clinton

We all know the current global economic system is severely troubled. Most people believe that corporate greed plays a major role in today’s economic turmoil and that human values are lacking in business decisions and actions. Money worries top the list of many people.

Patricia Aburdene one of the world’s leading social forecasters and co-author of four Megatrends books with John Naisbitt—including the New York Times bestseller Megatrends 2000, has discovered another emerging megatrend which she describes in her latest book, Conscious Money.

She believes that if you look below the surface of the current economic disaster, there is a holistic, values-based economic transformation underway opening the door to a new era that can bring fulfillment and prosperity. This emerging megatrend she calls: Conscious Money. Conscious Money is a growing movement of people who draw on values, creativity, and the power of human consciousness to clarify and guide their financial choices.

Join us for this new, profound and life-changing conversation as Patricia shares how you can make financial choices that reflect your values by:

• Identifying your unique personal values
• Breaking down barriers to financial success
• Partnering & working for companies that reflect your values
• Expressing your values through conscious shopping
• Investing in enterprises that honor the planet

Patricia has discovered that people want their money life (where they earn, spend and invest their money) to better reflect the values espoused in their personal and spiritual lives. They want to make financial choices that reflect their values and awareness. They also want to develop a new economy and a way of life that grows out of their true values.

"We have a new economic era now – where sustainable values and the genius of human consciousness outperform fear and greed."
– Marianne Williamson

Are you one of those people who have been looking for love in all the wrong places? Or perhaps you are someone who has found love, only to find that it fizzles out faster than a lit match in the spring rain? Have you genuinely tried your best to leave behind your pattern of unfulfilling relationships, only to find that you keep on going back to them, again and again?

Dr. Srini Pillay will spend an evening with us to unravel the mysteries of love and help us make wiser more informed choices about the loving relationships in our lives. He will address the following questions with cutting-edge scientific answers:

1. Why do so many people look for love in all the wrong places? What can you do about this?
2. Why you end up doing all the wrong things in love despite your best intentions? How can you change this?
3. Why does loving someone else require that you love yourself first? How can you achieve without the hype of a contemporary tabloid?
4. Why do you repeat your destructive patterns of falling in love? How can you escape these patterns?
5. Why does love become so boring so quickly? What can you do to lead a more sustainable fulfilling romantic life?

Dr. Pillay will also explain in everyday language how our fears complicate finding and forming loving relationships that last. By helping us understand the science of love, Dr. Pillay will help us move through the roadblocks that prevent us from living a satisfying, fulfilling and magical life.
"The secret to living life successfully is to recognize that you can be different from what is happening to you." - Srinivasan S. Pillay

After having to turn back during her first attempt at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Herta Von Stiegel vowed to return a decade later in a big way. For her 50th birthday, Von Stiegel paired a group of seven people with disabilities with able-bodied climbers to benefit Enham, a non-profit that empowers people with disabilities.

The emotionally charged climb to the top was captured in her award-winning documentary The Mountain Within. She also wrote a book about the experience, The Mountain Within: Leadership Lesson and Inspiration for Your Climb to the Top.

The book weaves a dramatic narrative of the gripping Kilimanjaro climb with personal stories of other mountains met and mastered; stories about the obstacles some of the world’s most influential leaders face in knowing themselves and their values, being true to both while ascending the highest peaks. Full of practical wisdom, courage and inspiration, The Mountain Within expands our understanding of what achievement means and the roads we can take to get there.

Von Stiegel’s second attempt was a success. She learned that life may be full of obstacles, but it is the mountain within that most often needs to be conquered. Her story reveals several invaluable lessons for today’s business leaders:

• Ruthlessly prepare
• Use failure as a stepping-stone for success
• Hang on to your vision
• Know when it's time to come down from the mountain

"It’s the mountain within that needs to be conquered one day at a time." – Herta Von Stiegel

Scientists have discovered the secret of healthy permanent weight loss – and it’s got nothing to do with dieting! People are over-weight because they are imprisoned by their bad habits. The fatter someone is, the more habits they have.

Charles Duhigg award-winning New York Times business reporter has written a new book: The Power of Habit …why we do what we do and how to change it. The book examines the specific ways in which people are learning to radically manipulate habits –either their own or those of other people and confirms that once we understand how habits really work, and how change occurs, we can develop new habits or get rid of old ones with the same basic tools. This discovery will inspire people to re-think many aspects of their daily lives.

Duhigg will explore why some people, companies, and communities never achieve real transformation, while others remake themselves almost overnight. He will share the key to conquering our most stubborn vices. We will learn that transforming a habit – or a life – isn’t necessarily easy or quick. It isn’t always simple. But it is possible.

An article adapted from his new book ‘The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.’ was recently featured on the front cover of the New York Times Magazine

‘By the time we reach adulthood, we are driven as much by habit as by anything else, and there is infinity of habits in us. They do not merely rule us; they inhibit us and make fools of us.’ –Warren Bennis

Join us and witness the possibility and hope that come from listening to each other's stories and perspectives.

Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there - Rumi

MY SO-CALLED ENEMY has been praised as "moving, powerful, intelligent and brave" (The Nation) and "a mesmerizing, eye-opening film that shows the true power of friendship and empathy to conquer political boundaries." (Teen Voices)
Spanning seven years, MY SO-CALLED ENEMY follows six Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls committed to justice and mutual understanding after participating in a women's leadership program in the United States called Building for Peace.

This heart and mind-opening film, from Emmy® Award-winning director Lisa Gossels documents how the young women's transformative experience of knowing their "enemies" as human beings meets with the realities of their lives back home in the Middle East.

The award-winning director Lisa Gossels will be available to answer questions following the screening. Running time is 89 minutes. Check out the trailer here.

• How does the mother whose husband and daughter were gunned down by terrorists forgive the men that murdered them?
• How do the parents whose teenage daughters were killed by a drunk driver embrace the person who robbed them of their children?
• And how do we forgive the multitude of lesser wrongs and inevitable slights that we will face throughout our lives?

The question of whether or not the soul exists cannot be answered by science, but we can study the causes and consequences of people's various beliefs about the soul, and that is the area in which we are beginning to make progress," says Daniel Ogilvie.

We all love to sing in the shower and don't care how we sound. Why can't we carry that freedom and non-judgment into our everyday lives? Why can't we fully express who we are without being self-conscious and afraid, without trying to be perfect?
What is your story? What is your reason for no longer expressing yourself freely? As children, we all embraced the process of life so easily. We were able to create, dance, and sing without fear. We knew then that singing connected us to something beyond ourselves. But something happened along the way… and we lost the sight and the sound of our own true voice.

Join us for a magical day of rediscovering your creative, lighthearted self once again. We'll begin our journey with a morning dedicated to silencing judgment and quieting our inhibitions, allowing for a sense of wonder to rush back in. Following a conversation about the nature of performance anxiety, we'll spend the afternoon singing, playing, and exploring our voices in a safe and fun environment.

No matter what you 'do' for a living, don't miss this incredible opportunity to express your authentic voice and true, creative self. And bring that song you've always wanted to sing along with you! Even if you're unsure of whether you'll be able to work up the courage to perform it, don't miss this incredible workshop! Jennifer Hamady has a variety of non-singing tools that will enable you to discover, develop, and celebrate your authentic voice.
Qualifications: no talent needed except for positive thinking