My Fourth Act Podcast

Rutherford Pascal is a seasoned Sales Leader in the pharma industry. His 35-year career led him to increasingly Senior roles, most recently as Head of Sales at Sanofi for their Respiratory and Gastroenterology Specialty Care portfolio.Rutherford is passionate about leadership development and mentorship. For his next act, he launched Glass Walls Leadership in 2024. Rutherford is a certified John Maxwell Leadership Trainer, Coach and an inspirational keynoter, with his first book, "The P.I.D System," about to be published. As one of the most visible African-American sales leaders in his industry, Rutherford is committed to fostering diversity within his teams and the benefits of embracing a diverse workforce.https://www.amazon.com/P-I-D-System-Preparation-Intentionality-Differentiation/dp/B0F8BBB7KV

In 1965, when he was 17, Perry Brass hitchhiked from Savannah to San Francisco where he spent a year living on the street, sleeping between parked cars or in SRO hotels, doing any job he could, and loving the freedom of it.After Perry moved to New York, Perry joined New York's groundbreaking Gay Liberation Front in 1969 and the staff of Come Out!, the first Gay Liberation newspaper. His poetry was published in many “gay firsts,” including The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse, the first mainstream collection of queer poetry. He has since published 23 books, most recently “My Life without Money and other poems.”In 1972, Perry and two friends started the Gay Men's Health Project Clinic, the first clinic for gay men on the East Coast, still active as New York's Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. The Gay Men's Health Project Clinic, organized and run by the men who used it rather than by doctors, became the model for many grass-roots health organizations in the gay community.

Michael Feeley had a successful career as an actor and model, performing and touring with stars such as Howard Keel, John Raitt, and Tovah Feldshuh. His theatre life was followed by a whole other 20-year-act as a professional recruiter in New York City.These days, Michael divides his time between a home in the center of France and another one on Saba, a small Caribbean island where he owns a real estate sales and management firm, Saba Island Properties. In his capacity as a life coach, Michael worked with celebrated entrepreneur and author Seth Godin. Michael now supports other accomplished humans who are ready for a career or life change. His compelling and very aptly titled book, "The Next Act," is just out.www.michaelfeeleylifecoach.com

The Reverend Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Jacksonville/Florida, graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1981 and was ordained in 1984. Russell has served congregations in Florida, South Carolina, Maryland and New York. He received a Doctorate of Ministry in 2013 from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC, with a Certificate in Christian-Muslim Relations from the Washington Theological Consortium.Russell is a social justice pastor. He serves as Executive Director for the Florida Council of Churches. He is also the current president of the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice and chairs the Local and Regional Ecumenism Committee of the National Council of Churches.

In a delightful twist, Rosemary Ravinal, the world's premier bilingual speaking coach, media trainer, and former VP of Public Relations for TelevisaUnivision Network, interviews Achim Nowak on his own MY FOURTH ACT podcast.Achim sheds light on how he made a series of critical career pivots in his 20+ years as a personal-growth-entrepreneur. These pivots include his recent decision to be based in Portugal, spend time on non-business writing, and launch his first Portugal-based enterprise, The Lisbon Sessions. Rosemary Ravinal explores what prompted her to leave a powerful corporate insider role to launch her own firm and embrace her passion for public speaking.

Tania Rivilis is a Ukrainian-born portrait artist. In 2012, Tania moved from Russia to Germany where she started to paint. Tania's lush and neo-romantic portraits quickly drew international attention and have been featured in group shows around the world. A solo show is opening this March in Madrid.Tania won the prestigious William Lock Prize from the Royal Portrait Society in London, showed at Christie's, and had one of her stunning art works shine on a billboard across New York's Times Square. Recently, she has begun offering art workshops for other emerging painters in Europe.

Haleh Shoa and her family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, bringing only their cherished photo albums. These albums were lifelines to the past and their only tangible reminders of the life they left behind. These experiences helped shape Haleh's passion for storytelling and memory-keeping.After a successful career in advertising, Haleh followed her heart and founded Picturli, a photo organization, archiving, and design studio in Los Angeles. Through Picturli, Haleh has helped countless celebrities, families, individuals, and institutions safeguard their legacies by organizing, curating, and preserving their most meaningful moments. Our conversation was conducted against the backdrop of the raging Los Angeles fires.www.picturli.com

Pier Paolo de Angelis is a true citizen of the world. Paolo started exploring the world in his early 20s, working in Europe, The Middle East, North and South America.While serving as Chairman of the now iconic Kripalu Center in Lenox MA in the mid 90s, Paolo led the transition team that transformed the former ashram into the largest Yoga and Wellness program centre in North America. After he moved to Hawaii, Paolo ended up partnering with Amara to help develop The Path of Azul, a conscious movement practice as a path of personal transformation.

I am thrilled to be part of a marvelous new anthology, DARING METAMORPHOSIS (Angel Lab Editions), that will be released on December 17, in both French- and English-language editions. DARING METAMORPHOSIS is a collection of deeply personal essays about personal transformation and reinvention, with an inspired cast of international authors.To celebrate this launch, I am releasing a special podcast episode on launch day with 3 colleagues who I greatly admiral: Brigitte Bojkowszky, a brand strategist from Austria, Richard Phan, a software engineer who lived through the dot.com bubble in Silicon Valley, and Sophie Roumeas, an exceptional poet, serial anthologist, and the creative force behind this book. We discuss the unexpected role that synchronicity has played, and continues to play, in our lives.ORDER BOOKUSA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPVQFCQ6Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DPVQFCQ6

Tracy and Derrill Thompson are creating the sort of international life that many folks dream of. Derrill is a former labor lawyer from Vancouver. Tracy is one of the founders of a Canadian software company, Beanworks, that specialized in accounts payable processes.After Beanworks was acquired by Quadient in 2021, Tracy and Derrill moved to Setubal, an old commercial fishing port just South of Lisbon/Portugal. Tracy is an active community organizer in Setubal's vibrant emigre community. To properly ring in 2025, Derrill and Tracy are launching their next dream business - a cocktail lounge in Setubal's charmed Old Town named Gatsby Cocktailaria.

David Allen is the author of the global best-seller “Getting Things Done” and multiple follow-up books, most recently “Team: Getting Things Done With Others.”“Getting Things Done” has sold over 4 million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, and is considered the single most influential Personal Effectiveness book of the 21st century. Allen's simple process has transformed how millions of people do business and life. His work has been praised by luminaries like Daniel Pink and the Wall Street Journal's former workplace culture guru, Sue Shellenbarger. 10 years ago, Allen and his wife Kathryn moved from Southern California to Amsterdam where they now reside.

Esmeralda Diaz-Aroca and Mike O'Neil are branding and social media strategists. Mike is a 2x Forbes Top 50 Social media influencer and LinkedIn Sales Navigator expert from Minnesota. Esmeralda is a former scientist turned Digital Strategy and Social Selling expert from Madrid.Linkedin is their professional playground and where they initially connected. They first met in-person in Costa Rica during the pandemic. They are now married and reside outside of Madrid. Theirs is a truly global story.

Gregory Gilmore is a Transformational Life Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) Practitioner. In addition to his own practice, Gregory also serves as an RTT trainer for Marisa Peer. The founder of RTT, where he supports and guides other aspiring RTT practitioners.Gregory is passionate about helping individuals get unstuck and reclaim their passion and confidence. His memoir, “King of the Sky,” will be released in 2025.

Ande Lyons is a 4x Business Founder, Startup champion, Host of the New England Podcasters Group, and the former Co-host of Boston's Founders Live Pitch event.Ande hosts the new proaging podcast “Don't Be Caged By Your Age” where she challenges societal and internalized ageism and empowers folks to thrive after 65. She is passionate about shattering ageism everywhere.

Clare Maxwell is a former professional dancer and choreographer turned certified Alexander Teacher and Somatic Movement Coach. She helps professionals and performers to feel more fully at ease in their bodies.Clare serves on the Somatics Faculty of Movement Research, a well-known NYC dance organization. An innovator in movement education and online learning, Clare has taught dance and the Alexander Technique in colleges, universities, hospitals and the NYC public school system. Clare has a lively practice in NYC and online worldwide.www.embodiedlearningsystems.com

E132 | When Novels Want To Be WrittenCyrus Cassells is a Poet. Translator. Cultural Critic. Actor. Professor. Cyrus is best known for his 9 poetry books, most recently “Is There Room For Another Horse On Your Horse Ranch.” His books have earned numerous accolades, including the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, a Lambda Literary Award, and two Pulitzer Prize nominations.Cyrus has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment of the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He is a Regents' Professor and University Distinguished Professor of English at Texas State University. From 2021 to 2022 he was appointed Poet Laureate of Texas. Rome, Paris, Montreal, Mexico City and Hawaii are just some of the places he loves - and places where he has lived.www.cyruscassells.com/

Charlotte Libov is a seasoned writer and keynote speaker, formerly at The New York Times, who specializes in writing about health and the Arts.Ever since she left Connecticut for fabled Miami Beach 19 years ago, Charlotte has become a “South Beach gal about town.” Sing Out, her Facebook group that celebrates song, dance, and all forms of self-expression, has become an influential forum for all entertainers, from Broadway and cabaret legends to karaoke amateurs, who wish to promote their events. In her Fourth Act, Charlotte Libov has emerged as the epitome of an unabashed arts champion and influencer.

Bestselling author, keynote speaker, branding strategist and provocateur Tom Asacker has spent most of his career in the fascinating world of belief and behavior change, and how it impacts both personal and professional lives.Tom is focused on helping people and organizations break free from self-deceptive thinking and reclaim their creative freedom and joy. His bestselling books include The Business of Belief, Sandbox Wisdom, and I Am Keats. Tom's TEDx talk titled “Why TED Talks Don't Change People's Behaviors” has garnered just shy of a million views. Tom's new book, Unwinding Want, is just out.

Carlos Gonzalez has been an Associate Professor of English at Miami Dade College for over 30 years. He describes himself as a "professor of joy, grief, wonder, listening. movement and sitting."Carlos Gonzalez's expansive view of how a teacher serves is informed by his passion for mindfulness, physical exercise. nature, and deep personal exploration. In addition to his work at MDC, Carlos teaches meditation and writing in South Florida correctional facilities through Exchange for Change, a Miami-based non-profit, and facilitates letter-exchange-programs between his students at MDC and incarcerated humans.

Gayle Zalduondo is a creative soul and seasoned serial entrepreneur. Among her many accomplishments is co-founding an acclaimed and innovative furniture company, Urbanus, with Andrew Kelly. For 20 years, Gayle served as CEO and lead designer for Urbanus, creating furniture for national retailers such as Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. She and Andrew successfully grew Urbanus to a business employing 85 employees.Gayle has since co-founded Miami's Little River Box Company, a firm that has transformed shipping containers into restaurants, kitchens, bars, bathrooms and homes. She Is in the midst of exploring her next creative act. This exploration has included movement studies. personal transformation tools, and becoming a Path of Azul teacher.www.gaylezalduondo.com

Ann Odell is a former architect turned celebrated brand strategist, futurist, and culture forecaster. She has led breakthrough creative strategies for endless Fortune 500 enterprises, working for Lippincott, CBX Worldwide, Gensler, Donovan/Green, and Estee Lauder.Ann now operates as the head of her own firm, animated by the firm belief that for-profit enterprises have the power to be fundamental change agents. Ann resides in Manhattan, with one foot in Italy.

Johannes Leerink is a seasoned business executive from the Netherlands. After a fast-track career as a rising star at Procter and Gamble and Sara Lee, Johannes dropped out of corporate life. Influenced by the teachings of Landmark and Werner Erhard, Johannes founded and served as practice leader of Vantage Group Europe, a boutique organizational consulting firm.Johannes has subsequently founded or co-founded other leadership laboratories such as Silk Leadership Lab and The Hidden Transit. In work and life, Johannes is animated by an ever-deeper exploration of inner healing, consciousness, and freedom.www.thehiddentransit.com

Larry Duplechan is the acclaimed and iconic author of 5 queer novels. They include Blackbird (considered by many the first modern Black “coming-out” novel) and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Got 'til it's Gone. Blackbird was adapted for film in 2014, starring Mo”Nique and Isiah Washington.In 2023, Britain's Team Angelica published Larry's delicious and sweeping memoir, Movies That Made Me Gay. It does double-duty as an encyclopedic and highly personal act of movie criticism, and it asks the provocative question: Can movies actually make us gay? Larry is the perfect guest to help me contemplate Pride Month in 2024.

Malissa Smith is the author of A History of Womens' Boxing, published in 2014. It is the first comprehensive history of the sport; Ring Magazine dubbed it “the Bible of Women's Boxing.”Malissa is a co-host of the popular WAAR Room podcast, a founding board member of the international Women's Boxing Hall of Fame, and contributed a powerful essay, “How Boxing Uncaged Me,” to a book we put out last year via Balboa Press, The Difference. Malissa's follow-up to A History of Women's Boxing, titled The Promise of Women's Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science, is out the first week of June and will be celebrated by an official book launch on June 15 at the iconic Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn.

Paula Ayotte is a professional dancer, poler, actress, and model. After a career as a dancer in LA in her 20s, Paula left for Hawaii, studied microbiology, combined it with her passion for scuba diving and forged a new career in maritime research, often living on boats for months on end.When Paula explored pole dancing as a hobby in her 50s, it turned out to be her ticket back to show business. In her late 50s Paula moved back to LA, performed in pole dancing competitions, found instant representation by commercial agents and, more importantly, immediately booked work as an actress, model, and dancer. Now in her early 60s, Paula is an avid pro-aging advocate.www.instagram.com/paulaayotte

Anita Barbero is a Wellness Coach, Speaker and Corporate Wellness Consultant who integrates over 25 years of experience as a health fitness practitioner, yoga & meditation teacher, and workshop & retreat leader in her practice.At ESPN, where high performance is key both in front and behind the camera, Anita served as an in-house Wellness Lead. She taught fitness, yoga, and meditation classes to employees at ESPN. In partnership with a ESPN Wellness team, Anita designed numerous innovative in-house wellness offerings including a pilot program for the Monday Night Football remote crew which offered onsite yoga, meditation, and personal wellness coaching.www.anitabarbero.com

Grace E. Niwa is a former piano prodigy who received a Master's Degree in Piano Performance from Juilliard, made her Carnegie Hall debut - and then decided to not pursue a professional career in music. Grace's subsequent professional life of multiple pivots includes being the Principal of her own PR firm and serving as Principal in a Global Executive Search firm. These days, Grace is the VP of Global Talent Acquisition, Talent Management and Early Career at the red-hot Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global pharma powerhouse. Grace arrived at Vertex after serving as VP of Talent Acquisition and Executive at the equally celebrated Flagship Pioneering. Grace is a disruptor and visionary in the highly competitive world of Global Talent Acquisition, with a drive and discipline that are animated by her early training as a concert pianist.

Rich Habets is a former management consultant from Maastricht/Netherlands who has roamed the world. He is a trusted advisor to CEOs, C-Suite leaders, and entrepreneurs who long to play a bigger game. Rich is opinionated, outspoken, and fearlessly questions the status quo - for others, and for himself. He has already lived several acts in his life, disrupted himself, and boldly pursued new visions for himself.

Geoffrey Roche is an executive in the healthcare industry who currently serves as the first Director of Workforce Development for Siemens in North America. Geoffrey is the son of a German-born nurse and a dedicated father to three sons. He is a powerful strategist in Healthcare who believes in creating change by fostering meaningful relationships. Geoffrey has already had an indelible impact on the healthcare field with his heart-centered approach - and he has several great acts ahead in his future.www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreymroche

Jay Samit is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on disruption and innovation. Jay raises hundreds of millions of dollars for startups, sells companies to Fortune 500 firms and transforms entire industries. He is a former NASDAQ company CEO and Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte. Jay helped grow pre-IPO companies such as LinkedIn, held senior management roles at EMI, Sony and Universal Studios. Everyone from the Pope to the President calls on Jay to orchestrate positive change in this era of endless innovation.Jay is also the international bestselling author of Disrupt You, published in ten languages, and Future Proofing You. During the pandemic, Jay began to create celebrated pop-art cartoons that brim with sly social commentary.www.jaysamit.com

Mohit Mukherjee is the Founding Director of the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education, which he launched in 2006. UPeace is a UN-established university based in Costa Rica; it is the only UN-affiliated institution devoted exclusively for peace education.Mohit, who holds a M.Ed. in International Education from Harvard, is a passionate educator in the areas of Social Entrepreneurship, Positive Leadership, and Organizational Happiness. His professional background includes management consulting, teaching high school, leading a venture-funded private-public partnership, and being VP of Programs at an incubator for social entrepreneurs.Each March, Mohit hosts a Global World Happiness Summit at UPeace in partnership with The World Happiness Foundation. He was born in Greece to Indian parents. While he currently lives in the United States, he can often be found in Costa Rica at the physical home of UPEACE.www.centre.upeace.org

Robyn Stratton-Berkessel is a luminary in an organizational change approach called Appreciative Inquiry. She wrote one of the definitive books about Appreciative Inquiry, Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions (Wiley and Sons). Robyn serves as adjunct faculty for the esteemed David Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry, housed at Champlain College. She delivered a powerful TEDx talk about "Playful Inquiry" and was the host of a brilliantly thoughtful podcast, Positivity Strategist.As Robyn enters her 70s, she has embarked on a journey of self-inquiry and new discoveries. Instead of giving voice to others, Robyn is giving voice to herself. She calls this journey "unshackling myself."https://positivitystrategist.org/

Heather "The Heat" Hardy held the WBO world featherweight title from 2018 - 2019. Heather works as a trainer and continues a career in professional boxing and mixed martial arts into her early 40s. Brooklyn-born and Brooklyn-based, Heather holds a BA degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College in Manhattan.While in high school, Heather had aspired to become the first female pitcher for the New York Yankees. Mom to a teenage daughter, Heather has been a persistent voice for women's boxing and is an outspoken advocate for pay equity in women's boxing. In 2016, Heather partnered with Dove on their #MyBeauyMySay campaign.www.heather-hardy.com

Janice Masters is a former psychotherapist of 22 years turned healer/guide. For the last 30 years, Janice has served women as what she calls a Spiral Path coach, mentor, and shaman to help them embrace their greatness and manifest miracles.At 78, after a year of facing pernicious health challenges and having a double heart-valve-replacement surgery, Janice continues to learn her own life lessons and is courageously exploring her next act.

Ellee Koss holds a Ph.D. in Economics and has served for over three decades as an educator and management consultant. She is a true renaissance woman - an author, artist, activist, and coach.In every aspect of her life, Ellee pushes the limits to draw out life's essence and fullness, and to surface the extraordinary. She and her husband, Oscar Gonzalez, divide their time between homes in San Francisco, Cape Cod and Puerto Cayo/Ecuador.https://www.isysnet.net/who.htm

Laurie Pickle Evans is a former partner in a Miami law firm. Ian McCluskey is a veteran journalist and thought-leader champion who served as a South American correspondent for Time Magazine and the Sao Paulo Bureau Chief for Bloomberg news. Their current life looks little like their past acts.Laurie founded Afrikids, a Miami-based nonprofit that is dedicated to helping educate and improve the lives of kids in Tanzania. Laurie and Ian met 6 years ago, became romantic partners, and Ian now serves as the Communications Director for Afrikids. How does a hugely accomplished professional couple juggle collaborating with partners in Africa and supporting a vital nonprofit organization?www.afrikidsinc.org

Doo wop, Broadway, The Met. Larry Marshall is a veteran musical performer whose exemplary Broadway career began in 1968 with the musical Hair. 15 Broadway productions later, Larry appeared on Broadway and in the National tour of the recent musical Waitress.Larry's many other Broadway credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Full Monty, The Color Purple, The Threepenny Opera with Sting, and Mother Courage with Meryl Streep for the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park's Delacorte Theatre.Larry has had many turns as both performer and director with the opera Porgy and Bess. He has toured in this show nationally, internationally, in opera houses and on Broadway. Larry eventually earned Tony and Drama Desk award nominations for his portrayal of Sportin' Life in the Houston Grand Opera's production of Porgy and Bess. His film roles include playing Cab Calloway in The Cotton Club and Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar.www.larrymarshall.net

Catherine Seo, PhD is the Co-Director of the Lipedema Project and Founder and Director of Lipedema Simplified, LLC. She is also the producer and director of the documentary The Disease They Call FAT. When confronted with almost certain immobility and complications from misdiagnosed lipedema, Dr. Seo traveled the world interviewing patients, doctors, surgeons, and experts and developed the film from her findings.Dr. Seo holds a doctorate in Media Psychology. Her research has been focused on empowering women who experience distortions of body image represented in the media by applying self-compassion and other meditation techniques. She is currently working on a book about lipedema and developing a series of online courses for patients and healthcare professionals.www.lipedema-simplified.org

Called ‘The Queen of Reinvention” by Fortune magazine, former entertainment exec-turned-coach Pamela Mitchell (aka ‘Coach Pamela') is the nation's premier expert in reinvention and founder and CEO of The Reinvention Institute.She is the author of The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention: Essential Survival Skills for Any Economy (Penguin), a Harvard Business Review Top Shelf Recommended Pick. Her audiobooks Mastering the Skill of Reinvention and Pivot and Pursue It have been Audible Original top 10 bestsellers.Coach Pamela has appeared on CBS, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and the Today Show, and been profiled and quoted in top publications including The New York Times, Businessweek, TIME, Men's Health, and Real Simple.www.planetreinvention.com

Jane Moore is the founder and owner of Papagayo Luxury where she curates custom luxury vacations and villa rentals on Costa Rica's exclusive Papagayo Peninsula.Jane has, in some ways. lived many people's dreams - and created many people's dream business. After a 12-year publishing career in Los Angeles with National Geographic Magazine, Jane and her husband left for Costa Rica to live their expat adventure. Serendipity led Jane to managing her first vacation rental. Over 11 years later, Jane now resides in Miami from where she oversees an expansive Papagayo Luxury portfolio of handpicked homes in spectacular Costa Rican settings.www.papagayoluxury.com

Eve Simon is an Expert in Leadership Transformation, Igniter for Innovation and Inclusion, Executive Coach, Author, TEDx Speaker, and Serial Entrepreneur.German by nature, Californian by heart - that defines an unusual approach in everything Eve does. Eve works as a creative and systemic business builder with corporations, executives, and start-ups all over the world to empower radical self-awareness and agile leadership for a more sustainable business approach.Prior to starting her own company ‘Inspirations Without Borders' in 2005, Eve managed national marketing, communications, and change at telecommunication giant E-Plus, as they transitioned from start-up, through rapid growth, and into the maturity phase. She regularly travels between Dusseldorf and Silicon Valley.www.evesimon.com

Evan Snow is an arts advocate, community builder, and creative entrepreneur who launched the Choose954 social movement to Cultivate Culture & Community in his native Broward County. Evan's initiatives have included the Fort Lauderdale Art & Design Week, AAF CreativeZen Inspirational Talks, & Zero Empty Spaces, a now national movement that converts empty storefronts into studios for artists.He is also a founding board member of The Ocean Rescue Alliance & The 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project which works to deploy artistically crafted artificial reefs in the ocean off the coast of South Florida.www.learningtochoose.com

Leah Komaiko's exceptional life includes doing stand-up and writing a memoir as well as 20 popular and bestselling books for kids, including the modern classic, Annie Bananie. Her books have been published by Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and St. Martin's Press.These days, Leah helps both individuals and organizations to find their essential stories. She got her first hire ever as a story coach with a Fortune 100 company because she discovered the connection between a brand that sticks and a children's classic. A decades-long resident of Los Angeles, Leah just abandoned the bustle of LA and moved to a small town of 7,500 souls.www.leahkomaiko.com

Stefanie von Fallois is a German-born life coach, psychologist and former nurse who now resides in Miami. She was for many years the head therapist at Dolphin Human Therapy (DHT), a world-renowned animal assisted therapy facility in Key Largo, Florida.Stefanie currently serves as a guest therapist at Curacao Dolphin Therapy Center in Curacao where she coaches families and individuals facing unique difficulties in their lives. She has been recognized in European newspapers, TV specials and documentaries. Stefanie also supports clients in her private practice in Miami.www.GoToStefanie.com

Doe Hentschel, Ph.D. is a former professional child actress who has had a sweeping career in Adult and Continuing Education, with tenures as the Dean of Adult and Continuing Education at SUNY Brockport and Dean of Extended and Continuing Education at the University of Connecticut.For the last 20 years, Doe has been the Director of the Third Age Initiative at Leadership Greater Hartford, a program that develops, inspires, and engages older adults in meaningful ways in the community. Doe recently turned 80 and just published her first book Look, Ma! No Hands!www.lookmanohands.netwww.leadershipgh.org

My new book, THE DIFFERENCE: Essays on Loss, Courage and Personal Transformation, co-edited with Rosemary Ravinal, is released today via Balboa Press, a Division of Hay House.To salute this exquisite collection of essays, I have a chat with 3 of the exceptional contributors - Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle, Carl Ficks Jr., Malissa Smith - and my brilliant co-editor, Rosemary Ravinal.What if you could have an audience with 10 successful humans who have inspired millions of followers around the world to lead more authentic, wholehearted and expansive lives? What if you could ask these individuals to pinpoint the ONE factor or experience that unleashed the greatest personal transformation in their lives?THE DIFFERENCE is that audience.www.thedifference-book.com

Jameson Currier is a celebrated gay writer, literary critic and publisher. He is the author of seven novels, five collections of short fiction, and a memoir. His writing is also included in many literary collections. Jameson's novel, The Third Buddha, about the aftermath of 9/11 in Manhattan and Afghanistan, was translated into French in 2021 and just awarded the Prix du Roman Gay in France.Jameson's reviews, essays, interviews, and articles on AIDS and gay culture have been published in many national and local publications. In 2010 he founded Chelsea Station Editions, an independent press devoted to gay literature. Books published by the press have been honored by numerous literary awards. Jameson divides his time between a studio apartment in New York City and a farmless farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. In recent years, Jameson has emerged as a prolific painter.www.jamesoncurrier.comwww.chelseastationeditions.comwww.chathamjunction.com

Betsy Cohen is a mother of 4 who lives in Palm Beach Gardens and loves cookie dough. In 2012, Betsy was given the opportunity to work part-time in the office of a bakery owned by one of the most talented pastry chefs in the country. A few years later, Betsy launched Happylicious by Betsy, a gorgeously curated and very happy brand of edible cookie dough. It can be found at the iconic Breakers resort in Palm Beach and ships to anywhere in the United States.https://happylicious.com/

Andrew Quarrie is a Jamaican-born serial entrepreneur who champions equitable neighborhoods. He is the CEO/Founder of URBLANDIA - a needs analysis platform for real estate development.Andrew hosts his widely distributed podcast - also titled “URBLANDIA" - where he focuses on social impact entrepreneurship within urban development. In 2016 Andrew also created and began hosting the annual Urbanism Summit, a conference and event series designed to cultivate transformative ideas for a new urbanism, with a strong emphasis on people and planet.www.events.urblandia.com

Mike Trupiano is a comic actor from the United States who resides and works in Berlin/Germany. He is a voice-over artist, celebrated storyteller, writer, storytelling teacher and coach. Mike's first commercial job after leaving New York for Berlin found him locked in an elevator with world boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko. Adopted when he was 3 months old, Mike's personal evolution as an adult was forever changed by his search for his birth family. Mike is the creator and host of the recently launched podcast Secret Son, an adoptee podcast about searching, identity, and secrets.http://www.miketrupiano.com/http://secretsonpod.com/

Leon Segal, Ph.D. is an innovation psychologist. As a founder of Innovationship, Leon helps organizations, teams, and individuals to imagine and design their futures. His vast expertise in the innovation field includes helming an IDEO office and teaching at leading institutions around the world. Innovationship's slogan is "Strategic Innovation made personal."Originally from Israel, Leon's work is informed by an eclectic past that includes being a pilot and a saxophone player. Leon's decades-long interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has led him to partner with other psychologists, guides and healers in the Jamaica Grief Retreats which foster the expression of grief and healing for parents who have lost their children. Consciousness and creativity are threads that weave through every facet of Leon's work and life.www.freestorming.comwww.innovationship.comwww.jamaicagriefretreats.org