When Peter encountered the Baha'i Faith, it stimulated his spiritual awakening and search. As a result, he traveled across the country after college and found himself entangled in a cult. He tells his story about his involvement in the cult and how he was able to extricate himself from it. Some years after Peter became a Baha'i he was offered the opportunity to work for the US Baha'i Office of Public Affairs. Most of his time there has been promoting environmental awareness, especially regarding climate change with non-governmental organizations. We talk about the Baha'i perspective on climate change in the interview.

Richard is an archivist and historian who has conducted research on the history of the Baha'i Faith in North America and the Middle East. His recent publications include: 1) An Iranian Enclave in Lebanon: Baha'i Students in Beirut, 1906-40; 2) Distant Relations: Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years; and 3) Wonderful and True Visions: Magic, Mysticism and Millennialism in the Making of the American Baha'i Community.

His most recent research has been on Baha'i history in regards to the promotion of race unity in America. He is also on the faculty for the Wilmette Institute. We discuss his new research in the interview and the Willmette Institute.

Carole has an MS in Environmental Management and Policy from RPI in Troy, NY. She has taught sustainability and environmental science at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD and was a team member designing and implementing a new environmental policy and science program there.

She has worked for The Nature Conservancy mapping endangered species and ecological communities; and has built cob and strawbale structures. She holds a permaculture design certificate and has spent several years using permaculture and edible landscaping to design her yard. She started a Northwest Earth Institute discussion circle in Carroll County, MD, which has evolved into the Sustainable Carroll County Community. She helped facilitate the first Wilmette Institute course on sustainable development and the prosperity of humankind. We talk about her work with the Wilmette Institute and the Baha'i perspective on the environment in the interview.

During Gary's 45 years of working life, he did biological research; worked for the US National Park Service in the areas of lawenforcement, search and rescue, and emergency medicine. He was also involved in biological/resource management planning in central California, mostly in Yosemite National Park and other areas of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Field Biology and a masters degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and Human Ecology. Gary's now retired. Starting soon after retirement, Gary began focusing on climate change by organizing community meetings and interfaith study groups on the issue. Gary is a faculty member of the Wilmette Institute; teaching classes on the relationship between spirituality and the issue of climate change. We talk about the Wilmette Institute and the classes he teaches during the interview.

Hussein, in collaboration with Hillary Chapman, is the author of href="http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-History-Bahai-Faiths-Nayri

z-ebook/dp/B00KYDPLIO/ref=sr_1_1?s=booksie=UTF8qid=1435353371sr=1-1keywords=Awakening%3A+A+History+of+the+B%C3%A1bi+and+Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD+Faiths+in+Nayriz+English" target="_blank"Awakening: A History of the B#225;bi and Bah#225;'#237; Faiths in Nayriz, an inspiring chronicle of the bloody birth of the B#225;bi movement in Nayriz Persia and its trying evolution into that city's Bah#225;'#237; communitymdash;a community that has grown to be the world's second most widespread religion.

Hussein is also working on publishing two other books. One on Tahireh, a renowned 19th century Persian poetess that became a force to be reckoned with for the B#225;bi Faith. She was ultimately killed for her outspoken proclamation of the B#225;bi Faith. And finally, Hussein is working on publishing a book on 'Abdu'l-Bah#225;, the son of the prophet founder of the Bah#225;'#237; Faith, Bah#225;'u'll#225;h. The book will focus on 'Abdu'l-Bah#225;'s time in America, especially when he was in New York City. Check out his websites: href="http://awakeningnayriz.org/template.php" target="_blank"Awakening and href="http://nayriz.org/template.php" target="_blank"Nayriz.org

Hoda is the president of href="http://leadingedgeconsultingandtraining.com/"Leading Edge Training Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a subject matter expert in the areas of leadership training, strategic planning, technology training, team building, curriculum development, and diversity.

Her interest in marriage and families has allowed her to discuss these issues on various platforms. Hoda has been facilitating marriage courses at various permanent and seasonal schools and communities in United States for over fifteen years. Through her efforts a "preparing for marriage" course has been approved by the state for a Minnesota marriage license discount. Hoda has a degree in Training and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota, and has completed graduate level course work at the University of St. Thomas executive program.

Sandra is the author of two books, href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Brushstrokes-Stories-Sandra-Hutchison/dp/0888012098/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1424535343amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Chinese+Brushstrokes+Sandra+Hutchison"Chinese Brushstrokes, a memoir of her time in China in the prelude to and aftermath of the Tiananmen Incident; and href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Nesting-Sandra-Lynn-Hutchison/dp/0853985324/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1424535391amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Art+of+Nesting+Sandra+Hutchison"The Art of Nesting, a book of poems.

Sandra holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Toronto and has taught at universities around the world, including in mainland China and Hong Kong. She currently lives in Maine with her husband and her twelve year old daughter. In addition to writing books, she teaches at the University of Maine and holds the position of Maine Studies Research Associate. For the past three years, she has served as poetry editor of a Maine literary journal.

Her research and writing on the Baha#39;i scriptures date back to her tenure in the English section of the Research Department of the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_House_of_Justice"Universal House of Justice in Haifa in the 1990s, when she worked closely for three years with the English writings of href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoghi_Effendi"Shoghi Effendi about whose work she has written in journals such as the Baha'i journal, World Order.

We talk about her literary work and her work with the Wilmette Institute.

Christopher is an attorney and independent scholar. Prior to becoming an attorney he taught at Michigan State University, Quincy University, Millikin University, and Carleton University. He is the author of various book chapters, encyclopedia articles, journal articles, and books. His notably works related to religion include " href="http://www.amazon.com/Religious-Myths-Visions-America-Redefined/dp/0313359598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419696699amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Christopher+Buck+Religious+Myths+and+Visions+of+America%3A+How+Minority+Faiths+Redefined+America%E2%80%99s+World+Role"Religious Myths and Visions of America: How Minority Faiths Redefined America#39;s World Role"; " href="http://www.amazon.com/Alain-Locke-Philosophy-Studies-Religions/dp/189068838X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419696769amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Christopher+Buck+Alain+Locke%3A+Faith+and+Philosophy"Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy; " href="http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Paradigm-Symbols-Christianity-Religions/dp/0791440621/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419696800amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Christopher+Buck+Paradise+and+Paradigm%3A+Key+Symbols+in+Persian+Christianity+and+the+Bah%C3%A1%E2%80%99%C3%AD+Faith"Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahaacute;#39;iacute; Faith"; and " href="http://www.amazon.com/Symbol-Secret-Commentary-Bah%C3%A1ull%C3%A1hs-Kit%C3%A1b-i-Iq%C3%A1n/dp/0933770782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419696842amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Christopher+Buck+Symbol+and+Secret%3A+Qur%E2%80%99an+Commentary+in+Bah%C3%A1%E2%80%99u%E2%80%99ll%C3%A1h%E2%80%99s+Kit%C3%A1b-i+%C3%8Dq%C3%A1n"Symbol and Secret: Qur#39;an Commentary in Bahaacute;#39;u#39;llaacute;h#39;s Kitaacute;b-i Iacute;qaacute;n". He is also on the faculty of the href="http://wi.bahai.us/"Wilmette Institute. We talk about Christopher's works and the Wilmette Institute in the interview.

Phyllis is President and creator of Skylark Publishing Company ( href="http://www.skylarkpubl.com/"www.skylarkpubl.com), which has offered materials to Family Violence Shelters across the United States since 1989. Phyllis has conducted workshops internationally on Anger Alternatives, Protective Behaviors for Children, Stories of Women and Girls as Heroes, and How Acknowledgement Heals Families. She is also an illustrator and author of several books including: ldquo; href="http://www.amazon.com/Assisting-Traumatized-Soul-Healing-Talisman/dp/0877432740/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419093615amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0amp;keywords=Assisting+the+Traumatized+Soul+Phyllis+Petereson"Assisting the Traumatized Soulrdquo; and ldquo; href="http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Wounded-Soul-Phyllis-Peterson/dp/1931847258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419093659amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=healing+the+wounded+soul+phyllis+peterson"Healing the Wounded Soulrdquo;, ldquo; href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroic-Female-Spirit-Collection-Tales/dp/1931847290/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419093695amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0amp;keywords=The+Heroic+Female+Spirit%3A+A+Collection+of+9+Tales+phyllis+peterson"The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of 9 Tales, and rdquo; href="http://www.amazon.com/Remaining-Faithful-Meditations-Relationships-Principles/dp/1888547502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8amp;qid=1419093747amp;sr=8-1amp;keywords=Remaining+Faithful+phyllis+peterson"Remaining Faithful. We talk about these works in the interview.

Leona is a musician and an author. She has written and illustrated two children's books. One is a picture book titled Kamal's Day, that hasnbsp;been produced by the US Baha'i Publishing Trust and is available on href="http://www.bahaibookstore.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=10440"www.bahaibookstore.com. The other is a book titled href="http://www.onevoicepress.com/content/babysitter-blues"Babysitter Blues for older children of junior youth age, which was also produced as an ebook by href="http://www.onevoicepress.com/content/babysitter-blues"One Voice Press last year and made available through href="http://www.amazon.com/Babysitter-Blues-Leona-Hosack-ebook/dp/B00DZ6O8V8"amazon.com. We talk about these works and her music in the interview. Leona's website is href="http://www.leonahosack.com/about/4576670034"LeonaHosack.com.