— Over the past 7 years or so, Sheryl Roessler has seen a huge uptick in students with anxiety (sometimes mixed with depression). She has always had clients who deal with anxiety, but our world has changed dramatically. Sheryl first saw indications of this with the broad use of cell phones and social media –TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and in the past, Facebook. It began with feelings of missing out or seeing people who looked a certain way and wanting to be like them.

As the outside world has become closer to us, and news travels faster, events that would not have been known are now binging on their cellphones all hours of the day. The teens and young adults have lived through school shootings, lockdown drills, a pandemic, climate change issues, hearing people spouting hateful ideas and thoughts such as racism, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQ trans rhetoric, and now, a war in Ukraine. The pandemic only heightened student’s fears and anxiety on top of losing a normal part of their school life during lockdown.

They basically lost 14 months academically, socially, and emotionally. It is most important that students are given a safe place to land. Hopefully, that is at home, but as academics have been impacted, home sometimes becomes a place where an emphasis is on schoolwork and test taking and everything else takes second place.

Valeria interviews Sheryl Roessler, M.A. — She is an educational therapist who started North Shore Educational Therapy to bridge the gap between tutoring and therapy. 

Sheryl earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education and earned a master’s degree in counseling. With decades of experience as a special education teacher and counselor in Chicago’s North Shore, Sheryl has developed educational and therapeutic resources for students with issues that impact self-confidence and academic success. With her unique approach, Sheryl is equipped with the tools to help struggling students succeed in their academic endeavors. Sheryl bases her services in Chicago’s North Shore suburbs, but sees clients virtually all over the country, and often internationally.

Sheryl works with the student to become more accountable and self-confident, while also giving guidance and support to the parents. Not everyone gets to live their dream. Sheryl is living hers by helping her clients achieve theirs. This is where her heart lies.

To learn more about Sheryl Roessler and her work, please visit: https://northshoreeducationaltherapy.com/

— Critical Memory Integration (CMI™) is an experiential psychotherapy that uses memory reconsolidation to help individuals integrate even the most distressing of experiences into their existing mental framework.

Unlike conventional therapies, CMI™ facilitates integration through direct experience rather than conversation or explanation, resulting in a more efficient process. The person is guided to tune into signals of bodily sensations and emotions, uncovering the root causes of patterns and responses. The process fosters deeper connections to capacities for growth and adaptiveness, leading to a renewed sense of self, and sustainable change.

Valeria interviews Estefana Johnson — She Is A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Trauma Therapist And The Director Of Clinical Training At ARISE Alliance, Is Leading The launch of a Powerful New Therapy Model Called Critical Memory Integration (CMI™)

She began her career in 2001 as a Behavioral Health Technician, briefly stepping away in 2005 to teach in Japan. Her diverse background spans multiple roles and settings, including residential treatment for at-risk youth and medical social work, giving her a well-rounded perspective on mental health care.

As the Director of Clinical Training for ARISE Alliance Institute, Estefana Johnson oversees the professional development and training of clinicians on Critical Memory Integration (CMI™). Her role involves designing and implementing comprehensive training curricula for mental health professionals to enhance clinical skills, particularly in trauma-focused care, PTSD treatment, and therapeutic interventions. Estefana also develops and delivers trauma-informed programming tailored to the needs of at-risk populations, bringing these services directly into community-based settings to ensure accessible, responsive care where it’s needed most.

She is currently a practicing clinician and Dosing Session Monitor at Lighthouse Psychiatry and TMS in Gilbert, Arizona, contributing both to clinical care and research trials exploring the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

Estefana’s work in community mental health, coupled with her personal experiences as a first-generation child of immigrants, has deeply influenced her therapeutic approach. Passionate about supporting foster and adoptive children, Estefana serves as Lead Volunteer, Board Member, and Clinical Director for ASA Now, a nonprofit organization that provides critical assistance, support, and advocacy for foster and adoptive children and their families. Her role with ASA extends to Shade Tree Academy, a therapeutic school designed for children impacted by foster care and adoption who have not thrived in traditional school settings. There, she provides trauma-informed staff training and has contributed to program development to support healing-centered education.

With a commitment to education, advocacy, and compassionate care, Johnson continues to make a lasting impact in the mental health field and in the communities she serves.

To learn more about Estefana Johnson and her work, please visit: https://arisealliance.org/

— “The inner journey is a mystery, so we lean into the exploration with a sense of experimentation, of playfulness, of openness, trusting we have the answers inside of us.”

Valeria interviews Dr. Loi  — She is a somatic psychologist, coach ("midlife midwife"), mother, workshop presenter, guided meditation leader and Ecstatic Dance facilitator. 

Dr. Loi  integrates her years of clinical training with her movement and awareness-based practices, grounding them into connection with the earth to facilitate a deeper understanding of presence, embodiment and reverence.

Dr. Loi has a background in the non-profit world (founding the single parent resource network in Austin Tx), has worked in radio, co-produced newspapers and music festivals, and owned an event production company. Her clinical work began in 2005 when she began graduate school as a single mother (after an almost 10 year break from school). She has worked with pre-school aged victims of trauma and neglect, in low income clinics that offered depth therapy, in a college counseling center, with couples, those mandated to attend domestic violence batterer groups. Her CRP was entitled, “The Role of Empathy in the Domestic Violence Treatment of Male Batterers” through a feminist theory lens and she graduated in 2011. She was licensed in 2014 after 3 years of postdoctoral training in a private practice neuropsychology clinic where she offered neurocognitive assessments and treatment after TBI (traumatic brain injury). 

Dr. Loi currently is in private practice seeing individuals and couples throughout California for therapy and intensives, via teletherapy and in person with a collaborative, holistic approach. She incorporates Somatic, Ketamine-Assisted-Psychotherapy, mindfulness, parts therapy, CBT, neuropsychology, Brainspotting (certified), and energy psychology grounded in a psychodynamic, depth-oriented framework. She specializes in affect regulation (anger management/anxiety reduction), integrating transformational experiences, prenatal/postpartum, parenting issues, midlife and menopause with a focus on empowering clients and encouraging their connection to themselves, others and the earth. She occasionally offers workshops and trainings, and hosts Ecstatic Dance Sebastopol (since 2014), often offering the closing sound baths and meditations.

Through her own journey of healing from physical and emotional over-sensitivities, she learned how to manage these overwhelming states and teaches this to others. More recently, after a TBI forced her to stop "business as usual" she created a program to assist women in midlife learn to slow down and reconnect to their inner wisdom. 

Dr. Loi educates and empowers her clients with practical strategies and guides them to a place of greater coherence and vibrancy. She believes that we are born wise and can re-learn how to live with ease and pleasure. She offers these clinical, spiritual and heart-based practices to assist humans in healing, reconnecting and awakening to the joy of being.

To learn more about Dr. Loi and her work, please visit: https://www.drloi.com/

Patrick’s book, Tears Run Dry: A Story of Courage in the Face of Poverty, Tribalism and Racism is a gripping memoir that chronicle Dr. Kalenzi’s extraordinary journey from war-torn Uganda to achieving the American dream. More than a personal story, this powerful book represents the global struggles of refugees, the silent strength of immigrants, and the deep resilience of the human spirit. With wisdom, vulnerability, and hope, Patrick shares the life lessons, cultural insights, and defining moments that shaped his path—from surviving systemic injustice to becoming a community leader and healer.

Valeria interviews Patrick Kalenzi  — He is the author of  “Tears Run Dry: A Story of Courage in the face of Poverty, Tribalism and Racism.”

To learn more about Patrick Kalenzi and his work, please visit: https://www.patrickkalenzi.com/

— How do you feel when you hear the word “psychic”? Spine-chilling goose-bumps or a thrilling allure? A burning desire to discover more or an impulse to run? Fascination or fear? 

We all have intuition, perhaps even psychic ability. So why don’t we use it? Fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, fear of meeting our dark side or the fear instilled in humankind during the Spanish Inquisition that still sits in our cellular memory and hold power over out otherwise unlimited minds? Natasha Rosewood brings the word “psychic” out of the witch’s closet and into the light of the New Age. “Now, more than ever in out history, the planet needs all of us to acknowledge our power by paying attention to our inner voices. But first we need to embrace and trust our intuition.”

Valeria interviews Natasha J. Rosewood   — She is the Author, Quantum Healer, Intuitive Coach, TV Host, Spirit Medium, Past Life Regressionist and GhostBuster.

 A long time ago, in a far away land—England—Natasha Rosewood worked as a flight attendant, during which time her life also took off into the metaphysical world of palmistry and other divine knowledge. But it was when she moved to Canada in 1983, that she evolved from palmist to Intuitive Spiritual Healer, and then Past Life Regressionist, Ghostbuster, Quantum Healer, Author, Screenwriter as well as radio and TV Host. In her dedicated healing practice of many years, she has empowered thousands of people to remember who they really are and to find their joy.  All five of her beloved enlightening, comedic and poignant books: Aaagh I Think I’m Psychic, (And You Can Be Too)  Aaagh, I Thought You Were Dead, (And Other Psychic Adventures) Ghostly- Mostly True Stories, Flight of Your Life - Confessions of a 1970’s Air Hostess and The Longest Flight of Your Life -Confessions of a 1980’s Air Stewardess are intended to inspire the knowing intuitive inside each one of us and remind us all  of  humanity’s unlimited potential to create, laugh and, of course, love, especially The Self.

To learn more about Natasha J. Rosewood and her work, please visit: https://www.natasharosewood.com/

— Do you ever feel like you're juggling a million things, constantly reacting to life's demands, and struggling to find peace? In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get lost in thoughts, emotions, and external pressures, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected.

But what if there were a simpler way to navigate the chaos? What if you could access calm and clarity, not by adding more to your to-do list, but by reconnecting with the wisdom within?

The key is to shift from resisting life to embracing it. This means listening to your body's wisdom, honoring your emotions, acknowledging your thoughts, and releasing the limiting beliefs of the ego. And, surprisingly, this path can be easier than the struggle of resistance.

Valeria interviews Manal El-Ramly — She is the author of  “Transcending Anxiety: From Fear to Freedom: Transforming Unacknowledged Fears Into a Life of Freedom and Happiness.”

Manal El-Ramly empowers self-discovery, inner peace and alignment.

With the mind of an engineer and the heart of a spiritual guide, Manal El-Ramly created the Mattain Method and founded Mattain LLC— a self-growth company dedicated to helping individuals evolve beyond life’s struggles and discover their inner truth. Manal’s work is featured on Insight Timer, in OM Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine, and she is also a TEDx speaker. Her book, Transcending Anxiety, is now available. 

Manal is actively building her social media platform, engaging with potential readers, and she is a member of the Hay House Writers’ Community.

To learn more about Manal El-Ramly and her work, please visit: https://www.mattain.me/ and

TEDX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvr5jBstT_0

— “In the gentle ebb and flow of life, we often seek to make a difference in the lives of others, hoping to touch them with a spark of our spirit. But sometimes, in the midst of giving, we find ourselves on an unexpected journey of receiving. 

Over the past month, a beautiful realization has blossomed in my heart: as I've reached out to heal others, I’ve been healing myself in profound ways.

Energy healing, a cornerstone of my life’s work, has always been a path of connection for me—connecting to the divine energy of the universe, to the unique vibrancy of each client, and to the deep, often unspoken layers of emotional and spiritual experience. Recently, I've seen an increase in clients seeking solace and healing in the therapies I offer.

With each session, as I channel energy and intention towards their healing, I’ve noticed a mirror-like reflection of healing light that shines back on me.

It’s a curious and marvelous phenomenon—the healer healing thyself through the act of healing others.  

This personal evolution has profoundly impacted my closest relationships, particularly with my husband. The more I engage in healing others, the more I find that the heart wall I built around myself is crumbling. 

Similarly, the connection with my children grows richer each day. As I align more with the universe and the energy flows through me, I notice a beautiful increase in the love and joy we share.  

Reflecting on this, I'm struck by the profound truth that our capacity to help others heal is intrinsically linked to our own healing. In every moment of connection, we are not just facilitators of healing; we are participants in a grand, intertwining dance of rejuvenation.” ~ Lucia

Valeria interviews Lucia Nicolini  — She is a Holistic Health Practitioner.

Lucia's journey in holistic healing began with her foundational training in Reiki and Craniosacral Therapy. Over the years, she expanded her expertise to include the Emotion Code, Body Code, and Belief Code, mastering the art of releasing trapped emotions, correcting imbalances, and shifting limiting beliefs. Recently, she has embraced the transformative power of hypnosis, creating her signature Pleasure Awakening Hypnosis sessions. Combining hypnosis with gentle hip movements inspired by yoga and Reiki energy work, Lucia offers a unique, holistic approach to healing that empowers women to connect with their sensuality, release trauma, and embrace joy and abundance.

To learn more about Lucia Nicolini and her work, please visit: https://www.lucianicolini.com and https://heal.me/lucia

— In the book Becoming a Warrior: Catherine Hand shares a heroine's journey that mirrors the heroine's journey in the award- winning young adult classic novel A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. From the early age of ten Catherine dreamt of making this young adult classic into a movie and fifty years later her childhood dream came true. She recounts her time spent with the legendary writer/producer Norman Lear and her 25-year-long conversation with L'Engle about the author's treasured book. Becoming a Warrior gifts us with lessons about acceptance of our differences, religion, science, free will, courage, hope and the power of love. In 2018, five decades after Hand first read A Wrinkle in Time, Walt Disney Studios released a major motion picture based on the award-winning classic. The movie was directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Jennifer Lee, and starred Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Storm Reid. Becoming a Warrior offers a treasure trove of wisdom and advice for anyone with who has a dream.

Valeria interviews Catherine Hand — She is the author of  “Becoming a Warrior: My Journey to Bring A Wrinkle in Time to the Screen..”

Catherine is the President and CEO of Catherine Hand Media. She was one of the two producers behind Disney’s 2018 film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s award-winning classic, A Wrinkle in Time. Her memoir, Becoming a Warrior: My Journey to Bring A Wrinkle in Time to the Screen, was published on October 25, 2022.

Hand began her career as a development executive for acclaimed writer-producer Norman Lear, where she played a key role in launching the national nonprofit People For the American Way. She later worked as a development executive for Francis Ford Coppola’s production company, American Zoetrope, before joining a boutique corporate video production firm, collaborating with major clients such as Apple and Hewlett-Packard.

Throughout her career, Hand has produced numerous events, radio programs, and television projects. She served as executive producer for a multi-part cable TV series on healthcare that won the 2009 GRACIE Award for Best Public Affairs Programming. In 2004, she executive-produced a television adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time for ABC, which earned the Best Feature award at the Toronto Children’s Festival. She also served as executive producer for the Discovery Channel Health Awards and associate-produced the Emmy-nominated ABC television special I Love Liberty. Her contributions extend beyond film and television—she played a role in mounting the televised 1984 Democratic National Convention and served as Vice President of Embassy Pictures.

In the public sector, Hand was a political appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as Deputy Director of Communications and Public Liaison at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As part of the agency’s core leadership team, she helped shape communications and policy decisions impacting 1.8 million federal workers. During her tenure, she oversaw events, managed OPM’s intranet, and produced over 75 videos and webcasts.

Currently, Hand serves as a consultant for Ann Hand LLC, a premier jewelry design firms. She is a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington DC and continues to inspire others, coaching individuals to become warriors in their own lives.

To learn more about Catherine Hand and her work, please visit: catherinehand.com

— Every year, 18 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. If you, or your loved one, is one of them, you know exactly how overwhelming, scary, and confusing it is to navigate the journey through diagnosis, treatment, prognoses, and all their accompanying emotions. Entrepreneur, business leader, IRONMAN triathlete, and five-time cancer survivor Bill C. Potts has waged a 20-year battle against the disease. In his valuable patient and caregiver guide, he shares his personal cancer story, and those of others, outlining everything you need to know to take on this fight. With empathy and honesty, Potts explains exactly what to expect, and shares lessons and important tips you can put into action all the way from diagnosis, to treatment, to remission, to cure—and how to face setbacks on your road to recovery. You’ll learn how to advocate for yourself, how to pick and manage your care team, and how to care for yourself emotionally and mentally. You’ll find out how to make your treatment days more comfortable, manage side effects, and understand test results. You’ll also find important information on diet, exercise, wellness, and staying active, as well as insights on how treatment and disease affects your immune system. With special sections for people wanting to support a loved one with cancer, facing and making peace with death, and recalibrating your priorities to get the most out of the life you have now, you’ll gain the knowledge and tools you need to manage this journey—from someone who is walking the path alongside you.

Valeria interviews Bill Potts  — He is the author of  “Up for the Fight: How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer—from a Five-Time Survivor.”

Bill C Potts has been married to his human for 32 years and is the father of 3 kids, including twin girls.  His sweet dog Pippa is by his side often!  He and his wife Kim are entrepreneurs and owned a Massage Envy and European Wax Center.  Bill was a C-level marketer with a fun and rewarding career. This included work at Fortune 500 companies, a start-up technology company, and the company behind the IRONMAN triathlon brand.  Bill owned a Marketing Agency later in his career.  His career highlight was working as the Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which was made famous by the two Dolphin Tale movies.  Bill and Winter, the dolphin, had a great relationship.  Bill even played hide and seek each morning with Hope, the dolphin.

Bill loves to exercise, is an IRONMAN athlete, and plays tennis many times weekly. Bill is also the author of a book like “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” – but for cancer patients.  Bill is one of the world’s leading experts on cancer – from the patient’s perspective, as he has beaten cancer five times, with number six in progress.  He is very proud of his book “Up for the Fight.  How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer – from a Five-Time Survivor.”  The book is changing and saving lives.  Guiding cancer patients and their families has become his life’s purpose.  He is busy doing it.

To learn more about Bill Potts and his work, please visit: https://www.billcpotts.com/

— It has been our personal walk along the trail of life through challenges to our health and well-being that have cultivated and developed the programs and services we offer.  What matters most has become self-evident. Being well, living well, and doing well are the areas in which Sol Sanctuary has evolved its focus. We know from personal experience what carries us through and what creates lasting health, well-being, and supports a quality of life that is meaningful and fulfilling. When we choose to practice ways of being that improve the quality of life in our day to day, then we are able to inspire and ignite hope and possibility for others. If we can do it, if our family can weather it and cultivate more healthy relationships, so can you and yours. It is our collective dream now, a dream that belongs to the community that continues to grow and gather. We each are able to provide a safe harbor for others as they travel the difficulties and triumphs of life’s road.

Valeria interviews Jen Jacobs — She is a humanitarian, visionary, coach, author, mother, and grandmother.

As co-founder of Sol Sanctuary, a charitable organization, and a co-founder of Everyday Seven, a community of educators, practitioners and coaches, Jen’s life is devoted to improving the well-being of our human life and elevating our experience of human connectedness, which is a crucial component to how well we feel in our everyday life.

She currently offers a workbook series that invites us to look at our life experiences as purposeful, and that each experience brings an opportunity for growth and remembrance of who we truly are. Her expertise is getting to the heart of the matter, assisting clients in developing authentic relationships with themselves as well as tools that create healthy relationship patterns with others. Jen’s focus is to foster and cultivate the development of individuals, families, and communities into regenerative relationships that create and sustain a symbiotic way of life for all. 

She has worked with Dr. Deepak Chopra and the late Dr. David Simon of the Chopra Center; the late Dr. Jeremy Geffen, oncologist and author of The Seven Levels of Healing; Spiritual and Emotional Wellness Committee, post wildfire community care; Camp Fire Collaborative, post wildfire community support; Choice Humanitarian, an international poverty alleviation organization; executives with Keller Williams Real Estate; The Mike Ferry Organization; Bruce Cryer, former CEO of Heartmath Institute; and Gary Malkin, founder of Wisdom of the World.

To learn more about Jen Jacobs and her work, please visit

https://www.solsanctuary.org/

https://www.solsanctuary.org/donate

https://learn.everyday7.com/