A Quest for Well-Being

— We humans create beauty through love, gratitude, appreciation, wonder, poetry, dancing, stillness, music… Yet it may be that in order to be able unhesitatingly to give that "Yes!" answer, we need to step outside of our human selves. Did not the sun, the wind, and the water come joyously together to produce sparkling wavelets today, as they have for uncountable years? Are not flowers continuing to open their leaves and blossoms, birds to sing, and the moon and stars to light the sky? Are not the crows and ravens still playing and tumbling above us? The world around creates a depth and breadth of beauty that is awe-inspiring in every moment, if we will only pay attention.

All of life conspires to create beauty. It is our privilege, even our divine responsibility as humans, to perceive and appreciate that beauty. One of the ways that we do this is to acknowledge that this is indeed the most beautiful day of all time.

Acknowledgment brings us to place of gratitude. When we express that gratitude, we create more beauty. So as you proceed through your day and offer your gratitude for the tiny or grand examples of beauty that you see, know that you are contributing to this most beautiful day that ever was.

Valeria Teles interviews Wes Gietz — the author of " BORN WHOLE: Heal Your Pre-Birth Trauma. Guide And Protect Your Baby From Conception To Birth."

After four decades of wondering why humans were so strange, Wes Gietz got his formal start on the path of natural shamanism some thirty years ago, studying ancient survival skills, spirituality, and shamanism with Tom Brown Jr. During that period, he also worked with an Anicinabe medicine man who trained and authorized Wes to conduct traditional sweatlodge ceremonies. Wes Gietz offered sweats and guided Vision Quests for more than twenty years. The scope of his journey has included many aspects of human existence, from working with the spirits in rocks and water to gardening and Earth-based shamanism, being in the Realm of Souls and learning from the entities of that domain, and expansion to experiences of near-infinite consciousness.

Wes' currently work as a writer and personal/spiritual mentor and guide. He guides Past Life Regressions and Life Between Lives meditations. Wes has practiced and taught Emotional Freedom Techniques for 25 years. He teaches the physical and spiritual skills of the shamanic path. Wes is a wanderer and sometimes a channel.

He has published numerous articles on topics such as spirituality, healing, edible and medicinal plants, tracking, and Coyote Mentoring, and he is also a contributing author of Peak States of Consciousness, Volume 2: Acquiring Extraordinary Spiritual and Shamanic States (Grant McFetridge with Wes Gietz). Three years ago, Wes published his first book, Born Whole, the personal story of healing his pre-birth emotional traumas through meditative regression to the womb. These days Wes published a blog and newsletter of stories, observations, and occasional poetry. Book #2 is in the works; with the tentative title My Name is Dancing Fire. It is the story of his ongoing journey into awareness.

In 1999 Wes initiated the Firemaker Gathering, an annual week-long learning and celebration of ancient skills and community held on Vancouver Island. He is acknowledged as a storyteller and elder, and as a man who embodies the qualities of patience, wisdom, compassion, and understanding.

Meet Wes at windwalker.ca and firemaker.org

— A loving, and encouraging relationship with yourself, your body/mind/heart/spirit, and self-care is essential to heal, to cultivate a life of joy, and to reach your personal and professional goals. Linda Tumbarello brings decades of experience as a Psychotherapist, Bodywork Practitioner, Educator, and the founder of her own integrated approach to healing, to help you to embrace the wisdom of your body, mind and heart to support the life you want.

Valeria Teles interviews Linda Tumbarello — the author of " The Heart of Self-Care: A Woman's Guide to Joyful Living and Well-Being."

Linda Tumbarello is a pioneer in the body-mind field she has developed her own approach to healing from trauma and abuse, and cultivating the wisdom of body, mind and heart. Linda integrates body-centered psychotherapy, therapeutic bodywork, Body-Mind Centering®, embodiment practices, and movement. She has helped many to heal from physical and emotional issues, trauma and to live more joyfully.

Linda is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Body Mind Centering® Practitioner and Teacher, and a Life/Self-Care Coach.

Linda conducts workshops, advanced trainings, private retreats, self-care support groups for cancer survivors, and is a speaker. For 30 years, Linda was a faculty member in The School for Body-Mind Centering® Practitioner Training Program, and has taught in the Dynamic Embodiment Training Program with Dr. Martha Eddy since 1992.

Her new book "Joyful Sexuality for Women: A little book on a big subject" will be published soon. She is currently writing on Self-Care in the Hard times: Recuperating from injuries, illness, surgeries and loss.

Meet Linda at lindatumbarello.com

— Forgiveness is a radical way of living that openly contradicts the most common beliefs of this troubled world. It is radical because it involves a transformation of our thinking from thoughts of "an eye for an eye" to compassion and understanding. Forgiveness is the science of the heart, a discipline of discovering all the ways of being that will extend your love to the world and discarding all the ways that do not. Forgiveness is the accomplishment of mastery over a wound. It is a process through which an injured person first fights off, then embraces, then conquers a situation that has nearly destroyed him or her. Forgiveness

restores our hearts to the innocence that we once knew—an innocence that allows us the freedom to love. It is the means for taking what is broken and making it whole.

Valeria Teles interviews Dr. Eileen Borris — the author of " Finding Forgiveness: A 7-Step Program for Letting Go of Anger and Bitterness."

Dr. Eileen Borris is a clinical and political psychologist specializing in international conflict resolution, multi-track diplomacy, and peace building. Since the 1980s, Dr. Borris has worked internationally to help rebuild more than fifteen of the world's most volatile and war-torn countries including for USAID, UNIFEM and for UNDP. Most recently as part of a USAID and Thunderbird for Good program, Dr. Borris went to Kabul to train Afghan women to have a political voice and help change their societal norms.

Dr. Borris has spoken to the United Nations General Assembly on "Forgiveness and the Healing of Nations," and to members of the UN, UN agencies, and nongovernmental organizations worldwide. She has shared the podium with such prominent people as Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland at the Aspen Institute and facilitated an Interfaith Dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other prominent religious figures. On invitation by Marianne Williamson, Dr. Borris spoke at the Sister Giant Conference on "Can Political Forgiveness be the Answer"? She is currently writing another book on political forgiveness, "Healing the Heart of Humanity."

Meet Dr. Eileen at dreileenborris.com and drborris.com

— Creating companionship and community with others invites a sense of belonging and a genuine feeling of being valued. These are core aspects of social-emotional development that, when cultivated, awaken the blossoming of being and becoming human.

With an awareness and understanding of our interdependent, human nature, collaborative relationships can be attained without anyone's compromising of values. Gentle Teaching is rooted in this understanding that is referred to as a psychology of interdependence.

The relationship itself becomes the classroom and the key for developing companionship and a sense of community. Constructed with a framework of Gentle Teaching, it becomes the vehicle of mobility for exploring and discovering quality of life possibilities.

Valeria Teles interviews Anthony McCrovitz — the author of " Return to Gentleness: Journeying With Gentle Teaching."

Anthony (Tony) M. McCrovitz, Ph.D., is a licensed mental health counselor and psychologist, with clinical training and specialization in child development and the integration of approaches that are rooted in a holistic, biopsychosocial model. In 1996, he co-founded Globe-Star, an agency that provides accredited quality of life services and programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He continues to serve as director and is a consultant, mentor, and provider of training in a Quality of Life ModelTM of services. He holds a doctorate in I/O Psychology from Walden University, a re-specialization in Clinical Psychology from Adler University, an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a master's degree in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University of Chicago.

Dr. McCrovitz currently serves as President of Indiana Counseling Foundation (IPCF), has served as a Past President of Indiana Counseling Association (ICA), and continues actively serving as a Board Member.

Meet Anthony at qualityoflifeinstitute.org

— Over the long-term history of humanity, there have been four cognitive revolutions which jumpstarted our human evolution and success.

About 70,000 years ago, primitive, stone-age Homo sapiens were beset by climate change and unable to compete successfully on the harsh African savanna. They almost became extinct.

Then our big-brained ancestors discovered art and ceremony, and presumably dance, music, and song. And these puny two-legged creatures thrived and proliferated.

It is essential to understand that it was art, not sophisticated tools and weaponry, that was the driving force behind the first cognitive revolution: the Consciousness Revolution.

Moving forward through history, we fostered the Agricultural, the Industrial, and the Computer Revolutions.

But, today, storm clouds rise on the horizon again. Climate change threatens, and we as a species, beset by anger, division, and frustration. Yes, we have the most marvelous technology imaginable. But that is not sufficient. We need a second Conscious Revolution – based on positive thinking, love, cooperation, dance, music, and art – to provide us with the human power to endure and prosper. – Writes Jon Turk

Valeria Teles interviews him — Jon Turk — the author of "Tracking Lions, Myth, and Wilderness in Samburu , The Raven's Gift: A Scientist, a Shaman, and Their Remarkable Journey Through the Siberian Wilderness — among other titles.

Jon Turk earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1971 and was nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers of the Year in 2012. Between these bookends, Jon co-authored the first college level environmental science textbook in North America, followed by 30 additional texts in environmental, physical, and earth sciences. At the same time, he kayaked around Cape Horn and across the North Pacific from Japan to Alaska, mountain biked across the northern Gobi in Mongolia, and made numerous first ski descents and first rock climbing ascents around the globe. During extended travel in northeast Siberia, Jon's worldview was altered by Moolynaut, a Siberian shaman, and his later books reflect these spiritual journeys. Jon has published four trade books: Cold Oceans (HarperCollins), In the Wake of the Jomon (McGraw Hill), The Raven's Gift (St Martin's Press) and Crocodiles and Ice (Oolichan Press). Tracking Lions, Myth, and Wilderness in Samburu delves more deeply into a "mind-body-spirit" theme, supported by adventure storytelling, integrated with an anthropological view of the role of art and mythology in human development.

Meet Jon at jonturk.net

— Young people and adults alike are bombarded with information about COVID-19 and they need to know how to tell science-based facts from fiction. To beat this pandemic, they need to understand the ways in which the virus spreads and prevent it from proliferating. Because SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is host dependent and must attach to and live inside the cells of other organisms to survive, it's possible to outsmart and inactivate the virus by first understanding the ways in which it spreads and then by engaging in measures to avoid, inactivate, and suppress its spread.

Asymptomatic infections contribute to more than 50 percent of the spread of COVID-19, making transmission hard to control. More alarmingly, "recent increases in COVID-19 associated hospitalization rates and the potential for severe disease in adolescents reinforce the importance of prevention strategies," writes the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Giving both young people and adults the knowledge for how to recognize how the virus spreads and how to suppress it through individual actions can help thwart infection of the insidious virus. Through understanding and individual responsibility, young people can shield themselves from the grip of the pandemic and move confidently toward a safe return to everyday life.

Valeria Teles interviews Sabbithry Persad — the author of " What Is Coronavirus?: How It Infects, How It Spreads, and How to Stay Safe"

Sabbithry Persad is a writer who tackles issues we face in the global community. Persad is the author of the Garbology Kids® waste management series for children, which includes Where Do Recyclable Materials Go?, Operation: Reuse It!, and We Can Reduce: Precycle It! She is the founder of Firewater Media Group and Green Solutions Magazine.

Meet Sabbithry at firewatermediagroup.com

— May the precious awakening mind Take birth where it has not been born before; Where it has been born

May it increase forever without decline.

May spiritual teachers appear in the world

May teachings shine forth like the rays of the sun

May the upholders of spiritual traditions be in kinship and harmony

And may those traditions long and beneficially endure.

As long as space remains,

And as long as sentient beings remain, Until then, may I too remain

And help dispel the misery of the world.

— Prayer for Healing — Emaho!

Valeria Teles interviews Ritu Kapur — the author of " Teach Yoga Touch Hearts: A Guide to Creating Inspirational Yoga Practice"

Ritu Kapur was born in India. At the age of twenty-two, she moved to the United States where she attended Boston University completing her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. In the years following, she met her husband, settled in the Boston area and raised her young family while working as an Occupational Therapist in various healthcare settings. She fell in love with yoga in 2009 and pursued two different yoga teacher trainings to learn different approaches. She has been sharing her love of yoga with people of all ages and abilities ever since. In 2014, encouraged by her husband, a long-time meditator himself, she opened her yoga and meditation studio, SOHUM. Teaching yoga was rewarding and fulfilling, and she eventually left her job as a Rehab Director to manage the studio. For seven years, SOHUM was a space that made yoga practices accessible to many; it nourished and nurtured the love of yoga for teachers and practitioners alike.

Ritu is currently teaching yoga classes online, planning local and international retreats, and working on her second book. She finds much joy in her ongoing studies in Indian philosophy, Vedic chanting, and Hindustani classical music. Her first book, Teach Yoga Touch Hearts has been received very well by yoga enthusiasts in many countries. She hopes that the messages from this book manifest as inspiration, guidance, and empowerment to many.

Meet Ritu at sohum.org

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there.

I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

— DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye

Valeria Teles interviews Norman E. Rosenthal — the author of "Poetry Rx: How 50 Inspiring Poems Can Heal and Bring Joy To Your Life." — It was chosen by The New York Times as a top wellness book of 2021!! Poetry Rx is also on The Poets List 2021 Poetry Wrap!

Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School and was the psychiatrist who first described seasonal affective disorder and pioneered the use of light in its treatment during his twenty years at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has researched other innovative psychiatric treatments and is the author of several books including the New York Times bestseller Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation and the national bestseller Super Mind. He currently maintains a private clinical and coaching practice in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. His work has earned him national and international attention in the world of psychiatry and psychology, as well as in the media.

Meet Norman at normanrosenthal.com

— Natali's wish is that we will find our brave, our truth and know that we are so worthy of this life and all we desire - to be unapologetically ourselves in every way possible.

There is nothing quite like a woman who embraces her power and unapologetically embodies her uniqueness.

She has dropped the 'Good Girl' mask and has decided to never again sacrifice her values for another's approval. She is completely and utterly unapologetic in owning all of who she is. She allows herself to be seen in all her glory and unreservedly shares herself with the world. Of course, it is a life-long journey to embody your unapologetic uniqueness. It involves radical self-responsibility, forgiveness and integration of the conditioning that has kept women small for millennia.

In her work, Natali Brown shares the wisdom of women who are on a mission to inspire the unapologetic empowerment of their sisters. Unapologetic will activate you to love all of who you are and to tap into the potent magic that makes you…. unapologetically YOU.

Valeria Teles interviews Natali Brown — the co-author of "Unapologetic: Shedding Inauthenticity To Become Uniquely You"

Natali Brown - Sacred Architect for the Light, Master Alchemist and Healer, Light Leader Activator, Best Selling Author and Spiritual Wellbeing Mentor, the Founder of The Divine Light Academy of Ascension and Sentaura Cosmic Ascension Energy Healing.

Natali is a Heart Leader, Spiritual Teacher and Way Shower for humanity guiding us to activate, alchemize, recalibrate and re-code our energy systems and upgrade our bodies and DNA to fully step into remembrance as new earth creators and enlightened, sovereign human beings.

Natali is truly gifted and a beautiful soul here to help us rise and live in authenticity and love honoring the human experience and our divine self.

She was called by The Seraphim and The Divine to serve the greatest good during the ascension, the Golden Age of Gaia and The Age of Aquarius.

She helps create powerful transformations for those she works with and specializes in activating and initiating light leaders of the new earth and teaches multi-dimensional energetic alignment and healing.

She is the Founder of Sentaura Cosmic Ascension Energy Healing, an ancient multi-dimensional creator source frequency which she channels in co-creation with the Seraphim and Diamond Light Consciousness through Sacred Geometry Creator Codes and healing energy to facilitate rapid transformation, healing and ascension.

Her cosmic connection with the Divine and guidance helps you expand and rise in alignment with your highest soul mission, to embody the full divine expression of your soul gifts in sacred service in this incarnation.

Natali's personalized mentoring programs, sacred soul gatherings, retreats and the Soul Searcher Podcast are designed to support you through your awakening and ascension process and to provide the exact tools and shifts you need to be courageous, confident, feel empowered and to transform your life and reconnect with your true essence so you can truly create a life you love.

She guides you to realize your potential, heal and release your limitations, trauma, unhelpful patterns and beliefs with an unparalleled depth of integrated wisdom, kindness and compassion.

Natali is also a certified Reiki Master Teacher and Healer, Transformational Life Coach, a PureBioenergy Healing Therapist and NLP Practitioner (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

Meet Natali at natalibrown.com

— Are you ready to end the vicious, often debilitating cycles of anxiety and depression in your life? Mike Oglesbee offers a groundbreaking new approach to eliminating the cycles of anxiety and depression that can change your life! Since developing the philosophies and systematic approach taught in his book, Mike has become well-known for helping people eliminate these disorders from their lives, for good. Most people are trying to manage or address the symptoms of anxiety and depression, but these disorders are symptoms of deeper conflicts within the subconscious mind. To achieve relief, you must first understand what they are and why you are experiencing them. Then, you must have tools effective enough to reach the conflicts causing them in the subconscious mind that are practical for integration in your life. Fight Back delivers this knowledge in a clear, simple format that is easily understandable, and teaches life-changing philosophies, tools and techniques to help you resolve these conflicts so you can live free from debilitating cycles of anxiety and depression. It will help you to eliminate the cycles of anxiety and depression from your life, learn how to gain mental and emotional stability and a sense of control over your life, be more effective in your decisions, habits, and outcomes, gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your experiences in life, and connect with greater levels of happiness, peace, and personal growth.

Valeria Teles interviews Mike Oglesbee — the author of "Fight Back: End the Cycles of Anxiety and Depression."

Mike Oglesbee is a transformative coach who has been helping people eradicate anxiety and depression and live more effective lives since 2011 when he founded Maximized Mind, LLC. in Myrtle Beach, SC. His diverse, unique background and experience with anxiety and depression, both personally and professionally, have led him to create a powerful system and philosophy that addresses the root causes of these debilitations. One of his main philosophies is that empowerment is the key to overcoming anxiety and depression, as well as most things in life. Empowerment comes through knowledge, and knowledge about the self becomes self-empowerment.

Therefore, he devotes much of his time as a coach, mentor, advisor, friend, and partner to teaching and helping people understand themselves in a deeper way that allows them to step into their own personal power and make the changes they desire in their lives.

Mike's formal educational background consists of a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and an MBA from Trident University International. He has received numerous certifications and training through several organizations and academies as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner.

Mike has been featured on ABC television shows several times, numerous radio programs, including international radio, and has been featured several times for his success stories in magazines and publications.

Meet Mike at maximizedmind.com