Leading Conversations

Cheryl Esposito welcomes James O’Dea, international peace activist and author. He is the former Washington D.C. Office Director of Amnesty International. He is Co-Director of the Social Healing Project, and extended faculty and past president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. His newest book has just been released: Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st-Century Peace Ambassador. “We are in an evolution of consciousness and the time to activate our will- NOT our willfulness- is now.” According to James O’Dea, the dance of life includes the courage to be who you are; having humility to see what has been put in us to do, and living our true qualities and capacities. His path is that of peacemaker. What is yours? Join Cheryl Esposito & James O’Dea to discern your own capacities in the evolution of consciousness.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Shailja Patel, an award-winning Kenyan poet, artist & political activist. Growing up in Kenya Shailja experienced the impact of war on the lives and spirit of the people. Her path took her on a journey from working on Wall Street to living a monastic life, running non-profits, eventually finding her voice in poetry. Today she is a performance artist bringing her work to people around the world. Her one-woman show, Migritude, unfolds hidden histories of women's lives in the bootprint of Empire, from India to East Africa. Shailja’s powerful performances bring her audiences to an introspective space of connection with the raw emotion and impact of war and oppression. The irresistible passion and eloquence of her words touches people at a core level and inspires them to take action. Shailja recently performed at Bioneers and said, “The fifteen-second pindrop silence after I finished my performance was worth three standing ovations.” Words shape us. They inspire. Join the conversation.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Dr. Anita Sanchez, Aztec and Mexican-American thought leader, global business consultant, and author of The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times. Wisdom is speaking...can you hear it? Have you allowed yourself the quiet to listen for wisdom in you, wisdom of lineage, wisdom of humanity? Never in human history have we had access to so much information, and so little of the wisdom we crave. Data has its place, and, it has made us lazy. We have moved so far away from our human nature that we have forgotten that we are all connected as people. We have forgotten our inner voice, our wisdom connection. Dr. Anita Sanchez is calling on all of humanity to pause, take a breath & remember our unbreakable human bond. Earth’s Elders offer the four sacred gifts, to help us embrace the lives we have been given, and remember we are one race – the human race. Join Cheryl Esposito & Dr. Anita Sanchez to hear the wisdom of the Four Gifts…it’s speaking to you.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Sandra Joseph, a history-making Broadway star turned author and speaker. For nearly a decade, she played one of the best-known roles in Broadway history: Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Her new book is Unmasking What Matters: 10 Life Lessons from 10 Years on Broadway. Sandra’s extraordinary journey includes transforming her own life from being too afraid to sing in public (yes, really!) to becoming the longest-running leading lady in Broadway’s longest-running show. When asked, ‘How did you overcome the fear?’ she says, “…I really never did. I learned how to work with it. …I had to master walking into fear. Making friends with that feeling is my path to awakening.” Are you ready to know who you are beyond the roles you play, to choose love over fear, to live an unmasked life that is fueled by meaning, joy, and purpose? Join Cheryl Esposito & Sandra Joseph to see what life can be like when you choose to live beyond the fear.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes David Jay, an international fashion photographer & founder of The Scar Project, a series of large-scale portraits of young breast cancer survivors to raise awareness, challenge traditional perceptions about the disease. David Jay has been shooting fashion & beauty professionally for over 20 years. His images have appeared in a multitude of international magazines & advertising campaigns. As an edgy fashion photographer, he was personally impacted when a friend in her twenties was diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was a remarkable collaboration that led to The Scar Project. David has photographed more than 100 breast cancer survivors. The exhibition of large-scale portraits travels the world. A book of these portraits has been created - The Scar Project: Breast Cancer Is Not a Pink Ribbon. Join Cheryl Esposito and David Jay to discover the difference one person can make around the world when you refuse to look away.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Kimi Werner, filmmaker & blue planet advocate. She is a National Spearfishing Champion, freediver, chef, artist & entrepreneur. Imagine falling in love with the ocean. Feeling safe & free & nurtured by something so vast, yet, so intimate. At 5 years old Kimi Werner knew ocean as home. It shaped her spirit for living & reverence for all life. On the island of Maui, Kimi spent days with family, gathering food from ocean & land, having a magical childhood. Love of ocean & freediving became a path to success, & later a learning - success doesn’t always equal happiness. “The woman who rode the back of a great white shark” (yes, she did!), mastered something else, too: the power of hearing her own voice. What is the thread in your life that has stayed central to all you have become? …that litmus test for your true self? It has stories to tell you, in your own voice. Join Cheryl Esposito & Kimi Werner on a dive into Voices from the Deep in Oceans of Love

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Dr. Lyly Rojas, a university professor, international humanitarian, and co-founder of the European Institute of Collaborative Law. She specializes in the teaching the culture of Peace (inner and outer) and Corporate Social Responsibility, and Multicultural Intelligence. Lyly was born in Nicaragua, a country of conflict with a long history of turmoil, and ultimately her family had to flee because of their political beliefs. She has worked with and consulted to the United Nations; as an advisor to the Vatican in the trafficking of human beings; in war zones training diplomats, human rights workers, the military, and tortured women & children. The unifying theme for her work: compassion and dignity for self and others. Lyly says that we cannot begin to help others heal if we cannot heal ourselves. “How can you teach peace if you are not peaceful within yourself?” Her current book project is titled: From Inner Peace to Outer Peace and All the Pieces In Between.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Frederick Johnson, an accomplished vocalist & percussionist, recognized internationally as one of the world’s greatest vocal jazz improvisers. He has recorded & toured with jazz legends Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin, Patti La Belle, George Benson, BB King & others. Around the world, Fred teaches the power of creative expression as a tool for personal wellbeing & healing. He utilizes the arts to empower organizational leaders & teams to explore new ways of interacting. He leads global programs bringing people together from diverse spiritual & cultural backgrounds to create artistic forums for learning, sharing, reconciliation, vision & hope. His book, Quiet Callings, is a journey to inspire the soul & enliven the energy within. Does leadership have a sound? Can music inspire an organization? Join Cheryl Esposito and Frederick Johnson to hear the Quiet Callings of Sound Leadership.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Kute Blackson, a unique visionary in the world of human potential. His book You.Are.The.One. is a compassionate, no holds barred approach to living life: a bold adventure, on purpose. Who do you think you are? We’ve all heard this from someone chastising us for thinking big or questioning reality. Kute Blackson really wants to know your answer. “Who you think you are” will shape the life you live. Kute’s vision: “Live the wild freefall that is life, with arms wide open, living each moment completely fresh, & alive. Pick up the instrument that is your heart & play it fully.” We are living in amazing times of tremendous change. Old paradigms are collapsing; old ways are no longer working. It’s our wake up call for us to reinvent ourselves, reconnect with what is important, realize who we truly are. Are you ready to create a life that is your masterpiece? Join Cheryl Esposito & Kute Blackson to begin your journey deep into the essence of YOU: You.Are.The.One.

Cheryl Esposito welcomes Philo Ikonya of Kenya, a human rights activist, social change motivator, ardent poet, writer and lecturer. Philo holds postgraduate degrees in the Arts and consults on gender, governance and media issues. Philo courageously writes about the injustices of Kenya. In her series, Kenya Is Burning, she reflects on her country's struggles with the devastating violence that has claimed so many lives and turned its people against each other. The women of Kenya have always been aware of injustice in our society...we've always known that the deep inequalities in our country would lead to the destruction of this nation. Philo has decided to wear sacks instead of regular clothes to protest the current violence in Kenya. She has helped organize a campaign urging Kenyan women to wear sacks for clothes for as long as we do not have peace in Kenya; as long as we do not have justice and reform. Join us to hear this extraordinary story of courage and vision for a just world.