Beth Black is the Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys 10-15 that offers a safe place to “discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them.” The school uses indigenous wisdom coupled with modern psychology to help these boys grow and thrive. Beth’s son attended a therapeutic boarding school in the 1990s, and she says, “It has become my mission to seek out the best practices in education and emotional healing for young people and to design a benchmark school that will truly make a difference in the lives of children and their families.” Beth began her career with the Walt Disney World organization in corporate communications, helping the world understand “how Disney does what it does.” She was part of the illustrious team that opened Walt Disney World in Orlando in 1971. This lead to a 35-yr career career in marketing and corporate culture building and a deep dedication to taking care of the people on her team. 

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The youngest Latina ever to run a nationally endowed philanthropic foundation, this inspiring daughter of immigrants, Dr. Carmen Rojas, has dedicated her life to bettering the lives of underserved working people across the US. Growing up in a sprawling, multicultural family, surrounded by love and core values, instilled in Carmen a deep sense of promise. “For me, it’s really about supporting people, organizations and initiatives that create an alternative possibility where it’s not a zero sum game but where instead we are seen as collectively coming together in order to fill the promise of a multiracial democracy," says Carmen. Now, as president & CEO of The Marguerite Casey Foundation, this visionary, dreamer and truth-teller puts the money where it matters to support leaders, scholars and initiatives focused on shifting the balance of power in society — building power for communities that continue to be excluded from shaping how society works … and from sharing in its rewards and freedoms. She holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007. Her 2021 Seattle Times editorial, "How philanthropies can support grassroots social movements," exemplifies her purpose-driven life, awash in much-needed optimism.

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Wayne Irwin evolved his electrician trade into a radio broadcast engineer and now, a solar energy entrepreneur.  Wayne owns Pure Energy Solar in Gainesville, Florida and his company creates innovative products that help bring solar power to the world. Last year, Wayne followed his passion for music and launched his own radio station, WMBT "The Wombat" 90.1FMl in Gainesville, FL. "Gainesville's Locally Driven Radio is also streaming  worldwide on www.wmbt901.com, playing every flavor of music and building passionate community along the way. Whether he's harnessing the sun or taking your eclectic musical request, this devoted father, husband, inventor and entrepreneur, success is about continually evolving and staying focused on the things that matter most in life. 

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Steff Florentina grew up in Nova Scotia, the daughter of an excellent tennis player who introduced her to the sport at age 5. “My life was tennis. When we weren't playing tennis, we were watching tennis, or going over areas that I could improve. My typical schedule growing up was wake up at 5, drive 35 minutes to the tennis courts, be on the courts from 6:00-8:00, make it to school just in time ... , play tennis during lunch (rain or shine), play tennis after school from 4-6. Eat, do homework, watch tennis and do it all again." When her devotion to tennis began to wane in her teens, she had some hard choices to make. This episode deals with the tricky terrain of expectations, our own and those that love us ... and how we must find our way through these choices. Tennis is still a massive part of Steff's life, only now, it's 100% on her terms. Follow her @steff.florentina and @alexandsteff and www.alexandsteff.com 

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Swan Dive started in March of 2020 and we recorded our first episodes in a pre-COVID world.  In this episode, we look aback at the moment Ron first took his dive.   As the year winds down, what small change can you make?  What big change is ahead of you?  Looking ahead while finding value in examining where we have been, take a leap and join us on Swan Dive.  

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Criminal defense attorney and award-winning novelist, Jon Miller, has tried cases in all but one of New Mexico's far-flung counties. He knows the grit and grind of the criminal mind. Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a vision of practicing environmental law, Jon studied Urban & Regional planning at Cornell, went to law school and then worked at the Dept of Interior in DC, until budget cuts sent him packing back to NM, where he landed a gig as a Public Defender in Roswell. Yes, that Roswell. On the drive down to Roswell, Jon saw a road sign that read "Watch for Rattlesnakes.” This inspired him to write a book called Rattlesnake Lawyer. He’s written 13 novels to date. Still an active criminal defense attorney, his law firm is named Rattlesnake Law. 

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Welcome to Swan Dive Revive, a reflective pause to look back at where we were to better understand how far we’ve come in our ever-evolving journeys. Today we revisit May 5, 2020, the episode titled, Unfinished. Ron was just about to leave his successful career as the pandemic hit. As the world experienced a collective pivot, we discuss his virtual going away party and the then-novel idea of being together in lockdown “doing nothing” with loved ones. Much has happened since. Yet, so much remains Unfinished … for all of us. We continue to explore the critical questions: "Who do you want to be? And what are you going to do about it?"

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The documentary film project, Capetown Legends, described Conrad Hicks as “an artist, self-taught master blacksmith and conservationist that is merging many worlds in his distinctive work.” Based in Capetown, S Africa, Conrad specializes in hand-forged metalwork to produce his sculptures and architectural and interior design projects. His forge is housed in The Bijou, an old Art Deco cinema, which he bought and began restoring in 1998. Conrad asserts “that all traditional blacksmithing jointing methods have innate metaphorical meaning adding to the final symbolic meaning of the finished form.” His much-sought-after designs are as beautiful as they are functional and energetically magical.

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Tiffany Manning was cruising along with a satisfying job in the art department of an ad agency when the layoff happened.  She looked at the change of career as a gift and quickly changed gears, making moves as a commercial photographer.  But with Tiffany, it’s all about movement and there was one more move she needed to make - a fine artist. When she finally found the courage to make that declaration out loud, everything changed. “I lovingly refer to my studio practice as the art of allowing. I am creating to be present in my body,” says this painter, photographer and visual storyteller." Now that she lives out loud, Tiffany has been working hard over the last 6 years to refine her voice. Connect with Tiffany on Instagram:
@tmannphoto  @squareshapedlove @femininesoulproject 

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Artist, Julie Miller Torres, specializes in printmaking. Trained as a lawyer, from a family of lawyers, Torres practiced law for seven years. She was good at her job and enjoyed her clients. But something was missing. At 34, she left her law career to start over in fine art at the prestigious, Savannah College of Art and Design ("SCAD"), where she earned a BFA in Printmaking. A few years out of art school, her career was beginning to get traction, when Covid hit. Undaunted, she turned to social media to promote her work. Five years after leaving art school, Torres created a series of screen prints of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A New York collector saw one of these works on Instagram and purchased it. This collector had connections to the Metropolitan Museum of Art who then reached out to Torres and purchased another of the RBG pieces for its permanent collection. That piece, titled "Superdiva" is currently on exhibition at The Met thru next year in an exhibit called “Revolution, Resistance and Activism.” 

Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us!

We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: [email protected] or Stu: [email protected]