The Edge

Alexis Forman, 18, is a young violinist who currently lives and studies in Los Angeles, California.

Playing violin since the age of three, Alexis was a part of the Suzuki School in her hometown of

Las Vegas for over seven years, studying under Mary Straub. A proud Las Vegas Youth

Orchestra member for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons, Alexis represented the young

music community in Nevada with precision. At age 14, Alexis was invited to study at the Colburn

School of the Arts in the Community School program, which enthusiastically took her to the

artistic hub of Los Angeles, California. At Colburn, she studied with professors Margaret Batjer

and Henry Gronnier. Leveraging her musical leadership abilities, Alexis also honorably served

as the Assistant Concertmaster of the Colburn Sinfonietta, one of the three advanced

orchestras in the Colburn Community School. In addition to her position in the Sinfonietta, Alexis

was the violinist in an advanced piano trio for the past three years. Alexis also attended and

graduated from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. She was recently awarded the Don José

Chapter NSDAR Good Citizen Award from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. This award is

given to only one student per year who is acknowledged by their peers for being a person of

dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities.

With her eyes set on professional life in the field of music, Alexis will be attending the New

England Conservatory of Music in the fall, majoring in violin performance under the teaching of

Professor Ayano Ninomiya.

Welcome to today's episode where I am honored to introduce Dr. Elayna Fernandez to discuss the nuances of positivity and pain.

5x TEDx Speaker, TEDx Organizer, and Certified Speaker Coach, Elayna is a bestselling author, international keynote speaker, and award-winning storyteller. As the creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System of Transformational Storytelling, Elayna’s passion is to help impact-centered leaders and entrepreneurs craft, tell, and turn their painful stories into passive streams of income, so they can help others break cycles, find peace, and feel whole. Named one of the 125 Top Impactful Leaders to Know worldwide and awarded as a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine, and featured on SXSW, FORBES, WSJ, SUCCESS Magazine, Inc., Authority Magazine, BRAINZ Magazine, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, the CW, Yahoo! CNN, The 'Huffington Post, Real Leaders, Thrive Global, and other national and international media. She’s also a contributing writer for Entrepreneur Magazine. As a multiple-trauma survivor, her encouraging coaching style is focused on clarity, compassion, and connection.To connect with Elayna, visit thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow her @thepositivemom.

"Teen social media sensation, best-selling author, and award-winning actor Aryana Altaha weaves her experience with mental illness into viral storytelling. Since age 15, Aryana accumulated a combined audience of 90,000+ supporters with millions of monthly views on her social media accounts, where she shares scientifically-proven advice to improve mental health & provides a safe space for others to be vulnerable. Additionally, she self-published her mental health poetry book “am i too broken?” at age 16. Throughout her poems, Aryana opens up about her struggles, how she used vulnerability & coping mechanisms to turn her agony into advocacy. She is one of the youngest speakers selected to speak at TEDxFolsom, is an author of the best-selling multiauthor book "The Gifts of Pain" volume 2, and is currently working on her third book! Through her publications, motivational talks, and advocacy Aryana educates others on mental illness, combats deeply-rooted stigmas, and shows others how to truly live instead of simply survive. To learn more, visit stan.store/askaryana and follow [email protected]." 

Welcome to TheEdge's first video with guest Julia Ihly. Julia Ihly is a disability advocate and playwright, writing and directing two plays. In this episode, we discuss the struggle of being taken seriously as a teenager/ young adult.