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Submitted by Douglas Newsom on 19 April 2021

Headlined Guests

Guest Occupation: Editor and publisher
Guest Biography:

"Robert and his dog Buster Boy live in Salem, Oregon. Robert first created the Pet Radio Show podcast and web site and recently expanded to two other web sites: oregondoglife and Pets to the Heart"

https://petradioshow.com/

Guest Category: Plant & Animals, News, Pets and Animals
Guest Occupation: Founder of BodyMind Fitness, NASM Certified Personal Trainer,NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist,B.A. in Philosophy
Guest Biography:

Benjamin Leto has trained hundreds of people throughout the country with fitness goals ranging from weight loss to rehabilitation. He has helped people lose 50 pounds of fat, gain 25 pounds of muscle, and recover from injuries of all kinds. He has even helped a stroke victim learn to walk again. Benjamin's success as a trainer comes from the knowledge he attained through learning how to heal severe injuries he incurred due to a rare genetic condition called cleidocranial dysplasia. Despite seeing multiple medical professionals and undergoing two operations, Benjamin was left increasingly more debilitated. Forced to heal himself, Benjamin researched numerous training techniques until he discovered methods that finally healed him. Combined with his understanding of mindfulness cultivated through living in a Zen Buddhist Monastery, Benjamin developed a method of training known throughout the country as BodyMind Fitness. 

Guest Category: Courses & Training, Health & Lifestyle, Alternative Health, Energy Healing, Fitness & Exercise, Nutrition, Buddhism
Guest Occupation: Pet CPR & Animal Care Instructor, Author, Pet First-Aid Kit Creator and Talk Show Host
Guest Biography:

DENISE FLECK is an award-winning author and animal care instructor who developed the curriculum for her Pet First-Aid & CPCR Classes after training with dozens of schools and organizations, practicing, attending seminars and practicing some more. She has taught more than 10,000 animal lovers life-saving skills and has appeared on Animal Planet’s Groomer Has It and Pit Boss, A&E’s Kirstie Alley’s Big Life, CBS-TV’s The Doctors, CNN Headline News, PBS-TV’s Lassie’s Pet Vet and KTLA Los Angeles as well as on radio and in magazines.

Denise also created the curriculum for and teaches a 20 week course in Animal Care through the Burbank Unified School District for high school juniors and seniors at the Burbank Animal Shelter. “As the proud instructor, I hope one of my students will cure a debilitating debilitating canine disease or end animal homelessness, but if each student adopts a shelter pet (particularly a Senior), shares with friends the need for spay/neuter or never harms or judges a dog by his breed alone, I’ll still wag my tail,” she smiles.

Fleck’s books include her most comprehensive work, The Pet Safety Bible in conjunction with Pet World Insider; Quickfind Books’ Dog First Aid & CPR, Cat First Aid & CPR, How to Take Care of Your Dog or Puppy and How to Take Care of Your Cat or Kitten and coming in 2016 Pet Disaster Preparedness; Rescue Critters Pet First Aid for Kids and her award-winning Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover which received the Dog Writers Association of America’s Maxwell Medallion for Best Children’s Book and honors in the London Book Festival. The first sequel, Start Off on the Right Paw, continues the “do not judge” message and stresses the importance of proper dog-to-dog introductions. Denise has also won the Cat Writer’s Award of Excellence, Volunteer of the Year from the Burbank Police Department for her work at the Animal Shelter and has twice been a finalist as the Pet Industry’s Woman of the Year.

Denise is delighted to debut “Pet Safety Crusader Radio” on BBS Radio and looks forward to sharing important animal care and safety information with her listeners. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband Paul and their pack…two rescued Akitas, Haiku and Bonsai. She has had the privilege of being Dog Mom to eleven and Cat Mom to one over the years.

CREDENTIALS IN BRIEF:

  • Has personally taught more than 10,000 animal lovers (pet parents, trainers, vet techs, groomers, dog day care providers, cat hotel operators, rescue volunteers, etc.) animal life-saving skills
  • Holds California Career Technical Teaching Credential in Animal Care
  • Assisted with development of U.S. Homeland Security’s Training Program for K9 Handlers
  • Before developing her own curriculum, trained with the Humane Society of the United States, Animal Humane Association, American Safety & Health Institute, Red Cross, Pet Tech, e-training for dogs, Business & Industry Council for Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Noah’s Wish and FEMA. More certifications can be viewed
  • Author of 9 Animal Care Books
  • Free-lance writer for numerous Animal Publications and blogs.
  • Authored Pet First Aid portion of Animal Behavior College’s Obedience Training, Grooming and Veterinary Technician Textbooks
  • 90+ Television & Radio appearances include: CBS-TV’s The Doctors, Animal Planet's Pit Boss, Groomer Has It, CNN Headline News, PBS-TV’s Lassie’s Pet Vet, Kirstie Alley’s Big Life and KTLA-TV 5 L.A.
  • Twice Finalist, Pet Industry's Woman of the Year
  • Dog Writers Association of America Member & 3X Maxwell Medallion Award Winner
  • Cat Writers Association Member & Award Winner
  • Southern California Animal Response Team Member
  • Past President, Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter
  • Volunteer of the Year Burbank, CA Police Department
Guest Category: Literature, Plant & Animals, Education, Pets and Animals
Guest Occupation: VP & Editor-in-Chief of Adopt A Shelter, Author and Pet Activist
Guest Biography:

Rescued her first cat in 1986 when a family moved away and abandoned their pregnant kitty in the snow.  That experience opened her eyes to the vast problem of unwanted pets.  Since that day Dusty and her husband have rescued and re-homed over 1,500 cats and kittens, 500 of them bottle babies.  A journalist by trade, she turned her focus from local events to pet journalism in the hope that her writing would help people become more knowledgeable, responsible pet owners. 
 
Named the 2014 FRISKIES® Writer of the Year, Dusty is an associate certified member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, award-winning author of numerous cat care books and thousands of pet care articles, and a science fiction/fantasy/horror novelist (her first love).

Dusty Rainbolt, ACCBC
Editor-in-chief AdoptAShelter
Member International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Past president Cat Writers' Association
Author of Death Under the Crescent Moon, Cat Wrangling Made Easy
Kittens For Dummies, Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits
All The Marbles, The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse

Guest Category: Literature, Plant & Animals, Education, Pets and Animals
Guest Occupation: Founder & Chairman Adopt A Shelter
Guest Biography:

Entered the North American pet industry in 1989 by introducing roasted pig ears, bully sticks, chicken jerky and many other all-natural pet treats under the Muttley’s® and Nat’ Chews® brands.  Chris has been instrumental in developing, sourcing, launching and managing national brands including Barnsdale Farms®, Bullwrinkles®, Canine Prime®, DogAde®, Hartz®, Peidi®, SmartyKat®, Snoopy Pet® and Sticky Paws®.  An expert in private-label, he is deeply involved with U.S. and Canadian store brands.
 
Named one of the inaugural Pet Age ICON Award recipients in 2015, Chris is founder and CEO of Creative Marketing Resources, an omni-channel consultancy specializing in all things PET!  He also hosts the Adopt-A-Shelter® “Adopt-A-Senior & Special-Needs Animal” segment on the SMART ANIMAL TALK radio show with Deb Wolfe.

Guest Category: Plant & Animals, Pets and Animals
Guest Occupation: Actor, Entreprenuer
Guest Biography:

RANDY BECKER

A graduate of Brown University, Becker started his career as an award-winning actor, starring on Broadway (Tony Award-winning play), film and TV.

In 2000, Randy embarked on a distinctly new path when he decided to produce, rather than act. He produced a successful play in NYC, and his own film (screening at the Cannes Film Festival), before partnering to form a literary management & production company, which marked the end of his acting.

With the mission of ‘transitioning writers to filmmakers,’ Randy set up projects all over town, and helped raise independent capital to enable literary clients to direct their own work (often marking their directorial debut). The last project the company had a hand in before the the partnership ended was The Great Buck Howard, written and directed by client Sean McGinly (with John Malkovich, Emily Blunt and Tom Hanks).

In 2009, Randy formed NexTV Entertainment, a new kind of media company that places artist advocacy at the center of its model.

“NexTV gives talented artists and entrepreneurs a chance to fulfill their potential, by educating, connecting and advocating for those who are driven to make a significant impact in the world.

I began as an artist, then spent years as a business-owner in the entertainment industry. I saw that too many talented people embraced the notion that it was someone else’s job to steer their careers or develop the essential skill sets needed to succeed in any business. Today our innovative competitions, coaching programs and live events bring powerful opportunities to artists and entrepreneurs. I’ve enjoyed seeing the entertainment industry discover and embrace so many in the NexTV community. You can see the mission at work at the Social Impact Conference on June 16, 20126 at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

Guest Category: Arts, Performing Arts, Business, Philosophy, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Italo-American Director/Producer
Guest Biography:

LUCA CECCARELLI

Luca Ceccarelli is an Italo-American Director/Producer, based in Los Angeles with strong ties to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is festival programmer and creative director of the CineFesta Italia Film, Food & Culture festival launching this year. The festival runs in Santa Fe, June 1-4, 2016 and showcases current Italian films. CineFesta is honred to host emcee, Filippo Voltaggio.

Luca is currently developing two features and a TV series co-authored with his producing partner, Eileen Street. Together they own and operate development and production company, HDNM Entertainment and their Los Angeles shingle, EDGY Pictures.

His passion for directing moved Luca to spearhead The Director’s Edge, which offers unique tools and coaching programs designed to help emerging and established directors maximize their creativity, preparation and practice, featuring the unique Get-Set-Ready! Method.

For Luca It all started in 1979 with his big sister’s Fisher Price record player and a collection of Morricone cuts from Leone classics. He buckled his holster, readied his caps in his plastic six-shooter, tipped his hat low above his 5-year-old brow, and stared into the mirror. That was it. In that moment he knew he was a filmmaker. Luca is extremely excited to be developing his own features, Noah’s Ark and Eve Angelic.

Luca directed and produced the reality-tv pilot Planet Snowkite – Episode 1, Ushuaia/Argentina (FilmCom 2011). Before that, he was primarily engaged in producing and line-producing film and television features. Titles include Italian “spaghetti westerns”, Triggerman (Lionsgate 2009) and Doc West (Lionsgate 2009), starring European favorite Terence Hill, and Paul Sorvino. Other titles include the Santa Fe Film Festival – Independent Spirit Award winner, Shoot First & Pray You Live (Lionsgate 2008), as well as grind-house exploitation flick Naked Fear (Cinetel Films 2007).

Luca studied at ARTTS International, UK, and St. John’s College and graduated from the College of Santa Fe with a BA in Moving Image Arts (with honors). He spearheaded HDNM Entertainment in 2004.

Luca was Founding President of the New Mexico Post Alliance (NMPost.com) and creator of ShootSantaFe.com.

Guest Category: Arts, Design, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Philosophy, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Guest Biography:

Alice Austin is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont, currently living and performing in Los Angeles. Her sound ranges from vintage to modern, crossing over from a Classic Rock vibe to Americana.

Austin’s latest release from October of 2014, ‘Left One In The Rain’, is a compelling three-song EP containing elements of isolation, hope, acceptance, and surrender. Produced by Patrick Avalon in Los Angeles, the music the lends itself well to a sunny electro-acoustic style, yet retains its grounding in the solo artist’s Classic Rock attitude.

‘To A Star In The Yard’, her album released in 2009, is Austin’s fourth full-length album, but her first solo record on which she has composed, arranged, recorded, produced, and performed all the the tracks. Some of the highlights on this album are the edgy 60’s throwback, ‘Sharp Side of the Knife’, and the garage-blues inflected ‘Graveyard Before Dark.’

Prior to solo performances, Alice Austin played with the Boston-based bands The Stark Raving Mad and The Lavas, and from her hometown Burlington, Vermont, Queen Tangerine and Zola Turn.

Signed to now-defunct Los Angeles label, Brick Red Records in 2002, (subsidiary Gold Circle Entertainment), Austin hasn’t missed a beat from the trials and tribulations of being signed and dropped all within a six-month span, rather persevered and thrived. The evolution of her songwriting has gone from irreverent punk-pop to an evocative perspective of the human condition. She has toured all over the east coast and southern United States, playing in such legendary venues as The Middle East Downstairs, The House of Blues Boston, The Knitting Factory, as well as South by Southwest and CMJ music festivals.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Music
Guest Occupation: Teacher, Speaker, and Writer
Guest Biography:

Charles Eisenstein is a teacher, speaker, and writer focusing on themes of civilization, consciousness, money, and human cultural evolution.

His on-line writings have generated a vast following; he speaks frequently at conferences and other events, and gives numerous interviews on radio and podcasts.

Eisenstein graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, and spent the next ten years as a Chinese-English translator. He currently lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his wife and four sons.

In his own words:

"I will give you some of my background, although the intense transitions of the last few years have left me feeling like a new person. Hmm, I wrote that sentence two years ago, and it is still true today. I was born in 1967 and was a very sensitive, intellectual and dreamy child. I was always consumed by questions like, “Where did I come from?””Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” so of course, embedded as I was in a culture that sees science and reason as the source of truth, I tried to “figure out” the answers. I graduated from Yale University with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, but my development of reason and intellect brought me no closer to any truth I really cared about.

I didn’t know what I was searching for, but I knew that none of the usual options life presents a Yale graduate attracted me. I went to Taiwan, learned Chinese, and soon found myself working as a translator. I spent most of my 20s there, educating myself broadly (though not at all rigorously – it was more through osmosis) in Eastern spiritual traditions. I also read voraciously: books on health, nutrition, globalization, physics, and biology. Translation led to other business opportunities, and I became familiar with this dimension of the human experience. In Taiwan, I met my dear friend and ex-wife Patsy, with whom I have three children, all boys.

In my late 20s I entered what was to be a long period of intensifying crisis. It started when all my professional work became intolerable. It became excruciating to do work I didn’t care about. Even though a million reasons told me why it was irresponsible, impractical, and foolish to quit, I eventually could not make myself do it anymore. An irrepressible feeling, “I am not here to be doing this!” took control of my life. So I entered a long period of searching. I spent time teaching yoga, learning about herbs, and teaching at Penn State’s department of Science, Technology, and Society. All of these endeavors have contributed to my present and future, but none were really me.

The next five years were much like a birthing process. The old world dissolved, and the contractions birthing me into the new took the form of a collapse of all that I once held onto. Crises in health, marriage, and money forced me to let go of a “life under control.” In my helplessness, I accepted help, discovering a generous universe that has always met my needs, somehow, in unexpected ways. I have never made much money, but I have become rich in connections to other people. Friends and strangers from all over the world write to tell me how my books have affected them; they sustain my faith and nourish my passion for my work.

In addition to writing books and essays, I have been doing a tremendous amount of public speaking. Sometimes, especially when I am tired from traveling, I wonder if the world needs yet another man performing “speaker up in front of an audience.” Why not stay at home and use technology? But I find that something happens in person that is irreplaceable. For one thing, at live events I can see the expressions on people’s faces, and I respond to that in real-time, engaging in a sort of dialog. Secondly, my speaking is not just about conveying ideas. Something else rides the vehicle of the words, even if the topic is something mundane like steady-state economics. I sometimes describe my experience as a speaker as being plugged into a field that is not my creation, but is generated by the audience and by something beyond the audience. Besides, I find that my thinking stagnates and my heart atrophies when I am in front of my computer too much. I need to interact with real people, face to face. That’s why I travel and speak.

On the other hand, I am increasingly drawn to developing the non-verbal, embodied gifts that I’ve neglected. Like many people, I have a feeling that there is a Next Step about to happen, in my work and beyond. I don’t know what it is, but I do know its revelation will come through transforming experiences that reveal and heal things I was blind to. My work, my play, my family, my deep soul connections, my wholeness, my wounds… all of these are bound up together, evolving as one.

I am now remarried as of 2011 and have a baby, my fourth son, Cary, with my wife Stella. Besides mothering, Stella practices Chinese Medicine and other healing modalities. The two teenagers, Jimi and Matthew live with us too; the 9-year-old Philip only sometimes. My favorite moments are watching Jimi and Matthew play “pass the baby” with Cary, who thinks it is the funnest game in the world. Of course we have our challenges and I have occasional moments of seeing my whole life as a father as a collision-course of errors, but overall I feel extremely lucky to have such amazing, sensitive, talented, kind children.

Lately people sometimes treat me like a celebrity, which makes me feel uncomfortable, because I know I am just me. On the other hand, it has become impossible to answer every email and say yes to every offer to interact. I have to turn down most offers to speak, travel, write blurbs for books, and so on. Also the attention focused on me can get overwhelming. I understand why real celebrities need to insulate themselves. Even receiving appreciation can be too much to handle sometimes, although it has sustained me too through periods of setbacks and doubt. I do my best to stay accessible and answer as many contacts as possible.

I can’t really tell you my plans for the future; it all depends on what is revealed to me in the next phase of my personal exploration. Besides, the world is approaching a state of flux that could easily render most plans irrelevant. I will continue writing and speaking for at least another year or two. My main interest now is in exploring the boundaries of what is “possible” according to our received beliefs, received habits, received technologies, and received ways of knowing. For humanity to take that Next Step, we are going to have to violate what is politically practical, socially practical, and even technologically practical. The same holds on the personal and relational level. I have caught glimpses of the impossible in all these realms and I am excited about what lies ahead."

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture, Spiritual, Variety
Guest Occupation: Author and Entrepreneur
Guest Biography:

THE RAY SHASHO SHOW WELCOMES AUTHOR AND ENTREPRENEUR

TERESA HAILEY

Bringing together the minds and voices of authors across the country, author Teresa Hailey worked to create a volume that will empower readers through inspiring short stories. Her new collection of short stories, “‘Shining Stars’: Inspiring Stories and Simple Steps to Empower You to Achieve Your Highest Potential” (published by Trafford Publishing), was written to give readers the motivation to do whatever their hearts desire.

“‘Shining Stars’” consists of 12 motivational and inspirational stories told by 12 authors across the U.S. They are Paul R. Bryant, Shirley Clark, Teresa Hailey, Harold Parker, Sarah Bryant, Staff Sgt. Joshua Harris, Stan Harris, Joshua Schuler, Evelyn Bethune, Hasaan Rasheed, Jamal Rasheed and Katrina Ferguson. They come from a range of locations across the country including Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Florida and Maryland.

Each author contributes one chapter to the book. The book shares the message that people must learn to work together and that, regardless of life’s challenges, drugs and alcohol are not the answers. These themes unite the variety of voices present in the book. Hailey designed the book to empower others to reach their highest potential.

A Colorado businessman paid for the book to be published. Because of this, Hailey wanted this book to be a blessing for others. She will be giving 1,000 copies of the book to her church, Scott United Methodist Church of Denver. The church will sell the books and keep the proceeds. Books will also go to the United Way of Greater St. Louis to benefit a business owner that lost their business to the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri.

Teresa Hailey discovered her organizational talents at an early age. At 14, she founded and directed TWIGS, Tiny Workers In God’s Service. TWIGS members, ages 5 through 15, sponsored various fundraising activities for Scott United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado. As a teen, Teresa was First Vice President of Thomas Jefferson High School’s chapter of the Distributive Education Club of America. Denver Public Service Company recognized Teresa as Student of the Month in October 1977 and awarded her a cash prize. In September 1979, Teresa began laying the groundwork for a Denver youth chapter of the NAACP, and served as President of that group until 1983. Under her direction, the chapter initiated numerous educational and youth-oriented programs. Politics is a very important part of Teresa’s life. She has worked in political campaigns from the State Representative level up to the Presidential level. Gaining her most rewarding experiences while living in Atlanta, GA., Teresa traveled throughout the state working on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 Presidential campaign. After an incident during a voter registration drive, Teresa calmly faced down five Ku Klux Klan members dressed in full KKK regalia. Her will and determination to stand-up and fight for justice rewarded her with an opportunity to travel with the late Rev. Hosea Williams, a renowned leader on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s staff .

"Shining Stars" 

Inspiring Stories and Simple Steps to Empower You to Achieve Your Highest Potential

(5) Star Reviews

Shining Stars is a must read, 11 different people from all over the U.S. came together and wrote one chapter in the book. The book shares the message that people must learn to work together and that, regardless of life's challenges, drugs and alcohol are not the answers. These themes unite the variety of voices present in the book.

As a co-author of Shining Stars I had no Idea what the other authors were going to submit. I can attest that it has been a pleasurable experience reading their personal stories, testimonies and receiving wisdom through their many varying walks of life. An inspirational piece that anyone can connect with!!

A book of hope and determined passion. A delivery of person hood in the face of life and being human. A book that will push you to keep reading with a better understanding and appreciation for struggles and break - outs despite the expected situations and circumstances.

Teresa Hailey on Twitter-

https://twitter.com/teresahailey67

Guest Category: Business, Education, Health & Lifestyle, Self Help, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Angel Card Reader and Tuning Fork Enthusiast!
Guest Biography:

JoEllen is a Certified Angel Card Reader through Hay House training with Doreen Virtue and a SomaEnergetics Practitioner Intern.  She offered readings to live callers. You can reach JoEllen at 704-351-2841

Guest Occupation: Therapist, Tender of Dreams, Yin Yogi and Spiritual Mentor
Guest Biography:

Victoria is a mentor to minds, a champion of spirits, a tender of dreams and a yin yogi.  She’s a therapist and spiritual mentor, but most of all, she is a believer in women waking up to themselves.

She has been on a mission to help women heal and raise their consciousness.  She started her career as a nurse, and from there, she’s dedicated over two decades as a transformational therapist and seminar leader.  she earned her Bachelors in Nursing and certification as an OB-GYN Nurse Practitioner, she has a Masters in Psychology with a license in Marriage and Family Therapy, and she holds a certification as a New Agreements Coach. She is also trained as a Svaroopa-style yoga teacher and steeped in DreamWork.

Along the way, Victoria discovered that some of our deepest openings into LOVE come from our most painful experiences: for her, that included heartbreak, divorce, breast cancer, and recognizing and clearing the pain from her own faulty beliefs and habits.

But through these challenges, she’s gained the gifts that have brought her into greater states of love and contentment.

Guest Category: Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Author, speaker, coach and forgiveness expert
Guest Biography:

Carolyn CJ Jones  is a forgiveness expert and guide, multi-award-winning author, speaker, coach, and creator of the Change Your Story, Change Your Life programs. First and foremost, CJ is a leader. This she demonstrated in her professional career as a registered nurse while employed by Colorado’s Medicaid Program. At the State level, CJ created, developed, and managed a program for medically fragile children who were dependent on high-tech machinery for their lives. The program allowed them to be cared for at home with hourly nursing care, rather than living in the hospital intensive care unit. Be-cause of this program, each child’s story was changed and that drastically changed their life.

Even though proven as a leader at the State, CJ’s personal experiences are at the heart of her leadership abilities. She spent 35 adult years angry and bitter over her childhood until, in 2005, she learned to change that story when she discovered forgiveness. In cur-rent day, it has become her passion to help people discover the freedom available when they experience the peace, joy, and empowerment that occur when they are forgiving. As a forgiveness expert and guide, she uses the same skills now that she displayed in leading the children’s program, only now there is more wisdom, more passion. CJ creat-ed the YIPPEE Method to lead others through their unique issues so that they, too, can change their story and change their life.

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Self Help
Guest Occupation: Principal, President Chicago Principals and Administrators Association
Guest Biography:

Teachers—and the culture in which they work—have the most significant impact on student achievement. Teachers must have a deep understanding of instruction; that is, they must (1) understand the principles that govern how the human mind integrates, processes, stores and masters new skills and information, and (2) be skilled in implementing instructional strategies that capitalize on those learning principles.

It is my responsibility to put the most highly skilled teachers in front of my students; to engage teachers in continuous professional learning of effective instructional practices; and to orchestrate and invest in a collaborative adult learning environment that gets groups of teachers working together with purpose and persistence--an environment that respects the infinite intellectual capacity of teachers to identity problems and to work collaboratively to solve them.

At my current school we are in year three of a six-to-eight-year effort to completely transform teaching and learning through a combination of directed professional education, collaborative-teacher directed learning communities focused on problem solving, and the capacity building to bring it all together. Data has a place in our work, but it does not drive our efforts, it informs them. Our efforts are driven by our love for our students, our respect for our profession, and the sense of responsibility and purpose that each of us experiences as we work with our students.

After just two-and-a-half years, our results have been impressive. Some of our achievement information is illustrated below.

Unfortunately, our politicians and their education appointees do not always have an appreciation for--or understanding of--the systems and resources it takes to develop and maintain high performing schools and school systems. As a result, I have engaged in advocacy for our city's public schools

Guest Category: Education
Guest Occupation: Audio Engineer with a classical music background
Guest Biography:

MARCO SONZINI

Born and raised in Italy, Marco is an Audio Engineer with a classical music background.

Having always been fascinated by sound, he grew up playing classical guitar at the Conservatory of Piacenza, his home town. Right before graduating from high school he was exposed to the technical side of the music world, working on some recordings with his band.

At the age of 16 he became a licensed glider pilot after winning a highschool competition published by the Italian Air Force. Two years later he obtained the skydiving license and he started volunteering for the Italian Red Cross as ambulance technician.

After graduating from University of Milan in Science and Technology of Music Communication, he moved to L.A. to attend the Los Angeles Recording School, completing with honors the Audio Recording Program, where he also became a Pro Tools 210M and 210P Certified Operator.

In his career in Los Angeles with Magelic Productions Inc. he has had the chance to collaborate with Simone Sello and work with some of the most important italian artists, such as Vasco Rossi, Eros Ramazzotti. He recorded and mixed songs for Vasco’s latest album ‘Sono Innocente’ which reached the 6 Platinum FIMI (Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana) certification. He also tracked the Club Dogo’s ‘Non Siamo Più Quelli Di MI Fist’ record which obtained the Gold FIMI Certification as well as Eros Ramazzotti’s ‘Perfetto’ currently holding the Platinum status.

He has also been part of numbers of successful international projects such as: The Lonely Island’s latest release ‘The Wack Album’ which reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200, and The Tenors ‘Lead With Your Heart’ record which went Platinum in Canada.

His experience in the studio includes recording and mixing sessions for, among others, Alejandra Guzmán, Kevin Bacon, Juan Darthés, Draco Rosa, Romina Power, Alessandra Amoroso and Disney.

Outside the studio he enjoys taking part of benefit events by non-profit organizations: he performed at the Open Floor Society event in San Diego in 2015 and he had the chance to substitute Andy Summers for the live performance of the David Lynch Foundation record release party in Hollywood with mezzosoprano Geeta Novotny.

In his spare time, with Marson Audio, he is involved in the building, assembling and customization of analog audio gear.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Music
Guest Occupation: Italian born guitarist, music producer, songwriter and music journalist
Guest Biography:

SIMONE SELLO

Simone Sello is an Italian born guitarist, music producer, songwriter and music journalist. He is known for his work with the San Remo Festival Orchestra, Chicanery, Billy Sheehan, Aaron Carter, Disney, Hannah Montana, Vasco Rossi, Amber Lily, and Warren Cuccurullo, both as a producer and guitarist; and as a journalist for the magazines Chitarre, Strumenti Musicali, Accordo and Ganzo. He is an owner of music production companies RedRum Productions, Session Recording and MusicDemoProducer.com, with each company oriented towards a distinct clientele. RedRum Productions is geared towards contemporary music production for artists, film and TV; Session Recording mostly caters to projects outside the Los Angeles area, and MusicDemoProducer.com aims to bring a simplified approach to professional music production to any user, over the web.

Quick facts: Simone Sello, Background information …
His musical upbringing is based on classical violin studies, as well as watching and hearing his father play guitar, but he never took a formal guitar lesson, in spite of his career as a guitar player. His influences include major classical and jazz composers and performers, (Bach, Ravel, Miles Davis, Weather Report), pop and rock acts (The Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Lucio Battisti), and experimental artists (Luciano Berio, Brian Eno, Terje Rypdal, Klaus Schulze).

Equally interested in performing, composing and producing music, Simone started getting hired to play guitar for recording sessions and live performances by artists in his hometown Rome when he was 17 years old, and eventually became known on a national level. While building a long list of musical collaborations, he started writing articles for magazines, thus achieving a different kind of exposure, still in the music field.

At the age of 29, he moved to Los Angeles to push his musician and journalist careers, by joining a big international scene.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Music
Guest Occupation: Co-founder of Ideapod, Speaker, Writer, Extrepreneur, TEDx Speaker
Guest Biography:

JUSTIN BROWN

Justin Brown is co-founder of Ideapod, a social media platform for sharing and growing your ideas. On Ideapod, you share moments of inspiration in 1,000 characters or 40 second videos, and your ideas come to life with the help of our creative community.

Justin is a frequent speaker and writer on the topics of business, technology and global change, drawing on his entrepreneurial experience and previous doctoral research in international political economy. His writing appears in Forbes and Inc, and he has spoken publicly at TEDx and New York Ideas.

Justin believes passionately that sharing ideas has the power to change lives and indeed the world.

Guest Category: Business, Careers, News, Philosophy, Politics & Government
Guest Occupation: Founder & President, Emma Zen Foundation
Guest Biography:

Debra Jo first saw a Pet Oxygen Mask at a Pet First Aid presentation given by Denise Fleck and did not know what it was.  When she realized that pet-specific masks existed and that Fire Departments didn't carry them, well she became a woman on a mission.  Her initial goal was to make sure her own dog would be safe if fire struck her community, but others wanted their dogs safe too, so Debra Jo jumped through hoops to find out the best ways to work with first responders, started her own non-profit, The Emma Zen Foundation with her 100 lbs Black Labrador/Great Dane as the name sake.  To date she has supplied thousands of Pet O2 Mask Kits to Fire Depts in California, Colorado and around the globe. 

Prior to this, Debra Jo was an instructor at the International Institute of Permanent Cosmetics, but EZF became a full time passion.  To complement her safety awareness mission, Debra Jo is now a Pet First-Aid & CPR instructor, teaching  the Sunny-dog Ink course under her own company banner. 

Guest Occupation: Ordained Minister
Guest Biography:

Cheril is a CMT-CHT-NLP and Ordained Minister. She is the developer of the Living Water frequencies. The purpose of Living Water is to help individuals shift their mind set from the flow coming off of the physical experiences, to the natural flow coming from spirit. This experiential shift begins the process of returning the unlimited creative potential to the individual.

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Psychology, Personal Development, Self Help, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Holistic Healer and Teacher
Guest Biography:

Kelly is a developer of Connected Healing, a method of holistic healing that combines Western and Eastern practices, without the use of pharmaceuticals or invasive surgeries. She learned of the value and effectiveness through healing herself of nine different medical conditions. She facilitates wisdom, guided emotional releasing and instruction to teach others how to heal themselves as she did. 

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Alternative Health, Homeopathy