Jan Edwards who is the Founder of Paving the Way Foundation. Jan is committed to empowering communities to be a fierce disruption in the cycle of child trafficking and online exploitation through highly engaging and empowering educational programs. Starting with its Award-Winning Film, Trapped in the Trade, the organization takes the audience through one girl’s journey of being targeted, groomed, recruited and trapped into child trafficking. This film does not have a happy ending, leaving the audience a little raw with hearts and eyes wide open to what they can do to prevent exploitation.  Join me tomorrow at 2:00pm PS-Time as I have this deep heart warming conversation with Ms. Jan Edwards who is also the writer and producer of the film Trapped In The Trade

Ray Connors served in a 34 Year Career with the CT Dept of Agriculture, State Animal Control Unit and was Chief from 2010 to 2018. He’s the Former President of the New England Federation of Humane Societies and Former President of CT Municipal Animal Control Association.

Ray served on the Governor’s Homeland Security &Emergency Management Advisory Committee and was a recipient of the Governor’s Service Award.

Ray’s a Former Board Member of National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs. Ray was a Certified Instructor with the Connecticut Police Academy 1988-2018.

Ray is also Co-founder and Instructor of the Connecticut Animal Control Officers Academy,

and a Former Member of Connecticut Hoarding Response Working Group.

Recent movies like “Alt Right- Age of Rage” and the Academy Award-nominated short film “Skin” have shown some of the work done by our founder Daryle Lamont Jenkins. Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Somerset, New Jersey, graduating from Franklin High School.

Daryle became influenced by the civil rights movement as a young man. Reading about “enemies” of the civil rights movement made him wonder what happened to the KKK members. Where are they now? Are the leading normal lives and no one knows?

At 19, while serving in the military, Daryle saw an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show on Skinheads. That grew into a lifelong passion for documenting hate politics on the right.

Upon returning from the service, he became a part of the punk rock scene. He produced two public access programs about the music he was promoting, and political activism. His work cased conflict with his position as a reporter and an editor for local newspapers.

One People’s Project

With the founding of One People’s Project, his passion found a home. More importantly, One People’s Project played an instrumental role in causing the collapse of hate groups throughout the country. Daryle’s efforts have exposed those involved in hate politics nationwide. People trying to escape white power circles find support here as well. Bryon Widner is featured in the documentary “Erasing Hate” after working with Daryle to get out of the skinhead movement. “Erasing Hate” has now been turned into a feature-length motion picture! “Skin” starring Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Vera Farmiga and Mike Colter playing Daryle.

Idavox , the media outlet of One People’s Project, keeps us up to date with the latest reports from around the country on hate groups. One People’s Project aims to form a larger community of activists dedicated to antifascist work. The conditions in this country that can lead to racism must be fought at all levels of society.

Daryle was a co-producer of the Academy Award-nominated short film “Skin”, appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show, The Montel Williams Show, 20/20, and AM Joy.

My guest is William Henry who is an investigative mythologist, art historian and expert guide to ancient sites. He is the co-star and consulting producer of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel and hosts two series on Gaia TV. William brings to life ancient wisdom stories through art and historic texts, while he teaches the secrets of the soul from the ancient cultures, and through time and space. He leads Sacred Adventure Travels to Ancient sites in Egypt and other countries. 

Michelle Huser - MBSR Teacher:

Michelle's life over 8 years ago after surviving a frightening car accident that left her to battle a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for the next year while also caring for her Autistic son. Being in a serious car accident brought everything into sharp focus for Michelle as she realized that her life was in shambles as she tried to care for her autistic son and advocate for him within a system that knows very little about this condition, and how to treat it with care and dignity. Finding herself with a TBI in addition to years of struggling to find caregivers who wanted to heal her son rather than just medicate his symptoms away, or ignore his humanity, left her feeling alone but determined to find a path back to health for both her - and her young son.

Broken, desperate and afraid Michelle tuned into her "inner sense of knowing" which guided her to the practice of meditation and mindfulness when she found Sam Harris's work. Desperation, fear, and rage were replaced with understanding and acceptance as time on the mat helped to heal not only her TBI but also her mind, body, and emotions.

Mindfulness also allowed Michelle to tap into her innate sources of strength giving her the courage to take "the path less traveled" and pursue a new but relatively unknown treatment path for her son, that transformed ALL their lives bringing them out of the darkness and into a life where joy, balance and peace were possible.

As a passionate advocate for autism, wife, and Mother Michelle's goal as a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher (MBSR) is to help people create balance, resiliency, and emotional well-being by helping them to build better minds, and tapping into their innate sources of strength.



Michelle can be reached at:

https://meditative-solutions.com/

https://twitter.com/MeditativeSol



For this interview, Michelle is joined by Dr. Ghazala Radwi.

Dr. Ghazala Radwi is a physician based in Edmonton, Alberta, working in the field of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine. She is also a mindfulness practitioner, with a deep interest in the connection between mind and body in achieving a wholesome state of health.

Several years ago, personal stressors and healthcare issues sparked an interest in mindfulness. Mindfulness helped her find increasing clarity, direction and joy in life. Inspired to help fellow humans reconnect with their inner resources, she pursued formal training in various mindfulness programs including MBSR through Brown University and Mindful Practice through the University of Rochester. She is also trained in trauma-informed psychotherapy approaches, including Dr. Gabor Mate's Compassionate Inquiry model, and the Polyvagal Theory which is the science of safety and connection. 

Dr. Radwi offers group mindfulness courses including MBSR as well as individual sessions. Within the healthcare field, she is a strong proponent of creating safe and inclusive spaces to empower trainees and colleagues with skills that lead to compassionate patient care, engaged teams, and a fulfilling personal life. Ghazala brings a fiercely compassionate, heartfelt, open presence to her teaching spaces.



Connect here with Dr. Radwi

https://twitter.com/ghazala_radwi

Marisa Vallbona, APR, Fellow PRSA, knew she was made for PR when she was 12 and fried an egg on the sidewalk with her sister on a super hot Texas day. The perfect weather story, it made the TV news and that’s all it took for her to get hooked and her career was born. Since then, she’s gotten local, regional and national media exposure for just about everything. If it’s newsworthy, she can get it in the news.



A seasoned business strategist, Marisa has worked with top businesses and entrepreneurs on business strategy, crisis communications, reputation management, publicity, public speaker training, strategic communications, community relations, new product launches, and special events.



She has won four Silver Anvil awards (the Oscars of the PR industry) from the Public Relations Society of America and a Silver Anvil Best of Show. She was recently awarded a Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for Exemplary Leadership, San Diego Business Journal named her “Women Who Mean Business” in PR and she’s won countless other awards. Her work is showcased in PR textbooks and she’s been featured in business books and has been quoted in the media.



She is the co-founder of PRConsultants Group, a national network of PR firms with offices in every major U.S. market and Puerto Rico. Marisa also has been inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows (a prestigious distinction awarded to a very small percentage of PR practitioners).



She served on the national board of directors of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) five years, including as national secretary, and she served as chair of the Universal Accreditation Board, which accredits public relations professionals. She also served on the board of directors of SDX (formerly the San Diego Ad Club). She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston.



Marisa is fluent in Spanish and holds citizenships in the U.S., Costa Rica and Spain.

A Passion for Writing & Inspirational Content Creation

Maryann writes themes of ALOHA …penning award-winning novels and writing and producing critically-acclaimed projects for film & television. She also works as a print and television food & lifestyle journalist, recipe developer/chef, and PR and Marketing Specialist.  As president of Ridini Entertainment Corporation, an award-winning Public Relations, Marketing, and Multimedia Content Creation Production Company, she is committed to creating, writing, producing, and promoting content that entertains, inspires, educates, and uplifts.

Maryann started working as an actress and apprentice in such Equity and Non-Equity Summer Theatres as Hampton Playhouse and New London Barn Players on the East Coast at the tender age of fourteen. Later, studying film and television in college, she landed a job as a casting director and assistant producer at a top NY ad agency before heading West scoring a gig as a writer/producer for Cable News Network. During this time, she also began a lifelong career as a newspaper/magazine writer. She was offered a job as a studio executive working for Paramount and then as a SVP at Stephen J. Cannell Productions before founding her own company, Ridini Entertainment Corporation, a TV/Film and PR/Marketing company handling such clients as NBC/Universal, the United States Olympic Committee (athletes & the GAMES), and producing and writing projects for network television as well as the foreign theatrical market. She is also an award-winning novelist.

Television and Movie Screenwriter & Producer

A member of the Writers Guild West and Producers Guild of America, Maryann is celebrated for co-producing/writing the award-winning movie, “The Lost Valentine,” starring Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt.  The film, a critically-acclaimed, ratings hit from Hallmark Hall of Fame (in Association with Ridini Entertainment Corporation and based on the novel of the same name by James Michael Pratt), premiered Sunday, January 30, 2011, on CBS-TV (9:00 pm ET/PT) to over 15 million viewers.  It held its position for five years as being CBS-TV’s highest-rated movie, and at the time of its premiere, it was Hallmark’s highest-rated movie in four years. It has since become one of Hallmark’s most beloved films and is now a part of their Gold Crown Collector’s Edition. The movie also airs regularly on The Hallmark Channel. Read more about “The Lost Valentine.”

Maryann’s has written and produced television and film projects for Cable News Network (“People Now,” “The Mike Douglas Show”), USA Networks (“Alive & Well”), SyFy Channel (MOWs), Showtime Networks (“Roger Corman Presents” movie series), Hallmark, CBS, PBS, and The Movie Channel (MOWs).

Find out more about Maryann’s TV & Film Projects

Novelist

Maryann’s first novel, “Lady in the Window,” (SelectBooks, 2017, Santa Rosa Press, 2019), WINNER of the 2018 American Fiction Award (Visionary Category) and the 2017 Best Book Award (Fiction: Romance Category), is available in hardcover, paperback or eBook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other outlets.  Her sequel novel, “The Paradise Table,” became an Amazon Best Seller (December 2019).

TV Host, Cookbook Author, Food & Lifestyle Journalist with a Sustainable Mind-Set

Growing up on the East Coast in a large, close-knit Italian-Irish family, Maryann developed a love for cooking and entertaining at an early age. This passion for preparing healthy dishes and memorable dining experiences for family and friends led her to start developing recipes, and eventually, to write and produce TV cooking segments for entertainment and lifestyle series on Cable News Network and USA Network and work as a print food and lifestyle writer.

In 2010, Maryann created the concept for a show she also produces and hosts, “Simply Delicious Living with Maryann®.” The award-winning healthy living cooking series (and cookbook) is seen on PBS Television (KVCR-TV in Southern California, DirectTV, Dish Network, and YouTube). From 2010-2018, a print and video column also ran in the online edition of the Ventura County Star (part of the Gannett /USA Today Network, Search: Simply Delicious or Maryann Ridini Spencer at VCStar.com).

Maryann also created, produced, wrote, and reported the award-winning environmental news program “Sustainable Ventura News” (broadcast 2011-2018 on local television in Ventura and Online on the news and lifestyle pages at Ventura County Star). Maryann currently reports, writes, produces for the global environmental news series, and print column “Sustainability Now News.”