PROF. DR. ERVIN LÁSZLÓ

Ervin Laszlo spent his childhood in Budapest, Hungary. He was a celebrated child prodigy on the piano, with public appearances from the age of nine. Receiving a Grand Prize at the international music competition in Geneva, he was allowed to leave Hungary and begin an international concert career, first in Europe and then in America.

Laszlo received the Sorbonne’s highest degree, the Doctorat ès Lettres et Sciences Humaines in 1970. Shifting to the life of a scientist and humanist, he lectured at various U.S. Universities including Yale and Princeton. Following his work on modeling the future evolution of world order at Princeton, he was asked to produce a report for the Club of Rome, of which he was a member. In the late 70s and early 80s, Laszlo ran global projects at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research at the request of the Secretary-General. In the 1990s his research led him to the discovery of the Akashic Field.

The author, co-author or editor of 106 different books that have appeared in a total of 25 languages, Ervin Laszlo has also written several hundred papers and articles in scientific journals and popular magazines. He is a member of numerous scientific bodies, including the International Academy of Science, the World Academy of Arts and Science, the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, and the International Medici Academy. He was elected member of the Hungarian Academy of Science in 2010.

Ervin Laszlo was awarded the state doctorate (the highest Ph.D) from the Sorbonne, the University of Paris in 1970, and received honorary Ph.D’s from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Hungary. He was the recipient of the Peace Prize of Japan, the Goi Award, in 2001, of the International Mandir of Peace Prize of Assisi in 2005, and of the Luxembourg World Peace Prize in 2017. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 and 2005. In 2019, Ervin Laszlo was cited as one of the “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in the World” according to Watkins Mind Body Spirit magazine. In 2020 he was cited as 28th of the OOOM Magazine’s Top 100: The World’s Most Inspiring People” list. 



A native of Budapest and a U.S. citizen, he lives with Carita his Finnish-born wife in Tuscany.

JIM RIZOR

What we’re doing out here on the Shire…

The first time I drove out to the property, I immediately thought, “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”  I had already looked at somewhere between 20 & 30 available properties within a 50-mile radius of where we lived.  We had already had a few meetings with prospective eco villagers at our home and folks were sounding like if we had the right property at the right price, we’d be starting up right away.  I remember looking at the heaps of trash that were embedded deep into the soil and thinking, “Jim, if you bring anyone from the group out here to look at this place, they’ll think you’ve completely lost your mind.” 

A few months later, we attended an ecovillage workshop in San Diego where we were given a presentation from Intentional Community Guru Diana Leafe Christian.  In the presentation, she showed us a type of village that she found most inspiring which she called “a land restoration ecovillage.”  She showed how a small group of determined people would come together to transform wastelands into wonderlands.  She showed people bringing water and trees back to barren landscapes, and I immediately thought of the property.  

Upon returning, I quickly went back to the property with new eyes.  I began to look at its potential rather than its reality.  I quickly began to see how this land could turn from a dump into a paradise.  It would take work, a lot of work.  It would take a long-term commitment and sustained determination.  It would take more than I have put into any other project and would probably need more than I could do in a lifetime.  

I thought of how our current culture was trashing the Earth, and how this land and this project were the reality of our world. The trash was not hidden away in some impoverished country or out in the middle of the ocean, the mess was right there in your face.  The land was our planet with all our dirty secrets lay bare and its restoration would require many of the same skill sets, vision, and sheer will that it would take to bring our world back from the brink.  I thought, “What if we could turn this literal dump into a paradise?”  From that moment on, there was no other property for me to find.

Some four years later, after much negotiation, learning, heartache, sacrifice, sweat, and blood we moved to the property that we renamed “The Shire” and now it is our home.  As we go further, our vision gets clearer and we hope will excite new crew to come aboard and join our restorative (and we believe necessary) work.  

I AM NATRELL

There’s a saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. I Am Natrell is Las Vegas’ best-kept secret that can no longer be held. Born in Columbus, GA I Am Natrell is uniquely self-sufficient when it comes to producing a body of work as a singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer. He is famous for his meticulous and imaginative vision for music yet he has built his name and reputation in the music industry.

As an audio engineer/producer, producing for artists and TV shows such as The Real Housewives Of Atlanta, Love, and Hip-hop, Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards, BET’s The Real, and many more. He has also shared the stage with other artists such as Keri Hilson, Ginuwine, Canton Jones, Karen Clark Sheard, Bobby Jones, David Hollister, Mali Music, Nipsey Hussle, Keith Washington and

many more.

Performance-driven, skilled, professional, experienced singer-songwriter, engineer, and music

A producer with a proven record of success in creating music not only for myself but a genre of other music professionals. My vision and focus are to create great music, be acknowledged by a record label, shape a new sound to the R&B world and maximize success by staying up on the newest trends and latest technology. Being determined and motivated to be successful and tenacious throughout my music career by staying focused on my commitment to music.

2019 Black Music Award (BMA), Rising Star & Best Urban Male Performer

Natrell also has a podcast network called B U Radio Network, B U stands for Brilliantly Unique.

MIHI NIHIL

THE BAND

MIHI NIHIL (Mee-Kee Nee-Keel) is an emerging band from Los Angeles, comprising Mihi Vox (vocal), Benjamin Montoya (guitar), Nick Steinberg (bass) and Adam Alt (drums).  Mihi, a former New York City Opera singer, is backed by three self-taught rockers.

Casually, through years of friendship and free-flow sessions the group calls “Whiskey Rehearsals,” MIHI NIHIL was realized and the anatomy of the album was built. They quickly understood how perfect this imperfect pairing of three alternative musicians and a classical singer would be. The record, written and performed together by the quartet in one room, fully encompasses their collaborative essence.

Delivering a dark country sound rooted in post-punk, MIHI NIHIL pulls from a kaleidoscope of influences, including early Radiohead, The Clash, Ennio Morricone, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Neal Young, The Cure and The Pixies. Mihi’s captivating vocals flow seamlessly from serene unfolding to anthemic power, gliding alongside the tectonic pull of Benjamin’s guitar, while Nick and Adam drive the bass and drums with commanding fervor. Together, the four-piece have crafted a nine-song debut grounded in earthiness and redolent with nostalgia.  

The name Mihi Nihil (Mee-Kee Nee-Keel) sounds like a University’s Latin motto, but it was actually the lead singer, Mihi Vox’s, nickname in college. Now a band motto, the name represents the groups approach to life and music as they write songs together, staying open not only to each other but also to the music. 

JOHNATHAN WALTON

Johnathan Walton is the host of the podcast “Queen of the Con: The Irish Heiress” and is a vigilante who hunts down con artists. The first con artist Walton put in jail was Marianne Smyth aka Mair Smyth who scammed more than a million dollars from 46 victims, including Walton himself, in the United States and Europe, using an elaborate series of confidence tricks.

Johnathan also works as a reality TV producer on shows like American Ninja Warrior for NBC, Shark Tank for ABC and Savage Builds for the Discovery Channel. His career in unscripted television was preceded by a 10-year stint as an Emmy Award-winning TV news reporter and producer at local stations KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas, KABB-TV in San Antonio, Texas and WSVN-TV in Miami, Florida.

LEAH LAMB

Leah Lamb is on a mission to work with story as a tool for healing for the individual, and the collective, and experiences writing and creativity as a doorway to the divine. She is the founder of The School for Sacred Storytelling, whose mission is to bring healing to the stories of our times, and those courageous beings who tell them.

Leah has collaborated with stories as a writer, actress, filmmaker, producer, and focuses on working with the story as a healing modality. She founded The Performance Initiative, a nonprofit committed to utilizing the arts for social change, and hosted and produced the green channel at Al Gore’s network, Current TV, where she hosted and produced the green channel. Her writing on the environment and culture can be found on National Geographic News Watch, Planet Green, GOOD Inc, and Spirituality & Health Magazine, and served as the art advisor for the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation.

Lamb has been integrating her relationship with the natural world, story, and ritual through Story Rituals, and offers Soul Stories, an ancient form of mystic storytelling. She is writing her first novel, The Whale Dreamer.

SHARON VALENTI

Sharon has worked with celebrities, millionaires, casino owners, inventors, other coaches as well as everyday people! 

She has been featured on TV, radio, magazines, and podcasts.  She has received dozens of awards.  She is an expert in coaching, leadership, sales, and experiential teaching.  She is a leading expert in helping people achieve the life they’ve only dreamed of. 



Her past clients have praised her for her ability to problem solve, her sincerity, honesty, integrity, and ability to really listen and get to the bottom of their problems in a succinct way.  She is compassionate, thinks outside of the box, and is curious about life.



Her tumultuous early years in life and subsequently finding her way into a life she loves led her to want to help others do the same.  She is the founder of BluePrint for Stress Release.  While her courses are for everyone, she is dedicated to teaching teens/young adults who feel isolated, empty inside, unloved, depressed, etc. how to revolutionize their beliefs so they begin to feel connected in life.

Being an entrepreneur is not just about success in business- it’s also about being happy with who you are as a person.

Through her work, she has discovered ways to bring out the best in people and make them feel confident; which leads to more success at home and work.

Jacques Vallée, Internet pioneer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, author, ufologist, astronomer, and award-winning UFO researcher, with Paola Harris, a photojournalist, Investigative Reporter, and widely published author.

Paola Leopizzi Harris is an Investigative Reporter and widely published author. She holds a BA in English and French from Rhode Island College and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado. Her Master’s Degree in Education is from Leslie College in Boston. She served as the Principal for The American Overseas School of Rome in 1994 -1995 and taught Ancient History, photo journalism and English there until returning to the United States in 2007 to pursue her interests in investigative reporting in the field of Unidentified Phenomena Research.  

Jacques F.Vallee studied at the Sorbonne and received an MS in astrophysics at Lille University. His early writings earned him the Jules Verne Prize for a science fiction novel in French. Coming to the University of Texas as an astronomer, he co-developed the first computer-based map of Mars for NASA, then moved to Northwestern University where he earned a PhD in artificial intelligence (1968) and served as a close associate of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the USAF scientific consultant on unidentified flying objects under Project BlueBook. The character of the French scientist played by François Truffaut in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind is based on Vallée.