Charmaine Hammond is an expert in communication, collaboration and conflict resolution. She started her career behind bars... the outside... she was a correctional officer. Now she helps people build collaboration that make a difference.

THE "BLACK VELVET" QUEEN

A L A N N A H     M Y L E S 

SPECIAL GUEST ON THE RAY SHASHO SHOW

Alannah Myles was born in Toronto, Canada listening to FM radio stations that introduced her to an international compilation of music. She was raised in the city of Toronto where she studied to become a graphic artist, splitting time on her family’s ranch in Buckhorn, Ontario and spent her early years competing as an equestrian on the Ontario A Circuit competing in Canada’s prestigious Royal Winter Fair prior to deciding that she would make music her calling. You may click on the link below to visit the family lodge.

BIG BALD LAKE RANCH, BUCKHORN, ONTARIO, CANADA

Alannah appeared as an actor in TV commercials, modeled, styled wardrobe for local celebrities, worked as a makeup artist and consultant to pay for her early demo tapes in attempts to secure a record deal for her team. Though she was born to a privileged family, she chose to remain independent. After a decade of paying dues; performing concert venues, drinking establishments, nightclubs, coffee houses and hotel bars she spent five long years recording her debut album released by Atlantic Records (Warner Music Group).

Alannah was and will always be married to her music.

The ‘Alannah Myles’ first self titled album released in Canada in the spring of 1989 produced four Top 40 hits, “Love Is”, “Black Velvet”, “Lover of Mine”, and “Still Got This Thing”. Released internationally in 1990, Atlantic records finally hit pay dirt with her number one international smash, “Black Velvet”, winning a Grammy award for best female rock performance, along with several Canadian Juno Awards, a Diamond award for sales in excess of one million in Canada – the only artist who still retains this status for a debut record. After it’s first year of release Black Velvet received the ASCAP award for over one million radio plays and the ASCAP ‘Millionaire Award’ in 2005 for over 5 million radio plays. SOCAN in Canada awarded the songs, “Black Velvet” and “Lover Of Mine” each with an award for over 100,000 plays in Canada in 2005 with her #1 hit ‘Song Instead Of  A Kiss” to follow.

S O N G    I N S T E A D    O F    A    K I S S

Her follow-up multi-platinum album, Rockinghorse (1992) received a Grammy nomination for the title track ‘Rockinghorse’ and three Canadian Juno Awards. Prior to her third,1995 ‘A Lan Nah’ album she signed with manager, Miles Copeland after attending his annual songwriting retreats held at the Marouatte Chateau in France. After the sale of over eight million records she concluded her alliance with Atlantic Records and in 1997 Ark 21 Records released her fourth record Arrival (1997), which saw the top 40, hit Bad 4 You. 

C H A T E A U    M A R O U A T T E 

Atlantic Records cemented Alannah’s release from her 7- 8 album deal with a parting gift, ‘The Very Best Of Alannah Myles (1999) compilation released on WMC and internationally on Ark 21/EMI, re-released as ‘Myles & More’ (2000) on Ark21/Universal Music Group containing hits from all four albums and is scheduled for termination. 

Funds from an out of court settlement with a national Canadian publication afforded Alannah the luxury of spending the time required to record, executive produce and co-write 9 of the 11 tracks for ‘Black Velvet’ leased to an indie label in Canada which has since 2013 been terminated. The album includes a contemporary remake of her classic hit, co-produced with Torontonian Mike Borkosky and Veronica Ferraro from France, mixed by renown producer Terry Brown.

The lease for Alannah’s independently owned 2009 CD, ‘Black Velvet’ was terminated on Sept 1, 2013, repackaged, retitled ’85bpm’ with added tracks including an original re-record of Black Velvet. Returned master recordings of her 1997 ‘A Rival’ CD are now distributed by tunecore.com re-released to all online digital stores with future remix plans in celebration of her 25th Anniversary.

Plans to tour Europe beginning with classically orchestrated concerts backed by conductor Friedemann Riehle for the Prague Philgarmonic Orchestra began in the fall of 2015. Expect to hear more music and news in her 28th Anniversary season of 2018..

MAKING OF 85BPM

HERE ARE A FEW OF ALANNAH'S  INFAMOUS QUOTES …

“Justice is never blind…  She just takes your precious time”.

“A good song lives on til well after we’re gone. It has the power to inspire others and move people’s hearts without their even being fully aware.”

“One Hit Wonder… Yeah, one only needs to get it right once.

“I challenge anyone (including me) to better Black Velvet!”

“God put me on this planet to accomplish a certain amount of things.

Right now, I’m so far behind, I can never die!”

Earth Guardians Youth Director Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 17-year-old indigenous climate activist, hip-hop artist, and powerful voice on the front lines of a global youth-led environmental movement. At the early age of six Xiuhtezcatl began speaking around the world, from the Rio+20 United Nations Summit in Rio de Janeiro, to addressing the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York city. He has worked locally to get pesticides out of parks, coal ash contained, and moratoriums on fracking in his state and is currently a lead plaintiff in a youth-led lawsuit against the federal government for their failure to protect the atmosphere for future generations. Xiuhtezcatl has traveled across the nation and to many parts of the world educating his generation about the state of the planet they are inheriting. His message has inspired youth to join the front lines to combat the environmental and climate crisis that is impacting their future, as well as form Earth Guardian crews in over 30 countries.  His work has been featured on PBS, Showtime, National Geographic, Rolling Stones, Upworthy, Aljazeera, The Guardian, Vogue, Bill Maher, Skavlan, WE Day, AJ+, CNN, MSNBC, HBO, VICE, and many more. In 2013, Xiuhtezcatl received the 2013 United States Community Service Award from President Obama, and was the youngest of 24 national change-makers chosen to serve on the President's youth council.  He is the 2015 recipient of the Peace First Prize, recipient of the 2015 Nickelodeon Halo Award, 2016 Captain Planet Award and the 2016 Children's Climate Prize from Sweden.  Bill Mckibben of 350.org calls Xiuhtezcatl "an impressive spokesman for a viewpoint the world needs to hear.”

Belinda J. Womack is a spiritual counselor, teacher and author of Lessons from the 12 Archangels: Divine Intervention in Daily Life, Bear & Co. November 2015. She is also a regular contributor to OMTIMES Magazine.

A scientist by training, with dual master’s degrees in microbiology and environmental science (Indiana University), Belinda was called into service by the 12 Archangels while working in a medical university lab as she was doing a stem cell experiment. For nearly 25 years since that meeting, Belinda has had an active spiritual counseling practice, working with the 12 Archangels, to support individuals, couples and families with seemingly impossible problems to solve.

The 12 Archangels of the Central Sun (Soul) of the Universe are all-powerful and all-loving energies that pour forth from the Heart of God like flowing rays of singing sunshine. These energies are similar to the music coming from a perfectly tuned orchestra where it is difficult to distinguish one instrument from another. From the sacred music and light of the Central Sun, the 12 Archangels created Earth, an amazing schoolroom established so that Oneness (ALL THAT IS) can dream a dark dream and experience the reality of fear and the illusion of being separated from the Creator.

According to Belinda, “We are here to learn, through our experiences and choices, that we are children of the Divine.” Belinda’s new book, Lessons from the 12 Archangels is a treasure chest of channeled angelic wisdom that offers clear strategies for transforming the wounds trapped within the deep subconscious that block us from experiencing positive change. The guided imagery exercises integrate the healing-power from our batteries of spiritual energy (chakras), together with the unconditional love of the 12 Archangels of the Central Soul of God. This facilitates a vibrational super shift that moves us from focusing on our suffering here on Earth to receiving Heaven’s abundance and joy.

CHRISTOPHER MACK

Christopher Mack has been a lead community worker on skid row in downtown Los Angeles for 15 years. He works for Wesley Health Center, one of the largest healthcare systems in the county. The latest project he is proud of is called the Refresh Spot, giving the homeless a place to clean up and get information for services available to them.

ADAM BRADLEY PEEK

TIGRAN MARTIKYAN

OLYMPIA LEPOINT

Modern-day “Hidden Figure,” award-winning rocket scientist and author Olympia LePoint overcame poverty, gang violence, and failing marks to eventually launch 28 rocket missions to space. Olympia is now applying the same math and science that she used at NASA to show audiences and readers how anyone can remap their own thoughts to remove fear, unleash their brain power, and change the course of their life.

Olympia is the author of Mathaphobia, a book on how to overcome your fear of math, and is currently a popular college math professor and motivational speaker. Her newest book, Answers Unleashed, which unveils her Brainpower Unleashing System, was released September 19th, 2017. 

Olympia’s highly popular TEDx talk, “Reprogramming Your Brain to Overcome Fear,” has garnered nearly 1M views worldwide.  She hosts her own weekly radio program, Answers Unleashed, and has appeared on NBC, CBS PBS, and CW network stations across the country. Her story was recently featured in People Magazine, in news across Canada, on the KTLA morning show in Los Angeles, and most recently, with Tom Bilyeu on Impact Theory.