My guest this week is Iván Figueroa Otero M.D. FACS, FAAMA/  After graduating from the School of Medicine of the University of PR in 1970, Dr. Figueroa Otero trains as General Surgeon at the University Hospital of the UPR School of Medicine, integrating a one-year fellowship in the study of cancer, and one year in experimental research. Post-graduate studies in Pediatric Surgery, then follow at Miami Children’s Hospital and the San Juan Municipal Hospital.

Looking for non-surgical or less invasive options for pediatric conditions, Dr. Figueroa Otero explores Eastern philosophies that emphasize a holistic concept of disease. He was one of the first physicians to become certified in medical acupuncture in Puerto Rico, training in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture with professors from the University of Seville. Eventually he was certified in medical acupuncture nationally.

In 2009, he became certified in anti- aging medicine and in December of that year he retired from the practice of pediatric surgery, focusing instead on a holistic medical practice and emphasizing disease prevention and modification of life styles. In 2011 he was invited to become a Trustee of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture, which is the national body organization responsible for certifying physicians in the field of acupuncture through national exams. In that same year he was recognized by Natural Awakenings magazine as Holistic Physician of the Year.

Dr. Figueroa Otero is currently engaged in his private practice and continues in his role as an educator, trying to achieve full integration of traditional Chinese acupuncture courses in the curriculum of medical schools, promoting that physicians to be certified both locally and nationally, and to establish clinical research protocols on the use of acupuncture in known conditions compared to the methodology established by modern medicine. Another immediate priority is to incorporate meditation techniques and their role in preventive and therapeutic medicine. He has authored multiple books including Spirituality 103: The forgiveness Code.

Chris Gillings is the CEO of TICKET WEIRDO, the ONLY online ticket site in the world that offers you a membership to get discounts and cash-back rewards on your purchases!! It’s easy to use! And we never sneak up on you with any of those hidden service fees at the end!

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My name is Jason L. Parker and I am a Speaker, Author, Educator and Youth Sports Consultant. I firmly believe in rediscovering character within our youth sports today. I also speak to youth/parent groups, coaches and school administrators. My platform is 'Engaged Athletics' and our mission is to use sport as a catalyst to change students lives from the inside out. I am a former Division I and Pro athlete who only realized the power of athletics in my life when I was just a few days away from flunking out of law school. This epiphany helped me to complete my law degree, but I quickly transition to becoming a school Athletic Director so that I could share the value of my realization ​​with students, parents and coaches on a daily basis.

I have recently completed my first book Engaged Athletics: How to Leverage the Power of Youth and High School Sports to Impact Overall Student Success (June 1 release date) and speak on several topics (listed below) that may be of interest to your audience. If so, feel free to contact me at jlpengages@gmail.com to learn more about the movement.  I'd love to connect with you!

•  Messaging for Coaches
  • Importance of your Platform
    • Mastering your Craft
    • Protecting Professionalism
    • Creating Engagement
• Messaging for Parents
  • Helping Youth Develop Identify
  • Let What They Love Lead
  • How 3Cs (Character, Commitment, College) of Sport Changes Things
  • Book Trailer: 

My new book 'Engaged Athletics' is designed to equip parents, coaches, and school administrators with the tools to help students get the most out of sports participation. While many students are playing sports, few are leveraging the power of athletics to change their lives both on and off the court. Find clarity on your sports philosophy, learn goal setting, and develop the proper outlook to help kids unlock a character, commitment, and enhanced levels of sports skills.

Dr. Theresa Nicassio is an integrative psychologist in private practice, as well as a radio host, wellness educator and award-winning author of YUM: Plant-Based Recipes for a Gluten-Free Diet. 

An agent of change who is fiercely committed to empowerment, Theresa offers simple solutions to everyday problems about health, relationships, & our ailing planet. Her radio show (The Dr. Theresa Nicassio Show) reaches over 1/3 million monthly listeners and her website, TheresaNicassio.com, are her way of offering the wisdom she’s learned on her personal and professional journey to as many people as possible. 

As a health, environmental and disability advocate, Theresa is doing all she can to bring to life her dream for everyone to have access to cutting-edge information that can equip them to join the revolution to make the world be a kinder, healthier and more sustainable place.

Her website is: https://www.theresanicassio.com/

Dr. Denise McDermott, M.D. has been in private practice since 2001. She completed her Adult Psychiatry residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and her Child Psychiatry fellowship at UCLA. As a medical doctor with board certifications in both Adult and Child Psychiatry, she treats children, adolescents and adults. Her goal is to empower you, your child, and your family to live the best life possible. Her approach is to encourage people to believe in wellness, not illness, and to lead a balanced healthy lifestyle.

“When you are going through a crisis in your life, remind yourself that on the other side of that is stabilization and then a place of thriving,” she tells her patients everyday.

Dr. Denise includes a multi-disciplinary approach to medicine, where she integrates many holistic modalities such as Eastern medicine, healers, nutritionists and many more. She has collegial relationships and collaborates with other physicians, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and educational therapists. She believes in prescribing the least amount of medication possible and creates an integrative wellness plan that resonates for each patient.

She is a sought after medical doctor for second opinions, specific diagnostic assessments, medication management, and psychotherapy.

Website: http://www.drdenisemd.com/

J.R. has multiple sports performance related certifications, including ACE, USA Track & Field, and Athletic Republic’s Exercise Science certification. He is also a member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association. J.R. has been training athletes for the past 8 years, and has studied extensively with Westside Barbell’s “conjugate training”, Russian block periodization, and USA Track & Field. J.R. started training with Acceleration at the end of his 8th grade and continued with the Acceleration program for 15 years until he eventually became the Director of Acceleration Naperville.

Professional: While others were training at professional combine training facilities in preparation for the NFL Draft, J.R. trained himself in Macomb Illinois and posted amazing numbers. At 6’3”, 245 pounds, J.R. ran a 4.48 40 Yard Dash, 3.92 Pro Agility, 6.57 L-Cone, a 10’8” broad jump, a 42” Vertical Jump, and repped out 225 pounds 28 times in the bench press (Western Illinois and Ohio State‘s Pro Days).

In 2002, J.R. signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. During week 3, the St. Louis Rams picked J.R. up to the active roster due to the retirement of Heisman Trophy Winner, Eric Crouch. J.R. spent the rest of the season on active roster for the Rams and was called the “NFL’s Fastest Fullback” by then St Louis Rams coach Mike Martz. J.R. continued to play 6 years in the NFL as a reserve fullback and special teams player also with the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cleveland Browns.

J.R. also played in NFL Europe where he won a NFL World Bowl Championship, scoring the game’s last touchdown to cap off the victory. During last season, he was a lead blocker for Roger Robinson who owns the NFLE record for rushing yards in a season. J.R.’s NFLE Reebok jersey is currently the highest selling NFLE jersey of all time.

Throughout his career, he has trained and played with NFL Hall Of Fame members Jerry Rice, Rod Woodson, and John Randall, and future NFL Hall Of Fame members Randy Moss, Tony Gonzalez, and Marshall Faulk.

College: J.R. originally signed onto The Ohio State University to play football and run track. As a freshman, J.R. ran a personal best 20.9 200 meter dash. After his freshman year, he transferred to Western Illinois University to focus entirely on football. As a Leatherneck, J.R. was a 3 time All-American, leading the nations tight ends in multiple categories, multiple years. J.R. was recently named to the All-Time Missouri Valley Team, joining Kurt Warner, Rodney Harrison, and Naperville Central Alum, current New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton.

High School: J.R. was a 4 sport athlete in high school playing football, indoor track, outdoor track, and baseball. He earned All-State and All-American honors his senior year in high school for football and track and was a national standout 400 and 200 meter dash sprinter, placing second in the nation in the 4×400 relay, and boasting one of the fastest 200 meter dash times in the nation.

Natasha Che is a tech entrepreneur and a premier expert on podcast conversion. She is the founder of Soundwise, a mobile-centric audio publishing platform to sell on-demand audios. Natasha is a contributor to Huffington Post and Entrepreneur, and author of the book Podcast Conversion Secrets: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Your Podcast Listeners into Paying Customers. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Natasha is known for combining personal growth wisdom with no-nonsense business advices. Natasha holds a PhD in Economics from Georgetown University and lives in Washington DC.

Jonathan Robinson is a psychotherapist, best-selling author of 12 books, and a professional speaker from Northern California. Mr. Robinson has made numerous appearances on the Oprah show, as well as many other national TV talk shows, and articles about him have appeared in USA Today, Newsweek and The Los Angeles Times.

For the past 30 years he has spoken to dozens of Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, Dell Computer, Coca-Cola, and Fed-Ex. Jonathan has written several bestseller books including, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Awakening Your Spirituality;” “The Experience of God,” “The Little Book of Big Questions;” and “Communication Miracles for Couples.” He co-hosts the podcast “Awareness Explorers” with author Brian Tom O’Connor. Through TV, live lectures and radio, Mr. Robinson has reached over 100 million people around the world. He is known for providing his audiences with immediately useful information presented in a fun and entertaining manner.