My guest is Kay Allison Shemirani ( Kate) who was born November 30 1965 in Nottingham England. She was the youngest of 3 daughters. Her father was a local postman and her mother a secretary. She grew up in an average working class environment with state schooling. In 1984 age 18, She began her nurse training in Glasgow Scotland.  Upon qualifying she worked in several clinical areas… Gynaecology, theatres, trauma.  In 1990 she began working as a long haul air stewardess traveling the world and continued to work as a nurse on rest days.

In 1996 she married and had 4 children in quick succession. 3 were with IVF. They are now age 17,15,15,13. With 2 boys, and 2 girls she became a full Time mum from 2001 until 2009. After all 4 children were in school she returned to the University to re-register as a nurse and then obtain trained in Aesthetics and opened her own business.

On February 12th 2012, Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer and followed the Gerson therapy for 2 years. During this time she studied constantly and obtained a diploma in personal nutrition, Cancer, and alternative therapies.

In 2014 she separated from her husband and today lives in East Sussex south England with her 4 children and 7 rescued cats. She loves to go for long walks at the beach and in the Sussex countryside and works as a practitioner advising patients on diet and lifestyle to heal degenerative disease. Her passion is for everyone to make truly informed healthcare choices. She will discuss her cancer journey with us. 

MELA LEE

Mela Lee is an American voice actress for film and television as well as the lead singer/composer and founding member of the band, Magnolia Memoir.

As a voice actress, Mela Lee has been featured in numerous commercials, animated series, games and movies.

Her game franchises include Fall Out, Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Fire Emblem Awakening. She has voiced the lead characters in popular anime titles – Fate Stay Night – Unlimited Bladeworks, Vampire Knight, Blaz Blu, Durarara, Hunter x Hunter, Rozen Maiden, When they Cry, Sword Art Online II. She is currently on Nickelodeon’s breakout hit, Miraculous Ladybug as Tikki.

In addition to her animation voice work, Mela is voice match & replacement specialist for shows including Gotham, Ballers, Better Call Saul, Notorious, and recent films The Finest Hours, Independence Day Resurgence, and Suicide Squad.

Outside of voice acting, Lee is a founding member of Magnolia Memoir. As a vocalist, Mela’s five octave range and unique sound are reminiscent of the spirit of a young Etta James or Billie Holiday, the mischievous sensuality & rock edge of Fiona Apple, and the winsome vocals of Adele. The late Gospel great, Andrae Crouch, said of Mela, “…She has the voice of an angel and can break the heart of heaven.” Activist and Comedienne Margaret Cho says, “…Mela’s voice and lyrics are stunning and altogether unforgettable.”

Magnolia Memoir’s previous two albums – (Pale Fire & The Perfect Crime) are available on iTunes/ Amazon and have made the iTunes Top Picks.

When not working, Mela supports causes close to her heart including the California Fire Foundation – supporting Fallen Firefighters and their families, and organizations empowering women to overcome abuse.

NINA ROSE PAOLICELLI (NINA P)

Nina Rose Paolicelli, known professionally as Nina Paolicelli or as “Nina P”, is an American singer, songwriter and philanthropist, originally from Rochester, NY. In 2013, in the wake of an abusive relationship, Nina’s mother moved both Nina and her brother to Los Angeles, where Nina was able to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

Inspired by the events of Nina’s past, she wrote her first song, “Prove Them Wrong” (released Oct 2014) immediately followed by “Done and Over” (released Jan 2015); earning her multiple accolades and recognition, including an unsolicited shout out from Courtney Love.

Within two years of moving to Los Angeles, Nina released her first EP “Dream”, has performed at numerous venues and, most recently, has signed a distribution deal with a label under Sony.

On April 7, 2016, Nina, for the first time, performed her song “Look” at the RESOLVE of Greater Rochester fundraiser for victims of Domestic Violence – a cause close to Nina’s heart. On April 22nd, “Look” will be released under the Sony label for the world to hear.

Ken Dunkin is a Democratic Representative in the Illinois General Assembly serving the people of the 5th District of the State of Illinois.

As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, Dunkin serves on several committees, and is the chairperson for the Tourism and Conventions for the State of Illinois. He is also on the Appropriations-Higher Education committee. He focuses on legislation to raise the quality of life for working families, children and seniors, and has been successful in boosting Illinois' economy by working to strengthen Illinois' tourism and film industry.

Representative Duncan currently serves on the Associate Board of the Chicago International Film Festival. He was the sponsor of a bill that created legislation to extend tax credits to film producers to encourage them to bring more of the film industry to Illinois. Representative Dunkin is also a proud member of the world renowned PhiBeta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.

JOHN HALCYON STYN

John Halcyon Styn was the subject of an MTV documentary, won 2 Webby awards, and hosted the NBC.com series, “Fears. Regrets. Desires.” He is the author of “Love more. Fear less.” and has hosted the weekly video broadcast Hug Nation for over 10 years. In 2010, Halcyon co-founded the San Diego-based “1st Saturdays” homeless outreach program. If you see him around, he’d love a hug.

STEPHEN DAY

Sarod player, singer / songwriter and composer Stephen Day writes songs and compositions inspired by his many music tours around the world.

Born in California, and raised in Canada and France, Day began as a guitarist, then studied sarod in India with world-renowned award winning sarodist Amjad Ali Khan.

Day describes the 21-stringed fretless silver-necked sarod as being like the ‘granddaddy of all guitar like instruments’ and playing it as being ‘like taking a rocket ride for the inner soul’.

After India, Stephen spent time touring in Europe and America where he played premier venues including the Kodak Theater in L.A. and Town Hall in N.Y.  He then settled in Los Angeles and began to write music for TV and film. His body of work now contains music in 7 films, 4 music libraries, 4 albums and hundreds of television shows.

In 2007 Mr. Day organized and performed in a concert at the United Nations where his music was featured as a uniting force for ancient civilizations and modern countries in the East and in the West.

His latest album, Namaste, a collection of songs about adventure, mysticism and the road less traveled, is produced by two-time Gold Disc Award winner Matt Forger (Michael Jackson, Stephen Spielberg, Paul McCartney), and Shenkar (John Mcglaughlin, Peter Gabriel, voice of NBC’s smash hit “Heroes”).  It features musical appearances by Matt Malley (Counting Crows), Daryl Jones (Miles Davis, The Rolling Stones), Satnam Singh (Nikka Costa, Hans Zimmer), and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Ry Cooder) among others.

Stephen is the founder of “Ombience” a 501 c3 non-profit organization dedicated to self-reflection through the Arts.  In addition, he co-founded Arts & Entertainment Radio (AER), the most listened to station in the IBS network of over 45 mostly college radio stations, with well-known broadcaster and musician John Tesh. Stephen currently resides in Los Angeles where he is currently recording and performing his new show entitled ‘Stephen Day and Friends’.   The exciting new show format blends elements of world music and dance with meditation and yoga and features eclectic collaborations between Stephen’s Sarod playing and Steel Drums, Tablas, Vocals and Sufi Poetry to name a few.

Michael Tamez is a certified Holistic Health Coach who lost 105 pounds, lowered his blood pressure, and reversed sleep apnea and advanced gum disease. This was all accomplished without drugs or surgery. All of these experiences combined led Michael to discover his true passion in life. He is dedicated to guiding, empowering, and sharing the knowledge and wisdom he has acquired over the course of his lifetime. Drawing from this incredible health transformation, Michael published his award winning book, Transformative Nutrition. His guidebook to healthy and balanced living is powerfully designed to create a permanent shift in the way people eat, think, feel, live, and love.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/transformativenutrition

Kristine Carlson, New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned speaker, is passionate about spreading her message of returning from grief and waking up to life with more joy and gratitude—and certainly not taking life too seriously.

Kris’ life mission expands upon the phenomenal success of she and her late husband Dr. Richard Carlson’s work in the (“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” series). She continues his legacy of peaceful and mindful living through her own bestselling books, including the most recent, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms, An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love: The True Story of the Best Gift Ever and her memoir, Heartbroken Open.

Over the past two decades, Kris and Richard have sold more than 25 million books. She has been featured on national radio and television broadcasts, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Kris’ particular roles of expertise are focused on change, transition, and reinvention, and waking up to life with more gratitude and joy. She is a mentor for people navigating the challenges of “middle age.” Kris is a sought-after inspirational speaker and is available for keynote talks, media appearances, and more.

More About Kristine:

“Mrs. Carlson, your husband has expired.”

Six words, delivered over the phone, from two doctors I’d never met, on the other side of the country.

“Expired?”

The love of my life? Expired? Like a carton of milk?

Six words, and my world stopped & accelerated, exploded & shrank, shape-shifted & stalled to a halt, ended & began. All at once.

Six words, and everything changed.

My name is Kristine. I’m a survivor. A widow. A mother. A grandmother. A wife. A writer & bestselling author, many times over. A mentor for people navigating that exceptionally urgent & poignant time known as “middle age.” A motivational speaker for women & girls.

And yet, who I really am, when all’s said & done, is a woman who knows how to bounce, rock and roll through all of life’s changes. Good & bad. Light & dark. Perfectly planned & wholly unthinkable.

When loss blackens my heart, when my kids leave the nest (and forget to call home), when my hormones go haywire, when earthquakes turn the solid ground beneath my feet into Jello, I am brave. I am strong. I evolve.

So can you.

Though, you might have forgotten.

So it’s my job, my purpose, my calling … to remind you.

And that’s precisely what I’m here to do.

Think of this website as your touchstone — your safe zone, your homebase, your rock in a world that never stops changing.

Here, we don’t run from change — and we don’t just learn how to “deal” with it.

We learn how to love it. We learn how to laugh with it. We learn how to let it keep us awake & alive.

So. Whatever change you’re going through (and sweetheart, I know you’re going through something) … know that I’m here. With love. With words. And with every tool & resource I can possibly share.

To endings.

To beginnings.

To change.

To life.

Kristine

P.S. When I say “I’m here,” I mean it — fully and truly.

I’m here on Twitter & Facebook. I’m here, responding to your questions & comments on my blog. I’m here when you need to be reminded that you are incredibly strong. And I’m here, every month, leading soul-stirring conversations on love, loss, reinvention, resilience, and all the “big stuff” that we’re living & dying to talk about.