There is nothing that brings me more satisfaction than finding an area of need and filling it. I started my first business at 12 years old. I learned the importance of profit and loss, enthusiastic sales, and the value of great customer service! Understanding how to build and maintain a business, I began to seek opportunities to make a difference by creating opportunities for others. Here are a few highlights:



*In 1992, many of my friends complained about overcrowded gyms with clientele that made them feel uncomfortable. In 1993, I developed a unique private training studio model to address that concern. My business tripled in the first five years. My friends and many others found their fitness "home". With the studio's success, I traveled all over the world to lecture. Topics included: How to Start a Fitness Business, How to Lead Well, Creating a Winning Culture, and Marketing for Success. My speaking and writing career for the fitness industry continued to grow. I authored 4 books, and wrote numerous articles for magazines including, Prevention, Fitness and Real Simple. In 2012, I sold the business to discover my next opportunity.



*In 2013, the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce was looking for its next CEO. As the first woman in its 112 year history, I accepted the challenge to run the 2nd largest chamber in the state of Illinois. When I took the reigns, the organization was struggling. I was able to put together a great team. We focused on strategic planning, streamlined programing to bring more value to members, explored additional revenue sources via successful capital campaign, improved efficiencies with staff, strengthened partnerships with strategic alliances. I was fortunate to be part of rebuilding an organization.



*In January of 2020, I was recruited to develop a leadership program for undergraduate women at Benedictine University. Given the inequality with leadership roles and pay for women, I now have a chance to develop outstanding leaders driven to become agents of change for the good of all.



I believe in contributing to positive change, collaboration, and thinking strategically. I am passionate about leadership development, equality, public speaking/writing, relationship building, problem solving, and customer care.

SWAMI BEYONDANANDA (aka STEVE BHAERMAN)

Swami Beyondananda is the cosmic comic alter ego of writer, humorist, performer and uncommontator Steve Bhaerman. The Swami, whose favorite yoga pose is tongue-in-cheek, is the spokesperson for a new non-religion, FUNdamentalism (accent on “fun”). Says the Swami, “We are strictly non-dominational.”

Steve was pursuing a career as a teacher and writer, when a funny thing happened. The name “Swami Beyondananda” flew into his head on day in 1979. As Steve tells it, “I got struck by enlightening during a brainstorm.”

The following year, when he and a cohort were casting about for a comic mascot for their ground-breaking holistic publication, Pathways in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Swami’s name popped back up. The first issue of Pathways in January, 1980 featured an ad spoofing the old Famous Artists ads. This ad was for Famous Guru’s Schools, and the headline proclaimed, “We’re looking for people who want to draw … on higher consciousness.” The piece included some mock testimonials, including: “Dear Swami … loved your leadership training … please send followers.”

Before long, Swami was the most popular feature in Pathways, as he held forth on topics such as “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sects” (“… unbridled sects can lead to unwanted misconceptions …”), Teach Your Dog to Heal (“… being around friendly canines generates healthy hormones called puptides …”), Tantrum Yoga (“… the latest rage on the path to ire consciousness”), and Be There Now, Swami’s ultimate take on bi-location (“… the first time I stepped outside my body, I was beside myself with excitement …”).

After Pathways ceased publication, the Swami’s articles began to appear in national publications such as the old East West Journal, and local publications in Philadelphia, Austin, Salt Lake City, among others. When Steve decided to pursue comedy as a full-time career in 1985, the Swami was the obvious vehicle. (You can read the surprising story of the first words that ever came out of Swami’s mouth in the e-book, Wake Up Laughing: An Insider’s Guide to the Cosmic Comedy.)

Anyway, shortly after his first public performance as Swami in 1985, Steve met his wife-to-be Trudy, and a year-and-a-half later, they took off in a van and trailer and launched the Swami and Trudy show. And the rest … is mystery.

In the course of nearly twenty-five years of purveying cosmic comedy and healing laughter, Swami has had a successful, long-running monthly column, Ask The Swami, has written four books (Driving Your Own Karma … When You See A Sacred Cow, Milk It for All It’s Worth … Duck Soup for the Soul … Swami for Precedent: A Seven-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction), and produced a half a dozen comedy cassettes (sorry, not available on 8-track) and CDs.

He has been on stage with the great sages of the past quarter century, and even performed for Swami Satchidananda’s 80th birthday party in 1994, along with Hollywood celebs and international recording artists. He has gained a reputation for being both pointed and compassionate (his comedy has been called “irreverently uplifting”), and over the past decade, his comedy has become more political.

(“I know,” Swami says, “that many people don’t want to go there. But there has already come here.”)

In recent years, the Swami has performed at numerous political events, including the Transpartisan Alliance Citizens Summit, the Network of Spiritual Progressives Conference, the Department of Peace Conference, the Praxis Peace Institute Economics of Peace Conference, to name a few.

Swami’s latest venture is to combine his non-religion of FUNdamentalism with the non-politics of the newly-formed Right to Laugh Party (“one big party … everyone is invited”), to create one big evolutionary up-wising to overgrow the current dysfunctional system. He will also be launching his radio feature, Karma Talk this year — to give folks from all over the world to ask the Swami answerable questions, and receive his questionable answers.

Jennifer Hough (pronounced HUFF) is the President of The Wide Awakening, Author of the new book UNSTUCK and Founder of the Largest Integrative Nutrition Practice in Canada and founded the first Mentorship program for Complementary Entrepreneurs over 2 decades ago. She is an expert in practical applied Physics.

She has mentored Doctors, Executives and Thought Leaders globally. Her passion is to make physics practical after working with mystics, scientists and shamans from 8 different countries, to free herself of her own struggle with chronic fatigue and self-sabotage. She's been on international stages, radio, television and podcasts and is the author/co-author of countless books and articles.

Jennifer leverages new information about biology, physics, and neuroscience to:

• Show you how to move from simply surviving every day to flourishing

• Remove the veil over how to live in the miracle zone

• Show you how to move from frustrated and overwhelmed to deeply fulfilled and abundant.

Connect with Jennifer here:

Jennifer Hough (Personal) Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/jenniferhough

The Wide Awakening with Jennifer Hough FB page https://www.facebook.com/WideAwakening

The Wide Awakening Playground FB Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/twaplayground

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewideawakening/

Matt Domyancic "the Tactical Chaplain"

Former Police Officer, Strength Coach, Police Chaplain, Spiritual Director, Peer Support and Wellness Advocate

Matt volunteers as a chaplain and peer support for police agencies in Los Angeles. He also is a volunteer for nonprofits that support police officers in crisis, as well as those that are injured and disabled. Matt believes all first responders can have careers that provide deeper meaning and add richness to their spiritual lives if approached in the right manner.

Matt is a medically retired police officer that worked patrol, Peer Support, SWAT, and as a full-time police academy instructor. Matt was the Wellness Coordinator for his agency integrating sports nutrition, strength, and conditioning, stress management, combatives-and-scenario training regarding officers as tactical athletes. He also was concurrently a collegiate strength coach at Yale and Georgetown Universities while a full-time police officer. Later he was a strength coach and mental skills trainer for NFL combine athletes. At Yale, he volunteered for Athletes in Action and at Georgetown, he created an ecumenical ministry Hoyas for Christ. Matt also has been a volunteer with Hockey Ministries International summer camps.

Matt played linebacker and was a competitive powerlifter for the Air Force Academy and Colgate University. He has an MS in Forensic Science under Dr. Henry Lee, an MS in Sport Psychology under Dr. Ken Ravizza, a MA in Pastoral Theology with a concentration in Spiritual Direction from Loyola Marymount University, and an additional spiritual direction certificate from Stillpoint. Matt focused his studies and additional immersion experiences in the contemplative traditions as well as masculine spirituality and psychology.

During his time in Congress, Rep. Jim Moran was a leader on the Appropriations Committee, bringing billions in economic investment to Northern Virginia to assist underserved communities – building up the region’s transportation infrastructure and creating thousands of jobs, particularly in the defense and intelligence communities.

Moran played a major role in funding the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, the Metro to Dulles, the widening of Route 1 to Fort Belvoir and the construction of numerous local road, bridge, environmental and public transit projects. The front page of the Washington Post cited the fact that “companies based in Representative James P. Moran’s district in Northern Virginia reaped $43 billion in federal contracts – roughly as much as the entire state of Texas.”

Moran was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War from the very beginning and helped lead opposition in committee and on the floor to what he deemed a war of choice whose outcome would not strengthen American security, but rather align Iraq with the Shiite dominated Iran.

In 1996, he co-founded the New Democrats – one of the largest caucuses in the House. Through the New Dems, he has supported free and fair trade and has been active on a range of issues promoting a stronger, center-left vision for our nation’s economy.

 

Since 2016, Moran has served as the Senior Legislative Advisor at McDermott, Will and Emery. In March 2016, he was appointed Professor of Practice in the School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.